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Michel Gondry. Director of surreal big screen dreamscapes like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep." Prolific helmer of music videos for bands such as the White Stripes, Daft Punk, Radiohead and Björk. Future boyfriend of ... Lady Gaga?

Let's ponder that one for a second. When MTV News caught up with Gondry at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin recently, we wanted to know what he thought about Gaga's brand new, pop culture-sampling "Telephone" video. At first, the "Green Hornet" director admitted he wasn't a very big fan.

"To me she represents what I don't like in modern art," he said in that delightful French accent of his. "It's just about surface, it's just about the look, and the music — if you listen to the melody, there is none. I'm sorry I have to be rude about it. You ask me, I answer the question."

But then the man who built the White Stripes out of Lego for their 2002 "Fell in Love with a Girl" video reconsidered.

"Maybe she's a very nice person," he said. "Maybe if I see her, I will want to kiss her or be her boyfriend. She's probably attractive. But to me she's like the female of Marilyn Manson."

So there you have it. To Gondry, Gaga might be the female Marilyn Manson but he hasn't ruled out the possibility of one day laying on a big smooch and taking her out for a night on the town.

In this week’s New Music Report, Rolling Stone contributing editor Christian Hoard presents another segment of Christian Rock, spotlighting Titus Andronicus’s new album The Monitor. Hoard says the Jersey rockers accomplish a strange feat with a “rare punk-rock album that blends Abraham Lincoln and Bruce Springsteen.” The Monitor is a loose concept album about the Civil War, with portions of speeches by Lincoln and other historical figures interspersed between songs about isolation, alienation and youthful angst. Highlights include “A More Perfect Union” and “Richard II.” Hoard adds that Titus Andronicus, named as the “Best Punk Brainiacs” in the Best New Bands 2010 feature in our new issue, “rock as thoroughly as any new band you’ll hear all year.”

>>Watch every episode of our weekly New Music Report video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Tuesday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.]

On Wednesday morning (March 17), MTV News' James Montgomery combined his love of college basketball, rock bands, gambling, list-making and staggeringly deep internal logic to form his Musical March Madness bracket. The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, which kicks off on Thursday (March 18) — takes the 65 biggest names in rock, splits them up into four regions, assigns them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest.

Initially, it just seemed like a cool idea to compare a bunch of bands to college basketball teams and argue over whether or not Owl City belonged in the East or if a 12 seed was too low for Nick Jonas. But it has already become a little bigger than that. Earlier today, Mark Hoppus saw that his band Blink-182 had scored a number one seed and tweeted about the bracket. So far, Montgomery has received a handful of brackets from people who have made their picks and chosen a champion (without solicitation).

So clearly, it's time to decide an actual champ in this field of 65. Over the next few weeks, we will present a series of polls that will allow you to vote for the match-ups presented in MTV News' Band Bracketology. You vote for the winners, we'll keep advancing the seeds and, in the end, we'll have some sort of champion. What will the winner receive? Little more than our esteem (as well as that of the fans) and some Internet bragging rights.

The proper tournament kicks off on Thursday (March 18), but it got started in earnest on Tuesday night (March 16) when the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Winthrop in the qualifying game. That's why we have to decide who wins the qualifying match-up of our bracket, which pits Florida aggro-punkers Against Me! against the recently reformed Creed. Who will win to qualify for the opening round match-up against top overall seed Kings of Leon? Vote below and start the madness!

There is no shortage of drama on the "American Idol" stage during the ninth season of the show. Did Andrew Garcia peak too early? Is Aaron Kelly too young? Will Crystal Bowersox keep the lead? Can Siobhan Magnus make a run to the top? The field seems wide open, which is fueling plenty of speculation and making the competition the most even it has been in years.

The drama doesn't stop there, though, as there is a narrative unfolding at the judges' table as well. Before this season started, alpha dog Simon Cowell announced he would be leaving the show after this season is complete in order to fully commit himself to the American version of his U.K. hit "X-Factor." This season also represented the introduction of Ellen DeGeneres, who sits on the panel as the voice of the fan and has brought some much-needed professional comedy to the proceedings.

The combination of Cowell's impending exit, former judge Paula Abdul's notable absence, Ellen's new role and Kara DioGuardi's sudden ascension to alpha dog status has created an unpredictable energy in the judges' chairs and has also fueled a ton of speculation about the future of the show.

A few weeks ago, we asked how Ellen was doing, and an equal number of people thought of her as the best judge the show had ever seen and someone who should be fired and replaced by Abdul. With DioGuardi's constant improvement, it made us wonder: In the nine season history of the show, which judge is the best of all time? Vote below and leave your argument in the comments.

Photo: Vasquez/Wireimage

Pixies frontman Frank Black has released plenty of solo albums over the years, but perhaps nothing as freaky as his forthcoming NonStopErotik, due out on March 30th. The disc — which was co-produced by longtime collaborator Eric Drew Feldman — features some of his most overtly sexual songs, including the swirling ballad “When I Go Down on You” and the snarling, mid-tempo anthem “Lake of Sin.” Rolling Stone caught up with Black to talk about his inspiration, why raising five kids hinders his ability to work and the future of the Pixies.

Check out a gallery of Frank Black and the Pixies in action.

Many of these songs are overtly sexual in a way, including “Lake of Sin,” where you sing about someone undressing behind ferns. What was the inspiration for that?
When I was a kid, in second grade, “fern” was a euphemism or code word for vagina. I don’t know where that came form. I guess the record has some graphic sexual detail but it’s only really referenced in a literal way; it’s just me talking about ferns.

Many indie-rock bands don’t discuss sexual topics so openly in their songs.
You know, I read a disparaging review that questioned whether someone wants to listen to old Frank Black singing about vaginas or whatever. I understand the point, but really the record is not meant to be a sexual appendage to your own experiences. It’s not meant to be a record you make love or masturbate to. I wouldn’t masturbate to a recording of my own voice either!

You recorded most of these songs while on the road. Why?
I’ve got five kids. Maybe I can sit at the kitchen piano and start to work on something for a few minutes. But in general, I work on the road and in hotel rooms or studios.

NonStopErotik includes a particularly revved-up version of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Wheels.” Where’d that come from?
I forced Pete Yorn to record that for a session of his that I was working on. He did a fine, tender version of it. I realized at the time that the obsession with that song was my own obsession and that I need to do it myself. I didn’t want to do anther country rock version of it so we just changed the tempo — you know, the whole “let’s give it the Velvet Underground, indie-rock treatment.” A lot of eighth and sixteenth notes. I’m pleased with the Velvet Underground treatment.

Any plans to do a solo tour?
I don’t have anything on the books yet. I’m working something out with this film company and we’re trying to do a simulcast with a Q&A and a band performance. It’ll be a performance of the record with these little films and then a Q&A. We’re still working on that, though.

What’s the status of another Pixies album or tour?
I certainly hope to tour again. I don’t want to misspeak but Europe and Israel are happening and there’s other stuff happening in the fall. But that’s still to be confirmed. As for an album, we’re not doing one officially. I think everyone in the band is creative and writing and stuff. But we haven’t raised the flag, like, “The Pixies are currently recording.”

Related Stories:

• Kim Deal Says No New Pixies Album “Because I Don’t Want To”
• Pixies’ “Doolittle” Turns 20: Frank Black on the Band’s Return to the Road

With a self-titled debut album that has gone on to sell nearly 500 thousand copies and a string of top 10 hits including A Different World, Its Good To Be Us and Ill Walk, American Idol Season 5 finalist Bucky Covington is now back on country radio with his brand new single A Fathers Love (The Only Way He Knew How). In just two short weeks, the track is already striking a huge chord with programmers, fans, and critics alike.The buzz amongst country radio is that this is Buckys best song yet and the overwhelmingly positive chatter keeps coming in.

Here are some of the positive remarks:

"It's the best thing Bucky has ever done! Powerful."
-- Rick McCracken, WSOC/Charlotte

"Thanks for smearing my makeup this morning!What a song!Drying my tears and doing an airshift."
-- Tanya Burko, WGGY/Wilkes-Barre

Tears literally dripped from my eyes as it played.A PERFECT song!"
-- Stoney Richards, WDSY/Pittsburgh

"A #1 song...and I don't say that lightly.His best song, yet!"
-- Carol Hughes, KFDI/Wichita

It touched me and hit home, which it will do with many...you have a hit.
-- Bob Mitchell WLFF/Myrtle Beach

Written by Liz Hengber, Thom Shepherd, and Steve Williams, this heartfelt mid-tempo song tells the story of a father who shows his children how much he loves them by taking care of all the little things in life. The record ... read more

In a recent interview with GQ, Jack White let it be known that he had just recorded a song with none other than Jay-Z and that said song is "unbelievable-sounding."

And while we have no reason to doubt the man's word, we're still a bit wary. After all, the last time White ventured outside his comfort zone was in 2008, when he recorded "Another Way To Die" — the theme song to that year's James Bond vehicle "Quantum of Solace"
— which was one part total brilliance and three parts train wreck (though it's possible that the movie itself was the real culprit).

Also, it's not like the history of rock-n-rap collaborations is all that great anyway. Aside from a few watershed moments — like the Beastie Boys' entire career, Run-D.M.C. teaming up with Aerosmith for "Walk This Way," the soundtrack to 1993's "Judgment Night" (Biohazard and Onyx! Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill!) — you're basically looking at two decades of Limp Bizkitry and Kottonmouth Kinging, which is a pretty dire legacy, if you think about it.

And while White played coy when asked just when or where his Jay-Z track would surface, from the sound of things, he's very interested in getting it out there. So in celebration of two of the best in the business getting together and making magic, we've compiled a list of rock/rap team-ups that are the complete opposite of that. These are some of the most painful, irritating and downright unnecessary rock/rap collaborations of all time.

Helmet feat. House of Pain, "Just Another Victim"
Okay, so not everything on the soundtrack to "Judgment Night" is great. Witness "Victim," a wheezing, shambling track featuring sludgy, plodding guitars-n-wailing, plus an aggro cameo by House of Pain. Nothing really gels, but hey, it was the '90s. People were into that sort of thing back then. It makes us want to go out and break something — most notably our ear drums.

Limp Bizkit feat. Method Man, "N 2 Gether Now"
The talents of DJ Premier and the Ticallion Stallion go to waste on this rather, uh, limp Bizkit track. It is dragged down mainly by the mush-mouthed rapping of LB frontman Fred Durst ("Where we gonna run / Maybe we can meet up on the sun") and a video that looks like it cost 15 bucks to make and is perhaps most notable for a Pauly Shore cameo. Meth n' Fred spend roughly 60 percent of this song chirping "Shut the f--k up." Too bad they didn't take their own advice.

Puff Daddy feat. Jimmy Page, "Come With Me"
Daddy (now Diddy) somehow convinced legendary Led Zeppelin axeman Page to play on this relatively disastrous track (off the soundtrack to the relatively disastrous "Godzilla" reboot), which recreates Zep's "Kashmir." Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza reportedly called the collaboration "a blasphemy," and Fuel frontman Brett Scallions (whose band was also offered a slot on the soundtrack) said the remake made him pass on the soundtrack entirely. And when the dude from Fuel says something is lousy, well, you can probably believe him.

Korn feat. Ice Cube, "Children of the Korn"
A murky, plodding track of Korn's Follow the Leader album featuring Johathan Davis' scatting and a cameo by Cube that literally sounds like he was phoning it in. Not either gentleman's finest hour.

Incubus feat. Big Pun, "Still Not A Player"
The late, great Pun shows up on this dreadful remake (or more probably, his verses do, since he died in early 2000, months before the track was released), off the equally dreadful Loud Rocks compilation. Incubus come across as unspeakably white here, and the re-worked song — all goofy scratches and wailing police sirens — is perhaps the stiffest in history. All of it raises the question: "Why was this necessary?" The answer, of course, is that it wasn't.

Who did we miss? What's the most unnecessary rock/rap collaboration of all time? Let us know in the comments below.

Hot Chip have established themselves as much for their quirky music videos as their catchy dance pop, so it comes as no surprise that their hilarious vid for One Night Stand’s “I Feel Better” is another must-see entry in their videography. The clip finds the nerdy Hot Chip recast as a boy band and muses whether the Brits’ music would be more popular sales-wise if the members were all male models. Before trotting down the boring path of cultural commentary, however, a glowing bald figure similar to Steve Coogan in Hamlet 2 emerges from the back of the theater to horrify the screaming teenage girl fans.

From there, the video descends into lunacy: The bald man destroys the four-man boy band by shooting lightning bolts out of his mouth, only they are resurrected as a quintet. Then, a floating head pops in and shoots laser beams from his eyes and mows down the actual Hot Chip, who cameo in the video. The clip comes straight from the warped mind of director and British comic Peter Serafinowicz, who Americans might recognize as the yuppie flatmate-turned-zombie in Shaun of the Dead and who will voice the role of Paul McCartney in Robert Zemeckis’ Yellow Submarine remake.

Related Stories:

• Hot Chip Keep Heart, Beats Pumping on New Disc “One Life Stand”
• New Music Report: Hot Chip
• Actors, Tribute Band Cast as Beatles in Zemeckis’ “Yellow Submarine” Remake

"I could never classify Wayne as victim. He's too strong to me. Wayne is who he wants to be. People don't understand. It's really not an act. Lil Wayne is a character you'll rarely run across, probably for the existence of human beings. He is that guy. He is Lil Wayne for a reason. He's a rock star, a visionary, a workaholic. He doesn't function like anybody I know. He's a rare breed."

-Hip-hop phenom Drake, talking to MTV News' Shaheem Reid about his mentor and label boss Lil Wayne, who just began a jail sentence stemming from a 2007 gun-possession charge. On the set of the video shoot for "Over," a track from Drake's forthcoming and hotly-anticipated album So Far Gone, Drake talked extensively about Weezy's current predicament, and he insisted that fame had nothing to do with his situation. "We take precautions. All of us do. To be in the public eye and to be envied and have people who hate you and never have met you or have people who love you and tattoo your face on their body and never have met you, it's an odd feeling for anybody," he said."

Still, Wayne's troubles haven't dissuaded Drake from getting deep into the rap game. In fact, he seems pretty empowered. "It's a rush [for me]. I love it," he told Reid. "It gets weird sometimes. So it's just personal choices we all make. I never felt that threatened. I'm not sure what's going through his head at the time. But Wayne has a reason for everything, always. I trust in Wayne. I believe in Wayne. He's gonna be all right."

Photograph by Free Energy

Rolling Stone’s new issue, on sale today, includes a special feature on the hottest new bands of 2010, from Philly power-pop group Free Energy to stoner Atlanta MC B.o.B. We asked all seven acts to snap candid photos on the road and compiled the best shots here:

• The Best New Bands of 2010’s Most Candid Shots From the Road

Keep reading for a quick dossier on all the artists. Plus, check out the exclusive premiere of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ new video for “Tiny Light,” which was directed by Paul Minor (Muse, Queens of the Stone Age):

Free Energy: Philly power poppers who mine the best of glammy Seventies-style arena jams on their James Murphy-produced debut Stuck on Nothing.

The Dirty Heads: Cali surf bros who revive Sublime-style reggae rock, rapping and harmonizing on their April disc Any Port in a Storm.

B.o.B.: Atlanta-bred rapper signed by T.I. whose eccentric loves (Animal Collective, collecting crystals, gospel) create a fascinating mix on The Adventures of Bobby Ray.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Rowdy blues road warriors fronted by singer-organist Potter, who learned to appreciate the wonders of acid at the tender age of 12.

Titus Andronicus: Jersey punks with an intellectual streak — their latest LP The Monitor is a concept album about the Civil War.

Neon Indian: 21-year-old Alan Palomo, a laptop virtuoso who’s become the face of “glo-fi” thanks to the dreamy keys on Psychic Chasms.

Mumford & Sons: Acoustic U.K. folk band whose old-timey folk-rock is inspired by mythology and bluegrass.

I'm genuinely torn. There are any number of singers who I think should go home on "American Idol" tonight. Five or six, really.

But then I look at the six who would be left behind and I wonder which one of them might be the next Carrie Underwood or … well, Daughtry, anyway. Can you imagine a Siobhan Magnus album? A dozen tracks of gothy pop, 10 of them with the obligatory Magnu-yowl? Or — gulp — an album of AutoTuned Tim Urban?

Even down to just 12 singers, at this point in the competition it's slim pickings. But with the best record so far among our "Idol" brain trust going into our third week of prognosticating (5-of-8), I need to buckle down and just pick one.

The near-consensus this week is that flame-haired Texas crooner Lacey Brown doesn't have enough of a fan base to stick around and that her somewhat tame countrified take on the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" just didn't cut it. I'd be tempted to go with Paige Miles again, but thanks to a nasty case of laryngitis, she actually sounded halfway decent on Tuesday night. While I still think Aaron Kelly is affected and robotic, he clearly has the grandma and mom vote locked up. Ditto for Katie Stevens, the teen terminator who keeps improbably chugging along on a wave of mediocrity.

And though I keep thinking Tim Urban is going to come out and step on a rake, there was something goofily endearing about a reggaefied stumble through "Under My Thumb" that would have made Jason Mraz flip his fedora.

So, I have to agree with my fellow panelists: I think it's curtains for Brown tonight. Check back tomorrow to see how we all did.

Photo: Loccisano/Getty
Bust your patchwork pants out of mothballs and tune-up your VW Bus. After last year’s triumphant return to summer touring, Phish have announced that they will hit the road again for a 29-date tour that kicks off June 11th in Chicago. The upcoming trek features multiple-night stands in major cities, including three back-to-back nights at the relatively intimate Greek Theatre in Berkely, California, starting August 5th. And while Phish haven’t planned have any of their trademark festivals — such as last October’s Festival 8 in Indio, California — the band has slotted in plenty of shows in more bucolic settings, such as the two-night stand at the scenic Telluride Town Park in Telluride, Colorado.

Check out photos from Phish’s Festival 8.

A ticket request period is currently underway through this Friday at 11:59 at Phish’s website; tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 2nd.

The announcement follows weeks of speculation that the jam-band kings would tour. On March 4th, bassist Mike Gordon hinted to Rolling Stone, “It’s looking like [a tour] is in the talks. We knew we wanted to wait until summer to do something.”

Of course, Phish haven’t exactly laid low over the past few days. On Monday in New York, Phish paid tribute to Hall of Fame inductees Genesis, performing note-perfect live versions of the prog-rock kings’ “Watcher of the Skies” and “No Reply At All.” If you missed that performance, expect those tunes to pop up in their set lists for the upcoming tour.

Check out a gallery of Phish-heads hanging out pre-show at the band’s Hampton reunion gig.

To get fans pumped for the upcoming tour, Phish will release a 3-D version of their Halloween festival in April. Details on theater locations and ticketing will be announced shortly; more information is available here.
June 11 – Chicago, IL @ Toyota Park
June 12 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
June 13 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
June 15 – Portsmouth, VA @ Telos Pavilion at Harbor Center
June 17 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
June 18 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
June 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 20 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 22 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
June 24 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 25 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 26 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 29 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC
July 1 – Raleigh, NC @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
July 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 3 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
July 4 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
August 5 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 6 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 7 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 9 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Town Park
August 10 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Town Park
August 12 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 13 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 14 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 15 – East Troy, WI @Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 17 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
August 18 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach

They say a well-rounded education is the key to success, and if that truly is the case, the my schooling is woefully incomplete when it comes to the subject of pop. That's why we bring you "Popology," the guide to modern radio-friendly stars as seen through the eyes of a guy who grew up on punk and metal. In case you missed previous installments, check out my thoughts on Britney Spears' landmark debut and the final album from *NSYNC.

In this week's installment, Jessica Simpson kisses everybody hello.

When Jessica Simpson dropped her debut album Sweet Kisses in November of 1999, the hype about her was that she was the real deal. In a sea of Britneys, Christinas and Mandys, Simpson was touted as having a super-serious voice. She was a balladeer with a gigantic instrument who eschewed dance tracks and dancing in videos in favor of soaring balladry. She was like a second-generation Celine Dion, except from the American Heartland and not, you know, Canada.

Based on the opening track of Sweet Kisses, that's an accurate assessment. For a single from a pop album meant to appeal to teens, "I Wanna Love You Forever" is a pretty traditional ballad. Apparently, it was a gigantic hit, though I really have no recollection of it at all. (Of all the albums I've listened to for this feature, her catalog is the most remote to me.) Simpson sits back and belts like the Titanic is sinking, and it's produced with a majestic, almost stoic air of dignity. Her voice is for real, and the chorus of the song ("From the moment that I saw your face/ And felt the fire of your sweet embrace/ I swear I knew I'm gonna love you forever") has an epic prom song quality. It's no wonder it nearly topped the Billboard Hot 100.

It's usually dangerous to kick off your album with a ballad, which may be why Sweet Kisses immediately moves into an uptempo number called "I Think I'm in Love With You." It's by far the album's biggest and most anthemic hook, probably because it's lifted from John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" (which was by far Mellencamp's biggest pop hit). It's not really a dance song, per se, but it does have a summery bounciness that wouldn't have been out of place scoring a montage on "Dawson's Creek." (It actually kicks off Songs from Dawson's Creek Volume 2.) As far as pop anthems go, I have no idea how "I Think I'm in Love With You" wasn't the top song in the country for six months. It's as close to a perfect song as I've heard so far.

Following "I Think I'm in Love With You," Simpson settles back into tender ballad territory, though she does it with panache. "Where You Are" is a duet with 98 Degrees member and future husband Nick Lachey. It's another string-heavy arrangement, and is lyrically pretty heavy. Unlike Britney Spears, whose lyrics seem to come from a place of puppy love and subjugation, Simpson's words seem to come from a slightly more adult place. Perhaps it's because her voice is richer and deeper, but I really get the sense that Simpson is deeply concerned about her romantic future, especially when she sings stuff like "When you're smiling back at me/ Only then will I be free/ So take me where you are." For his part, Lachey sounds perfectly reasonable, but he's sort of blown away by Simpson's pipes.

She tries on a kiss-off dance song with "Final Heartbreak," which doesn't necessarily work. Material like this sounds almost below Simpson, and though the chorus is easy to sing along to, it doesn't really cater to her strengths. In fact, as the album moves on, there's a pretty clear struggle between what Simpson is really good at and how people thought she should be presented and marketed. When the album kicked off, I figured it would be mostly ballads, but as it turns out, it's full of filler like "Woman in Me" and "I've Got My Eyes on You." Neither of those are bad songs and Simpson sounds exceptional, but putting her voice on those tunes is like making a Ferrari Testarossa drive in a funeral procession — there's so much wasted power and potential.

Still, there are plenty of pleasant diversions at the back end of Sweet Kisses. (As a side note: All the albums from this era are awfully top-heavy, aren't they? Like ...Baby One More Time, most of the best songs on Sweet Kisses are found in the first four or five tracks.) "Betcha She Don't Love You" is a perfectly reasonable "I'm better than the girl you've got now" song, and "My Wonderful" does some interesting things with acoustic guitars and gospel harmonies (in hindsight, it's the best indication of what Simpson's later work would end up sounding like). The best surprise at the end of the album is "Your Faith in Me," another torch song that shows off Simpson's incredibly dynamic voice. The production is total Lite-FM pianos and strings, but in a sea of disposable teen pop songs, it's downright refreshing.

Sweet Kisses ended up selling two million copies and remains Simpson's most successful album (at least commercially). Since then, her music career has been somewhat up and down, though her 2008 country music reinvention Do You Know has injected new life into that branch of her empire. But Simpson's greatest legacy is that of an ultimate multi-tasker, and her knack for diversification rivals Justin Timberlake's for sheer excellence. Simpson has been the star of multiple reality TV shows (including the watershed series "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" and the just-launched "The Price of Beauty"), gave excellent performances in films (most notably as Daisy Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard," but she also starred in "Employee of the Month" and made some memorable guest spots on "That '70s Show") and has had her hand in a line of beauty products, accessories and handbags. It's a shame that tabloid headlines about her relationships with public figures (Lachey, John Mayer, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo) have overshadowed her music, because Sweet Kisses (and especially "I Wanna Love You Forever" and "I Think I'm in Love With You") is a towering achievement.

What do you think of Jessica Simpson's first album? Does it hold up? And what other recent classic pop albums should we be exploring? Let us know in the comments!

Who: A Los Angeles-based art-folk quintet who broke out big at last year’s South by Southwest and are poised to make an even bigger splash when they rock a marathon nine gigs in three days this week at the fest. After SXSW, the group heads out on their first major headlining tour, with stops at Coachella in April. “We were just on our first headlining tour in Europe and we were nervous that no one would come out to see us,” says bassist Andy Hamm. “But there were a lot of people at all the shows and they were totally great.”

Sound: Sprawling, gorgeous indie pop that mixes Fleet Foxes’ penchant for multi-part harmonies with jittery, post-punk guitars and grooves. “Wide Eyes” is a reverb-dunked anthem that almost sounds like Simon and Garfunkel fronting a Britpop band. And the bouncy, sprawling rocker “Airplanes” is singer Kelcey Ayer’s tribute to his grandfather, a former airplane pilot who passed away before Ayer was born. “Everyone thinks that track is about some girl that Kelcey misses a lot but it’s definitely not the case,” says Hamm. “It’s about an old man.”

Vital Stats:

• Local Natives’ debut is titled Gorilla Manor after the house where all the bandmates lived and recorded in L.A. — imagine an indie-rock version of Entourage. “We wanted to pay homage to living together and writing together every day,” says Hamm. “But then the other side is that it’s still five dudes living together, having house parties or getting into arguments about who has to take the trash out.” So which Local Native is the sloppiest? “[Singer-guitarist] Taylor [Rice] is the dirtiest,” says Hamm. “Most of the time we’re like, ‘Taylor, you didn’t clean up your shit again!’ ”

• After doing a performance for Daytrotter, which is based in Rock Island, Illinois, Local Natives have made made fans out of folks in the heartland. While visiting rural Illinois, the band performed a series of shows in farmers’ barns, which they dubbed “barnstormings.” Turns out, they’re the perfect place to put on an indie-rock gig. “We played this one eight-sided barn that was all reverb-y — it was such a great experience,” says Hamm. “And all these folks came out from I don’t know where — but they reacted well I thought.”

•On Gorilla Manor, Local Natives offer up a killer version of the Talking Heads’ classic “Warning Sign,” expanding David Byrne’s jagged art-rock into a breathtaking anthem worthy of a church choir. “We were trying to take it to a new level,” says Hamm. “We wanted it to be something that had a Local Natives style to it, but we still wanted to be respectful to the Talking Heads.”

Get It Now: Watch the band’s video for “Airplanes” at the top of the post.

Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The Internet is still chattering about Lady Gaga's epic, violent, stylish and hilarious video for "Telephone," the latest single from The Fame Monster. The clip features a handful of instantly memorable images, including Gaga's sandwich-making dance, her glamorous prison outfit, Beyoncé's crazy hat and the appearance of the truck from "Kill Bill" with a dirty name. One of the greatest bits comes early on when Gaga curls her hair with Diet Coke cans. Apparently, that isn't just a gimmick for a video — it's a way of life. Gaga showed up in Sydney, Australia yesterday with the exact same setup in her hair. Has she stumbled upon a bold new beauty technique, or does she simply not know about recycling?

She wasn't the only superstar out and about, as Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie filmed scenes for "The Tourist" on the street in Venice, while Corbin Bleu unveiled his "In the Heights" portrait at Tony Di Napoli in New York. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Diddy, the Jonas Brothers, 50 Cent and Alicia Keys!

Photo:Legato/WireImage
The Big News: Lady Antebellum’s reign atop the charts came to an end as Ludacris and Gorillaz battled it out and the Atlanta rapper’s Battle of the Sexes took Number One on the Billboard 200 with 137,000 copies sold. Gorillaz landed at Number Two as Plastic Beach moved 112,000 copies. Battle is now Ludacris’ first chart-topping album since 2006’s Release Therapy and the fourth Number One album of his career. Plastic Beach also gave frontman Damon Albarn the best U.S. debut of his career — including his tenure with Blur — and improved on Demon Days‘ Number Six debut in 2005. Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now dropped to Number Three.

Nearly four decades after his death, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stone’s current cover star, entered the charts at Number Four with his collection of unearthed tracks Valleys of Neptune, which sold 95,000 copies. Rounding out the Top Five was another debut, Gary Allan’s Get Off on the Pain. In platinum news, Lady Gaga’s The Fame surpassed the three million mark and Justin Bieber’s My World scored the 16-year-old singer his first million seller.

Debuts: It was a big week for new albums as James Mercer and Danger Mouse’s Broken Bells entered the charts at Number Seven with their self-titled debut, which sold 49,000 in its first week. Further down, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Beat the Devil’s Tattoo came in at 56, Frightened Rabbit’s Winter of Mixed Drinks took 78 with 6,900 copies and the Pavement greatest hits collection Quarantine the Past bowed at 149.

Last Week’s Heroes: The influx of debuts in the Top 10 pushed Sade’s Soldier of Love out of the Top Five for the first time since its release five weeks ago, with the album landing at Six. The biggest drop from last week goes to Lifehouse’s Smoke & Mirrors, which fell from Number Six in its debut week to 34 thanks to a 74 percent sales decrease. With Ludacris’ pair of tracks in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 — “How Low” and his guest spot on Taio Cruz’s current Number One “Break Your Heart” — expect Battle of the Sexes to remain in the top spot this time next week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody! What began as the celebration surrounding the patron saint of Ireland has morphed into a worldwide salute to Irish culture (or at least the perception of Irish culture). As the story goes, Saint Patrick was a priest who came to Ireland in the early fifth century to convert Irish royalty and aristocracy to Christianity. Irish folklore says that he used the shamrock as a visual tool to teach people about the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), which is where the imagery of the shamrock comes from (and lead directly to the McDonald's Shamrock Shake).

People will celebrate St. Patrick's Day today with parades, traditional Irish food (most notably corned beef and cabbage) and more than a little festive imbibing of spirits. Like any festive holiday, it requires an appropriate batch of tunes to fuel the celebration. Hence the St. Patrick's Day video playlist, which raises a glass to Irish culture with songs about canonization (Down's "On March the Saints"), the color green ("Green Light" by John Legend, Cypress Hill's "Dr. Greenthumb"), parades (Michael McDonald's "Lost in the Parade") and drinking (Dolla's "Make a Toast," Ludacris' "One More Drink").

The playlist also contains a healthy dose of music from some of Ireland's best bands, like U2 ("New Year's Day"), the Corrs ("When the Stars Go Blue"), Snow Patrol ("Run") and My Bloody Valentine ("Only Shallow"). The whole thing kicks off with "Macy's Day Parade," which not only is a song about a parade (there's probably one going on outside your window right now) but is also a track by Green Day, making it a St. Patrick's Day double whammy!

How will you celebrate St. Patrick's Day today? Let us know in the comments!

Photo: Michelson/WireImage
The Dixie Chicks will hit the road for the first time in four years this summer when they team up with Eagles and Keith Urban for a co-headlining stadium trek. Urban will miss the tour’s opening show June 8th in Toronto, but will join the tour when it swings south to East Rutherford, New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium on June 10th. So far, only eight June dates have been announced. For ticket information, check out Dixie Chicks’ official site.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, the Chicks’ Emily Robison and Martie Maguire recently unveiled a side project called Court Yard Hounds while waiting for singer Natalie Maines to return to the Dixie fold. “Emily and I had the itch,” Maguire says, “and every time we’d call Natalie and say ‘are you ready?’ she wasn’t ready. She wanted a clear-cut break.” Robison and Maguire reiterated in January that the Dixie Chicks weren’t disbanding.

Court Yard Hounds will make their live debut at this year’s SXSW festival — including a gig at Rolling Stone’s first-ever SXSW showcase at Austin’s the Palm Door — and release their self-titled debut album in May. The Hounds will also spend some days on the Lilith Fair bill this summer.

Get the lowdown on 40 more of spring’s hottest upcoming albums.

Dixie Chicks/Eagles/Keith Urban
June 8 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre*
June 10 – East Rutherford, NJ @ New Meadowlands Stadium
June 12 – Boston, MA @ Gillette Stadium
June 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Ball Park
June 15 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
June 19 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
June 22 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canad Inns Stadium*
June 24 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium*

(* Keith Urban not on bill)

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• Dixie Chicks Go the “Long Way”