Best Week Ever
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins | |
 Logo from "Best Week Ever" (pre-format change) |
|
| Format | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Starring | Paul F. Tompkins (host) Chuck Nice Rob Huebel Paul Scheer Melissa Rauch Doug Benson Nick Kroll Jessica St. Clair Mike Britt Adam Winer Various |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (incl. commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | VH1 |
| Original run | 2004 – 2009 (on hiatus) |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins (BWE) is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004. On June 12, 2009, current host Paul F. Tompkins announced that the show was leaving the airwaves until early 2010. Whether this decision was based on ratings, economics or other reasons remains unclear.
On the show, comedians analyze the past week's developments in pop culture, including recent happenings in entertainment and celebrity gossip.
The show's tagline is, "It's everything you love, everything you missed, and all the stuff you need to see again."
Contents |
[edit] Format
The show follows a similar format to that set by the popular miniseries I Love the 80s and its successors (which was based on a format put together by the BBC).
Each new episode airs on Friday evening at 11:00 PM, and repeats are usually broadcast several times over the weekend. At the end of every episode, the show names which celebrity, group of people, or object has had the Best Week Ever. Some winners include: Shrek, Seinfeld fans, Bob Barker, Arugula won by default, smoke, Little Richard, the Nintendo Wii, Barack Obama, and "that blonde chick on The View").
When the series started, VH1 ran a special once-a-month episode called Best Month Ever, but episodes have ceased production. Similarly, there was also a Best Summer Ever.
The program's original Typepad-hosted blog at bestweekever.blogs.com originally served as an ersatz online writer's room, mainly used to preview the events in the news which would end up in the Friday episode. In 2006, bestweekever.tv was launched to serve as more of a daily blog mostly separate from the program itself (beyond promotions and tie-ins for the show), detailing humorous stories in the news, odd television and YouTube videos, and features main contributors Michelle Collins, Dan Hopper, and Sara Schaefer's observations on pop culture and other items.
In addition, the show has podcast and IPTV elements, including Best Night Ever, where a host goes through the night or weekend in television in a four-minute segment, and extra footage and segments on VH1's VSPOT online channel. In 2006, Best Week Ever became the first Viacom property to offer complete, free episodes for download. VH1 still runs periodic Best Day Ever episodes that air Monday through Thursday. Additionally, at the end of each calendar year, the show prepares a Best Year Ever special filled with "clips of celeb horrors of the past year" [1].
The humor on Best Week Ever can best be described as ironic, as comedians assess this week in pop culture. Sometimes actors and musicians also have guest spots on the program. Several panelists were members of the improvisational comedy troupe Respecto Montalban.
[edit] Format Change: Single Host
Beginning October 24, 2008, the show adopted a new format with a single host who summarizes the week's events [2]. The show was renamed Best Week Ever With Paul F. Tompkins. Paul F. Tompkins-who stands- introduces topics from behind a podium, summarizing the week's events. Tompkins also throws to panelists who offer their own take on a particular subject. Tompkins, a long-time panelist, has been with the show since its inception. Melena Ryzik of the New York Times wrote that the revamped show is not as critical of young celebrities [3] as the original format was.
[edit] Future?
New York magazine reported that VH1's Best Week Ever is on an extended hiatus until January 2010 but that staffers fear that the show may never come back.[4] The last episode aired June 12, 2009, with the final recipient of the title of "Best Week Ever" being Dan Moschella. [5]
[edit] Criticism
In its recounting of the events of the past week, Best Week Ever has been seen as a sign of the short attention span of millions of Americans. In a 2005 interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams said: "We have such short attention spans. Heck, VH1 has a show about last week" [6]. In an article on the Pipe Dream website about VH1's decade-retrospective shows, writer Jeanette Duffy notes that "VH1 has moved on from exploiting entire decades to making us reminisce over events that happened just days ago in the Best Week Ever", jokingly suggesting that cable networks might eventually produce the "Best Five Minutes Ever" [7].
[edit] Cast
Since its premiere, the show's announcer has been Larry Kenney, though in some weeks Leer Leary, a Kenney sound-alike (or a panelist doing an imitation of his voice) is used when he isn't available.
Current and former panelists include:
[edit] Regular Segments
- "The Sizzler" (originally "Buzz Saw"), a brief discussion of "hot" celebrity gossip. Recent segments have been styled as a parody of celebrity tabloid shows (such as The Insider).
- "In Case You Missed It", the week's best moments in television.
- "Eight Words Or Less", Doug Benson reviews popular movies in eight words or less.
- "Paul F. Tompkins: Celebrity Defender.", In this segment Paul F. Tompkins attempts to comically defend celebrities while they are on trial.
- "Doug Benson: Pop Culture Bachelor", comedian Doug Benson gives roses to events of the week he wants to see more of in a similar manner to the ABC show The Bachelor.
- "Blind Item": A panelist offers clues as to the identity of a mystery celebrity, only to give a false answer contradictory to the correct identity
- "Doug Benson TSI: Trailer Scene Investigator". Doug Benson discusses recent movie trailers.
- "The Express Lane", a quick review of the biggest pop culture stories.
- "Five Good Reasons", coming up with reasons to do one particular unfavorable act, such as voting in the 2004 elections or see the worst movie of the week.
- "Upgrade/Downgrade", giving a thumbs-up or -down on items in a certain category.
- "What Your Purchases Say About You", decoding the hidden messages in your spending.
- "Idol Worship", a recap of events on American Idol that week.
- "Ask Best Week Ever", a segment in which a man will answer questions from fans.
- "Hot/Not Hot", a summary of three weekly stories; the third is always of an odd theme.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/12122008/tv/what_do_they_have_in_common__143811.htm Dec.12.2008 New York Post. What Do They Have In Common? Only They Would Call '08 'Best Year' Linda Stasi.
- ^ Metro Philadelphia "‘Best Week Ever’ gets even better with fresh new host." Patalano, Heidi. Oct.31,2008.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/arts/television/15best.html Oct.15,2008 The New York Times.A Pop-culture Show Looks for Attitude With Heart. Melena Ryzik.
- ^ VH1 Shelves Best Week Ever, Possibly Permanently. New York Magazine. June 6, 2009.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Williams Expresses Scorn For BWE
- ^ bupipedream.com Best 5 Min Ever
