On Wednesday night's (January 10) episode of "American Idol" provided a handful of surprises, some wacky choreography, some interesting vocal choices and a handful of early favorites.

One of the bigger disappointments of the night was the performance by the group who called itself "The Phoenix," consisting of contestants Kat Nestel, Moorea Masa, Ben Honeycutt, Jeffery Goldford and Jermaine Sellers. They were thrown a curve ball when Nestel decided to quit just before the group had to perform, and clearly the team couldn't hold it together enough to make it through (although Jeffery and Jermaine were still given a pass). Their performance was especially a shame because they butchered a fantastic and underrated song: Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son."

The tune, which appeared on the prog rockers' 1976 album Leftoverture, is one of the greatest and most misunderstood songs of the '70s. It's an epic tune with a killer melody that has often been used as shorthand for the excesses and general bloodlessness of prog. Admittedly, it has a lot going against it, as the album version is over five minutes long and the lyric sheet makes references to "wise men" and "stormy seas of moving emotion." Plus, frontman Steve Walsh's voice is sort of high and he sometimes played shirtless and oily (as the photo above proves). It's no wonder it's the song lame dad Randy Marsh chose to play on the "Guitar Hero" episode of "South Park."

But on the other hand, "Carry On Wayward Son" totally rocks. The riff is magnificent, the solos are killer and the chorus is a total fist-pumper. In fact, it does something that not enough songs do: It leads with the chorus. (You know, like "Dude Looks Like a Lady.") It sounds great coming out of a car stereo, and it's also an excellent karaoke song. And yeah, it happens to be one of the most fun tunes to play on "Guitar Hero."

It's not the first time that "Carry On Wayward Son" has made an appearance on "American Idol," as rock chick Amanda Overmyer trotted out the tune during the seventh season of the show. It seemed like an odd choice for the Phoenix, and as it doesn't seem like there are many prog rockers left in this year's batch of contestants, perhaps it'll be the last we hear of it for a while (on the show, at least). But whether you head to iTunes now or fire it up on "Guitar Hero," do yourself a favor and allow "Carry On Wayward Son" to take you away. (If you're really feeling dangerous, pair it with "Dust in the Wind.")

"In the quest to be clever, I completely forgot about the people that I love and the people that love me. I went, as I have begun to do, into a wormhole of selfishness and greed and arrogance, thinking that if I would just continue to be speedy and witty and pull together as many fast words and phrases as I could, I could be clever enough to buy myself another day without anybody pinning me down and saying, 'You're a creep.' I think it's important that you know that everybody on this stage is here playing with me, not because they condone what I say in any given interview. They're on this stage because they support [me] as a possible future grown-up."

-John Mayer, who caught a ton of flack from all sides for some racially insensitive comments. In an interview with Playboy that published this week, Mayer used the N-word a handful of times and went off on a tangent about how he isn't attracted to black women. Once the controversy erupted, Mayer apologized profusely via his Twitter account and gave the speech above during a concert in Nashville. In his statement, Mayer seemed to be signing off on doing press for good. "I quit the sound-bite game," he said. "I quit the media game. I'm out. I'm done. I just want to play my guitar to whoever is around."

Mayer caught the most head from the hip-hop community, as there were a handful of rappers to attacked him on Twitter. Most clever was Talib Kweli: "My man John Mayer must love the taste of his own foot."

For years, "American Idol" fans (okay, mostly me) have complained about the show not getting clearance for singers to perform enough contemporary hits during audition rounds, instead forcing them to fall back on the same handful of Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder chestnuts that guarantee a spectacular flameout. But on Wednesday night's (February 10) group round in Hollywood, two acts chose to perform Lady Gaga's current hit "Bad Romance," with both opting to go a cappella.

The thing about Gaga is, thankfully, there is only one of her. (Could our brains really handle a second one?) She's so unique, so way, way out there that you'd be a fool to try and cop her cultural Cuisinart pop art style. But both Team Neapolitan and (ugh) Destiny's Wild were brave enough to give it a shot. We watched as the sassy members of Wild glared at their rivals, steamed that they'd seemingly stolen the idea of going music-less after watching Wild rehearse the twitchy song first that way hours earlier.

At first, it seemed like they had little to worry about, as Neapolitan lead-off singer Liz Rooney — the one with the old school Pink hairdo — called the dogs with a series of creaky bum notes. Heavyweight lover Thaddeus Johnson and Pussycat Doll wannabe Jessica Cunningham redeemed it with a finger snapping R&B flair as the quartet executed some barbershop quartet-worthy harmonies and basic ball-change choreography that impressed Simon.

With Wild catcalling from the audience that they'd stolen their thunder, Neapolitan were moved through. From group leader Jared Liewer's monster claw theatrics to Todrick Hall's gymnastic pass and backflip, Wild made it clear from the start that they were the more theatrical Gagaloonies.

Hall crooned some Chris Brown-worthy runs as the other three provided "love, love, love" harmonies and Theri threw in Aguilera-like melisma.

Liewer sounded a bit spazzy and showtune-y, while surprise breakout Siobhan Magnus gave the tune an edge with her shouty, gritty vocals and open mouth rock face. Unfortunately, the four ended the performance with a flat-as-a-pancake note that led Ellen DeGeneres to lament that the whole thing was "weird" and mock their Cirque du Soleil outfits. Remarkably, though, they also made it through.

The lesson? Jazz hands, backflips, backstabbing and "Bad Romance" are a winning combination.

This morning, the fashion world was stunned when the news came down that forward-thinking fashion designer Alexander McQueen had died. His passing robs the fashion and design world of one of its finest and most daring minds. McQueen was 40 years old.

Over his career, McQueen has gained quite a bit of attention for his collaborations with music artists (most recently with Lady Gaga, for whom he provided some of the otherworldly clothes for the "Bad Romance" video). One of his most notable came back in 1997, when McQueen designed the album cover for Björk's game-changing Homogenic. The album was Björk's first attempt to bridge the world of electronic music with more organic elements (including orchestral score and unusual applications of the human voice, both of which figure prominently on Homogenic's hit singles "Joga" and "Bachelorette"), and she approached McQueen to try to capture the album's icy, otherworldly cool in a cover image.

"When I went to Alexander McQueen, I explained to him the person who wrote these songs — someone who was put into an impossible situation, so impossible that she had to become a warrior," Björk told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1998. "A warrior who had to fight not with weapons, but with love." Though the cover appears to be a straight illustration, Björk actually posed for the image. "I had 10 kilos of hair on my head, and special contact lenses and a manicure that prevented me from eating with my fingers, and gaffer tape around my waist and high clogs so I couldn't walk easily," she said. "I wanted to put all the emotion of the album into that image."

The cover wasn't McQueen's only contribution to Homogenic, as he also directed the video for "Alarm Call" (one of the later singles from the record). The clip finds Björk on a raft in the middle of a swamp, singing and communing with various creatures (including a giant snake and a crocodile). It's a fantastically loopy video that perfectly matches the song's tone and Björk's approach. Check out a clip below.

(Click here for more music stars wearing Alexander McQueen, including Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Ashlee Simpson)

Say what you will about Rihanna's most recent album Rated R, but there is one thing that cannot be denied: The music videos associated with the singles have been absolutely stunning. The stark black-and-white of "Wait Your Turn," the neo-noir of "Russian Roulette," the sexy militant "Hard" — they've all contained Rihanna's penchant for arresting visuals, flashy fashion and just enough mystery to keep everybody guessing.

Her latest entry is the epilepsy-inducing technicolor masterpiece "Rude Boy." The clip sees Rihanna frolicking in a colorful wonderland that also features studly dudes, a huge drum kit and several members of the animal kingdom (including a lion and a zebra). It's the latter that really caught our attention, as it appears in a cool black-and-white shot that also features Rihanna sort of blending in with the animal and the background.

There's a lot going on there. Is that zebra wearing black balloons on his head? Yes he is. Is there a little bit of Keith Haring in the background imagery? Indeed. Does Rihanna appear to be wearing a full-body stocking? It seems so.

"Rude Boy" isn't the strongest single on Rated R (that title still goes to the Young Jeezy-assisted "Hard"), but it is by far the most arresting series of images Rihanna has used since the album dropped.

What do you think of Rihanna's "Rude Boy" video? Do you enjoy the technicolor wonders or is it too much? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.

New York Fashion Week kicked off in earnest on Wednesday night (February 10) with the annual amfAR New York Gala, which was held at posh Manhattan hot spot Cipriani. It was the perfect event for Lady Gaga, as it combined two of her great passions: fashion and AIDS research. Gaga appeared at the event clad all in white, with a jacket and snowflake-bedecked tights. (Actually, she looked a lot like "X-Men" character Emma Frost.) Gaga's enthusiasm for high fashion is well-known, but her commitment to AIDS research is relatively new. She has been making the rounds (along with cohort Cyndi Lauper) to support a line of lipstick that will benefit the MAC AIDS Fund's VIVA Glam campaign.

Gaga wasn't the only star at the amfAR event, as "Avatar" and "Star Trek" star Zoe Saldana and Eliza Dushku of "Dollhouse" were also in attendance. And not everybody is in New York, as Ludacris rocked a concert in Tampa, Florida and Rihanna met with fans in Seoul, South Korea. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 300 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, Diddy, Wyclef Jean, Shakira, Jay-Z, the Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer and Kanye West!

On Wednesday (February 10), the MTV Newsroom blog celebrated the anniversary of the release of The College Dropout, the watershed debut from Kanye West. It generated quite a bit of discussion here in the Newsroom and among the followers of MTV News on Twitter, mostly surrounding a key question: Is The College Dropout the best debut album of all time?

It's a distinct possibility. Obviously West made a big commercial smash on the back of hits like "All Falls Down" and "Slow Jamz," and The College Dropout was almost universally adored by critics (it has a Metascore of 88, which suggests "Universal Acclaim"). But the thing that makes the album truly remarkable is how completely it presents both West's sound and his point of view. He arrived fully formed and made an immediate impact because of it.

Of course, there are plenty of other candidates for the prize. Here are a handful of other nominees that deliver in the same way that The College Dropout did.

The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die
Like West, Biggie Smalls arrived on the scene already fully-formed. The man born Christopher Wallace had a clear point of view that he was able to deliver in a distinct way. When you add in the best production that Diddy has ever done, you get a total package that ranks up there with the best hip-hop records in history.

Oasis, Definitely Maybe
As the rest of their career has taught us, Liam and Noel Gallagher are only really good at one thing, but on Definitely Maybe, they did that one thing better than anybody ever had before. Big, loud, heavily melodic and decidedly English, Definitely Maybe basically 11 singles, as every single one sounds great when cranked up on the radio.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?
For a guy who experimented as much as Hendrix did, his first (and best) album is an incredibly confident work. Read more...

Last year, MTV News' Josh Horowitz chatted with "Get Him to the Greek" star and Video Music Awards host Russell Brand in one of the elevators here at MTV News headquarters in Times Square. It went so well that Horowitz decided to give the idea another spin, this time with actress and comedian Sarah Silverman. The pair talked about a multitude of topics, from Silverman's thoughts on "American Idol" to her approach on the third season of her show "The Sarah Silverman Program."

Of course, there are certain pitfalls to hanging out and talking to an acerbic television star in an elevator. For one thing, there are other people. For another, there's the constant shift in elevation (which caused Silverman's ears to pop). Those same elevation shifts also apparently had quite an effect on Silverman's cleavage, which seemed to frustrate her. "Sorry about my heaving breasts," she told Horowitz.

But that wasn't all. There were also discussions about Jesus, an encounter with a gentleman named "Squeeze" and a prolonged lullaby that Silverman sang. Take a look at all the outtakes culled from one of the more interesting conversations in recent MTV News history. Enjoy the video below, where you can not only discover the inside of the elevators here at 1515 Broadway (so glamorous!) but also catch a cameo by our very own Sway at the end.

There was a period of time in the '90s when you couldn't swing a cat without hitting a woman with a loud guitar. While the predominant sound of female rock in the last decade of the 20th century may be defined by the overriding sound of Lilith Fair (where ladies with acoustic guitars shared gentle feelings), there were no shortage of chicks who wanted to turn their amps up to 11 and bang along with the boys. Taking cues from the jagged sounds of riot grrrl, female-centric acts found their way onto the radio and into the hearts of fans and critics alike. And it wasn't just about the savage garage wailing of Hole, either. There was new wave (Elastica), gutter folk (Liz Phair), dream pop (Belly), electro-rock (Luscious Jackson) and rugged arena-sized riffage (L7). Today, you have to dig pretty deep to find transgressive woman playing loud and not giving a hoot (and if you mention Ke$ha, you'll make a lot of people sad).

One of the most underrated acts from that era has always been Veruca Salt. Named after the spoiled girl from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the Chicago-based band first found exposure when the song "Seether" became a hit in 1994. The group had a serious Beatles fetish, with co-frontwomen Louise Post and Nina Gordon operating as the group's Lennon and McCartney, and the title of their second album Eight Arms to Hold You — which was released on this day in 1997 — was the working title of the Beatles' "Help!" film. Eight Arms to Hold You contained some top-shelf arena-rock riffs and delightfully sugary melodies, especially on Gordon tracks like "With David Bowie" and "The Morning Sad."

Gordon left the band in 1998 to pursue a solo career, but Post soldiers on. The group's most recent album was 2006's IV, which was surprisingly excellent. However, they may never reach the heights they hit with "Volcano Girls," the lead single from Eight Arms to Hold You.

Hollywood Week(s) continued on "American Idol" on Wednesday night (February 10). Ryan Seacrest apparently calls this portion of the program "Hell Week." This just in: "American Idol" is now taking cues from sororities! I can't wait until next week's episode, when all the contestants lay naked on the floor while Kara DioGuardi circles body fat with a Sharpie.

Wednesday night was the dreaded "Group Night," where, like every other season, the remaining 96 hopefuls broke off into small groups, took over hallways and lobbies of a hotel in California and sang Motown tunes into half-empty water bottles all through the night. (Seriously, I hope "Idol" buys out that entire hotel. Imagine the phone calls the front desk guy must get at four in the morning: "They're still singing 'Get Ready' in the hallway!" "Two people are screaming about choreography outside my door." "I accidentally bought a porno flick 90 minutes ago. I won't be charged, right? Oh, also, some girl is butchering that Alicia Keys song in the room next to me.")

As always, a few over-the-top personalities hogged most of the screen time, so the episode was short on music, long on drama. (It was also long on frighteningly sculpted eyebrows thanks to the plucked-up Danny Jones. Yikes!) So let's break down the various plot threads producers focused on this year.

Neopolitan vs. Destiny's Wild
Both of these groups selected Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," and for some reason decided to rehearse right next to each other. (That makes about as much sense as forcing contestants to perform group numbers when they're competing to be a solo artist. Am I right, Jermaine Sellers?) Passive-aggressive loud singing commenced, accusations of "idea stealing" got thrown around and voila! Todrick Hall, so charming in his initial audition, suddenly became the season's resident diva. With an intense gaze and an arched eyebrow typically reserved for Disney villains and drag queens, Hall menacingly sang, "They're goin' down!"

Alas, Neopolitan didn't go down. Their "Bad Romance" scored high marks from Simon and they all advanced — even Liz Rooney, whose bright pink streaks and chesty moan cried out for a make-under and a muzzle, respectively.

I preferred Destiny's Wild's "Bad Romance," if only because it opened with Todrick doing a backflip and featured a sassy one-named singer named Theri in a pleather top. I was also excited to meet rocker girl Siobhan Magnus, who apparently spends her free time raiding Bruce Springsteen's closet circa 1984 when she's not blowing glass. Now that I read this paragraph back I can see why Ellen called their performance "surreal." They all made it to the next round, too, which means Todrick lives another day to sass anyone who doesn't appreciate him for the treasure he is.

Mary Powers vs. The Dreamers, Sanity
If Todrick was the head cheerleader of the "Idol" high school cafeteria, Mary Powers was the unstable late-in-life student-teacher who often cries in front of the class. Read more...