Why This Blog Has Been Unposted In For Nearly a Year

Google Terms of Service

will pick a new host soon (gotta check tumblr ToS in the meanwhile), probably have to go private/self-hosted
the tumblr will have more thorough explanations on why this is happening in the following weeks (especially since my prior posts on fair use brag me as the "give it away for free guy") This Post's Page

Flyer RE:Copyright and "Piracy"

Addendum: DEAR ISPs and NET USERS WORLDWIDE


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Censor Watch: FEARNET

Fearnet does not allow you to post the word "Hell" anywhere on their website. So I sent them an email:

Why am I not allowed to post the word "Hell" on the site? Considering that this is a HORROR SITE about HORROR STORIES, Hell is a pretty common setting/theme addressed so blocking this word in the name of moral standards is utterly idiotic and discourages the natural process of evaluating the content carefully packaged and presented to us by responsible artists.

FEARNET I EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR CORRECTION OF THIS UNBELIEVABLY INSANE CENSORSHIP

_THE RAVING IMP _kelly.King This Post's Page

Much Content (may) Now be on da .tumblr.

Okay so I am currently experimenting with the tumblr interface/concept/community. So far I like it and do find it strangely easier to output there than here, mostly because I feel I need NO edits, even though I go to great lengths to not edit this thing as much as possible in effort to maintain its inherent interweb style. I tried "supplementing" this blog before with the ravingimp blogspot but that just got.... splintering and confusing. This is equally splintering and confusing at this point.

But there are some advantages to tumblr that I think can take Imp RavinG to the next level. At root, I do want this to evolve into a multiple author effort, with like minded imps raving on all manner of topics generally unimportant to spheres outside the TED (technology, entertainment, design) intellectual space. tumblr is designed with community in mind; it's an inherent and basically unavoidable element of blogging there. Here on blogger/blogspot, there have been feeble attempts at building community via "Followers" but it still requires a high degree of web surfing and inconvenient and tedious hunting to connect with other authors, to the extent that you might as well be navigating the uber-bloggosphere or trying to reach out to the clanny types on wordpress and, more notoriously, typepad.

Right now, my tumblr is branded and designed to be more personal to me and to not be very aesthetically linked to ImpRaving (it looks a great deal more like a streamlined version of ravingimp). I am still sorting out how this effects all my automatic social media updates; I thought ping.fm was finally my answer but tumblr seems to offer it all in-site.

And now I'm sick of talking about this. I'm trying tumblr, look at it or don't. My domain name won't be re-directing there anytime soon, but if I start feeling the groove over there, I'll look into integrating my feed from there onto this page or summat. We'll see. I'll see. You can start to see by clicking here.

teh.RaVinG ImP This Post's Page

Ongoing: Hulu on Censoring The Office

Hulu assigned sum1 to get back with me on this issue. I sent this last reply to their rep Brandon Boone on March 5 and have yet to hear back. check the pilkipedia thread on this too, link below

hello again Brandon,

I've also posted at the Ricky Gervais-Steve Merchant-Karl Pilkington (often abbreviated to RSK) superfansite Pilkipedia.co.uk to further investigate your claims of censorship http://www.pilkipedia.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9894&p=272909#p272909. As of now, leading RSK fan Limericklad confirms "It wasn't censored when filmed, or aired on this side of the world originally". Limericklad is highly regarded in the world of Gervais scholarship and was a viewer of the show when it first aired on BBC2 in the UK.

I would please like to know of the source to which you are referring. As prior stated, I have seen and read innumerable discussions with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant on the topic of making The Office and they have never mentioned intentional censorship. At this point your source would be a true watershed to myself and one other RSK chronicler. As devotees of this subject, it is critical you reveal any valid information supporting the claim that Gervais and Merchant incorporated censored aspects into "The Office", which is universally regarded at the most successful British comedy in history.

Thank you for your time and interest in this issue.

cheers,
_kelly.King



_kelly.King wrote:
> Hello Brandon,
>
> Thanks for your reply.
> What are your sources for this claim that The Office was filmed with censors intact? How do you explain the very uncensored DVD (both the UK region and US region releases), Netflix Instant Watch, BBC online (distrib on iPlayer and RealPlayer GoldPass) versions? OR THE initial airing of the show on BBC2 which was uncensored? Does the show sometimes censor and sometimes, not? Every British citizen clearly remembers Brent telling Finch to "fuck off" at the conclusion of the Christmas special, as Mr. Karl Pilkington discusses in the special "Ricky Gervais: Genius of Comedy".
>
> I'd like to think I've greatly overlooked this, but I've never in any commentary, interview, or discussion of The Office by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant heard them mention that they chose to integrate censors into the show.
>
> _kelly.King
>
> Brandon Boone wrote:
>> Hi Kelly -
>>
>> Thanks for the email. After doing some research, The Office UK is not censored in any way on Hulu, nor has it ever been censored. If you are referring to the bleeps, it was filmed that way on purpose.
>>
>> For more information about this, I suggest you check you the discussion tab on The Office UK show page (www.hulu.com/the-office-uk). There, you will find a discussion topic about this that explains it in better detail.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Brandon Boone
>> Hulu Communications
>> -------------------------------------------
>> From: _kelly.King[SMTP:STINGER839@GMAIL.COM]
>> Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 12:59:06 PM
>> To: Hulu Media
>> Subject: Censored version of "The Office" UK
>>
>> Heya,
>> Was wondering what influenced the decision to distribute a censored version of The Office (2001, UK)? Was the content bought pre-censored from BBC America? Was a uncensored version of "The Office" ever considered for distribution on Hulu?
>> As someone passionately dedicated to the preservation of "art as originally intended", especially for works of greater literary and cultural importance such as "The Office", I am interested in the story here. I'm one more of the throng of ravenous independent bloggers and I have been studying and writing on censored iterations of "The Office" for the past three years as one of my pet subjects. Many viewers are interested in understanding why and who is censoring this show, as best evidenced by the discussions on Hulu's own message board for the show.
>> Thank you for taking your time to review my queries. I appreciate any information you can give me.
>>
>> cheers,
>> _kelly.King
>>
>> P.S.: Please advise if I am sending this to the wrong department and would receive a more thorough answer by emailing another department.
>>
>>
>

last time I blogged I was quick to get a response. bitching is good.

raving 1MP This Post's Page

Hulu Censors "The Office"

The Office UK is now available for viewing on Hulu, the infamous US hub for streaming television. On its first day on Hulu, it held the top popular spot (determined by views) every time I was visiting and remained on first page of most popular shows for several days.

It's great that even the most relentless of culture idiots are now aware of the series, but unfortunate that Hulu is choosing to broadcast a censored version. I have contacted Hulu via email and tweet, but have received no clear answer on why/how a censored version was chosen. I cannot find any other articles on the net explaining the deal. Next, I will email BBC America if I don't soon get a reply from Hulu as Hulu lists BBCAmerica as the source for the show, but I really would rather hear from Hulu.

There are several threads addressing the censorship on the show's Hulu forum but I have only posted in the one titled "Censored?". Someone has recently pointed all that not all eps have been censored in a thread "re:the whole censorhsip thing" but I have not confirmed what that user says, and I find the inconsistency to be even further annoying.

At first I was quite outraged, posting to a very naive user who thought the censoring was part of the gag: "no it's censored because Hulu is CHOOSING TO AIR A CENSORED VERSION BECAUSE HULU THINKS THEY MUST CONFORM TO TYPICAL AMERICAN BROADCASTING PRUDENESS. This is not some intentional censor or the producers' cleverly working with censors; this is just out and out censored BY HULU FOR MORAL REASONS ABOUT WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE FOR ADULTS TO VIEW." That's just how pissed I was.

I'm still proper pissed, but I've cooled to the point of regaining my senses and being properly argumentative: "There is plenty of "uncensored" content on here, but everything has to be viewed on an individual basis. Whether Hulu bought a pre-censored version or censored it themselves, they still MADE A DECISION to go with a censored version over an uncensored version of The Office. Whenever you pick censored over uncensored, that indicates what your company deems acceptable, regardless of any uncensored content you also boast. In this case, Hulu is saying "a censored version of one of the greatest modern works of video art is just as good as the original untainted version". That's a position I don't take lightly, and I find it offensive that Hulu even considered acquiring a censored version ESPECIALLY given the fact that they have many other shows that are not censored."

Here's a copy of what I sent to media@hulu.com with a recent postscript addition:

Heya,
Was wondering what influenced the decision to distribute a censored version of The Office (2001, UK)? Was the content bought pre-censored from BBC America? Was a uncensored version of "The Office" ever considered for distribution on Hulu?
As someone passionately dedicated to the preservation of "art as originally intended", especially for works of greater literary and cultural importance such as "The Office", I am interested in the story here. I'm one more of the throng of ravenous independent bloggers and I have been studying and writing on censored iterations of "The Office" for the past three years as one of my pet subjects. Many viewers are interested in understanding why and who is censoring this show, as best evidenced by the discussions on Hulu's own message board for the show.
Thank you for taking your time to review my queries. I appreciate any information you can give me.

cheers,
_kelly.King

P.S.: Please advise if I am sending this to the wrong department and would receive a more thorough answer by emailing another department.

I have sent this email twice, first time without the postscript. I will email Hulu every day for two weeks before inquiring of BBC America as I believe it tugs at the greater issue of Hulu's responsibility to account for this inconsistency in their censored broadcasting. As always, any genuine information on this topic is appreciated.

TEH RAVINGST IMP _kelly.KING
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SQUEAK! Boohbah is a Chipmunk

so a new developing segment on the raving imp will be carefully planned exploitation of my sweet innocent boyfriend for lulz of the general net audience. He's made appearances here and on my tweets before, but this is his official debut... as a chipmunk. So ouvre ton coeur to Chris, or Boohbah as you'll come to know him, munkerized.
_t3h_imp_which-is_RaVinG

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The Office on [adult swim]? OMGWTFSIRUSLY?!?!?!

This news originally deposited by the collective anus of slashfilm, with the official [as] bitchboard thread here, I learnt bout dis whilst browsing the promos section of the [as] vids site and found these little smelly tumors:

My reaction to this is best summarized by Brent himself:

I must say that if you were a conscious being (at any point) in the past decade and yet do not own The Office and have seen it 50 plus times, you don't deserve to ever see it.

It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to note that the series will no doubt be edited for time constraints. Edited Office + Censored Boosh on the same network? Will [as] try to soil Trailer Park Boys next after they have depleted the BBC vault? Are there NO promising comedy show writers left in America willing to work for Turner Broadcasting?

ALSO ANNOUNCING, [adult swim] FULL FALL 2010 schedule:

-Fawlty Towers (to replace staple content like Family Guy)
-Are You Being Served? (to replace content you saw before but didn't realize you liked like King of the Hill)
-Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (to replace content for people with no attention span or unique sense of humor like Robot Chicken)
-BlackAdder (to replace rising legendary content like Squidbillies)
-Fry and Laurie (to replace the distinct comedic sense of content like Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2021)0
-Snuff Box (to replace edgy content like Superjail)
-EastEnders (ANYTHING to replace Tim and Eric content)

_TEH RAVING IMP This Post's Page