Music News & Videos

By Rahman Dukes

Bloodshed. The name has been celebrated in raps from Harlem rappers Cam'ron, the late great Big L, Mase and Jim Jones. The New York figure was a member of Cam's Children of the Corn crew, which consisted of Big L and Murder Mase. However, Bloodshed would unfortunately see his last days when he was killed in a car accident in Harlem in the '90s. Years later, group member Big L also succumbed to death on the Harlem streets after he was killed in his neighborhood.

This past week, the MTV News hip-hop team caught up with Jim Jones in Harlem, where he previewed a few songs off his new Ghost of Rich Porter mixtape. You'll notice that Jim decided to hold the interview in a candid spot: In front of a mural of Bloodshed.

Cam'ron and Jim Jones may have had a falling out, but one thing that's kept them in tact is their shared love for Bloodshed.

For more on our interview with Jim Jones, be sure to check out this coming Monday's (March 22) episode of Mixtape Daily at MTV News.

You would think that with a brand-new movie to promote (a tiny little rock bio called "The Runaways" that you may have heard of by now) and a full-time job dodging pesky paparazzi to focus on, Kristen Stewart wouldn't have much time to do anything else. But you'd be wrong.

Turns out, she's also a budding rock critic.

See, after last night's "Runaways" premiere at South by Southwest, Stewart sneaked out to venerable Austin BBQ shack/music venue Stubb's to check out the indie-riffic Band of Horses/Broken Social Scene double bill. And despite the fact that the gig was perhaps the biggest Thursday night show at SXSW (well, either that or Stone Temple Pilots), Stewart braved the crowds, because, as she put it, "Band of Horses happen to be, like, my favorite band at the moment."

Perhaps wanting to share the love, she also brought her "Runaways" co-star Dakota Fanning along to check out the show. But after Fanning left (perhaps it was past her bedtime?) Stewart stayed around to watch B.S.S. So how was it? Here's Stewart's 32-second review of the gig:

Stewart said she's also hoping to catch Broken Bells — the duo featuring Danger Mouse and Shins' frontman James Mercer — before she hightails it out of Austin, and she also cops to worshiping at the altar of Radiohead and Interpol (just like everyone else at SXSW). What can we say? The girl's got taste.

And if this whole acting gig doesn't pan out, she could always turn her attention to the lucrative world of rock criticism. The pay is lousy, but hey, at least you get free CDs!

Check back throughout the week (and into the weekend) for more of MTV News' adventures at South by Southwest ... the biggest bands, the best interviews, the beefiest beef ribs ... it's all gonna be here.

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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 final pairings in the West bracket feature a quartet of groups slugging it out and looking for supremacy. This will be the last set of match-ups for the weekend, but we'll keep plowing through the first round on Monday, March 22.

(8) Modest Mouse vs. (9) 30 Seconds to Mars
One of the most balanced games in the entire first round. Each have a healthy level of experience and work ethic, and they both show astonishing consistency with the ability to explode at any time. Either one could get away with being called the Larry Bird of rock music, but which one will advance?

(1) Blink-182 vs. (16) Angels & Airwaves
Blink-182 are riding high on a phenomenally well-received reunion tour and are hard at work on a new album, while Angels & Airwaves have the recently-released free (and excellent) album Love on their side. Of course, this one is sort of a cheat, because Tom DeLonge can't lose here. But only one of his projects can move on, so which one will it be?

I am pretty much tone deaf. Not that this stops me from singing in public, but it should be noted that I can't sing if my life depended on it. So when I was offered the chance to get managed by "The Runaways" star Michael Shannon (who plays the band's manager Kim Fowley in the movie), I was taken aback. Then again, he didn't hear me sing. Not that that seems to be much of a requirement, according to the real life Fowley.

"I think I can make you into a pretty successful pop singer," he revealed to me when asked what real life bands he thinks he can manage now that he's played the Runaways' Svengali in the flick. While I didn't audition for him on the spot, he did say that he had the same offer made to him by Fowley himself. "After the premiere Kim Fowley said, 'You know, you're good in the movie or whatever, but you should cut a single with me. All you have to do is sing the lyrics and I'll do the rest in the studio.'"

He doesn't seem to have plans to release any music, but he isn't against managing some undiscovered talent. "So now he's got me thinking I should start producing talent," he shared. "That's what it's all about nowadays, the unknown talent."

That may explain why he didn't think he could handle managing Lady Gaga. But since it appears as though he is in search of the next Gaga, consider me hard at work on my demo.

"You gotta be a little bit more wild and crazy [to join the Smashing Pumpkins]. I mean, I have some crazy moments in my life or things about me, but I don't know that I can stand onstage and represent Billy [Corgan] the way he is. He does that fine on his own."

-Singer, actress and host of "The Price of Beauty" Jessica Simpson, joking with MTV News about whether or not she would join the Smashing Pumpkins, the band fronted by collaborator and friend Billy Corgan. He recently put out an open call for a new bassist and keyboard player for his group, which is currently working on a lengthy, high-concept — and totally free — album called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Still, she told MTV News' Jocelyn Vena that she has learned a lot working with Corgan, who helped produce "Who We Are," the theme song to "The Price of Beauty." "To be able to sit with Billy [is a learning experience], and I always feel comfortable with him, 'cause he is a close friend of mine," she said. "And I know he had my best interest at heart, and it was great to be able to collaborate with him and to have him there in the studio."

So though she won't be learning how to play "Cherub Rock" on bass, she promises that her next career move will be bold. "I'm putting my hands in different things, trying to executive-produce some show ideas," she said. "I think people will be very shocked to see what might happen in my life next."

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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.

Cornell killed Temple! Siena is up on Purdue! Green Day and Panic at the Disco are neck and neck! The matches keep coming fast and furious, so let's open up another set in the West bracket.

(4) Pearl Jam vs. (13) Hollywood Undead
Talk about a styles clash. This head-to-head pits a team of Los Angeles rap rockers against a venerable Seattle rock institution. Hollywood Undead are still surging thanks to the success of their debut album Swan Songs, but Pearl Jam are in the middle of a resurgence thanks to their well-received 2009 album Backspacer and a hotly-anticipated tour. Will youth triumph over experience?

(5) My Chemical Romance vs. (12) Gorillaz
Though My Chemical Romance will be dropping a huge album this year, they have had some turmoil lately (they called off a shows on the Soundwave festival in Australia because of damage to singer Gerard Way's vocal cords, and drummer Bob Bryar just left the group). On the other hand, Gorillaz just released a fantastically eclectic album that is an early bid for the best of the year. Can MCR overcome adversity to top Damon Albarn's cartoon juggernaut?

It's the middle of March, which means that college students are concerned about two things: The NCAA basketball tournament and spring break. MTV News is already handling the former, and beginning Monday, March 22, MTV will have you covered on the latter. MTV Spring Break 2010 will head south of the border to Acapulco for some fun in the sun with Ludacris, Pitbull, the Young Money Crew (featuring Drake and Nicki Minaj), Trey Songz, B.o.B and the cast of "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge." Leading the festivities will the the professional party patrol that is the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore." Snooki, the Situation, DJ Pauly D and the rest will all be there tanned-up and ready to roll.

Spring break is a time-honored tradition at MTV, and in the past the network has invaded Daytona Beach, Lake Havasu, Cancu, South Padre Island and a number of others. Last year, MTV set up camp in Panama City Beach, where an unprecedented lineup of stars rolled out for parties and performances. All-American Rejects, 3OH!3, Flo Rida, Santigold, N.E.R.D., Asher Roth, Jim Jones and Kid Cudi all delivered sun-soaked performances for the fun-loving crowds. But of course, the highlight of the whole affair was Lil Wayne, who lit the place on fire with the one-two punch of "Got Money" and "Prom Queen." It's a scorching performance that is sure to get you ready for fun in the sun (or just some fun in your living room with the MTV crew).

Check out mtvU for more details and stay tuned to MTV News for updates from MTV's Spring Break 2010.

By Adam Stewart

Maya Vanya may just be the hottest things that New Zealand has spawned since the prehistoric creation of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The buzz that this sister duo is creating around the global electronic music community is nothing short of just that: Volcanic.

Hailing from Auckland but with Croatian roots, sisters Maya and Vanya are the talk of this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami (which kicks off this Tuesday, March 23). Winners of the "Next Generation DJ Contest" (brought about by Let's Mix, Beatport, DJ Mag and Pioneer), these brunette beauties are far more than commanding of the eyes, and they will playing ball with the big boys spinning along side some of the world's turntable heavyweights at these years festival.

The competition, which collected over 350,000 votes, was moderated by industry top dogs including producer David Waxman and Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso. Ingrosso recently praised the duo on Beat Portal, saying "Whenever and wherever we're on stage with the Swedish House Mafia, our first priority is always to create that hands-in-the-air vibe that simply screams party. Hearing these ladies DJ, that's just what I felt." Seb certainly doesn't dish out that sort of comparison to just anyone, so that statement got everyone's undivided attention.

The ladies have been in high demand all over New Zealand for the past year, scoring a weekly residency at the county's hottest night club as well as its top electronic radio station, George FM. Their eclectic blend of house, tech-house, tribal and disco appeal to the masses, making them a perfect floor-filling combination. MTV News will be checking them out at day two of the Beatport Beach Parties in Miami, where they'll share the bill with stars like M.A.N.D.Y. and Mark Knight. Other notable artists who have taken an interest in working with the duo include Major Lazer, Santigold, Fake Blood, TV Rock and Thomas Gold.

MTV News can't wait to catch up with these budding young stars on the ground in Miami, where they plan to put on a few sets that are sure to catapult their careers even further. The girls were kind enough to send us this message included below (apparently there are sheep everywhere you turn in New Zealand). Looking forward to Miami, ladies!

Justin Bieber's new album My World 2.0 hits stores this Tuesday, March 23. It follows up his wildly successful debut My World, which featured an interesting concept. Enclosed in physical copies of My World were "golden tickets," which earned the finder the right to prizes like a private concert with Bieber and the opportunity to be in one of his music videos. So far, only one person has found one (a lucky fan in Arizona who will be getting a personalized Bieber show soon), and the golden ticket concept is back for My World 2.0.

This time around, he's really kicking it up a notch. The big winners who find golden tickets in copies of My World 2.0 will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas to hang with Bieber and attend a concert there. It's a pretty plush prize — though perhaps not the biggest golden ticket of all time. Check out six of the best promotions of all time.

HEALTH
For the release of their 2009 album Get Color, the California noise rock monsters went to extremes with the best "golden ticket" promotion of all time. They sent out 66 total tickets, with the grand prize being a trip to Los Angeles to hang out with the band and have your every whim attended to for three days. Other prizes included limited-edition merchandise, personal items from band members and — our favorite — a drunk arts and crafts session conducted over iChat.

Lamb of God
You would think this rugged metal band's only promotion should be "Buy our album ... or else!" But because you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, they dropped lottery tickets into the first 100,000 copies of their 2009 album Wrath. Winning tickets yielded VIP concert passes, instruments, guitar lessons, trips to see the band and "roadie for a day" experiences.

30 Seconds to Mars
Always thinking about the fans first, Jared Leto's band dropped tickets into copies of their album A Beautiful Lie that could be exchanged for backstage access to concerts.

Arctic Monkeys
In 2009, the British band rewarded two hardcore fans who picked up vinyl copies of their single "Crying Lightning" with tickets to Reading and Leeds, two of the U.K.'s biggest summer festivals.

Willy Wonka
Of course.

Metallica
Five people who picked up special copies of the band's documentary Some Kind of Monster scored trips to San Francisco to meet the band.

What "Golden Ticket" promotion is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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 games roll on, and so do the band match-ups. Here are two more top-shelf confrontations in the West bracket!

(3) Jack Johnson vs. (14) The Young Veins
Though the Young Veins are like the mid-major team who got a bunch of transfers from Duke who could play spoiler at any time. Jack Johnson is that team that somehow "quietly" wins 27 games (think of him as Kansas State). This is a tough one, and if the Young Veins score an upset, it could set up an eventual showdown with Panic at the Disco in the Sweet 16. But do they get out of the first round?

(6) Weezer vs. (11) Sublime
Weezer come in as spry veterans who always manage to make the big dance and always score a big win or two, and the power of Raditude (compounded with their killer live show) could take them far. They're up against Sublime, who still have an intense following even though frontman Bradley Nowell passed away in 1996. Can they ride the wave to a victory or will Weezer push their way forward?

By Adam Stewart

Welcome to MTV's essential guide to the Winter Music Conference, the annual premier dance music event in Miami. The five day event kicks off this Tuesday, March 23, but a party (or rather, series of parties) this size takes preparation and planning, which is why we're starting the festivities early. over the next few days, we'll be rolling out several blogs that will help guide you in the right direction from the moment you set foot on South Beach until you catch your flight back to reality and colder climates.

Whether you're a WMC veteran or virgin, there are a number of sure-fire dos and don'ts to keep in mind before you touch down on the hot asphalt of South Beach.

» Do pack plenty of clothing options. Miami is a beautiful place, so you have to look your best. Footwear is especially important, so don't forget to bring day shoes (flip flops), night shoes (something to dance in that isn't sneakers) and hangover shoes (sneakers). And don't forget swimwear, because, uh, it's a beach.

» Do bring sunglasses and plenty of suntan lotion, lest you turn into a lobster. Also don't forget to bring an ample supply of your painkiller of choice, as the non-stop music (and the occasional fall) will make you sore no matter how in shape you think you are.

» Do bring your ID! You will be carded almost everywhere you go.

» Don't bring a friend who thinks WMC is a relaxing weekend in the sun. Sure, it does take place in one of the party capitals of the country on one of the best shores in the world, but at WMC, partying is a business. In order to indulge in the most music you can, you have to be committed to stretching yourself, which means there's no room for dead weight.

» Don't bring valuables. Laptop? Leave it at home. Expensive jewelry? Forget it! The long hours and constant movement will make it hard enough to keep your cell phone, camera and wallet in check. Always keep an emergency stash of cash and a credit card in the hotel safe, just in case.

» Don't have any dance floor inhibitions. You'll look out of place if you're not dancing like a fool!

» Do some homework. You can get into many amazing events and shows for free. All you need to do is read The List extra carefully and you'll stumble upon all sorts of hidden gems. It is possible to have a great time at WMC without paying a single cover charge. Case in point: The Beatport Beach Pool Parties bring in some huge names and are totally free.

» Do splurge a bit. Some of the events are indeed expensive, and some are worth more than others. If you're going to buy one pricey ticket, go to the Ultra Music Festival. It by far the largest of all WMC events, with over 95,000 people cramming into Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami. It's a two day party with an incredible lineup, and there's a discount if you buy the two day package. Highly recommended. We'll be there!

» Do be mindful of tipping. Because of a year-round tourist population that is commonly European, most restaurants include gratuity on every transaction, no matter what you're ordering or how bit your party is. Even if you buy a cocktail at a restaurant bar in cash, gratuity will be added. Don't be fooled into double tipping! This is where a lot of people unknowingly blow their Benjamins. The exceptions to the tipping are at some of the higher end hotels and night clubs. Either way, just check your tabs and receipts, make sure those who serve you are taken care of whether the tip is automatic or additional.

Stay tuned to MTV News and the MTV Newsroom Blog for all the latest news, reviews, interviews and insights from Winter Music Conference 2010!

By Layla Brooklyn Allman

Well, I've finally returned to my hotel room at 3:22 a.m. after quite an eventful day here at SXSW. We actually arrived in Texas late Wednesday, crashed hard and spent pretty much all of Thursday running around Austin playing shows and doing interviews. Oh, and getting our property stolen. But more on that in a bit.

We woke up, wandered around the city and were blown away by the amount of people and the energy on display here. It was sort of overwhelming, but we didn't have much time to dwell on it, as we were off to our first stop of the day: An interview on the back of a moving truck, which was encased in huge windows so people could watch Nick and I answering questions. Needless to say, we've never done an interview quite like this one. The two girls who interviewed us had Southern accents (we don't often get that in California), and we spoke to them about everything from foreign countries to our musical style back in the day (when we were 12) all while driving around in this transparent vehicle on a live feed to various music bloggers. It was sort of crazy, to be honest.

Then we had our interview with MTV News, which went down on a street corner here in Austin. Some guy kept lurking into the frame, but other than that it was a great success and we were so stoked to be a part of MTV News and chat about our song on "Rock Band." We had a few hours to kill before our next show and visited a local music store store, walked around Austin's main drag (Sixth Street) and were amazed at just how much music was being played down here. We left to load in for our first-ever SXSW show at Aussie's, played our set and stayed to watch a bit of the British indie band that followed us.

After we packed up and loaded out, Austin and I showed up to the Sennheiser rooftop party a bit early and the place was packed. We didn't play our set until about 1:30 a.m., but there were still plenty of people around to rock out with us. Unfortunately, my purse was stolen as we were rocking faces off, but other than that dilemma our first day at SXSW has been an incredible experience and we're stoked for Friday!

Up-and-coming California band Picture Me Broken will be covering South By Southwest for MTV News all week (and probably weekend, too.)

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.

It's a good day for fans of the Runaways, the genre-twisting, gender-barrier-smashing all-girl band who blew up big in the late 1970s and breathed life into the careers of Joan Jett and Lita Ford. "The Runaways" is the story of the band from the dual perspectives of Jett and singer Cherie Currie (whose book "Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway" served as the basis for the film's narrative) and stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning in those roles. It's an especially impressive performance for Stewart, who nails Jett's every mannerism, vocal inflection and guitar strut with amazing accuracy. After walking the red carpet at the film's opening on Wednesday (March 17), Stewart made her way out of New York on Thursday (March 18) via Laguardia Airport. The red jacket is an especially nice touch.

Stewart wasn't the only star in motion on Thursday, as Ashley Tisdale made her way to the Andy Lecompte salon in Beverly Hills and Allison Iraheta was joined by Ashton Kutcher and "Star Trek" star Chris Pine at the "A Night at Sardi's" fundraiser at the Beverly Hills Hilton. 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, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Justin Bieber, Diddy, 50 Cent and Katy Perry!

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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.

In a stunning upset in the NCAA basketball tournament, Ohio University upset Georgetown last night in an absolute beat down. That was a 14 seed topping a three, which is pretty dramatic, but not quite as huge as the upset currently happening in the MTV News Band Bracketology tournament, where 16 seed Tokio Hotel is putting the hurt on top-seeded Coldplay in the East. Today we focus on the West bracket, featuring a number of heavy-hitters.

(2) Green Day vs. (15) Panic at the Disco
Green Day narrowly missed a top seed, as they adroitly transferred their success in the rock world to the theater world, as "American Idiot" is about to open on Broadway. Meanwhile, Panic at the Disco are a hot-starting team who hit a few roadblocks (and lost a lot of players) that is looking to make a big comeback. But can they build up enough momentum to knock off the surging Green Day?

(7) Death Cab for Cutie vs. (10) Soundgarden
After years of hiatus, Soundgarden are back with a vengeance and ready to dominate (consider them this year's Temple). Meanwhile, Death Cab for Cutie kill with consistency (just like the Washington Huskies, with whom they share a home state). Do the veterans pull the upset or is Death Cab too quick off the dribble?

Today marks the opening of "The Runaways," a biopic about the seminal all-female rock band starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. The reviews are already pretty positive, which is good for the stars, the band members and especially director Floria Sigismondi.

"The Runaways" represents the feature film debut for Sigismondi, though as any fan of freaky music videos can attest, she's no stranger to rock-fueled images. She has spent the better part of the last 15 years crafting rich, intricate and slightly disturbing clips for an eclectic batch of artists like Marilyn Manson, Christina Aguilera, Interpol, Incubus and Sheryl Crow. She's crafted dozens of clips, but here are her 10 best.

Christina Aguilera, "Fighter"
Sigismondi takes Aguilera's rugged track from Stripped and matches it with a faux-industrial setting where the singer's metamorphosis can occur. It's a perfect example of Sigismondi's aesthetic: Dusty but modern, populist but arty.

Marilyn Manson, "The Beautiful People"
Not only was it a star-making turn for Sigismondi ("The Beautiful People" was nominated for a Video Music Award and was her first clip put in heavy rotation on MTV) but also for Manson (the Antichrist Superstar single became a hit as much for the stilts in the clip as the hook).

Fiona Apple, "O Sailor"
Everything about Apple's Extraordinary Machine album is underrated, from the delightfully askew melodies to Sigismondi's video. It's about the only video where Apple isn't cast as a victim or an object, and it's subsequently the best one she's ever been in.

The White Stripes, "Blue Orchid"
Jack White tapped Sigismondi to produce a video for what is perhaps the band's oddest single, and the director delivered with strange bathtub scenes, whip-smart editing and a giant white horse.

Incubus, "Megalomaniac"
For this politically-minded single from Incubus, Sigismondi experimented with a raw form of animation that gives the clip a real raw, DIY feel. It feels at least a little bit like propaganda, which is appropriate.

The Living Things, "Bombs Below"
Sigismondi is married to Lillian Berlin, the frontman of St. Louis aggro-rockers the Living Things. She has directed several videos for them, but "Bombs Below" best captures their raw energy and their mixed-era aesthetic.

Sheryl Crow, "Anything But Down"
"Anything But Down" is one of Crow's most melancholy, chilling tracks, and Sigismondi's use of lighting and color makes Crow look simultaneously gorgeous and haunting.

Interpol, "Obstacle 1"
Darkness? Check. Moodiness? Present. Ending that slightly unhinges you from reality for a few seconds? Yeah, that's there too.

Muse, "Supermassive Black Hole"
This epic clip seemed to act as a good audition for the big time, as the size and scope of it leans more towards splashy Hollywood feature than small-time music video.

Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart, "Cherry Bomb"
Her latest video brings together footage from "The Runaways" but also expresses the raw sexuality that Fanning manages to tap into as Cherie Currie. It's electric, sexy, jittery and eye-popping — everything that Sigismondi does extremely well.

What's your favorite Floria Sigismondi video? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

There's a whole lot of ground to cover here at South by Southwest, so it's a good thing MTV News has someone to help us do it: not-quite-legal California flamethrowers Picture Me Broken, who are down in Austin for the very first time (and since they're all still in high school, that means they're skipping class to be here). And while you might not be familiar with them just yet, we get the feeling you will be. Very soon, in fact.

Fronted by (not quite) 17-year-old bellower Layla Brooklyn Allman (her dad is Gregg, a founding member of a little band you may have heard of called the Allman Brothers), PMB pummel and wail with a force that is way beyond their years. And though they're still without a record deal, fame doesn't seem all that far away: One of their songs, "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)" will debut in the near future as a downloadable track in the ultra-successful "Rock Band" franchise.

So PMB come to SXSW with the eyes of the industry already firmly fixed on them, and now they've got to prove that they're more than just hype. They've got a full schedule of shows ahead of them, which means plenty of opportunities to screw everything up. So with so much on the line, we figured they'd be the perfect guest correspondents for MTV News. Over the coming days, you'll read about their pressure-packed SXSW ... the make-or-break showcases, the high-profile meetings, and, of course, the BBQ. There's always time for BBQ.

But before we get to the drama, let's meet Picture Me Broken ... a band very much on the edge. Of something.

Picture Me Broken will be filing blogs for MTV News throughout South by Southwest. And make sure to check back throughout the week (and into the weekend) for more of MTV News' adventures at SXSW 2010 ... the biggest bands, the best interviews, the beefiest beef ribs ... it's all gonna be here.

Once again, MTV News has packed up the stick mics and headed down to Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, the gut-busting, eardrum-shattering celebration of bands, beer and BBQ (and gifting suites) that grabs the Longhorn State by the short hairs once a year and doesn't let go until it's good and ready.

Four days of near-continuous live music, peppered with brief, meat-filled interludes, the occasional open-bar, and parties that plow on into the early morning hours, SXSW is the music marathon to end all music marathons; it's part endurance test, part wild, unending bender ... the kind of thing you've got to experience at least once in your life, provided your ears (and liver) can handle it. Seriously, you have no idea how nuts things get down here.

Anyway, we arrived in town early Thursday morning, and when we got here, the folks at SXSW were nice enough to have two of Texas' favorite sons -- Paul Wall and Chamillionaire -- waiting on hand to welcome us. We'd like to think they do this for everybody, but we know better.

We spoke to the dynamic duo -- who had just reunited on stage the previous night at Austin's La Zona Rosa after spending much of the late '00s pursuing solo careers (with, it should be added, much success) -- about teaming up once again, memories of their earlier days spent hustling in Houston, and the status of their respective solo albums (after months of delay, we found out Cham's Venom will finally see the light of day on June 22, five days before another date that holds plenty of significance for any true fan of Houston's so-called "Screw Music" scene -- June 27 -- the title of an influential mixtape released by the late, great pioneer DJ Screw).

And while we'll get to all the news over the coming days, we figured we'd let these two Texas boys do what they do best: get on the mic, and welcome all of you to the party. After all, even the most gnarly of marathons must begin with a single step.

Check back throughout the week (and into the weekend) for more of MTV News' adventures at South by Southwest ... the biggest bands, the best interviews, the beefiest beef ribs ... it's all gonna be here.

On Wednesday (March 17), we posed a question: Which "American Idol" judge has been the best of all time? The question came up because there is still no replacement lined up for Simon Cowell (though we have submitted more than a few suggestions) and because Kara DioGuardi has strangely elevated herself to the position of best judge on the show.

With that in mind, we got thousands of responses to the poll question, and lo and behold, Paula Abdul came out on top by quite a large margin. She took home 65 percent of the total vote, which drives home the fact that even though we're two months into the new season of the show, everybody still misses Abdul.

The departing Simon Cowell came in second place with 26 percent. That's a pretty large gap between first place and the second spot. That means that the remaining three judges — Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres — scored less than 10 percent combined (DeGeneres stood a distant third with four percent, followed by Jackson with three percent and DioGuardi bringing up the rear with two).

Though obviously the results of these polls don't have anything to do with science, "American Idol" could be in a lot of trouble if this poll represents a microcosm of the rest of the "Idol"-watching universe. Considering that the people voting prefer a judge who isn't there and one who is leaving at the end of this season over the three who will be left behind, that puts the onus on Cowell's replacement to really make a splash to keep the show (or at least the judging portions of it) completely afloat. Perhaps the "Idol" producers should just hire back Abdul and let her run the show?

What do you think of the results of the poll? Let us know in the comments!

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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.

Murray State just knocked off Vanderbilt, but who will survive this round of games in the MTV News Musical March Madness tournament?

(8) Radiohead vs. (9) Spoon
Radiohead comes to this year's tournament as a former perennial champion looking to reclaim a spot on top of the mountain. Spoon have never won the big one, but they're on their way to becoming one of the most venerable acts in indie rock. This could be the beginning of a lengthy rivalry, like Duke/North Carolina or Central Connecticut State/Quinnipiac. Which one will stand tall?

(1) Coldplay vs. (16) Tokio Hotel
In the NCAA basketball tournament, a 16 seed has never beaten a top seed, so Tokio Hotel have history working against them. On the other hand, they're tenacious. Coldplay remain a dominant force even when you think they might have fallen off (Kansas Jayhawks fans know exactly what this is like). Will Tokio Hotel pull the ultimate upset?

Excitement is already building for the release of Justin Bieber's new album My World 2.0 (which hits store shelves and digital outlets on Tuesday, March 23). His singles continue to burn up the charts ("Baby" currently sits at number 12 on the current Billboard Hot 100) and he has a giant tour coming up soon. It has been a remarkable rise for Bieber, who has been in the public's consciousness for less than a year but has become in that brief time span.

He didn't do it alone, of course. Bieber's trip to the top has been mostly because of his intense work ethic (the dude is everywhere, all the time) and because of his commitment to social networking. His devotion to his own fans has turned him into a star, and he has racked up some impressive statistics. Here is Justin Bieber by the numbers.

Number of views on YouTube for "One Time," his first video: 52,963,291

Number of songs from My World that charted in the Billlboard Hot 100: Seven, making him the only artist in history to have every song from his album chart.

Number of fans on Facebook: 2,229,065

Number of Twitter followers: 1,443,405

Average number of tweets per day, according to Tweet Stats: 7.4

Number of copies of My World sold: Over one million (the album was recently certified Platinum by the RIAA)

Number of MTV Newsroom Blog posts with the "Justin Bieber" tag (including this one): 71

Number of people who entered the Justin Bieber shout-out contest at the 2009 MTV VMAs, all of which were submitted within 48 hours: 280

Number of official music videos: 3

Number of times he's been shouted out by Lil Wayne: At least two

Chart position during My World's opening week: Six

Number of albums that will be between My World 2.0 and the top position on the Billboard chart: 0

What's your favorite Justin Bieber-related statistic? Let us know in the comments!

"I think it came across like we were just having a good time onstage, like, just playing dress-up. And I was kind of making an ass of myself at the end, but whatever. I was having a good time. I hope it was infectious."

-Chart-topping pop star Ke$ha, talking about her performance on Wednesday night's (March 17) episode of "American Idol." The "Tik Tok" singer took the stage with 3OH!3 to perform their hit "Blah Blah Blah" that featured dancers wearing monitors on their heads and at least one freaky Native American headdress. She takes pride in her ability to deliver on a big stage. "I just want to inspire people to have a good time, and I feel like if I'm being irreverent, it inspires people to have the freedom to be themselves," she told MTV News' Jocelyn Vena via telephone on Thursday (March 18) afternoon. "David Byrne said, 'Everything onstage needs to be much bigger.' Maybe I wouldn't be wearing an armored bustier just on the street, but on the stage, I wanted to look like a warrior for irreverence and dance commander."

David Cook and Orianthi also performed on Wednesday night's elimination episode, which saw Lacey Brown get dismissed. That's lucky for Ke$ha, as she is rooting for somebody else. "I don't know anybody's names but the blond dude that I'm rooting for," she said of Casey James. "I also thought that [Lacey Brown] was pretty while singing, which I haven't figured out — how to look cool while singing. But she looked pretty while singing. I was impressed."

What did you think of Ke$ha's performance on "American Idol" last night? Let us know in the comments!

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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 real NCAA basketball tournament has already seen a major upset (Old Dominion over Notre Dame), and second-ranked Villanova was nearly bested by underdog Robert Morris. Meanwhile, upsets are also afoot in Musical March Madness. Who is next? Two more high-powered showdowns in the East.

(4) Vampire Weekend vs. (13) Pavement
This is an intriguing one, as the recently-returned kings of indie square off against one of the dominant forces on that same scene. Pavement picked up a lot of momentum with their reunion tour, but Contra may be too good an album to overcome. What do you think?

(5) Phoenix vs. (12) The National
Two feisty upstarts square off here, though only one has had the pleasure of talking to Snooki. Phoenix are from France, a country that doesn't churn out a whole lot of quality basketball talent (save for Tony Parker and Boris Diaw), and National frontman Matt Beringer has some height. Whose will come out on top?

By Eric Ditzian

Each season of "American Idol," we usually have nothing to say about the awkward car commercials that contestants are forced to take part in and which are rolled out each week once the Top 12 are established. Wednesday night's (March 17) elimination show changed all that. In addition to having Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus and the rest of the crew pretending there is nothing more fun in the world ever than riding around in a subcompact automobile, producers had each contestant design custom graphics for their rides.

The results were variously amusing, atrocious and embarrassing. With the help of professional graphic designers, Didi Benami stenciled uplifting words (Joy! Believe!) across her vehicle like she was the love child of Stuart Smalley and Oprah. Aaron Kelly channeled the worst instincts of '70s rock albums. Most confusing (and somewhat off-putting), Lee Dewyze suggested his auto was hiding some dirty little secrets.

(Check out the car designs of the entire "American Idol" Top 12!)

Which "American Idol" Top 12 car design did you like best? Which one was the most embarrassing? And what was happening with Lee Dewyze's zipper graphic? Let us know in the comments!

I don't want to say it was like shooting bad singers in a barrel, but picking Lacey Brown as the likely first washout from this year's "American Idol" Top 12 was, well … easy. How easy? After a couple of rough weeks, the MTV "Idol" brain trust ran the board, with myself, Jim Cantiello and MJ's Big Blog webmaster MJ Santilli all correctly choosing the Texas two-stepper as this season's first finals casualty.

Santilli nailed it when she predicted that Brown's "quasi-countrified take on 'Ruby Tuesday' left the judges scratching their heads." Her discomfort on stage, which Simon Cowell chalked up to too much acting and not enough real emotion, came through again when she tried to unlock the judges' save by reprising her cover of Brandi Carlile's "The Story."

Now, to be fair, minuteman Cantiello also called Brown's ouster, but he went 1-for-3 when picking the bottom three, which he filled out with Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens but which actually featured Tim Urban and Paige Miles. But we're not going to hold that against him (or his suggestion that Casey James might also be on the bubble), but next week we're going to start taking side bets on the bottom three as well!

That means that after three weeks of rolling the dice, here are the current standings.

Gil Kaufman: 6-of-9

Jim Cantiello: 4-of-9

MJ Santilli: 3-of-9

Come back next week to see which finalists will be the first to go home and to see whether or not I can continue to reign supreme.

How did you do this week picking "Idol" eliminations? Who would you have sent home? Leave your comments below and let us know!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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.

We go back to the East for two more intense match-ups.

(3) Owl City vs. (14) The Gaslight Anthem
Owl City put up an incredible late surge last year, posting up big numbers and covering a lot of bases without revealing too much. (In this case, the one-man-band is not unlike Gonzaga.) Mastermind Adam Young goes up against the Gaslight Anthem, an upstart group from New Jersey who carry the torch of rugged blue-collar punkers like the Replacements. Can they upset Owl City?

(6) Grizzly Bear vs. (11) U2
No, that U2 ranking is not a typo. Though their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon did relatively well and their tour was traditionally massive, they still feel a bit like a veteran team who just slipped in to the tournament at the last minute. At this point, they're probably the sixth best team in the Big East. As for Grizzly Bear, they put out a much-beloved album in 2009 and gained a reputation as one of the better live acts on the indie circuit. Still, U2 may be able to rest on the fact that they recorded "Where the Streets Have No Name" and nobody else did.

Who do you want to win the MTV News Musical March Madness tournament? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments!

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 excitement is building for this Tuesday, March 23, which will mark the release of Justin Bieber's My World 2.0. His second album promises to be bigger and better than his first (which came out back in November), lead by big singles like the Ludacris-assisted "Baby" and the just-released "U Smile." At this point, he could easily be considered the hardest working person in show business, as his promotional push for My World 2.0 has been constant and world-crossing. MTV News just interviewed Bieber in New York on Tuesday (March 16), and by Wednesday (March 17) he was paying yet another visit to MTV ... in London. On his way in, he waved to his fans and let his normally unmoving hair fly in the wind.

Bieber wasn't the only star making the rounds on Wednesday, as Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin partied at the London premiere of "Remember Me," while reality star and "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Kate Goesslin was seen in New York. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which contains over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jay-Z, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Diddy, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Rihanna and Lady Gaga!

Wednesday night's (March 18) episode of "American Idol" featured perhaps the best musical performances of this season. Ke$ha and 3OH!3 blew everybody away with the spectacle that was "Blah Blah Blah" and David Cook delivered a soul-filled, extra-loud performance of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash." But the pleasant surprise of the night came care of Orianthi, the former Michael Jackson guitarist who dropped her latest album Believe and scored a hit with "According to You."

Orianthi represents something of an endangered species in today's rock landscape: A truly badass female guitarist. Wednesday night's performance (along with her greater body of work, especially in "Michael Jackson's This Is It") slides her into the list of the 10 best female guitarists of all time. Who else is on there? Glad you asked.

Suzi Quatro
There is a lot of buzz surrounding the release of "The Runaways," but there would probably be no Joan Jett without Suzi Quatro, who ground out fantastic anthems in the early '70s but really came into her own around 1980 when she released Rock Hard. Always more popular in Europe than in the United States, Quatro could absolutely shred (and still does).

Carrie Brownstein
Both guitarists in Sleater-Kinney are pretty accomplished players, but the slight edge goes to Brownstein because she always seemed to really attack her instrument. Brownstein could make any riff sound like a buzzsaw, but as S-K's final album The Woods proved, she was also capable of more complicated work.

Bonnie Raitt
Hardly incendiary but definitely revolutionary, Raitt not only took on the male-dominated country establishment but also went toe-to-toe in the picking, plucking and strumming game. There are only a handful of women who have managed to make an impression playing a bluesier style of guitar, but Raitt ranks among the greats.

Marnie Stern
New York native Stern has made a name for herself on the independent circuit via two excellent albums (2007's In Advance of the Broken Arm and 2008's This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That), but she makes the list because she's not afraid to show off her speedy digits. Her finger-tapping style conjures pleasant memories of Eddie Van Halen, and is there any better association for a six-string player?

Lita Ford
Joan Jett may be the Runaways guitarist that gets all the accolades, but don't sleep in Lita Ford. Her work in the seminal girl band is amazingly sharp, varied and violent, and her re-invention as a glam metal star lead to some killer playing on some great songs (most notably "Kiss Me Deadly"). Ford was always able to hang with dudes in hair metal bands, and considering that era was perhaps the most chauvinistic musical movement in history, that's really saying something.

Tanya Donnelly
In the early '90s, Donnelly managed to channel classic rock, alt-rock and riot grrrl sensibilities into her feisty, adroit work for bands like Throwing Muses, Belly and the Breeders. Just listen to both the savagery of the Breeders' "Iris" and the psychedelic grace of Belly's "Gepetto" for proof of her versatility.

Kim Gordon
OK, so she primarily plays bass. But as by far the greatest female bassist of all time (with apologies to Gail Greenwood and Sean Yseult), the veteran Sonic Youth members earns a spot on the list. Plus, how can you deny the power of "Bull in the Heather"?

PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey's style goes more for visceral simplicity than complicated runs, but make no mistake: She can shred when she needs to. The songs on her 1993 album Rid of Me show off her rugged style (exposed completely by the no-frills production of Steve Albini). "50 Ft. Queenie" remains a triumph of both songwriting and axe playing.

Brody Dalle
The natural heir to the throne of Jett, Dalle's incendiary work with the Distillers is some of the best, rawest rawk recorded in the last 10 years. Her work with Spinnerette has been even more progressive, further showing off Dalle's adroit fingers.

Who did we forget? Let us know in the comments!

It's Musical March Madness! The sprawling bracket — both a parody and a tribute to the NCAA basketball tournament, masterminded by MTV News' James Montgomery — 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. We're leaving it to you 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.

We begin the proper tournament in the East, which is a collection of critically-adored groups that could produce any number of underdog upsets. Let's get to the picks.

(2) Animal Collective vs. (15) Faith No More
Despite the distance between the two seeds, these two are closer than you might think. Animal Collective had a huge year, as they put out one of the most beloved albums of 2009 and are about to release a trippy, fascinating film called "Oddsac." After being absent for nearly two decades, Faith No More are back with one of the most hotly-anticipated reunion tours in recent memory. But who will prevail? The indie upstarts or the rock veterans making a big comeback?

(7) Arcade Fire vs. (10) MGMT
These match-ups are always dangerous, and it would seem that even though Arcade Fire have experience and stamina on their side, MGMT are about to release one of the most talked-about follow-ups of the past few years. In fact, they could easily be the Cinderella of this entire tournament. But which will come out on top?

Who do you want to win the MTV News Musical March Madness tournament? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments!

The music world lost one of its true greats on Wednesday (March 17) as Alex Chilton, the mastermind of Big Star and an inspiration for most of the alternative rock revolution, died of a heart attack. He was 59 years old. Formed in Memphis in 1971, Big Star began as a group that channeled British Invasion sounds and filtered them through American recording traditions, creating a spectacular brew that borrowed elements from dozens of different genres but kept the hooks at the center of everything.

Chilton essentially invented power pop, and though Big Star didn't get the credit they deserved at the time, their records (especially 1974's Radio City) informed hundreds of bands that followed. They say that only a few hundred people bought the first album from the Velvet Underground, but every single one of them started a band. The same could be said for Big Star's debut #1 Record, often cited as a favorite among alternative rock types like R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe and the Replacements' mad genius Paul Westerberg (who immortalized Chilton with the song "Alex Chilton," possibly the finest tune in the Replacements' catalog).

Alex Chilton's musical legacy goes way beyond Big Star and a name check in a Replacements song, though. He scored his first hit when he was 16 years old as the lead singer of the Box Tops, a blue-eyed soul group who struck it big with "The Letter." Following the break up of Big Star in 1974, Chilton moved to New York and got interested in punk rock, playing shows with a number of different combos at CBGB and producing music for a few different bands. He later got into jazz and and toyed with a number of different solo projects before reforming Big Star in the early 1990s (augmented by members of Seattle power pop combo the Posies).

Of course, perhaps Chilton's most notable legacy is as the writer of "In the Street," a Big Star tune that served as the theme song for "That '70s Show." But you can hear Chilton's influence everywhere, in the big hooks of Fountains of Wayne, in the twitchy genre-bending of Weezer and even in the crossover hooks of Taylor Swift. R.E.M. probably owe Chilton the biggest debt of gratitude, as Chilton's influence is in the DNA of many of their early hits, including "Radio Free Europe."

By Eric Ditzian

On the "American Idol" results show tonight, a pro with a #1 single and #1 album on her resumé took over the stage to show everyone what it takes to be a star.

Ke$ha stormed down some illuminated stairs and busted into "Blah Blah Blah," the second single from her debut album, Animal. Wearing a jagged silver top, torn short shorts and black combat boots, the 23-year-old singer gyrated alongside dancers wearing giant TV screens on their heads.

3OH!3 then joined Ke$ha onstage for their verse in the tune, which has peaked on the Billboard chart at #7; her first single, "Tik Tok," made it to the #1 spot. As the 3OH!3 guys jumped around, Ke$ha reappeared wearing a furry Native American headdress, stumbling to and fro and tangling herself up in her dancers' TV cords.

It was a wacky performance, to be sure, one that only Ke$ha could have delivered in her party girl, Auto-Tune-assisted manner. Earlier, season seven winner David Cook kicked off the show with a performance that ran the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" through an '80s-rock blender. "Nobody had to vote on me," he laughed afterward. "I didn't have to worry about going home."

Cook was followed by guitar virtuoso Orianthi, who was seen onscreen last year in "Michael Jackson's This Is It" as the electric accompaniment for MJ's planned comeback tour. The Australian 25-year-old played "According to You," the first single from her debut album Believe.

As Ke$ha performed, bottom-two contestants Paige Miles and Lacey Brown waited nervously on stools. Ryan Seacrest then sauntered out to deliver the news to Lacey that she didn't make the cut. And after her farewell performance, the judges chose not to use their "save" on her.

"I'm willing to keep working," she said. "I'm not going to stop singing."

What did you think of the night's performances? Were you happy to have David Cook back on the "Idol" stage? Let us know in the comments!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.