Good news: Nick’s ’90s programming block The ’90s Are All That now airs in primetime, starting at 10PM. Four half-hour shows will air from 10PM-midnight on TeenNick, and they will replay again in the block’s original space midnight-2AM. Additionally, Nick will air the block seven times a week so there will never be a night without classic Nick. Here’s a couple more new announcements. The live-action show shot on a dude ranch fondly remembered as Hey Dude enters the current lineup that still consists of All That, Kenan & Kel, and Doug. And on Friday nights, Stick Stickly hosts an interactive segment called “UPick with Stick.” Get this: Stick is voiced by Paul Christie, the same man who invented the character back in the day! Once a week the block will air episodes voted on by viewers at Nick’s website and Facebook. Rock and roll.
Out with the old, and in with the…still old. TeenNick is about to swap out two classic Nickelodeon shows for a couple of similarly retro programs. After polling fans online, the kids network has decided to add Hey Arnold! and Rocko’s Modern Life to the mix. These shows will replace Clarissa Explains It All and Doug and join All That and Kenan and Kel in the late-night two-hour block. Hope you’re ready for some football-head and wallaby fronted adventures; I know I am! Arnold and Rocko enter the fray September 5 (translation: tomorrow night!).
The 90s Are All That airs midnight to 2AM on weeknights, and the block immediately repeats from 2AM to 4AM on TeenNick.
I admit, I am still a SpongeBob fan. After all these years, there’s nothing like tuning into Nick and watching the flamboyant yellow sponge do his thing. And so I sat through the SpongeBob Squarepants panel at Comic Con (which took place immediately before the panel for The River in the same room) with a wide-eyed smile from ear to ear. Highlights comin’ right atcha:
On the panel were creative director Vincent Waller (he comes from Ren & Stimpy) and writers Paul Tibbett and Mr. Lawrence (he gives Plankton a voice).
During the panel they previewed upcoming SpongeBob episodes and specials using clips and rough storyboard images.
In “Mermaid Man Begins” we will learn the origin story of the underwater superhero and his sidekick Barnacle Boy; In “Bubble Buddy Returns” SpongeBob’s Leif Erikson Day friend comes back to Bikini Bottom and Sponge offers to babysit his kids; Plankton and Man Ray will join forces (and Man Ray will get fat from eating too many Krabby Patties); Plankton will steal SB’s DNA so that he grows a second eye; in “InSpongeiac” Mr. Crabs has a nightmare and turns into a mustard dispenser; SB and Patrick will house sit for Sandy; in “Ghoul Fools” the Flying Dutchman returns and funnyman Chris Elliot will voice the First Mate ghoul; the “Runaway Roadtrip” special is an anthology episode airing this fall that will follow each of the main characters going on vacation; in the clip titled “Patrick’s Staycation” SpongeBob encourages his best friend to stay home for vacation and he caters to his every whim.
In the Christmas 2012 special “Tis the Season to be Jerky” the Bikini Bottom gang are reimagined as puppets. They played a clip from the special and the live action puppets matched with the animation works really well. The puppets were sculpted and painted specifically for this episode.
When a fan asked how the creative team manages to cater to the younger demographic and yet still keep hold of an older audience the scribes said that “[they] don’t write [the show] for any one demo, [they] write for everyone.” They admit, like I did, that they are simply “grown up kids.”
And here’s a neat little fun fact: when he was creating the character SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg turned to Jerry Lewis and Pee-wee Herman for inspiration!
Did you grow up on ’90s Nick? If so, and like me, I’m sure you’ve been waiting with bated breath for the retro programming block dubbed “The ’90s Are All That” to premiere on TeenNick. On Monday, July 25 at midnight classic Nick shows All That, Kenan & Kel, Clarissa Explains It All, and Doug returned to the airwaves. TeenNick allots four hours to the retro shows; from midnight-2AM four episodes air, and from 2AM-4AM the same shows repeat. The block so far has been a ratings boon; across basic cable it averaged 555,000 viewers (that’s up 114 percent from last year). Viewers have been sharing their nostalgic memories on Facebook and Twitter; all last week the Trending Topics have been buzzing about the block. In addition to the programming, the network has spruced up the commercial breaks with classic Nickelodeon signage and animations. Except that everything’s been remixed. Nick called up DJ Steve Porter to create a music video of sorts that mashes up a bunch of retro Nick shows and plays around with all the theme songs. Look after the break to watch the clip that previews all of the shows ready to make a return to television. Following the current lineup lead by All That, you can expect animated toons like Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Rugrats and live action shows like The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts, and The Secret World of Alex Mack to make major comebacks. So far, my favorite sketch brought back to life is the scene from Kenan & Kel: “I…dropped the screw…in the tuna!”
Nickelodeon is ready to bring back the goods, finally. And when I say “goods” I am obviously referring to the kid network’s classic 90s programming. You know–Rugrats, Kenan & Kel, Pete & Pete, The Amanda Show, All That, Clarissa, and so and so forth. According to EW, all these retro shows will be airing in a new midnight-to-2 a.m. programming block appropirately branded “The ’90s Are All That” starting in the fall. The decision to add this new block came about after Nick execs caught wind of the massive amount of followers and continued support for Nickelodeon shows from that unforgettable decade. Says Keith Dawkins, senior VP and general manager of TeenNick: “At the time, we were completely devoted to that audience ages 9, 10, and 11. It was ground-breaking and for the young viewers, a powerful and pivotal time in their lives. Those kids who are now 22, 23 and 24 want to bring that back.” With open arms Mr. Dawkins, with open arms.
Back in May it was reported that original creator Haim Saban bought the Power Rangers franchise from Disney and that Nickelodeon would air the eighteenth season of the show this year. Since then so much more detail has surfaced about the upcoming series. The official name of the kids program is Power Rangers Samurai and we’ve got a synopsis:
Power Rangers Samurai follows a new generation of five Rangers who must master the ancient Samurai Symbols of Power which give them control over the elements of Fire, Water, Sky, Forest and Earth. Under the guidance of their all-knowing Samurai mentor, Ji, and with the aid of their devoted animal Zords (Lion, Dragon, Ape, Turtle and Bear), they battle to save Earth from the dark forces of the Netherworld led by the evil Master Xandred.
Get to know the cast: The Samurai Power Rangers are: Jayden (Alex Heartman), the Red Ranger and the team’s leader; Mia (Erika Fong), the Pink Ranger who is the confident and caring “big sister” of the Rangers; Kevin (Najee De-Tiege), the Blue Ranger, is a great swordsman who lives by the code of the Rangers; Emily (Brittany Pirtle), the Yellow Ranger, is the youngest but most optimistic of the group; and Mike (Hector David), the Green Ranger, who is a bit of a rebel and would rather be destroying video monsters than real ones.
Oh and remember the slapstick duo from the original 1993 series run Bulk and Skull? Actor Paul Schrier is returning to the Power Rangers universe and will reprise his role as Bulk in the Samurai premiere and will make guest appearances throughout the season. Neat-o right? Look after the break to watch the 2011 version of Bulk in action. Nothing’s changed.
Nick’s Pete Danielsen promises, “This new season of Power Ranger Samurai will feature all new heroes, villains and special effects while keeping the core messages of friendship, teamwork and empowerment that the series has always exhibited.”
Says Saban Brands president Elie Dekel: “We wanted to get back to the original core DNA of the show that made it so powerful and resonant in the ’90s. We made sure that moving forward we drew on the best possible elements that we knew kids responded to, so we embedded a lot more humor in the show, a lot more charm and fun. Bringing back some of the silliness of the original series was a goal, and now it’s in high-def, which has never been done before, which gives it a really great new look.” Beyond that, Dekel continues, “We really wanted to pay homage to, if you will, the show’s Japanese origins with Samurai.”
The 20-episode 18th season premieres February 7 at 8PM on Nickelodeon. Look after the break for some more sneak peek videos, and hit up EW to watch the brand new intro.
Larisa Oleynik. It took me a few seconds to recognize that name. It’s Alex Mack from the classic Nickelodeon series The Secret World of Alex Mack(1994-1998)! I grew up watching (idolizing and adoring) Oleynik because she wielded the most awesome superpowers including the ability to instantly morph into a puddle of silver liquid. Well, now she’s all grown up and ready to star in the CBS reboot hit Hawaii Five-0. According to TVLine, she will play “Jessica Kaye, an ex-CIA analyst and Harvard graduate with a degree in Political Science and a Masters in Global Security and Intelligence Studies who is fresh off the plane from Langley, Virginia.” She’s joining the Five-0 team led by McGarrett and Danno because she is in hot pursuit of Wo Fat, McGarrett’s nemesis who had a hand in the murder of his mother (but he doesn’t know this yet). Jessica “has a personal stake in the manhunt since Wo Fat was responsible for the murder of her fiancé, a well respected CIA field agent.” Apparently Oleynik’s role will remain recurring for the rest of season one, and there’s an option open for her to potentially become a series regular next season. Welcome back to the ‘waves, Alex Mack.
I reported back in late July that Nickelodeon’s “splat” logo was about to undergo a transformation, and now it’s time to follow up. After much deliberation, the creative team at Nick decided go with what you see above (right). Obviously the focal point of the new logo is the stretched “i” that resembles a kid. Cyma Zarghami, president of Nick and MTV Networks’ Kids and Family Group: “We wanted to clean it [the logo] up and allow Nick to be the stamp on all of these channels. In asking ourselves if everything could live under the splat, we decided that the splat was dated. It just couldn’t be done in a streamlined way.” To celebrate Nick’s 30th anniversary, the new logo was unveiled this past fall and is now in full force. Rest in peace, splat; you will never be forgotten. Peek after the break for all the new streamlined Nick logos including those for Nick Jr., TeenNick, NickToons, and Nick@Nite.
From “AOL” to “Aol.” America Online has gone through its paces over the years. First it was everyone’s portal to the Internet during the dial-up days. Then they merged with Time Warner and became the butt of many jokes since it lost its dominance due to high speed Internet the introduction of the sole Internet browser as the main portal to the other side. On December 10, AOL detached itself from Time Warner, thus ending a short-lived and unsuccessful merger, and decided to enter the next decade with a whole new identity. Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL: “Our new identity is uniquely dynamic. Our business is focused on creating world-class experiences for consumers and AOL is centered on creative and talented people — employees, partners, and advertisers. We have a clear strategy that we are passionate about and we plan on standing behind the AOL brand as we take the company into the next decade.” Sure AOL lost its steam as computer users began to realize they didn’t need it any longer as a source for email and browsing; but it is still relevant today. AOL owns a bunch of content and their plan for the next decade is to push this content harder. Besides maintaining the unpopular AOL software, they also continually update AOL Instant Messenger (still used by many as a communication service) and they own popular blogs like Engadget and TMZ. As a reinvigorated content-driven organization free from the shackles of Time Warner, Aol. enters 2010 with fresh vision and slightly different logo for a new generation.
Nickelodeon’s “splat” logo, first introduced in 1984, is going to be replaced this fall by a brand new logo that will provide a fresher look for the kids’ television network. The decision to give new life to the aging Nickelodeon logo came about after all the Nickelodeon channel logos were placed on a single business card. Other Nick channels include Nick at Nite, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. (formerly Noggin) and TeenNick (formerly the N). According to Cyma Zarghami, president of Nick and MTV Networks’ Kids and Family Group, “We wanted to clean it [the logo] up and allow Nick to be the stamp on all of these channels. In asking ourselves if everything could live under the splat, we decided that the splat was dated. It just couldn’t be done in a streamlined way.” With the celebration of Nickelodeon’s 30th anniversary this fall, the company “felt like this was the year (for an update).” Not only will the Nickelodeon logo be changed, but all Nickelodeon channels will for the very first time include the word ‘Nick’ in it. RIP, splat. What do you think the new Nickelodeon logo should look like?
