Last Week Tonight: The Best Late Night Show You'll See.....Sunday Night.

We have a new king of late night television. It is official. He will never have the praise or the popularity of your Fallons, Kimmels, or even the upcoming Colbert, but he deserves your attention just as much. We are talking about HBO’s John Oliver. Yes, I mean it. Despite not having any of the usual late night quirks or celebrities, Last Week Tonight packs a heavier punch than all of your late night programs combined. It is the best chunk of late television I have seen since peak Conan O’Brian back in the Late Night NBC days.

Alright let me take a few steps back. It is seriously unfair for me to compare John Oliver’s program with Daily Show, Late Night, Tonight Show, and even Conan. Those shows have to run 4-5 nights a week for several clusters at a time. It is much more difficult to provide succulent material as opposed to what Oliver has to do—which is one powerful show a week. But the recipe for comedy and tackling serious issues is limiting the amount of shows, increasing the downtime for research and hitting the right notes, and then finding the perfect host to deliver all the content and easily have our attention. The political/sociological comedic blend that was perfected by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert during their peak Comedy Central years has been elevated by HBO’s blend of budget and patience.



With the once-a-week approach, John Oliver and his writing team has less pressure to develop content, therefore breathing more life into the few episodes that exist within the season. With less guests, there’s more time for the important segments and more space to paste smaller comedic bits within the main headlines. And to top it off, with the once-a-week approach you don’t even have to tackle current issues, you can take aim at ongoing issues that don’t necessarily invade the news airwaves. A recent amazing example was John Oliver taking on the corrupt politicians making life difficult for chicken farmers. You wouldn’t see other programs or even news shows discuss this issue, but within 20 minutes Oliver made you care, made you concerned.

It truly helps that John Oliver is an absolute blast to watch and listen to, and it really helps that he was raised on the Jon Stewart comedy circle---which includes Colbert, Wilmore, Carell, Black, and even Conan. His comedic timing is flawless, his ability to go from serious to funny in the snap of a finger is really underrated, and he is practically fearless. And it’s not just taking on FIFA or politicians, but when he went overseas to find Edward Snowden and interview him---that took serious guts considering Snowden’s asylum from the United States. Last Week Tonight never gets too serious, never gets too preachy, but entertains, informs you, and opens your eyes to some of the issues the world is facing.



HBO, your show is perfect, and trying to alter the formula would be a serious mistake. Last Week Tonight is already a hit, through YouTube, internet exposure, and through your initial audience catching each episode. With a smaller requirement of content, you’ll get higher quality from the episodes that ultimately become produced. The writing team is sharp, and John Oliver’s wit and humor is even sharper. Despite having the advantage of less episodes, Last Week Tonight is still the best new thing to pop up on late night television since the revival of Toonami.


If you haven’t been invested in Last Week Tonight, its time to change that. You’ll be thankful later.

The Unexpected Fight of the 2015 Tampa Bay Rays

So it was the bottom of the ninth. The Indians had the bases loaded with two outs. The Rays were leading 4-1, and it had been the sixth inning the already-weary bullpen had pitched that evening. Boxberger was obviously tired, you could see it in his eyes. Urshela had fouled off a couple pitches with plenty of ferociousness. The Indians were smelling walk-off, were smelling at least a rally. Boxberger throws a shocking fastball right down the middle, inching just a bit to the left. Called strike, froze Urshela completely, effectively ending the game.


That is the 2015 Tampa Bay Rays in a nutshell.

It is nearly July, and the Maddon-less Rays are in first place, and not in a weak division either. With the Blue Jays scoring bundles of runs, and the Yankees and Orioles being tough draws, this is no division for a weak squad. Somehow however, in spite all the injuries and departures, the Rays are producing wins in various ways and have become quite the inspiring story. Skipping past its questionable future in Florida (Montreal is threatening more and more) and skipping past the ugly offseason which saw Friedman and Joe Maddon take off to the National League, we are seeing a spunky squad led by a chill manager that seems to be carrying the Maddon culture handedly.

The Rays are not outstanding in any category specifically, but have exceled collectively and produce in multiple ways. The Rays are among the leaders in ERA, Saves, opponents’ batting average, defensive efficiency rating, and stolen bases. Whatever offense the team lacks (Longoria doing more Jeter-like numbers with decent average, fewer home runs) is made up for with outstanding defense, risky play, and superb pitching from starters to the bullpen.

No one player has stepped up all season, they arrive in droves. Chris Archer had an insane streak recently in which he pitched 23 innings with no walks, 38 strikeouts, 14 hits, and a meager run. Sousa Jr. decided to look like a home run hitter by entering the Top 20 in home runs. Steve Geltz retired 25 straight batters, and most of them happened after a Paula Abdul kiss. The Rays are keeping it close always, with 22 one-run games, and have at least three pitchers capable of saving the game when necessary. They are on pace to nearly double their stolen base output from 2014.



And…..this isn’t even the complete team yet.



Smyly is coming back. Moore will be back. Loney will eventually be back. Odorizzi will soon be back. Jennings and Jaso will be back down the road. So if the Rays are playing good baseball and we still have important pieces arriving, what might be their ceiling? Kevin Cash and Jim Hickey have pulled out miracles with the limited rotation, so who knows what Cash can do when he actually has more options.

Overall, the culture in Tampa Bay has remained the same, which was the most important requirement heading into Opening Week 2015. The small ball style has not left Tropicana Field, and the friendly approach to playing the game has definitely influenced the worry-free image of the young team. There hasn’t been a player controversy, there is wonderful support being dished out left and right, and every player is given their chance to shine and make an impact. It’s a beautiful thing.

Of course, the biggest weakness of the Tampa Bay Rays is the utter lack of home-field advantage. Last in attendance continues to plague the franchise even after the miraculous turnaround back in 2008, averaging nearly 4,000 less a game. Lack of buzz surrounding a good season is a mentally and emotionally draining problem that affects the best of teams. Although one can only hope, it appears that once again for another season the fans simply won’t make an appearance at The Trop---and that’s a shame considering the 110% effort the players have been giving so far this season.

But this Rays squad has survived an improving division, hordes of injuries, the departures of the heart and soul of the Rays Way, and relying on tons of inexperience. Perhaps it can handle the lack of fans too. After all, with half a team the Rays are approaching July with not only playoff range, but possibly even leading the division. It has been an interesting ride, and an unexpected one.

As a fan, it baffles me how you can still find ways to surprise me. But this 40-31 Tampa Bay Rays is not only surprising me, but is surprising the entire world of baseball. Let’s just wait and see how long this can hold up.

What The 2014 TEA Attendance Report Tells Us (Besides Disney being #1)

I’m not saying Disney’s throne at the top is being threatened.



What I am saying is that Disney should probably start making a move.





The 2014 TEA attendance report came in and although once again Disney is on top, Universal had the nicest improvement from 2013 to 2014 and it’s actually not even close. While Disney continues to see great improvement in Magic Kingdom but not as much from the other parks, we are seeing two Universal parks increase attendance by over 10%. We have seen Universal Studios Japan shoot into the top 5 slot, skipping three Disney parks along the way. And then there’s Sea World----dying a slow miserable death and in dire need of any sort of good news.




Let’s start with Universal and the amazing upswing it’s been engaged in for the past few years. Despicable Me, Transformers, Harry Potter, Attack on Titan (In Japan), The Simpsons, Walking Dead (Halloween Horror Nights), and now the upcoming Nintendo are IPs that are propelling the Universal theme park brand into the next level. After years of getting continuously destroyed by Disney, Universal in the Orlando side is suddenly closing in on the Orlando Disney parks. Even though it still trails by around 2 million, the local market has responded far better to Universal and the momentum is definitely swinging their way.

Nintendo being in Universal might be the next big punch the parks can take against Disney. The Nintendo brand has remained incessantly strong, even with the slight failure of the WiiU. Mario and Pokemon are the two biggest gaming franchises in history, and of course Zelda and Metroid has its built-in fanbase that has remained quite loyal. The merchandise potential is incredible, and of course this is the perfect way to fully replace Marvel in the Islands of Adventure.

But, I still have a gripe with Universal. Forcing a two-park ticket to experience all of Harry Potter was not exactly the brightest idea. So even though Universal Studios Orlando went up double-digits, Islands of Adventure was streamlined in its attendance from 2013 to 2014. Universal was already ready to improve because of Despicable Me (shockingly a moneymaker) and Springfield (Simpsons is America’s most popular family). Did it really need Harry Potter so bad it took away from Island’s momentum? Did you really need to force visitors to buy the Universal park-hopper ticket to experience all of Harry Potter, therefore eliminating the chance at even more visitors? Nonetheless, 16.3 million between the parks is much better than the 10 million back in 2009. And I can nearly guarantee you after Nintendo arrives we will be looking at nearly 20 million. Yes, I have that much faith in the partnership. Another note, the Hollywood version of Universal going up 10% is impressive too.

Disney has remained on top because of its ridiculous entourage of deals, incredible hotels, great marketing, and of course stellar reputation. But something is slightly off with Magic Kingdom growing twice as much as the other parks for the second year in a row. Epcot still hasn’t quite taken off with the new Test Track, while Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are just going through the motions. Magic Kingdom has drawn 19 million people (Averaging 52,000 guests a day, which is extremely impressive), while the other parks are between 10 and 11 million. This means that Disney has been able to retain around 53-58% of the Magic Kingdom crowd. This means that the local crowd has been curious to see the improved Magic (despite the higher pricing), the improved Islands, and the improved Universal. However, the other parks not as much. Orlando received over 50 million visitors in 2014. So add that with the approximately 8 million that lives in Central Florida. Nearly 60 million people have access to Disney year-round. And the economy is improving. Shouldn’t they nonetheless be worried that Universal Studios Japan managed to leapfrog them into the top 5?



Look at this:

Number of visitors in 2009/2015 (Attendance in millions)

Magic Kingdom: 17.2/19.3 (+2.1)
Epcot: 10.9/11.4 (+0.5)
Hollywood Studios: 9.7/10.3 (+0.6)
Animal Kingdom: 9.5/10.4 (+0.9)
Sea World: 5.8/4.6 (-1.2)
Universal Studios Orlando: 5.5/8.2 (+2.7)
Islands of Adventure: 4.6/8.1 (+3.5)


For several years now, Disney had the 8 most-visited parks in the planet. Now, Universal has jumped into the Top 5, and have two parks creeping into the Top 10. Disneyland Paris took a dive, Walt Disney Studios Paris took a dive, and California Adventure still has just half of Disneyland’s audience. It is not time to panic, but it is time to take notice. AvatarLand isn’t going to become the solution because the Florida crowd just isn’t as interested in the now-forgotten smash hit, when compared to the likes of Simpsons and Harry Potter. Then there’s Hollywood Studios, which is in dire need or any type of expansion or change. The Florida economy has grown, 90+ million visit Florida, but you are seeing far superior growth from Disney’s main rival as opposed to Disney. That should stir up some type of worrying.


As for Sea World, that’s just bad news from beginning to end.



The attendance report revealed the same song, but with updated lyrics: Disney is on top (Even the unknown-outside-Asia DisneySea is at #4) and will remain on top for a very long time granted we don’t see a decision-making disaster. But, but, Universal is no slouch or pushover anymore---it’s chomping away at the theme park market share and isn’t going to let Disney bully them around anymore. With King Kong, Nintendo, and possibly more surprises on the way, the fight might become more interesting if Disney doesn’t throw anything into the ring.



Until then, Disney is #1, and #2, and #3, And #4……..






Previous Articles about TEA Attendance:
2009
2012
2013

The Nintendo Version of the Playstation Now That Needs to Happen---------Now

Imagine having the ability to play any of these games, at any time, for a monthly fee. Would you pay it? Nintendo, you need a channel. Your very own channel. Not the weak Wii variation, a legitimate one. 









The Nintendo Network needs to happen. Not in the future, not in the distant future, but as soon as humanely possible. Look at Sony’s incredible Playstation Now and Playstation TV and tell me you couldn’t 1-up that (see what I did there?) An online gaming/television channel dedicated to all things Nintendo should not only become the future, but would possibly be the biggest reason to purchase the next Nintendo system. Never mind the obvious improved specs, never mind whatever fun surprises are packed in the future console, and never mind whatever potential improvements from the WiiU might (and should) occur. We need this Network to exist, for the sake of the company, and for the sake of the suffering fanbase.

Nintendo, meet Netflix. Now, copy Netflix and add your own flair. Sidenote: I can see a nice partnership occur there, similar to the recent Universal/Nintendo combination happening to the theme parks.

Can you imagine an online function that allows you to enter a special channel that not only features cartoons based off of Nintendo properties (the list is much bigger than you may assume---two Super Mario cartoons, Donkey Kong Country, Kirby (not exactly a fan favorite), Pokemon, Zelda (..well...), the unknown F-Zero anime, Fire Emblem, among others), but features cartoons from other franchises in Nintendo systems (Earthworm Jim, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man)? This would also be the perfect platform for future television shows with the Nintendo brand: like the rumored Zelda action series and perhaps maybe a few reboots like Mario, Kirby, and (I am begging this happens soon) Pokemon (Tired of Ash….)

With this channel, you can also view special videos and trailers of upcoming video games, view the Nintendo Direct presentations of past and present, view tournament results of Nintendo games (Continuing the revived concept of the Nintendo World Championships), view popular online battles of Smash Brothers matches, and perhaps even see some user-generated content. The Nintendo Network is the perfect way to link the company with the gamer, by throwing plenty of hidden goodies as well as plenty of Nintendo-based media. The Nintendo Network would be a perfect way to stream E3 shenanigans when the daily event occurs. So yea, picture a mix of Netflix with YouTube----with some Playstation Now thrown in.

Now, the big kicker is coming. How about on this channel you also have access to the multitude of NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, and Wii games that had been available over the years? How about with a monthly or quarterly subscription, you have full, unadulterated access to all the classics and masterpieces that had graced the Nintendo systems (and handhelds---let’s not forget those GB, GBC, GBA, DS gems) over the decades. Although the Playstation Now will always have the quantity advantage thanks to its entourage of third-party relationships, there’s no way you can turn down the chance to limitless play of all Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, Earthbound (Yes, I want the imports of Nintendo games too) classics released within the entire history of Nintendo. No freakin’ way.

Nintendo, turning on your Nintendo NX (name-pending) and while awaiting the next big game you turn to the Nintendo Network and play some throwback Super Mario 64 or some throwback Super Mario RPG is the perfect way to hold any dedicated gamer over until the next major release. You can even step it up to the next level and offer online play of certain classics. I would give an arm and a leg to play some Block Fort Mario Kart 64 with people around the world---honestly the only thing that game needs is some technical cleaning and it’s golden. Who would say no to the chance to play some online Smash Brothers Melee in the Nintendo Network? Who would say no for the chance to play some Tetris Attack and try to claim the World Record that can be accessed on the channel at any time?

Honestly, a $20 a month charge for playing amongst hundreds of Nintendo games within the eight generations of gaming would be a system-seller, let alone a resounding success. It gives new fans the perfect opportunity to play some games that had slipped underneath their radar over the years. Do remember that Eternal Darkness, one of the most mature (and entertaining) Nintendo games this millennium, couldn’t even pass a million in sales. So even though some might complain that Nintendo is charging for all these old games, do recall that there are millions of gamers that have not played any of these titles. It’s nearly the equivalent of hundreds of brand new titles for new Nintendo owners. Otherwise, it’s like having your own personal collection of dozens of classic titles at your fingertips.

Get this done, Nintendo. This should be your future, your focus should be mainly and purely on getting your fans back and being as close to them as possible. The Nintendo Network is the perfect way to reward your fanbase as well as remain in close contact with them by offering unlimited gaming, while simultaneously throwing tons of fun content on a consistent basis while we await the next major game. This would be the perfect way to add life to your franchises that have whether been dormant or been weakened by lack of games or lack of interest.

Let’s be truthful here, the third-party aspect of Nintendo consoles is nearly dead. Nintendo needs to do all the work in making their future systems marketable and profitable. Creating the Nintendo equivalent of a Playstation Now feature would be a major, major step forward. Whether by creating a nice partnership with Netflix, Amazon, or maybe even YouTube, or by making this from scratch by themselves, I can see nothing but resounding success from a channel that allows you to play, sample, watch, and experience the past, present, and future of Nintendo. The Nintendo Network might currently be a pipe dream, but it should honestly be a reality that’s inches away.





Make it happen Nintendo. Now.