MTV's president of network development, John Sykes, was scheduled to be feted tonight at Lubin House, the Syracuse University outpost in New York City that serves as a hostel-slash-events space for alumni, visiting professors, and editorial assistants still clinging to their "But I went to Newhouse!" rationales for why they should get jobs at 4 Times Square. (We, for one, gave that up exactly three months after graduation.)

Sykes, a Newhouse alum (which explains his picture here with Bill Clinton, at, yes, a Newhouse event), was to be honored for "his contributions to the media, Syracuse University, and the community," according to the official invite.

Too bad, because the event's been canceled for lack of interest from alumni, we're told. Likely scenario: Newhouse alums who are more successful than Sykes (hard to do) couldn't be bothered, and those less successful than Sykes are exhausted from kissing ass and handing out business cards at last night's Maxim 100.

Let's just hope Meredith Vieira doesn't have the same fate next month when she hosts the Newhouse school's first-ever Mirror Awards, honoring the "outstanding work of people and organizations that report on the media." Why we're not nominated for anything, we don't know.

MTV is undergoing a facelift. That stodgy TRL? They're getting the hell away from it. Those underperforming reality shows? Well, more than likely, that inexpensive programming will probably stick around. But the network's approach to award shows is changing: Not only is MTV moving its Video Music Awards from New York to Las Vegas and, according to TMZ, setting up tents at the Palms, but they're making all sorts of changes to the way things are done.

The broadcast will be live! It won't repeat on TV! The date is moving back to September!

And then there are some things that never change: Last year's viewership dropped 28 percent. Surely there's more we can do to drop those numbers.

After four years at TRL, Nick Lachey's girlfriend is giving it up. Vanessa Minnillo is leaving the MTV stalwart, voluntarily, to pursue her next career goal — though what it is, she has "no idea." Smarty!

Well, actually, she is a smarty now that TRL is doing the "L" part of its gimmick only a couple times per week now and is about to undergo a huge revamp, which will likely leave Damien Fahey playing the new Carson Daly, looking after a new slew of young VJs, embedding YouTube clips into the broadcast, and looking for any angle to get out of there.

Because their Juvies series didn't draw enough ire, MTV is now going forth with a series about male virgins, of the heterosexual variety, who are looking to lose their V-card. Producers will have to rely on the cast members' honesty, as Marc Malkin reports, and the women involved in the show – where their purpose is to act as receptacle – won't be cast ... they're simply be sought after with cameras rolling.

And, with MTV adding interactivity to each of its shows – Web 2.0, yo! – the lead-ins to 11-minute commercial breaks will be so much more bearable with viewer-submitted YouTube clips of high school kids getting their freak on.

That he didn't sell Rolling Stone to MTV is one of Jann Wenner's biggest regrets. As he celebrates the 40th anniversary of his music mag – special edition covers! archives on CD-ROM! – Jann has made public his reflections on his storied career. And while most of us only care about Jann these days in how much more of a role he'll have in Neal Boulton's life, let's pause for a moment of assholeness:

And Wenner could have become one of the richest men on the planet if he had accepted an offer years ago to sell the magazine to MTV in return for a 25 percent stake in the fledgling music cable channel.

"I would never have had the wisdom or foresight to hang onto it and own more of (MTV parent) Viacom than (Viacom's billionaire chairman) Sumner Redstone," he said.

Instead, Wenner will have to survive on his hundreds of millions. And knowing that when he finally did agree to do a deal with MTV, it ended in utter humiliation.

• Network execs opt to show Dancing With The Stars, Deal or No Deal and Two and a Half Men rather than risk alienating advertisers by covering the "deadliest school shooting incident in U.S. history."

• Wall Street Journal wins two Pulitzer Prizes, giving them a 2-0 edge over Hustler magazine.

• MTV greenlights several more "user-generated" reality shows, adheres to its strategy of not playing any music videos whatsoever.

• That slacker Regis Philbin still isn't done recovering from his triple heart bypass surgery.

• Does the press pick presidents? "Yes!" hopes journalist/Ross Perot supporter, Jack Shafer.

• Conrad Black is as underwhelmed by the prosecutors on his case as his wife, Lady Black, is by 'those sluts who call themselves reporters.'

• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony splitting? So soon after she referred to her husband by both first and last name on American Idol? Well, the item IS from OK!, so let's not start doing something crazy like buying her new Spanish album.

• Naomi Campbell manages to show up for community service, but not her own reality show.

• Jake Gyllenhaal and Austin Nichols should just move in together already.

• Lindsay Lohan's mother is every bit as irresponsible as you've come to expect her to be.

• Post-Jennifer, Vince Vaughn isn't doing so well.

• Kelis is pissing off the gays. And NOBODY pisses off the gays.

• Beyonce and Jay-Z table hopped at Waverly Inn so they won't be oogled at. At the Waverly. WHERE YOU GO TO BE OOGLED.

• Haikus about Larry Birkhead? Start counting your syllables.

As part of MTV's "cost-cutting measures" – that PC term thrown around to describe the slashing of 250 jobs – the beleaguered "music" channel is downgrading its flagship afternoon marketing gimmick Total Request Live from a five-day-a-week whoooooo!!!-athon to a two-day-a-week sprint to get something on film.

Two weeks ago, MTV began taping "Total Request Live" two days a week in an effort to save money. After live shows air Monday and Wednesday afternoons, shows are then taped for the following day.

"Total Request Taped"? No, the show's title won't be adjusted for the less-than-live days, spokeswoman Marnie Black said Tuesday.

"We're not editing anything," she said. "We're not changing anything. The spirit of the show is going to be exactly the same."

Of course it is! Well, at least while it's still around.

• Chris Klein is destined to go through life as "Katie Holmes' ex-boyfriend.' Tough break, Nova.

• Al Roker launches his v-blog on the revamped Today show website; Amanda Congdon panics, then remembers she looks "much, much better" in a tight t-shirt.

• Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner decides he's ready to grow up; takes off his Mickey ears and buys a lifetime's supply of Bazooka chewing gum.

• MTV is launching thousands of websites. 'Who cares?' asks the disgruntled throngs of recently-fired MTV staffers.

• A braless Sharon Stone flips out when photogs capture her G.I. Jane look.

• Our homosexual younger brother tells Ann Coulter how to treat her gays.

Pre-program your DVR's and hide those bulky Blackberries, folks.

Naomi Campbell is reportedly looking for a new personal assistant, and MTV is going to be right there to document it.

And, while we all know Naomi's previous track record has been less than stellar (her last six assistants quit because of her "violent temper") we here at Jossip believe in second chances.

After all, why shouldn't Campbell be able to capitalize off of the fact that she's been known to beat her indentured servants with inanimate objects and has even threatened to throw them in front of a moving vehicle?

Look, Naomi's got cash to burn and a couple of screws loose. Of course she's going to slap around the hired help if they can't even remember where they put the pair of designer jeans she wore the night she got wasted on white wine spritzers and forgot them at some modelizer's apartment.

Rules are rules, people, and if you can't micromanage the life of a complete and utter psychopath, you deserve to have the occasional cell phone (or two) hurled in your general direction.

If, however, you have what it takes to become Naomi's future ex-assistant, then continue reading at your own risk.

CONTINUED »

Perhaps you've heard, MTV is having a bad day week month year. Slashing 250 jobs. Forced to revamp flagship show TRL because nobody watches it. Reluctantly resurrecting Road Rules and finding that, still, nobody watches it. And did we mention that even MTV staffers hate the expensive revamp of MTV.com?

So what else is a "music" network in peril to do but – for the first time in five years – place a bet on scripted programming.

CONTINUED »

VH1 Classic will live on, at least according to an internal memo sent out yesterday by VH1 general manager Tom Calderone. Forget the fact that there's nary a PA to run tapes around, but that channel that's now in 45 million homes? Yeah, it'll still be on that channel you can't find.

It's been a tough week, and I'll be coming around to talk to all of you over the next few weeks about how we're moving forward. But before the dust settles, I want to dispel any rumors or speculation that we're shutting down VH1 Classic. That's just not true. [...]

The painful staff reductions we had to make will ensure that the channel continues to grow exponentially as we invest even more in VH1 Classic's programming. VH1 Classic is an even bigger priority now, and I will make sure that the channel continues its upward trajectory.

To recap: Nearly the entire staff of VH1 Classic has been fired, but the channel will continue to operate ... you know, as per usual.

Calerdone's full staff memo, after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Goodbye Kendrick Reid. We hear as part of Viacom's job cuts, Comedy Central's chief graphic designer is among the casualties. He was the man in charge of branding efforts for all of CC. He joined the company in 2000 to help spearhead the network's reshaping. And, naturally, he's repaid with a firing squad.* Cheers.

* Update: We hear Ken was let go in person by boss-slash-friend Peter Risafi, according to a well-placed source.

Update 2: Comedy Central's PR department checks in with this statement: "Please note that your item today on Kendrick Reid is inaccurate. Kendrick’s leaving the company has nothing to do with the recent layoffs at MTVN. Months ago he started a transition to work with Comedy Central as a consultant in order to have the flexibility to work on the launch of Comedy Central International channels and on other outside projects." Spin makes you dizzy, doesn't it?

"But you said TRL is canceled?!," we've heard you whine, which was immediately followed by, "But MTV is denying it!!" And yes, indeed they are. Here's MTV prez Christina Norman on what will "actually" happen:

We also made the tough decision to streamline our production process as well as personnel in our studio. TRL will air as always - and we'll continue to bring our audience the celebs they love and special weeks like Spankin New and much more -- but we will now operate more efficiently downstairs.

Except when she says "as always," what she means is "at least until we launch its replacement." We've heard from multiple MTV insiders that the network handed down the decision to remove TRL. So is it a goner today? No.

But we hear they are working on a super-jazzed replacement for the show and, naturally, when that day comes, they'll announce they hadn't been planning it all along. All of which will be wildly more entertaining when MTV exits its Times Square haunt at 1515 Broadway, effectively removing the backdrop of cultural relevancy. And Virgin Megastore.

Chris' email to staffers, after the jump.

CONTINUED »

We'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention that MTV is denying our report that they've gone ahead and canceled TRL. Oh, and they're also claiming they didn't kill VH1 Classic and such.

"There is no truth to the rumors about TRL, MTV2 and VH1 Classic going away," states David Bittler, a spokesperson for MTV Networks. "Some of the staff have been let go from positions within those networks, but those networks will continue. And from the consumer's point of view, there will be no changes to the programming on those networks or on [TRL]."

So we'll take their word for it.* Until we see Vanessa Minnillo begging the Naked Cowboy to let her introduce his next song. Then again, her ass is quitting anyhow.

* Well, not really. It's kinda hard to believe their official denial when more than one now-former MTV staffers has told us TRL is a goner.

So, about our earlier report that Tina Exharos, MTV's exec VP of marketing, was fired? (And staffers were thrilled?) At least one insider says it's not the case — and that she's still in the office.

Files a tattler: "Tina was walking down the hallways saying to people, 'I know it's on Jossip, but it's not true, I have not been let go.'"

All of which brews speculation that either a) She may not even know yet that she's fired; or b) She's choosing not to say anything.

But, either way, TRL is still canceled. So there's THAT to think about.

Exclusive

We've just received unconfirmed (when multiple sources say it's true, that's confirmation, right?) word that MTV execs have officially canned TRL, and fired approximately fifteen people responsible for its production.

Details to this still-developing story – first rumored about in Gatecrasher – are scarce, which means we can only speculate as to what this means for TRL's potty-mouthed veejay, Vanessa Minnillo.

We'll update you as soon as we hear official word on Vanessa's future life plans, and encourage you to write in with any new information, or cell phone pics of tearful adolescents ripping up their "WE LUV YOU VANNY!" signs in the middle of Times Square.

Earlier:
MTV Staff Slash: Axes Falling From Top To Bottom

Unfortunately, MTV doesn't publish a newsletter chronicling who they're firing. Even on MTV Overdrive, nothing. Can you believe? Must be something about those cutbacks.

Alas, since the updates keep coming in (read this morning's lengthy report here), we'll do our best to chronicle who's leaving 1515 Broadway and its diaspora, and other related news. Like who will be around to fetch coffee, and who will be around to have coffee fetched.

And so begins our regularly updated feed:

• VH1 communications chief Laura Nelson, who's been there since '02 and came over from Comedy Central, is a goner, says a knowledgeable source. We're told Laura is a "really a good person" and among the well-liked crowd.

• More names are sure to surface, but it's becoming quite clear that MTV prez Judy McGrath and MTV Music Group head Van Toffler have "fired their entire inner circle of long time advisors, and very close friends," says a well-placed insider.

• As we reported earlier, marketing EVP Tina Exharos has been let go. Now we're hearing that's one axing many MTV staffers are pleased about. Same feelings for the removal of programming EVP Paul DeBenedittis. "Good riddance," says one tattler.

• One insider says all these firings will be a precursor for a major announcement: the retiring of TRL. With just 300,000 viewers tuning in on any day, the veteran flagship show has "outstayed its welcome." But we're told "any announcement will probably come later on [...] after they've removed the personnel infrastructure."

(And yes, our mothers are so proud we've managed to incorporate Anna Nicole in all of this.)