Video On Trial
Encyclopedia
Video on Trial is a Canadian
comedy
television program
that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic
. The show consists of a panel of musician
s, comedian
s, and entertainment
columnist
s critiquing five different music video
s in a courtroom
-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun at and questioning each artist's behaviour in each video. Artists' personal lives and off-set behaviour are usually mocked by the critics in relation to the music video. They are shown in separate clips to use their opinions.
Since its debut on August 15, 2005 the show has broadcast a total of 183 episodes, and the seventh season of the show
started airing on September 19, 2011. In October 2011, the show debuted on American television, airing on television network Fuse TV
.
, the jurors receive copies of the videos for the episode, and are given a period of time to write jokes and prepare for the shooting of the episode.
On her MySpace
blog, juror Sabrina Jalees
described the size of the room where the show is in as "the size of a large coffin", and that a laptop with a DVD of the videos is placed in front of the juror as a guide. The five "jurors" usually shoot their scenes separately. However, the show gives the impression that all five jurors shoot the scenes together, with jurors often shown engaging in interactive behavior with each other.
Videos are critiqued, or "tried" separately and consecutively by "case number". A short intermission separates the trials of each video; the show cuts to a commercial break after two videos' trials have been aired.
Each video is critiqued for around 3–4 minutes. Most of the videos featured on the show are generally given bad reviews, though this is to add to the comedic nature of the show. A video's trial ends with selected jurors from the episode giving his/her own verdict to the video's artist, though verdicts are occasionally given to a selected element of a video, such as a person featured in the video.
In the format used at the start of the show's run, the jurors' occupations were given, though sometimes fictional. Graphics for this format included CRT
televisions and film reels. This format also included opening voiceovers (written by Tim McAuliffe and Ron Sparks, these explained what the video was "accused for", and information for "the jury" to know) and "final verdicts" given to the artists of each video, of relating to them in real-life or their behavior in the video. The 18th episode of the show's third season
was the final episode to utilize this format.
The 19th episode of the third season introduced a new format for the show, giving its graphics a more modern look; for example, at the start of each episode, videos were introduced on flat-screen televisions instead of CRT televisions. This format was followed until the 21st episode of the show's fifth season
.
With a re-run of the fifth season's 21st episode, the show once again altered its format. Graphics were once again modernized, to give them a more futuristic feel. With the introduction of this format, the verdicts and opening voiceovers previously given to each video were discontinued. It is this format that is currently being followed.
, music videos set on beach
es, songs by Canadian musicians
, and Christmas music
("Holiday Crap"). For example, there have been a series of "Totally '80s" and "So '90s" episodes where songs from those decades are featured.
The first Video on Trial special was a MuchMusic "Holiday Wrap" courtroom episode called Stars on Trial
, which starred Sparks as "The Judge" and McAuliffe as "Rusty the Bailiff." Six regular jurors sat together as a jury and artists were put on trial in general, not for particular songs as is normally done on the regular VOT show.
In a similar manner to Fromage
, a previous holiday special on the network, a special one-hour long episode aired during December 2008 as part of MuchMusic's "Holiday Wrap" year-end programming, counting down the top 20 "worst" videos of 2008. The special returned for a 2009 and 2010 edition in December of each year.
, Sabrina Jalees
, Eddie Della Siepe
, Jemeni, Boomer Phillips
, Laurie Elliott
, Ron Sparks, Dini Dimakos
, Sara Hennessey, Andrew Johnston, Debra DiGiovanni
, and Trevor Boris
; the latter two have been jurors the most times on the show, both appearing in more than 50 episodes of the show.
In some occasions, celebrities in professions as diverse as music, sports, modeling, and acting have appeared on the show, such as "Weird Al" Yankovic
, Kardinal Offishall
, Jimmy Pop
and Jared Hasselhoff of the Bloodhound Gang
, Perez Hilton
, Chris Jericho
, Pauly Shore
, and Jesse Jane
. On one occasion, Josh Ramsay of Canadian rock band Marianas Trench
appeared as a juror for his own band's video for "Shake Tramp
".
, rock
, and electronic
, but generally videos that have been aired by Much Music.
Many artists have had multiple videos of theirs critiqued; for example, 14 different videos by American singer Madonna
were critiqued on the show; one of them was critiqued on 3 separate occasions. An entire episode was also dedicated to critiquing her music videos. Other artists critiqued multiple times include Lady Gaga
, Rihanna
, Justin Timberlake
, Britney Spears
, Gwen Stefani
, The Killers, Beyoncé, Pink
, Christina Aguilera
, My Chemical Romance
; and 50 Cent
, to the point that Trevor Boris
jokingly gave him a mock "Lifetime of Sucking Award."
, the show slowly rose to fame, eventually becoming one of the network's highest-rated shows. For the show's first six seasons (and for a few episodes of its seventh season), its broadcast on television was limited to Canada. However, in 2011, American music television Fuse TV
successfully obtained rights to air the show. Fuse started airing the show
Fuse started airing Video on Trial on October 20, 2011, marking the formal television debut of the show in the United States, as well as the debut of the show anywhere outside of its home country, Canada. The show's American debut started with episodes from the late fifth season
of the show.
page, claiming on his MySpace blog that "[he] gave those fuckers some GOLD!" and that "[they] cut it all out with "humourless editing".
On a Kelevision radio broadcast, guests Aaron Berg, Darren Frost
and Boomer Phillips
discussed the show and its shortcomings (the latter two had appeared as jurors on the show). Frost was especially upset about the show, particularly the small fees that comedian guests were paid; he has never appeared on the show again to date.
Juror Ron Sparks
once joked, while pointing to a green screen
behind him, "Can you say budget? We can't. We're actually contractually not allowed to bring it up."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
comedy
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
. The show consists of a panel of musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
s critiquing five different music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s in a courtroom
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun at and questioning each artist's behaviour in each video. Artists' personal lives and off-set behaviour are usually mocked by the critics in relation to the music video. They are shown in separate clips to use their opinions.
Since its debut on August 15, 2005 the show has broadcast a total of 183 episodes, and the seventh season of the show
Video on Trial (season 7)
The seventh season of the Canadian television comedy series Video on Trial premiered on MuchMusic on September 19, 2011.-Episodes:The show uses a courtroom-style format: each episode usually consists of five music videos being "tried" by five different people, usually comedians, musicians, and...
started airing on September 19, 2011. In October 2011, the show debuted on American television, airing on television network Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
.
Videos
The show's producers usually pick the videos featured on the show. However, they are still required to get clearance from the copyright holders of the video to get the video featured on the show. Only after clearance is given can the video be featured on the show. An episode usually features videos recent at the time of the episode's airing, with at least one of the five videos per episode still being in rotation. Some non-themed episodes feature older videos, though, mostly those from the early 2000s, and popular videos from 1997 to 1999 have been played on rare occasions.Writing and shooting
The jurors' jokes serve as the majority of the show's content. These jokes are written by themselves. According to an interview with series regular Trevor BorisTrevor Boris
Trevor Boris is an Canadian comedian and writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Television work:Boris is one of the stars of MuchMusic's Video on Trial, and is also a star of Stars Gone Wild...
, the jurors receive copies of the videos for the episode, and are given a period of time to write jokes and prepare for the shooting of the episode.
On her MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog, juror Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees is a female Canadian comedian, dancer, actor, host and writer from Toronto, Ontario, who writes a weekly column in the Toronto Stars ID section....
described the size of the room where the show is in as "the size of a large coffin", and that a laptop with a DVD of the videos is placed in front of the juror as a guide. The five "jurors" usually shoot their scenes separately. However, the show gives the impression that all five jurors shoot the scenes together, with jurors often shown engaging in interactive behavior with each other.
Format
The show's basic format involves a narrator starting the show by announcing its name, and introducing the five videos set to be "tried", referred to as "cases", as well as the jurors of the episode. Following this introductory sequence, the actual "trials" of the videos begin.Videos are critiqued, or "tried" separately and consecutively by "case number". A short intermission separates the trials of each video; the show cuts to a commercial break after two videos' trials have been aired.
Each video is critiqued for around 3–4 minutes. Most of the videos featured on the show are generally given bad reviews, though this is to add to the comedic nature of the show. A video's trial ends with selected jurors from the episode giving his/her own verdict to the video's artist, though verdicts are occasionally given to a selected element of a video, such as a person featured in the video.
History
Elements of the show were introduced, altered, and discontinued throughout its run.In the format used at the start of the show's run, the jurors' occupations were given, though sometimes fictional. Graphics for this format included CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
televisions and film reels. This format also included opening voiceovers (written by Tim McAuliffe and Ron Sparks, these explained what the video was "accused for", and information for "the jury" to know) and "final verdicts" given to the artists of each video, of relating to them in real-life or their behavior in the video. The 18th episode of the show's third season
Video on Trial (season 3)
The third season of the Canadian television comedy series Video on Trial premiered on MuchMusic on August 12, 2007 and concluded on August 11, 2008...
was the final episode to utilize this format.
The 19th episode of the third season introduced a new format for the show, giving its graphics a more modern look; for example, at the start of each episode, videos were introduced on flat-screen televisions instead of CRT televisions. This format was followed until the 21st episode of the show's fifth season
Video on Trial (season 5)
The fifth season of the Canadian television comedy series Video on Trial premiered on MuchMusic on September 28, 2009 and concluded on September 6, 2010...
.
With a re-run of the fifth season's 21st episode, the show once again altered its format. Graphics were once again modernized, to give them a more futuristic feel. With the introduction of this format, the verdicts and opening voiceovers previously given to each video were discontinued. It is this format that is currently being followed.
Special episodes
Special themed episodes have also been produced, usually focusing on a specific theme such as a particular decade, one-hit wonders, teen popTeen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
, music videos set on beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es, songs by Canadian musicians
Music of Canada
The music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
, and Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
("Holiday Crap"). For example, there have been a series of "Totally '80s" and "So '90s" episodes where songs from those decades are featured.
The first Video on Trial special was a MuchMusic "Holiday Wrap" courtroom episode called Stars on Trial
Stars On Trial
Stars on Trial is a MuchMusic television special based on the MuchMusic television program Video on Trial. It premiered in late December 2005, as part of the network's annual "Holiday Wrap." Stars on Trial uses basically the same concept as Video on Trial...
, which starred Sparks as "The Judge" and McAuliffe as "Rusty the Bailiff." Six regular jurors sat together as a jury and artists were put on trial in general, not for particular songs as is normally done on the regular VOT show.
In a similar manner to Fromage
Fromage
Fromage was an annual one-hour special produced by the Canadian MuchMusic cable channel. Originally hosted by songwriter Christopher Ward, beginning in the late 1980s , Fromage pays "tribute" to music videos that are considered the worst or cheesiest of the year by MuchMusic staff.- History :Since...
, a previous holiday special on the network, a special one-hour long episode aired during December 2008 as part of MuchMusic's "Holiday Wrap" year-end programming, counting down the top 20 "worst" videos of 2008. The special returned for a 2009 and 2010 edition in December of each year.
Jurors
The panel of jurors critiquing the videos are randomly selected for each episode; the panel regularly consists of Canadian stand-up comedians. Although some jurors make regular appearances, by contrast, some judges have made just one appearance. Examples of jurors who have made multiple appearances on the show include Marty AdamsMarty Adams
Marty Adams is a Canadian television and film actor/writer and comedian.He began a football program at McMaster University but injured his knee. His sister encouraged him to get involved in a comedy program at Humber College which got him his first major comedy gig in the Facebook of Revelations...
, Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees is a female Canadian comedian, dancer, actor, host and writer from Toronto, Ontario, who writes a weekly column in the Toronto Stars ID section....
, Eddie Della Siepe
Eddie Della Siepe
Edmondo "Eddie" Della Siepe is a Canadian-born stand-up comedian and actor. He frequently appears on MuchMusic's hit show Video on Trial, and Love Court.-Early life:...
, Jemeni, Boomer Phillips
Boomer Phillips
Boomer Phillips is a Canadian comedian/actor and television personality, who made regular appearances on Video on Trial as well as Stars Gone Wild on MuchMusic. He was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and currently lives in Toronto...
, Laurie Elliott
Laurie Elliott
Laurie Elliott is a Canadian stand-up comedian. She has appeared in The Red Green Show, and won a Canadian Comedy Award as Best Female Stand-up...
, Ron Sparks, Dini Dimakos
Dini Dimakos
Dini Dimakos is a Canadian stand-up comedian from Toronto, Ontario.-Early life:Dimakos was raised in the rural town of Shelburne, Ontario, an hour north of Toronto. Her family ran a restaurant in the nearby town of Primrose, Ontario. She began working at the restaurant as a seating hostess,...
, Sara Hennessey, Andrew Johnston, Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni is a Canadian stand-up comedian of Italian descent originally from Tillsonburg, Ontario.Her comedy career began with the help of Humber College's inaugural year of their Comedy Writing and Performance course, in 2000 and has since been nominated for the coveted Tim Sims Comedy...
, and Trevor Boris
Trevor Boris
Trevor Boris is an Canadian comedian and writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Television work:Boris is one of the stars of MuchMusic's Video on Trial, and is also a star of Stars Gone Wild...
; the latter two have been jurors the most times on the show, both appearing in more than 50 episodes of the show.
In some occasions, celebrities in professions as diverse as music, sports, modeling, and acting have appeared on the show, such as "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
, Jimmy Pop
Jimmy Pop
Jimmy Pop is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, main songwriter, and founding member of the band Bloodhound Gang.-Biography:After graduating from Perkiomen Valley High School in 1990, he studied mass communication and history at Temple...
and Jared Hasselhoff of the Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang is a Collegeville, Pennsylvania-based American comedy band, although it began as a rap group and gradually changed its genre throughout the years...
, Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, and Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane is an American pornographic actress and model.-Early life:Jane was a military brat who grew up on various military bases in the Midwestern United States. She did extensive dance training and was a varsity cheerleader at her high school in Rose Hill, Kansas...
. On one occasion, Josh Ramsay of Canadian rock band Marianas Trench
Marianas Trench (band)
Marianas Trench is a Juno-nominated Canadian pop punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 2001. They have released three full length albums, the most recent titled Ever After, released on November 21, 2011...
appeared as a juror for his own band's video for "Shake Tramp
Shake Tramp
"Shake Tramp" is a song by the Canadian rock band Marianas Trench released as the third single from their debut album Fix Me. The song reached #65 on the Canadian Singles Chart and the #1 spot on the MuchMusic Countdown of Friday, August 10, 2007...
".
Artists featured
The artists whose videos are critiqued on the show range from diverse genres, such as hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, rock
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, but generally videos that have been aired by Much Music.
Many artists have had multiple videos of theirs critiqued; for example, 14 different videos by American singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
were critiqued on the show; one of them was critiqued on 3 separate occasions. An entire episode was also dedicated to critiquing her music videos. Other artists critiqued multiple times include Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
, The Killers, Beyoncé, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
; and 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, to the point that Trevor Boris
Trevor Boris
Trevor Boris is an Canadian comedian and writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba.-Television work:Boris is one of the stars of MuchMusic's Video on Trial, and is also a star of Stars Gone Wild...
jokingly gave him a mock "Lifetime of Sucking Award."
Success and cross into American television
Debuting quietly in 2005 on Canadian music television network MuchMusicMuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, the show slowly rose to fame, eventually becoming one of the network's highest-rated shows. For the show's first six seasons (and for a few episodes of its seventh season), its broadcast on television was limited to Canada. However, in 2011, American music television Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
successfully obtained rights to air the show. Fuse started airing the show
Fuse started airing Video on Trial on October 20, 2011, marking the formal television debut of the show in the United States, as well as the debut of the show anywhere outside of its home country, Canada. The show's American debut started with episodes from the late fifth season
Video on Trial (season 5)
The fifth season of the Canadian television comedy series Video on Trial premiered on MuchMusic on September 28, 2009 and concluded on September 6, 2010...
of the show.
Criticism
There have also been guests who complained about the show's compensation and/or production. Juror Hugh Phukovsky pulled all Video on Trial listings from his MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, claiming on his MySpace blog that "[he] gave those fuckers some GOLD!" and that "[they] cut it all out with "humourless editing".
On a Kelevision radio broadcast, guests Aaron Berg, Darren Frost
Darren Frost
Darren Frost is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He frequently performs at Yuk-Yuks comedy clubs, and he competed in the 2007 Seattle International Comedy Competition....
and Boomer Phillips
Boomer Phillips
Boomer Phillips is a Canadian comedian/actor and television personality, who made regular appearances on Video on Trial as well as Stars Gone Wild on MuchMusic. He was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and currently lives in Toronto...
discussed the show and its shortcomings (the latter two had appeared as jurors on the show). Frost was especially upset about the show, particularly the small fees that comedian guests were paid; he has never appeared on the show again to date.
Juror Ron Sparks
Ron Sparks
Ron Sparks is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer. He was born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario but lives in Toronto, Ontario, where he is best known as a stand-up comedian and regular and favourite juror on MuchMusic's highest-rated show, Video on Trial. He also starred as The Judge in the MuchMusic...
once joked, while pointing to a green screen
Green Screen
The Green Screen international wildlife film festival is held annually in Eckernförde, Germany. The festival shows full-length and short nature documentaries about animals in their natural habitat. It is the only festival of its kind in Germany...
behind him, "Can you say budget? We can't. We're actually contractually not allowed to bring it up."
Awards
| Nominations |
|---|
Gemini Awards:
|
Related shows
- Stars on TrialStars On TrialStars on Trial is a MuchMusic television special based on the MuchMusic television program Video on Trial. It premiered in late December 2005, as part of the network's annual "Holiday Wrap." Stars on Trial uses basically the same concept as Video on Trial...
- Stars Gone WildStars Gone WildStars Gone Wild was a mockumentary series created by Adam Halpern on MuchMusic that critiques the lifestyle of modern celebrities. The title of the show is a parody of the Girls Gone Wild series. It is based on the special Overrated in 06. After one season and 28 episodes the show was cancelled due...
- LOL!LOL! (program)See also: LOLLOL! was a MuchMusic special where six stand-up comedians critiqued comedians and discussed current gossip. Based on Much's Video On Trial program, it aired in May 2006 and was ninety minutes long.-Cast:*Aaron Merke...
- We're Experiencing Technical DifficultiesWe're Experiencing Technical DifficultiesWe're Experiencing Technical Difficulties is a show that was produced and broadcasted by MuchMusic. The show featured a mix of comedy, animation, sketches and fake interviews derived from pop culture. Each episode was about 12 minutes long, but MuchMusic aired about 2 episodes per half hour...
External links
- Official page for Video on Trial at MuchMusicMuchMusicMuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
's official website - Video on Trial at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....