From Dan R – When did we know that Bluetooth was going to be big?
Mr. Pop History – Bluetooth took-off in the year 2000 when a group of hi-tech companies agreed to use the wireless technology – nearly 1,600 in all. And, that’s when it came to market.
From Jimmy H – Mariah Carey was a true superstar during the 1990’s, but hit rock bottom shortly thereafter. When?
Mr. Pop History – Due to her bizarre public behavior and sinking album sales, I’d say it was when Virgin Records dropped her. This was in 2002. She had a little comeback in 2005 with “The Emancipation of Mimi” and today – she’s there – but not really a shining star.
From James A – Before ABC’s 20/20, they had tried another news magazine-type show. What was it?
Mr. Pop History – NBC and ABC envied the ratings and financial success of CBS’ 60 Minutes. It took ABC a while. One was something called “Seven Days” – a sort of week-in-review program. The problem – you couldn’t rerun it – and the ratings weren’t that good.
Over at NBC? Some 10 magazine shows came and went before they hit the right formula and timing. More in another Q&A.
From CR – Ben Stiller question: wasn’t he discovered by way of comic clubs?
Mr. Pop History – Ben Stiller auditioned and won a spot on MTV. From there, he was spotted by Fox, which aired his short-lived – “The Ben Stiller Show” in 1992. Not a big ratings-grabber, it took two years to develop and showed off Stiller’s inventiveness. From there – he went into movies.
Fox-TV was a great launching pad for talented comedians such as Stiller and Jim Carey.
From Brien S – Mr. Pop – Internet address extension .tv was supposed to a boom for TV stations and networks, but, I haven’t seen it as much as I once did.
Mr. Pop History – For the TV industry – .tv just didn’t take off. The industry seemed excited back in 2000 when, the the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu cut a deal with a Net firm just so the world could use its .tv country code.
Tuvalu was paid $1 million a quarter in a deal with Idealab. In fact, that deal still exists, but I’m not sure if Idealab profited.
As far as the TV industry? There’s just no doubt, .com rules. KNBC-TV/Los Angeles use to use .tv, but it went away several years ago and replaced with a .com address.
From Jason N – When did Google begin their street views?
Mr. Pop History – It was early in 2007 when Google sent their camera-equipped caravan of cars and trucks to the streets and the result of that work began showing up in August of 2007.
What was interesting and got the bloggers excited – was that – not only were building images captured, but people walking by or in camera view – and sometimes – at vulnerable moments. Anyway – it caused quite a sensation a short three years ago.
From Steve I – OK Mr. Pop – what do Ryan Seacrest, Simon Fuller and Dick Clark all have in common – beside the obvious?
Mr. Pop History – They’ll all tied together through “Idol” and those New Year’s shows. But – there’s another connection.
In 2005 – Idol producer Simon Fuller teamed with Dick Clark Productions to relaunch “American Bandstand.” Fuller’s version included more live performances and a DJ.
It never happened – but – isn’t it interesting?
From Alana – “Tween” TV programming – defined as that between kids and teenagers – when did that take off?
Mr. Pop History – Although it had been around, we first heard the “tween” label with the likes of the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, around 2001. That’s when shows such as Disney’s “Lizzie McGuire” and Nick’s “Fairly Odd Parents” brought the genre out and it hasn’t been the same since.
From Lucia L – Mr. Pop – Other than Rap, Hip-Hop and genre/types of music – what would you say were the more important music trends during last decade?
Mr. Pop History – The first one was the way music was sold – as the model shifted from music stores to the Internet and the likes of iTunes.
Another interesting trend – record labels losing their grip on artists – a sort of defiance by artists. For instance – remember when Paul McCartney left Capitol for Starbucks? The Eagles did a partnership with Wal-Mart? And there were many others.
From Tosha K – Hello Mr. Pop. I’m writing a summer class essay on music. It seems different genres of music are tied to a particular city. Cleveland for rock: various Southern cities for Soul. Can you please tell me – is there one for Rap?
Mr. Pop History – There’s no doubt, Atlanta Georgia. It’s an epicenter for young Hip-Hop/Rap artists and has an area almost dedicated to Hip-Hop/Rap outlets. Lots of Rap and many recording deals have been made in Atlanta.
Mr. Pop Culture Report
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