Tonight is Hollywood's golden night -- the Golden Globe Awards that is! And The Twilight Saga: New Moon star Taylor Lautner is just one of the many stars that will be presenting tonight, when the show starts on NBC live at 5 to 8 p.m. PT, 8 to 11 p.m. ET.
And some favorites up for awards tonight are Twilight star Anna Kendrick, who also stars in Up in the Air with George Clooney nominated for best supporting actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, Glee for best comedy or musical TV show, Glee's Lea Michele for best actress in a comedy or musical TV show, and How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris for best supporting actor in a TV series.
Last night I saw by far my favorite concert of the year -- OP presents Boys Like Girls with Cobra Starship, The Maine, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge. I've never seen so much energy in one show!
My fave song by The Maine last night was actually the last one they performed (okay, it's one of my faves by them in general anyway!), "Girls Do What They Want." Lead singer John O'Callaghan was so into it felt like he got lost in the song! Plus after their set, I ran into a fan who was so excited to catch one of drummer Pat Kirch's drumsticks -- she said she had to practically fight the crowd to keep it! Now those are real fans!
I've never seen Cobra Starship live, but I have met lead singer Gabe Saporta, guitarist Ryland Blackinton, and bassist Alex Suarez before, so I was psyched to finally see them perform a full set. And they sure did perform for their hometown crowd! "It's good to be home, man," Gabe told the crowd at the beginning of the show. Cobra opened with "The City Is At War," got the crowd in a frenzy when they announced the song "Pete Wentz Is The Only Reason We're Famous," danced like madman to the latin-infused punk song "Smile For The Paparazzi," and rocked out to their newest single, "Hot Mess." But the highlight of the night was definitely their last song, when Gossip Girl'sLeighton Meester came out to perform Cobra's hit single "Good Girls Go Bad." It was the first time Leighton ever performed with Cobra live, and she brought two back-up dancers on stage with her! I've never seen a crowd go as nuts as they did for this song.
Well, that was until Boys Like Girls came on! Sure it helps that I know every song, but they had me hooked from the moment the second they hit the stage covering Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," which led right into their single, "Love Drunk." I was psyched to hear them play two of my fave tracks off their Boys Like Girls album, "Five Minutes To Midnight" and "Hero/Heroine," and it was awesome to hear VersaEmerge's lead singer Sierra Kusterbeck take on Taylor Swift's part in BLG's newest single, "Two Is Better Than One." But the absolutely best part of the night was when they took on their sick anthem, "The Great Escape" -- not only was it amazing to hear live, lead singer Martin Johnson invited everyone up on stage to sing with them!
It was a crazy way to end an awesome night of music!
Tell me J-14ers -- what's the best concert you've been to this year?
I was lucky enough to not just watch the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards being taped last night at NYC's Roseland Ballroom, but I got to head out on to the red carpet too! I talked to all the celebs about who they were excited to see at the awards show and, of course, talk about New Moon!
Sparks the Rescue's single is called "We Love Like Vampires," so I had to ask if they were Team Edward or Jacob. "Team Bella!" guitarist Toby McAllister told J-14. But Zooey Deschanel -- her hubby happens to be Death Cab For Cutie's lead singer Ben Gibbard -- told me she hasn't seen the movies! "I just haven't gotten to it, but I'm open to it," Zooey told J-14. "I love the soundtrack!"
Never Shout Never's Christopher Drew -- one of the night's big winners who told me, "I wish I was a vampire!" -- was psyched to see Death Cab perform, while singer Kenna loves Alicia Keys. In fact, he wanted her to win the Good Woodie award for charity work -- over himself! But would he pull a Kanye West if Alicia didn't win? "Yes," he told me. "I'll take the award from whoever - like if I win it, I'll take it from myself. Is [Taylor Swift] here? I want to give her a hug."
He wasn't the only one -- the Kanye incident was mentioned by rapper Asher Roth when he presented an award. But the biggest surprises of the night? Matt & Kim's back-up dancers stripping down during the band's opening number (they still had some clothes on -- don't worry!), 3OH!3 dressed up in two of Lady Gaga's craziest outfits, and Gossip Girl'sLeighton Meester presented with the legendary Cydni Lauper!
My fave parts of the night overall were just watching Death Cab perform their hit off the Twilight soundtrack, "Meet Me On The Equinox," and one of my all-time fave songs of theirs, "The Sound of Settling." P.O.S. rapping through the crowd was pretty cool too, as was mega rock band The Dead Weather performing three songs to close out the night -- after all, they're an awesome group who hardly ever take the stage!
You can check out all the madness when the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards when it premieres on Friday, December 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
There were tons of up-and-coming bands and indie groups there that I think you guys would love. So tell me -- what new bands are you interested in hearing about? Do you guys like finding out about new music?
As Gossip Girl's Dan Humphrey, Penn Badgley may have to deal with dating drama and long-lost relatives showing up... but he's going through a whole different kind of drama this weekend in the horror flick, The Stepfather, in theaters now!
Penn plays a guy who returns home from military school to discover that his mom's new husband is now living with them -- and that there's a mysterious side to his stepfather that his mom doesn't see.
But it's not the kind of scary movie you'd expect. "There's less eerie, creepy, bloody stuff and more relatability in the sense that's it's a slower, simpler movie that draws you in," Penn says.
But the best part? Tons of shirtless scenes with Penn! "I got to do a lot of my own stunts and do some fight sequences and that kind of stuff and I think that hopefully people will take it in stride and believe it," he says. "I think I was believable and, I mean, it was really fun for me. I took to it like a fish in water, which is a terrible analogy to make 'cause I'm in the water the entire time, shirtless."
The first single off the yet-to-be-titled album is called "Somebody to Love," a duet she did with singer Robin Thicke. (He sings the song "Lost Without You.")
There's no set release date for her album, but Leighton took to Twitter to talk about about excited she was for her first single to be released yesterday:
Do you like the song? Do you prefer Leighton as a singer or actress?
If one thing's for sure, the show Gossip Girl is full of D-R-A-M-A! Between the constant backstabbing, partying, and, of course, gossiping, it's hard to keep up with what's going on with your fave group of Upper East Siders.
Do you think the drama on Gossip Girl is accurate of your school's? Why or why not?
Um, did Cobra just ditch the Gossip Girl star? No way! Leighton's shooting GG in New York City, but Conan films in Los Angeles. So what's a band to do? Have R&B singer Estelle fill in, of course! Check out the vid of her singing with Cobra below.
Who do you think sings "Good Girls Go Bad" better -- Leighton Meester or Estelle?
Also -- which is your fave trend: Vanessa and Georgina's funky jewelry, Blair's pink heels, Serena's tie dye vest and boot combo, Georgina's ripped jeans, or the girls' colorful oversized bags?
Cobra Starship stopped by the J-14 offices last week and I had a total blast with them! You have to check out theses crazy facts about they dished to me about Leighton Meester, Twilight, and more!
1. Lead singer Gabe is a HUGE Gossip Girl fan. While they didn't chat with Leighton Meester about the show (Ryland says Leighton did tease Gabe for being a GG "fanboy"), they loved working with her in their "Good Girls Go Bad" video. Bassist Ryland called her "an absolute professional," while Gabe let us in on a little secret from the video. "The legs walking over us aren't Leighton's!" Gabe reveals.
2. The boys haven't read any of the Twilight books, but Ryland did ask if I was a vampire (I had a lovely Garfield band-aid from giving blood that day). Don't worry, J-14ers -- I told them about Edwards sparkling abilities and pointed out each of the Twilight hotties to them.
3. Guitarist Alex's fave song off of Hot Mess is the first track, "Nice Guys Finish Last." Gabe tells us the band tends to think up song titles first and writes lyrics around them.
4. Everyone on their record label, Decaydence, are friends, but they admit that they don't really sound like the other bands despite being all lumped together. Cobra is proud of their more electronic sound.
5. Ashley Tisdale has a track on her CD, Guilty Pleasure, called "Hot Mess" -- both titles are also songs off Cobra Starship's! Gabe called this out to her on Ash's Twitter, but Gabe revealed to us exclusively that as of July 8, she hadn't responded to him yet.
6. What would Gabe's perfect girl be like? "A hot mess!" he jokingly said. Ryland admits that Gabe does seem to get all the ladies.
Are you excited for Cobra's new album like I am? Why or why not?
Now today, it was announced that Hilary Duff will be joining the cast for several episodes! Hilary will play Olivia Burke, Vanessa's (played by Jessica Szohr) roommate at NYU. Hilary's first episode is set to air on October 5.
Do you think Hilary belongs with the gang on the Upper East Side? Do you think her character will be good or evil?
The CW is keeping it all in the family! Joanna Garcia - formerly of Reba fame but most recently on the now defunct show Privileged is joining the cast of Gossip Girl for four episodes.
Starting with the September 14 season premiere, Joanna will play Bree Buckley, a southern 'Miss-America' type from a conservative family who just happens to be the love interest to Chace Crawford's character, Nate Archibald.
Tell us -- what do you think of Gossip Girl's newest cast member? Are you excited for the show to come back? And which Gossip guy do you think is the cutest -- Chace, Penn Badgley, or Ed Westwick?
Move over Blair and Serena -- there's a new Chuck in the city! Or... is there? Bravo's new reality show NYC Prep premiered last night. Replacing the Real Housewives, this show follows a group of New York City prep school students living it up on the Upper East Side. Just like our favorite crew at Constance Billiard and St. Jude's, the NYC Prep kids are all about spending money, wearing fabulous clothing, going out, and... kind of about school.
NYC Prep may not be exactly like Gossip Girl -- but bad boy PC, (pictured below,) definitely seemed familiar. It may just be the blazer, the brooding stare, his way with women, the 'tude, and -- okay, well, a lot of things, but if Prep is anything like the CW show, PC is definitely Mr. Chuck Bass. Wonder who his Blair Waldorf is?
Dish below: did you watch the show last night? Did you like it, and will you be tuning in this summer? Which show do you like better: Gossip Girl or NYC Prep? Does PC remind you of Chuck? Would you trade lives with these kids if you had the chance?
Photos, Top to Bottom, L to R: Courtesy of Bravo Photo; Courtesy of The CW; Courtesy of Bravo Photo
Chace Crawford finally has a new leading lady! Country singer and Dancing With The Stars' alum Julianne Hough reportedly beat out Hayden Panettiere for the chance to star in the remake of Footloose along side the Gossip Girl hottie. Rumors flew that Hairspray's Amanda Bynes and Miley Cyrus were also being considered for the role at one point. But there is one small catch to the exciting news -- Julianne will only be in the movie if her schedule permits.
Chace jumped at the chance to play Ren McCormack (played by Kevin Bacon in the 1984 original) after Zac Efron dropped out of the flick in March. And with HSM's Kenny Ortega directing the flick, Chace is already learning exactly how Zac and Vanessa Hudgens felt after all their dance routines! "I've started prep for [Footloose, and I'm extremely sore... It's really intense," Chace explains. "We're getting the gymnastics and doing some workouts. I'm learning some basic moves. I've got a little rhythm. I'm realizing everyday how much of all the nine months [of prep] I'm going to need."
Footloose is expected to hit theaters in June 2010. Tell us -- have you seen the original Footloose? Are you excited for the remake? How do you think Chace will do once he straps on those dancing shoes?
As J-14 first reported, Zac Efron will no longer be in the remake of Footloose. There were rumors swirling that Gossip Girl hottie Chace Crawford would be replacing Zac as the lead character, Ren -- and J-14 can confirm that those rumors are true! Chace has officially signed on!
But every hot guy needs a leading lady -- and many of your favorite stars are up for the role of Ariel. Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough, Heroes' Hayden Panettiere, Hairspray's Amanda Bynes, and most recently, Miley Cyrus, have reportedly auditioned for the movie, which starts filming in March 2010.
Have you even seen the original Footloose? Do you think Chace will be a good Ren? Which actress do you think would rock the role of Ariel?
Tonight is the season finale of Gossip Girl. Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, and the rest of your fave Upper East Siders are graduating from HS -- and trying to discover the identity of Gossip Girl at the same time! Make sure to tune in tonight at 8 pm on The CW.
Cobra Starship premiered their brand new song, "Good Girls Go Bad," on Ryan Seacrest this morning, but it's no ordinary tune -- the track features Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester!
You can hear the new song right now on the band's MySpace page, even though the single doesn't go on sale on iTunes until Tuesday, May 12! Check out the song and tell us what you think about the tune, Leighton, and if you're psyched for their third album, Hot Mess, to drop August 11.
Photo: Courtesy of Julian Gilbert, Atlantic Records; Courtesy of The CW
Next Monday's episode of Gossip Girl will be a total '80s flashback. Are you pumped to learn more about Lily van der Woodsen's (younger Lily played by Brittany Snow) past or are you over the show?
