The 2012 Billboard Music Awards turned into the 2012 Adele Awards, as the British songstress was honored with 12 awards, including Top Artist, during the show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Party-meisters LMFAO also walked away with some major booty — six trophies, to be precise, with their smash single “Party Rock Anthem” nabbing the award in three separate musical genre categories (Top Pop, Rap and Dance Song).

The night’s other big winners include Woman Of The Year Taylor Swift (who kept her “surprised” face to a minimum level of shock, as she had no competition in this category), Lil Wayne picking up trophies for Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Album and Top Male Artist, and Coldplay winning Top Alternative Artist, Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Album. Check out the full list of winners below.

taylor looks ravishing in red

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TOP ARTIST: Adele

TOP FEMALE ARTIST: Adele

TOP DUO OR GROUP: LMFAO

TOP MALE ARTIST: Lil Wayne

TOP NEW ARTIST: Wiz Khalifa

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Taylor Swift

TOP HOT 100 ARTIST: Adele

HOT 100 SONG OF THE YEAR: LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”

TOP BILLBOARD 200 ARTIST: Adele

TOP BILLBOARD 200 ALBUM: Adele, 21

TOP DIGITAL SONGS ARTIST: Adele

SOCIAL ARTIST: Justin Bieber

SPOTLIGHT AWARD: Katy Perry

TOP STREAMING ARTIST: Rihanna

TOP STREAMING SONG (VIDEO): Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass”

TOP STREAMING SONG (AUDIO): Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”

TOP DIGITAL MEDIA ARTIST: Adele

TOP DIGITAL SONG: LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”

TOP RADIO SONGS ARTIST: Adele

TOP RADIO SONG: Pitbull, “Give Me Everything”

R&B ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Chris Brown

TOP R&B SONG: Kelly Rowland feat. Lil Wayne, “Motivation”

TOP R&B ALBUM: Beyonce, 4

TOP POP ARTIST: Adele

TOP POP ALBUM: Adele, 21

TOP POP SONG: LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”

TOP RAP ARTIST: Lil Wayne

TOP RAP SONG: LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”

TOP RAP ALBUM: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV

TOP COUNTRY ARTIST: Lady Antebellum

TOP COUNTRY ALBUM: Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party

TOP COUNTRY SONG: Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem”

TOP ROCK ARTIST: Coldplay

TOP ROCK SONG: Foster The People, “Pumped Up Kicks”

TOP ROCK ALBUM: Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

TOP ALTERNATIVE ARTIST: Coldplay

TOP ALTERNATIVE SONG: Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”

TOP ALTERNATIVE ALBUM: Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

TOP LATIN ARTIST: Shakira

TOP LATIN SONG: Don Omar & Lucenzo,  ”Danza Kuduro”

TOP LATIN ALBUM: Romeo Santos, Formula: Vol. 1

TOP DANCE ARTIST: Lady Gaga

TOP DANCE SONG: LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”

TOP DANCE ALBUM: Lady Gaga, Born This Way

TOP TOURING ACT: U2

TOP CHRISTIAN ARTIST: Casting Crowns

TOP CHRISTIAN SONG: Laura Story, “Blessings”

TOP CHRISTIAN ALBUM: Casting Crowns, Come To The Well

BILLBOARD ICON AWARD: Stevie Wonder

MILLENNIUM AWARD: Whitney Houston (accepted by Bobbi Kristina Brown)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: Patent Pending

With the shadow of Whitney Houston looming large over American Idol‘s momentous 400th episode, the theme of last night’s show may as well have been: “We’ve set you guys up for failure, so just throw us your best Whitney impression and pray for the best.” At least the guys caught a break, being tasked with the more approachable Stevie Wonder songbook. Find out how the Top 13 fared — better than expected, to be honest — below.

Either America really knows how to pick ‘em, or Mary J. Blige is a great coach. A few singers absolutely slaughtered, a couple absolutely got slaughtered, and the rest came out with a few scratches after a thumbs-up from the grinning triumvirate of judges. Let’s talk about those judges for a second. We finally saw some real criticism last night — emphasis on “real.” (Randy said he was just “being real” every time the boos rained down, but tweens care not for his realness!) Sure, the critiques were couched with the usual fluffy qualifiers, but hey, even JLo got booed! That is progress America(n Idol) can be proud of.

THE GOOD

Last week Jessica Sanchez conquered Jennifer Hudson, and last night she conquered Whitney. Her take on Whitney’s version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which is only, oh, one of the most difficult vocals ever RECORDED, was the unanimous favorite. JLo uncharacteristically geeked out over the performance, and Steven had so much to say he got cut off.

Jessica Sanchez, “I Will Always Love You”

Hollie Cavanagh, the giggly pixie with the giant voice, sang “All The Man That I Need,” which, given her tiny stature, is probably not a lot of man at all. No histrionics, no overworked vibrato, but also no mistakes, and the powerful rendition led JLo to predict Hollie will be meeting Jessica in the final rounds.

Hollie Cavanagh, “All The Man That I Need”

DeAndre Brackensick did Wonder’s reggae tune “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” to match his Rasta lapel pin, in case you weren’t aware he was in reggae mode. Many of the performers last night went heavy on the stank and rasp, but when DeAndre did it, it didn’t sound as forced. He stumbled a little at the very end, but the performance effectively showed he isn’t just a soulful crooner.

Erika Van Pelt performed “I Believe In You And Me” while wearing a big red prom dress that was apparently made from Oscar carpet leftovers. What must she have done in a past life to make the Idol stylists hate her so much? Anyway, her voice overshadowed her sartorial missteps, bringing the right amount of rock rasp to the love song. Erika nailed the always-tricky key change, stuck with her style and stuck the landing, giving JLo “goosies.”

The man with two last names, Colton Dixon, chose to sing the ballad “Lately,” an interesting choice since so much of Wonder’s catalog seems like it would translate well to rock. Dixon has a pretty generic timbre, and despite his best attempts to make us hate him because he looks like he wakes up and gets dressed using a rock checklist, we can’t because dude can sing. Extra points for that out-of-nowhere falsetto at the end.

By law, any song sung with a twang must have the phrase “broken heart” in it, so Skylar Laine, a/k/a baby Reba, did ”Where Do Broken Hearts Go” for what was allegedly her first Whitney experience. The first thirty seconds were a little iffy, but she crushed it for the last minute of the song. The sheer power of her run at the end and the fact that she’s the only real country presence in the Top 13 prove she’s not going anywhere any time soon.

THE SO-SO

Even though Joshua Ledet was one of Randy’s two favorites of the night, we’re putting him in the middle. The church gospel balladeer did a rollicking take on Stevie Wonder’s energetic “I Wish,” so it showed his versatility. But it was a little TOO faithful to the original: When an untested talent does all that nasal “rabba wahhhowww” screeching it can sound a little ridiculous, a little too labored. Not surprisingly, Steven Tyler absolutely loved the glorified scatting.

Jermaine Jones sang the night’s first slow song, “Knocks Me Off My Feet.” The young lad’s low, mature voice knocked Mary J. Blige off her feet during their rehearsals, and his version picked us up and dipped us into a warm, velvety pot of cheese fondue. But once you get used to his voice, nothing about the performance stuck. As JLo said, he sounded good but he needs to make the songs connect with the listener somehow. If you close your eyes, it’s like listening to a smiling Andre The Giant serenade you. Not exactly a record label’s wet dream.

Our third wild card selection, Jeremy Rosado, chose the delicate ”Ribbon In The Sky,” and while he hit all the notes and showed solid range, it just wasn’t convincing (er, “swagtastic,” as the judges said). Maybe it’s because giant teddy bears with glassy eyes don’t have swag? We’re still waiting for our two gentle giants to blow the roof off the way all those pint-sized gals have.

Phillip Phillips‘ acoustic rock version of the classic “Superstition” answered the question “What would it sound like if Dave Matthews covered Stevie Wonder?” Well, (Stevie) wonder no more! (Also, it’s possible DMB have already covered Stevie on one of their 200 live albums.)  It was fun and all, but his voice sort of got lost in all the fanfare.

We got another ballad when “funny” guy Heejun Han , who sang “All In Love Is Fair.” But first, Seacrest showed us how Heejun tweets all these WACKY photos and has thick-framed glasses and talks in a monotone. Such a joke-making jokester, you guys! His was another performance that was just OK; the Heej kind of sounded out of breath the whole time. Probably from all that laughin’ and scratchin. Still, the performance did nothing but confirm that, yes, he’s a very good singer.

THE BAD

Shannon Magrane‘s rendition of “I Have Nothing” did nothing. She was all over the place on the verses. While she regained some sense of pitch during the melody, she squandered it on the dreaded key change. The judges all blamed it on “nerves” and that pesky “thinking” thing your brain sometimes does, but maybe she’s just not that good? Also, it didn’t help that her leather jacket and sequined pants made her look like a Midwestern soccer mom on Girls Night Out. In 2002.

Elise Testone did a super-pitchy version of “Greatest Love Of All” in rehearsal while Mary J. Blige tried very hard not to make eye contact. Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine and Mary quickly made her switch to “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, and Elise seemed peeved and unreceptive to their feedback. This did not bode well, and she turned out a nasal, bombastic performance, which Randy said felt like she was “boxing with the song.” Oof. Right hook to the temple, that. Still, when Ryan asked her if the late song change threw her, she handled it like a pro and only blamed herself.

Best of the Night: Jessica’s Bodyguard stunner solidified her #1 seed. But she had better watch out for Hollie nipping on her heels. Literally, because Hollie is tiny.

Worst of the Night: Shannon’s muddled performance. A close second goes to Heejun’s “comedy” riffing and Erika’s red menace dress.

Tonight: The bottom guy and bottom girl are revealed, and the judges will decide which one stays.

Who do you think won the battle of the sexes? Sound off in the comments, or on Twitter and Facebook.

We always dread when an American Idol contestant chooses to sing a Whitney Houston song on the show, since there’s an above average chance that their performance will pale in comparison to the real thing. But on next week’s performance night, the Idol ladies in the Top 13 won’t be able to sing anything but songs from Houston’s songbook. As for the boys, they’ll take on Stevie Wonder’s tunes — but wouldn’t it be more fun if it was the other way around? Though this is obviously a smart move on Idol‘s part to tie-in with the public’s piqued interest in Houston’s music since her death, we predict this to be an incredibly challenging night for the girls. Okay, folks, let us know — which female has the pipes to pull off “I Will Always Love You”?

Kelly Rowland took the stage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last night and belted out a soaring rendition of “The Greatest Love Of All” during Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday celebration. Most people know the song as a Whitney Houston classic, but it was originally recorded by Grammy winner George Benson for the 1977 Ali biopic The Greatest. Naturally, the poignant timing of Rowland’s performance resonated for both those attending the boxing legend’s festivities and fans of Houston, who was laid to rest yesterday in her home state of New Jersey. Watch Kelly take on the ballad below.

Stevie Wonder, who also performed at the event, played piano during Kelly’s performance. Others in attendance included David Beckham, Samuel L. Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

What do you think of Ms. Kelly’s take on “The Greatest Love Of All”?

Scores of mourners gathered at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey to honor the life and music of Whitney Houston, and many more paid tribute from home watching the service streamed live. It was one week ago today that the legendary diva passed away in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton, and following Jennifer Hudson’s heartfelt rendition of “I Will Always Love You” at the Grammys, one of Houston’s peers paid another fitting tribute with “Ribbon in the Sky” — Stevie Wonder, who retooled the lyrics in honor of Whitney. Watch it below.

Stevie Wonder — “Ribbons in the Sky” (Whitney Houston funeral)

Were you moved? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Contrary to reports that Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown was not welcome at the star’s Saturday funeral service, the R&B singer has been invited and will be attending. “Bobby will be there at the funeral to support his [and Houston's] daughter [Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18]. There was some talk … some people were angry at him, but that’s just grief. He will be there,” reports People. It was also announced that Stevie Wonder will perform at the service, as will Houston’s godmother Aretha Franklin. Other invited guests include Clive Davis, Oprah Winfrey and Houston’s co-star from The Bodyguard, Kevin Costner.

Houston’s funeral will be held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Though the service is invitation-only, it will be streamed online for the public this Saturday at 12 p.m. EST.

On February 5, Indianapolis will host Super Bowl XLVI — the 46th iteration of America’s biggest game. Millions of fans will gather ’round the television set with seven-layer dip and cold drinks to watch an epic match-up of teams, the year’s funniest and most expensive commercials and most importantly — as far as we’re concerned — Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show. The newly minted Interscope singer has been on her grind lately, promoting her Golden Globe-winning directorial debut W.E., unleashing a super sexy fragrance line and gearing up for the release of her 12th studio album MDNA and a world tour.

With so much going on, can Madonna still quarterback a show as memorable as these 10 amazing Super Bowl halftime performances?

TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME PERFORMANCES

10. U2 honor the victims of 9/11 at Super Bowl XXXVI (2002). Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Irish supergroup gave a bittersweet performance of “Where The Streets Have No Name”, while the names of FDNY, NYPD and the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 93 were projected on stage behind the band.

9. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake get NSFTV at Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004). Litigation for perhaps the most controversial Super Bowl halftime moment of all time was just recently put to bed — seven years after the MTV-produced segment first aired. The five-minute set saw Janet rocking a medley of “All For You” and “Rhythm Nation” before JT joined her on stage for the big, um, reveal during “Rock Your Body”, off Justified.

8. Gwen Stefani gets Stung at Super Bowl XXXVII (2003). Halftime shows have frequently paired together odd combos of musicians. And when Gwen Stefani joined Sting on stage for “Message in a Bottle” there was a definite “Well, that’s not something you’ll see everyday” vibe.

7. Stevie Wonder shares the stage at Super Bowl XXXIII (1999). Apparently someone thought Stevie Wonder didn’t pack enough star power to command the entire Super Bowl halftime stage, so producers brought Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover along for the ride. The show was all over the place, with Wonder running through his hits before clomping along with Glover, then making way for Estefan’s salsa-tinged, baton-wielding finale.

6. It’s a small world for New Kids on the Block at Super Bowl XXV (1991). The groundbreaking boy band’s first run happened to coincide with America’s first war in the Middle East: Desert Storm. The resulting feel-good Disney-fied performance was actually pre-recorded and then aired after the game, due to news coverage of the conflict.

5. Everybody loves Paul McCartney at Super Bowl XXXIX (2005). After “Nipplegate,” the NFL powers that be thought it wise to go with a “guaranteed-not-to-get-naked” act. Sir Paul McCartney is a classy guy and turned in a sterling set of Beatles faves “Drive My Car” and “Get Back”, before delivering a pyrotechnic punch with “Live and Let Die” as a finale.

4. The Black Eyed Peas rep GNR at Super Bowl XLV (2011). Who, besides people with short-term memory loss, could forget last year’s halftime show, which introduced the world to Fergie’s Axl Rose impression? The show experienced an array of sound and technical problems that critics were enthusiastic to point out.

3. Pop royalty reigns at Super Bowl XXXV (2001). Basically everyone you cared about in 2001 took the stage that night: *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Nelly all performed, with a hilarious comic lead-in from Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Chris Rock. There’s really nothing else that needs to be said.

2. Michael Jackson brings the “World” to Super Bowl XXVII (1993). It’s no surprise that the King of Pop sits so high on our list: MJ gave an electrifying performance with all the right moves, performing his biggest hits to date, including “We Are The World”.

1. Prince makes it (purple) rain at Super Bowl XLI (2007). When Prince took the stage with his powder blue guitar with matching leopard strap, the crowd erupted in cheers only a true giant of pop can produce. He whipped through his own hits as well as a surprise cover or two (who expected to hear a Foo Fighters jam?). But it’s the finale, when mother nature decided to get into the act, that truly makes this performance. As the Artist Formerly Known As The Artist shifted into “Purple Rain”, the skies opened fully and it… rained. With water dripping down his guitar, streaking down his face, and the A&M marching band glowing neon through the downpour, it was a moment of high drama and celebration, and the perfect way to cap off our list.

Did our list of Most Memorable Super Bowl Halftime Performances makes your list of Most Memorable Lists? Sound off in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.

—Reporting by Maud Deitch

Right around the holidays, celebrities tend to become extra generous. Take, for example, Stevie Wonder, who put on his 16th annual House Full Of Toys benefit concert last night. And lest you think children are the only ones who benefited from the event, music fans also got a special holiday surprise when the Take Care collaborator brought some of our favorite acts of today to the stage, including Drake and Justin Bieber. If seeing the legendary American Idol performer sing “Someday At Christmas” with the Cali Christmas crooner isn’t a holiday treat, we don’t know what is. Watch below.

Who needs a House Full Of Toys when you have entertainers like these to hold your attention?

Happy birthday, Sting! Not that our birthday wishes really matter, given that so many huge names in music turned out to help the Cherrytree House Sessions legend celebrate his 60th year in style. After joining Sting on stage to perform “Stand By Me” at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, Lady Gaga turned out for the lavish affair, a charity concert at the Beacon Theater in New York City benefiting the Robin Hood Foundation. The none-too-shabby turnout also included Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, will.i.am, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Downey, Jr. — you know, nobody special. Catch photos and a clip of Gaga’s “King Of Pain” performance with Sting after the jump.

Now that’s one birthday party we’re sorry we missed!

(Photos via WireImage.)

Stevie Wonder now has something in common with Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. (Apart from great hair!) Like those ladies, the 61-year-old soul legend can now add a collaboration — or six — with Drake to his list. It turns out the “I Just Called To Say I Love You” singer has been a long-time supporter of Drizzy and jumped at the chance to hit the studio with the Canadian MC on his upcoming LP Take Care. See what the “Marvin’s Room” brooder had to say about working with the braided trailblazer below.

The headline-maker told MuchMusic: “Stevie Wonder is a very close friend of mine. I’m honored to call him a friend, someone who embraced me very early in this music business. Stevie Wonder is actually on Take Care. He helped me out with a lot of the music, just came and sat with me, listened to my music, told me where I could add a couple things to make it more sonically appealing, and not only that but we actually are writing together, which is an incredible experience.”

The hook-up was so fruitful that they ended up writing six songs together. “So I hit him, asked him to come by, and with no hesitation he hit me back like ‘I will be there.’ Not only that, but he was supposed to do two songs and he did like, six. It was incredible.”

See pics of the unlikely duo live on stage at Canada’s OVO music festival here.

[Via Rap Radar]

Today marks the end of an era — after 25 years, The Oprah Winfrey Show airs its final episode this afternoon. For those of you already suffering from Empty Oprah Syndrome, let us take you back through the talk show’s Top 9 Musical Performances, from world debuts to jaw-dropping surprises and even stellar diva duets. List below, and  by the way, we find it helps in the grieving process to announce each act in your best Oprah impersonation.

9. Going out with a bang, it’s Beyonce’s kick butt performance of “Run The World (Girls)”.

8. Stevie Wonder surprises huge fan Jake Simpson.

7. Before she was serenading Oprah while atop a large shoe, Lady Gaga performed a medley of The Fame Monster tracks “Monster”, “Bad Romance” and “Speechless”.

6. Speaking of the aforementioned Lady, Oprah goes gaga when she gets a surprise from Tina Turner singing “Simply The Best”.

5. In this amazing blast from the past, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston duet to “When You Believe” from the animated film The Prince Of Egypt for the first time on television.

4. Dolly Parton sings “Livin’ With A Dead Man” a song that mentions The Oprah Show in its lyrics. How meta! Years later, Dolly would bring Mama Oprah to tears with “I Will Always Love You”.

3. Charice performs “I Have Nothing” on Oprah and the media mogul names her “Most Talented Girl In The World”.

2. Patti LaBelle’s first performance on Oprah featured her singing “New Attitude”. She would later go on to sing the infamous “Get with the program, Get with Oprah” theme song we all know and love:

1. What we love the most is when even Oprah is surprised by what happens on her show. And nothing shocked Mama O more than this city-wide flash mob in Chicago, set to The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feelin’”.

Festival staples (in 2011, at least) Kanye West and Arcade Fire are just two of the big acts hitting up Austin City Limits in September. Joining them for the three-day (Sept. 16 – 18) event will be acts like Coldplay, Stevie Wonder, Fleet Foxes, Santigold, Cut Copy, Big Boi and The Voice coach Cee Lo Green. This year will mark the 10th anniversary for the Texas state capital’s annual weekend of music and fun in the way-too-hot sun at Zilker Park. Catch the full lineup here, but hurry — only single day tickets (priced at $90) are left.

Thia Megea, Stefano Langone and Casey Abrams ended up in the bottom three on last night’s American Idol results show after viewers cast their votes on who should shape the Top 10. And while we weren’t surprised at Langone’s inclusion at the low end of the scale, it was Casey who proved to be the biggest shock—particularly when he was announced to be the one with the lowest votes.

Granted, as we noted yesterday, Abrams’ screechy performance of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” on Wednesday night’s Motown-themed round really did nothing to impress us. And perhaps it’s a sour taste that’s been building for America since his also-screamy rendition of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” the week prior.

At any rate, Casey was offered one last chance to sing for the judges (he opted for his audition tune, Ray Charles‘ “I Don’t Need No Doctor”). And that’s when Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler opted to use their one-time save this season, to keep Abrams in the competition.

“We were wondering when we heard the results, ‘Why is Casey at the bottom?’ We don’t know. You deserve to be here,” said a stunned J.Lo, while Steven Tyler added, “This is crazy wrong.” Reminder, folks: in the end, there’s only one winner.

Seasoned vet performers throughout the night included Motown legend Stevie Wonder, who appeared on stage as the Top 11 were wrapping up their medley number “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Little Stevie tore through his classic “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” then called Tyler up on stage and led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to him.

And country duo Sugarland offered up their single “Stuck Like Glue” from their chart-topping album The Incredible Machine.

Idol‘s Season 3 Oscar/Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson also returned to the show’s stage, to belt out her soulful I Remember Me ballad “Where You At.”

Next week: plan to say goodbye to two contestants on elimination night.

No matter how scandalous your behavior may be, there are some words you just can’t use on Manhattan’s Upper East Side – not on network TV, anyway. Thus it was the chaste, Glee-and-Gwyneth-approved version of Cee-Lo’s sublimely profane hit that Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen covered on BBC Radio 1‘s Live Lounge, alongside her band The Pretty Reckless. The results? Pretty tame, for once. Watch the acoustic number here.

As with Cee Lo, we have a hard time believing Jenny Humphrey’s alter ego has any cash flow problems, but we do enjoy the throaty way the recently-crowned Style Star of 2010 sings the ditty (containing lyrics from Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” that don’t really make sense in the song, but sound nice anyway).

Still, maybe we just love seeing the raccoon eyed-rebel misbehave a little too much, but after we’ve seen her crying blood, stripping and brandishing firearms, Momsen doing the more passive-aggressive edit of this song comes as a bit of a disappointment. Certainly her Material Girl boss would encourage her to push the envelope? It is the BBC, after all. Aren’t Brits supposed to be way more liberal about this kind of thing?

Or perhaps Momsen just can’t help channeling squeaky-clean Cindy Lou Who ’round this time of year?

[Via Neon Limelight]

We’re back again with our weekly series where we highlight the top songs over the last 50 years that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. Now we’ve reached the letter “U”, and this week’s list includes an ode to the rain protection as well as a song that ultimately gave Vanilla Ice his career. Don’t agree with us on our selections? That’s cool. Just leave your comments below, and don’t forget we’ll be doing the letter “V” next Friday. So if there’s a song you think deserves a slot, give us a shout.

Jump below to see the best “U” songs over the last five decades.

’60s – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” – Stevie Wonder

’70s – “Under Pressure” – Queen and David Bowie

’80s – “Uptown Girl” – Billy Joel

’90s – “Unbelievable” – EMF

’00s – “Umbrella” – Rihanna

It’s “Friday Video Time”, when we honor the top songs over the last 50 years that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. This week we cover the letter “I”, and our list was particularly hard to whittle down (just flip through your iPod and see how many songs start with “I” or “I’m”). But we somehow managed! Our collection includes a boy band, some British chaps, and an R & B artist, long before he trapped himself in a closet. Don’t agree with us on our selections? We’re cool with that. Just leave your comments below, and don’t forget, we’ll be doing the letter “J” next Friday. So if there’s a song you think deserves a slot, give us a shout.

Jump below to see the best “I” songs over the last 50 years.

60′s – “I Want You Back” – Jackson 5

70′s – “If You Really Love Me” – Stevie Wonder

80′s – “I Can Dream About You” – Dan Hartman

90′s – “I’m Too Sexy” – Right Said Fred

00′s – “Ignition (Remix)” – R. Kelly

It’s been 25 years since The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame began enshrining rock stars, and inspiring many arguments from people who are just as conflicted about their favorite bands being snubbed by the museum’s higher-ups as they are about the idea of a museum honoring an allegedly still-vital artform. So clearly it’s time for a party! The party won’t take place in Cleveland, where the actual physical museum is located, but at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. And because the Rock Hall is devoted to embodying the idea of rock at its fullest, the American Express-sponsored shows will even have “once-in-a-lifetime VIP Benefit Packages priced from $25,000 to $100,000″! (Those funds are going toward creating a permanent endowment for the museum—or at least the cash for a move out of Cleveland.) Who could be on a bill that’s worthy of a six-figure ticket price? The full lineups after the jump.


Oct. 29:
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Stevie Wonder
Simon & Garfunkel
Paul Simon
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Friends


Oct. 30:
U2
Aretha Franklin
Eric Clapton
Metallica


Ah, rock canon. In this ever-shifting world, it’s nice to know that you are reliable enough to make Metallica seem “edgy” by comparison.


Rock Hall 25 [Official site; HT Marah]

Usher, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, and Jennifer Hudson have all been announced as guests at tomorrow’s Michael Jackson memorial service, which will take place at the Staples Center at 10 a.m. PT. The Los Angeles Times‘ Todd Martens is also reporting “on good authority” that more boldfaced names will be added to the lineup for the hot ticket. Play “which Michael Jackson classic will this star cover” with the full lineup after the jump, and remember that matching Mariah Carey with “I’ll Be There” is sort of a gimme.


Usher
Stevie Wonder
Ron Boyd, Jackson’s family friend
Kobe Bryant
Mariah Carey
Andrae Crouch Choir
Berry Gordy
Jennifer Hudson
Shaheen Jafargholi, a finalist on Britain’s Got Talent
Magic Johnson
Martin Luther King III
Bernice A. King
John Mayer
Lionel Richie
Smokey Robinson
Rev. Al Sharpton
Brooke Shields
Pastor Lucious Smith


The Jacksons Reveal Memorial Guests [RyanSeacrest.com]
Mariah Carey, Usher, more booked for Michael Jackson memorial [Pop & Hiss]
YouTube – Mariah Carey I'll be there [Dailymotion]

A musician by the name of Funkscribe somehow got his hands on the original mutlitrack masters of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” so he did what any music geek with a computer and a dream would do: He imported the tracks into ProTools in hopes of figuring out just how the song came to be. And the results are pretty wow; sure, watching the clip means you’re basically staring at a dude fiddle with his computer for five-plus minutes, but listening to this game of aural Jenga–which includes eight clavinet tracks–certainly made me hear the full track (located below) differently.





Obviously, all of this falls under the “watch it before the copyright cops get to it” umbrella, so hop to.


Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”–The Multitrack Masters [YouTube via via soupsoup]

The news that Carlos Santana will perform three nights a week at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas beginning at the end of May is not actually an April Fool’s joke, despite that fact that it has the not-all-that-funny trademarks that pranks celebrating this horrible day tend to bear. I was really on the fence when the story had a quote from Carlos saying “I put in the contract that we will need 20 to 30 minutes in the middle of the set to do a back flip into the unknown,” but apparently Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits is all too real. (I’m sure vocalists Tony Lindsay and Tommy Anthony have fine voices, but can either replicate the dulcet tones of Rob Thomas? I, for one, am dubious.) Who should follow Santana to Sin City, where they can play to audiences of degenerate gamblers and drunks on vacation?

So, who would worth skipping Purple Reign for, if they set up in Vegas for $75 and up? I couldn’t think of many, really.

Maybe Stevie Wonder? He doesn’t tour all that much and has a gigantic catalog to pull from. If he’d promise to play “As,” I’d have my credit card at the ready.

Oddly, the artist that came to mind first when I thought of Celine Dion‘s big, ridiculous “A New Day” was Kanye. While I doubt he would give up the opportunity to charge $50 for t-shirts in concert venues around America, he would no doubt have a lot of fun with elaborate staging that a single venue in Vegas could provide. (Plus, it might be easier for models to find him if he stayed in one place. I hear they’re all looking for him.)

Kanye West, “Love Lockdown (live at the EMAs)”:

Who else is both interesting enough to keep the same show going over the course of a year and possesses an audience large enough (and likely to be in Vegas) to make a long-term stint viable? I’m all ears.

Since Carlos Santana was the catalyst for this post, I have an excuse to post one of my favorite songs of the moment by the Lonely Island.

The Lonely Island feat. E-40, “Santana DVX”:

Santana putting roots in Vegas [LA Times]