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.

Monday night (November 23) saw the premiere of the musical "Fela!" While the show celebrates the excellent and revolutionary music of Fela Kuti (who pioneered Afrobeat and gave birth to the roots of funk), the big headlines have come from the high-profile producers. The show ran into financial trouble early, until the likes of Will Smith and Jay-Z stepped up to provide backing for what they believed was an important story that needed to be told. Jigga walked the red carpet for the opening of "Fela!" last night and expressed his enthusiasm for the late Nigerian superstar. "It's an inspiration, about the power of music. Here's a guy that's on the other side of the world who was influenced by James Brown, who takes this thing and makes his own sort of genre of music," Jay said. "I just think it's fascinating."

Jay wasn't the only star on the "Fela!" red carpet last night (he was joined by the likes of Smith, Ben Stiller and Jimmy Fallon), nor was he the only star hitting the street (Zac Efron and Amber Rose both showed up to the premiere of "Me and Orson Welles" in New York). And this morning, both Rihanna and Alicia Keys performed on early morning shows. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which contains more than 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown and Shakira!

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.

A year ago, Susan Boyle was a simple woman living in Scotland with her cat and volunteering at her local church. Back in April, her appearance on "Britain's Got Talent" changed her life completely. Boyle walked onto the stage to chuckles and derision from the live crowd, but then delivered a stunning vocal rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Broadway musical Les Miserables that nearly brought professionally snippy talent judge Simon Cowell to tears. She immediately attracted the attention of record companies, who were not only interested in Boyle's impressive instrument but also in the buzz she created on the Internet (clips of her singing "I Dreamed a Dream" have been watched over 100 million times on YouTube alone). Today marks the incredible culmination of her journey, as her debut album I Dreamed a Dream is out in stores, and she celebrated with a performance on "Today." Once again, Boyle was in fine voice as she churned out "I Dreamed a Dream," her cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and the torch song "Cry Me a River" (made popular by Ella Fitzgerald).

Boyle wasn't the only star taking care of business in the last few days, as Spencer Pratt was spotted signing copies of his new book "How to Be Famous" at a bookstore in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in L.A., it was all about leisure, as Jay-Z, Polow Da Don and members of the Black Eyed Peas all took in yesterday's Lakers game (Kobe Bryant and friends scored another victory, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder). Click here for these pictures as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira, Adam Lambert and Mariah Carey!

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.

The American Music Awards are rarely a high-profile event, but that changes this weekend. Sunday night's show features a handful of high-profile performances by Janet Jackson (who will open the show with an eight-minute presentation), Adam Lambert, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Eminem (among others). Jennifer Lopez will also be performing (she'll roll out her new single "Louboutins" from her forthcoming new album Love?), and she spent yesterday on stage in Los Angeles rehearsing for the show. Based on the photos, the Lopez performance features a guest appearance by Michael Buffer (the "Let's get ready to rumble!" guy) and will have Lopez climbing all over her backup dancers and making a handful of leaps and jumps. It promises to be one of the big highlights in a show that should have no shortage of epic moments.

The American Music Awards air this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for the latest updates and coverage of the big show. In the meantime, click here for the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Pete Wentz and John Mayer!

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.

American country music is obviously massive on American shores, but it very rarely makes the transition onto the international stage. Like most things in life in 2009, the rules are different for Taylor Swift. She is currently in England for two huge shows, one in London at Wembley Arena, the other in Manchester at the Manchester Evening News Arena. It makes sense, as now that she has conquered this country with album sales, awards and hosting gigs on "Saturday Night Live," she might as well cross the ocean. Though her first show isn't until Monday (November 23), she is already in London seeing the sights and doing some promotional work. She was spotted outside of her hotel in the English capital yesterday, and based on the fervor surrounding her presence, it looks like she will have conquered the U.K. by this time next week.

She didn't have Europe to herself, though, as Mariah Carey was in Paris promoting Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Meanwhile, a multitude of stars — including the Olsen sisters, Ashley Greene and People's Sexiest Man of the Year Johnny Depp — came out to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the opening of the museum's tribute to Tim Burton. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Shakira, Adam Lambert and Rihanna!

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 might have been other cultural events happening last night, but as far as the pop universe is concerned, the only real event last night (and all week, really) was the premiere of "New Moon," the hotly-anticipated second entry in the "Twilight" film series. The film had its big red carpet event last night (check out last night's live blog over at Hollywood Crush for all the sordid details) that again brought together the series' hot trio of Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. The premiere was also attended by co-stars Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, as well as 50 Cent, Death Cab for Cutie frontman Chris Walla, Emma Roberts, OK Go, film director Kevin Smith and, of course, hundreds of fans who gathered outside the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles.

There were other lower-profile events happening yesterday too, as Rihanna celebrated the release of her new album Rated R at a London club and Justin Bieber hung out in Queens on the eve of his album's release. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Adam Lambert, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Shakira!

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.

Has anybody promoted his debut album better than Justin Bieber? The precocious 15-year-old posted some footage of him singing on the Internet, inspired a bidding war between Justin Timberlake and Usher (the latter won), amassed a ton of Twitter followers and Facebook friends, dropped a series of catchy singles (including the latest one, "Favorite Girl") and appeared on just about every television show available to musicians. Bieber's debut album My World hits the streets tomorrow, and Bieber kept up his push up on Sunday (November 15) with an appearance on "Good Morning America." He performed his first single "One Time" live on the show, and then when the cameras stopped rolling he sang a pair of Ne-Yo songs: "Because of You" and the new "Never Knew I Needed" (which is from the upcoming Disney animated film "The Princess and the Frog"). He won over yet another crowd (both live in the studio and on television), which bodes well for the debut of Bieber's album.

Bieber wasn't the only star who put in some work over the weekend, as Rihanna showed up in London to prepare for a big concert event and Janet Jackson appeared in Los Angeles to check out one of the flash mobs paying tribute to her. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which includes over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Madonna!

Today is Friday the 13th, a traditionally unlucky day on the calendar. Interestingly, there's no particular logic behind why there are superstitions surrounding the day, though there are several theories, the most convincing of which is that it's actually a mash-up of two different superstitions. 13 is a naturally unlucky number because in numerology, the number 12 is considered perfect (while 13 is prime and "unnatural"). In some cultures, Friday is considered an unlucky day, dating back centuries (Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday, making it something of a cursed day). Friday also has negative connotations in Norse traditions.

In the modern era, Friday the 13th has mostly been associated with the film series of the same name (about a sometimes supernatural mass murderer named Jason Voorhees) and a handful of natural disasters that happened to occur on the day (including the 1972 plane crash that inspired the film "Alive").

Though any evidence pointing to Friday the 13th being unlucky doesn't stop people from picking up an extra bit of paranoia ever time it rolls around. Luckily, there are music videos to help. Plenty of songs and clips have embraced the idea of luck (and, more importantly, keeping bad luck away). Madonna sang about her "Lucky Star," Jagged Edge declared one woman their "Lucky Charm" and Ace of Base celebrated "Lucky Love." And Fridays don't end poorly for the Cure (as long as "Friday I'm in Love" is to be believed).

So check out the official Friday the 13th video playlist, including those clips plus those from Jason Mraz, Tom Petty and, of course, Britney Spears.

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.

The Jonas Brothers' tour through Europe hit a bit of a hiccup last week when Nick caught an upper respiratory infection, forcing the group to cancel a concert in Zurich, Switzerland. But the trio have bounced back and continue on the road through the continent, stopping yesterday in Madrid, Spain. They paid a visit to Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium where top world soccer team Real Madrid plays its games. The brothers kicked the ball around and, after receiving customized Real Madrid shirts from the team, got their picture taken in front of international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo's locker.

The Jonas Brothers weren't the only stars indulging in their sports fandom yesterday, as the Black Eyed Peas hung out at the launch for Jump Footwear (for which Taboo designed a custom sneaker) and Mariah Carey was spotted outside her London hotel (she wasn't doing anything sports-related, though she was once linked with New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter). Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, featuring more than 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Shakira, Rihanna and 50 Cent!

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.

Former "American Idol" contestant David Archuleta didn't win the season he competed (that honor went to erstwhile Our Lady Peace fan David Cook), but in many ways it's worked out better for Archie. He has never had to deal with the pressure or scrutiny of being the winner, but there is still plenty of enthusiasm surrounding everything he works on (including his recently-released Christmas album). Plus, he's not hounded by photographers all that often. Really, it's the best kind of fame. Still, it was nice to see him show up in the paparazzi viewfinders yesterday, as Archuleta was spotted leaving high-end Los Angeles eatery Il Pastaio with singer and songwriter Kina Grannis.

He wasn't the only star who rolled in public yesterday, as Leona Lewis paid a visit to Radio One in London and Robin Thicke dropped in on a radio station in Miami. Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, Adam Lambert, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and 50 Cent!

Dye your hair with Kool-Aid and start joking about cutting, because 30-second snippets of Allison Iraheta's major label debut Just Like You have hit the web. Everybody knows I was less-than-thrilled with the super-poppy, heavily-processed vocals of Iraheta's Max Martin-produced single "Friday I'll Be Over U." But will the rest of her album make me happy? Let's go through these too-short snippets and see.

» "Friday I'll Be Over U"
This.

» "Robot Love"
In this pulsating electro-pop ditty (which samples Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part II"), Iraheta is pissed that her boyfriend is in love with a robot. Whether said robot is an actual lady cyborg or just an iPhone is to be determined. Also TBD? Whether this song will have a discernible melody. We're on track two and I'm already thinking "filler?" Ruh-roh.

» "Just Like You"
Good news: I'm finally hearing Allison's voice without a bunch of studio trickery around it. Bad news: The mid-tempo chorus is as generic as it gets, both melodically and lyrically. Good news again: The verse sounds more promising, where the sassy teen sings about deleting a dude's texts.

» "Don't Waste the Pretty"
Whoever gave Iraheta this bland track should be choked. (Like this!) Did Roxette or Savage Garden write this? Was this left over from a Natalie Imbruglia CD? (It turns out the offending parties are Michael Dennis Smith, Stefanie Ridel, Miriam Nervo and Olivia Nervo.) "Don't waste the pretty on life/ 'Cause soon it's gonna fly on by." How did this new-age feel-good gunk make it on to the Rocker's album?
Read more...