For once, I was running ahead of schedule. For once, when my driver called to let me know he was downstairs I was actually packed and ready to go. For once, I was calm on my journey to the airport, safe in the knowledge that I had allowed enough time for even the heaviest of NY traffic. For once I was not going to have to run to make my flight and for once, they weren’t going to have to say my name over the loud speaker to tell me they were going to leave without me.

When I checked in at the airport at 630pm NYT, the woman behind the counter said that she couldn’t find my name on any flight whatsoever- let alone my ‘imaginary’ flight that I thought was leaving at 730pm. When I told her what flight I thought I was on, she told me that that flight had actually left at 230pm. Not a great start…but luckily, with a smile and a little flattery, she told me there was a flight boarding at 7pm with one more seat left. She said if I ran, I would be able to make it.

I was already running before she had finished her sentence.

I'm now 2 hours into a 6 hour flight from New York to LA and already I’m thinking of giving this flight the award for Most Boring Journey Ever. Stupidly, I brought a book that I was only 15 pages from completion, and I’ve now read all the magazines I bought from the airport shop…twice. My brother has stolen my PSP and my iPod alone isn’t enough to scratch my itch unfortunately…and then comes the air stewardess (who looks a lot like Shrek) to the rescue. Shrek has the nerve to offer me what she calls ‘In Flight Entertainment’ to pass the time. Now, I’m no expert, but by the very definition of the phrase ‘In Flight Entertainment’- then surely it has to be entertaining. Unfortunately not on this flight! Of the vast range of a whole 5 movies on offer, I am finding it increasingly impossible to decide whether to piss away 2 hours of my life watching the latest Mandy Moore chick-flick or the latest all stuttering-and-stammering masterpiece by Hugh Grant. Out of pure desperation I select the Mandy Moore movie with the vague hope that she spends more time looking pretty than she does acting. Two minutes later, I regret my decision and turn the movie off.

I remember hearing that the NY to LA flight always had at least one celebrity on board… and in this case, this rule was correct.

The great Spike Lee is sitting two seats over intensely reading the book that he has been engrossed in since we took off. I almost get the feeling that he is afraid to look up, in case he makes eye-contact with anyone and is forced into having a polite conversation. Word must have spread that Spike is on the plane. Almost every 10 mins, some ‘not-quite-pretty-or-tall-enough-to-be-a-model-so-i-became-an-actor’ comes up to the front of the plane to use the toilet only to be told by Shrek to use the other toilets in the middle of the plane. Sure it could be an honest mistake, but the fact that everyone walks up to the front and then turns as if to admire the view of the aisle whilst darting they gaze at Spike to catch a sneaky glimpse gives the game away entirely. Head buried in his book, wearing an all white on white matching velour Jordan tracksuit completed only by his signature thick-framed glasses and baseball cap- fair play to Spike as he seems aware yet completely undaunted by it. Next time I see Spike is towards the end of the flight. He’s put the book away and is now reading a movie script. I’m tempted to ask him what it is…but I decide to do the right thing and leave him be.

Looking around, the plane seems to be almost entirely made up of movie-types. Here’s how I know this. At a closer look, it seems that Spike’s not the only one reading a movie script. There are at least 10 other people reading scripts, and even more trying to read over the shoulders of those reading the movie scripts. With so many people, and so many scripts…maybe one of them has there next big blockbuster in their hands.

It gets me thinking. . It can’t be that hard to make a film. After all, I did just see the first 2 minutes of Mandy Moore’s latest epic.

We’re about to land soon and I just realized I haven’t even said why I’m en route to LA. 3 words for you…

MTV MOVIE AWARDS. The awards that celebrate the biggest and best films of the year in true MTV style are taking place this Sunday at California’s Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. For the first time in history the awards will be live – which means anything can, and probably will happen. What makes it increasingly more dangerous is our host this year – Sarah Silverman. I don’t know too much about her, but from what I’ve heard and the little that I’ve seen, this woman hold no punches, takes no prisoners and nothing is off limits. In front of me, I have the list of guests attending. Megan Fox (hello!), Jessica Alba (hello hello!), Jennifer Lopez (HELLO!), Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese, John Travolta and whole lot more. The big night itself starts at 730pm with the live red-carpet pre-show hosted by the lovely SuChin Pak and myself. This is a really big gig for me. I'm a movie-geek and have been a fan of the MTV Movie Awards for years now. I grew up watching SuChin, Sway, John & co doing what they do from the Movie Awards red-carpet...and now its my turn! This is the first time the show and pre-show has ever been live- so it gives new meaning to the phrase 'jumping in at the deep end'. In all honesty, I'm really looking forward to the experience more than anything right now.

So aside from the possibility of seeing me screw up on live TV - believe me, you are not going to want to miss it. As well as talking to some serious Hollywood royalty both young and not-so young, I'll be showing you some of the actual cars from the movie, talking to the stars of the film and showing you for the very first time anywhere – exclusive clips from the upcoming Michael Bay / Steven Spielberg blockbuster- Transformers.

It's 6am and for some unknown reason I'm wide awake…well, maybe not wide awake but awake none the less and I have no idea why. It can't be the time difference, because I've now been in NY for a whole 3 weeks (has it been that long?!). This is very strange. I love to sleep. I do it well. So why am I awake? The only time I ever see this side of 7am is when I've been up all night and I haven't done that in NY…yet!

Outside my window there's yet another new apartment block going up. There's a small guy (although everyone looks small from the 40th floor) wrestling with one of those pneumatic drills making more noise than is necessary- but it's not that - I've slept through worse. So why can't I sleep? There must be something on my mind.

Yesterday was a good day. A busy day that culminated with me meeting up with the biggest name in hip-hop today!

But first, let me rewind about 4 years. I was 21 and had just been signed up by MTV in the UK as one of their new faces. I was about 3 weeks into my job, when I was granted my first overseas business trip. For me this was a gift and a curse! The destination was NY and my assignment was to meet up with and interview an artist who was being championed as 'the savior of hip-hop' and 'the next big thing'. That was the gift! The curse was that I had to fly. I hate flying. Hate is a strong word…but I chose this word carefully. I hate to fly. If you think Mr. T had it bad…think again. To give you an idea, here is a simple equation to explain how much I despise flying.Take Mr. T's fear of flying. Multiply it by infinity. Take that to the very depths of hell and you will scratch on the surface of just how much I hate to fly. Now I know I shouldn't take this for granted. I am very fortunate and I know a lot of people who have never had the opportunity to leave the country that they were born in, let alone fly away on holiday…but bollocks to that…I hate flying and wish I never had to! Unfortunately, in my line of work that wish seldom comes true and I have to fly a lot. To add to all of this, I was flying to NY for the very first time on the very same day that President George W Bush announced war with Iraq. Not exactly the best time to fly. Thankfully I made it in one piece.

At this point, we had only heard one track, and knew more about his back story than we did about his music. The main angle that was being pushed by his label was that he had been shot 9 times and survived and was being backed by not only the No.1 rapper in the game Eminem, but uber-producer Dr Dre as well. Like clockwork, at 12 o'clock sharp - 50 Cent entered the room.

Four years later, the hype is still there but most importantly, he has the music to match. Over the years, our paths have crossed a number of times in the UK and sometimes overseas. We have spoken about hip-hop, his personal life, his past, his present, his future ambitions, women, hip-hops ongoing controversies, the rivalries with Ja Rule, The Game, Nas, Diddy, Camron…even Oprah. On every single occasion, 50 has treated every interview as if it were his first- a sign of a true great (Notorious BIG). He has a passion for what he does and the music he makes. And in this modern climate, where hip-hop is constantly under persecution- he is one of a rare few who is never afraid to speak his mind. But above all, what you take away from spending time with 50 is an admiration for his never ending drive and permanent focus - that I have only seen in a handful of others (Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Jay Z).

50 and Violator's James Cruz were in London about a month back for a quick pit-stop visit. I'd heard that 50 had a rough version of his as-of-yet incomplete album with him, so with a little persuasion 50 kindly played me some of the un-mastered tracks. We were at the penthouse suite of 50's favorite London hotel, The Landmark. He had the hotel clear out the room completely, leaving only a few sofas, and got them to bring up 4 massive speakers and a full on mixing desk. What 50 wants, 50 gets. When you hear it, you will understand this is an album to be played loud and proud. I heard about 18 tracks in total - some of which have now been left for his next album, Before I Self Destruct, including two of my personal favorites "Man Down" and "Mechanic"... Off the top of my head, my favorites were 50 and Akon's "Still Will Kill," 50 and Mary J Blige, 50 and Robin Thicke (wasn't really a big fan of Robin before, but bit by bit I'm beginning to like his work), 50 and Dre, 50 and Justin Timberlake and last but by no means least, 50 and Eminem.

Back in NY this time round, James Cruz of Violator came and grabbed myself, MTV News' esteemed hip-hop gurus Rahman and Shaheem, MTV producer extraordinaire Joseph and the first lady of MTV News Whitney to hear the finished, mastered, fresh-from-the-studio official copy of Curtis… and it is good! We were kicked out of a couple of meeting rooms because we were playing the album too loud- but we weren't going to turn it down for no-one. It's one of those albums that you put on, turn up the volume and bump your head. Straight after, 50 -- who was busy completing some filming duties and meeting his fans in the TRL studio (one of who actually broke down in uncontrollable tears when he hugged her) -- joined us at the penthouse suite of the Night Hotel in Times Sq to sit down and shoot an hour-long, no-holds-barred, everything-goes interview with myself.

We spoke about a lot. It wasn’t really an interview, more of a conversation -- but sometimes those are the best interviews. From memory he addressed his on-going beef with Cam'ron (exclusive reaction to Cam's YouTube video), spoke on his new album and why he called it Curtis, the highs and lows of his career so far, his collaborations on Curtis and why he wanted to do them, his admiration for JT, his relationship with Em and Dre and how it has grown and evolved over the years, the situation with Young Buck and how he understands why Buck reached out to the Game, sex-toys (yes sex-toys), his competition this year with T.I., Jeezy and Lil' Wayne, his next album Before I Self Destruct and how that is a very different album ('Gutter' music straight for the streets), YouTube is the new mixtape scene, the Jay-Z Las Vegas afterparty, and whether he feels accepted by his peers Jay-Z, Diddy, Young Jeezy, JD and a whole lot more...

I don't want to give away too much but you can see that interview when it airs as an MTV News RAW and highlights are online already on everyone’s favorite site for the unadulterated truth - MTVNews.com. So all in all, that interview went well…so it brings me back to the question. Why the hell am I awake at 6:30 am? Then the Calendar icon on my Mac starts jumping up and down ferociously. I click... my calendar opens...and the reason becomes clear. Today, Tuesday May 22, 2007, is the day where I step up to the plate and guest host a spot on MTV's flagship show - TRL.

Life is good!

Where I’m from there is one band on the lips of everyone.

No…not Coldplay – these guys are something else altogether. They may not have sold as many records or signed as many autographs, but this band are truly something special.

They come from a town called Sheffield, about 150 miles north of London, and when their debut album came out (ingeniously titled Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not), the record became the fastest selling album in UK chart history. People hadn’t seen anything like that since the Beatles and the reason was simple. People liked what they heard.

Now I know that making it in the UK, even if you make chart history, doesn’t guarantee you success here in the US (it’s too easy to start naming names so I won’t) – but I've got a sneaky feeling that this band is an exception. They're called the Arctic Monkeys.

Just a few hours before their big gig at the Hammerstein in NY, I jumped in a cab to go meet the boys before their soundcheck and catch up backstage. I'd heard of the Hammerstein before, so it was nice to meet the venue face to face. Outside, I was pleasantly surprised that the lines had already started forming with dedicated fans patiently and more importantly, happily waiting in the sun for the doors to open as well as the ticket touts just saying the same words over and over to anyone that comes within range - buy a ticket, sell a ticket. We have them in London as well. I guess it’s a good sign in a way. It means there's a demand for tickets and that means the Arctic Monkeys are on peoples radars out here. Great venue. Big venue. To get to the backstage area where the cameras were already setting up for our shoot/interview/conversation you had to walk across the stage to a staircase just off to the side. There were only a few big hairy roadies, all with the compulsory cigarette hanging effortlessly out the corner of their mouths (years of practice) on stage adjusting the lights, soundchecking the equipment and scratching their cracks - so I thought it would be ok to go and stand in the middle and maybe get a feel of what its like to be lead singer in a band….unfortunately it didn't work. We made our way to the backstage dressing room where it was surprisingly quiet. No massive entourages or groupies, just essential personnel only. The bands manager was on the phone (the Yorkshire accent gave him away) and the label rep (Domino US) welcomed us warmly. So far so good! You see, at this point I was expecting the worst. When I left the office it was a bit like a dead man walking! A couple of people had told me a few horror stories about the band. People said that they were a band who didn't like or feel the need to do interviews and when they did they were mono-syllabic and unresponsive- more interested in talking to each other than the interviewer.

Fair enough- I've seen it all before (flashback). You see, I can kind of empathize with that. I said it before. At the end of the day they got into it to make music and not have to answer the same mundane questions on how great they are time and time again. Sometimes bands (especially when they're starting out and trying to capture the attention of the American audience) do at least 30 interviews in one day and believe me there are only so many ways you can answer the question 'What influenced this album? Describe your sound? Whats your favorite color?' But on the flip-side of the coin, I've been sent to do a job and that is to ask the questions that our viewers want asked and not what the band want to be asked. With that said, a good buddy of mine who had done a couple of interviews with them in London had nothing but great things to say about the band and its members…but still, I was ready and prepared for the worst.
Then we heard singing. In an unmistakable thick Sheffield accent we heard the voice of the Arctic Monkeys. The Arctic Monkeys were in the building - well Alex (lead singer) and Jamie (guitarist) at least. They swaggered in saying hello to the camera crew and then myself. Firm handshakes all round and good eye contact- a mark of true gentlemen. I think they were a little shocked to see a Brit in NY but once I explained that I'm living out here now working for MTV out here. They were genuinely happy and inquisitive as to how I was finding it, my take on NY and how I was settling in. It was made clear immediately - these were good peoples. I don't remember the interview starting, I don’t think it ever did. We just filmed our conversation. It was clear they weren't polished interviewees but that’s whats cool about the Arctic Monkeys.

They are true musicians. Not polished, not manufactured, not rehearsed…just natural and genuinely insightful. Their new album, a new sound, their love for hiphop, how life has changed for them, their American fans, what it takes to break America, the meaning of success, the WWE (big wrestling fans it turns out), Krispy Kreme doughnuts, In N Out burger, life on the road, headlining Glastonbury at 21 (the Woodstock of the UK), this current surge of British acts that are being welcomed by the US (Winehouse, Lily Allen), a potential hip hop album (believe it or not), the next video (which they described as 'the best video they have made and the best video that has been made in 10 years' - time will tell!) etc. I think it must have gone well because we're cutting a couple of shows from it…so all good. And like that the conversation drew to a casual end. On our way out, the band kindly invited us to the gig that night and for drinks after.

We took them up on the offer. Incredible show.

Eve - noun

1. name of the first woman: wife of Adam and progenitor of the human race. Gen 3:20
2. a female given name: from a Hebrew word meaning 'life'

I was almost taken aback by how beautiful this woman is up close. Not just a stunning face, but clearly an intelligent and confident young woman as well.

Even with everything that’s going on in her life with her DUI charge, all her focus is on her new album. She describes it as a re-birth…a new beginning. I can relate. The album title is simple…Here I Am.

With this on-going debate on hip-hop lyrics and censorship, the world was still yet to hear from a female MC. Until now!

For some reason I thought my first day at work was going to be an easy one…boy, was I wrong.
Rule number one for the first day at a new job…wake up early and take your time. Pace yourself and don't rush. Take things slowly and in your stride. Breathe. Eat well but not too much. Drink water. Be presentable and then move swiftly. For the first time in my life, I walked to work in New York…and it felt good!

I am blessed because all the people in my team are kind and welcoming and love what they do. It’s a very cool workplace with a very inspired team. I take a look around, get familiar with my working environment. Compared to London this is a big building. The offices in the UK have about 10 floors - this building seems to go on forever. I meet the team one by one. My accent is strange to them, but they don't mind - some even like it.

Everyone helps me set up and then come some words that I really didn't think I would hear on my first day.

Just when I thought I had escaped all the Brits - 'Tim can you go and interview Amy Winehouse in a few hours?' Sure, why not!

Amy is doing good out here. I'm not really surprised. I like the album. It defies convention. She defies convention. When you think young female recording artist you think Beyonce, Christina, Shakira, Avril Lavigne…all pretty polished girls with a modern pop sound …and then there's Amy. My producer thinks she's sexy. The jury's still out. She's got a unique look for sure. Big hair that reminds me a little of Morticia Adams and tattoos like a sailor - but it works for her. I like it. She pulls it off. Its her own style and that I respect. And like her style, her music is unique and sultry. It's not what you would think would work in this day and age of manufactured, overly rehearsed, pretty in pink, butter wouldn't melt, all singing and dancing pop RnB - but it does…

You can imagine that if Amy's career never went quite as planned and she was one of those millions of hopefuls that audition for American Idol, you can almost imagine Simon Cowell listening to her audition, rubbing his forehead and sighing 'No No No, its not right. You sound like you're stuck in the 70s. You sound like a cat that’s been thrown in a river. Your look is all wrong. You look like a homeless trannie' (Simon's words -- not mine).But thankfully, American Idol isn't the only source of music nowadays and every now and then when you begin to lose faith in the music industry an album pops up like this that re-establishes my faith and belief in music.
I walk out the building and my eyes immediately turn skyward. New York is a stunning city. You can always tell someone that’s new to New York, because they're always looking up. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it.

I jump in a cab with a couple of people (who I think have been sent with me to make sure either I don't get lost or mess up the interview) and we head to Soho. I like this place immediately. I make a mental note to return on the weekend. There's a Soho in London but it's very different. In London, Soho really comes alive at night. It's got a couple of bars and restaurants, but mostly Soho is made up of seedy strip joints, adult DVD stores, brothels and drug dealers. She's staying at the Soho Grand, swanky hotel, and in a few hours she's playing at the Highline Ballroom which I'm told is a good gig to get.

There are a couple of words that I'd use to describe how the interview went. For now I'll use the word 'interesting' and leave it at that. Like I always say, artists are artists and that doesn't always have to mean that they are good communicators. Sometimes it just takes time and experience. Occasionally in this job you are blessed with guests like RZA, Dave Grohl, Will I Am, JT, Snoop, Kanye, Beth Ditto and Beyonce - and sometimes you're not. Still, we persevered and got what we got. Maybe when you're trying to 'break America' and its still early days and you're known more for your attitude- then that's what you got to push.

Last week I was in London, surrounded by all of my closest friends and having the time of my life. The surroundings felt familiar, and that's when it actually finally sunk in. This was my going-away party and in a few hours I was going to be on a plane leaving London and flying to New York with no return ticket. I'm a London boy. I've lived there all of my life. London is what I know and ask anyone, I know it well. But somewhere along the line I got offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ever since my first ever visit to New York 3 years ago, I knew immediately that at some point in my life I wanted to live here. I wanted to experience New York. It's the kind of city that you either love or hate. For me, it was love at first sight. Of all the cities in the US that I have visited, New York is the most like London. It's different, but at the very core the two cities are like brothers from a different mother. Think of New York like London -- but on steroids. The buildings are taller, the food portions are larger, the traffic is louder, and the hustle is harder - but at the very core the two cities are very similar indeed.

Eventhough I accepted my dream job a few weeks ago with the MTV mothership here in New York City, it still really didn't sink in until I was sat on the plane and within seconds of take off, London was behind me and New York was ahead.

And now, my surroundings are now different. Only a few days have gone by, but I now live in New York and everyday I get to walk to work in Times Square to do a job that I don't even see as a job because I enjoy and love what I do too much. May this feeling never stop. The taxis are no longer black but yellow, the money is green not blue, steam actually does come out the ground (something that I thought was just in the movies) and there really is a hot-dog stand on every corner.

This is one of the great birthplaces of music, film, sport, art and entertainment. This is the city that Al Pacino, Lenny Kravitz, Billie Holiday, BIG, Joey Ramone, Tupac, Al Capone, Jay-Z, De Niro, Marlon Brando, Trump, Diddy, Nas, Michael Jordan, Jake La Motta, Mike Tyson, Denzel Washington, Run-DMC, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Sonic Youth, Madonna, The Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang, Joe DiMaggio, Christopher Walken, Aaliyah, Stanley Kubrick, Lucky Luciano, Duke Ellington, the Velvet Revolver, Miles Davis, and my future ex-wife J-Lo were all born.

People tell me they have lived here all their life and they still haven't seen all of New York.

I have a lot of catching up to do!