Modified On January 23, 2009
The Gothamist interviewed FOS Paul F. Tompkins on the occasion of his move to New York.
Tompkins is in the big city because he’s the host of Best Week Ever, the pop culture and entertainment snarkfest on cable outlet Video Hits 1. (Do they even call it that any more? Probably not, as they don’t even bother with music videos any more… do they?)
On the topic of Best Week Ever and the “backlash”:
People have been very dismissive of it even when talking to me. “Oh you’re on ‘I Love the Whatevers.'” It’s like no, it’s not ‘I Love the Whatevers.’ It’s a specific show and it’s called Best Week Ever and it’s not just, “Hey remember the Rubik’s Cube?…Yes, now moving on to the next thing.” I think that’s why our show lasted throughout the different changes in VH-1 programming. By having to talk about what happened in the week, it gave our show more substance than just nostalgia. Because it was things that just happened, people got a bigger charge out of it.
And now there are still people that are snobby about the show. There are people that assume that I am embarrassed about the show or am just doing it for a paycheck, like it’s inconceivable to them that I would actually be proud of the show and that I would really enjoy doing it. Which I do and which I am. So people can say whatever they want.
When asked if shows like his are irrelevant or redundant, now that everyone has the ability to broadcast their own snark via Twitter or Facebook, he responds:
In a world where everybody has the ability to comment in a public forum (i.e. the internet) on things that are happening in the world, we’re trying to say, “But here’s what happens when people get paid to do it. It’s maybe a little funnier.
Read the whole thing– especially his reply to “Does there come a point where you stop waiting for your big break?”