MTV announced yesterday that the four-days-weekly hodgepodge of celebrity appearances, screaming teenagers, and music-video snippets known as TRL would be going off the air after a 10-year run this fall, although the show’s executive producer took great pains to say that this was only a “break,” and not an out-and-out cancellation. Because hey, bringing it back in two years or so would make it seem positively retro to the core demographic, right? (It’s probably worth noting that there are no episodes scheduled this week; MTV has given over the show’s timeslot today to reruns of its male-makeover series From G’s To Gents.) The show, which was rumored to be on the chopping block for a while, will be given a funeral celebrated in a two-hour special on a Saturday in November.
Inexplicably, the AP (or, who knows, maybe MTV’s people) dragged an old-timey TRL mainstay out of hiding in order to comment on this cancellation:
In a statement, Eminem said: “I’m going to miss `TRL.’ … Where else will I be able to start feuds, defend my honor vigorously and act like an angry teenager on national TV? Oh wait … The VMAs!”
How many TRL fans do you think heard that quote and didn’t quite understand who was saying it, and why that person would be anywhere near the VMAs? I’m guessing more than a few. Em, you may want to pen a few disses of Tokio Hotel and the Jonas Brothers, so as to keep your game up…
@Chris Molanphy: I too am stuck w/ Cablevision(Bronx) but I have a digital cable package that includes NTV Hits, VH1 Classic, and VH1 Soul. Cablevision also used to have a really great video music channel called The Tube. Man, it played everything. I saw tons of videos I never saw before plus no annoying VJ’s, no reality shows,and few commercials. But for some reason they discontinued it about 5-6 months ago. I was sooo pissed. I do have HD so maybe Cablevision will pick up MTV HD. Also, if you are disperate for a music video fix that is a little less teenyboppery than MTV watch Noctornal State on VH1. Its usually on at 4 am. Also, if you’re not homophobic watch New Next Now on NTV’s gay channel LOGO. A new episode airs every Sunday at midnight and repeats throughout the week. One more suggestion, if you channel 25 on Saturday nights they usually air New York Noise–which mostly features NYC bands but they show lots of others as well. Channel 25 also airs Video Music Box and The Bridge if you are into Old School Hip-Hop and Rap.
I’m still sad they cancelled MTV Yack Live!, the progenitor of all “type your comment online and it will show up on the TV” shows.
Internetz ‘95-steez, y’all:
[www.mtv.com]
JoBros + TRL = totally frightening street scene:
[www.popcesspool.net]
Been meaning to note this in an MTV post for a while…
Has anyone noticed that their overnight one-to-two-hour block of videos was also pulled a month or two ago? (Maybe it’s only a few weeks, I’m not sure.)
For about 4-5 years now, I’ve been setting my TiVo to record that block and hold onto a couple of nights’ worth whenever I need an old-fashioned music-video fix. It was, until recently, the only uninterrupted block of straight clips Music Television still played. It took me a few weeks to notice that my DVR’s setting for MTV After Hours wasn’t turning up anything anymore.
Between that getting pulled and now TRL, can anyone point me to when MTV plays music videos on its air at any hour, anytime? Seriously?
@Chris Molanphy: FNMTV will be back in November!
The rebranding of MTVN’s HD channel also resulted in its late-night block of videos getting the ax. Which, I mean, they hadn’t put any new videos in its rotation in years, but still.
@Chris Molanphy: Early morning maybe?
Y’know, as lame as MTV and even MTV2 are now, I really can’t muster any complaints as long as I have a cable package that includes MTV Hits, MTV Jams, VH1 Soul and VH1 Classic (although the latter has gone downhill with fewer and fewer video blocks too).
@Al Shipley: My cable package also has MTVu, so i’m completely set with music channels (and I love MTVu).
Also, yes VH1 Classic has stopped being a place for older music and has simply become VH1 circa 1998 (before the non-music programming pushed the channel over the shark. I mean at least VH1 Classic shows stuff that has SOMETHING to do with music). And they still have VH1 Classic 120 Minutes, which fulfills my weekly dose of good, old Pulp and Stone Roses videos.
My first trip to New York City (spring 2000), I made the unfortunate mistake of walking up the same street as the MTV studios on the same day N*Sync (or maybe Backstreet Boys, or hell, maybe LFO, I don’t remember) was on TRL. It was pandemonium. I’ve never really understood why the police let huge crowds go nuts down below on the street.
Ooh, and remember the time Liam Gallagher went on TRL and didn’t make any sense? Good times.
@MrStarhead: Sorry man, the furthest TRL’s memory goes back is a couple years. Anything past 2006 never happened. Soooorrrryyyy.
I’m in one of those weird parts of the NYC area (central Brooklyn) where I’m forced to subscribe to CableVision. Their lineup is decent but has its quirks. Hence…
@Maura Johnston: I’m pretty sure I don’t have MTV HD.
@Al Shipley: I definitely don’t have all those alternate MTVs and VH1s. Will need to check at home tonight whether I even have MTV Hits, for starters.
Good riddance…I think the fact that they started making it so that the fan voting didn’t have much to do with their ultimate top 10 lineups contributed to its much-deserved demise.