Not that Todd Martin doesn't do a fine job, but what would it take for J-Sharp (is that right?) to get this gig on a regular basis? Because this was a lot of fun.
Originally posted by Justin in his recapWe eschew meeting the announcers at their desk, probably since seeing the name "Joey Styles" in a graphic subliminally advertises TNA Turning Point to the Latino demographic. Si?
Coincidentally (or not), Shapiro is like Arrested Development - not everybody gets it. I don't know if it's 98% of the "wrestling-recap" audience that doesn't get him, but clearly, it's not everybody's cup of tea.
*This* recap was like "RAW Homecoming"...like you were loading up a premiere show for a new audience that may have forgotten about you. But this gig is only for 2 weeks, right? I don't really care for Martin's recaps - they're the same as everybody else's, and I could go to any other site and read a near carbon-copy, cause everybody says the same things and says them the same way. It's substance *and* style, people.
I'm not trying to blow smoke here, Justin - I'm just saying that I get and like it.
By the way, from your Heat recaps, what kind of feedback have you gotten from the "real inside" folks who go to WO.com? Do they get it / appreciate it?
Very nice debut (or wait, have you done Raw for the Observer site before?) I'll get started on that "Replace Todd Martin" petition first thing tomorrow morning.
Hey thanks dudes. I will try to answer the questions without getting too masturbatory.
Originally posted by MR SCoincidentally (or not), Shapiro is like Arrested Development - not everybody gets it.
Okay, as obnoxious as this sounds, I actually did drastically change the way I wrote the reports after I started watching Arrested in 03-04. My first year or so, my idea was always to go way against the grain of the really self-indulgent, writing-to-read-myself-write reports you'd see, figuring the best way to fly in the face of that would be to do a very low-key no-frills recap.
And that was alright. But then Arrested showed up, and I was just so genuinely awed by what they were doing. So much so that I tried to figure out the recapping equivalent of packing in as many jokes as possible, and sometimes hiding jokes. It also, much to my detriment, caused a pun overload. No more no-frills, way more writing-to-read-myself-write.
it's not everybody's cup of tea.
Yeah, Scott Keith's board really hated it! And I hear tell there will be some not so positive letters on WO.com later tonight.
*This* recap was like "RAW Homecoming"...like you were loading up a premiere show for a new audience that may have forgotten about you.
That's a fun way to describe it. I think it went a little overboard, but after not writing any WWE TV Show Recap Jokes for the last two months, it all sort of spilled out.
But this gig is only for 2 weeks, right?
Yeah, Todd just asked me to fill in while he takes finals.
I'm not trying to blow smoke here, Justin - I'm just saying that I get and like it.
By the way, from your Heat recaps, what kind of feedback have you gotten from the "real inside" folks who go to WO.com? Do they get it / appreciate it?
Actually, the entire time I wrote Heat, I did not get a lot of feedback. Just a few people who would write frequently and were always very nice. A man who may or may not have been Viscera did write once after I said he was fat. I think that's about it.
Now, the whole time I was writing there I've been perpetually scared of Dave. Like that he would think I was a goof who made no sense. But he's never been anything but really nice to me whenever he's said anything.
Originally posted by Stevehave you done Raw for the Observer site before?
Todd has been really generous in that for the last two years, any time he's missed a week he's always let me fill in for him. I believe I have done six now -- one in December '03 (Foley walks out on his match with Orton), one in April '04 (Shelton pins HHH), two in August '04 (Eugene stuff), one in November '04 (Batista fake turn on HHH), and yesterday. So this was the first in a year. It's not something I would do every week because that show is just so long.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroYeah, Scott Keith's board really hated it! And I hear tell there will be some not so positive letters on WO.com later tonight.
I just read those opinions. And I never get tired of how when people don't find humor in something, they automatically label it "unfunny" because after all, their own taste in humor is right, and cannot be debated.
Anyhoo, great job my friend. And congratulations on finally mastering the wonderful world of HTML. If you had learned sooner, I could have gotten you to pimp me more, and I might not have had to work as hard. Or something like that.
I just read those opinions. And I never get tired of how when people don't find humor in something, they automatically label it "unfunny" because after all, their own taste in humor is right, and cannot be debated.
I'm kinda curious to know how this plays in Internet Peoria, because here's the thing: I've read Justin's stuff for long enough to know what a droll, pun-loving wit he is, but I wonder how other people who don't know that as much react.
And for my $0.02, I thought it was great stuff. J-Sharp's growns up and he's growns up and he's growns up.
"Why are you going to give me this raise? Because I AM AWESOME!!!"
FWIW to you, Sharpie, a good friend of mine who'd never read you before had no idea what the heckfire you were writing about. Found it too tangental and very hard to follow.
Originally posted by ShapiroAt New Year's Revolution it will be Trish Stratus defending against Mickie James in a You Can't Be Me match
If they actually named the match that, they'd get my buy for that alone.
Hard to believe that those microphones don't deteriorate in value at all...
This was a great read. I guess some people don't like the jokes, but fuck 'em! It's a pro-wrestling news report. If you can't have fun with it, you're just not getting it. This was actually more fun than the show itself.
I actually like Rajah keeping the WWF. I don't think it's intentional but it did feel like a little F-U to the WWF-Wrestling who did contact him to drop the WWF off his site. Which I thought was being tight (not in a good way) on WWF's part.