VH1 Loses Creator of Hit Shows

She will pick her 'new best friend' from 20 hopefuls on MTV

(NEWSER) - She may have loads of money, impeccable fashion sense, and the world's eyes upon her, but what Paris Hilton really need is a best friend. So says MTV, anyway, and the network plans to air a reality show later this year in which the hotel heiress picks her new "bestie" from 20 wannabes living together, Broadcasting & Cable reports. More»

Network not happy with sexed-up image

(NEWSER) - Even if you like to pretend that MTV's Teen Mom reality show does not exist, you may find this "news" item amusing: The network is not happy that so many current and former cast members have gotten their breasts enhanced, because apparently it has a classier idea of what image the show should portray. "MTV has an idea of how they want the girls to come off and big fake boobs isn’t it," a source tells Star. "They’ve even called the other girls and begged them to hold off on surgery." The cleavage-enhanced teen moms so far include Jenelle Evans, Farrah Abraham, and Maci Bookout, Radar notes. More»

GOP candidate channels VH1's late-'90s hit

(NEWSER) - GOP hopeful Rick Santorum's latest campaign ad doesn't exactly scream 2012. The video is seemingly inspired by VH1's cult classic TV show Pop Up Video, which was a huge hit after it debuted in 1996 (it was resurrected in October of this year ). In the 60-second spot, the former Pennsylvania senator plays backyard sports with his kids as trivia bubbles pop into view containing fascinating tidbits, such as "All the Santorum children were homeschooled." New York's Daily Intel blog notes: "It's the bubble-popping sound effect that really makes it." More»

Even so, you might appreciate the nostalgia: critics

(NEWSER) - Beavis and Butt-head are back—but two decades later, MTV’s pair of dimwits is no longer critiquing just music videos. They have now added reality shows, movies, and viral videos to their repertoire. But do we still need them?

• Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe : Back in the early 1990s, Beavis and Butt-head was perfect for the time. Kids were starting to become “media-savvy”—AKA, “growing cynical and ironic”—and the show “perfectly captured that punchy tone.” But nowadays, reality shows will be the first to mock their own ridiculousness, and most audience members are already laughing at them. “Plus, we still have South Park” for our necessary dose of snark. The new Beavis and Butt-head, therefore, “works just OK” and “isn’t as essential as it once was."

And 'Dark Knight' just might end up filming them, too

(NEWSER) - Participating in Occupy Wall Street might actually get you a job … on the Real World. The New York Observer points to a Craigslist ad that showed up Monday: “MTV's Real World is seeking cast members to tell their unique stories on our show,” it reads. “Are you a part of the OCCUPY WALL STREET movement?” If so, better get your bio and three recent pictures over to Bunim/Murray Productions lickety split! But if you "appear to be" over the age of 24, you need not apply... More»