Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Aug 1, 2011

MTV hits 30:

Today is the 30th anniversary of the birth of MTV. At midnight on August 1st, 1981, Music Television began. It was the brainchild of radio programmer BOB PITTMAN, who noticed that record labels were starting to send over promotional clips on video. He thought, 'wouldn't it be cool to have a TV channel that did nothing but play these music videos 24 hours a day?'
The folks at Warner Communications got into the cable TV biz in Columbus, Ohio back in 1973. A few years later, they introduced the first interactive cable system called QUBE which featured an all music channel called Sight & Sound that played recorded concerts and those same music videos Bob Pittman was getting. Warner Cable partnered up with American Express to form Warner-Amex.
Pittman pitched his idea to them, so together they re-launched Sight & Sound as ...you guessed it, MTV.
Not too many people could even get MTV on launch day. In fact, the folks who worked there had to go to New Jersey to watch, since there was no cable TV in the channel's New York City offices.
Pittman hired some radio people and a few newbies to work as Video Jocks, or V-J's. MARK GOODMAN, J-J JACKSON and NINA BLACKWOOD all came from radio. ALAN HUNTER was a struggling actor and cute-as-a-button MARTHA QUINN was fresh out of New York University. They weren't paid very much, but they were a part of history. During MTV's first 24 hours, 62 videos were played. Five were by ROD STEWART.

Here are the first 25 videos played on MTV:

1. "Video Killed The Radio Star" --THE BUGGLES
2. "You Better Run" --PAT BENATAR
3. "She Won't Dance" --ROD STEWART
4. "You Better You Bet" --THE WHO
5. "Little Suzi's On The Up" --PhD
6. "We Don't Talk Anymore" --CLIFF RICHARD
7. "Brass In Pocket" --THE PRETENDERS
8. "Time Heals" --TODD RUNDGREN
9. "Take It On The Run" --REO SPEEDWAGON
10. "Rockin' The Paradise" --STYX
11. "When Things Go Wrong" --ROBIN LANE & THE CHARTBUSTERS
12. "History Never Repeats" --SPLIT ENZ
13. "Hold On Loosely" --38 SPECIAL
14. "Just Between You And Me" --APRIL WINE
15. "Sailing" --ROD STEWART
16. "Iron Maiden" --IRON MAIDEN
17. "Keep On Loving You" --REO SPEEDWAGON
18 "Message Of Love" --THE PRETENDERS
19. "Mr. Briefcase" --LEE RITENOUR
20. "Double Life" --THE CARS
21. "In The Air Tonight" --PHIL COLLINS
22. "Clues" --ROBERT PALMER
23. "Too Late" --THE SHOES
24. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" --STEVIE NICKS & TOM PETTY
25. "Surface Tension" --RUPERT HINE

Tourist traps:

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER celebrated his 64th birthday Saturday. And, his home town of Graz, Austria, celebrated in a special way.
According to Orange.co.uk, the home where Arnie grew up officially opened to the public Saturday. Visitors can now get a look at the very first weights that Arnold ever lifted. Other exhibits include a life-sized replica of Arnie as "The Terminator." The star reportedly gave the project the green light when he visited Austria back in June. (Still)

Wasted away again in Margaritaville:

An 8-year-old boy drove a pickup truck for about 100 miles with his four-year-old sister in the back seat.
Kinda had to: Daddy was passed out drunk in the passenger seat.
They were on their way to Dallas from Hattiesburg, MS.
Police caught up with the car after getting a call from a concerned driver.
The daddy, 28-year-old BILLY JOE MADDEN (Mug Shot Hall of Fame), was still in the clink at last check on $14-hundred bond; the kids were turned over to the state until a family member could pick them up. (Maiman)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

Deadline.com reports 55-year-old ARSENIO HALL appeared on a panel at last week's Television Critics Association get-together and was asked whether he'd consider making a comeback. "I'd have to change my name to NICK CANNON and live with MARIAH (CAREY)," he joked. "But I think it's a perfect time for that personally. Give me a microphone. My son's 11 and he can drive himself to school. I'm ready to host!"