Last year saw the long-awaited release of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, an album that was first discussed in earnest some time around 1994 and finally hit store shelves 14 years later. It provided an easy metaphor for work that seemed to be forever delayed (one of the many reasons it was ultimately disappointing). With Axl's opus finally out in the open, the anticipation turned to Dr. Dre, whose Detox has been talked about for just as long. Dre revolutionized the way the public thinks about commercial rap with 1992's The Chronic, and since that record was released he has been teasing out a project called Detox. All the while, Dre has continued to produce for other MCs and oversee his label Aftermath Entertainment, but Detox remains incomplete (so much so that there are next to no inklings about what it could possibly sound like).

But 10 years ago, Dre provided a brief peek into what Detox might ultimately become. On this day in 1999, Dre released 2001, a confusingly-named collection of street anthems that not only resurrected G-funk but also helped to elevate Eminem (who had a star turn on "Forgot About Dre") and re-establish Snoop Dogg as a major player on the mainstream hip-hop scene. It's strange to consider now, but the middle years of the '90s were not particularly kind to Snoop, who had broken out huge with Doggystyle but floundered a bit when his follow-up Tha Doggfather failed to meet expectations. Master P ended up drawing him to the No Limit roster, and after the tired Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told, the one-two punch of 2001 and Snoop's own No Limit Top Dogg brought him back into the spotlight. He has Dre — and the killer cut "The Next Episode" — to thank.

Why settle for one controversial image when a half dozen will do? That seems to be the tactic Rihanna is employing on the cover to "Russian Roulette," the first single from her upcoming album Rated R. It's got everything: the giant, gleaming blade "R" logo; the blood-dripping track title; a sinister peek-a-boo eye patch; gold corset; and, of course, her provocative barbed wire-wrapped torso.

While it's just the companion image to her single (so who knows what the actual album cover will look like?), the edgy picture has already set tongues wagging and gotten us thinking about some of our other favorite envelope-pushing album artwork.

(Click here for more controversial album covers from the likes of Prince, Nirvana, David Bowie and Bon Jovi!)

» No list would be complete without the bloody baby bodies and butcher outfits donned by the Beatles for Yesterday … and Today. The Fab Four were forced to replace the art on their 1966 album with a more benign image of them crowded around a steamer trunk. (Meanwhile, the original became a sought-after collector's item.)

» What's more disturbing? The image of a buzz saw slicing through a man's tight trousers as his bloody hands hold onto a metal codpiece, or the title Animal (F*** Like a Beast)? Whatever you think, metal band W.A.S.P. found out in 1983 that what really offended people was foul language, so a pair of stars were cloned in to cover up the offending word.
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Last year, Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill came across a few tracks from Guns N' Roses decade-in-development album Chinese Democracy. He posted them on the music site he helps write and design. The post was quickly scrubbed, but the damage had been done: Cogill had angered the wrong people, and a few months later he found himself being shaken awake by the FBI so he could be arrested for piracy.

Yesterday, his legal woes finally ended, as he was sentenced to a year of probation (including two months of modified house arrest). Throughout the fiasco (and the subsequent release of Chinese Democracy), Axl Rose never weighed in on Cogill, but amazingly, Slash (who does not play on the album and by all accounts does not get along with Rose) did voice his opinion. That bothered Cogill. "An old friend of mine conducted the interview with him last year in which he called me a thief and wished that I 'rot in jail.' I found that surprisingly crass, considering the guy has made no bones about shoplifting cassette tapes with the same rationale as today's downloaders," he said. "But then he took it even further, stealing things he didn't even need, just because he could. For example, the top hat. So if he wants to see me in jail, I'll see him in the cafeteria."

Welcome to the weekly Newsroom Poll, where we will give you a sneak peek into the lives and minds of some of the correspondents, writers, editors and producers here at MTVNews.com. Every week, they'll answer a poll question that will reveal some of what we talk about behind the scenes here in the newsroom. Enjoy!

One of the recurring themes that came up during this week's Michael Jackson memorial was the idea that the video for "Thriller" was such a huge event that it not only made people love Jackson but love music videos as an art form. Everybody who works here at MTV News had that moment at one time or another — the one where music videos suddenly became the greatest thing in the universe, even if for a short time. Which brings up this week's poll question: What music video was the one that made you love music videos? Our responses are below, but make sure you add your own stories in the comments and at Your.MTV.com!

Rick Marshall
The first music video that really stuck in my head and turned me on to music videos was a-ha's "Take On Me." Sure, it's an easy pick given that MTV was playing the video over and over when it first aired, but I was 7 years old when I first saw Steve Barron's pencil-sketched, rotoscoped take on the song, and it's still one of my favorite videos. "Take On Me" was my first exposure to music videos that were more than just taped recordings of a band only differing from one another by lighting choices and camera angles. Given my current gig as editor of MTV's comic book and movie blog Splash Page, my early fascination with the video's mix of live action and animation probably offered a great indicator of where I'd end up a few decades later. Over the years, it's become apparent that appreciation for the "Take On Me" video is pretty much a common theme among comic book and animation geeks who grew up during the '80s. Between Barron moving on to direct the awesome 1990 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film and more recently, a great riff on the video during an episode of "Family Guy," it doesn't seem like a coincidence that "Take On Me" was one of the first music videos I latched onto. Heck, as far as I'm concerned, it's a sign of geek cred.
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The most alarming aspect of yesterday's court ruling that 32-year-old Minnesota woman Jammie Thomas-Rasset owes $1.92 million for downloading 24 songs has nothing to do with the penalty (though at $80,000 per song, it is amazingly excessive). The most amazing thing was the list of songs that she's being rung up for, which include Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and Green Day's "Basket Case." I took a look at this list and thought, "Has anybody who has downloaded music not sucked down those songs?" When you consider that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" — one of the most downloaded songs in the history of digital music — was also on there, it kicks the percentage up even further.

Which makes it all the more amazing that Thomas-Rasset was found guilty by a jury of her peers, which means they managed to find twelve people who have never downloaded music before. How could that be? Statistics are hazy, but an estimated one billion songs are passed through peer-to-peer networks each month, and a study published last year in the U.K. showed that the average teenager's iPod contains around 800 illegally obtained tracks. Does that mean everybody has to pay up for rocking Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" — another track Thomas-Rasset was rung up for?

So we ask you: Take a look at the full list of songs Thomas-Rasset downloaded and tell us how many of those tracks you've snagged without paying for them. Or maybe just remain anonymous — after all, the RIAA appears to be out for blood (and cash).

MTV celebrates an important moment in its history this week: 17 years ago, Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" premiered on "Headbangers Ball." Since the video dropped in 1992, plenty has changed: Axl Rose has hired and fired dozens of bandmembers (finally releasing the long-awaiting Chinese Democracy last year) and Slash has gone from solo artist to Velvet Revolver axeman. One thing hasn't changed, though: "November Rain" is still as inexplicable as it was when it first aired on MTV. If you haven't seen it, take the time to enjoy all 9 minutes of Axl's magnum opus, and then check out all the things you might have missed about it.

» "November Rain" was directed by a gentleman named Andy Morahan, whose résumé includes two other Guns clips ("Don't Cry" and "Estranged"), many videos for other artists (Michael Jackson's "Give in to Me," George Michael's "Faith," Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" and Van Halen's "Poundcake") and the feature film "Highlander III: The Sorcerer." He is currently in production on a project called "God's Spy," whose plot synopsis goes like this: "A Jesuit priest working undercover as a Wall Street trader becomes caught up in a political and financial conspiracy involving the Vatican Bank, the CIA, the Mafia, and Masonic Lodge P2."
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The sales figures are finally in, and after a nearly 17-year wait, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy scanned just 261,200 copies, earning the album the #3 position on Billboard's weekly albums sales chart — right behind Taylor Swift's Fearless at #2 (with 267,400 sold) and Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak, which opens at #1 with sales of 450,000 and change.

Two weeks ago, GN'R's latest was considered a strong contender for the chart's peak position, with some predicting the album would outperform West's 808s in a close race for #1. Instead, history may show Chinese Democracy's first-week sales as an epic failure. Read more...

Let me get this straight. Dr Pepper lays down the gauntlet for Axl Rose and dares him to release Chinese Democracy this year by promising to give everyone in America a free soda if the reclusive rocker can finally pull the trigger on the mythological unicorn of an album. So Axl delivers and ... Dr Pepper doesn't? Nice work, soda jerk.

Rose's lawyer took a swipe at Dr Pepper last week, saying the drink maker didn't deliver on its pledge to give out the free sodas. Keep in mind, GN'R had nothing to do with the stunt. (Though wouldn't it be great if somehow this were all some bizarre viral campaign and you could hear Dr Pep jingles when you played the CD backwards, if that's even possible?)

Los Angeles-based lawyer Alan Gutman penned a poison letter to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. President and CEO Larry Young, calling the company's online coupon-redemption scheme an "unmitigated disaster, which defrauded customers." Gutman also insisted that the beverage maker extend its offer and place full-page apologies in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal.

Again, GN'R was not involved in the original campaign, but now that it has allegedly tanked, the attorney says he originally saw it as an "exploitation of my clients' legendary reputation and their eagerly awaited album," adding that the promotion "brazenly violated our clients' rights." Read more...

By Dan "Monty" Montalto

Long before either album leaked in its final retail form, many of us here in the newsroom were asking the same question: Who will win this week's epic showdown between Kanye West and Guns N' Roses (a.k.a. Axl Rose and a bunch of new guys)?

In this corner, we have Kanye West with 808s & Heartbreak, which comes just 14 months after Graduation bested 50 Cent's Curtis on the charts. He managed to put together 808s in a year marked by lots of touring and lots and lots of appearances at awards shows (seriously, does this guy ever NOT get invited?). Not only has 808s been on repeat in the newsroom all week, but we've been recounting some of our early Kanye memories right here on the blog.

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In late October, MTV News brought you details of Dr Pepper's offer to provide every American with a free can of the pop should Guns N' Roses release their eagerly awaited album Chinese Democracy in 2008. Now, here's an update on the soda maker's vow.

Yesterday — the day the GN'R record hit stores — Dr Pepper's site was flooded with visitors looking to cash in on the deal. Due to overwhelming demand and several site issues, Dr Pepper has extended the offer until 6 p.m. today; the deal was originally set to expire last night at midnight. Participants have until February 28 to redeem their coupon for a 20-ounce can of the drink.
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