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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MTV Divides Gen X Fans With Unexpected Announcement
MTV Divides Gen X Fans With Unexpected Announcement originally appeared on Parade. It's been a common refrain among Gen Xers (and elder Millennials) for years: "Remember when MTV used to play actual music?" Now it seems the iconic network is finally listening to the complaints of their earliest audiences — but not everybody is convinced. In a press release this week, it was announced that MTV will air a week of 24/7 music videos across MTV2, MTV Live and MTV Classic leading up to the 2025 Music Video Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7. According to the release, the selections will include "both classic and current" videos "in a revival of the brand's early DNA reimagined for today's audiences," curated by "past VMA winners and legendary MTV personalities." In the comments on an Instagram post sharing the news, some fans seemed thrilled to hear about the planned programming switch, while others remained skeptical. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kolten Lindsey (@ "MTV will make the greatest comeback if they went back to music videos," one person declared. "This should be ALL THE TIME," agreed a second commenter, adding, "The 90s were lit with music videos!!! That's how it should be! 'Music television' 🤦🏾♀️" "Or here's an idea…they could just do it permanently to get all that viewership back," somebody quipped, with another fan rejoicing, "Gen X is here for our first babysitter 😂" "But is it 80s and 90s? Because if it's current music, no gracias," declared a nostalgia-hungry music lover, as others offered their suggestions. "'Video Killed the Radio Star' should be the first again," one fan pointed out, referring to the first-ever music video played by MTV in 1981 (for a song by The Buggles). "Take On Me by A-ha ❤️," added another commenter, with still more people name-checking such classic MTV staples as "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, "Touch of Grey" by the Grateful Dead and "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, among others. Whether or not MTV's throwback experiment will be a hit with viewers remains to be seen, but hopes are high for this year's VMAs, which will see the return of producer and CEO of digital media company Gunpowder & Sky (linked to such iconic VMAs moments as Beyoncé's pregnancy reveal and the Madonna-Britney Spears-Christina Aguilera kiss). "We're not just producing a show. We're launching a celebration of music that spans one week, every screen and every generation," Gunpowder & Sky CEO Van Toffler said in the press release. The VMAs are scheduled to air live on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on both CBS and MTV, and will be available to stream on Paramount+.MTV Divides Gen X Fans With Unexpected Announcement first appeared on Parade on Jun 27, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Feeling nostalgic? 24/7 music videos return to MTV ahead of the 2025 VMAs
MTV is bringing back a taste of nostalgia and iconic jams to our television screens. Ahead of the 2025 Video Music Awards in September, the network plans to air "classic and current" music videos 24/7 for a week on the channels MTV 2, MTV Live and MTV Classic, according to a press release. The special, described as "a revival of the brand's early DNA for today's audiences," will also feature MTV personalities and previous VMA winners who will highlight their favorite music videos. MTV changed the game with its launch in 1981, playing music around the clock and breaking new stars. It shifted the artists' focus from solely radio to also their visual image. The boy is (still) theirs: Brandy and Monica reunite for The Boy is Mine Tour When are the 2025 Video Music Awards? The VMAs are scheduled to air live on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET from UBS Arena in New York. The award show will be broadcast on both CBS and MTV as well as be available to stream on Paramount+, the press release stated. The nominees and performers have yet to be announced. This year's VMAs will mark the return of producer and CEO of digital media company Gunpowder & Sky, who has been tied to epic moments, such as Beyoncé's 2011 mic-dropping performance when she revealed she was pregnant. "We're not just producing a show. We're launching a celebration of music that spans one week, every screen and every generation," Gunpowder & Sky CEO Van Toffler said in the press release. "Music has always been the heartbeat of the VMAs, but the show's soul comes from its willingness to break rules, embrace unpredictability and reflect the times." Contributing: Jim Lenahan, USA TODAY. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@ We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
MTV veteran Van Toffler returns to produce VMAs for Paramount
Who says you can't go home again? MTV's influential architect, Van Toffler, is returning to Paramount Global in a multi-year deal to help produce the Video Music Awards, which has long been a signature pop-culture event for the network and music industry. Paramount said Tuesday that it had struck a multi-year arrangement with Toffler, through his Gunpowder & Sky content studio, to 'supercharge' the VMA's 'into a week-long, multiplatform celebration of music and music videos.' The show is set for Sept. 7 at the UBS Arena on Long Island in New York. During his 28 years at the company, then known as Viacom, Toffler built MTV into a ratings and youth culture juggernaut, overseeing such touchstones as 'The Osbournes,' 'Beavis and Butthead,' 'Jackass,' 'Unplugged,' and the VMA's. Toffler exited a decade ago to launch Gunpowder & Sky, which has produced documentaries about Sheryl Crow, Lil Peep and others. It also has experimented with podcasts, digital series and augmented reality. The reunion comes as Paramount struggles to retain the cachet of some of its biggest franchises, including the VMA's, as the cable television landscape shrinks because of the shift to streaming. This year marks the first time the MTV stalwart will be simulcast on Paramount's broadcast network CBS in a bid to expand the audience and give CBS more live programming to help kick off the fall television season. The show also will stream on Paramount+. 'The VMAs have always been where music and spectacle collide, and no one embodies that spirit more than Van Toffler,' Paramount co-CEOs Chris McCarthy and George Cheeks said in a joint statement. 'Bringing Van back to the VMAs, along with Gunpowder & Sky, is about reigniting the rebellious soul of the show with a week-long music immersion and delivering global moments that are impossible to ignore.' MTV plans a week of music videos to try to resurrect the magic of the era when 20-somethings turned to MTV for music and entertainment. The approach will be tailored for today's audiences with current videos. Past VMA winners and former MTV personalities will return to curate their favorite videos. 'We're launching a celebration of music that spans one week, every screen and every generation,' Toffler said. He will produce the show in conjunction with the firm, Den of Thieves. This year's show comes as Paramount is in the process of being sold to David Ellison's Skydance Media. For that $8 billion deal, approved last July, to move forward, Paramount needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Paramount needs the FCC to approve the transfer of CBS' station licenses to the Ellison family. But the deal hit a snag over amid negotiations to settle President Trump's $20-billion lawsuit over '60 Minutes' edits to a Kamala Harris interview last fall. The delay in the deal's approval has cast a shadow over Paramount, complicating business decisions, including nabbing the streaming rights to Comedy Central's long-running cartoon, 'South Park.'
UPI
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Prosecutors rest case in Sean 'Diddy' Combs criminal trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs (pictured in 2023 at MTV's VMA in Newark, N.J.) was arrested and jailed in September 2024. He has vehemently denied his five criminal charges. File Photo by Jason Szenes/UPI | License Photo June 24 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors rested their case Tuesday against disgraced hip-hop titan Sean "Diddy" Combs after 29 days of testimony by dozens of witnesses from escorts to alleged victims and scores of others. The federal government wrapped up weeks of testimony with the defense ending its cross-examination of a special agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations as prosectors rested their case against Combs at about 1:30 p.m. EDT at a Manhattan courthouse. Combs, arrested and jailed in September 2024, has vehemently denied his five criminal charges, which include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. The New York jurors saw a string of 34 witnesses ranging from names in entertainment, former assistants, law enforcement, paid escorts and alleged victims of Combs. Among the more prominent witness sittings against Combs were rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, along with Diddy's ex-girlfriends singer Cassie Ventura and "Jane," who detailed accusations of being coerced against her will into sex with escorts during Combs' so-called "freak offs." The pseudonymed "Jane" stated in witness testimony the first week in June that Combs would dictate what he wanted her to do during the "freak offs," which included sexual activity. Jane, who began her relationship with Combs in 2021, went on to say Combs would not permit condoms on the men she was forced into sex with, that she and Combs would immediately have sex afterward but that he wouldn't let her clean up afterward. Meanwhile, Diddy's defense team was poised to offer a brief rebuttal on Tuesday with no witnesses. The trial's closing arguments are set for Thursday with the possibility of a continuance into Friday.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Looking for opportunities in Agentic AI, says startup investor Ganesh K
Nagpur: Ganesh K, the investor who promoted ventures like Bigbasket, Portea Medical, and HomeLane, is now looking for opportunities in Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based business models. "The new tech has the ability to disrupt even the disruptors. Generative AI is the basic technology as Agentic AI goes much ahead. In this the prompts can be brief and just objective-based, and AI does the rest," Ganesh told TOI. Ganesh was in the city to attend a meeting organised by the Vidarbha Management Association (VMA). He also held an interactive meeting with start-up promoters in the city and met other businessmen too. Giving example of how Agentic AI works, Ganesh said if a businessman wants to buy tickets for the US, today he may assign his secretary to go ahead with the booking on the given dates using travel platform. "The same can be done through Agentic AI, which would operate in different layers. The 'AI agents' would do the various specific searches and throw up the results. It shows everything, from cheapest rates to the flights at preferred timings, and even hotels of choice. This can also do away with the need for a travel booking platforms as the AI can directly access the airlines' or hotels systems and come up with the best fares. Even the need of human resources may go down," he said. Ganesh said tier-2 centres like Nagpur are emerging as the next growth centre for AI tech. "One of the biggest advantages is that there is less competition among companies to hire talent. In contrast, in the IT hubs of the country, multiple companies are chasing the same talent pool. Moreover, the smaller towns have more space for adopting technology as against the bigger cities," he said. Amitabh Khanna, president of the Vidarbha Software Exporters Association, also interacted with Ganesh. "Visits by such entrepreneurs help boost entrepreneurship in the region," said Khanna. Earlier, speaking at the VMA event, Ganesh explained how disruption has impacted the automobile industry. Battery-operated electric cars are challenging the traditional combustion engine. "It's no longer about fuel efficiency alone; cars today sell on the basis of features, technology and aspiration," he said. He stressed disruption does not necessarily need to stem from originality. "Adopting and modifying existing viable ideas to suit evolving market needs is often more effective," he said.
