March 2004

A look back at Blue Ranger Justin Stewart
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 31, 2004 @ 9:42 PM

The first and only ever kid Power Ranger, Justin Stewart (played by Blake Foster), is disliked by many in the Power Rangers community. Many blame Power Rangers Turbo's problems on Blake Foster, but it was not all his fault, as the way the producers and writers portrayed him was poorly done. I will take a look at why that is. Personally, I believe the character Justin Stewart is plain awful looking back, but that doesn't have everything to do with Blake Foster himself. Justin Stewart, not Blake Foster, was a big influence on why Power Rangers Turbo was the way it was. I haven't seen Blake Foster him outside of Power Rangers, but I assume he's an ok kid who is nice and still loyal to the show.

Zordon coined the phrase, "Recruit five teenagers with attitudes". "Teenagers with attitudes" has been the case for most every Power Ranger series, except Power Rangers Turbo. Justin Stewart was introduced in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, on a school bus as an innocent boy. All of a sudden, he became the replacement for Rocky after he injured his back. When he said, "Guys, I'm the new Blue Ranger!", that probably set the tone for Power Rangers Turbo. With Justin Stewart as a Ranger, that meant many of the old unmorphed fights would go away. Also which went away, was the Sentai fight scenes, as the producers probably did not want to see a morphed Blue Ranger fighting, as Sentai battles are fast and sometimes brutal. That is probably why you saw lots of Saban shot material, which is usually much slower and belivable for a kid like Justin to be seen fighting in. That meant older, experienced karate experts Johnny Young Bosch and Jason David Frank were relegated to more toned down fights. But Blake Foster probably has a pretty good martial arts background himself compared to the other Rangers (that's where he was discovered which I will get into later), but could anyone actually believe he could fight the monsters and aliens? Viewers haven't been conditioned to this, and still aren't today. Viewers were probably still not convinced when he was made normal size when he morphed. This probably gave viewers, "If he can do it, I can do it" attitude.

Another big mistake they made was that they made Justin "a genius" in high school. That probably alienated many viewers, as his character was becoming more unbelivable. They tried to bring him back to Earth by pairing him with kids of his own age, but they went away after a few episodes. At first, Justin wasn't accepted with them but later was. His character can also be blamed for the stale storyline. Without the intense fight scenes, a real conflict could not be developed. There were a few episodes that probably made viewers tuned in, but it was really not until the end when Justin Stewart's character would begin to finally be out of the picture when things would start to pick up going into Power Rangers In Space. He came back for an episode in Power Rangers In Space, that would be his last appearance on the show.

Rumors are going around that Blake Foster said he could be on the next Power Rangers series. I have it that he is NOT contracted to return. Supporters of Blake have said that his contract calls for him to be in a few more episodes. Disney did NOT buy out his contract, and I don't think Saban made any provisions to Disney when they bought Power Rangers back in 2001. I don't think Haim Saban at that point cared about the franchise, but I'd at least think they would force Disney to have MMPR Productions produce the show under them. You all know how long that went, about a year before the show was moved to New Zealand. Is he trying to get back on the show? Yes, but it's a long shot with a new producer in 2005.

So the internet fans of the show didn't like him, but would the target audience for this show have the same feeling? Ratings wise, Turbo's was probably at Power Rangers' lowest point, so I would assume the kids watching then wouldn't be the same as now (I don't have the exact numbers on me). You don't see many kids being superheroes WITH special powers. Kids have been accustomed to seeing older people being superheroes. Sure, there have been shows with successful kid superheroes, but usually they're not ordinary kids. Justin Stewart was ordinary, no special talents (being smart doesn't count in the superhero world), and a plain look with a strange hair-do. I'm not too sure many kids really liked him back then. Now here's where I go on attacking Blake Foster. He's not a bad actor (as he has a role in the Brady Bunch Movie and several others), but he did a poor job of being the smart kid and a normal kid at the same time. He just didn't have "it", and wasn't belivable being a kid jumping 7 grade levels and being a figher. It appeared to us he didn't even know what the heck he was doing.

So, going away from the writing, does Blake Foster have anything to do with it? He obviously does, because he was playing the character. But many don't know the story of how he got the part. Blake didn't see a sign and automatically show up to audition. He didn't buddy up with the people who were casting a Ranger. Blake's opportunity came when Shuki Levy was directing the movie, "Rusty, the Great Rescue". Blake Foster came onto the set (he was in the movie) with a karate championship he had just won a few days earlier. Levy saw him, and later he and Haim Saban offered created and offered him the role of Justin. Yes, Haim Saban and Shuki Levy saw this kid and created this character just for him.

What would have been the thing to do with Justin Stewart? They should have made him a "true" kid, or given him something special of an ability (opportunity doesn't count). Making him hang out with the older Rangers probably alienated a lot of younger viewers. I don't remember much about being a young kid, but I'm pretty sure they would rather see him with younger kids on the show rather than with older people, in-a sense, being a "sellout". He was made to look like a normal kid, so why was he made to be with older people? Sure, the older Rangers can't be made to look like they don't like the kid, but I don't remember the last time seeing a bunch of high school kids and a 12-year old were hanging out all the time.

How is Blake Foster and his fans defending his character today? They claim that the haters are jealous of how his "fame". While the fans are definitely going a bit overboard on their dislike of Justin/Blake, Blake Foster and his fans need to just let it go, as there's nothing they can do about it. They're using this negative publicity rather arrogantly. Saying, "They wish they could be me" is just downright dumb to Power Ranger fans. I'm sure with most Power Ranger fans, if given the choice, they would rather watch the show on TV rather than be on the actual show. The dislike of Blake Foster is immature most of the time, but Blake Foster and his fans' responses are viewed just the same.

So there you have it, my perspective on why some people dislike Blake Foster, but rather, attacking the writing of his character, which was just as awful as most of Power Rangers Turbo. I'm sure for dislikers out there if he was never on Power Rangers and you saw a picture of him today, you'd just brush him aside as another kid. Unfortunately for Blake, he was stuck in a role that had no hope of becoming popular in. Luckily, Power Rangers In Space saved the franchise, and for Blake Foster, he's landing roles in movies today and continuing his education.

1RANGER WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 29, 2004 @ 3:04 AM

Airing schedule for 03/29/04:

ABC FAMILY
---------------
8 AM MON-SUN
8:30 AM SAT-SUN

MONDAY: NS#19 Scent of a Ranger
TUESDAY: NS#20 I Love Lothor
WEDNESDAY: NS#21 Good Will Hunter
THURSDAY: NS#22 All About Beevil
FRIDAY: NS#23 Sensei Switcheroo
SATURDAY: ZEO There's No Business Like Show Business, Part I
DT#9 Beneath the Surface(NEW!)
SUNDAY: "Fossil Fury" Dino Thunder marathon, with preview of a new Ranger coming soon. Starts at 8 AM
DT#1 Day of the Dino, Part I
DT#2 Day of the Dino, Part II
DT#3 Wave Goodbye
DT#5 Back in Black
DT#6 Diva in Distress
DT#7 Game On
DT#8 Golden Boy
DT#9 Beneath the Surface

ABC KIDS
---------------
11:30 AM/12 PM SAT
(check local listings)

SATURDAY: DT#7 Game On
DT#8 Golden Boy

TOON DISNEY
---------------
7:30 PM MON-THURS & SUN

MONDAY: NS#25 Brothers in Arms
TUESDAY: NS#26 Shane's Karma, Part I
WEDNESDAY: NS#27 Shane's Karma, Part II
THURSDAY: NS#28 Shimazu Returs, Part I
SATURDAY: DT#8 Golden Boy
SUNDAY: DT#9 Beneath the Surface

CANADA FAMILY CHANNEL
---------------
7 AM- SAT, 6:30 AM-7:30 AM- SUN

SATURDAY: DT#2 Day of the Dino, Part II
NS#22 All About Beevil
SUNDAY: NS#23 Sensei Switcheroo
DT#3 Wave Goodbye

I apologize for the lack of updates this past week. I wasn't feeling too well. I finished the "Game On" summary and will need to do "Golden Boy" tommorow.

There were some notable updates the past two weeks, mainly with former Rangers on TV; I'll have something for that this current week.

"Game On" Episode Summary
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 22, 2004 @ 4:25 AM

I apologize I couldn't get to the episode summary and review this weekend, I've been real busy with things. I'll have them up on the site tommorow.

1RANGER WEEKLY UPDATE
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 15, 2004 @ 1:31 AM

Airing schedule for 03/15/04:

ABC FAMILY
---------------
8 AM MON-SUN
8:30 AM SAT-SUN

MONDAY: NS#9 Snip It, Snip It Good
TUESDAY: NS#10 Return of Thunder, Part I
WEDNESDAY: NS#11 Return of Thunder, Part II
THURSDAY: NS#12 Return of Thunder, Part III
FRIDAY: NS#13 Return of Thunder, Part IV
SATURDAY: ZEO The Shooting Star
DT#7 Game On(NEW!)
SUNDAY: Pre-Empted for Digimon Marathon

ABC KIDS
---------------
11:30 AM/12 PM SAT
(check local listings)

SATURDAY: DT#5 Back in Black
DT#6 Diva in Distress

TOON DISNEY
---------------
7:30 PM MON-THURS & SUN

MONDAY: NS#17 A Samurai's Journey, Part II
TUESDAY: NS#18 A Samurai's Journey, Part III
WEDNESDAY: NS#19 The Scent of a Ranger
THURSDAY: NS#20 I Love Lothor
SATURDAY: DT#6 Diva in Distress
SUNDAY: DT#7 Game On

CANADA FAMILY CHANNEL
---------------
7 AM- SAT, 6:30 AM-7:30 AM- SUN

SATURDAY: DT#1 Day of the Dino, Part I
SUNDAY: NS#19 The Scent of a Ranger
DT#1 Day of the Dino, Part I

Power Rangers Dino Thunder premieres in Canada this weekend.

ABC FAMILY's airing of the new episode this weekend will be only aired once. There is a Digimon marathon on Sunday. Toon Disney will air the new episode on Sunday at 7:30 PM as scheduled.

Speaking of marathons, there is a Dino Thunder marathon on Sunday, April 4th, from 8 AM to 12 PM. They'll probably air the first 7 episodes in the "marathon" along with the new episode at 11:30 AM.

Power Rangers was listed as one of "101 Reasons That the 90's Ruled!" on the E! Network. I believe it was ranked in the 80's.

RangerSaga.com will be interviewing Emma Lahana (Dino Thunder's Kira Ford). The site will be taking questions (or send them to rangersaga@aol.com) and the last day you can send them is on Friday. The webmaster is asking for legit questions.

Abaranger vs. Hurricanger is coming out soon.

We didn't get to the Dino Thunder section liked we had hoped to this week. Hopefully we can get to it this week.

We have plans this summer (past June) to expand back this site to hopefully the first seasons of Power Rangers. We are also planning to finish all of the series that are currently on the site as well.

EPISODE #6: "DIVA IN DISTRESS" REVIEW
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 14, 2004 @ 3:07 AM

Hopefully, Dino Thunder isn't going to have a "filler episode" that doesn't help advance the storyline. It makes viewers feel as if their time isn't being wasted. Today's episode had a good balance of advancing the overall plot of Dino Thunder and giving us the usual Ranger focus during the series' early episodes.

ON TARGET

I like how the storyline is developing. Anton Mercer showed up, but his presence didn't answer more questions than it brought up, which should entice viewers to tune in next week to see this advance. It appears they the writers learned from last year with the Thunder Rangers, after appearing in a couple episodes, they had Hunter and Blake show up and it became way too obvious that they were the Thunder Rangers. At this point, people are thinking of theories but there is no certain answer.

At the beginning, I thought to hear Kira sing would be a burden but her performances are getting better and better each episode. I'm glad that she's singing more than one song.

I'm glad that we just don't stick with the Rangers and villians all episode long. I don't think this has happened since Lost Galaxy, where there would be scenes without the Rangers or villains, as was the case with Devin and Cassidy so far. Their scenes give the show a comedic relief that was successful in the first couple Power Rangers' seasons.

This episode really showed Kira's personality. I like having a character that is rebellious to the mainstream culture.

OFF TARGET

How many more Zeltrax vs. Tommy battles are there going to be? Not that I don't like a little action between the two, but Zeltrax is a villian who will probably be there to the end; they should save some fighting for a later episode where it means something, not an episode where there's a few minutes worth of action.

I hope Reefside High School is going to be mentioned. Not that it matters in the storyline, but afterall, the Rangers are three students and a teacher.

UNANSWERED AND RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

Even though Kira's song in the beginning was good, should she be optimistic and be glad that people didn't leave, instead of not paying attention?

I wonder who Dr. Oliver was specifically talking about when he said "pop garbage"?

Was anyone worried when Anton Mercer showed up and started talking to Trent, that he would offer him a job and take him away from the Cyberspace cafe?

Why is Dr. Mercer so stubborn in knowing how Tommy has been?

Wow, Dr. Oliver said the word, "dead"

Doesn't Anton Mercer kind of remind you of Wes's dad, Mr. Collins?

How is Trent going to forget about Dr. Oliver when he's a teacher?

And besides, do you wonder what's been going on at Reefside High School since the 2nd episode?

Oh yeah, I wonder what Principal Randall's reaction was when he cancelled detention for Kira, Conner, and Ethan?

Isn't it funny to hear the "Space Girls" song again? And even better, the person who supposively sang it mirrors someone who also "lip-singed" the song?

How dull are the villains?

When Conner tells Kira that he's sorry for not believing her, didn't you think she was mad at that point because he bought Kylie's CD and got an autograph from her?

What happened to Kylie's bodyguards?

Did anyone feel sorry for Kylie when her face became a raisin?

Are people at Reefside getting used to monsters attacking their city?

Can anyone wait until the day they explain the Marah/Cassidy relationship?

Has Devin gotten any footgae/interviews/material on his camera yet?

Since when do senior citizens get discounts at hot dog stands?

Was this episode supposed to be a satire to today's culture of plastic surgery and pop music?

Isn't it funny when Kylie became herself again, that no one noticed her at the Cyberspace?

Isn't it enlighting that some people (Devin and Cassidy) make the best use of something that goes wrong?

Why is it $10.00 a person for supposively a matinee ticket?

Doesn't anyone wish that when Cassidy was trying to be a cheap-skate that it would be shown on the Reefside TV station?

I don't know why, but when Trent said he superheroes are all he knows how to draw, it reminded me of Big Bad Beetleborgs.

Didn't Kira think Trent was hot, so hot, that she refused to look at him at one point? What happened in-between?

When we were shown looking into the Cyberspace Cafe at the end of the episode, was anyone gasping that a stalker was looking in?

1RANGER WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
Posted by TimJohnson on
March 8, 2004 @ 2:58 AM

We're changing the name of our weekly newsletter from "NEWS AND NOTES" to "WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE".

Airing schedule for 03/08/04:

ABC FAMILY
---------------
8 AM MON-SUN
8:30 AM SAT-SUN

ABC KIDS
---------------
11:30 AM/12 PM SAT
(check local listings)

TOON DISNEY
---------------
7:30 PM MON-THURS & SUN

CANADA FAMILY CHANNEL
---------------
6:30 AM- 7:30 AM- SAT (Wild Force, Ninja Storm)
7 AM- SUNDAY (6:30 AM Wild Force)

MONDAY