Pop-up Video

Infobox Television
show_name = Pop-Up Video


caption =
format = Music video
runtime = approx. 0:22 (per episode)
creator = Woody Thompson
Tad Low
starring = Various singers/groups
country = USA
network = VH1, VH1 Classic
first_aired = October 27, 1996
last_aired = August 8, 2002
num_episodes = 209
imdb_id = 0156226|

"Pop-Up Video" is a popular VH1 television show that "popped up" bubbles — officially called "info nuggets" — containing trivia and wry witticisms throughout music videos. The show was created by Woody Thompson and Tad Low and premiered October 27, 1996. For a time, it was the highest-rated program on VH1, though "Behind the Music" had overtaken it by 1998.Harvard reference | Surname=Burns | Given=Gary | Authorlink= | Title=Pop Up Video: the new historicism | Journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television | Volume=32 | Issue=2 | Year=2004 | Pages=74-83 | ID=ISSN 0195-6051 | URL=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_2_32/ai_n6112888 ]

Although VH1.com still lists "Pop-Up Video" in its programming roster, it has not aired regularly on the network since it was ended on August 8, 2002. [cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/pop_up_video/series.jhtml |title=Pop-Up Video Main Page |accessdate=2006-07-26 |work=VH1.com |publisher=MTV Networks] It used to run on Canada's MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic. The show, until recently, aired nightly on VH1 Europe, but is currently run only on special occasions, such as "Pop-Up Video" weekends.

As of December 2006, "Pop-Up Video" airs on VH1 Classic.

Format

Most episodes of "Pop-Up Video" play five music videos each, selected to include new, older, "classic", and "campy" videos. The bubbles that pop up in each video generally appear about every 15-20 seconds; their content is divided between information about the recording artist featured, the production of the video, and random facts. One of the show's staff writers is assigned to each video.cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19990505193105/http://www.spinthebottle.com/popup/coming_soon.html | title = Coming soon | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ] Production costs for each episode total about $30,000.

The "random" information presented in bubbles frequently included statistics and demographics, medical, scientific, and historical trivia, definitions, and lists of a wide range of subjects.cite web | author = | year = | url = http://weirdweb.net/popup.html | title = All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From Watching Pop-Up Video | format = | work = | publisher = Mandi's Weird Web Page | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] Gary Burns, in the "Journal of Popular Film and Television", also notes as a recurring theme "the producers' attempt to turn practically every popped-up video into a dirty joke."

Often the film crew for the video in question would be interviewed in the research process; everyone from the director to make-up artists, choreographers, and models and extras might be used as sources. [cite web | author = Lineberger, Kathy | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19990505184357/www.spinthebottle.com/bsb/Back_Street_Gossip.html | title = Back Street Gossip | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ] In addition, the producers solicited information by means of a phone line (displayed during the closing credits) and web site page. General facts are double- or triple-sourced, according to the producers.

History

Thompson and Low previously worked together on Brandon Tartikoff's late night talk show "Last Call", before it was cancelled in 1994. They spent the next two years making pitches of ideas for television shows to various networks;cite web | author = Hubbard, John D. | month = November | year = 1997 | url = http://www4.colgate.edu/scene/nov1997/popup.html | title = Pop | format = | work = | publisher = The Colgate Scene | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ] in late 1995, the original iteration of the show concept, entitled "Pop-Up Videos", was sent to VH1 executives, alongside a number of other concepts making use of aspects of songs or music videos. The pilot episode cost $3000 to produce; the first video to be played on the show was Tina Turner's "Missing You". [cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19981202181027/http://www.spinthebottle.com/popup/history.html | title = History | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ]

1997 saw "Pop-Up Video"'s profile expand as popular news publications such as "The New York Times", "Newsweek", and "Entertainment Weekly" all produced articles about the show. [cite web | author = O'Brien, Carrie | date = September 2, 1998 | url = http://www.saintmarys.edu/~jpauley/495prospect.699.htm | title = Prospectus | format = | work = | publisher = Saint Mary's College | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = A number of published articles are described here as mirrored on the official "Pop-Up Video" web site at the time; however, the Internet Archive apparently did not archive these URLs.]

In 2000, "Entertainment Weekly" reported that Low was no longer involved with the production of the show.Harvard reference | Surname1=Brown | Given1=Scott | Surname2=Morgan | Given2=Laura | Authorlink= | Title=Monitor | Journal=Entertainment Weekly | Volume= | Issue=546 | Year=June 23, 2000 | Pages=16 | ID= | URL=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,276570,00.html ]

In recent years, Low has been developing new shows for the music channel Fuse TV; his creations include the striptease dance contest "Pants-Off Dance-Off" and the interactive music video-based game show "Video iQ". [cite web | author = Kharif, Olga | date = March 1, 2005 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc2005031_2320_tc119.htm | title = The New Game Machine: Your TV | format = | work = | publisher = BusinessWeek | accessdate = 2007-01-05 | accessyear = ] He has also delivered talks at universities about the show, making a note of its lampooning of music celebrities. [cite web | author = Oh, Steven | date = October 1, 2002 | url = http://www.yaledailynews.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19882 | title = Tad Low '88 entertains at Master's Tea | format = | work = | publisher = Yale Daily News | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ] [cite web | author = Randell, Jackie | date = January 25, 2006 | url = http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2006/01/25/Arts/Producer.Explains.pop.Culture-1503749.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailytarheel.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com | title = Producer explains 'pop' culture | format = | work = | publisher = The Daily Tar Heel | accessdate = 2007-01-04 | accessyear = ]

pecials and other versions

Special episodes of "Pop-Up Video" aired throughout the series' run. Many focused on specific artists, including VH1 staples Madonna, U2, Prince, and Elton John. Others ran on different themes, such as "Women First," "Road Trip," "Movies," and "Duets". There were also several holiday specials, including Halloween and several Christmas episodes. Some theme episodes broke with the show's format by including a montage of clips from many videos.The "Madonna III" episode included [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/pop_up_video/55162/episode_about.jhtml 15 different videos] .]

During a week of 1980s-themed programming on VH1 in March 1998, "Pop-Up Video" became "Pop-Up '80s". These episodes featured additional clips of 1980s news events and pop culture tidbits between music videos.

The 1996 "VH1 Fashion Awards," "Divas Live," "the Oprah Winfrey Show" (aired in syndication), several episodes of "the Brady Bunch" (aired on Nick at Nite in 2001, effectively named "Pop-Up Brady"), ABC's Original TGIF 1998 and 1999 line-up's season premieres and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (December 2000) also got the "Pop-Up" treatment. Other proposals, such as a "Pop-Up Video" edition of the entirety of "Grease" during its 1998 theatrical re-release, were never realized.Harvard reference | Surname=Jacobs | Given=A. J. | Authorlink= | Title=Pop-Up Culture | Journal=Entertainment Weekly | Volume= | Issue=410 | Year=December 19, 1997 | Pages= | ID= | URL=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290765_2,00.html However, The music video for the 1998 single "The Grease Megamix" was featured on the " [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/pop_up_video/50243/episode_about.jhtml Movies III] " episode.]

A United Kingdom-specific version entitled "Pop-Up Video UK", aired on Channel 4, and still occasionally airs on VH1 UK and Europe. This version featured music videos by British artists such as Robbie Williams, the Spice Girls, and Elvis Costello.

In January 2000, the spinoff program "Pop-Up Quiz" debuted on VH1. Utilizing the same format as "Pop-Up Video", the show presented trivia questions inspired by the content of each music video shown;cite web | author = Wallenstein, Andrew | month = January | year = 2000 | url = http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2000/jan00/news30127.html | title = VH1's long flow of smart ideas at last may be slowing to a dribble | format = | work = | publisher = Media Life | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] for example, the game "Phil in the blank" was played over the video for "Sussudio" by Phil Collins.cite web | author = | year = | url = http://members.aol.com/jsd1996475/louise.html | title = Louise's Phil Collins & Genesis Video Lists | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] Launched at a time when the "Pop-Up Video" brand had become a "veritable franchise",cite web | author = Tiffany, Laura | month = August | year = 1999 | url = http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/businessstartupsmagazine/1999/august/18050.html | title = Laughing All The Way | format = | work = | publisher = Entrepreneur.com | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] the show was called a "weak spin-off" among several "duds" launched by the network at the time.

The 25th anniversary DVD release of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" features a "Pop-Up" video clip of one of the film's musical numbers, "Hot Patootie-Bless My Soul", as an extra on the second disc.

Controversy

Artists such as Billy Joel, Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers, and The Police, as well as others such as director Mark Pellington and Sony Music Entertainment president Tommy Mottola complained about what they perceived as harsh treatment on the show and the videos they featured in were pulled. The show's creators called these "the Pops They Stopped." [cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19990203175609/http://www.spinthebottle.com/popup/pops_stop.html | title = Pops They Stopped | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = Pellington was involved as the director of Jon Bon Jovi's "Midnight in Chelsea", while Mottola was referenced in the treatment of Mariah Carey's "Honey". The artists in question were still featured on later episodes, such as The Wallflowers with "Heroes" (Episode 108) and "6th Avenue Heartache" (Episode 135), and The Police with "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (Episode 122) and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (Episode 138).] In contrast, some artists, including Joan Osborne and Paula Abdul, made appearances on the show to provide further information on their popped videos.

Reception and commentary

"Pop-Up Video" is most frequently compared to the contemporaneous television programs "Beavis and Butt-head" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000", which were known for their on-screen commentary ridiculing, respectively, music videos and films.Harvard reference | Surname=Rutsky | Given=R. L. | Authorlink= | Title=Pop-up theory: distraction and consumption in the age ofmeta-information | Journal=Journal of Visual Culture | Volume=1 | Issue=3 | Year=2002 | Pages=279-294 | ID=ISSN 1470-4129 | URL= ] cite web | author = Vowell, Sarah | date = October 3, 1997 | url = http://www.salon.com/col/vowe/1997/10/03vowe2.html | title = Playing the "Air Guitar" | format = | work = Sound Salvation | publisher = Salon.com | accessdate = 2007-01-05 | accessyear = ] cite web | author = Beato, Greg | date = October 13, 1997 | url = http://www.suck.com/daily/97/10/13/daily.html | title = A Fan's Footnotes | format = | work = | publisher = Suck.com | accessdate = 2007-01-05 | accessyear = ] As these shows were described as "TV-for-people-who-are-sick-of-TV", "Pop-Up Video" has been called "a show for people who hate videos".

DVD Releases

Derivatives and parodies

Early on, the show's popularity led to several copycats, most notably on an episode of the ABC television series "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (September 19, 1997) [cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19990209044645/www.spinthebottle.com/popup/sabrina.html | title = Sabrina Fiasco! | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] and a series of Bell Atlantic commercials. [cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19981202012827/www.spinthebottle.com/popup/bell_atlantic.html | title = Bell Atlantic Ad Voted "Worst of the Year" | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ] Spin The Bottle, Inc., which produced "Pop-Up Video", publicly derided these "Pop-Up" imitators on its website. [cite web | author = | year = | url = http://web.archive.org/web/19990220203906/www.spinthebottle.com/popup/bell_atlantic2.html | title = Pop-Up Bell Atlantic | format = | work = | publisher = Spin the Bottle at the Wayback Machine | accessdate = 2007-01-03 | accessyear = ]

A similar show is aired on the Argentine TV channel I-SAT. It's called "Video Maní" (peanut video), because the popups are a 3-D rotating peanut. It features a series of true/false questions on things regarding the theme of the video, and after a few seconds it shows "true" or "false". As I-SAT is a movie channel, the videos are used as fill between movies.

At the height of the show's popularity, "MAD Magazine" ran a series of "Pop-Off Video" takeoffs which mocked the artists, their fashions, their songs, and their music videos.

Another MAD Magazine parody mocked Pop-Up Video and porn movies with Pop-Up Porno, showing a similar idea in a pornographic context.

In the "Video Centerfold" of 1998 Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal, one of the segments was a Pop-up video showing factoids of McDougal and "Playboy" as she appeared in various stages of undress.cite visual | crew=McDougal, Karen (Herself) | year=1998 | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167338 |title=Playboy Video Centerfold: Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal | medium=VHS & DVD | location= USA | distributor= Image Entertainment]

A 1998 storyline on daytime soap "Sunset Beach" involved a woman drawing a sketch of her former husband. A pop-up appeared to tell viewers that the sketch looked nothing like him. Another story featured a woman who was inseminated using a turkey baster. During the Thanksgiving episode, when a character pulled out a turkey baster, a pop-up reassured viewers that this was a different turkey baster.

The 2000 horror spoof "Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth" featured a spoof scene entitled "Chop-Up Video".

An episode of Bill Nye The Science Guy focused on caves had a music video at the end of the episode parodying the disco song "Shake Your Groove Thing". The video spoofed the format of Pop-Up Video, which would indicate that particular episode was made later in the series' run.

The Happy Tree Friends First Blood DVD has a "Pop Corn" special of the episode "Spin Fun Knowin' Ya" with spoof pop-ups in a similar style to Pop-Up Video.

The DVD of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" has a special feature in which one can watch the movie with little Pop-Up-Video-style factoids about the characters and the movie itself.

The 20th anniversary edition of "" included a feature called "The Autobot Matrix of Knowledge" which, when activated, showed trivia and info regarding the movie and the Transformers franchise throughout the film, in the vein of Pop-Up-Video.

The "Critter 411" segment in the DVD of "Over the Hedge" mimics "Pop Up Video".

Disney Channel aired "Pop up" versions of "High School Musical", "Jump In!", and "The Cheetah Girls 2".

The "Back To The Future" Three disc DVD edition was released. One of the features was Did you know that? Which provided information about the film.

During the credits of the film "Music and Lyrics", We see a Pop-Up video version of the music Video for "Pop Goes My Heart" from the band within the movie "Pop!" featuring pop up tidbits telling us what happened to some of the characters after the movie ended.

"Crazy comedy" anime by ADV Films usually have a Pop-Up Video type special feature called AD-Vid-Notes. The notes explain Japanese pop culture references to American viewers. Anime with AD-Vid-Notes include "Nerima Daikon Brothers", "Pani Poni Dash", "Excel Saga" and "Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi".

References

ee also

* culture note

External links

* [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/pop_up_video/series.jhtml VH1: "Pop-Up Video"]
* [http://www.muchmoremusic.com/tvshows/content/popup_video.asp MuchMoreMusic: "Pop-Up Video"]
* [http://www.spinthebottle.com Spin the Bottle, Inc.] , "Pop-Up Video's" original production company
* [http://www.eyeboogie.com Eyeboogie, Inc.] , "Pop-Up Video's" subsequent production company