ISSUE #57 - September, 2005
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Yeah right. Luckily that was a joke and things here don't work that way. Billy Bob isn't gone - he's just moved down into the Pizza Time Players comics to spread the spirit of Rock-a-Palooza. I'm just taking a cruel stab at the recent 'random movements' put in place at CEC to save them from having to repair and replace the curtain motors.

This has been covered pretty extensively on the message board and everyone has offered their opinion which for the most part has been negative. And with good reason - it messes with the 'magic' appeal the show holds. Those who visit this website (ie - the ones who care enough about CEC/SPP to think about it while NOT at the restaurant) became fans because of the animatronic show. Of course we're going to be upset when financial matters cause the show to be degraded.

I understand that CEC needs to remain profitable to survive... but to keep chipping away at the entertainment is a dangerous endeavor. PTT was once a very viable and highly profitable chain... and they folded. ShowBiz nearly fell right beside them. It happened the first time because of a weakened economy and outside pressures, which is about the situation CEC is faced with today. I don't have the answer to insure their success, all I know is what I dislike.

Luckily with this website I don't have to worry about these types of financial concerns. We operate on a really small budget which is fairly simple to maintain, especially with the assistance of the Fan Club. Besides, this is ShowBiz Pizza.com - where everyone can be a kid.

Speaking of which, we're in the midst of Rock-a-Palooza 2005, the event aimed at us 'older' kids who are desperately trying to cling to our childhood. We're trying some new stuff this year which is a result of two things - trying to improve on RAP's of the past, and also because I got behind with my updating.

But the biggest addition is of course, Radio ShowBiz which everyone reading this should be familar with at this point. This is an idea I've been kicking around for a long time. Brian (ChuckECheese72) had beaten me to it though. His station was quite popular and I was quite impressed with how well it was ran - which is part of the reason I was in no hurry to start one. Luckily Brian was cool enough to join our webmaster team and run Radio ShowBiz. In just the short time we've worked together on this, my expectations have been exceeded by far.

Also I wanted to make a quick note about the new Moderator system that's been put into place on the message board. So far it's been working out pretty good. There's several new moderators in place and I haven't been aware of any new problems. Hopefully we can keep this new system going and keep the message board fresh with new ideas and better control.

And that's about it for this month. Thanks for tuning into RAP 2005. It's a shame that our little web event is happening at the same time as the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. It's hard to enjoy things when people are dying in our own backyard. It really does put things into perspective for me - reading about this tragedy and the poor people in the Gulf region who have lost everything. Our RAP show will go on, however we ask that everyone keep the hurricane victims in their thoughts and prayers. For fans of the Rock-afire, New Orleans had a great impact on the performers and carried itself into the songs and music that we've all come to love. It's difficult to think that the city in the hearts of Burt Wilson and the other musicians, no longer exists as it did. We wish for the city and victims, a quick and speedy recovery.