Has the thought of ever out growing Mtv ever cross your mind? Has Mtv started to target Generation Y and thrown their ever faithful Generation X to the dogs? Melanie Burkes takes a look at the new face of Mtv and tries to find where Generation X still fits in.

Am I getting too old for Mtv? This is something that I had to ask myself this morning when I was getting dressed for work. Why am I watching MTV at 7:30 a.m. you might ask? Well, it's what gets me out of the bed in the morning. Perhaps I should be watching Matt and Katie or Diane and Charlie in order to find out what in the hell has gone on in the world while I have been sleeping for the past 8 hours. However, I choose not to. News isn't exciting, and it is not something that makes me want to get up and face the day, when all I want to do, is climb back in my bed, and get under the covers and go back to sleep.

So, that brings us back to MTV. Music videos are fun in the morning. I mean that if the stylistic lyrics of J. Lo and *Nsync can't get my blood pumping in the morning then who can? Either way, I did find myself, asking a pivotal question today, "Am I too old for MTV?" What brought on the question? Actually, I can pinpoint it exactly. I was watching a promotion for the Spring Break Special to be broadcast from Cancun in a couple of weeks. They were advertising that on a specific website (I think Doritos) you can enter to win a free trip to Cancun, and I thought for a hot second, "Ooooh, that would be fun." And then I came to my senses.

What the hell would I be doing in Cancun? Would I be wearing a string bikini, and gyrating with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores in college? Would I participate in the inevitable Jerry Springer segment, in which I would do all kinds of embarrassing things just to be on the air for a hot second? Would I be hangin' out on the beach, oogling at Carson Daly, doin' beer bongs, and trying to figure out how I was going to survive down there for the next three days, with only $20 left? Am I interested in all of this? If not, I can't help wondering does that mean I have passed the prime MTV age?

There is no question that I have been contemplating this point for a while. This morning is not the only time that I thought of it. It really hit home, when I realized that I have passed the age in which I would be eligible to participate on The Real World, or Road Rules. Granted, the idea of being cooped up with a bunch of crazies, who desperately need therapy, and constant attention, is not my idea of a good time, but I would like the option. However, considering the fact that I am over the age of 25 (the age limit for both shows) I just can't do it. Although I am still twentysomething - don't go getting' any ideas that I have reached 30 yet!

Another indication that I may be reaching the limits of the MTV fan base are cute teen movies. A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I were bored, so we decided to rent a movie with our favorite hottie, and often staple of MTV, Freddie Prinze, Jr. The name of this award-winning piece of filmmaking was Summer Catch. (You may have not heard of it considering the fact that if you blinked your eyes, it was out of the movie theater last summer). So, we're 30 minutes into this unfortunately, terrible movie, and as usual we are taking joy in the fact that Freddie is such a piece of eye candy, when we spot his older brother, who is so hot. Amazingly enough, his older brother is Jason Gedrick (do you remember him from those Iron Eagle movies with Louis Gossett, Jr.?) In any event, he was also hot and we were traumatized. I remember when I used to watch movies, and the older brother of the main attraction was cute (but not hot) and he was too old! Not anymore. Now the older brother is not only within the age range, but is the one I would be gunning for considering the fact that going for the main attraction would be like robbin' the cradle. Lord, when did this happen?

So, I have all this evidence that it may be time to give up the ghost and start watching VH1 permanently, but am I ready to? Hell, no. Let me tell you why. Even though MTV may be aiming for those kids who a wee bit younger than me, inside, I still am the MTV generation. Even though I may not go to Cancun and cavort on the beach with young hotties like Freddie Prinze, Jr. or Josh Hartnett, I will still be watching it on the boob tube from the comforts of my living room. I will still be singing my heart out on every *Nsync song that comes on the radio, and I will still be angling to go to their concerts. I am still addicted to The Real World, and of course I still think that Carson Daly is a cutie.

Where does this leave me? Well, it leaves me jammin' in my bedroom every weekday morning, hoping that I'll catch a "Spankin' New" video before I go to work. It leaves me excited that even though I am a little older, I can still identify with much of the madness that is broadcast on MTV. It ultimately leaves me happy with the knowledge that although I may look like a staid, corporate attorney on the outside, I am still a 13 year-old with a crush on Justin Timberlake at heart and that is a great place to be!

~~~~~

Melanie Burkes is a twenty something corporate attorney in Washington, D.C. Much to the chagrin of her parents and all of the banks holding her student loans, Melanie plans on quitting her job as a lawyer as soon as possible, and shall strike out for the wealth of riches that awaits her in the broadcast journalism field. In her spare time, Melanie likes to read current literature, prepare meals for her friends, and plots the overthrow of her current employer.

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