"I met [Lil Wayne] a few months ago, and he's honestly — I don't even know if he'll want people to know that he's incredibly polite and respectful. He's so talented and very funny. And really optimistic, and super supportive of me, which I've really, really appreciated so much. I sent him a couple of my songs. He's been diggin' on them for a while. Then he heard ['Make It Rain'], and he was like, 'All right, I'm gonna kill it!'"

-"Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester, announcing that she recently collaborated with Young Money CEO Lil Wayne on a song called "Make It Rain." Before her performance at last night's event for the opening of the new American Eagle store in Times Square, Meester told MTV News that the legends about Wayne's unconventional work ethic have not been exaggerated. "It was like, literally, 4 o'clock in the morning," Meester said of one of their sessons. "He was so sick — he didn't even write anything down. He just, like, vibes to the music and dances. I don't even know how he does it; he's amazing." Meester's musical career has already gotten off to a strong start, as she has had notable, head-turning collaborations with Cobra Starship, Robin Thicke and now Weezy. Her full-length debut doesn't have a release date yet but is expected to hit the streets some time in January of 2010. In the meantime, she'll keep things feisty as Blair Waldorf on "Gossip Girl."

Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

50 Cent had a busy day yesterday, blowing the doors open on two new ventures as a lead-up to the November 16 release of his new album Before I Self Destruct. He premiered his new movie (also called "Before I Self Destruct") last night in New York. The film, which will be released the same day as the album, marks 50's directorial debut. It's a hard-edged tale of 'hood politics that contrasts pretty profoundly with the other product he debuted yesterday: "Power," his new fragrance. 50 met fans at Macy's in New York City for the unveiling of the new scent, just in time for the holidays. In a span of only a few hours, 50 Cent covered two extremely different ends of the cultural spectrum, a true testament to his flexibility as a star.

Also making the rounds in New York last night? "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, who was all dressed up as she made her way to the Four Seasons restaurant. But not everybody was out in the Manhattan cold, as Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts rode a bicycle in Malibu wearing shorts and a tank top. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, featuring over 350 candid shots of stars like Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, the Jonas Brothers and Justin Timberlake!

Leighton Meester plays fashionista Blair Waldorf on "Gossip Girl" every week, so her image in the new video for her single, "Somebody to Love," isn't much of a stretch: Meester casts herself as love-starved, clothes-conscious, jet-setting starlet pining for gong guest Robin Thicke.

In the a sneak peek for the video, Meester sits in the back of a town car with a black newsboy cap and spangled cut-out romper, writhing around while singing about looking for love. In other scenes, a more sultry Meester sings in a club and wraps herself in the curtains of her boudoir. Let's not forget the video also has the prerequisite rolling-around-in-the-bed scenes. What is a video about love without shots of a singing starlet writhing amidst her soft sheets?

Meester recently explained to MTV News the video isn't about the glamour shots of her and Thicke. Rather, what it's really about is the clothes. "It's basically going through my day, a sexy day in my life. We start off in the car we come in I keep on fantasizing and dreaming that I'm with somebody I can love," she explained. "He kind of comes and goes he disappears. It's mostly about the clothes and the looks so that's exciting for me. I've had a lot of fun with that."

It's a busy day in the MTV Newsroom today. At the moment, Tim Kash is sitting down for a chat with Alicia Keys (she says her new album The Element of Freedom will be a big, synthesizer-heavy departure from her past work). But there's another interview happening just around the corner: "Gossip Girl" and "Mercy" star Michelle Trachtenberg is here to talk about straddling two hit TV shows.

Trachtenberg is probably best known for playing Dawn on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a show created and produced by Joss Whedon. In the past few months, it seems as though we've had a regular rotation of alums from Whedon shows stop by to hang out and chat about their new projects. They are all members of a tightly-wound, closely-followed community known as the "Whedonverse," which represents the various projects that Whedon has worked on in his two-decade career.

For example, just a few weeks ago we were visited by Eliza Dushku, who is the star of Whedon's current show "Dollhouse." She also got her biggest break in Hollywood when she picked up a recurring role in the third season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She talked a lot about "Dollhouse" but also about "WET," the video game she recently lent her voice to.

Before that, we were visited by David Boreanaz, who stopped by to talk about his hit show "Bones" but is best known as the heroic vampire with a soul from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." Boreanaz talked about the joys of working with Cyndi Lauper and the current vampire trend that he was way head of the curve on.

Earlier in the summer, "Castle" star Nathan Fillion sat down with Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick to play a little "Halo 3: ODST" (he provided voices for both that game and for "Halo 3"). But what was Fillion's original claim to fame? He was Captain Malcolm Reynolds on the short-lived but much-loved Whedon sci-fi western "Firefly" (as well as the film "Serenity").

So to any members of the Whedonverse who want to sit down for a talk with MTV News — including Alyson Hannigan (Willow from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Neil Patrick Harris (the titular character from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Amy Acker (Fred from "Angel"), Adam Baldwin (Jayne from "Firefly") or Alexis Denisof (Wesley from "Buffy" and "Angel") — just drop us a line and we'll carve out some time for you at the center of the Whedonverse.

By Rya Backer

Growing up watching MTV, I was always a big fan of the show "Making The Video." (Favorite episodes: Blink-182's "All The Small Things" and Lindsay Lohan's "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" — so tragic!) Now that I work at MTV and I get to visit the sets of music videos, it's always a real exciting coup.

On Sunday, fellow MTV Newsfolk Lisa Millstein, Saimon Kos and I headed to the SubMercer to check in on Leighton Meester and Robin Thicke's video for Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love." It may not be a Queen cover, but it's some great pop music. (If it played at my little cousin's Bat Mitzvah, I'd be on the dance floor in a big way.) The premise of the video involved Leighton trying to find — you guessed it — somebody to love. Thicke shows up at a hotel, in a crowded club and on the street looking to love her. I'll keep it vague, as it'll be out soon.

More importantly: Costumes. Thicke was wearing a really well-tailored black suit made out of an unconventional-looking material (it looked like hammered silk). When I further pressed him on what his suit was made of, he explained that it was the skin of an exotic land and sea animal (he was kidding). But Leighton was totally wearing animal: a short, black leather dress with buttons going up the back and a pair of 99-inch silver Galliano heels that wrapped around her leg. I feel like she cheated death with every step she took.

Elaborate music videos take a long time to shoot, and there is a lot of "hurry up and wait." That's a lot of what we did while waiting to grab some footage. However, there's something to be said about what happens when they do start to roll camera, as you're watching television magic happen!

It's worth noting that one of the coolest women who every smart girl needs to look up to, Zoe Cassavetes, directed the video. She's Sofia Coppola's BFF, and together they starred in "Ciao, LA" (also featuring three guys "from the hit series 'Sabotage'"). So, Zoe, if you're reading this, I'm a really big fan. And when I apologized because I accidentally knocked my bag into your side, I totally froze up and couldn't tell you why.

The Newsroom is clearing out for the weekend, and if you're like us, you're either headed to a screening of "Where the Wild Things Are," dinner at your favorite Mexican restaurant or drinks at the local tavern. But before you let yourself get mesmerized by Spike Jonze or order another quesadilla, check out everything you might have missed this week in the Newsroom. There were plenty of birthdays, big interviews and bucks hunted — something for everybody!

» There are still a few more days before "Michael Jackson's This Is It" opens, but the new song "This Is It" has already been unleashed. Though Paul Anka had some qualms, it seems like the public approved.

» The wrestling and music worlds lost a crossover icon this week, as Captain Lou Albano passed away. He'll be remembered for his great promos, his nose for television and his strange group of friends, including Hulk Hogan and Andy Warhol.

» I apologized to Miley Cyrus for driving her away from Twitter, but it didn't change her mind. Bummer.

» The soundtrack to "New Moon" is out in stores right now, so be sure to stay caught up with some great videos from the artists on the album.

» Jim Cantiello weighed in on Adam Lambert's new song "Time for Miracles," calling the "American Idol" runner-up's voice "brizzonculent" (whatever that means).
Read more...

"Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester has become the latest actress to unleash a song on the masses in an attempt at a crossover. The track, "Somebody to Love," features a guest spot from Robin Thicke and is the first single from Meester's forthcoming debut full-length album. It's bright, shiny dance beat (produced by Mike Caren and Oligee and written by Usher collaborator Rico Love) borrows heavily from classic Madonna tracks and provides a good base for Meester's shape-shifting voice. The track is also miles away from the type of music that "Gossip Girl" castmate Taylor Momsen has been producing with her band Pretty Reckless.

We know what we think, but what do the people thing? We decided to hit the street outside of MTV News headquarters, play the tune for some folks and get their initial reaction to it. It's a chilly day in Times Square today, but did Meester's "Somebody to Love" help provide some warmth?

The delightfully unscientific results are in, and the majority have sided with Meester and "Somebody to Love." 72 percent of the people we talked to in Times Square said that they were on board with it, citing the propulsive beat and the subtly catchy melody. Even the 28 percent who didn't like the track wanted to let Meester down easily. "I like the song, but she's better as an actress," said one respondent.

What do you think? Does "Somebody to Love" deserve heavy rotation or the old heave-ho? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!

By Rya Backer

Last night I did something I haven't done in, like, three weeks: I watched "Gossip Girl." Why? Because in the last 10 minutes, one of my favorite bands in the history of recorded music, Sonic Youth, showed up.

If you were watching last night, then perhaps later we can talk about why Georgina Sparks is just the worst person the world (ruining a wedding? Making Dan break up with a celebrity?) and how outlandish Carter Baizen's story line is. Actually, I take that back — I never want to talk about how he tried to marry the cousin of the girl Nate was dating. (At least I think that's how it went.) But let's talk about Sonic Youth!

The best night that Rufus and Lily spent as a couple was a lot of years ago, while Rufus and his band Lincoln Hawk were opening for Sonic Youth. They stayed at a motel where they drank wine out of "Welcome Back, Kotter!" mugs (Rufus got Lily a Horshack mug, because you were wondering). Later in the episode, they got into a fight about what kind of wedding they ought to have, and there was a montage that involved them looking at pictures of each other (in their respective apartments, natch) while "Antenna," a track from Sonic Youth's very good 2009 release The Eternal played.

And then there was wedding drama. Read more...

Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

There are an awful lot of "American Idol" alums in the news at the moment. The first Adam Lambert music has emerged, Kris Allen's album cover has been revealed, Kelly Clarkson's tour is gaining rave reviews and Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson are both getting Christmas specials. Not to be outdone, Jordin Sparks made a trip to London to drop in on the radio show "BBC One Live Lounge" to talk about touring with Britney Spears and her relationship with Simon Cowell. Though he doesn't have the "American Idol" judge's phone number, she did steal his car once. "I don't remember how that really worked out, but we were leaving dinner and there was a car sitting out there and it was Simon's driver," she said. "I was like, 'This is awesome!'"

Sparks wasn't the only star enjoying some international exposure yesterday. In support of her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Mariah Carey attended a press conference in Seoul, South Korea. Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake continued his extended stay in Las Vegas (which might as well be its own sovereign nation) for more charity golf events. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 300 candid shots of Britney Spears, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, the Backstreet Boys, the Jonas Brothers and the casts of "New Moon" and "Gossip Girl"!

Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Justin Timberlake is no stranger to the golf world — after all, the dude recently opened his own course outside of Memphis (where he grew up). He broke out the irons and woods over the weekend for the Shriners Hospital for Children Open, a charity golf tournament he hosts at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. The festivities kicked off with a youth clinic yesterday and will continue all this week, culminating in a special fundraising concert at Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center, which will feature Timberlake, Ciara, Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift and TLC. It's an impressive series of events for the tireless Timberlake, who will also appear on "The Jay Leno Show" tonight.

Timberlake isn't the only star who spent some time in Sin City over the weekend, as Mariah Carey also performed a special show at the Pearl at the Palms Casino. The concert was in support of her recently-released Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which has already spawned two hits in "Obsessed" (plus it's Gucci Mane-assisted remix) and "I Want to Know What Love Is." Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 300 candid pictures of Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Katy Perry and the casts of "Gossip Girl" and "New Moon"!