As we mentioned earlier today (while discussing her neck tattoo), Rihanna's Rated R is, generally, a pretty gloomy affair. Rainy days, cloudy skies; pure pain, a lot of ballads, and slow, creeping beats.

So it should come as no great surprise that, despite the star power involved, "Hole In My Head," a collaboration between Rihanna and Justin Timberlake, was relegated to bonus-track-status (and not even, U.S. bonus track...it's U.K.-only!).

Unlike Rihanna and Justin Timberlake's first collabo, "Rehab," "Hole In My Head" is a jumping, jittery song, reminiscent of Justin's Futuresex/Lovesound or Timbaland's "The Way I Are." It's a fun, dance-y, Pussycat Dolls-leaning number, but it would have stuck out on the moody Rated R.

+ Listen to Rihanna featuring Justin Timberlake, "Hole In My Head."

Shakira's equal parts step-dancing soldier, Jamaican dancehall diva, and classical Thai dancer (with Lady Liberty leanings) in her brand-new video, "Give It Up To Me," directed by Sophie Muller, produced by Timbaland, and featuring Lil Wayne. You won't get the supernatural otherworldly occurrences of her "She Wolf" video, but you will get a healthy dose of pelvic thrusts.

Watch Shakira's "Give It Up To Me" video, off her upcoming She Wolf album, now.

Word around the campfire is that Rihanna's ready to make the follow-up to Good Girl Gone Bad, an album whose various incarnations has spawned more hits than a mafia war.

According to MTV News,  Rihanna's gonna enter the studio with some familiar faces -- "Umbrella" writer/producer Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake -- and some new ones as well, like The All-American Rejects' Tyson Ritter. With those past and future Rihanna collabos in mind, I started daydreaming about who else could make this good girl even better. (And whether or not she'll wear a see-through dress to the studio.)

1. Hot Chip
While it may often be broken, Rihanna has a New Wave heart. You can heart it in her Soft-Cell-sampling early hit, "S.O.S." or in the bum-bum-be-dum's of "Disturbia." She's ready for some synths, electro leanings, and all the attendant eyeliner and Flock Of Seagulls hair that goes with it. (Wait! Rihanna HAS Flock of Seagulls hair!) So why not work with some of the finest purveyors of neo-New-Wave? Hot Chip could expertly combine R&B, dance and pop for Rihanna.

2. Katy Perry
Katy Perry and Rihanna are basically already besties, so why not get in the studio together. If Rihanna lacks anything (and she doesn't lack much) it's a defined personality. Her whole thing is the blank stare, the elusive, untouchable girl. Maybe Katy could giver her something there. Like a sense of humor, or a more human, normal vibe. Not that there ain't a lot to love in Rihanna's current robot-diva-from-the-future thing. Or maybe they could both cake dive together.

3. Ryan Tedder
The OneRepublic singer/songwriter might be accused of ripping himself off (Beyonce's "Halo" begats Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone"), but it's a heck of a blueprint to work from. This seems like a no-brainer, right? I can already hear Rihanna singing "Apologize" in my head. Her airy, pleading voice would work great with his melodies.

OneRepublic wipes away the bad-relationships-and-bitter-breakup tears of their monster smash "Apologize" on "All The Right Moves," the pulsating, high-energy lead single off their upcoming album, Waking Up, due out November 19.

We'll pull back the curtain on their masquerade ball video on Thursday, October 8 on MTV, but until then, watch this exclusive sneak peek of OneRepublic's corseted-and-costumed undercover clip of their "All The Right Moves" video.

+ The feud between Mariah Carey and Eminem has just escalated to new levels. Now the rapper is threatening to release nude photos of the megastar, supposedly from when they were together. (US Magazine)

+ Jessica Simpson has a new reality show coming out on VH1 and she's got some people pretty pissed about her extravagant spending habits. (Pop Crunch)

+ Panic At The Disco have finally announced replacements for the two members who left the group earlier this month. (NME)

+ Leona Lewis is pulling out all the stops for her sophomore album due out this fall, working with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Ryan Tedder, Timbaland and more. (Rap-Up)

+ So the story is true: Michael Jackson did get busy with some Norwegian girl and had a son who is now 25 years old. (Socialite Life)

+ Buzzcrush David Archuleta recently covered Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" and it sounds simply divine. (Neon Limelight)

It was either the French, the Afghans, Mario Puzo, or the Quentin Tarantino who said "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Were they right? Who knows? Everything I needed to know I learned from pop culture and music videos, which have taught me that when it comes to getting even, nothing beats the ass-kicking, window-smashing, good old-fashioned REVENGE video. (And leaving a horse head in someone's bed.)

Check out 10 classic videos where artists get mad, get even and get revenge by trashing their ex's place, taping themselves in naughty situations (right, Justin Timberlake?), putting the hurt on someone else's credit cards, or howling like a she-wolf in the middle of the desert like your name was Alanis Morissette. (Exactly like that, actually.)

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF REJECTION

Alanis Morissette -- "You Oughta Know"
Nothing says "woman scorned" like the wrath of Alanis Morissette and all. that. hair. Her 1995 video, "You Oughta Know," quickly became a b+tchfest manifesto for the maligned and scorned the world over. Thinking of getting "exploratory" in a movie theater? Um, yeah. Don't. Also, learning corner: Flea and Dave Navarro played on the original recording!
+ Watch "You Oughta Know"

BREAK STUFF!

Carrie Underwood -- "Before He Cheats"
If you cheat on Carrie Underwood, you've got an even bigger problem than the major hike in car insurance you're about to experience once you discover she's beat the LIVING S+++ out of your truck. In her 2006 "Before He Cheats" video, Carrie Underwood not only takes aim with a baseball bat, but she also BLOWS THINGS UP WITH HER MIND, bringing new meaning to "smash hit." Ever see Carrie the movie? Coincidence? I think not.
+ Watch "Before He Cheats"

Lily Allen -- "Smile"
Crafty Lily Allen recruits a band of local thugs and no-goodniks to mug her ex -- played by EastEnders' Elliott Jordan -- wreck his place, smash his records, and stuff his shirts in the toilet in her 2006 video, "Smile." Also he gets mugged and a horbs case of the Hershey squirts after Lily spikes his coffee with Ex-Lax. Smooth moves all around!
+ Watch "Smile"

AYO TECHNOLOGY

Justin Timberlake -- "Cry Me A River"
What happens when you cheat on Justin Timberlake? Nothing creepy or anything. Duder just pulls up to your driveway with Timbaland in the car, sneaks into your house when you leave, films himself banging an INCREDIBLY HOT CHICK, and leaves the evidence rolling and ready for you to watch when you step out of the shower. No big deal. (It's extra creepy if you happen to look like Britney Spears. ALSO: Fun fact -- the girl who plays Britney in the video is Lauren Hastings, who dated Shia LaBeouf. She also claimed that Lindsay Lohan stole an $11,000 coat from her.)
+ Watch "Cry Me A River"

Backstreet Boys -- "The Call"
Now pay attention because the Backstreet Boys' 2002 video for "The Call" may confuse people less intelligent than me. In the "The Call" video, one if not ALL of the BSBs are progressively cheating on their girlfriend/s, who MAY or may not have SET UP the guy/s to cheat on them in the first place. Total BSB sting operation! With a girl who may or may not be a transvestite. (Note: that's speculation on my part, but she kinda does look like a drag queen. Which is FINE if she were a tranners, but it'd take the video in a totally different direction.) Anyway, they're all cheating, or it's symbolic cheating or whatever, and the old-school 2002 cell phone (hence the phone sound effects!) becomes THE VESSEL through which the cheating travels. Symbolic BSB girlfriend however PWONES and sets up the whole operation to completely fail, thus flipping the script and using the cell phone and "the call that changed my destiny" as the vehicles that drive the whole sordid affair into the ground. Technology wins, cheaters lose! (Not-so-fun-fact: In 2003, AJ McLean revealed to Oprah that he first tried cocaine the night the "The Call" video was shot.)
+ Watch "The Call"

MURDER WAS THE CASE

Kanye West -- "Flashing Lights"
Spike Jonze directed Kanye West's 2008 "Flashing Lights" video, which is his most dramatic and definitely his most gruesome to date. While the song and lyrics are haunting, they completely belie the video's drastic measures: Playboy model Rita G shoves Kanye in a car, duct tapes his mouth shut (ahem!), and beats the life out of him with a shovel. All for the leaving the toilet seat up!
+ Watch "Flashing Lights"

+ Ashley Tisdale, Aerosmith, and credit card revenge after the jump!

Read more...

+ Plastic surgery postergirl Courtney Love is in the studio recording her second solo album with the help of a few of her friends. Does she even remember how to sing? Celebrity Skin was a good Hole album, but we stopped listening right after her lips started looking like Lisa Rinna's. (NME)

+ At last night's CMT Awards, neighborhood sweetheart Taylor Swift took home the coveted Video of the Year award (along with Female Video of the Year) alongside rapper T—Pain (??) for their song "Love Story." Does this girl lose at anything?? We love her! (People)

+ If you're looking for a big break into the heavy metal music video industry, look no further! Glam rock hair band Steel Panther is holding auditions this weekend for their next video, "Community Property." (The Rad Report)

+ Third time's a charm—just ask our leading lady Britney Spears. Is she REALLY getting married to her agent? (Star Magazine)

+ Uh oh.  Nelly Furtado and Timbaland are getting sued by a guy who says their song "Do It" steals directly from a song he had already written. Why did it take the guy three years to figure it out?? (NME)

+ New Kids On The Block just cancelled the Australian leg of their world tour, blaming the economic downturn. OK, so maybe Janet Jackson wasn't lying when she said the same thing. (E! Online)

Flo Rida's new video "Sugar" -- the second single off his sophomore album, R.O.O.T.S. -- is finally out. You know it's sweet, you know it's sexy, and you know it takes place on a beach, but here are more five more facts you need to know about Flo Rida's addictive new cut.

1.) "Sugar" was shot on Miami's South Beach by director Shane Drake, who also shot "Elevator," as well as a seemingly unending list of other major videos, including Panic At The Disco's "Nine In The Afternoon" and Paramore's "Decode" video. But before "Sugar," Shane Drake directed another beach video -- Shwayze's "Corona and Lime video."

2.) At both the "Corona And Lime" video shoot and the "Sugar" video shoot, Shane Drake took off his shirt, establishing what's basically a pattern -- Shane Drake shoots a beach video, director Shane Drake takes off his shirt. Got that, ladies?

3.) The girl who sings the hook on "Sugar" is R&B singer-songwriter Wynter Gordon, who's written songs for Danity Kane and Mary J. Blige. *Bonus Style Fact: At around 0:11 into the video, Wynter's shown wearing a white enamel necklace by Lia Sophia. Other Lia Sophia fans include Miley Cyrus (she wore Lia Sophia bracelets on Good Morning America), Stephanie Pratt, Audrina Patridge, and Leven Rambin.

4.) Flo Rida samples the song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)," which was an unlikely hit in 1999 by Italian electro-pop band Eiffel 65. Despite the fact that the song was the audio equivalent of waterboarding, it became a #1 hit in 10 countries and earned a 2001 Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. Quite unfortunately, it was also covered by Crazy Frog, which never should've happened.

5.) While it's unclear if Flo Rida's a big Ian McCulloch fan, it's not a stretch to assume that Flo borrowed the line "lips like sugar" from the Echo & The Bunnymen hit of the same name.

+ Watch Flo Rida's "Sugar" video below, and after the jump, watch Echo & The Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" video.

Read more...

Tokio Hotel's new album is STILL not out yet (alas!), but at least you can get a little piece of the guys when they release their new use-a-conner t-shirts for H&M.

Tokio Hotel, along with Katy Perry, Estelle, Yoko Ono, Robyn (Robyn!!!), N.E.R.D., and more -- like Rihanna last year -- were tapped to designed safe-sex t-shirts as part of H&M and Designers Against AIDS' Fashion Against AIDS 2009 campaign.

The shirts, which are available in male and female versions (but feel free to change that up depending upon your gender-bending preferences), will hit H&M stores worldwide (great news!) on May 28. Twenty-five percent of the campaign's proceeds will fund HIV/AIDS youth awareness projects.

Lovingly, Tokio Hotel's shirts say "Rock Hard, F*** Safe." Gotta respect that kind of forwardness. Oh, and Tokio Hotel was photographed for the campaign by Daniel Jackson. Because I know you keep track of that sort of thing.

I will now leave you to your fantasies...

According to the Internet, James Morrison got that scratchy signature singing voice of his from a "severe bout with the whooping cough" as a kid. Isn't that just so British? When I first saw his "Broken Strings" video, I pictured a teen James Morrison waking up one morning, looking in the mirror and thinking, "Hey, I look eg-bloody-zactly like Chris Martin from Coldplay! I'm gonna be famous!"

And Fantasy James Morrison, you were right. You're famous as can be! I mean, you don't get David Archuleta telling everyone to buy your record without being a liiittle bit famous. And you certainly don't get Nelly Furtado singing harmony and longing for you through a hotel wall in your video without being a pretty major big deal. Right, Timbaland? Right.

Wanna do an experiment? Watch "Broken Strings" with someone you have a crush on. Just be like "Oh, oops, look what happens to be on... James Morrison. Weird." I bet you anything that JM's husky croon and Nelly Furtado's lusty replies will create so much tension in the room, that you'll end up married by the time the second chorus hits. Here, try it. It's a great idea.