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!

Another week has come to a close here in the MTV Newsroom, and it's been an especially busy one. We saw some fascinating video premieres, a few great album previews, some hilarious interviews and at least one modeling lesson for one of our staffers. Before you hit the town to sing karaoke or go to a screening of "2012" (because the stupid Adirondack Mountains have had it coming to them for a while), check out everything you might have missed this week.

» This week was all about Taylor Swift. She brought big laughs on "Saturday Night Live," and then swept the CMA Awards. And just for good measure, producer Butch Walker paid her a tribute with a cover of "You Belong With Me."

» Kanye West probably didn't like this year's CMA Awards broadcast, but he can take solace in the fact that he would make the ideal Super Bowl performer.

» Veteran rock band Aerosmith threatened to come apart at the seams several times this week, so we provided a few helpful suggestions for possible Steven Tyler replacements.

» Looking to find some old, inexpensive music this weekend? Try some semi-forgotten albums from Air and the Strokes, as featured in the new edition of "Bargain Spins."

» New music from two "American Idol" artists got the preview treatment from Jim Cantiello, who really liked Kris Allen's self-titled debut but thought that Allison Iraheta's forthcoming record was a little less promising.
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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.

While most of North America begins to settle into the crisp, cold winter months, Britney Spears is enjoying the birth of the Australian summer. She has taken her Circus tour down under for a series of shows, marking the first time that Spears has performed live in Australia. Though the shows have been wildly entertaining, things haven't gone entirely to plan. According to reports, fans walked out on the first few shows while complaining that the performance was "boring" and "stiff." That news reportedly upset Spears, whose tour promoter said, "I'm embarrassed, with such a big international entourage here with Britney, to be part of the Australian media when I see that kind of totally inaccurate reporting" and claimed the stories about fans exiting were total fabrications. There has also been a bit of controversy over Spears' lip-synching during the shows — in fact, the Fair Trade Minister of New South Wales suggested that tickets should come with a disclaimer letting buyers know which parts of the concert were pre-recorded. Despite all the controversy, Spears seemed to be in good spirits on her way out of her hotel in Perth.

Elsewhere, Kristen Stewart teamed up with Sugar Ray Leonard to fight juvenile diabetes in Los Angeles and a whole host of stars — including Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — hung out at the Staples Center for the Lakers game on Sunday. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which contains more than 350 candid shots of stars like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Adam Lambert, 50 Cent, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna and Taylor Swift!

Britney Spears will release a new hits compilation called The Singles Collection this Tuesday, but on November 6, 2001, she dropped a key album in her musical evolution and the collection that marked her transition from teen starlet to international pop superstar. Britney was a true turning point for Spears, who had spent the end of the 20th century riding high on the success of ...Baby One More Time and Oops! ... I Did It Again. In the lead-up to her third album, there were rumors flying around that Britney would be a more evolved, more "adult"-sounding collection, and when the first single "I'm a Slave 4 U" dropped (assisted by a hypnotic Pharrell beat and a video that featured legions of sweaty, gyrating, half-naked dancers), the hype seemed to be legitimate.

But the real first blush with emancipation from her teen pop past came with "Overprotected," the album's second single. The song was Spears' most confessional lyric yet, stating that she's tired of being coddled and kept from the world. In the years that followed, Spears certainly managed to get out from under the thumbs of her oppressors (for better or for worse).

Britney debuted on top of the Billboard album charts, moving about 750,000 copies in its first week. Spears became the only female in history to have her first three albums debut in the top slot, and Britney has gone on to sell over nine million copies. In addition to "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Overprotected," it contained the hits "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," "I Love Rock and Roll" (her Joan Jett cover) and "Boys." Enjoy the video for "Overprotected" and consider how far Britney has come.

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.

James Brown was always called "the hardest working man in show business," but Britney Spears could certainly make a case for for that title (she'd be the hardest working woman, of course). She has a career-retrospective album coming out in a few weeks, and she's done dozens of dates on her high-energy Circus tour. Now she's taking it internationally, as she has a 14-date run through Australia starting on Friday. Yesterday, she found herself at the airport in Los Angeles to make her way out of the country, blend into her security detail and sip on a cup of soda from Taco Bell. It's a long flight to Perth (where Spears has a two night run in that city's Burswood Dome), but Spears has proven that she has the reserves to overcome her jet lag and to deliver a great show.

Travel was big for stars yesterday, as Robert Pattinson greeted fans in Japan (along with "New Moon" director Chris Weitz), while Carrie Underwood hopped to New York to promote her newest album on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Click here for these photos plus the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Madonna, Adam Lambert, Rihanna, Green Day, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers!

Britney Spears is back on top again, as her new single "3" (the lone new song on her forthcoming compilation The Singles Collection, which features 17 of her greatest hits and lands in stores on November 10) entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the top position (ending Jay Sean's single week at the top of the heap). She's the first artist to break onto the singles chart at #1 since Taylor Hicks did it three years ago, and she's the first non-"American Idol" to pull off that feat since Lauryn Hill broke into the Hot 100 with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998.

Yesterday, Spears shot a video for "3" that features the singer dressed in a lacey outfit and flanked by a pair of sweaty, muscle-bound dancers. It seems to match the suggestive tone of the song, which may or may not be about threesomes.

The Singles Collection will be available in a single disc edition as well as an "Ultimate Fan Box Set," which will contain each of Spears' 30 singles (including "3") as well as a DVD of every one of Spears' videos in chronological order. Each single gets its own disc, which will also contain b-sides and remixes as well as song-specific artwork and liner notes.

Spears has wrapped up the North American portion of her tour for Circus, her wildly successful 2008 album that spawned the hits "Womanizer," "If U Seek Amy," "Radar" and the title track. A few days before The Singles Collection drops, Spears will head to Australia for a three week tour down under. It's been a great year for Spears, who has been selling albums, moving concert tickets and mostly staying out of the tabloid spotlight.

(Click here for more behind the scenes photos from Britney Spears' "3" video shoot!)

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

Madonna's history with David Letterman is pretty checkered, especially considering her notorious 1994 appearance on the veteran talk show host's late night show. Madge was promoting her album Bedtime Stories and had an incredible 20 minutes of air time: She gave Letterman her underwear, cursed repeatedly, smoked a cigar, took exception to questions and jokes about her sex life and repeatedly insulted the host and his show. But that was then, and since then they've clearly patched things up. Last night, she visited "The Late Show with David Letterman" to talk about marriage, sports and pizza. She also acknowledged the previous appearances, even mentioning that a certain herb might have been responsible for her 1994 performance. The two even stepped out for dinner after the show taped, though during the show, Letterman took Madonna out for what she claimed was her first slice of New York style pizza.

Madonna and Letterman weren't the only two celebs getting out into the world yesterday. Shakira celebrated the release of her new album She Wolf in Milan, while Britney Spears took a sojourn to Target in Los Angeles to pick up some necessities. Click here for these and the rest of the photos in the "Spotted!" archive, including candid shots of Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Hilary Duff, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers!

By James Dinh

Some celebrities make sex tapes. Others bombard award-show speeches. But to make an absolute permanent mark on history, you have to break into the Guinness Book of World Records. In the 2010 edition of the book, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Katy Perry are just a few acts to make a name for themselves in the legendary compendium of human extremes. But unlike skateboarder and MTV personality Rob Dyrdek (who holds the record for the highest skateboard ramp jump into water) or his bodyguard Big Black (who ate three bananas in 1 minute), these stars are recognized for accomplishments that are a little more conventional.

For example, Britney Spears' record is based entirely on her groundbreaking sales figures. Brit is noted for being the youngest female artist to have five of her albums reach #1. She also moved an estimated 37 million records worldwide before turning 20, making her the "all-time best-selling teenage artist." Take that, Miley!

While Ho Hung Hee set the record for making the most expensive umbrella in the world (a whopping $2,000), Rihanna's rain-related entry is a little more impressive. Read more...

If they hadn't gotten divorced in 2007, today would have been the fifth wedding anniversary for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. The couple first met when Federline was working as a backup dancer, and their whirlwind romance lead to their marriage on September 18, 2004. Federline got a lot of heat early on, as he began dating Spears while his former girlfriend Shar Jackson was pregnant with their second child. Federline had two kids with Spears (Jayden James and Sean Preston), and the couple famously put their home movies on the air in the series "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic." Sadly, Spears filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and a major custody battle ensued (though the situation appears to have finally been ironed out).

When Federline was thrust into the spotlight as Spears' husband, he certainly attempted to make the most of it. While he has since carved out a reasonable acting career for himself and made notable appearances on WWE television, his biggest debacle was his attempt at a music career. He developed an album called Playing With Fire that featured Federline's limited rap skills. Though the record had a ton of buzz surrounding it (mostly for curiosity's sake), it was incredibly poorly received and lead to a series of embarrassing sales figures and under-attended concerts across the country. Federline hasn't gone back to music since, though he remains an occasional headline grabber. There are rumors that he is currently working on a reality show and has lately grabbed headlines because of some significant weight gain. In any event, he did get to make one club-tastic video for his song "Lose Control."