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It would be easy to dismiss the fact that Notorious B.I.G. released an album called Life After Death on this day in 1997 (only a few weeks after his own murder) as just a sick coincidence, but in reality it was party of a larger theme for the man born Christopher Wallace. For all of his raps about living large, Biggie was obsessed with death. After all, this is a man who titled his debut album Ready to Die and often rapped about his own funeral. He was constantly aware of his own mortality, and it permeated every inch of his musical persona.

Still, the whole idea of Life After Death hitting store shelves only 16 days after Biggie passed away is more than a little bit haunting. The album cover depicted the MC standing next to an old style hearse, draped in spooky shadows with a ghostly look on his face. Despite the greatness of flashy singles like "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money, Mo Problems," the best songs on the two-disc affair are loaded with dark imagery that vividly portrays the dark side of the gangster lifestyle, including the claustrophobic album opener "Somebody's Gotta Die" and the bracing "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)."

Tragically, that was Biggie at his best. His biggest hits were about his the high-class pimp lifestyle ("Big Poppa") or love jams ("One More Chance"), but he was never better as a rapper when he tapped into that rare combination of hunger and paranoia that fueled his death-filled fantasies. The Biggie that gave the world "Warning" — that's the Biggie that will live forever in the minds of hip-hop fans everywhere.

Tags Notorious-BIG, video

It has been quite a hyperbolic week for "American Idol." On Wednesday (March 23), Jacob Lusk delivered what many thought was one of the greatest performances in the history of the show, and during Thursday night's (March 24) elimination show, one of the most surprising events in recent "Idol" memory unfolded. The whole show ended with nobody getting the chop this week, setting up a double elimination down the road.

The first big surprise of the evening was the bottom three, which for the first time included the male contestants. Both Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone found themselves near the bottom of the heap next to floundering teen Thia Megia. When all was said and done, Abrams was the one with the fewest votes, a shocking revelation considering that he had been a favorite for most of the competition.

But things got really weird when it came time for Abrams to perform his survival song in an attempt to snag the coveted judges' save. He only got a few notes into "I Don't Need No Doctor" before Randy Jackson stopped him and let him know that they had already decided to save him. Abrams was completely thrown by the news, and he stammered and mumbled his way back to the safety of the pool of contestants.

The whole evening left everyone's head spinning — including that of MTV News "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello, who discussed Abrams' save (and the rest of the madness) with guest host Michael Buckley (he of the YouTube series "What the Buck") on Thursday night's "Idol Party Live."

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" at every Thursday night at 9 p.m. on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! And get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Tags American Idol, Casey Abrams, video

Kirill Bichutsky is the most prominent nightlife photographer in America. Virtually every night of the week, Kirill's job sends him to the most exclusive nightclubs photographing unapologetic celebrities and beautiful party revelers. So when it came time to head down to Florida for Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival, MTV News was happy to have him as part of the team. His complete works can be found at kirillwashere.com.

By KirillWasHere

I landed in Miami and headed straight to the DJ Mag pool party at the Shelborne where I caught up with A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs (they run Fools Gold, the biggest little record label in the world), Armand van Helden (the other half of Duck Sauce), James Zebiela and Dennis Ferrer. Fast forward three hours, and we're doing shots of Don Julio with Luciano at the bar (guess he wanted to check out the spot before his gig on Thursday). And as all good things must come to an end, it was time to leave the growing group of half-naked drunk girls to their merry ways and head over to LIV.

I've been to LIV many times, but this was a sight to be seen. The line to get into the party extended into the street. After a few lies and name-drops, they finally let me in to document the debauchery that is LIV: loud music, bright lights and sweaty girls. I'm not the best judge of what makes a house music DJ good or bad, but I am one to judge a good party, and this was it. Tommy Lee, Tiësto, Afrojack, A-Trak, Lil Jon and probably more of the who's-who were all on hand to witness Laid Back Luke absolutely destroy LIV.

My good friend and travel buddy Wynter Gordon ("Dirty Talk") was supposed to perform, but due to a freak snowstorm in New York, she wasn't able to make it. I wish I could have stayed longer, but my arm was literally about to fall off from holding a camera all day, and besides — this was only day one.

Tags Afrojack, Lil-Jon, miami, photo, Tiesto, Ultra Music Festival

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The South bracket has already delivered some surprises, and the match-up below represents the last of the region's second round voting. Tune in tomorrow for the East bracket's pairings, and remember that you should keep track of your favorite artists' progress, as anything can happen between now and when voting closes.

Voting for all second round match-ups will close on Sunday, March 27 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(2) Muse vs. (7) Weezer
Muse are sort of the quiet juggernaut of this tournament, as they had an excellent showing last year and topped Cobra Starship in the first round. They'll face off against Weezer, who walked all over My Morning Jacket in the round of 64. Which one of these rock titans will advance to the Sweet 16 to take on the winner of the Adele/Tokio Hotel winner? Only your votes know for sure!

Watch the breakdown of the first round and a preview of round two!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, March Madness, muse, Poll, video, Weezer

"It's just, to even have the opportunity to write a song for her is still incredible. As a songwriter, I'm still taking baby steps. You have to write 10 songs to get one good one and, realistically, I don't have time to write 10. It was a good song though."

-Singer and songwriter Jessie J, noting that she was honored just to be able to pitch a song for Britney Spears' new album Femme Fatale. Though her song isn't on the final track list, Jessie isn't bothered by the fact that it was left behind — especially considering who else worked on the album. "I think [it's a] misunderstanding that just because I'm Jessie J, it doesn't mean that I get pumped up to the top-three choice," she explained to MTV News. "It means that I write a song and if it doesn't go on it, it doesn't go on it. She probably had every major songwriter in the world write a song for her."

And unfortunately, it's possible that the song may never see the light of day, simply because it would be difficult to pitch the song to any other artist. "I may try and pitch it to someone else, but it was actually called 'Being Britney,'" she said. "So, it's actually hard to pitch it. It was a really cool song, but it is what it is; it happens for a reason. For me, one thing I love about Britney Spears is she is Britney Spears: No one can come and try and steal her path, her lane and that's what I love about her. That's what the song is about, 'I'm the sh--.'"

Tags britney spears, Jessie J, Quote, video

Let's face it: Haley Reinhart never stood a chance. She's been in the bottom three both weeks so far and she doesn't seem to have clicked with judges or the audience. Given her white soul mama persona, Wednesday night's (March 23) Motown theme should have been right up her alley. She picked a good song, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "You Really Got a Hold on Me," but the combination of her neck rolls, off-putting growling and shouty Holiday Inn lounge performance didn't do her any favors.

She seems poised to continue the steady march of female singers off the season 10 stage (goodbye Ashthon Jones and Karen Rodriguez, we hardly knew ye) on Thursday night's (March 24) results show after another tepid attempt. And the black shorts? Forget about it, that was just all wrong!

Once again, I'm totally on the same page as MJ's Big Blog editor MJ Santilli, who agreed that a girl would leave tonight and that girl will be Reinhart. "Despite taking a page out of the Haley Scarnato book of 'Idol' plays, it's too late for even those impossibly high heels and short shorts to save her," Santilli said of the unfortunate outfit. "Haley picked the right song and employed some impressive licks and growls throughout the performance, but I think the improvements over the past couple of weeks are too little too late."

Santilli thinks that teen Thia Megia and Naima Adedapo would be in the bottom three as well this week (even despite Adedapo's energetic African dance breakdown). "Naima is the most entertaining of all the girls — including the pitch-perfect but snoozy Pia Toscano — so I hope she's safe for the tour," she said. "Naima's addition of crazed African dancing to her version of the classic 'Dancing in the Streets' may have been a bit over the top for some viewers."

Also forecasting Reinhart's final walk of shame is MTV's own "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello. "Let's all yodel in solidarity for Haley's impending elimination," he said. "According to the judges, she's been flopping around on stage like a dead fish for weeks. (For the record, I've been a big fan of her growly vocals and intense performance style.) But she's been in the bottom three since the live shows began, so tragically, she hasn't connected with 'Idol' viewers.

"

Jim thought smoothie Stefano Langone might also make his inaugural bottom three appearance after his drippy cover of Lionel Richie's "Hello." Considering he was already a wild card, did Langone use up his good karma on Wednesday night?

Village Voice music critic Maura Johnston disagreed, predicting that teen Thia Megia would be this week's victim after her lukewarm take on Martha and the Vandellas' "Heatwave" came up short. "Thia is just completely unable to connect to any of the material she's chosen," said Johnston. "She needs to get kicked off, which would allow her to go out and live and get her heart broken and realize that always smiling is not a way to go through life."

Though she also thought Megia was sleepy, Santilli said it might not be her time to go because she has a robust online following. Cantiello feared Adedapo hasn't built up enough of a following to survive despite a good performance and might be in the bottom three, along with either Megia or fellow teen Lauren Alaina, whose vocals drifted out of his head moments after they left the stage.

To recap, here's my prediction for the bottom three. Let us know your predictions in the comments below.

Gil Kaufman: Haley Reinhart (Out), Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" at 9 p.m. tonight on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! And get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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

Tags American Idol

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The round of 32 has been intense thus far, and it's only about to get more intense. With two match-ups already presented in the South bracket, this third one may be the most intriguing if only because it features two upset-minded underdogs.

Voting for all second round match-ups will close on Sunday, March 27 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(11) Adele vs. (14) Tokio Hotel
In the only second round pairing that put together two upset victors from round one, the upset minded Adele (who beat back Kid Rock to advance) takes on the rabid fan base of Tokio Hotel (who bested Mumford & Sons in round one). No matter who wins, the one left standing could end up being the lowest seed in the Sweet 16. Which artist will keep wearing the glass slipper? Weigh in with your vote!

Watch the breakdown of the first round and a preview of round two!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, Adele, March Madness, Poll, Tokio-Hotel, 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.

The best thing about celebrity parties in Los Angeles is that it creates incredible photo opportunities for people who wouldn't normally hang around each other. For example, the after party at the Mayan in L.A. for the "Duran Duran Unstaged" event (hosted by American Express) featured a guest list that included the members of Duran Duran, Moby and Kelis. But by far the highlight came when filmmaker David Lynch (he of "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" fame) spent some quality time with shock rocker Marilyn Manson. It wasn't the first time the two have been in the same room together, as Manson was actually in a brief scene in Lynch's underrated 1997 feature "Lost Highway" (Manson's mentor Trent Reznor also provided some music for that project). Manson was trying hard to get his "Alice in Wonderland" film made, but he appears to be headed back to the music world, as his band is at work on their eighth album (and their first since 2009's The High End of Low).

They weren't the only stars out and about, as Katy Perry hung out at her hotel in Manchester, England and Vanessa Hudgens hit the red carpet for the premiere of "Sucker Punch." 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, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Madonna, Mariah Carey, the Jonas Brothers and Kanye West!

Tags David Lynch, Marilyn-Manson, photo, Spotted!

It's MTV's second annual Musical March Madness! MTV News took the 64 biggest names in rock, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds and puts them up against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups in a winner-take-all contest. We're leaving it to you to decide an actual champ in this field of 64, so over the next few weeks, fan voting will determine who will emerge as this year's champion. It's all about the fans, and the artist with the most passionate fan base will score the awesome Musical March Madness trophy!

The votes are really flying in the South bracket, as Linkin Park are building a healthy lead over R.E.M. in the first showdown of the day. Who will the winner of that match-up face in the Sweet 16? One of the two huge acts in the second pairing of the day.

Voting for all second round match-ups will close on Sunday, March 27 at midnight. As always, you can follow all the voting here.

(4) Kings of Leon vs. (5) Paramore
In a battle of the greater Nashville area, Kings of Leon ride their solid first round defeat of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals into the second round to square off against Paramore, who went toe-to-toe with No Doubt for a true heavyweight fight that came down to the wire. With the wind at their backs, will Paramore charge into the Sweet 16, or do Kings of Leon have too much power to be put down? Your votes will decide it!

Watch the breakdown of the first round and a preview of round two!

Check out the Musical March Madness bracket and be take a look at the hoops-centric photos of some of the tournament's biggest bands.

Tags #MMM, kings of leon, March Madness, Paramore, Poll, video