Pop-Up Video was a VH1 show that "popped up" bubbles (officially called "info nuggets") containing trivia and spry witticisms throughout music videos. The show was created by Woody Thompson and Tad Low and premiered on VH1 in October 1996 . Although VH1's website still lists Pop-Up Video in its programming roster, it hasn't aired regularly on the network since 2001. It does currently run on Canada's MuchMoreMusic channel. The show was, until recently, aired every night on VH1 Europe but they currently run it only on special occasions, such as Pop-Up Video weekends.

Specials & Other Versions

Special episodes of Pop-Up Video aired throughout the series' run. Many focused on specific artists, including VH1 staples Madonna, U2, Prince, and Elton John. Others ran on different themes, such as "Women First," "Road Trip," "Movies," and "Duets". There were also several holiday specials, including Halloween and several Christmas episodes.

During a week of 1980's-themed programming in 1998, Pop-Up Video became Pop-Up '80s, featuring additional clips of 1980s news events and pop culture tidbits between music videos.

The 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards , Divas Live , the Oprah Winfrey Show (aired in syndication), and several episodes of the Brady Bunch (aired on Nick at Nite) also got the Pop-Up treatment.

A United Kingdom-specific version entitled Pop-Up Video UK, aired on Channel 4 Television , and is still shown sometimes on VH1 UK and Europe. This version featured music videos by British artists such as Robbie Williams, the Spice Girls, and Elvis Costello.

Controversy

Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, the Wallflowers, the Police, Meat Loaf, and other artists complained about what they perceived as harsh treatment on the show and their various videos were pulled. The show's creators called these "the Pops They Stopped." In contrast, some artists, including Joan Osborne and Paula Abdul, made appearances on the show to provide further information on their popped videos.

The show's popularity led to several copycats, most notably on an episode of the ABC television series Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and a series of Bell Atlantic commercials. Spin The Bottle, Inc. , which produced Pop-Up Video, publicly derided these Pop-Up imitators on its website.

Links

• VH1: Pop-Up Video
• MuchMoreMusic: Pop-Up Video
• Spin the Bottle, Inc., Pop-Up Video's production company