It's the end of an era, today. Heck, it's the end of about 5 eras, as today the BBC has cancelled "Top of the Pops."

The infamously cheezy UK chart music showcase show, which debuted some 42 years ago, will be no more later this summer.

In its seemingly infinite run, TOTP has seen everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana grace its stage, and was frequently mocked for encouraging featured artists to lip sync and mime to backing tapes. While the show eventually allowed artists to perform live, it was still a pretty corny affair -- and some bands used their TOTP appearances to mock the format.

Who could forget Nirvana's first TOTP appearance, with Cobain singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" about 2 registers lower than the recorded version? How about the KLF bringing out assortments of druids, spaceships, and Tammy Wynette? Or the slew of various alt/punk bands who would trash the set and themselves before being perfunctorily dismissed?

Or just recently, when The Magic Numbers were set to perform... until, that is, a presenter cracked a fat joke at their expense, which sent the band storming out of the studio.

As cheezy as it is, we're sad to see TOTP go. It's more than a show, it's a cultural icon. Here's hoping it never gets lost to the sands of time. DVD retrospective, anyone?