'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll

Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News

You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.

In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.

But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.

"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.

Frontman's workmanlike attitude is on full display in the rock doc, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery

The White Stripes
Photo: Autumn DeWilde

In any other lifetime, Jack White would have been a woodblock printer, a pirate, a missionary, a wheelwright, a buckskin-clad frontiersman, a statesman, a Union soldier, a sharecropping bluesman, a cigar-chomping newsman, an oil baron, an electrical engineer or one of the Wright Brothers. He would have worked very hard for a very long time with very little recognition, would have died for duty and country, would have bested foes with guile and determination, and he would have done all of it simply because that's what you were supposed to.

Instead, he's trapped in this lousy century, where he's forced to toil away as one of the most enigmatic, misunderstood musicians on the planet. He spends an exorbitant amount of time on an extraordinary number of projects, usually working within a preconceived set of conditions, for reasons that are usually only apparent to him. He suffers the slings and arrows of his critics not because he wants to, but because he has to. It's just part of the job. After all, a wheelwright wouldn't complain, would he?

And all of this isn't meant to serve as some pseudo-psychological profile on White. Rather, it's about all I could think of after watching the White Stripes' "Under Great White Northern Lights," a documentary that is very much about doing things the hard way. Filmed in 2007, it follows the Stripes on their ultra-ambitious Canadian tour, on which they decided to play at least one show in every province and territory — 13 in all — mostly because, as White puts it, "Canada is the only country that's ever turned us away."

This is no easy task: Canada is the world's second-largest country (thanks, Wikipedia!), and getting to places like Yellowknife and Iqaluit is about as difficult as you'd imagine. And not content to simply play straightforward, standing-room-only shows in each city, White also decided that the Stripes would be playing "secret" shows during the day, in places like a bowling alley in Saskatoon, a pool hall in Halifax and aboard a boat in Charlottetown (that's on Prince Edward Island, FYI). Along for the ride is the band's shamanic road crew, who White maintains must always be dressed in matching black suits, red ties and bowler hats. And a film crew, that, based on a few glimpses of cameramen in the background of shots, was also required to adhere to the same dress code.

In keeping with Stripes mythology, everything involved in the film also incorporates the band's famous three-color palette (red, white and, the latest addition, black), which means red-and-white propeller planes, amplifiers, guitars, drums and outfits, even during travel days. And, in perhaps the most striking example, the film itself, which is presented almost exclusively — something like 98 percent — in those three colors. Backstage moments are appropriately black and white, onstage performances are a fiery red. You don't notice it, but it's there. Because it has to be.

And what is most amazing is that White didn't have to do any of this. Something inside him drives him to operate this way; makes him don a traditional tartan kilt for a ceremony in Halifax (and then wear it onstage that night), meet with Inuit elders in Iqaluit to get their blessing before a show or grind out songs on wholly inadequate — and, in some cases, downright antiquated — instruments. He sums it up best in one of the most compelling "Lights" scenes: an interview segment in which he attempts to explain himself and his ethos.

"When I used to work as an upholsterer, it wasn't always fun. ... Sometimes, it was just work, and you do it because you're supposed to. You force yourself to work," he sighed. "I like to do things that make it really hard on myself. ... I'm constantly fighting all these tiny little things, because all of those little things create tension."

And that tension gives birth to great things. Witness the Stripes' entire discography, a workmanlike collection of songs built around two people and something like three instruments (occasionally, there's a piano). Or their rise to fame, which was anything but meteoric, built over the course of a decade's worth of blisters and bruises. Or this film, which most certainly ranks as one of the best rock docs in recent memory, if not of all time. The onstage moments are incendiary — standouts include a soulful and surging take on "Jolene" in Iqaluit and an undying version of "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" taken from their Yellowknife performance — and the backstage stuff is gripping, particularly the last scene, filmed after their 10th anniversary show in Nova Scotia. While I don't want to give too much away, it manages to raise goose bumps, a masterful presentation of unspoken emotions and weighty subtext.

But mostly, "Lights" serves as testament to the Charles Kane-ian will of Jack White himself (no wonder "Citizen Kane" is one of his favorites) and the greatness that determination can create in its wake. It's a love letter to his unwavering dedication to doing things the hard way and his uncompromising, Old World work ethic. In fact, the only time he complains about anything during the entire film is when he learns he's scheduled to do an interview with The Associated Press, and even then, he still ends up doing it. Because he has to. It's pathological. Psychological. But it is very much him. After all, a wheelwright wouldn't complain, would he?

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

'I was embarrassed from being from the South,' he tells Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid

Jay Electronica
Photo: MTV News

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Hearing the commanding voice of Jay Electronica on the microphone, one probably couldn't detect his New Orleans roots. Years ago, like many MCs from the South, Electronica experienced some hip-hop prejudice when people heard the Southern twang in his voice — so he started disguising it.

"I would go somewhere — I would go to an open mic and when they heard my accent and not understand what I'm saying, it would just be a door-closer," Jay told MTV UK on a recent trip to Europe. "I made a point in being able to speak in a certain way that I wouldn't get the door closed on me. All of these things make me who I am now, you know.

"I have to admit, you know, a few years ago, I wouldn't have admitted this — or maybe I wouldn't have been conscious of it in a way to admit or be embarrassed — but in my earlier years from when I first left home, I was embarrassed from being from the South," he added. "Not in general, but as a rapper because all of the negative things that people in the States put on the South. Like, 'The South, they're slow. They move slow, they think slow, they're less intelligent. They're less exposed, they're underexposed, they're more sheltered.' So as a rapper — I've been rapping since I was 10 years old — I always had a feeling of 'I'm gonna show you' because we down here doing it. Not that I was embarrassed necessarily — I don't know if that's the correct word — but I know that when I left home, if someone had heard my accent and heard where I was from, the door was immediately closed."

Electronica said he had to adapt and become a chameleon on the mic. While trying to break into the music industry, he moved between different cities such as New York, Atlanta and Chicago.

"I kind of stiff-armed my roots for a couple of years," the Brooklyn transplant continued of his journey. "Then my sister told me one day, 'You know, you act like you're ashamed of being from home.' It was like a reality check. I checked myself. I mean, this is years ago, but now I'm at a place where I understand where I'm from. I understand my culture and I'm more proud to be from there than associate with somewhere else."

Despite trying to hide his roots early on, Jay thinks back to the early days of New Orleans hip-hop with a smile.

"I'm from New Orleans and there's a certain type of music," he explained. "I come from a bounce culture — bounce music. You been to New Orleans a couple times, you probably heard of the bounce music. It's a part of me; I grew up with bounce music. It's call-and-response, it's trance, it's tribal, it's communal, it's African, it's based in Africa ... the energy of it."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Notorious, B.I.G., Tyga

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward act out teenage melodrama with dance and joyous pop.
By James Montgomery

She & Him's Zooey Deschanel in their "In the Sun" video
Photo: Merge Records

On the surface — or any other level — Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward don't have much in common with the Vanessa Hudgenses and Zac Efrons of the world. And yet, in the brand-new She & Him video (available on Pitchfork.com), they seem very much to be channeling the spirit of Disney's "High School Musical" franchise (sadly, Sharpay Evans does not make an appearance).

The video for "In the Sun," the first single off their upcoming Volume Two album (due March 23), is set in a fairly generic high school, has tons of dancing and mimics the Disney movies' nostalgic tendency to portray teenage melodrama in various choreographed dance sequences.

Deschanel plays the clear-eyed heroine, a sweet girl hopelessly in love with the bad boy (M. Ward, who actually looks like he's enjoying the role) and trying in vain to win his affections. She does this, of course, with a dreamy dance routine full of shoulder shakes and sly winks — patented Deschanel moves, as seen in their video for "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" — plus hula-hooping and the occasional lift. The fact that both band members are dressed in outfits lifted from the 1950s strangely works here. Teenagers' hearts are still the same after all these years.

There's a bright, joyous feel to the clip, thanks to the direction of Peyton Reed, who helmed the kinetic "Bring It On" (high school truly is his oeuvre), and the genuine look of thrill Deschanel sports throughout. She delights in each dance step, as if she can't believe she's pulling it off.

Of course, the song helps matters too. It's another crackling, sunny bit of retro-pop from a duo who have quickly become the leading progenitors of the stuff. At the end of the video, we're not sure if Deschanel is any closer to wooing Ward, but at least she had fun trying. The politics of high school should always be this easy.

• She & Him

Thirteen years after B.I.G.'s death, we look back on his life as hip-hop's brightest star.

Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: MTV News

Tuesday (March 9) is a day not to mourn, but to celebrate the life and legacy of one of music's most gifted artists: the Notorious B.I.G.

His voice, his flow, his rhymes, his swag — whatever you wanted, B.I.G. had it to offer. He could tell stories, battle it out, ignite the party or kick game to the ladies. Christopher Wallace was made for rap.

We didn't get much time with Biggie. He put out his first album in 1994, and he died in early 1997 before the release of his second LP (Life After Death). Due to his work ethic, however, we have a catalog of timeless music that is often imitated, never duplicated. As mesmerizing as a Biggie song was, part of his allure as an artist was his charming personality. He's a rare breed that could capture the wit and magnetism in his offstage persona and bring it to his music.

Here, we are taking you back into our vaults to relive Biggie's best MTV interviews. He was candid and thoughtful as he spoke about the inspiration for his music, his stage performance and much more.

On Tuesday night, Diddy is going to celebrate the life of his friend and marquee artist at Brooklyn club the Lab.

"We're trying to make March 9th a national hip-hop holiday," Diddy told MTV News last week. "It already is, on the low. MTV is going to have a big special. We're doing a party. I'm going to Brooklyn. It's gonna be the first time I'm throwing a party in Brooklyn. I'm from Harlem. Everybody in Harlem knows you don't usually go over the bridge to Brooklyn. It's a big, big deal. Me being such a Harlemite, I'm going over there to pay respect to my man. It's gonna be a big party in Brooklyn with Mister Cee. It's a big day. It's a day to celebrate his life. It's a day to celebrate the life of the man. We done did the movie, the records. It's something that, I guess, as a label we're obsessed with: making sure people don't forget about this man in a positive way. March 9 is Biggie Day. ... Bump Biggie all day, feel good and positive."

On Tuesday, MTV Jams will be playing videos by B.I.G. and a slew of other fallen musical soldiers, such as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah, Big Pun, the Lost Boyz and their deceased member Freaky Tah and Camoflauge. This week's "Sucker Free Sunday" on MTV2 is running a special tribute to Biggie, hosted by Diddy.

• Notorious B.I.G.: In Memoriam

• Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

• Notorious B.I.G.

'Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat,' Simon says after Tracy Chapman cover.
By James Montgomery

Crystal Bowersox
Photo: Fox

If her straight-outta-the-hospital performance on last week's "American Idol" established Crystal Bowersox as the unlikely front-runner, well, her Tuesday night (March 9) performance definitely put some distance between her and the rest of the field. Miles of it.

Bowersox roared though a version of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," armed with an electric guitar and a newfound sense of confidence — perhaps influenced by "Idol" judge Simon Cowell's praise of her during an appearance on Monday night's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." She positively blew away the competition, earned a much-deserved standing ovation and absolutely wowed the judges.

"I need a new adjective for you; I'm sick and tired of saying you're amazing," Ellen DeGeneres enthused. "It was the best performance of the night."

"Now I'm starting to see what the record is you're making," Kara DioGuardi said, praising Bowersox's selection of the song. "And that's when I get really excited."

Not surprisingly, however, the biggest praise came from Cowell, who complimented her brand-new swagger and all but gave her the season-nine crown.

"You are 1 million, billion percent going to be in the top 12 next week," he said. "What you've got now is confidence, and I can see that, and you're starting to believe in yourself. Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat, I'm telling you. It's yours to lose."

The song, a mid-'90s staple and Chapman's biggest U.S. hit to date, allowed Bowersox to show off both her big, soulful vocals and scratchy, worn-in style of guitar playing and new confidence — eyes closed, head back, smile on her face after a particularly tight vocal run. But as soon as she was finished performing it, the old Crystal returned, and she decided to sit down atop her amp to hear the judges' verdicts.

Luckily, there was no reason for her to take a seat (though it was kind of funny to see Ryan Seacrest squat down on that amp), and as each member of the judges' table rained praise upon on her, she thanked them and laughed.

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

• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances
• The 'American Idol' Season 9 Top 24

Paige Miles and Katie Stevens, however, might not have done enough to make the top 12.
By Gil Kaufman

Didi Benami
Photo: Fox

With last week's medical drama behind them, the top eight ladies took the "American Idol" stage Tuesday night (March 9) in the final performance before this year's top 12 is chosen. In what is becoming an Adam Lambert-like bit of déjà vu, leading contender Crystal Bowersox nailed it again, while Siobhan Magnus, Lacey Brown and Didi Benami had solid enough nights to likely make it to next week.

First up, singing Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," was 17-year-old Katie Stevens, the high-schooler who smartly chose a contemporary artist to combat complaints from the judges that she was coming off as too old. The performance started off shaky with some flat spots as Stevens struggled to find the right notes, seemingly singing in too low a key. When she reached the midsection, Stevens began working the stage a bit and singing in a higher register that was more suited to her voice.

Randy Jackson wasn't loving it, saying the tune by the first "Idol" winner was too big for the teen's voice and making the dreaded karaoke comparison. Ellen was excited that Katie took their notes and went young, praising her voice, though she felt Stevens didn't sell the lyrics. "I think what's going on this year is we have people who really know themselves and people who don't," said Kara DioGuardi, who told Stevens she had a great radio voice. "I don't think you know who you are yet as an artist." To her credit, Cowell said, Katie has gotten a lot of confusing advice and taken it to heart, but like Kara, he said Stevens just doesn't know hat kind of singer she wants to be yet. Though he gave her a 10-out-of-10 for trying, he called the rendition "gloomy."

Going retro, Siobhan Magnus went with a song she heard her dad sing growing up, the Animals' 1964 hit "House of the Rising Sun." Starting out with an almost operatic a cappella run, Magnus put rich emotion into the rootsy lament, singing it like a folk/blues anthem and proving again that she's a real contender for the title.

"You are why I love music, because it's supposed to move you, it's supposed to do what you just did to me," Ellen said. "I was captivated. I loved what you did with the song. You made it current. You're spectacular." Randy applauded the risks Magnus takes every week, even praising her for not taking the judges' advice, and Kara was way into the a cappella bit at the beginning. "You are so unique and different," she said, marveling at how surprised she is every week by Magnus' choices. Simon, however, wasn't feeling it. From the pre-interview where she talked about her dad to her kimono-like outfit and the performance, "It was all a bit weird" for Simon, who felt she didn't really do anything interesting with the song. "I was under-impressed. I thought you were so much better where you had that really cool moment. There was no moment in that. It was all a bit ploddy, a bit boring."

Getting back into her singer/songwriter sweet spot, Lacey Brown took on Brandi Carlile's "The Story," a country-ish ballad that suited her breathy voice and high, clear falsetto.

Though he didn't love the song, Cowell said she sang it very, very well and felt he could hear it on the radio right now. He also noted that she worked the cameras very well but still felt like he hadn't heard Brown's definitive performance yet and that she hasn't found the song that's going to make her stand out.

With a standout performance of Coldplay last week, Katelyn Epperly went back in time again for Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move," standing a bit awkwardly at a keyboard and giving the song a generic disco-boogie feel that at points still managed to highlight her scratchy, soulful voice.

DeGeneres wasn't sure it was the right song choice to help get Epperly into the top 12, while Kara went a step further and said it didn't really feel like Katelyn came to compete but was just going through the motions. "It just wasn't enough," she said. The hair and the Wurlitzer groove worked for Randy, but he didn't think Epperly had a connection or vibe with the song. Simon also liked her golden crown of curls, but said, "On the downside, it was kind of like request night on a Friday night at a restaurant if you were working there." Epperly explained she chose the tune to avoid repeat criticism from Simon about being corny. "On what is arguably the most important night of your career, you chose quite a simple song, didn't do anything special with it, and I think other people look as if they're trying harder. So this may have been a mistake for you tonight."

Picking up her guitar for the first time since Hollywood, Didi Benami went torchy with an Adele-like folky ramble through Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon," wrapping her supple voice around the song's yearning lyrics and coming across as earnest and focused.

For Randy, it was way better than last week, even though it didn't have a "wow" moment, and Ellen loved how Benami came back from being trashed last week with confidence and grace. For Kara, it was simply one of her favorite moments of the season so far and, in a rarity, Cowell agreed, saying, it was "head and shoulders above anything else we've heard tonight. For the first time, certainly since these live shows, you proved that you're an artist, and I think, Randy, I disagree, she did have a 'wow' moment and the wow moment was the whole performance."

The news was not so great for Paige Miles, who went with one of Michael Jackson's favorite songs, the weepy ballad "Smile," popularized by silent-film icon Charlie Chaplin. Miles never quite found her groove, as her quavering voice struggled to keep up with the song's tricky arrangement.

The pained look on Ellen's face said it all, as Randy called the tune too big for her. "That song is supposed to be inspiring, it's supposed to be uplifting, and it was just sad and heavy ... and you have such a great personality, and we didn't get to see it, and we keep saying over and over, this is the time to shine. This is the time to show us who you are, and I don't think that was the right song for you to choose," DeGeneres said. From the horrible choice of song to the awful 1974 Holiday Inn lounge arrangement, Cowell said it was probably the end of the road for a good singer who just doesn't seem to know what kind of artist she wants to be. Miles, a huge fan of the Jackson version, said she simply couldn't hold her emotions in check during the performance.

Cementing her status as the one to beat, Crystal Bowersox strapped on an electric guitar for Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," reaching deep for a glimpse of the bluesy grit she learned in her hometown of Chicago. Bowersox imbued the song with just the right amount of hip-swaying sass and country swagger, drawing the biggest ovation of the night.

"You are 1 million, billion percent going to be in the top 12 next week," Cowell promised, noting that Bowersox has clearly gained confidence during her run on the show and again dubbing her the one to beat. Ellen's run out of adjectives to describe Bowersox's talent, calling it the performance of the night. "This is what we talk about when people know who they are," Kara said, pointing out that the song choice was perfect because it's exactly what she could heard Crystal doing on her debut album. "Every time you step up there, it's easy for you, because ... you just know what to do."

Lilly Scott closed the show with Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces," giving the country classic a Hawaiian spin while strumming an electric mandolin and wrapping her kewpie-doll voice around the song's sensual lyrics.

It was all good for Randy, who said Scott was in the zone, while DioGuardi marveled at how she found a way to make a 50-year-old song sound contemporary. "I think you're very brave for choosing that song on a night like this," Cowell said, before knocking Scott for lacking the 'wow' factor necessary to close the night with a bang. "It was cute, it was quirky, it plays into what you're all about, but that could have been a risky thing to do."

The top eight men are up next Wednesday night, and the final four semifinalists will go home Thursday.

What did you think of the women's performances? Who killed it? Who blew it? Who is definitely making it to the top 12? Let us know by leaving your comments below.

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

• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances
• The 'American Idol' Season 9 Top 24

'American Idol' judge brings his fiancée onstage during lengthy 'Tonight Show' interview.
By Kyle Anderson

Simon Cowell appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"
Photo: NBC

Simon Cowell paid a visit to NBC on Monday night's edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." During the conversation, the "American Idol" judge and the late-night host discussed Cowell's looming departure from "American Idol," his upcoming wedding and whether or not he is "grumpier" this season than last.

"I thought I was in a good mood," Cowell told Leno, who then ran the clip of Cowell's reaction to Haeley Vaughn's rendition of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" last week. (The 16-year-old singer's rendition was deemed "a total mess.") "Maybe [I'm] a teensy-weensy bit more grumpy," he admitted.

"I'm always kind of upset at what I said, so when I watch that back I have to apologize to that girl ... whatever her name was." He then paused for a beat and added, "Kidding!"

On the flip side, the sharp-tongued Brit mentioned that he was a fan of Crystal Bowersox, the mother from Ohio who bounced back from illness last week to deliver a stirring rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long as I Can See the Light."

"I tell you who I like, I like this girl Crystal," Cowell said. "When I first saw her, I described her as a busker, and I liked the way she handled that, because she admitted that's what she was. But she's got some confidence now. She was ill, she's got over that, she's got a great voice. She's different. I like her."

Cowell told Leno that he felt totally secure in his decision to leave "Idol" at the end of this season, and that he has been advising the producers about finding a replacement. "I basically advised them to find the worst possible person," he joked. "You don't want to leave and have the show be successful after you leave."

They also discussed the rumored feud between Cowell and new judge Ellen DeGeneres. "I thought we were getting along, but then she moved to the other side of the table," he said. "We get along fine, though I did take it quite personally when she moved away from me. I'm kidding! But she's getting nearer and working her way back."

"So by the end of the season, she'll be in your lap?" Leno asked.

"That's what normally happens," Cowell quipped. "That's what happened with Paula. She ended up on my lap — off the show as well."

Cowell confirmed to the host that he was indeed engaged, and though he told Leno that he was not comfortable talking about his personal life, the host still called his fiancée, "Idol" lead makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy, onto the stage. Upon her arrival, Cowell kissed her and allowed her to share his chair.

Leno also asked Cowell if he misses Paula Abdul, who left the show over a contract dispute before the current season started. "I miss Paula," Cowell admitted. "I talk to Paula all the time. She was great fun, and it is a different show without her. Something will happen with me and her at some point."

He wouldn't confirm Abdul's involvement in the American version of his talent show "The X Factor," which will debut on Fox in 2011. But he did say that he would definitely work with Abdul in the future.

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

New stills give a glimpse of the crazy getups Beyonce and backup dancers wear in the clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga in "Telephone"
Photo: Interscope Records

The premiere of the "Telephone" video is only a few days away, but Lady Gaga is giving her little monsters one more taste of what they can expect from the 10-minute clip.

In new photos released online on Monday, we get a better idea of what her backup dancers and guest star Beyoncé will look like in the video, directed by "Paparazzi" mastermind Jonas Aklerlund. In a photo posted on the Vevo blog, Gaga is wearing the American flag getup that had been seen in previous pics, and she's surrounded by several male dancers in similar '70s-era Americana looks.

In another photo posted on Lady Gaga's official site, Beyoncé wears a satin blue, military-style top with jewel-encrusted. And yet another still posted on the fansite F--- Yeah Lady Gaga shows B in the same top with her foot on the bed, staring at a telephone.

Gaga has said that "Telephone," which premieres Thursday night on E!, picks up where "Paparazzi" left off. According to reports, Beyoncé breaks Gaga out of jail in the Tarantino-inspired clip, which also features Gaga's pals Semi Precious Weapons. With gradually released photos and tiny leaks of information Gaga has done her best to build anticipation for the video.

"What I like about it is it's a real true pop event," she told Phoenix's 104.7 KISS FM last month. "And when I was younger, I was always excited when there was a big giant event happening in pop music and that's what I wanted this to be."

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga

Adopted son Michael Bryan, 18, committed suicide on February 26.
By Gil Kaufman

Marie Osmond (file)
Photo: Steven Lawton/ FilmMagic

The Osmond family gathered in Provo, Utah, on Monday for the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Bryan, Marie Osmond's son who committed suicide on February 26.

"He was a man of his word. He wasn't a talker, he was a doer. He was reliable," said Bryan's sister, Rachel Blosil, 20, who struggled through tears to eulogize her younger brother, The Associated Press reported. "He knew my hopes, he knew my dreams, my secrets, things that nobody knows. He was my best friend."

Bryan was one of five children adopted by Osmond and ex-husband Brian Blosil, who divorced in 2007 after 20 years. Osmond announced in 2007 that Bryan had entered a rehab facility but did not reveal what he was being treated for.

Marie Osmond had not planned to speak at the funeral, which was attended by more than 450 mourners at a chapel near the Provo temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but as the service drew to a  close, People magazine reported that she changed her mind.

"I'd just like to say thank you to everybody," said Osmond, 50, who spoke to a gathering that included her seven surviving children and Michael's biological mother. "As you see, I have amazing support from great men, my family, my brothers. God was very wise when he put me into a family with honorable men, because they have served as examples for my children."

Osmond said she wanted to use the occasion to "honor my children," adding, "I'm so proud of each and every one of you. I'm proud of my son, and I honor his birthmother who's here today, who gave me the greatest gift. Thank you for those beautiful 18 years."

Osmond was then joined by her brothers as they sang the closing hymn, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

Police in Los Angeles said Bryan died of an apparent suicide after jumping from the eighth floor of his apartment building. An official cause of death is still pending as officials are awaiting results of an autopsy and toxicology tests. A note was reportedly left behind, but police have not revealed its contents.

Also choking up during the service was Marie's longtime musical partner and older brother, Donny, 52, who had to pause to gather himself while delivering the invocation. "Bless my sister," he said, crying. "Bless my sister and her family."

Bryan, described as an accomplished musician who played five instruments, wrote original songs and worked with special-needs kids, was in his first year of studying apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. He had planned on a career in retail marketing and design.

"He was an intricate part of our family," said Stephen Craig, 26, the eldest of Marie Osmond's children. "Each member of our family and every person here is better for having met him."

A running joke at the funeral was the jockeying by each sibling to claim that they were Michael's favorite. "My brother Michael loved me the most," claimed 7-year-old sister Abigail. "My brother was funny, and he made me laugh. I liked playing the game Colors with Mike in our pool. My brother wrote a song about me that said I made him very happy. See, he did love me the most!"

After the funeral, a private moment was held at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo, where Bryan's silver coffin was interred, and the family wrote handwritten messages onto orange balloons before releasing them into the air.

MCA is on the mend after cancer treatment, but the group may 'reevaluate' new album.
By Gil Kaufman

Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch
Photo: Mark Von Holden/ Getty Images

After being diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland last summer, the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch is on the mend and thinking about music again. The MC, who underwent surgery and treatment in the fall, told Entertainment Weekly that he's ready to get back to work.

"I feel better," Yauch said on Friday at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles. "It was touch and go there for a while, but I am finally getting my energy back."

Yauch announced on July 20 that the discovery of the cancer would necessitate the canceling of all of the Beasties' planned summer-festival appearances and push back their new album, Hot Sauce Committee, Part One, while he underwent treatment. According to a band spokesperson, because the cancer was discovered early and localized in an area that does not affect Yauch's vocal cords, it is believed the surgery was successful. While a the album, originally due out last September, is not yet officially rescheduled, Yauch said he expects it to drop this September.

"It was really disappointing to have to hold the record and postpone the tour, but doctor's orders," he told EW. "We may or may not [release the album], depending on how my health is come September. We want to but we have to play it by ear." Either way, the B-Boys are planning on taking another listen to the tracks they had prepped to see if some tweaking is in order.

"I was just talking to Adam [Horovitz] and Mike [Diamond] today on the phone and we were talking about working on it a bit," Yauch said. "We finished the record over a year ago, so we want to take a look at it and reevaluate and make sure it is what we want to put out there and that we are still happy with it. I don't think we will change it up too much."

A spokesperson for the group could not be reached at press time to confirm a new release date.

• Beastie Boys

'In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people,' Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences executive director says.
By Larry Carroll

Farrah Fawcett
Photo: Keystone/ Getty Images

Two days after fans of Farrah Fawcett began complaining that the late "Charlie's Angels" star had been overlooked by the Oscars, an Academy Awards representative is speaking for the first time about the omission, and revealing that it was done on purpose.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences executive director Bruce Davis, speaking on behalf of the committee who assembles Oscar's yearly "In Memoriam" segment, told the Associated Press that it was a difficult decision to omit Fawcett and that they expected some controversy. "[The committee] was kind of figuring that probably the Farrah Fawcett and Gene Barry omissions would be the ones we'd get the most comments on," Davis said, also naming the veteran actor whose 1963-1966 series "Burke's Law" kept him predominantly remembered as a TV star. "[We] did get one letter about Miss Fawcett."

	Farrah Fawcett, A Life In Photos

During Sunday's highly rated Oscar telecast, a video tribute was shown featuring such memorable Hollywood names as Brittany Murphy, David Carradine and Patrick Swayze. But Fawcett — who had memorable turns in such films as "The Apostle," "The Cannonball Run" and "Logan's Run," and who got Oscar buzz herself for a performance in the 1986 rape drama "Extremities" — was nowhere to be found.

Citing the "remarkable television work" of Fawcett and Barry, the Academy ultimately decided to omit the two actors intentionally. Those playing along at home, however, might point to the fact that Michael Jackson was featured prominently during the "In Memoriam" clip, but will hardly be remembered first and foremost as a movie star.

Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Fawcett died in June 209.

"In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people," Davis said. "There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. ... They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it."

Fawcett's longtime partner, actor Ryan O'Neal, said that he was confused by the omission — a sentiment echoed by several other famous folks who knew and loved Fawcett. In past years, similar controversies have erupted concerning omitted names like Brad Renfro and Gene Siskel.

Relive all the best moments from the 2010 Academy Awards with photos, interviews, blogs, post-show analysis and more, right here at MTV News.

• Farrah Fawcett, A Life In Photos