Yesterday marked the end of an ear-piercing, tween-infused era, thanks to the final episode of TRL airing last night — and it was live, which is more than we can say about it over the past couple of years. Has-been Carson Daly hosted the finale, which is fitting because the years he ran the show were the Glory Days for not only Carson but TRL itself. After many years of pimping out boy bands and Britneys, the show took a turn for the worst, no longer filming live, losing host after host, offering a haven for sad tweens who eat their hair — and making life miserable for Mollygood editors who braved the masses for their favorite singers.
Well, it didn't take long after Michael Hirschorn left his position as Executive Vice President of Original Programming (whew!) at VH1 before the Viacom station decided to sack all the good ideas the exec had to make the station money. Starting with I Love the 80's and all of its eventual, sadder spin-offs, and culminating with Best Week Ever, Hirschorn pioneered the whole genre of ADD entertainment where talking heads commented on celebrity pop culture.
But now that Hirschorn is gone and the celeb train has moved on to schadenfreude (it's all cyclical you see, from Jerry Springer you get people snarkily commenting on Jerry Springer, and then you get Celebrity Rehab), VH1 is scrapping the original format of Best Week Ever for a revamp with a single-serve host, Paul F. Tompkins who will run a show that will "have a less mean-spirited take."
So…it's a completely different show?
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Granted, The Soup is hilarious and irreverent and really good. That said, does anyone else worry that tons of great comedic parts are slipping through Joel McHale’s fingers while he toils away on the same network that’s hired Dina Lohan to run her ridiculous mouth?
E!'s zany Saturday afternoon staple, The Soup, hosted by the funny 'cuz he's not Joel McHale, is taking this side dish to the next level.
For those of you who just feel like blogs require too much reading, this new "online channel" based on The Soup's popular Cybersmack segment, will now be offered online in all its quickie glory. Pairing with YouTube, the "goofy amateur videos satirizing pop culture" hit the Internet yesterday, through E!'s broadband video platform, The Vine @E! Online.
The best part? E! actually wants to give you money.
To promote Cybersmack, E! has partnered with the increasingly popular user-submitted video site YouTube.com to launch consumer sweepstakes inviting fans to submit potential clips for the channel, with the winner receiving $25,000. As part of the deal, YouTube will both feature Cybersmack clips on its home page as well as drive users to The Vine platform.
25,000 smackers? We bet Joel is entering his submission right now.
E!'s The Soup Extends to Web [Mike Shields, Mediaweek]
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