Why don’t they just make CN Real a separate network of it’s own? Kinda like Boomerang. I don’t understand why Cartoon Network is giving-up the one thing that makes it truly unique on TV.

Totally agree, Cartoon Network is dead to me now…

http://v-f-h.blogspot.com/2009/07/cartoon-network-1992-2009.html

It saddens me that Andrew W.K., of all people, would sink so low. :(

Shouldn’t that guy be on MTV? Oh I forgot. They don’t play music on MTV any more.

Well, yes, we do expect to see nothing but animation when we flip CN on our TV, because you’re CARTOON FLIPPING NETWORK!!!

It’s like they’re saying “Hey kids! Cartoons are lame! We’ve got live-action!!”

If this were the 1960s, and we had only three or four channels, it might be nice to have some variety on each channel. But since this is 2009, and we can get live action on a hundred other channels, it’s not a boon for an all-cartoon network to add some live action. They’re giving us less, not more. Besides, are these new shows something we’d want to see anywhere on any channel?

I didn’t read much of the post before I saw the video, so I thought this was some kind of fan made satire against “CN real”. But it’s not. Just wow.

cartoons are weak in the U.S.A. they’re not in the culture strongly as they are in Japan. So here, we always worry,” oohhh, my cartoons are going away”. Hahahaahha! make shows with meaningful stories and characters. It’s 2009 and the pinnacle of animation here is Seth Mcfarlane and Matt Groening. Ever get the feeling yo’ve been cheated? We dont deserve cartoons if all we can come up with are badly drawn sit coms.

They are trying SO hard to sell this, its really embassing.

Well, I don’t have cable anymore, so I’ll have no trouble boycotting this garbage.

The CN Real thing isn’t too popular among the 18-25 age group, which is also kind of Andrew WK’s audience.

Maybe his fans will complain?

Those lyrics read less like a marketing message and more like a bitter invective. WAY TO CONVINCE US, CN.

As annoying as this whole thing is, I think I agree with Billy Batz. There aren’t many unique shows these days to keep CN an all-cartoon network.

As an artist who has worked on and off for Cartoon Network since 1998, I agree with Amid and can assure you that there is little surprise to these developments. This is a network whose entire production process is a legacy of ineptitude. Every success they have ever had was based on pure luck. Let them delve into the bottom feeder reality show programing realm. There they will find that viewers are ten times as unforgiving as those who simply want original cartoons.

I’ve always had much more pleasure in life rooting for others to succeed than someone to fail, but after the history of idiocy that is Cartoon Network, I’ve given in to the schadenfreude. I don’t know Rob Sorcher personally but as the Chief Content Officer of CN, he’s proving himself to be the crowned prince of myopic, horrendous, decision making in network television. Thats worth something right?

this is unbelievable… I thought it was a joke at first, or a video AGAINST CN real…

I wish that Cartoon Network’s CARTOONS become REAL and give some kicks in the ass of the singer! (sorry the strong word!)

Andrew W K has always been corporate. He likes big corporations and they like him. He’s got a great voice for a rock frontman and he definitely looks the part, but he has always been about making music for advertisements. Gordon Gekko would approve.

Well this is expected.

I’m just waiting for the next big animation-only network to come around and trump cartoon network. Then in 20 years it’ll start showing live-action as well. -_-

Animation is a costly medium, so I could kind of forgive the ever declining quality of their shows. I simply didn’t watch what I didn’t like, and would pick up what I did. However, the introduction of their reality series incited a certain deep rooted disgust, I’m still not entirely certain what to do. I realize there’s little more that I can do than not watch TV (already there), even though I’m filled with a desire to express my dissapointment. :/

What irritates me most is how these shows are all just… blatant ripoffs of already established shows. There isn’t even an attempt to show some creativity.

Andrew W K has always been corporate.
Well his first solo album was limited to 35 copies on cassette and he has been in noise bands Wolf Eyes and To Live and Shave in LA so maybe not ALWAYS. :)

Whoah!

Given the quality of the “cartoons” they’ve been showing over the past few years, is this really that big a loss?

wow….. this is really going to suck

I hear that CN Real failed. I also hear that CN is changing it’s name because they think that CN Real failed because the network was titled Cartoon Network.

Take that as you will.

If people are getting hung up on the semantics of “cartoon”, that’s a losing argument. Cartoon is not equivalent to animation. Monty Python is cartoon, The Young Ones is cartoon, and yes- The Mighty Boosh is cartoon.

Not “animation”, no, but clearly “cartoon” in at least one sense.

A stronger argument is that Cartoon Network is going against its programming mission. That essentially it’s the “Commercial Animation Network” and has built its viewership and ad base on that.

A stronger argument still is that their live action programming is worse (impossible!) than their animation programming.

Complaining that its called “Cartoon Network” and showing live action cartoons is akin to complaining about ABC showing foreign movies or Home Box Office producing sitcoms, or VH1 showing videos that aren’t hits.

Didn’t you guys hear? The times are changing. Animation is like, SO 20th century. Everyone knows it’s much more limited than live-action. Just think about all the stuff they can do if they show you more than just cartoons!

Like save money…

shamefull.

Andrew WK is anything but corporate and his show on CN, Destroy Build Destroy is pretty cool. God forbid somebody gets some success. Also, I am pretty sure the people who comment here are not in CN’s demographic aka not like 8-15 yr. old boys. I love animation, it’s a beautiful art form, but unfortunately a lot of kids today view cartoons as being for little kids. CN is clearly aiming for an older audience with its stuff especially with shows such as 6teen and Total Drama Island (which are dreadful). Unfortunately, this means less shows will get picked up I guess, but the majority of the shows they were picking up, besides Flapjack and Chowder obviously, were pretty terrible.

They have Adventure Time so maybe it’s a sign of good things to come?

“There aren’t many unique shows these days to keep CN an all-cartoon network.”

There would be if the executives would grow some balls and green light some projects.

Anyone remember “What-A-Cartoon” ?

Like TVLand, another sad casualty of “relevant programming,” Cartoon Network has become neither relevant OR entertaining. Both of these channels have worked hard to blend into the ever homogenous tv landscape–and both have succeeded in not standing out from the crowd. It’s sad, really. And they wonder why they’re losing viewership.

CN, abbreviation for “Copying Nickelodeon”.

CN needs to bring back its classics - Samurai Jack, Dexter, Powerpuff Girls - and spend some money on them, spiff ‘em up and present them to a new generation. If Scooby Friggin Doo can be resuscitated a million times, then those gems deserve a bit of polish and a fresh spotlight.

If this song is indicative of the quality that the live-action shows will exhibit, then we have little to worry about…

Andrew W.K. is incredible. Everything he touches is gold, and I like the idea of the show they’ve got him hosting.

It’s a shame that CN is doing this Real thing, though.

It’s like saying “that car isn’t a car”. Of course it is. They’ve been in this mindset for years!

I gotta show this to some of my friends, they will probably agree how much Cartoon Network is nothing but crap now. I think I would rather wait for the classic cartoons to come to DVD instead of watching CN Real….More like shittoonnetwork if you ask me.

Andrew W.K. :

From Party Hard to Party Lame in less than a decade. That must be some kind of new record.

Andrew WK is a hack so it’s no surprise he’s shilling for a shitty product.

You know who was a “REAL PERSON” who “blows my mind”? TEX AVERY. Why don’t they try playing some of his CARTOONS.

Whoever is responsible for putting live action programming on Cartoon Network should be euthanized. Also, any offspring of this individual should be sterilized so that potential generational cycles of mindless stupidity can be stopped.

Oh man, if they played Tex Avery stuff I would cry a river of happiness tears. However I dont think this will happen. Kids now adays have really short attention spans and probably wouldn’t sit down long enough to enjoy such awesomeness.
so sad =(

Hearing what he said makes me cry.

not much to say that hasnt been already, but I will say this: it wouldnt be so bad if they would just show classics like Looney tunes on a regular bassis. they could have their cake and eat it too with fans I think if they would just make sure their animation line up consists of the very best, and make sure the live action shows they do air are good.

But instead their adding live action crap to animation crap, making one big double crapper burger.

Food Network = food shows

Travel Channel = travel shows

Cartoon Network = ???

OK, I admit it…I have watched/laughed at Tim and Eric…but they’re cartoons, right?

It sad and shameful to that this network is sinking really fast, This is what happened to Toon Disney by calling it Disney XD, So now what it going to be called Turner Intense, Which is a load of Sugar Honey Iced Tea. I grew up with this network, and this channel is what hook me into animation and wanted me to become an animator, but now I’ll I can do is shake my head with shame. What I think is worst about this is that they know that they getting complaints and not doing jack about it.

Putting aside for a minute the issue of “CN Real.”

I have the expectation that when I turn on my television and flip to “CN,” I will reliably see only animated shows because my possibly brain-damaged parents decided to name ME “Cartoon Network?”

I was thinking maybe it was transcribed wrong so I actually watched the first few seconds of the thing and yes, I really do seem to be being told that my name is now “Cartoon Network.”

I’d say that this probably can’t get any dumber, but I have the sinkign feeling I would only be proven wrong.

I would be more tolerant of all this “real” stuff if it was relevant in any way to cartoons / cartoon production.

There’s nothing I love more than watching super awkward human interaction. Animators could provide hours of awkward reality programming.

BOYCOTT CARTOON NETWORK!*

*Except for Clone Wars, that’s okay. It’s animated and watching animation on the Cartoon Network sends a message that people actually want to watch animation. So, yeah, boycott CN UNLESS you actually see cartoons. One last thing, by showing that Andrew WK song on CN, Cartoon Network is actually playing more music than MTV! Way to go Cartoon Network! Uh, yeah…

Crystal said,

“Kids now adays have really short attention spans and probably wouldn’t sit down long enough to enjoy such awesomeness.”

Two things: a seven-minute format is PERFECT for kids. Hell, it works for most adults, too.

And…how the hell would we know if kids would dig old cartoons or not if NO ONE FREAKIN’ SHOWS THEM?!?!?!?!?!

Time/Warner is so clueless about not showing ANY of the Looney Tunes or MGM shorts on an accessable station, it should physically hurt them.

Dear lord that music is terrible!

i’m not a big fan of andrew wk or anything, but one would want to see someone like that speaking/singing/rocking in favor of animation and not against it. i guess animation will need its own loud and overhyped artist or band to create a rebuttal song and video.

there are plenty of live action networks out there (some of which occasionally show cartoons), and i have little use for another one.

Cartoon Network is officially dead, in my opinion.

“If people are getting hung up on the semantics of “cartoon”, that’s a losing argument. Cartoon is not equivalent to animation. Monty Python is cartoon, The Young Ones is cartoon, and yes- The Mighty Boosh is cartoon.”

Normally a statement like this doesn’t deserve a reply but in the interest of not further condoning misinformation, Merriam-Webster defines cartoon as the following:

“car·toon
Pronunciation:
\kär-ˈtün\
Function:
noun
Usage:
often attributive
Etymology:
Italian cartone pasteboard, cartoon, augmentative of carta leaf of paper — more at card
Date:
1671

1: a preparatory design, drawing, or painting (as for a fresco)2 a: a drawing intended as satire, caricature, or humor b: comic strip3: animated cartoon4: a ludicrously simplistic, unrealistic, or one-dimensional portrayal or version ”

So, in other words a COMIC STRIP can be considered a cartoon, but a live-action sitcom sure as hell can’t and shouldn’t be. To say otherwise is the height of inaccuracy.

Ditto to all the other comments posted. This is a loada crap.

Don’t care much for Andrew WK, but he sure is doing his best Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) impression.

Never heard a more condescending phrase than their use of ‘just cartoons’.

They might as well have pinched their noses and grimaced.
“Oh gross, animation”

Cartoon Network _has_ declined in recent years. Every attempt to put live action on their network reeks of desperation. And they’re not going to stay “Cartoon” Network for very long.

That said….

I really don’t care what happens to Cartoon Network. It’s not like CN is burning all their copies of Bugs Bunny and Samurai Jack, thus depriving future generations.

These cartoons are already on DVD, so if you want kids to see these cartoons, give them these for presents.

It’s just part of the competitive cycle, if CN screws up, they’ll go off the air, and some other network will show cartoons.

(Oh, and there is still a market for 2D animation; after all, many top cartoons on TV are 2D, and Princess and the Frog is 2D, and it might be enough of a hit to revive the market for 2D features.

Also, right now 3D animation may not be perfect, but just wait a few years, and there will be technical and artistic advances that will make the characters in those cartoons look more “real,” and not look like walking dead things, like many cartoon buffs think.)

One more reason to not have cable.

I wonder, is it romanticizing the past to wish some bright spark would find the means to start a network that shows nothing but cartoons? And GOOD cartoons. Some Classics and some of the gems that CN let slip out of their hands, like that recent Brothers Krause pilot, The Upstate Four?
Is the idea of a network showing only cartoons simply not lucrative, and if so, why? I should think that alone would make the network stand out… I mean, what gives? Why can’t it make money? Is it that it (the old cartoon network) isn’t making money, or not making ‘enough’ money (greed). Show the right cartoons, all should fall into place. None of this live-action stuff on CN is making any sense whatsoever. Well, not to me.

“Normally a statement like this doesn’t deserve a reply but in the interest of not further condoning misinformation, Merriam-Webster defines cartoon as the following:”

First, EVERYTHING I have to say is deserving of reply.

Second, your Webster’s definition is charming and I’m sure would grade you a B+ on your grammar school report or a few teary eyes in a wedding speech but in practical use of English it bears little weight. Further, etymology is not definition.

People frequently referred to George W. Bush as a “Cartoon President”, Daniel Day Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” gave a “Cartoon performance of John Huston”, Snoop Dogg has been called a “cartoon”. No, this is not the primary definition, nor did I claim that it was. It is, however, common usage and perfectly in keeping with products like “The Mighty Boosh” and “Tim and Eric”.

Should Jerry and Amid change the name of their website because they make posts about the Academy Awards or other ephemera barely tangential to the process of animation?

Who are the geniuses that made this decision? Seriously, I really want to know. I think it’s important that the entertainment and animation industry know.

When did it all start to go wrong? Is there a timeline?

All a sad turn of events, given what a network CN used to be.

I agree with richard o’connor. Although animation is a medium and not a genre, the cartoon certainly is a genre. Although one of its major characteristics is the use of animation, there are many other things that make a cartoon a cartoon, and there’s no reason the genre can’t translate to other media. Ever seen Home Alone? How about Yuri Norstein’s Tale of Tales? Is that more “cartoony” than Home Alone just because it’s animated?
And please: this page alone is crawling with animation artists and scholars, and you’re going to let a dictionary tell you what a cartoon is?

CN losing more and more cartoons, SciFi renaming themselves into an STD….. yawp, cable is now dead to me!

oh internet & DVDs - don’t fail me now!

I wonder what’s going to die first, animation on TV or comic strips in newspapers. They both seem to be in an awful hurry to do so.

Stupid decision

Sad Song

(What’s next, SpiceTv and Playboy for kids?)

IF their experiment fails don’t worry, they’ll go back to making cartoons again. If it doesn’t then people must want live action on CN and they’ll keep making shows. It’s a business and they weren’t doing well with the shows they had so they had to change.

That tells me that they weren’t green-lighting the right shows but it’s hit and miss with networks because most do not let the people who know how to make cartoons actually have a say in what gets put on. everything is done by a committee of of ex lawyers, ad execs and ex merchandising execs who know nothing about making a film except what they’ve read in books or what they’ve been told by others.
Why, I don’t know but that’s how it is.

Well, I DO know why but I’m not going to write it publicly here.

They need to get Fred Seibert back there and have him take over Cartoon Network, he’ll set it straight.

Samurai Jack, Dexter and Powerpuff Girls are NOT classics. They’re not even fifteen years old. Looney Tunes are a different class of entertainment. Sorry, no comparison.

Maybe another network will pick up the slack, but I gave up on CN long ago. Nothing they’ve done over the last ten years has been good enough to draw me back for more.

I just hope this is like a fire in a forest.

“Who are the geniuses that made this decision? Seriously, I really want to know. I think it’s important that the entertainment and animation industry know.”

Kafka: The name is Rob Sorcher. Google it.

> Anyone remember “What-A-Cartoon” ?

What about “Cartoonstitute”? There’s a concept that just didn’t quite make it past the hurdle!

Hearing the line “more than just cartoons” near the end just makes me shake my head in disbelief! I hope like the rest that this fails miserably.

Calling something a classic isn’t neccessarily based on how old it is, and to many people those shows like Dexter, PPG and Samurai Jack are classics. I grew up watching those, so for me, they are classics.

As for Cartoon Network, I can’t really say I care. Apart from Foster’s and Flapjack that channel is more or less worthless. They can turn the main channel into a cheap box of ‘kid’s shows’ but as long as this doesn’t touch the spinoff channels like Boomerang and CN too I don’t care. I could watch repeats for those quite happily without having to dodge shit like Ben 10.

that looks desperate.

CN is gonna shred? Has parody come full circle?

cue BMX trick

Man… that’s really sad… :P

I hate this network more and more every time they keep ignoring everyone’s complaints against them.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing I can’t afford cable right now.

I think CN’s getting desperate because the only advertising they can entice their way are sad infomercials about dicing machines and clothing storage bags. It’s not great revenue, and without the big toy company promotions, the big ad money doesn’t roll in. And putting Looney Tunes on all day, which I think is a totally great idea, won’t attract new advertisers at all.

I’m still crossing my fingers for an Animaniac/Tiny Toons/Freakazoid revival, but I don’t think they have the rights let alone would actually do it.

I don’t mind the “alternative” CN, so much as the “reality-tv” CN.

The word “cartoon” is not always literally, a cartoon. A cartoon can be a satirical version of a real person, drawn or in live action. So there’s no miscommunication there.

Reality tv shows aren’t cartoon. Unless they’re staged. In that case, it could be a cartoon.

I always felt the word “shred” means to destroy strip by strip. And yeah, that’s pretty much what they’re doing.

I like cartoons on my Cartoon Network. I want MORE cartoons on my Cartoon Network.

It’s amazing how many ways can they say F**K YOU! to animation without actually using those words. Couldn’t they just start a new network or just set fire to the old one? I would ask who the brains behind this move was but obviously that person is devoid of any brain matter. How did he get that job? I make cartoons for a living (I use the term loosely) and I can’t even get a job there any more.

After all, we’re more than JUST CARTOONS. We have hyper cool BMX Extreme bikes. Totally new decade. Totally old “attitude”

To address the “costliness” of the animated medium - no, it is not expensive to hire artists to draw cartoons. If the budgets reflected the true salaries of the crews who actually create the image you see on the screen, I think most people would be flabbergasted at how CHEAP they are compared to live action. But nothing is cheaper than reality TV and dumped, subsidized foreign product, and if the pressure is on execs to push down costs, that is where they go. It is not the artists’ fault if the cost of animation is inflated to pad producer pay, to hire super-star voice talent (when unknown actors would do just as well, and did, until the 90s), funnel money into development on non-related projects, and otherwise use the budget to buy favors to invest in the producers’ future projects. I have seen the budgets, and they lie about artists’ wages. It seems very expensive on paper, but in reality, it simply is not true.

“The word “cartoon” is not always literally, a cartoon. A cartoon can be a satirical version of a real person, drawn or in live action. So there’s no miscommunication there.”

Okay, now people are starting to get Orwellian with their interpretation of “cartoon. A “cartoon is sometimes not a cartoon”?

In this context (Cartoon Network), a cartoon IS, or at least is supposed to be, an animated cartoon. There are probably some contexts in which a Samuel Beckett novel is as much a sculpture as Michalangelo’s David, but in most the connection makes no sense, just like all of this postmodern “live action cartoon’ BS.

It’s sad how all the animation TV chanels have decayed so much….. there’s nothing good to see now…. i remember when boomerang began it was fascinating because you could see retro cartoons!! now i just can see retro Tv shows (and a soap opera from my country, mexico called RBD!! blasphemy!!!) well, and cartoon network……what can i tell…. i don’t see the creativity that they used to have so long ago…. oh such a good times…

And one more thing, If I want to see the looney tunes I have to be awake at 3:00 am …….this is sooo cruel =(

But well, times changes, and soon the old times will come back

I kept checking to see if this was an outtake from “Idiocracy”.
Silly me.

I think it’s worth noting that that video has over 300 votes, and a rating of ONE STAR. That’s the consistently lowest rating I’ve ever seen on a YouTube video, period.

There’s no way that all this negative feedback is going unheard. It will very interesting to see how the top-level guys at CN respond to it, when they are still in the midst of launching what is no doubt an expensive partial makeover of the network. Even if they secretly wish they could take it back… can they? Or will they have to let it play out over six months or a year before pulling the Real block and pretending they didn’t screw up badly, but rather have some other “good reason” for canceling the LA content?

People need to drop the “this is part of a cycle” or “times change” crap. We’re past that now. This is not part of a cycle. Actual progressive action has to be taken.

“Calling something a classic isn’t neccessarily based on how old it is, and to many people those shows like Dexter, PPG and Samurai Jack are classics. I grew up watching those, so for me, they are classics.” - hellohue

Age certainly isn’t the only factor, but “classic” is a word tossed around way too much these days. It might be subjective, but it seems to me a classic needs to at least acquire a few wrinkles before promotion.

I grew up with the 80s Ninja Turtles. Still love the show, have the DVDs, enjoy it a lot. But I wouldn’t call it a classic. Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy? Those are classics.

Did no one learn a lesson when MTV started showing other things rather than music videos??

Cartoon Network used to be unique, now it just wants to play the ‘me too’ game.

erm…..what about they just kept showing cartoons instead? Not sure if they’re aware but all the other channels seem to have live action covered.

Maybe they could get more viewers by showing PORN.

Considering they scrapped Transformers Animated, now all that’s left is Flapjack, Chowder, Ben 10 Alien Force (and I only care for the animated series, not the movies that should never exist) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And all things, Flapjack and Chowder are on last legs, which leaves Ben 10 (which is getting another sequel show) and Clone Wars (which they would be stupid to cancel).

Other then that, everything that is actually anywhere decent on Cartoon Network is on Adult Swim, and even it’s declining in quality.

What about adventuretime?!

As much as I loathe this trend–and feel in a lot of ways that this live action spot is almost a slap in the face–I agree with Richard O’Connor as well about the application of the word “cartoon”. But regardless of semantics, one must wonder about how this will impact jobs….

A very sad state of affairs. I felt very insulted by that promo. It said to me that cartoons were limited in their scope and that only live action shows would expand the boundries of entertainment. Man, what a load of crap! Are the people in charge really convinced they can’t come up with new and exciting animation programs?

I can’t believe there are people out there who are actually okay with something THIS insulting. I really cant.

To Kevin Martinez: You’re right, i made too “broad” of an analogy.

All i’m saying is that an “alternative” CN is alright with me, just as long as there’s some kind of “animation” in it.

The way they’re selling it now, is a little sad. Like Caitlin said, too many stations now are playing the “me too” game(*Well said Caitlin)

Today’s Menu

Waffle Burger - 1.99

Beef Pot Pie -2.99

Sirloin - 9.99

Andrew W.K. - Sold Out

So, wow. *CN removed the video*. Just try to play it. It’s gone from their channel, I checked, and they uploaded a new promo, which has 1.5 stars so far. I guess that’s improvement.

Cartoon Network is trying to copy Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel.
I hold the lamebrains who came up with “Fried Dynamite” and “Out of Jimmy’s Head” Responsible for Cartoon Network’s Decline!
Cartoon Network has Flatlined. I’ll save money and purchase every Cartoon Network show I loved on DVD instead.

Cartoon Network can kick rocks!