A Quiet End of an Era

For some of you there was a time when MTV meant Music Television. For me I caught the tail end of Music Television and the beginning of what MTV is today...lame reality TV shows.

But in that tail end of Music Television after the first few seasons of the "original" reality show The Real World and right before the explosion of reality TV both on this network and on primetime network television, there was a sort of music renaissance. MTV had just debuted their Time Square studios and were juggling around newer shows in their line-up.

When they debuted the new studio they also premiered their new afternoon show MTV Live hosted by Ananda Lewis, Carson Daly, and a random ass British guy named Toby Amies. Occasionally they would have rock music guru Matt Pinfield on as well. And then their primetime consisted of 12 Angry Viewers where they would debut new videos and have fans talk about the vids, Say What? where popular videos were played with the song's lyrics scrolling on the bottom of the screen, and a little show called Total Request where fans would call in during the day and vote on the most popular videos.

That line-up worked for some time and built both popularity and viewership, particularly in MTV Live and later on at night Total Request. The popularity culminated into the combination of the two: Total Request Live. Debuting in September 1998, Total Request Live or TRL as dubbed by Carson Daly, the show's first and primary host until 2003, played the 10 most popular videos of the day as voted by fans. It also played as another way for musicians and movie stars to promote their latest projects.

With the combination of the rising popularity of pop and boy band groups, TRL took off. For the next 5 years, TRL reached it's peak in popularity, becoming both a cultural phenomenon and an icon in and of itself. In the early years, it was the ultimate avenue for new music, and not just the pop that is normally associated with the show. All genres of music were pretty much scattered in. I remember hearing Korn and Limp Bizkit being played alongside Eminem and Britney Spears. The first time I heard "Stellar" by Incubus or "Last Resort" by Papa Roach was on TRL.

I'm not quite sure what happened after Carson Daly left, for like Carson and some of the earlier viewers, I grew up and moved on. But I can guess that the popularity of the show outside of the stars that appear on the show and the host dwindled as more and more new avenues on the internet became available for new music and videos to come out and be shared. As MySpace and YouTube gained popularity to see not just new artists but established artists, MTV again started moving away from music.

Which brings us back to my title. A quiet end of an era.

Tonight was the finale episode of Total Request Live. I just found out about it by chance, my wife still watches a couple of shows on MTV (yep, all of them reality shows). I totally forgot that TRL was still even on. At first I was kind of upset. Even though I had stopped watching the show years ago, it still brought me back to those first few years when it was the flagship of MTV and they stopped Times Square traffic for episodes.

The more and more I thought about it though, the more I realized that it had been quite some time since TRL had even had any relavence. Although all of us old schoolers complain about MTV not playing videos anymore, it's no surprise they don't play any music anymore. The current generation of youth no longer needs a television station that plays music videos. They get them online now. And now instead of new artists debuting on TV they can generate a lot of buzz online as well. MTV moved back toward reality shows as a business move to preserve the company. If no one is watching the network for videos, they had to do something.

And so the finale...although there were a lot of iconic celebs that appeared and performed on the finale and there was a crowd in Times Square, it wasn't the same. They did bring Carson Daly back, but you would think a show like that and being on for that long (ten years is a long time on a network like MTV) there would be more fanfare. But I guess that is what happens when the world changes around you.

I think TRL was on a bit longer than it should have been, which is kind of sad. And so it ends. I guess it is fitting, especially since the first few artist featured in the first few years are now in their late 20s and early 30s. Some like Britney and Christina have since been married and have kids (and in Britney's case have come full circle being divorced, mentally breaking down, and then mounting a career comeback). And some have even disappeared into obscurity (if anyone watched the finale, did you notice that Fred Durst was noticibly absent from all this? I think he's a "film director" now).

So here is my quiet goodbye...thanks TRL. In the pre-Web 2.0 days, it was the ultimate way for music fans to vote on their favorite artists and discover new music coming out. For old schoolers like me, it was an icon that I'm thankful I got to witness and watch and appreciate. I'm sure a program like it will come out eventually. I mean, hell, they first compared TRL to American Bandstand and Carson Daly to Dick Clark (I think Carson still hosts New Years on NBC, so his career is sort of paralleling except for the fact that he dropped of the face of the planet doing his late night show).

So long TRL. Thanks for the memories.

The Meat Life's Ultimate Christmas Wishlist

Well, it seems like the Christmas shopping season starts earlier and earlier every year. I think last week I saw the first serious Christmas commercial come out. While I think it's ridiculous, I also kind of like it. Most of my list this year is movies and video games. Later on I will have a Meat Ballers List of Items That Are Awesome for those items I will probably be saving up for once I get a house. But for now here is the Meat Life's Ultimate Christmas Wishlist:

Lost Season 4 ($36.99 on Amazon)

Complexity, relationships, and deep human themes drive this show. One of my favorites since I bought the first season by chance and now with the conclusion of the show coming up in less than two years we are finally starting to see the full picture. In this season we find out how some get off the island and some end up stuck on the island. Although the first season is probably the best of the entire show, season 4 shows that this show is still solid.

Seinfeld Seasons 4-9 (Between $35.99-$38.99 on Amazon)

I had gotten the first three seasons for Christmas some years ago but have not gotten any of the other seasons since, out of just outright forgetfulness. Awesome show with iconic episodes and characters like the Contest and the Soup Nazi. Any one of these could continue building my collection and even if I got one it would be awesome.

The Dark Knight ($21.49 on Amazon for 2-Disc Edition)

The most anticipated DVD/BluRay release of the Christmas season, and with good reason. This film was phenominal, transending what it is to be a comic book movie. Standing on its own it makes for a tense and gripping crime drama, the heroes and villains just happened to be dressed up in disguises. Probably the best film I've seen this decade.

Knight Rider Seasons 2-3 (Season 2 - $22.99, Season 3 - $37.99 on Amazon)

I've already gotten the first and last season of this iconic 80s classic show. The coolest car and probably the most fun action series back in the day. Seasons 2 and 3 featured some of the showdowns with KITT and KARR. May seem cheesy nowadays (even the update series on NBC has taken a slightly different approach) but still awesome.

The Indiana Jones Complete Adventure Collection ($59.99 on Amazon)

Growing up watching the first three, I loved the action and the mystique. Spielberg and Lucas make a good creative team. I have yet to see the fourth and latest installment, and even if it doesn't live up to the original trilogy I still wouldn't mind owning it if I owned the other three.

EASports NHL09 (XBox 360 version, $56.99 on Amazon)

Winner of 10 awards for best sports video game, the NHL series has lept to greatness with the skill stick. The new version has improvements on the defensive side of the ice and a playable version of NHL94.

Wanted (Single Disc $16.99 on Amazon)

Action action action is what I was told to expect, another movie I haven't gotten a chance to see, but I'm sure I probably would have liked.

Tropic Thunder (Unrated Director's Cut $22.99 on Amazon)

The controversial action-comedy featuring a bald Tom Cruise, a black Robert Downey Jr and a two members of the "frat pack" in Ben Stiller and Jack Black, yet another I haven't seen but probably would enjoy.

Pineapple Express (2-Disc Unrated Edition $22.99 on Amazon)

A stoner-action-comedy starring an actor on fire right now in Seth Rogen. Rogen prospers in the popular raunch comedies that have come out as of late. And yes, another movie I have yet to see.

Ninja Gaiden II (XBox 360 edition, $36.99 on Amazon)

Playing the original and the demo of this version, this game is awesome. The gameplay and graphics are great, that and the price is down now that it has been out for a while.

Rock Band Drum Pad Silencers ($19.99 on Amazon)

Yeah, it's kind of annoying if you are playing the game and all you can hear is the drum sticks banging against that drum pad. My questions is why couldn't these things be built into the drum when they sell it to you?

Harold and Kumar: Escape From Gauntanamo Bay (2-Disc Unrated, $22.99 on Amazon)

And we end with a movie that I have already seen and just not bought yet. Another stoner-comedy continuing where the White Castle movie left off. Very awesome. Very hilarious. Almost as good as the first.

So there you have it, the Meat Life's Ultimate Christmas Wishlist!

Coming soon, the Meat Baller List of Items That Are Awesome