January 22, 2010

A Must See: Hope for Haiti Now Telethon

Tonight you need to be at home! Or, I’ll let you slide if you are attending a Haiti fundraiser. Beginning at 8pm EST (7pm CST) MTV’s “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” will broadcast across a number of networks, including MTV. There will be over 100 celebrities and influencers broadcasting live all over the globe, from LA to NY to London to Haiti, to help raise money for the reconstruction of Haiti.

Performers include Wyclef Jean, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, Justin Timberlake and tons more. I’m super excited because this concert will be one of a kind. Some artists will perform songs that have never been heard before, while we we also see collaborations from artists we never thought we would see on the same stage. The telethon will also feature actors, television hosts, athletes, and singers who will be answering the phones. That will be an epic sight to see.

Make sure you tune in. I’m sure out of ALL these channels the telethon will air on, there is one that you can watch – whether you have cable or not: BC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino and Canadian networks, including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television and MuchMusic.

View this video of George Clooney, the telethon’s organizer, as he discusses ways the youth can get involved as well his hopes for the fundraiser:

November 16, 2008

The Finale of TRL

Today marks a sad day in history. Well it was a glorious day because Barack had his first interview on 60 Minutes after being nominated President-elect. However, today was the finale of TRL. When I interned at MTV last summer, the rumor that the show was near its end date was buzzing around the offices, but I never thought the rumor was true. From running home after school to watching the top ten countdown during the summer, I grew up watching the show. I think TRL helped foster my love for music. All the hottest videos premiered on TRL before I saw them anywhere else.  I would tape all of *N Sync and Britney Spear’s videos and learn the dances. I would also record videos and memorize the lyrics – clearly this was before lyric websites were established. As a child, I wanted to be VJ! That was the hottest job on the streets! If anybody asked me today, “If you could have one job in the world what would it be?” My response will continue to be, “A MTV VJ.”

I’m glad Carson Daly came back to host the finale. I will be completely honest and voice my opinion that TRL went downhill after Damien took Carson’s place. There are a lot of other celebrities that stopped by to participate in what a few have called “a high school reunion” as numerous young artists’ careers flourished after being on TRL. The show was opened by Beyonce and included performances by Fall Out Boy, Ludacris, Snoop, and Nelly, as well as appearances by Diddy, Kid Rock, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and the list goes on and on. Then, there were so many people outside, the streets looked like NYC on New Years Eve. The show will definitely be missed :(

If you didn’t get the opportunity to watch the finale, I suggest watching MTV over the next few days. You KNOW they will repeat this about 4 times over the time period.