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The Best Albums Of 2008, In <I>Bigger Than The Sound</I> Posted: 17 Dec 2008 04:53 AM PST Major-label blockbusters, quiet indie fare, hip-hop, electro and some LPs that are all of the above. By James Montgomery TV On The Radio's Dear Science Photo: MTV News Is the album dead? I guess it depends on who you ask. Your Web-savvy nephew would probably tell you "yes." Lil Wayne, Coldplay or Britney would beg to differ. Me, I'm not sure. What I do know is that of the thousands of albums released this year, there were 25 that shone brightly, that made me think, laugh, cry and dance and sometimes even restored my faith in humanity. And I've compiled those 25 below ... my favorite albums of 2008. Major-label blockbusters, quiet indie fare, hip-hop, electro and some that are all of the above. Hopefully, there's something for you, your nephew and the Coldplay fan in your life ... because we all lived music this year. And, to that end, if you'd like to send me your thoughts — and, of course, lists — hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com. So without further ado, on to the list: 25. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III The year's most unlikely success story and the rare case of 1 million people getting it right. On Tha Carter III, Wayne spins tales both humorous and harrowing (sometimes at the same time), dropping mentions of Tennessee Titans QBs and retail chains and sounding very much like a guy who realizes he is probably the greatest, most unchained rapper alive (sometimes he also sounds like a stoned Yoda). It's either a minor miracle or a happy accident that he went platinum in a week or that he grabbed eight Grammy noms. With Wayne, you can never be sure — which is just another layer to the legend. 24. Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends At best, it's probably the most sonically adventurous album from a major major-label rock act since Green Day's American Idiot (or even Radiohead's Kid A), a swirling mix of massive and minimal, of cathedral guitars and glacial synthesizers, tiny tablas and tack pianos. At worst, it's still the second-best Coldplay album. So, you know, win/win. 23. She & Him, Volume One The anti-Scarlett (or, really, the anti-any-actor-turned-musician), Zooey Deschanel defied the odds and made one of the year's most satisfying albums, a crackling, sunny listen that recalls 1960s C&W, '70s AM radio and the stylings of Carole King and Linda Thompson. Sure, M. Ward helped out a bunch, but it's Zooey D's big, brassy voice that brings the whole thing together. 22. The Walkmen, You & Me An exercise in simplicity and sadness from one of NYC's most underappreciated acts, You & Me creaks like old floorboards and shudders like a 10-bell hangover. Over the course of 14 blurry, damp tracks, frontman Hamilton Leithauser's world-weary howl somehow gets even wearier, and the band's time-tested loud/soft dynamics start to fray at the edges. If their last album — a song-for-song piss-take on Harry Nilsson and John Lennon's Pussy Cats record — was the party, well, You & Me is most certainly the morning after. Hope it was worth it. 21. Portishead, Third An exercise in simplicity and sadness from one of Bristol's greatest acts, Third took the Portishead sound as we knew it — foggy, film-noir beats (your parents called it "trip-hop") floating beneath Beth Gibbons' harrowing voice — and rebooted it. What we got this time around was spooky synthesizers curling around simple drum patterns, acoustic guitars that disappeared into dense electronic plumes — a sound that was equal parts human ("The Rip") and machine ("Machine Gun"). Expect the next album sometime around 2030. 20. Beck, Modern Guilt My favorite thing about Beck's eighth studio album (and something like 12th overall) isn't the hazy sheen applied by Danger Mouse, the singularity of its theme or the straightforwardness of the lyrics. It's the fact that, if viewed in the context of Beck's entire career, Guilt makes total and complete sense. Here is a former Golden Child edging gracefully (if not exactly willingly) into his 40s, still not sure where he fits in. Like I wrote last week, "Obsolescence has never sounded so good." 19. Panic at the Disco, Pretty. Odd. An album unfairly skipped by fans and critics alike, Pretty. Odd. is what happens when a bunch of kids in their early 20s get together in a cabin, get baked (or, for legality's sake, don't), listen to a ton of Beatles records and think, "Why don't we do that?!?" because they don't know any better. In other words, it's exactly the kind of record I would've made when I was 21, except replace "a cabin" with "an apartment in Gainesville, Florida." 18. The Breeders, Mountain Battles When you're really drunk in a really shady bar, looking at the yellowed jukebox in one corner and a bunch of Korean War vets in the other, and the bartender — who's been giving you the stink eye since the moment you first came in — finally decides you're OK and slides you a glass of Michelob on the house, and the air is dense because they don't give a sh-- about the smoking ordinance, and there are tiles on the ceiling and peanuts in a bucket and a picture of an old boat called "The Wild Rose" or something tacked to the wall behind the bar, and it's Christmas, that's basically what this record sounds like. That probably doesn't make sense. 17. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles Lead singer Alice Glass' whole "drinking blood/ playing with knives/ I am the undead" shtick might get a little tiresome, but there's no denying that the best moments on the Crystal Castles' self-titled debut come when she opens her mouth and just roars. Actually, the chippy, blippy instrumentals dreamed up by mastermind Ethan Kath are pretty great too. Part cyber-punk skuzz, part minimalist perfection, Crystal Castles might be the future, or no one might give a crap by this time next year, but there were few albums released in '08 more invigorating than this one. 16. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular Take everything I said in that last sentence and apply it here too, except replace "cyber-punk skuzz" with "hippie-dippie noodling" and "minimalist perfection" with "burbling synthesizer overkill." Everything about these guys leads me to believe that we'll never hear a note from them again, but it's not as if that matters. For 12 glorious months (OK, more like 14, since the album was released digitally last year), MGMT were the shining poster boys for a Brooklyn scene that never was and the world's leading purveyors of wide-eyed electro optimism. Though that just might be the drugs talking. 15. Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair Sumptuous, sprawling neo-disco/post-house (as if I can tell the difference) from New York-based DJ Andy Butler, Hercules isn't so much a band as a "musical project," one unafraid to blur genders and genres and genealogy, which is about the only way to explain gems like "Blind" and "Hercules Theme." It's probably why Antony Hegarty got involved too. Gay, straight, man, woman or something else entirely, this album is guaranteed to make you feel funny in your special place(s). 14. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago The year's most interesting backstory — bearded dude gets dumped, ditches band, nearly dies, moves to cabin in northern Wisconsin to recuperate, gets even more bearded, is utterly and completely alone — also made for one of the year's best albums. (OK, OK, Justin Vernon, a.k.a. Bon Iver, actually released this by himself in 2007, but who's counting?) Emma is a creaky, delicate and deliberately lo-fi take on love and loss, played wonderfully and sung in Vernon's husky, hushed tones. In other words, it sounds exactly like an album recorded by a bearded guy in a cabin in Wisconsin in the middle of winter is supposed to sound. Also, my wife really likes this one a lot. 13. M83, Saturdays = Youth Anthony Gonzalez pens a loving ode to his faded youth, an album full of gauzy fantasy pop, starbursting synthesizers and gull-wing guitars (he grew up in the '80s, if you couldn't guess). Saturdays = Youth sounds like every single John Hughes film ever made, not to mention the rush of hormones that come with "Enchantment Under the Sea" dances or holding hands with a girl in a graveyard or drinking your first bottle of Boone's Farm in a parking lot. The sensations of being invincible, indestructible and, most of all, free ... and being too young to know any better. So basically, it's the soundtrack to universal youth — but, of course, some of us are old enough to realize that fact. 12. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend The boat shoes. The pique polo shirts. The musicology classes. The Ivy League diplomas. These are the things great bands are made of, no? Regardless of what you might think about VW — that they are snobs, that they are overrated, that they are kind of wieners — you cannot deny their ear for pitch-perfect indie pop. Their self-titled debut packed more hooks into a scant 34 minutes than any other album released this year. And perhaps, in doing so, it also gives us reason to reconsider the very idea of what a rock act should be these days. If a dude named Ezra can rock, well, then certainly anyone can. Also, this was the whitest album of the year, at least until Kanye dropped 808s & Heartbreak, that is. 11. Constantines, Kensington Heights It's perhaps a testament to the growl of frontman Bryan Webb that even when he rumbles, "You can tell by the way I walk/ I've got hard feelings," you get the sense that he's somehow holding back. If anything, that's a pretty good way to sum up the fourth album from the Cons, a slab of blue-collar rage that tries very hard to keep it all stuffed up inside. The end result is songs like "I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song," "New King" and "Do What You Can Do," which bristle with anger as much as they do with, well, restraint. Webb might be drowning in debt, crushed by the expectations of previous generations, jobless, shiftless and generally helpless, but he's somehow managed to swallow all the rage that comes along with that, and only after letting it ferment for a while does he finally let the venom fly. There might not be a more happily angry album released this decade. Which means, in a way, the anger is a gift. 10. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs There are so many moments on Stairs where something seems to be teetering on the brink of collapse — the reverb-drenched middle of "Bixby Canyon Bridge," the wobbling bass and guitars in the intro of "I Will Possess Your Heart," the tablas (!) in "Pity and Fear," Ben Gibbard's psyche on "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" — that it's a testament to Death Cab's skill that they're able to pull it off. It's a testament to their dedication that they let things get that far in the first place. From the beginning, they claimed Stairs would be "bloody" and "loose" — a conscious step away from the polish of their Plans album — and it most certainly is both of those things, and then some. It's a perfectly imperfect album, which is to say that it sounds very much like a band, setting up in a room and just letting it rip, and that makes it perhaps more compelling than 90 percent of the rock albums released this year. 9. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Part One (Fourth World War) Time isn't really important in Badu's New Amerykah, which is why she jumps from the smoke-filled streets of the 1970s to the darkened and desperate projects of the present day to the post (pre?) apocalyptic future without much concern for the narrative arc. What is important is the message she conveys throughout those travels: that no matter how hard we try, things keep falling apart. They have been and they are and they will continue to do so, unless we wake up, stand up and — most of all — fight. So she puts the gun to our backs, orders us to march headlong into the darkness. She might not tell us where we're going — or what we'll see when we get there — but no one ever said revolutions were easy. This is a story told through stony beats, crackling samples and smoky voices, and rather terrifyingly so. Welcome to post-millennial tension. 8. No Age, Nouns If someday, an archeologist uncovers the ruins of L.A. club the Smell, they will undoubtedly also uncover copies of Nouns, the best album by the best band to be birthed from the scene (maybe the discs are in a supply closet or something). And when they finally figure out how to play the things on their 3-D holographic decks (these will be like giant laserdisc players or something, only with holograms) what will they think? Probably something to the effect of "Wow, these dudes can't play their instruments," at which point, some nerdy rock historian/ architect guy will turn to them and say something like, "Oh yeah? Well neither did the Ramones." And everyone will sort of nod in agreement and then move on to uncovering Pink's Hot Dogs or giant statues of Kobe Bryant from the rubble. 7. The Plastic Constellations, We Appreciate You For something like 13 years, TPC were mythic warriors of rock ... writing songs about slaying mighty beasts and brotherhood and drinking on front stoops, playing legendarily boozy live shows, partying — and playing — harder than mere mortals ought to. Of course, this eventually caught up with them (they never made a dime doing any of it), so they were forced to tackle decidedly un-mythic tasks like fixing cars or selling real estate to make ends meet. They managed to keep the balance between rock and responsibility going for a few years, but in the end, guess which side won? So, in early '08, when they announced they were calling it quits, I was saddened, but certainly understanding. One cannot rock forever. That their farewell album, We Appreciate You, is so awesome — full of big dumb hooks and even dumber lyrics — makes me reconsider that sentiment. Their riffs will most certainly be missed, though it's good to know they were buried with their swords and shields. We'll meet up again someday in the afterlife, dudes. 6. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals In theory, this is just dance music, except you really can't dance to it. It's probably also illegal, only it just might be protected under the concept of "fair use." It could be art, but most art I'm familiar with doesn't contain samples from Too Short's "B---job Betty" and Dr. Dre's "Bi---es Ain't Sh--." So why don't we just call it all of the above? I don't think anyone involved with Feed the Animals — not Gregg Gillis, not the folks at Illegal Art, not anyone who's work is sampled on the album — intended it to become the lightning rod for 21st-century discourse that it somehow did ("Who owns music?" "What is intellectual property?" etc., etc., etc.), so perhaps it's just best to agree that everyone's right. Perhaps Animals will become the bedrock for a landmark Supreme Court decision ... perhaps Gillis will be sued within an inch of his life ... or perhaps he's the greatest media artist currently working, and we should all be grateful for that. Or maybe not. Because, really, f--- art, let's dance. Or at least attempt to. 5. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive I don't think I can ever sum this one up any better than I did back in July. Why even bother trying: "The best band in America makes the best album of their career, a sprawling, profane opus that takes the singular world frontman Craig Finn has created over the course of four albums — dead-end kids doing dead-end things, usually down by the banks of the Mississippi River — and folds it in on itself, creating something entirely new in the process. There is still plenty of drinking (on water towers, in the woods, in Memphis) and drugging (in hotel rooms, at laser-light shows, in "cute little cars") and dance floors, but things have somehow gotten darker this time around, as if Finn himself knows that the party can't last forever and Sunday morning's gotta come someday. So accordingly, kids are crucified, canonized and catch spears in the side, while VFW halls and 7 Seconds cassettes are revered like Bethlehem or the Old Testament. Bar bands aren't supposed to be this God-fearing, unless they're drinking the sacramental wine, which, knowing the Hold Steady, doesn't seem all that improbable at this point." 4. Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak Kanye has spent the past 12 months being wronged. Wronged by life. Wronged in love. And wronged by his contemporaries (especially those at the Recording Academy). So is there any wonder why, on Heartbreak, he's eternally the victim? Then again, it takes an artist of his skill — and one possessing his ego — to make an album so one-sided, let alone one that's this great. His detractors might say that the Auto-Tune thing is played out, or that he made a mighty mistake by ditching the rapping, but that's only because they're probably put off by everything he's accomplished here, if not made a little uncomfortable. Unflinchingly honest (even when he's probably bending the truth a bit), emotionally unbalanced, this is West as we've never seen — or heard — him before. He's alone on an island (Would 50 ever consider making an album like this? Could he?) establishing himself as one of the few great artists of the 21st century. And on Heartbreak — an album of singular focus and purpose — he's created a great piece of art. 3. The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound If Brian Fallon is sincere — and given his snarl, his growly voice and his leather jacket, there's no reason to believe he isn't — then he's perhaps the most hopelessly romantic kid to ever have been raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey. And I don't mean that in the "flowers and candy" sense of the term. Rather, he's in love with romantic ideals: of rock-and-roll Saturday nights, of magical drive-in theaters, of the fins on the back of an old Cadillac. On The '59 Sound, he's created a world where all of those things coexist — where a punk act from Jersey can move crowds like the Boss, or share the stage with Tom Petty, where rockabilly chicks leave you stranded in all-night diners, where salvation can be found at the turn of a radio dial. And to that end, there's an unmistakable nostalgic streak through his lyrics and the band's go-go-go guitars, but it's nostalgia in the sweet, straightforward, black-and-white sense ... the kind you see projected on screens. Because life can be a movie, but only if you believe it so. 2. Deerhunter, Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont. It's difficult to commend a band on their restraint when it released two albums in 2008, but over the course of a pair of discs — and 25 songs — Deerhunter managed to show nothing but restraint, reeling in the sonic terrorism and just writing knee-buckling tunes. "Nothing Ever Happened," "Saved by Old Times" and "Operation" were plenty good — swoony, scary, driving stuff — that delivered on the promise of their 2007 output (particularly "After Class," the song they released on the Rare Book Room Records comp) and showcased a band quickly turning into one of indie rock's best. Frontman Bradford Cox's lyrics were still open-wound raw, and there were still moments on both albums of hissy, misty experimentation, but Microcastle and Weird Era sharpened the focus, and because of that, they're both massively great, not to mention welcome additions to the legendary list of albums released by the 4AD label. Legacies are tough to figure — especially when you're talking about Deerhunter, a band that seems determined to destroy whatever good will it's built up — but I have the feeling that in 10 years' time, we'll look back at both of these albums as being landmark indie. There's magic here. You've just got to sift through a bit of detritus to find it. That's the Deerhunter way. 1. TV on the Radio, Dear Science An album that wrestles with big questions: How does humanity survive in the era of technology? How do we find beauty in an increasingly ugly world? Why do we continue when the odds are stacked against us? There might be no answer to any of those things — and TVOTR are smart enough to realize that — so instead, they can only offer up unflinching optimism and a steadfast resolve to never give up searching for those slippery solutions. Dear Science is, on the surface, a very mechanical beast — full of shimmery synths, pulsing electronics, otherworldly falsettos — and it's an album about the 21st century, to be sure, but there's also a very human heart beating beneath it all, because it's mainly an album about love, family, life, happiness and the kind of things that have buoyed man since the very beginning of time. Is love all we really need? It sounds vaguely ridiculous, but then again — who knows? Perhaps a little faith in the timeless is all we really need. At least, I hope so. Related Artists Lil Wayne Kanye West Death Cab For Cutie Panic at the Disco Erykah Badu MGMT Deerhunter TV On The Radio

Britney Spears, Tokio Hotel Fans Get Vocal About Our Men And Women Of The Year Lists Posted: 17 Dec 2008 05:01 AM PST 'RPattz shoulda been NUMERO UNO,' one commenter says of 'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: WireImage Boy, you guys have a lot to say about our Men and Women of the Year lists. So far, we've revealed our top-nine choices for the men and the women. Our big reveal, for both lists, happens Thursday. Undoubtedly, Tokio Hotel fans were stoked to see the band's frontman making the list at #6. They flooded the site with their excitement over his nomination. "Thanks, James Montgomery, for listing my favorite man in the world, Bill Kaulitz, in that list, even though I wanted him to be #1, because he deserves it," iambillkaulitzwife wrote. "But thanks for putting him in #6 anyways. You made my day!" And much like Camilla Belle, the male nominations also pitted Twilighters (Robert Pattinson placed at #4 on the list) against JoBro fans. "RPattz shoulda been NUMERO UNO!" monica_cullen wrote. "Seriously ... Joe Jonas? Ummm ... ew." There were people who felt there were glaring omissions. "Wow, they have the JoBros on here but not Ne-Yo?" Awall207 wrote. "I'm sorry, but Ne-Yo is an amazing artist and his album was amazing this year. And if Lil Wayne is #1, I'll be pissed. His music sucks and his lyrics are meaningless." Another critic of the list couldn't really place who was missing from it but just had the feeling that someone was definitely missing. "This list is wack out of order," Muzik24 wrote. "That [guy] from 'Twilight' made one stupid teenage movie, which was probably one of the worst movies this year. Why is he on the list? Anyone who has done something all year long deserves to be on the list. Who works for MTV these days? Really, it's horrible." The nominations for the ladies are infuriating people just as much. A lot of people were hoping that Britney would be #1, but she's not. Sorry to SmokeMamaHome, who guessed, "Britney will obviously be #1." Meanwhile, for every Britney fan, there are the detractors who have other ideas for Woman of the Year. "Hayley Williams is #1 to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" tokiohotellove wrote. "I mean, Britney is seriously starting to bore me." "I Kissed a Girl" singer Katy Perry's inclusion stirred up more apathy than controversy. "Ehh ... Katy Perry?" Nata_[THFreaxxx] wrote. "Okay." Although some people were confused that Beyoncé made the list twice, djbaps saw it as a fitting runner-up prize. "Beyoncé is the #1 woman of the year to me!!! But luv that she's on the countdown twice. She's the best!!" There are some who think Beyoncé is boring and that perhaps the successor to her throne should have been considered for the top spot. "Rihanna should have been #1," rorymaynor wrote. "No other female in the game has had a year like her. Three #1 songs in one year, a CoverGirl [ad] and the new face of a Gucci campaign." Who do you think the Man and Woman of the Year should be? Tell us now! Related Videos MTV News' Women And Men Of The Year Related Photos MTV News' 2008 Men And Women Of The Year Related Artists Britney Spears Tokio Hotel

T-Pain? Rihanna? Who Had The Hottest R&B Single Of '08?: <i>Mixtape Monday</i> Bonus Posted: 17 Dec 2008 05:01 AM PST Ne-Yo, Usher, Beyoncé and Lloyd also make our year-end list. By Shaheem Reid T-Pain Photo: Jive All we had to do was press send, and boom, another bomb dropped. On Monday, the Mixtape Monday family sparked debate when they gave their picks for Hip-Hop Singles of the Year. Obviously, the team couldn't overlook the singers. We loved the ballads from Alicia Keys, and Keyshia Cole has mastered the midtempos that dominated the dance floor (Ray J, Ryan Leslie and T-Pain also locked things down nicely). Not too many heavy dance records, but when they came (John Legend surprised us, Beyoncé held the crown), they brought the thunder. So here it is: a salute to the anthems, the bangers and the songs to make love to. But this is just our list — share yours in the comment section. 28 In '08: Commercially Released R&B Singles 1. T-Pain (featuring Lil Wayne) - "Can't Believe It" 2. The-Dream (featuring Young Jeezy) - "I Luv Your Girl" remix 3. T-Pain (featuring Ludacris) - "Chopped and Screwed" 4. Ray J (featuring Yung Berg) - "Sexy Can I" 5. Usher (featuring Young Jeezy) - "Love in This Club" 6. Lloyd (featuring Lil Wayne) - "Girls Around the World" 7. Beyoncé - "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" 8. Ne-Yo - "Closer" 9. John Legend (featuring Andre 3000) - "Green Light" 10. Keyshia Cole - "I Remember" 11. Alicia Keys - "Like You'll Never See Me Again" 12. Chris Brown - "Take You Down" 13. Ryan Leslie (featuring Fabolous and Cassie) - "Addicted" 14. Keyshia Cole - "Heaven Sent" 15. Ryan Leslie (featuring Kanye West) - "Diamond Girl" 16. Jennifer Hudson - "Spotlight" 17. Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" 18. Estelle (featuring Kanye West) - "American Boy" 19. Mariah Carey - "Touch My Body" 20. Rihanna - "Take a Bow" 21. Slim (featuring Ryan Leslie and Fabolous) - "Good Lovin' " 22. Ne-Yo - "Miss Independent" 23. Gnarls Barkley - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" 24. O'Neal McKnight - "Check Your Coat" 25. Alicia Keys - "Teenage Love Affair" 26. Beyoncé - "If I Were a Boy" 27. Jazmine Sullivan - "Need U Bad" 28. Mariah Carey (featuring T.I.) - "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Artists T-Pain Rihanna Beyoncé Usher Ne-Yo

From Miley Cyrus To Kristen Stewart: The Teen Queens Who Ruled 2008 Posted: 17 Dec 2008 05:01 AM PST Taylor, Vanessa, Demi and their peers dominated the charts, airwaves and box office this year. By Jocelyn Vena Miley Cyrus Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images A decade ago, the Spice Girls championed "girl power," and in 2008 a slew of talented young ladies seemed to take that message to heart. From Miley and Demi to Dakota and Kristen, teen girls ruled the charts as well as the big and small screens. Here, we look back at the young women who made this the year of the teen queens. Miley Cyrus In 2008, Miley survived the controversies of a couple of photo shoots; turned 16 and threw herself a huge bash; found love with an underwear model; and managed to do it all while acting in a few hit movies, getting nominated for a VMA and a Golden Globe, starring in a successful TV show and putting out a hit album. Taylor Swift She came on the scene singing about a boy named Drew in her VMA-nominated song "Teardrops on My Guitar," and she finished the year releasing a million-plus-selling record, Fearless, and singing about a more famous ex-love interest, Joe Jonas. The 19-year-old doesn't like being called a crossover artist, but she has definitely crossed over from being an up-and-coming country singer to a full-fledged pop star who isn't afraid to share her feelings about the guys she's dated. Maybe in 2009 she can finally make that hip-hop collaboration happen. Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale They may play frenemies in a trio of wildly popular Disney movies, but thanks to the success of the third installment of "High School Musical," both Hudgens and Tisdale are willing to let bygones be bygones as they graduate from their onscreen personas, Gabriella and Sharpay. These two have also managed to find time to have careers in music and shoot non-"HSM" movies set for release in 2009. Demi Lovato "Camp Rock" introduced everyone to Demi Lovato, who somehow managed to go from being "the next Miley Cyrus" to being the one and only Demi in just a few months. Her album, Don't Forget, made a splash on the charts, debuting at #2, and she got to work on her upcoming Disney Channel sitcom, "Sonny With a Chance," set to air in 2009. She also hooked up with fellow teen queen Selena Gomez for the movie "Princess Protection Program," but she swears she's never kissed a Jonas Brother. Miley who? Selena Gomez She plays a wizard on the Disney Channel, and for this 16-year-old, 2008 was magic. Selena talked about starting a band, and then she stirred the pot when she accidentally revealed to MTV News plans for a "Wizards of Waverly Place" movie. She made a cameo in the Jonas Brothers video for "Burnin' Up" and then reportedly found time to date the youngest JoBro, Nick. On top of all that, Selena and BFF Demi fended off rumors of a feud with Miley. Dakota Fanning Dakota Fanning has grown up right before our eyes. Now the Jodie Foster-approved actress is seamlessly making the transition from kid star to grown-up thespian. Despite some controversy for her role in "Hounddog," Fanning made her way back on the scene in "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Winged Creatures." The latter co-stars Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who can't stop singing the actress' praises. Miranda Cosgrove She may not have had the chops to join the band in 2003's "School of Rock," but she somehow managed to find her voice on Nickelodeon, singing the theme to her hit show "iCarly." On the program, Cosgrove's character has her own successful Web show, and like so many performers of her generation, Cosgrove spent part of 2008 working on an album, poising herself to jump on the singing-actress bandwagon. Emma Roberts You may know her dad, Eric, or her Aunt Julia, but Emma is out to make it on her own. She's had her own "Unfabulous" TV show, and she played Nancy Drew on the big screen. In 2008, she was busy shooting movies, so her hard work should pay off next year, when we'll see her in "The Winning Season" and "Hotel for Dogs." Kristen Stewart Playing "Twilight" heroine Bella has put this indie-film star on the map. She's become a hero to young girls everywhere with her quiet onscreen persona. And her real-life relaxed attitude is landing Stewart in some big roles for 2009: She's been tapped to play rocker Joan Jett in the Runaways biopic, and of course, she and Robert Pattinson will be heating up theaters again in the "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon," on November 20. Jordin Sparks The singer was nominated for a VMA for her track "No Air" (with Chris Brown), and she placed herself right in the middle of the Russell-Brand-versus-Jonas-Brothers purity-rings scandal of 2008 by declaring her abstinence in the middle of the live broadcast. "No Air" earned a Grammy nod too, so we may get a chance to see the "American Idol" winner's feisty side onstage come February. Related Videos The Teen Queens Of 2008 Related Artists Miley Cyrus Taylor Swift Vanessa Hudgens Demi Lovato

Lil Wayne Responds To 'A Milli' Being Our Hip-Hop Single Of The Year: 'Man, That's Big!' Posted: 16 Dec 2008 12:47 AM PST 'We're gonna come harder and stronger in '09!,' Weezy promises. By Shaheem Reid Lil Wayne Photo: John Shearer/WireImage/GettyImages Lil Wayne is just a flat-out problem. Mass hysteria is no exaggeration. When Wayne dropped "A Milli" earlier this year, you knew it was over. You knew any reservations that people had about Weezy dominating 2008 like he promised were gone. The vigor from "A Milli" alone, you knew Tha Carter III was going to be the album of the year. The Bangladesh-produced track was half club banger, half unrestrained b-boy exhibition. It didn't feel like Wayne recorded the song in a multimillion-dollar studio — that was straight basement rap. "A Milli" is the soliloquy of a man with hunger pangs. You can hear the starvation in his crushed-glass-jagged voice: "Call me Mr. Carter or Mr. Lawn Mow-errr/ Boy I got so many bi---es like I'm Mike Lowry/ Even Gwen Stefani, said she couldn't doubt me." "A Milli" was so communicable, just about everyone wanted to be a part of the song's movement. Some will argue that the 'Desh beat — motorized by the absorbing vocal loop, catastrophic bass and the drums so effervescent it felt like a bottle of champagne popping — was such of perfect storm of musical elements that anybody could rap over it and sound good. But nobody could top that initial exalted emotion Birdman Jr. created on his record. Wayne inspired all of them to try though: Jay-Z, Lil Mama, Ne-Yo, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Chris Brown, Asher Roth, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, R. Kelly and dozens more gave it a go. So the Mixtape Monday family had no choice. We were strong-armed with greatness and had to award Weezy F. Baby our champ for Hip-Hop Single of the Year. Wayne responded to his latest laud: "Man, that's big! Shout-out to Bangladesh for the track," Weezy said. "Shout-out to my Young Money and Cash Money families. Thanks to the folks at Universal. It's been an amazing year. Thanks to all of my fans and to MTV for selecting 'A Milli' as the Hip-Hop Single of the Year. Without them, there is no me! We're gonna come harder and stronger in '09!" Related Videos Best Of Mixtape Monday Video Related Artists Lil Wayne

Dr. Dre Raps On Leaked Remix Of Kardinal Offishall's 'Set It Off' Posted: 16 Dec 2008 07:59 AM PST DJ Skee premieres the new track on his radio show Monday night. By Shaheem Reid Dr. Dre Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com For someone who has teased a new album for more than seven years, Dr. Dre sure hasn't released many verses to tide his fans over. The Doc's bars have been sparse, popping up on Timbaland's on "Bounce" for 2007's Shock Value and on Snoop's "Imagine" for The Blue Carpet Treatment in 2006. A couple of weeks ago, DJs Big Mike and Neptune leaked an unfinished track called "Crack a Bottle," on which we heard Eminem referring to rhymes by Dr. Dre. But on Monday night, somebody got their paws on more new Doc music, and on this one, the hip-hop icon actually raps. Dre appears on the remix of Kardinal Offishall's "Set It Off," featuring the Clipse, which premiered on DJ Skee's syndicated radio show on Monday. Skee said Dre recorded his rhymes for the song several months ago. After Interscope head Jimmy Iovine sent B-roll from the song's video, Dre couldn't contain his excitement, according to Skee, and he decided to lay down his own bars on the song. The new version of "Set It Off" was all set to be released, but the plans were derailed when Dre's Detox LP got pushed back to 2009. According to another source, Monday's leak was not supposed to happen. On the song, Dre boasts that getting the short end of the stick, in any circumstance, is not an option for him. "I'm about to set it off," the legendary music man warns. "Think I'mma lose? Then bet it all." Later, he speaks of his comeback and shoots down rumors that he was retiring. "I heard a lot of ni--as quittin', but I ain't done," Dre insists. "Ring the alarm/ I make it hotter than hell (hell, yeah!) ... / You clowns know who the crown belong to/ And I can set it off, if you want me to." "Set It Off" is a single off of Offishall's latest LP, Not 4 Sale, which came out on September 9 via Akon's Konvict Music imprint. Offishall declined to comment for this story. According to Eminem and Interscope records, Dre's Detox is slated to be released sometime next year, after the release of 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct and Slim Shady's Relapse. Related Artists Dr. Dre Kardinal Offishall

Pete Wentz Dishes On His Sex Life With Ashlee Simpson On 'Howard Stern Show' Posted: 15 Dec 2008 10:32 PM PST Before the show, Simpson asked the Fall Out Boy bassist to not 'say anything crummy' about her. By Gil Kaufman Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson Photo: Mark Allan/ WireImage.com Don't be surprised if Pete Wentz calls you up this week to see if he can crash on your couch. The Fall Out Boy bassist and unfiltered mouthpiece, who we thought had put his whole overexposure thing behind him, let it all hang out during a visit to the "Howard Stern Show" on Sirius/XM Tuesday morning (December 16). Stern, an avowed fan of Wentz's wife, Ashlee Simpson, was clearly excited to get the lowdown on what goes on behind closed doors at the Wentz-Simpson household, and Pete, for the most part, was happy to oblige. Wentz dished on the couple's sex life, both pre- and post-pregnancy, and the birth of Bronx Mowgli. He also admitted that before he got together with Simpson, he used to, well, really admire pictures of her in a copy of Blender that he kept in his room at his parents' house in the Chicago suburbs. Among the things we learned: » Wentz said he purposely did not go all the way with many of his Hollywood conquests before marrying Simpson because he didn't want to have to share a long list of exes with his wife ... and he didn't want to hear her list. » Wentz revealed everything from how Simpson's body looks post-pregnancy to her bra size and the details of the couple's sex life post-birth. » Despite Stern's urgings, Wentz said he had never fantasized about sister-in-law Jessica Simpson but said that early in his career, he told Rolling Stone that Ashlee was the one celebrity he would like to have a relationship with. A year after meeting, they began dating, but only after she felt confident his wild days were behind him. » In addition to keeping the magazine cover of Ashlee at his parents' house, Pete said when the couple visit his folks at Christmas, he sometimes revisits the old days with Ash in the room. "We have an amazing sex life," he said. "Texas girls are fun." » Speaking of the first time he and Ashlee had sex, Wentz said, "It was the single best sexual encounter I've ever had. We were in the Soho Grand Hotel, and there was a mirror, and I was like, 'Oh my God, you're banging the girl of your dreams and you're watching it right now.' " » That TMI was soon followed by his admission that Ashlee made him promise to not "say anything crummy" about her during the "Stern" appearance. » He talked about their prenuptial agreement, who makes more money (she does), Ashlee's dislike for strip clubs, but her "mean" skills at giving lap dances. He also mentioned the underwear his mother-in-law bought for him with Ashlee's name on it for when he goes out of town. » We found out that Ashlee's wedding ring is probably the most expensive gift he's ever given her and that it's somewhere in the "ballpark" of $150,000. » He copped to his "man crush" on John Mayer. » Speaking of his father-in-law, Joe Simpson, Wentz said, "Joe is the only person who probably gets worse press than I do." He also revealed that once he and Ashlee got together, the first thing Joe said to him was, "Pete, we saw a little too much of you on the Internet last year." » He also confirmed once and for all that he and Simpson didn't sell pictures of Bronx not because nobody wanted them, but because they weren't interested in selling them. "At this point, it was not the right decision for us to go out and pimp our baby in that way," he said. "That's not to say that the world's not going to see the baby ... or fans aren't going to see the baby, but he's not a commodity." » Stern quizzed Wentz on his former flings, from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Michelle Trachtenberg and Lindsay Lohan to his experimentation with kissing men as a Bowie-style form of freaking people out. » "My wife will murder me if I go on the scale," Wentz said when asked by Stern to rate Trachtenberg's prowess. "I will say that Michelle was a blast. My wife is the ultimate, though." He later said Trachtenberg dumped him because he was living a "frat boy" lifestyle when he first moved out to Los Angeles. Though he hedged on whether he and Lohan were intimate, he said now that they're friends, he's happy for her because he said Lohan "seems like she's happier" than ever in her current relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson. » And finally, Wentz boasted that he and his wife have "such a sexual chemistry ... had we been on this show last year, we probably would have been doing it in the green room." Sorry, Pete, but my sister-in-law's crashing on the couch this week. Related Videos Fall Out Boy Unplugged In NYC Related Artists Ashlee Simpson Fall Out Boy

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