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Master Fan
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,546
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This isn't really news but it mentions the show.
FAN FICTION KEEPS 'GIRLS' ALIVE | By HOLLY M. SANDERS | TV Shows | TV Ratings | Television Shows
Quote:
FAN FICTION KEEPS 'GIRLS' ALIVE
By HOLLY M. SANDERS
July 15, 2007 -- The CW's decision to cancel "Gilmore Girls" this past TV season upset a lot of fans, but it didn't keep 17-year-old Tally Deushane away from the show.
A self-described "GG junkie," Deushane turned to Web sites where thousands of devotees had written and posted new stories based on the original series.
In this alternate universe of so-called "fan fiction," Rory Gilmore returns home to Stars Hollow after her stint as a journalist covering the Barack Obama campaign.
Rory's imagined homecoming is just one of 12,000 fan-penned adventures on fanfiction.net, one of the most popular sites for this writing genre.
"I definitely gravitate toward TV fan fiction," said Deushane. "With TV show, the plot is constantly changing and it creates more opportunities."
Fan fiction - new material written by devotees of the original book, movie or TV series - has been around since at least the 1970s, thanks to "Star Trek" enthusiasts.
While bonding over a TV show isn't exactly new, fan-fiction sites have gained huge Internet followings and have expanded beyond canceled shows to include current hits like "Grey's Anatomy," "Heroes" and "CSI."
The latest entrant, Fanlib.com, is trying to cash in on the trend by getting major media companies, including broadcast and cable networks eager to promote their shows, on board as advertisers.
The site holds promotions to encourage fans to submit their best work, including a contest last year to write an online script for "The L Word," Showtime's drama about lesbian friends living in Los Angeles.
"The biggest thing we offer ultimately will be the connection to the people behind the shows," said Chris Williams, the co-founder and chief executive of FanLib, based in Beverly Hills.
These show-and-tell sites are coming of age at a time when fans are also taking greater ownership over their TV experience. For evidence, look no further than outrage over the fade-to-black ending for "Sopranos."
This last season, fans also deluged CBS with peanuts to save "Jericho" from cancellation, while others campaigned to save "Veronica Mars" and the "Gilmore Girls." When those efforts fail, fan fiction allows them to keep their shows alive.
In general, it's not unusual for rabid fans to feel they understand the show better than the creators, which also explains why more are blurring the line between viewer and TV scribe.
FanLib's Chris Williams said he's been surprised at the quality of the work. He cites as a highly ranked fan-written episode of "The Office" based on the first meeting between Michael, played by Steve Carell, and his underling, Dwight.
"This is about sharing your creativity," Williams said. "It could be unresolved story lines or character relationships, but the bigger picture is not so much driven by people trying to break into writing."
Deushane, who has penned "fanfics" for shows like "The Office" and "Number," bristles at the suggestion that most fan fiction writers are nothing more than frustrated screenwriters.
"There's this misconception that they are horrible writers and have nothing better to do," she said. "Fan fiction is a great way to meet people with the same interests and sometimes the fan fiction is better than the real episodes."
But are the suits in Hollywood even paying attention? Kevin Beggs, president of TV programming at Lion's Gate, says yes - sort of.
"I can tell you anecdotally that show runners spend a lot of time looking at chat rooms," he says. "I've never heard them say, 'I'm changing my story,' because of it. It's an agenda item, if you will."
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