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Can you believe that Bruce Springsteen turns 61 years old today? Of course, Springsteen has been a part of the music world since he first broke out with his unique mix of Americana on his debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. in 1973. But the truly impressive thing is that, even as he wades into his seventh decade, he seems as energetic and vital to the rock landscape as he ever has. In fact, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Springsteen's landmark 1980 album The River, which resonates as much today as it ever has.

Though Born to Run was a bigger breakthrough, Born in the U.S.A. a bigger hit and Nebraska a much darker experiment, The River is in many ways the quintessential Springsteen release (despite the absence of the E Street Band). Written during a recession (sound familiar?) and grappling with his transition from youthful jubilation to a more evolved approach to relationships and lifestyle choices. As a result, listening to The River can be jarring, as it sees Springsteen torn between his past and what he is considering for his future.

Musically, The River is also complicated. It's a double album, split between solemn, folk-influenced compositions and more pop-friendly rockers. It ties Springsteen's aesthetic together nicely, as it touches on all of his influences ('50s garage rock, Motown, American folk music, Stones-ian blues) while also touching all the themes that are always on his mind (working class survival, marriage, nostalgia and dreams).

Though he would make a larger pop splash a few years later, The River netted Springsteen his first Top 10 pop hit with "Hungry Heart." But the songs from The River that really live on are the sparser, more intense, more personal compositions like the title track. Check out the live performance below and remember to give Springsteen the thumbs-up on his big day.

Tags Birthday, Bruce Springsteen, video

Considering how many albums she has sold and how many weeks she spent at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, just about everybody wants to be associated with Katy Perry and her new album Teenage Dream. Or rather, everybody but the Children's Television Workshop, who decided to pull Perry's appearance on the show that was scheduled to air later this season. After video of Perry's sketch circulated online, the "Sesame Street" producers decided not to air the segment on television. The piece in question teamed Perry up with Elmo for a version of the singer's "Hot N' Cold." In a statement, the producers of "Sesame Street" said, "In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of 'Sesame Street,' which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube."

While Perry's outfit in the "Sesame Street" segment does show the singer's cleavage, it doesn't seem all that alarming (and certainly no more alarming than Perry's lyrics on "California Gurls," which no doubt those same preschoolers sing along to when it comes on the radio in the car). "Sesame Street" has a history of featuring stars who don't necessarily have a family-friendly appeal, including stars like Usher (often shirtless), Red Hot Chili Peppers (often pantsless) and Tyra Banks (often shameless). Plus, the whole conceit of the Perry sketch with Elmo is that Perry wants to play dress-up, suggesting that she's not even in her normal clothes. Perry's new Elmo-ized version of "Hot N Cold" is pretty great, and it delivers a fun message about being fickle, and it's a bummer that she'll be branded as "the girl who was too sexy for 'Sesame Street.'"

What do you think of Katy Perry's "Sesame Street" appearance? Was it too sexy? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Elmo, Katy Perry, sesame-street, video

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.

Months after his notoriously weird visit and only a few weeks after the release of the tripped-out faux-documentary "I'm Still Here" (and the admission by director Casey Affleck that the whole thing was a complicated performance art ruse), Joaquin Phoenix returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City for a visit to "The Late Show With David Letterman." Phoenix, the actor and theoretical rapper who spent the past year developing an alternate persona that saw him take a bunch of drugs, break down in public and try to get a bunch of meetings with Diddy, was apologetic towards Letterman (who, as it turned out, was in on the whole thing from the beginning). Wednesday night's (September 22) interview was a lot more low key, and it appears as though everything has gone back to normal for Phoenix (who sounded somewhat contrite about the whole thing, even though at this point he doesn't seem to really have offended anybody). Clearly, the "I'm Still Here" ordeal hasn't made him any less popular, as he signed autographs for a swarm fans outside the theater before the show.

Phoenix wasn't the only star working the crowd, as Madonna and Taylor Momsen helped Lourdes Leon launch her Material Girl clothing collection at Macy's in New York. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna!

Tags Joaquin Phoenix, photo, Spotted!

Considering the band split apart in 1999 and most everybody in attendance bought tickets to the show a full year ago, there wasn't going to be anything keeping hardcore Pavement fans from Wednesday night's (September 22) concert at Rumsey Playfield in New York's Central Park. The weather certainly tried though, as a thick fog of humidity gave way to steady rain and a spectacular display of lightning (so spectacular, in fact, that the producers actually pulled the band off stage for 15 minutes half way through the set, for fear of lightning strikes).

With the weather threatening to derail the entire evening, Pavement found a completely new gear. Eschewing the sharp between-song banter that colored earlier shows on this reunion tour, the band tore through their set mostly in an effort to cram in all their songs but also because they remain clearly thrilled by the aspect of playing these tunes together again. At their peak, the knock on Pavement was that they took their shabby indie aesthetic entirely too seriously, which often came across as apathy (especially in a concert setting). But something clearly lit a fire under the asses of Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg, Steve West and Mark Ibold, as they were feisty, firey and tight (despite a few false starts).

It's strange to say that a band as small as Pavement stuck to the hits, but they definitely know what their crowd-pleasers are and acted accordingly. Songs like "Summer Babe" and "Cut Your Hair" — two of Wednesday night's highlights — were written to be cheeky, ironic takes on actual anthems. But with the benefit of time, nostalgia and experience on their side, they evolved into actual hands-in-the-air singalongs that made the crowd temporarily forget that they were soaking wet. The group built up a staggering level of momentum, shifting from rugged rock grooves to looser, jammier moments with incredible precision that was probably impossible when the band was at its most popular.

The group also seemed to be having a genuine amount of fun, which made the tunes that allowed for interplay between Malkmus, Nastanovich and Kanneberg (like "Stereo" and the night-ending "Conduit for Sale!") especially thrilling.

The break to let the lightning pass slowed down the band's momentum a bit, leaving the last 40 minutes of the night a tad less thrilling, but they saved some of the best songs for the end, breaking out vintage favorites "Father to a Sister of a Thought," "Date With IKEA" and the pretty "Spit on a Stranger."

"Thanks for sticking with us," Malkmus said at the end of the set. He was probably talking about the rain, but he could have been talking about the 10 years in between appearances that gave his quirky songs a new energy that he clearly enjoyed. Will Pavement make another album? It seems doubtful. But they sure do seem to like being in Pavement again.

Tags Concerts, Pavement

Time for a little science lesson, kids. Today is the autumnal equinox (unless you live in the southern hemisphere — then it's the vernal equinox). What is an equinox? Occurring twice a year (the other happens in March), the equinox marks the days on the calendar when there is no tilt to the Earth in relationship to the sun, which matches the center of the sun directly with the Earth's equator. Essentially, the Earth will standing straight up and down today, in line with the North and South Poles. (Or at least it was — the equinox actually occurred Wednesday night in the United States, though the actual equinox is dictated by Coordinated Universal Time.)

The equinox tends to be treated as the official beginning of fall (though again, that's only in the northern hemisphere — below the equator, spring is coming) and the onset of shorter days and chillier evenings. This equinox also brought a harvest moon, which is defined as the full moon closest to the equinox. But a true harvest moon occurs around the same time as the equinox, and the appearance of the moon was only a handful of minutes after the actual equinox last night. So if you caught sight of the extra-bright, extra-purple moon last night, know that you were witnessing something special.

Of course, if you say the word "equinox" to a certain group of people, they'll immediately think of Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox," their single from the soundtrack to "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." It's a dreamy tune that perfectly encapsulates the cosmic strangeness that often surrounds the equinox. Also, there are sexy vampires in the video, so that's always a plus.

Tags Death-Cab-For-Cutie, Equinox, video

Today, the heavens parted and Nigel Lythgoe descended upon a Los Angeles press room to share with the world his plan for "American Idol" season 10. Or, as Randy Jackson kept calling it, "American Idol: The Remix." (Yo, dawg, stop saying that. It's lame with a capital NO.)

Yep, we have confirmed, new judges. (Nice to meet you Jennifer Lopez and the Madame puppet, I mean Steven Tyler.) But in a somewhat surprising twist, Nigel and Ken Warwick also announced a host of format changes that made "Idol" freaks giddy with excitement. And dread.

As is always the case with "Idol," everything comes with a good and a bad. So here's my take on all the announced changes, including the new judging panel.

The Judges
The good: Producers did a good job finding celebs who are crazy enough (and desperate enough) to take the gig. The problem with Ellen was that "Idol" was merely a side job for her. What else is Steven Tyler going to be doing on Tuesday and Wednesday nights next year now that he stopped drinking? (His frank discussion of a recent trip to Betty Ford made me drool with anticipation over what other "TMI" live-TV moments we can anticipate.) Plus, Jennifer Lopez isn't afraid to show her emotions on camera. If she's pissed, she'll let you know. I can only imagine what will happen if a contestant talks back to her. [Grabs popcorn.] Read more...

Tags American Idol, Jennifer-Lopez, steven tyler, video

There are two new judges sitting behind the desk on the "American Idol" set, as Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez were officially announced today. It will certainly mark a dramatic shift for the show, as the upcoming 10th season will also have to deal with the departure of show staple Simon Cowell.

Though former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul had a long career on the stage and stalwart Randy Jackson played on a bunch of records as a session musician, Tyler and Lopez represent the two most prolific artists to ever make their television home behind those ubiquitous Coke cups. Lopez dropped her first album in 1999 and has had a handful of gigantic singles in her music career, including "If You Had My Love," "Waiting for Tonight," "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "I'm Real." Tyler has been around even longer, having fronted Aerosmith since they dropped their self-titled first album in 1973. Along the way, Aerosmith notched all sorts of hits, from early smashes like "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion" to more recent blasts like "Jaded" and "Pink."

Lopez and Tyler actually have more in common than you might think. They both have had some of their biggest hits because of associations with hip-hop (Aerosmith's tag-team with Run-DMC on "Walk This Way," Lopez's hook-ups with the likes of Ja Rule, Fat Joe and Jadakiss), both have had success in the film world (Lopez has starred in hits like "Maid in Manhattan," "The Wedding Planner" and "Selena," while Tyler made a memorable turn starring as himself in "Wayne's World 2"), both are deeply connected to sports (Lopez's husband Mark Anthony is part owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, and Tyler is a die-hard Boston Red Sox enthusiast) and both each had public falls in 2009 (Tyler fell off a stage in South Dakota, while Lopez stumbled during a performance of "Louboutins" at the American Music Awards last December).

Of course, they've also had long careers in music videos — in fact, both Tyler and Lopez have won multiple MTV Video Music Awards. Who has better videos? Take a look at the samples below (both of which won Moonmen) and let us know in the comments!
Read more...

Tags aerosmith, American Idol, Jennifer-Lopez, steven tyler, video

"I got a pretty good comfort zone: made all my records in Detroit, right by my house, and it's worked out pretty well so far. And to be pulled out of there, and go to L.A., and record this whole record there with these phenomenal musicians in a studio [was different]. I'd play the song on acoustic guitar, we'd chart it out, we'd sit in a room as a band, play it three, four times, listen back, come out, play it three, four more times — done. We got the record recorded in two weeks. I didn't know what to do with my free time. I didn't get a lot of positive things done in that off time."

-Genre-bending rocker Kid Rock, commenting on the process he went through to record his forthcoming album Born Free. For his 10th full-length LP, Rock drafted super-producer Rick Rubin to coax the album into existence, and not only did Rubin introduce a new process but also a whole new city. "[Rubin] kinda pulls out of the artists he works with. He has this vision of where he thinks you might be heading, or want to head, and really pulls that out of you and keeps you focused on that," Rock told MTV News' Tim Kash. "And, for me, he kind of took me out of my element, which was a little bit weird."

The first single from Born Free (which is scheduled to hit store shelves on November 16) is the title track, which Rock feels is already being misinterpreted. "I think that song already has kinda gotten a little bit construed that it's just this big, patriotic American song, which it is in its own right, but it first came to mind to write something like this when I was on one of my trips to Afghanistan, Iraq, playing for our soldiers," he said. "I started to just think about no matter where somebody was born in this world, how lucky you are just by the grace of God to be born free."

Tags Kid-Rock, Quote

By Zachary Swickey

How much would you pay to hang out with your favorite rock star? That was the question I considered when I read about the release of Josh Freese's latest solo album last summer. (Freese, of course, is one of the rock world's best drummers, who has worked with the Vandals, Devo, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, Guns N' Roses — basically every important rock band of the past three decades.) The solo album was sold in packages on Josh's Web site that included everything from a personal phone call (that went for $50) to a private tour of Disneyland to even Josh's personal Volvo. I personally settled on the package that included dinner on the Queen Mary with Josh followed by drinks at Alex's Bar, topped off with cutting each other's hair in the Long Beach Courthouse parking lot (yes, I'm serious). His fund-raising campaign had been going on for a year, so I was unsure that I would even hear back when I inquired about it.

Lo and behold, Josh's wife emailed me back with all the info. Two weeks before I headed out to meet him, I got an e-mail asking if it would be alright if on Friday Josh swooped me up for dinner and a Vandals show, followed by Alex's on Saturday. That sounded like an upgrade to me (plus, there was no longer any mention of cutting my hair), so I went along with it.

I finally got to my hotel in Long Beach and Josh gave me a call. A few hours later he pulled up to a restaurant on the corner and greeted me whilst filming. It was already pretty late, and so grabbed some In-N-Out Burger on-the-go. "Don't we need to be there?" I asked, slightly concerned about his professional welfare.

"We don't need to soundcheck. It's all good," he reassured me. Meanwhile, I was throwing out questions about A Perfect Circle, since they had just announced a short west coast tour at the time of our conversation. "We're gonna play some smaller shows and make sure that people will come," he said. (I don't think that will be a problem.)

We got a little lost, and I had to give Josh a hard time for rolling in a Prius and seeking the help of my iPhone's maps to find the venue. "That's not very rock star, dude," I told him.

Backstage at the Vandals show, there were neither drugs nor hookers — no real illicit shenanigans at all, for that matter. Is this not Los Angeles and a punk rock show to boot? Read more...

Tags A Perfect Circle, Josh Freese, the Vandals

Now comes the point in the day where we have to talk about Duran Duran (and specifically frontman Simon Le Bon). Forged from the raw materials of New Wave, Britpop, post-punk and dance music, Duran Duran dominated the radio and early MTV with their splashy, cinematic songs and eye-catching videos. When the '90s came around, they fell a little under the radar but never truly disappeared. Their songs became popular sample fodder for hip-hop producers, they continued to sell well as a live act and the song "Notorious" made a memorable appearance in the cult classic film "Donnie Darko." They've never really gone away, mostly because the songs are just too good. Consider that "Girls on Film," "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" only scratch the surface of their massive storehouse of hits.

The three albums the band has dropped in the 21st century (2000's Pop Trash, 2004's Astronaut and 2007's Red Carpet Massacre) have been interesting if not somewhat forgettable, especially considering the breadth of their output. But they could be making their way to the top of the mountain with their new album King of Nowhere, which should be out late this year or early next. Why does it have that potential? Because it is being produced by hitmaker Mark Ronson, who recently stopped by the MTV Newsroom to chat about his own new album Record Collection but also to gush about the greatness of one of his favorite bands growing up (and also about their spectacularly underrated frontman).

"This man of 50 years old has this voice ... he never lost the power," Ronson explained of his experiences in the recording booth with Le Bon. "In fact, the power has kind of grown a bit. He puts all these indie yelpers to shame. He's brilliant."

Check out Ronson's full thoughts below, including a sly cameo from "A View to a Kill."

What classic '80s band would you like Mark Ronson to produce next? Let us know in the comments!

Tags duran-duran, Mark-Ronson, video