"Scorpion Rain" and the state of the fandom(I)
Gordon Dickinson
doesn't particularly matter. The things about to be discussed are
important to any fandom regardless of who brings them up. However,
I want to put this disclaimer first because it's important that
you know exactly where I'm coming from.
First of all, I'm Australian. I've lived here all my life.
Second, I've been a Power Rangers fan since Season 1.
Third, I've been reading this newsgroup on and off since mid-late
1996. I guess that makes me an "old schooler", of sorts. Sometimes
I've followed it closely, sometimes less so(mostly to avoid US
spoilers). During this time I have posted very rarely; usually it's
only when, like now, I have something very important to say. Thus,
the majority of my posts have been on the issue of censorship:
something which I regard as a crime against the show. "Scorpion
Rain", the topic I'm about to discuss at length, is something
which I regard as a crime against the fandom itself - and an
equally serious matter.
Fourth, I've run a reference site(Power Rangers Transcripts) since
1999. Now, although I may be an "old school" fan, I'm in no way an
"old school celebrity". I make no apology for that. However, I
sense that this fact bothers some people, and it's been an uphill
battle for any of form of recognition, let alone respect, right
from the beginning. It seems that sites aren't judged by their
content, but instead by the public profile of their owners. I've
found this attitude extremely depressing. I work very hard on this
site, I try my hardest not to offend anyone, and I don't boast
about how wonderful I am. And yet ... acceptance eludes me. Quite
frankly, motivation has been getting harder and harder to keep up
in the face of this constant "freeze out".
I don't think we have to look very far to find people who like to give
themselves airs, who act like their views and friends are somehow more
important than anyone else's; in short, they seem to believe that the
rest of the fandom is incidental to them. This is a very common trait
amongst "old school" fans in more than one fandom, and I sometimes
feel as though my site has been made the victim of this elitist
perspective. (Alternative explanations are welcome, of course, but
after 2.5 years of pondering the subject, I don't think there are
many I haven't already considered.)
Further, I've come to believe that such a group is responsible for
"Scorpion Rain", something which I have concluded is nothing but an
elaborate and thoughtless(at best) or nasty-minded(at worst) hoax.
Or to be more specific, I think it may have started out as a silly
joke and later grew into something more serious. I'm stepping in to
get to the bottom of this thing once and for all because people have
genuinely had their feelings hurt over it(myself included). Once a
hoax starts having that effect it ceases to be harmless and should
be stopped immediately.
Fifth, I'm very angry about this whole affair. Now before anyone
starts playing the killjoy card, I want to point out that "Scorpion
Rain"(at least in its initial stage) in and of itself is a relatively
minor issue. However, the implications of the affair are much more
serious, and indeed a reflection upon the fandom itself. Specifically,
the matter of "Scorpion Rain" demonstrates:
a. The rift between old school fans and newer fans.
b. The perceived credibility of US fans vs the perceived
incredibility of non-US fans, even on non-US issues.
c. The perceived credibility of "online personalities" vs the
perceived incredibility of the wider fandom.
Sixth, I'm not trying to lump everyone together under one category. I
hope no-one will take this post as US-bashing or "celebrity" bashing,
because it's not intended in that light. I've encountered some
wonderful people in this fandom, both old and new, "celebrity" and
"non-celebrity", US and non-US. However, I DO want to challenge those
-specific- US posters and those -specific- US "celebrities" who have
abused positions of tenure to deceive the fandom and amuse themselves
and their cronies at the expense of other, more deserving folk.
*** This post is intended to further the ideals of an honourable and
democratic fandom, where credibility is based upon reputation and
sound character rather than "cult status", "old school tenure",
or how much of an "online personality" someone is. A position of
respect should ALWAYS be accompanied by responsibility. If a
person abuses their position of respect{using their powers for
personal gain, one might say}, that respect should be revoked. ***
Okay, that's my background and those are my core beliefs. I want you
to be aware of them and keep them in mind as I proceed with the
following post.
A couple of years ago, I was made aware of a supposedly Australia
exclusive production, "Scorpion Rain", which allegedly bridged the
gap between Zeo and Turbo. The production was supposed to have been
very cheap, using Australian voice-overs and footage of the toys for
Zord scenes. It was mentioned to me by someone who had seen the
"wanted to buy" notice on Derik Smith(an "old schooler")'s site and
thought that I might know something about it(being from Australia).
Now, I'd never heard of the thing, but I said that I'd keep an eye
out for it. After that it pretty much stayed at the back of my mind.
In 2000, I discussed the matter with two other Australian posters,
and our general consensus was that the matter of "Scorpion Rain"
was very dubious(if it had been on, we would have seen it) and
probably an urban legend. Newsgroup posts were made to this effect,
and as might be expected, they caught my attention. They caught my
attention largely because of the response they received: Australian
posters were having their views dismissed in favour of US reports
... over an AUSTRALIAN ISSUE!
Now, both myself and the posters involved found this attitude
extremely galling - none of us had ever seen or heard of the
production, and for people living halfway around the world to try
and tell us that they knew better about was going on in our own
country ... well, that was a direct challenge to both our
credibility and our long-standing familiarity with the series.
One in particular, Chris Funaro(Commander Crayfish)(another "old
schooler"), was extremely vocal in defence of "Scorpion Rain"'s
existence. I almost got involved back then, this being an issue
very close to my heart, but I'll tell you what stopped me.
I've read many of Chris's posts to the newsgroup over the years and
while I may not always agree with them, the fact remains that they're
detailed and insightful. He remains consistently on-topic and can
discuss any season with ease, primarily focusing on the good points;
in fact, I'd say that he's one of the most loyal Power Rangers fans
I've ever come across. He has a dedication and an affinity for the
series, and indeed the fandom itself, that I respect, and his
"Scorpion Rain" defence posts came across as sincere. In short,
I came to believe that -he- believed what he was saying.
He made a reference to threads which could prove "Scorpion Rain"'s
existence in the Deja archives, which were still down at the time and
hence unavailable for consultation, and so I was willing to give him
the benefit of the doubt. Privately, I still thought that it was an
urban legend and that there had been some form of miscommunication.
But, stranger things had happened ... and so I decided to forego
comment until I'd had a chance to consult those archives. Maybe
there was going to be something in the original thread that would
clear up the whole mystery. As it turns out, there was. But not in
the way I was expecting.
When the Deja archives were restored earlier this year, I tracked down
the original thread and read it very carefully. Several discrepancies
immediately leapt to mind, especially when compared with my thorough
knowledge of the Australian Power Rangers schedule since 1994. The
content was so laughable, in fact, that I couldn't imagine how any
longterm fan could take it seriously. And then I did some research
into the various personalities involved, checked up on some posting
histories, etc, and I came up with a very alarming possibility. A
possibility which, after reading and re-reading all of the evidence
dozens of times, I'm now convinced is a certainty.
In short, I've come to believe that "Scorpion Rain" is a blatant hoax
perpetuated by an IRC and/or "old-school" clique against the rest of
the fandom. The only way this could -not- be a hoax would be for my
dedication to this series and my in-depth knowledge of the Australian
schedule to be flawed. And I'm willing to swear that it's not. I'm
putting my own reputation on the line over this. Going on the current
evidence, I can only conclude that "Scorpion Rain" is 100% fake.
What I truly don't understand, maybe don't WANT to understand, is
-why- anyone would act in such a way. To invent such a thing, and
then to perpetuate it for several YEARS ... misleading hundreds of
people ... it's very upsetting to think that anyone could have so
much contempt for their fellow fans in general, and Australians in
particular. It's also very sad to think that anyone's life could be
so empty that they would need to manufacture a secret just to give
themselves and their cronies a sense of importance above everyone
else.
And the saddest truth of all is that some of these people are highly
respected by the wider fandom. If what I'm accusing them of is true,
and this whole post is intended to overwhelmingly prove that point,
they've shown themselves to be totally unworthy of such exalted
status. Particularly galling is the fact that US hoaxers have been
purposefully discrediting the reports of honest Australian fans, all
in order to preserve such a shameful secret. And even if they haven't
been involved personally, they've stood by and allowed it to happen.
Consider the precedent set: if the wider fandom has been led to
believe Australians can't be trusted on Australian issues, how is
it going to perceive Australian views on wider matters, such as
Power Rangers itself?
Obviously, these are mighty strong allegations to make. However,
it's the only conclusion that covers all the discrepancies, and I
believe that I have considerable evidence to back it up(I wouldn't
have made this post otherwise). All the arguments that follow are
based upon information from websites and the Deja/Google newsgroup
archives, and I'm going to use them to prove my view that "Scorpion
Rain" is 100% fiction.
Now, whilst my knowledge of the Australian facts is very strong, I
will freely admit that I only have my own theories to go on with
regards to the actual mechanics of the hoax. The specifics may not
be exactly right. Nor do I fully understand the intent of the alleged
hoaxers. Still, I'll tell you what I know and what I think, and let
you make up your own mind as to whose argument is more credible on
this Australian issue: a dedicated Australian fan who has closely
followed the series since Season 1, or a bunch of US fans who live
halfway around the world and could, at best, only have had access
to secondhand information.
Okay, let's get started. My comments will be in ()s.
(This is the thread that launched the whole thing in 1998.)
1. From: ReGenesis0 (regen...@aol.com)
Subject: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/14
Hi, I saw a piece on American Journal awhile ago following up on
Axelrod, the guy who played Zedd's voice, and the showed clips of an
8 minute short film that aired in 2 minute segments after Power
Rangers Zeo a few months ago to promote the upcoming T:APRM release.
It's supposed to have Zedd versus the red and pink zeo rangers (no
unmorphed shots, and the voices all wrong, maybe Axelrod in jail?)
and the destruction of Serpentera.
I'd prefer NTSB format but I'm willing to pay 20-30 american for a
copy in either format.
-D
(This is very interesting. The post that launched this whole thing
is from Derik Smith, an American, not from an Australian. There's
no mention of the name "Scorpion Rain", either. Furthermore, the
reference to these segments airing after Power Rangers Zeo is
blatantly untrue; I watched every one of those Zeo repeats from
late 1997 to mid-1998, and there was -nothing- of the kind. Each
ran from 3:30pm to 4:00pm{when the next half hour program started},
and I certainly would have noticed if there was anything extra.
Moreover, the Turbo movie was not released in Australia until
mid-September 1998, seven episodes from the end of the Turbo
series{absurd, I know} and six months after this post was made.
There's no way any form of movie promo would have been shown -that-
early, especially considering how limited the actual ones were in
September.
Interestingly, Derik doesn't make any mention of this being an
Australian production in the body of his post - only in the subject
header. That seems unusual to me. Without seeing the subject header,
anyone would think he was talking about American broadcasts. It seems
logical that anyone -really- pursuing something like this would have
at least clarified the country of origin within the post, especially
on such an unusual matter.
In any case, this post was made in March 1998. "A few months ago"(say
January 1998) wouldn't have been anywhere near the end of the Zeo
repeats(as later posts place the production). Turbo(the series)
didn't start in Australia until around May 1998. Zeo repeats were
showing at the rate of two episodes a week up until then, and
tennis/golf was airing around the turn of the year interrupting
the regular programming. "A few months ago" would have either
been mid-season Zeo repeats or smack in the middle of tennis/golf.
Zeo's first and only previous run was from about March to May in
1997(five new episodes a week), and since the show was on so early
I used the timer-record function to catch it. I set it to start
recording fifteen minutes beforehand and stop about five-ten
minutes afterwards just to be on the safe side, and again there
was nothing resembling this "Scorpion Rain".
And there's another thing. I've heard rumours about Robert Axelrod
being arrested on drug offenses and jailed in 1997, which is why
they had to hastily recast Divatox and why early Turbo was such a
rushed mess. Where did this one come from? Somehow I can't see Saban
re-hiring criminals, and Axelrod was back for Space. I only mention
this because it's brought up in connection with the whole "Scorpion
Rain" thing, and it sounds equally implausible. To my mind this post
is extremely dubious, and from all accounts, Derik has a reputation
for twisted humour.)
(Let's continue ...)
2. From: Light1Star (light...@aol.com)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/14
> an 8 minute short film that aired in 2 minute segments after Power
> Rangers Zeo a few months ago to promote the upcoming T:APRM release
I saw this story too- the movie looked really cool, especially when
Zedd kicks Tommy hard. Are there any pictures of this on the web?
-Red Light1Star Ranger, Ninjeti Master, Dark Lord of the Sith
(A confirmation post, but also from an American. And yet neither of
them thought to hit the record button that day? A fellow "AOLer",
too, although that may have been pure coincidence.)
3. From: RoccoB64 (rocc...@aol.com)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
If anyone has pics of this movie on the web, I'D BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR
THEM.
(Three AOLers in a row! Again, maybe nothing, but a very interesting
coincidence nonetheless.)
4. From: sailor (sai...@iamerica.net)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
RoccoB64 wrote:
> If anyone has pics of this movie on the web, I'D BE VERY GRATEFUL
> FOR THEM.
Sailor too. :)
--Sailor -
(Why the :) smiley, I wonder?)
5. From: ReGenesis0 (regen...@aol.com)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
RoccoB64 wrote:
>
> If anyone has pics of this movie on the web, I'D BE VERY GRATEFUL
> FOR THEM.
Not that I've seen, and I've been looking. Does anyone have a tape of
this to make snaps of?
(Okay, now here's where things start getting REALLY suspicious. So far
it sounds weird, but vaguely plausible. Now, however, we're about to
see signs of trickery and collusion.)
6. From: jack_...@hotmail.com (jack_...@hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
I remember this... it aired after the zeo eps down here just like the
'it's coming' ads, except I think these only aired once to promo the
movie.
(To promo the movie? I don't think so. That movie didn't start
screening until September 1998, six months after this post. And yet
it -did- show in America in 1997 - maybe the US hoaxers just assumed
it was universally released that year. A careless slip! I also doubt
whether a one-shot Australian poster would have been so familiar with
the "it's coming" promos, which as far as I know weren't shown
outside of the US. If they were shown on $even, I certainly didn't
know about it. However, a US hoaxer in disguise would have been
-most- familiar with them.)
it was pretty bad. Not the plot- that was good. It looked like all the
effects were done in some basement studio- they were pretty bad. I
think I have 3 of the 5 segments on tape somewhere, I'll dig through
and post plot summary if anyone wants it?
-Jovat
(Note this name. It's important. Let's also ask ourselves why someone
using the name of "Jack Zodiac" would call themselves "Jovat". Also
note the hotmail e-mail address - that service is both anonymous and
available internationally.)
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(Also interesting.)
7. From: Montgomery (jmon...@newshost.li.net)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
: pretty bad. I think I have 3 of the 5 segments on tape somewhere,
: I'll dig through and post plot summary if anyone wants it?
Yes, please! :-)
(Another smiley? These smileys appear to be hinting at something. And
Montgomery is/was a well-known humourist/parody writer with close
connections to "old school" fans.)
8. From: jack_...@hotmail.com (jack_...@hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/15
> Yes, please! :-)
Ok, I dug through my tapes, and I only have 2 of the 5 segments, so
I'll try to fill in the rest.
(Hang on, didn't Derik claim this was aired in -4- segments?
Discrepancies already!)
Part 1 of 5
It begins with a shot of the command center from the outside, and you
can hear Alpha 5 talking. He counts down from ten and there's this
rocket flash taking off from the tube of the command center (badly
fx'd into a PRZ shot) then they zoom in on the rocket taking off and
you can see it's Super Zeo Zord Five (the star shaped one, I think
they used the toy on a string for this, remember, the fx re REALLY
bad) They switch to the inside (!) of the SZZ5 cockpit and they have
'Tommy' and 'Kat' talking to Alpha 5 on the viewscreen. I day 'Tommy'
because they both have Australian accents.
Another surprise- the Alpha 5 costume used is the one from the first
movie! (you only see it for about 5 seconds) 'Tommy' and 'Kat' do the
exposition, Zedd has been settin up Serpentera in the asteroid belt
and it preparing to attack Earth, so 'Tommy' and 'Kat' decided to head
the bole off at the pass (there is no mention of Rita) the last shot
of this segment has them streaking towards the asteroids.
Part 4 of 5
I don't really remember what heppened between these two, but segemtn
four begins with Tommy and Kat inside Serpentera (it's just a set of
catwalks and hallways) being chased by Zedd and Goldar (NOT the movie
costumes) They lure them into an room where they'll have room to fight
and 'Tommy' summons the 'Zeo 5 Mega Sword' (not the sword with the
star design on it, it was like a japanese dueling blade, they never
showed it close) and he goes sword-to-staff with 'Zedd' (LMAO at his
accent) with lots of spark effects. meanwhile, Kat is dodging Goldar
and Goldar accidentily hits a box on the wall and Zed calls out 'You
fool, you've hit the main power box!'
The last shot is of Serpentera sinking intot he eatth's atmosphere
and it begins to glow on the bottom.
I was sick the week this aired, and I don't really remember a whole
leot, but I do recall that the last bit ends with Kat and Tommy flying
away in their zord as Serpentera (they used the toy) explodes over the
ocean.
-Jovat
(Come on, who could take any of the above seriously? It SOUNDS like a
parody, and a funny one admittedly. Nevertheless, I checked out the
author posting history of this mysterious "Jack Zodiac/Jovat". Note -
these posts are extremely few and far between; furthermore, "Jovat's"
first post was in this "Scorpion Rain" thread. Almost as if he/she
had been created just for the occasion...)
(Here are two more of "Jovat's" posts from the following month.)
8a. From: jack_...@hotmail.com (jack_...@hotmail.com)
Subject: TRINI'S BACK!!!!!!
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/04/04
I JUST GOT AN E-MAIL from my friend who works for Samon House- the
accounting firm that does payroll for Saban, and she confirmed
something I recieved info about last week, TRINI IS BACK AND THE
PHANTOM RANGER!!! NOw- I don't know if that means she was the phantom
in turbo- but it seems more likely that she will recieve the phantom
bower if/when the Phantom Ranger leaves (maybe to become silver?)
(All I can say is: and this person is the prize "Scorpion Rain"
witness?!?)
That's all!
-jack
("Jovat" is now calling himself "Jack". Hmm...)
8b. From: jack_...@hotmail.com (jack_...@hotmail.com)
Subject: TLC INFO FOR GINGAMAN!!!1
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/04/30
SABAN HAS PUT OUT A CASTING CALL IN KALIF. FoR A 'BruNNETTE MALE,
age 18- 22, cultured' FoR AN UNSPECIFIED MAJOR ROLE 'ASHeR'
DOES ANYONE ELSE THINKTHIS CONFIRM RUMORS THAT SABAN WILL BE |
SAYING ASHLEY USED TO BE A GUY AND HAS A SEX CHANGE BEFORE TURBO?/
PLEASE GIVE THOUGHTs.
(I'll say it again - and this person is the prize "Scorpion Rain"
witness?! If the above isn't some hoaxer's attempt to be funny,
at the very least it shows a total lack of credibility. I find
it impossible to believe that longterm fans could be seriously
convinced by the postings of this person ... unless they were
all involved in the same hoax.)
-Jovat
(Oh-ho, so it's back to "Jovat" again. Apparently this person can't
keep their identity straight.)
(Okay, now this is one of the most damning pieces of evidence. Check
out "Jack Zodiac"'s final post ... and look who comes in at the end
of the thread.)
8c. From: jack_...@hotmail.com (jack_...@hotmail.com)
Subject: Does solid sound exist in the DCU?
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Date: 1999/01/06
I know DC has a fairly established setup for solid plasma... and solid
light... but does Solid Sound exist in DCU? (I'm thinking of Klaw
here, the question arises because MU's solid sound is dependent on
tech devised from Vibrianum, which doesn't exist in DCU...)
-Jack
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(Some standard responses follow ... )
8d. From: JohannaLD (joha...@aol.comDELETEME)
Subject: Re: Does solid sound exist in the DCU?
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Date: 1999/01/06
From: jack_...@hotmail.com
>I know DC has a fairly established setup for solid plasma... and
>solid light... but does Solid Sound exist in DCU?
Sonar used a lot of sound-based weapons, although I'm not
sure if he specifically used solid sound.
Johanna
8e. From: Devlin1 (dami...@pacific.net.sg)
Subject: Re: Does solid sound exist in the DCU?
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Date: 1999/01/07
>>I know DC has a fairly established setup for solid plasma... and
>>solid light... but does Solid Sound exist in DCU?
>
>Sonar used a lot of sound-based weapons, although I'm not
>sure if he specifically used solid sound.
>
>Johanna
The old version of "Cyborg" Victor Stone (before the current
moon-engulfing and Titans-kidnapping one in the JLA/Titans miniseries)
used something he refered to as "a million decibels of white sound".
Maybe that's DC's version of solid sound.
8f. From: ReGenesis0 (regen...@aol.commiserate)
Subject: Re: Does solid sound exist in the DCU?
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Date: 1999/01/07
>The old version of "Cyborg" Victor Stone (before the current
>moon-engulfing and Titans-kidnapping one in the JLA/Titans
>miniseries) used something he refered to as "a million decibels of
>white sound". Maybe that's DC's version of solid sound.
Okie, thanks for the answer. (the answer, BTW was no. Solid
cound functions like emerald energy)
*quietly makes notes for hsi Supergirl/Songbird fic...*
-Derik
("Jack" asks a question, and Derik posts his thanks for the answer!
They even sign off in the same way, with a "-" before their name.
Gee, do you think that the two of them might be one and the same?
Either that, or they BOTH happened to be interested in "Solid
Sound" at the exact same time! I think Derik has used the "Jack
Zodiac" name as an alias in order to post those fake "Scorpion
Rain" summaries. The smilies no longer seem so strange now, do
they? This wasn't just Derik trying to be funny; other people
were in on the hoax as well. The question now is, who else has
been involved?)
(Getting back to the original thread, here's evidence of further
collusion - and proof that the hoaxers are IRCers.)
9. From: horse...@mailbox.uq.edu.au (horse...@mailbox.uq.edu.au)
Subject: Re: WTB: Australian PRZ short
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/16
Like yeah, I saw this the first time they aired zeo. It was pretty
lame, you know, really badly done. I heard that the cast in it were
left overs from the first film who were angry about not being recast
for the turbo one, but who knows? I'd make a copy if I could, but the
thing was so bad I didn't bother taping it.
(Ha. -Very- convenient. And "the first time they aired Zeo"? No way.
I taped every one of those episodes with a fifteen minute block
beforehand and a five-ten minute block afterwards. No trace of it.
Moreover, Derik's original post places it as a "few months" before
March 1998(proven to be false above). Zeo's first run, as mentioned
here, was from March 1997 to around May 1997. The dates simply don't
match up.)
>amy
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(The posting history of this "amy" person reveals another name, "Satu
Sharp" - used in another newsgroup on an unrelated matter in 1997.
Those are the only two posts on record. It looks to me like this
person backed up the "Derik/Jovat/Jack" post with one from
"uq.edu.au", just to make sure that an authentic Australian
e-mail address was involved(I don't think you can get those
from free service providers). As with "Jack/Jovat", "amy" has
no prior posting history to alt.fan.power-rangers. Nor did she
ever post again.
Now, check this out. On IRC the -only- Australian regular listed,
using their map as a reference, is from someone with a "uq.edu.au"
e-mail address. Guess what? This person's name is "Satu Sharp",
proving that she and "amy" are one and the same. And what's more,
Satu's IRC nickname is "Jovette". Sounds an awful lot like "Jovat",
doesn't it? Almost like a "wink-wink" to fellow IRC hoaxers.
The very fact that these never before seen "two" should suddenly
turn up from out of nowhere and post under different names(one
using "Jovat", the other known elsewhere as "Jovette"), both using
Dejanews, and both within a day of the other is all -very-
suspicious. This has "inside joke" and "prepared story"
written all over it.
And there's more! I checked out Derik's Bio as well, and <Jovette>
is mentioned in part of his favourite IRC exchange. At the very
least, they must know each other. And they're both IRC regulars. I
did a bit more research into Satu/Jovette, and I found out that
she's originally from America. Hmm ... I can probably guess where
her loyalties would lie in a matter like this. So, either she was
let into the secret because she was the only one they could get to
"confirm it" with an Australian e-mail address, or she was a
willing participant.
As someone originally from America and as an IRC regular who knew
Derik Smith, the one who initiated the whole thing, the latter option
is looking very likely. I strongly suspect collusion between the two.
It's even possible that they shared the "Zodiac" account: Derik using
it as "Jack", and Satu/Jovette using it as "Jovat". Pure guesswork on
the actual mechanics of all this, of course.)
(So, what do we have so far? Accounts from Americans and one former
American{possibly disguising herself as two people}. Absolutely no
confirmation from native-born Australians whatsoever. Not then and
not -since- then, either.)
That was the end of that thread. Shortly afterwards, we were treated
to the following, eminently dubious post. The subject header alone
should be enough to arouse suspicion(at least for Australian fans).
10. From: ReGenesis0 (regen...@aol.com)
Subject: THANK YOU DINGORANGER!!!
Newsgroups: alt.fan.power-rangers
Date: 1998/03/21
Sorry for posting this as a full subject, but I just sealed a deal
with DingoRanger to send me 'Scorpion Rain', the 8 minute Australian
short film that takes place between Zeo and Turbo!
(This is the first public mention of the name, "Scorpion Rain".)
BTW- the short has no credits on it whatsoever, someone emailed me
saying it was produced by ex-tengu productions employees, and I want
to know who did the voices for the characters...
(Turbo hadn't even started in Australia when this post was made. Oh,
and still 8 minutes, eh? What happened to "Jovat's" five-parter post?
You've just disregarded the sole "eye-witness" account! Clearly, one
of you must be mistaken. Unless, of course, -you- were "Jovat" instead
of amy/Satu/Jovette. My head's spinning from all these aliases ... )
(And -DingoRanger-?! In all the years I've been following this fandom,
I've never come across anyone using that name. Similarly, there's
no record of him/her in the newsgroup archives. Nor could I find
any reference to this person on a search-engine individual webpage
search. Plus, along with kangaroos and koalas, dingo references are
pretty high on the US/Australia perception list. It sounds like the
sort of name an American would give to a mythical Australian fan -
especially if that American was trying to perpetuate a hoax in an
"amusing" manner.)
TO BE CONTINUED.
Derik Smith
Bit of a pity on the timing though, if you'd waited another 6 months I could
have made the final tweaks on the video... oh well...
Some points of order:
a) I love you too Renee. And I mean that in a sexual way.
b) You overestimate me sir. SR was never intended to be more than a 1-off
joke. The Jack_Zodiac gag was known to be me even before the first e-mail was
posted. When no one caught on still- it was run with. You know the old saying
'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me'? Well that's 3 years
solid, so shame on all of you. ;)
c) The big 'miss' in this investigation (other than fingering just about
EVERYONE who replied in the initial threads- I begin to understand why people
think Oliver Stone is a raving lunatic) is the failure to understand that the
internet is more than usenet. It's also IRC, and yes, e-mail. Much of the
early 'evolution' of the SR mythos took place over these two, with people
e-mailing people involved int he thread for clarification and tale grown in the
telling.
d) I and others WERE contacted by a tokusatsu dealer looking for it.
(Representing Anime Kaiser, the same outfit out of florida who sold the PR
pilto tape and other hard to find eps.) Again, it's part of the miraculous
medium called 'e-mail.' I also found myself in an akward position last year
when I was contacted by someone trying sell it to me to claim the $50 prize I'd
offered...
e) 'Dingo Ranger' did indeed mean something- it was part of the hotmail ID of
Jack_Zodiac. Of course, that e-mail's been deregged for like 3 years now...
anyone sufficiently on the ball would have gotten that though. (Jack_Zodiac
was also regged with an australian postal code, somethign I spent like an hour
searching for...) The POINT is to be so rabidly stereotypical that only an
idiot wouldn't catch on that it's a joke. Guess how many people caught on?
f) Asking the question 'Why Australia,' the answer is a rather affectionate
'why not?' And a bow to my good friend Jovette, who was constantly complaining
of how PR gets hacked down there. This was posted with a laugh and a nudge,
saying 'Look, OZ has somethign we don't.'
g) You are right about this being endemic of a longtime split between 'Old
Skool' and 'New Skool' PR fans. Pity Dairenn Lombard (the old school in this
instance, I being the new) never stuck around to see it. Well screw you
Dairenn, and the horse you rode in on. (Who, FYI, is now engaged to Joe
Rovang.)
h) Yeah, IRC is full of elitist PR fans who ignore the newsgroup. Know why?
Look at this thread. It's 2/3 flames. On IRC you can always count on someone
who STILL DOES read the NG to keep you updated if news hits. All the benefits,
none of the negatives.
i) You seem awfully peeved at Joe Rovang. Me, I was more impressed that he
could say with a straight face, 'I'd be happy to add it to my guide if I get a
tape of it.'
j) On that note, people brought up some other well-known gags on PR fandom,
including the classic 'Brent Crane plays Justin in PRiS' thing from PROA.
Brent was (and is) a fellow PR fan who (at the time) bore a striking
resembelance to Blake Foster. I mention it because you might notice a slight
parallel between the two scenarios, both being fairly elaborate 'in jokes'
between a community of friends.
k) An 'in joke' by definition is somethign which is funny if you get it, and
not if you're gotten. Congrats on being the first fan to catch on without
being let in.
l) You do make a semi-valid point about the rather sizable 'downside' of this
joke being on the OZ PR fans. And far that, i apologize to both of you.
*ducks*
...and by way of apology, let me dispell some of the more common myths about
Australia.
-Fosters is not sold in Australia.
-Paul Hogan is a damn fine actor.
-Colby's mother is Gay.
-Contrary to popular preception, there ARE Jews in Australia.
-Australia has Prime Minister, which is like a President, but more succeptible
to shark attack.
m) Hey Gordon, did you notice your trascript site lacks a MMAR section? And
yet it has a PRiS section, despite the 'latest' transcript being from PRT...
(a cheap shot, but not nearly as cheap as I could have gotten, criticising
layout, general paucity of content, and color scheme.) There's no shame in
that. I had 3 failed websites that limped along before I found a format that
'clicked.' Here's a hint: taking on a vast amount of content delivery... not a
good way to start. Build up to that.
n) You win style points for cracking the story based on evidence, as opposed
to a leak from the 50+ people who were in on it, or a report for any of the 15
people who were IN #ALT-MMPR whent he hoax was discussed in the channel a month
ago. (poor, careless Amit- yet nobody caught it.)
o) You lose style points for failing to attach Jack_Zodiac, or even me- to the
semi-infamous 'Neil Patrick Harris as Ninjor' IMDB entry. As long as you were
researchign my histroy, you might have caught Dairenn Lombard 'outing' me on
afpr a few months prior to the first SR post on that one. May I digress a
moment to point out that Dairenn Lombard has no sense of humor, and is an ass?
Thank you. (For those curious, the NPH IMDB thing was a poke at... whomever it
was [it's been so long I forget names] that added a 3rd PR movie to IMDB to
begin with. The 'IMDB Problem' is one that hits PR every year, and well
deserves its mockery.)
p) You also lose style points for missing (as, I admit, did everyone else at
the time) that the light...@aol.com e-maila ddress used to reply on the
initial thread was an amalgamated poke at 3 differet group regulars... (IIRC,
they were 'Billy1Blue,' 'LightstarBlue' and Matt Williams)
q) You also lose style points for failing to point out the wildly different
writing styles Jack_Zodiac used each time he posted. at times appearing
earnest, others naive, others an obvious parody of the worst newbie poster.
r) Speaking of which, those around at the time shoudl get a kick out of this--
the 3rd, worst written and most obviously fake post about Ashley gettign a sex
change as 'Asher' for PRiS garnered a frantic e-mail request by Mark Oxman
demanding to know where the casting call was being held... (...he wanted to
audition)
s) You make a rather big deal about the 'changing details' of the initial
story. You miss the point- the details were SUPPOSED to be fuzzy, to make it
harder to pin down. What's the fun of saying 'which aired at 7:28AM on June
the 1st...' Similarly- this is a bunch of people goign by memory with 3rdhand
retellings. Of COURSE the details got screwed up! It was rather intentional.
t) You also lose points for never having noticed that the special has been
refered to alternately as 'Scorpion Rain,' 'Scorpion Raid' and 'Scorpion
Reign.' This was done larely in e-mail, and Iv'e replied to about 30-40
queries about the special over the years giving different detains each time.
My most frequent (and bitter) recitation was how I sent DingoRanger money and
he flaked on me... one i used for months before actually posting it on afpr
next time SR came up. I know at least some of the variations have shows up on
message boards. Hey Gordon- do they even have scorpions in OZ? I haven't the
foggiest idea...
u) The RM of part 5 featured obviously incorrect logo bugs, and an early
version of the T:APRM logo in different colors. Not that you had a chance to
see that, seeings as how you had the bad timing to blow this a few months ahead
of schedule. (The plan beign to diseminate it through a 3rd party proxy NOT in
on the joke, then visciously attack it as an 'obvious fake.')
v) Montgomery wasn't in on it. Pity, he'd probably have appreciated the joke.
Anyone have his e-mail address?
w) You did notice that I mention 'Jovette' as part of my favorite IRC exchange
in my profile, but failed to note the blatantly stereotypical treatment of
Australians IN that exchange. For shame. I re-present the clip now:
<Jovette> There's a certain type of medication for depression they use
here...
<Mitsou> beer?
<White_Tiger> called beer?
<Derik> beer?
<Jovette> god you people are predictable
x) You were right about some of the 'timing issues.' I took a couple shots in
the dark. If T:APRm had been released BEFORE Turbo it would have been spot-on
though.
y) Look, I've mostly refrained from commenting on it, but honestly Gord- I
found your essay, though well-reseached... repellent. From first paragraph to
the last, the sheer level of venom and bile spewing out across the page was
shocking. Part of that came from feeling you'd been targeted, or even a bit or
soreness at being, you felt, the butt of a joke. I can understand that. But
it seems like you've also bundled a lot of your directionless rage and
frustration at 'factionalism' and 'elitism' within PR fandom into that same
issue. And know what? That gives me hope. I want to know you better. Are
you on AIM? Oh, we won't talk for a year or so probably... but if you don't
burn yourself out in that time, you'll be here for the long haul. Anyone that
can research and put together an essay like that, so coherently, is someone I
want to know. Why, you may ask? The reason is (and you're gonna hate this
part, I know, I would, and did...) you remind me of me. This... period of
questioning, of looking around and saying 'something isn't right here' in the
stratified fan-culture of PR... I did it. And I've seen it in others. And let
me tell you, more often than not, the people who go through that end up the
best of us. So I look forward to talking to you Gord, in about a year, seven
months on the inside.
z) And now for Springer's final thought. What have we learned here today
people? First off, let's have a round of applause for Gordon. He deserves it,
even if his site does bite. Second, we've learned that you are, by and large,
gullible idiots that will not only buy an implausible untruth provided it's big
enough- you will shout down people in a position to tell you the emperor has no
clothes. For shame. I have learned that the best gag is a running gag.
Better still is a gag where you let 15 more people in on it each year and wait
to see how long it takes that 'bubble' to pop.Gordon here has learned that
sometimes a cigar is just s cigar, even when it's sitting ont he grassy knoll.
(mixing metaphors here...) I've also learned that the best stories grow int he
retelling. I kept tabs on all the 'official' stories about Scorpion Raid over
they years. Last time the subject came up, I was quite amused to see quite a
few posters correcting another, saying that no- SR featured Tommy and Trey, not
Kat, and that it wasnt' aired behind PRZ reruns- but that it was aired once as
part of a variety show on $even, and the early claims that it was done
bumper-style were a confusion based on secondhand retellings... This amuses me
because I have NO idea where either of these story elements came from, but I
was politely corrected by people wielding them. Nothing is more mutable than
the 'truth,' especially when you're convinced you know it.
see you in a year Gordy,
-Derik
"I'm getting tired of my bon mots being lost to the ages." -Chris Funaro
"I'm from Canada. If the US and Canada ever had a war, it'd be my duty to
kill as many Americans as possible. I'd enjoy it." -William Shatner
Dan
news:20010613071053...@ng-mh1.aol.com...
> -Fosters is not sold in Australia.
Oh, it's sold. Hell, Fosters even tried to push it to Australians during the
Olympics. They ripped off the Molson "I Am Canadian" ads.
http://www.ibelieve.com.au/ if you want a good laugh at these marketing
drongos.
But nobody drinks Fosters. It's crap. Really crap.
BTW, the Fosters sold outside of Australia is made in .... Canada.
> -Paul Hogan is a damn fine actor.
Of course.
> -Colby's mother is Gay.
?? Don't get that one.
> -Contrary to popular preception, there ARE Jews in Australia.
Indeed. A lot of outspoken ones, too.
> -Australia has Prime Minister, which is like a President, but more
succeptible
> to shark attack.
YES PLEASE! I hope to hell and back John Howard gets eaten by a shark.
seeya,
dan
· http://danstlcshrine.hypermart.net · http://livejournal.com/~sirdan/
· CLio: open-source web-journalling software: http://clio2.sf.net/
· "For the first time in my life I feel the warm glow of unconditional
love."
"You're under a heating vent."
"Oh, well, that's good too." - Dilbert, 20 Apr 2001
GrnRngr
<20010613071053...@ng-mh1.aol.com>, Derik Smith had the nerve to
say...
> z) And now for Springer's final thought. What have we learned here today
>people? First off, let's have a round of applause for Gordon. He deserves it,
>even if his site does bite. Second, we've learned that you are, by and large,
>gullible idiots that will not only buy an implausible untruth provided it's big
>enough- you will shout down people in a position to tell you the emperor has no
>clothes. For shame. I have learned that the best gag is a running gag.
>Better still is a gag where you let 15 more people in on it each year and wait
>to see how long it takes that 'bubble' to pop.Gordon here has learned that
>sometimes a cigar is just s cigar, even when it's sitting ont he grassy knoll.
>(mixing metaphors here...) I've also learned that the best stories grow int he
>retelling. I kept tabs on all the 'official' stories about Scorpion Raid over
>they years. Last time the subject came up, I was quite amused to see quite a
>few posters correcting another, saying that no- SR featured Tommy and Trey, not
>Kat, and that it wasnt' aired behind PRZ reruns- but that it was aired once as
>part of a variety show on $even, and the early claims that it was done
>bumper-style were a confusion based on secondhand retellings... This amuses me
>because I have NO idea where either of these story elements came from, but I
>was politely corrected by people wielding them. Nothing is more mutable than
>the 'truth,' especially when you're convinced you know it.
I have a new found respect for you, Derik. I barely knew you before, but anybody
who can help dream this up is amazing. And, that last paragraph. Sheesh.
Beautiful, just beautiful.
--John "GrnRngr" Green, who has greater respect for those involved than before.
GrnRngr.com: http://grnrngr.cjb.net
ShadowForce
at
> the time) that the light...@aol.com e-maila ddress used to reply on the
> initial thread was an amalgamated poke at 3 differet group regulars...
(IIRC,
> they were 'Billy1Blue,' 'LightstarBlue' and Matt Williams)
Wait a minute....
I didn't get the internet at home (or have enough access to it to do
anything in any mass quantities) until May 1998, and light...@aol.com was
in use in March 1998, which is 3 months before I even found #alt-MMPR (and
my alias, at the time, was MegaBlue). Heck, in March 1998, I was in college
discovering the internet... and I think I won a Red PRiS Ranger figure from
Bandai.com at around that time. I think LightstarBlue came about sometime
either in late 1998 or early 1999... I can't remember when exactly the
change happened.
Long story short, I wasn't LightstarBlue at the time of the SR postings,
unless there was an LSB before I was LSB... Maybe he's the clone of me
that's running around rampant in Clippy's unfinished birthday novel!
There you go, Ryan... there's your answer as to who the mysterious other me
is that's running around in America(?). :)
-- ShadowForce
Joe Rovang
> g) You are right about this being endemic of a longtime split between 'Old
>Skool' and 'New Skool' PR fans. Pity Dairenn Lombard (the old school in this
>instance, I being the new) never stuck around to see it. Well screw you
>Dairenn, and the horse you rode in on. (Who, FYI, is now engaged to Joe
>Rovang.)
How dare you! She was nothing but nice to you when we visited, and
she's even sending you a thank-you card... Although frankly, I
consider us lucky to have even survived the trip, with your driving
mastery to match the skill of a quadriplegic dog. You, sir, may go
screw yourself.
- Joe Rovang
Writer's Guide to the PR Universe:
http://www.rovang.org/wg/wgindex.htm
Ecliptor17
>unless there was an LSB before I was LSB... Maybe he's the clone of me
>that's running around rampant in Clippy's unfinished birthday novel!
>
>There you go, Ryan... there's your answer as to who the mysterious other me
>is that's running around in America(?). :)
I love it when they write themselves...
Derik Smith
>Long story short, I wasn't LightstarBlue at the time of the SR postings,
>unless there was an LSB before I was LSB... Maybe he's the clone of me
>that's running around rampant in Clippy's unfinished birthday novel!
I must have misremembered. There was SOMEONE aroudn that period using a
'lightstar' type-nick, my apologies for pinning it on you. ;)
Joe Rovang wrote:
>>Well screw you Dairenn, and the horse
>>you rode in on. (Who, FYI, is now engaged
>>to Joe Rovang.)
>How dare you! She was nothing but nice to you when we visited, and
>she's even sending you a thank-you card... Although frankly, I
>consider us lucky to have even survived the trip, with your driving
>mastery to match the skill of a quadriplegic dog. You, sir, may go
>screw yourself.
I am insulted sirrah, I happen to think my driving at least approaches the
level of PARAplegic dog.
...and yes, 'manda was quite nice. She was also better conversation than you
were.
As for the rest of it, how about I just deligate the 'screw' duties on 'manda
to you ad infinitum? Would that quiet your bruised blond ego?
ShadowForce
> I must have misremembered. There was SOMEONE aroudn that period using a
> 'lightstar' type-nick, my apologies for pinning it on you. ;)
Wasn't there a "Lightstar Purple" (Funaroverse weird quotes... oh, how I
remember the really weird ones) who asked for nudie pics of the Pink Ranger
at some point? You had to have gotten that quote from somewhere, and maybe
that's who you remembered.
Apology accepted, though. :)
-- ShadowForce
Joe Rovang
> As for the rest of it, how about I just deligate the 'screw' duties on 'manda
>to you ad infinitum? Would that quiet your bruised blond ego?
You can't seriously think that's why you've pissed me off. Look at
what you said about her! Joke or not, it was way out of line. Do not
email, msg, or otherwise contact me without an enclosed apology.
MegaSilver
> Thank you Gordon, that's some damn fine detective work.
>
> Bit of a pity on the timing though, if you'd waited another 6 months I
could
> have made the final tweaks on the video... oh well...
I wish you'd keep it up... it'd actually be pretty neat.
> Some points of order:
>
> a) I love you too Renee. And I mean that in a sexual way.
I don't want to know!
> b) You overestimate me sir. SR was never intended to be more than a 1-off
> joke. The Jack_Zodiac gag was known to be me even before the first e-mail
was
> posted. When no one caught on still- it was run with. You know the old
saying
> 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me'? Well that's 3
years
> solid, so shame on all of you. ;)
I think it's funny that it took this long for someone to catch on.
Personally, I've never given any thought to Scorpion Rain until this thread,
and now that I've read the messages for the first time, it's so obvious that
it's a fake. Too bad I didn't watch more closely.
> c) The big 'miss' in this investigation (other than fingering just about
> EVERYONE who replied in the initial threads- I begin to understand why
people
> think Oliver Stone is a raving lunatic) is the failure to understand that
the
> internet is more than usenet. It's also IRC, and yes, e-mail. Much of
the
> early 'evolution' of the SR mythos took place over these two, with people
> e-mailing people involved int he thread for clarification and tale grown
in the
> telling.
The internet IS more than USENET, but it started out as USENET. (Why
did I just say that? It's completely off-topic.)
> d) I and others WERE contacted by a tokusatsu dealer looking for it.
> (Representing Anime Kaiser, the same outfit out of florida who sold the PR
> pilto tape and other hard to find eps.) Again, it's part of the
miraculous
> medium called 'e-mail.' I also found myself in an akward position last
year
> when I was contacted by someone trying sell it to me to claim the $50
prize I'd
> offered...
Hee hee... interesting.
> e) 'Dingo Ranger' did indeed mean something- it was part of the hotmail ID
of
> Jack_Zodiac. Of course, that e-mail's been deregged for like 3 years
now...
> anyone sufficiently on the ball would have gotten that though.
(Jack_Zodiac
> was also regged with an australian postal code, somethign I spent like an
hour
> searching for...) The POINT is to be so rabidly stereotypical that only
an
> idiot wouldn't catch on that it's a joke. Guess how many people caught
on?
That's GREAT. :)
> f) Asking the question 'Why Australia,' the answer is a rather
affectionate
> 'why not?' And a bow to my good friend Jovette, who was constantly
complaining
> of how PR gets hacked down there. This was posted with a laugh and a
nudge,
> saying 'Look, OZ has somethign we don't.'
"'Why not?'" Good answer.
Seriously, though, Australia seems like the perfect place to put such a
hoax-I don't know why, but for some reason, it does.
> g) You are right about this being endemic of a longtime split between 'Old
> Skool' and 'New Skool' PR fans. Pity Dairenn Lombard (the old school in
this
> instance, I being the new) never stuck around to see it. Well screw you
> Dairenn, and the horse you rode in on. (Who, FYI, is now engaged to Joe
> Rovang.)
Again, I don't want to know!
> h) Yeah, IRC is full of elitist PR fans who ignore the newsgroup. Know
why?
> Look at this thread. It's 2/3 flames. On IRC you can always count on
someone
> who STILL DOES read the NG to keep you updated if news hits. All the
benefits,
> none of the negatives.
Perhaps "none" might be too strong of a word, but less at least.
> i) You seem awfully peeved at Joe Rovang. Me, I was more impressed that
he
> could say with a straight face, 'I'd be happy to add it to my guide if I
get a
> tape of it.'
Theater major?
> j) On that note, people brought up some other well-known gags on PR
fandom,
> including the classic 'Brent Crane plays Justin in PRiS' thing from PROA.
> Brent was (and is) a fellow PR fan who (at the time) bore a striking
> resembelance to Blake Foster. I mention it because you might notice a
slight
> parallel between the two scenarios, both being fairly elaborate 'in jokes'
> between a community of friends.
People aren't taking this hoax very lightly, though... which is really a
shame considering how funny it must've been while it lasted.
> k) An 'in joke' by definition is somethign which is funny if you get it,
and
> not if you're gotten. Congrats on being the first fan to catch on without
> being let in.
Y'know, if you can't get in, you can always break in. :)
> l) You do make a semi-valid point about the rather sizable 'downside' of
this
> joke being on the OZ PR fans. And far that, i apologize to both of you.
> *ducks*
Well... sort of. They were among the few who didn't believe.
> n) You win style points for cracking the story based on evidence, as
opposed
> to a leak from the 50+ people who were in on it, or a report for any of
the 15
> people who were IN #ALT-MMPR whent he hoax was discussed in the channel a
month
> ago. (poor, careless Amit- yet nobody caught it.)
This just keeps getting better and better...
> o) You lose style points for failing to attach Jack_Zodiac, or even me- to
the
> semi-infamous 'Neil Patrick Harris as Ninjor' IMDB entry. As long as you
were
> researchign my histroy, you might have caught Dairenn Lombard 'outing' me
on
> afpr a few months prior to the first SR post on that one. May I digress a
> moment to point out that Dairenn Lombard has no sense of humor, and is an
ass?
> Thank you. (For those curious, the NPH IMDB thing was a poke at...
whomever it
> was [it's been so long I forget names] that added a 3rd PR movie to IMDB
to
> begin with. The 'IMDB Problem' is one that hits PR every year, and well
> deserves its mockery.)
Suddenly, I see other pieces coming into the puzzle. Derik, is
Jack_Zodiac, by any chance, the one who put in Chris and Dagmar as Zordon
and Dimitria?
> p) You also lose style points for missing (as, I admit, did everyone else
at
> the time) that the light...@aol.com e-maila ddress used to reply on the
> initial thread was an amalgamated poke at 3 differet group regulars...
(IIRC,
> they were 'Billy1Blue,' 'LightstarBlue' and Matt Williams)
Interesting...
> r) Speaking of which, those around at the time shoudl get a kick out of
this--
> the 3rd, worst written and most obviously fake post about Ashley gettign a
sex
> change as 'Asher' for PRiS garnered a frantic e-mail request by Mark Oxman
> demanding to know where the casting call was being held... (...he wanted
to
> audition)
Absolutely hilarious.
> s) You make a rather big deal about the 'changing details' of the initial
> story. You miss the point- the details were SUPPOSED to be fuzzy, to make
it
> harder to pin down. What's the fun of saying 'which aired at 7:28AM on
June
> the 1st...' Similarly- this is a bunch of people goign by memory with
3rdhand
> retellings. Of COURSE the details got screwed up! It was rather
intentional.
That's a good point... of course, the problem was that they looked a bit
TOO intentional-like overacting.
> u) The RM of part 5 featured obviously incorrect logo bugs, and an early
> version of the T:APRM logo in different colors. Not that you had a chance
to
> see that, seeings as how you had the bad timing to blow this a few months
ahead
> of schedule. (The plan beign to diseminate it through a 3rd party proxy
NOT in
> on the joke, then visciously attack it as an 'obvious fake.')
I still think you guys should finish the video...
> x) You were right about some of the 'timing issues.' I took a couple
shots in
> the dark. If T:APRm had been released BEFORE Turbo it would have been
spot-on
> though.
I just can't believe it took everyone this long to notice a timing error
like that...
"More often than not, the people who go through that end up the best of
us"?" Hmm... I can't really argue with that... it's true in real life, too:
just when I realized that I was being cut off from everybody is when I
started to become popular in high school, too...
> z) And now for Springer's final thought. What have we learned here today
> people? First off, let's have a round of applause for Gordon.
A-men.
He deserves it,
> even if his site does bite. Second, we've learned that you are, by and
large,
> gullible idiots that will not only buy an implausible untruth provided
it's big
> enough- you will shout down people in a position to tell you the emperor
has no
> clothes.
I honestly can't say whether I would have caught on had I actually cared
about Scorpion Rain, so I won't comment.
For shame. I have learned that the best gag is a running gag.
> Better still is a gag where you let 15 more people in on it each year and
wait
> to see how long it takes that 'bubble' to pop.Gordon here has learned that
> sometimes a cigar is just s cigar, even when it's sitting ont he grassy
knoll.
> (mixing metaphors here...) I've also learned that the best stories grow
int he
> retelling. I kept tabs on all the 'official' stories about Scorpion Raid
over
> they years. Last time the subject came up, I was quite amused to see
quite a
> few posters correcting another, saying that no- SR featured Tommy and
Trey, not
> Kat, and that it wasnt' aired behind PRZ reruns- but that it was aired
once as
> part of a variety show on $even, and the early claims that it was done
> bumper-style were a confusion based on secondhand retellings... This
amuses me
> because I have NO idea where either of these story elements came from, but
I
> was politely corrected by people wielding them. Nothing is more mutable
than
> the 'truth,' especially when you're convinced you know it.
Further proof that the human mind can never become static...
You left out one thing in Z, Derik, and that is Kudos to yourself for
keeping all this going this long. I don't think I've EVER heard of a
practical joke going undebunked for this long. When and if I ever get that
AFP-R site up, you and all those involved shall receive a special page of
commemoration-including Gordon, for his debunking. The page is yet another
reason I want you to finish that video... I'd really like to have it as an
exibit. (And NO, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm dually impressed.)