Britney Spears, Diddy, Paris Hilton and Dallas Austin at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Saturday night
Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com

(Editor's note: The VMAs are a big assignment, and with this year's show taking over Las Vegas all week long, our friends at Us Weekly are helping us make sure we've got every glittering inch of the Strip covered. You'll see their celebrity reporting here at MTV.com this week, and you'll find our music reporting over at UsMagazine.com.)

Britney Spears' motto for her weekend in Las Vegas: "Gimme more." With buzz building about her big VMA stage show, the singer, 25, was in typical form the night of September 8, hitting the Vegas clubs until the wee hours of the morning and hobnobbing with celeb friends: including her former bff Paris Hilton and new pal Diddy!

(Check out photos from Brit's big night right here.)

Her first stop after checking out a Cirque du Soleil show at Treasure Island with four pals was The Hard Rock Café, where 50 Cent was throwing a huge soiree. Spears, wearing a slinky spaghetti strap dress and a tan fedora hat, arrived at 12:27 am and, though it may have been 50's party, she was clearly the guest of honor. After the pop star found a VIP booth with Diddy, 37, and Hilton, 26, the DJ shouted out, "Give it up for Britney Spears!" and the crowd erupted in cheers.

After Hilton made her way to another club (so many parties, so little time), Spears followed Diddy over to Tao at 1:30 am, where the two chilled in a corner booth, drawing stares from fellow revelers. "She was dancing and having a good time with Diddy all night," says an eyewitness, who spotted the mom of two swilling cocktails with her rapper pal at club Jet after 2am. "She was drinking and letting off steam." The partying duo finally left Jet close to 3am.

But the night was still young! Two hours after leaving the club, a lollipop-sucking Spears (wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and a straw fedora) was spotted heading to Diddy's suite at the Palms Hotel Fantasy Tower with two gal pals. Shortly after her arrival at the rapper's after-after party, Spears and one of her friends went to the upstairs portion of the suite with Diddy following closely behind.

No word on when Spears actually went to bed, but she was still out and about at dawn: a mere 12 hours before her VMA performance.

Wait -- don't cash out on the VMAs just yet! From Britney's sultry comeback performance to the big winners, you saw it all -- well, almost everything! Get yourself even richer with our wall-to-wall show coverage, party reports, videos and loads more at www.VMA.MTV.com. For reports, photos, video and much, much more from previous VMAs, dive into the VMA archives.

• Britney's Chaotic VMA Weekend
• VMAs 2007: The Vegas Honeymoon
• Britney Spears' Comeback: The Fans Can't Wait!

• Britney's VMA Weekend: From Los Angeles To Las Vegas
• Adrian Grenier, Nelly, Shia LaBeouf, Britney And More Stars Spotted In Vegas
• Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene
• Piece Of Me: Britney's Best VMA Moments

• Britney Spears
• Diddy
• Dallas Austin
• Paris Hilton

JC Chasez
Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

JC Chasez candidly describes his new single as being "about your girlfriend getting knocked up by another man."

So just what inspired him and the song's producer, Justin Timberlake, to write "Until Yesterday" (see "JC Chasez Works With Justin On Adultery Track, OK Go On Dance Moves")?

"It's not autobiographical," Chasez promptly noted. "We just wanted to push the limits. It just seems like everybody has heard a breakup song a hundred times or a thousand times. And they've heard, 'I don't like you anymore' a thousand times, or 'You make me sick, you used me, blah blah blah.' So we thought we'd pepper it with some drama and it made it an interesting song."

Although JC and Justin have remained close friends since the unofficial end of 'NSYNC, this marks their first time collaborating since both went solo.

"We were just hanging out one night and he was like, 'Why don't we do a tune together?' " Chasez recalled. "And I was like, 'Sure, man, why not?' And it literally was that easy. And that's actually the second song we wrote. The first song we wrote was called 'God Bless America,' which is a really cool record, and then we did ['Until Yesterday'] and there was just so much magic in it. Between the drama in the story and the music itself, it just kind of stood out from the rest of the stuff we've been hearing lately."

Chasez and Timberlake have since made one more track together, another relationship exposé called "It's Over Before It Began." "We just wanted to find interesting perspectives, and that is what I do with my songwriting — make sure the story is there," Chasez said. "And you know Justin has got more groove than just about anybody out there, so there is a great combination when the two of us get together in the studio."

Timbaland (Justin's producer of choice) also worked with Chasez, as did Dallas Austin, who helmed a good portion of JC's first solo LP, 2003's Schizophrenic. There's no title or exact release date yet for the album, but Chasez said to expect it in February or March.

Meanwhile, "Until Yesterday" is going to radio this month, with a tune called "Satellite" poised to be its potential follow-up. "I have to say I have put together a great record," Chasez said. "That's why I took my time with it, because I wanted to make sure that I came out with the best record that I possibly could."

• JC Chasez
• Justin Timberlake
• *NSYNC
• Dallas Austin

Senator Orrin Hatch and Dallas Austin
Photo: Alex Wong/Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

A conservative Republican senator/songwriter, an '80s R&B singer who is inexplicably massive in the Middle East, a real-estate mogul, several ambassadors from around the globe and a Grammy-winning producer who is best known for moving musical mountains — not political ones.

That's the unlikely coalition of people who got together — "Super Friends" style — to help work out a deal for Atlanta producer Dallas Austin to avoid a four-year prison sentence in Dubai (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Released From Dubai Jail").

According to The New York Times, Austin's pardoning last week after his conviction on drug possession charges came courtesy of some high-level string-pulling. Behind the feat: Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, singer Lionel Richie, producer Quincy Jones and a fleet of well-connected businessmen and lawyers who vouched for Austin's character.

The often confusing tale reads like an international political thriller. Austin, 35, known for producing everyone from Madonna to TLC, flew home Wednesday, less than a day after being sentenced to four years in jail for carrying just more than a gram of cocaine when he entered Dubai on May 19 to attend a birthday party for model Naomi Campbell. He pleaded guilty Sunday to possessing 1.26 grams of cocaine and a few capsules of Ecstasy (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges in Dubai").

According to the Times, not long after his arrest (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Imprisoned In Dubai On Drug Charges"), the wheels of justice began turning on Austin's behalf, beginning with a few calls from Senator Hatch to the ambassador and consul of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Washington, D.C. Austin's lawyers asked Hatch to make calls on the producer's behalf, the Times reported.

Following Hatch's call, Richie received a call from the UAE's consul in Washington asking for a character reference, the "All Night Long" singer told the Times.

"It was, 'Tell me what kind of guy is Dallas Austin,' " Richie said. "I said, 'Listen, this is a great guy. He's done a great job for the community. A gangster, a hoodlum, a thug, he's not.' "

In a lucky coincidence, one of Austin's lawyers, Joel Katz, also happens to represent Hatch, a singer/songwriter who has recorded a number of religious and patriotic albums with titles such as My God Is Love, Put Your Arms Around the World, America United and How His Glory Shines.

In another unlikely stroke of luck, Hatch is a proponent of rehabilitation for drug offenders and has been involved in efforts to revise federal sentencing guidelines regarding cocaine, as well as advocating treatment for nonviolent offenders. In a statement, Hatch said he was "confident that this talented young man will learn from this experience."

Even though one of Richie's managers, Randy Phillips, said Austin was lucky to have known the right people who would go out on a limb to save him from a potentially harrowing prison experience, the Times reported that such pardons are not unusual in Dubai.

After Austin was arrested by police at the Dubai International Airport, almost immediately Katz hired three local attorneys, who were able to get the initial charge reduced from drug trafficking — which can carry a life sentence — to possession. At that time, discussions had already begun about securing a pardon for Austin, since he only had a small amount of drugs intended for personal use.

Katz also reached out to a Washington law firm with ties to Hatch, who has pull in Dubai because he supported the failed bid earlier this year by the UAE-based DP World company to manage U.S. ports. The lawyer put in a call to Prince Abdullah of neighboring Bahrain as well, thinking the prince might have some advice given his recent assistance in helping troubled pop star Michael Jackson move to his country.

While Katz was working the Washington angle, one of Austin's musical mentors, producer Jones, contacted his friend, Virginia real estate investor Joe Robert, who has interests in the Persian Gulf; Robert is also a friend of Austin's.

Jones and Robert called some of their key contacts in the Middle East, including senior UAE officials, according to the Times. But perhaps the biggest favor called in was from Richie, who is a huge cult favorite throughout much of the Arab world and who is familiar with several senior officials in Dubai after performing there twice earlier this year.

Though it was unknown whether the pardon would happen until the last minute, once Austin pleaded guilty and told the court he did not mean to break the law, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktum, granted the pardon four hours later. His ordeal over, Austin boarded a flight for New York and released a statement Friday night.

"This unfortunate experience has had a profound effect on me, and I regret any grief caused to my family, friends and business associates," the statement read. A spokesperson for Austin declined to comment for this story and Katz deferred comment to Austin's publicist.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Austin attended church services Sunday in Atlanta at the Word of Faith Family Worship Center along with attorney Katz. It was his first public appearance since his return from Dubai, but when Bishop Dale Bronner acknowledged the producer and Katz from the pulpit and showed them on the big screen, Austin declined to address the congregation.

• Dallas Austin
• Lionel Richie

Dallas Austin
Photo: Getty/Fernando Leon

Dallas Austin was released from a Dubai jail and has left the United Arab Emirates, a lawyer for the producer told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution on Wednesday. "He is on a plane and safely out of the country," Atlanta-based attorney Joel A. Katz said in an e-mail to the newspaper.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum pardoned the American R&B producer Tuesday, hours after he was sentenced to four years in prison for possession of cocaine. Dubai prosecutors confirmed that Austin was pardoned, on the condition that he leave Dubai as soon as all the paperwork to process his release was completed. Austin would have to get permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to return to the country.

"The Austin family and countless dear friends are very happy to have Dallas back home, safe and sound," Austin's representative, Michelle Benson, said. "They also are grateful to the leadership of the UAE and Dubai for their sensitivity and humanity."

Austin, 33 — who's worked with TLC, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Pink, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and many others over his 17-year career — was traveling to Dubai to attend Naomi Campbell's three-day birthday party at the Burj Al Arab hotel when he was detained at Dubai International Airport on May 19 (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Imprisoned In Dubai On Drug Charges").

Dubai police had pulled Austin aside at customs upon his arrival at the airport and searched his luggage, where they found a small bag containing slightly more than a gram of cocaine. The presence of restricted drugs and medication in the body can count as possession in the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf nation in which Dubai is located, and Austin's urine had also tested positive for drugs, according to authorities.

Austin claimed at his arraignment on Sunday that he was only guilty "by mistake" (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges in Dubai"). "I had no knowledge and no intention of violating the law," he told the court.

[This story was originally published on 07.04.06 at 10:18 a.m. ET]

• Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Hitmaker Dallas Austin has pleaded guilty to drug charges in Dubai, where he's been imprisoned for more than a month, local authorities have confirmed. Austin claimed at a hearing on Sunday (July 2) that he did not know he was carrying drugs.

"I'm pleading guilty, but by mistake," he told the court. "I had no knowledge and no intention of violating the law."

Austin, 33 -- who's worked with TLC, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Pink, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and many others over his 17-year career -- was traveling to Dubai to attend Naomi Campbell's three-day birthday party at the Burj Al Arab hotel when he was detained at Dubai International Airport on May 19 (see "Hitmaker Dallas Austin Imprisoned In Dubai On Drug Charges"). He is being held at Al Rashidiya jail, where he is being allowed visitors.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, journalists in Dubai speculate that Austin's lawyers will seek a pardon. Legal experts in Dubai say an admission of guilt is necessary before being granted a pardon.

According to local authorities, Dubai police had pulled Austin aside at customs upon his arrival at the airport and searched his luggage, in which they found a small bag containing slightly more than a gram of cocaine. A clerk at the Dubai Court of First Instance referred to the charges Austin faces as "possessing and taking drugs." The presence of restricted drugs and medication in the body can count as possession in the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf nation in which Dubai is located, and Austin's urine tested positive for drugs, although authorities have yet to confirm which ones.

Dubai police stopped short of charging Austin with trafficking, which can result in a death-penalty sentence in the U.A.E. Instead, officers characterized the amount of drugs Austin is alleged to have had in his possession as small, indicating it would likely have been for personal use.

Dubai's public prosecutor said that the reason Austin was carrying the drugs would determine the length of the producer's prison sentence. Based on the amount found in his possession, the most time Austin would serve is five years. Even a small quantity of a controlled substance (which includes some over-the-counter U.S. drugs) can result in a four- to 15-year sentence in the U.A.E.

Sources close to Austin suggest that the producer aroused suspicion when, after first going through airport security upon arrival, he went back to retrieve something he had forgotten on the plane. The sources said any cocaine in Austin's possession must have been a trace residue in a borrowed traveling bag.

The State Department and the U.S. Consulate are attempting to assist Austin, but declined to provide further information about this specific case. A State Department official said in these types of cases the office typically supplies a list of local lawyers, contacts family members and seeks funds on the prisoner's behalf, provides a loan if needed, visits the jail to make sure the prisoner is being treated fairly and provides basic toiletries.

Austin is scheduled to be sentenced at the Dubai Court of First Instance on July 4.

• Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Hitmaker Dallas Austin has been in a Dubai prison for more than a month on drug charges, local authorities have confirmed.

Austin, 33 — who's worked with TLC, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Pink, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and many others over his 17-year career — was traveling to Dubai to attend Naomi Campbell's three-day birthday party at the Burj Al Arab hotel when he was detained at Dubai International Airport on May 19. He is currently being held at Al Rashidiya prison, where he is being allowed visitors.

While Dubai police did confirm that Austin is being held on drug charges, they stopped short of accusing him of trafficking, which can result in a death-penalty sentence in the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf nation in which Dubai is located. Instead, officers characterized the amount of drugs Austin is alleged to have had in his possession as small, indicating it would likely have been for personal use.

A clerk at the Dubai Court of First Instance referred to the charges as "possessing and taking drugs," which could mean that Austin was allegedly seen taking drugs, or that traces of drugs were allegedly in his system. Under U.A.E. law, the presence of restricted drugs and medication in the body can count as possession — even if an individual used a substance before arriving in the country. A British woman named Tracy Lewis was held for eight weeks in a Dubai jail in 2005 after testing positive for prescription drugs codeine and temazepam — even though codeine is available over-the-counter in England and one of the drugs found in her system was prescribed to her at the Dubai airport clinic.

Even a small quantity of a controlled substance (which can include some over-the-counter U.S. drugs and even poppy seeds) can result in a four- to 15-year sentence in the U.A.E. However, police estimated that Austin would likely receive a sentence of one to two years, depending on the results of their ongoing investigation. Dubai police did not specify whether Austin possessed cocaine, as some news outlets reported Friday, but did say that he allegedly possessed marijuana.

Sources close to Austin suggest that the producer aroused suspicion when, after first going through airport security upon arrival, he went back to retrieve something he had forgotten on the plane. The sources said any cocaine in Austin's possession must have been a trace residue in a borrowed traveling bag.

The sources also said that Austin may have possessed the sleeping aid Ambien (also called Sonata or Zaleplon), which is not considered a narcotic but is on the U.A.E.'s list of restricted medications.

The State Department and the U.S. Consulate are attempting to assist Austin, but declined to provide further information about this specific case. A State Department official said in these types of cases the office typically supplies a list of local lawyers, contacts family members and seeks funds on the prisoner's behalf, provides a loan if needed, visits the jail to make sure the prisoner is being treated fairly and provides basic toiletries.

Austin is scheduled to enter a plea at the Dubai Court of First Instance on July 2.

• Dallas Austin

Sammie
Photo: Business Wire/Getty Images

We couldn't get enough of them. Their songs were our soundtrack, and we laughed, danced, cried and loved along with them. They flashed across our radio and TV burning brightly — but where have they been lately? As you'll find out in our new regular feature Where Ya Been?, sometimes the stories behind your favorite songs are more interesting than the hits themselves.

 
Who: Sammie (born Sammie Bush)

Biggest hit: "I Like It"

Claim to fame: Helped pave the way for the current wave of teen male R&B crooners.

Why do I know that name?: It's been a while since we heard from preteen R&B sensation Sammie. The pint-size singer exploded on the scene in the late '90s as a 12-year-old after paying his dues singing in his Miami church from the age of 4. When a grade-school music teacher noticed his chops, he was transferred to a performing arts magnet school and joined up with two older boys in a vocal group, the Wonder 3. Before long, they were auditioning for "It's Showtime at the Apollo," but Sammie was the only one the program wanted. He debuted on the "Apollo Kids" segment in 1998 and won the finals for his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" the following year. The "Apollo" win put Sammie on the radar of Atlanta-based hitmaker Dallas Austin (Boyz II Men, TLC), who co-wrote and executive produced the singer's 2000 debut, From the Bottom to the Top, which was recorded the summer after he completed sixth grade. The album drew comparisons to both Wonder and the young Michael Jackson, and Sammie said the attention was, well, amazing. "It was a lot of fun [being a star at 12]," recalled Sammie, now 18, of his string of hits that included "I Like It" and "Crazy Things I Do." "At such a young age, to travel the world and have girls scream over you — it's very different from what most 12-year-olds are accustomed to."

Reading, writing and reeling it back in: After another hit, the title track to the forgettable Keanu Reeves flick "Hardball" — a song that featured fellow half-pints Bow Wow, Lil Wayne and Lil' Zane — Sammie voluntarily pulled the plug on his career in an attempt to salvage something of a more typical high school experience. "It just popped up," said Sammie of his decision to quit the biz and go back to finish school. "I never anticipated stopping, but I thought about it and it felt like the best thing to do. I always knew I'd come back, though. People see me and think I'm still that 12-year-old kid and they're surprised at how big I got to be."

High school confidential: When Sammie started ninth grade and "Hardball" was in theaters, he was so mobbed by autograph seekers in the halls of his high school that he needed a security escort to get from class to class. "But by the end of my sophomore year, it faded away and people started treating me like a regular guy," he recalled. He also played on the school's basketball team and was crowned homecoming king.

Call it a comeback: By junior year, Sammie had joined choir to get his voice — which had dropped noticeably lower — back into shape. After consulting with his mom, he decided to begin the second act of his career. When Hurricane Frances hit Florida in 2004, his family evacuated to Atlanta, which is how he ended up at a birthday party for Austin. "He was in shock at how big I had gotten and he said right away, 'I want to sign you,' " Sammie said of the producer, with whom he had kept in touch over the years. He is now signed to Austin's recently relaunched Rowdy Records and just filmed the first video from his upcoming second album, Sammie, for the Jazze Pha-produced "You Should Be My Girl," featuring Sean Paul from the Youngbloodz. He's also signed on for his first film role, alongside fellow young crooner Ne-Yo, in "Steppin'." "It's not scary, but I'm more anxious now," said Sammie, who co-wrote many of the songs on his adult, R&B-flavored new album. "I'm working out in the gym all the time because these young boys out here with those ab muscles ... it's a lot of hard work, but I'm not a new artist, I just have to re-establish myself."

The moral: Staying in school can be cool. "If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, 'Sammie, what happened?,' I wouldn't have to sing for my income," the singer joked. "A lot of people do get forgotten, but if it's a hit, it's a hit forever. I do 'I Like It' and everyone sings along like it was yesterday."

 
Who: Third Eye Blind

Biggest hit: "Semi-Charmed Life"

Claim to fame: The only Top 40 group we can think of whose first hit mixed "doot doot doot"s with lyrics about oral sex and snorting crystal meth.

	Third Eye Blind: Where Ya Been?

Why do I know that name?: Formed in the early 1990s by San Francisco singer/songwriter Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind were one of the least likely pop groups of the decade. The band landed a recording contract with Elektra Records after hitting the label's radar with a widely circulated demo and an opening slot for Oasis in their hometown in 1996. When their self-titled debut was released the next year, it spawned the huge hit "Semi-Charmed Life," which, despite its head-bobbing chorus and seemingly sunny lyrics about beaches and young love, is one of the darker songs to ever top the charts — a distinction Jenkins relishes to this day. "Someone described them once as 'pretty little songs with dirty little words,' and I like that," Jenkins said. "Our label couldn't understand that a band could have some songs that were catchy but its message was dark. They couldn't understand that we were more about the Velvet Underground than the Beatles."

Second time's a charm ... After selling more than 6 million copies of their debut (bolstered by hits like "Life," "Jumper," "How's It Going to Be" and "Graduate"), Third Eye Blind returned in 1999 with the darker, more experimental Blue, which would sell nearly 2 million copies but spawned fewer hits.

... But third time wasn't: By the time the band released 2003's Out of the Vein, Elektra was in the midst of being absorbed into Atlantic Records and Jenkins contends the group was not a priority. "I worked really hard on Out of the Vein," he said of the band's least successful outing, which has sold around 250,000 copies. "Elektra was imploding as we were making it, so we didn't make a video and didn't do a marketing campaign, but as far as critics go, it was my best-reviewed album." Discouraged by the record's failure, Jenkins said he pulled back and did some soul-searching. "If you take the first three albums, they were of a piece," he explained. "They were lyrically about making a good shield, putting up a really good front and all the triumph and damage that that incurred." While lying low, Jenkins produced girlfriend Vanessa Carlton's 2004 album, Harmonium, and began writing songs for a solo record. Once he heard what the rest of his band — Arion Salazar (bass), Brad Hargreaves (drums) and Tony Fredianelli (guitar) — was up to in the studio, he scrapped those plans and got to work on the group's fourth release.

Going it alone: "This album is about what happens when you take all those layers you have and you let go of them," he said of the record the group began in early 2005. "That process, lyrically, has been really hard for me." Admitting to a touch of writer's block, Jenkins — who has co-produced all of the band's albums — said lyrics have been holding things up so far, but he doesn't worry that people have forgotten about 3EB. He noted that a fan-run Web site recently racked up 36,000 hits in a single month, a British magazine named Blue one of the most underrated albums of the past decade — and despite not having a new album to push, in May 3EB played to their biggest crowd ever as a headliner in Philadelphia. "We finally got our cred and people got what we were doing," Jenkins said. A career retrospective is due in July on Rhino Records, but Jenkins said he doesn't plan to shop the new album to a label. "Why would we?" he asked. "What will that do for us? I don't think we can equal what we did before [saleswise], but I think we can reach a lot of people with our music and our albums can be defining the culture." Current plans call for the as-yet-untitled disc to be released in 2007.

The moral: If, as Jenkins terms his group, a "very badly marketed" band can sell nearly 10 million albums, just think of what Third Eye Blind could do if Jenkins were calling all the shots.

 
Ever wonder what happened to Crazy Town? How about Snow? Ace of Base? Tell us which faded stars you'd like us to check up on, and you just might find them in a future edition of "Where Ya Been?" Send us your suggestions and we'll get digging...

• Sammie
• Third Eye Blind
• Dallas Austin

Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene

• Britney Spears
• Justin Timberlake
• Timbaland
• Nick Cannon
• Lil Jon