""" Got it to work with this! """

import urllib2
import json

url = 'https://api.twitch.tv/kraken/streams/sheevergaming'
r = urllib2.urlopen(url)
data = json.loads(r.read().decode(r.info().getparam('charset') or 'utf-8'))

if data['stream'] == None:
    status = 1
else:
    status = 0

print status

----

   #!/usr/bin/python

    # checks whether a twitch.tv userstream is live

    import argparse, urllib2
    from urllib2 import Request
    import json

    def parse_args():
        """ parses commandline, returns args namespace object """
        desc = ('Check online status of twitch.tv user.\n'
                'Exit prints are 0: online, 1: offline, 2: not found, 3: error.')
        parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description = desc,
                 formatter_class = argparse.RawTextHelpFormatter)
        parser.add_argument('USER', nargs = 1, help = 'twitch.tv username')
        args = parser.parse_args()
        return args

    def check_user(user):
        """ returns 0: online, 1: offline, 2: not found, 3: error """
        url = 'https://api.twitch.tv/kraken/streams/' + user
        try:
            info = json.loads(urllib2.urlopen(url, timeout = 15).read().decode('utf-8'))
            if info['stream'] == None:
                status = 1
            else:
                status = 0
        except URLError as e:
            if e.reason == 'Not Found' or e.reason == 'Unprocessable Entity':
                status = 2
            else:
                status = 3
        return status

    # main
    try:
        user = parse_args().USER[0]
        print(check_user(user))
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        pass