Though it's been going on for a few days now, the prime time to observe the Leonid meteor shower was early this morning, though just after midnight tonight should also yield excellent results. The shower has been created by a comet called Tempel-Tuttle, which makes an annual trip around the sun and creates between 20 and 30 meteors per hour, which light up the sky in a burst of color. The annual shower gets its name from the Leo constellation, which provides the origin and the backdrop for most of the show. If you've never seen one, it's an amazing experience and totally worth going to be late tonight (or setting your alarm). Do your best to get away from light pollution and check out a star map for optimum viewing.

And, of course, bring a soundtrack. Meteor showers inspire wonder about outer space, force us to ask questions about our place in the universe and — most importantly — look beautiful and trippy. It's only appropriate to accompany such an event with a little David Bowie ("Space Oddity") as well as some Deerhunter ("Strange Lights"), Pink Floyd ("Arnold Layne") and Spacehog just for fun. Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" not only has spacey imagery but also sounds extra-psychedelic. Moby's "We Are All Made of Stars" reminds us that we have more in common with constellations than we think, and Air's "Kelly, Watch the Stars!" will keep you on task tonight (especially if your name is Kelly).

But make sure you begin your meteor shower show with a little Kanye West, whose "Flashing Lights" invokes the spirit of the event and the feel its meant to invoke.

Another week has come to a close here in the MTV Newsroom, and it's been an especially busy one. We saw some fascinating video premieres, a few great album previews, some hilarious interviews and at least one modeling lesson for one of our staffers. Before you hit the town to sing karaoke or go to a screening of "2012" (because the stupid Adirondack Mountains have had it coming to them for a while), check out everything you might have missed this week.

» This week was all about Taylor Swift. She brought big laughs on "Saturday Night Live," and then swept the CMA Awards. And just for good measure, producer Butch Walker paid her a tribute with a cover of "You Belong With Me."

» Kanye West probably didn't like this year's CMA Awards broadcast, but he can take solace in the fact that he would make the ideal Super Bowl performer.

» Veteran rock band Aerosmith threatened to come apart at the seams several times this week, so we provided a few helpful suggestions for possible Steven Tyler replacements.

» Looking to find some old, inexpensive music this weekend? Try some semi-forgotten albums from Air and the Strokes, as featured in the new edition of "Bargain Spins."

» New music from two "American Idol" artists got the preview treatment from Jim Cantiello, who really liked Kris Allen's self-titled debut but thought that Allison Iraheta's forthcoming record was a little less promising.
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Though it's still just a rumor, Sports Illustrated is reporting that it's likely that the Who will perform at Super Bowl XLIV, which will be held in Miami on February 7, 2010. The classic British rock band — which consists of guitarist Pete Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey, the only two members who are still alive — would be playing their first show in North America in two years and would continue the recent tradition of featuring older legends during the most-watched television broadcast of the year. The past few years have included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.

Some would say that these acts are a great coup for the NFL and the networks who broadcast the big game (the honor this year goes to CBS), but it seems like they may be in a bit of a rut. Plus, they're going to run out of classic bands pretty soon (assuming they don't want to dip into any one well a second time). Unless they can convince Led Zeppelin to do it (and odds are against that), there aren't many left who could qualify.

Which is why the producers of the Super Bowl halftime show should switch up their approach. The Who are excellent (it's hard to argue with the band that brought the world "Baba O'Riley"), but the halftime show could use some new blood. But they also need a storyline and an opportunity.

That's why Kanye West should play the Super Bowl halftime show.

Think about it: He's one of the biggest young stars in music. He's got a parade of TV-friendly hits. He could invited any number of artists out on stage with him. His performances are visually interesting. Plus, it would be a fitting end to his current storyline. America loves a good comeback, and what better place to re-emerge in the public eye than at a distinctly American event like the Super Bowl? West could even invite Taylor Swift along to interrupt his performance, just to bring it full circle and completely bury the "Kanye West Interrupts" meme forever.

So get on it, NFL. Tell Townshend and Daltrey that they'll have to wait until next year, because this year belongs to Mr. West. And if Kanye says no, you're still in Miami, which is full of artists who can reflect the spirit of the city and the event better than the Who. Rick Ross and Jennifer Lopez are probably both available.

What do you think? Who should perform at the Super Bowl in 2010? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

In a fast-moving digital world where catchphrases and memes disappear 20 minutes after they're declared cool, it must be especially frustrating to be Kanye West. It has now been two months since he crashed Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, but the rest of the media world refuses to let West forget about it. West has apologized to Swift (both in public on national television and in a private phone conversation) and stayed out of the public eye since that fateful night at Radio City Music Hall, but it seems like any time anybody has an awards show, it crops back up again. In fact, getting interrupted during an awards show moment is now simply called "getting Kanye'd."

Case in point: On last night's Country Music Association Awards show, co-hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley were in the middle of a bit when they were interrupted by Grand Ole Opry legend Little Jimmy Dickens, who stepped up to the microphone and said, "I'll let you finish later. I know you had a nice video and all, but Taylor Swift made the best video of all time. Of all time!"

Just a few weeks ago, Katy Perry got into the act while she was hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards. During the announcement of the nominees for Best Urban Video, Perry dropped in once Kanye's name was announced and said, "I'mma let you finish, but this is the best awards show interruption of all time. Of all time!"

And a mere week after Kanye stormed his way into infamy, he was the butt of a handful of jokes at the Emmys, including Justin Timberlake slipping "I'mma let you finish" a speech and actor Ken Howard saying, "I will make my speech as brief as possible in the hope that it won't be interrupted by a congressman or a rapper."

In the wake of the initial incident, Kanye's visit to the stage became an incredible photo meme that still refuses to die and also crossed paths with the Joe Wilson "You lie!" incident (which is almost entirely forgotten by the rest of the world).

And it's not like Kanye invented the idea of crashing awards shows. Who could forget Ol' Dirty Bastard, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford, "Soy Bomb" or any of the other legendary stage crashers? Kanye West's legacy as a producer and performer was already in tact, but now it looks like he'll have "The Kanye" at the top of his resumé for a while.

Click here for photos of notorious award show interruptions, including those from Kanye West and Soy Bomb!

In her brief but already prolific career, Rihanna has collaborated with some of the biggest stars in the business, including Justin Timberlake (on "Rehab"), T.I. (the buoyant "Live Your Life") and Ne-Yo ("Hate That I Love You"). But her two biggest tag-team efforts have been with legendary rapper Jay-Z. The first time they crossed paths was in 2007 with "Umbrella," which was just voted the best song of the decade in a recent poll. More recently, she provided the hook for "Run This Town," Jigga's big comeback single and video that also featured Kanye West. Despite the star power in the room, Rihanna said that creating that incredible jam was nothing but fun.

"They're like my brothers," Rihanna told MTV News' Sway during their interview yesterday. "Especially Jay-Z. We're really close." The singer also told Sway that "working with him was effortless but really enjoyable, and every time we perform the song it's fun." She most recently enjoyed herself this past weekend, when she joined Jay-Z on stage in Los Angeles for a performance of "Run This Town."

But what about Rihanna's other brother, the somewhat reclusive Kanye West? "I actually haven't seen him in a while," she admitted. "But last time I saw him, he was good."

For more from Rihanna, including her thoughts on the aftermath of her interview with Diane Sawyer on last week's "20/20," the concept behind her new album Rated R and her touring plans for the coming year, check out the entire "Extended Play: Rihanna" now.

The first week of November is almost behind us, and while the march toward the holidays is already on, that doesn't mean the music world took any time off. In fact, the next few weeks should be quite exciting, with oodles of new music, video and tour news coming at a rapid pace. The MTV Newsroom team will be all over everything as soon as it breaks, but for now, catch yourself up on everything that you might have missed.

» Some samples of Adam Lambert's new album hit the Web, and Jim Cantiello broke down every second of them.

» The Weezer Snuggie (or "The Wuggie") is pretty incredible, though even frontman Rivers Cuomo has no idea why.

» Both Chris Brown and Rihanna talked extensively about the assault back in February. Brown sat down with Sway to talk about the aftermath while Rihanna spoke to ABC about expectations and the future.

» Justin Bieber had a busy week: He dropped a new single, announced his golden ticket contest and impressed Ellen DeGeneres during his guest spot on her talk show.

» The Bieber performance was part of a busy week for Ellen, who also spent time scaring the heck out of Taylor Swift.
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Kanye West seems to be taking the "If you don't have anything nice to say ..." stance by not coming right out and refuting the rumor from a few weeks ago that he had died in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles.

As he promised following his VMAs bum rush on Taylor Swift, 'Ye has been toning it down lately, staying out of the spotlight and the camera's glare and seemingly taking the high road by posting a series of thoughtful quotes from the legendary three-time Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali on his blog.

Kanye being Kanye, the so-far six-part cycle kicked off last week with a boast about how hard it is to be the greatest. But read in reverse order, the homage to Ali is a kind of guidebook to the perils and promise of growing up in public.

The latest quote went up Wednesday morning and it reads as follows: "Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer." It accompanies a black-and-white image of the notoriously brash Ali bowing his head in a humble gesture.

The previous day's quote was a bit more spirited: "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even." That statement is paired with an image of the once-dominant champ staring down at a fallen opponent.

On Monday, he offered a shot of Ali in a boxing stance underwater with the Zen-like mantra, "It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out: it's the pebble in your shoe." Sunday's quote was perhaps aimed at the rapper's inner circle, intoning, "Friendship … is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."

Earlier on in the series, the second quote drew a clear line between Ali's notorious trash-talking poetry and Kanye's equally legendary self-confidence. "At home I am a nice guy. But I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far." And, way back last week, it all started with a comment that might have made doubters wonder whether Kanye wasn't that serious about toning things down: "When you are as great as I am it is hard to be humble."

If you're like me (and be glad you're not), you were probably a bit disappointed when you went to go see Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" and didn't hear any Arcade Fire songs playing behind footage of the mopey nine-foot beasties wandering around in the Outback.

Not to worry. In addition to the excellent Karen O and the Kids-fueled official soundtrack to the film, skate rat Jonze has taken a cue from recent collaborator Kanye West and cooked up a street-legal mixtape of songs he has posted on his "Wild Things"-related blog, We Love You So. The site, a Kanye-style compendium of amazing things, features instructions on how to make your own Max costume, images of "Wild Things" cakes and cookies, amazing outsider art and a great "We Were Once a Fairytale" mock outtake in which Jonze slaps 'Ye for acting like a stuck-up celebrity during the shoot.

According to the post announcing the tape, it was created as a request of the "Sound Advice" crew and curated by Jonze and collaborators Dallas Clayton, Graham Kolbeins, Molly Young and Matt Rubin. The best part? It includes snippets of the version of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" that appeared in the "Wild Things" trailer, which led many to believe that the Canadian collective would be scoring the film.

The rest of the selections are pretty much what you'd expect from the peripatetic Jonze, with plenty of selections we know and love (Girls, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Mika Miko, Jens Lekman, Times New Viking, Kurt Vile, Lee Hazelwood), and a bunch more that even we've never heard of (Pamela Blue, Mulatu Astatke, Green Bean, Mort Garson, Alaska Y Dinarama).

I'll tell you this: I had never heard of Capybara before, but "The Wimp" is totally the soundtrack to my day now. Thanks, Spike.

Yesterday, the Internet exploded with the rumor that Kanye West had died (possibly in a car accident). Of course, this is not the case — it turns out West was the latest victim of a death rumor on the Internet. The rumor was immediately refuted by West's girlfriend Amber Rose via Twitter. "This 'RIP Kanye West' topic is not funny and it's not true!" she wrote. "It's in extreme poor taste to have that as a trendy topic. It's totally disrespectful to make up a story like this we're all human ... and we all make mistakes and to say someone died cuz of a mistake is ridiculous. You wouldn't want someone to say that about you."

But West himself hasn't responded to the rumor himself. Though he has updated his blog several times, he has not mentioned it there. And his spokesperson hasn't made a statement either. Though it hardly seems like this is the sort of thing West has to respond to, a number of other celebrities have had a bit of fun with the false rumors that they had passed away. Case in point: When Jeff Goldblum was rumored to have died in some sort of accident in New Zealand (a rumor that broke the same day that Michael Jackson died), he went on "The Colbert Report" to report on the fact that he had not, in fact, passed on.

It was a hilarious bit that Kanye could easily latch onto. He even has a standing history with the Comedy Central host, as they have kept up a tongue-in-cheek feud since he challenged Kanye West to an iTunes sales duel last year. (Check out the complete history here.)

Kanye hasn't been seen much since the Video Music Awards, but why not make a comeback on one of the most-watched shows in late night?

By James Dinh

While Kanye West may be taking a break from music for a bit, you'll soon be able to find him in your local bookstores. Not only is he dropping "Glow in the Dark" tomorrow, the rapper will release "Through the Wire (The Words and Lyrics of Kanye West)" on November 10. While "Glow in the Dark" is a photo book that offers a behind-the-scenes look at West's groundbreaking tour of the same name, "Through the Wire" is a graphic memoir which follows the stories of twelve of his most autobiographical tunes.

According to the description at Amazon, the book features illustrations by Bill Plympton and details the ups and down of the rapper's career including "his decision to drop out of college to pursue his dreams in music, through his days spent folding chinos at the Gap while struggling at night to make a name as a producer, through the pivotal car accident." Additionally, lyrics will accompany each song illustration.

The cover art and two images from the book have surfaced onto the Internet detailing the stories of two of West's hits: "Through the Wire" and "All Falls Down." Plympton — known for his absurdist take on the mundane — delivers colorful, playful illustrations of the rapper's songs.

For a guy who is supposedly taking time off, he's been strangely prolific. Between the two books and the Spike Jonze-directed short film "We Were Once a Fairytale," West has managed to continue to establish himself as one of the more interesting, complicated minds of his generation.