Overwhelming.
I don't know any word that better sums up what Sunday night was like. I have almost 20 years' worth of live MTV events — VMAs, New Year's Eves, Grammy preshows, election nights — to treasure. And yet "Total Finale Live" has to rank up there with the best of them. I think that as much as that has to do with the insane roster of celebs that turned up for our big send-off — proof, if you needed any more, of the enduring impact of this pop phenom — it is also a tribute to the countless former co-workers who came back to join us on this night.
Everywhere I turned was another face I hadn't seen in way too long — Bruce McDonald, Deb Savo, Mike Powers, Tony DiSanto, Ryan Pender. There were too many to name, but all people with whom I share terrific memories and who gave their all to make this show something that really caught lightning in a bottle. I could hardly walk 10 feet without catching up with someone else.
Likewise, the VJs, all my old pals: Dave, Jesse, LaLa, Hilarie (is there a cooler, more real girl around? I think not), Vanessa, Lyndsey, Quddus, Susie. And "the naturals": two guys whose easy, effortless, likable manner has steered this ship for a decade, playing a huge role in the success that it was. I have put in a lot of on-camera time over the years, but I will always envy the smoothness personified by Carson Daly and Damien Fahey. God bless 'em. I was momentarily worried that talking 9/11 with Carson would bring this ultimate party to a screeching halt; needless to say, he handled it just right.
Finally, the artists. Wow. Everyone from Justin Timberlake to Dave Holmes likened tonight to a high school reunion ("only everyone is good-looking," said Dave), and that it was. Looking at the talent lineup tonight, I kept thinking how different life is for so many now, compared to when "TRL" went on the air back in 1998. There was Jonathan Davis and the Backstreet Boys — insanely popular back in the day and still at it today. There was Diddy, the show's most frequent guest, a Renaissance man who, during the last 10 years, has run marathons and been on Broadway, and still somehow manages to make unabashed promotion charming ("TRL" was, after all, first and foremost a promotional platform for its guests). There was Kid Rock, the badass enjoying an improbable comeback year, moved at the memory of the irresistible little guy, Joe C. Christina and Beyoncé, two women who in the show's lifetime have risen to the top of their game. And, of course, Justin. What more can you say about this guy? The bushy-haired standout kid in a boy band has now grown — more than any other artist in "TRL" history — into arguably the biggest pop performer in the world, and rightly so. Fresh off a ridiculously inspired "SNL" performance less than 24 hours earlier, he was his usual smart, sensational self. If there is anything JT can't do, I have yet to see it.
We all gathered for a "class photo" at the end — musicians, VJs and news talent, shoulder to shoulder — and I think for most everyone involved, it was a moment. This was only a TV show, of course. Our lives, careers and pop culture itself will go on, and some of us will probably cross paths another time. But this was a hell of a way to say good-bye.
Thanks, "TRL."
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