The Newest Dots/Slashes for Y2K

Got something worth Dotting or Slashing? Send a note, and it might be added to the latest list!

DOT : To knowing when to leave a sinking ship. According to recent reports (mid-April 2000, as of now), Scott "Spooky" Mulder, aka David Duchovney, will not be returning for another season of The X-Files. The reasons are pure spin control, although any impartial fan of the series can see that the show's quality has dropped considerably (as TECHtite's own review mentioned) and the show should be given a finale with dignity, before its too late. Good for you, David! A SLASH within a DOT, however, to Chris Carter, who has decided to keep the show alive for at least one more season, with or without Mulder. Such idiocy would rival the final seasons of Happy Days without Ron Howard; i.e., a mistake not even Nick at Nite TV would gladly touch. Don't do it, Carter!

DOT : To an ingenious way to deal with an online dispute. Recently --around the week of 02/25/00, an atheist attempted to sell his soul on eBay (yes, you read that right). How do you deal with an auction like this? Easy. eBay's conclusion was that if a soul doesn't exist, the auction was invalid because there's nothing to sell. If they do exist, then they would be under the eBay ruling of no sales involving human parts or remains. Problem solved...very brilliantly, I think. FYI: in case you wondered, prior to the auction being pulled, the highest bid for the atheist's soul was $20.50...

SLASH : To chickening out, before the job's done; the message board for Ultima IX : Ascension has been effectively closed down, as of 01/28/00. I admit, it must be hard for the folks at Origin --to be specific, those responsible for U9-- to read more than a share of gripes; i.e., the ones that remind them that they rushed out a game for Christmas that did not work. However, that's the bed that they made, right down to the headboard, and it's petty to delete the one source of humility they had shown at all, which was the fan message board. The farewell letter to message board fans, IMHO, was pure spin control. Sad.

DOT : To an excellent casting move...provided LucasFilm is that smart! Among numerous (hopefully faked) rumors that Leonardo DiCaprio would be Darth Vader in the upcoming two Star Wars flicks, Ralph Finnes is rumored to have been cast as General Tarkin. Tarkin, as you might recall, was played by Peter Cushing in the original Star Wars; the man who oversaw the construction of the Death Star. Rumor is, we'll see his younger years, when he oversaw the building of the first Star Destroyer. Anyone who's seen Finnes in films like Schindler's List knows how brilliant of a casting move this could be. Cross your fingers...all of them!

SLASH : To El Cheapo ways to fit in an ad, even at the expense of kids' entertainment. Anyone notice something missing from a vast number of Cartoon Network cartoons? Namely, a majority of the intro songs? Some may think this is no big deal --which it isn't-- except for the only potential reason why : just to make that extra 30 seconds available, to add that one additional commercial. True, one commercial slot can mean thousands of dollars, though c'mon, guys; don't edit kids' cartoons to the point of being ridiculous about it.