When Diddy wasn't dropping by 36 times, and the most memorable videos of the past decade (plus a few highly forgettable ones too) weren't dropping live, TRL was also all about making and breaking major news.
From break-ups of the celebrity and musical variety -- the end of Backstreet Boys as a fivesome, to the downfall of the Britney and Kevin era -- to the celebs who couldn't stay out of the courtroom, jail, and/or the back of a police cruiser (I'm looking at YOU, R. Kelly!), these are the headliners and legends that made TRL news.
Watch the most newsworthy moments in TRL history, and then watch TRL itself make -- and become -- history when the show's final episode airs live on Sunday, November 16th at 8pm ET.
Some people refer to the Bible as the greatest piece of literature ever written. Others say it's Crime And Punishment. Ulysses, Hamlet, and Walden are up there too. And I've "heard" that Aristotle's Rhetoric is fairly on point too.
But why spend all that time on hundreds upon hundreds of tissue-thin pages when The Bloodhound Gang boiled down the possibilities of perfect prose to just four simple lines in their 1999 hit, "The Bad Touch"?
And those words are:
"Love/
The kind you clean up with a mop and bucket/
Like the lost catacombs of Egypt/
Only God knows where we stuck it."
And The Bloodhound Gang and I aren't the only ones who'd agree -- the redonkulous video -- which features the guys, dressed as monkey rats (naturally!), on a super-offensive trip to Paris -- made it to #1 on today's countdown of TRL's most LOL-iest music videos.
Watch the excruciatingly hysterical "The Bad Touch" video below (for reasons I still can't understand, by the way, I know the lyrics to this song backwards, forwards, upside-down, and double-time), watch the rest of TRL's funniest videos here, and find out more about the live finale of TRL on Sunday, November 16 at 8pm ET.

It's not easy to compete with Madonna and Justin ripping each other's bodies apart -- literally -- on their quest to save us all (from what, though, I'm not sure) in "4 Minutes" -- which came in at #2 on today's TRL Top Collaborations countdown -- or Madonna and Britney almost-but-not-quite making out in "Me Against the Music," which made a respectable #5. But four scantily clad ladies dressed like a tramped-n-revamped version of Cirque du Sluttay -- plus Missy Elliott -- managed to edge out Madge, Brit and Justin and make history too.
Mya, Christina Aguilera -- lookin' like the bride of Frankenstein's trashier step sister, Lil' Kim -- looking surprisingly more sophisticated than usual -- and Pink, looking like the hottest ringleader evar stole the show away from the Moulin Rouge!, the movie, in 2001 when their remake of "Lady Marmalade" (LaBelle originally recorded it back in 1974) became the second song in chart history to hit number one without being released as a commercial single.
But less boring history, more grunting, gyrating, and singing about brothels.
Watch "Lady Marmalade," and check out the rest of TRL's top video collabos here.

No lie, this thing is starting to look like the VMAs! MTV has just confirmed 50 Cent will be among the performers on the insanely nostalgic and crazily star-studded live TRL finale, which, as you already know, will be happening in our Times Square Studios on Sunday, November 16 at 8 pm ET.
And what would an MTV party be without Diddy? It wouldn't be squat, so that's why Mr. Combs will be on hand to reminisce with hosts Carson Daly and Damien Fahey about his 36 -- that's right, 36 -- appearances on TRL over the last decade. And in case you're wondering, that's the standing record for most appearances on the show.
Also new to the guest list is country-pop heartthrob Taylor Swift, as well as pop sweetheart (and LGBT defender) Hilary Duff, as well as a TRL VJ role call of epic proportions: Lyndsey Rodrigues, Vanessa Minnillo, Dave Holmes, Jesse Camp, Hilarie Burton, La La Vasquez and Quddus. Yes, you read that correctly, Jesse Camp.
And let's not forget performances by Fall Out Boy, Beyonce and the Backstreet Boys, and appearances by Ludacris (who previously announced he was performing, but it seems he's just stopping in for the party), Mariah Carey, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Benji and Joel Madden, Fred Durst, Jonathan Davis of Korn and more!
Don't miss it!

Britney Spears might have taken home the title of TRL's Favorite Number-One Artist for dressing up like a bored Catholic schoolgirl -- and sticking fuzzy, pink cotton balls in her hair -- in "Baby One More Time," but that doesn't mean she's the only #1 singer to take the top-spot in TRL's finale countdowns. Truth be told, a lot of the oldies-but-goodies being re-aired these days were one-time smash hits. (Like, oh, every other song on yesterday's deliciously nostalgic Boy Band Countdown.)
But today, the man following in Brit's illustrious still-number-one footsteps was former chart-topper Sisqo, who is best (and pretty much, only) known for his gigundo hit, "Thong Song." C'mon, you remember the "Thong Song," don't you? Of course you do! (That is, unless you spent the year 2000 hiding under a rock, or worse -- living in one of those sad, podunk towns that banned MTV altogether.)
Anyhow, for those of you who don't recall (or tried very, very hard to forget), Sisqo's poignant ode to barely-there underwear swept the nation like a pervy man's "Macarena," causing middle schoolers, soccer moms and grannies of all shapes and sizes to run to Victoria's Secret and plunk down $19.99 for a tiny, ill-fitting garment that bore an uncanny resemblance to dental floss.
And while the song didn't earn Sisqo a string of number-one hits, a long and fruitful career or a lasting place in pop culture history, it DID earn him the #1 spot on today's "Artists You Already Forgot About" countdown (Kidding! It's "One Hit Wonders") narrowly beating out such worthy competitors as Len's "Steal My Sunshine" (#9) and Lou Bega's "Mambo #5," (#3).
So relive the transient amazingness of "Thong Song," catch the rest of the 1-Hit Wonder Countdown and watch Lou Bega and Len's equally memorable/forgettable hit singles, after the jump.
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When you think TRL and the heyday of boy bands, you probably remember the legendary groups of the late '90s and early 2000s, like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys -- and you heard Backstreet's coming back to TRL to perform live on the finale on Sunday, November 16, right?
But then there are the bands that time (and taste) forgot -- like LFO, or Lite Funky Ones -- though LFO was neither Lite nor Funky -- and British boy band 5ive, whom Simon Cowell signed before he went on to crush people's hopes for a living on American Idol. (Ironically, 5ive had an album called Invincible, which charted well in the UK, but ultimately couldn't save the band from going the way of pogs.)
Check out LFO's arguably offensive (to Chinese people, women, anyone with any sort of musical sensibility whatsoever, and any combination thereof) "Summer Girls" video below, watch 5ive's "When the Lights Go Out" video after the jump, and check out TRL's top boy band videos here.
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[UPDATE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly indicated that Kevin Richardson would be on hand as part of Total Finale Live. Buzzworthy apologizes for any confusion this misinformation may have caused.]
Wake up, Backstreet fans! In less than a month from now, Backstreet Boys -- the band that's synonymous with O.G. TRL, stark-raving mad fans, lockstep dance moves and synchronized sultry stares — will return to TRL!
Way before the Jonas Brothers bit us with their lil "Lovebug" and had all of Times Square "Burnin' Up," Backstreet Boys laid down the law of love, imploring girls around the world to "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)."
And on the bittersweet TRL finale on Sunday, November 16, Backstreet Boys will perform live again on the TRL stage, one last time before the TRL lights go dark forever. (Sniff!)
Also, don't miss performances by Fall Out Boy, Beyonce, and Ludacris, and appearances by Mariah Carey, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Benji and Joel Madden, Fred Durst, Jonathan Davis of Korn and more!
Carson Daly himself will be there, along with Damien, Lyndsey, and a motley crew of TRL and old-school MTV alum -- like Quddus -- will be stopping by.
Check out two classic Backstreet Boys videos and watch more BSB videos here -- Backstreet's (almost) back, y'all!
Tags Backstreet-Boys, Benji Madden, Beyonce, Carson Daly, Damien Fahey, Fall Out Boy, Fred Durst, Good Charlotte, Joel-Madden, Jonas Brothers, Korn, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, TRL

TRL's always been known for famous -- and favorite -- firsts -- the first time you saw an artist completely crush Times Square -- Backstreet Boys did it, and so did Eminem. The first of Diddy's 36 (!!!?!?!) appearances, or Jennifer Lopez's 17 appearances (remember when she was super obviously pregnant?), or Christina Aguilera's 13. Or the first time you saw Mariah Carey's midriff, or Mariah pushing an ice cream cart, or both! Michael Phelps' abs' first appearance. Tokio Hotel's first time on TRL.
But, TRL's most important firsts have always been the videos. And today's countdown was all about the top 10 biggest videos that made their debut on TRL: Avril's conflicted "Complicated" video made it to #9 today, while TRL veteran Eminem's "My Name Is" made it to #4. Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" scored an enviable #3, while Christina Aguilera's "Genie In a Bottle" resurfaced to earn the now-married mom a respectable #2.
But no one, not no one, has earned more TRL love than show pioneer Britney Spears, whose "Baby One More Time" reached another #1 when it became TRL's #1 favorite first video (the song also turned 10 today!)
Watch "Baby One More Time" below, check out more videos here after the jump, and stay tuned for a very big TRL announcement.
++ WATCH MORE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMPOFF! ++

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What kinda world would we be living in if Soulja Boy (Tell 'em) beat out Slim Shady on TRL's all-time greatest hip-hop hits countdown? No world I'd wanna live in, that's fa show. The way I see it? Soulja Boy's lucky to have even made it onto the shortlist of the show's best-ever hip-hop videos. But the question remains... WHERE THE HULL IS LIL WAYNE? (BTW, mazel tov on that baby boy, Weezy!) I demand a recount! Damien? Get on that!
Anyway, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" found its way to #1 on today's countdown, Jay-Z's classic swagger track, "Big Pimpin'" locked up #2, Outkast's "Hey Ya" -- the song that inserted "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" into the pop culture lexicon for forevskies -- and Missy Elliott's mesmerizing "Get Ur Freak On" video made #8.
Watch the highlights below, check out the rest of TRL's greatest hip-hop videos here, and don't miss some very special out-of-studio experiences on tomorrow's show, at 3:30pm ET.
Plus:
+TRL's top girl power videos: Miley Cyrus trumps Destiny's Child!
+Beyonce and Ludacris will perform onTRL finale on Sunday, November 16!
++ WATCH MORE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMPOFF! ++
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My all-time TRL-era pick for #1 girl power video would've been Destiny's Child's "Survivor." (I am the biggest closet Destiny's Child fan ever, and with that, I just revealed myself... but for real, give me a little "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and watch me lose it).
Despite the fact that Kelly Rowland's hair was having a wack attack, that song's got legs, and I love how they were like "SOS! We're a hot chick army, and we'll effing SWIM our way to safety!" And of course, that "You know I'm not gonna dis you on the Internet" line is a classic. Take THAT, Perez!
Even though the "Survivor" video won a 2001 VMA for Best R&B Video, it only came in at #8 on yesterday's TRL countdown, while Kelly Clarkson's eff-you anthem came in at 9, Shakira's shakily annoying "Objection (Tango)" got the runner-up spot, and relative newcomer in TRL land Miley Cyrus' "7 Things" took the top honors, beating out Britney's "Stronger" and Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" at numbers 7 and 6 respectively, even though My Cy was still in nappies when Destiny's Child was opening for Dru Hill. Whatevskies. I'm not slightly bitter.
Check out some choice video picks from TRL's girl power countdown below, watch them all here, and don't miss today's show at 3:30p.m. ET -- Michael Phelps is on!
++ WATCH MORE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMPOFF! ++
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