Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #161

Originally Posted onn 12/07/2007 by Jeff Harris

The recent passing of Jennifer Davidson was a tragic event.

At the age of 38, she was not only one of the youngest entertainment executives in the nation, but was also one of the original faces at Cartoon Network when it launched 15 years ago. She wasn't as well known as the network's original owner, Ted Turner, nor as public as the executives at the network at the time, Betty Cohen, Linda Simensky, Dea Connick-Perez, or Mike Lazzo, but Mrs. Davidson's contributions at Cartoon Network, including being a part of the team responsible for the creation of the Adult Swim block and the Boomerang classic animation network, are noteworthy and of utter importance. She was recently named Senior Vice-President of Programming and Scheduling at Cartoon Network back in September, a newly-created role that makes her responsible for what we see on Cartoon Network. She didn't greenlight any of the most recent acquisitions on the network, most notably Goosebumps, Chowder, and the Ben 10 live-action movie nor any of the live-action pilots that have been put on the backburner thanks to the WGA strike (support the writers!). I'm more saddened that Mrs. Davidson won't get a chance to see the network as she envisioned it.

But I don't think her death should be a moratorium on talking about the current state of Cartoon Network either.

Perhaps the remainder of December should be time enough to not discuss Cartoon Network's live-action agenda, and yes, it is an agenda. I feel that Cartoon Network will never be an all-animation network ever again. I feel insulted that more people don't have a problem with that, which includes the bulk of CN executives that seem hellbent on pushing the live-action agenda. I know Mrs. Davidson was also pushing the agenda, but she didn't give bullscat remarks about the network airing "live-action cartoons" or "cartoony live-action" as was the norm for the executives who tried to defend live-action on the network.

With Mrs. Davidson, I felt that she was at least honest about the whole situation, and because of that, I respected her. It would have seemed that, at least for a few short months, Cartoon Network might have found a sensible voice in Jennifer Davidson. She seemed like someone who knew how to balance live-action and animation, especially putting an emphasis on animation, had an eye for modern and old-school animation, and just seemed more personable than the recent crop of faces that represented the network without being perceived as an immature, sophomoric boor.

With the news of her untimely death still fresh in the news and the reaction to her death shaking the readers at Toon Zone, the animation entertainment industry at large, and the halls of Techwood and Williams Street, the current reactionary position is to stop criticizing Cartoon Network in her memory. You all may think this is a jerk move on my part, but I can't do that, and I don't think people should do that either. After all, people were criticizing Cartoon Network days before her death was even announced. And as soon as the mourning period is over, people will once again talk about why it's a bad thing that Cartoon Network is destroying themselves on a daily basis. We can mourn Mrs. Davidson and emphathize with her husband and family left behind as well as emphathize with her friends and colleagues who will continue to miss her presence and spirit, and we do. But mourning for the person doesn't mean we have to stop talking about Cartoon Network because, well, her colleagues are figuring out their next move in light of her death because they're going to move on without her. Again, this could be a jerk move on my part, but Cartoon Network is truly lost and without guidance, and Mrs. Davidson's passing symbolizes that truth that they've ignored in 2007.

It's a punctuation for a year that saw the departure of numerous executives, including Jim Samples and Bob Higgins, deflating ratings, and low viewer confidence. Did you know that 2007 was the first year that only one Cartoon Network original animated series premiered? That was Chowder and, not surprisingly, one of the few highlights of the year. 2007 was the year that had a Cartoon Network viral marketing campaign seen by the general public in a major American city as a terrorist threat. 2007 was also the year that showed that the 10-year-old Toonami brand, once venerable and strong in the public eye before its controversial makeover and recent halving of their timeslot, was expendable. I wouldn't be surprised if Toonami was a memory by the end of 2008, but stranger things have happened. Time Warner, Cartoon Network's neglectant parent company, has basically made the network independent without being truly independent. They don't provide nor produce programming for Cartoon Network anymore. They don't even acknowledge the Cartoon Network as being a part of their animated endeavors (T-Works will include all Time-Warner produced animation properties EXCEPT from Cartoon Network). Time Warner didn't even release the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie through any of their feature film subsidaries. So, by the end of 2007, neither Time Warner nor the executives at Cartoon Network see any worth in Cartoon Network. At least with Mrs. Davidson, there was a glimmer of hope. It may not have been pronounced as in the Cohen era, but there was a sense that with Mrs. Davidson, not quite in the driver's seat but definitely in the navigator's position, Cartoon Network knew where they were going. Now, Cartoon Network is at a place where they refused to acknowledge throughout the year. They are truly lost. No direction. No idea where they are currently at. No idea where they're going.

I kind of feel sorry for them.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
December 7, 2007