TV Networks That Went Downhill

[Woops]

There were talks of a VH1 tv movie that Deb was to appear, but was scrapped.

source

Teen Queens (source: Hubert / L. Aeschliman / M. Bowling, January 23, 2001)
MTV reported in an article that Deborah will star in and write music for the upcoming VH-1 movie "Teen Queens". It will concern the rivalry between two former teen-pop stars, who, as budding prima donnas, engaged in a televised, career-destroying catfight on an awards show. In their post-teen years, the two become managers of teen-pop acts of the next generation, and the spat begins anew. WorldPop is also reporting this news. Deborah has made clear that her movie is NOT part of the production deal Madonna signed with VH-1, in contrast with what some of the articles report. There's also an article on VH-1.

[Out of the Blue]

I wish that movie had been made.

[Woops]

Cartoon Network will air a Looney Tunes marathon on New Years, though pretty much the same shorts they've been showing on their regular Looney Tunes rotation...

Atleast only a few episodes of "The Looney Tunes Show" rather than just having two hours of the classics and showing mostly the latest tv incarnation  like it did during the Fourth of July weekend.

[Woops]

According to the TV Guide site, VH1 Classic is airing regular programming on New Years.

Though Zap2it doesn't have anything listed yet... (more likely a marathon of stuff they regularly air)

[Woops]

Fox Movie Channel will become FXM (aka FX Movies) and will have "limited commercial interruptions" 

[Woops]

Recently discovered that a Christian television channel called KTV have been airing Classic Media owned programming from Harveytoons (ie Casper, Baby Huey), Mr. Magoo, Archies, and Gumby. Noticed since noticing the channel airing Christmas specials.  The Christmas specials are still running until New Years.

Don't know how long it's been airing, though best while it lasts.  

Weekdays:
5:00 AM Harvey cartoons (ie Casper, Baby Huey, Little Audrey)
5:30 AM Mr. Magoo  
6:00 AM Gumby
6:30 AM The Archies
7:00 AM Roger Ramjet (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

Weekends:
7:00 AM Harvey cartoons
7:30 AM Mr. Magoo
8:00 AM Gumby
8:30 AM The Archies

4:00 PM Roger Ramjet

[Woops]

Taped  two hours of the block today. Appear the Gumby shorts are uncut instead of the re-dubbed versions from the 1980's.

[Woops]

Recently watched the grunge episode of "Metal Evolution" on VH1 Classic.

Honestly, I consider grunge more of a sub-genre of alternative and find it ironic that they kissed up post-grunge bands Nickleback and Creed considering that many tend to trash "glam metal" for being knockoffs of Kiss or Van Halen (ie unoriginal and cliche). Especially that I recall Creed being criticized for being rip-off of Pearl Jam and alternative and both bands were very mainstream, which most popular music tend to get shunned by most metalheads and hipsters. Music snobbery, anybody?

Besides that, the special was OK though nothing new since I was already aware of the metal influences several of the grunge bands.


Ironically enough, Dave Grohl (Nirvana's drummer/Foo Fighters) is apparently working on a side project with members of Ratt

I also consider glam/hair metal more hard rock.

Then again, it's like that Billy Joel song, "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me"...

[Woops]

Recently discovered that a Christian television channel called KTV have been airing Classic Media owned programming from Harveytoons (ie Casper, Baby Huey), Mr. Magoo, Archies, and Gumby. Noticed since noticing the channel airing Christmas specials.  The Christmas specials are still running until New Years.

Don't know how long it's been airing, though best while it lasts.  

Weekdays:
5:00 AM Harvey cartoons (ie Casper, Baby Huey, Little Audrey)
5:30 AM Mr. Magoo  
6:00 AM Gumby
6:30 AM The Archies
7:00 AM Roger Ramjet (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

Weekends:
7:00 AM Harvey cartoons
7:30 AM Mr. Magoo
8:00 AM Gumby
8:30 AM The Archies

4:00 PM Roger Ramjet

Now it's only an hour with "Harveytoons Show" and "Gumby". For some reason, KTV is airing the same episodes from last week. Guessing that a limited number of episodes/shows were part of the package from the Classic Media acquisition.

[Woops]

Now it's back to "regular schedule" on KTV, which they finally aired "Archie".

Dallas McKennon provided the for the title character and also Gumby in the early '60's.

It's corny, though the music probably struck a chord with tweens/teens, which "Sugar Sugar" became a huge hit in 1969.

[Woops]

VH1 will now air a special about "TRL"...


Well, atleast it's kinda based on music though wouldn't be surprised if it mentions that countdown show was rigged.

Too soon... well, the show ran from 1998 to 2008. By MTV standards, that's eons ago 

Aside from the music that was popular at the time (disposable teen pop to numetal), disliked the show from the fact the videos weren't shown in their entirety and were interrupted by screaming fans and "E-mail requests" scrolled at the bottom of the screen.

Recently watched the special and noticed that VH1 will air another special featuring the 40 most memorable moments from the show.


Agree that the rise of the internet culture (ie social networking with MySpace & Facebook, downloading/YouTube) pretty much signaled the end of the show and the show became a pop culture phenomena itself.

Some thoughts:



No mention of "Dial MTV", which "TRL" was somewhat of an updated  incarnation of the  countdown show, which was also based on "viewer votes".


Another reason many disliked the show was that music videos were given the shaft to later hours and several programs from "Unplugged" to the genre specific "Yo! MTV Raps" and "Headbangers Ball" were cancelled few years earlier. Making "TRL" one of the very few music based shows on the network in the late 1990's/early 2000's.

The clip of Britney Spears' first "TRL" appearance was odd since she was fully clothed!

It's ironic that a  Virgin Megastore was located across the street from the studio since it closed down around the same time of the cancellation of the show.


No mentions of the forgettable "TRL" follow-up "FN MTV", which lasted a few episodes, and the TRL Awards.



Still not fond of  the music from that era and thought the set looked like a teenybopper version of "The Today Show".

[Woops]

VH1 100 Greatest Female Artists  from 1999 and 2012

While every "greatest" list tend to be subjective, VH1's list from 2012 mostly featured artists from the 1990's to the present with few pre-1990.

Not to mention #4 and #5 only being around for less than five years and many that are forgettable and/or not that good...

It's funny to see two early 2000's teen queens that are now mainly tabloid fodder where VH1 completely ignored a certain former pop princess who's actually talented and still active... Granted a few reality shows and bad tv movies, but not all over TMZ.


As for artists of the past decade, where's Duffy?

Atleast Natasha Bedingfield made the cut and like that they added Kylie Minogue as well. Still many omissions... Taylor Dayne?  Vanessa Williams?


1999's list...

Well, atleast VH1 was focused on older music and #1 isn't the same as the current list, but still ranked on the top 10...




source
(whole lists are on the above  link)

1999:
25 Marianne Faithfull
24 Dusty Springfield
23 The Mamas & The Papas
22 Emmylou Harris
21 Linda Ronstadt
20 Grace Slick
19 Etta James
18 Gladys Knight
17 Chaka Khan
16 The Supremes
15 Patti Smith
14 Stevie Nicks
13 Ella Fitzgerald
12 Debbie Harry
11 Patsy Cline
10 Carole King
9 Annie Lennox
8 Madonna
7 Chrissie Hynde
6 Billie Holiday
5 Joni Mitchell
4 Bonnie Raitt
3 Janis Joplin
2 Tina Turner
1 Aretha Franklin


2012
25. Sheryl Crow
24. Jennifer Hudson
23. Carrie Underwood
22. Annie Lennox
21. Celine Dion
20. Rihanna
19. Kelly Clarkson
18. Missy Elliott
17. Katy Perry
16. Jennifer Lopez
15. Alanis Morissette
14. Alicia Keys
13. Gwen Stefani
12. TLC
11. Britney Spears
10. P!nk
09. Mary J. Blige
08. Christina Aguilera
07. Janet Jackson
06. Whitney Houston
05. Adele
04. Lady Gaga
03. Beyoncé
02. Mariah Carey
01. Madonna

[Out of the Blue]

Their lists are based almost solely on what direction the wind happens to be blowing at that time.  If they had done that in 2000 I bet their #1 would have been Britney.

[Woops]

VH1 was still pretty much an adult contemporary alternative to MTV in 2000, though shifted towards more pop culture in a few years.

[Out of the Blue]

I remember the way it was back in the late 80s when VH1 was still mostly new.  It had a less of a hard edge than MTV had then.  Deb's videos were played in greater rotation on VH1 than on MTV.  Now they've become so blurred that it's hard to tell one from the other.  If anything I think VH1 has tried to make itself over into a clone or at least a competitor to E! while MTV has become just a reality show network that ignores music.  If someone had told me back in 1988 how both of those channels would be today I would have been in complete denial and disbelief about it.