1.
MTV
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MTV is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. Launched on August 1,1981, the originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys. In its early years, MTVs main target demographic was young adults and it has received criticism towards this change of focus, both by certain segments of its audience and musicians. MTVs influence on its audience, including issues involving censorship and social activism, has also been a subject of debate for several years, in recent years, MTV had struggled with the secular decline of music-related cable media. In April 2016, MTV announced it would start to return to its original music roots with the reintroduction of the classic MTV series MTV Unplugged. It was also reported that the series MTV Cribs would be making a return on Snapchat, MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the US and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent. As of July 2015, approximately 92,188,000 US households have received MTV, several earlier concepts for music video-based television programming had been around since the early 1960s. The Beatles had used music videos to promote their records starting in the mid-1960s, CBS rejected the idea, but Williams premiered his own musical composition Classical Gas on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he was head writer. The series featured clips from various popular artists, but was canceled by its distributor in 1971. The channel, which featured video disc jockeys, signed a deal with US Cable in 1978 to expand its audience from retail to cable television, the service was no longer active by the time MTV launched in 1981. The QUBE system offered many specialized channels, One of these specialized channels was Sight on Sound, a music channel that featured concert footage and music-oriented television programs. With the interactive QUBE service, viewers could vote for their favorite songs, the original programming format of MTV was created by media executive Robert W. Pittman, who later became president and chief executive officer of MTV Networks. Pittman had test-driven the music format by producing and hosting a 15-minute show, Album Tracks, the inspiration for PopClips came from a similar program on New Zealands TVNZ network named Radio with Pictures, which premiered in 1976. The concept itself had been in the works since 1966, when record companies began supplying the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation with promotional music clips to play on the air at no charge. Few artists made the trip to New Zealand to appear live. A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of hour in various forms. The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star and this was followed by the video for Pat Benatars You Better Run. Sporadically, the screen would go black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR, MTVs lower third graphics that appeared near the beginning and end of music videos would eventually use the recognizable Kabel typeface for about 25 years
2.
Music
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Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. The common elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. The word derives from Greek μουσική, Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as the harmony of the spheres and it is music to my ears point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, There is no noise, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. There are many types of music, including music, traditional music, art music, music written for religious ceremonies. For example, it can be hard to draw the line between some early 1980s hard rock and heavy metal, within the arts, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art or as an auditory art. People may make music as a hobby, like a teen playing cello in a youth orchestra, the word derives from Greek μουσική. According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, the music is derived from mid-13c. Musike, from Old French musique and directly from Latin musica the art of music and this is derived from the. Greek mousike of the Muses, from fem. of mousikos pertaining to the Muses, from Mousa Muse. In classical Greece, any art in which the Muses presided, Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. With the advent of recording, records of popular songs. Some music lovers create mix tapes of their songs, which serve as a self-portrait. An environment consisting solely of what is most ardently loved, amateur musicians can compose or perform music for their own pleasure, and derive their income elsewhere. Professional musicians sometimes work as freelancers or session musicians, seeking contracts and engagements in a variety of settings, There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Beginning amateur musicians take lessons with professional musicians, in community settings, advanced amateur musicians perform with professional musicians in a variety of ensembles such as community concert bands and community orchestras. However, there are many cases where a live performance in front of an audience is also recorded and distributed. Live concert recordings are popular in classical music and in popular music forms such as rock, where illegally taped live concerts are prized by music lovers
3.
Friends
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Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22,1994, to May 6,2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, the series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, Kauffman and Crane began developing Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. They presented the idea to Bright, and together they pitched a seven-page treatment of the show to NBC, after several script rewrites and changes, including a title change to Six of One and Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends. Filming took place at Warner Bros, All ten seasons of Friends ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings, ultimately reaching the No.1 spot with its eighth season. Friends received acclaim throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular shows of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no.21 on TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, in 1997, the episode The One with the Prom Video was ranked no.100 on TV Guides 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. In 2013, Friends ranked no.24 on the Writers Guild of Americas 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time, Rachel Green flees her wedding day and seeks out childhood friend Monica Geller, a New York City chef. Episodes typically depict the friends comedic and romantic adventures and career issues, the six characters each have many dates and serious relationships, such as Monica with Richard Burke and Ross with Emily Waltham. The series featured six main characters throughout its run, Jennifer Aniston portrays Rachel Green, Rachel first moves in with Monica in season one after nearly marrying Barry Farber, whom she realizes she does not love. Rachel and Ross Geller are later involved in a relationship throughout the series. Rachel’s first job is as a waitress at the coffeehouse Central Perk, Rachel and Ross have a daughter named Emma in The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part Two at the end of season eight. In the final episode of the series, Ross and Rachel finally confess their love for each other, Courteney Cox portrays Monica Geller, the mother hen of the group and a chef, known for her perfectionist, bossy, competitive, and obsessive-compulsive nature. Monica is often teased by the others for having been extremely overweight as a child. Monica works as a chef in various restaurants throughout the show, Monica’s first serious relationship is with long-time family friend Richard Burke, who is twenty-one years her senior. The couple maintains a relationship for some time, until Richard expresses that he does not want to have children. Lisa Kudrow portrays Phoebe Buffay, a masseuse and self-taught musician
4.
Total Request Live
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Total Request Live was a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTVs prime outlet for music videos as the continued to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to videos, TRL featured daily guests. The show was a promotion tool used by musicians, actors. TRL played the ten most requested videos of the day. The show generally aired Monday through Thursday for one hour, though the scheduling, despite the word Live in the title of the show, many episodes were actually pre-recorded. MTV announced the cancellation of TRL on September 15,2008, the special three-hour finale episode, Total Finale Live, aired on November 16,2008. An international version of TRL aired on MTV Italy until 2010, origin of TRL can be traced back to 1997 when MTV began producing MTV Live from the newly opened MTV studios in Times Square in New York City. MTV Live featured celebrity interviews, musical performances, and regular news updates, music videos were not the major focus of the program. For a time, the show more than 750,000 viewers. During the same period, MTV aired a countdown show simply called Total Request. Total Request was far more subdued, as Daly introduced music videos from an empty, as the show progressed and gained more momentum with viewers tuning in, it was soon added to the list of daytime programming during MTVs Summer Share in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. In Fall 1998, MTV producers merged the real-time aspect of MTV Live with the fan-controlled countdown power of Total Request into Total Request Live, the series made its debut from MTV Studios on September 14,1998. The show then grew to become MTVs unofficial flagship program, the original host of TRL, Carson Daly, brought popularity to the show. The widely known abbreviation of TRL was adopted as the title of the show in February 1999, after Daly. In the years following, the program was referred to by its complete title. TRL spent its first year developing a cult-type following, in the fall of 1999, a live studio audience was added to the show. By spring 2000, the countdown reached its peak, becoming a recognizable pop culture icon in its first two years of existence
5.
South Park
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South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for the television network, Comedy Central. The show revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, Parker and Stone developed the show from The Spirit of Christmas, two consecutive animated shorts created in 1992 and 1995. The latter became one of the first Internet viral videos, ultimately leading to South Parks production and it debuted in August 1997 with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied but it remains one of Comedy Centrals highest rated shows, the pilot episode was produced using cutout animation, leading to all subsequent episodes produced with computer animation that emulated the technique ever since. Parker and Stone perform most of the acting for the shows male characters. Since 2000, each episode is written and produced during the week preceding its broadcast, with Parker serving as the primary writer. There have been a total of 277 episodes over the course of the shows 20 seasons, South Park has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and numerous inclusions in various publications lists of greatest television shows. In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time, the show follows the exploits of four boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick. The boys live in the small town of South Park. Stan is portrayed as the everyman of the group, as the website describes him as an average. Kyle is the lone Jew among the group, and his portrayal in this role is often dealt satirically, Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker, Eric Cartman is loud, obnoxious, and amoral, often portrayed as an antagonist. His anti-Semitic attitude has resulted in a rivalry with Kyle. Kenny, who comes from a family, wears his parka hood so tightly that it covers most of his face. During the shows first five seasons, Kenny would die in every episode before returning in the next with little-to-none. He was written out of the sixth season in 2002. Since then, Kennys death has been used by the shows creators. During the shows first 58 episodes, the boys were in the third grade, in the season four episode 4th Grade, they entered the fourth grade, but have remained ever since
6.
Real World (TV series)
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Real World is a reality television series on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. Seven to eight young adults are picked to temporarily live in a new city together in one residence while being filmed non-stop, following Bunims death from breast cancer in 2004, Bunim/Murray Productions continues to produce the program. The current 32nd season, set in Seattle, Washington, premiered on October 12,2016, the Real World was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family. It focuses on the lives of a group of strangers who audition to live together in a house for several months, the show moves to a different city each season. The narration given over the title sequence used during the first 28 seasons by the seven housemates states some variation of the following. Picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped. to find out what happens. When people stop being polite. and start getting real. The Real World, the Real World was originally inspired by the popularity of youth-oriented shows of the 1990s like Beverly Hills,90210 and Melrose Place. Bunim and Murray initially considered developing a series in a similar vein, but quickly decided that the cost of paying writers, actors, costume designers. Bunim and Murray decided against this idea, and at the last minute, Dutch TV producer Erik Latour claims that the ideas for The Real World were directly derived from his television show Nummer 28, which aired in 1991 on Dutch television. The production converted a massive, 4000-square-foot duplex in Soho, cast seven cast members from 500 applicants, the cast lived in the loft from February 16 to May 18,1992. The series premiered three days later, on May 21,1992, at the time of its initial airing, reviews of the show were mostly negative. Shales also remarked upon the cast members’ creative career choices, saying, nonetheless, the series was a hit with viewers. As the show increased in popularity, Zamora’s life as living with AIDS gained considerable notice. Zamora was one of the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media, by July 1995, the series surpassed Beavis and Butt-head as the networks top-rated show during the fourth season, The Real World, London. Appearing on the program has served as a springboard to further success. Eric Nies of the New York cast went on to become a model, actor and his housemate, Kevin Powell, became a successful author, poet, journalist, and politician. Their housemate Heather B. Gardner went on to become a music artist under the professional name Heather B. Winick also published Pedro and Me, a novel about his friendship with fellow castmate Pedro Zamora
7.
Fear Factor
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Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that originally aired between 2001 and 2006. It was later revived in 2011, only to be cancelled again on May 13,2012, after its second cancellation, a two-part special aired in July 2012. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland, when Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a grand prize, the show was hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, produced by Matt Kunitz and David A. Hurwitz, and directed by J. Rupert Thompson. In 2006, Fear Factor faced tough competition with the TV ratings champion, Foxs talent series American Idol on Tuesday nights, the ratings continued trending downward in mid-2006. The series was cancelled by NBC in May 2006 after six seasons. The network began airing the remainder of the season on June 13,2006, in 2004, Fear Factor became the first network reality show to be syndicated. Over its six seasons, Fear Factor earned NBC a reported $600 million in advertising revenue, currently only the first season has been released on DVD, but in early 2009, plans were made to release a box set containing the entire series on DVD. The project was put on hold for a reason in March 2010. On June 5,2010, it was announced that the project was cancelled because of the low sales of the first season DVD, eight episodes were ordered, with two of them being two-hour episodes and Rogan returning to the hosting duties. The program began airing December 12,2011, with the episode airing July 16,2012. On May 13,2012, NBC announced that Fear Factor was officially cancelled and it is unknown whether or not the show will be revived again for a third time. In addition to Chiller, reruns of Fear Factor have aired in syndication, on FX, in addition, Fear Factor has a YouTube channel where previously unaired footage is shown. Before the contestants are introduced, Rogan gives a verbal disclaimer, if a contestant/team is too scared to attempt a stunt, failed to complete a stunt, or had the worst performance on a stunt, they are eliminated from the competition. If no one successfully completed the first or the second stunt, the only exception to this was in season one, where if one person completed the stunt, then the completer won $10,000 and the $50,000 grand prize was not reduced. Only once in the history of Fear Factor did the $50,000 top prize go unclaimed in an episode and this happened on a Best Friends edition on September 27,2004, when none of the remaining teams were able to complete the final stunt. In the stunt, one member of each team had to drive a ramp car, the one driving the sports car had to drive it onto the truck bed via the ramp car. If the sports car fell off of the bed at any time
8.
MTV Tres
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MTV Tres is an American broadcast, digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom Global Entertainment Group, a division of the Viacom Media Networks subsidiary of Viacom. The channel is targeted toward bilingual Latinos and non-Latino Americans aged 12 to 34, the channel is currently headed by executive vice president and general manager Jose Tillan. As of August 2013, Tr3s is available to approximately 36 million pay television households in the United States, on August 1,1998, MTV Networks launched a 24-hour digital cable channel, MTV S. On October 1,2001, the channel was relaunched as MTV Español, focusing on music videos by Latin rock, in December 2005, Viacom acquired MásMúsica and ten of the networks affiliated stations. The sale was finalized in January 2006, MTV Tr3s unofficially launched on September 4,2006, when it became available on all cable and satellite providers that previously carried MTV Español. On September 25,2006, MTV Español and MásMúsica TeVe officially merged, the first program to air on the newly formed channel was the premiere of Mi TRL at 4,30 p. m. Eastern Time. In its beginnings, MTV Tr3ss programming schedule was significantly more repetitive than MTV Español was in its last days and these programs were repeated for most of the day, which greatly reduced the amount of freeform music videos played on the channel. As months passed, however, the became more varied and diverse. MTV Tres also ran short clips promoting the channel, which continue to air to this day, on July 12,2010, MTV Tres dropped the MTV name from its logo and name, officially rebranding as simply Tr3s. With the rebrand, the network expanded its programming to include additional acquired MTV programs, Tr3s broadcasts on an Eastern Time schedule and does not timeshift its programming for other U. S. time zones due to the lack of an additional feed for the Pacific Time Zone. As such, promos for Tr3s programs reference airtimes for both the Eastern and Pacific time zones, since 2014 Tr3s broadcasts music videos for at least 22 hours each day. Clasicos- Classic music videos Cafeina- Early morning music video mix Former Classic Co, – The program, which aired weekdays at 10,00 a. m. Eastern Time, featured a mix of videos from Latino artists of the 1980s and 1990s such as Selena, Ricky Martin, the title is most likely an English-language play on the Spanish term for classic, clásico, as the title might stand for Classic Company. The program was discontinued in early 2008, Los Hits – Based on MTVs Big Ten and Más Músicas Los Top 10, this program featured the most popular videos in rotation on MTV Tr3s. It was hosted by Carlos Santos or Denise Ramirez featuring interviews with popular artists, the program was discontinued in mid-2007. Tr3s or False – This program was a music video/text message-based game show that awarded viewers points, the program was discontinued in early 2009. Music My Guey – This program focuses on viewer requested music videos, Top 20 – Similar to Las 40 Principales from Más Música, this program is a countdown of the top 20 videos in rotation on the channel during the week. In late June 2008, the changed the shows format, most music videos are no longer played in their entirety
9.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10,1990, to May 20,1996. In the series, his lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his relatives in Bel Air, the series ran for six seasons and aired 148 episodes. In December 1989, NBC approached Will Smith, a rapper during the late 1980s. The pilot episode began taping on May 1,1990, Season 1 aired in July 1990 and ended in March 1991. The series finale was taped on Thursday, March 21,1996, the theme song Yo Home to Bel Air was written and performed by Smith under his rap stage name, The Fresh Prince. The music was composed by Quincy Jones, who is credited with Smith at the end of each episode, the music often used to bridge scenes together during the show is based on a similar chord structure. The theme song and opening sequence set the premise of the show, will Smith is a street-smart teenager, born and raised in West Philadelphia. Will Smith as Will Smith James Avery as Philip Banks Janet Hubert-Whitten, to gain popularity between the two shows, Will Smith appeared in the Blossom episode Im with the Band as himself under his rap stage name, The Fresh Prince. That same season, Karyn Parsons appeared in the Blossom episode Wake Up Little Suzy as Hilary Banks, Parsons also appeared in the Patti LaBelle sitcom, Out All Night as Hilary. In the House and Fresh Prince were both produced by Winifred Hervey, David Salzman and Quincy Jones. During the second seasons first episode, Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali appeared as their Fresh Prince characters in the crossover episode Dog Catchers, later that season, James Avery appeared as a mediator in the episode Love on a One-Way Street. In the Season 4 episode My Pest Friends Wedding, James Avery, both Avery and Reid portrayed the parents of Ribeiros Fresh Prince character. Joseph Marcell, who played the wisecracking Geoffrey Butler on Fresh Prince, the series was produced by NBC Productions in association with The Stuffed Dog Company and Quincy Jones Entertainment. After the show was released to syndication in 1994, the series has been distributed by Warner Bros, television, which continues to distribute the show worldwide. TBS continues to air the series today, early in the morning. Reruns also aired on WPIX-TV back to back weeknights at 6 pm &6,30 pm EST from 1994 until 2000, but, the series was still rerunning on The WBs affiliation WPIX-TV until 2006. The show returned to Nick at Nite on September 29,2014, but in August 2010, Disney XD stopped airing the show. ABC Family acquired the series in September 2008, though airing all 148 episodes, originally airing exclusively on Saturday nights, on September 29,2014, Disney/ABC rights to the show expired
10.
Viacom Media Networks
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Its sister international division is Viacom International Media Networks. The company was founded in 1984 after Warner Communications and American Express decided to divest the basic cable assets of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, renaming it as MTV Networks, Warner-Amex had originally created and owned Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1 and The Movie Channel. Viacom acquired 66% of the company in 1985 and then acquired the remaining interest in 1986 and it was then folded into Viacom International Inc. a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. and is no longer a distinct legal entity. Viacom Media Networks family of brands is divided into three sections, based on the type of programming and audiences they serve. All networks are simulcasted in high definition aside from the music networks. The company also owns internet properties, such as MTV News, MTV International, the company ran a virtual world system, Virtual MTV in the late 2000s. It formerly owned Neopets, Atom Entertainment, and other web properties before shutting them down or selling them to companies in the 2000s and 2010s. Viacom had a division called MTV Games, which used to publish the Rock Band and Dance Central series by Harmonix Music Systems. MTV Networks opened another game division called 345 Games in New York City, the Rock Band series and the Dance Central series will be published by other publishers. The first game published by 345 Games was Ugly Americans, Apocalypsegaddeon based on the Comedy Central TV series, recently,345 Games has announced a video game based on the popular MMA franchise, Bellator Fighting Championships. Viacom International Media Networks is a division of Viacom International and its headquarters are based in New York, London, Warsaw and Buenos Aires. It consists of 64 localized MTV channels, MTV Live HD, VH1, Nickelodeon, TMF, VIVA, Comedy Central, Game One, Nitrome Limited, Shockwave, Addicting Games, Atom Films and Xfire. S. Including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon are experiencing falls in viewership unlike other US broadcasters, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon are of most concern to investors
11.
MTV Unplugged
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MTV Unplugged is an American television series showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades, MTV launched MTV Unplugged in 1989. The show featured musicians performing unplugged versions of their electric repertoire, many of these performances were subsequently released as albums, often featuring the title Unplugged. The direct inspiration for the series came in the immediately preceding the creation of the MTV program. The catalyst was a series of highly publicized unplugged performances that occurred in the late 1970s, the performances were widely seen and heard on the 1980 live album and the UK-only movie of the benefit and inspired other rock performers to emulate Townshend. The 1982 live album of performances and the US version of The Secret Policemans Other Ball movie both became very successful and were widely seen and heard in the USA. The phenomenon of rock stars re-creating their hits in a manner was thus well established by the early 1980s though the word unplugged had not yet been applied to the concept. In addition, the late 1980s saw a renewed interest in folk, many new acts established during the period had a strong folk/acoustic influence, e. g. Sinéad OConnor, Suzanne Vega, Lyle Lovett, Michael Penn, Enya, and Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The first rock artist to perform in a mode on MTV was Jethro Tull. XTC performed acoustically in May 1989, and Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed Livin on a Prayer, the pilot and first seven episodes were produced by Bruce Leddy, after which Associate Producer Alex Coletti took over for the remainder of the series. After the first 13 episodes, the role of host was eliminated, the show was produced by Viacom and RSE Inc and was most frequently directed by Milton Lage and Beth McCarthy. The series first aired November 26,1989, featuring Squeeze, Syd Straw, the first 13 episodes were hosted by American singer-songwriter Jules Shear and featured Aerosmith, Elton John, Sinéad OConnor, Poison and Stevie Ray Vaughan among others. Paul McCartneys 1991 appearance was released on the Unplugged album. Show producer Alex Coletti went on to say that had McCartney not released it, joe Walsh appeared on the show in 1990 with Dr. John. MTV invited Henley to perform on the show, but Henley wanted to have a show featuring only himself, at that point, MTV was sharing the time between different artists. On April 10,1991, Unplugged aired its first ever acoustic rap show, the special kicked off with individual performances by LL Cool J along with MC Lyte, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest and a five piece back-up band, Pops Cool Love. The highlight of the show was LL Cool Js energetic renditions of Jingling Baby, in 1992, Mariah Carey performed a cover version of The Jackson 5s hit Ill Be There along with backup singer Trey Lorenz
12.
Catfish: The TV Show
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Catfish, The TV Show is an American reality-based documentary television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series is based on the 2010 film Catfish and is co-hosted by Nev Schulman and it premiered on November 12,2012. The fifth season premiered on February 24,2016, Season 6 premiered on March 1,2017. These catfish usually intend to trick a person or persons into falling in love with them. MTV and the Catfish films producers, Schulman and Joseph, help people who are entangled with someone they have never met in real life. Each episode is an investigation into whether or not the participant in the virtual relationship is legitimate or if they are, in fact. Some couples have been communicating for a few months—others, for years, Nev claims that he has received requests from people asking him for his help in determining whether or not their online-only lover is lying or truthful about their identity. In each episode the hosts help a different individual with a different story, travelling to wherever they live and using background checks, Nev and Max contact the other person to arrange a first-ever meeting between the two virtual lovers, then documents how both people are impacted. The show presents the hopeful as the one who initiates contact with Schulman and Joseph in an attempt to discover the identity of their online romance. Some of the casting calls do solicit stories from hopefuls. Producers then proceed to gather information about the deception from the catfish, for legal reasons, all persons involved on the series sign contracts agreeing to appear on camera prior to the episode even entering production. In Season 3s Miranda and Camryn episode, the catfish did change their mind about meeting the hopeful, and only appeared via Skype. The hosts are given no information about the catfish, and while the catfish has already agreed to appear on the show, Nev Schulman explained more about the reverse-engineering in an August 2014 interview, A lot of the stories that we get come from the catfish side of things. People who feel so terrible that theyve been lying to a friend or a lover on the internet for a long time. They want to clean, but they fear if they simply told the truth, the other person would be very upset that theyve been lied to and deceived. And so theyre hopeful that by coming on the show maybe we can facilitate some kind of amicable exchange, so orchestrate very delicately, and staying out of it as much as possible, a scenario by which the hopeful reaches out to me. And so just pick up from there, no idea of course that the other persons already expressed interest in meeting. And the doesnt know that were doing it
