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.

U2 get a lot of credit for rising to prominence in the 1980s and still managing to be relevant in the 21st century. (Bruce Springsteen is often mentioned in the same sentence.) However, not enough people acknowledge Bon Jovi as a band who has managed to transcend their origins and become a massive institution. They dropped some of the biggest albums and singles in the hair metal era (namely Slippery When Wet and "You Give Love a Bad Name"), ran into some rough waters in the '90s (where they became mostly treacly balladeers) and then had an unlikely reinvention once the millennium turned over. They're now as much a classic rock band as anybody, and their country-inflected new batch of tunes The Circle debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart last week. This morning, they wore up early to play on "Today," and despite having more than three decades in the game, they still sound fresh (and frontman Jon Bon Jovi can still hit all the notes).

Bon Jovi weren't the only people in New York for a pre-Thanksgiving blitz, as Zac Efron visited "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "New Moon" star Ashley Greene dropped in on a Maxim party (celebrating her cover, of course). Click here for these pictures as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 300 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Katy Perry and Rihanna!

This morning, "Good Morning America" devoted a full 30 minutes of the program to Rihanna, where she spoke briefly and performed three songs: "Wait Your Turn (Tha Wait is Ova)," "Russian Roulette" and "Umbrella." It's incredible to think that only four years ago, she was an unknown singer who first grabbed attention with "Pon De Replay," an infectious island-inflected dance tune that introduced her unique point of view and approach to pop music.

Though Rihanna hadn't yet adopted her very particular style (which was best on display in videos like "Disturbia"), she was still a confident artist who sent herself head-first into her music. "It's just imagination, being creative; that's what my music is composed with," she said in her first interview with MTV News. "Being creative and thinking of situations, whether situations I went through or situations I've observed people going through."

Since she hadn't even cut the video for "Pon De Replay" yet (and was years away from delivering definitive performances on the 2007 and 2008 MTV Video Music Awards), her vision of the future was simple. "I can't tell you where I'll see myself in five years, but I can tell you I will work my best to be the most successful artist that I can be," she told MTV News.

Four years, three albums, a bunch of top-shelf collaborations and one massive, chart-topping single later, Rihanna has blossomed into one of the most forward-thinking artists in the hip-hop and R&B world. Take a look at her first interview with MTV News below, where it's clear that she may be young, but she wasn't naive.

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!

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" opened up to a record-busting weekend, bringing in over $140 million over the weekend (making it the third-largest film opening of all time, behind "Spider-Man 3" and "The Dark Knight"). Certainly the business generated by the second film in the series was due to the buzz created by stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart last week. The promotional push doesn't slow down this week on the TV talk shows, many of which are dark or running limited schedules because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Tonight, Ashley Greene will try to follow Pattinson's appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," while co-star Taylor Lautner will be Conan O'Brien's guest on "The Tonight Show."

Letterman also has some top-shelf musical talent this week, as he welcomes Rihanna on Tuesday night (November 24) and Adam Lambert on Wednesday (November 25). Conan, meanwhile, has Timbaland on tonight and Weezer on Tuesday. Need more Weezer? Check them out on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" tonight. Kimmel will also have Wolfmother and the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" (almost certainly Mya) on Tuesday.

Perhaps the strangest encounter this week will happen on "The Jay Leno Show," which tonight not only has California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger but also Lady Gaga, who is coming off a triumphant performance at last night's American Music Awards. Hardcore hip-hop heads can look forward to Jimmy Fallon's show every night (because you always get killer stuff from the Roots), but Wednesday night's episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" will feature a performance from Mos Def and Talib Kweli, who collaborated on the legendarily great album Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star and will no doubt throw down something fierce with the house band. But the story is still "New Moon" and probably will be for some time.

Look, we all know what you're doing this weekend. You're not preparing for Thanksgiving, raking the last of your leaves before the snow arrives or indulging in this year's batch of Beaujolais Nouveau. Rather, you're going to be at your local cinema watching Taylor Lautner's perfectly-sculpted abdominal muscles in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." And we can't blame you — it's a heck of a roller coaster ride through teenage angst and vampire mythology. But in between screenings (because you're obviously seeing it more than once), you should catch up on everything you missed this week here on the Newsroom blog.

» Last weekend saw a couple of cool-looking flash mobs in honor of Janet Jackson's Number Ones, and we had a first-person account from one of the dancers. (Be sure to catch Janet this Sunday on the American Music Awards, where she'll open the show.)

» MTV mourned the passing of comedian, TV producer and "Remote Control" host Ken Ober with classic clips and testimonials from friends.

» Rihanna premiered the hotly-anticipated video for "Russian Roulette," which really made us think about the head wound Balthazar Getty received in a David Lynch movie.

» Are you a hardcore fan of Adam Lambert, Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta? Make sure you enter our photo contest, with the winner receiving an autographed copy of the new issue of Elle magazine, which features all three!

» There was no shortage of other "American Idol" news this week. For example, we now know why Kris Allen changed his Twitter name.
Read more...

"It's gonna be sexy, I think. The wardrobe is amazing. I'm working with 10 dancers that I'm so impressed by. I was looking for a certain sensuality — five guys, five girls and they're all incredible."

-"American Idol" runner-up and For Your Entertainment mastermind Adam Lambert, telling MTV News about his upcoming performance on this Sunday night's American Music Awards broadcast, which marks the first time he'll sing in prime time since the "American Idol" finale in the spring. It'll be a big week for Lambert, as he will perform on Sunday and then drop his debut album on Monday, challenging a number of other high-profile artists (including Rihanna, Susan Boyle, Beyonc&233;, Lady Gaga and Shakira) to a Thanksgiving-week sales war. Lambert also talked about the band he brought together (the same group he just debuted online). "I auditioned a band a couple weeks ago that I've been working with," he told MTV News' Larry Carroll. "I'm so impressed by [them] and it feels really good to be part of a team situation again. It's great because I'm back in a team environment and it reminds me of my roots in musical theater." Check out Lambert — as well as the rest of the AMA performers, like Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem and Janet Jackson — this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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!

Considering how many chart-topping albums he has had and the number of smash singles he has released, it's amazing to think that Jay-Z has never had a song top the Billboard Hot 100, the definitive pop songs chart. That changed this morning, as his "Empire State of Mind" took the top spot in its tenth week of release. The track, which of course features a memorable hook care of Alicia Keys, picked up a ton of radio airplay in the wake of the New York Yankees' World Series win (the team ended up adopting it as a victory anthem). Meanwhile, "Run This Town," the first single from The Blueprint 3, remains in the top 20.

While it does mark the first time Jigga has had one of his own songs at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, it's not the first time his name has been associated with the top spot. He has been a guest on three other number one tunes: Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker," Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and Rihanna's "Umbrella." Keys is no stranger to the summit of the pop mountain either, as she has had two of her own songs hit the top spot ("Fallin'" and "No One") as well as another collaboration ("My Boo," with Usher).

Elsewhere on this week's Hot 100, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" jumped seven spots up the chart to #11, which suggests that it should bust into the top 10 the same week that her The Fame Monster gets its official release. Other big gainers included 50 Cent's "Baby by Me" and the version of "Defying Gravity" as performed by Chris Colfer and Lea Michele from "Glee."

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!