Aubrey O'Day backstage before her Broadway debut in "Hairspray"
Photo: MTV News

Last week, we saw Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day rehearse for her Broadway debut as the uppity Amber Von Tussle in "Hairspray." But who could be content with just a little sneak peek? Lucky for us, MTV News was invited back to see the real thing on opening night.

Minutes before the curtains went up on Friday night, we squeezed into O'Day's dressing room, where friends and family showered her with flowers and gifts, while she worked out those pre-performance jitters.

"I am so excited for my opening night on Broadway," O'Day said, as she prepared to don the towering wig recently worn by Haylie Duff. "I've learned the part in two weeks, so it's been crazy, but such a beautiful experience and everyone has been so welcoming, and I just fit right in.

"I'm a good nervous," she added. "It's positive energy; it's not negative, but definitely I have butterflies in my tummy right now. I'm just very excited to go onstage tonight and be a little snotty brat."

O'Day wasn't the only one excited: As soon as the curtains rose, the crowd came to life, but the moment the new castmember took the stage, the cheers rose about six octaves. The sold-out crowd screamed as she made her way to center stage and exclaimed to the crowd in her high-pitched voice, "I'm Amber!"

From then on, every time O'Day graced the stage, the crowd went wild — probably due in part to the fact that the first eight rows were filled with 52 of her friends and family members.

"It's most important that all my best friends from childhood are here," O'Day said. "All my friends have come to see my rehearsals, and they are like, 'I can't believe you are finally on Broadway!' So, I'm more excited for them and how they will see me."

O'Day hit every note and dance step during the two-and-a-half-hour performance, giving Amber extra flare and sassiness. She seemed at ease and confident on stage while teaming up with her love interest in the play, fellow "Making the Band" alum Ashley Parker Angel, who plays Link.

O'Day said that ever since she was a little girl she has always wanted to take the Broadway stage. So when she took her final bow, she couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. Who could when their childhood dream was finally coming true?

• Aubrey O'Day Makes Her Broadway Debut
• Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day Gets Bratty In 'Hairspray'

• Danity Kane

Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day
Photo: MTV News

She's sold millions of records as part of pop group Danity Kane, and she's toured the world, playing for screaming fans. Now, Aubrey O'Day is getting ready to trade in her hair extensions for some "Hairspray."

On Friday, the sultry songstress will make her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film classic. And when she takes the stage for the first time, she'll have plenty of supporters in the audience, including the rest of her DK bandmates and the man who discovered them all: Sean "Diddy" Combs.

O'Day, who became an official member of the cast about two weeks ago, says acting has always been a passion of hers. Before pursuing a music career, she was more involved in theater, so this stint on the Great White Way is something of a dream come true.

"I originally started out in musical theater when I was 4 — I did 'Annie,' " she said. "I've been doing it for a very long time, and this is my first love. My dream in life was to be on Broadway, so this is actually allowing me to fulfill my dreams."

O'Day will be portraying Amber Von Tussle in the production, a role previously played by Haylie Duff, Hilary's sister.

"Amber is known to everyone as the snot of the cast," O'Day said. "She's the little brat, but one thing I noticed when I saw other people play her is that she's still lovable. She's not someone you want to hate.

"This show focuses on a lot of racial issues," she continued. "It's important, I think, especially with Obama coming out and the turn our country is going through, racially. It's really the only thing on Broadway addressing that. In general, we shy away from race. This show directly puts it out there. It's very powerful. The first time I saw it, I cried — I was so emotionally invested in it. I think that Amber represents someone who is comfortable with how things are and doesn't want things to change. I mean, sometimes ignorance is bliss, and she just doesn't know any better."

O'Day, who recently broke one of her middle fingers after slamming it into a wall during a DK live gig, jumped at the opportunity to play Amber because she's always loved Waters' version of "Hairspray" as well as the 2007 remake, which starred John Travolta and Zac Efron, among others.

"I've always been a big fan of the 'Hairspray' movies, but they're very different from the show," she explained. "The show captures different elements, so even though I was a fan of those coming here, I had to learn a completely different style of what I perceived it to be."

She also had to tone down her DK persona, given that the musical is set in the 1960s. "We are so contemporary — [we have] these sexy moves and we are these powerful girl stars," she said. "Then you come here, and sexy is when you were really cute and sweet, and everything is very old-fashioned, and kissing a boy is huge. It's a different time in society, and it was a different mentality back then."

Of course, O'Day's bread and butter is Danity Kane, so as much as she loves to act, don't expect her to hang up her 5-inch heels anytime soon.

"Danity Kane is my first priority in the entertainment industry right now — it's what I came in doing, and I have so much respect for the group and for our label and everything we were able to accomplish," she said. "This came at a time when I had time in our schedule to do it, and it's amazing that I can do both. It takes a lot of work, and I don't sleep a lot. I definitely kind of have to suck up the hard days and just keep moving."

O'Day is also preparing the release of her clothing line, Heart on My Sleeve.

"It's an online store, HeartOnMySleeveShop.com, and all of the products are T-shirts [that] talk about love and relationship heartbreak — everything from the good and the bad and the ugly," she said. "Most of it's ugly, because that's what I've experienced at 24, but I'm sure they will get happier as I get older — hopefully."

• Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day Gets Bratty In 'Hairspray'

• Danity Kane

Danity Kane on the set of their music video "Bad Girl"
Photo: MTV News

Danity Kane videos usually follow the same formula: Have the girls walk around the streets of some unknown city, rain or shine, in 5-inch heels and figure-hugging outfits. Sometimes there are glimpses of them in the studio with Diddy behind the boards, or in the backs of cars, taunting horny males as they zip along the boulevard.

But in the forthcoming video for "Bad Girl," the second single from the band's latest LP, Welcome to the Dollhouse (which has scanned more than 500,000 copies to date), we'll get to see Diddy's girl group as we've never seen them before: being very, very bad girls ... or, as the director's treatment reveals, embodying their "kick-ass alter egos."

"It's on fire," Aubrey O'Day told MTV News on the Los Angeles set of the "Bad Girl" video, which is being directed by Erik White (Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown). "Five-inch heels, massive choreography — Gil Duldulao is our choreographer, and he's [worked with] Janet Jackson. He's fab."

In the fast-paced clip, Danity Kane pay homage — in a sense — to the bold, sexy look of the graphic novel. Like the song, the video, which will begin airing later this month, features a cameo by Missy Elliott.

O'Day's scene takes place in a dimly lit police interrogation room. She's sitting across from a rugged detective, requisite lamp shining in her face. Soon, her alter ego emerges. Wearing a skintight leather catsuit, O'Day grabs the detective by his shirt and throws him on the table. Then she straddles him and cuffs his hands to the table, allowing for her escape.

"We tortured boys all day," O'Day said in between character shoots. "I slapped him around a little bit, threw him on a table, handcuffed him ... the usual. I just tortured him."

D. Woods' alter ego in the video, it turns out, is a peep-show performer. We'll see her dressed in leather and striking poses in a closet-size room. The front wall of the room slides up, revealing a nice-looking gent with dollar bills in hand. "I was in a peep-show box, and I took all his money," Woods laughs. "I tortured him for a day."

Shannon Bex will portray a speed-hungry motorcycle babe in the video, while Dawn Richard plays a patient strapped to a gurney, with IV tubes jutting from both arms. She ultimately frees herself and uses the gurney to attack those who'd been preparing to experiment on her. Aundrea Fimbres plays a young woman who's chained up in a dank room and eventually outwits and outmuscles her captor.

The finished product will likely be a stylized mix between "The Matrix" and "Speed Racer," ending with all of the DK girls kicking butt in a massive fight scene that closes the clip.

But fighting crime and escaping sticky situations aren't the only things keeping the Danity Kane gaggle busy these days. They've been touring for months and recently finished shooting the third season of "Making the Band 4," which is slated to premiere in August.

"And we've been doing a lot of running around the country, picking up fans and doing shows," O'Day said. "We work on our music constantly. We're on the tour bus, creating, coming up with beats, coming up with lyrics, doing anything we can to stay creative while we're on the road. And we've been working on some big ventures, some very entrepreneurial things."

The ladies are coming out with a line of denim from Dollhouse, O'Day said, and Richard has her own comic book on the way.

"We are conquering every area of entertainment," Woods said. Meanwhile, O'Day's going to hit the Great White Way soon, too.

"I'm doing Broadway ... 'Hairspray,' and all the girls are going to be in the front row opening night," she explained, before Woods interjected, "Aubrey has always done musical theater and theater. So have I, and I think this is a perfect opportunity, a perfect platform for her to showcase this other side of her talents. And we're going to be there to sing all the words and be her fans."

• Danity Kane Steam Up The Screen With 'Bad Girl'

• Danity Kane

Diddy
Photo: MTV News

There aren't any marshmallows or ghost stories, but Diddy says going on tour is like heading to summer camp.

"Imagine sleepaway camp for adults with a lot of money and a lot of success," he clarified. "Anything can happen."

Diddy is getting ready to send his two biggest acts, Danity Kane and Day26, on the road in a couple of weeks. Not only will we see the groups performing, but we'll also get to check out all the backstage and out-of-venue chaos: The jaunt will be filmed for the next season of "Making the Band."

"They're gonna hone their craft. This is just phase one of the tour," Diddy detailed. "We're going to a lot of the cities that support us."

Bad Boy artists Cheri Dennis and Donnie Klang will be opening up.

"In some cities and states, I'm gonna make a guest appearance," the mogul promised. "Do a light 15 hits. I'm not gonna bore you with, like, 40. I'mma just hit you with 15 real quick verses to really get the place rocking."

Last week, Combs was in L.A. getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Puff — who moved to L.A. in an effort to dive deeper into his film career — said he would have taken any spot the Walk of Fame committee offered, but he wound up with prime real estate in front of the historic Grauman's Chinese Theater.

"You mean where Clark Gable and Frank Sinatra and Denzel are at?" he said with a smile, reliving the moment his agent told him he was up for the accolade. "I was stuck for a second, then I felt a sense of appreciation. That's a great honor, especially coming from Harlem. We would just see pictures of it. When we landed in L.A., that's where we would go to. Like people when they land in New York come to Times Square. To know that my family and my kids and my kids' kids are going to be able to see my name down there, because I put it down during my time, is a blessing.

"It blinded me in a great way," he continued. "Sometimes things come to you as blessings you don't expect. When you're not going after them, sometimes those are the best awards."

Jamie Foxx was among the well-wishers supporting Diddy at his ceremony. "Making the Band 4": The Tour kicks off May 18 at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

• Diddy
• Danity Kane

Leona Lewis' <i>Spirit</i>
Photo: J-Records

For Leona Lewis, 2008 has been a year of notable firsts.

The English pop star, who was discovered by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, has been breaking sales and chart records since being imported to the U.S. In March, her track "Bleeding Love" became the first single by an English female vocalist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Kim Wilde's cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" did it back in 1987. Now she's earned the distinction of becoming the U.K.'s first female artist to open at #1 with her inaugural release.

Spirit, which was produced by Cowell and industry fat cat Clive Davis, is set to bow at #1 on next week's Billboard albums chart with a whopping 205,000 copies sold, according to the latest SoundScan data. It marks the biggest female-artist debut-album opening since Carrie Underwood's 2005 LP, Some Hearts, which generated first-week scans of 314,000-plus.

Lewis' Spirit was a certifiable lock for the chart's peak position, as she faced little — make that zero — competition in her pursuit of sales greatness. Next week's #2 album, George Strait's Troubadour, sold just 59,000 units, while country artist James Otto's Sunset Man opens at #3, selling only 57,600 copies. The 27th addition to the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series follows at #4 with 47,000 sold, while R.E.M.'s Accelerate drops three spots to #5, selling a reported 46,300. Right behind the pride of Athens, Georgia, comes the soundtrack to "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which sold another 39,700 copies for a sixth-place finish.

Lewis' and Otto's LPs were among 16 newcomers impacting next week's Top 200. Ray J's latest, All I Feel, enters the chart at #7, scanning upwards of 38,000 units, and at #9, clocking sales of 33,600, it's P.O.D.'s new one, When Angels and Serpents Dance. Wedged between Ray J and P.O.D., we find Rick Ross' Trilla, which put up week-five sales of 34,200, and rounding things out at #10 with 27,600 sold, it's Danity Kane's Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Other new releases entering next week's chart include Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I--IV, which sold 25,800 copies to claim the #14 slot, and opening at #29 with 18,000 copies snatched up, it's Marié Digby's Unfold. Ashes Divide's Keep Telling Myself It's Alright follows at #36, scanning 15,800 copies, while Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! bows at #64 with 10,000 copies sold. The Breeders return to the chart at #98, selling 7,200 units of their latest, Mountain Battles, while Tapes 'n Tapes' Walk It Off sold to the tune of 5,900, which puts them at #116 on the chart.

Following her appearance with Chris Brown last week on "American Idol," last year's "Idol" champ, Jordin Sparks, enjoyed a much-needed sales bump. Her self-titled debut experienced a 27 percent increase in retail interest, closing out the week with 24,300 scans; the effort climbs 14 chart positions to #17.

• Leona Lewis' Fast Track To Stardom

• Leona Lewis
• Jordin Sparks
• R.E.M.
• Nine Inch Nails
• Danity Kane

Danity Kane perform on "TRL"
Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage.com

What's the best way to celebrate back-to-back #1 Billboard album debuts? How about a national tour? That's what Danity Kane and Day26 will do starting May 24 when they kick off "Making the Band 4 — The Tour," which will hit major cities from coast to coast, beginning with a gig at Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to the sometimes romantically entangled "Making the Band" boy and girl groups, the tour will also feature breakout "Band" star Donnie Klang, who Diddy diverted from Day26 in order to offer him a solo contract with Bad Boy. His debut, Come into My World, is due out in June, and the first single, "Take You There," is out now.

When Kane's second album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, recently debuted atop the Billboard 200, they became the first female group in Billboard history to have their debut and sophomore album enter the main chart at #1. Day26's self-titled debut hit the top spot one week after Kane, setting a record for the biggest-selling debut from a male R&B group in the SoundScan era.

The tour will be filmed for a new season of "Making the Band" slated to air in late summer and will feature another Bad Boy artist, Cheri Dennis.

The itinerary for "Making the Band 4 — The Tour," according to Bad Boy's Web site:

· 5/24 - Orlando, FL @ Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre
· 5/25 - Miami, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach
· 5/29 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
· 5/30 - Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Concert Pavilion
· 5/31 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
· 6/1 - Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
· 6/5 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
· 6/6 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theater
· 6/7 - San Diego, CA @ Viejas Casino
· 6/9-10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern

• Ne-Yo, Jaslene, More At Danity Kane Album-Release Party

• Danity Kane
• Day 26

Day26's self-titled album
Photo: Bad Boy

Sean "Diddy" Combs must have a mile-wide grin on his face this morning. That's because the hip-hop mogul's been seeing double these days. On next week's Billboard albums sales chart, one of Diddy's musical creations, Day26, will claim the #1 spot, debuting with week-one sales clocked at close to 190,000. This is just a week after Danity Kane, another Diddy-honed pop act, opened at #1.

Day26 — the all-male R&B quintet formed during the fourth installment of MTV's "Making the Band" — issued their inaugural, self-titled LP last week and somehow managed to outsell mega-emo act Panic at the Disco, whose new album, Pretty. Odd., opens at #2 with 139,000 units sold, according to the latest SoundScan totals. In fact, the chart's top three slots are all occupied by newcomers this week: Claiming the #3 position, with 106,300 copies snatched up, is the Counting Crows' new release, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings. The ladies of Danity Kane fall three spots from last week to #4 after selling another 88,700 copies of Welcome to the Dollhouse.

As for the rest of the top 10, it's mostly filled with the usual suspects. The 27th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series sits in the #5 spot, with 67,100 scans, while Rick Ross' Trilla follows at #6, selling another 51,400 units. Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static falls three spots to #8, with 36,600 sold, and Flo Rida's Mail on Sunday drops five positions to #9, with 33,600 scans. And coming in at #10 is Sara Bareilles' Little Voice, which sold 31,200 copies.

All told, 20 new releases make their impact on next week's chart, including the only other newcomer to enter the chart's top 10: The Raconteurs' Consolers of the Lonely bows at #7, generating nearly 42,000 in sales. Elsewhere on the chart, the B-52's return with Funplex, which claims the #11 slot after selling a reported 29,600 copies. Enrique Iglesias' 95/08 debuts at #18, generating 22,400 scans.

Opening at #24 with 17,400 sold, it's WWE: The Music, Vol. 8, a compilation featuring the likes of Saliva, Airbourne and Disciple, and coming in at #33 with 15,800 copies flying off store shelves, is Simon and Garfunkel's Live 1969. Meanwhile, the Cavalera Conspiracy's Inflikted enters the chart at #72, with 9,000 sold, and Pennywise's Reason to Believe bows at #98 with 7,200 copies purchased. Former Smiths frontman Morrissey's Greatest Hits just makes the top 200 cut at #178, having sold 3,700 copies, and Starfield's I Will Go follows right behind at #179, selling 42 fewer copies.

• MTV News RAW: Panic At The Disco

• Diddy
• Day 26
• Danity Kane
• Panic at the Disco
• Counting Crows

Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day
Photo: Gregg Delman

So ... are Danity Kane breaking up or not? Well, that sort of depends on which member of the group you're listening to.

If you're not up to speed with the latest rumor surrounding Diddy's "Making the Band 3" debutantes, well, here we go: Whispers of an impending DK split started circulating Wednesday, when TMZ.com cameras caught group member Aubrey O'Day leaving Hollywood club Teddy's and asked her, point-blank, "What's up with Danity Kane's next album?"

When O'Day played coy, the — ahem — reporter then asked if she "had something to say about Puffy," to which O'Day replied:

"I have absolutely nothing to say about Puffy. I haven't even looked at him longer than 10 minutes," she spat, in obvious reference to a comment Diddy made on New York radio station Hot 97 back in April, when he denied rumors O'Day was pregnant with his child by saying, "I never even looked at her for more than 10 minutes."

"Danity Kane — I don't really know what's going on with Danity Kane," O'Day continued. "I love Danity Kane though, that's for sure."

O'Day was then asked about rumors that she was joining the Pussycat Dolls, a question that seemingly caught her off guard, as she could only laugh and offer up, "You're giving up secrets right now. You're not supposed to know about that."

Of course, the entire exchange had fans of the band buzzing, especially when you consider that things haven't exactly been hopping on the Danity Kane beat in recent months (they have no shows scheduled, and the DK MySpace page hasn't been updated with news about the group since early April). And while Interscope Records — the home of PCD — told MTV News that the rumors of O'Day were "not true," Atlantic Records (DK's label) would only offer a "no comment" when asked if the group were through. All signs, it seemed, pointed toward implosion.

And that was before various members of the group decided to take the battle to the Internet.

The first to sound off was DK's Dawn Richard, who only added fuel to the breakup fire with a posting titled "Rumors!???" on her Web site, that read, in part:

"To answer all the rumors that's been out there about Aubrey and D. Woods pursuing their solo careers. We support them in their decision. However, myself, Aundrea and Shannon are choosing to continue in our efforts to make Danity Kane the best for our fans who love us and what we represent AND the respect we have for our group."

And suddenly, fan reaction went from "mild panic" to "full-blown, nuclear-grade meltdown" faster than you can say "Show Stopper." Because not only was O'Day leaving, but apparently D. Woods wasn't far behind her.

Of course, this appeared to be news to both O'Day and Woods, as both of them posted missives on their MySpace pages, refuting Richard's claims that they had left DK to launch solo careers. First up was O'Day, who decided to take the whole "diplomatic" approach to the situation.

"Once again I would like to put to rest absurd rumors. I love being a member of Danity Kane and have always been down with DK musically," she wrote. "I'm looking forward to a second DK album and I totally support all members of DK in all of their endeavors."

And then, Woods, who ... well, let's just say she decided to do the opposite. Aside from removing Danity from the "top friends" list on her MySpace page — replacing them with another group she is associated with, the Girls Club — she also decided to launch an attack at an unnamed group member.

"I felt the time has come for me to address the statements made about me concerning my status in Danity Kane," she wrote. "I wasn't going to, but things have spun out of control and a lot of people are wondering what's up. ... All I know is rumors are started every day and like I was always told, 'As long as they talking about you,' " she wrote. "However the problem begins when those on the inside circle fuel the rumors and put out false statements and speak on behalf of those in question, namely me or anyone the rumor is about. It's very messy, reads as malice, and is just not a good look all together.

"I won't go into what was heard, but I will say that my time as a member of DK has been a rocky roller coaster with blows coming from all angles. I've been blessed to be a founding member of this group, so NO I haven't left," she continued. "I have extended myself in many ways and have been up front and inclusive about everything I've done since joining Danity Kane. I haven't left the group, and when the time comes for us to pursue our other desires it will be in a much more professional manner."

So basically, at the end of the day, the situation breaks down thusly: One member of DK believes that two other members have left to pursue solo careers, while those same two members maintain that they haven't left the group at all. Meanwhile, the two other members, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres, have kept quiet on the matter.

And in all, it doesn't sound like there's been a whole lot of communicating going on in the Danity camp lately. And while MTV News' second request for comment on the situation were unanswered by Atlantic at press time, it seems like most of the group's fans are beginning to resign themselves to the fact that DK may be dead, via a series of grammar-abusing eulogies posted on the group's MySpace page, of course.

"I so pray to the awesome lord that u gurls stay together," one reads. "My self and many other females look up to u gurls ... don't take that away ... u ladies are so good together ... don't break that up."

"Diddy u need to wake up and realize that Danity Kane is the hottest group out there on Bad Boy!!!!!" another read. "Don't make the mistake of letting them go!! We want more of DK!!!!!!"

• Danity Kane

Photo: MTV News

To truly call oneself a rock critic, one must be able to debate things like the geopolitical ramifications of Fergie's "London Bridge," write longwinded diatribes about "the dematerialization of the album into the celestial jukebox and other new media" and still find time to dismiss the new Black Keys single as little more than "Zeppelin-esque-detritus-masquerading-as-sharecropper's-lament" (or something like that).

It never gets tougher for a critic or blogger than it does in December, when great minds turn toward the intricate, politically loaded construction of the annual "top 10" lists. As previously explained here, to the seasoned music-head, compiling a list of your 10 favorite albums of the year is waaaay more complex than it should be: It's the de facto way of establishing your cred among your peers; of displaying your brainy, eclectic and diverse tastes; and of proving — for all to see — just how cool you really are (see "Music Geek: The Politics Of The Top-10 List").

Which is why you'll sometimes stumble across some baffling year-end lists — ones filled with obscure Swedish noise-rock outfits and even more obscure hip-hop acts — posted on blogs that are read by a select few music cognoscenti. It's the reason the longwinded Internet forum I Love Music gets overloaded with sessions debating the artistic worth of harp-sporting folk sprite Joanna Newsom's Ys in relation to hard-hitting hip-hop duo the Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury, and why that means the heartland rock of the Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America truly deserves to be ranked ahead of both on year-end lists.

Of course, it's all fairly ridiculous — and nowhere is that more apparent than on the pages of Amazon.com, where millions of users cobble together top 10 lists of their own, populated with critically reviled acts like Brooke Hogan, Aly & AJ and (gulp) Paris Hilton. They're lists completely devoid of pretense, context and — in some cases — what might seem to be common sense, often hastily thrown together in a matter of minutes. And as such, they're a uniquely refreshing antidote to all the critic/blog hullabaloo: lists completely, truly rooted in reality, by the people and for the people.

We've collected some of our favorite lists here — largely unedited — and enjoyed e-mail exchanges with the people who made them, in order to understand their list-making techniques, and better comprehend the merits of the Cheetah Girls in relation to Danity Kane. Which, in its own way, is sort of like attempting to contextualize the subtle differences between the Pipettes to the Chalets, only in the realm of pop-music and with the addition of corporate backing/svengali-ish puppet-mastering.

Sorry — a little critic-speak snuck in there ...

User Name: "Tinzsters"
"Top 10 albums of 2006:"

» Taylor Hicks - Taylor Hicks
Tinzsters says: "Great debut album with single 'the Runaround.' Will be out December 12"
» Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
» Fantasia Barrino - Fantasia
» Ciara - The Evolution
» Katharine McPhee - TBA
"Her debut album will be out January 30, 2007!"
» Kellie Pickler - Small Town Girl
» Tim McGraw - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
» Kenny Chesney - Live: Live Those Songs Again
"Great album featuring some of his latest hit songs. It's like watching him in concert."
» Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
» Beyoncé - B'Day

Username: "Pop_Fan01"
"I don't really take the reviews of what people say seriously 'cause most of the time people who say an album sucks haven't even listened to it; they just have something against the artist. I think Paris Hilton is a perfect example: People wrote such mean things but the album's hot and they just don't like her. A top-10 list to me [is made up of] the albums I listen to all the way through, daily."

"Check Out These Albums Now!!!!"
» Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
"I always love Christina and this album was so hot. Vocally she has such power and range and the songs are fun and/or emotional!"
» Paris Hilton - Paris
"This is actually a really fun album. Very catchy and vocally she can out-sing Britney at least!"
» Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair
"This is Jessica's fun album. Not many ballads like we know her for but a lot of '80s sounding dance songs and the ballads that are on the album are beautiful!"
» Pink - I'm Not Dead
"Her last album didn't thrill me but this album is really good there are the fun sarcastic songs and the deep vocally amazing songs. Pink is worth the money!"
» Danity Kane - Danity Kane
"I really like this CD and if you ask a lot of stores underestimated how well it would do and sold out the first day it came out!"
» Rihanna - A Girl Like Me
"I wasn't feeling her first album too much but these songs are all good. 'Final Goodbye' is my fave."
» Trina - Glamorest Life
"Trina can really rap and this CD has her biggest hit 'Here We Go Again' with Kelly Rowland."
» Cassie - Cassie
"It's been a long time since I've like any Bad Boy artist but their girls are hot!"
» Pussycat Dolls - PCD
"Nicole used to be in Eden's Crush and she got another hit with this CD!"
» Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
"This CD is my calorie burning CD!"

User Name: "Crazymoose777"
"Best Albums of 2006 ... So Far:"

» Pink - I'm Not Dead
Crazymoose Says: "Pink's best? Maybe. This album is good as a whole, but the standouts take it further. 'U + Ur Hand' and 'Who Knew' are great"
» Rihanna - A Girl Like Me
"I didn't expect anything good to come from her but I was wrong. 'SOS,' 'Unfaithful,' 'Final Goodbye,' she has great songs."
» Aly & AJ - Into the Rush
"OK, so it's a re-release of a 2005 album, but this shows how good pop music was MIA in this year. Into the Rush is an amazing album, even better w/ these new songs ('Chemicals React,' 'Never Far Behind.')"
» Danity Kane - Danity Kane
"Awe ... Girl groups are amazing. A very good debut album by five talented ladies."
» Paris Hilton - Paris
"I know what your thinking, but once you listen to it, you'll probably agree, it's a solid debut."
» The Cheetah Girls - The Cheetah Girls 2
"Raven Symone is amazing, and this soundtrack, much better than the first, is great, different genre songs. All very feel good songs with plenty o soul."
» Shakira - Oral Fixation, Vol. 2
"Good songs by crazy Shakira."
» Various artists - "High School Musical" soundtrack
"Awesome-ness for Disney fans and theater geeks the world over. Not the best vocals but the best songs."
» Beyoncé - B'Day
» Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds

User Name: GWK1982
"I never pay much attention to what music critics recommend or what gets the most play on radio. I just like what I like, despite how popular or unpopular it is. I absolutely feel that music critics are too disconnected from what people really like. They'll love anything that's new or different even if it's terrible. I like fresh sounding artists too, but just because something is unique, that doesn't make it good."

"Best Rock CDs of 2006:"
» Rob Zombie - Educated Horses
"Rob Zombie's album got a lot of harsh criticism, but I think that's just because he was trying something different. I felt the album was very solid and enjoyable all the way through, so it made my #1 spot."
» Tool - 10,000 Days
"Tool's album was terrific as well, and normally they are number 1 to me ... but I felt that their newest album wasn't quite as good as their last two. It was still an excellent CD with brilliant music, but I think it sounded like more of the same."
» Lacuna Coil - Karmacode
» Godsmack - IV
"Then there were other bands who I love [like Godsmack], who ranked a little lower because their newest albums didn't seem as good as some of their last."
» Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May
"Then there are groups who I normally like, but don't love, who ranked high on my list because their latest albums were a surprising step up from their last, [like] Stone Sour."
» Breaking Benjamin - Phobia
» Audioslave - Revelations
» Evanescence - The Open Door
» Incubus - Light Grenades
» Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

User Name: "Chingy's #1 Fan!!!!!!! Lil Romeo #1 Fan Too!"
"Bizzest Albumz Of 2006:"
» Chingy - Hoodstar
» Beyoncé - B'Day
» Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
» Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
» Young Dro - Best Thang Smokin'
» Dem Franchise Boyz - On Top of Our Game
» Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
» Rick Ross - Port of Miami
» DMX - Year of the Dog
» Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair

User Name: "D_Phillips: Film Fanatic and Librarian"
"I don't really have a formula. Just a gut reaction to music. Every once in a while I'll hear an album that will make me feel like jumping up and shouting 'EUREKA!!' because of some aspect that seems just to leap out into my brain. Albums like that I list. My list is actually a work in progress as the year isn't quite over ... It took me a couple of days of pondering and I'm still working on part of it — but overall I would say it will represent maybe a week of late night sessions with my computer and my notebook."

"Greatest Music Albums Of 2006:"
» John Mayer - Continuum
"So musically audacious, Paul Simon was able to pull off this kind of thing and he didn't do it better. John Mayer finds his voice and becomes the best singer songwriter of his generation."
» John Legend - Once Again
"Wow. Breathtakingly wonderful soul from rising star John Legend. A breath of fresh air especially for male soul singers."
» Keane - Under the Iron Sea
"Gorgeous melodies and soaring vocals make this album stand out. Truly beautiful."
» Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae
"Lovely jazz inflected soul vocals and an impressive group of songs Rae either wrote or co-wrote."
» Greg Laswell - Through Toledo
"Greg Laswell's beautiful somber gravel voice is unique in pop music. Another terrific singer songwriter on the rise!"
» Ed Harcourt - Beautiful Lie
"The prolific Ed Harcourt turns out one of his best and most passionate albums yet. Incredibly beautiful and worth many listenings."
» Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun
"This band needs to breakthrough to the big time. This is the band's richest sounding album. Full of brilliant pop rock songwriting."
» KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
"Remarkable and mature debut from Tunstall with this lovely, beguiling showcase of her songwriting and vocal abilities."
» Beck - The Information
"Beck's tightest and most purposeful album yet. It seems more muted than the wonderful Guero but a closer listen shows how beautifully the whole thing is constructed."

Username: "Violet - Music Maven"
"My Favorites Of The Year 2006:"
» Breaking Benjamin - Phobia
"Even from the day it came out I couldn't stop listening, it was amazing, as they are live as well. Standout tracks include 'You,' 'Topless' and 'Had Enough.' "
» Three Days Grace - One X
"The album is not overly different, but it is a great sophomore release for this band."
» Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May
» Cradle of Filth - Thornography
"I am still unsure about how I feel about this album. It is one of the greats of 2006 though."
» Evanescence - The Open Door
"There was so much hype leading up to this album. But it's sad to say that this album was a letdown, it sounds WAY overproduced."
» AFI - Decemberunderground
"Being a HUGE fan of Sing the Sorrow I was really looking forward to this album. But with its more catchy feel and the band's new appearance I am more than turned off. This really is an album to avoid in 2006. After a few listens I grew bored."
» Papa Roach - The Paramour Sessions
"I brought it for 'To Be Loved' and that is the only song I listen off of it. I have tried listening to other songs, but I just can't seem to get into them."
» Crossfade - Falling Away
"AVOID!!! I won this as a radio promo before the CD was released. And I don't like the band anyways, but when they said I won a free CD I was like, 'Ok I'll check it out.' But I have only listened to it once, because it is THAT bad. All the songs sound the same and he is crying about how bad his life is."

• Paris Hilton
• Taylor Hicks
• Gwen Stefani
• Fantasia
• Ciara

Danity Kane
Photo: Bad Boy

For the ladies in Danity Kane, 2006 has already given them a laundry list of memorable firsts — including a #1 debut album, a major opportunity opening for a platinum star and a hit single, "Show Stopper." But last week, as they were en route from a radio interview to a performance in Toledo, Ohio, they added another — and slightly less awesome — first to that list.

"We had our first car accident together," D. Kane's Aubrey O'Day told MTV News on Thursday (October 19). "We really haven't been sleeping all that much [since the accident], and it's been a very trying time for all of us. But we're all recovering well and we're ready to get back out there."

Exactly one week earlier, four of the five members of Danity Kane had just left Toledo's 92.5 KISS-FM and were on their way to a soundcheck at Headliners — the club they were scheduled to perform at later that evening — when the black Lincoln Town Car they were riding in was struck by another vehicle (see "Four Members Of Diddy's Danity Kane Involved In Ohio Car Crash").

In the aftermath, O'Day and fellow DK member Shannon Bex told police they were suffering from head pain. O'Day was taken to nearby St. Vincent's Mercy Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

"The whole thing happened in slow-motion," O'Day said. "It was very scary."

DK were forced to cancel their performance that evening, as well as the following night's gig in Rochester, Michigan. But now, with a week to recover, they're already getting ready to return to the stage, with a live performance on the "Today" show (with mentor Diddy) on Friday morning and a show in Louisville, Kentucky, that evening.

And though the accident was frightening, the girls — who pilot a "rainbow Cadillac" down a Los Angeles street and celebrate car culture in their "Show Stopper" video — say that ultimately it was a positive experience. "I believe everything happens for a reason," Dawn Richard said. "We had to go through this accident. It's brought us all closer."

"I promise you, in the days since it happened, we've gotten a newfound appreciation for everything that's happened to us," Bex added. "We've just been reminiscing about the videos we've gotten to do, our upcoming tour — all these really good moments."

Danity Kane, along with the Pussycat Dolls, have been tapped to open for Christina Aguilera on her upcoming Back to Basics tour, which is scheduled to kick off on February 20 in Houston (see "Christina Aguilera's Heading Back On Tour For 41 North American Dates").

• Danity Kane

Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Jonas Brothers, More At KIIS-FM's Wango Tango 2008

• Miley Cyrus
• Snoop Dogg
• Jonas Brothers
• Flo Rida
• Danity Kane

Danity Kane, Lauren Conrad And Heidi (Klum!), More At The 'Us Weekly' Hot Hollywood Party

• Danity Kane
• Will.I.Am
• Christina Milian
• Jesse McCartney
• Eve

Grammy Parties: Scarlett, Christina, Justin, Katharine And More

• Timbaland
• Nelly Furtado
• Natasha Bedingfield
• JC Chasez
• Rich Boy

2006: The Best of Studio Photos

• Lil Jon
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Kelis
• Beck
• Nelly Furtado

Best of 2006: Live Performances Highlights

• Christina Aguilera
• AFI
• Gnarls Barkley
• My Chemical Romance
• Lady Sovereign

Best of 2006: The Red Carpet

• Fall Out Boy
• Beyoncé
• Gwen Stefani
• Gavin Rossdale
• Sean Paul

Best of 2006: Backstage & Party Moments

• Fall Out Boy
• Pink
• Kanye West
• Busta Rhymes
• Hype Williams

Fashion Scrapbook: DANITY KANE

• Danity Kane

Paris Hilton, Avril Lavigne, Kate Bosworth, 50 Cent And More At Fashion Week

• Lil' Kim
• Foxy Brown
• Mos Def
• Cee-Lo
• Fonzworth Bentley

For Beyonce, Lil Kim, More The Party Doesn't Stop After The Big Show

• Beyoncé
• Paris Hilton
• Lil' Kim
• John Legend
• Ne-Yo