Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look

Title Card.

**Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look** is the twelfth Pony Life Short. It was uploaded to Discovery Family GO! app on February 8, 2020. The animation has no focus character, but it features Lil' Nelson and Zane.

## Official Description

Everyone in Ninjago City is talking about the new craze, the arcade game Prime Empire. But the popular reporter, Gayle Gossip, critically examines the darker side of this popular trend. Rumor has it that players are disappearing... Where are they? And why hasn’t its legendary programmer, Milton Dyer, been seen for 20 years? What dark secrets will Gayle uncover once she starts scratching the surface? Watch, but proceed with caution.

## Plot

Gayle Gossip stands outside a new Arcade with Vinny, making a news report about the newly revealed video game, *Prime Empire*. She explains that although it has taken Ninjago by storm, its story is suspicious when looking deeper.

An old commercial for *Prime Empire* plays, stating that it is an all new gaming experience. Eight arenas and situations can be explored, such as the Temple of Madness and others.

Gossip says that the commercial had never before been aired to the public and that the reason *Prime Empire* was not on the market was not disclosed yet. She talks about Milton Dyer being a legend in his field and having produced a considerable selection of video games. She suggests that because something happened in his company, the game could never release. Also, she speculates that Dyer did not want to talk about the incident, so he avoided the public. She asks her viewers why *Prime Empire* had to be released now.

Next, Gossip interviews people in line at the Arcade about opinions on *Prime Empire*. She starts with Lil' Nelson, who says it is the best game in history and you cannot get off of it. The arcade owner says that his business had never been better ever since *Prime Empire* was released, emphasizing the long line outside his store. He tells the viewers that everyone come to his store and have fun. However, Zane interrupts, saying that video games are hazardous. The arcade owner interrupts back and tells Gossip that everyone should get with the trend. After suggesting there is a deeper truth, Gossip says that she went to the source—*Prime Empire*.

She enters the Arcade, and talks about how everyone is having fun and if the game will reach its eventual end. Nelson is on the side playing *Prime Empire*. The short ends with Gossip ending her news report and Nelson disappearing into the video game.

## Cast

* Arcade Owner - Andrew Francis
* Commercial Narration - Clay St. Thomas
* Game Voice - Mark Hildreth
* Gayle Gossip - Kelly Sheridan
* Lil' Nelson - David Reynolds
* Zane - Brent Miller

## Locations Visited

* Ninjago
	+ Ninjago City
		- Abandoned Arcade

## Transcript

* Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look (Transcript)

## Trivia

* Vinny, Antonia, Sammy, Milton Dyer, Sushimi, the Red Visors, and Okino also appear in this short but don't speak.
* Antonia, Sammy, Sushimi, the Red Visors, and Okino made cameos in this short.
* It is revealed that Lil' Nelson's mother has gotten in with the game but disappeared sometime before this episode. Lil' Nelson has no idea where she went and ironically has no concern for this incident.
	+ Lil' Nelson himself disappears into the Prime Empire video game at the end of this episode.
* Lil' Nelson is credited as Little Nelson.
* Despite not being an actual episode, this is the second time where Zane is the only Ninja to appear in an episode, the first being "Return to Seaquestria" albeit only in a picture.
* Similar to Lloyd being hypocritical in "The Mask of Deception - Part I" about opening a school, Zane was being hypocritical in this short, as he thinks that video games are dangerous and that people can be addicted to them. However, Zane was shown playing video games in "The Ticket Master" and "Wasted True Potential." He was also known for having the highest score of *Lava Zombies* before having his score beaten by Cole.
* This marks Milton Dyer's first appearance.
* The short is listed on Discovery Family GO! app as the fifth short of the series.

## Video

Prime Empire Original Shorts Gayle Gossip A Closer Look – LEGO® NINJAGO®