Class of 3000
| Class of 3000 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
Sitcom Musical show |
| Created by |
André Benjamin Thomas W. Lynch |
| Developed by | Patric M. Verrone |
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | André "3000" Benjamin |
| Opening theme | "Class of 3000", written by André "3000" Benjamin and Kevin Kendrick |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 28 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | |
| Release | |
| Original network |
Cartoon Network (U.S.) MuchMusic (Canada) |
| Original release | November 3, 2006 – May 25, 2008 |
Class of 3000 is an American animated television series created by André 3000 (best known as a member of the hip hop duo OutKast) for Cartoon Network. The series follows superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges (voiced by 3000), who teaches a group of students at Atlanta, Georgia's Westley School of Performing Arts. Bridges is a jazz and blues artist who occasionally lectures in Atlanta's Little Five Points residential area.
Class of 3000 was produced by Tom Lynch Company, Moxie Turtle, and Cartoon Network Studios. It is also the final Cartoon Network show aired at the time Jim Samples was in charge of the Cartoon Network, who resigned the week after the 2007 Boston bomb scare had occurred.
Production
The series made its world premiere (previously advertised as a live premiere with performances by Chris Brown) on November 3, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT with a one-hour special, came to Cartoon Network UK on May 28, 2007 and premiered on Cartoon Network Australia/New Zealand on February 4, 2008. The show was co-created and developed by Thomas W. Lynch and Patric M. Verrone. In January 2010 all mentionings in the website about the show were removed, meaning that Cartoon Network has abandoned it. Although there has not been a DVD released in Region 1, seasons 1 and 2 of the show are currently available on iTunes, with the exception of "The Cure" from season 2.
Lawsuit
Andre "3000" Benjamin is the subject of a lawsuit claiming that the Outkast MC stole ideas for his now-canceled Cartoon Network series "Class of 3000" from a Boston postal worker/former art student named Timothy McGee, according to BostonHerald.com blog Inside Track [via Rolling Stone's Rock and Roll Daily].
The suit claims that in 1997, McGee proposed an animated show called "The Music Factory of the '90s" to Cartoon Network's then-vice president of programming Michael Lazzo. The show was rejected. Inside Track reports that the suit states, "the similarities between the expression of Mr. McGee's work in 'The Music Factory' and that of 'Class of 3000' are sufficiently detailed and pervasive."
For instance, "The Music Factory" featured "a young corporate type" with music production aspirations as well as a "tough full-of-attitude female executive, a young techno-whiz sound engineer, a talented young Asian singer, and a central energetic young singer/rapper."
"Class of 3000", on the other hand, had "an energetic, aspiring music producer, a 'tough, brash full-of-attitude' female string player, a 'technological genius bass player, and talented twins of Asian ethnicity,' the suit says," per Inside Track. According to the suit, McGee wanted Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds to host "The Music Factory"; Andre 3000 hosted "Class of 3000".
McGee's suit accuses Benjamin, the Cartoon Network, and Turner Broadcasting of "copyright infringement, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets." As payment, it requests all profits from the show, legal fees, and "whatever this court may deem additionally just and proper."
Jerrold Neeff, McGee's attorney and a Boston University law professor, told Inside Track, "We've requested $2 million in damages thus far, and the rest remains to be seen."
The court granted the motion to dismiss of The Cartoon Network and TBS, the only defendants that McGee served, because McGee was unable to show probative similarity between “The Music Factory of the 90’s” and “Class of 3000.” McGee v. Benjamin 3000, 102 U.S.P.Q.2d 1299 (D. Mass. March 20, 2012).
Characters
Reception
The show received mostly positive reviews. On TV.com, the series has a "good" rating of 7.2. On IMDb, the show has earned a rating of 6.0 out of 10. The soundtrack is rated 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon.
Episodes
Songs
Throughout the show, the students play songs, sometimes based on how they feel. There are also instruments viewed and played by the students and others in every episode.
First season CD track list
The first season CD featuring songs from the show was released July 3, 2007.
| No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | "Class of 3000 Theme Song" ("Touchdown") |
| 2 | "Life Without the Music" ("Home") |
| 3 | "Throwdown" ("Home") |
| 4 | "Oh, Peanut" ("Peanuts! Get Yer Peanuts") |
| 5 | "We Want Your Soul" ("The Devil and Li'l D") |
| 6 | "Banana Zoo" ("Funky Monkey") |
| 7 | "A Rich Shade of Blue" ("Eddie's Money") |
| 8 | "Fight the Blob" ("The Hunt for Red Blobtober") |
| 9 | "U.F.O. Ninja" ("Brotha from the Third Rock") |
| 10 | "Kim 'n' Kam Jam" ("Westley Side Story") |
| 11 | "Luna Love" ("Love Is in the Hair...Net") |
| 12 | "Crayon Song" ("Am I Blue?") |
| 13 | "My Mentor" ("Mini Mentors") |
| 14 | "Cool Kitty" ("Prank Yanker") |
DVDs
A DVD of the first season was released on December 3, 2008, in Region 4. Plus, in the UK, 3 episodes from the series were placed on a DVD.
Trivia
- Tionne Watkins of TLC was supposed to join the show but Cartoon Network wanted someone to create a younger voice for the kids (it is unknown which character she would have portrayed). Watkins said to Cyber TLC World that she couldn't make the younger voice but she was grateful for the opportunity regardless.
References
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived June 5, 2008)
- Class of 3000 at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Class of 3000 at the Internet Movie Database
- Class of 3000 at TV.com
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