Who's the better rapper: Jay-Z or United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon?

That was the question on everyone's minds at last night's U.N. Global Leadership Gala, where Jay was being honored for his work with the U.N. and MTV on the "Water for Life" initiative.


Ki-moon paid tribute to the MC/honoree at the New York event by rapping for five minutes to the crowd. I believe two of the stanzas went something like this: "So many people out there experiencing so much strife/ Their life needs water ... Water for Life" and "I may be old, but I'm still a learner/ I see many friends out there, I see Ted Turner." Read More...

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This week is the week of coming out: From Lindsay Lohan finally admitting to dating DJ Sam Ronson "for a very long time" to Clay Aiken, proud new daddy and proudly out GAY man (no surprise there), it seems that everyone has decided to jump out of the closet and show Sarah Palin who they are. (Ha! Can Lindsay please hit on Governor P? Please??) And, OMFG, there was even a blind item this week about a famous TV housewife who is getting separated from her real-life husband (her beard?) and is rumored to be coming out SOON!

Anyway, long gone are the days when kissing a fellow contestant in a limo full of models was considered cool or edgy (three years ago, I kissed fellow contestant Sarah Rhoades in front of the cameras on "America's Next Top Model"), or when the statement "Yep, I'm gay" was actually daring — people claimed that would end Ellen DeGeneres' career, and now she's one of America's most beloved talk-show hosts, has a hot wife, and gets all the free episodes of "Arrested Development" that she wants! (Yep, I'm jealous.) Remember the uproar when some people claimed one of the Teletubbies might be gay? Read More...

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So, another installment of the new "90210" down, and only a few more pieces of juicy gossip for us crazed fans to relish. We found out this week that the father of Kelly's son Sam is someone she was involved with in high school. Apparently, they became involved again four years ago, the mystery man played father for a bit, then some issues got in the way, and he decided not to be a part of her son's life anymore. I sat on the edge of my seat with this new information. Is it Dylan? Brandon? WHICH ONE!?
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I've walked a few red carpets, but this year's Video Music Awards carpet is ridiculous!

It starts at Paramount Studios' historic Bronson Gate, just off Melrose Avenue, then runs westward nearly a quarter-mile along the lot's shady Marathon Street.

Nearly 50 carpenters, electricians, stagehands and set builders have spent an entire week hanging 300 feet of step-and-repeat and laying over 8,000 square feet of plush red, yellow and blue carpet -- not to mention thousands of feet of cable.

Everyone from "ET" to AP to TMZ -- more than 200 credentialed media outlets overall -- will be on hand, along with nearly 1,000 lucky fans.

Of course, MTV News has the carpet covered from head to toe: John Norris will be at the limo drop, Tim Kash and I will be on home base, Taylor Swift will have her own fashion platform and Sway will be overhead in MTV News' first-ever news chopper!

It's massive. But don't take my word for it! Check out this sneak-peek video from our production walk-through this morning.

And don't miss MTV News' "Opening Act" at 8 p.m., live from the red carpet, followed by the main event -- the 2008 Video Music Awards -- at 9 p.m. sharp!

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To be honest, I haven't seen that much of Russell Brand's stand-up, so I didn't know what to expect from his VMA press conference.

When he finally walked in, he banged out, like, 25 jokes in a row! It's constant — not one joke here and one joke there. It's less like stand-up and more like a hilarious personality.

We talked on the way to Kid Rock's rehearsal and had this really funny, really weird conversation. I'm pretty sure he was making some sort of sexual joke when he said he was going to take me to his dressing room and decorate me.

Anyway, he knocked the press conference outta the park and unleashed all sorts of Video Music Awards secrets.


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A new "Beverly Hills, 90210"? Well, that seems a stretch for what I saw last night. Yes, seeing that famous Beverly Hills High sign was comforting and watching a 6,256-year-old Nat make coffee at the Peach Pit felt familiar, but one of the first scenes is Ethan (who surfs but is not nearly as hot as Dylan McKay) receiving oral sex outside of school. Dylan would never do that! What's incredible to me is that even though the old series would never insinuate such activities, it still seemed more exciting, daring and juicy than the new "90210." With the exception of "Gossip Girl" and "The Hills," it seems that shows about young adults that try desperately to keep up with the times generally fall short.

I'm certainly not saying that I've given up on the new series — in fact, I'm excited about it. Brenda in town for a month to help with the play? Brandon is in Belize? (Of course he is.) And Kelly is totally going to have an affair with the principal — how rude! In full disclosure, I've been reunited with my childhood crush as well — Lori Loughlin a.k.a. Aunt Becky from "Full House" — not to mention my all-time favorite actress, Jessica Walter, who was brilliant and true to form. Another highlight was Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez, about whom sexy teacher and lacrosse coach Mr. Matthews commented, "Wait, is that girl 30?!" — a fantastic and hilarious reference to Gabrielle Carteris' character on the old series, Andrea Zuckerman.
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It's been 18 years since I first met the West Beverly gang, and eight years since I had to say goodbye. Brenda and Dylan, Kelly and Brandon, Donna and David — I spent every Wednesday night with those guys! (Steve and Andrea tagged along too. ... Ehh.) In just a few days, thanks to the CW's new ""90210," I will be reunited with two members of the old gang, mid-series addition Matt (who dated and almost married Kelly), Jessica Walter (a.k.a. Lucille Bluth from "Arrested Development" — is this a dream?!) and a bunch of strangers that I have yet to accept as part of the group.

Here are the top 10 things I, an avid (OK, very obsessed) "Beverly Hills, 90210" fan, am looking forward to:

10. The new West Beverly High. A new cafeteria? Did the school go green? Will David's half brother Aaron Silver — yes he's on the new season — be the school DJ? Read More...

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[Editor's note: MTV News correspondent Kim Stolz was a finalist on "America's Next Top Model" in 2005.]

IsisSix cycles and three years after Nigel Barker nicknamed me "Tim" (like, I get it — he thinks I'm too gay), "America's Next Top Model" has announced that one of the contestants of Cycle 11 is transgender. This, no doubt, is quite a historic move for the show, which previously had a sort of unspoken "must be born a woman" clause. However, from scrolling through the photographs of the Cycle 11 girls, Isis looks just as — if not more — qualified than the rest. She's more model-esque than most of her competitors, with long, skinny legs, and it's clear that she's had top surgery (her boobs are bigger and prettier than almost all of the girls' — oh my!). Plus, I'd bet my "ANTM" earnings (OK, fine, a lot more than that) that she's got the best walk of the bunch.
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Upon hearing that I was being sent to Reykjavik to interview Sigur Rós, the Icelandic foursome that has brought its audience structured, slow-building tracks that can even be described as epic and heroic, my mind immediately cut to this interview they did on NPR.

To say the least, I was nervous. Nonetheless, I had been a longtime Sigur Rós fan, and was quickly becoming obsessed with Með Suð í Eyrum Við spilum endalaust, their fifth album. It's perhaps more experimental than the others — faster and with a greater sense of freedom. So, I set out to Iceland with one goal in mind: to get answers to my questions and to earn their respect.

Perhaps the perfect sonic storm came together that day, on a soccer field, close to where they would be sharing the stage with Björk that night. Or maybe my adrenaline was at a perfect speed, after consuming the magical Icelandic hot dogs (no, seriously, they are amazing). But Georg and Orri seemed excited to talk to me, and even shared some intimate details about their songwriting, lyrics (there is one in English on Með Suð) and the evolution of their sound.


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Who Wore It Better?

Back from a week in L.A., I sat down on my sofa Wednesday night to relax and watch my favorite shows: "Lost," "The American Experience," re-runs of "90210" (yes, I'm serious) and, of course, "Top Chef." On "Top Chef," the four remaining contestants were sent to Puerto Rico to compete for the three final spots. As I was watching (and eating, now that I have at least a month or so until I have to fit into another red-carpet look), I realized that host Padma Lakshmi — an internationally known actress, food expert, model and award-winning writer — was wearing a very familiar dress.

The MTV audience had voted for the week or so before the big show on which dress I should wear for the MTV Movie Awards preshow. Two dresses came out on top, so I decided to wear both, one for the preshow and one for my interviews backstage during the show and at the afterparty. The post-show/afterparty dress was a beautiful, strikingly light-blue dress by Yigal Azrouel. Compliments on this dress throughout the night came from Paris Hilton, T.I., Nicole from PCD, Sarah Jessica Parker (!!!) and others. As I said goodbye to the dress and left L.A., I didn't know I'd be reunited with its image so soon! However, as I squinted my eyes to better see the TV screen, I recognized that Padma was wearing the very same Yigal dress.

So ... the question of course becomes: WHO WORE IT BETTER?!?! I've lost this game once before, in a magazine, to Rebecca Romijn. Can I pull off a win now? Vote below!

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