Music News & Videos

MTV Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe

The "Harry Potter" star tells MTV News about his support for the Trevor Project and more.

This week's adventures in the MTV Newsroom had a lot to do with teams. It seemed like everybody was finding a partner, combining powers and barreling headlong at a common goal. Perhaps everyone suddenly became inspired by the Winter Olympics? Are they fans of WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show and the Miz? Or are people just looking to stay warm during these ridiculous snow storms?

Whatever the case, before you go looking for your own tag-team partner this weekend, check out everything you might have missed this week, and be sure to stay tuned for more opinions, humor, insights and behind-the-scenes awesomeness next week!

» When he announced he would be performing on "Saturday Night Live," Justin Bieber found himself in the exclusive club of the youngest "SNL" performers of all time.

» All types of teams showed off during the Olympics this week, including some ice dancers who summoned the power of Linkin Park during their routine.

» Not all of this week's teams were current, as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice.

» This weekend, the U.S. hockey team will play for gold with the assistance of Kings of Leon and Metallica.

» Meanwhile at Disneyland, Michael Jackson got the opportunity to get back together with an alien named Hooter when "Captain EO" returned to the lineup in Tomorrowland.

» "American Idol" contestants usually stand alone when they perform, though they're always joining forces with famous songs. The best one this week was Siobhan Magnus' version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."

» Based on the greatness of the Young Money album, we wondered which posse albums were the greatest of all time. When the votes came in, G-Unit stood at the top.

» Snoop Dogg got back together with the cast of "One Life to Live" for another stunner of a guest spot on the soap.

» Thanks to a friendly pair of gloves, Lady Gaga narrowly managed to avoid being totally naked on the cover of a music magazine.

» Speaking of Gaga, we found out that a lot of people team up with the spirit of Gaga for crazy covers.

» Jennifer Hudson's fiancé David Otunga joined forces with his own muscles for a killer debut on "WWE NXT."

» Erykah Badu wanted to get to know Paul McCartney so she could sample a song, and she succeeded using the power of Twitter.

» Conan O'Brien joined up with a monkey, a squirrel and a computer to craft the greatest Twitter feed yet imagined by man or beast.

» Finally, MTV News engineered two team-ups this week, both care of digital producer Rich Sancho. The first brought together Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne for a collaboration, while the second melded Lady Gaga's "Monster" with Tiger Woods' apology. They're both remarkable and should keep you entertained throughout the weekend. Enjoy!

Photo: Getty

• The Rolling Stones stunned us with news they’ll include 10 never-before-heard tracks on their May 18th Exile on Main Street reissue. Says Keith Richards, “They still had that great basement sound.”

• INXS revealed they’ve recruited the Killers’ Brandon Flowers and Ben Harper to help reinterpret their songs for a new disc. Ironically, Ray Davies also asked Flowers, along with Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, to contribute to his new Kinks covers project.
• Slash told us Velvet Revolver’s singer search is far from over. Aerosmith’s is, though — they’re sticking with the guy they always had. And Roger Daltrey admitted who he’d like to sing with: Jimmy Page.
• We shared awesome photos from the set of The Runaways (and the movie’s soundtrack track list) and Lady Gaga’s revamped Monster Ball tour.
• David Fricke shared more of his fascinating interview with our cover stars Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton: Beck on his unreleased Motown LP and new disc and Clapton on Layla and sobriety.

Newcleus-Jam On It

DIAZ | MySpace Video

Newcleus’ Robert “Chilly B” Crafton — who features in the electro classic “Jam On It,” above — passed away this Tuesday, February 23rd following a stroke, Newcleus’ MySpace page solemnly writes (via Pitchfork). He was 47. As “Jam On It” is one of our favorite jams, this week’s Rock List looks back at Newcleus and other icons of ’80s hip-hop. All styles, genres and subgenres are fair game, as long as they were recorded between 1980 and 1989. Leave your picks in the comments, and on Monday we’ll tally the votes. Until then, here’s a small sampling of our faves below:

• Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
• Boogie Down Production – “The Bridge Is Over”
• Run-DMC – “My Adidas”
• Newcleus – “Jam On It”
• The Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere”

In our continuing efforts to take you — the loyal music lover — deeper into the minds of today's artists, MTV News presents "Frame by Frame." Each week, we'll get a musician to give you the inside scoop on their latest music video.

By Matt Harper

Last week, we showed you an inside look at the first half of 30 Seconds to Mars' epic video for "Kings and Queens." We now present the conclusion of the video with insight from band members Jared Leto and Tomo Milicevic.

The band's other videos have taken us around the world, from China to the Arctic. And while "Kings and Queens" is certainly less international in scope, it is no less grand or cinematic.

"In the song, there's a feeling of atmosphere. It's a bit of a dream," Leto says. Soon after he makes that observation, a lone horse appears in the video, running down a Los Angeles street in slow motion. Clearly we are dealing with a surreal and fantastic vision of downtown L.A.

Of course, Leto then goes on to explain that despite the horse doing a great job in the end, they were really worried about not being able to get the take right. "We only had three takes that we had time to do," Leto recounted. "The first take it went sideways, second take it went the other way. Third take? Perfect."

Despite the minor stress caused by the horse, it sounds like the video was fun to make, and that Leto (who directed under the pseudonym "Bartholomew Cubbins") considers the project an accomplishment. "It was exciting to have ownership of these public spaces ... to reclaim ownership, and to ride down both sides of the street."

And as "Kings and Queens" comes to a close, we see the group of bikers make their way onto Santa Monica Pier as the sun rises — suitably epic conclusion to an impressive video.

When news broke that Johnny Cash’s “Guess Things Happen That Way” was the 10 billionth download on iTunes, Cash’s daughter Rosanne remarked on Twitter that the honor was the perfect birthday present to her father, whose 78th birthday would have been today. Earlier this week, Cash’s final album of posthumous recordings, American VI: Ain’t No Grave hit stores, and today we’re paying tribute to the Man in Black by looking back at his remarkable career and the legendary musicians he inspired. Above is a clip of Cash and Bob Dylan performing Nashville Skyline’s “The Girl From the North Country” on the premiere episode of The Johnny Cash Show in 1969.

“In plain terms, Johnny was and is the North Star; you could guide your ship by him — the greatest of the greats then and now,” Dylan wrote in Rolling Stone in the days following Cash’s 2003 death. To read tributes to Cash by Bono, Merle Haggard and more, click below. Plus, watch a 1959 performance of Cash’s “Guess Things Happen That Way,” iTunes’ 10 billionth song:

• Remembering Johnny: Dylan, Bono and more remember his extraordinary impact

Photo: Flanigan/FilmMagic
“There was never a tour booked this summer!” says Billy Joel, responding to Internet claims that he pulled the plug on a summer tour with Elton John. He continues, “Obviously, this has the smell of a really juicy story: ‘Why did they cancel? Did Billy and Elton have a fight? What’s going on?’ The truth is, there’s nothing going on. I had made up my mind a long time ago that I wasn’t going to work this year.”

Though the duo are currently performing together on their recurring Face to Face tour, these shows — which swept up the West Coast, and continue until March 11th in Buffalo — are make-up shows, rescheduled from canceled 2009 dates. Joel insists that rumors about 2010 summer tour were leaked by insiders at certain venues around the country. He explains, “There were a couple stories that came out that we were supposed to play Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, and I think Pittsburgh was mentioned. Booking agents hold real estate. They like to research what’s available when, to see if they can put together a series of dates. Then they’ll come back to the artist and say, ‘Look, if you wanted to, you could play such and such and such.’ These rumors probably came from somebody at one of those venues who had to be a big shot and call the local newspaper and say, ‘Hey, Billy and Elton are going to play here this summer.’ ”

Elton John even perpetuated the story himself. In a recent interview, he was quoted saying, “Billy just wants to take a year off. I’m so disappointed because when we came to Wrigley Field last year, it was like playing in the church of baseball.” Joel responds, “Elton and I don’t really sit down and discuss our future plans with each other. We see each other backstage and we hang out and kibitz and talk about music and life. When Elton did that interview, he’d just found out from his booking agent that I wasn’t going to be working this summer, and therefore Elton’s quote puts a spin on it that I’d changed my mind all of a sudden, or suddenly decided to cancel the tour, which is nonsense. There was never a tour booked!”

Before their February 22nd show in Denver, Joel approached John about his comments to the press. “When I saw him backstage, I said, ‘Elton, what were you told about this supposed summer tour?’ He goes, ‘Well, I just found out you weren’t going to be working this year, and I was heartbroken because I was looking forward to doing it.’ ” In his statement to the press, John also seemed to convey that their hugely successful Face to Face tour — which has brought in big crowds since 2004 — would be ending for good in Albany. “We’ll probably pick it up again,” says Joel. “It’s always fun playing with him.” He insists there is no bad blood. In Denver, their conversation ended thusly: “Elton said, ‘Are you mad at me?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not mad, I just want to clarify what’s going on here.’ Everything’s fine.”

Joel says the thought of retirement looms in his mind, but he’s always drawn back to the stage. “I see pictures of myself onstage, and I look at them and say, ‘There has to be some kind of mandatory retirement age for doing this gig,’ and then I watched the Super Bowl and saw the Who and I figure, ‘Well, I guess there is no mandatory retirement age.’ ‘I hope I die before I get old,’ — that went out the window. It’s always possible that I’ll tour again, whether it’s with Elton or on my own. I love my job. For now I’m going to stop, but I won’t sit around for the rest of my life and rot.”

Joel claims last year was a rough one. “There was an incident with my daughter that was very shocking,” he says of daughter Alexa’s suicide attempt. “I got divorced. I worked a lot. I promised myself more personal time this year. I’m going to Italy, and I’ll probably go to Paris. I’ll probably take my boat to New England and hang out on the coast. I’ll ride my motorcycle. I’ll just be a bum.”

The music world is in mourning over the passing of Sasha Fierce. There's no need to worry, as Beyoncé Knowles herself is totally fine. However, the persona that she assumed on stage and featured on her last album I Am ... Sasha Fierce is officially gone. "Sasha Fierce is done," she told "Extra" host AJ Calloway. "I killed her."

It's not that Fierce hadn't served her purpose, as she provided Beyoncé an unhinged alter-ego through which she could channel some of her most provocative dance moves and electric performances. Over the course of nearly a year, Beyoncé has channeled Fierce in over 100 concerts on six continents and played numerous television performances (including the Grammys and the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards).

Interestingly, Beyoncé also told "Extra" that now that she was off the road, she was going to focus on "learning to paint and cook, and to do Broadway shows and museums. And learn just to be at home and just watch television." She even welcomed the idea of children with husband and fellow worldwide phenomenon Jay-Z. "Eventually," she said. "When it happens, it happens."

Considering the music-loving public has known the 28-year-old Beyoncé since the first Destiny's Child album dropped back in 1998, it's difficult to picture her as a domestic goddess. She's always been the glamorous center of attention in concert and on the big screen, so it's hard to think of her as somebody who does the laundry, washes the dishes and knocks around with the kids. Still, it's possible that it might look a little bit like this.

Click here for more photos of Beyoncé in domestic goddess mode!

What do you think? Do you like the idea of Beyoncé as a domestic goddess? Will you miss Sasha Fierce? Let us know in the comments!

"I'm glad he's a trailblazer. He's comfortable in his own skin, clearly. And he's expressing himself. I think that's what art's all about. Whenever you do something that hasn't really been done, you're going to get love and you're going to get hate."

-Former "American Idol" runner-up and For Your Entertainment mastermind Adam Lambert, who came out in support of Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir after Weir took criticism for his flamboyant appearance and approach at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Following his performance last week, a pair of Canadian sports broadcasters said that Weir was setting a bad example for other male skaters.

"It wasn't these two men criticizing my skating, it was them criticizing me as a person, and that was something that really, frankly, pissed me off," Weir told reporters in response to the comments. "I think masculinity is what you believe it to be." Later, he told "Access Hollywood," "Every little boy should be so lucky as to turn into me, and that's all I have to say."

Lambert knows all about deflecting that brand of judgment. Following his controversial performance at the American Music Awards back in November 2009, Lambert took a lot of heat over the sexually explicit nature of the performance and had to deal with the fact that the network airing the show received hundreds of complaints about it. But Lambert managed to weather that storm and bounce back — something that Weir will no doubt be able to accomplish as well.

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

For nearly four decades, the identity of the subject of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” has remained an official mystery while fans speculated that icons like Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger and the singer’s ex-husband James Taylor were the egocentric man. But now Simon has reportedly offered up a major clue thanks to a newly recorded version of “You’re So Vain” — she’d previously told Uncut that the vain man’s name would be heard when listeners played her new version of the track backwards. The U.K.’s Sun got their hands on the clip, and the backwards track simply reveals the name “David.” (Listen to the reversed clips here.)

The Sun speculates that the David in question is David Geffen — a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 — the head of the label that released “You’re So Vain,” Elektra Records. Allegedly, Simon was displeased with the way Geffen supported her musical rival Joni Mitchell after the Blue singer signed with Geffen’s Asylum Records. The timeline seems to make sense, as Mitchell’s first Asylum album For the Roses came out in November 1972, just weeks before the release of Simon’s “You’re So Vain” in the December of that year.

Simon had long claimed that the person in “You’re So Vain” represented a “composite” of different men she encountered in the early 1970s, and then later refined that statement to say that the subject of the song had the letters A, E and R in their name. WARrEn Beatty and Mick JAggER both fit into that category, but with the revelation of “David” being vain, they’re automatically eliminated. David Bowie and David Crosby have also been mentioned as possible “Davids” from that era, but Crosby lacks the necessary “E” and Bowie had never before been linked to Simon in any capacity. So where’s the “R” in “David Geffen”? The Dreamworks man’s full name is “DAvid LawRence GEffen.” While we’re not stating as fact that “You’re So Vain” is about Geffen, he seems like the most logical candidate.

So the mystery of “You’re So Vain” might finally be solved. At least we still have the curious case of “You Oughta Know.” (Cough)

On Thursday (February 25), we explored the growing number of mashups floating about the Internet that meld footage of Tiger Woods' public apology with a number of pop songs (including Ke$ha's "Blah Blah Blah" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling"). In a post yesterday, we tossed out a few ideas for songs we'd like to hear (including Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" and Riverboat Gamblers "A Choppy But Sincere Apology").

What we didn't count on was the power of MTV News digital producer Rich Sancho, who took the virtual ball and cyber-ran with it to create the mashup below. (He's the same mastermind who gave birth to the mashup between Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne earlier this week.) The remix brings together Wood's apology with Lady Gaga's "Monster" (an irresistible tune from her The Fame Monster EP). It's a fun little remix that simultaneously makes the Woods footage eerier but also goofier — the same blend of horror, pathos and fun that Gaga brings to every single one of her songs.

What do you think of the new mashup? Which one has been your favorite so far? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

For the first time since their 2008 merger, Sirius XM radio are in the black with a $14.2 million profit in the fourth quarter of 2009, the New York Times reports. That might not sound like much — it equates to less than penny gain per stock share — but considering Sirius XM lost $245 million in the year following the merger, the profit represents a financial shift for the company. Sirius XM were helped by the fact that the automobile industry, an indispensable partner for the satellite radio company (people love their car stereos), showed signs of post-recession recovery. Sirius XM anticipated another half-million new customers by the end of 2010.

At press time, Sirius XM’s stock currently sits at $1.03 — again, not a huge number — but the stock had sunk to as low as 12 cents in the past 52 weeks while the company narrowly avoided bankruptcy at one point. As Rolling Stone previously reported, last May Sirius XM reported its first-ever drop in subscribers — and many listeners were initially rankled by station shifts as the company consolidated channels. According to the NYT, lower costs and an increase of new-car buyers purchasing a subscription after their free trial expired also contributed to Sirius XM’s turnaround.

Total revenue for Sirius XM was $684 million, beating out industry expectations by $20 million. One dark cloud on the horizon, however, is the possible departure of shock jock Howard Stern, whose massive five-year contract with Sirius wraps up at year’s end.

Related Stories:

• Howard Stern Named as Rumored Replacement for Cowell on “Idol”
• Satellite Radio Listeners Rankled By XM-Sirius Merger
• Sirius XM Avoids Bankruptcy, Reaches Deal with Liberty Media

There was a time when grace and dignity ruled the land. When disappointed singers whose "journey" ended on "American Idol" in the first few semi-final rounds shed a crocodile tear (or 20), got their obligatory fake hug from host Ryan Seacrest, sang their most recent karaoke number again (invariably just a bit less terribly than the night or two before) and then shuffled off this mortal coil never to be heard from again.

But on Thursday (February 25) night's first elimination show of season nine, a strange thing happened: The four men and women who got the boot didn't open the fake water works and just go away. They went away mad. Like a mistake had been made, or as if they deserved to be on the show no matter what those dumb 24 million voters thought!

The first boot-ee, Florida beach blonde Janell Wheeler, handled it best when she got the hook over teen Katie Stevens. She did the requisite fake smile and gave the camera some decent pageant face as Seacrest did his water torture bit and read the results as slowly as possible. "That sucks," she said, snapping her fingers exaggeratedly and making a joke about her banana yellow shirt when Seacrest generously called her one of this season's "bright stars." She gave props to the girls and predicted one of them would win, sang terribly again and left just like bottom rung contestants are supposed to.

But then things got really tense when it was Ashley Rodriguez's turn. The Berklee College of Music grad couldn't help but purse her lips and shoot daggers at Ellen DeGeneres when the new judge said this was just "a new beginning" for whoever went home. She continued to put on her worst fake smile as she gave Didi Benami the world's least sincere girl hug. "Well, what do you think?" Seacrest said. Rodriguez shook her head and said sarcastically, "Well, I'm gonna sing a song." Speaking as slowly as possible to ensure the proper tone of sarcasm was relayed, she said, "I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me from day one," shrugging her shoulders and narrowing her eyes in resignation.

If anyone had reason to be pissed, it was poor Joe Munoz. After getting almost zero time during the Hollywood rounds, Munoz had the distinction of being tossed over Tim Urban, a singer so bad he almost made me pine for Sanjaya and hope that the "Idol" brass might do an about-face and bring Chris Golightly back. Fittingly, Urban was gob-smacked by his save, looking like a car crash survivor who walked away from a 10-care pile-up without a scratch only to find out he'd won the lottery with a ticket he bought just moments before the accident. "America votes, so I wasn't expecting anything," Munoz said as Seacrest poured on the smarm by calling him a wonderful guy with a positive spirit. When reprising his final song, Munoz just looked like he wanted to punch someone, shaking his clenched left fist around as he sang through gritted teeth.

This year's resident rocker didn't even pretend to be surprised. Floppy-haired retro mess Tyler Grady smiled wanly from behind his bang curtain, his thumbs hooked in his skinny faded jean pockets when Simon Cowell predicted he'd go home. But when nerve-wracked mulletman Alex Lambert got the save, Grady just gave up the goat and looked like he wanted to pull a Hendrix and set fire to something. He pushed his hair out of his face and proceeded to give a lame speech about how he liked the judges, but felt their constructive criticism came too late (which drew a sarcastic smirk from Cowell), coming off like the cute boy in high school who is surprised that he got a C on his final exam paper after flirting with his young-ish English teacher all semester but not really doing any of the required reading.

He lamely tried to eye-bang America one more time during a quarter-hearted reprise of his Kravitz-like cover of "American Woman," and then he was never heard from again.

What do you think? Did the eliminated contestants seem more angry or put-off than usual last night? Let us know in the comments!

On Tuesday, the Postelles will unleash a four-track EP called White Night, which features production by the Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. and a remix by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor. Like the Strokes, the band’s members met in high school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side but soon adopted a downtown musical mentality that captured Hammond’s ear. “They found a cool sound reminiscent of the late Fifties, early Sixties that I really liked, but they had their own take on it,” the guitarist told us when we joined him in the studio with the Postelles last year. Rolling Stone has described their aesthetic as a meld of the Strokes and and the Knack.

Watch bassist John Speyer and drummer Billy Cadden at work with their Strokes mentor in our exclusive studio footage above, as they muse on their influences and how they gel on their new tracks. Plus, grab “White Night” for the cost of your e-mail address here:

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.

If you're a star in the United States, it's not difficult to roll into a club and slide right into the VIP. It usually doesn't take very much. It takes a true superstar to roll VIP internationally, which is exactly what 50 Cent did in Paris on Thursday (February 25). He partied at the French capital city's VIP Room, a high-profile club and a haven for American hip-hop acts making their way through Europe. 50 is currently on a European tour (he played a concert at Le Zénith de Paris earlier in the evening) and he donned a cool-looking puffer vest to hit the after-party with fellow G-Unit member Lloyd Banks. In addition to the tour, the rapper grabbed headlines recently when he was sued for posting a sex tape of one of Rick Ross' old girlfriends.

50 wasn't the only star partying yesterday. Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway hit the red carpet at the "Alice in Wonderland" premiere in London, and Anna Kendrick, Kristen Bell, Minka Kelly and Anna Paquin got their glam on for the Costume Designers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Hilary Duff, Shakira, Diddy, Jay-Z and Mariah Carey!

The Runaways biopic, starring Twilight’s Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, melted the snow at its Sundance premiere and hits theaters across the U.S. on March 19th. While fans have gotten a few sneak peeks at the film via its teaser trailers, Rolling Stone now has your exclusive on what songs will feature on the film’s punk rock soundtrack. Since this is a film about the Runaways, the group’s catalog features heavily on the disc, and its track list is split between the original recordings and new versions by Fanning, who plays Cherie Currie, and Stewart, who portrays Joan Jett. Rounding out the album are 1975-era punk anthems by MC5, Nick Gilder, Sex Pistols, David Bowie and more.

That’s the soundtrack artwork up top and it’s pretty sweet, with a literal “cherry bomb” against the backdrop of a well-worn vinyl sleeve. The Runaways soundtrack will be available digitally on March 16th, with a physical release planned for March 23rd. You can pre-order both formats over on the soundtrack’s official Website. Until then, check out the entire Runaways track list below, and be sure to peruse our exclusive photos from the film set:

1. Nick Gilder – “Roxy Roller”
2. Suzi Quatro – “The Wild One”
3. MC5 – “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
4. David Bowie – “Rebel Rebel”
5. Dakota Fanning – “Cherry Bomb”
6. The Runaway – “Hollywood”
7. Dakota Fanning – “California Paradise”
8. The Runaways – “You Drive Me Wild”
9. Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart – “Queens Of Noise”
10. Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning – “Dead End Justice”
11. The Stooges – “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
12. The Runaways – “I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are (Live)”
13. Sex Pistols – “Pretty Vacant”
14. Joan Jett – “Don’t Abuse Me”

Related Stories:

• Watch a New “Runaways” Trailer, See Exclusive Photos From the Set
• “The Runaways” Trailer: First Look at Stewart, Fanning in Action
• Lita Ford Returns With “Sexual” LP, Explains Runaways Movie Rift

Well, that didn't accomplish very much. On Thursday (February 25), the MTV Newsroom Blog asked "American Idol" fans what they think of the job that Ellen DeGeneres is doing on the show. With a handful of episodes under her belt, it seemed like a handful of patterns were emerging, and based on popular opinion, her performance was either working perfectly or a total disaster.

In the poll presented yesterday, we took a look at some of Ellen's more memorable moments from the past few episodes (including her prolonged and sort of surreal banana metaphor from the February 24 show) and then gave fans five choices to judge how she was doing. Apparently, many of you are quite enthusiastic about her thus far, as 49 percent of the vote went to "Great! She should keep doing what she is doing." However, that was followed close behind by "I miss Paula," which picked up 29 percent. In third place (and admittedly the one we voted for) with 15 percent of the vote was "Good for now, but needs to get better." Five percent of the fans thought "She's no good now, but she'll be fine," while only two percent clicked on "She's fine, but I don't see her improving."

For her part, Ellen seems enthusiastic about her work thus far. "I'll tell ya, I like being live because anything can happen on live television," she told the studio audience during Thursday night's results show.

So the audience remains split on Ellen's work on "Idol." Luckily, there are still many, many episodes to go before another winner is crowned, and she'll have plenty of time to adjust whatever it is she needs to adjust.

But what do you think? What should Ellen do differently? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: Winter/Getty

A new Prince song called “Cause and Effect” debuted this morning on Minnesota public radio, with Prince personally offering the Twin Cities’ the Current 89.3 the world premiere of the song as a gesture in support of independent radio. Stylistically, “Cause and Effect” seems to find the middle ground between Prince’s guitar rock album Lotusflow3r and its funked-up companion disc MPLSound, but with some elements of surf rock and his old school rave-ups like “It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night.” Listen to the rocker above.

This is the second time in as many months Prince has unveiled a Minnesota-centric track: As Rolling Stone previously reported, during the Minnesota Vikings’ NFL run, the Paisley Park native, who was seen in the luxury box at the Vikes’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys, penned a fight song called “Purple and Gold” for the Brett Favre-led team. This isn’t Prince’s first time using radio airwaves to debut new material either, as Indie 103 premiered four songs from Prince’s Lotusflow3r box set back in December 2008.
According to the Current’s site, Prince wants to know how listeners feel about “Cause and Effect” — perhaps surveying fans to see if they like this direction before starting work on his next one-to-three albums — so have your say on the Purple One’s latest work in the comments below.

Related Stories:

• Prince Pens “Purple” Fight Song For Minnesota Vikings
• Prince Does Rare TV Interview, Talks Obama, Chemtrails On PBS
• Prince Pulls Out Three Different Sets for L.A. Triple-Gig Marathon

By Joel Hanek

Electro-funksters LMFAO are slowly taking over everything you know. You can’t escape the dynamic duo of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Not only are these guys are currently supporting the Black Eyed Peas and Ludacris on a nationwide arena tour, but they also have a massive hit with their single with the alcoholic's anthem "Shots" and currently have their songs featured as the main themes for two of the most popular shows on television right now: MTV's hit "Jersey Shore" ("Get Crazy") and the Kardashian-centric spinoff "Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami" ("I'm in Miami Trick").

LMFAO have even begun invading the world of MTV News. When we last left the duo, our very own Sway caught up with the guys in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where they were performing. Shortly after, Sky Blu was involved in a truly bizarre airplane scuffle with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. To get the inside scoop on that incident and further continue their growing rad bromance, Redfoo and Sky Blu stopped by the NYC MTV offices to chat up Sway once again.

Decked out in their self-designed "Party Rock" attire, LMFAO entertained the Sway and the crew with their antics and dramatic reenactments of the Mitt Romney incident (or as they like to call it: "The Vulcan Death Grip Incident"). In the video, you can see the guys perform a slow-motion retelling of the now infamous airplane conflict between Sky Blu and Mitt Romney (with the part of Mitt Romney being played by Redfoo). Although what depicted is not an accurate portrayal of the events that occurred, it certainly is entertaining.

Photo: Mazur/WireImage
Nearly three years ago, Alain Macklovitch, better known as DJ A-Trak, was holed up in a Los Angeles studio rehearsing with his longtime touring partner Kanye West for the hip-hop mogul’s Graduation tour. On a break, he bumped into DJ AM, who “told me he was working on some stuff for Travis Barker,” A-Trak recalls. AM and Barker, it turns out, were priming material for a drums and vinyl-scratching duo that would become known as TRAVI$DJ-AM — a partnership that lasted until AM’s drug overdose in August 2009, less than a year after the pair survived a horrific plane crash.

Look back at photos of DJ AM with Barker and more famous friends.

Now A-Trak is carrying on his lost pal’s work: the Blink-182 drummer and Montreal turntablist recently announced they will kick off a new drummer-DJ collaboration with a pair of shows at the Roxy in Hollywood on March 9th and 10th, followed by performances in Las Vegas and at SXSW.

A-Trak says the new partnership was born several months ago when Barker, who hasn’t performed with a DJ since AM’s sudden death, reached out and said he was ready to return to the stage. After seeing some of A-Trak’s L.A. gigs and meeting him briefly at Coachella several years ago, Barker was prepared to offer the DJ known for his mashing of electronic and hip-hop music the job. A-Trak, who has remixed and produced for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kid Cudi, admits he had some initial reservations. “On one hand I was very flattered,” he recalls, but “part of me definitely wondered, ‘Do I want to step into AM’s shoes?’ ”

Still unsure, A-Trak trekked cross-country to Barker’s L.A. studio to jam and see if there was a “connection on the music side.” After laying down some of his signature skuzzy beats over Barker’s machine-gun snare rolls and crashing cymbals, A-Trak could tell the two instantly “gelled.” “It flowed really easily,” he says.

Now the pair are preparing to show off their new partnership, which A-Trak says is rooted in hip-hop. “I’ve been fiending for some sort of opportunity to do something that’s more technical and more of a performance and that’s where I see this Travis and A-Trak thing going,” he says. “Travis reached out his hand to me. If he feels ready to [perform] with another DJ and keep this idea going, then I’m all for it.”

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By Joel Hanek

Despite the many reports that Matt Kemp and Rihanna are a couple (not to mention many pictures of the pair getting cozy), the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder says the Barbadian singer is just a "good friend."

In a recent interview with Fox Sports radio station KLAC, Kemp was asked by hosts Chris Myers and Steve Hartman about his relationship with Rihanna. Although he expected to chat about training camp and how he can bring up his RBI numbers, Kemp was in good spirits about the line of questioning. "I thought we were talking about baseball, guys," he said.

Although the athlete never actually confirmed that the couple are actually a couple, Kemp said of the two, "[She's] a very very good friend of mine. And we enjoy hanging out with each other and we're just having fun."

This past weekend, Kemp was with Rihanna for her birthday, the singer received the perfect gift: A lap dance from a midget. When not attending burlesque shows featuring little people, Kemp says the couple enjoys catching Lakers games.

Myers compared their high-profile relationship to Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom, another athlete-celebrity couple, and asked Kemp if he was prepared for a new level of public scrutiny that comes with dating a pop star.

"Hey, it is what it is. If that's what it comes with, that's what it comes with," said Kemp. "I'm just gonna continue to keep trying to hit home runs and help my team get to the World Series."

Photo: Wargo/WireImage
Ke$ha’s near-historic run at Number One on the Hot 100 has come to an end thanks to the Black Eyed Peas. The group’s “Imma Be” beat out “TiK ToK,” sending Ke$ha’s debut single to Number Two after nine consecutive weeks atop the chart. The Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. is now the first album since Wilson Phillips’ 1990 self-titled album to spawn three Hot 100-topping singles, Reuters reports, with “Imma Be” joining “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” as Number One singles. The Black Eyed Peas set a Hot 100 record by spending 26 consecutive weeks at Number One thanks to those first two singles, too.

Check out photos of the Peas’ tour-opening show in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Ke$ha fell just two weeks shy of tying chart history for longest tenure at Number One with a debut single; Debby Bonne’s 11 weeks at Number One with her 1977 debut single “You Light Up My Life” remains the record holder. (Looks like the Peas’ epically long video helped their cause.) Meanwhile, “We Are the World 25 For Haiti” took a small but giant step back, slipping from Number Two to Number Six this week — a minor fall, but one that likely means the new version of the classic song won’t follow its predecessor’s path to the Number One spot on the Hot 100.

The chart’s biggest surprise came courtesy of k.d. lang, who scored her first Hot 100 since 1992’s “Constant Craving” with her 2010 rendition of Leonard Cohen’s, what else, “Hallelujah,” which she performed at the Vancouver Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony. The song debuted at Number 61.

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It has been eight months since the passing of Michael Jackson, and his death continues to be felt deeply in the music world (you need only listen to the emotional Jackson part left in the remake of "We Are the World" for proof). It seems certain that Jackson's legacy will be truly immortal, and the reason why is his music. The artist left behind some of the most iconic pop songs ever written — many of which came from his staggering breakout album Thriller, which came out in 1982 and first topped the Billboard album chart on this day in 1983.

Fueled by huge singles "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Human Nature," Thriller kept a stranglehold on the top spot for most of 1983. After it entered the position on February 26, it stayed there for 17 consecutive weeks before getting bumped by the soundtrack to "Flashdance." Two weeks later, it returned to #1 before getting knocked out again by the Police's Synchronicity. It bounced back for one more week in September before dropping out, but it returned to the top for the last two weeks of the year. It then spent the first 15 weeks of 1984 at #1 as well. All told, Thriller was the top-selling album in America for a grand total of 37 weeks, an absolutely unheard of run.

Thriller sold 15 million copies in 1983 alone and has become the best-selling album of all time. Even more impressive? There are only nine songs on Thriller, and seven of them became Top 10 hits (with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" both topping the singles chart). In honor of his tremendous feat, check out the video for "Thriller," which would get little argument against its place as the greatest music video of all time.

With just weeks before the arrival of Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach, the animated rockers led by Damon Albarn unveiled a new song called “Superfast Jellyfish” yesterday on their official YouTube page. This odd slice of sea-funk reunites Gorillaz with their “Feel Good Inc.” cohorts De La Soul, who turn in verses praising King Neptune and his interesting fruit de mar, with Super Furry Animals/Neon Neon frontman Gruff Rhys joining the chorus to explain how “the sea is radioactive.” A heavily voice-boxed Albarn only pops up toward the end of the song. It’s all very Spongebob but undeniably catchy, and fits with Plastic Beach’s themes of consumerism — note the Sigue Sigue Sputnik-esque ad that prefaces the song — and life on an island landfill. (Because of EMI’s “no embed” policy — ask OK Go about it — you have to visit YouTube to listen to it.)

Plastic Beach is due out in the States on March 9th, but because the album will be released March 3rd in Japan, it’s likely YouTube will be filling up with videos of new tracks in the next few days. In fact, starting March 1st, NPR will be streaming Plastic Beach in its entirety.

Gorillaz have also revamped their Website in anticipation of Plastic Beach, adding some games (that we couldn’t figure out how to play), a track-by-track review of Plastic Beach by Gorillaz member Murdoc Niccals and a trailer for the upcoming “Stylo” video. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Gorillaz will bring their multimedia show to Coachella April 18th when they serve as the Indio festival’s final night headliner.

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The season's first "American Idol" eliminations are in the books, and now Tyler Grady, Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez and Joe Munoz will have to pursue their dreams of pop stardom on their own. All of the eliminations seemed to make sense (though Tim Urban was arguably worse than Grady) and each one was accompanied by an "Idol" tradition: The exit song.

This season, Will Young's "Leave Right Now" is the tune that will send fallen "Idol" contestants back to the real world. Considering the title and the fact that Young is a former "Pop Idol" winner in the U.K., it's a logical fit (even though it was big on the British charts all the way back in 2003). However, when played over the exit montages last night, it sounded simultaneously harsh and dour, especially considering the chorus: "I think I better leave right now/ Before I fall any deeper/ I think I better leave right now/ Feeling weaker and weaker."

Why such a bummer, "Idol" producers? The exit song has always had a bit of hope and uplift behind it, which "Leave Right Now" most certainly does not. When Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" became the first exit song in 2005, it not only became a chart smash but also set a certain tone for future entries, like Reuben Studdard's cover of "Celebrate Me Home," Carrie Underwood's take on Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" and Daughtry's "Home." The idea was that even though these people had failed, at least they were returning to their families, loved ones and normal lives out of the spotlight. "Bad Day" was especially effective because the lyrics passively wrote off every contestant's elimination as an anomaly. They were still great singers — they just had a bad day.

It seems very possible the the use of Young's "Leave Right Now" is a bid to get his career going again, as he has done little since his initial breakthrough and has yet to make an impact in America. But if the producers of "American Idol" really wanted to harsh the contestants as they walked out the door, they should have gone whole hog and used one of the songs below.

Mötley Crüe, "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)"
They've already used one Crüe song in the past (Underwood's cover of the Theatre of Pain ballad "Home Sweet Home"), so why not go back to the well? This classic Dr. Feelgood anthem would express what everybody was thinking, especially in the early stages of the eliminations: You've got nothing to cry about, and we no longer want to hear you sing.

Arctic Monkeys, "Leave Before the Lights Come On"
Because the theater needs to be cleaned up, and we can't have you hanging around. Also, turn in your security badge on the way out.

Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl"
Note: For this one to work, all the contestants would have to be named "Earl," which would probably be difficult (especially for the women). Perhaps that's a vocal tic that Seacrest could pick up. "I'm Ryan Seacrest, and I call everybody Earl!"

Paul Simon, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"
Just slip out the back, Jack.

Jeff Buckley, "Last Goodbye"
If people are going to keep covering Buckley's "Hallelujah," you might as well bring another tune into the fold. This is only relevant if you want to go the morose route (though to be honest, we'll never hear from Joe Munoz again).

Oingo Boingo, "Goodbye Goodbye"
If it worked for "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," it can work for "American Idol."

What do you think? Is "Leave Right Now" a good "American Idol" exit song? What would you have picked? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: Miller/FilmMagic

• Bob Dylan has racked up another national honor. Last night, he was one of a dozen people awarded the National Medal of Arts, which celebrates “the breadth and depth of American architecture, design, film, music, performance, theater and visual art.” Dylan and fellow honoree Clint Eastwood did not attend the ceremony, the New York Times reports.

• One of Rick Ross’ former girlfriends, Lastonia Leviston, is suing 50 Cent, claiming the Queens rapper posted her private sex tape online in an attempt to rib his rival Ross. Reuters reports the tape (edited to include 50’s voice over) was posted on his ThisIs50 site.
• A judge has ruled that Ozzy Osbourne’s legal battle with Tony Iommi over the name Black Sabbath can continue, the New York Post reports.
• The David Byrne documentary Ride, Rise, Roar will get its debut at SXSW this year, along with the Lemmy Kilmister film Lemmy.

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Season 2 finalist Kimberly Caldwell celebrates her birthday today. The Katy, Texas native has been on quite the ride since coming in seventh place on American Idol.

In 2008, Kim released two singles, Fear of Flying and Gave Yourself Away, but shes also paved her path as an actress and host in the industry. Kimberly has hosted Idol Tonight and Idol Wrap for the past several seasons with Justin Guarini. She famously asked out David Cook on the Season 7 finale night, and they dated for a while.

Recently, Kimberly has collaborated with Randy Jackson to produce a record and she will release her album, Without Regrets, on April 6. Her first single off the album is called Mess Of You and its currently available for download. Kims 28^th year is shaping up to be a big one!

Happy Birthday, Kimberly!

Kimberly looked glamorous on the red carpet during the Season 8 finale. Flip through the gallery to check her out.

If you’re a 46-year-old man singing a duet about getting undressed with your female counterpart, it’s probably not the best idea to make your duet partner a 17-year-old girl like Miley Cyrus. However, the 46-year-old man in question is Bret Michaels, and if Rock of Love Bus has taught us anything, it’s that decision-making isn’t one of the bandana-wearing rocker’s strong suits.

Up top is “Nothing to Lose,” on which Michaels sings a saccharine little country tune about makeup that doesn’t hide pain and wearing your heart on your sleeve while Cyrus’ adolescent coos bounce in the background. However, it’s their line together, “Yeah we both know better than this, still we can’t resist slowly get undressed” that’ll likely raise the eyebrows of the To Catch a Predator producers. “Nothing to Lose” indeed, except your possible court case.

Wondering how this team-up came to be? As Rolling Stone reported, Cyrus has recorded a cover of Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”