Amy Winehouse watches and waits for her Record of the Year Grammy announcement
Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for NARAS

At least Kanye didn't try to take out Herbie Hancock at the Grammy Awards. 'Ye may have upped his record to 0-and-3 in the Album of the Year category, but he had plenty of hardware to distract him on Sunday night, when he picked up four awards, including Best Rap Album. Add that to Amy Winehouse's five trophies and for a minute there, it looked like the Grammys finally got it right, crowning a new generation of stars. That said, the evening's top award, for Album of the Year, went to veteran jazz player Herbie Hancock, who pulled an upset by taking the coveted honor at night's end with his album River: The Joni Letters.

Fittingly, West and Winehouse provided two of the night's emotional highs during their live sets. Tabloid magnet Winehouse performed live via satellite from Riverside Studios in London in the midst of a stint in rehab that makes the title of her breakthrough single, "Rehab," sadly ironic. Taking the stage with her big band, Winehouse looked fit in a frilly black cocktail dress and some flowers in her towering beehive for what would soon turn into a coronation. In fine, growling voice, the sometimes-iffy live performer delivered proof of her Grammy worthiness while tossing a shout-out to her jailed husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. She shouted, "My Blake!" in the middle of a hip-grinding "You Know I'm No Good," which mixed classic Motown soul with some hip-hop swagger.

Winehouse gave another nod to her hubby during her performance of "Rehab," which had her alternating between smirking knowingly and standing defiantly in the face of what must have been enormous pressure to leave an actual rehab facility for her first Grammy appearance. That perseverance paid off moments later when a stunned Winehouse won the Record of the Year Grammy, for "Rehab."

Looking genuinely shocked, Winehouse grabbed a bandmember and gave him a big hug, then embraced both her parents and walked sheepishly to the microphone as the London crowd shouted, "Amy, Amy!" Collecting her thoughts, Winehouse said, "For my Blake incarcerated, and for London. This is for London!"

Later, producer Mark Ronson — who helmed Winehouse's Back to Black album — spoke with the press about the singer's big night.

"Yeah, I wish she was here. Just the fact that [we've] been through this album, this ride, together, and this is the pinnacle of that, the most important night in music," he said. "Of course I wanted to share it with her, but the [Immigration and Naturalization Service] had other plans," Ronson added, referring to Winehouse's recent visa troubles.

Already a multiple Grammy Award winner before the televised ceremony started airing, Kanye West lit up the show with a future-shock performance that was part swagger and part humble tribute to his mother. It was an early celebration for a night during which he won multiple awards — including Best Rap Album — as did Foo Fighters, Winehouse and Alicia Keys.

Wearing a jacket with flashing LED lights and light-up shades, a clearly hyped Kanye electrified the show with a flashing post-apocalyptic take on "Stronger," surrounded by a colored-steam-belching set that looked like a Martian moonscape. At one point, the giant pyramid onstage opened up to reveal Daft Punk, the techno source of the song's sample, dressed as two neon-lined spacemen manipulating computers. It was the long-running duo's first-ever TV performance in a career that has lasted almost 15 years. His voice cracking with emotion, West — who shaved the word "mama" into the hair on the back of his head — then took it down as he crooned the lines "Last night I saw you in my dreams/ Now I can't wait to go to sleep," during an emotional performance of "Hey Mama," an homage to his mother, Dr. Donda West, who died late last year.

(Check out a glow-in-the-dark Kanye and more Grammy performance photos.)

With his jacket still flashing, but with him sporting a different pair of white shades, West provided one of his signature uncomfortable-award-show moments when picking up the prize for Best Rap Album. "It definitely feels good to be home here at the Grammys. You know, we snuck in about four, five years ago, and now we basically made this our new place of residence," West said in a tone that was more muted than his usual swagger-filled acceptance speeches (or, as the case sometimes is, protests).

"A lot of people said hip-hop is dead — not just Nas ... a lot of people said the art form wasn't poppin' like that anymore. I wanted to cross the genres and show people how we can still express ourselves with something fresh and new, because that's what hip-hop has always been about: coming out with new sounds and stuff."

And Kanye being Kanye, after expressing annoyance at being played off when his speech went long, and just in case he wasn't up onstage again, he told producer Mark Ronson that he and Amy Winehouse deserved Album of the Year, adding, "I deserve it too," before offering another shout-out to his mother. "I appreciate everything, and I know you're really proud of me right now," he said, convincing the show's producers to cut the music. "And I know you wouldn't want me to stop and you want me to be the number-one artist in the world. And mama, all I'm going to do is keep making you proud."

The past few years have given us plenty of award show beefs, but none was as unexpected as when Best Country Album winner Vince Gill called out West. "I just got an award given to me by a Beatle," Gill said, smiling. "Have you had that happen yet Kanye?" West took it in stride and laughed, but don't be surprised if Gill gets a cameo on the MC's next album.

West was one of the few performers in the first half of the golden-anniversary show who could be considered a contemporary artist. One of the night's most surreal sets was a tribute to the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" performed by the cast of Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas Fab Four homage, "Love." The performance mixed a walking umbrella, a priest with an umbrella growing out of his shoulder, a gothy aerialist and an exploding VW bug. That gave way to a gospel choir from the Beatles-based big-screen musical, "Across the Universe," singing a spirit-infused cover of "Let It Be" to an audience that included John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, as well as Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

In an even more jarring throwback, the Recording Academy's chairman, Jimmy Jam, strapped on his keytar for his first performance in 15 years with 1980s Minneapolis funk group the Time. Singer Morris Day was in fine form — and, as always, dressed to impress in a gold brocade jacket and yellow pants — during a run through the band's hit "Jungle Love." The Time also backed Rihanna as she sang "Umbrella" along with a group of dancers in gold and silver miniskirt/shorts combinations holding up leopard-print umbrellas (from the singer's line of parasols, one would assume). They also added some Twin Cities soul to Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music," before it morphed back into "Jungle Love" again.

Though she lost out to Winehouse in the Record of the Year category, it was fitting that Rihanna took home her first-ever Grammy for "Umbrella," which won for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Grabbing mentor and collaborator Jay-Z by the hand, the Barbados-born singer said, "Dad, I know I promised you I'm gonna give you my first Grammy, but we might have to have to fight for this one," with Jay pretending to translate her slight island lilt of a voice.

Feist — standing in a spotlight while playing acoustic guitar on an orange shag rug worthy of a 1970s rec room — made her Grammy debut playing her breakthrough hit, "1234," in a floor-length black and gold dress. Though she went 0-for-4 on the night, the Canadian singer, along with a seven-piece brass section, proved she belonged on music's biggest stage with a spare arrangement that focused on her perfectly imperfect vocals.

One of the night's most awkward moments paired Kid Rock with velvety voiced jazz legend Keely Smith in a segment in which Rock was clearly reading off a teleprompter, badly. If it were "American Idol," Simon might have said "That Old Black Magic" was piano-lounge karaoke.

While one of the divas of today, Fergie, fell a bit flat performing her song "Finally" with John Legend on piano, another, Beyoncé, again proved her ability to stand toe-to-toe with giants during a ripping short set with R&B/soul legend Tina Turner. B introduced the collabo with a bit of spoken word that paid tribute to great female singers from Diana Ross to Janet Jackson, which gave way to a smiling Turner, in a silver top and matching pants singing her signature hit, "What's Love Got to Do With It." Then, matching dancers likely half her age with some impressive moves, the 68-year-old reclusive legend bit into "Better Be Good to Me" before being joined by Beyoncé, now wearing a bedazzled silver mini-dress, for a crackling performance of "Proud Mary," during which the master and pupil were perfectly matched note for note and step for step.

(Don't miss sizzling snaps of Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and more on the red-carpet right here.)

Relegated to a stage outside Los Angeles' Staples Center, the Foo Fighters — who won the Best Rock Album award, among others — played a crowd of several thousand along with the violin-playing My Grammy Moment contest winner and an orchestra conducted by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, who mostly sat politely as Dave Grohl and company tore through "The Pretender." The orchestra added some mariachi horns toward the end of the song as Grohl howled the refrain, "Who are you!"

The show opened with a reel of old Frank Sinatra footage in which the late singing icon discussed the merits of the Grammys, which gave way to a sultry Keys in a long emerald green gown singing a duet with the virtual Sinatra on the swinging "Learning the Blues."

Next up was former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood in a patent leather-lined black shirt and short-shorts combo doing a beat-heavy version of "Before He Cheats" accompanied by a Blue Man Group-like troupe of percussionists/dancers wielding metal chains and lengths of pipe as instruments.

Keys performed again later in the show, playing the piano during "No One" and standing up midway to stalk the stage in a silver top over shimmery black leggings. Her new BFF, John Mayer, unexpectedly walked out and played a bluesy solo as the song built to a soul-orchestra crescendo.

With most of this year's Grammy Awards handed out before the show even started, the early winners list included Winehouse, Keys, West, Justin Timberlake and more.

(Check out the list of 2008 Grammy Award winners right here.)

Winehouse and Keys were big winners early, with the former winning Song of the Year and Best New Artist, and the latter grabbing Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, for "No One." Kanye landed a pair of victories before the televised ceremony started, grabbing Best Rap Solo Performance for the hit single "Stronger" and Best Rap Song for "Good Life." Maroon 5, meanwhile, won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Makes Me Wonder." The win meant that even though Plain White T's singer Tom Higgenson brought the inspiration for the band's hit "Hey There Delilah" to the show with him, he wasn't going to be able to wave a Grammy in her face at the end of the night. Amy Winehouse also struck early pay dirt with a Best Pop Vocal Album win for Back to Black and a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance victory for "Rehab."

Former and once-again Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant won Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for his song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss. Justin Timberlake scored a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "What Goes Around ... Comes Around" and Best Dance Recording for "LoveStoned/ I Think She Knows" and the Beastie Boys beat out a galaxy of jazz stars for the Best Pop Instrumental Album for The Mix-Up, while former "American Idol" Carrie Underwood won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Before He Cheats," though former "Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's eponymous band was 0-3 in the early running.

Other early wins included Best Electronic/Dance Album for the Chemical Brothers' We Are the Night, and Best Rock Song and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere," with the latter denying Beck the chance to be the first artist to win a Grammy for an online-only single. Springsteen nabbed a third prize as well, earning Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Once Upon a Time in the West." The White Stripes struck gold with "Icky Thump," which won for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals and Best Alternative Music Album, the Foo Fighters won Best Hard Rock Performance for "The Pretender," and Slayer took Best Metal Performance for "Final Six."

A pair of R&B legends won awards as well, with Prince nabbing the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Future Baby Mama" and Chaka Khan taking Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Disrespectful" (featuring Mary J. Blige); Khan also won Best R&B Album for Funk This, which denied buzzed-about singer Ledisi one of her two potential Grammys. Gerald Levert, who passed away in late 2006, won Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for his tune "In My Songs." Lupe Fiasco made his pal Kanye proud with a Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Daydreamin' " from his 2006 debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.

Other early winners included Keys for Best R&B Song ("No One"), Ne-Yo for Best Contemporary R&B Album (Because of You) and Common for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Southside"). Mark Ronson was awarded the Producer of the Year prize for his work on albums by Winehouse, Lily Allen and his own solo album, while controversial director Tony Kaye won Best Short Form Music Video for his stark, star-filled video for the song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by the late Johnny Cash.

"Love" — the Beatles-remix compilation made for the Cirque de Soleil show of the same name — notched the award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The "Dreamgirls" track "Love You I Do" was named Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, while composer Michael Giacchino's musical accompaniment to "Ratatouille" picked up Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

And in a grudge match worthy of the presidential primary season, Senator Barack Obama bested former President Bill Clinton — as well as Maya Angelou and another former president, Jimmy Carter — in the Best Spoken Word Album category for the audio-book version of "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming The American Dream."

Geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

[This story was originally published at 9:33 pm E.T. on 2.10.2008]

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• Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More
• 2008 Grammy Parties
• Beyonce, Fergie, Miley, More Rock The 2008 Grammy Red Carpet

• Amy Winehouse
• Kanye West
• Alicia Keys
• Foo Fighters
• The Beatles

Morris Day and the Time backstage at the 2008 Grammy Awards
Photo: Todd Brown/MTV News

LOS ANGELES — As the Grammy Awards progressed on Sunday night, one man was making headlines of his own backstage: the Time's Morris Day.

The frontman/lothario, who duetted with Rihanna early in the show, said of the singer: "I think she's a sexy young lady. I have kids as old as her. ... But I enjoyed it. That did not stop me from noticing."

He had a less flattering — although sympathetic — comment about her onstage pouting: "When the groove hits you, you get ugly for a minute. It's like you broke wind."

Since the Time are noted for their cool ("Cool" is also the name of one of their best songs), he talked about how some of today's artists measure up.

"I don't see Kanye as being cool — very talented, but not cool."

Chris Brown? "He's very hyper, but talented. Give him about 10 years and we'll see. There are some cool people out there. I think Snoop is cool. Puffy's cool. It's embodiment — it's gotta be in you. I'm so cool that even when I'm sweating, it's a cold sweat."

After noting how impressed he was with his own group's performance, Day continued: "I don't know if you were able to watch [our set] because you were too busy eating sandwiches and potato chips, but we had a good time," he told reporters with a laugh. "I still do the dance moves every day, I just happened to do it on the Grammy stage tonight."

When asked if he spoke with longtime friend and foil Prince backstage, Day answered, "I asked him, 'How's the family?' ... He didn't say nothing." (Day and Prince are old friends and rivals — Day split from Prince's camp not long after the blockbuster success of 1984's "Purple Rain," but reunited for 1990's "Graffiti Bridge" and the Time have opened for Prince at several shows in recent years.)

Asked if he was going to kick it with Prince backstage, he replied: "Am I interested in kicking him backstage?"

Day also said the Time have a new album done and plan to tour. "That was fun. Where's the sandwich boxes?" he said before leaving the media room.

T-Pain, who wore an outrageous top hat and denim suit, had kinder words for West, with whom he shared the Best Rap Song award for "Good Life."

"I love his arrogance," he said. "Couple more of these, I'll be like that too."

T-Pain said he's been working with "Jamie Foxx, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, more Britney Spears, more Chris Brown. The person I have the most fun with is Chris Brown. I stole some dance moves from him. Him and Omarion — I've been stealing moves since I met them."

Vince Gill made sure his lighthearted comment onstage when accepting his Grammy from Ringo Starr (noting that he'd just gotten handed an award from a Beatle, and could Kanye say that?) wasn't misunderstood.

"He has said something about how he was gonna win Album of the Year later, and if not him, then Amy Winehouse was most deserving and not me or the Foo Fighters," Gill said. "So I decided to have a little fun. ... He's passionate, he sticks his neck out, and I have no ill will at all. I just saw him out of the corner of my eye when I was up there, and I decided I had to do it. My heart goes out to him, because he lost his mother, and I know what that's like, because I lost my father a few years back. He took a shot at Gretchen Wilson when he lost Best New Artist to her a few years ago, and so us rednecks stick together. He was laughing [when I said] it was some harmless fun."

Country singer Brad Paisley said he was told backstage that he was nominated 14 times without winning a Grammy.

"It's great," he said. "Fourteen more and I get my second [win]."

Paisley was informed that Jill Scott had just left the media center and told the reporters that she loved Brad's performance and hadn't heard of him before.

"I'm sure [she didn't know who I am]," he said, adding, "Who's Jill Scott?" He laughed and said he was joking, then said it was a big compliment: "Wow — coming from her ..."

Later in the one-on-one room, a classic moment occurred as Leslie Feist shimmied to Amy Winehouse's performance while scarfing down a slice of pizza.

"This is my award tonight," she said, holding up the slice. "I'm taking this home and putting it on my mantle: It's the award for 'Best loss of four Grammys by a Canadian girl ...' "

Earlier in the evening, on the red carpet, Ne-Yo was talking with Sway when his publicist announced that the singer's Because of You had won Best Contemporary R&B Album. Ne-Yo's mom was standing with him and they yelled with excitement.

"MTV, thank you!" he hollered. "Damn!"

Elsewhere on the carpet, Musiq gave Akon five, Young Dro told Ledisi he loves her music, and Ringo Starr was giving out hugs as Evanescence, Alicia Keys, Tank and Natasha Bedingfield made the rounds. In fact, it was hugs everywhere as Latin nominee Juanes hugged Tony Bennett, Bun B hugged Akon and Akon hugged and greeted Young Dro. Akon even let Sway try on his coat.

Don't miss these sizzling snaps of Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and more.

Geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

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• Grammy Red Carpet: Fergie, Foo Fighters, More

• Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More

• Rihanna
• Morris Day
• The Time
• Feist
• Kanye West

Amy Winehouse
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

We love gambling. Like, really love it. In fact, we're starting to get the shakes just thinking about some sweet, sweet wagering right now (some people might think that uncontrollable spasms are a sign that we have a problem ... we prefer to think of them as nothing more than our "pre-winning jitters").

Of course, one of the few things in the world that equals our love for gambling is our love for the Grammys (we're suckers for overblown production numbers). So we started thinking that it'd be a good idea to combine the two ... sort of a no-holds-barred wager-fest.

The only problem? Well, turns out we're colossally bad at gambling (or we've just had a long, unbroken string of bad luck). We had Hatton big over Mayweather. We picked the Patriots to cover. And just last year, we handicapped the race for Best New Artist at the Grammys — and famously bet the house on Corrine Bailey Rae, citing the Recording Academy's long-running "infatuation with girls-with-guitars," and pointing to the success of her song "Put Your Records On," which was nominated for Song of the Year.

Naturally, Carrie Underwood won.

We were dejected. But, as any good gambler knows, you've always got to get back on the horse. So, for your betting pleasure, we proudly present our second-annual attempt at picking the Best New Artist winner. You could consider this your unofficial bettor's guide, except, as we mentioned above, we generally are terrible at wagering. So to rectify that, we've also consulted a pair of experts — the oddsmakers at Ladbrokes, the largest betting company in the U.K., and the online gaming big shots at Bodoglife.com — to get their takes on the category. Something tells us you might want to trust them instead of us.

Amy Winehouse

Why She'll Win: She got more Grammy nominations than anyone else (except Kanye), including nods for Record, Album and Song of the Year, and she landed more tabloid coverage than pretty much every other nominee combined. She's both "retro" enough (the beehive, the voice, the sound) to appeal to older Academy voters (which is most of them), and sufficiently "now" enough (the rehab, the blogs, the tabloid coverage) to make those voters' kids actually tune in to this year's telecast (which is, ultimately, the goal of all this.) And her Back to Black album sold more than 1.5 million copies. Plus, if she actually does beam in via satellite, there is roughly an 85 percent chance she does/says something that will make headlines around the globe the following morning.

Why She Won't: See the previous sentence. Also, voters are strangely loyal to American artists, and Winehouse, who is British, might have a difficult time changing that. After all, the last non-American to win the BNA honor was Fabrice Morvan — better known as one-half of Milli Vanilli — in 1990. Since the duo were later stripped of their award, you'd have to go all the way back to 1986, when Sade took it, to find a proper foreign-born Best New Artist. Still, all of that seems like grasping at straws. Amy's the one to beat, though just barely.

Odds: 3:2

Feist

Why She'll Win: Leslie Feist has all the critical approval of Winehouse (and nearly as many nominations) and none of the accompanying drama. Her album The Reminder sold remarkably well (more than 500,000 copies), due in no small part to the success of "1234," a charming bit of indie-pop that became one of the year's biggest songs, thanks to its placement in an iPod Nano advertisement. And unlike Winehouse, she's actually confirmed to show up and perform at the Grammy telecast.

Why She Won't: At the end of the day, she's not Amy Winehouse. Feist hasn't sold as many records or had as many hits as the beehived one, and her indie cred might actually work against her here (since Winehouse will siphon some of it away). In any other year, she might very well be the favorite, but 2007 was clearly the year of "Rehab." Still, stranger things have happened.

Odds: 3:1

Taylor Swift

Why She'll Win: Hey, if Carrie Underwood can do it, so can she. Like last year's Best New Artist, Swift won the Horizon Award (given to country's best newcomer) at the CMA Awards. And like Underwood, she's young (just 18), blond and has released a slew of singles that managed to cross over to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She's also sold more albums — more than 2.3 million — than anyone else in this category, which can't hurt. Plus, she seemed legitimately thrilled when her name was called at the Grammy nominees press conference back in December.

Why She Won't: She's probably too much like Carrie Underwood, and voters might shy away from giving the same award to the same type of artist two years in a row. And though Swift has sold a bunch of records, she's also really, really young. Her time will come, it just likely won't be this year.

Odds: 4:1

Paramore

Why They'll Win: They're popular with the kids! And that Hayley Williams, boy, what a spark plug! Also, emo-punk has proven to be a commercially viable thing — their Riot! album is just the latest breakout success, with sales of more than 770,000 copies — and none of their contemporaries (Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco) have ever won a Grammy, so voters might see fit to honor Paramore as an indirect way of recognizing the entire genre ...

Why They Won't: ... but we wouldn't count on it. If Fall Out Boy didn't win Best New Artist in 2006, we don't see Paramore doing it either. Also, take a look at everyone who's ever won the BNA — then look at Paramore. One of these things is not like the other.

Odds: 8:1

Ledisi

Why She'll Win: She's from New Orleans, which could garner her some sympathy, given what the Crescent City has been through in recent years. According to the Los Angeles Times, she is scheduled to appear in the upcoming George Clooney/ Renée Zellweger rom-com "Leatherheads." Also, her name sounds like a brand of antidepressant medication. Those things aren't exactly positives, but we're sort of looking for anything at this point.

Why She Won't: Because the only thing we know about her is that she's from New Orleans, is in a George Clooney flick and has a name that sounds like an SSRI. As a bonus, not many people know how to pronounce that name. Which means wager at your own risk.

Odds: 10:1

The Pros Picks:

Ladbroke

Amy Winehouse: 1:2 Feist: 3:1 Ledisi: 3:1 Taylor Swift: 5:1 Paramore: 6:1

"Amy Winehouse's problems are well-documented but should not mask her unique talent," a spokesperson for the U.K. betting company told MTV News. "Her music is consistently top quality, and we'll be very surprised if she's beaten to the award. If a shock was to happen, Feist and Ledisi are the two most likely to upset the odds. We like the look of them but can't see beyond a Winehouse triumph. ... Taylor Swift and Paramore don't do it for us, and punters have been less-than-impressed by them. It'll be a huge surprise if either landed the Grammy."

Bodoglife.com bookmaker Richard Gardner

Amy Winehouse: 5:4 Feist: 3:2 Paramore: 9:4 Ledisi: 9:2 Taylor Swift: 5:1

"With the overwhelming success of Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, it should come as no surprise to anyone that she is a 5:4 favorite to take down the Grammy for Best New Artist," Gardner said. "Bringing up a close second and with a nearly as-successful year as Winehouse is Canadian indie-rock sensation Feist, with odds of 3:2. After their song '1234' was featured in an iPod Nano commercial and ranked second on the top 10 Best Songs of 2007 list by Time magazine, the popularity of the song and the artist alike exploded. The past year has also been good to Paramore and has seen the group featured on 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien,' MTV's Artist of the Week and a successful Vans Warped Tour, which is why we have them third place at 9:4. Bringing up fourth and fifth at 9:2 and 5:1, respectively, are Ledisi and Taylor Swift. Both have had respectable years, but when standing alongside powerhouses like Winehouse and Feist, their chances are slim."

Don't sleep until February 10 — geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• 2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More

• Amy Winehouse
• Feist
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Alicia Keys
Photo: Chris Jackson/ Getty Images

In what could turn out to be her big coming-out moment, indie rocker and Best New Artist nominee Feist, famous for the "1234" song featured in a ubiquitous iPod ad, has been added to the list of performers for the upcoming Grammys Awards ceremony. Also joining the performer list are Alicia Keys and country star Brad Paisley, as well as a special tribute to the Beatles featuring the casts of the Las Vegas show "LOVE by Cirque du Soleil" (based on the Fab Four's music) and the Beatles-inspired big-screen musical "Across the Universe."

(Check out the top Grammy nominees right here.)

The 50th annual awards show, which takes place on February 10, also announced the first slate of presenters, which will feature a variety of past Grammy winners including Natalie Cole, Juanes, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt. And the prime-time spot for Canadian songwriter/ sometime Broken Social Scene member Leslie Feist will give the "1234" singer her biggest national (and international) exposure to date.

The Grammys previously announced performances by Beyoncé, Foo Fighters (with special guest conductor Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones), Carrie Underwood, a gospel segment featuring Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, the Clark Sisters, Israel & New Breed and Trin-I-Tee 5:7, and Rihanna performing with reunited Minneapolis funk band the Time.

After fears the show might be crippled by the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike, it was announced this week that the writers guild had given its members a waiver to work on the golden-anniversary show. And though her English publicity firm recently said plans still call for six-time nominee Amy Winehouse to make an appearance at the event, her recent decision to enter a rehabilitation facility to treat substance abuse has once again cast that appearance into question.

Don't sleep until February 10 — geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters

• Alicia Keys
• Feist
• The Beatles
• Rihanna
• Juanes

Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Biel are among the celebs captured in a new Disney installment of work by esteemed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz. In the images, Lopez is portrayed as Jasmine and Anthony as Aladdin in a "Whole New World" scene, while Biel is dressed as Pocahontas, running through a forest. "I was a huge Disney fan growing up as a kid, and Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel — all those characters were huge for me," Biel said in a statement. The "Disney Dream Portrait Series" will be featured throughout the year at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. ...

Gnarls Barkley don't have a release date or name yet for their second album, but it's nearing completion, according to Billboard.com. Danger Mouse is busying himself with other projects in the meantime, including lending production to the Black Keys' Attack & Release; Martina Topley-Bird's The Blue God; and Shortwave Set's new LP, which is tentatively titled Replica Sun Machine. ...

Mary J. Blige recently spoke with MTV Base about the ongoing New York steroid probe in which she was recently named. "I really don't want to clear anything up, because I've been spoken about for so many years — rumors I'm pregnant, I'm a man, I'm this, I'm that, why? At the end of the day, I have nothing to prove to anyone. I am Mary and that's that." A report that surfaced in the Times Union last week claimed Blige was among tens of thousands of people who might have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human-growth hormone in recent years, although law-enforcement officials said they don't have any evidence that laws were violated. ...

Krist Novoselic, the former Nirvana bassist who has been politically active in Seattle in recent years, has voiced his support for a 2008 presidential candidate, and it's ... Ron Paul? Novoselic alluded to the Republican long-shot candidate in his Seattle Weekly column earlier this month, saying, "The Internet is already doing this with campaign phenomenon like Howard Dean in 2004, and this year with Ron Paul." The Web site PoliticalBase.com shows that he made a $250 contribution to the candidate in mid-September. ...

Björk has nixed her planned appearance at the Big Day Out on Friday night (January 25) in Sydney, Australia. "Doctors have advised Björk to rest due to swelling of the vocal cords," Ken West and Vivian Lees, who produce and direct the festival, said in a statement posted on the Icelandic singer's Web site. "This is a great disappointment to Björk, who is on her first tour of Australia in 12 years." She is slated to rejoin Big Day Out on Monday for a show in Melbourne, followed by performances February 1 in Adelaide and February 3 in Perth. ...

The Reminder (Feist), Kala (M.I.A.), Neon Bible (the Arcade Fire), Cross (Justice) and Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem) have all made the cut as finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize. Also in the running are In Our Bedroom After the War (Stars), Sky Blue Sky (Wilco), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Businessmen and Ghosts (Working for a Nuclear Free City) and Untrue (Burial). The winner will be announced in February. ... Dem Franchize Boyz will bounce back on April 1 with their third effort, Da Point of No Return, which is anchored by the first single, "Talkin' Out Da Side of Ya Neck." Also look for featured appearances by Mannie Fresh on "Mr. Feel Good" and Blaze on "Turn Heads." ...

Marvel Studios is the latest company to reach an agreement with the striking Writers Guild of America, it was announced Friday. "Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," WGA East President Michael Winship and WGA West President Patric Verrone said in a joint statement. "Marvel is committed to fairly compensating their writers and now they can move forward with their planned production schedule." ... Yes! Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce award in Ireland, where he has been traveling with his dad and brother to trace their family roots, according to The Associated Press. The "Blades of Glory" actor accepted the award — which has been given to Jesse Jackson and others in the past — on Wednesday night and addressed more than 1,000 students at the University College Dublin. "As I perused my leather-bound volumes of 'Ulysses,' 'Finnegans Wake,' 'Dubliners,' 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,' standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: 'Damn, I should have read these books,' " he reportedly said. ...

My Morning Jacket — who sold out their June 20 show at NYC's Radio City Music Hall in just over 20 minutes — have arrived at a title for their new album. Evil Urges, the band's fifth LP, is due June 10. ... Bono hailed Bill Gates on Friday when the Microsoft chairman announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $306 million on environmentally friendly technology and farming techniques to help aid millions of impoverished Africans. "It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here," Bono said in the Swiss city, according to The Associated Press. "This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader, and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment." ...

The summer music-festival scene just got a bit less crowded. Less than two months after announcing their plan to host a three-day camping music festival on a 500-acre farm in Vineland, New Jersey, the forces behind Lollapalooza (C3 Presents) and England's Reading Festival (Festival Republic) have announced that they've pulled the plug on the event. Originally scheduled for August 8-10, the Vineland Festival, which never announced a lineup and had faced considerable opposition from area residents concerned about noise and traffic, will now attempt to launch in 2009. Organizers cited "overall festival traffic in the Northeast"— apparently referring to the just-announced All Points West Festival, which is scheduled for the same weekend in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, and is being coordinated by the people who bring you Coachella every year. Organizers also noted big bands touring the area around the same time as the reason for scrapping the event. ...

Heads up, straight-edge hardcore fans: Ex-Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson has thrown up for auction on eBay a bunch of rare and unique items from the band and other hardcore acts. Items include fliers, posters, 7-inches and more. ... Want your name to appear in a Saosin release? The band is launching a contest with mobile marketing company Mozes that will give fans the chance to have their name featured in the credits of the booklet that will accompany their forthcoming "Saosin Live" DVD/CD package. Interested? Text SAOSINDVD to 66937 and join the band's mobile list and follow the prompt. ... UB40 might want to rename themselves "UB39," at least for the time being: The British group, which was huge in the '80s, has lost its frontman. "No words can express how upset I feel today that I have been forced to make this decision," Ali Campbell wrote in a Friday post on his Web site. UB40 said in a statement of their own that they will continue without Campbell, a founding member of the band.

1.24.08

Despite widespread reports that Sean "Diddy" Combs had changed his name to Sean John, his rep clarified the situation to MTV News on Thursday (January 24). "Recent reports of a name change are totally false, he is still Diddy," the rep wrote. "He is currently in 'Sean John' mode as the upcoming Sean John fashion show is scheduled for February 8 in New York." ...

One of Britney Spears' friends was deposed Thursday by Kevin Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan as he prepares for an April trial involving a request by Spears' ex for primary physical custody of their children. Sam Lufti had previously avoided a notice to appear by Federline's team of lawyers but was eventually served in November. ... Lionsgate said Thursday that it had reached an agreement with striking writers to work on its projects, according to Reuters. "Lionsgate signed an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America today," the entertainment company reportedly said in a statement. "The writers' issue seems on its way to being solved, and Lionsgate felt it was an important time, particularly in view of our TV series, to have our writer partners get back to work. We look forward to a broad industry agreement soon." ...

John McCain is getting support from another Vietnam veteran, albeit a fictional one: Rambo. Sylvester Stallone recently voiced his support for the Arizona senator, who is in a tight race for the Republican presidential nomination, on TV's "Fox and Friends," according to a press release from his campaign. "I like McCain a lot," Stallone said. "A lot. And you know, things may change along the way, but there's something about matching the character with the script. And right now, the script that's being written — and reality — is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged, like a rough action film. ... You need somebody who's been in that to deal with it." When host Brian Kilmeade informed McCain of the "Rocky Balboa" star's endorsement on Thursday morning (January 24), he reportedly replied, "I'm going to Philadelphia and running up the steps." ...

Bono swung by the Pentagon to talk about Africa and global poverty with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The two reportedly met for 20 minutes and discussed plans to construct a new U.S. military command for Africa. The U2 singer was reportedly in Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional budget committees, and his meeting with Gates was not publicized ahead of time. ... Trey Anastasio spent the weekend in the pokey for violating the conditions of his drug-treatment program last year, The Associated Press reports. The former Phish frontman was punished for an unspecified violation of a court contract that resulted after he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in April. Anastasio, who lives in Richmond, Vermont, was in a jail in upstate New York for two days. ...

Scarlett Johansson has finally firmed up details surrounding her first music album, a collection of mostly Tom Waits covers. Anywhere I Lay My Head will drop May 20 and feature 10 Waits tribute tracks plus an original cut. The "Nanny Diaries" actress hammered out the effort in Maurice, Louisiana, during a five-week visit at Dockside Studio in spring 2007. She got some assists from Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Sean Antanaitis from Celebration and TV on the Radio's David Sitek, who produced the LP. ... The 35th annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll has named Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem as its top album of 2007. The rest of the top 10 albums in the poll, voted on by hundreds of rock critics, included In Rainbows (Radiohead), Kala (M.I.A.), Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), Neon Bible (Arcade Fire), Graduation (Kanye West), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Raising Sand (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) and Magic (Bruce Springsteen). Winehouse topped the singles list with her hit "Rehab," followed by "Umbrella" (Rihanna), "All My Friends" (LCD Soundsystem), "1234" (Feist), "D.A.N.C.E." (Justice), "Paper Planes" (M.I.A.), "Stronger" (Kanye West), "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" (UGK) and "Young Folks" (Peter Bjorn and John). ...

This year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest will take place April 25-27 and May 1-4 and feature sets from the Roots, Raconteurs, Keyshia Cole, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Santana, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, Galactic, Ozomatli with Chali 2na, Jimmy Buffett and dozens of other roots, blues, soul, Cajun and jazz artists. ... Motion City Soundtrack, Phantom Planet and the Hush Sound have slipped onto the bill for the Honda Civic Tour, which will be anchored by Panic at the Disco. The cities the trek will hit have also been announced: San Francisco (April 10); San Diego (April 12); Phoenix (April 13); Tulsa, Oklahoma (April 15); Ruston, Louisiana (April 17); Dallas (April 18); Austin, Texas (April 19); Houston (April 20); Clearwater, Florida (April 22); Miami Beach, Florida (April 23); Lake Buena Vista, Florida (April 24); Atlanta (April 26); North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (April 29); Washington, D.C. (April 30); Orono, Maine (May 2); Troy, New York (May 3); Rochester, New York (May 6); New York (May 7); Philadelphia (May 9); Wallingford, Connecticut (May 10); Boston (May 11); Montreal (May 13); Toronto (May 14); Cleveland (May 16); Columbus, Ohio (May 17); Indianapolis (May 18); Detroit (May 20); Chicago (May 23); Milwaukee (May 25); Minneapolis (May 27); St. Louis (May 30); Council Bluffs, Iowa (May 31); Kansas City, Missouri (June 1); Denver (June 3); Salt Lake City (June 4); Vancouver, British Columbia (June 6); Seattle (June 7); Portland, Oregon (June 8); Las Vegas (June 13); and Anaheim, California (June 14). ...

Uncle Murda was shot in the head late Tuesday night but the injury was not serious, according to New York's Daily News. The popular upstart rapper, who was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records by Jay-Z and backed by DJ Green Lantern, suffered a minor head wound after he was grazed by a bullet while sitting in a parked car in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. There is no word on whether the rapper has been released from the hospital. Calls made by MTV News to reps for Uncle Murda were not returned as of press time. ... Danny Glover was convicted for trespassing on Thursday (January 24) in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to AP. Canadian Niagara Hotels had charged the actor and two other men after they protested at a Sheraton in September 2006. The protest was part of a larger effort to boost salaries and improve working conditions for hotel workers in North America. They will be sentenced February 8. ...

Los Angeles city officials have asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from congregating in a neighborhood of Compton, California, and included on their list of 200 gang members was former Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight. The Los Angeles Times reports that Knight's name was on the request, which would ban members of the gang from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m. Knight, who has struggled to get his label back online after a number of legal tangles and prison time, told the paper he thought the injunction was a "publicity stunt" and that it should not have included him. "This is crazy," he said. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore." A hearing on the matter is slated for Thursday (January 24). ...

Perez Hilton won an $85,000 judgment on Wednesday in a defamation lawsuit brought by celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson. According to AP, a judge ordered Ronson to pay the blogger $85K, plus an additional $2,000 if Hilton (born Mario Lavandeira) requests it, in the suit over a report on Hilton's blog last year. The post repeated a claim from CelebrityBabylon.com that said Ronson planted cocaine found in friend Lindsay Lohan's car during a May car crash involving the actress. "Perez Hilton will take steps to make sure every dime is collected," his lawyer Bryan J. Freedman said. "This should make one careful before filing a lawsuit against him." The judge removed Hilton from the suit in November after the blogger's attorneys argued he was protected by free-speech rights. Ronson's attorney unsuccessfully argued that Hilton's lawyers' fees were excessive and that he should get no more than $13,400 to recover his legal costs. ...

And the hits just keep coming ... just not the ones the music industry is looking for. According to numbers released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, global music sales fell by around 10 percent in 2007, falling at a faster rate than they did in 2006, despite a growth in digital-music sales of around 40 percent. The IFPI said illegal downloading continues to be a major problem, with the ratio of illegally downloaded tracks to legal tracks sold at around 20 to 1. Also included in the report was news that the first-ever global music-download sales chart was topped by Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," which sold 7.3 million downloads across the world. ...

Gallows, a punk band from England, are the latest act to be banned from playing the House of Blues at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to The Onion's A.V. Club. The group was reportedly barred from playing its scheduled show there Tuesday night because Disney objects to the group's lyrical content. Machine Head and Cannibal Corpse suffered similar fates at venues located on Disney property last year.

• Jennifer Lopez
• Gnarls Barkley
• Mary J. Blige
• Björk
• Feist

Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: Bad Boy

The ongoing legal actions surrounding the 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace) hit another bump in the road on Monday when a U.S. district judge dismissed a second wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the rapper's family against the city of Los Angeles and former LAPD officer Rafael Pérez. Judge Florence-Marie Cooper sided with the defendants and dismissed the case — filed in April — on the grounds that Biggie's family didn't file the claim against the city within the designated time frame. "This was not the primary civil-rights claim, that suit is still going forward," explained Perry Sanders, the lead attorney in the Wallace family's ongoing wrongful-death suit against the city and LAPD. "This was a standalone action based on state laws, but the rigorous rules state that if you don't file suit within six months of the injury, then the suit cannot go forward, and we didn't find out that Pérez was on duty until August 2006." The April suit alleged that Pérez conspired with fellow former police officers David Mack and Nino Durden to murder the famous rapper and that the city of Los Angeles covered up the officers' involvement to avoid being tangled in a lawsuit that would make the city liable in the killing. New evidence recently uncovered indicated that Pérez was on duty the night of the rapper's death, though the officer has denied any involvement. ...

Jessica Sierra has an unlikely ally in Dr. Drew, apparently. The radio personality will appear in criminal court on behalf of the former "American Idol" finalist at the request of her lawyer, according to TMZ.com. She is reportedly due to face a judge in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, while Drew will attend at a later court date. Sierra was arrested December 2 outside a bar near Tampa and is facing charges of disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest and violating parole. She is currently in jail without bond. ...

The Rolling Stone/ Camel ad fiasco is far from over — two indie-rock bands have filed a class-action lawsuit against the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; the magazine; and its parent company, Wenner Media, according to TheDailySwarm.com. The suit was reportedly filed by Xiu Xiu and F---ed Up on behalf of the 186 artists whose names appeared alongside a cartoon-heavy indie-rock feature in the magazine's November 15 issue, and it claims the defendants had "unauthorized use of artists' names; unauthorized use of artist names for commercial advantage [right of publicity]; and unfair business practices." The bands are also seeking financial compensation for damages, and TheDailySwarm.com reports that Rolling Stone might have to pay close to $200 billion if found guilty. Nine state attorneys general have already sued Camel for its use of cartoons in the sale of tobacco products. ...

Ice Cube has settled on Raw Footage as the title of his upcoming studio album. "It'll be out next year," he recently told MTV News of the release, before humbly adding, "It's better than anything you've ever heard before." ... Jimmy Eat World will tag along with Foo Fighters for a handful of gigs early next year, in Sunrise, Florida (January 16); Orlando, Florida (January 17); Birmingham, Alabama (January 19); Pensacola, Florida (January 20); Houston (January 22); Dallas (January 23); and Memphis, Tennessee (January 25). Jimmy Eat World, who just wrapped their annual run of radio shows, have additional dates scheduled through March. ... The People's Choice Awards show is going to look a whole lot different next year, in light of the ongoing writers' strike. The awards program has nixed its red carpet, acceptance speeches and live audience and will instead feature a "magazine-style format," according to People.com. Queen Latifah is still slated to host the show, which will air January 8 on CBS, but the winners will be submitting their acceptance remarks in video form. ...

Shakira wants your help — the singer is asking people to reach out to the victims of the Bangladesh floods after her recent trip to the South Asian country. In a recent press release, Shakira said she had planned to travel to Bangladesh before the cyclone, to observe the education-outreach efforts being made there, but that she felt more urgency to go there after the disaster. "Now that I've seen with my own eyes the destruction everywhere, it's critical that the people of the world support the Bangladeshi and that they get more international help as they rebuild," the singer said, adding that 8 million people have been affected and 3,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. Visit the United Nations Children's Fund Web site to find out how you can help the victims. ...

Jessica Simpson is still catching heat for her appearance at Sunday's Dallas Cowboys game, which the team lost 10-6 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Fans have voiced anger over a purported link between the actress' attendance and the career-worst performance by quarterback Tony Romo, and now wide receiver Terrell Owens has joined the chorus, saying, "Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite — in this locker room or in Texas Stadium," according to The Associated Press. Romo's previous worst game reportedly was a December 2006 contest attended by then-girlfriend Carrie Underwood. "Obviously with the way Tony played, and the comparison between [Simpson] and Carrie Underwood, I think a lot of people feel she has taken his focus away," Owens said. "Other than that, she was high on my list until last week. Oh, I got a message for her when we make the playoffs. Just stay tuned." ...

Lily Allen is expecting her first child with boyfriend Ed Simons, who is one-half of the Chemical Brothers. A representative for the 22-year-old singer told BBC News that Allen has been dating Simons since September and that they were "obviously both thrilled by the news," but would not comment any further. "As the pregnancy is at a very, very early stage, the couple ask that you respect their privacy, as the health of Lily and their child is their paramount concern," said the spokesman, who was not named. ... Hawthorne Heights frontman JT Woodruff, former Dead Kennedys leader Jello Biafra and Chris #2 from Anti-Flag make cameos on the upcoming A.K.A.s album Everyone Make Some Noise! The hardcore-punk band's effort will drop March 18. ... The Breeders are back — not just with their upcoming April 8 album, Mountain Battles, but with a U.K. trek surrounding it, according to Pollstar.com. The band will kick off its trek April 7 in Dublin, Ireland, and continue playing through an April 16 show in London. Plans for the Breeders to play at Coachella and South by Southwest are also reportedly in the works, the site said. ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have cobbled together a four-song acoustic EP, and it's coming right around the corner. According to a post by Billy Corgan on the band's Web site, American Gothic will be available January 2 on iTunes and feature the following songs: "The Rose March," "Again, Again, Again (The Crux)," "POX" and "Sunkissed." Corgan added in the rambling post that the band will play the new songs on their upcoming European and Australian tours, and he closed the missive with these remarks: "Thanks to New Orleans for showing Us the meaning of hope...and thanks to the old guard for showing the same dull move, you know the one that never works? Art band that said old guard wishes they were in so bad that they wish importance upon it? Check! No matter what you crutches all dream up, Led Zep is still a 100 times better! Go Zep! Go Team! Rock on! Long Live the Mighty SP!" ...

The Chris Brown/ Bow Wow tour is going to keep rolling. The duo have expanded their double-bill outing into February, adding another dozen dates to their itinerary, mostly along the East Coast, as well as a second Madison Square Garden show in New York and a New Year's Eve gig in Universal City, California. The tour is now scheduled to wrap up February 2 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. Bow Wow recently left the tour briefly after being hospitalized, later telling MTV News that he had injured himself after throwing a fit in his dressing room. ...

Ozzy Osbourne has scratched his Thursday concert at Cleveland's Wolstein Center "due to an unforeseen personal family matter," according to a post on his Web site. The show won't be rescheduled, although tour partner Rob Zombie will instead play at the House of Blues with In This Moment. Ticketholders for the Wolstein Center show can get refunds at point of purchase. Meanwhile, Zombie has also added two more dates to his 2008 calendar: January 26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and January 27 in Lubbock, Texas. ... Hellyeah have broken out dates for the second leg of their Balls Volume Strength Tour, which also features Machine Head, Nonpoint and Ankla. The next stretch will take the hard-rockers from Clifton Park, New York, on January 25 to Milwaukee on February 15, although more dates are expected to be announced. ...

Will Ferrell will hit the road with three other comedians — Zach Galifianakis, Nick Swardson and Demetri Martin — in February for a short run of shows at universities and colleges. The Funny or Die Tour will make stops at Kansas State (February 4); Michigan State (February 5); Ohio State (February 6); Penn State (February 11); the University of Rhode Island (February 12); Boston College (February 13); Butler University (February 18); and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (February 22). ... Feist are working on new material — gently. "I'm tiptoeing into some new terrain," Leslie Feist told Billboard.com. "There's no necessity and no timeline. ... I'm not quite at the point where I think I should be thinking about another record. ... These songs, there's nothing forcing them to come, yet here's some ideas. It's really a ways away though." The singer did reveal, however, that the band hit the studio during a recent day off while on tour. Feist are up for four Grammys. ... Beck's Odelay — the 1996 album that ranks as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time — is getting polished up for a two-CD deluxe edition due January 29. The first disc has two unreleased session tracks produced by the Dust Brothers — "Inferno" and "Gold Chains" — and a soundtrack cut, while the second has 16 hard-to-find B-sides and compilation contributions. ...

While Weezer fans have to make do for now with the recently released Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, the rest of the bandmembers are busy working on their own side projects. According to Weezer's Web site, rhythm guitarist Brian Bell is working on an album with his other band, the Relationship; drummer Pat Wilson is recording an album with his long-running side project, the Special Goodness, that is due in the spring; and bassist Scott Shriner is getting ready to answer questions for Weezer fan site Weerez.com. ... Michael Jackson's Thriller is among the 70 new recordings that will be added to the Grammy Hall of Fame, which honors songs that have been in release for at least 25 years. Other new honorees include: "Free Bird" (Lynyrd Skynyrd), the soundtrack to the classic reggae movie "The Harder They Come" (Jimmy Cliff), "Help!" (the Beatles), Hotel California (the Eagles), 1999 (Prince), Off the Wall (Jackson), "Roxanne" (the Police), "Shining Star" (Earth, Wind & Fire), "Always on My Mind" (Willie Nelson), The Wall (Pink Floyd) and The Velvet Underground & Nico. The new 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller — which will include unreleased bonus tracks mixed by or featuring Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Akon and others — drops February 12. ...

One of Seattle's legendary rock venues, the Crocodile Café, unexpectedly shut its doors over the weekend after 17 years. The small downtown club, which was one of the prime spots that nurtured the early '90s grunge scene, played host to everyone from Beck to R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, Death Cab for Cutie and, most famously, Nirvana and Mudhoney on a 1992 double bill that cost only $3. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that the venue's owner left voicemails for club employees on Sunday telling them not to come to work following Saturday night's gig. She reportedly said the club was shutting down due to financial difficulties. ... Prince has given his CDs away in newspapers and at shows, but the diminutive R&B superstar doesn't do freebie performances. According to the Miami Herald, the purple one pulled down an estimated $2 million payday Saturday night when he played a private 40th birthday party for Jeffrey Soffer, an heir to the Turnberry Associates real-estate fortune. The gig reportedly took place at the Turnberry Aviation hangar at the Opa Locka Executive Airport and featured elaborate open bars, gourmet food, a hit-filled set from Prince and a guest list that included director Brett Ratner, baseball player Alex Rodriguez and actor James Caan. Oh, and KC & the Sunshine Band were Prince's opening act. ...

Tom Sizemore was released from prison December 10 after serving time for violating his drug probation stemming from a 2004 meth conviction, TMZ.com reports. The actor was sentenced in mid-June to 16 months in state prison and awarded 213 days credit for time he had spent in county jail and live-in drug programs. Sizemore is still in a drug program, according to the site. ...

Boys and girls in America, it's time to rejoice. Brooklyn, New York, band the Hold Steady recently revealed on their Web site that they've wrapped preproduction on the follow-up to 2006's critically acclaimed Boys and Girls in America. "For the last few weeks we've been holed up in our rehearsal space in Greenpoint finishing up preproduction with John Agnello [who produced Boys] for the new album," read the post, which was simply attributed to "The Hold Steady." "Since the band's beginning, this is the longest we've gone without being in the studio. I've never looked forward to being placed in a giant aquarium with headphones like I have been lately. We'll be recording for most of January and February, and I'll post updates and photos for those interested. No release date yet, but you all will be the first to know."

12.18.07

Fergie is Blender magazine's Woman of the Year — but don't get too excited, guys, she's "practically married" to actor Josh Duhamel. "I'm madly in love with him," the Black Eyed Pea said in the cover-story interview, during which she dropped more than a few F-bombs. "He understands how to treat a woman and give me respect. And I'm gonna miss him on tour." Fergie reportedly started to cry after making that comment, as she did at the top of the chat, when she was told she had earned the Woman of the Year honor. "It feels like such an accomplishment. ... And — I can't believe you made me cry. I'm so embarrassed. And I'm f---ing up my eyeliner." ...

Ashley Tisdale is saying sorry to fans for scratching two shows over the weekend because of her recent nose job. "When my surgery was scheduled, we didn't think it would be necessary to cancel the shows because my doctor thought I would heal in time," she wrote on her Web site. "Unfortunately, the deviated septum was more significant than we originally thought so the healing process is taking longer." The "High School Musical" star, who missed her gigs in Miami and Philadelphia, was also absent at New York's Jingle Ball on Friday. ...

50 Cent played for thousands of fans at a soccer stadium in Pristina, the capital of the Serbian province of Kosovo, on Monday, The Associated Press reports. Twenty-five thousand tickets were reportedly sold for the show, which featured fireworks, according to AP. ...

Hawthorne Heights frontman JT Woodruff will participate in a conversation at an event being staged in memory of fallen bandmate Casey Calvert. The late guitarist's favorite charity, To Write Love on Her Arms — a group aimed at helping teens at risk for suicide — will put on "Heavy and Light: An Evening of Songs, Conversation and Hope" on December 29 in Orlando, Florida. The event will also feature acoustic performances by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus singer Ronnie Winter; Aaron Gillespie (Underoath, the Almost); Josh Moore; and Bayside frontman Anthony Ranieri. In related news, Ranieri has mapped out a series of 10 additional solo acoustic shows that will happen before and after the TWLOHA benefit. He will play Wednesday in San Francisco; Friday in Anaheim, California; and then perform a handful of more shows from January 11 in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, through January 19 in Troy, New York. ...

Stephen Stills, best known for his work with David Crosby, Graham Nash and Neil Young, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, Reuters reports. According to the news service, Nash disclosed the news to Larry King in a telephone interview late Monday. Stills is scheduled to have an operation on January 3, which, as it turns out, also marks his 63rd birthday. Referring to folk singer Dan Fogelberg, who was afflicted with prostate cancer and passed away Sunday, Nash reportedly said on "Larry King Live," "Unlike Danny, who left it too long to be seriously checked, Stephen found his at an early stage" and might have potentially saved his own life by getting an early diagnosis. ...

Did you hear that one about Remy Ma's supposed sexual encounter with another woman? Well, surprise — it's not true. According to TMZ.com, the rapper has responded to an online video of a woman "confessing" to having had a sexual experience with Remy Ma. "The fraudulent video hoax that has surfaced of an alleged female lover of Remy Ma is completely false, and reps for Remy Ma emphatically deny these claims," the statement reportedly read. "Remy Ma has not, nor has she ever been, involved in a same-sex relationship with the accuser or any other woman, however Remy is respectful of those who choose the alternative lifestyle." ...

Foo Fighters are thinking big for their next tour — the band is planning to break out two stages for it, according to Billboard.com. The trek, which starts January 16 in Sunrise, Florida, will feature a main stage and an acoustic stage, with the eight-piece band that supported the Foos on their acoustic tour last year returning to supplement Dave Grohl's group on select songs. In other Foo news, Grohl told TheRockRadio.com that the band, which supported Senator John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004, hasn't picked a candidate to back in next year's election. "If a candidate that we all believed in asked us to give them some support, then we would do it," he said. "It wouldn't necessarily be as the Foo Fighters, it would be as four American citizens." ...

AFI frontman Davey Havok has declined an offer to return to his old side project, Son of Sam, but the band will carry on nonetheless. "We asked Davey [to participate], but he declined, which is a bummer, but we understand and he gave us his full blessing with looking for a new singer," the band said in a statement. ... Circus Diablo, the band featuring the Cult's Billy Duffy, Camp Freddy guitarist Billy Morrison and others, has lost a member. Bassist Brett Scallions, who was once the frontman for Fuel and is the current singer for Riders on the Storm, is out, according to the band. "Brett is deeply involved in being a new dad ... and has plans with Riders on the Storm, so with much love and respect, we will be moving forward with Patrick Cornell playing bass," reads a statement from the band. ...

Jimmy Kimmel will tag along with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien when the late-night talk-show hosts return to TV on January 2 — albeit without writers. "Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than a hundred people whose financial well-being depends on our show," Kimmel said in a statement issued by ABC, according to AP. "It is time to go back to work." David Letterman is also planning a return, with a union representing the striking writers reportedly talking about negotiating a deal with Letterman's Worldwide Pants and other indie production companies. ...

Minor Threat were a force to be reckoned with, having paved the way for the U.S. hardcore straightedge movement in the early '80s. But a new hot sauce that bites the band's name is actually pretty mild — according to maker Wheelhouse Pickles, its Minor Threat Sauce is "made from a rare, mild breed of habanero [pepper] grown specifically for us [and] mysteriously privileges the pepper's fruitiness over its notoriously overwhelming heat." Wheelhouse boss Jon Orren has 'fessed up to copping the hardcore band's name for the product, according to Gothamist.com, and the band's former frontman, Ian MacKaye, reportedly doesn't mind the unconventional tribute. "I don't have an occasion to eat a lot of hot sauce, but I also thought the Minor Threat stuff was nice," he reportedly told the site. ...

Jason Bonham, current member of Led Zeppelin and son of deceased original drummer John Bonham, says "only time will tell" if the band chooses to do a full-fledged reunion tour following its widely hailed comeback gig last week. "I'm still the new guy, and I wouldn't know," the drummer told Billboard.com about potential tour plans. "There's been no talks except to Jimmy [Page] and Robert [Plant] and John Paul [Jones], just to say thanks for the best Christmas present I could ask for. It really meant a lot to me. ... If they do it again, of course I would love to. But that's up to them." ... Rob Zombie has piled more solo-show off-dates during his North American tour with Ozzy Osbourne. The metal monster will play additional gigs Wednesday (Indianapolis); Friday (Rochester, New York); January 4 (Poughkeepsie, New York); January 6 (Norfolk, Virginia); January 11 (Scranton, Pennsylvania); January 13 (South Burlington, Vermont); January 18 (Kitchener, Ontario); January 22 (Buffalo, New York); January 23 (Columbus, Ohio); January 24 (Grand Rapids, Michigan); and January 28 (Albuquerque, New Mexico). ...

Legendary singer Burt Bacharach, classic-rock group the Band, iconic jazz drummer Max Roach and others will be honored with Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Awards on February 9, during Grammy week. The recipients — which also include Doris Day, Cab Calloway, Itzhak Perlman and Earl Scruggs — will also be recognized during the Grammy telecast, which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS the following day. ...

British Sea Power, Panther and Holy F--- have planted themselves on the bill for next year's Noise Pop festival, which will go down February 26-March 2 in San Francisco. Badges for the fest are currently on sale. BSP's Do You Like Rock Music? streets February 12. ... Expect another installment next year of True Colors Tour, the Cyndi Lauper-created jaunt that featured Rufus Wainwright, the Gossip and others as part of its inaugural run this year. Dates and artists for next year's stretch have yet to be announced. ...

Joel Dorn, a veteran jazz and R&B producer who won multiple Grammy Awards and was part of Atlantic Records' in-house production staff, died Monday from a heart attack. He was 65 years old. The prolific producer, along with Roberta Flack, earned Record of the Year honors in 1972 and 1973 for the singer's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," respectively. He also led Rhino's reissue campaign when it began in 1993, taking the reins for the campaign, production and annotation of almost two dozen releases. "The recording industry has lost a true music lover and respected professional, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his friends and all who have benefited from his gift," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said in a statement issued Tuesday.

[This story was originally published at 2::23 pm E.T. on 12.19.2007]

• Notorious B.I.G.
• Ice Cube
• Shakira
• Jessica Simpson
• Lily Allen

Britney Spears
Photo: Hot Shots Worldwide / Splash News

Britney Spears' no-show at her court-ordered deposition on Wednesday will be addressed in court "probably within the next 30 days," Kevin Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan told UsMagazine.com, and according to The Associated Press, the attorney will file papers requesting that sanctions be imposed on her before the next court date, on January 23. "This can be done with her participation or without it. But it doesn't help anyone not to obey court orders," he told UsMagazine.com. "We will go forward, and she can respond in any way that addresses her failure to appear." The lawyer had previously told People.com that he was planning to ask the court for "some kind of remedy" regarding the matter, calling the singer's absence at the deposition a "willful non-appearance." According to Kaplan, he learned moments after the singer was due to arrive at the deposition that she wouldn't be going due to a "medical condition." "But she was in fact out later that day and night," he told People.com. "It's not fourth grade, where you get a doctor's note and it's all OK. She was ordered to attend. And if there's a legitimate reason for her not to attend, she would have to establish that." The attorney said he would ask the court to have Spears pay for expenses incurred due to the missed deposition, but he added, "We're not interested in punishing her. We're interested in getting facts." ...

Radiohead apparently have a fan in Jay-Z. The hip-hop mogul told Billboard.com that the band's In Rainbows release scheme "was a genius idea. I'm sure someone [in R&B/hip-hop] will follow that model," he said, adding that he would be willing to follow in their footsteps. On a similar note, Jay addressed the rumors about him leaving Def Jam. "The model of selling CDs has changed," he said. "So doing things the typical way is not in the best interests of anyone and not exciting for me. My whole thing is, how do we invest in the future? If everyone is committed to doing that, then I'm sure there's a deal to be made." In the interview, Jigga also beamed about Feist ("I'm riding with [The Reminder] right now. Her voice is so distinctive and beautiful") and Amy Winehouse ("I'd love to work with her again. I hope she keeps herself together"), and revealed that he'll put out another album "if I'm inspired. I have one album left, right? If I'm inspired to make that album, then my contract is done and I'm not in the music business anymore, as far as being an artist. I can still make music. ... Who knows? The possibilities are endless — and without any pressure to sell anything, I could make whatever and do whatever with my music. Maybe the songs would just play in [my] 40/40 [Club]." ...

"Hannah Montana" tickets are so hard to come by these days, even Lindsay Lohan can't score 'em. According to People.com, the actress phoned into Las Vegas radio station Mix 94.1 on Friday (December 14) in an effort to get tix for her friend's nieces — the station's morning show had been giving away tickets to people who were able to get celebrities to call into the show. While on air, Lohan — who left rehab in October — talked about how she's been lately, saying, "I think my life is different now, and it's changed, and I'm growing up. I've gone through a lot, and I'm just a different person now." She later added, "It's amazing, everything's going so well." She also gave an update on her recent recording sessions: "I've been in the studio, and it's going really well, and I'm really excited, 'cause it's going to be more urban pop." Finally, Lohan revealed that she wants to head to Africa on a humanitarian mission in the near future. "I really love children," she said, "and it would be nice to give back." ...

50 Cent might have more beef coming his way — GZA dissed him during his club show at the Knitting Factory in New York on Thursday night, saying, Fif "ain't got no mother----ing lyrics," according to RollingStone.com. He also reportedly paid tribute to his fallen Wu-Tang Clan group mate Ol' Dirty Bastard at the gig, the first of a two-night residency during which he is performing his classic Liquid Swords album in its entirety. ...

Just in case you forgot that Tom Morello has a lot of friends, check out a partial list of the guests who performed with him Thursday night in Hollywood at his final Nightwatchman show of the year, according to RollingStone.com: Slash, Serj Tankian, Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, Perry Farrell and his Satellite Party, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars and actor Tim Robbins. Among the songs Morello and the gang reportedly tore into were covers of Crüe, Who, Phil Ochs, Thin Lizzy and Woody Guthrie tunes. ...

Despite UsMagazine.com's Thursday report that Jessica Simpson's "Blonde Ambition" flick is going straight to DVD, People.com says the movie actually get a limited theatrical run in the actress' home state of Texas. "Blonde" will be shown in eight theaters starting December 21, and if it does well, could see a wider release, according to the site. The DVD of the comedy — which co-stars another Texas native, Luke Wilson — will hit stores January 22. ... The reunion tour by the Police was the highest-grossing tour of 2007, raking in more than $212 million while selling 1.8 million tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore. It was followed by another boomer-riffic reunion tour — Genesis came in second on grosses of $129 million, followed by Justin Timberlake, who took in $126.8 million and drew more than 1.6 million fans worldwide. Also making the top 10 was Christina Aguilera, who nosed in at #9 on grosses of $48.1 million. Despite the massive grosses by the top acts, overall the magazine reports that North American concert dollars and attendance were down double digits for the year, with grosses slipping 10.2 percent and attendance down 19.2 percent. ...

In a scene that could have been cut from one of those 1980s John Hughes teen-angst movies, a custodian's impromptu after-hours karaoke performance of the Guns N' Roses classic "Welcome to the Jungle" at a Roxbury, Connecticut, high school almost ended in disaster. According to AP, police say a Booth Free School teacher, who was working after-hours and thought she was alone in the building, barricaded herself in her classroom when she heard someone singing the lines, "You're in the jungle, baby! You're gonna die!," over the loudspeaker, and thought it was a threat directed at her. Six troopers and three police dogs raced to the scene and found three teens — one of whom is a school custodian — who had been messing with the public-address system. The three were cuffed for 15 minutes during the investigation, and no charges were filed in the end. ...

Tegan and Sara will hit the pavement with Northern State for a monthlong European trek starting February 22 in England and winding down March 20 in the Netherlands. ... In other tour news, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have lined up a bunch of dates for January and early February. The soul/funk squad will begin its jaunt January 3 in Florida and bring it to a close February 2 in Nashville. ... Paramore, New Found Glory, the Starting Line, Bayside, Saves the Day and Chiodos will light up next year's Bamboozle Left fest, set to go down April 5-6 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California. Two-day passes are on sale now. ... Chiodos have also been added to the bill for Linkin Park's upcoming U.S. tour with Coheed and Cambria. The trek launches February 12 in Omaha, Nebraska, and wraps March 10 in Sacramento, California. ...

Kill Rock Stars, Touch and Go and other indie labels have written an angry letter to Rolling Stone in response to the Camel cigarette controversy that was revealed last week. The labels — as well as state attorneys general and anti-smoking activists — are upset about a Camel ad that appeared alongside a cartoon-heavy indie-rock feature in the magazine's November 15 issue. "[We] wish to share our indignation regarding [the] pull-out editorial, which featured the names of our artists in conjunction with an ad for Camel cigarettes," reads the letter. "This editorial cartoon gives every impression of being part and parcel of the advertisement wrapped around it. The use of an artist's name to promote a brand or product should be done only with the artist's explicit consent, something that was neither solicited nor obtained from the labels or bands. ... Many of the bands named, and the labels that represent them, are very unhappy with the implication that they have any involvement with R.J. Reynolds and Camel cigarettes. We ask that Rolling Stone apologize for blurring the line between editorial and advertisement, and in doing so, implying that the bands named support the product being advertised." Skin Graft, Lovepump United, Lucky Madison, 5RC, Audio Dregs and Fryk Beat also signed the letter. ...

Side One Dummy's second annual Rock to Roll charity concert — which was held Tuesday and featured performances by Flogging Molly, the Bouncing Souls and others — raked in more than $35,000 for UCP Wheels For Humanity. The group helps people with disabilities become more self-sufficient and mobile. ... Sugarcult will stage their fifth annual Christmas Toys for Tots Charity show Thursday at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. The benefit is being put on in conjunction with Toys for Tots, and attendees are asked to drop off an unwrapped toy at the Sugarcult merch table — those who do will get a gift bag of swag items from the band and other show sponsors. The gig will also feature New Year's Day, Lorene Drive, Them Terribles and Rocket. ... Speaking of rockets, Rocket From the Crypt, who ended their career with a Halloween gig in their San Diego hometown two years ago, are getting some posthumous love via a CD/DVD set immortalizing the show. R.I.P. drops February 26. But while RFTC are dead, John Reis is carrying on with a new project also featuring former Hot Snakes bandmates Gar Wood and Jason Kourkounis. The act — the name of which still hasn't been revealed — will dish up a yet-untitled album on March 25 and support it with a tour. ...

Tori Amos might seem genteel enough, but that wasn't the case at her concert in San Diego on Wednesday night, when she lashed out at a pair of fans who were disturbing the performance. According to a video on TMZ.com, the singer/songwriter ripped into two girls, saying, "It's a privilege to sit in the front row. I reserve those seats for people who appreciate music. Get the f--- out!" Her label reportedly responded with a statement, saying, "Tori doesn't sell front row seats to her shows. She'll pick fans that are in the back row and she will upgrade them. It is a privilege to get picked. Apparently these two girls were on their cell phones all night. ... It was her sticking up for her other fans that missed out on the opportunity." ...

Jack's back: Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson issued a new single, "If I Had Eyes," on Thursday through iTunes, with customers who preorder his February 5 album, Sleep Through the Static, getting the track for free. The LP was made using solar energy at Johnson's eco-friendly studios in Los Angeles, Billboard reports, and similarly, he will launch his next tour on Earth Day — April 22 — in his native Hawaii. ... Speaking of iTunes, Silverchair are putting out a new release exclusively through the online store on Tuesday. The Greatest View EP features four songs, including the title track — which was previously available on the band's 2003 disc, Diorama — as well as a pair of videos. ...

Score one for Nicole Kidman — the "Golden Compass" actress has accepted unspecified damages from U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph for falsely reporting she had breached the terms of a contract, according to AP. The paper had said Kidman — who has a promotional contract with Chanel No. 5 perfume — was carrying a bottle of a competitor's perfume while in London to hype her new flick, but her lawyer said the source of the report had invented the story. The Daily Telegraph is reportedly paying the actress' legal costs, as well as "substantial" damages. ... Johnny Depp might play a serial killer in his new flick "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," but he's actually a pretty nice guy — Autograph Magazine has named him the most gracious celebrity, in terms of signing autographs, for the third year in a row. Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Russell Crowe (yup, you read that right) followed behind Depp, while on the flipside, Will Ferrell, Scarlett Johansson and Tobey Maguire were named the worst celebrity signers. ...

Liza Minnelli collapsed onstage in Sweden during a show Wednesday and was later rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. A statement from her publicist Liz Rosenberg that appeared on the singer's Web site said she "became very ill shortly after the show began. ... She will now be seeing her doctor to determine what caused her dizziness and to collapse." After performing three songs at a holiday concert, Minnelli dropped her microphone and stumbled offstage, according to multiple reports. ...

Cast King, a country artist whose music will appear in Gus Van Sant's upcoming flick "Paranoid Park," died Thursday at his home in Alabama. He was 81. Locust Music, his label, is trying to raise money to help King's family pay for medical and funeral expenses — go to its Web site for more information.

12.13.07

Britney Spears' "Piece of Me" video is in place, even if it won't actually be out until January at earliest — People.com posted a sneak preview of it on Thursday (December 13). In the clip, her second one for Blackout, the singer and her dancers are chased by the paparazzi and duck into a club in an effort to escape. (Check out snaps from the "Piece of Me" video shoot right here.) Don't forget that Britney has reached out to fans to direct a separate "Piece of Me" video for her, with the winning clip to air December 20 on "TRL." For the "Britney Spears Wants a Piece of You" contest, MTV has opened its vaults of the footage shot of the pop singer over the years, and fans can access the goods via the MTV Video Remixer. Pick the shots you like, mash them up and hit "send" — clips can be up to 3:34 in length or shorter. The grand-prize winner also will receive a brand new Haier Ibiza Rhapsody device along with a one-year subscription to Rhapsody, as well as the entire catalog of Spears' CDs and DVDs released in the U.S. ...

Scott Weiland's DUI case will be continued on January 17, according to TMZ.com — the Velvet Revolver frontman was due to be arraigned Thursday (December 13). Maybe it would have helped if the rocker had gotten that news Wednesday night, when he allegedly ranted onstage at Velvet Revolver's show in Hollywood, the site reports. Weiland reportedly said his group is not the "Mormon Tabernacle f---ing Choir" and, a source allegedly told the site, steered clear of his bandmates backstage after the show and didn't have his picture taken. ... Scott Stapp is off the hook — a domestic battery charge against the rocker has been dropped after he completed terms of an agreement, including his required participation in anger management counseling, according to The Associated Press. The original charge was aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony but it was reduced to a misdemeanor on Monday. Stapp was arrested in May after his wife accused him of taking drugs and throwing a bottle at her. As part of his agreement, he also underwent a substance abuse evaluation and agreed not to have any weapons in his possession. ...

So much for Jessica Simpson's "Blonde Ambition" — the actress' flick, inspired by the '80s classic "Working Girl," is going straight to DVD, according to UsMagazine.com. The comedy, which co-stars Luke Wilson, will hit stores January 22. ... If you think that lock of John Lennon's hair went for a lot of money — it was auctioned for $48,000 on Wednesday — wait till you hear how much a London dealer threw down for a handwritten, illustrated J.K. Rowling book: a cool 1.95 million pounds, the U.S. equivalent of $3.98 million, according to Reuters. The copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" — a book that is referenced in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — was auctioned Thursday in London, and the price is the most anyone has ever paid for a modern literary manuscript at auction. All proceeds will go to Rowling's charity the Children's Voice, which helps vulnerable kids across Europe. ...

A Louisiana judge denied a request from C-Murder to travel to Texas for Pimp C's funeral on Thursday (December 13). According to an AP report, the judge would not make an allowance for the trip for Murder (born Corey Miller), who is currently under house arrest awaiting a retrial for the 2002 murder of a teen inside a nightclub. ...

Ne-Yo is heading to Wal-Mart — but not to go holiday shopping. Instead, the R&B singer will be at the retail chain's location in Torrance, California, on Friday to help with a toy drive for inner-city children. ... Coldplay have unearthed their cover of the Pretenders' Christmas-themed "2,000 Miles" and posted it on Coldplay.com. The group recorded the song — which benefited Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence — in 2003 and made it available for a limited time as a paid download on their site. "We love Christmas songs, but every time we try and write one it's awful," Chris Martin wrote in an accompanying post. "So we often cover them — well, once or twice, actually. In fact, the song I would most like to have written is 'Fairytale of New York' by de bloody Pogues of Ireland." ...

Shakira elbowed her way onto the list of Golden Globe nominees — her "Love in the Time of Cholera" contribution earned a nod for Best Original Song. "I composed 'Despedida' with all my love for [Gabriel] Garcia Márquez, who is for me a true genius and the most eloquent spokesman of my people," she said in a statement, referring to the author who wrote the book on which the film was based. Eddie Vedder's "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild" also made the cut, as did the "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" tune "Walk Hard," which was penned and performed by John C. Reilly, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow. Similarly, three "Wild" Vedder songs and a trio of "Walk Hard" cuts have made the Oscar committee's list of tracks being considered for Best Original Song, according to a weblog on Variety.com. Fifty-nine tunes — including ones by John Legend, John Mayer, the Flaming Lips, Sondre Lerche, Rufus Wainwright, Sheryl Crow and Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger — are eligible for the award. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will screen film clips featuring the tracks on January 15, after which the actual nominees for the Best Original Song category will be determined. ...

R. Kelly's Friday night concert at the Forum in Los Angeles will be protested by black activists calling for action against the singer, who is facing 14 counts of child pornography, the Los Angeles Times reports. "It's like pulling teeth to get people to talk about this," one activist, Jasmyne Cannick, told the Times. "It's a challenge to get the black community to even discuss it. They're acting like he doesn't have 14 counts of child pornography against him. ... We're all acting like we don't have daughters and nieces and little sisters." But Kelly's manager, Derrell McDavid, didn't seem too worried when he spoke to the newspaper. "There's been no protests on this tour," he said. "It's just been a warm embrace and sold-out shows." ... Are the Smashing Pumpkins already working on new material? It seems that way — but this time around, fans won't have to wait nearly as long. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin wrote in a blog post on their Web site that they're in the midst of tracking, and hinted that the Pumpkins might have new material to release as early as January 1. "We are back in the studio recording some songs for a possible release worldwide," he wrote. "Look for these around the first of the year." ...

Snoop Dogg's Youth Football League is still going strong, and the rapper has plotted a third benefit show to raise funds for the project, which helps kids stay off the streets. "The kids in the league depend on me to keep it going, and giving 100 percent of the sales from this concert is my way of making it happen for all of them," he said in a statement about the show, which will take place Saturday at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. All proceeds will go to the league and be used for new uniforms, transportation, lodging and food for the upcoming Snoop Bowl, taking place during Super Bowl weekend in Arizona. ... Linkin Park's ambitious Music for Relief project has taken on another cause: raising money and awareness about the humanitarian crisis that has resulted in Bangladesh in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr. The outreach organization has launched an eBay auction featuring items by LP, Avril Lavigne, Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones, with all proceeds going to the international relief group Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere. ... George Clooney and Don Cheadle were honored in Rome on Thursday with a peace award for their efforts to raise awareness about the Darfur humanitarian crisis, according to AP. Also Thursday, they urged world leaders to provide helicopters for a peacekeeping force, partially led by the United Nations, that will take over security in the Sudanese area later in December. ...

Look, up in the sky, it's the Spice Girls! The reunited group has revealed the name of its Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet: Spice One. The name was chosen via an online contest, and the winner — who hails from Brazil — recently joined the ladies at their recent ceremony at Los Angeles International Airport. ... Three Thom Yorke remixes that were previously available on his Web site will be issued February 4 in the U.K. in the form of 12-inches. The remixes are by the Field, Four Tet and others. ... Lupe Fiasco has filled up his calendar with concert dates, promotional appearances in support of his sophomore album, Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool," which drops Tuesday. LupeFiasco.com will be relaunched that day, on which Fiasco will also play a gig at New York's the Fillmore at Irving Plaza. After that, he'll stage a December 20 in-store gig at the Bassment in his Chicago hometown; a "MySpace Presents the Release" show in Hawaii on December 27; and then set out on a tour that starts January 10 in Portland, Oregon, and ends March 25 in Fredricksburg, Virginia. In the meantime, stream The Cool in its entirety on MTV's "The Leak." ...

While less than 20,000 of the reported millions who wanted to see Monday's Led Zeppelin reunion in London were actually able to attend the gig, millions more briefly relived the experience vicariously through bootleg online clips. But, almost as fast as those clips showed up on sites like YouTube, they were reportedly taken down at the request of the band's management. Or perhaps at the request of Warner Bros., which owns the publishing rights to Zeppelin's catalog, according to Portfolio.com, which reported that individual clips began disappearing from YouTube on Tuesday afternoon "due to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group," which, incidentally, has a licensing deal with YouTube for its content. However, the story got even weirder Thursday morning, when the Silicon Alley Insider revealed that a Brooklyn, New York, company called "GrayZone," which bills itself as the "bootbusters of the entertainment industry," took the initiative in sending out the takedown notices. According to the Alley Insider story, GrayZone apologized for erroneously issuing the notices and explained, "The error is ours alone. We acted without authorization from the band or Warner Music Group. Unfortunately, an automated system mistakenly attributed the removal of the content to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group. That was inaccurate. We have informed YouTube of the error and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused." Speculation had surfaced that the reason for the takedown might be tied to an expected DVD release of the event at some point next year. ... In related news, Robert Plant will tour next year, but not necessarily with Zep. He'll make the rounds with Alison Krauss, with whom he collaborated for their October release Raising Sand. The pair will trek through Europe in May. ...

There's a new "Jackass" movie coming, and you won't even have to leave the house to see it. The 64-minute "Jackass 2.5" will stream for free from Wednesday until December 31 at JackassWorld.com with previously unreleased footage and interviews. The movie, touted as the first-ever studio-backed feature streamed entirely online, is available to anyone over 17 who downloads the Microsoft Silverlight media player, which can be found at Blockbuster.JackassWorld.com. ... Janet Jackson has finally settled on a title, release date and lead single for her follow-up to last year's 20 Y.O. Discipline will drop February 26 and be preceded by the first single, the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Feedback," which impacts January 7. Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri, Stargate, The-Dream and others also lent their talents to the veteran singer's 10th studio effort, which was executive produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid. ... The Liars have lined up a headlining stint for next year as they continue to support their self-titled release, which came out in August. The band will set sail January 25 in San Francisco and play about a month's worth of gigs that will wind down with a February 22 show in Los Angeles.

• Britney Spears
• Jay-Z
• Radiohead
• Feist
• Lindsay Lohan

Photo: MTV News

On The Record: The 20 Best Albums Of 2007

This is not a perfect list, because this was not a perfect year. I think the general consensus is that something big happened (or is happening) in 2007, but no one seems to be able to agree on just what that "event of monumental import" was. Maybe it was In Rainbows, the OiNK bust or the defections of several high-profile artists from the major-label stables. Perhaps it was none of those things, and it's all still business as usual, but I sort of doubt it.

There's definitely a movement afoot, though. And these 20 albums were all part of it — some because they changed the flow of the industry, others because they were simply released in 2007. Below, you'll find game-changers, weirdo-folk, not-punk punk albums, expansive-yet-minimalist electro — and absolutely no Neon Bible. And, like I said, you'll probably find some faults with my list (I probably should've included Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Bruce Springsteen's Magic, for starters) but I'd like to think that's also why it's also a pretty good one: After all, there was no clear-cut choice for Album of the Year in 2007, just a whole lot of efforts that could possibly lay claim to the title (or couldn't, depending on who you asked). If we learned anything, it's that practically everyone could agree on positively nothing. And if that's not a pretty accurate assessment of the past 12 months ... well, then I don't know what is.

Also, I'd love to hear your feedback and read your lists, so feel free to e-mail me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

20. The Go! Team, Proof of Youth
The sound of the blog bubble bursting, complete with '70s guitars, double-dutch cadences, thunderous drumming, glorious fuzz and a cameo by Chuck D. Unfairly abandoned by pretty much everyone who loved the Go! Team's 2004 debut, Thunder, Lightening, Strike (because it's basically the same record), Proof of Youth stands as an example of the inherent stupidity of today's fast-moving blogosphere, and a cautionary tale to bands like the Black Kids and Vampire Weekend. If only all failures sounded this good.

The Best Of 2007 The Top Albums: MTV News Staffers Pick Their Top 10 Albums The Biggest Arrests: Paris Hilton, T.I. And More Had An Arrest-Ing 2007 The Hottest Couples: 50 Cent And Ciara And More Smoking-Hot Couples For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

19. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dandelion Gum
Stuff a vocoder in your mouth. Strap a pair of Casio keyboards to your feet. Wander the Mojave Desert for a month. Do the Black Moth Super Rainbow. Gleefully psychedelic, completely nonsensical, unbelievably sunny folk-tronica from the wilds of Pittsburgh. Every bit as WTF as the name implies.

18. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
A guy who looks like an extra from "The Legend of Zelda" releases the year's most melodramatic album — 40 minutes of gilded, whimsical, overly indulgent Baroque-pop, full of stabbing violins, synthesizers that pop like fireworks and chiming church bells; becomes even more flamboyant (if that's possible); establishes himself as a sex symbol on both sides of the aisle; has onstage meltdown in NYC; threatens to quit the music industry via a messageboard post; recants his threat days later; then starts a feud with fellow balladeer Mika over "authenticity." And you thought you had a busy year.

17. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Not only is this album better than you remember, it's also probably the only thing on this list that the dude in the cubicle next to you owns (well, this or Kanye). Packing away the sunny, strummy indie-pop for darker, nocturnal mood music, the Shins crafted a weird winner that somehow managed to debut at #2 on the Billboard albums chart (despite leaking to the Internet like three months early), and finally get them out from underneath the shadow of that dude from "Scrubs." Hopefully.

16. Kanye West, Graduation
The swagger is nothing new. Neither is the lack of humility. But never have both sides of Kanye co-existed so successfully on one record (maybe Daft Punk helped broker the peace). On Graduation, West reveals the complexities contained within himself, looking back while moving forward, slowing down a step — really, there's nothing on here that grabs you with the immediacy of "Jesus Walks" — to bask in his successes, while still holding his competitors in check and keeping one eye toward the future. A truly accomplished, truly human album that still manages to work in a song based around a Steely Dan sample. And that's much harder to do than it looks.

15. Okkervil River, The Stage Names
World-weary, scruffy rock from the weariest, scruffiest band in Austin, Texas, Stage Names is beautiful, tear-in-yer-beer stuff, but it's also probably the most self-aware album released this decade (either this or Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out) full of too-smart references to the Beach Boys, Marcel Duchamp artwork, Paul Simon and Nena's "99 Luftballons." It's meant to be a concept record of sorts, about the exploration of high art and low art, which sort of explains the tender ballad about the death of porn star Savannah. Sort of.

14. Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala
Sumptuous, swirling pop from Sweden's finest troubadour. Sonically, it's all over the map: booming orchestral numbers, sparkly samba, morose Northern soul, all sung in Lekman's sleepy, mahogany-rich baritone. Also, "I took my sister down to the ocean/ But the ocean made me feel stupid" is probably the most emo line of the year. Deep, man ... deep.

13. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
Just last week, I named James Murphy's "All My Friends" as "the best song of 2007," and the album is nearly as good. Building on the, well, dancey-but-not-dance roots he's been laying down for a few years now, Silver is the record in which Murphy puts electroclash (remember that?) to bed for good and establishes himself as a truly important artist: the kind of guy who's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve (check "All My Friends" or "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down"), or get funky in really goofy ways, or record a 45-minute exercise track for Nike. And we need guys like that.

12. The National, Boxer
The sound of sepia. Sad like the photos you see pinned to the walls in really old bars. Beautiful like being drunk on a rooftop in Brooklyn, the city twinkling in the distance. Painful like the hangover the following morning. The songs on Boxer are all of those things, often at the same time. A remarkable record.

11. Feist, The Reminder
Sure, there's the song that sold the iPods, but there's also the churning, torch-y "My Moon My Man," the heartbreaking "The Park" and the slinky "Brandy Alexander," to name just a few. Intimately performed, expertly arranged indie balladry, with Leslie Feist's voice weaving through it all: lithe, supple, sexy and undeniably powerful. Probably — OK, undoubtedly — the breakthrough album of 2007.

10. Yeasayer, All Hour Cymbals
What world music would sound like if it was played by a bunch of hipsters from Williamsburg. Hints of African guitars, drone-y Eastern European notes, Celtic rhythms, plus chants, chimes and handclaps, all whirled together into a heady sonic brew. In a thousand years, when they excavate Bedford Avenue, they'll probably discover copies of Cymbals and think we were a much more evolved society. Either that or really big fans of Forest for the Trees.

9. Deerhunter, Cryptograms
If you believe the rumors (and given the generally terrifying WTF-ness of Deerhunter, I do), Cryptograms is really two albums in one: the first half — from "Intro" to "Red Ink" — was recorded in one manic session, on a single reel of tape, with frontman Bradford Cox still battling the lingering effects of walking pneumonia. The second half (starting with "Spring Hall Convert" and ending with "Heatherwood") was recorded in another one-day session, on another reel of tape. That the two halves are so sonically disparate — one murky and atmospheric, the other luminous and relatively straightforward — not only lends credence to those rumors, but also speaks volumes about the ever-evolving talent of the band itself, and makes Cryptograms an experience unlike most you'll hear this decade. And given that Deerhunter are currently on hiatus, that experience might — unfortunately — only be a one-time thing.

8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Not as accessible as Good News for People Who Love Bad News, not as good as The Lonesome Crowded West (or The Moon & Antarctica, for that matter), We Were Dead represents Modest Mouse at the great divide: On one side, the past. On the other, the future. So, accordingly, the album borrows equally from both, packed with rambling, shambling guitar exercises and (relatively) straightforward radio rock. There was even a slow number or three. That the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart seemed to be the most amazing thing of all, and it only gave MM the validation they deserved. No matter where Isaac Brock and company decide to go from here, they've already won.

7. Panda Bear, Person Pitch
Like the Animal Collective that begat him, Panda is less about making music and more about stringing together atmosphere, creating pockets of sound as big as entire universes. Here, he collects the wooshes of subway cars, the crunch of gravel under boots, wind, water (and a bunch more), and combines them with some really beautiful vocal harmonies, a little acoustic strumming and the occasional odd "woo-hoo" to create an album that's warm like an old blanket but also chilly like a snowdrift. Bizarrely accessible, sort of spooky, and really all you could ask for from so-called "experimental rock."

6. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
A masterwork of techno (do people still even use that word?) both minimal and maximal, Sublime — the handiwork of Swedish DJ Axel Willner — recalls cellular division, slowly melting ice caverns and fields of blossoming sunflowers, often in the same song, and often using little more than a bass line, a kick-drum and a looped sample. Devastating in its simplicity and scope, it's more intelligent dance music than Intelligent Dance Music, which may not make sense, only it does. You get me?

5. Tegan and Sara, The Con
An album of beautiful complexity and brutal honestly, The Con covers all manners of love, loss and heartbreak, and does it all with a restraint and a maturity that belies the Quin sisters' age. W-a-a-y more confident and ballsy than any "follow-up to a breakthrough" album should be, yet still self-effacing and full of enough doubts to fill 1,000 diary pages. Expertly helmed by producer Chris Walla, it's a record that unfurls gradually, revealing just a bit more with each listen. For some reason, it reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, though I can neither explain nor condone that statement.

4. The White Stripes, Icky Thump
To some, it's just another example of Jack White's ever-expanding ego. To others, it's another addition to his "guitar god" résumé. I think I fall somewhere in between. Sure, there's parts of Thump that are a bit much — mainly the bagpipes that drag down the middle of the record — but there's also plenty of great moments, too: the fret-melting majesty of the title track, the delightfully silly vaudeville of "Rag and Bone," and straightforward, floor-pounding rock of "Bone Broke." For the first time, White also drops the whole "magical bluesman" shtick and opens up a bit, and — surprise — he seems just as conflicted and unhappy as you or I. Which only makes him, and the entire album, that much more likeable.

3. Radiohead, In Rainbows
The album that changed everything, only it probably didn't (though it's nice to oversimplify sometimes). When all the smoke surrounding its release strategy cleared, fans were left with an album that either enthralled or mystified ... there really was no in between. For me, it was the former: Radiohead put away the electronics on this one and just decided to play, making beautiful, intricate songs about decidedly human things — failing relationships, infidelity, whatever the hell "15 Step" is about. It's the album that sounds like the next logical step, and while some didn't want to hear Radiohead slip gracefully into their 40s, that's what they got. And I'll take AARP Radiohead over almost any other band on the planet. They may sound old, but, dude, they are old. Except Jonny Greenwood. He's apparently a vampire.

2. Against Me!, New Wave
The massive choruses. The even more massive hooks. The major label. The big-name producer. The boy/girl duet. The protest song that made fun of protest songs. There probably wasn't a more unapologetic record made this year — seriously, New Wave might actually redefine the word "unabashed" — and Against Me! are totally aware of this, and they don't care what you (or the majority of their old fans) think, which is why Against Me! are awesome, and why this album totally rules. Punk rock is probably dead already, but if it isn't, well, this is the album that killed it off forever. Good riddance.

1. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
When all is said and done, the sky is still falling and the rivers continue to run red with BitTorrent. The industry is dead, except that it's probably not. We are living in the future, only no one seems to realize it, because we might just be living in the past. You are part of the problem, and the solution, all at the same time. And none of this really matters. What cuts through the fog and the noise is simplicity. And on the surface, Sky Blue Sky is the most simple record of the year: straightforward like Summer Teeth, sparkling in execution, bravely unflinching in subject. It resonates because it's true and beautiful and seemingly not of this era. But it's also unfathomably complicated: a record about relationships, about being so in love and wanting to make it work so bad, about giving of yourself and taking from someone else about being back to back, in the foxhole — impossible Germany, unlikely Japan — against overwhelming odds, but determined to fight until the bitter end. No one said simplicity was ever easy.

• Radiohead
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• The Shins
• Feist
• LCD Soundsystem

Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

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Radiohead's <I>In Rainbows</I>
Photo: XL

Like most of the media world, we here at MTV News obsess and argue relentlessly over our year-end top 10s. This year, we thought we'd share them! Our staff top 10s will be rolling out all this week, along with several less conventional lists we've come up with, like couples, guilty-pleasure songs, albums, hot messes, arrests and much more. Enjoy, and share your own top 10s in You Tell Us!

1. Radiohead, In Rainbows: I didn't rush out and buy the iPhone, and I didn't sprain an index finger ordering up this Sominex special. Sgt. Pepper's couldn't have stood up to the scrutiny that this low-audio quality Internet stunt album got, and now that I have finally paid my $0 (yeah, I'm one of those guys, so what?), I have to say I'm ... is "underimpressed" a word? Fewer electronic squiggles and more rock than the last couple of glitch-a-ramas, but if this is the best of two years of jamming, what the hell did they leave on the cutting room floor?

2. M.I.A., Kala: I can totally dig the Pixies and Jonathan Richman references, and I love Bollywood soundtracks, chaos and big, frantic tribal spaz beats. But somehow the combo of all that plus M.I.A.'s barky, accented chicken-squawk vocals and all those annoying kids hectoring in the background felt like a spangly Chuck Taylor All-Star to my brainpan. Hip-hop should feel like fun, not homework.

3. Björk, Volta: Like Radiohead, Björk is one of those artists critics are required to fawn over, despite her insistence on treating melody like it's a cop's foot and she's Britney's out-of-control Beemer. We get it: You're avant-garde. But if the rumbly, bleep-bloop "Earth Intruders" is as catchy as it gets, I promise to pay anyone out there $100 if they can prove they listened to this whole album more than twice by this time next year.

The Best Of 2007 The Top Albums: MTV News Staffers Pick Their Top 10 Albums The Biggest Arrests: Paris Hilton, T.I. And More Had An Arrest-Ing 2007 The Hottest Couples: 50 Cent And Ciara And More Smoking-Hot Couples For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

4. Dr. Dog, We All Belong: If by We All Belong, they mean "we all belong to a cabal of hipsters who've chosen to overlook the fact that half these songs sound kinda like a dirty hippie barbershop quartet playing Beach Boys covers," well, then I guess I'm not a belong-er.

5. The Good, the Bad & the Queen, The Good, the Bad & the Queen: Remember what it felt like to watch the 2004 men's-basketball "Dream Team" get their asses handed to them by Argentina? That was kinda like listening to this dubbed-out, tuneless mess featuring members of the Clash, Gorillaz/Blur, the Verve and Fela Kuti's band.

6. Feist, The Reminder: Man, that "1234" song was awesome! And the one-continous-shot video with the dancing and the color-coordinated outfits? And the choreography? So awesome. Did I mention that I totally dig "1234"?

7. The Arcade Fire, Neon Bible: I wanted to love this album so badly. I really did. What with the songs about terrorists and Jessica Simpson's dad (same difference?) and that one that sounds like John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band's "On the Dark Side" ("Keep the Car Running" — go check it out yourself)? But unlike the band's debut, with the exception of a few cuts — OK, "Keep the Car Running" — it felt like an indie-rock college term paper on postpartum depression.

8. Bat for Lashes, Fur & Gold: Remember that Björk bet? Double or nothing, baby! I like freaks and I like folk, but I guess I just don't like creepy Halloween music if the scariest it gets is a tune about "The Wizard."

9. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam: The next time I want to listen to a broken $25 Casiotone keyboard being defiled by a cheap drum machine over a staticky intercom while some stoner rambles on about bubbles exploding and tickling the bath, I'll just go to my buddy Eric's house and watch him cook dinner. Because at least he always has two good import beers on tap. ...

10. Angels & Airwaves, I-Empire: Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody pretends you're supposed to like this one.

• Radiohead
• M.I.A.
• Björk
• Feist
• Arcade Fire

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