The year's not even halfway over, but already there've been tons of songs that have wormed their way into our brains. "Out, damn song, out!" we plead ... but it's too late ... the tune's catchy powers have overtaken us and we find ourselves singing Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" while grocery shopping, or Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" as we brush our teeth in the morning (difficult, yet doable).

So what song can you not get out of your head? Make your opinion heard in our month-long bracket for the "Catchiest Song of 2012 (So Far)." Our third round pits Gotye's hit against Usher's "Climax." Vote now!

In honor of Mother's Day, we here at AOL Music invited a few of our favorite stars (and their moms) to drop by our New York offices for a fun interview. But this time, we weren't the ones asking the questions -- their moms were! In our first Q&A session below, check out Ashanti's mom quizzing her on everything from important life lessons to what being a strong woman means to her. Ashanti's little sister, Shia, even gets in on the action. Watch the mother/daughter Q&A below!

The big story from "The Voice"s finale last night (May 8) was that Jermaine Paul was crowned this season's big winner. However, throughout the entire season of the show, the even bigger story has been the strange and bitter feud between mentor Christina Aguilera and contestant Tony Lucca. For those unfamiliar with the back story, Christina and Tony starred together as kids on "The Mickey Mouse Club." However, when Lucca came to audition for "The Voice," Aguilera acted as though she didn't recognize him.

But that was just the start of the strangeness between the former costars. As the season progressed, Christina became more and more critical of Tony, calling him out on numerous occasions with downright rude comments. At first, Lucca took the harsh words in stride, but finally snapped back, telling PEOPLE Magazine: "I'm not going to let one person bring me down. Clearly that seems like part of her strategy."

The year's not even halfway over, but already there've been tons of songs that have wormed their way into our brains. "Out, damn song, out!" we plead ... but it's too late ... the tune's catchy powers have overtaken us and we find ourselves singing Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" while grocery shopping, or Goyte's "Somebody That I Used to Know" as we brush our teeth in the morning (difficult, yet doable).

So what song can you not get out of your head? Make your opinion heard in our month-long bracket for the "Catchiest Song of 2012 (So Far)." Our second round pits The Wanted's "Glad You Came" against Gavin DeGraw's "Not Over You." Vote now!

AOL® Music "Adam Lambert Essay Contest"
Official Rules
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win


Eligibility: The AOL Music Adam Lambert Essay Contest (the "Contest") is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) who are 13 years of age or older at time of entry. Employees of AOL Inc., its advertising or promotion agencies, those involved in the production, development, implementation or handling of Contest, any agents acting for, or on behalf of the above entities, their respective parent companies, officers, directors, subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees, service providers, prize suppliers any other person or entity associated with the Contest (collectively "Contest Entities") and/or the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members (whether related or not) of each such employee, are not eligible. All U.S., federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law.

Sponsor: The Contest is sponsored by AOL Inc., 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 ("Sponsor").

Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

Entry Period: The Contest begins at 12:00 pm ET on May 7, 2012 and end at 11:45 pm ET on May 13, 2012 (the "Entry Period"). Entries received prior to or after the Entry Period will not be accepted.

Entry: During the Entry Period, write an essay about how Adam Lambert's music has changed your life and email your essay to aolmusicblog@teamaol.com. Essays must be in English. Submission of Entry will result in one (1) entry into the Contest. The use of any agencies or automated software to submit an Entry will void all Entries submitted by that person. Limit one (1) Entry per person.
Entries cannot be revised or altered once submitted. Once submitted, all Entries become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Incomplete or inaccurate Entries are void. The Contest Entities shall have the right to disqualify any Entries that they deem to be obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, derogatory, inappropriate, or otherwise not in good taste, as determined by the Contest Entities in their sole discretion. Sponsor shall have the right to disqualify any Entries that it determines, in its sole discretion, are not in compliance with these Official Rules. By submitting an Entry you hereby grant the Contest Entities the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to use, reproduce, edit, market, store, distribute, have distributed, publicly and privately display, communicate, publicly and privately perform, transmit, have transmitted, create derivative works based upon, and promote the Entry (as such may be edited and modified by the Sponsor in its discretion) for editorial, commercial, promotional and all other purposes including posting on any websites. Entries must be 100% your original work. You retain ownership of all right, title, and interest in and to your Entry. By submitting your Entry, you agree to release and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of your Entry or your participation in any phase of this Contest.

Judging: The Entries will be judged by a panel of judges from AOL Music based on the following criteria (the "Judging Criteria"): inspirational and original. In the event of a tie, the entries involved in the tie are subject to review by an additional judge who will serve as a tiebreaker and who will evaluate entries according to criteria listed above. The Entry with the highest score based on the Judging Criteria will be deemed the potential Grand Prize Winner. Decisions of judges are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.
Disclaimer of Similarities: Due to the nature of this Contest, there is a possibility that similar Entries may be submitted by multiple individuals. Any similarity between Entries shall in no way entitle you to any consideration or compensation from the Sponsor or from any third party, including in the event an Entry that is similar or identical to yours is selected as a finalist and/or winner in this Contest. By submitting your Entry, you specifically acknowledge this possibility and agree to the terms stated in these Official Rules.

Requirements of the Potential Winner: Entrant who is notified that their entry was selected by the judges is a Potential Winner. A Potential Winner is not a winner until he/she has returned all required documentation and eligibility has been verified by Sponsor. Potential winner must comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Acceptance of a prize constitutes consent to use winner's name and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

Prize: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive the Trespassing box set (valued at $49.99).

All details and other restrictions of prize not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. The winner is responsible for any taxes and fees associated with receipt or use of a prize.

General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prize according to the Judging Criteria from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In case of a dispute as to the owner of an entry, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the screen name from which the entry is made. The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant's participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Contest Entities' liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Contest Entities be liable for attorney's fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant's rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsors in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Contest Results: Contest results may be obtained by sending a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope to AOL Music Adam Lambert Winner, c/o AOL, 770 Broadway, Rm 5C:D11, New York, NY 10003. All requests must be received by May 31, 2012.

It's pretty much a known fact that Adam Lambert has some of the most loyal fans out there. Like us, they've been counting down until the release of Lambert's new CD, Trespassing -- which hits stores next week (May 15). In honor of that big event, we here at AOL Music are launching a fan essay contest. We want to hear from you, the fans, about how Adam and his music have changed your life.

Were you inspired by Adam's confidence to lead a braver life yourself? Has one of Adam's songs helped you through a difficult period? We want to hear about it!

Email your essay to aolmusicblog@teamaol.com (there is no word count) detailing "Glambert"s positive influence on your existence by Sunday, May 13. The team at AOL Music will read all entries and pick one winner from the batch. On Trespassing's release date, we'll post the grand prize winner's essay on AOL Music. Plus, the winner will receive a Trespassing deluxe box set. For the full list of rules, click here.

So get to writing ... we can't wait to read your inspirational Adam essays!

The year's not even halfway over, but already there've been tons of songs that have wormed their way into our brains. "Out, damn song, out!" we plead ... but it's too late ... the tune's catchy powers have overtaken us and we find ourselves singing Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" while grocery shopping, or Goyte's "Somebody That I Used to Know" as we brush our teeth in the morning (difficult, yet doable).

So what song can you not get out of your head? Make your opinion heard in our month-long bracket for the "Catchiest Song of 2012 (So Far)." Our first round pits Miss Clarkson against Flo Rida's "Good Feeling." Vote now!