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  • #36544
    SadGeezer
    Keymaster

    If anyone hasn’t seen it, this is listed on U.S. SciFi Channel’s chat schedule. It’s not Lexx specific, but I think as Lexx fans we have a LOT of questions for him:

    elmey

    UPCOMING CHATS

    Thomas Vitale
    Thursday, October 11 at 8PM ET

    Thomas Vitale is Senior Vice President of Acquisitions, Scheduling, and Program Planning in SCI FI Channel Programming. He’s been with the channel since early ’93, joining only a few months afterSCI FI launched. He’s worked with the team here to help the channel grow from a small network with only older product, to its current status as a network with more and more original fare. Before he joined SCI FI, Thomas worked at Viacom, and before that at NBC. He’s a graduate of Williams College and a lifelong fan of the genre. Thomas was born and bred in the Bronx – there’s no real reason to tell you that, but we felt like mentioning it anyway. His initials are “TV,” so he clearly was destined to work here…

    Thomas and the other programmers at SCI FI do care about what the fans think and want. Recently, Thomas appeared at the New York Farscape Convention, and he enjoyed taking questions live from the audience along with Farscape producer David Kemper. As a fan himself, Thomas knows the value of connecting with the audience, and he asked us to schedule this chat so SCI FI viewers could get to know the programmers here a bit better. Questions about upcoming original products, current favorite series, and classic movies and series will all be fair game during this chat, though we can’t promise that we’ll have time to answer every question prior to the start of our chat with DUNE prequel author KEVIN J. ANDERSON.

    #49261
    Anonymous
    Guest

    quote:


    Originally posted by elmey:
    If anyone hasn’t seen it, this is listed on U.S. SciFi Channel’s chat schedule. It’s not Lexx specific, but I think as Lexx fans we have a LOT of questions for him:


    Oh, man…
    He’s just setting himself up for it, isn’t he?
    Of course, I’ll lay odds that it’s going to be heavily moderated, and that any questions about their treatment of LEXX will get completely ignored, and we’ll instead get TONS of new info about just how often they’re going to ram Farscape down our throats. If not, I’m going to be surprised.

    –Aleck

    #49262
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I think a good question will get an answer. By now this guy understands how sci-fi fans feel about their favorite shows, so he can probably appreciate if certain fans don’t feel like their shows get or got a fair chance or enough viewings. Or maybe he’s just learned to blow them off.

    Bad Idea: “Hey a$$, why do you guys put Lexx on sci-fi after the Oxy-Clean guy sells his stuff on other channels? And exactly how were the ratings on the 10 repeat broadcasts of [insert B movie title here]?”

    Good Idea: “As a fan of Lexx, I’ve always been curious about its scheduling. While the Friday night programming makes perfect sense(bundling it together with other attractive sci-fi series), the Sunday 2am EST has always puzzled myself and others. It doesn’t seem like the show would attract any new viewers at that time, but is there something special about that time that works so well for Lexx?”

    And of course:
    “Will we ever have the pleasure of a Lexx “Chain Reaction” down the line?”
    and
    “What is the future of Lexx after the series finale?”
    and
    “Why do you hate Lexx so much?”

    Ha! If someone can get the last on through, that would be epic!

    #49263
    FX
    Participant

    quote:


    Originally posted by Holt:
    I think a good question will get an answer. and
    “Why do you hate Lexx so much?”

    Ha! If someone can get the last on through, that would be epic!


    lol holt! and by the way, welcome from a (now) fellow florilexxian

    #49264
    Headgehog
    Participant

    quote:


    Originally posted by Holt
    Bad Idea: “Hey a$$, why do you guys put Lexx on sci-fi after the Oxy-Clean guy sells his stuff on other channels? And exactly how were the ratings on the 10 repeat broadcasts of [insert B movie title here]?”

    Good Idea: “As a fan of Lexx, I’ve always been curious about its scheduling. While the Friday night programming makes perfect sense(bundling it together with other attractive sci-fi series), the Sunday 2am EST has always puzzled myself and others. It doesn’t seem like the show would attract any new viewers at that time, but is there something special about that time that works so well for Lexx?”

    And of course:
    “Will we ever have the pleasure of a Lexx “Chain Reaction” down the line?”
    and
    “What is the future of Lexx after the series finale?”
    and
    “Why do you hate Lexx so much?”


    roflmao!

    I’m goign to try to see the interview, but with it being Fall break, I may be out partying and forget to. Hopfully I’ll remember and I’ll pester the moderator. If we all try hard enough, s/he may post at least one question.

    #49266
    Anonymous
    Guest

    quote:


    Originally posted by Holt:
    Just remember, this dude probably thinks of himself as a professional business man and, while he is in the entertainment industry, “VP” don’t like to be verbally assaulted. Think of him as a chipmunk. If you yell at him, he’ll run away and cower in the corner. Be pleasant and offer him food, and he probably answer all of your questions(all the chipmunks I know do!)


    Assaulting?? who….us???? Besides, VP’s are paid to be assaulted.
    In any case, the chats there are normally moderated, no verbal assault will get through.
    The chat format mitigates against long thoughtful answers anyway, noone is going to type a long rationale on why Lexx is treated so oddly at SciFi –which is the question we really want an answer to. I’m hoping he answers some easy stuff such as whether the last 14 eps will be shown without another “hiatus”, and how’s about “Bad Carrot”.

    elmey

    #49267
    Anonymous
    Guest

    in case I don’t make it to the chat, could someone post the transcript?

    #49265
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Just remember, this dude probably thinks of himself as a professional business man and, while he is in the entertainment industry, “VP” don’t like to be verbally assaulted. Think of him as a chipmunk. If you yell at him, he’ll run away and cower in the corner. Be pleasant and offer him food, and he probably answer all of your questions(all the chipmunks I know do!)

    quote:


    FX wrote:
    lol holt! and by the way, welcome from a (now) fellow florilexxian


    Hey, its always good to meet another Floridian. Its a unique feeling knowing that in the Lexx Universe, I am probably dead.

    quote:


    Hedgehog wrote:
    but with it being Fall break, I may be out partying and forget to.


    So they give you Fall breaks over there in New Mexico. Its not enough you get great scenery, good weather, and relatively close skiing resorts. Noooo, you guys get a Fall break, too!

    #49268
    Anonymous
    Guest

    *Rubbing her hands together with glee*

    Indeed, let’s ask why Lexx is being canceled. In a respectful way, of course.

    #49269
    Anonymous
    Guest

    quote:


    Originally posted by Hypatia:
    *Rubbing her hands together with glee*

    Indeed, let’s ask why Lexx is being canceled. In a respectful way, of course.


    Not trying to defend SciFi in any way, but keep in mind that Paul D. had said as early as mid-Season 3 that the 4th season would be the last. LEXX isn’t being *cancelled*, Salter is halting production. Now, the show is being handled insanely at the hands of SciFi, and that may have led to Salter’s decision to end it after 4 seasons, but from everything that Paul has said, the story has been heavily plotted to last this long from the beginning.
    I’m not saying that huge ratings wouldn’t influence them to extend the show in some form into other seasons, perhaps not as LEXX but as something else, but if you even ask politely why they’re cancelling the show, the reply I’ll lay odds you’ll receive is this: “We’re not cancelling LEXX. We’d love to continue airing the program. Salter has decided to end the run after this season, however. This was not our decision.” I’ll bet you that this will be said almost verbatim.
    I’ll lay even closer odds that this is one of the only questions he’ll answer about LEXX, simply because he can answer it in a way that makes the network appear blame-free.

    –Aleck

    #49270
    Flamegrape
    Participant

    quote:


    Originally posted by Aleck:

    Not trying to defend SciFi in any way, but keep in mind that Paul D. had said as early as mid-Season 3 that the 4th season would be the last. LEXX isn’t being *cancelled*, Salter is halting production. Now, the show is being handled insanely at the hands of SciFi, and that may have led to Salter’s decision to end it after 4 seasons, but from everything that Paul has said, the story has been heavily plotted to last this long from the beginning.
    I’m not saying that huge ratings wouldn’t influence them to extend the show in some form into other seasons, perhaps not as LEXX but as something else, but if you even ask politely why they’re cancelling the show, the reply I’ll lay odds you’ll receive is this: “We’re not cancelling LEXX. We’d love to continue airing the program. Salter has decided to end the run after this season, however. This was not our decision.” I’ll bet you that this will be said almost verbatim.
    I’ll lay even closer odds that this is one of the only questions he’ll answer about LEXX, simply because he can answer it in a way that makes the network appear blame-free.

    –Aleck


    I agree 100%. This chat will be worth less than the electrons that carry it.

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