Uranium (TV series)

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Uranium
Genre Music
Narrated by Juliya Chernetsky (host)
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Emma Pollack
Producer(s) Jason Haitkin
Denise Korycki
Associate
producer(s)		 Lamya Al-Jinabi
Location(s) New York, other locations
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel MMUSA/Fuse TV
Original run June 2002 – January 2005
Chronology
Followed by Metal Asylum
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Uranium was a popular TV series on Fuse TV (MMUSA when the program debuted) in the early 2000s. It was hosted by Juliya Chernetsky and served as Fuse TV's equivalent to MTV2's Headbangers Ball, a long-canceled series that was revived shortly after Uranium's debut. The program traditionally ran a half hour featuring an interview with a band and music videos, largely of the heavy metal genre. The show's production ended in 2006 due to Juliya's departure from Fuse TV, but reruns still occasionally air late at night. Current airings often consist entirely of video blocks without interview segments.

Contents

[edit] Format and style

Although basic camera equipment was used on Uranium, Juliya was always equipped with her digital camcorder throughout the show. This gave the effect of a video diary appropriately known as Juliya's Diary. As she interviewed bands, talked to fans, and attended live concerts, the view would switch back and forth from the conventional camera to the black & white view of Juliya's camcorder. Perhaps due to the annoyance it presented, band members would often tease Juliya about her camcorder and occasionally take it away from her during interview segments.

One of the first (if not the first) episodes of the program featured Juliya simply asking heavy metal fans what bands they think have been the most influential in the past ten years. The episode featured music videos by Metallica and Linkin Park as well as other mainstream groups of the general metal genre, in contrast to the show's more underground approach it would eventually lean toward. Throughout its time on the air, the show featured a black & orange color scheme and a stylized devil horn hand gesture as its official logo.

[edit] Music videos

A wide variety of heavy metal music videos aired on Uranium, including those by bands of the underground scene. Some videos were exclusive to the show due to the censorship regulations of MTV, such as Cradle of Filth's bondage themed "Babalon AD (So Glad For The Madness)" and the brutally violent "D.O.A." by The Haunted. Although more mainstream styles of music were not commonly featured on Uranium, occasionally, bands like Audioslave and Velvet Revolver managed to find exposure on the program.

[edit] Notable interviews

Throughout its time on the air, Uranium had its share of memorable interviews. Just prior to their official reuniting, New York hardcore punk group Life of Agony accepted an interview by Juliya with lead vocalist Keith Caputo being interviewed separately from the rest of the group. The band had a profound impact on Juliya, and toward the end of the interview, which was held in a restroom, Juliya became teary eyed and cracked up, receiving hugs from the band members.

Alternative metal band System of a Down was interviewed on their tour bus in 2002. The segment illustrated both System of a Down's indifferent attitude toward interviews and Juliya's susceptibility to ask ignorant or poorly phrased questions. When asked about how the band comes up with ideas, Daron Malakian sarcastically answered in a deadpan tone "I break dance." But when asked about how the band stays fresh for their fanbase, Serj Tankian claimed that they don't try to be anything but themselves and that constantly trying to see perceive themselves through the fans' eyes would be wrong. In one of the final episodes in 2005, the band would again be interviewed. They would make even more of a mockery out of this interview - so much that, during the end credits, production crew members began disputing with them over their insincerity and lack of cooperation.

During Marilyn Manson's promotion of the album The Golden Age of Grotesque, he agreed to an interview with Juliya. The record dealt heavily with a 1930s, German Burlesque theme, and not long into the interview, Manson took the camcorder from Juliya, pointing at her cleavage and then attempting to aim it up her skirt. Despite Juliya's sultry on-camera persona, this proved too much for her, and she immediately pushed the camcorder away with a polite grin.

Possibly the most hyped interview for the program was that with Metallica. This offered a rather rare TV interview with the group post St. Anger, and considering the traditionalist metal fan base of Uranium, Juliya made sure to ask the trying questions on many fans' minds in regards to Metallica's new musical approach. Unlike the typical format, this particular edition of Uranium gave total devotion to the interview and featured no music videos whatsoever.

[edit] Direction and spin-offs

For the early part of the 2000s, Uranium offered one of the only TV programs for heavy metal fans. Even after the revival of Headbangers Ball on May 10, 2003, Uranium continued to thrive as one of the most popular shows on Fuse TV. In 2003, it created a spin-off, Uranium Classics, a solid block of heavy metal and hard rock music videos from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. This program commonly followed immediately after an episode of Uranium.

As Uranium became less of a priority on Fuse TV, Juliya began hosting a new show entitled Metal Asylum. This short-lived program largely consisted of music videos and rarely featured interviews. By 2006, the status of Uranium was in question, and Juliya finally publicized her departure from Fuse, making certain the show's fate.

In November 2007, Fuse TV aired an episode of Talking Metal, allegedly the #1 podcast on iTunes. The program returned in February 2008 as a regular program on Fridays at midnight ET. Hosted by Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy, it features exclusive interviews and field packages in the podcast’s signature style.[1]

[edit] Impact

Uranium certainly helped launch the career of Juliya Chernetsky, as it was her first major television role. The show's popularity, in a time where few TV programs featured in-depth heavy metal coverage, may also be considered highly influential if not directly responsible for MTV2's need to revive the long-ceased Headbangers Ball over eight years after its initial cancellation. At one point, rumors even surfaced that Juliya would "jump ship" to host Headbangers Ball.[2] These allegations were finally acknowledged and denied by Juliya herself on an episode of IMX.

The program was also responsible for gaining several bands their first significant TV exposure through their interviews and music videos. This includes Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, and Lacuna Coil among others.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Richiedude "Talking Metal on FUSE TV" TheDailyRock.com (March 3, 2008). Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  2. ^ MTV Headbangers Ball Returns The W (April, 29, 2003). Retrieved November 29, 2007.