(Credit: Gregg Delman)

We already told you we've been down with Brandy since the days when she was sittin' up in her room, dating B-baller Kobe Bryant and challenging Monica to an angry duet-slash-duel over some playa who was probably out two-timing (three-timing?) them both. And while we seriously regret our self-imposed Brandy hiatus, we've since reformed our ways by giving her new album, Human, a listen -- and FYI, we love, love, LOVED it.

Turns out, Brandy's still got the same ability to rock a mic, the same wispy, little-girl voice and the same ability to get her sticky-as-superglue songs stuck in our head all frickin' day. Head over to MTV.com's The Leak to check out the record Brandy calls "my most personal album to date," and keep your ears peeled for already-released singles like "Right Here (Departed)" and hot new tracks like "Fall," (a collab with Natasha Bedingfield!)

Also? We STILL can't believe Audrina Patridge slipped out in the middle of Brandy's studio sesh on The Hills this season! Hmm, it's almost like she was too busy thinking about Justin Bobby (a.k.a. her commitment-phobic sometimes-boyfriend) to pay attention to "Long Distance" (a.k.a. Brandy's song about totally impossible relationships). Crazy, huh??

(Credit: Gregg Delman)

True confession time: I haven't paid a ton of attention to Brandy since the "The Boy Is Mine" -- her 1998 dueling duet with Monica. And allow me to tangent for a second and declare that aside from Elton John and George Michael's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," Warren G and Nate Dogg's "Regulate," and Mariah Carey and Jay-Z's "Heartbreaker," "The Boy Is Mine" is one of the finest duets of the 1990s.

Anyway, shame on me for sleeping on Brandy, because she's hilarious, has a passion for Skittles akin to that of Tokio Hotel's most hardcore fans, and is as addicted to "World of Warcraft" as your ex-boyfriend. For realsies.

Watch this exclusive MTV interview with Brandy to find out more about her upcoming album, Human, out December 9, check out some brand-new photos of the model-turned-singer-turned-gamer -- and watch her latest video, "Right Here (Departed)," after the jump.

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The news is true. After 10 long, strong years of deafening screaming, live performances, walk-ons, and music videos (VIDEOS!) and celebrities that went on to become pop culture phenomenons (and a few who didn't), the bright lights of TRL -- lights that once lit up the careers of Britney Spears (she appeared on the show 21 times), Mariah Carey (if you don't remember when she busted onto the show in 2001 and stripped, then refresh your memory with the video below), *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, Diddy, Eminem, Backstreet Boys, Pink, and thousands of other genre-spanning artists who took the stage between 1998 and 2008 -- will go dark. Worst.

The show, originally hosted by Carson Daly, currently co-hosted by Damien Fahey and Lyndsey Rodrigues, will end in November 2008 after a final farewell show and lots of tears.

And not that anything could ever take the place of TRL, and true, maybe we should wait for the blood to dry, but here's some good news to complement the sad stuff -- due to popular demand, FNMTV will be returning to your otherwise crappy Friday nights starting this November. BRAND-new videos! Played in their entirety! The way God intended! And celebrities! Live performances! LOLs! Arguing! More screaming!

Pour some milk out for your favorite fallen show and raise a glass of Quik to the second coming of FNMTV. And below, see who was on the very first TRL countdown ever on September 14, 1998. Plus, check out thousands of TRL photos (including snaps from the iconic backstage photo booth) then close your eyes and let the sentimental sounds of Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, and Diddy (Puffy, hold me down, baby!) help you pay your respects to a decade of MTV's Total Request Live.

TRL 09/14/98
1. Backstreet Boys - I'll Never Break Your Heart
2. NSYNC - Tearin' Up My Heart
3. Aaliyah featuring Timbaland - Are You That Somebody?
4. Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss A Thing
5. Will Smith - Just the Two of Us
6. Marilyn Manson - The Dope Show
7. Usher- My Way
8. The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
9. Monica - The First Night
10. Monster Magnet - Space Lord

No, Timbaland isn't the only superproducer in the R&B/hip-pop game. And while you may not have heard of Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, we guarantee you know by heart three quarters of the songs he's produced, and we're thinking he's about to seriously blow up once and for all like he should.

The one-man hit factory who's masterminded mega-singles like Michael Jackson's "You Rock My World," Destiny's Child's "Say My Name," Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine," Keyshia Cole's "Shoulda Let You Go," and the Pussycat Dolls most recent hit, "When I Grow Up," is working his magic again, producing tracks for Beyonce, Ciara and Britney's new albums. (More on Darkchild's involvement with Britney's new album here.)

And so, in honor of the man who's about to own radios and ringtones from here and back, we're paying Darkchild his properties with some of our favorite videos of Darkchild's hits, which also happen to be some of our all-time favorite songs too. And, for the record -- we always thought "That Boy" was Monica's...

+ More videos after the jump.

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