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Readers seem split on remake's musical quality.By Steven Roberts Artists come together to remake "We Are The World" Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Wire Image On Friday night, "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti," the remake of the classic 1985 benefit song, premiered during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The song, proceeds from which will go towards disaster relief in Haiti, features an even larger cast of musicians than the star-studded original, with contemporary artists from Kanye West and Barbra Streisand to Pink and Lil Wayne joining in. While there's certainly no criticizing the motivation for the remake, reaction to its musical quality has been mixed, with even Jay-Z calling the original version "untouchable" and saying he'd wished a new song had been written for the event instead: "It was a valiant effort, but for me, it's gonna be untouchable," he told MTV News on Saturday. Here's what some of our readers had to say: "I thought the song was amazing and that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Everyone's dissecting the song for each little flaw and misstep. Look at it as a whole!" (peoplesrock78) "I have donated several times, but refuse to donate by purchasing a song that I think was awful. Good idea to remake the song, [but] it just sounded like a mishmash of bad singing. Do Haiti a favor and donate to the Red Cross, because they are the people who actually provide Haiti with help." (Cathy) "I would donate to Haiti, many times over before I bought this song. Horrible and terrible song, out of sync with the video and the producers made a point of not including anyone from the original. Why was Michael Jackson in the video, he is gone. You can stop adding him into everything." (peakway3) "All these negative comments. I feel like some people are missing the point. To me, this remake wasn't about trying to improve on the original version. It seemed to be more of a tribute to it. It was about these people, whether they could sing or not, contributing what they could. Singers sing, rappers rap, Wyclef did whatever it is he does. It's about very different people coming together and connecting through the majesty of song for a worthy cause, not winning a Grammy." (Rachael) Readers also weighed in on Jay-Z's comments. "Jay-Z is absolutely RIGHT!!! He couldn't have said it better!!! They should have never remade that song. Certain songs are just not to be messed with. All Jay-Z is saying is what everybody was saying in their mind. He just put it in the open." (Asonye88) "It's for charity, it's for HAITI ... not for Jay-Z's satisfaction and I think all of the artists involved put their HEART on it. I know the original is the best but i know also Mike [Jackson] would be watching his song with a smile....XD." (Julius Cristina) "I agree as well, I think their heart was in the right place. As he already mentioned in the article, 'We Are the World' is untouchable. There will never be another like the original." (marcy 25) What do you think of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti"? Do you like the new remake, or do you think a new song should have been written? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos 'We Are The World: 25 Years For Haiti' Related Photos 'We Are The World 25 For Haiti' Recording Session

Songwriter Sean Garrett calls for Ne-Yo, Jay-Z to join him in creating a new anthem.By Shaheem Reid Ludacris Photo: MTV News During NBA ALL-Star Weekend in Dallas, Jay-Z called the original version of "We Are the World" "untouchable." Although Hov said the remake, "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" a "valiant effort," he said he felt that recreating the magic from the original is impossible, and MTV News readers seem to be split on the song's musical merits. We talked with some luminaries from the hip-hop and R&B world about the song at All-Star weekend. "I'm glad they did that," Ludacris said. "That was a staple in history. It may be a lot of people saying it's hard to duplicate what happened before, but it was so long ago. I'm glad they attempted to do it. I feel it's extremely strong. The same thing the past [version] did for me, I'm hoping this new one will do for the new generation." Jermaine Dupri agreed with Jay-Z that remaking such a classic tune is a daunting task. "It's a hard record to touch," Dupri said from his seat at the All-Star game shortly before tip-off. "I think the idea and the thought process of putting the new young talent in the mix of 'We Are the World' and helping the situation in Haiti, I thought it was a brilliant idea on Quincy's part. Ironically, it happened to be 25 years later. It just happened to be enough time in between so it felt like it was something that needed to happen." Dupri said he's been communicating frequently with "We Are the World" helmer Quincy Jones, because JD is remaking another of the Q's classics, "Secret Garden" (from Jones' hip-hop-leaning 1989 LP, Back on the Block). He said the two had a long conversation about "We Are the World" on Saturday. "I was talking to him about how he put the pieces together," Dupri explained. "I thought he moved everybody around in a cool way and he let everybody get a piece of the song. In the original version, Michael [Jackson], Lionel [Richie] and the main people controlled it. Everybody else was just singing background. They switched it up in a cool way to make it new and fresh." Super-producer Jimmy Jam (Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige), said, "I've only seen just parts of it. I haven't seen the whole thing. I think it is wonderful. It shows the relevance of the music community. In [times] of crisis, [they] always comes together raise the spirits, raise the hopes of people. The fact they are using the words of a song that was written 25 years ago shows the greatness of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie and the people that were involved in making that. I think it's great; it pertains obviously to a new generation. [It is] just as relevant today if not more so to when it was originally done." One of the ways that the new version is different from the timeless original is many rappers were involved. Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, Will.I.Am, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J and Nipsey Hussle are just a few of the MCs who were present at the session. "I thought that was hot," Dupri said about incorporating hip-hop. "I love the fact that Lil Wayne was singing — I know rappers always wanna sing. You could feel his happiness of just being a part of it, to hear him sing. I thought that was cool to see that. I like the rappers coming together doing one part — it was cool to see the younger and older crews together." "Hip-hop has been around along time," Jimmy Jam said. "It's made its mark and it's gonna continue to be here. Great! Add it to the pot. The gumbo is nice." One of the points Jay-Z made when talking about the remake of "We Are the World" is that he would have loved it if Jones and Richie would have pooled together their endless array of talent to make a new song. One of the game's premiere songwriters, Sean Garrett, said he's willing to step to the plate. "I think that's a great idea," he said. "Me and Ne-Yo been talking about doing something real big. Jay-Z is a leader — so thank you Hov for bringing that to us. I think we need to take him up on that offer! The 25th anniversary was great opportunity for us all to remember a great cause and come together and sort of reignite that type of unity we need around the world. With so much going on these days, it's time for us to come together and use music more than for just making money and dancing in the clubs. I'mma challenge my man Ne-Yo to get together with his boy Sean Garrett and Hov and get together and do something great like come up with a brand new song to help the world." What do you think of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti"? Do you like the new remake, or do you think a new song should have been written? Let us know in the comments below! Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of 'We Are The World' Related Photos 'We Are The World 25 For Haiti' Recording Session Related Artists Ludacris Jermaine Dupri

'I think it's great, but 'We are the World' is [musically] untouchable, like 'Thriller' ' Jay-Z says during NBA All-Star weekend.By Shaheem Reid Photo: Bennett Raglin/ WireImage DALLAS -- "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti," the all-star remake of the classic 1985 charity single, premiered on Friday night during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The song features dozens of today's biggest musical artists, ranging from Kanye West and Pink to Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett, and unlike the original, it also features a large number of rappers. However, the genre's biggest star said that to him, musically speaking, nothing could ever come close to the original. "I have a interesting take on that," Jay-Z said Saturday at the annual "2 Kings" dinner, which was sponsored by Sprite and Bing and took place during NBA All-Star weekend. "I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: 'We Are the World,' I love it, and I understand the point and think it's great. But I think 'We Are the World' is like [Michael Jackson's] 'Thriller' to me. I don't ever wanna see it touched. I'm a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that's going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: [Millions have been raised] through text [donations] to Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but 'We are the World' is [musically] untouchable like 'Thriller' is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it's gonna be untouchable." Jay said he felt that a new song should have been written instead of re-creating the 1985 classic. "I would have loved that idea better," he said. "As everyone knows, I have tremendous respect for Quincy Jones. Of course, I think he's genius, as everyone else does. [But] I think it's time for us to make a new [song]. I tried to do that with 'Stranded,' the song Jay, Rihanna and U2's Bono and the Edge premiered at the 'Hope for Haiti Now' telethon]. I didn't try to make 'We Are the World,' but I tried to make our take on how we felt." In fact, Jay and LeBron James spent the early part of Saturday giving back in Dallas. They visited a local Boys & Girls Club and gave out not just scholarships, but words of advice and inspiration telling the kids to pursue their dreams. The "2 Kings" dinner and afterparty was held at the W Hotel in Dallas. Diddy, Mario Lopez, Terrell Owens, Magic Johnson, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield were among those who attended. What do you think of Jay's comments? Do you like "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti," or should a new song have been created for the benefit? Related Artists Jay-Z

Perry got snippy with Kara DioGuardi, which was the only interesting thing about Tuesday's show.By Gil Kaufman Katy Perry and Simon Cowell on "American Idol" Tuesday Photo: Fox Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne know exactly what it's like to have a musical dream. Both were once teenage girls who had to scrape and paw their way to pop stardom, which is why the youngest "American Idol" guest judges to date were perfect for the Los Angeles round of auditions. Despite being the entertainment capital of the world, the L.A. auditions on Tuesday night's (January 26) "Idol" provided very few fireworks — except for the catty exchanges between Perry and fellow judge Kara DioGuardi, which were among the most entertaining moments on an otherwise lackluster evening. One of the night's biggest standouts was 28-year-old Burbank, California, native Mary Powers, mother of an 8-year-old girl, who put a smile on Lavigne's face with an impassioned take on Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield." Simon Cowell liked the vocals but called her black-on-black ensemble a clichéd attempt to dress like a rock star. "You do have a character to your voice and a cool tone. It's raspy and it is punk rock, so I think it's cool," Lavigne said of the female singer with the Adam Lambert hair and bondage pants. Apparently, this year the Lambert effect is all over the place, from the many auditioners showing up with asymmetrical Adam hair, to the vocal inspiration of A.J. Mendoza, who sang Living Colour's "Cult of Personality." OK, the 20-year-old musical-theater performer didn't sing it so much as emote it like he'd "gone to the dentist 10 minutes ago," according to Cowell, who likened his vocals to anesthetized mush. It wasn't all bad, though. Pastor and father of three Neil Ranger, 27 — following in the footsteps of last year's church-trained worship leaders Kris Allen and Danny Gokey — impressed the judges with his original country/soul tune "Drive." Lavigne wondered whether his busy home life might make it hard to hit the road and said no, but the other three panelists gave him a shot at Hollywood. With her devil-ear hoodie and armful of plastic bangles, Lavigne giggled like a schoolgirl and could hardly contain herself at the worst singers, giving guest judge Mary J. Blige a run for her money in the trying-to-stifle-a-laugh department. You couldn't really blame her, with the sweaty 168-IQ computer geeks with Prince Valiant hair and bedazzled vests who just wanted to exultate (whatever that is) but who mostly just made the panel uncomfortable by butchering Meat Loaf and refusing to leave the room. There were the metal screamers, lyric-fudgers and a flute-playing, sandwich-making, pacifist martial artist in search of the perfect note, whose journey will seemingly continue indefinitely. On day two, Perry was up to bat in the city of show-biz dreamers that appeared to be producing very few potential stars. She had no better luck, sitting through water-treatment workers/ glam-rock wannabes murdering Cheap Trick classics while doing Mick Jagger-style aerobics, and creepy, dead-eye guys who believe in magic but know nothing about song choice (i.e. Don't pick the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" for an audition). "It takes a lot for me to feel dirty," the "I Kissed a Girl" singer told the latter, which tells you just how skeevy he was. Another dad had what it took, though. Andrew Garcia, 23, whose parents were involved in Hispanic gangs in L.A., was in search of a better life for his son, and he may have found it in the "Idol" audition room. Singing a very soulful version of Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning," Garcia got the ultimate compliment from Cowell, who said he was "the only person who's walked through today who I genuinely believe is a good singer." Perry seconded that emotion, saying he gave her chills, and both DioGuardi and Randy Jackson gave him major props as well. Personal assistant by day, minister by night Tasha Layton, 26, killed it with Joss Stone's "Baby, Baby, Baby," nailing the sweet-pop soul vocals and even evoking a bit of Stone's funky hippie vibe. "I love a good Southern belle," Perry purred, while Cowell predicted people were going to really like her. And while the medical drama of previous audition episodes subsided for at least one night, the show-closer was 25-year-old Los Angeles shoe salesman Chris Golightly, who spent his childhood bouncing around between 25 foster families. He channeled the pain of his lonely upbringing into a very solid take on Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," hitting some emotional, breathy runs and leading DioGuardi to say that he was one of her favorites and that "we may look back at this audition and go, 'Wow.' " The latter's reaction to Golightly's story elicited a bit of a catfight with Perry, who appeared to clash with DioGuardi several times during the auditions and who disagreed with the notion that dramatic backstory could help him on the show. "This is not a Lifetime movie, sweetheart," Perry said, dissing the woman with whom she co-wrote Kelly Clarkson's "I Do Not Hook Up." "He has an amazing story," DioGuardi countered. "He has an amazing story, but you have to have talent," Perry said. "Everybody has amazing stories." Cowell was not feeling it either, saying Golightly could have been in a boy band and gave an old-fashioned audition, though he put him through anyway with a "small y" yes. In the end, 22 others from Los Angeles made it through to the Hollywood round. Wednesday night's show will head to Dallas with guest panelists Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris. Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Artists Katy Perry Avril Lavigne

AFP - Two-time European Cup champions Munster ensured they host one of the quarter-finals on Friday when they edged out Pool One rivals Northampton 12-9 to reach the last eight for a remarkable 12th time in a row.