Mike, I truly admire the way you handle situations like this. You seemed to remain so cool and composed, although I can feel a little bit of bitterness in your voice for not keeping the rights of the show. But you remain positive and I like that. "Throw bread instead of stone."

Mike, I'm only a fan but I feel your regret for making a wrong decision years back. I'm sad. But I promise you my continuous support to the show.

Remember this, "When bad things happen to good people.....they become better." I know you will be more successful and more people will love and respect you. They can copy or imitate you anytime but the original is always the best!!!

Your Fan Forever,

Cynthia (typing with tears rolling down my
cheeks)

I don't like him. It lacks some of the self-deprecation that makes the original work.

Change should not happen just for its own sake.

Diane

P.S. I hope this doesn't discourage you, Mike. I suspect it won't, but I'll say it anyway.

Diane,
I think I didn't quote enough of Mike's post when I said change is good.

He said: "It just means I've been kept in the dark. Hopefully, that will change."

If things change - maybe Mike will not be kept in the dark anymore?

I agree with you. I don't like Peter Schmeichel either. It is strange to see Mike's words coming out of somebody else's mouth.

Karen

Well, Chris, I may have gotten a "love," but you got a "."!!! Nothing can top that!

But, what can I bribe you with to get you to "expose" Mike's...post! (Sheesh, you people have dirty minds!!)

Liz

P.S. Hope you had a good nap!

[quote]I can only assume the decision to introduce new personalities into an English speaking market was motivated by poor ratings from the version that bears my name. I could be wrong, but regardless, it makes no sense to speculate, or blame anyone but me. Three years ago, in my haste to get Dirty Jobs on the air, I made a foolish deal. I gave up the rights to a concept I created. Now, I get to watch others put their stamp on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, and wait to see who's name will next appear in the title. Oh well, serves me right. After all, I stole the idea from George Plimpton. (True, I waited till he was dead, but why quibble?)

As I've said many times before, I am embarrassed to find myself in such a ridiculously helpless position, and humbled by my own stupidity. Live and learn.~Mike[/quote]

Mike,
Quite honestly, did you make the decision to relinquish rights to the concept on your own? You didn't seek any advice from anyone? No one offered advice?

Truly Mike I am heartsick over this for you. To see something you worked so hard on just be mass produced and turned into clone shows with asinine inept hosts spewing dialogue they don't even really understand must be ...well I have no words.
Mike , maybe you will think less of me for saying this but quite honestly in this situation, I hope they(DC) gets what's coming(in spades).

NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.....RIGHT!

grasshopper
....still....

Mike,

In my (very limited) opinion, I think the decision to "introduce new personalties in an English speaking market" was simply because everyone wants to jump on your bandwagon. If the original version had poor ratings, why would they even bother duplicating it? After all, we've taken more than a few shows from them and put our own spin on them. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

I am wondering, though, since you don't have the rights to your concept...who does? Is it Discovery? And if so, are they responsible for this fiasco?

It also bothers me that you apparently learn quite a bit about information relating to you and DJ only by our finding and posting them here. Are not the people responsible for booking you for interviews, etc., also responsible for following up with you on the end product? Or, do you just go where told, do what is asked, and never hear another word? (If that sounds harsh, I don't mean it as such; just wondering how exactly the publicity machine works?)

I fear that Mike Rowe, the person, is now becoming Mike Rowe, the product. You aren't being marketed as an individual whose ideas are creatively different and compelling, but rather as a tangible "object" that everyone wants a piece of, not because they admire your work, but because they want a part of the certain profits.

What, (and is there anything?) can you do to stop this train wreck from happening?

Still with love,
Liz

(D@mn, Mike, it scares me when we post at the exact same time. Very Twilight Zone!)

"Mike, I truly admire the way you handle situations like this."

And I truly admire your name, daintylittlefeminefeet. It's pleasant to say out loud.

"You seemed to remain so cool and composed, although I can feel a little bit of bitterness in your voice for not keeping the rights of the show. But you remain positive and I like that. "Throw bread instead of stone."

Or as Victor Hugo said, "Strong and bitter words indicate a week cause."

"Mike, I'm only a fan but I feel your regret for making a wrong decision years back. I'm sad. But I promise you my continuous support to the show."

Don't be sad, daintylittlefeminefeet. And you are not "only a fan." You are my boss. Look, I make a good living. I get to work on a show I care about very much, with people I respect a great deal. I don't need pity. But fans deserve an explanation, and when my name is in the title of a show you watch, I feel an obligation to provide one. When I can't, it's frustrating.

"I know you will be more successful and more people will love and respect you."

That would be nice, daintylittlefeminefeet, but it's not the goal. The goal is to work hard, have a few laughs, and get everyone in the world to see Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
Not just because of me. I want people everywhere to get a load of Les Swansen, and Dawn McGowan, and Jeremiah Sullivan, and Don Brewer, and Floyd Gillory, and Messie Bessie, and Andy Simone, and Bob Coombs, and 200 or so other Americans who are the true hosts of the show. I think they speak well for the country, and I'd like for the rest of the world to meet them."

"They can copy or imitate you anytime but the original is always the best!!!"

Thank you daintylittlefeminefeet, but remember, we've come a long way from the Model-T. And those rotary phones were kind of a drag. Original isn't always better.

Mike

Well, I think it's also important to remember that wayyyy back then Mike thought it was going to be three episodes and over and done with. No one, least of all Mike, had a clue as to the success it would achieve.

Mike will come out of this just fine. Discovery is the one who will really have to live and deal with the failure and/or success of the Euro version. Maybe as Peter becomes more comfortable he'll adopt more of his own "view" and it will be seen less of a "copycat."

Laurann

Dear Daintylittlefemininefeet,

Forgive me. I spelled your name wrong.
It wont happen again.

Mike

"Viewers have a long history of rewarding imitation."

I think this is only true when the imitation is good. Shows like "The Office" are a great example of how a show can be adapted for a different market. Then in the same vein "Coupling" another famous British show that they tried to adapt for American audiences crashed and burned in the American market, why? who knows.

From what I've seen of this Schmeichel, who's name reminds me of a yiddish word, he doesn't have the qualities that make your show work. A show can have a great message or theme and still be an epic failure.

Arica

[quote]Or as Victor Hugo said, "Strong and bitter words indicate a week cause."[/quote]

Mike,
Once again you have shown just how truly special and genuine you are. Please forgive my outburst.
And while I do understand the chance Discovery was taking in helping develop the show it just seems rather sad that this has happened.

[quote]They can copy or imitate you anytime but the original is always the best!!!"

Thank you daintylittlefeminefeet, but remember, we've come a long way from the Model-T. And those rotary phones were kind of a drag. Original isn't always better.

Mike[/quote]

No Mike,but they are classy and very cool.

grasshopper

Mike,

Was your misspelling of "won't" a subtle joke about apologizing to daintylittlefemininefeet?

Just wondering,

Jamie

Mike,

I think you are mistaken. Original is the best. What would you say is more rare?

a mint condition Model T or a 2008 Toyota Camry?

Give me the Ford any day.

Your care and respect for the show and the people that you work with is evident in the way that you treat them and present their jobs

Karen

Dang, why is everyone calling Mike out on his typos, is that some new game we started to bum rush him off the board?

I'm just happy he's still posting here, and in record numbers of late, AND in rare form. The stuff he's been posting lately, is the stuff that embroidered pillows are made of.

Arica

Maybe he needs to take his laptop in and have them check the keyboard?

Mike. did you just wake up?


Please people, it's not his fault...



He's a dirty boy. It's the dirt getting in his laptop.

[quote]Three years ago, in my haste to get Dirty Jobs on the air, I made a foolish deal. I gave up the rights to a concept I created. Now, I get to watch others put their stamp on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, and wait to see who's name will next appear in the title. Oh well, serves me right.[/quote]

I don't think that its really appropriate for you to consider this a "foolish" decision. You were moving from a regional market to a national one, and no one knew that your show would be DC's newest hit. I'm betting that anytime they get a new show concept from someone, they make a similar deal with them, just in case they can make a buck later on down the line. (As they are trying to do now by creating spinoffs all over the globe.) The suits were doing what they always do, and how were you to muster up the leverage to keep those rights at such an early stage in your DJ career?

I believe you've said elsewhere on here that you'll be with DC until 2009. If that means renegotiating your contract, maybe you can get those rights back at that time. (big speculation here... I really have no clue how any of this works; you prob'ly can't afford yout own show's rights after they've sold it worldwide!) Or, if it means that in '09 you and DC part ways, at least you can make more favorable contracts with publishers/producers/other networks in the future because you'll have a lot more pull as the father of a hit show.

"There is no evil villain here, laughing maniacally while twisting his mustache in some fancy corner office. Am I happy with the situation? No. But just because I don't understand something, doesn't mean I've been intentionally wronged. It just means I've been kept in the dark. Hopefully, that will change."

Its not evil to make a buck off of someone else's idea, but its not exactly squeaky clean, either. Its like the shark being the parasite on the remora, you know what I mean? I tend to agree that you have not been intentionally wronged, or maybe I should say I don't think you've been treated any differently than any other smartie with a great idea who tries to make a deal with a big network for the first time. I do think that a large amount of what is considered standard procedure by the corner-office folks is pretty darn scummy by any other measure. The *only* reason they make new folks sign contracts like that is to make sure that they can milk your idea dry.

I'm very sorry that you find yourself in the position of learning what DC is doing with your show from the message boards. I don't care if they are within their legal rights. Its *rude* for them to keep you in the dark. Not to mention stupid and pointless. The overseas shows could only benefit from the input of the man whose passion and elbow grease made the show successful enough to copy!

Ok, gonna go calm down. My inner mama-bear is standing on her back legs and snarling.

Love,
Lynn

PS I like the typos. Its intimidating to talk to a man who doesn't make any.

Arica,

We HAVE to pick on him to keep his head from getting any bigger!

Anyway, he's perfect in every other way!

Liz

Hey Shark,

I was SERIOUS!!!

I really thought it was a subtle joke about spelling.

If Mike writes such a short note, surely he intended the humor.

If it was truly a typo, I would suggest he change his browser on that new HP over to Mozilla Firefox, which includes a Spellcheck feature for internet posts.

Firefox would have underlined "wont" in bright red squiggly lines, that are hard to ignore (even upon awakening, as NOLA suggested).

I would never post something that I thought would run Mike off the board! My goodness, isn't that one of the main reasons we are here? Not that it isn't fun to chat with each other...

Mike - check into Mozilla!

Anybody else using that browser?

Jamie

I use firefox, and though it will correct your spelling, your grammar is whole 'nother animal. I use it and if you'll notice my typo count is through the roof. Just ask Loni, she's the "spelling, German soldier from the 1940's".

Arica
According to firefox, my name is a typo, I was doomed from the start.

FYI

http://community.discoverychannel.co.uk/eve/

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