![]() "Special Ed" keeps asking how much money it would cost if he bought four or six or ten or more tickets, to which he always replies, "Yaaaaah, I can bring two of my friends!" Why the guy on the line stays there is anybody's guess, but it's a hilarious bit.īut big boffo laughs like Florentine's bits are few and far between, though, on The Best of Crank Yankers: Uncensored, unless you still think it's funny to hear people swear. The "I've got mail, yaaaaaaah!" bit is justifiably famous (he says the phrase over forty times within the short call time), but the "Movie ticket" bit is just as funny. ![]() Playing the part of a man with "special needs," Florentine frequently reaches a level of almost surreal irritation and annoyance - which becomes quite funny - when he has "Special Ed" repeat a particular phrase over and over again, until you think you're going to put your head through a wall. ![]() The best calls featured on The Best of Crank Yankers: Uncensored are probably the "Special Ed" calls by comedian Jim Florentine. Often times, the various signs and jokes that are found on the background walls of the primitive little sets, are funnier than the puppet work (at "The Porn Barn," where sex callers work, there's an inspirational poster stating, "For $5 a minute, nothing is too disgusting.").Īnd truth be told, not many of the prank phone calls are all that funny, either - certainly they're not on a level with the best of The Jerky Boys or the aforementioned Full Metal Jacket calls (or the Joe Pesci Goodfellas calls, for that matter). You can easily listen to Crank Yankers without actually watching it, because the puppets add absolutely nothing to the mix. Most of the bits just feature these Jim Henson-like muppets mouthing the words of the recorded call, with nary a humorous addition of their own (the crazed monkey bit is probably the funniest puppetry shown here). It's rare in Crank Yankers when the level of puppetry offers anything close to the humor of the recorded call. How do you take something so dependent on your imagination, and make it work visually? I'm not sure you can, but I do know the puppets of Crank Yankers don't really sell the premise, either - especially when the puppet work is so bland in and of itself. So I can sympathize with Crank Yankers' problem in trying to take an essentially audio experience and making it work for TV. And with Star 69 and Caller I.D., can you even do prank phone calls anymore? Maybe it's a lost "art" after all. Lee Ermey Full Metal Jacket calls, come close). Relatively innocent, and certainly puerile (a big laugh getter when we were in grade school was asking the local butcher if he had pig's feet), prank phone calls, at least practiced by the majority of stupid kids, would hardly be considered "art" (although The Jerky Boys and whoever did those R. ![]() Prank phone calls, at least when I was a kid, were a rite of passage. Calls were made in Nevada, the only state where only one party in a phone call has to be aware of a recording device (this was done to avoid lawsuits), with releases still sought from the marks once the bit was ready to air. Fans of the show may enjoy this compilation, but newcomers' reactions will depend on whether or not they accept the basic premise of the series - which may be problematic.Ĭreated by Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and premiering on Comedy Central in 2002, Crank Yankers' premise was simple enough: get comedians to pull prank phone calls on unsuspecting marks, and then re-create the calls on TV via the use of rude little puppet shows. Comedy Central DVD and Paramount have released The Best of Crank Yankers: Uncensored, a 58-skit compilation of the Comedy Central hit show that, through the use of puppets, celebrates the "art" of the prank phone call.
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These unsuccessful meetings were often followed up with emails asking questions that were addressed in the meeting.įor a company that frequently collaborates with Disney, Nickelodeon, and other leaders in children’s entertainment, they sadly do not live up to the values and caliber that their partners deserve. They will disregard agendas or poorly multitask to the point that you are frequently repeating yourself or grasping for them to focus. Specific supervisors will frequently miss or cancel meetings with little to no notice, and often when they do join they are not fully present for the purpose of the meeting. ![]() The poor team leadership somehow strikes a chord of being both extremely micromanaged, while supervisors still lack an understanding on project scopes/workload. Certain teams also have poor structure and internal leadership that leads to challenges in terms of insight on larger scale projects and brand developments. This is frequently asked of employees, but is not often recognized or acknowledged in the annual review process - nor is it considered in their salary or title. Adaptability is always important and being able to support the team. Many teams pride themselves on being “lean,” but the truth is often that they are vastly understaffed and overworked. ![]() Many, myself included, were told by their management that there was an expectation to still be online and present. This resulted in some employees being given additional PTO time while others essentially had their time stolen. After two rounds of unclear communication, it was made clear that the company would be unequally applying a PTO policy that allowed those who had used up their PTO to receive additional paid vacation time, while those who had not used their time, and had been reassured by managers that the company’s policy of paying out PTO would be honored, would in fact be deducted for those days. With one weeks notice, employees were notified that the office would be closing for one week between Christmas and New Years. The most impressive smoke and mirrors communication came during the holiday season. These emails often came with news that we purchased a new license, like Slinky or opened a new international office, but buried at the end you would find that it also meant some roles were furloughed or removed completely. In each email, we were assured that JP was weathering the storm and that we were a team. Throughout the over year long stretch of WFH there were perhaps 4-5 company wide emails from the CEO and President sent via the one sole HR person. The strain of remote working just highlighted the fractures that already existed within the company.Ĭommunication from leadership was abysmal throughout the pandemic. While some excelled at putting their people first others did not, and sadly Just Play falls into the latter. The ongoing pandemic challenged all businesses. ![]() One department gifted a $500 gift to a higher up one year, and an $800 gift the next year. Employees were furloughed during the pandemic, but they would continue to boast the company’s success in acquiring new brands and opening new offices. Christmas bonuses were cancelled and employees were gifted $80 ice cream sandwiches in lieu of a bonus. Profit is the only driver, no thought to how decisions will affect the employees. Overall, the company's priorities are out of whack. This is mostly due to understaffing and poor management. The pay is low for the amount of employees who are overworked, made to work late, and work weekends. Some people don’t even have titles, nor a job description. Sometimes your job description will not be what you thought you were hired for. There is no training, you are just thrown into the mix to figure out your job. In one case, an employee was harassing another for months until they saw any sort of consequence. There were no repercussions for employees who gossipped or even harassed other employees. ![]() There is only one HR person for the whole company. Over all I would say its not a good place to work in any respect. It is also not unusual for employees to work during their vacation time because if they don't then the work waiting for them is overwhelming when they return. It is not unusual for employees to be answering emails and working on files until 2am and then back at work at 8am the next morning. Most of the employees work way more hours they they are compensated for sometimes having to take work home with them as well. There has always been too much work for the time available. There is no "real" HR department (one woman and she rarely answers her phone or email) so no way to address concerns or solve any problems that do come up. There is a lot of ignoring problems or blaming others instead of fixing problems. They are more likely to ignore any issues then try to change how things work. They give 3 weeks of vacation time for new hires, but sick time is included in that. The music is orchestral and epic, which fits the game’s setting well. The game’s soundtrack is very good and sets the tone for the world of ArcheAge perfectly. That being said, the art style is still very pleasing and the world is absolutely massive, so there is definitely a lot of eye candy to enjoy. ArcheAge certainly isn’t bad looking game. GraphicsĪrcheAge features some absolutely beautiful areas, creatures, and characters, but the actual quality of the graphics is a bit dated at this point. The furniture can be used for storage, crafting, and more. Players can purchase land, build houses, and even furnish them with furniture. ![]() The game also features a housing system that is very robust. The world looks absolutely stunning and features some truly great environmental design. Explore the world of Erenor with a glider. Players can explore the world, sail their ships, trade, and farm. The world in ArcheAge is absolutely huge and there are a ton of things to do. One of the biggest selling points of ArcheAge is its massive open world. PvP combat is also a big part of the game and can be very unbalanced at times, so prepare to be one-shotted a lot as a new player in the open world. The combat is not the most exciting or innovative, but it gets the job done.Īs with many sandbox-style MMOs, ArcheAge favors players that don’t mind the grind. The combat in ArcheAge is tab-target based. The class system is definitely one of the highlights of ArcheAge. The class system works surprisingly well and provides a lot of flexibility for players. Player choice is an important aspect of ArcheAge, and there are many roads to take. ![]() This is an interesting and unique take on the traditional class system found in most MMORPGs. Meaning there are effectively 220 different classes in ArcheAge. GameplayĪrcheAge features a unique class system that allows players to combine three of the game’s eleven skill sets. So, is ArcheAge worth playing? In this blog post, we will take a look at the game and discuss its pros and cons. The game has received generally mixed reviews since its release. It features two factions, a unique class system, and a sandbox gameplay experience. In 2019 ArcheAge Unchained was released, which is a version of the game with a different subscription model that is a bit less pay-to-win than the original ArcheAge.ĪrcheAge is a fantasy MMORPG that takes place in the world of Erenor. It was developed by XL Games and published by Kakao Games in 2014. ArcheAge is an MMORPG that has been around for a few years now. |