Donna Summer
Photo: Fotos International/Getty Images

Donna Summer, the powerhouse singer known as the "Queen of Disco," died on Thursday (May 17) in Florida after a battle with cancer, according to The Associated Press.

The five-time Grammy winner who set dance floors ablaze in the 1970s with such anthems as "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and her most iconic hit, "I Feel Love," was 63 years old. In a genre that was filled with many one-hit wonders and fly-by-night studio acts that were unable to keep the disco inferno stoked after scoring hits, Summer was a lifer, consistently charting even after the dance craze faded in the late 1970s.

For photos of Donna Summer through the years, click here.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Summer set herself apart with strong vocals backed by her songwriting skills, as well as some creative luck in hooking up with producers/songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The pair helped her pump out hit after hit and provided her with a sensual, almost ethereal sound on tracks such as "I Feel Love," which seduced both on and off the dance floor.

Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to a butcher father and schoolteacher mother, Summer showed promise as a singer from an early age. She made her public debut at age 10 at her church when the scheduled singer didn't show up and she filled in. After appearing in a number of musicals and plays in high school and singing with the psychedelic rock band The Crow, she joined the cast of German production of the musical "Hair" in 1967 at age 18.

She stayed in Munich after the show's run ended and recorded her debut solo album there in 1974, Lady of the Night. Though it spawned a hit overseas with "The Hostage," she didn't crack the U.S. market until a year later with the song that would make her an international superstar, the seductive disco anthem, "Love to Love You Baby." The tune she created with Moroder and Bellotte was a #2 hit in the U.S. and landed her an American record deal with the it label of the era, Casablanca Records.

The 17-minute club remix of the single, which featured such real-sounding ecstatic moans that some radio stations refused to play it, became a huge hit and set a new standard for sophisticated arrangements in a genre often marked by cheesy sounding instrumentation and lazy songwriting.

She released two albums in 1976, A Love Trilogy, which featured the nearly 18-minute epic "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" and the winter/spring/summer/autumn-themed Four Seasons of Love. In a singles genre where the one good song was the thing, Summer continued to put out consistently artistic albums, including 1977's I Remember Yesterday, which featured the tune that would secure Summer's place at the top of the disco diva pecking order, "I Feel Love." That hypnotizing track was also the first one recorded with music made up entirely of synthesized sounds.

This being the era of excess, her second 1977 album, Once Upon A Time, was another concept disc, this one retelling the Cinderella story in the disco era on tracks like "Once Upon a Time," "Fairy Tale High," "Working the Midnight Shift" and "Queen for a Day."

She transitioned into acting in 1978 in the disco comedy "Thank God It's Friday," which earned her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal for the hit "Last Dance." By 1979's two-album Bad Girls she was indisputably a star, logging six weeks at #1 and scoring hits with the sexy "Bad Girls" and more rock-oriented "Hot Stuff." When Summer released a double-album greatest hits disc later that year she became the first artists to ever score three #1 albums in a row with double-disc releases.

She went on to record a hit Barbra Streisand duet and moved over to the then-new Geffen Records, where her success began to wane. By 1983, she'd moved past the disco beat and into a synth-heavy R&B/new wave sound with the female empowerment anthem "She Works Hard For the Money." That song, though, would effectively mark the end of her hit-making days. Summer continued to release albums through the late 1980's, but was never again able to capture her disco peak. In fact, by the end of the decade she spoke out against the "sinful" nature of her disco hits and turned her back on her earlier material and focused on painting.

After a 17-year break, she released her first studio album of original material, Crayons, in 2008.

• Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco

• Donna Summer

Taylor Swift
Photo: Getty Images

Taylor Swift has a reputation for being a good girl with a big heart, and when you pair that with her sizable bank account, you get one very large charitable donation that will benefit music education for both children and senior citizens.

The six-time Grammy winner has donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville to fund what will now be known as the Taylor Swift Education Center, an exhibit and classroom space scheduled to open in 2014.

"In terms of what it will allow us to do, we do education very well now," museum director Kyle Young told the Associated Press (via Billboard). "It will allow us to do what we do better, serve more people, develop new programs, and I'm happy to say that as we talked through this opportunity with Taylor, she very much wants to be involved in an advisory capacity in what we do. Is there a better person out there who's in touch with a young audience? I think not. I was joking we should be paying her to do that. I was only joking."

Swift's donation is the second largest ever gifted to the museum and is the largest given by a musician. The country-pop megastar has a long history with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She signed her record contract there and gave one of her first public performances on the building's plaza.

In the past, she has also volunteered her time to the museum's "All for the Hall" fundraisers.

The Taylor Swift Education Center is part of a larger $75 million expansion of the Hall of Fame that will more than double the size of the museum and include a new concert theater and more space for exhibits and archives.

The planned education center will be more than 7,500 square feet spread over two stories. It will have its own exterior entrance that will lead to three classrooms and exhibit space. The expansion will allow the museum to dramatically increase its youth education programs, with plans for it to house a "musical petting zoo" and an art classroom where children can make concert posters and other art projects.

The center will also give the museum the opportunity to add new programs and workshops for teens and senior citizens.

"For Taylor to want to engage herself in the life of this place in such an appropriate way," Young continued, "every way you slice it and dice it, it's great."

• MTV First: Taylor Swift

• Taylor Swift

Russell Brand and Katy Perry
Photo: Charley Gallay/ WireImage

Russell Brand has only the kindest words for his pop-star ex, Katy Perry. The actor chatted with Ellen DeGeneres on an episode of her talk show airing Thursday (May 17), and when asked about the split, Brand said that while they are no longer together, he still loves and respects her.

"I still love her as a human being," the comedian said. "But sometimes when you're in a relationship, I suppose it doesn't work out, does it? But that doesn't mean I regret it or anything. I was very happy to be married with her. She's such a beautiful human being and I just have only love and positivity for her.

"You can't absolutely make everything the way you want it to be in life," he added. "Sometimes things are just different and then you have to just move with that and try and remain in contact with what is beautiful about yourself and with each other with any situation."

Brand and Perry announced their split in December 2011, after a year of marriage. During the interview, he added that she's "a person I still consider to be beautiful. ... I have nothing but positivity for her. She is [an amazing person]."

The actor/comedian is now poised for a busy June. Brand is set to host the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, which will air live from the Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This marks the third time he's hosted an MTV awards show, having hosted the Video Music Awards in 2008 and 2009.

And it seems that his signature cheeky humor will be in full force at the show. "MTV Movie Awards incorporates two of my favorite things: movies and awards. If somehow group sex could be involved, it would be the greatest night of my life," Brand said.

In addition to his MTV Movie Awards hosting gig, his new flick, the big-screen adaptation of "Rock of Ages," opens June 15.

Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.

• Russell Brand's Greatest MTV Moments So Far

• Russell Brand's Greatest MTV Moments So Far
• Lovebirds: Katy Perry And Russell Brand

• Katy Perry

T.I. on "RapFix Live"
Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News

After the success of Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne, fans are excited at the thought of two favorite MCs working in tandem. There's been talk of a Lil Wayne and Drake LP, a Rick Ross and Drake mixtape, and whispers of a T.I. and Young Jeezy full-length collaboration. We haven't received any updates from Wayne, Drake or Rozay in a minute, but Tip says he and the Snowman already have songs in the stash.

"I got a few albums that I'm workin' on: the Man and the Martian project with B.o.B; me and Jeezy been talkin' about doin' this project for a minute," T.I. told Sway when he held court on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday. "It wouldn't take us long to do. We got records already in the can and it don't take us no time to put it together. It's just a matter of when they would be released."

Right now Tip is focused on Trouble Man, his eighth solo album, which is slated for a September 4 release. Then there is the tag-team LP with B.o.B — considering that Bobby Ray is signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle label, the pair's Man and the Martian album is more than a fantasy project.

When it comes to a project with Jeezy, the King of the South says that the studio work isn't the problem: Getting the album out in stores is the tricky part. "It's not the recording, the recording is easy. It's a matter of when we would have time to market and promote 'em and release 'em," T.I. said. "We got maybe 30 or 40 [percent done]. Between the two of us, we probably got five or six records."

How interested are you in a T.I. and Young Jeezy project? Let us know in the comments!

• T.I. Brings The Grand Hustle To 'RapFix Live'

• T.I.
• Young Jeezy

John Mayer
Photo: Mark Sullivan/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — Fans and industry folks gathered at the famed Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village on Wednesday night to get an advanced listen to John Mayer's new album, the country-fried, introspective Born and Raised.

Before the album even played, Neil Young songs blasted through the hallowed halls of the studio. Given Mayer's vibe on Born and Raised, which pays homage to the Young sound of the 1970s, it all made sense. When Mayer's album was eventually put on, it was an easy transition from Young's jangly guitar and harmonica to Mayer's own on the album, out Tuesday.

The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, and the Big Apple is referenced on some tracks, as on many Mayer songs before. "Records are pure reflections," Mayer told the room. "I'm so proud it's out. The finish line is so far off [when you're making the record]."

In recent years, Mayer has been through it all. After going TMI crazy in the press in 2010, he has shied away from media attention. Some of that had to do with the fact that he had surgery on his vocal cords in late 2011. In fact, he still needs to go through another surgery to correct the problem. But he said he plans to record a new album this summer, regardless.

"If you're lucky, you get to make giant evolutionary steps from your first record, so I was able to do that. And you guys, I think, you're able to come along with that step and be psyched about that evolution and I'm excited to even go further now and start coming up with melodies you haven't heard yet," he said, referencing his "Your Body Is a Wonderland" days on his 2001 debut, Room for Squares. During the chat he explained that every song on this album is his favorite, for perhaps the first time in his career, adding that they "widened the expectations of what I can do."

Additionally, after having to cancel his 2012 spring trek, Mayer confirmed he want to hit the road in spring 2013 "and have two records to pull from. ... I think I can cheat time a little bit because as you know, I try to cheat time all the time. So I think we can all catch up so that a year from now there's two records. It'll be like Born and Raised part two because there's certain things I want to keep doing."

• John Mayer

Joshua Ledet performs on "American Idol"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

You can understand if the contestants on "American Idol" make some bad song choices when left to their own devices. But on Wednesday night's
 triple-play episode, in which Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet had to sing a judge's choice, a tune picked by mentor Jimmy Iovine and one of their own, the selections were ... bizarre.

With only two songs from the current millennium, the top three reached back, sometimes way back on a night when it became clear that Sanchez is too green, Ledet is just the right shade of blue(s) and Phillips is, well, whatever he wants to be because he's probably going to win no matter what happens.

So, who made it thisclose, but is probably headed home tonight and who can get their big-boy pants pressed for the finale? Read on to find out!

Joshua Ledet: Randy Jackson picked the Etta James song "I'd Rather Be Blind" for Josh, who busted out the retro mic and some sleepy soul for a performance that simmered but took way too long to boil. It was solid, but even Jennifer Lopez seemed a tad bored with it and it didn't push him any closer to this century. (It was cute, though, how a Kraft commercial using the same song aired right after Ledet performed. Synergy!)

Josh went big with his choice, John Lennon's "Imagine." And because he's a preacher's kid, he skipped the "no religion too" verse. The pageant-y, 1970s AM lite radio arrangement flattened out the song's emotion, which Ledet tried to pump back in courtesy of some swooping gospel moments. It was a heartstring-tugging layup, but if you really listened it sounded like coasting, or, as JLo politely deemed it, "pulled back and controlled."

Jimmy hit Josh in his sweet spot with Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama." Someone knows what they're doing. From the manic bouncing to the nearly out-of-control, bedazzled jacket-dropping spazz at the end, Josh murdered it. That alone made up for the other two tame performances and locked him into next week's finale. A-

Phillip Phillips: Steven Tyler was going for melody with "Beggin'" by Madcon. But what he likely did was send tens of millions of "Idol" watchers to Google to find out ... who the hell Madcon is? So, a 2008 cover of a 1967 Four Seasons hit by an obscure Norwegian dance duo? Wouldn't you know it, strummy P managed to make it sound like, oh man, do I even need to say it? (Rhymes with Shave It Bath Hues.) The jammy, vanilla soul frat party rocker is exactly what I expect a P Phil album to sound like. "New Springsteen?" Really Steven?

The sexy sax player was back for Phil's choice, "Disease" by Matchbox 20. Yeah, that Matchbox 20. It was moody, conga-y, mid-tempo and so intense he had to sit down on some road cases just to contain the, um, intensity? Like Ledet's "Imagine," this one felt too easy, like a sprinter pulling up in the final 20 yards to avoid injury after looking over his shoulder and realizing he's got it. In a rare bit of real talk from the panel, Lopez called it "easy flowing" and said it lacked the "wow performance" element.

Phil's dad loved Jimmy's choice of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight," and Iovine dared the pawn shop worker to ignore the 1978 hit's melody. Without his guitar, Phil was forced to awkwardly stroke and caress his thigh as he muscled through the heartland ballad. Between the sappy strings and the suggesting hand fidgeting Phillips looked like he was waiting out the clock in detention. Randy, of course, called it the "perfect song" and Phil's best performance. So, now all you have to do to win this thing is sing the melody of the song and not worry about actually hitting the notes correctly? I give up. You can have him, America. Remember how awesome that nighty-night song was when you don't buy his album in December. B

Jessica Sanchez: Lopez aimed for Sanchez's sweet spot with Mariah Carey's "My All," but ended up trapping the singer in a breathy lower register that made Jessica's powerhouse voice sound weak and pitchy. The snoozy lullaby robbed the high schooler of a big moment and may have punched her card home. Did Randy mention he's worked with Mariah? Well, if he thought that was one of the best renditions of a Carey song ever on TV, Carey should lose his number.

In the ultimate brown noser move, BeBe chose Aerosmith's power anthem "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." I kept waiting for girls in swimsuits or evening gowns to start parading around her, but this kind of Velveeta ballad is her sweet spot and while she didn't move the bar any higher, it's exactly what America wanted to hear. But, ugh, that last shouty note was as off as Jennifer's pink pantsuit.

Iovine went retro with 1970's "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5, which despite what he argued, didn't really make Sanchez seem contemporary, and dropped her back down into that lower range that doesn't do her favors. When she kept it up high, Sanchez sounded strong and confident, but the lazy tempo didn't provide the rocket fuel she needed to lock in a spot next week. B-

Who do you think nailed it last night? Who deserves to go home? Let us know in comments below.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• 'American Idol' Season 11 Performances

Wiz Khalifa
Photo: Jason Merritt/ WireImage

Rap superstar Wiz Khalifa will perform his new single "Work Hard, Play Hard" for the first time on television at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards.

Khalifa joins chart-topping indie-pop group Fun. as the second performer announced for the annual Golden Popcorn-fest. "Work Hard, Play Hard" is the debut single from the Pittsburgh rapper's hotly awaited second studio album, O.N.I.F.C., which will hit stores in August.

In addition to Khalifa, several of the biggest stars in film have been added to the lineup of presenters for the big show. "That's My Boy" co-stars Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, "Gossip Girl" diva Leighton Meester and "Perks of Being a Wallflower" castmates Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller will join already-announced presenters Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg at the Russell Brand-hosted event.

Watson, Lerman and Miller will also be on hand during the Movie Awards pre-show to debut the first "Perks" trailer. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," based on the popular Stephen Chbosky novel of the same name, tells the story of introverted high school freshman Charlie (Lerman) as he slowly comes out of his shell thanks to new friends, siblings Sam (Watson) and Patrick (Miller).

The 2012 MTV Movie Awards will air live on MTV from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on Sunday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.

• MTV Movie Awards Madness Starts Now!

• Wiz Khalifa

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Photo: Splash News

"Kanye and Kim, they're kind of like two peas in a pod," little sister Khloe Kardashian says about Kim's romance with Kanye West in a "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" teaser. While not much footage of Kim and Yeezy made it into the clip, the little bit that did will certainly spark interest in Sunday's season premiere of the E! reality show. As Khloe narrates her feelings about the twosome, the trailer cuts to them sitting together, dressed all in black and sharing a laugh.

Kimye isn't the only headline that made the jam-packed show trailer. Kourtney reveals to her family that she's having a baby girl, the family goes on a drama-filled vacation to the Dominican Republic and Lamar Odom ponders his basketball-playing future, telling in-laws Bruce and Kris Jenner, "I know that I can make any team a championship-caliber team. I got to just get back."

And, yes, the infamous red-carpet flour-bombing also makes the cut. Toward the end of the teaser, mama Kris proclaims, "I left my husband for this guy," as footage of her hugging a mysterious man is teased. A teary-eyed Kourtney says, "I don't understand. I could never do that to my children." However, it is unclear what exactly will play out.

When MTV News caught up with Kim and Khloe, the eldest Kardashian sister noted that she wanted to keep as much of her relationship with West as private as possible. "I don't know if I'm ready to talk about him," Kim said. "I feel like I've had such a hard time sharing my love life that now I'm a little bit more reserved on that."

While Kim was tight-lipped about her man, Khloe teased her sister a bit about the romance. "No I love, it. You're like a wild, crowd-surfing child and I love you."

On Wednesday, Kim and Kanye were spotted in London, where Kim will launch her jewelry line. According to E!, the twosome touched down to lots of paparazzi. Kim will be doing some press while in town, including radio and TV appearances.

• Kanye West

Donna Summer
Photo: Getty Images

The surprised, sincere and heartfelt reactions continue to roll in as the news of Disco Queen Donna Summer's untimely passing Thursday (May 17) spreads far and wide. Summer influenced the music industry as a whole, but her impact is especially felt in today's electronic dance music — which includes current club-anthem king Flo Rida.

"I was just looking at something with her months ago," the "Wild Ones" singer told MTV News. "Today, when I got a text message [about her death], I thought, 'Wow, she passed away.' She definitely is one of those iconic people when it comes down to the dance scene and all that. My condolences go out to all her family. She definitely influenced what I do."

Speaking to Summer's genre-bending influence, house-music forefather Frankie Knuckles called her unforgettable hit "I Feel Love" one of the most commercial electronic pieces of music ever written.

"Today you can hear its influence on all popular Dance music, House, Techno, Trance," he told MTV News in a statement. "She was deemed 'The Queen Of Disco.' She's been sampled and ideas of her songs have crept into today's popular dance music by everybody. Her association with [legendary record producer] Giorgio Moroder set the tone for what Dance Music is all about."

"Donna Summer RIP I FEEL LOVE FOR YOU," Swedish dance-pop princess Robyn tweeted, adding a link to a Summer performance of "I Feel Love."

The reception of Summer's iconic 1977 anthem essentially revolutionized music, not to mention the rest of her chart-toppers that would soon follow.

"One day in Berlin, [Brian] Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the sound of the future,' " David Bowie famously wrote in the liner notes to Sound and Vision. "He puts on 'I Feel Love,' by Donna Summer. ... He said, 'This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next 15 years.' Which was more or less right."

Share your condolences for Donna Summer's friends, family and fans in the comments or on Facebook.

• Donna Summer: 1948 - 2012

• Donna Summer: The Queen Of Disco

• Donna Summer
• Flo Rida

Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips on "American Idol"
Photo: Michael Becker/ Fox

The "American Idol" finale is set, and Joshua Ledet didn't get an invite.

Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez will compete in next week's season finale after Ledet was voted off the show Thursday (May 17). Ledet, the 20-year-old from Westlake, Louisiana, who was continually praised as one of the best contestants to ever grace the "Idol" stage, received the lowest number of votes from the 90 million votes cast, according to "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest.

Ledet set a record for standing ovations from the judges this season on "Idol"; barely a week went by when he didn't get the judges on their feet after one of his stellar performances. Ledet performed James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" at the close of the show Thursday, repeating a song that became one of his signature moments.

Show mentor Jimmy Iovine took partial blame for Ledet's performance Wednesday, saying by choosing Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama," he didn't give him a song with enough of a melody to captivate the audience and generate votes. "There was something missing, and I know it was the material. In fairness, I gave him a song that didn't have enough melody. Joshua needs melody, [and] I take 100 percent responsibility for that," Iovine said.

Still, he thought Ledet deserved to compete for the "Idol" crown next week. "Does Joshua belong in this finale? 100 percent, he should be in anyone's finale," he said.

Ledet's elimination gives Sanchez a shot at being the first female "Idol" winner since Jordin Sparks back in season six. At the onset of the season, it was said to be the women's year on "Idol," and four of the top six contestants were female. But three women were picked off in a row — Elise Testone, then Skylar Laine, then Hollie Cavanagh — threatening the show's girl-power contingent. Now Sanchez is carrying the torch for the ladies.

Iovine, in summing up Wednesday's performances, also blamed himself for picking a bad song for Sanchez, but said Phillips won the night with his version of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight." "Hands down, it was the best performance he's done in the entire contest," he said, calling it "flawless." (In fairness, Iovine also said Phillips' version of Matchbox Twenty's "Disease" was "a total snooze-fest."

Regarding Sanchez, Iovine said, "She has to have the most magical moment she's had so far" in order to win it all. "If she gets in the finale," he said, "It's about the songs."

Before Ledet's elimination, Jackson said the final contestants were "three of the best we've ever had" and said all three have "big careers" ahead of them.

Also on Thursday's show, Adam Lambert dropped by to perform "Never Close Our Eyes," and Lisa Marie Presley (huh?) performed her new single "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet."

What did you think of "Idol" on Thursday? Did the right contestants make the finale? Let us know in the comments!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• 'American Idol' Season 11 Performances