Vacation and Renovation

JerichoMonster will be on vacation while I take care of some real life responsibilities. I will also be making changes to the blog.

JerichoMonster will return as soon as possible but will no longer be a part of the Jericho fandom.

Thank you.


NAILS IN THE FENCE


"There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him
a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must
hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned
to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually
dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He
told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out
one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father
that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led
him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say
things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put
a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you
say I'm sorry, the wound is still there."
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare
jewels, indeed! They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They
lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open
their hearts to us."

The Phases Of Fandom

Morgan has been in various fandoms for a number of years. When I saw this article, I loved it. Please understand this is talking about fandoms in general. This is not specific to any particular group of fans.

Written by Morgan and published with her approval.

Phase I: Positive action, solidarity & unity. This is the initial rush of finding one another, of discovering "I'm not alone!" and of everyone working together as a like-minded, cohesive (if diverse) unit. This is the best case scenario, the time when everyone is speaking with one voice and saying the same thing. This initial phase can last from weeks to years, depending on the dedication of those involved, and the response from the "Powers That Be." If the response is rapid and positive, this phase may continue. If not ...

Phase II: Cracks in the Mirror. When there's little or no response from TPTB, fandoms can falter. There's no "common foe," so fans look at one another, instead. They're frustrated, and there's no external outlet. They express disagreement or dissatisfaction with the fandom in general, or with individuals. Tempers flare, and factions begin to form. This's the most critical time in a fandom.

Phase III: He Said/She Said. Then follows a period of negativity, when individuals target one another. Miscommunication runs rampant, and everyone starts viewing each other with mistrust. The downward spiral gets worse the longer there's silence from the "common foe." Incidents of anger and accusation increase. People find fault, and divide the fandom. "Leaders" emerge for the factions, and the campaigning becomes less for the "cause" as for individual "power" within the fandom.

Phase IV: Building Our Own Sandbox. One or more communities are formed by like-minded individuals. This is can be a positive and natural progression, or a negative backlash---totally dependent upon the intent of the individuals. If communities are formed openly and honestly by those deeply committed to the "cause," then the formation is positive. If, however, a community is based on anger, then it's more negative, and can do far more harm than good to the fandom.

Phase V: Circle the Wagons! "Territorializing," i.e., individual groups put up "walls" and want to protect themselves from precieved invasions by rival groups/factions. There are assumptions and accusations of "spying." Groups can actually experience paranoia, which drives a wedge between fans. Mistrust and even (in extreme cases) hostility is shown to newcomers, which hurts the entire fandom.

Phase VI: Detente. Oddly enough, the next stage is relative peace while everyone does their own thing. Groups usually avoid confrontation with others, though there are occasional "flare-ups" in this undeclared war of factions. Generally, someone smooths things out, but appearance is everything in this stage. It's imperative to look good so their group will be seen as innocent "victims" in any given situation.

Phase VII: OMG What're We Doing To Each Other? This happens when one or more groups suddenly realize that "united we stand and divided we fall" is a basic truth. This phase usually comes after some response from the "Common Foe." There's a rush to re-unify the core fandom, and to recapture the initial unity. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes it 's not. It can bring people back together, but some fans are still leery. They've been burned too badly, and aren't willing to extend the trust too far.

Phase VIII: Peace at Last---Or Not. Eventually, one of two things happens: Either the various factions accept the fact not everyone enjoys fandom in the same way, and there's a return of mutual respect for all fans. Or, the fandom implodes, scattering all the groups in different directions. The former can bring about a re-unification for the factions, and solidify the fandom. The latter usually spells total failure for any campaign or cause the fans have embraced.

A Monster Blogger Interview: Kystorms

You all know kystorms. She is a fan who works hard for Jericho. You'll find her visiting all the boards and blogging all the latest Jericho news. She's willing to help with any project and remains one of our best weapons for more seasons. I am happy to give you this interview from a truly caring Jericho Ranger.



1. You're a big Jericho fan and you're a blogger. Which came first?

I was a fan of the show first, and a blogger about 20 minutes later. I actually found out about the show way back during the first days of being announced and was instantly a fan, simply due to the story I knew Jericho could tell. After I found myself talking the ears off of anyone who would listen about the show, I decided to begin blogging it.



2. What message do you want your blog to convey?

First my blog is all about Jericho, what it means to me and what I hope to show others about it. After that, my blog is for everyone who loves Jericho, whether blogger, or fan. If there is something new being done, I want to write it up and have everyone share in it.


3. You're a representative for the Coalition of the Willing Fan Club Development. Why do you think a Fan Club is important?

I am actually no longer involved in the Fan Club effort , as I have always felt that the fan club was at CBS. I simply wanted to help make sure the fans were heard and saw being a representative for the Nuts for Jericho as a way to insure that. Since getting this request for an interview, I have come to see that I needed to be where I was always most at home as a fan of Jericho and that is CBS.



4. What would you like to see happen in Season 2?

Wow... too many possibilities! For one thing I am the biggest Stanley and Mimi fan on the planet... I love Brad Beyer and Alicia Coppola so much, and to see them each week is a joy for me. I would love to see them married with kids. After that.. I would like very much to see how the government side of the story will play out. Is this government going to be for the people and by the people, or has the war killed of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution forcing new ideals to be formulated.



5. How do you believe we can reach more new viewers?

By getting the word out on all the various efforts of the fans all across the different boards, and helping each other to bring these efforts to fruition. The more we all do to be in the public eye as a team, the better it is for Jericho and the fans. In other words, keep the fan activity in the forefront like we were doing during the save Jericho Campaign. We should not be choosing just one or two efforts to support. Charities are a great means of both helping our fellow man and helping show how awesome Jericho fans are.


6. Do you have a favorite Jericho blog/website that you visit regularly besides your own?

The site I check each day first is CBS, it is where we all began and where we should all be everyday. It is the home of Jericho, period. Other than that I love my nutty friends at Nuts For Jericho Forum and will always be with them. My favorite blog for Jericho is the Jericho Monster!


I am like every fan of Jericho regardless of their Jericho Home websites, I just want to keep seeing my show for many years to come and will help anyone to achieve that. My blog is Jericho~On~CBS.


Thank you for a fantastic interview and a great Jericho blog.

Jake, Emily, and Heather In Jericho

It's almost time for the return of Jericho. Fri. night at 9 p.m. on CBS.
We all know Jericho is full of action, suspense, mystery, family and community but what's a Jericho without some love and romance? For that we have Jake, Emily, and Heather.

I've been a big fan of Jake/Emily from the beginning but some fans are just as passionate about Jake/Heather. You'll have to decide for yourself but here's some information on Emily (Ashley Scott) and Heather (Sprague Grayden).

Emily grew up in Jericho and is the daughter of Jonah Prowse (James Remar) who believes in taking advantage of every situation to better himself financially. Emily's mother is dead and her younger brother was killed in a botched robbery attempt. Interesting that Jake left town right after her brother died. See, Emily and Jake were romantically involved at one time and you'll learn more about that as you watch more episodes.

Emily is a school teacher and she and her father don't speak although he very much wants to make up with her. After Jake left town, Emily met and became engaged to Roger (Christopher Wiehl). She was planning the wedding with her best friend and soon to be Maid of Honor, Heather, when the explosion happened. Emily believes Roger to be dead. Meanwhile, Jake meets Heather,sparks fly, but I never felt he and Heather had the chemistry he and Emily had.

Heather is also a teacher and she moved to Jericho from New Bern. She can repair cars and do all sorts of things much like Jake can. Where'd she learn that? It's obvious that she wants Jake but I'm not so sure Jake has let Emily go.

Will it be Emily, Heather, or someone else? What about Roger? One thing is for sure- there is no sure thing in Jericho.


http://www.ashleyscotthaven.com/

http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Grayden,_Sprague/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Remar

http://www.tv.com/christopher-wiehl/person/93/summary.html

The Greens Of Jericho

In an earlier blog I wrote about Skeet Ulrich who portrays Jake Green. Now, here's Jake's family.

Johnston Green ( played by Gerald McRaney) is married to Gail ( played by Pamela Reed). They have 2 sons: Jake and Eric. ( Skeet Ulrich and Kenneth Mitchell).

Johnston has been the mayor of Jericho for 25 years. He is devoted to his family and the town. We're not told much about Johnston but we do know he was once a U.S. Army Ranger. We can read between the lines and realize that there have been times when Johnston put the town's welfare above his family.


After the explosion Johnston leads the town's efforts to work together and to figure out what has happened. He has a rival in Gray Anderson ( Michael Gaston) who questions Johnston's leadership abilities. Gray wants to be mayor obviously. Will he succeed?

Gail Green reminds me of an updated version of June Cleaver. Remember "Leave It To Beaver?" She's a loving wife and mother with strong opinions. She and Johnston make a perfect match. He may be the boss at work but Gail definitely runs the household. She is also well respected in the community.

Eric is the youngest son of Johnston and Gail. Unlike Jake, Eric does as his parents expect him to do. He is married to April ( Darby Stanchfield) who is a doctor. We don't know much about April as she doesn't talk about her family. We aren't told how she met Eric either.

Johnston and Gail are not happy when they discover that Eric is having an affair with tavern owner Mary Bailey ( Clare Carey). We don't know much about Mary. We just know that she and Eric are in love and Mary thinks Eric will leave April for her. Gail Green makes it clear that she is not happy about the affair.

Will Eric leave April for Mary? When will April learn of the affair and what will she do? Will Jake get back in his father's good graces?

To Be Continued.....

http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/gerald-mcraney/bio/151866

http://www.poptower.com/people/pamela-reed.htm

http://www.poptower.com/people/kenneth-mitchell.htm?PHPSESSID=cebb56b49628360ccc99e26ce75f6449

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1581670/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0136922/

Tribute To Rich

Once in a great while a show comes along that fans fight for. That show is Jericho.
Once in a great while a blogger comes along who joins that fight and becomes an unsung hero.

I haven't been blogging long but I've been reading blogs for quite some time now. I have a lot of favorites and some of the various postings have blown me away. I must say, though, that nobody has ever totally amazed me the way Rich of Copywrite Ink does.

Let me tell you about Rich. According to his profile Rich is an accredited business communicator. (That means I can't afford his services.) He is the President of Copywrite, Ink which is a writing services and communications firm.(That means I can't even afford for him to write me a letter.) I admit I don't know what his fees are but I do know the suggestions he has given Jericho fans would have cost us more than all the Nuts Jeff Braverman will sell in his lifetime.

Why am I writing about Rich? Because Rich has been down in the trenches with us. He's as much a Jericho Ranger as anyone. Do yourself a favor and go to Rich's blog and read every article he's written on Jericho.

http://copywriteink.blogspot.com/

Be sure to read " Creating Fandom: The Jericho Universe." It's very relevant today as it was then.

I'm not saying other bloggers weren't good to us-they were. Many had wonderful suggestions. When I say Rich was in the trenches I mean he has posted on the main board as well as at JerichoRallyPoint. He has asked for information and has come to understand this campaign. He has replied to our comments and has cared about everything we did and will do. He wants us to succeed. And, we will.

I forgot to say we will succeed IF we all want it bad enough. Rich's article of today is a must read. Hopefully, it will be accepted in the same spirit in which it was written. I will only say that someone commented, " Dissent is good." Yes, it is and it can change things. Feel free to dissent and suggest a better way to handle a promotion or idea but we cannot allow Jericho's future to lie in the hands of those who say Free Speech when what they really mean is your name got in the paper & mine didn't. As Rich said today, " The egos have landed". It's up to all of us to make sure Ego doesn't fly again. I want Season 3,4,5,6,7,and more.

Thank you, Rich, for all you've done and will continue to do. Don't try to be modest now. I'd have to dissent.