Juliya Chernetsky

Juliya Chernetsky — usually just "Juliya" or "Mistress Juliya" to her fans — born July 10, 1982, is a television personality best known for her stint on the music-themed network Fuse, formerly known as MuchMusicUSA. (The name was changed in May 2003.) She hosted the heavy metal-themed program Uranium and a call-in and e-mail advice program called Slave to the Metal, for which Sirius Radio recently signed her to do a radio version.

Early life and career

Juliya was born in Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, New York. A former model, she was a big fan of Fuse and a frequent poster on their bulletin boards. She was chosen to make her broadcast debut on the show Tastemakers. Her brashness and sex appeal made her an instant favorite, and after a year on Tastemakers she moved on to host Uranium.

Her first on-screen interview was with Trent Reznor, the guiding force behind Nine Inch Nails. She lists them, Pantera, Danzig, Megadeth and Ministry as her all-time favorite bands. She has said, "Pop stars with no vocal talent with music and words written for them piss me off the most!"

Ozzfest

She found success doing backstage interviews at the Ozzfest music festivals promoted by metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, chronicling the rise of several up-and-coming hard rock bands for Uranium. Admitting that Ozzy himself was her "dream interview," she made several failed attempts to get one with him. She finally got her wish, which aired on a July 2005 episode of Uranium. She has said many times that Ozzy's music changed her life, but maintained her composure. In between clips, old and new, of Ozzy singing, she managed to get Ozzy to answer questions with a sincerity that viewers who know him only from the reality TV series The Osbournes would recognize, but with a clarity of thinking and speech that they might not. The interview may have been Juliya's finest hour.

Slave to the Metal

Slave to the Metal, which debuted on Fuse on January 21, 2005, was a different show. Although there are usually four or five video clips per half-hour installment, the bulk of the program features Juliya, in dominatrix gear, performing an advice show. She received phone calls, voice-mail and e-mail messages, and her answers were quite frank, both when the subject called for serious discussion and when humor might be appropriate. The show opened with a disclaimer, that she was not a licensed therapist or health professional, she is "a heavy metal mistress," and that all advice should be taken at one's own risk. Despite the campy images, she showed genuine concern when a caller seems troubled.

Neither of Juliya's programs were for children. There was often explicit discussion of sex, the videos she shows often have disturbing images, and she was frequently "bleeped out" for using profanity. But her shows displayed a genuine love for the music and an appreciation for her fans, and were often quite humorous.

Departure from Fuse

In February 2006, Juliya's program Metal Asylum', a weeknight show dedicated to airing videos of various metal bands and interviews with metal bands, disappeared from the air on Fuse without any explanation from the network or Juliya herself. In early March 2006, the website for Fuse was redesigned and Juliya along with fellow Fuse VJ Adonis were not on the list. Broadcasts of the F-List have been playing in Metal Asylum's timeslot during the month of February and on the Fuse message board it was stated that her contract had not been renewed which irked many loyal viewers. Previous rumors had stated that Juliya's absence was due to her recovering from surgery but the belief is that Juliya and Fuse have parted ways. She is also pursuing an acting career as stated recently on her MySpace page.

Since this incident, she has launched a boycott campaign against her former network via her MySpace page.

External links

• Juliya's Myspace Profile

• Juliya's Unofficial Fansite
• Juliya's Official Fansite