Did you have the sing-songy chorus of Estelle and Kanye West's Grammy-winning "American Boy" stuck in your head for a good amount of 2008? Well, so did Estelle. That's why she's happy to reveal that she's working on new material as we speak.

"I'm sick of singing 'American Boy,' so we need something else," the West London native confessed at a recent party for the fashion line Chloé.

Recently, Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio — who has produced work for Scarlett Johansson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — helped her record a track. "He's amazing," Estelle gushed, "I'm really excited. We just finished a song together. I listened to it all the way here. I'm having a moment. He's really, really cool.''

And when all the songs have been completed, what will the body of work be titled? "Right now, I'm calling the whole project New London," she said, " 'cause it's kind of [about] when I moved from London to New York and when my worlds collided and everything came together."

Although she's made a name for herself with hip-hop and soul music, listeners could be in a for a change in sound; Estelle foresees her next release sounding "somewhere between Marvin Gaye and Coldplay."

Some, like Lil Wayne, pack that gap with hundreds of mixtape tunes and guest appearances, but even Weezy seems to be struggling to nail what is shaping up to be the new brass bragging ring in the biz: the two (or three) albums in a year watermark. While his rock album, Rebirth, was supposed to be released this spring, last we knew it was still in the "TBD" category.

So far this year, we've had U2, Eminem and Coldplay saying they'll drop a second brand-new disc of material either in the same calendar year or within 365 days of their most recent efforts. But considering the gaps between their two most recent releases (almost five years, five years and three years, respectively), and the fact that they're among the biggest acts in the world, turning that ship around so quickly would be impressive, though highly unlikely.

And, you might recall, last year Erykah Badu promised that she had a conceptual album trifecta up her billowing sleeve, but so far we've only seen the mind-blowing first chapter released, New Amerykah Part 1, 4th World War. No release date has been set for New Amerykah Part 2, Return of the Ankh, or the third "period piece" album, Lowdown Loretta Brown, all of which were supposed to originally drop in 2008. And, before all his recent legal issues, DMX had said he was going to release a hip-hop and gospel album within months of each other.

You might also recall that Chicago’s Lupe Fiasco promised to end his career with a three-album flurry entitled LUPE.N.D. but that project seems to have been back-burnered as well. Hell, even Cam'ron is talking trifecta, recently telling MTV News that he's got two albums, a soundtrack and two movies in the pipeline for '09.

While plenty of artists have beat the 12-month clock in the past (DMX, Tupac, Jay-Z, and last year, Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails), it's a tough game to play and we're not going to hold our breaths for those new U2, Eminem and Coldplay albums.

But we have full confidence that one artist will deliver exactly as promised.

Prince, notorious for his shelf-buckling backlog of recorded material, also has three albums teed up for release this year, only two of which, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND are, technically, his own, plus a third from his protégé, Bria Valente, Elixer, that he had a heavy hand in writing and playing on.

And the reason, unlike all these other acts, that you can believe Prince? He cut an exclusive deal with Target that will see the whole thing drop for the low-low price of $11.98. Maybe front-loading is the key?

Do you think U2, Coldplay and Eminem will get two albums out this year?

In fact, your latest "incident" doesn't even crack our list of the Best Paparazzi Beatdowns — yes, we keep lists about things like this — if only because, based on the photo we saw, your right cross didn't actually connect with the photographer's face. (Nice form, though.) So, if you're looking to win your way into our hearts — and make our next list — well, then perhaps you should read on, and take notes.

Remember, practice makes make perfect, and since those paparazzi aren't going anywhere, we figure that with a little coaching, you'll make our list in no time. So for future reference, Lily, here's our list of the five greatest celeb-on-pap beatdowns in history.

#5: The Björk Bangkok Beatdown
In 1996, Icelandic ingenue Björk arrived at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport after a long flight, looking frazzled and on-edge. As she pushed her way past photographers, one female reporter snickered, "Welcome to Bangkok!," which sent B into a rage. She pounced on the unsuspecting woman, throwing haymakers and grabbing at her hair. The two spilled to the ground, the reporter squealed, and the incident has since become a viral sensation. Björk would later apologize, but early last year, she reportedly went after another paparazzo, tearing his shirt in half at an airport in New Zealand.

#4: Chris Martin
Seriously, who knew the curly-headed Coldplay frontman was a badass? In early 2008, Martin went off the deep end when photographers attempted to snap pics of him and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow leaving a hospital in New York. After one particularly snarky pop offered him congratulations (it was rumored that Paltrow was pregnant, hence the hospital visit) Martin reportedly shoved the man to the ground, swore at him, snatched his camera and told him to "have some respect." Of course, as he tried to get into a waiting car with the camera, a second photographer intervened, calling Martin "a jerk" and said (in the thickest New Jersey accent imaginable), "You give [the camera] back to him, or this door's getting broken." Sometimes, you sort of root for the celebs ...

#3: Kanye West's LAX Meltdown
In September 2008, Kanye West took exception to some overzealous paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport, so the MC and his bodyguard expressed their displeasure by snatching some paps' equipment and rather gleefully smashing it. West and his bodyguard were arrested on charges of felony vandalism, though those charges were later reduced when it was revealed that the equipment was not valuable enough to warrant a felony charge. Still, West got significantly more gangster in just about everybody's book.

#2: Bald Britney's Umbrella Attack
Ah, the halcyon days of 2007 ... The image of a newly-shorn Britney Spears, dressed in shorts and a white hoodie, her eyes wide and manic, wailing on a photographer's SUV with an umbrella has become iconic, which is a pretty sad comment on our society. It was one of the lowest points in a very low period for the pop star, but happily both Britney and the Ford Explorer survived the ordeal, and have since moved on to bigger and better things.

#1: Sean Penn, The Living Legend
Sure, he's mellowed a bit over the past few years, but in the '80s, Penn was so well-known for his punch-ups with paparazzi that scuffles between celebs and photographers became known as "doing a Sean Penn." There were his memorable brawls with photogs when he was dating and married to Madonna, but the incident that made him a legend occurred in Macao in 1986, when he discovered a photographer hiding in his hotel room. Penn reportedly flipped out, grabbed the pap and hung him by his ankles off a ninth-floor balcony. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder before later being acquitted.

You've got a long way to go, Lily!

There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't necessarily get addressed in our Newsroom blog. Here's a look at some top stories making headlines today.

It's Grammy time, and here are our predictions for the winners! (Hint: We're betting heavily on Coldplay.) Also, could M.I.A., Leona Lewis, Rihanna and other female artists up for awards turn the Grammys into ladies' night?

Is Nas' message stronger than his music? We listen to the controversy surrounding the rapper's Untitled, up for a Best Rap Album Grammy.

Day26 clue us in to the mood of their new album — sexy! — and to their dream-team collaborators: "Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T.I., Jeezy, Luda, T-Pain ... we want to work with you."

John Carpenter is back in the director's seat: We hear that the "Halloween" mastermind is set to direct "The Ward," starring Amber Heard, who plays a woman trapped in a haunted mental institution.

Martin and the band denied the charges, but on Thursday, the singer appeared on the BBC Radio 1's "The Chris Moyles Show" and practically admitted to plagiarism. Only the rip-off he copped to was not of Satriani, but of late singer Jeff Buckley.

"It's a blatant Jeff Buckley attempt," Martin said of the 2000 Coldplay song "Shiver." "Not quite as good, that's what I think. We were 21, and he was very much a hero, and as with those things it tends to filter through."

Again, I'm no legal scholar, but when you're being accused of stealing someone's riffs, common sense dictates that maybe you keep your trap shut about other songs you've released that are open rips of someone's sound. Just a thought.

The exclusives are part of the launch of (RED)WIRE, a digital magazine that will be delivered to members' desktops every Wednesday with music from artists from around the world, including exclusive weekly tunes from major acts as well as songs from up-and-coming acts and special content ranging from digital shorts to photographs or readings from artists or actors. Half of the $5 monthly subscription fee for the magazine will go directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. If you join before December 10, you can become a "Founding Member" of (RED)WIRE and receive the premiere issue on that day, as well as a special bonus song from Jay-Z.

Content from (RED)WIRE will also be regularly posted on the iLike social-discovery service for streaming and sampling and syndicated to iLike's 30 million registered users.

Sitting in the room where they decide who will be nominated for the annual World Music Awards must be awesome.

"Michael Jackson for zee best Pop Male Artist!"

"Vy viss the Michael Jackson again? Alvays viss the Michael Jackson!"

"We shall give zee award to zee Kid Rock, not that Enrique Iglesias. Hees mole makes me sheever. And if Jovanotti does not win the award for Italy, zere is zomezing rotten in Denmark! Haw-haw!"

OK, maybe that's not exactly how it went, but you really gotta wonder what the people behind the awards — based on international sales figures provided by the London-based IFPI — were thinking when they came up with this year's winners. Coldplay snagged the World's Best-Selling Recording Act honor for their album Viva la Vida at the annual awards show in Monaco over the weekend. They also snagged the Rock Group trophy, winning out over such actual rock bands as Metallica, Kings of Leon and R.E.M.

The World's Best Pop Female Artist is apparently Ms. "Bleeding Love" herself, Leona Lewis. So take that, losers (by which we mean such nobodies as Madonna, Mariah Carey and Rihanna). Kid Rock beat out such heavy-hitters as Enrique Iglesias, James Blunt and Michael Jackson for World's Best Pop Male Artist, an award he's sure to put on display in his bathroom. Rock had slightly meatier competition in the Pop/Rock Male Artist race from Lenny Kravitz, Jack Johnson and Blunt, another three-on-one cage match we'd like to see, and one in which we'd bet big money on Rock.

Somehow, nobody informed the folks at the show that Amy Winehouse has spent most of the past year collapsing, fighting nasty skin infections and dealing with a horrible lung disease her father said she contracted from smoking crack and cigarettes. No bother, she still beat out such hard-working ladies as Pink, Duffy and Katy Perry for the World's Best Pop/Rock Female Artist award.

But they got one award right, handing Lil Wayne the Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist trophy over stiff competition that included Kanye West, T.I. and T-Pain.

And, because it's not an awards show unless Celine Dion gets some hardware, the Canadian warbler took home a Best Canadian Artist trophy. Scroll down the first page of the awards show's site and please tell us if you know anything about Philip Kirkorov, because all we know is that he looks awesome and he supposedly had his bodyguards rough up Russian rock band DDT's singer after the rocker made some cracks about Kirkorov's alleged lip-synching. We totally have to go to this show next year.

For more than a month, there's been a heated battle happening on the weekly Billboard albums sales chart, waged between 2008's best-selling albums: rapper Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III and Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. After Wayne's latest debuted at #1, selling more than a million copies, Coldplay's LP swooped in, knocking Tha Carter III from the top spot, where the rockers' record stayed for two weeks. Last week, Wayne made a comeback, reclaiming the peak position.

According to the latest figures released by Nielsen SoundScan, Wayne's newest will hold at #1 on next week's top 200, selling another 124,700 units and bringing total sales of the disc to 1.8 million. Coldplay's Viva la Vida clings to the #2 spot with sales reported at 112,600. Meanwhile, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "Camp Rock" follows at #3 — a position it's held since its release four weeks ago — with 88,500 scans.

Climbing two spots next week to #5, with 61,000 sold, is Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus, which experienced a 35 percent sales boost on the strength of the LP's latest single, "All Summer Long." Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 28 follows at #6 with 48,000 sold, while Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad moves one spot to #8 with 47,000 scans. G-Unit's T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) follows at #9, selling another 36,400, while John Mayer's Where the Light Is rounds things out at #10 with 33,700 sold.

As far as new releases go, there are a total of 23 making their impact felt on next week's chart, with two opening in the top 10. Beck's latest, Modern Guilt, enters the chart at #4, having sold 84,300 copies, while the soundtrack to the big-screen adaptation of "Mamma Mia!" bows at #7 with 48,400 sold. Elsewhere on the chart, the Maine's Can't Stop Won't Stop debuts at #40, scanning 12,100 copies, while New York electronica outfit Ratatat's LP3 follows at #82, selling 7,800 units.

3Oh!3's Want enters at #89, having scanned 7,500 copies, with Hit the Lights' Skip School, Start Fights trailing at #97 on sales of 7,000 and change. Maroon 5 and Whitechapel are tied at #117, as Live from Le Cabaret and This Is Exile both scanned exactly 5,907 copies. Kerli's Love Is Dead bows at #126 with 5,500 sold, while Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr.'s sophomore solo offering, ¿Como Te Llama? debuts at #145, after selling 4,500 copies. The Melvins' Nude With Boots follows at #148 with 4,400 sold, while Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' Have Another Ball claims the #164 slot with 4,000 scans.

So, you may have noticed — because they've been covered in every conceivable medium as of late — that Coldplay seem to have adopted a certain "look" to go along with their new album, Viva la Vida: tattered waistcoats, multicolored armbands, epaulets for days. Basically, they look like extras in "Les Mis" or Adam Ant's backing band or even a more stylized version of Pat Patriot.

And I'm OK with that. There's obviously a revolutionary undercurrent to Viva, what with the Delacroix painting on the cover and the references to deposed French king Charles X in the title track, and we commend them for their dedication to that theme. But do they really have to be that, well, dedicated?

Because, at this point, we're beginning to wonder if Chris Martin and company even own other clothes. It seems they're always dolled up in their revolutionary finest, which is odd, to say the least. Do they rehearse in full gear? Eat lunch in costume? Go to Tesco dressed as Napoleon's understudies?

It's pretty amazing, though it does make me worried that the entire band is homeless — or perhaps they've taken sartorial advice from my freshman-year roommate and are just going to avoid doing laundry for an entire year.

Though if the latter is true, I can't wait until they enter the "mesh shorts and flip-flops" portion of their wardrobe. We need more rock stars who look like they just came from a volleyball match.

What do you think? Does Chris Martin need to fill out his wardrobe? Sound off below.