+ Exciting news about Madonna that has nothing to do with adoption and nannies! The Queen of Pop will be teaming up with none other than Paul Oakenfold for the U.K. and European legs of her "Sticky & Sweet" tour, as well as some new tracks on her September 2009 greatest hits album that will consist of "cutting edge sounds combined with classic Madonna."

+ Cher is finally speaking out about her daughter Chastity Bono's decision to transition from female to male. She seems to be pretty cool about the whole thing. OMG my mom would ground me for at LEAST three weeks. (Star Magazine)

+ After Whitney Houston turned down the part, rapper Eve has signed up for a two-episode story arc on the upcoming FOX series GLEE as a high school choir director. (EW.com)

+ Ooh! A new video from Ciara f. Missy Elliott where Ciara turns a construction site into a catwalk? We'll take two. (Rap-Up)

+ Geography is HARD y'all!  Britney Spears slipped up and said "What's up, London?!"at the only concert she did in the U.K. 200 miles outside of London (the show was in Manchester). Let's just say the fans were not amused. (CelebWarship)

+ Meanwhile, back in an Arkansas prison, T.I.'s got a rill RILL bad case of the squirts. (Bossip)

+ The Grammy's are coming! The Grammy's are coming! Lil Wayne's leading the pack with 8 nominations, Coldplay's close behind with (lucky number!) 7, Ne-Yo's got six, newcomer/Missy Elliott protege Jazmine Sullivan's up there with 5, and our beloved Jo Bros could take home Best New Artist. OMJ!! (MTV News)

+ Sadly, not everyone seems to be getting the recognition they deserve. Katy Perry (whose "I Kissed A Girl" was, arguably, the biggest song of '08) got shafted -- and we didn't like it. Perry received a Best Female Pop Vocals nod but won't be up for Best Record, Album or Song of the Year, or -- more importantly -- Best New Artist. Sigh. (Grammy)

+ Meanwhile, our friendzies at BWE have broken down the Album of the Year nominees into five simple categories. Our fave? Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' Raising Sand, a.k.a. "The Album That No One Has Heard Of Or Possesses Any Evidence That It Actually Exists, But Holy Sh*t, We Have To Let It Win." (Best Week Ever)

+ International superstar Kanye West to put aside his music career and become a lowly fashion intern instead. (NYT, via Gawker)

+ Also? When Kanye's done playing fashionista, he won't be going back to rapping. "Hip-hop is over for me," 'Ye says. "I now want to be grouped [alongside] the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples." (ContactMusic)

+ A photog is suing total non-couple Chris Brown and Rihanna for allegedly roughing him up -- and stealing his $3K camera. (Scandalist)

+ Diddy's never been one for subtlety, a fact made clear by the name of the Bad Boy mogul's newest fragrance: I Am King. (Remote Control)

+ Is teen queen Miley Cyrus seriously filing for legal emancipation (i.e. divorcing her parents) so she can (continue to?) date 20-year-old underwear models and run away with all her cash money? Eh, probably not. (PopCrunch)

It's not easy to compete with Madonna and Justin ripping each other's bodies apart -- literally -- on their quest to save us all (from what, though, I'm not sure) in "4 Minutes" -- which came in at #2 on today's TRL Top Collaborations countdown -- or Madonna and Britney almost-but-not-quite making out in "Me Against the Music," which made a respectable #5. But four scantily clad ladies dressed like a tramped-n-revamped version of Cirque du Sluttay -- plus Missy Elliott -- managed to edge out Madge, Brit and Justin and make history too.

Mya, Christina Aguilera -- lookin' like the bride of Frankenstein's trashier step sister, Lil' Kim -- looking surprisingly more sophisticated than usual -- and Pink, looking like the hottest ringleader evar stole the show away from the Moulin Rouge!, the movie, in 2001 when their remake of "Lady Marmalade" (LaBelle originally recorded it back in 1974) became the second song in chart history to hit number one without being released as a commercial single.

But less boring history, more grunting, gyrating, and singing about brothels.

Watch "Lady Marmalade," and check out the rest of TRL's top video collabos here.

What kinda world would we be living in if Soulja Boy (Tell 'em) beat out Slim Shady on TRL's all-time greatest hip-hop hits countdown? No world I'd wanna live in, that's fa show. The way I see it? Soulja Boy's lucky to have even made it onto the shortlist of the show's best-ever hip-hop videos. But the question remains... WHERE THE HULL IS LIL WAYNE? (BTW, mazel tov on that baby boy, Weezy!) I demand a recount! Damien? Get on that!

Anyway, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" found its way to #1 on today's countdown, Jay-Z's classic swagger track, "Big Pimpin'" locked up #2, Outkast's "Hey Ya" -- the song that inserted "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" into the pop culture lexicon for forevskies -- and Missy Elliott's mesmerizing "Get Ur Freak On" video made #8.

Watch the highlights below, check out the rest of TRL's greatest hip-hop videos here, and don't miss some very special out-of-studio experiences on tomorrow's show, at 3:30pm ET.

Plus:
+TRL's top girl power videos: Miley Cyrus trumps Destiny's Child!
+Beyonce and Ludacris will perform onTRL finale on Sunday, November 16!

++ WATCH MORE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMPOFF! ++

Read more...

The Pussycat Dolls are keeping it swingin' in their latest video, "Whatcha Think About That." In typical PD style, the girls' overly synthesized vocals take second billing to their trademark, clothing-optional mode of dress and patented writhing-on-the-floor dance moves. And as always, the attention to detail is nothing short of remarkable. From the flattering, burlesque house lighting to the frilly, black-and-white corsets (Think Jenna Jameson meets Pirates of the Caribbean), it's all very "yo ho ho" glam -- with an emphasis on the latter two syllables.

Best of all, Missy Elliott's here to shake things up with another smooth-as-silk rap verse. And unlike in Danity Kane's "Bad Girls" video -- where Missy materializes just in time to dutifully recite her lines -- the larger-than-life rapper is utilized here to optimal effect, taking control of the intro, chorus and outro and abstaining only from the precarious, dominatrix-style perch/swing.

So start off your week with a double dose of Missy by catching the latest videos from the Pussycat Dolls and (a pre-downsized) Danity Kane. Then let us know which girl group you think deserves the "Best Music Video Co-Starring Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott" award. (FYI, we like the Dolls' video better, but prefer the vocal stylings of DK for the simple reason that their song sounds less like a lesson in robotics and more like actual singing.)

+ Is Miley Cyrus really going out with a super-hot, much older male underwear model?? And is he really Taylor Swift's former beau? Or is this all just one big ploy to make Nick Jonas jealous? If so, we can think of at least seven things wrong with that. (LAT)

+ After working it with Missy Elliott, the Pussycat Dolls learn how to put their thang down, flip it AND reverse it. (MTV)

+ Jack White describes what it was like to "Bond" with Alicia Keys. (Rolling Stone)

+ Amy Winehouse exposes her husband's ding dong, gives whole new meaning to the term "overshare." (The Sun - UK)

+ Avril Lavigne releases her new clothing line. You'll know it's hers because of its unique punk rebelliousness! And because it has her face plastered all over it. (ONTD)

+ Frances Bean (a.k.a. daughter of Kurt Cobain/Courtney Love) throws herself a Super Suicide 16 party. Yay? (Scandalist)

+ LL Cool J is all about the hip-hop in Exit 13. Not surprising, considering he totally represents Queens. (MTV)

Attention budding directors, design nerds, After Effects tinkerers and Tay Zonday fans. Six new 2008 VMA categories have just been announced, and you'll be glad to know (or at least I am), that Erykah Badu, Death Cab for Cutie, and Weezer did not get overlooked.

Erykah Badu's "Honey" homage is up for three out of the six new categories, Death Cab for Cutie's meat locker love song "I Will Possess Your Heart" is up for two, and Weezer's "Pork and Beans" squeaked in too. Good damn thing too, because it would've been a crime if that gem had been overlooked.

The new categories focus on video design, direction, and ... DANCE! They're sorta like the technical Oscars, but more exciting. And speaking of the Oscars, the new categories are:

+ Best Art Direction: Welcome, MGMT and White Stripes!

+ Best Choreography: Two Chris Brown videos up in here. Big shocker there. And Adele and Gnarls Barkley make an appearance!

+ Best Cinematography: Breakneck competition here between Badu, Death Cab, Katy Perry, White Stripes and Pussycat Dolls, who now have SIX nominations -- the most of any artist this year.

+ Best Direction: Panic At the Disco, and Rihanna pick up their second noms of the year. Link Park picks up their third.

+ Best Editing: Will Katy Perry, Erykah Badu, Death Cab, and Ne-Yo get served by Weezer's "Pork and Beans"?

+ Best Special Effects: Coldplay enters the race with "Violet Hill," and so Kanye doesn't throw a fit, his "Good Life" video's in there too.

Check out the full list of new categories and nominees, check out Buzzworthy's interview with "Pork and Beans" director Mathew Cullen, and watch the epic meme montage yet again.

Some people will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. (See: Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire? and the entire cast of Shot at Love 2). But for every attention-starved D-lister who's only in it for the tabloid validation (we're looking at you, Kim Kardashian!) there's a talented newcomer who's less interested in being "super, super famous" than she is on establishing herself as an artist.

Of course, when you're as talented as Jazmine Sullivan, superstardom inevitably comes with the territory. And though she's not above sneaking into Stevie Wonder's grandson's birthday party to help jumpstart her career, Jazmine says she's all about "want[ing] people to respect me."

Check out this exclusive video interview and hear what Missy Elliott's protege has to say about finding mainstream success with her hit single, "Need U Bad." Then watch the video, and download the reggae-infused track that's given Jazmine her first taste of unsolicited fame.

There are like 18 brillion videos eligible for a spot on the Video of the Year nominee leaderboard, and I sure as shoot ain't got time to talk you through each of them. Do that on your own time and your own dime, okay? But since this is such a maje category, here's a look at 20 standouts. Vote now! You only gots a few more hours, and after that, you've only got regret.

Oh, and don't miss this Friday's installation (like that? it sounds like a work of art) of FNMTV to see who the final nominees are.

+ 50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake, "Ayo Technology" -- A glossy, Bond-meets-Bourne video that looks really cool but, I think, is basically about switching cell providers or something.

+ Ashlee Simpson, "Outta My Head" -- Surrealism and Santogold songwriting! Sweet!

+ Alicia Keys, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" -- Serious. Bawl. Sesh.

+ Boys Like Girls, "Thunder" -- I so did not go to high school or high school parties with guys this hot.

+ Common, "Drivin' Me Wild" -- You dressed up Lily Allen as an astronaut because you are awesome, and you look extra hot in a white tux because you are extra hot.

+ Erykah Badu, "Honey" -- Viva la mom and pop y la homage!

+ Foo Fighters, "Long Road to Ruin" -- Ohhhhhhhh Dave Grohl. When oh when oh when will you finally realize we're meant to be together? Oh wait, sorry. This is supposed to be about the video, right? Right. That rules too. (I LOVE YOU, DAVE!!!!!)

+ Ingrid Michaelson, "The Way I Am" -- Weren't scared of clowns before? You are now.

+ Jonas Brothers, "Burnin' Up" -- The JBs get all action-adventure on us. (And after chasing them around for two days, their video's starting to feel less like satire, more verite.)

+ Last Shadow Puppets, "The Age of the Understatement" -- Cold! Grey! Soviet!

+ Missy Elliott, "Ching-A-Ling" -- 3D's cool, but now my heady hurty.

+ No Age, "Eraser" -- Heady, confusing, beautiful.

+ N.E.R.D., "Everyone Nose" -- Livin' la video Lohan! (But remember... this is not a song "about" cocaine ... it's about... people... who do cocaine.)

+ Panic At the Disco, "Nine In the Afternoon -- Crazy 'staches, papier-mâché fishies, dudes in those olde-tymey onesies.

+ Paramore, "crushcrushcrush" -- Something is seriously wrong with the world if these guys (and girl) don't get nominated. I will blame you.

+ Phantom Planet, "Do the Panic" -- California... wait... did we make a wrong turn back there?

+ Pussycat Dolls, "When I Grow Up" -- Boobies! Groupies! Groupie boobies!

+ Tally Hall, "Good Day" -- Adorkable!

+ Vanessa Hudgens, "Sneakernight" -- Mama needs a new pairah shoes!

+ Weezer, "Pork and Beans" -- UhDUH.

More VMAs here.

Most 21-year-olds we know have messy apartments (if they even have their own place), and no clue what they want to do with their lives. Then again, most 21-year-olds we know aren't rising superstars who've been singing since before they were still in Pampers. But don't hate on Jazmine Sullivan just because she's got a hot new single -- "Need U Bad," off her new LP, Fearless, out in September -- and the co-sign of Missy Elliott.

The overachiever's been at it since she was five, but she didn't catch her first big break until her early teens, when she traded in her church hymnals for a spot on Showtime at the Apollo, followed by a gig singing for Stevie Wonder. Since then, she's seen one record deal fizzle, but rebounded by landing a new contract with J. Records, and collaborating with Christina Milian and Fantasia. If we were Alicia Keys, we'd be slightly nervous right now.