By Daniela Capistrano, photos by Bashira Webb

It felt destined to be an uneventful, summer rain-drenched night this past Friday evening in the trendy Village section of Manhattan. But a few strokes before midnight, DJ Herbert Holler strongly advised the staff at Le Poisson Rouge to wrap up sound check, as a throng of Amanda Blank fans were waiting.

"People are outside getting wet, man" he gently prodded.

While the petite MC wrapped up interviews backstage, DJ Herbert quickly warmed up the crowd with his blend of '80s top 40, hip-hop, house, rock, Motown and soca rhythms. The turnout was notably eclectic: A middle-aged man in a black suit gyrated on a small stage without much notice, while a preppy couple in Converse pogo'd nearby. Across the club, a group of ladies in almost identical jean skirts and flip flops mouthed lyrics to Naughty by Nature.

Though Santigold has been appearing on this tour (in support of Blank's new album I Love You), this show belonged soley to Amanda, and the fans seemed eager to get a taste of her not as a supporting character or hype woman, but as the main act.
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NEW YORK — Last night, on a cold and blustery May evening, I boarded a boat with a few friends to check out Passion Pit's release party for their new LP, Manners. Despite the weather, hundreds of hipsters and double the amount of leggings came out to dance, drink, smoke and enjoy the new sounds from the Boston based quintet.

First, though, we had to get past the sea-sickness. At the dock on West 41st Street and 12th Avenue, the wind was a bit stronger than we'd all hoped, and much of the early night conversation turned to advice like "just watch the horizon" or "maybe lay off the drinks till we get moving." I even saw one or two dramatic haircuts leaning over the side of the ship.

Finally, the music picked up and the rocking of the boat turned to some of the most creative dancing I've seen since the Knife's concert at CMJ in 2007 (if you've ever watched serious Knife fans dance, you know what I'm talking about). Read more...

Double-O had double duty last night at Sutra Lounge in Manhattan. One half of Kidz in the Hall not only celebrated his birthday, he was one of the house DJs. The birthday boy spun records like MGMT's "Electric Feel," M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" and Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" and "Homecoming." O couldn't contain himself and also played a brand new Kidz record. He played just around a minute of it, but the song was upbeat and uptempo.

"I definitely can't wait until this new album comes out," Double-O said of the Kidz's new project, slated to arrive later this year. Kidz in the Hall, which also includes Naledge, recently put out a video for the ‘09 version of Special Ed's ‘80s classic "I Got It Made." The song was made in conjunction with Reebok Classic — classic like a glass of Hennessy or Patrón. There was plenty of it at the bar. There was also a birthday cake that didn't get eaten until well after 1 a.m.

Model Ivana Fields also celebrated her birthday last night at Sutra, and the multitalented Amanda Diva was among the revelers who attended.

Chris Brown appeared in court today, but he has yet to enter a plea on the two felony counts of assault and making criminal threats, in connection with his alleged altercation with girlfriend Rihanna in early February.

So when will the R&B singer face the charges? He was granted a continuance in the case, and his arraignment has been pushed to April 6.

(For more on Chris Brown's day in court, head to MTV News.com.)

LOS ANGELES — We're in between filming here at the legendary Warner Bros. studio lot where tonight, America will decide who will take home the coveted title of "America's Best Dance Crew" — and here's what we've seen so far.

As we were filming some live hits, Beat Freaks, Team Millenia and Boxcuttahz all hit the stage together to rehearse their finale-opening performance, and were soon joined by Quest Crew, Dynamic Edition and Strikers All-stars. Then came the turn of Fly Khicks, Ringmasters and GOP.

In between, Mario Lopez was hard at work reading lines while talking on the phone at the same time — busy guy!

We caught up with JC Chasez backstage as he was getting ready to block the show and he's as curious as anyone about who tonight's winner will be.

The wardrobe department is working hard putting together several different outfits for almost 60 crew members, and there's even someone who goes around all the crews with a wet-wipe cleaning their shoes. (It's a tough job but someone's got to do it, I guess.) My personal award for best outfit has to go to the Fly Khicks — you'll understand why when you see the show tonight.

In between rehearsals, all nine crews kick it backstage like one big family, comparing moves, trying out new tricks and listening to music together. Even Dynamic Edition join in!

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the guest list. The award for biggest entourage for tonight is a tie between host Mario Lopez and judge JC Chasez, with Lil Mama following close behind — but with Mario actually on JC's personal guest list I think Mr. Chasez takes the award. It's a celebrity-packed audience as well, with Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon, some of the cast of "90210" and former "ABDC" winners SupaCrew all in attendance tonight.

Make sure you are too — the show airs tonight, live at 10 p.m. on MTV!

And even though the show may be over at 11 p.m., the party will continue as I host the live “America's Best Dance Crew” finale post-show, where we'll be talking to the winners, the runners-up, the judges and bringing you the real inside track from the "ABDC" finale! And be sure to check out the "America's Best Dance Crew" insider blog for all the latest!

The only thing missing behind the scenes at Britney Spears' Circus tour is a clown car. And who knows, maybe they've got one of those hidden around here somewhere ...

Minutes after Britney and her entourage arrived (at precisely 6:32 p.m. local time, btw) in a fleet of black SUVs, I was escorted through a labyrinth of corridors beneath the New Orleans Arena, past stagehands pushing platforms, dancers limbering up, crates of wardrobe, stressed-out makeup techs and stern-looking security guards to the nerve center of the entire operation: Britney's dressing room.

Of course, no photos were allowed, and I wasn't even here to talk to Britney ... I was there with the night's opening act, the Pussycat Dolls.

The Dolls were a bit tired -- after all, they had just flown in from Eastern Europe last night, and they were still working the kinks out of the evening's routine -- but I managed to ask them about the challenges of performing on an “in the round” stage, which gives the audience a 360-degree view of the action.

"The problem is, someone in the audience always has a view of your heiney," lead Doll Nicole Scherzinger explained.

Good to know. And while we'll have more on our chat with PCD tomorrow, I have to jet ... we're being led up to the press box right now. Looks like the Circus is about to begin!

In the shadow of the Louisiana Superdome sits the New Orleans Arena, the place where Britney Spears has pitched her tent.

It's the opening night of her Circus tour, and though doors don't open for roughly three hours, throngs of Brit's disciples — all decked out in their DayGlo finest — are already lining up for the big event.

Some have been here since 10 a.m., in fact — groups of fans from nearby towns like Lafayette and places like Jackson, Mississippi, each clutching homemade signs, singing Britney tunes, having impromptu dance-offs and letting anyone within earshot know that "it's Britney, bitch."

Justin, a 16-year-old from right here in New Orleans, wears a customized Britney jersey (his name is embroidered on the back) and swears he's her biggest fan. He's seen her on all of her tours (and had tickets for her Onyx Hotel show before it got canceled — he's not mad at Britney for that, btw) and is beyond pumped for tonight.

"It's going to be magic. This is Britney coming back," he enthuses. "I am so excited."
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By Todd Brown

While driving through Los Angeles over the past few days, I have noticed that one proposition on the California ballot is getting more attention than any other: Proposition 8, an initiative that would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. You can't go more than a mile on the streets of L.A. without seeing a sign for or against the proposition.

(More about Prop 8, after the jump!)
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Spotted: Leighton Meester walking the runway and giving up her Stuart Weitzman platforms in Union Square today.

Nope, not a spoof of Monday night's episode of "Gossip Girl," in which Dan Humphrey gave up his shoes to Chuck Bass, and Serena van der Woodsen strutted the runway while a jealous Blair Waldorf tried to sabotage the backstage goings-on. This time, there were no last-minute shenanigans, though Meester kept her fingers crossed. "I hope that doesn't come back to me!"

Watch Leighton on the runway after the jump!

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