I was the Music Supervisor on the VMAs this year, and part of my job was to shape the house band segments with Travis Barker and DJ AM. I worked closely with the guys and their team for a few very intense weeks leading up to the show.

When I heard about the plane crash that killed four people and seriously wounded Travis and AM, I felt like I was punched in the stomach. I wish them both a speedy recovery and my condolences go out to the families of those killed. I want to share with you a bit of my brief but enjoyable experience working with the guys on the VMAs.

When I first heard about the project and thought of all the possible egos involved, I must admit I was a little worried — but I couldn't have been more wrong. Travis and AM turned out to be two of the most down-to-earth, intelligent, and hard-working people I have ever met in the music industry. Their creativity and excitement really drove this project and made it the huge success seen on show night.

Travis and AM figured out how to make collaborations with Katy Perry, the Ting Tings, Lupe Fiasco, and LL Cool J work with little rehearsal time. We only rehearsed the LL Cool J performance once! Not to mention their incredible individual moments. I wish people could have seen them combine the theme from "Hawaii 5-0" with "Jockin' Jay-Z" during one commercial break.

Finally, I want to relate a quick story about Travis's assistant "Lil" Chris Baker, who was tragically killed in the crash. We were almost out of rehearsal time and struggling to make the final song timings gel. Lil Chris pulled out his ancient-looking Sidekick, battered and chipped. It turned out the Sidekick had a stopwatch function with a back light screen, allowing us to see on the darkened stage. Chris stood by as our human timer and saved the day. DJ AM affectionately called him "timebox" for the rest of the show. I only knew him for short time, but Lil Chris was really cool and a joy to be around.

If you'd like more information on the memorial funds set up to benefit Chris Baker's and Charles Still's families, visit the Famous Stars and Straps Web site.

(by Dan 'Monty' Montalto)

Earlier this afternoon as the newsroom was buzzing over the R. Kelly verdict, Stephen Totilo, our resident video game expert, came over and asked, "Did you guys hear that Tim Russert died?" Even in the midst of one of our biggest stories this year, everyone within earshot immediately began Googling, channel surfing and checking every reliable news source for more information, hoping that it was an erroneous report.

Then, at about 3:40 p.m., Tom Brokaw, his voice shaking with grief, appeared on MSNBC to announce the loss of the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and one of political journalism's most authoritative voices. Here in the newsroom a crowd gathered around one of the TVs, totally shocked and saddened by the loss of a giant in the field of journalism. Especially in this election year, Tim had become such a familiar and comforting face in helping us and millions across the country to make sense of the madness that is U.S. electoral politics.

Working at MTV News, you get to be a part of some pretty amazing things, from the VMAs to the Movie Awards, Live Earth to Lollapalooza. For many of us, though, there's nothing better than getting to work on our political coverage. In January, a small crew of us were covering the Iowa caucus and shooting extra footage for an independent documentary (that's how inspired we were). Needless to say, it was a chaotic week. For those of you who have never been in Iowa for the caucus (which is probably most everyone not from Iowa), it's a total madhouse. Every media outlet across the country — and many others from around the world — descends on Des Moines and crams into the convention center in the heart of the city with hundreds and hundreds of cameras, lights and reporters — all in one room.

It was there that several of us had the pleasure of seeing Tim Russert in action. Even after all the rappers, pop divas and rock stars, we were all pretty geeked-out by the sight of Tim Russert sitting in his chair, speaking to some unseen politician or pundit with his trademark gravitas. We all stood there for a few minutes, taking it in, watching a man at the top of his game. For the political junkies on our crew it was like watching a great athlete in his prime.

So we were especially sad to learn that he had died today at the age of 58, very much still in his prime. I know that I am not alone in this newsroom when I say that Sunday mornings will never be the same.

Tragic news: more soldiers committed suicide in 2007 than in any other year since 1990. 108 members of the Army took their own lives, most after coming home from overseas. And that number only covers active-duty soldiers -- not reservists, Guardsmen, or new veterans.

Of that number, at least 16 Army recruiters have committed suicide since 2000. In a recent story, Nils Aron Andersson took his own life last year after a deployment to Iraq and an assignment as a recruiter. In Andersson's case it wasn't just his life that was lost: his new wife killed herself the day after he committed suicide.

The Pentagon will release a full report on soldier suicides later today. MTV News will keep you posted.

Last September, 13-year-old Hannah Bond, a My Chemical Romance fan in Kent, England, committed suicide. This month, the coroner, in announcing a verdict of suicide, suggested there was a link between her suicide and her obsession with emo music: "The emo overtones concerning death and associating it with glamor I find very disturbing."

The British tabloids then had a field day with the tragedy, with The Daily Mail going so far as to calling emo "a suicide cult."

Finally, MCR has responded to the coverage of the tragedy in the following post on their official website:

We have recently learned of the suicide and tragic loss of Hannah Bond. We'd like to send our condolences to her family during this time of mourning. Our hearts and thoughts are with them.

My Chemical Romance are and always have been vocally anti-violence and anti-suicide. As a band, we have always made it one of our missions through our actions to provide comfort, support, and solace to our fans. The message and theme of our album "The Black Parade" is hope and courage. Our lyrics are about finding the strength to keep living through pain and hard times. The last song on our album states: "I am not afraid to keep on living" -- a sentiment that embodies the band's position on hardships we all face as human beings. If you or anyone that you know have feelings of depression or suicide, we urge you to find your way and your voice to deal with these feelings positively.

British MCR fans are planning to march in London's Hyde Park this coming Sunday in protest of the media's portrayal of the band.

Our continuing investigation into the still-unsolved murder of hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay brought us to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recently. The forecast upon touchdown was cold and rainy, not terribly unlike the weather in Queens on that fateful night in October of 2002 when a bullet forever silenced the trailblazing DJ behind the legendary Run-DMC.

It was in Milwaukee that Jam Master Jay spent some of his final days. He came here to Brew City to visit Eric “Shake” James, one of his best friends and one of the only members of his inner circle who was not part of the hometown crew from Hollis, Queens.

Jay and “Shake” spent their days holed up in Shake’s home playing video games ("NFL2K" on SegaDreamcast was one of Jay’s faves) and their nights hitting local hot spots like the Velvet Room, where Jay would jump on the wheels and start spinning every chance he got, treating the local fans to some world-class scratching.

Shake gave us a guided tour, sharing with us a potentially explosive new piece of evidence that could shed light on a case that both local and federal investigators are still trying to solve some five and a half years on...

Led by Shake, we retraced the steps Jay took on his last visit here, stopping by first the Velvet Room and then some other favorite hangouts, including Kopp's burger joint and Playmakers, Jay’s sneaker shop of choice. The day ended at Shake’s house, where he showed us a treasure trove of never before seen personal memorabilia from his time on the road with Jay and Run-DMC, including Jay’s last backstage pass, from the Aerosmith / Kid Rock tour.

Then Shake showed us something real.

“This is a piece of Jay,” Shake said, “I’ve never been able to turn it on,” he said, handing us the keepsake. “Maybe you can...”

To find out what new piece of evidence Shake shared with us -- and intimate details of the last days of Jam Master Jay's life -- check back with MTVNews.com tomorrow.

A 16-year-old girl from Florida took her case to the Internet after prosecutors in Florida dropped rape charges against her 23-year-old alleged attacker. The intense video post is titled "A 16 year old rape victim needs help," and at this point has been viewed by nearly 300,000 people.

Of course, commenters on YouTube are well-known for being muuuuch more sympathetic than law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Comments have ranged from "She looks like she was asking for it" to "She is just a pissed-off hussie that wants the man prosecuted now that he dumped her or whatever he did to her." Cool, guys. Thanks!

CNN picked up the story and spoke to the teenager about the whole thing. Sadly, this alleged victim's story isn't that uncommon: one in four young women in America have been sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). What is unusual here is the YouTube plea.

The girl has posted the alleged rapist's criminal case number, so we know this isn't a LonelyGirl15 situation. But what do you think about calling someone out as a rapist online? Is this an effective way to get help -- or is she opening herself up to more harm than good? And should the Internet serve as a court of public opinion when the actual judicial system has failed you?

The YouTube clip in question, after the jump.

You know how we've all known things are messed up in the Sudan for years? That the Sudanese government has been involved in...what's the word...a GENOCIDE in Darfur? And you know how everyone divested all their money out of the country because that was the nice thing to do in the face of crimes against humanity?

Well! Potential First Lady Cindy McCain decided to play it differently -- you know, do things in her own time. So it seems she just got around to divesting $2 million in funds with links to the (still) war-torn African nation.

We guess her husband, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, can now breathe a bit more easily: he's called for a tougher policy in dealing with the Sudanese government, even when talking to us.

To be fair, Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama only got around to fully divesting last year. But the man most certainly did not have millions invested in that country...

Yesterday, MTV News ran a story asking why there has been so little in the way of high-profile relief efforts to Myanmar in the wake of the devastating cyclone. With an estimated 100,000 dead and more than a million displaced, why aren’t we seeing celebrities rallying to the cause?

Well, the good people at Not On Our Watch, a non-profit dedicated towards ending mass atrocities around the world, read our story and emailed us some info. It turns out that the group -- founded in part by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle -- has given half a million dollars to Save the Children for emergency relief work in Myanmar (Burma). (That's twice the amount we initially reported.)

One of the key and incredibly tragic problems in bringing aid to the country has been their military government: the junta has delayed desperately needed food and supplies from being distributed to those who are in dire need. Aid workers from numerous international relief groups are still waiting for permission to enter the country, and supplies that have made it across the border have often been seized. Save the Children is one of the few agencies already at work inside the country.

Not On Our Watch has given $250,000 to Save the Children up front, and will match every additional dollar given to the aid group up to $250,000.

Here’s hoping this inspires plenty of people to help make a difference.

Two British teens accused of murdering a 20-year-old British woman because she was a goth were given life sentences this week.

On a very early August morning last year, Sophie Lancaster was walking through a park in Bacup, Lancashire, with her boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, when they were attacked by a group of five teenage boys, ranging in age from 15 to 17. According to reports, the couple had been targeted in the past because they were goth. Both were so brutally assaulted that they were left comatose. Robert recovered, but Sophie died two weeks later from her serious head injuries.

Brendan Harris, 15, and Ryan Herbert, 16, were sentenced to life, while the other three teens involved will serve 4 to 6 years each.

In delivering his sentence, Judge Anthony Russell stated that "your behavior on that night degrades humanity itself...This was a hate crime against these completely harmless people targeted because their appearance was different to yours."

During the sentencing, a statement by Sophie's boyfriend Robert was read to the court in which he wrote, "I'm finding the whole world a terrifying place."

Judge Russell went on to defend the goth community, calling goths "perfectly peaceful, law-abiding people who pose no threat to anybody."

In the latest edition of "The Loder Files," we head back to 1994, when Kurt Loder spoke with Courtney Love in the wake of Kurt Cobain's suicide.

She talked about the long -- and nearly impossible -- road to recovering from her husband's death: "I don't know, I haven't processed things. I'm just working...I'm putting one foot in front of the other but I'm numb."

Love also talked about their daughter Frances Bean, who was only two years old when Cobain took his own life. "He prayed every night," she told Loder, surprising many Nirvana fans. "He taught our daughter how to pray." She wonders aloud if maybe having a son would have been even harder, since she feels that "the male progeny of a dead celebrity I think might have a harder time."

But most surreal of all is the moment when Love admits how hard it is to help a toddler process the death of her incredibly famous father. "Daddy's a little like Barney," she says, "because he's on TV. And there's videos of Daddy, so we can see Daddy on TV."

From Eminem to Ice Cube and Prince, check out Loder's interviews from the MTV News vault, in The Loder Files. More rolling out soon...