Well I finally got around to creating those skins I was tellin' ya'll about.  By the end we'll have one for each nation, which is pretty cool.  I will change the current one up, I promise.  It's green so it will be earth, but I will change some of the things inside it.

Anywho, the new skin is called "Fire".  Creative, eh?  You can test it out now by scrolling down on the page, and on the left-hand side below "Template Chooser" click "firetemp".  You may have to click in the box and then hit the up arrow key to get there.  Once it's selected in the box (and you see the preview) hit the "Select" button and in a matter of seconds the site will change colors!  Please tell me what you think.

 I did get some positive feedback on the music video idea, but I just need to figure out to work it.  Would it be better just for you guys to download the videos or is there a way I can allow you to watch it here without Youtube or something like that?  If anyone knows, please .

And in case you didn't hear about this already, I found something interesting out yesterday.  Did you know it took six years to develop Avatar from an idea to the first episode?  That's amazing... surely Mike and Bryan have put their hearts and souls into this project.  Here is where I found the info.  That is amazing, and after this I believe even more they'll make a fourth season.  Just a hunch. :-)

Well some of you guys probably have been following the fiasco over at The Avatar Portal this week.  I even made a public apology to Littlerain, the head admin of that site, in hopes it would smooth things over.  Well, a couple of hours ago thankfully she put the issue to rest and said she really didn't care who sent the fraudulent emails claiming to be Nick's Margie Cohn, and we should just put the issue behind us.  Well I for one second that notion.  So this will be the last I talk about it on here.  If you need the details, see the previous update.  I'm just glad the issue has been put aside.  This has personally caused me great pain because I did not do this (send the emails claiming I was Margie Cohn) but no one (well there were a few) believed me.  Though the issue has been closed so I don't feel a need to go further.  The issue has now died, been buried, dug up, buried deeper and that's it.  I did not try to take down Avatar Portal or the episodes on the site, and I will maintain my innocence well after I'm off this earth.

As for sitely stuff, the C-Box will be back shortly(clearing out the flames), only this time you will have to register your name.  All you need to do is give a passowrd for your username.  If you don't use it for 3 months, it will auotmatically be deleted and you'll have to get a new one.  You will also have a feature where you can delete your last post, if for some reason you pressed the button too quickly or something.  Also, it's been expanded so you can now fit up to 500 characters in a message, instead of 200 before.  New look for the character guide is also coming up, as are the new characters who we met months ago. :-P

Exciting news on the Avatar season 2 finale.  USAToday.com reports the finale was viewed by 4.4 million people and was the 7th-most-watched program on Cable last week (Nov. 27-Dec. 3).  It was also the most-watched Nickelodeon program of the week in primetime, and also the top overall new episode of a scripted program on all of Cable in primetime.  To compare, the season 2 premiere was watched by 3.7 million viewers and last year's season finale I believe was watched by a similar number of people, so our fan base actually has grown this season very significantly!  Long live the Avatar!

On a related Avatar finale note, don't you think: 1) the "Previously Ons" are really annoying.  I told my contact at Nick about that, and he said he heard Nick makes them do that "so anyone can catch up at any time".  Basically they just want to give viewers a chance to enjoy an episode anytime and have all the info, but I don't agree with it.  And 2) don't hour-long specials seem to have too many commercial breaks?  There's typically two per Avatar episode (with 3 individual segments, each about 8 minutes give or take).  But for hour-long specials there's five.  Nick is dangerously close to the FCC's rule of 12 minutes of commercials per hour in children's programming (find out more here).  Though they have been guilty of breaking this rules many times in the past (I read somewhere over 600). 

Most of you here today are probably here because of one thing: The Avatar Portal. I was shocked to discover this afternoon someone had used my account on my computer to send fraudulent emails claiming they were Margie Cohn from Nickelodeon. Apparently last night Littlerain (the admin from the Avatar Portal, who received the emails) discovered the emails came from my account and charged me and automatically made me guilty to the general public. Though I believe she acted rashly, I still must offer an apology.

The emails were sent by my younger brother, who is actually very bright but also very immature.  I am totally shocked over this whole issue, but I can assure you I was not the cause of it. When I found out about this, I did not find it funny like my brother did, because it is not funny, it's disgusting and low of a person to do. Frankly I'm appauled someone from my own family even had something to do with it.

I can not offer any evidence that what I am saying is true, unfortunately. I really wish I had some, then I could clear my name, but for now it's just my word. I want to extend a huge apology to everyone from that site who was hurt by this, though. It really is a shame it happened, and I know many people, including Littlerain, were hurt greatly by it. The Avatar Portal is a really good site for Avatar info and fan works. With Youtube taking down all the Avatar episodes recently, I have found them as a good site for rewatching the episodes if I need a quote or have to check some info I received. In no way would I want the site taken down. The whole thing makes me sick.

I know many of you will still think I'm guilty even after reading this. But I assure you with the greatest amount of certainty that I did not commit the fact and I wish I could prove it to all of you. And as a matter of character and morality, I would wise up to something if I did it, not run and hide from it. That's not who I am. If you talk to the people online in the community who know me, they will tell you the same thing, that I would not commit such a hurtful and childish act. I am truly devastated and hope everyone can forgive me, especially Littlerain and the staff at The Avatar Portal site. No one should have to go through so much as they did these past couple days, but I admire their courage. They fought through to the end, and although they came to the wrong conclusion, still they solved the case and my brother will be dealt with later tonight.

Now I hope you all can accept my sincerest apologies, and will not splurge any more comments or emails to me saying I am a despicable person, because I truly am not. If you don't believe me, I am sorry, and I really wish there was a way I could make you believe me, as I am not a bad person at all. I would not stoop to this low of a level and risk ruining my reputation I have worked so hard to obtain. This is truly a tragic day, and I cannot explain in words to you how sick and disgusted I am at all that has been going on. It was intended as a joke on me by my brother, but unfortunately turned into so much more, and hurt a lot of people in the process. You do not know how sorry I am right now. And I don't feel right knowing people think I am a person I'm really not. Accept my apologies kind people, I am begging you. I am not the horrible person you believe me to be.

Well I don't know about you guys, but I've been in shock ever since the finale.  I'm not gonna spoil it for anybody who hasn't seen it, but it was sure one giant thrill-ride which ended in a very unpredictable way.

Anyway, I am currently dissatisfied with some people on TV.com and elsewhere.  They insist they know when the season will start.  Some sites say March, some say in the New Year (as was reported at PMX).  However, my very reliable contact at Nick tells me that if the creators said the new season would start "with the new year" that they misspoke.  The first episode of the season won't even be completed until April of next year, making it impossible for the show to come back with new episodes in January or March.

Yet still people seem to not listen.  Well they will all be disappointed next year when there's no new Avatar when they expected.  Kind of like when I was telling everybody it was Azula and not Zula last year during the break between seasons 1 and 2.  And I was proved correct, of course.  Not that I like to toot my own horn or anything.

So as far as the site goes, I am going to work on the new nation-themed skins and should be ready within the next couple weeks.  The Character Guide will be changed up a bit, and more updates will come throughout the winter.  We'll also have those spoilers I promised right here!

I have been thinking and with the whole recent hoopla over Youtube, I am thinking of allowing fan-made Avatar-themed music videos on DF.  I'll have to think about how it would work, among other things.  Let me know in the C-Box how you feel.

Yep, the Avatar season 2 finale is almost here!  Just hours away!~  As most of you all know I'm also editor of Avatar at TV.com (pooldude256) and I have been pounded over there with threads and threads of Zutarians cherring and Kataangs keeping faith.  Finally, though, we are going to get some answers!  Then the forums will be even more crazier!

Anyway, I know I promised updates by the finale.  Well doesn't this count as an update?  No.  Pfft...whatever.  I'm way behind on my bios and just about everything else.  But once the finale airs I am going to work to get things finally up to date and things ready for the next season!

As promised I am going to squeeze some teasers out about the new season, as well as some episode titles!  It definitely won't be anything huge or giant spoilers about the season finale or anything, but I'll have some stuff periodically during our hiatus, which will likely end in late April/early May (as the first episode of the season won't be completed until April).

If you guys want to discuss the finale here on the C-Box that is very much acceptable!  That's what it's there for!  I recommend though that if you're west coast and the airing will occur after the rest of the country sees it, that you don't do the double-tasking and just come here after it airs to discuss it so nothing's spoiled.  You can discuss before, during and after if you want!