Here's the week to come on DRL. As always, subject to change:

Special Report Week

2/17:Carson, Hilarie, Quddus, Damien & La La co-host with me as they prepare for the TRL awards. To celebrate, we will showcase the 20 greatest artists in TRL history which is according to DRL reports. To be fair, we will only do artists that have hit #1 on that countdown. Ja Rule is the subject of a DRL special report.

2/18:The TRL gang is back to give us highlights from the TRL awards special event. Britney Spears is the subject of our special report.

2/19:Seems like this duo has hosted more times than any other twosome. Amerie & Tina Novak host as we premiere a new song you don't know about. Amerie is the subject of our special report.

2/20ream's Holly Arnstein hosts. Avril Lavigne is the subject of our special report.

2/21:3LW visits to premiere Ghetto Love And Heartbreak. They are also part of our special report.

2/22ream's Holly Arnstein hosts again. Amy Studt performs her latest. Lucy Woodward performs as well. Dream is also the subject of our special report.

2/23:This one you don't want to miss! Ashanti hosts, performs and is also the last subject of this week's special reports.

And a reminder:

2/27:It's my 18th birthday. Celebrate it with a madness top 40 countdown based on your favorite videos in DRL history (they must have been on the countdown in order to count). Voting starts on February 20, 2003.

The playlist has shifted:

Add:
Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
John Mayer "Why Georgia"
Seether "Driven Under" (I think that's it)

Remove:
No Doubt "Running" (I'm removing it until I see a video for this)
The Exies "My Goddess"
Eminem "Lose Yourself"

2/17 preview:

With the TRL gang coming over, #1 is really gonna be close. Ashanti has a very slim advantage while Avril Lavigne is gaining on her fast. Lucy Woodward is also on the rush. Here's the spin count so far.

20%

1. Ashanti "Baby" 872
2. Avril Lavigne 871
3. Lucy Woodward 870
4. Unwritten Law 867
5. Sailor Moon 866
6. Evanescence 865
7. Amerie 864
8. Stacie Orrico 862
9. Ja Rule 860
10. Finch 853

Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Melanie Chisholm - Here It Comes Again
Vanessa Carlton - Unsung
Anastacia - Why'd You Lie To Me?
Dixie Chicks - Landslide
Mariah Carey f/ Cam'ron - Boy (I Need You)
3 Doors Down - When I'm Gone
Vanessa Carlton - Twilight
Ja Rule f/ Ashanti - Mesmerize

Just announced:Britney Spears will debut on the countdown tomorrow with the video version of Born To Make You Happy.

I'll make a poll on this.

Airplay Chart For 2/16
Paulina Rubio "The One You Love"
P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever"
Amerie "Show Me"
Ashanti "Movies"
Stacie Orrico "Stuck"
Ashanti "Baby Remix"
Sailor Moon "Carry On"
Ashanti "Baby"
Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize"
Jennifer Lopez "All I Have"
Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls"
Evanescence "Bring Me To Life"

Close Calls:
Pokemon "Master Quest Theme"
Shakira "The One" (34, 1@1)
Eminem "Superman" (22, 1@1)
Treble Charger Featuring Sum 41 & Avril Lavigne "Hundred Million" (8, 7)
Good Charlotte "The Anthem" (43, 2@1)-4

Me:I'm so bored, I will do another countdown right now. This one features the entry of the video version of Jade Anderson's Sugar High. The radio version hit #1 5 times and was a mainstay in the top 20. How will the video cut do? Speaking of Jade, she returns at #25 with Dive Deeper.

25. Jade Anderson "Dive Deeper" (18, 1@1)RETURN
24. Christina Aguilera "Infatuation" (11, 11)-9
23. DMX "X Gonna Give It To Ya" (19, 3)+2
22. The All-American Rejects "Swing Swing" (19, 4)+2
21. Jay-Z "Excuse Me Miss" (5, 21)+2

Me:Jigga returns to #21 up 2 spots. The top 20 begins with Paulina Rubio.

20. Paulina Rubio "The One You Love" (44, 1@1)-1
19. Eden's Crush "Poison" (2, 19)+1
18. Ashanti "Movies" (29, 3@1)-
17. Ashanti "Baby Remix" (41, 6@1)-
16. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Can't Stop" (7, 16)-

Me:RHCP holds tight at #16. Off to #15 where we see P.O.D.

15. P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever" (9, 4)-1
14. Jennifer Lopez "Loving You" (41, 4)+7
13. Jennifer Lopez Featuring LL Cool J "All I Have" (95, 8@1)+
12. Simple Plan "Addicted" (7, 11)+
11. Finch "What It Is To Burn" (11, 11)+

Me:Finch stays still at #11. This is their slowest run to the top ten yet. At #10 is an artist linked to Sailor Moon. Who you ask? Find out after our wannabes.

Wannabes:
Vonray "Inside Out"
Isyss "Hater"
Jamie Lynn Sigler "Come With Me" (23, 11)
50 Cent "Wanksta" (1, 28)
50 Cent "In Da Club" (23, 5)

Me:You're probably wondering why our #10 artist is linked to Sailor Moon right? I'll tell you. In the next episode of the Unknown Adventure, Scott Russo of Unwritten Law will go on a date with Serena in an episode entitled "Scott's Gift". During that episode, you can hear cuts from Unwritten Law's album "Elva" featuring Up All Night, Seein Red and the actual version of this song "Rest Of My Life". Here's the acoustic version of this song now.

10. Unwritten Law "Rest Of My Life" (28, 1@1)+
9. Evanescence "Bring Me To Life" (19, 8@1)-5

Me:Uh-oh. Evanescence took a big hit down 5 spots. At #8 is Stacie Orrico climbing even slower.

8. Stacie Orrico "Stuck" (9, 8)+1
7. Amerie "Show Me" (16, 5)+

Me:That was Amerie at #7. At #6 is Lucy Woodward.

6. Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls" (30, 2@1)-4
5. Sailor Moon "Carry On" (150, 20@1)+1

Me:Carry On from the Sailor Moon show leaps over Evanescence and Lucy Woodward to take +1. At #4 is Ja Rule.

4. Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize" (72, 10@1)+1
3. Ashanti "Baby" (256, 51@1)+5

Me:Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby. Baby is #3 climbing 5 spots. Jade Anderson will enter at #1 stopping Avril Lavigne.

2. Avril Lavigne "Losing Grip" (31, 2)+1
1. Jade Anderson "Sugar High (Video Cut)" (1, 1@1)HOT SHOT DEBUT

Mike's countdown = 2nd best. ^o^

Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Melanie Chisholm - Here It Comes Again
Vanessa Carlton - Unsung
Anastacia - Why'd You Lie To Me?
Dixie Chicks - Landslide
Mariah Carey f/ Cam'ron - Boy (I Need You)
3 Doors Down - When I'm Gone
Vanessa Carlton - Twilight
Ja Rule f/ Ashanti - Mesmerize

Just to clear something up Ed, Melanie C graduated from the heatseekers chart. She is currently at #37.

Ashanti - Baby
Ja Rule ft Ashanti
Shakira

Remember, 9 requests is the maximum.

Ed, have you downloaded "Poison" by Eden's Crush? If not, you need to go to WinMX and select that group and search. Then look for "Poison" and download, then tell me what you think.

Airplay Chart For 2/16
Paulina Rubio "The One You Love"
P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever"
Amerie "Show Me"
Ashanti "Movies"
Stacie Orrico "Stuck"
Ashanti "Baby Remix"
Evanescence "Bring Me To Life"
Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls"
Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize"
Jennifer Lopez "All I Have"
Ashanti "Baby""
Sailor Moon "Carry On"

Close Calls:
Shakira "The One" (34, 1@1)
Eminem "Superman" (22, 1@1)
Amy Studt "Misfit" (8, 4)
Good Charlotte "The Anthem" (43, 2@1)-1
Isyss "Hater" CC DEBUT


Me:This is part 1. Whoever's doing a look at the countdowns for the day should put 2 parts for me. Sailor Moon makes a run for the top spot, but you never know what will happen with Ashanti and Jade Anderson running the show.

25. Christina Aguilera "Infatuation" (12, 11)-1
24. DMX "X Gonna Give It To Ya" (20, 3)-1
23. The All-American Rejects "Swing Swing" (20, 4)-1
22. Jay-Z "Excuse Me Miss" (6, 21)-1
21. Paulina Rubio "The One You Love" (45, 1@1)-1
20. Jade Anderson "Dive Deeper" (19, 1@1)+5
19. P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever" (10, 4)-4
18. Eden's Crush "Poison" (3, 18)+1
17. Ashanti "Movies" (30, 3@1)+1
16. Ashanti "Baby Remix" (42, 6@1)+1
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Can't Stop" (8, 15)+1
14. Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls" (31, 2@1)-8
13. Unwritten Law "Rest Of My Life" (29, 1@1)-3
12. Jennifer Lopez "Loving You" (42, 4)+2
11. Jennifer Lopez Featuring LL Cool J "All I Have" (96, 8@1)+2
10. Simple Plan "Addicted" (8, 10)+2
9. Finch "What It Is To Burn" (12, 9)+2
8. Evanescence "Bring Me To Life" (20, 8@1)+1
7. Stacie Orrico "Stuck" (10, 7)+1
6. Amerie "Show Me" (17, 5)+1
5. Avril Lavigne "Losing Grip" (32, 2)-3
4. Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize" (73, 10@1)+
3. Ashanti "Baby" (257, 51@1)+
2. Jade Anderson "Sugar High (Video Cut)" (2, 1@1)-1
1. Sailor Moon "Carry On" (151, 21@1)+4

Airplay Chart For 2/17
Paulina Rubio "The One You Love"
P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever"
Amerie "Show Me"
Ashanti "Movies"
Stacie Orrico "Stuck"
Ashanti "Baby Remix"
Evanescence "Bring Me To Life"
Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls"
Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize"
Jennifer Lopez "All I Have"
Ashanti "Baby""
Sailor Moon "Carry On"

Close Calls:
Shakira "The One" (34, 1@1)
Eminem "Superman" (22, 1@1)
Avril Lavigne "Losing Grip" (32, 2)-23
Good Charlotte "The Anthem" (43, 2@1)
Isyss "Hater"

Me:Welcome to DRL. Today, the TRL crew will be here for the whole day as we get you set for the first ever TRL awards. It's intense man! Will Sailor Moon hang on to #1? Can Jade Anderson hold her own? Where will Britney enter? Find out a lot later. At #25 is DMX slipping 1 spot.

25. DMX "X Gonna Give It To Ya" (21, 3)-1
24. The All-American Rejects "Swing Swing" (21, 4)-1
23. Jay-Z "Excuse Me Miss" (7, 21)-1
22. Christina Aguilera "Infatuation" (13, 11)+3
21. Paulina Rubio "The One You Love" (46, 1@1)+

Me:The next 5 songs are P.O.D., Jade Anderson, Eden's Crush, Ashanti and Simple Plan. It seems that P.O.D.'s batteries have run very low.

20. P.O.D. "Thinking About Forever" (11, 4)-1
19. Simple Plan "Addicted" (9, 10)-9
18. Ashanti "Baby Remix" (43, 6@1)-2
17. Eden's Crush "Poison" (4, 17)+1
16. Jade Anderson "Dive Deeper" (20, 1@1)+4

Me:The top 15 begins next. First, we talk to the TRL crew. Welcome back to the show guys.

Carson:It's good to be back here. How much has this changed since you started?

Me:So much, you can't even see it.

Damien:What about the places you hold this show?

Me:They change.

Quddus:The people vary as well, right?

Me:Yes.

Hilarie:What about the songs? I see a lot of songs that aren't singles.

Me:I like variety.

La La:Overall, this is too intense for us. How do you do it?

Me:It's my personal show, but that's not why you're here right?

Hilarie:Of course.

Me:We'll talk after #11. The next set of 5 is gonna be filled with Ashanti, Lucy, Unwritten, J. Lo and RHCP. Here's Ashanti to kick it off with Movies.

15. Ashanti "Movies" (31, 3@1)+2
14. Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls" (32, 2@1)+
13. Unwritten Law "Rest Of My Life" (30, 1@1)+
12. Jennifer Lopez "Loving You" (43, 4)+
11. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Can't Stop" (9, 11)+4

Me:The TRL awards are today. Are you ready?

Carson:Yes.

Damien:Yes.

Quddus:Yes.

Hilarie:Yes.

La La:Yes.

Me:Now, later today we will do a special top 20 based on the greatest artists in TRL history. Only artists have hit #1 on the show will be here. It's only fair.

La La:Perfect idea.

Me:We'll talk about this award show again tomorrow where we will have highlights of the event. In the next set is bad news for Avril Lavigne who sinks off to oblivion. Meanwhile, this next set has J. Lo, Finch, Evanescence, Stacie Orrico and Ja Rule. Evanescence kicks off the top ten.

10. Evanescence "Bring Me To Life" (21, 8@1)-2
9. Jennifer Lopez Featuring LL Cool J "All I Have" (97, 8@1)+2
8. Finch "What It Is To Burn" (13, 8)+1
7. Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti "Mesmerize" (74, 10@1)-3
6. Stacie Orrico "Stuck" (11, 6)+1

Me:Come back in a few hours where I will personally post the top 20 best TRL artists according to DRL reports. Right now, we will end this show with a 5 way tie for #1. They were all too close.

T1. Amerie "Show Me" (18, 1@1)+5
T1. Ashanti "Baby" (258, 52@1)+2
T1. Jade Anderson "Sugar High (Video Cut)" (3, 2@1)+1
T1. Sailor Moon "Carry On" (152, 22@1)+
T1. Britney Spears "Born To Make You Happy (Video Cut" (1, 1@1)HOT SHOT DEBUT

DRL Special Report for 2/17/03

Jeffry Atkins "A.K.A. Ja Rule"
The ghetto life has been good for Ja Rule. 4 albums to his name like Jennifer Lopez. Unlike her, he hasn't released any solo remix albums. He started his career with his collaboration on Jay-Z's "Can I Get A...". That song retired and lifted Ja into stardom. He released Holla Holla, It's Murda and other songs from his debut "Venni Veddi Vecci". His 2nd album was where he took off when his collaboration with newcomer Christina Milian on "Between Me And You" went all the way to #1 more times than any other rap joint and retired. This was the first song off his sophmore effort "Rule 3:36". His next song was his collaboration with Lil Mo and Murder Inc. partner Vita. That was nowhere near "BMAY" and its stats. Then came "I Cry" where he hooked up with Lil Mo again. This hit #1 once, but that was it. He looked to be in a slump. Then he took off with the first song from his 3rd album "Pain Is Love" entitled "Livin It Up" featuring Case. That was on the countdown, but not for very long. So far, he has hooked up with Christina Milian, Lil Mo, Vita, Case, Jay-Z, Amil and others. For the next song "Always On Time", we thought he was gonna hook up with Christina Milian again. He then let out a bombshell and asked fellow Murder Inc. member and newcomer Ashanti Douglas. She belted out her vocals in this tune and it helped him get a #1 single that replaced Usher, but got replaced by J. Lo who now has 4 #1 singles. Always On Time was such a huge smash, this seemed to be the best collaboration of 2001. His 3rd single "Down..." did exceptionally well on DRL with fellow Murder Inc. member Charli Baltimore. The song went to #4 and spent nearly 20 days on. Also, the song peaked at #21 on the hot 100. His next song was a huge collaboration with all the members of Murder Inc. Ja Rule, Vita, Charli, Irv & Ashanti all recorded this song and for some miraculous reason, getting to #6 on the hot 100. Then, he returned with the fourth album "The Last Temptation" and released the first single in November 2002 called "Thug Lovin" also starring New Edition's Bobby Brown. The song went nowhere on the hot 100 so he tried a different approach. That song did debut at #1 on DRL becoming his first to do so. Then he hooked up with Ashanti again on the joint Mesmerize and is currently his 2nd biggest hit. His biggest is "BMAY" with 20@1. Mesmerize is on its way to that record with its current stats at (74, 10@1). His song "Murder Me" was removed from the heatseekers chart recently. Today, he has been featured in 14 songs and has spent 38 days at #1, twice as many as Jennifer Lopez.

Shakira, Avril Lavigne, Lucy Woodward, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescence, Stacie Orrico.

Check for 2/18

Britney Spears, Jade Anderson, Sailor Moon, Amerie and Ashanti are in a huge scuffle for #1. Britney Spears leads.

25%
1. Britney Spears 2,445
2. Amerie 2,443
3. Ashanti 2,442
4. Jade Anderson 2,439
5. Sailor Moon 2,435
6. Ja Rule 403
7. Finch 400
8. Stacie Orrico 387
9. Evanescence 385
10. Jennifer Lopez 383

News For 2/17

DRL Plans 8th Annual Dreamstar Request Live Awards Ceremony
It has already been confirmed that DRL will have its 8th annual awards show at the end of October 2003.

Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Melanie Chisholm - Here It Comes Again
Vanessa Carlton - Unsung
Anastacia - Why'd You Lie To Me?
Dixie Chicks - Landslide
Mariah Carey f/ Cam'ron - Boy (I Need You)
3 Doors Down - When I'm Gone
Vanessa Carlton - Twilight
Ja Rule f/ Ashanti - Mesmerize

50% check for 2/18

1. Britney Spears 5,553
2. Jade Anderson 5,551
3. Sailor Moon 5,550
4. Ashanti 5,544
5. Amerie 5,540
6. Ja Rule 711
7. Finch 710
8. Stacie Orrico 709
9. Evanescence 706
10. Jennifer Lopez 700

Notice a big difference in spins between 5 & 6?

DRL Presents:TRL's Greatest Artists Of All-Time:
(From 1-20)

1. Backstreet Boys
2. *N Sync
3. Britney Spears
4. Eminem
5. Christina Aguilera
6. Jennifer Lopez
7. Limp Bizkit
8. KoRn
9. Nelly
10. Avril Lavigne
11. P.O.D.
12. O-Town
13. Shakira
14. Sum 41
15. Dream
16. Michelle Branch
17. Vanessa Carlton
18. Good Charlotte
19. 98 Degrees
20. Mandy Moore

BTW Ed, I retired "When I'm Gone"