TOTAL REQUEST LIVE

'''Total Request Live''' (commonly known as '''TRL''') is the flagship television series on MTV that features popular music videos. ''TRL'' is MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, ''TRL'' features daily guests. The show is a popular promotion tool used by musicians, actors, and other celebrities to promote their newest works to the show's target teen demographic.
''TRL'' plays the top ten most requested videos of the day, as requested by viewers who vote online for their favorite video. The countdown starts with the tenth most requested video and ends with the most requested. The show generally airs Monday through Thursday for one hour, though the scheduling and length of the show have fluctuated over the years. Despite the word "Live" in the title of the show, many episodes are actually pre-recorded.

History

The roots of ''TRL''

The roots of ''TRL'' go back to 1997 when MTV began producing ''MTV Live'' (originally hosted by British VJ Toby Amies) from the newly opened MTV studios in Times Square in New York. ''MTV Live'' featured celebrity interviews, musical performances, and regular news updates. Though producers downplay the similarities, ''MTV Live'' shared several signature elements with Much On Demand, a live show on MuchMusic, a Canadian competitor's channel, including its ''Good Morning America''-styled format of windows displaying onlookers on a metropolitan street. Music videos were not the major focus of the program.
During the same time period, MTV aired a countdown show simply called ''Total Request'', hosted by Carson Daly. ''Total Request'' was far more subdued, as Daly introduced music videos from an empty, dimly lit set. As the show progressed and gained more momentum with viewers tuning in, it was soon added to the list of daytime programming during MTV's ''Summer Share'' in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The countdown would prove to be one of the most watched and most interactive shows in recent MTV history, demonstrating that it had potential to become an even larger success by combining with the element of live television.

First generation of ''TRL'' (1998-2002)

By the fall of 1998, MTV producers decided to merge the real-time aspect of ''MTV Live'' and the fan-controlled countdown power of ''Total Request'' into ''Total Request Live'', which made its official premiere from the MTV studios on September 14, 1998. The show has since grown to become MTV's unofficial flagship program.
The original host of ''TRL'', Carson Daly, brought popularity to the show. The widely known acronym of ''TRL'' was adopted as the official title of the show in February 1999, after Daly and Dave Holmes began using the acronym on-air regularly. Since then, the program has rarely been referred to as its complete title, ''Total Request Live''.
''TRL'' spent its first year developing a cult-type following. In the fall of 1999, a live studio audience was added to the show. By spring 2000, the countdown reached its peak, becoming a very recognizable pop culture icon in its first two years of existence. A weekend edition of the show known as ''TRL Weekend'', with a countdown consisting an average of the week's Top 10, aired for a short time in 2000.
Some evolutionary changes were made to ''TRL'' throughout the next couple of years. The show received a new set and on-screen graphics for the debut of the fall 2001 season. A year later, on October 23, 2002, ''TRL'' celebrated its 1,000th episode. The #1 video on that day was "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera. Also throughout the year of 2002, original host Carson Daly would be seen gradually less and less.
In 2001, the popularity of ''TRL'' was at such a level that it spawned a country music spin-off, ''CMT Most Wanted Live'', on sister network CMT. That show lasted until 2004.

Second generation (2003-present)

In 2003, the next generation of ''TRL'' was ushered in as Carson Daly officially stepped down as host. He left the show to host his own talk show, NBC's ''Last Call'', which premiered a year earlier. Since Daly stepped down, a revolving door of VJs have hosted ''TRL'', including Damien Fahey, Vanessa Minnillo, Quddus, La La Vasquez, Susie Castillo, and Hilarie Burton. Some of these VJs made their debut on the show in earlier years, so they already had the opportunity to host the show on days in which Carson Daly was not present.
Some changes were made to ''TRL's voting process in 2005. The show previously allowed anyone to vote online multiple times, but as part of these changes, only registered members on MTV.com could vote online. Additionally, a limit of one vote per day was added. Then, on July 10, 2006, MTV announced that votes would no longer be taken by phone, ending the legacy of the phone number ''1-800-DIAL-MTV'', which had been in use for voting on MTV since the premiere of the countdown show ''Dial MTV'' in the early 1990s.
In September 2006, ''TRL'' reached its eighth anniversary, and it continues to be the longest-running live program that MTV has ever produced. It is also the third longest-running program of all time in the network's history, following behind the ''The Real World'', which has aired for the past 14 years, and ''120 Minutes'', which aired for 17 years. Around this time, ''TRL'' began airing officially on just four days a week (Monday through Thursday), as opposed to all five weekdays.
On November 2, 2006, ''TRL'' debuted what was billed as the first ever hip-hop public service announcement on global warming. The three-minute piece, titled "Trees," warned about deforestation and the dangers of global warming. The video corresponded with MTV's social campaign, ''Break the Addiction'', as part of ''think MTV''.
The current hosts of ''TRL'', as of January 2007, are Damien Fahey, Susie Castillo, and La La Vasquez. Additionally, Stephen Colletti, former cast member on '', has appeared on ''TRL'' as host numerous times. The rest of the VJs are working on separate projects. La La Vasquez is working on what is going to be her debut rap album , Hilarie Burton is working on episodes of ''One Tree Hill'', and Quddus is working on a movie.
On May 22, 2007, TRL celebrated its 2000th episode, showing highlights from the past 2000 episodes, and a special countdown of ten of the most successful videos to ever appear on the show. Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River topped the special countdown.

2007 Rumors of Cancelation and Rebranding

In 2007, rumors stating that the ratings challenged music video countdown show was to be cancelled began circulating. In early 2007, an average of 373,000 viewers regularly watched the program. ^[1] New York Daily News were one of the first to publish this rumor. In February 2007, MTV said the rumor was unfounded and claimed ''TRL'' will continue to air for the foreseeable future.
The producers of Total Request Live experimented with web-based viewer interaction throughout the 2006-2007 season, showing viral videos, allowing viewers to send feedback on a video via internet forums and webcams, and also stressing MTV's Overdrive wideband video service. However, MTV still secretly planned to cancel the show and replace one with even more emphasis on viewer interaction, named YouRL (a homonym of URL.)
Consequently, in July 2007, it was reported that YouRL was not received well by test audiences and that the concept of YouRL has been abandoned for the time being. It is presumed that Total Request Live will proceed with a new season as usual on September 4, marking the tenth season of Total Request/Total Request Live. ^[2]

Video retirement

Music videos that air on ''TRL'' are subject to a general "retirement" rule, which states they may only remain on the countdown for a limited number of days. The original retirement cap was 65 days. In 2002, the limit was reduced to 50 days. On the October 10, 2006 show, ''TRL'' announced that the retirement cap would be reduced to 40 days because the show would only air four days per week. All artists with videos that reach retirement on the show are awarded with a plaque that commemorated the video's achievement.
In 1999, Tom Green reached the top of the countdown with "Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)". After the video spent five days on the show, he called for it to be retired, saying "it's not fair to 98 Degrees." Later, though, in his autobiography, he revealed that MTV had pressured him to retire the video in order to maintain the image that ''TRL'' was, in fact, a live request show. In reality, the next week's episodes had been pre-taped on location, and the producers of the show were completely unaware of "The Bum Bum Song" at the time, which would have created a disparity in the order of videos on the show.

Career benefits

TRL's studios in Times Square

''TRL'' is widely viewed as the show that launched the careers of many teen artists from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Without the popularity and influence of ''TRL'', the following artists may not have enjoyed the amount of success they achieved.

Boy bands

Even though clean-cut boy bands like The Backstreet Boys and
★ NSYNC reached success before ''TRL'' began in the fall of 1998, both groups only reached their commercial peaks until after their videos were seen on ''TRL''. In 1999, the Backstreet Boys' second LP, ''Millennium'', achieved the highest first week sales ever from an LP, thanks in part to the many ''TRL'' fans who closed down the streets of Times Square in order to see the group live on the show.
'N Sync also appeared on ''TRL'' in 2000, when their second LP, ''No Strings Attached'', topped the Backstreet Boys' first week sales. Once again, the large number of fans in attendance closed down the streets of Times Square. Throughout most of 1998, 1999, and 2000, videos by the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync would claim the #1 position on the countdown.

Pop princesses

Pop singers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff all made their music debuts on ''TRL'' as well. Spears and Aguilera especially reached huge amounts of success after their videos became hits on the countdown. The two became regulars on the show and would often appear as guests. When the Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync did not have a current video on the countdown, a video by Aguilera or Spears would most likely take the #1 position. Simpson wouldn't enjoy the same type of success until four years later, when she starred in '', an MTV reality show. The series helped her videos become moderate hits on ''TRL''.
Jessica Simpson's younger sister Ashlee Simpson is another pop princess that has had some success on TRL with her first music video "Pieces of Me" in 2004, Younger Simpson had 3 videos in the # 1 and one close to retirement, Ashlee had a first # 1 video than her sister Jessica.
An unusual pop princess streak occurred in March of 2007: The number one and number two spots were women for every show. There was no other month in the history of TRL where every show had a woman at the top spot.^[3]^[4]

Others

Detroit rapper Eminem made his mainstream debut on ''TRL'' in 1999 with his video for "My Name Is." Korn, Limp Bizkit, and P.O.D. experienced success on the countdown during the nu metal movement, occasionally dethroning boy bands from the top spot. In recent years, other artists have also owed commercial success to ''TRL''. Some of these artists include Jesse McCartney and a multitude of modern rock bands, like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance.

''TRL'' in popular culture

★ ''TRL'' has been parodied countless times on sketch comedy shows such as ''MADtv'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''All That'', and ''Chappelle's Show''.

★ More recently, the show was parodied on the MTV2 program ''Wonder Showzen''. In the first season episode "Nature", the show was parodied as ''Total Racewar Live'', hosted by ''Wonder Showzen's black supremacist character Rufus Truthfist.

★ Fictional episodes of ''TRL'', shot at the actual ''TRL'' studio in Times Square, were featured in the 2001 films ''Josie and the Pussycats'', ''Joe Dirt'', and ''On The Line'', as well as a 2002 episode of ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' ("Total Sabrina Live").

★ The show was referenced in the song "White America" by Eminem: "I go to ''TRL'', look how many hugs I get."

★ In "Drake and Josh Go Hollywood" Damien Fahey introduces Drake Parker and his band before they play the song "Hollywood Girl" in Hollywood.

International versions

★ The first version of TRL outside the U.S. was in Italy. Started on MTV Italy on November 2, 1999, it was hosted by Marco Maccarini and Giorgia Surina, followed by Federico Russo and Carolina Di Domenico. Since the 2005-06 season, Surina returned to TRL with a new co-host, Alessandro Cattelan. Currently, ''TRL Italy'' airs live daily from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Piazza del duomo in Milan. Throughout its 8 seasons, TRL was broadcast from Milan, Rome, Venice, Naples, Genova and Turin. ''TRL Italy'' is the longest-running show on MTV Italy. On December 23, 2004, a special two-hour event, "TRL #1000," was aired to celebrate the series' 1000th episode. On 2006 there is also a program called ''TRL Awards'' where the people choose the artist of the year via web or mobile. And on summer 2007 was aired a special weekly-appointement called ''TRL Extra Live'', who famous Italian singers did a mini-concert.

★ The British version, known as ''TRL UK'', was hosted by Dave Berry, Alex Zane, Jo Good, and Maxine Akhtar. It was broadcast live from Leicester Square in London. Following the first series' broadcast from Leicester Square, the top 10 countdown was removed from the show. The second series finished at the end of 2005. The show never returned to air, and its studios are currently being used for a weekly talk show fronted by Russell Brand, which also airs on MTV UK). Although ''TRL UK'' has finished its run, MTV UK still airs the American version weekday mornings at 10:00 a.m.

★ The German version of ''TRL'' is also very successful throughout Europe (after Italy), and it is known as ''Total Request Live Germany''. ''TRL Germany'' has the highest television ratings of all the ''TRL'' versions in Europe. The show is hosted by Joko and Mirjam Weichselbraun or Patrice Bouédibéla throughout the week from 4:20 to 5:20 p.m. ''TRL Germany'' is set in Berlin. TRL Urban, which airs HipHop music videos,TRL Rock, which airs rock music and TRL XXL,with a special live guest, is also airing on MTV Germany.

★ The Australian version of ''TRL'' began as a weekend show, but then began aired live Monday through Friday. It is hosted by Maz Compton, Lyndsey Rodrigues, Nathan Sapsford, and Jason Robert Dundas. In early 2006, it returned to airing only on Friday evenings. The show has since been cancelled at the end of 2006 and was replaced by "The Lair"

★ In Latin America, a version of ''TRL'' called ''Los 10+ Pedidos'' (''The 10 Most Requested'') airs daily. The show is hosted by "Gabo" in the Northern and Central regions. It is hosted by Cecilia in the Southern region. A spin-off of the show, ''Los 10+ Rock'', is also shown every day. It focuses on the 10 most requested rock videos, based on the overall voting for ''Los 10+ Pedidos''. Two more spin-offs have recently appeared: ''Los 10+ Pop'' in the Southern region, and ''Los 10+ Metal'' in the Central region.TRL Latin America

★ In Brazil, MTV airs a show similar to ''TRL'' known as ''Disk MTV''. This program was created before ''TRL'', existing since the launch of MTV Brazil in 1990, and has never changed its format as a top ten request show over the years. It airs weekdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. On December 29, 2006, MTV Brazil aired the last ''Disk MTV'', it had a week long special about the best videos of its 16 year run, the last video shown in the program was Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The show was cut due to the decision of network of not airing music videos on its 2007 schedule, claiming that videos are something that can be viewed online on their Overdrive website.

★ After a Polish version of ''TRL'' was unsuccessful, MTV Poland decided to launch a new chart show based on ''TRL's structure. Its name is ''The Interactive Chart'' and it is aired from Monday to Saturday at 4 p.m. on MTV Poland.

★ In Canada, MTV Canada airs ''MTV Live'', a talk show comparable in many ways to ''TRL'', but with very limited musical content, because MTV Canada is licensed as a talk channel, not a music channel. MuchMusic's ''Countdown'' and ''MuchOnDemand'' are closer in format to ''TRL''.

★ MTV Tr3s, a U.S. channel targeted to bilingual Hispanic people, launched ''Mi TRL'' in September 2006. The show carries the same format and graphics as the English version of ''TRL''. ''Mi TRL'' was initially anchored by Carlos Santos and Susie Castillo. Since then, Castillo has been with another VJ, Denise Ramerez. MTV News segments on the show are delivered from Los Angeles by correspondent Liz Hernandez.

★ MTV România launched the Romanian version of ''TRL'' from an Orange concept store on Calea Victoriei (a major commercial avenue in the center of Bucharest) on January 23, 2006^[5]. The show airs two times a week, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The graphic is similar to that of the Italian version.

References

1. http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/2007/02/15/mtv-trl-viacom-tech-media-cx_lh_0215mtv.html
2. http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/bwiddicombe/2007/07/16/2007-07-16_for_davis_the_bucks_stop_heir.html
3. http://www.popfusion.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43280
4. http://trlarchive.popfusion.net/
5. http://www.mtv.ro/trl

External links

★ Official site

★ TRL România

★ ATRL (TRL message boards; daily top ten list)

★ The TRL Archive

★ "Merchants of cool" (PBS)

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