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Canadian rock star Alanis Morissette had a lot to celebrate over the weekend, as not only was it Christmas but it was also the birthday of her newborn son. Morissette and husband Mario "Souleye" Treadway welcomed their first child into the world on Saturday (December 25) and named him Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway. The entire family is happy and healthy, according to a statement from her representative.

It has been something of a whirlwind for Morissette, who married Treadway in a small ceremony in Los Angeles back in May of this year. By August, she announced on Twitter that she was pregnant and for the past few months could be seen showing off her ever-growing baby bump (which she adorned with henna tattoos) in various locales (and sometimes in skimpy bathing suits).

The road to motherhood has been long and odd for Morissette. When she crash landed into the mainstream with 1995's Jagged Little Pill, she seemed like the opposite of family material (her breakthrough single was an angry kiss-off to an old boyfriend on whom she had performed fellatio in a public place, after all). But since the release of her follow-up album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Morissette's mood (and her sound) have mellowed significantly. While Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie lacked the confidence (and the bile) of Jagged Little Pill, it still featured some thrilling melodies and a lot more introspection and exploration of her inner life. Subsequent albums have all followed suit, exploring themes of dealing with pain and sadness, all expressed with a general sense of melancholy.

Motherhood will likely cause her sound to shift again, and hopefully she is able to tap into the pure joy of some of her lesser-known songs like "So Pure," which is perhaps the only song in Morissette's catalog that immediately inspires raucous dancing.

What Alanis Morissette song would you play to celebrate the birth of her son? Let us know in the comments!

Tags alanis-morissette, video

The year may be ending in only a matter of days, but Lady Gaga — MTV News 2010 Woman of the Year — is going to cram in one last splash before the dawn of 2011. The Mother Monster announced via Twitter that she would be making a major announcement regarding her upcoming album Born This Way on December 31. "Merry Christmas little monsters!" she tweeted over the weekend. "I love you with all my heart. My gift to you is a BORN THIS WAY announcement Midnight on NEW YEARS EVE."

(Click here to see photos from Lady Gaga's evolution, from her early days through the Monster Ball!)

There have been scant few details regarding Born This Way so far, though Gaga did debut a few new songs over the course of her Monster Ball tour (including the new staple "You And I"), sing a bit of the title track at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and she claims the album has been finished (or almost finished) for some time. We also already know that the album's first single will be hitting in February, with the album coming shortly thereafter (most have speculated March). With those facts and clues in mind, what will the big announcement be? Here are some possibilities, along with their chances of success.

The Title of the First Single (3:2)
We already know what the album title will be and we know a pair of song titles, but what will the single be called? That seems like as good a way as any to start off the new year, especially considering said track already has a tentative release date.

The Official Album Release Date (2:1)
Though the speculation has been upgraded from "some time in 2011" to "some time in early 2011" in the past few months, there is still no concrete release date for Born This Way. Gaga could easily announce the date and begin the countdown to the big day.

A New Video (5:1)
As her dominance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards illustrated, Lady Gaga is the current queen of the music video scene. So any time she has another clip on the way, it's always going to be a big story, and her fans gobble up new material with a wolf-like hunger. Could New Year's Eve be the continuation of the greatness first established with "Paparazzi," "Bad Romance" and "Telephone"?

A New Collaborator (12:1)
You would think that an artist as singular as Lady Gaga wouldn't make for a great tag-team partner (much in the same way that Hulk Hogan never did), but her hook-ups with the likes of Beyoncé, Elton John and Wale have proven differently. Born This Way could be a collabo-heavy release, but who could be on it? Maybe New Year's Eve will be the forum for the revelation of a big-time duet.

A New Tour (20:1)
Though the money probably hasn't been fully counted on her massive Monster Ball tour yet, Gaga seems to be at home on the road and especially comfortable on stage. Could she be getting herself ready for another trek to coincide with the release of Born This Way? Tickets would have to go on sale by January for a tour that began in March or April, so the timing would be about right.

The Fact That Born This Way Is a Double Album (20:1)
Gaga has noted in interviews that Born This Way came "very easily," which could mean that she has a large stockpile of songs that she wants to put out. Could Born This Way be a double-disc extravaganza? It would make sense that one of the biggest personalities in music would put out the album to match, but it also seems a little premature in her career to be going the two-disc route. Still, nothing about Gaga is typical, so it wouldn't necessarily shock anybody.

That 2011 Will Officially Be Known as 20GAGA (150:1)
She certainly has some sway, though we're not sure she can actually influence the calendar. Still, if anybody could do it, it's her.

The Fact That Born This Way Is Her Retirement Album (1,000:1)
Because that's even less likely than the calendar thing. Gaga is too good and loves her fans too much to bow out now.

What do you think Lady Gaga will announce on New Year's Eve? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Lady Gaga

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.

There are a handful of Christmas traditions that will never die. You'll always leave cookies for Santa, you'll always nearly fall asleep at midnight mass and you'll always spend most of the afternoon watching top-quality basketball. The NBA serves as the prime entertainment option on Christmas Day, especially for anybody who doesn't want to watch "A Christmas Story" for the ninth time. This year's marquee match-ups included the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls (the red-hot Knicks took down the slumping Bulls with tight defense and clutch scoring), the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics (the new-look Magic went on a 15-1 run at the end of the game to snap Boston's 14 game win streak) and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The latter was a huge deal, as it represented the first visit to the home of the defending champs for Miami's Big Three, setting up a possible preview for the NBA Finals. The Heat took down the Lakers easily in front of a crowd full of famous faces, including Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, will.i.am and Kanye West, who shared a moment with Kris Jenner during the game.

West wasn't the only star smiling for the camera over the weekend, as Kid Rock walked the orange carpet at the Miami Dolphins game and Justin Bieber spread some Christmas cheer in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. 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, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Jay-Z and Madonna!

Tags Kanye West, photo, Spotted!

If you're on the east coast at the moment, your perspective is probably taken up by one thing and one thing only today: snow. A massive blizzard named Winter Storm Adrianne tore up the eastern seaboard over the weekend, dumping massive snow drifts all the way up the coast. Here at MTV News headquarters in New York City, the drifts are two feet high and transportation is at a standstill (even the normally resilient MTA has shut down a number of subway and bus lines and is encouraging people to stay inside if at all possible). It's a winter nightmare, and though the snowfall has stopped, there is still quite a bit of wind and it will take ages to properly plow and shovel out the roads and sidewalks.

It's even worse elsewhere, as Boston, Philadelphia, Long Island and most of Connecticut are also facing disastrous road conditions, closed airports and crippled infrastructure. Compound that with the fact that holiday travel was interrupted (stranding thousands thanks to canceled flights, closed highways and a total abandonment of the rail system), and you've got a pretty intense low-level disaster on our hands.

But that doesn't mean you can't have a good time (and snow eventually melts, after all). The weather certainly made football extra interesting on Sunday (though the postponed game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles would have been tremendous if they actually played in blizzard conditions, though it probably would have also been blindingly unsafe) and the travel delays should give you the opportunity to play with your Christmas toys.

In case you need a little musical heat while you stay warm wherever you are, check out Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Snow (Hey Oh)" from 2006's Stadium Arcadium. It's a groovy little number that should keep you up even if the snow has got you down.

Tags red-hot-chili-peppers, video

Two weeks ago, MTV News crowned Kanye West as the 2010 Man of the Year. However, a lot of extremely vocal fans thought that the individual picked for the number two position — rapper Eminem — should have been in first place by miles. There is an excellent case to be made for Slim Shady, as he had a tremendously successful year that saw him drop one of his most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful albums of his career (Recovery is on track to be the best-selling album of 2010), top the charts twice with two killer singles ("Not Afriad" and the Rihanna-assisted "Love the Way You Lie"), co-headline the biggest concerts of the year (the extremely well-received Home and Home shows with Jay-Z) and re-ignite the debate over whether or not he is the greatest rapper of all time (an argument that will continue ad infinitum).

With all of those accomplishments (and with the narrative to go along with it), is it possible that Eminem not only had a great year but perhaps his single best year in his career? Let's take a look back at the major accomplishments year-by-year for proof.

Pre-1999
In the era before signing to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, Eminem hit peaks when winning rap competitions (including the 1997 Rap Olympics), attracting label offers and releasing music himself (including Infinite and The Slim Shady EP). But he also had trouble in his personal life that included a suicide attempt. Eventually, he signed a major label deal in 1998.

1999
1999 saw the release of his major-label debut The Slim Shady LP, which moved three million copies in that calendar year alone. Both "My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience" became radio hits and MTV staples. Em also made key contributions to Dr. Dre's smash album 2001, including "What's the Difference" and "Forgot About Dre."

2000
The Marshall Mathers LP dropped, moving 1.76 million copies in a week and breaking Snoop Dogg's record for the biggest opening week in the history of hip-hop. "The Real Slim Shady," "Stan" and "The Way I Am" all became huge hits (with "The Real Slim Shady" representing his highest chart position yet). Some of his biggest feuds erupted, including his tiff with Christina Aguilera. Em also appeared on tracks with Redman, Method Man, Xzibit and Sticky Fingaz.

2001
In a mad flurry of activity, Eminem toured as a part of both the Up in Smoke Tour (alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre) and the Family Values Tour (which he co-headlined with Limp Bizkit). He also oversaw the release of D12's Devil's Night, hooked up with Jay-Z for "Renegade" on Jigga's The Blueprint album and performed "Stan" on stage with Elton John in a classic television moment.

2002
The Eminem Show dropped over the summer, bringing with it the hit singles "Without Me" and "Cleaning Out My Closet." Eminem also starred in the semi-autobiographical film "8 Mile," which not only featured Slim Shady's excellent acting but also the smash hit "Lose Yourself," which was his first chart-topping hit.

2003
Eminem took home an Oscar for "Lose Yourself," then focused on the remaining singles from The Eminem Show (including "Business" and "Sing for the Moment").
Read more...

Tags Best of 2010, Eminem, video

Here's hoping that Hayley Williams didn't get everything she wanted for Christmas, as she still has today's birthday haul to consider. The Paramore singer is now 22 years old, and like many internationally-renowned pop stars her age, she has crammed quite a bit of life into those two decades and change.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Williams moved to her adopted hometown of Franklin, Tennessee when she was 13 years old. It was there the seeds of Paramore began, as she met recently departed bandmates Zac and Josh Farro at school. Though she initially attracted attention as a songwriter and a solo artist at age 14, she wanted to stick with a band. Thus, Paramore was born and signed to Fueled By Ramen. The buzz began slowly for Paramore, though their debut album All We Know is Falling did pick up some attention because of its carefully-crafted but still-edgy pop tunes and its sassy frontwoman. But it wasn't until their follow-up album (2007's Riot!) that really saw the band's star take off (thanks mostly to the singles "crushcrushcrush" and "Misery Business"). The band's third album Brand New Eyes (released in 2009) elevated them even higher in the rock universe and established them as a marquee act on the international touring scene (they've been around the world for most of 2010).

But Williams has had success away from the band as well, most notably recording a solo track called "Teenagers" for the soundtrack to the film "Jennifer's Body" and for providing guest vocals on B.o.B's smash hit "Airplanes." Williams has also made guest appearances on songs by New Found Glory (Williams dates guitarist Chad Gilbert), Say Anything and Set Your Goals. On top of all that, she has also managed to find time to establish one of the best Twitter feeds in the rock world (where she updates the universe on her television habits and her favorite UFC fighters) and strike up a friendship with fellow Tennessee native Taylor Swift.

It's unsure exactly what Paramore will become now that the Farro brothers have exited, but whatever Williams decides to do, she'll certainly find success. In honor of her big day, check out Paramore's performance of the Brand New Eyes track "Brick by Boring Brick" on "MTV Unplugged."

Tags Birthday, hayley williams, MTV Unplugged, Paramore, video

The music world lost another great unsung icon over the weekend, as R&B singer Teena Marie passed away on Sunday (December 26) at the age of 54. Though perhaps not quite a household name, Marie was a titan in the R&B universe thanks to her deep and eclectic body of work that stretched over several decades. Dozens of tributes have already poured in from the likes of Diddy, Common, Gamble & Huff and Mary J. Blige, not only because they admired and respected her work but also because Marie was a consummate collaborator who worked with a number of different artists and always made the work infinitely better.

(Click here for more photos from Teena Marie's long and fruitful career!)

Marie got her start as one of Rick James' protegés, and her voice can be heard prominently on a number of James recordings (most notably on his 1981 single "Fire and Desire"). She quickly found a niche for herself, as not only was she an excellent performer with a killer voice but also a skilled songwriter and arranger. In fact, she wrote, produced, arranged and performed just about every note on Irons in the Fire, her definitive 1980 album that featured the huge hit "I Need Your Lovin."

Because of her vast skill set, it was only natural that she was sought after as a collaborator even as she continued to create music for herself. In addition to James, Marie worked with the likes of Faith Evans, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Domino, Eve, Smokey Robinson, Kurupt, Common and Birdman, to name just a few. (The Birdman collaboration was particularly fruitful, as Marie was a member of Cash Money Records for a while.) Her tough demeanor and do-it-yourself attitude clearly made her an inspiration to female rappers and R&B upstarts, and it was no mystery why. Not only will Marie fans mourn her passing, but other artists have definitely lost one of the great voices and key collaborators in modern music.

(Click here for more photos from Teena Marie's long and fruitful career!)

What's your favorite Teena Marie collaboration? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Birdman, mc-lyte, Rick James, Teena Marie

In the lead-up to the release of Taylor Swift's second album Fearless in 2008, there was a great deal of anticipation based on the advanced buzz and on the success of her debut. And though Fearless debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart the week it was released (moving nearly 600,000 copies in its opening week, a massive number for a country star), Swift's chart dominance didn't really begin until this day in 2008 when Fearless ascended back to the top of the chart in a flurry of holiday purchases and stayed there for seven straight weeks. It set up a run through 2009 that has become one of the biggest single years in the history of any one pop star.

Based on the first single "Love Story" (which became an instant hit across multiple radio formats), Fearless came out of the gate early when it was released on November 11, 2008. But it only stayed at number one for a single week before being displaced by Beyoncé's I Am ... Sasha Fierce. Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak and Britney Spears' Circus each took turns on top as well, but once the Christmas buying frenzy kicked in, Swift's cross-genre (and cross-generational) appeal put her back on top. She stayed there for seven weeks before being displaced for two weeks by Bruce Springsteen's Working on a Dream and the Fray's self-titled album. Fearless took the top spot once again at the end of February, where it stayed for another three weeks before finally bowing out in favor of U2's No Line on the Horizon.

All told, Fearless stayed on top for 11 weeks over three different reigns, a staggering accomplishment in the modern pop music landscape. Swift is truly a singular star, and Fearless remains one of the most astounding accomplishments in recent music history. And as Speak Now has proven, she's just getting warmed up.

Tags Taylor Swift, video

This brief holiday week is about to come to a close. MTV News wishes you the best over the long holiday weekend, where hopefully you'll eat plenty of festive food, see "True Grit" repeatedly (because it's that good) and generally enjoying the final moments of the year that was. The MTV Newsroom Blog will be back on Monday (December 27), but until then, enjoy all the biggest moments from this week's posts, including nuggets about Paramore, U2, "Jersey Shore" and Keri Hilson.

» It was something of a tumultuous week for a lot of people, beginning with Paramore, who lost two members and are figure out how to move forward.

» There was chaos elsewhere in the music world, as the troubled "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" encountered another injury and more delays. This is a much bigger U2-related mess than the PopMart tour.

» It wasn't all bad news, as "The Sing-Off" crowned a champion.

» It takes some people decades to figure out what was important in a single year, but it only takes MTV News' Jim Cantiello 60 seconds.

» This week saw the release of Keri Hilson's new album No Boys Allowed, which was largely embraced by critics.
Read more...

Tags Jersey Shore, Kanye West, Keri Hilson, Taylor Swift

It's almost time for Christmas, which means that the mood around the MTV Newsroom is getting pretty festive and everybody is going to start hitting the road soon (or just getting ready for a long winter's nap). We'll be taking off Friday (December 24) in observance of the holiday, but if anything huge happens, you know you can always count on your friends here at MTV News to deliver up-to-the-minute information on all the latest breaking news.

In the meantime, if you need to get into the Christmas spirit, we have got the best solution known to man (or beast): Run-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis," one of only a handful of truly exceptional pop-oriented Christmas songs (including Shane MacGowan's "Fairytale of New York," Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the recently-released Coldplay track "Christmas Lights"). Produced by Rick Rubin in 1987 for a pair of special holiday compilations (A Very Special Christmas and Christmas Rap), the track puts the greatest hip-hop group of all time at the North Pole and tracks Santa's trip into Queens on Christmas Eve.

Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay were arguably at the height of their powers in 1987, as they had released back-to-back smashes in 1985's King of Rock and 1986's Raising Hell, and they were about to drop the smashing Tougher Than Leather. While "Christmas in Hollis" was embraced when it was originally released, it didn't chart until 13 years later after slowly becoming something of a holiday tradition (as well as appearing in "Die Hard" and on "The Simpsons"). Not only is it a great song, but it also has a fantastically fun video. Think of it as our Christmas gift to you.

Tags Christmas, run-dmc, video