MTV KOs Aging TRL

(NEWSER) - After 10 years of screaming fans, frantic voting, and celebrity appearances, MTV’s Total Request Live is finally going off the air. A star-studded 2-hour finale will air tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sinking ratings for the music video show are behind its demise—about 322,000 watch the weekday afternoon program now, compared to 761,000 in its heyday of 1999. More»

Advertisers shunned show that depicted teens having sex, taking drugs

(NEWSER) - MTV has pulled the plug on controversial sexed-up teen drama Skins after just one season. The much-talked-about US adaptation of the British hit, deserted by advertisers under pressure from the Parents Television Council , never attracted a huge audience, although it outperformed MTV's other scripted show, The Hard Times of R.J. Berger, which has been renewed, Entertainment Weekly notes. More»

Critic: Controversy detracts from bigger problem: 'lack of quality'

(NEWSER) - First things first: The MTV teen drama Skins doesn't dabble in child pornography, writes Jace Lacob in the Daily Beast. The scene in question featuring a teen boy's naked butt isn't even "remotely sexually suggestive," he writes, and thus doesn't meet the criteria for breaking indecency rules. (See for yourself—the video clip is provided with Lacob's column on DB.) In fact, the whole brouhaha smells like a publicity stunt and detracts us from the real problem with the show: "An appalling lack of quality." More»

'Jersey Shore' star's arrest puts town back on the map

(NEWSER) - "Snooki arrested!" screamed the headlines around the world, and the mayor of the town where the Jersey Shore star faces a disorderly conduct charge couldn't be happier, reports the New York Post . "We're getting wonderful publicity!" says Ken Hershey. "We couldn't pay a half-million dollars for this!" Details of the incident are still emerging: In the Post's account, a drunk Snooki, aka Nicole Polizzi, was heard saying, "Do you know who I am? I'm fucking Snooki! You can't do this!" as Seaside Heights, NJ, police took her into custody. More»

Dad can't account for 'Jersey Shore' star's popularity, either

(NEWSER) - With the second season of Jersey Shore mere days away, the Snooki phenomenon comes under the scrutiny of New York Times reporter Cathy Horyn, and no one emerges unscathed. To be fair, Horyn compares the 4-foot-9 Snooki, aka Nicole Polizzi, to Elizabeth Taylor. But she also likens her body to a turnip and writes, "Trying to hold a conversation with Snooki is a little like getting down on your hands and knees with a child." More»