Oh my God! Only four days, 8 hours, and 25 minutes till the last TRL! As we move ever closer to the finale of Total Request Live—the show that defined pop’s pre-millennial resurgence—new details are emerging on who might show up on that last, bittersweet day. Billboard.com is reporting that hip-hoppers Ludacris, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, and the stubbornly irrelevant Nelly will be performing this coming Sunday, as will Beyoncé, Fall Out Boy, and the Backstreet Boys. Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff, Mariah Carey, and reunited N-Syncers Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez are also planning on stopping by. And, of course, what would a TRL party be without nu-metal fun-boys like Fred Durst and Jonathan Davis? Presumably one without  read more »]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/o2/trl-finale#comments O2 MTV TRL Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:55:32 -0500 John S.W. MacDonald 78695 at http://www.observer.com http://www.observer.com/2008/o2/week-dvr-ladies-who-lunch-and-work-van-sants-saddest-roman-holiday

Monday: Roman Holiday
Ok, we know: you've probably seen Roman Holiday before. It's one of those classics that hasn't totally slipped through the cracks; it's easy to find on DVD, and it gets semi-frequent play on cable. But since we only saw this film for the first time recently, we wanted to urge all of you who have not seen the Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn Italian romp to do so, immediately. Hepburn-in her debut, Oscar-winning role--is the princess who just wants to be normal. Peck is the American journalist she falls for. Among the many highlights: gorgeous shots of Rome, Hepburn's short haircut, and a long tracking shot that captures the sadness of the inevitable moment of their separation.  read more »

MTV is sponsoring a contest to promote the upcoming action film Max Payne starring Mark Wahlberg--and talk about the perfect setting for a gritty cop-movie gimmick!

"To celebrate the release of this slick new thriller, MTV is giving one lucky winner and a friend an NYPD trip to New York City. You’ll get flights, two-nights accommodation at the luxurious Hotel Pennsylvania..."

What, you were expecting the posh Hotel Carter?

Now, MTV wasn't around during the Swing Era, but has Kurt Loder and company bothered to peek inside the old Glenn Miller hangout recently?

(Read The Observer's extensive coverage here.)

"Save The Hotel" activist Gregory Jones once took issue with my use of the term "fleabag" to describe the dowdy would-be landmark on Seventh Avenue.

But, come on, luxurious?

MTV announced yesterday that its afternoon video countdown show, Total Request Live, will be going off air in November after ten years on the air. The AP, via the NYT, reports that the show "will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November." Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of TRL, also "stressed that the show wasn't ending for good, but [MTV] felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel."

The finale could be a sort of greatest hits special. Mr. Sirulnick is hoping that some of TRL's faves-Justin Timberlake and N'Sync, the Backstreet Boys, Brit Brit or Eminem-might return to relive some memories.  read more »

Tuesday evening, for VH-1 and Vogue's "Fashion Rocks" show, the Black Eyed Peas performed a hip-hop version of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You." Turning one of the sexiest songs of all time into a dead-eyed, fake-funk abomination is a real accomplishment, though to be fair, it's just another day at the office for B.E.P.

Two nights earlier on the MTV Video Music Awards, the night's loud-mouthed, big-haired Brit emcee, comedian Russell Brand, told one too many jokes at the expense of clean tween stars the Jonas Brothers (and their purity rings), and precious American Idol season six winner Jordin Sparks went off script and shot back: "It's not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut.  read more »

Our long national nightmare is over. Britney Spears will perform at the MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday according to USA Today. (This comes via TVTattle.com.)

MTV confirms the news it in its inimitable fashion: "Britney’s back — for REALS — and honestly, we’re probably as amazed and eagerly anxious as you are." (Insert your own OMFGs.)

As you may recall, last week, Ms. Spears' manager told the Associated Press, "She's in the middle of recording her next album, which is going amazingly well, and her focus remains on the studio" and would be unable to attend the event.

It's not enough that Brett Ratner, Hollywood's least admired superstar director, has already made commercials for Activision's Guitar Hero videogame featuring those two guys from American Idol whose names you already forgot pretending to be Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Now, according to MTV's Multiplayer blog, Mr. Ratner wants to direct a movie based on the game. (This comes via New York's Vulture blog.)

Here's what the humble Rush Hour director and Entourage self-satirizer told MTV's Stephen Totilo:

I love 'Guitar Hero' and I think it’s a part of pop culture. I would love to do a 'Guitar Hero' movie, if Activision would ever let me.  read more »

The Associated Press is reporting that Britney Spears will not be at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, despite the fact that she's been appearing in ads for the event alongside host Russell Brand.

According to Larry Rudolph, whom AP described as Spears' "manager at Jive Records," "She's in the middle of recording her next album, which is going amazingly well, and her focus remains on the studio."

Last year, Ms. Spears made an ill-fated comeback appearance at the event (the first moments of her performance were an obvious homage to Elvis Presley's 1968 Comeback Special) that was notable for her lethargic dancing and obvious lip-syncing.

Thankfully, the Jonas Brothers—whom you are forgiven for not knowing if you're over 11-years-old or don't read Details or Rolling Stone—are still scheduled to appear at the September 7th Los Angeles Event.

For a "reality" show that's supposed to be all about drama, The Hills hasn't really encompassed much of it over the past few seasons. It seems like the juiciest footage we get is stuff like: Uh oh! Spencer and Heidi sort of broke up, but actually they really didn't! CRISIS! L.C. ruined some expensive dress she didn't have to pay for because she doesn't know how to work a curling iron! Audrina won't come out of that shack she got forced to live in after Lo stole all of her camera spotlight! Snore.

What ever happened to gratuitous post-teenage binge drinking sessions that lead to crazy fights with blonde girls calling each other whores and fratty dudes giving each other bloody noses with their fists? Isn't that what reality TV is supposed to be all about?

Apparently on The Hills, the new season of which premieres on MTV on Aug.  read more »

Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents may soon feel like they are living on the set of a reality TV show. The cast of the Apprentice-style MTV show starring 50 Cent is moving into a three-story, newly renovated loft building on the Greenpoint waterfront, a well-placed source has informed us.

The series will follow 16 aspiring rap moguls as they compete in a series of challenges to determine their "savvy, street smarts, manipulation, power and the art of winning"--"the skills that took 50 Cent from the streets to corporate America." At the end of each episode, 50 Cent will eliminate a contestant. The winner will get a full scholarship to an undergraduate or graduate business program.  read more »