Michael Lynche couldn’t be saved by the “American Idol” judges this time. The burly R&B crooner known as Big Mike was eliminated from “Idol” on Wednesday night (May12), leaving Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze and Casey James in the top three.

Photo: Getty

• Beck’s next Record Club project will feature St. Vincent, the Liars and Os Mutantes, Pitchfork reports, though it’s unclear which classic album they’ve tackled.

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• Oscars Snub Jack White, Karen O
• Pete Wentz Hints at End of FOB in Blog Post
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• New Reviews: Nick Jonas, Lil Wayne
• Beyoncé, Taylor Swift Dominate Grammys
• Tyler May Sue Over Aerosmith Singer Search
• Inside the Grammys With Drake, KOL
• Behind Butch Walker and Taylor’s Team-Up
• Courtney, Mariah Nearly Duet on Hole LP
• 2010 Grammy Winners List
• Neil Young Honored By All-Stars at MusiCares

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Photo: Benett/MTV via Getty
Total iTunes downloads of the “Hope For Haiti Now” special, including both full album sales and individual tracks, have now topped $3 million, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti relief funds. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Hope For Haiti also topped this week’s Billboard 200 chart with 170,000 digital copies sold, marking the first time in chart history that a digital-only album debuted at Number One on the charts. iTunes’ $3 million haul accounts for nearly all digital sales of the project.

Check out photos of Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and more Hope for Haiti Now performers.

In a statement, iTunes proclaims that Hope For Haiti Now was the service’s biggest one-day album pre-order in history, and that Hope For Haiti was the first special to lock up the Number One spot on their album, song and TV chart. At press time, the entire album remains Number One on iTunes Album chart, though Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris’ cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” has been bumped off the Top Songs chart after leaping to the top spot earlier this week.

Hope For Haiti Now also featured unique and intimate performances by Madonna, Beyonce with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Dave Matthews and the “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)” collaboration between Jay-Z, Rihanna and U2’s Bono and the Edge. The telethon helped raise over $61 million for Haiti relief.

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• On the Charts: “Hope For Haiti Now” Debuts at Number One
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• Watch Springsteen, Madonna, More Hope for Haiti Performances

Apple Inc. confirmed today that worldwide iTunes sales of the “Hope For Haiti Now”  album, video, and individual performances have raised more than $3 million for the relief efforts, accounting for nearly all digital sales for the project.

Yesterday we took a look at Buzzworthy’s #5 and #4 Top Videos of 2009 — Katy Perry’s ‘Waking Up In Vegas” at 5 and Fall Out Boy’s “What A Catch, Donnie” at #4. Today, my #3 Top Video Of 2009 goes to a woman whom no best-of list would be complete without. Beyonce.

+ Number 3: Beyonce, “Sweet Dreams”
Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” video, directed by Adria Petty, isn’t just another high-fashion look at Beyonce, though there are direction allusions to designer Gareth Pugh’s Autumn/Winter 2009 video presentation. But beyond Beyonce’s designer wardrobe, “Sweet Dreams” picks up where the “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” video left off. It’s the dark yin to the brighter, lighter fare of “Single Ladies.” This is a 360-degree look at Beyonce’s life: Beyonce the woman, Sasha Fierce the performer, and the powerful force that occupies the spaces in between. Beyonce goes to sleep as Beyonce, turns into Sasha Fierce, and emerges as da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, only a woman. Woven throughout the “Sweet Dreams” video are darker shades of the occult and stranglehold of mind control. Like I said — definitely not just a fashion video.

Yesterday we admired the creepy interrogation scenes of Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” and the manic, tracking shots and jumpy editing of Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins.” Now, we continue the countdown of my favorite Buzzworthy music video with this cabaret scene from a galaxy far, far away. The next clip on my list of Buzzworthy’s Top Videos of 2009 countdown is…

+ Number 3: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Heads Will Roll”

In this RIchard Ayoade-directed clip (taken from The YYY’s It’s A Blitz album), Karen O. and her boys are playing a dinner theater that’s one part Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” video, one part David Lynch film and one part budget-Werewolf schlock flick.

However, you’ll be hard-pressed to pay attention to anything other than Karen O.’s insane bubble-wrap-butterfly-wings and her minimal, hip-shaking dance moves as she commands this lush, disco-rock anthem from the stage.

Yesterday, in beginning the countdown of my favorite songs of the year, I gushed about Paramore and Mario making music out of bits and pieces of multiple sub-genres. Today, no such post-modern biz will take place. Nope! These next cats make straight-up hip-hop for those who like their rap uncut. Get prepped, students: the #3 song on my Buzzworthy Blog Top 5 Songs of 2009 countdown is…

+ Number 3: The Clipse, featuring Cam’ron, “Popular Demand (Popeye’s)”

Over a crunching, old-school Neptunes beat, the brothers Thornton (they’re twins, btw) rhyme about hotels, NBA ballers, balling out, and eating fast food. Riding over the horns and pianos, Malice, Pusha and their pal — Harlem’s own Cam’ron — sound cocky and comfortable talking about how great they are.

“Popular Demand” is probably the strongest song off a very strong album (Til The Casket Drops). It’s a healthy dose of NYC-style hip-hop (even though they hail from Virginia) and a welcome return from arguably the decade’s greatest rap duo.

Considering it was a racy song about threesomes, Britney Spears fans were mostly disappointed when the relatively tame video for “3″ was unveiled in late October. Director Diane Martel has apparently heard your pleas, as a new Director’s Cut of “3″ leaked out yesterday. The new version doesn’t sport any new scenes of ménages or anything that would get the post-Lambert AMAs viewers complaining to the FCC. Instead this cut offers up a slightly more NSFW edit of Martel’s dance-heavy vid that seems to find a better cadence with the music, as opposed to the original version, which was essentially filmed and edited in the matter of days to coincide with The Singles Collection release. Watch the director’s cut above and the original version below:

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Imogen Heap happily bounced from one instrument to another, picking up chimes and playthings and feverishly looping sounds and soprano vocals.

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