Fromage
Encyclopedia
Fromage was an annual one-hour special produced by the Canadian
MuchMusic
cable
channel. Originally hosted by songwriter (and MuchMusic VJ) Christopher Ward
, beginning in the late 1980s (later co-hosting with Natalie Richard), Fromage pays "tribute" to music video
s that are considered the worst or cheesiest of the year by MuchMusic staff.
VJ Ed the Sock
. The show traditionally aired during the Christmas
season as a part of special annual programming dubbed the "Holiday Wrap", and features a countdown of the worst music videos of the year, with humorously cynical (and sometimes profane) commentary from Ed along the way. Only selected videos are shown in their entirety. The specials are often taped in places such as cheese factories and restaurants to play on the name "Fromage". "Fromage" is French
for "cheese
".
The format has changed from year to year; in 1999, rather than looking back at the previous year's videos, the special focused on the worst videos of the 20th century. From then to 2003, the awards were given according to categories nominated in, then counted down from least to most votes. 2002 was the last year the show was seen on MuchMusic USA, after that network decided to end simulcasting MuchMusic and become fuse
.
In 2004, the format was changed to a top 40 cheesiest video countdown, where any video can be nominated. This has caused videos to be voted that Ed has not agreed with. These are usually due to the videos being intentionally cheesy, whereas Fromage is supposed to deal with videos that are not aware of their own cheesiness. Such videos included:
In December 2006, it was announced that no Fromage special would air on MuchMusic, but a 30-minute special entitled Ultra Fromage 2006 would air exclusively on Citytv
. In order to differentiate itself from the previous Fromage specials, it covered aspects of show business and pop culture, with a short segment on the cheesiest music videos at the end of the program. Ed the Sock resumed hosting duties but was joined by Liana K, his co-host on Citytv show, Ed & Red's Night Party. Due to Ultra Fromage 2006s poor reception, no further Fromage specials were aired.
In 2008, the MuchMusic program Video on Trial
, itself a show that critiques music videos with a rotating panel of comedians, presented the "Best of the Worst 2008" special in December 2008, counting down the worst 20 music videos of the year in a format similar to that of Fromage 2004 and 2005. It was followed up with editions for 2009 and 2010.
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...
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:...
cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel. Originally hosted by songwriter (and MuchMusic VJ) Christopher Ward
Christopher Ward (songwriter)
Christopher William Ward is a Canadian songwriter and broadcaster, known as a former long-standing on-air personality at MuchMusic, Canada's music video network, where he and J.D. Roberts were among the first video jockeys in 1984...
, beginning in the late 1980s (later co-hosting with Natalie Richard), Fromage pays "tribute" to 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 that are considered the worst or cheesiest of the year by MuchMusic staff.
History
Since the late 1990s, the program has been hosted by MuchMusic's acerbic puppetPuppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
VJ Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner, that became a Canadian television personality in the 1990s, best known for his appearances hosting programming on MuchMusic and his own talk show, Ed's Night Party, later renamed Ed & Red's Night Party...
. The show traditionally aired during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season as a part of special annual programming dubbed the "Holiday Wrap", and features a countdown of the worst music videos of the year, with humorously cynical (and sometimes profane) commentary from Ed along the way. Only selected videos are shown in their entirety. The specials are often taped in places such as cheese factories and restaurants to play on the name "Fromage". "Fromage" is French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
".
The format has changed from year to year; in 1999, rather than looking back at the previous year's videos, the special focused on the worst videos of the 20th century. From then to 2003, the awards were given according to categories nominated in, then counted down from least to most votes. 2002 was the last year the show was seen on MuchMusic USA, after that network decided to end simulcasting MuchMusic and become fuse
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....
.
In 2004, the format was changed to a top 40 cheesiest video countdown, where any video can be nominated. This has caused videos to be voted that Ed has not agreed with. These are usually due to the videos being intentionally cheesy, whereas Fromage is supposed to deal with videos that are not aware of their own cheesiness. Such videos included:
- The Darkness—"I Believe in a Thing Called LoveI Believe in a Thing Called Love"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a 2003 single by the English rock band The Darkness. This was released as a single twice, the first time in August 2002 with "Love On The Rocks With No Ice" and "Love Is Only A Feeling." In September 2003, it was released as the third single off Permission to...
" (2004) - Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (band)Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
—"Do You Want ToDo You Want To"Do You Want To" is the lead single for Franz Ferdinand's second album, You Could Have It So Much Better. It was released 19 September 2005 and charted at number four in the UK Singles Chart . The video, directed by Diane Martel, was released on August 23 and was played every hour on MTV2 on the...
" (2005) - Crazy FrogCrazy FrogCrazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...
—"Axel F" (2005)
In December 2006, it was announced that no Fromage special would air on MuchMusic, but a 30-minute special entitled Ultra Fromage 2006 would air exclusively on Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
. In order to differentiate itself from the previous Fromage specials, it covered aspects of show business and pop culture, with a short segment on the cheesiest music videos at the end of the program. Ed the Sock resumed hosting duties but was joined by Liana K, his co-host on Citytv show, Ed & Red's Night Party. Due to Ultra Fromage 2006s poor reception, no further Fromage specials were aired.
In 2008, the MuchMusic program Video on Trial
Video On Trial
Video on Trial is a Canadian comedy television program that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic. The show consists of a panel of musicians, comedians, and entertainment columnists critiquing five different music videos in a courtroom-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun...
, itself a show that critiques music videos with a rotating panel of comedians, presented the "Best of the Worst 2008" special in December 2008, counting down the worst 20 music videos of the year in a format similar to that of Fromage 2004 and 2005. It was followed up with editions for 2009 and 2010.
Fromage number ones
- 1993: "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Techno" by BKSBKSBKS is a Toronto-based techno group created by radio DJ Chris Sheppard, with other members Hennie Bekker and Greg Kavanagh....
featuring Don Cherry - 1994: "Cotton Eye Joe" by RednexRednexRednex is a Swedish techno/folk/bluegrass band. They had an international novelty hit with the song "Cotton Eye Joe" in 1994. Although extremely popular in Germany, where the band holds the record of most total weeks at No.1 on the German singles chart over the past 30 years—scoring such hits as...
- 1997: "Electric BarbarellaElectric Barbarella"Electric Barbarella" is the 29th single by Duran Duran, and the first official single from the album Medazzaland. In 1997, the single and album were released only in the United States; "Electric Barbarella" was not issued as a single in the UK until January 1999 on the back of the late 1998...
" by Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States... - 1998: "Do for LoveDo for Love"Do for Love" was the second posthumously released single by Tupac Shakur from his second posthumous album R U Still Down? . The vocal sample is from "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell. It charted at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #12 in the UK...
" by Tupac ShakurTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world... - 1999: "Just the Way I Planned It" by Philip Michael ThomasPhilip Michael ThomasPhilip Michael Thomas is an American actor. Thomas's most famous role is that of detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle...
(voted cheesiest video of 20th century) - 2000: "The Hampsterdance SongThe Hampster DanceThe Hampster Dance or Hampsterdance is one of the earliest examples of an Internet meme. Created by Canadian art student Deidre LaCarte for a Geocities page, the dance features rows of animated hamsters and other rodents dancing in various ways to a sped-up sample from the song "Whistle Stop" by...
" credited to "Hampton the Hampster" - 2001: "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (song)"Aaron's Party " is the first single from Aaron Carter's second debut album, Aaron's Party . To date, it is their most successful single in the United States, reached the Top 40 on the Hot 100....
" by Aaron CarterAaron CarterAaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century.... - 2002: "Papa Don't PreachPapa Don't Preach"Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The song was written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna, and produced by Stephen Bray and Madonna for her third studio album True Blue, released in June 1986...
" by Kelly OsbourneKelly OsbourneKelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne... - 2003: "Me Against the MusicMe Against the Music"Me Against the Music" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone, featuring American recording artist Madonna. It was released on October 20, 2003 as the lead single from the album by Jive Records. After bonding with Spears during a night in New York...
" by Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney 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...
featuring MadonnaMadonna (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... - 2004: "My PrerogativeMy Prerogative"My Prerogative" is a song by American recording artist Bobby Brown from his second solo studio album, Don't Be Cruel. It was released on October 11, 1988 as the second single from the album. After recording sessions for the album were completed, Brown and producer Gene Griffin travelled to New...
" by Britney Spears - 2005: "Do Somethin'Do Somethin'"Do Somethin" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her first greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. It was released on February 14, 2005 by Jive Records as the second single from the album worldwide except North America...
" by Britney Spears - 2006: "Lose Control" by Kevin FederlineKevin FederlineKevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
See also
- Video on TrialVideo On TrialVideo on Trial is a Canadian comedy television program that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic. The show consists of a panel of musicians, comedians, and entertainment columnists critiquing five different music videos in a courtroom-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun...
, a currently-running MuchMusic series featuring comedic reviews of music videos