It has been a big week for television. "Mad Men" returned to our TV screens earlier in the week, and tonight not only sees the premiere of the hotly-anticipated second season of "Jersey Shore" but also the first episode of the new season of "Project Runway."

The high-drama fashion series, hosted by Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum, is one of the more unique reality competition shows out there, as it attracts contestants who are seriously talented, and many of them have already had some success designing for big fashion houses or with their own small lines. The stakes always seem especially high, too, as the prize — a spot at New York Fashion Week and money and technology to start a line — is truly a gateway to more opportunities and better career success. Many of the past winners have gone on to dress huge celebrities and sell their work to major stores. Plus, it has one of the best catch phrases in reality TV: "Make it work."

In order to properly prepare yourself for the return of "Project Runway," check out the video playlist below. It's a nod to the world of high fashion (The Jacka's "Glamorous Lifestyle," David Bowie's "Fashion"), gorgeous models (RL's "Got Me a Model"), accessories (Tiga's "Shoes") and general sexiness (Chamillionaire's "Grown and Sexy"). There are also tracks devoted to design (Stereolab's "The Free Design") and the nudity that ends up sneaking into the show (Gym Class Heroes' "Clothes Off").

But we begin with the greatest song about fashion ever written by man or beast: Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" (which, much like Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now," was kept off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 by Bryan Adams back in 1991).

Yesterday, the MTV Newsroom Blog celebrated the birthday of Soulja Boy, who turned 20 years old. Today, we are throwing a virtual fete for a musician who literally may be the exact opposite of the "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" rapper. It's a new calendar for Rush bassist and singer Geddy Lee, who turns 57 years old today. If you described the Canadian virtuoso to somebody or wrote down the details of his career on paper, you probably wouldn't believe his existence was possible. But over the course of 35 years, Lee has fashioned himself into a great prog rock icon — and possibly the greatest who ever lived.

Along with his two bandmates (guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart), Lee has crafted an incredibly deep career as a member of Rush. They are beloved not only because of their technical mastery (each member is considered something of a virtuoso, especially Peart, who is often thought of as one of the best rock drummers of all time) but also because they have crafted some of the most definitive anthems of the late '70s and early '80s rock era. With its keyboard-heavy fills and bottom-heavy thump, "Tom Sawyer" is an incredible construction, with hooks so big you don't realize that the time signature seems to change a dozen times and there's no real chorus. "Time Stand Still" is a majestic epic, and "The Spirit of the Radio" is a total smash.

Rush have continued to roll out albums every few years, and they continue to sell out massive venues around the world. They're truly gigantic, and a big part of their success falls to Lee, whose voice is one of the most unique in rock. It's an incredibly high-pitched squeak that should be grating but actually services the songs incredibly well. His incredible instrument is displayed extremely well on "Closer to the Heart," from the band's 1977 album A Farewell to Kings.

"Em was certainly gaining his footing after not being sober for awhile. It took him a bit to get on stable ground and figure out what he wanted to do. After almost overdosing, everything looks and sounds different to you. He was really thrust back into the game and had to adjust."

-Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg, talking about his client's big comeback with his new chart-topping album Recovery. Speaking to HITS magazine, Rosenberg discussed the motives behind Eminem's work on Recovery, including his feelings about his previous work. "With respect to Relapse, we were just excited that he was focused and recording music again, that we could get the record out there and not make the fans wait any longer," Rosenberg told the magazine. "And I think we accomplished that. He's a little hard on himself. Even at his worst, Eminem is still far better than most. He wants everything he does to be received on that level of excitement, wonderment and anticipation as his first couple of albums."

Rosenberg also talked about how the plan for the album evolved from a sequel to Relapse to its own identity. "When Em started working with Dre on sessions for the second record in Hawaii, he turned a corner artistically," Rosenberg explained. "And at that point, he wanted to keep moving in that new direction. So it was an evolution. ... By the time Marshall started focusing on making a new album, Dre was already working on his own stuff. So we reached out to Just Blaze first, worked on several tracks with him, and that opened the door to the other producers — Boi-1da, DJ Khalil. Those three are the guts of the record. It was a natural progression, a matter of timing."

It has been six months since we last checked in with our favorite housemates in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, but tonight (Thursday, July 29), the wait is finally over. "Jersey Shore," the hit MTV show that turned cast members like Snooki and the Situation into household names since its premiere late last year, is back with brand new episodes. This time around, the cast gets transplanted from the house on the boardwalk to the sunny shores of Miami for some good, old-fashioned fun in the sun.

There haven't been new episodes of the show in a while, though the cast members have been involved in plenty of other media projects since then. The Situation has a deal for a workout video and a book, while several of the cast members helped co-host the pre-show at the MTV Movie Awards. They partied to mark the release of the show's official soundtrack, and they also recently showed up at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell. They have become fixtures on talk shows and on red carpets and are now so much a part of the pop culture fabric that even President Barack Obama referenced them recently.

Just in case you forgot what the show was about, who the best hook-ups were and what the most amazing lines of dialogue were, check out MTV News' own Jim Cantiello blowing through "Jersey Shore in 60 Seconds," which includes insights into the relationships, fights, drinking and drama that made up the landmark debut season of the show. Can the second season keep up with this?

What was your favorite moment from the first season of "Jersey Shore"? Let us know in the comments!

There really wasn't much else for Robyn to do midway through her spirited, sweaty and downright sexy show on Wednesday (July 28) night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, so she decided to pull on a beret and eat a banana.

Of course, she did it at a languid, luxurious pace, deliberately peeling the thing, holding it aloft, taking it one bite at a time. It was worth noting, because it was about the only time she wasn't bounding around the stage during her set, an hour-plus of arm-whipping, hip-popping robo-pop. And though it sounds sort of strange, it was only about the fifth-oddest moment of the night: After her 23rd-century, flashing-lights entrance, her ram-jam duet with Kelis (who co-headlined), the fact that one of her keyboardists was a dead-ringer for mid-70s-era Benny Andersson and her odd decision to not play stupendous new single "Hang With Me."

Yes, Robyn certainly knows how to put on a show. She's unquestionably the oddest pop star on a major label (her songs are stranger than Lady Gaga's, and her brand of DIY showmanship leaves Ke$ha's machinations in the dust), a towheaded Swedish import who can be gleefully raunchy one minute and delightfully innocent the next. Her songs are about sex and dancing and falling helplessly in (and out of) love, and it's darn-near impossible to figure out why she's not much, much bigger here in the States. There's no reason why she shouldn't be as big as Gaga at this point, and if you don't believe me, ask her legions of fans who packed the Music Hall, singing along to every line and dancing like there was no tomorrow.

Songs like "Fembot" (with which she opened) and "Don't F--king Tell Me What To Do" (which is where she chose to eat that banana) rattled and pumped along with clubby, piston-like precision, "Dancehall Queen" jerked it out on a dubby lilt, and "Dancing On My Own" got huge with a life-affirming, salvation-on-the-dancefloor thump. All of those songs are on her new Body Talk, Pt. 1 album, the first of three she plans on releasing this year (she's nothing if not proficient), and they were highlights, but her older tunes — "Konichiwa Bitches," "Who's That Girl" and "With Every Heartbeat" — positively burned the house down, each building higher and higher, each greeted with whoops of joy from the masses.

by the time she brought Kelis (who, it should be noted, tore it up in her own set, all flash and dash and killer attitude) back on stage during the finale for a medley of songs that included Kel's "Caught Out There" and a cover of Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance," Robyn was bathed in sweat (so much so that, as she noted, "My eyelashes are coming off"), but still bounding about, still smiling and laughing, still ready for more. So she stretched her encore for another 20-something minutes. Which was only further proof that she's not just the oddest, most fantastical bird in the pop world, but one of the hardest-working, too. Shoot, Gaga may do two-plus hours, but she's never eaten a banana on stage.

In case you've been lost in the wilderness for the last 24 hours (or are legally prohibited from using a computer), you've missed a whole lot of Kanye West-related activity. Not only did he join Twitter, but he embarked on a whirlwind tour of corporate conference rooms, performing a capella renditions of songs from his new album to audiences of awestruck employees at Facebook and Twitter (dude, Twitter memberships are free — you don't have to earn them).

Anyway, his rather unique promotional run grabbed headlines around the world, and it got us thinking: Why should he stop there? There are millions of businesses in the U.S., and their employees deserve an impromptu Kanye performance, too. So we decided to play tour manager and map out an itinerary for him. Because really, arena tours are sort of passé. When you play offices, you can at least be assured they have snack machines in the break room. Here's the tentative list of shows for Kanye's Corporate Tour 2010.

IBM Headquarters, Armonk, New York
Why shouldn't Big Blue employees get some Kanye love, too? Sure, they might not be the coolest tech company on the planet, but they're certainly one of the largest. And Yeezy only does things big. As a bonus, we hear Armonk is lovely this time of year.

The Ball Pit of the Chuck E. Cheese's In Paramus, New Jersey
This is a win/win, because not only can he employ the services of Chuck E. and his animatronic band (not to be confused with the Rock-A-Fire Explosion, for legal reasons), but who knows what Kanye will find buried beneath all the balls? Also, he can trade in the tickets he won at Skee-Ball for some glow-in-the-dark bracelets!

A Jiffy Lube In Elkhart, Indiana
Not only is the coffee here great, but after he's done performing, Kanye can get a Signature Service Oil Change. The only problem? It might be tough for employees to hear his a capellas over all the pneumatic tools.

Radio Shack Store #01-8646, Laramie, Wyoming
Ask for Geoff. That dude is the best.

POM Wonderful Headquarters
If only so Kanye can jump up on stage and interrupt Vice President of Clinical Development Brad Gillespie's quarterly report by shouting "Brad, I'mma let you finish, but Lakewood Organic is the best pomegranate juice of all time."

The Offices of Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce
Pro: Kanye's already dressed for the occasion. Con: There is no table for him to stand on.

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The fact that high-level fashion outlet MCM opened a store in Shanghai, China is a big deal in and of itself, but the organizers of the grand opening knew exactly how to turn the who thing into a gigantic event. Most grand openings will try to get a big list of stars to walk up, but MCM only really needed one: South Korean pop star/actor/model/independent industry Rain. The star made his way to the brand new store on Wednesday (July 28), where he attracted huge throngs of rabid, devoted fans. For those not in the know, Rain's star power and influence stretches all across the world, combining the sort of fervor reserved for the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Eminem. He's huge, and he continues to make inroads into new places (including the United States, where his film "Ninja Assassin" and the single "Hip Song" have both raised his profile profoundly).

He wasn't the only star smiling for the cameras, as 50 Cent attended the premiere of the new movie "Twelve" (which stars Chace Crawford and 50 himself) and the Strokes prepared for their big Lollapalooza set next weekend with a show in Australia. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Madonna, Rihanna, Diddy and Justin Timberlake!

When Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" found its way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 last year, it opened itself up for something that every massive smash may have to deal with over the course of its chart life: The parody. While the chart-topping team-up between Jigga and Alicia Keys didn't seem especially ripe for mockery, a number of songs and videos have come over the horizon in the past few months that have gently nudged the song and also made its pop culture footprint even bigger.

The latest "Empire State of Mind"-biting track to take over the Internet is "Newport State of Mind," a track put together by rapper Alex Warren, singer Terema Wainwright and filmmaker Morgan-Jane "MJ" Delaney. The tune pays tribute to the Welsh town of Newport, and even though many of the references will be totally alien to American audiences, that didn't stop "Newport State of Mind" from becoming a viral hit (if only to hear Wainwright croon like Keys in her charming Welsh accent). The full title is "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)" ("Ymerodraeth" is the Welsh word for "Empire").

It's the latest in a long line of parodies, some of which have been more successful than others. On the excellent end of that spectrum is "Galactic Empire State of Mind," an incredibly sharp parody that runs through the plots of the original "Star Wars" trilogy. It features Darth Vader in the Jay-Z role and Princess Leia taking the Alicia Keys portion. Dreamed up by the folks at College Humor, it contains rhymes like "Get me to Cloud City/ I got Lando on payroll" and "Hell, I made wearing black more famous than that Jay-Z can."

There's also "Newark State of Mind," which pays tribute to one of the country's least glamorous cities in a tongue-in-cheek way. (In the narrative, the rapper is forced to live there because he lost his job and had to move out of Brooklyn.) Also excellent: "Minnesota State of Mind," which doesn't contain the sharpest rapping but does have references to the Canadian border and big trees. And in case you can't get enough, check out "Huge Dork," which features chorus lines like "A huge dork/ Every figure from 'Lord of the Rings'/ They're still in their packaging/ You're such a huge dork/ The big bad wolf used to frighten you/ And now he's your tattoo." Clearly, this tune has legs.

What's your favorite "Empire State of Mind" parody? Let us know in the comments!

Sometimes all it takes for a song to become legendary is a single line of lyrics that becomes completely iconic. Remember when "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" (from Outkast's 2003 smash "Hey Ya") became a ubiquitous piece of pop culture slang? Or when "Drop it like it's hot" became the official catch phrase of 2004 after Snoop Dogg dropped a killer single of the same name? Destiny's Child joined those ranks when they injected the phrase "I don't think you're ready for this jelly" into the cultural lexicon with "Bootylicious," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 on this day in 2001.

"Bootylicious" was the third single to come from Destiny's Child's 2001 album Survivor (following "Independent Women Part 1" and the title track) and represented the fourth chart-topping track for the group. Written and produced by Rob Fusari, Falonte Moore and Beyoncé, the track includes a sample from Stevie Nicks' classic tune "Edge of Seventeen" (that's Nicks' guitar riff that opens the song). It's a fairly unique track in the Destiny's Child catalog because it is dominated by Kelly Rowland (she has two verses to Beyoncé's one). When it made its way to number one, it dispatched Usher's "U Remind Me" as the top song in the nation. It stayed there for two weeks before getting edged out by Alicia Keys (whose "Fallin'" lived on top for three weeks after).

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of "Bootylicious" is the fact that its video is a tribute to Michael Jackson. The three ladies replicate moves from various Jackson videos, including "Bad," "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller." Check it out below, and watch out for cameos from both Stevie Nicks and Beyoncé's sister Solange.

After a string of injuries and last week's shocking revelation that nobody would be eliminated from the competition, Wednesday night's (July 28) episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" had all the potential to be a total letdown after weeks of unexpected drama. But in getting back to business as usual and focusing on the dancing, last night's batch of performances added up to one of the strongest single episodes in the show's history. It was a truly blow away tour de force that reminded everybody why people flock to this show in the first place.

Things got off to a great start with Kent and Anya, who knocked out a stellar cha cha that the judges were very enthusiastic about (despite the fact that Mia Michaels referred to Anya's performance as being too "crunchy," which was completely inexplicable to everybody — including a visibly confused Cat Deeley).

If there was one standout dancer last night, it was Robert. He executed a sharp, intense contemporary routine with Kathryn and then later tag-teamed with Billy on a killer Bollywood number. The judges showered Robert with praise, noting that his abilities have grown exponentially since the beginning of the competition. He truly has expanded his palette as an artist and has molded himself into a true contender in this competition. After last night, it would not be a surprise at all to see him in the finals, something that could not have been said four or five weeks ago.

Of course, Robert will have competition from Adechicke, who wowed Adam Shankman with a jazz routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Shankman referred to Adechicke's style as "balls out dancing," which was an unusual way to express such a sentiment but accurate nonetheless. He has that deadly combination of killer technique and deep characterization, which seems like the mark of a champion.

Since nobody was sent home last week, there will be two dancers ousted this week. Jose seems like an obvious choice, as his lack of refined technique has finally caught up with him. He simply does not possess the evolved skills of the other competitors. And it seems like the end has come for Lauren, as while her solo was lovely, her Broadway routine was rather tepid. Was her solo enough to keep her ahead of the game and leave Billy behind? With only a few weeks left until a winner is decided, nothing less than perfection will do from here on out.

Who do you think is going home tonight? Let us know in the comments!