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Jazzy Wants Their MTV!
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MTV (originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television channel. It was officially launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.
The channel originally aired music videos and related programming as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys, or VJs. MTV was one of the American cable channels which was available in other countries that became a cult hit across the world and was one of the factors in cable programming's rise to fame and American corporations overwhelmingly dominating the television economy in the 1990s. In the years since its inception, it significantly toned down its focus on music in favor of original reality programming for teenagers and young adults.
Since the late 2010s, MTV has devoted its programming schedule to select programs, primarily Ridiculousness, which in June 2020 aired "for 113 hours out of the network's entire 168-hour lineup".
MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the United States and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have since gone independent. Approximately 90.6 million households in the US received MTV as of January 2017.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book published or set in the 1980s.
🎸2. Read a book where a character visits or lives in New York City.
🎸3. Read a book with sisters included.
🎸4. Read a book with a 1, 6, and 8 in the publication date.
I'm posting this early, but remember that your first book can't be completed until on or after March 1st. 👍🏻
🎸1. Read a book published or set in the 1980s.The Lover (1984) - Marguerite Duras
🎸2. Read a book where a character visits or lives in New York City.
📺 My Wonderful World Of Slapstick (1960) - Buster Keaton By the time he was 21, his father's alcoholism threatened the reputation of the family act, so Keaton and his mother, Myra, left for New York, where Keaton's career quickly moved from vaudeville to film. 9/3/24 5★
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History: Background
In the 1970s, music television focused on live performances, with shows such as The Midnight Special, In Concert, and The Old Grey Whistle Test. Numerous major musical acts had made music videos to accompany their songs, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Queen, but the concept and format had not been widely established.
In 1979, executives at the newly formed Warner-American Express Satellite Entertainment Company felt teenagers were an overlooked and potentially lucrative audience, and hoped to develop a television format to target them. MTV's original format was created by the executive Robert W. Pittman, later the president and CEO of MTV Networks. He tested the format by producing and hosting a 15-minute show, Album Tracks, on New York City's WNBC-TV in the late 1970s. Pittman's boss, Warner executive vice president John Lack, had shepherded PopClips, a TV series created by the former Monkees member Michael Nesmith, whose attention had turned to the music video format in the late 1970s.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book published or set in the 1970s.
🎸2. Read a book with an MPG of YOUNG ADULT.
🎸3. Read a book where the author's first name starts with an R.
🎸4. Read a book you knew you'd like within the first 15 minutes of starting.
📺 Barefoot Gen, Volume One: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima (1973) - Keiji Nakazawa 9/3/24 5★Prompt Name: 🎸1. Read a book published or set in the 1970s.
Book: Barefoot Gen, Volume One: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima
Author: Keiji Nakazawa
Date Read: 9/3/24
Pages: 288
Task: 🎸1. Read a book published or set in the 1970s.
How it Fits: *points* ;)
PS I give up! What do you mean by 'MPG'? The only explanation i can find is Miles Per Gallon. Since books aren't moved by miles or Gallons (or Litres) I can only assume that isn't the answer I'm searching for :)Ta
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Main Page Genre refers to the list of genres on this "main page" shown to the right of the book, at the bottom of this screenshot. If you click See All at the end of the list, you will see all the tags for the book. That list is referred to as being Tagged, not MPG. Does that help at all?
sometimes gr is wrong! but yes i know that i just had no idea what it meant as I've been on goodreads many years and never heard of it before thanks.
Anyway my second MTV is done. Is that all?
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On Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, MTV was launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll", spoken by John Lack and played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia (which took place earlier that year) and the launch of Apollo 11. The words were followed by the original MTV theme song, a rock tune composed by Jonathan Elias and John Petersen, playing over the U.S. flag changed to show MTV's logo changing into different textures and designs. MTV producers Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert used this public domain footage as a concept; Seibert said that they had originally planned to use Neil Armstrong's "One small step" quote, but lawyers said that Armstrong owned his name and likeness and that he had refused, so the quote was replaced with a beeping sound. A shortened version of the shuttle launch ID ran at the top of every hour in different forms, from MTV's first day until it was pulled in early 1986 in the wake of the Challenger disaster.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book set at least partially in space.
🎸2. Read a book with a flag on the cover.
🎸3. Read a book with an MPG of HISTORICAL or HISTORICAL FICTION.
🎸4. Read a book published in August of any year.
📺 By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) - Agatha Christie 11/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Launch
Book: By the Pricking of My Thumbs
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: 11/3/24
Pages: 208
Task: 🎸4. Read a book published in August of any year.
How it Fits: This copy published August 1969
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The first music video on MTV, which at the time was only available to homes in New Jersey, was the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". It was followed by Pat Benatar's "You Better Run". Occasionally the screen went black when an employee at MTV inserted a tape into a VCR. MTV's lower third graphics near the beginnings and ends of videos eventually used the recognizable Kabel typeface for about 25 years; but they varied on MTV's first day, set in a different typeface, and including details such as the song's year and record label. MTV's on-air programming was originally produced from the Teletronics studio facility at West 33rd Street in Manhattan, New York; programming was uplinked to satellite from a facility in Hauppauge, New York that also served as the uplink for sister networks Nickelodeon and The Movie Channel (originally, then-owner Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment had planned to uplink MTV from a facility located at the studios of WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York, where Nickelodeon and The Movie Channel had been uplinked; said facility was planned to be expanded to handle MTV's needs, but the deal with WIVB fell apart when Warner-Amex was unable to reach a deal with channel 4's ownership concerning a long-term lease). MTV later moved studio facilities to Unitel Video's complex located on 57th Street (ironically located across the street from the CBS Broadcast Center, owned by future corporate sibling CBS) in 1987, remaining until 1995 when MTV chose to begin producing studio content in-house.
As programming chief, Robert W. Pittman recruited and managed a team of co-founders for the launch that included Tom Freston (who succeeded Pittman as CEO of MTV Networks), Fred Seibert and John Sykes. They were joined by Carolyn Baker (original head of talent and acquisition), Marshall Cohen (original head of research), Gail Sparrow (of talent and acquisition), Sue Steinberg (executive producer), Julian Goldberg, Steve Lawrence, Geoff Bolton; studio producers and MTV News writers/associate producers Liz Nealon, Nancy LaPook and Robin Zorn; Steve Casey (creator of the name "MTV" and its first program director), Marcy Brafman, Richard Schenkman, Ronald E. "Buzz" Brindle, and Robert Morton. Kenneth M. Miller is credited as MTV's first technical director at its New York City-based network operations facility.
Within two months, record stores were selling music local radio stations were not playing, such as Men at Work, Bow Wow Wow and the Human League. MTV also sparked the Second British Invasion, featuring existing videos by British acts who had used the format for several years (for example, on BBC's Top of the Pops).
MTV targeted an audience of ages 12 to 34. However its self-conducted research showed that over 50% of its audience was 12–24, and that this group watched for an average of 30 minutes to two hours a day. As the PBS series Frontline explored, MTV was a driving force that catapulted music videos to a mainstream audience, turning music videos into an art form as well as a marketing machine that became beneficial to artists."
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book with an MPG of MUSIC.
🎸2. Read a book where the title is on the lower-third of the cover.
🎸3. Read a book written by a British author.
🎸4. Read a book that takes place within a two-month timeframe.
📺 Demons (1872) - Fyodor Dostoevsky 842pp Author 13/3/24 4★
Prompt Name: History: 1981 - 1992
Book: Demons (1872)
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Date Read: 13/3/24
Pages: 842
Task: 🎸2. Read a book where the title is on the lower-third of the cover.
How it Fits: Looky looky, I've got Hook-y!
I looked at other people's lists and I've read the next book as well! Do I put it here or wait til you come around? Thanks.
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MTV's earliest format was modeled after AOR (album-oriented rock) radio. It underwent a transition to emulate a full Top 40 station in 1984. Fresh-faced young people hosted its programming and introduced videos. Many VJs became celebrities in their own right. MTV's five original VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J. J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. Popular New York DJ Meg Griffin was going to be a VJ, but decided against it at the last minute. The VJs were hired to fit certain demographics the channel was trying to obtain: Goodman was the affable everyman; Hunter, the popular jock; Jackson, the hip radio veteran; Blackwood, the bombshell vixen; and Quinn, the girl next door. Due to uncertainty around the channel's success, the VJs were told not to buy permanent residences and to keep their second jobs.
The VJs recorded intro and outro voiceovers before broadcast, along with music news, interviews, concert dates and promotions. These segments appeared to air live and debut on MTV 24/7, but they were pre-taped within a regular work week at MTV's studios.
Rock bands and performers of the 1980s who appeared on MTV ranged from new wave to soft rock and heavy metal including Adam Ant, Bryan Adams, Pat Benatar, Blondie, the Cars, Culture Club, Def Leppard, Dire Straits (whose 1985 song and video "Money for Nothing" included the slogan "I want my MTV" in its lyrics), Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp, Mötley Crüe, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Police, Prince, Ratt, Ultravox, U2, Van Halen and ZZ Top.
In 1984, more record companies and artists began making clips, realizing the popularity of MTV and the growing medium. To accommodate the influx of videos, MTV announced changes to its playlists in the November 3, 1984, issue of Billboard that took effect the next week. Playlist rotation categories were expanded from three (Light, Medium, Heavy) to seven: New, Light, Breakout, Medium, Active, Heavy and Power. This ensured that artists with chart hits got the exposure they deserved, with Medium being a home for established hits still on the climb up to the top 10; and Heavy a home for the big hits – without the bells and whistles – just the exposure they commanded.
Flashdance (1983) was the first film whose promoters supplied MTV with musical clips to compose promotional videos, which the channel included in its regular rotation.
The channel also rotated the music videos of "Weird Al" Yankovic, who made a career out of parodying other artists' videos. It also aired several of Yankovic's specials in the 1980s and 1990s, under the title Al TV.
PSAs and promotion of charitable causes and NFPs were woven into the MTV fabric. In response to the AIDS epidemic, MTV initiated a safe-sex campaign in 1985, believing that many youths would be more open to the message there than from their parents. Its safe-sex campaign continues today as "It's Your Sex Life."
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book that has been made into a movie.
🎸2. Read a book where the MC is part of a charitable cause.
🎸3. Read a book with up to 5 people on the cover.
🎸4. Read a book where the title could be considered a parody.
📺 The Big Four (1927) - Agatha Christie 272pp 14/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Original VJs & Format
Book: The Big Four
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: 14/3/24
Pages: 272
Task: 🎸1. Read a book that has been made into a movie.
How it Fits: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Big Four (TV) (2013)
Roll up Roll up for the next prompt!❤️❤️❤️
By the way, I'm away for the weekend to Poland. Not sure if i will have reading time until I return. Thank you!
But I still have plenty of time today!
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1986 brought the departures of three of the five original VJs, as J. J. Jackson moved back to Los Angeles and returned to radio, while Nina Blackwood moved on to pursue new roles in television. Martha Quinn's contract was not renewed in late 1986 and she departed the network. She was brought back in early 1989 and stayed until 1992. Downtown Julie Brown was hired as the first new VJ as a replacement. In mid-1987, Alan Hunter and Mark Goodman ceased being full-time MTV veejays.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book with a character who moves to a new line of work.
🎸2. Read a book with a character who moves to a new location.
🎸3. Read a book where the MC is known by a nickname, like Downtown.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC is known for a catchphrase, like "wubba, wubba, wubba."
📺 D for Daisy (2011) - Nick Aaron 211pp 15/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Some Early Changes
Book: D for Daisy
Author: Nick Aaron
Date Read: 15/3/24
Pages: 211
Task: 🎸1. Read a book with a character who moves to a new line of work.
How it Fits: Daisy becomes a physical therapist after the suspicious death of her bomber pilot husband in 1943.
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From 1995 to 2000, MTV played 36.5% fewer music videos. MTV president Van Toffler stated: "Clearly, the novelty of just showing music videos has worn off. It's required us to reinvent ourselves to a contemporary audience." The network launched MTV Radio Network in 1995 with Westwood One. Despite targeted efforts to play certain types of music videos in limited rotation, MTV greatly reduced its overall rotation of music videos by the mid-2000s. A 10pm programming block for top shows and specials was created and called the 10 Spot. Dana Fuchs was the promo voice actor and writer for ads promoting these shows.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book published or set from 1995 - 2000.
🎸2. Read a book with an MPG of CONTEMPORARY.
🎸3. Read a book from a series with 10 or more distinct works.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in DANA FUCHS.
📺 Four Puddings and a Funeral (2017) - H.Y. Hanna 340pp 17/3/24 5★Prompt Name: History: 1995 - 2002 ~ Shift from Music
Book: Four Puddings and a Funeral (2017)
Author: H.Y. Hanna
Date Read: 17/3/24
Pages: 340
Task: 🎸3. Read a book from a series with 10 or more distinct works.
How it Fits: Book 6 of 12 in The Oxford Tearoom Mysteries
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MTV would venture into adult animation, with shows like Beavis and Butt-Head, Celebrity Deathmatch, Undergrads, Clone High, and Daria each becoming cult classics. Daria also included two full-length television films: Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?, which originally aired on MTV in 2000 and 2002, respectively. The 1996 Beavis and Butt-Head film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America aired on MTV in 1999 after previous objections from show creator Mike Judge. MTV also spawned the paranormal reality TV genre with the broadcast of MTV's Fear in 2000.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book tagged ADULT or HORROR.
🎸2. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in DARIA.
🎸3. Read a book that has been adapted into a television series.
🎸4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in MIKE JUDGE.
📺 The Tattooer (1910) - Jun'ichirō Tanizaki 116pp 4★
Prompt Name: History: Adult Animation
Book: The Tattooer (1910)
Author: Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Date Read: 18/3/24
Pages: 116
Task: 🎸1. Read a book tagged ADULT or HORROR
How it Fits: Horror
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Beginning in late 1997, MTV progressively reduced its airing of rock music videos, leading to the slogan among skeptics, "Rock is dead." Two years later, in the fall of 1999, MTV announced a special Return of the Rock weekend, in which new rock acts received airtime, after which a compilation album was released.
By 2000, Linkin Park, Sum 41, Jimmy Eat World, Mudvayne, Cold, At the Drive-In, Alien Ant Farm, and other acts were added to the musical rotation. MTV also launched the subscription channel MTVX to play rock music videos exclusively.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book where a character is skeptical about something.
🎸2. Read a book that takes places at least partially in the fall.
🎸3. Read a book with the words OF THE in the title.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC plays music of any kind.
📺 My Man Jeeves (1919) - P.G. Wodehouse 256pp 20/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Return of the Rock
Book: My Man Jeeves (1919)
Author: P.G. Wodehouse
Date Read: 20/3/24
Pages: 256
Task: 🎸1. Read a book where a character is skeptical about something
How it Fits: “No offence, simply business. I’m not saying anything, mind you, but there’s one thing that seems kind of funny to me. This gentleman here says his name’s Mr. Bickersteth, as I understand it. Well, if you’re the Duke of Chiswick, why isn’t he Lord Percy Something? I’ve read English novels, and I know all about it.”
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In 1997, MTV introduced its new studios in Times Square. MTV created four shows in the late 1990s that centered on music videos: MTV Live, Total Request, Say What?, and 12 Angry Viewers. A year later, in 1998, MTV merged Total Request and MTV Live into a live daily top 10 countdown show, Total Request Live, which became known as TRL. The original host was Carson Daly. The show included a live studio audience and was filmed in a windowed studio that allowed crowds to look in. According to Nielsen, the average audience for the show was at its highest in 1999 and continued with strong numbers through 2001. The program played the top ten pop, rock, R&B, and hip hop music videos, and featured live interviews with artists and celebrities. In 2003, Carson Daly left MTV and TRL to focus on his late night talk show on NBC. The series came to an end with a special finale episode, Total Finale Live, which aired November 16, 2008, and featured hosts and guests that previously appeared on the show
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book that would make it into your Top 10 reads.
🎸2. Read a book with something square on the cover.
🎸3. Read a book with at least 2 numbers from 2008 in the publication date.
🎸4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in CARSON DALY.
📺 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) - Roald Dahl 162pp 22/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Total Request Live
Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
Author: Roald Dahl
Date Read: 22/3/24
Pages: 162
Task: 🎸1. Read a book that would make it into your Top 10 reads.
How it Fits: Self-explanatory.
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From 1998 to 2003, MTV also aired several other music video programs from its studios. These programs included Say What? Karaoke, a game show hosted by Dave Holmes. In the early 2000s MTV aired VJ for a Day, hosted by Ray Munns. MTV also aired Hot Zone, hosted by Ananda Lewis, which featured pop music videos during the midday time period. Other programs at the time included Sucker Free, and BeatSuite.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book where a character sings.
🎸2. Read a book with a question mark in the title.
🎸3. Read a book set in a hot climate.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC has a job you would like to take over for a day.
📺 Stories of California (1902) - Ella May Sexton 282pp 23/3/24 4★
Prompt Name: History: Other Programs
Book: Stories of California (1902)
Author: Ella May Sexton
Date Read: 23/3/24
Pages: 282pp
Task: 🎸3. Read a book set in a hot climate.
How it Fits: Well, they're out there a-havin' fun
In that warm California sun
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Around 1999 through 2001, as MTV aired fewer music videos throughout the day, it regularly aired compilation specials from its then 20-year history to look back on its roots. An all-encompassing special, MTV Uncensored, premiered in 1999 and was later released as a book.
Janet Jackson became the inaugural honoree of the "MTV Icon" award, "an annual recognition of artists who have made significant contributions to music, music video and pop culture while tremendously impacting the MTV generation." Subsequent recipients included Aerosmith, Metallica, and the Cure.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book that covers more than 20 years in its timeline.
🎸2. Read a book where the MC's first AND last initials are the same.
🎸3. Read a book that has won a major award.
🎸4. Read a book where the author has made significant contributions as a writer.
📺 The Nightingale's Castle (2024) - Sonia Velton 24/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Milestones & Specials
Book: The Nightingale's Castle (2024)
Author: Sonia Velton
Date Read: 24/3/24
Pages: 352
Task: 🎸1. Read a book that covers more than 20 years in its timeline.
How it Fits: Takes place in the years 1573-1610
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Over the next decade, MTV would engage in channel drift, gradually expanding its programming outside of music videos with programming lightly or heavily related to music. MTV became known for its reality programming, some of which followed the lives of musicians; The Osbournes, a reality show based on the everyday life of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and his family premiered in 2002 and would become one of the network's premiere shows. It also kick-started a musical career for Kelly Osbourne, while Sharon Osbourne went on to host her own self-titled talk show on US television. Production ended on The Osbournes in November 2004.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book with a predominately black cover. {Your discretion.}
🎸2. Read a book that was published over a decade ago.
🎸3. Read a book with a Z in the title.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC has a wife and a daughter.
📺The Other Typist (2013) - Suzanne Rindell 384pp 24/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: 2002 - 2010 ~ Reality Television
Book: The Other Typist (2013)
Author: Suzanne Rindell
Date Read: 24/3/24
Pages: 384
Task: 🎸1. Read a book with a predominately black cover.
How it Fits:
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While music videos were featured on MTV up to eight hours per day in 2000, the year 2008 saw an average of just three hours of music videos per day on MTV. It's been speculated that the rise of social media and websites like YouTube as an outlet for the promotion and viewing of music videos led to this reduction. During this time, MTV hired Nancy Bennett as Senior VP of creative and content development for MTV Networks Music. As the decade progressed, MTV video blocks would be relegated to the early morning hours. During his acceptance speech at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Justin Timberlake implored MTV to "play more damn videos!" in response to these changes.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book where a social media outlet is mentioned.
🎸2. Read a book where a major character uses a curse word.
🎸3. Read a book with a male MC.
🎸4. Read a book where the audiobook version is between 3 - 8 hours in length. You do NOT have to listen to the audiobook.
📺 Blind Not Broken: Your Guide to Turning Loss and Grief into Happiness (2024) - Lucy Edwards 240pp 25/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Big Changes
Book: Blind Not Broken: Your Guide to Turning Loss and Grief into Happiness (2024)
Author: Lucy Edwards
Date Read: 25/3/24
Pages: 240
Task: 🎸1. Read a book where a social media outlet is mentioned.
How it Fits: Lucy is a journalist with all the accompanying social media pages, and mentions TikTok in the book.
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MTV first premiered a new music video programming block called FNMTV, and a weekly special event called FNMTV Premieres, hosted from Los Angeles by Pete Wentz of the band Fall Out Boy, which was designed to premiere new music videos and have viewers provide instantaneous feedback.
AMTV, an early morning block, debuted in 2009. The block would rebrand as Music Feed in 2013 with a reduced schedule and, unlike FNMTV, featured many full-length music videos, news updates, interviews, and performances.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book you loved so much you would give instantaneous feedback for.
🎸2. Read a book where the cover has undergone rebranding over time.
🎸3. Read a book with a title written in yellow or gold.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in PETE WENTZ.
📺 The Teacher's Secret (2024) - Lauren North 342pp 26/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: AMTV & More
Book: The Teacher's Secret
Author: Lauren North
Date Read: 26/3/24
Pages: 342
Task: 🎸1. Read a book you loved so much you would give instantaneous feedback for.
How it Fits: Brill little thriller
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MTV would continue to air music programming over the next decade, with the return of MTV Unplugged in 2009, the debut of 10 on Top in May 2010, and Hip Hop POV on April 12, 2012.
MTV Unplugged is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Since 2009, MTV Unplugged specials have aired occasionally, sometimes online only. Episodes and specials have tended to showcase one artist or group, playing a combination of their hit songs and covers.
Many of the artists who appeared on the show in the 1990s released their Unplugged session as an album, and some of these albums were commercial and critical hits. Eric Clapton's Unplugged (1992) sold 26 million copies worldwide and became the best-selling live album of all time. Other Unplugged albums that went platinum include Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged (1992), Rod Stewart's Unplugged...and Seated (1993), 10,000 Maniacs' MTV Unplugged (1993), Tony Bennett's MTV Unplugged (1994), Page and Plant's No Quarter (1994), Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York (1994), Alice in Chains's Unplugged (1996), Shakira's MTV Unplugged (1999), Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2001), Alicia Keys' Unplugged (2005) and Ricky Martin's MTV Unplugged (2006). Some of these albums produced successful singles as well, including Mariah Carey's No. 1 hit cover of "I'll Be There".
The show received the George Foster Peabody Award and three Primetime Emmy nominations, in its original form.
A limited-run reboot of MTV Unplugged came in 2009, featuring six acts, which won the Emmy Award for Best New Approach.
As of 2021, several episodes are available to watch on Paramount+.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in UNPLUGGED.
🎸2. Read a book which has won at least 3 awards.
🎸3. Read a book you've been wanting to read since it was published in 2021.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is C.
Parsha in Pink - Weekly inspiration from the Parsha to ignite the lives and Hearts of Women Today (2016) - Rebbetzin Mindy Bodner-Lankry 256pp 28/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: MTV Unplugged
Book: Parsha in Pink - Weekly inspiration from the Parsha to ignite the lives and Hearts of Women Today
Author: Rebbetzin Mindy Bodner-Lankry
Date Read: 28/3/24
Pages: 256
Task: 🎸1. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in UNPLUGGED
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2009 saw the debut of Jersey Shore, which became a ratings success throughout its run and spawned the "MTV Shores" franchise, but would attract various controversies. With backlash towards what some consider too much superficial content on the network, a 2009 New York Times article also revealed plans to shift MTV's focus towards more socially conscious media, which the article labels "MTV for the Obama era."
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book with a socially conscience major character.
🎸2. Read a book where a president, living or dead, is mentioned.
🎸3. Read a book which has been written about in the New York Times.
🎸4. Read a book with a place-name in the title.
📺 Miles Off Course (2012) - Sulari Gentill 382pp 31/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Socially Conscience
Book: Miles Off Course (2012)
Author: Sulari Gentill
Date Read: 31/3/24
Pages: 382
Task: 🎸1. Read a book with a socially conscience major character.
How it Fits: Despite his wealth and status, Rowland Sinclair is a very socially conscious gentleman.
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Shortly after Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, MTV aired several hours of Jackson's music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities. The temporary shift in MTV's programming culminated the following week with the channel's live coverage of Jackson's memorial service. MTV aired similar one-hour live specials with music videos and news updates following the death of Whitney Houston on February 11, 2012, and the death of Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys on May 4, 2012.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book published in February, May, or June of any year.
🎸2. Read a book where the author's FIRST initial is found in MICHAEL.
🎸3. Read a book with a female MC whose FIRST initial is found in WHITNEY.
🎸4. Read a book with a male MC whose FIRST initial is found in ADAM.
📺 The World According to Itzik: Selected Poetry and Prose (1939) - Itzik Manger 256pp 31/3/24 5★
Prompt Name: History: Memorials
Book: The World According to Itzik: Selected Poetry and Prose (1939)
Author: Itzik Manger
Date Read: 31/3/24
Pages: 256
Task: 🎸2. Read a book where the author's FIRST initial is found in MICHAEL.
How it Fits:
Itzik Manger
Mod
In February 2010, MTV would drop the "Music Television" branding. The network would still air video premieres on occasion, through both television and real-time interaction with artists and celebrities on its website. Throughout the decade, music programming on the network would be scaled back.
In April 2016, then-appointed MTV president Sean Atkins announced plans to restore music programming to the channel. On April 21, 2016, MTV announced that new Unplugged episodes will begin airing, as well as a new weekly performance series called Wonderland. In July 2017, it was announced that TRL would be returning to the network on October 2, 2017.
Throughout the latter half of the 2010s, it was observed that MTV's daily schedule came to predominantly consist of film broadcasts and frequent marathons of select original programming, similar to other cable networks. In 2020, Reality Blurred criticized the network for its over-reliance on Ridiculousness marathons.
Alongside its unscripted slate, MTV would produce more scripted programming. Such shows included Awkward, an American version of Skins, and a reimagining of Teen Wolf. In June 2012, the network announced the development of a television series based on the Scream franchise. As MTV would pivot back to unscripted programming towards the end of the decade, some of these shows would be moved to other networks.
Chris McCarthy was named president of MTV in 2016. In 2021, McCarthy was named president and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group (which also oversees Comedy Central, Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT, and Smithsonian Channel).
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book with a ridiculous plot.
🎸2. Read a book that is a RETELLING of a Fairy Tale.
🎸3. Read a book where the author has at least three Cs in their name.
🎸4. Read a book where a museum is visited.
📺 April in Paris: A Novel (2021) - John J. Healey 264pp 6/4/24 4★
Prompt Name: History: 2010 - Present ~ Retirement from Music Videos
Book: April in Paris: A Novel (2021)
Author: John J. Healey
Date Read: 6/4/24
Pages: 264
Task: 🎸4. Read a book where a museum is visited.
How it Fits: “In the late afternoon I went to the Reina Sofia Museum to contemplate Picasso’s Guernica.”
Mod
MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and Vice, but by mid-2017 MTV News was significantly downsized due to cutbacks.
MTV News content was available from respective MTV websites, Apps, YouTube and on-air.
In November 2018, MTV News began producing daily updates on Twitter titled MTV News: You Need to Know. Later titled MTV News Need to Know, the show has evolved to a digital series that covers trending topics from pop culture to social justice issues to electoral politics and beyond.
MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week in Rock, hosted by long time Rolling Stone writer/music critic Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent. Since 1990, the opening riff to Megadeth's "Peace Sells" has been the main opening theme for The Week in Rock.
Throughout the 2000s, MTV News began publishing digital editorial content via their website, Twitter feed, YouTube channel and Facebook page, offering information about MTV programming and music/pop-culture news aggregation. In November 2015, MTV introduced a new direction for its news department and hired Dan Fierman, former editorial director of Grantland, as MTV's editorial director and announced it would produce long-form journalism, think pieces and diversify its staff. However, in June 2017, MTV decided to restructure its news division with a greater focus on video, laying off much of their editorial staff. Later years saw a dramatic decrease in content produced by the outlet for its website or other avenues.
The division faced downsizing in the 2000s and 2010s, and was shut down in May 2023.
Complete ONE of the following:
🎸1. Read a book where a major character is a writer of some type.
🎸2. Read a book set in the United States.
🎸3. Read a book published after May 2023.
🎸4. Read a book where the MC is laid off from their job.
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I Want My MTV
Individual, 6-Month Challenge
Tune in on March 1st
If you sang, "I want my MTV," like Sting did in the opening line of the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing way back in 1985, then this is the challenge for you, my friend! And if you just know of MTV because you love reality shows, well, this is still the challenge for you! We'll look at the history of one of the greatest inventions of the 80s - including the songs, the videos, the VJs, and parties, the changes, the controversies - all things MTV.
This is an individual, 6-month challenge where you'll move through the prompts at your own pace. You will make your Completion Posts right here IN YOUR OWN THREAD.
Please use this format:
Prompt Name:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Pages:
Task:
How it Fits:
Get ready for that shuttle to launch and to hear, "ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!"
If you have any questions, please post them in the Video Request Line: Q&A Thread.
Challenge Rules:
🎸 Standard Rules Apply
🎸I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
🎸Your first prompt will be posted on March 1, 2024.
🎸Books must be completed after the prompt has been posted.