I know that their ratings have gone into a blazing freefall, but everytime I turn VH-1 on recently it’s either been the VH-! Top 20-10-whatever Countdown, a VH-! “Rockin’ movie” or an MTV show.
That’s right an MTV show.
Right now it’s Aerosmith: MTV Icon.
What the fuck?
Where the hell is Pop-Up-Video??
They hadn’t run that show into the ground yet.
Oh yeah, as far as the VH-1 “Rockin’ Movies” go, UHF, yeah I can see that, what with “Weird Al” being the star.
But 9 1/2 Weeks???
Showgirls???
I suppose I shouldn’t bitch all that much since AMC is now showing Speed somewhere on the average of 3 times a day.
Is Speed an American movie?
Oh my yes.
Is it a classic?
FUCK NO.
Oh if a mod thinks this belongs in the Pit please feel free to move it and I apologize in adavnce if it was posted in the wrong place.
Oh my gosh ! You are so right. I really liked Pop- Up Video, but I haven’t seen it for quite a while. I don’t understand how they can call some of the movies, Movies That Rock. I even think that Behind the Music is getting pretty lame, but at least VH1 is doing one on Areosmith I can’t wait to see that one.
Dennis Miller once suggested that a contest be held to see if anyone could remember what the M stood for in MTV. I guess we’re getting to the point that we need to keep reminding ourselves what the V stands for in VH-1, huh?
For the record, I haven’t watched a minute of VH-1 since I got digital cable and gained access to VH-1 Classic, which is what VH-1 used to be: music videos from MTV before MTV discovered and then co-opted hip-hop.
I still think it’s a pretty good channel, but VH-1 is definitely following MTV’s lead in deciding that music videos aren’t really necessary for a music video channel. Too bad, because some of their shows are pretty good. I still like “Behind the Music”, I thought the “Band on the Run” reality series was pretty funny, and the new one-hit wonders show is pretty good. It does seem, though, that when you turn VH-1 on the chances are pretty good you’re going to be seeing a repeat of something you didn’t care that much about the first time.
Good point in the OP about their “Movies that Rock”. You’d assume the movies would have some musical connection, but most of the time they don’t. And when they do, it’s often some POS like “Blues Brothers 2000” that they play over and over and over again.
But, they should be taken to the firing wall, and shot, no blindfold, they have to watch this awful channel as they lay bleeding on the ground. The last thing they see is a Diva’s Show,
or some other lame show, that has been on.
The only time to see real music videos on VH-1 is late at night, they actually play stuff that’s not on those endless countdown shows. Ryan Adams, Nora Jones, etc. Then again they play a lot of those new videos from Sheryl Crow, who I used to like, at that time of night.
Last week they ran a news special about Lynyrd Skynyrd called Uncivil War about the bad blood between the surviving members. It was actually pretty good, without turning into a BTM episode. It showed some of the realities of being an over-the-hill rock star who still needs to trade on their past to make a living.
The movies thing is just a way to fill airtime. Hell, E! used to show really bad movies on weekend nights just to fill up time when no one was watching (except me, no one). If they want to show rock movies besides just concert films and crap, why not Streets Of Fire, The Warriors, or Phantom Of The Paradise? All have music or or a rock attitude to them.
Since VH-1 and Nick are part of the Viacom empire, I still say they should move Invader ZIM to VH-1. ZIM has a large non-kid audience, VH-1 needs one. Nick has cancelled ZIM, and treated it like a stepchild when they were still producing it. VH-1 needs all the help they can get, and I don’t believe stuff like that Liza and David show is going to do it for them.
I saw Pop-Up Video last night. Well, it was this morning - about 2:00 a.m. It was the Michael Jackson episode. I watch more VH-1 Classic than any other music channel.
Oh, yes, VH-1 is the scourge of my talking picture box. The red-headed stepchild. How many countdowns does one station need? The last thing I recall seeing on VH-1 is William Shatner hosting a One-Hit Wonders countdown! C’mon, man! Give me a break! They have B-rate starts counting down B-rate moments. They really need a bustifizoo.
A friend of mine sent me a news story about VH-1’s upcoming season. As he put it, The Onion couldn’t have done much better.
As if the stuff they come up with on “Trading Spaces” isn’t occasionally dreadful enough, and there are professional designers at work there. I’m a huge Phish fan, but that doesn’t mean I’d want Jon Fishman redecorating my house.
This actually sounds like a very interesting hour, maybe even two. A whole series?
OK, “The Osbournes” works for three reasons–it’s genuinely funny, people like Ozzy, and there’s a lot of irony in a family show about the Prince of Fucking Darkness. I’ve always thought of Liza as a snooty New York socialte, and in this series, she’s going to be a snooty New York socialite.
Even worse, though–I have to suspect that I’m creeping up on the demographic that VH-1 is aiming at, and I do not give, have never given, and strongly suspect that I will never give a flying rat’s ass about Liza Minelli. I can’t see many people of my vintage feeling all that differently.
They’ve done some funny stuff, so I’ll reserve judgement here until I see it.
“VH-1–doing everything we can to make sure you can’t forget the '80s, no matter how hard you try!”
Hear that? Exclusive! If you are, in fact, one of the twelve people on the face of the Earth who would devote two hours of your precious lifespan to either of these pieces of drek, it’s VH-1 or nothing! I’m sure they spent a pretty penny for those rights!
Note that they’ve already had “100 Greatest Music Moments on TV”, and I could swear they’ve already had a “sexiest artists” countdown.
Rotten TV was the last time VH-1 showed any sign of creativity. No wonder they buried the show in shitty timeslots with little promotion. I saw him in an interview while the show was still “in limbo”, he said VH-1 probably stands for “Very Horrible One”.
Unless that “Liza & David” show has her reuniting with her childhood playmate Loudon Wainwright or getting in a catfight with Lorna Luft I doubt I’ll watch.
I don’t have digital cable, but I don’t remember VH-1 Classic or some of the other “digital only channels” being available locally. We had MTV2 (from 6am-10pm) for about a year, and it was great, but the cable company pulled it with no explaination and no replacement. But hey, they gave us The Outdoor Channel (NOT the Outdoor Life Channel) right next to where MTV2 was on the dial. Bowhunting, fishing, and blackpowder hunting shows mixed in with lots of infomercials for bowhunting, fishing, and blackpowder hunting equipment.
Last time I tuned in they were playing a Real World Marathon.