#mike michaud

[randyseaver]

Let's be independent together

I’m still a tough guy: Talking Points photo Angus King has some problems. I know, I know . . . King is the heir apparent for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated this year by Olympia Snowe. Although the polling data points to a considerable edge for the feisty and “independent” former governor, I’m not so sure that King is a lock for the seat. But it would seem that I’m in the minority among…

[liquid-bonhomme]

I always have thought she is like Nostalgia Critic with incest fetish.

Eh, personally, I don't see that as exactly fair. Like, I get what you mean, and maybe I just have a bit of a soft spot for Doug, but.

I see Doug's failings as more a matter of incompetence than active malice personally. Unfortunately, I am nostalgic for the Nostagia Critic, having grown up watching him.

Yes his media hottakes are not good. Yes, the people who take issue with the unfortunate business decisions he made have the people involved every right to be angry with him. But I personally adore and embrace Doug cringe and all. I make fun of him out of love, where I make fun of Lily out of disdain. I respect and understand everyone who feels differently, but that's where I am at emotionally with it. I don't think Doug meant any harm, even if some of his actions did result in very real harm to some.

If I saw him at a con I'd tell him how much I still kinda love him. Respect what he's done even though it's . . . You know. Very Doug Walker.

He's still that tiny bit, you know, my babby grill. You feel me? Maybe not. I know the whole Channel Awesome thing is very dependent on the age bracket you're in.

If I wanted not for money I'd totally use those funds to buy Channel Awesome from Mike Michaud the fucking fuckface himself so Doug could continue being the cringelord he is without all that fucking toxic baggage. Provided he uphold less toxic business practices.

I'm with Lady Emily in that he shows . . . A degree of some kind of Tommy Wiseau kind of artistic integrity I think is a bit sister slay if you know what I mean.

I cringe, but in a "my dearest beloved" kind of way. I hope that makes sense. I love my camp queen Doug Walker.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

Say what you will about this show, but you just know that Mike Michaud lost his collective shit when he saw this.

[beforeliteracytherewasdeez]

Doug Walker doesn't have the rights to the Nostalgia Critic brand (or character), it belongs to a guy named Mike Michaud. That's why they were forced to bring him back after he died, and why Demo Reel had such an abrupt ending. Doug Walker either leaves without his trademark character and tries to make it big with something else, or stays the way he is now, making content as the NC for ever and ever

the story of kfc fucks me up man. the colonel founded this gas station that expanded to restaurant, the chicken at the restaurant get popular, makes KFC, it gets big and he sells it to a corporation for a lot of money. realizes he got sorta scammed out of the true worth of kfc so tries to get more money and they refuse and the courts side against him. then he starts a new chicken restaurant claiming the corporate people were not making chicken to his standards and kfc sued him because kfc owned the colonel's likeness and the courts agreed. a corporation owned this man's name and appearance. he wasnt allowed to use either, thus legally erasing his reputation making it harder for him to get taken seriously in any food venture. the man, to the day he died, was going into kfc's and throwing fits because the food had fallen into such bad shape he hated it was associated with him. and it's like, whether he's a bad man or a good man or whatever, a corporation owned his identity, stopped him from using his reputation and identity in other businesses, and refused to acknowledge his outrage that they changed his recipes and still attributed it to him. this is literally the obnoxious plot of a jay and silent bob movie, but it was this dude's real life. what the fuck.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A mom and dad who usually say no decide to say yes to their kids’ wildest requests — with a few ground rules — on a whirlwind day of fun and adventure. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Allison Torres: Jennifer Garner Carlos Torres: Edgar Ramírez Katie Torres: Jenna Ortega Nando Torres: Julian Lerner Ellie Torres: Everly Carganilla H.E.R.: H.E.R. Mr. Deacon: Nat Faxon Hiring Executive: Molly Sims Jean the Paramedic: Fortune Feimster Officer Jones: Arturo Castro Billie / Concert Coordinator: Tracie Thoms Layla: Megan Stott Tara: Yimmy Yim Hailey Peterson: Snowden Grey Officer Chang: Hayden Szeto Julie: Alana Baer Brian: Graham Phillips Brent: Wolf Fleetwood-Ross Trevor: Adam Faison Mr. Hwang: James Kyson Counter Gal: Michelle La Mr. Chan: Leonardo Nam Miss Hoffling: Naomi Ekperigin Chase: James Calixte Rob: Alek Cole Jeremy: William Samiri Tony: Ruy Iskandar Teacher Beth: Cloie Wyatt Taylor Nurse Linda: Joanna Strapp Bob: Brent Morin Joan: Cass Buggé Karen: Lynn Andrews Security Guard: Jordan Johnson-Hinds KC: K.C. Clyde Mary: Katie Baker Rosemary: Ava Allan Brad: Cameron Johnson Woman on Something: Taylor Cooper Mom in Car: Faryn Einhorn Kablowey Maroon Team Player: Jeremy Culhane Kablowey Green Team Player: Kristi Lauren Kablowey Blue Team Player: Olivia Norman Korean Customer: Arvin Lee Man from Bathroom: Peter S. Kim Officiant: Ron Yerxa Helium Kid #1: Nicholas Sean Johnny Helium Kid #2: Cameron James Elie Seven Year Old Nando: Romyn Smith Ten Year Old Katie: Aliyah Torres Terrified Kid: Joshua Gallup Stevie: Danielle Jalade Woman in Cheetah Suit: Erin Allin O’Reilly Officer Antonio: Rafael Boza Harry: Tyler Riggin Kablowey Orange Team Player: Mike Lane Kablowey Orange Team Player #2: Sandy Fletcher Sound Mixer: Chase Meyer Party Kid #1: Lola Raie Party Kid #2: Aidan McGraw Maid of Honor: Rachel Amanda Bryant Athletic Kid #1: Coral Coye Athletic Kid #2: Kodiak Lehman Athletic Kid #3: Makea Leonard H.E.R. Band Member: Keithen Foster H.E.R. Band Member: Carrington Brown H.E.R. Band Member: Alonzo Harris H.E.R. Band Member: Ricardo Ramos H.E.R. Band Member: Ajanee Hambrick H.E.R. Band Member: Malik Spence Allah-Las Band Member: Miles Michaud Allah-Las Band Member: Matthew Correia Allah-Las Band Member: Pedrum Siadatian Allah-Las Band Member: Timothy Hill Film Crew: Production Design: Doug J. Meerdink Original Music Composer: Michael Andrews Producer: Jennifer Garner Set Decoration: Rosemary Brandenburg Makeup Artist: Deborah La Mia Denaver Director of Photography: Terry Stacey Executive Producer: Miguel Arteta Assistant Art Director: Mike Piccirillo Editor: Jay Deuby Costume Design: Susie DeSanto Supervising Sound Editor: Darren Sunny Warkentin Supervising Sound Editor: Andrew DeCristofaro Executive Producer: Mark Moran Producer: Daniel Rappaport Costume Supervisor: Mitchell Ray Kenney Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Will Files Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Mark Paterson Visual Effects Supervisor: Jean-François Ferland Executive Producer: Justin Malen Stunts: Kelli Barksdale Makeup Department Head: Cristina Waltz Producer: Lawrence Grey Set Costumer: Natasha Romanow Set Costumer: Cesha Ventre Visual Effects Producer: Marie-Claude Lafontaine Second Unit Director: Shauna Duggins Set Dresser: Fante Zamora Book: Tom Lichtenheld Utility Stunts: Mallory Thompson Set Decoration Buyer: Jennifer Pray Producer: Ben Everard Art Direction: Jason Perrine Production Coordinator: Sally Potters Makeup Artist: Jamie Hess Book: Amy Krouse Rosenthal Producer: Nicole King Executive Producer: Adam Simpson-Marshall Visual Effects Producer: Erin Hewitt Set Dresser: Max Bostic Visual Effects Supervisor: Brandon Nelson VFX Artist: Sébastien Chartier VFX Artist: Jason Evanko VFX Artist: Alyssa Koncelik-Diemer Movie Reviews: r96sk: Rather unoriginal, though the cast make it more likeable than it would otherwise be. ‘Yes Day’ is exactly what it says on the tin, you will not be shocked to find out what the plot is. It plays out in the most predictable way possible, even the hearty moments are a little too sickly at times. With that sai...

[newstfionline]

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Government budget deadlines and Congress (CNN) After a few months of back and forth, Congress has finally locked in a budget to keep the American government funded for the rest of the fiscal year. The 2024 fiscal year began on October 1, 2023, and ends September 30, 2024, meaning we’re almost halfway through it. Congress had passed a deal setting funding for some agencies earlier this month, but left other parts of the government un-budgeted up until now. Legislators have until 11:59 p.m. ET Friday to pass the bill, or else the federal government will have to contend with a partial shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, has had to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats despite his party’s majority in the House thanks to a small but vocal group of far-right Republicans.

Mexico Condemns Texas Law, and Says It Will Not Accept Deportations From the State (NYT) Mexico will not accept deportations made by Texas “under any circumstances,” the country’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas to arrest migrants who cross into the state without authorization. The ministry condemned the state law, known as Senate Bill 4, saying it would separate families, violate the human rights of migrants and generate “hostile environments” for the more than 10 million people of Mexican origin living in Texas. Mexico’s top diplomat for North America, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, rejected the ruling on the social media on Tuesday, saying that immigration policy was something to be negotiated between federal governments. The Mexican government has severely criticized the measure since last year, and rejected the idea of local or state agencies, rather than federal authorities, detaining and returning migrants and asylum seekers to Mexican territory. (Note: A federal appeals court blocked Texas’s immigration law law just hours after the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect.)

Sex is back at the Olympic Village: Paris will hand out 300,000 condoms (Washington Post) Four new sports, including skateboarding and surfing, will be featured at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games. But one age-old form of physical activity is also set to make a comeback: sex, or as the French call it, “sport in the room.” Organizers in the City of Love are not only turning the page on the covid-era intimacy ban imposed on athletes at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021—they plan to make 300,000 condoms available to residents of the Olympic Village. With that quantity, every resident “will have what they are expecting and what they need,” said Laurent Michaud, director of the Olympic and Paralympic Village, in an interview with Sky News. The news will likely be welcomed by many athletes, who were asked by the International Olympic Committee to “avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact” during the last Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games because of the pandemic.

Polish farmers stage more food protests (Reuters) Polish farmers were planning more than 500 road blockades on Wednesday to protest against cheap food imports from Ukraine and the European Union’s climate policy. Farmers in Poland and across the EU have been calling for changes to restrictions placed on them by the bloc’s Green Deal plan to tackle climate change. They also want the re-imposition of customs duties on imports of agricultural products from neighbouring Ukraine that were waived after Russia’s invasion. They say Ukraine’s farmers are flooding EU markets with cheap imports that leave them unable to compete. Polish police said they knew of more than 580 protests planned for Wednesday, with an estimated participation of 70,000 people.

The war in Ukraine has split the Czechs and Slovaks (Washington Post) The ongoing war in Ukraine is splitting the Czechs and Slovaks all over again—or at least their governments. Over the past month, the marked differences between a staunchly pro-Kyiv government in Prague and Slovakia’s Russia-friendly Prime Minister Robert Fico have come to the fore. On one hand, the Czechs have pioneered a plan to surge desperately needed artillery shells to Ukraine’s front lines, sourcing munitions from the arsenals of countries around the world. On the other, Fico, a populist and four-term prime minister who returned to power at the end of last year after a spell in opposition, has suspended military assistance to Ukraine after campaigning to not send “another bullet” to Kyiv. He has repeatedly called for the war to end with significant Ukrainian concessions to Russia. Since the end of the Cold War and the subsequent bifurcation of Czechoslovakia, the two countries that emerged maintained warm brotherly ties, even when ruling governments in Prague and Bratislava were of differing political stripes. But disagreements over how or how not to support Ukraine have brought about an unprecedented rupture.

Ukraine races to build weapons at home (Washington Post) Ukraine manufactured practically no weapons before Russia invaded in February 2022, but the local arms industry is now booming. Factories spit out shells, mortar rounds, military vehicles, missiles and other items crucial to the war effort. Production tripled in 2023 and is expected to increase sixfold this year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a Ukrainian government meeting in January. Local production is not sufficient to make up for a loss of international support, especially weapons from the United States. But for certain crucial items, such as the drones that have transformed how the war is fought, Ukraine is already making 90 percent of what it needs, Mykhailo Fedorov, the digital transformation minister, said at a conference last month.

Russia says it will evacuate 9,000 children from a border region being targeted by Ukraine (AP) Russia plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from a border region because it is being shelled continuously by Ukraine, an official said Tuesday, reflecting Kyiv’s increasing focus on striking targets behind a front line that has barely shifted in recent months. The children will be moved from the Belgorod region farther east, away from the Ukraine border, said the region’s governor, Vyacheslev Gladkov. Ukraine has increasingly used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia and has sought to unsettle the Russian border regions, putting political pressure on Putin. In addition, Ukraine-based Russian opponents of Putin and the Kremlin have launched cross-border raids.

The world’s 100 worst polluted cities are in Asia—and 83 of them are in just one country (CNN) All but one of the 100 cities with the world’s worst air pollution last year were in Asia, according to a new report, with the climate crisis playing a pivotal role in bad air quality that is risking the health of billions of people worldwide. The vast majority of these cities—83—were in India and all exceeded the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines by more than 10 times, according to the report by IQAir, which tracks air quality worldwide. “We see that in every part of our lives that air pollution has an impact,” said IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes. “And it typically, in some of the most polluted countries, is likely shaving off anywhere between three to six years of people’s lives.”

Doing business in China is growing tougher, more uncertain, European business group says (AP) Uncertainty and “draconian regulations” have drastically raised risks for foreign businesses in China, a report by a European business group said Wednesday. The lengthy paper by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges China’s leaders to do more to address concerns that it says have “grown exponentially” in recent years. “This report comes at a time when the global business environment is becoming increasingly politicized, and companies are having to make some very tough decisions about how, or in some cases if, they can continue to engage with the Chinese market,” it says. Foreign investment fell 8% last year from a year earlier as companies recalibrated their commitments in the world’s second largest economy.

The Hongkongers worried by new security law (BBC) Hong Kong’s pro-China parliament has passed a tough security law which authorities say is necessary for stability, but which critics fear will further erode civil liberties. Article 23 targets new offences like external interference and insurrection, and penalties include life sentences. Hongkongers have voiced concerns over Article 23, particularly over the use of broad and vague definitions in the legislation. Civil servant George told the BBC he was most concerned about its definition of “state secrets”. “Let’s say a group of colleagues go out to lunch and discuss how to handle some work matters. Will it constitute leaking a state secret? Will we be arrested if someone eavesdrops and spreads the information?” he said. “I am very afraid that we can be accused [of the offence] easily.” George said he had observed an “informant culture” among his colleagues since the earlier law came into force. He estimates that about one-fifth of the employees in his department have resigned in the past three years, with many of them moving overseas. “I won’t talk so much about work with friends any more. Just focus on eating, drinking and having fun,” George said.

No Alternative for Rafah Invasion, Netanyahu Says, as Rift With U.S. Grows (NYT) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Tuesday brushed aside President Biden’s opposition to a planned ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying that his government would press ahead despite pleas for restraint from the United States and key allies. Mr. Netanyahu made the remarks to Israeli lawmakers a day after speaking by phone with Mr. Biden, who reiterated his stance against an offensive into Rafah, arguing that it could be disastrous for the people there and that Israel had other ways of achieving its objective of defeating Hamas. “I made it as clear as possible to the president that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there is no way to do this without a ground incursion,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

Jared Kushner says Gaza’s ‘waterfront property could be very valuable’ (Guardian) As people face famine and violence in Gaza, Jared Kushner is eyeing the area’s waterfront property. In an interview at Harvard earlier this month, Kushner pointed out the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property” before suggesting that Israel should push Palestinians out of the area as it “cleans up.” He added that Israel should “just bulldoze something in the Negev” and “try to move people in there.” Kushner, if you need a refresher, is the husband of Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and was a senior foreign policy adviser under his father-in-law’s administration.

Conflict, hunger and disease grip Sudan (BBC) A vicious power struggle between Sudan's army and its former ally, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, has killed at least 14,000 people, and possibly many more, since the conflict erupted in last April. Besides the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country, there are also fears that a repeat of the 2003 genocide may be under way in the western region of Darfur. Women who escaped Darfur to neighbouring Chad have given the BBC accounts of being raped—sometimes multiple times—by militiamen. Men in the camps told us they had escaped street executions and abductions. BBC journalists in Omdurman, one of three cities that form the capital Khartoum, say that mortar shells fall daily.

[ke96]

Call it butt-hurt if you must, but that scene can be an analogy to this situation.

(This isn’t a slamming on Allison, and I apologize if my picture comes off looking like that, it’s basically to represent her as Mufasa and basically how she was removed from the channel due to callous people)

https://twitter.com/DeVon_FNMfan2K8/status/1288646636189687815

[d-the-australian-dork]

i.. i do not remember this happening. i remember poor set conditions, firing people for stupid reasons and the jewwario stuff, but lying was only constricted to jewwario and i don't remember ANY thievery. that's not to mention that the main perpetrators of the shit that happened with ca were mike michaud and rob walker, too

I had never heard of this James Somerton guy before Hbomberguy and Todd both made their videos, but from people I've talked to this sounds like #ChangeTheChannel for gay people.

Like, a popular YouTuber with tons of fans has been revealed to be a lying, thieving piece of crap, leading to his platform being destabilized and his entire fandom falling into disarray after the reveal? My sympathies, I know how that feels.

[gamer-of-the-day]

Today’s Gamer of the Day is: The fictionalized version of Channel Awesome CEO Mike Michaud from the Webcomic Blinded by Nostalgia

[yourdailyqueer]

Mike Michaud

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 18 January 1955  

Ethnicity: White

Occupation: Politician (Democrat)

[eructophiliac]

Never Forget #ChangeTheChannel!

Never allow the actions of these individuals to be swept under the rug! As someone who met Doug Walker and Brad Jones in person, I cannot begin to explain just how disgusted I feel! Shame on Doug Walker, Rob Walker, Mike Michaud, Brad Jones, and all of those who were complicit in the actions of the individuals AND those who actively defend those actions to this very day! #ChangeTheChannel

[dampydraws]

Silly Critic!

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

Hello, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask you this—as someone a crumb bit invested in what HH will be like, especially with the addition of the funds given to production (and maybe professional additional writers?) what are your thoughts right now on the show, are you holding out hope it'll be at least better than HB?

I also just want to squeeze in another ask about your thoughts on Vivziepop and by extension Spindlehorse, specifically the way production treats themselves as part of the fandom. Personally, I think this is a significant issue for a few reasons, the biggest one being: it defeats the integrity of the representation.

Imagine having a character like Valentino who is an incredibly abusive r*pist, using him to attempt to illustrate the horror of these specific abuses and trauma (which as I am sure you know either ruins people or kills them generally) but then turn around and sell merch of him being attractive, and deliberately try to add sex appeal to him and his relationship with his victim, Angel. As a creator, or someone part of the official production—you've just bastardized the entire meaning of the story in favor of wank fodder and sugarcoating abuse to twist into your 'fav ship' or something that's trying to be hot.

You see, this is the problem with the lack of boundaries within production; you want to have a portrayal of abuse but errr... the idea of the ship is just too hot and dramatic to ignore! The production wants to have its cake and eat it too, and acting as fans without disconnect makes all the other fans look at this content from OFFICIAL sources and start to, of course, normalize it.

What a tragic waste of representation for communities who need and deserve meaningful rep, because shipping, sex appeal, selling merch mean more to Vivziepop and Spindlehorse than ever conveying a compassionate exploration of true horror.

Tragic aside, what are your thoughts on these things? Thank you for reading through!

Honestly? I don't see Hazbin Hotel being all that different from Helluva Boss. In fact, I'm kinda dreading the jokes because Viv isn't going to be working with any YouTube restrictions, so I fully expect a bunch of raunchy dick and sex jokes.

A24 can hire additional writers, but it won't make a difference if Viv is still running things, as she refuses to listen to any criticism or feedback.

Maybe the writing will be a bit better if additional writers are brought in to touch up the scripts, as I personally think that a lot of the scripts for Helluva Boss feel like first or second drafts that desperately needed polishing.

As for my thoughts on Spindlehorse as a whole, it reminds me a lot of Channel Awesome. Except Viv and her inner circle are way more competent than Mike Michaud and the Walkers.

I don't have much to say regarding Valentino, as that's a topic that's been covered to death already and I have absolutely nothing new to add to it.

Though, I do find it funny how Viv doesn't seem to have an issue with the fandom shipping Valentino and Angel, but she'll totally draw the line at people who ship Andre and Stella.

She's like "I will excuse sexual assault, but I will draw the line at incest."

[trashboatdax]

Wow. WOW. This is the “response” that Channel Awesome released about everything that’s come to light.

This is not an apology. It is downright insulting and blatantly blames the victims. There’s also nobody’s name attached to it, which makes it clear that they stuck someone with the task so they wouldn’t have to deal with it.

If they had actually tried to just give an honest apology, if they actually admitted they did anything wrong, maybe, MAYBE this would have worked. But since they’ve been spending the last several weeks blocking and unfriending those who have been discussing these matters and deleting posts from people concerned about these issues…it’s very clear that they have not learned from their mistakes.

*watches the subscriber count go down on YT*

#ChangeTheChannel

[prometi0]

THE FIRE RISES

[nobszone]

#ChangeTheChannel: The Decline and Fall of an Empire

(With apologies to UrinatingTree)

After several days on twitter swapping stories, the former producers of Channel Awesome came together to compile a google doc of the experiences they had while working with the website (the doc is rather long so here’s a condensed version for those who don’t have the time or energy to go through it all). 

The #ChangeTheChannel hashtag has gained a ton of steam. Tweets, videos, even articles are being written now about the movement. Channel Awesome’s response has been to simply say “We regret you feel that way.”

#ChangeTheChannel symbolizes a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it’s a strike back against privileged white men, for others it’s another instance of the cntrl-left making a mountain out of a molehill and ruining the internet, and for others it’s just a nice fire to watch burn.

But for me? This symbolizes one thing and one thing only: the end of an era.

Because what we’re witnessing is the fall of the once mighty empire that was Channel Awesome.

Make no mistake though, this empire has long been dying. For the past few years Channel Awesome has been desperately trying to keep up the facade of its former glory as opposed to recognizing and attempting to fix its flaws. And with this whole debacle, Channel Awesome is now siphoning whatever reputation it may have had for the sake of its immediate and long term future.

Since 2013 this website has been doing whatever it could to remind itself of its glory days. The constant over reliance on Doug Walker’s character The Nostalgia Critic, trotting him out barely a year removed from his very public retirement of the character to just do the same style of reviews that he’s done in the past, only now for movies that are barely out of theaters.

But not to worry, he’s still forward thinking. After all, he brought on two actors to help him out in Malcolm Ray and Tamara Lynn Chambers who play various supporting characters in his reviews. He also now includes various little skits to break up the monotony of him sitting in front of a wall and talking to a camera, and now he even does reviews that have no clips in order to get around unscrupulous companies that abuse Fair Use laws.

Unfortunately to say that these new reviews suck is a bit of an understatement. About the only thing that people like about them are Tamara and Malcolm, and that’s more to do with their personalities and acting skills as opposed to the material they have to work with.

But surely it’s not just Nostalgia Critic all the time. Channel Awesome said they were trotting out new shows as well. Well most of those shows turned out to either not be very good, stagnated in development, or were so bad that they tried to sweep them under the rug and hope that everyone forgot they spent a hefty sum of money on them.

And now, thanks to these revelations (that were first reported on by folks like Mister Metokur but confirmed through the google doc), the site is literally hemorrhaging talent. CEO Mike Michaud now runs a company with a bleak present and virtually no future.

But still, the question must be asked; where did everything go wrong? How did a website that was the first name in online content creation become such a train wreck? For this, we have to find the precise moment that signaled the beginning of the end of the empire.

If you’ve watched any of the Channel Awesome critics, then you’re probably familiar with the term “Jumping the shark.” It refers to a moment when a franchise begins a sharp decline in quality that it’s never able to recover from. The term specifically refers to an episode of Happy Days when The Fonz literally jumps over a shark, a moment that began the show’s painful spiral into oblivion.

This thinking can be applied elsewhere as well. In sports you have moments like the 49ers firing Jim Harbaugh. In politics, the Republican party nominating Donald Drumpf. 

For Channel Awesome, this moment wasn’t when Demo Reel was announced, or even when Noah “Spoony One” Antwiler left the site (he’s a good producer but his behavior had become increasingly erratic, not to mention that as of late his work ethic has been...non existent). 

To find out when Channel Awesome jumped the shark, we have to go back a bit farther.

Starting in 2009, Channel Awesome (then under its old name, ThatGuyWithTheGlasses) filmed major crossover events to commemorate the site’s anniversary. The first one was nothing more than an impromptu brawl between The Nostalgia Critic, James Rolfe’s Angry Video Game Nerd, and the other contributors on the site. 

The second year movie, Kickassia, was more ambitious. The TGWTG crew traveled to Molossia to take over the micronation. While in many ways the shoot went well, this is where problems started to emerge.

(Just a quick disclaimer, I was originally going to go over in detail about the problems encountered in the anniversary films, but they’re so extensive that I simply don’t have time to fit them all in here. I strongly recommend reading the google doc for all the gory details.)

But it wasn’t until production of the third Anniversary special, Suburban Knights that things really started to become unsustainable. Things got so bad in fact that the entire movie was nearly scrapped. It only was finished at all because the producers were determined to do so.

So you’d think after such a miserable experience, Channel Awesome (or at the very least the Walker brothers) would recognize that they were in over their head. They would have to scale back production considerably for the next film and make it a smaller affair that’s more suited to their skills, or at the very least up their game. In trying to straddle the line between “amateur” and “professional” they were failing spectacularly.

But nothing was done. And Doug Walker proceeded to write To Boldly Flee. A four-hour long epic involving every single producer he could cram into his house and framed as a critique of acts like SOPA and the abuse of Fair Use laws.

Only when the producers actually read the script did they realize the true purpose of the film: the retirement of the Nostalgia Critic as a character. And the way the film was written, it seemed like it was also meant to be the end of just about everyone else on the site.

RIGHT THERE. THAT is the moment Channel Awesome jumped the shark.

But of course, the Critic’s retirement party wasn’t going to be denied. Doug Walker was still adored by the Internet after all. To refuse to let him retire his character on his own terms? The fandom’s jimmies would’ve been ruffled.

And besides, now they had a studio! And Doug was still on the site, now starring in a brand new show called Demo Reel. The empire will continue to live on!

Well, we all know what happened then.

While To Boldly Flee and the decision to retire the Nostalgia Critic may have been the moment that Channel Awesome jumped the shark, the reality is that there were many problems with the site long before. These were issues that the producers repeatedly voiced their concerns about and attempted to fix. Nothing was done.

To go over every single possible offense that was committed would be redundant as the google doc already does that for us. So instead, I shall do my best to list the “highlights” of the issues that were rampant with Channel Awesome.

Tellingly, it seems the problems with the site focused mainly on two individuals. CEO Mike Michaud, and CCO Rob Walker, though Doug Walker doesn’t exactly come off scott-free here.

So what exactly did these individuals do? Let’s break it down:

Mike Michaud:

He is a majority shareholder in the company and owns the rights to the Nostalgia Critic character.

He was very difficult to reach, regularly disappearing for long periods of time.

He was very reluctant to actually be involved with anything when it came to management of the company or daily operations.

The Pop Quiz Hotshot gameshow was his idea. No one wanted to actually do it, and he forced Doug and Rob to upload the pilot episode (which had to be reshot over a dozen times) to avoid an investigation by IndieGoGo.

When Allison Pregler (Obscurus Lupa) added midrolls to her videos in order to generate revenue, Michaud angrily confronted her while she was filming at the studio. He also left up incendiary comments about the midrolls on her videos to goad her into trying to take them down.

Lupa was literally fired for not answering Michaud on Skype within 15 minutes.

Kaylyn Saucedo (MarzGurl)’s videos were frequently mislabeled when Michaud uploaded them and he was very antagonistic towards her over the fact that she was affiliated with ScrewAttack (whom he perceived as Channel Awesome’s rivals).

Lewis Lovhaug (Linkara) requested to use the Channel Awesome studio to film the Atop The Fourth Wall movie. Michaud refused on the grounds that it would interfere with production of the Nostalgia Critic.

He attempted to fire Jacob Chapman (JesuOtaku) for simply criticizing the site.

When Dr. Gonzo inquired about the numbers for his podcast, he was repeatedly told to stop asking because “they suck and no one comes here to listen to you.” When he tried to create a tribute video for Justin Carmichael (JewWario), he was shot down for the same reason.

During the anniversary specials, Michaud asked that any crossover reviews that were filmed be handed over to Channel Awesome to recoup the costs of the production (none of the producers were ever paid for their part in the anniversary movies).

Was aware that Mike Ellis (another founding member of Channel Awesome) was sexually harassing members of the site, but did not act upon this information until nearly a year later. 

Overall Mike Michaud has engaged in behavior that could be considered immature, arrogant, unprofessional, and sexist.

Rob Walker:

He is the brother of Doug Walker and Channel Awesome’s CCO. He also frequently assists with the production of Nostalgia Critic episodes.

When producers came to Rob with concerns or complaints, he would call them “children” behind their backs.

Frequently fought with Doug over the script for To Boldly Flee.

When Lupa brought up that Doug should’ve told the other producers beforehand that he was retiring the Critic, Rob laughed it off.

He claimed that producers advertising their personal Patreon accounts was a “slap in the face” to the fans while also justifying their IndieGoGo as “executive authority.”

Topher Ames (Fool Fantastic) took a leave of absence to address the repercussions he was facing in his personal life due to coming out. Despite informing Channel Awesome’s HR rep at the time (Holly Brown) his videos were removed from the site. When he tried to explain what had happened to Rob, he was belittled and mocked.

During the filming of Suburban Knights, Iron Liz suffered a knee injury. Rob pressured her to sign a form that would absolve Channel Awesome of liability for any injuries, and refused to offer treatment until she did.

Doug Walker:

He is the most well known of the producers on the website, the man behind Nostalgia Critic.

Despite the fact that he’s officially considered “talent”, he is frequently involved with business decisions made by the company.

He’s described as being rather incompetent when it comes to the technical side of production, with Lupa claiming that he didn’t even know how to record a Skype conversation.

There are a limited number of slots on the site to feature videos. Doug tends to hog most of them, especially with series such as “Disneycember.”

By and large, the producers felt that Channel Awesome management was more concerned with what Doug wanted and needed rather than the producers as a whole.

The scene in To Boldly Flee where the Nostalgia Chick is assimilated was written in the guise of a sexual act. Both Linkara and Lindsay Ellis (Nostalgia Chick) were very uncomfortable with the scene and did not want to do it. Doug was unable to understand their reluctance.

Doug was legitimately unaware of how miserable the other producers were during the filming of To Boldly Flee. He had to be told later in a private meeting. He discusses this in the commentary track for To Boldly Flee where he expresses guilt over it and explains it’s one of the reasons he’s no longer doing large scale productions.

Phelan Porteous (Phelous) did some of the VFX for To Boldly Flee. Doug expressed his approval of the VFX. Later, Mat Williams (Welshy) was asked to “spy” on Phelous to make sure he wasn’t phoning in the work.

Doug was the deciding vote on whether or not to fire HR Rep Holly Brown (the decision came the day after she had surgery).

The decision to rebrand “ThatGuyWithTheGlasses” to “Channel Awesome” was to make it seem like the site wasn’t entirely focused on Doug’s work.

Doug did not tell anyone ahead of filming To Boldly Flee that he was retiring the Nostalgia Critic character, and the way he wrote the film gave the impression that he expected all the other producers to retire along with him (or at the very least that he no longer needed them)

Again, these are just the highlights that I could pull up in a quick timespan. I once again encourage you to read the google doc linked above.

Not just because it validates and substantiates these claims, but because it paints a clear picture of the decline and fall of a once mighty empire. The senate became complacent, refused to fix the glaring issues, and the barbarians sacked countless cities as a result.

Mike Michaud chose to focus the site on promoting the Walkers and figured that everyone else would be thankful for the “exposure.” This unfortunately doesn’t work when people expect that over time you’ll gradually move towards a more professional outfit, and especially when platforms like YouTube become more viable in terms of earning revenue.

And the sad part? This all could’ve been avoided. And not by just communicating more openly with the producers and treating them with respect.

When Doug Walker announced the sudden retirement of the Critic, the site’s traffic fell off a cliff and to this day has never been able to recover. The fact that it came seemingly out of nowhere was as much as a shock for the producers as it was for the fans.

Imagine if Doug had announced ahead of time that he was ending The Nostalgia Critic. At the very least, fans would’ve been able to prepare themselves for the end, and the producers who were reliant on Doug’s traffic to bring in views would’ve also been able to make plans for what to do in the aftermath. 

Going further, imagine if Demo Reel had started up as a side show before the end of the Critic. People would’ve had time to get used to the show’s more serious tone and docu-style format. Instead of having to reshoot the second episode on the fly, Doug would’ve been able to figure out what worked and what didn’t. It would’ve had time to grow a proper audience and flourish. 

Just imagine, people knowing ahead of time that Doug was retiring the Critic and trying a different show. The Critic would’ve gotten a proper sendoff that everyone was on board with and didn’t come out of nowhere. Demo Reel would’ve gotten through its early missteps and been able to grow. The traffic would’ve probably taken a hit but still be sustainable. The other producers would’ve at least felt like they weren’t being unceremoniously tossed to the side for the sake of a vanity project.

The empire could still be living on.

This could’ve been Channel Awesome had Doug told people ahead of time what his intentions were. Or even if Mike Michaud had truly tried to expand the site’s brand instead of focusing solely on the content produced by two men. But instead he’s chosen to be stubborn and cling on to what worked in the early days, back when no one would truly complain that the site was very much amateur hour.

That’s the other side of what’s lead to the fall of the empire: the stagnation. The fact that Channel Awesome hasn’t produced any original content worth a damn in nearly a decade, that they still think the show’s they did back in 2009 and 2010 are what people want to see today.

Take Rooster Teeth and Team FourStar. These studio’s have become so diversified in their portfolio’s you’d be forgiven for not knowing they started off as a Halo Machinma and a DBZ Gag Dub. But they do these things for the greater good.

Look at what focusing on one brand gets you:

Hell, this whole #ChangeTheChannel thing is giving CA the first real spike in trends they’ve had in a while, and it’s for all the wrong reasons. 

Even worse, there’s no hope of this going away any time soon.

Literally as I was writing this, Channel Awesome put out their “official” response to the aforementioned google doc.

If you haven’t read the google doc by now, I’d like to bring to your attention the fact that, for the most part, all the former producers want is simply an admission that they screwed up. All they ask is for Channel Awesome to apologize for mistakes they’ve made in the past and vow to do better.

But much like their tweeted statement where they said they “regret (the former producers) feel that way.” This is anything but that. I don’t have to link you the comments or tweets to tell you that this is about as tone-deaf as you can get. 

What’s more is that producers are claiming that Channel Awesome is flat out lying in their rebuttal. Only time will tell who’s telling the truth, but given that there’s been multiple accounts about how Channel Awesome told producers that they weren’t really going to do the thing they said they were going to do and that the things the producers were mad about was definitely their fault and not Channel Awesome’s, I’m not inclined to believe this statement.

Because at this point who are you going to believe? Mike Michaud, or your lying eyes?

Sadly, it gets even worse.

Consider this photo. This is the cast photo of To Boldly Flee. These were the headliners of Channel Awesome back in 2012. 

Fast forward nearly 6 years later. Most of the people in this photo? They’re gone.

And with Angry Joe now leaving as well, the only people in this photo who are still affiliated with the site are Bennett the Sage, Brad Jones, and The Walker Brothers.

Even worse, the people that are still on the site are getting roped into this regardless if they’re involved or not. Malcolm Ray and Tamara Lynn Chambers are both feeling the heat for their continued affiliation with the site, and both have promised their own response will be coming soon.

Let me be clear, no one has the right to attack Malcolm or Tamara or any producers over their decision to stay. As far as we know, they are completely innocent in these ongoing events. All the same though, I would counsel both of them to have a good look at the document so they can see for themselves what “loyalty” got for their predecessors.

In the end this website has done the unthinkable. Channel Awesome has gone from the envy of the Internet to its newest punchline. This is a feat that takes a special kind of incompetence. In all my life I can only recall one other incident like it.

But the reason why this has happened comes from the top down.

Mike Michaud is truly the Dave Brandon of the Internet. He’s the embodiment of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and overall just seems to be a terrible person. This is a man who desires to be in charge of everything while at the same time being in charge of nothing. He will chew out producers for doing things that make him look bad. He is a hollow shell filled with nothing but arrogance, immaturity and greed. 

Rob Walker doesn’t seem to be much better. While his list of transgressions is not as extensive as Mike Michaud’s, they give off the air of someone who lords an unwarranted superiority over others. A man who lucked into the position he’s in and is determined not to let anyone find out. A man who lied to his own brother about the problems Demo Reel was having, just for the sake of keeping everything running like clockwork.

Channel Awesome deserved caretakers that could nurture and grow the channel into something special. Instead it got two empty suits who are both convinced they’re the smartest one in the room.

And then there’s Doug.

This is where I suspect many of us on the outside looking in are having the biggest ethical dilemma. That someone like this man could do the things he’s accused of doing.

In the past I have come to this man’s defense. It can be no more.

To be honest, I do find him to be something of a tragic figure. This is the kind of stuff that can (and in all honesty probably should) end his career. And while I don’t know what kind of person Doug Walker is, I doubt that when he started off doing movie reviews on YouTube that he had any of this in mind. I doubt he wanted to do anything besides make movies and entertain people.

But at some point in time, we all need to grow up. We all need to understand that what we might have gotten away with in the past we can’t get away with anymore. That there are things expected of us, responsibilities we are expected to uphold.

For better or worse, Doug Walker does not seem to have realized that.

It’s one thing to be described as being “out to lunch” or off in your own little world when you’re in a social setting hanging out with people. Those kinds of traits can be seen as endearing and lovable. But they simply don’t work when you’re expected, fairly or otherwise, to be in charge of other people, or to help people out of a bad situation.

I have no idea if Doug is management, talent, or both. I don’t know what he considers himself to be. But the fact that he’s been allowed to make sweeping decisions that affect Channel Awesome as a whole seem to indicate that he doesn’t have a grasp of what he does or how his actions affect those around him.

And as a result, the things that we loved about him have now become the things we hate.

Remember when we laughed at the opening of Suburban Knights?

That joke isn’t funny anymore.

The thing that’s really disheartening to me, is that Doug is still being the same person he always is, even as all this stuff piles up. Simply parroting Channel Awesome’s response on his Facebook page.

I think many of us just want him to say something about this, something that doesn’t come from a prewritten statement. Snap at a fan at a con who asks him about the doc, say his boss was a total idiot who’s more or less ensured he’s stuck doing the same thing for the rest of his life, just do something, anything at all that’s not the same stuff he’s been doing for the last 5 years.

Whether Doug is naive, callous or a coward is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t know enough about him to say otherwise, except that he seems like exactly the kind of person who would shut down as his dream job becomes a nightmare.

And like I said, I truly believe this is it for him. This is the kind of thing that many people simply don’t come back from. If he thinks that he can simply tune this out, well he also thought that production of To Boldly Flee was a hoot and a half.

At least Malcolm and Tamara came out and said “That’s not us, that’s not what we do or who we are.”

Doug Walker seems content to burn amongst the flames without so much as shaking a fist at the heavens.

In the end, my hope is that if nothing else what happened with Channel Awesome will be seen as a cautionary tale, for there are two very important lessons here that we would all do well to learn.

The first; we all have an expiration date. One day, whether by chance or design, the Internet shall declare us irrelevant. Even if we don’t have a career destroying scandal, the simple truth is that eventually new mediums and ideas will come along. People will try to do what we do, only do it better. And unless we can adapt and evolve, we will die.

The second; no one escapes judgement. In a day and age when even an innocuous tweet made years ago can be dug up and presented to the world, it’s a reality that no one escapes their past and no one escapes judgement. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of, and someday we will have to answer for them. And the more we try to bury or deflect the truth, the worse it becomes for all of us.

These are two lessons that all of us, no matter who we are or what we do, should always keep in mind. Because no matter how big or important we may think we are, we are all replaceable, especially on the Internet.

What happens when you don’t adapt and try to run from your past?

You become Channel Awesome.

(Damn this might be the most depressing thing I’ve written yet, I suddenly remember why I don’t do this fandom stuff anymore.)