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We loves us some Ludacris. Not only is he one of our all-time favorite lyricists (That's why he has "more sh-t out on the streets than evicted tenants!") but, like any solid pro, he knows that it's all about the company you keep. Which is why Luda's smart enough to surround himself with the best -- like Rihanna's sizzlin' hot (and totally not-platonic) guy "friend," Chris Brown, and Sean Garrett, the super-producer behind Usher's "Yeah!," and Chris Brown's "Run It."

And his new video is pure, unadulterated entertainment. The concept? Like Mel Gibson before him, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has somehow acquired the ability to read women's minds! And these video vixens aren't exactly mulling over the impending financial crisis. Yeah, their thoughts are more along the lines of "He got money," "These heels are killing me!" and, our personal fave, "This video better get me work!"

Our verdict? We're not sure whether Ludacris is actually a mind-reader, but he definitely knows what we want to hear. So check out his latest, "What Them Girls Like" and appreciate the awesomeness of seeing Luda's rapping, Chris Brown's dancing and Sean Garrett's patented sunglasses-tilt all rolled into one. Then just be glad no one's reading your mind the next time you're thinking "I wish I had friends."

Tags Chris Brown, Ludacris, Sean Garrett

Although she's still the youngest-ever person to win the American Idol crown, Jordin Sparks is no longer the innocent 17-year-old she once was. Now, a seasoned 19, Sparks has no problem speaking her mind -- whether it's to shoot down rumors that her vocal chords are shot -- or to defend the Jonas Brothers' taste in ringwear. Which is why it's only fitting that older, wiser and wavier-haired Sparks has just put out a new version of her very first breakout hit, "Tattoo."

And this time around, the Idol phenom's doing it all differently. Gone are the bright, lemon-yellow jackets, the painted-on smiles and the impulsive merry go-round dance parties of yesteryear. The new Jordin may be ready to move on, but she's not slap-happy about it. Which (kinda) explains why she's slinking around a dark, hipstery loft, hugging her own reflection and ignoring the inked-up randoms curled up on her sheepskin rug.

So show your love for both Jordins (and for spontaneously appearing/disappearing Henna tats!) by checking out this darkier, sexier version of "Tattoo." Then take another look at the original to relive the cheesy amazingness of the gratuitous Blake Lewis cameo.

Tags American Idol, Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks

+ A toy company has just introduced the Katy Perry doll! Sadly, critics lament that the foxy figurine (designed by Jason Wu and priced at a semi-affordable $49.99) "looks nothing like Katy Perry, or even Zooey Deschanel." (Rolling Stone)

+ Janet Jackson was hospitalized yesterday due to "unspecified causes." Jackson, who is currently in Montreal on her RockWitchu tour, "got suddenly ill during the sound check" and had to be rushed to the hospital. (MTV News)

+ Meanwhile, DJ AM and Travis Barker are both out of the hospital and on the road to recovery. Yesterday, AM attended a memorial service for his friend -- and fellow plane crash victim -- Chris Baker. (Usmagazine.com)

+ Britney Spears unveils plans for an "around the world" tour in 2009! Better reserve your seats now. (PopCrunch)

+ Pink reveals the scents that make her wanna get frisky: "diesel fuel" and "canine." Yep, nothing says "aphrodisiac" quite like the intoxicating aroma of tractor exhaust...with a hint of dog poo. (Scandalist)

+ Apparently, 50 Cent isn't satisfied with being just a top MC and a Vitamin Water mogul. The rapper has a new song on his website outlining his latest career aspiration: "50 Cent for President." (MTV News)

+ Good thing Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins isn't the jealous type. The super-producer is all about Brandy's new album -- and totally over that LP she dropped with his work nemesis, Timbaland. (Rap-Up)

Tags 50 Cent, Brandy, Britney Spears, DJ AM, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, Pink, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Timbaland, Travis Barker

Three-piece Brooklyn electro-pop band Chairlift (shown here in couture gladiator gear) is the latest band to get Apple's iPod-hawking, insta-fame treatment, and rightfully so; their dreamy single, "Bruises," the one that goes "I tried to do handstands for you, but every time I fell for you" -- has been somersaulting through my brain for weeks now, and their debut LP, Does You Inspire You, isn't even out until tomorrow.

Lead singer Caroline Polachek's breathy-but-bold feminine vocals (think The Cardigans' Nina Persson) float hauntingly above sweetly (but not too sweet) simple (but not too simple) keys and unobtrusive drum beats as my desire to buy an electric turquoise Nano arm wrestles with my desire to buy a Nano in bright purple.

Watch a full-length Chairlift set from Baebelmusic, listen to "Earwig Town," check out Chairlift's fall Yeasayer tour dates, and watch Nena's classic "99 Luft Balloons" video -- the godmother of female-fronted electro-pop if ever there was one.

Past "Oh! It’s ‘That’ Songs"
+ Lenka, "The Show"
+ Throw Me The Statue, “Lolita”
+ Ingrid Michaelson, “The Way I Am”

Tags Chairlift, Nena, Oh It's That Song

Over the past month or so, we've seen the guys from Jack's Mannequin hungover, airborne, doin' a little dance and layin' it down in the studio. And now, with a heavy heart, it's time for us to bid the boys farewell as they get ready to head BACK out on the road for The Glass Passenger tour.

And since we've never been very good at goodbyes, we'll let Andrew McMahon do all the talking. Watch the JM frontman say TTYL in his fifth -- and final -- tour installment, then preempt the separation anxiety by taking in the guys' new video, "The Resolution." ('Course, you already know the song -- you watched them record it last week.) Sigh. Nostalgia, anyone?

Tags Andrew McMahon, Jack's Mannequin

Do you think when Christina Aguilera scrubs off her primer, concealer, bronzer, highlighter, foundation, tinted moisturizer, powder, Sharpie eyeliner, false eyelashes, and patent pink lipstick, she becomes Anna Faris?

Watch Anna Faris and the cast of the The House Bunny tolerate Christian Siriano on the gold carpet at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards. Check out Christina's new Keeps Gettin' Better fembot style, and then take a look back at Christina in her 2003 video, "The Voice Within," during a time when her style was a bit more, er... "stripped" down.

Plus: more Wonder Twins:
+ Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel
+ The Cab's Alex DeLeon and Carolina Liar's Chad Wolf
+ Pete Wentz and Dean Cain

Tags Anna Faris, Christina Aguilera, Wonder Twins

+ Have you heard? Amy Winehouse's "most loyal friends" are extremely worried about the singer's "crumbling state of mind!" So they've decided to protect her in the way only best friends can...by selling her out to the British tabloids faster than you can say "Cha-ching!" (The Sun - UK)

+ Kanye West will not face felony charges over the bizarre LAX pap attack. (NY Times)

+ Boo! Junior Senior broke up! I'm never gonna dance again! (MySpace)

+ The still-sexy (if you're into much older guys) Bruce Springsteen is giving you a reason NOT to change the channel during the Super Bowl halftime show. (Rolling Stone)

+ Actress and sometimes-musician Scarlett Johansson gets hitched to Alanis Morissette's ex, Ryan Reynolds. "You Oughta Know" what's coming next. (Scandalist)

+ Madonna was fined nearly $300K for allowing her concert to run 40 minutes long. Hey, maybe we should start calling her the "Too Much Material" Girl? Get it??? Sigh. (NME)

+ For those of you who (still) don't know, G's to Gents host Fonzworth Bentley is takin' it to the streets. (Hypetrak)

+ Country singer Kenny Chesney to expand "the Chesney brand" by making his name synonymous with booze. (The Boot)

+ Maino explains the reasoning behind his album's prognostic title, Maino Is the Future. "That title fits right now. Me being the only new New York rapper that's being noticed nationally — it's only right." Don't believe him? "Hi, Hater!" (MTV)

Tags Alanis Morissette, Amy Winehouse, Bruce Springsteen, Fonzworth Bentley, From G's to Gents, Junior Senior, Kanye West, Kenny Chesney, Madonna, Maino, Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson

We see you, Maino. And we see a significantly higher production value than the original "Hi Hater" video, which truly looked like it was shot on someone's Razr.

And we also see you, T.I., and you, Fabolous, and Swizz Beatz (killed it!), you, Jadakiss, and Mya, lookin' all relaxed and comfy and stuff. Welcome back, girl! Seriously, this is by far my favorite Mya collabo since "Ghetto Superstar."

Watch Maino's "Hi Hater Remix" video -- you get far more gratuitous pec shots on Maino's behalf. Looks like someone's been hittin' the Bowflex!

And speaking of "Ghetto Superstar," check out this old-school TRL clip from 1998 and marvel over how much Maino looks like Old Dirty Bastard (R.I.P!):

Tags Fabolous, Maino, Mya, Swizz Beatz, T.I., TRL

Those of you born after 1989 probably know Oasis in one of three ways:

1) You heard their smash hit, "Wonderwall," at your friend's I Love the 90's theme party.
2) You read (on your iPhone) about their bizarro feud with Jay-Z at Glastonbury
3) You never knew of their existence until earlier this month, when some crazy middle-aged person ran on stage and shoved whatshisface into a giant monitor speaker.

Thing is, no matter how you know Oasis, we have a feeling you're gonna fall hard for their new video, "The Shock of the Lightning." Seriously, there's something in it for everyone! Rock history geeks will dig how the opening shot is a clear shout-out to the the cover of the Rolling Stones' Hot Rocks 1964-1971 album, and old-school Oasis fans will love that the song is as infectiously hooky as, say, "Champagne Supernova."

So check out Oasis' new vid, "Shock of the Lightning," then compare it to the Oasis you've only read about in the ol' history books. Sure, their comeback may not be as flashy or exciting as, say, Britney Spears', but we have a feeling you might be pleasantly surprised! And, more importantly, just interested enough to watch.

Tags Jay-Z, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Oasis

Britney's got three Moonmen, a sicker-than-ever body, a hawt head of hair, and a soon-to-drop new album, Circus. And now the gloves are coming off, and she's hitting back hard on the album's lead single, "Womanizer," calling out a possible certain someone or someones who maybe had a certain problem staying faithful to a certain former wifey.

The succinctly titled "Womanizer" feels a little like Blackout's "Ooh Ooh Baby," and, according to our sources, the "Womanizer" video (directed by Joseph Kahn, who directed Britney's "Stronger" and "Toxic" videos as well as the Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up") may feel like a naughtier "(You Drive Me) Crazy" with sexier waitresses (and ostensibly without Melissa Joan Hart, because really, how sexy can things get with Sabrina the Teenage Witch in your video?).

Not only is Britney sounding more in control, laying the smack down on players, and taking back what's hers, but she's also acknowledging her tumultuous past, in one of the song's most honest lines: "You say I'm crazy/ I got your crazy/ you're nothin' but a womanizer."

Ouch.

Listen to "Womanizer," and hear it on an all-new episode of The Hills this Monday, September 29.

+ Plus, watch Britney's glorious comeback at the 2008 VMAs.

Tags Britney Spears, The Hills