Lady Gaga has never been shy about her love for her Little Monsters. And on her latest anthem, the Mother Monster thanks them for sticking by her through thick and thin.

After the track got an early release on Monday, her producer, DJ White Shadow, got on the phone with MTV News to open up about the evolution of the track.

"She has a complete and total adoration for her fans. I've never seen anyone in my entire life work as hard or do as much for her fans. It's a back-and-forth thing. She does so much for them that they naturally want to do stuff for her. The reason why those kids are so into Lady Gaga is because Lady Gaga is so into them," he told MTV News on Wednesday (August 14). "I will say that every single song on this record is for the fans."

And while they had been working on "Applause" for some time, the song took on a whole new meaning after Gaga, who is slated to perform live at the VMAs on August 25, canceled her Born This Way tour back in February to undergo hip surgery.

"Let me tell you something, and I mean this completely honestly, every single song she has some kind of meaning to it. When she wrote ['Applause'] that's what she meant... over a period of time it develops into a cohesive idea," he explained. "We write the songs in parts. So basically what I'm saying is that all of them have some kind of meaning. And when ...

Sure, Eminem could've dropped his new single "Survival" on any radio station in the world — or better yet his own Shade 45 station on Sirius XM — but Slim Shady opted for something more intense.

On Wednesday (August 14,) Em's new tune backed a three-minute online trailer for Activision's upcoming "Call of Duty: Ghosts" video game. The clip begins in a snow-covered forest as rock guitars set the tone before the full thump and hook drops. "This is survival of fittest," wails Liz Rodrigues, from the group New Royales.

"The song's about fighting back and it seems like it fits 'Ghost' perfectly," Em said in a pre-taped clip that was aired Wednesday during a live stream to promote the war-themed game.

By the time Em drops his first rap bars, the game's action is in full swing, with bullets flying and blood splattering. "Wasn't ready to be a millionaire, I wasn't prepared/ I was prepared to be ill though, the skill was there," he rhymes before detailing his come up in rap and his love for the art.

The pounding track will appear on Em's upcoming seventh major label solo album. On it, the veteran lyricist rhymes with his usual fire and angst, no matter how much accolades and praise he has earned through the years he manages to maintain his hunger. "My respect is overdue," he barks.

Eminem Going Into 'Further Territories' On Next Album.

"I'm going to be a big part of the game, my new song's in it and we video dropping soon for it too," the ...

We may have to wait a while for a full R&B mixtape from Drake, but the OVO boss gets a nice head start on the charts this week with his all-sung new single. Here's what else you're downloading in droves.

Hold On, Drake's Got Another Hit
Whenever Drizzy gets around to getting married, he'll be able to say that his 
 was a top 10 smash. "Hold On, We're Going Home" will waltz into the Billboard Digital Songs chart at #8, thanks to sales of 109,000.

Miley Vs. Robin: On Billboard And In Brooklyn
That timeless melody clearly hit it with music lovers who are also still loving Robin Thicke's VMA-nominated smash "Blurred Lines," which will mark its 10th non-consecutive week atop the singles tally, thanks to this week's sales of 346,000.

If streaming him on repeat isn't enough, Thicke fans can catch him performing at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays, along with Miley Cyrus, who's also going head-to-head with the crooner in the just-announced Best Song of the Summer category. (Go vote!)

Cyrus is at #3 on the Songs chart with "We Can't Stop (158,000) and another hot weather hit, Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," holds at #4 (132,000). Elsewhere, Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" hit the top 10 after moving up four spots to #9 on sales of 101,000, with most of the sales from a remix by Cedric Gervais.

Not So Civil Wars
There probably won't be a congratulatory call between Joy Williams and John Paul White to celebrate the band's first #1 debut. ...

It's the role that made her a hot Hollywood property, but actress Rooney Mara doesn't know when — or if — she'll step back into hacker-punk Lisbeth Salander's well-worn combat boots.

"I would love to do it. I really would," Mara told MTV News of reprising her role in sequel, "The Girl Who Played With Fire."

The 2011 thriller, co-starring Daniel Craig and directed by David Fincher, earned more than $100 million domestically, with Sony greenlighting a sequel in early 2012. Yet, more than a year later, little progress has been made on the adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-seller. Recent reports indicate that Andrew Kevin Walker ("Se7en") has been hired to rewrite the screenplay penned by Steve Zaillian, though Mara was loathe to reveal too much of the production's inner workings.

"I cannot confirm or deny what I have or have not read," she said with a sly grin. "I'm excited about it. I hope it gets made. I don't know."

With Fincher currently focused on another novel adaptation — Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" — there's always the possibility the franchise could be passed off to another director. How does Mara feel about that?

"Well, people always ask me that," she said. "I wouldn't have a choice, contractually. I have to do it no matter whether you [points to interviewer] directed it. Obviously, we all worked on the film together for a year. And like for this movie ["Ain't Them Bodies Saints"], we worked for three weeks, and we were like a family by the end of it, and we ...

For his next act of evil, is Walter White considering breaking bad on a much bigger scale?

Rumors have been circulating for about a week now — first originating from Latino Review — that Warner Bros. is considering multiple Emmy winner Bryan Cranston for the role of Lex Luthor in their upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, possibly titled "Batman Vs. Superman."

The meeting of "Breaking Bad" and the world of DC Comics is more than enough to get the minds of geeks everywhere racing, but Cranston just took the talk one step further when speaking with Metro. The actor told the outlet that he likes the character and wouldn't mind producers giving him a call.

"Give me a call," Cranston reportedly said with a smile. "I like Lex Luthor. I think he's misunderstood. He's a loveable, sweet man."

The idea of an actor of Cranston's caliber joining the DC Universe certainly would excite fans of the Batman and Superman house as they attempt to catch to Marvel and their movie efforts. Scoring Cranston would almost guarantee a villain worthy of the superhero duo.

The other actor involved in Lex Luthor rumors is someone who has a history with DC Comics characters. Mark Strong appeared in "Green Lantern," albeit with purple skin as Sinestro. Digital Spy asked the actor if there was any truth to the rumors, and he replied by saying "All I can say is... watch this space."

Since Warner Bros. announced the return of Batman and Superman for the summer of 2015 at Comic-Con, ...

Kendrick Lamar's verse forced a number of rappers into the studio after hearing it, but not Big Sean. The G.O.O.D. Music MC laid his vocals onto the fiery track first, and while many fans speculated that Sean switched his bars to match Kendrick's fire, he says he did no such thing.

"I started the song, I laid my verse first. I sent it to Kendrick and Jay Elec too. And then Kendrick sent that verse back... So when I heard it I was kind of like cracking up," Sean told Vibe.com on Tuesday night. "When I heard that verse I was like, 'Man I'm not about to go back and change my verse — that's cheating."

K-Dot stole the show on the track, which also features Jay Electronica. On his verse, Lamar sent a warning shot to Big Sean, Drake, J. Cole, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky and a number of other notable rappers whom he says he considers friends. "I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you n----s/ Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n----s," he raps figuratively on the track.

Watch 'RapFix Live' Today At 4 p.m. ET To See Pusha's Response To Kendrick.

Seeing as how "Control" is technically Sean's song, he could've altered the verse or decided not to include Kendrick altogether. In 1997, LL Cool J invited Canibus on his track and after Uncle L heard what he believed to be a subliminal diss, he requested that 'Bis change his verse. The two went ...

The day after her son with (Usher was released from an Atlanta hospital following a life-threatening pool accident, Tameka Foster Raymond spoke out about the incident on "Good Morning America."

"I was mad because I was like,' how did this happen?'" Foster Raymond said. "Who was watching him? Why was my son under water for nearly three minutes?"

Usher Raymond V, who landed in the ICU after nearly drowning while trying to retrieve a toy from a pool drain, "is going to be just fine," a source close to Usher told People magazine. The 5-year-old was reportedly sitting up, smiling and eating in his hospital bed just days after the accident, which took place while Usher was not at home.

Foster said she was at a dental appointment when Usher called to tell her about the near drowning. And, because her ex doesn't call her very often, she immediately grabbed her phone, figuring that the singer was calling to discuss their children. A year after her 11-year-old son from a different marriage died in a Jet skiing accident, Foster Raymond said she feared the worst.

"It was like I re-lived it ... my brain went into all those modes," she said about the call from Usher. "I even said on the phone, 'I've had this call before ... I didn't blame [Usher] for it. I was just angry that It happened on his watch. Because while accidents happen, never have my children been injured on my watch."

Foster Raymond attempted to regain temporary custody
 of the divorced couple's son last ...

A month after the actor's death, fans are getting a new look at Cory Monteith in one of his last movie roles. A new still from "McCanick" has been released before the film heads to the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

In the new photo, a long-haired Monteith stands on a darkened street corner in a hoodie, deep in conversation with another man. In the film, the late "Glee" star plays a drug addict. The film will premiere on September 9, Entertainment Weekly reports.

"McCanick" is one of two movies featuring the Canada native set to head to TIFF next month. "All the Wrong Reasons," featuring Monteith and "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" star Kevin Zegers, will also make its debut at the film festival.

Since his death in July, several plans have been announced to pay tribute to the late actor, who died on July 13; it was later determined he died from a mixed drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol. , who played one of the show's leading men, during the third episode of the next season. The episode is slated to air on October 10.

"That is the episode where Cory's character will be written off and will deal directly with drug addiction and with the circumstances surrounding Cory's death," Fox president Kevin Reilly said last month. Reilly wouldn't confirm if Monteith's character, Finn Hudson, would die of a drug overdose. A tribute is also planned for the Emmy Awards, airing in September. Emmy's executive producer Ken Ehrlich said it will be "something that reflects an ...

When Lady Gaga went dark to recuperate from hip surgery, she went all the way away. But with the countdown clock to the November 11 release of ARTPOP ticking, Gaga has exploded from hiding with the kind of Gagalanche of creativity that we expect from Mother Monster.

It's only Wednesday, and the week already seems like ground zero for the ARTPOP-apalooza we can expect over the next few months. In addition to quashing a budding media-spawned fake feud
 with Katy Perry, Gaga grabbed headlines (and eyeballs) with a stunning series of images form the upcoming issue of V magazine.

Along with an interview by collaborator performance artist Marina Abramović in the issue
, the cover of the magazine contains a striking topless image of Gaga in black rocker wig and sparkly cropped jacket, with one hand cupping her left breast. Inside there's a fully topless photo with Gaga wearing only a white tank top around her midsection and another with a sideboob view.

Earlier in the week, she tweeted about the shoot for the 
 lyric video, which went down at famed Hollywood gay nightclub Micky's. According to E! Online, after alerting her fans to the shoot, the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards performer got to the club around 11:15 p.m. and stayed for nearly an hour.

Wandering around the bar with a few bodyguards, Gaga filmed the crowd, encouraged them to clap and filmed two fans who showed up with their faces covered in smeared painted similar to the cover of the ...

fans will have to wait until 2015 for the Barden Bellas and Treblemakers to make an encore appearance in a planned sequel, but until then, a cappella enthusiasts can unwrap this aca-awesome gift: a holiday album from the cast.

Actress Hana Mae Lee, who played quiet, quirky student Lilly in the 2012 comedy, gave MTV News the details during Sunday's Teen Choice Awards, where the musical movie won four surfboards.

"We have a holiday album coming out so stay tuned," she teased. "I'm going to be singing a very special song."

So should fans expect the usual yuletide offerings?

"There are Christmas classics," Lee confirmed. "I'll be singing 'Silent Night.' I'm pretty sure it's going to be all a cappella. You know, for our 'Pitch Perfect' soundtrack, it's all a cappella — even the percussion. It's all us, so it's going to be sweet though because it's going to sound like there's other things, but it's all us."

A rep for movie studio Universal confirmed the holiday album to MTV News but was unable to provide further details as of press time.

"Pitch Perfect" continues to hit a high note on the charts. Anna Kendrick's "Cups (PItch Perfect's When I'm Gone)" is currently #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Kendrick took to Instagram Tuesday to share her surprise over the track's performance.

Also while at the Teen Choice Awards, the stars opened up about their hopes for the planned sequel.

"I want everyone to go abroad. I want the whole thing to be international just so we can film in a ...