NEW YORK, March 18, 2002 – As millions of the faithful congregate to celebrate the upcoming religious holidays, MuchMusic USA, the only viewer-driven all-music network, will bring the devout followers of rock music together on March 29th with the premiere of a three-hour special entitled Godvision: Gods of Rock, to honor the greatest rock deities of our time. Featured in the special will be the new gods of rock that have joined the ranks in recent years such as Linkin’ Park, Rage Against The Machine, and Tool.
“Let there be light and let there be rock!,” MuchMusic USA President Marc Juris proclaimed. “March 29th will be a day of respect and reflection across this great land, where all people can make the pilgrimage to MuchMusic, unite, and bow down to the gods of rock.”
As part of the three-hour special, MuchMusic USA will conduct a Web site poll asking viewers to name their favorite new rock gods. By going to www.mmusa.tv, Web users will have the opportunity to select their ten most-revered rock gods and submit choices in order of preference, one to ten. Rankings will be posted and updated continuously in real time on the website. The final results of the poll will be aired on March 29th as part of MuchMusic’s Godvision special.
“MuchMusic USA is creating a very different network from the other music channels with an irreverent style that offers real choice and a stark contrast for viewers of music television,” Juris continued. “We reflect the roots of music television with all music all the time, while providing our own imprint with unprecedented viewer control. Godvision: Gods of Rock is about both honoring music’s greatest artists and empowering our viewers. In the coming months, we will continue to bring creative, new, and fun special programming, all the while giving our viewers a real voice at the network.”
Godvision: Gods of Rock comes on the heals of MuchMusic’s tongue-in-cheek ‘Big Suck Weekend’ that showcased the all-time worst videos and honored the iconic VH-1 rocumentary series Behind the Music, with animated parodies entitled Behind the Music that Sucks.
The following details the MuchMusic USA programming for the Godvision: Gods of Rock:
Part I: Friday March 29, 2002, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. EST
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF ROCK – IN GODVISION
What separates the rock God from the rock star?
The 10 Commandments of Rock. For example: “Thou shall not care about the Money,” “Thou shall break up the band at least semi-annually” and “Thou shall pursue an unsuccessful solo career.” Music videos from rock “Gods” are highlighted along with the commandment they best exemplify.
Part II: Friday March 29, 2002, 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. EST
THE TOP 10 NEW GODS OF ROCK – IN GODVISION
Results from the interactive viewer poll at www.mmusa.tv will be announced. Between March 14th and March 29th, viewers can vote for their favorite ‘New Gods of Rock’ music videos. The top ten winners will be showcased during this special countdown hosted by the most popular MuchMusic Tastemaker, Juliya.
Part III: Friday March 29, 2002, 11:00 p.m.- 12:00 a.m. EST
NINE INCH NAILS IN CONCERT- IN GODVISION
This one-hour concert is a rare treat for true Nine Inch Nails fans. Featuring footage from a 2-month tour, performances from the entire NIN discography and comments from Trent Reznor, his band members and management.
“Last night, God spoke to me,” Juris explained. “In a very loud and threatening voice he said only six words, ‘I want some Nine Inch Nails!’ You can’t really get much more God-like than that, so we were more than pleased to meet God’s request and cap off Godvision with this exclusive concert. My only hope is that next time he uses our interactive website to make a request.”
About MuchMusic USA
MuchMusic USA is the nation’s only viewer-driven all music network, featuring music videos and live concerts in an all-music-all-the-time format. The network programming is viewer influenced and generated. On MuchMusic USA, viewers voice their opinions, influence what’s on the air, participate in discovering new music and even create music video programming to air on the network. For more information about MuchMusic USA, please visit our Web site at www.mmusa.tv.
About Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.
MuchMusic is owned and managed by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a leader in news, sports and entertainment programming. A subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation and NBC, Rainbow manages American Movie Classics, WE: Women’s Entertainment, Bravo, The Independent Film Channel, MuchMusic USA, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, and MetroChannels as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. In addition, Rainbow is a fifty-percent partner in FOX Sports Net. MuchMusic USA is one of the assets included in the Rainbow Media Group tracking stock (NYSE: RMG), a series of Cablevision common stock. MGM owns a 20% stake in four of Rainbow’s national networks – AMC, Bravo, IFC, and WE: Women’s Entertainment.