Colbie Caillat
Photo: MTV News

Anyone even slightly familiar with Colbie Caillat's music knows that the girl loves herself a good love song. And her sophomore album, Breakthrough, which debuts at #1 on next week's Billboard albums chart, isn't shying away from the topic that made her a favorite with the easy, breezy adult-contemporary set.

New songs like her single, "Fallin' for You," are sure to resonate with fans of earlier hits "Bubbly" and "Realize," from her first album, Coco. Caillat explained that her confessional style of writing about the guys in her life is evident on "Fallin'."

"I wrote about me falling for this guy who I went out on a date with, and it was just so unexpected that I was going to fall for him, like all these little things about him that I ended up adoring and falling for," she said. "The instruments — I added, like, the violin and cello, but it's not overpowering, it's just tucked back in the mix. [It's] more grown up."

But Caillat told MTV News that while fans can expect a lot of the same ideas on Breakthrough as on her first release, she wasn't scared to try some new stuff.

"I just opened my mind to different techniques of writing," she said. "Like, I would write from someone else's perspective on a song.

"I wrote 'Fearless,' well it's actually from the guy's perspective whose heart I broke and him telling me this breakup is not going to bury him, it's just one little chapter in his life, and that he is going to be fearless in future relationships," she added. "It's an emotional ballad."

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Colbie Caillat
Photo: Universal Republic

There are really only two ways things can go when you name your second album Breakthrough: Either you top the charts and walk around with a big grin feeling validated for your confidence, or the CD tanks, and you're left feeling, well, broken.

Luckily for sunshiny pop singer Colbie Caillat, the former will be the case next week when her second album hits #1 in its chart debut, thanks to sales of nearly 106,000 and a push from the hit single "Fallin' for You."

According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Caillat will lead the parade of new titles in the top 10, which also includes Christian rockers Skillet, whose Awake will land just behind at #2 (68,000) and Miley Cyrus' Wal-Mart exclusive Time of Our Lives EP, which debuts at #3 (62,000). While the impressively robust Kings of Leon firmly hold down the #4 spot as their nearly year-old Only by the Night saw a 15 percent increase in sales from the previous week (52,000), experimental British songstress Imogen Heap debuts strongly at #5 with her everything and the kitchen sink album, Ellipse (48,000).

Last week's #1, country queen Reba McEntire, drops down to #6, as sales for Keep on Loving You fell by 56 percent (42,000). She's followed by George Strait's Twang #7 (41,000), the Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) (#8, 36,000), Taylor Swift's Fearless (#9, 34,000) and the week's only other top 10 debut, Now That's What I Call Country, Vol. 2 (#10, 33,000).

Just outside the top tier, at #12, is former founding Destiny's Child member LeToya's second solo album, Lady Love (33,000), leading the darker third effort from British buzz band Arctic Monkeys, Humbug (#15, 28,000) and the latest from Internet sensation Ingrid Michaelson, Everybody (#18, 23,000).

After several years out of the spotlight, Hasidic rapper Matisyahu makes a soft landing at #19 with his second major-label album, Light (22,000), which bests the rap return of actress/MC Queen Latifah, Persona (#25, 18,000), her first hip-hop album since 2003. And, just a few years after the use of their hit "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" in an iPod ad made them the next big thing, Australian hard-rock revivalists Jet land in the #27 slot with their third album, Shaka Rock (17,000).

Look for more diva action at the top next week as Whitney Houston is expected to easily snag the #1 spot with her latest attempted comeback, I Look to You, her first album in seven years. There will also be bows from Trey Songz, Pitbull, the Used, Chevelle and the always surprising Insane Clown Posse.

• Colbie Caillat's Encore

• Colbie Caillat
• Miley Cyrus
• Kings Of Leon
• Imogen Heap
• Black Eyed Peas

Colbie Caillat
Photo: MTV News

Perhaps working on her new album Breakthrough with Kara DioGuardi means Colbie Caillat has some sort of insider scoop on what's happening with the judging musical chairs on "American Idol." Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on Caillat's part.

"I'm not sure that Paula's really leaving," she told MTV News of Abdul's surprise exit from the show earlier this month. "I know everyone's saying that."

The singer/songwriter said she thinks Abdul played an important role on the show by helping the contestants build up confidence when they needed it most. "Paula may have been too nice to them, but she also would tell them the great things about them," Caillat said. "And people need that when their hearts are being shattered. They need that little boost of confidence."

But Caillat is also a big fan of DioGuardi's judging on the show. "I, of course, watched last season, 'cause she was on it, and I think she's amazing. She really tells people how it is," she said. "She'll be nice to them and tell them the good things, the good qualities about them, but then she'll be real with them. And I think that people need that."

So with a slew of celebrities like Mary J. Blige, Katy Perry and Joe Jonas joining Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and DioGuardi at the judges' table, would Caillat be down for a guest-judging gig? "I would totally guest judge," she said. "For sure."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Colbie Caillat
• Paula Abdul

Colbie Caillat
Photo: MTV News

Colbie Caillat seems like a poster-child for Southern California. She's tan with sun-kissed blonde hair, her style is laid-back and casual — and her 2007 album, Coco, proved that her music was no different. There's that same aura of sunshine and sweetness to her songs, which was exemplified by the hit, "Bubbly."

Fast-forward two years later to the 24-year-old singer/songwriter's second album, Breakthrough, which was released Tuesday (August 25). Although her first single from the record, "Fallin' for You," has the same happy-go-lucky vibe as her first hit, Caillat says she tried new writing techniques and instruments, like violin and cello, for a more mature version of her signature sweet sound.

"[Breakthrough] is similar to Coco in the way that it's still my style of music," Caillat said. "It makes you feel like you're in Southern California or Hawaii, but the songs are more diverse and complex. I worked with a bunch of different songwriters and producers, and I just opened my mind to different techniques of writing."

One of the songwriters who worked with Caillat was none other than hitmaker/ "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi. The pair rented a house with friends on a beach in Hawaii and had their own "writing camp." They spent their days Boogie-boarding, barbequing and writing songs. The "Idol" judge inspired the young singer/songwriter in the process.

"Honestly, she's one of the best songwriters I've ever known," Caillat said. "She's just fearless and really taught me a lot about opening up and just saying what you need to say and just singing what you're feeling and people will dig it."

Surprisingly, for her next collaboration, Caillat said she really wants to change gears.

"The next collaboration I want to do is with a hip-hop artist like Common or Pharrell Williams," she said. "I love [Bone Thugs-N-Harmony] and Notorious B.I.G., so something like that where I can do the pretty melody — kind of like the Fugees and Black Eyed Peas."

Caillat is still unsure which song to release as her second single — it's a toss-up between "Begin Again" and "You Got Me" — so she's just riding the wave of "Breakthrough" to see where it takes her. So far, she's set to go on tour with Howie Day in the fall, and she hopes to continue collaborating with new artists.

"Writing is one of my favorite things to do, and helping other people write songs for their records is my next project," she said.

• Colbie Caillat

Colbie Callait
Photo: MTV News

Rejection has never felt so good.

Before her "Bubbly" hit, Colbie Caillat was an unknown singer/songwriter hoping that "American Idol" might be her ticket to a recording contract. Unfortunately, whoever was screening contestants that day was a bit shortsighted — Colbie was turned down at the pre-auditions (that's right, she didn't even make it in front of Simon).

But fortunately, there was life after "Idol." She soon found an audience on MySpace, and 42 million plays later, the labels came calling.

"It happened so fast," Caillat remembered. "I was just writing songs and putting them up on MySpace, and then I got a record deal. Then it was like, 'Whoa, you're going on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls this summer.' So it was brand-new, but now it's been a year for me, so it's kind of like I'm getting used to it all."

Getting used to it is an understatement, considering Caillat is now a bona fide star. With singles "Bubbly" and "Realize" under her belt, she's busy with the U.S. leg of her tour (a few of her stops are with John Mayer), preparing for her next album and enjoying the buzz surrounding her video for "Little Things."

"We shot it in Hawaii — I love Hawaii. [The video] was actually my summer, like, five years ago," Caillat said. "My friends and I went to Hawaii and rented a runaround car and got a job at this place called Bubba Burger. And we went to the beach and jumped off the pier and went to all these waterfalls. All my friends and family were in the video, and it's me working at the restaurant in Hawaii and jumping off the pier."

Hoping to keep her momentum going, she recently covered "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid" for the Disney Mania 6 soundtrack and collaborated with Taylor Swift. She's also hoping to line up projects with Mayer and Jack Johnson, and she plans to hit the studio in January to start recording her new album with an eye on a summer 2009 release.

"With Coco, it was all just fresh and sunny," Caillat said. "A lot of the songs I've been writing lately ... I've been in different countries and missing home, and a lot of them are melancholy ... but then there's others I wrote on a happy day [that are] just very [upbeat]. It's going to be like Coco because I write that kind of music, but just different versions."

But she knows that there's more to her career and her impact than just her music, so while working away on new projects, she's also trying to keep it clean for her fans.

"A lot of my fanbase is young girls from 10 to 25," Caillat said. "So having all these young girls in the audience, I don't cuss onstage. I don't write songs about inappropriate things. If they're looking up to me and stuff, I don't want to be advising them to do things like that, so I just try to stay away from it."

• Colbie Caillat's Encore

• Colbie Caillat

Colbie Caillat getting ready for the Grammy red carpet
Photo: Todd Brown/ MTV News

LOS ANGELES — It is approximately three hours before the red carpet opens at Sunday's Grammy Awards, and up in her hotel room at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Colbie Caillat is experiencing her first real catastrophe of the day.

It seems that, through some miscommunication or sleight of hand, she's managed to dump a half-pint of cream on her Raisin Bran, a move that won't exactly aid her in her quest to fit into her canary yellow Cynthia Vincent dress.

The situation is compounded by the fact that she's currently 30 minutes deep into her makeup session, getting smoky shadow applied to her eyes and being covered in body shimmer.

But in an instant, she pushes the soggy cereal aside, orders another bowl and is back to toggling through an iTunes playlist (Bob Marley, Coldplay, Jack Johnson) and sitting perfectly still while her makeup artist continues her work.

All in all, it's a fairly remarkable display of levelheadedness for a 22-year-old in the midst of her first awards-season blitz. But that's how Caillat approaches pretty much everything, from dress fittings to touring to this evening's Grammy telecast.

"If I wasn't sitting here right now, I'd probably be calling people, trying to get everyone together to have lunch on a beach or something," she laughs, looking skyward as more eyeliner is applied. "I'm generally pretty easygoing. But this is a really complicated procedure. When you see those girls on the red carpet in their beautiful getups, it's not like they just fell out of bed that way."

No kidding. In Caillat's case, the Grammy transformation actually began 24 hours earlier, when her stylist wheeled a rack of dresses, plus cases of jewelry and shoes, into her hotel room, and they began the selection process. From an initial field of "around 100 dresses," Caillat selected 15 that fit her style and went from there.

"It was sort of this process of elimination," she explains. "I wanted something that was more beach style, nothing over-the-top or crazy. But it's got to be a little short, because it's the Grammys. And I wanted it to be yellow, because I've always loved that color."

Of course, pretty much everyone in the room — a rep for her label, the makeup artist and the just-arrived hairstylist — would like to see the dress, but it has still yet to arrive at the hotel (turns out a seamstress was still working on it), which brings us to catastrophe number two.

Caillat is due to arrive on the Grammy carpet in less than two hours, and without her dress, she's sort of stuck. But rather than panic, she sits still while the stylist works blond extensions into her sandy-brown hair — he calls them — and ponders her Sarah Hearey clutch, a beautiful, exotic, near-$2,000 piece of red-carpet excess.

"You don't understand — nothing goes in here. Like, it holds my lip gloss and my ID, and that's it," she says. "I have another bag over there, but it's huge, and it's for being on the road. It's definitely not red-carpet approved."

Still, neither the size of her clutch nor the absence of her dress seems to bother Caillat one bit. Rather, she's content to sing along to Marley's "Exodus" and pick at a chicken Caesar salad (there was much room servicing going on). And this is due in part to the aforementioned levelheadedness, but also because she's sort of an old pro at this.

"I've been to the Grammys twice before, really. I went last year, and I went to the show with my dad [producer Ken Caillat] when I was, like, 15," she says. "Of course, back then, I picked out my outfit from my closet, and I remember looking at all the glamorous people and thinking, 'Where did they buy that dress? When did they do their makeup?' Now, I understand."

Speaking of the dress, it has finally arrived — exactly 55 minutes before she's due on the carpet. And to say that it was worth the wait is an understatement.

The dress is flowing and elegant, but also young and sexy. And when it's paired with golden Elizabeth Showers jewelry and gold René Caovilla heels (plus an orchid in her hair), it's a look that's both refined and funky, equal parts ballroom and beach.

The best part? It's hers to keep.

"I feel great," she beams. "I love it. I really love it."

And, as luck would have it, just as the finishing touches are being applied by her stylists, her ride arrives downstairs. With a final check in the mirror, Caillat's off. Levelheaded and glamorous as ever.

Geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

• Grammys 60-Second Recap: Celebrating Amy Winehouse And The AARP

• Colbie Caillat Gets Ready For The Grammys
• Beyonce, Fergie, Miley, More Rock The 2008 Grammy Red Carpet
• 2008 Grammy Parties
• Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More

• Colbie Caillat

Mary J. Blige's <i>Growing Pains</i>
Photo: Geffen Records

To be quite honest, it was becoming rather hard to come up with new ways to say the same thing: that Grammy-nominated baritone Josh Groban's latest album, Noël, was once again the nation's top-selling record. Since late November, Groban's LP had consistently outsold the rest of the herd, making his the first Christmas album ever to hold the chart's #1 position for five straight weeks.

Luckily, we have Mary J. Blige. After failing to overpower Groban in last week's sales race with her new Growing Pains set, the R&B songstress bounced back this week, taking advantage of the shrinking market demand for Christmas classics.

Despite a 68 percent decline in sales, Growing Pains will rise from #2 to #1 in next week's Billboard top 200 album chart, with a reported 204,300 scans, according to the latest SoundScan totals. Groban's Noël shifted 175,700 units and also suffered a steep drop in sales: 77 percent, to be exact. That lands Groban's LP in the #3 spot on next week's chart, right behind second-place finisher Alicia Keys' As I Am, which sold more than 193,200 copies.

"This album means a lot to me, because it shows my appreciation of my growth and the progress I've made," Blige told MTV News recently about Growing Pains. "This is a next level for me, a new place, and it's a celebration of my weaknesses and strengths."

The week following Christmas was sluggish for the music industry, as total sales of the top 200 albums waned by nearly 6 million from the previous sales week. And, strangely, one of the only new albums debuting on next week's chart wasn't even officially in stores: Radiohead's In Rainbows opens prematurely, thanks to obvious street-date violations, at #156, with 8,500 sold.

In the chart's top 10, there is little change from the previous week; it's the same old song and dance, with a number of year-long favorites hanging tough. The 26th addition to the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series climbs two spots to #4 with 98,400 scans, while Chris Brown's Exclusive jumps from #10 to #5 with 86,700 copies sold.

The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden falls two positions to #6, selling another 85,300 units, while Garth Brooks' Ultimate Hits finishes at #7 with 76,800 sold. Taylor Swift's self-titled debut follows at #8, with sales of 76,700. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus dips four spots to #9, generating another 73,300 scans. And rounding things out at #10, with 71,600 copies snatched up, is Colbie Caillat's Coco.

• Mary J. Blige
• Alicia Keys
• Josh Groban
• Chris Brown
• Radiohead

Kiefer Sutherland
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/ Getty Images

Unlike Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie, Kiefer Sutherland is not getting off easy with his DUI — the "24" actor has been sentenced to 48 days in a Los Angeles County jail for his September 24 arrest and violating his probation. The actor must start serving his sentence at the Glendale City Jail prior to March 30, UsMagazine.com reports. He has also been sentenced to five years of probation, must finish a year-and-a-half-long alcohol-education program and go to weekly therapy sessions for a half-year. Sutherland, who had a previous DUI before his fall arrest, had been pulled over by police after making an illegal U-turn and reportedly blew twice the legal blood-alcohol level during a breathalyzer test. He issued a statement after entering a no-contest plea in early October, saying, "I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox." ... Contrasting with Sutherland's devastating news, Richie caught a break on Wednesday when her court-mandated anti-drinking program granted the socialite a leave of absence, according to People. Coordinators at the program were reportedly worried for Richie's safety, with her rep saying such leaves of absence are granted to people with medical conditions and that she did not get special treatment. Richie is eight months pregnant and has to complete the 18-month program as part of her DUI plea deal ...

Bad news for Vanessa Hudgens: A Los Angeles judge ruled Wednesday (December 5) that a breach-of-contract suit by her former lawyer can go forward, according to CBS News. Brian L. Schall is suing the "The High School Musical" star for breach of contract, although Hudgens has argued that she was a minor at the time she signed the agreement and therefore isn't bound to it. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow said the matter of Hudgens disaffirming her contractual obligations within a reasonable time period is a "factual issue," and that Hudgens' decision to wait until she was 18 years and 9 months old to reject the contract is an issue for either a jury decision or a motion for summary judgment. The next hearing in the case is slated for January 15. ... Lindsay Lohan might be facing another setback too: Raymundo Ortega, the busboy who is seeking $200,000 in damages stemming from Lohan's collision with his van in October 2005, says he has proof the starlet was drinking before the crash, according to The Associated Press. He reportedly filed papers Tuesday. ...

An interview with T.I. that was conducted prior to his October arrest on gun charges appears in the December/January issue of Rap-Up magazine, which features him and Nicole Scherzinger on alternate covers. The rapper said he has a new urban-clothing line on the way — called "A King of Oneself" — and also revealed his interest in a different type of endeavor: commercial construction. "I want to build a Home Depot or a Wal-Mart, shopping centers," he told the mag. Tip cited Tupac as the rapper who had the most influence on him growing up — and called out some other big names for keeping him out of trouble. "Sometimes I be wildin' out, then [Suge Knight says,] 'Man, you got too much going on, you can't do that. It ain't like the old days,' " said the rapper, who is currently under house arrest. "[Jay-Z] will tell me the same thing, [Diddy] tell me the same thing, Kevin Liles — everybody trying. Wyclef is another one. People, I guess, just care." ...

For her part, Nicole Scherzinger named Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as the singers she admires the most. She also talked about someone else you may have heard of — Kanye West — and why the tracks he produced for her solo debut didn't make the cut. "I wasn't able to really finish them in time," said the singer, whose Her Name Is Nicole LP is due January 29. "When I have the right time and the right album, I wanna finish those songs. There was talks of putting Common on one of them." Scherzinger also talked about shooting her "Whatever U Like" video with the other Rap-Up cover artist, T.I. "When we did the video it was crazy 'cause we were all up in each other's grills, like [director] Paul Hunter really made us go there, but it was great. He's a professional. Paul was making us tug on each other; we were hard-core for a hot second." ...

Jay-Z celebrated his 38th birthday with Beyoncé in Paris on Tuesday, according to People.com. The couple reportedly holed up in a hotel suite, took a drive around the city, ate at L'Avenue restaurant and caught a cabaret show. ... Pete Wentz, Chris Brown, the Jonas Brothers and Corbin Bleu all made Teen magazine's list of the 50 Hottest Guys in Hollywood — but Zac Efron takes the cake by topping the bunch. ... Keira Knightley stripped down for the revealing cover of the latest issue of Interview magazine. "How does that always happen?" the "Atonement" actress asked herself, in the interview, of taking off her clothes. "Because I say yes, I suppose." ...

Styles P, Hurricane Chris and Fabolous will bring some yuletide cheer to Russell Simmons and Rev Run's eighth annual Youth Holiday Party in New York on Tuesday, with MTV News' own Sway acting as one of the emcees. For the festivities, the Simmons brothers and their Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation will turn the Fillmore at Irving Plaza into a winter wonderland, raffling off prizes like an Xbox 360 and tickets to a taping of "106 & Park." Kids will also get Target gift cards. ...

Journey are counting a new singer among their ranks: Arnel Pineda. The Filipino crooner, who previously covered the band's songs with his group the Zoo, is the third Journey singer in two years — he follows Jeff Scott Soto, who left the fold earlier this year after filling in for Steve Augeri, who split with the band in 2006 due to medical reasons. "I know they'll expect me to sound exactly like 'the voice,' " Pineda said in a statement, referring to yet another former Journey singer: Steve Perry. "But that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world." "Arnel doesn't sound synthetic and he's not emulating anyone," added guitarist Neal Schon, who discovered the singer's Zoo clips online. "I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him ... but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter." ...

Deerhunter, Black Dice, Fischerspooner and others have chipped in unreleased new songs for Living Bridge, a two-CD collection of songs by bands who have previously recorded at Brooklyn, New York's Rare Book Room Studio. The 25-song package will hit stores February 26 and christen Rare Book Room Records, a new label. ... The Breeders will be back in '08 with a new disc hitting stores April 8. Mountain Battles will arrive six years after the band's previous effort, Title TK, which the band took nine years to put out following its most successful album, 1993's Last Splash. The Pixies-affiliated group is also due to tour throughout the year, hitting up South by Southwest and Coachella along the way. ... Peaches will sweeten up New Year's Eve this year by counting down the clock in downtown Los Angeles as part of Hard NYE's bash. She will also perform, as will Justice. ...

Paula Abdul was a "disaster" on "Saturday Night Live" when she hosted the show two years ago — so says Tina Fey in the January issue of Playboy. "I was pregnant at the time and probably a little moody, but I remember thinking, 'She's a disaster!' " Fey said. ... Vivica A. Fox booked herself on Wednesday on charges of driving under the influence, TMZ.com reports. A judge ordered on Monday that the actress be booked or face a bench warrant. ... Charges were dropped against Jonathan Rhys-Meyers after he apologized for creating a drunken fracas at an airport in Ireland earlier this year. The actor, who faced two charges of public drunkenness and breach of peace, said through his lawyer that he intends to make a donation to an unspecified charity. ...

The one guy who seemed kind of charmed by Borat's antics in last year's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has joined the parade of people suing the fake Kazakh reporter. According to Reuters, driving instructor Michael Psenicska's suit against the film's makers and star Sacha Baron Cohen claims that he was tricked into participating in a film that he was led to believe was a "documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life." Psenicska said he was paid $500 in cash to give Borat a driving lesson and described the experience as "surreal," saying Cohen drove erratically down residential streets, drank alcohol and yelled to a female pedestrian that he would pay her $10 for "sexy time." Psenicska is seeking $100,000 in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages for being misled, and for the emotional harm he allegedly continues to suffer. Psenicska said if he had known the true nature of the film, he never would have participated. The studio behind the flick said the suit had no merit and that Psenicska was a willing participant in the film. ...

Eddie Vedder is making his first video appearance since his spot in Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" clip 15 years ago. Mr. Ed is supporting his soundtrack to "Into the Wild" with a video for "Guaranteed." ... Saosin can't get enough of the road — the band, which toured for most of 2007, has rolled out a new 2008 itinerary. The California rockers will take Armor for Sleep and the Bled along for their jaunt, which starts January 21 in Tucson, Arizona, and ends February 14 in Chico, California. ... The sounds made by the creepy creatures in Will Smith's new movie "I Am Legend" might seem familiar to Faith No More fans — Mike Patton is the one behind them. The always-busy musician, who previously lent his voice to video games like "The Darkness" and "The Portal," is also delving into the film world with "A Perfect Place," a noirish short film for which he composed the music. ...

The family of Justin Barker, the white student who was allegedly beaten by six black classmates last year in Jena, Louisiana, has filed a civil lawsuit against the teens, their parents, the local school board and a seventh student who was not charged in the case, USA Today reports. The lawsuit claims that the attack on Barker was of "such extreme nature so as to require emergency medical care and treatment for the harm inflicted by the attack, and resulting in extensive and permanently disabling injuries." The suit, filed Thursday, also alleges that employees of the LaSalle Parish School Board were not adequately supervising students or maintaining discipline. ...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will flex his rock muscle on Friday at a fundraising show featuring Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy performing solo alongside buzz band the Cool Kids, Third Eye Blind singer Stephan Jenkins, Jill Sobule and local indie bands the Changes and Canasta. The "Change Rocks" show will take place at the Riviera Theatre in Obama's hometown of Chicago, with tickets ranging from $50 to $500 apiece. ... Hillary Clinton's campaign has had a change of heart. Less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, Clinton has dropped her controversial campaign theme song, "You and I" by Celine Dion, and replaced it with "Blue Sky" by Colorado 1990s college faves Big Head Todd and the Monsters, according to ABC News. ...

We can see now why comedian Dave Chappelle might have walked away from that $50 million Comedy Central deal: He'd rather be doing stand-up. Chappelle broke his own endurance record on Sunday with a set at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, that lasted six hours and 12 minutes, besting his previous mark, set in April, by a good five minutes. Club owner Jamie Masada told AP that Chappelle was on a mission. "Dave was determined to keep his record because he recently heard that Dane Cook was planning on trying to break [his] record," Masada said. ... R&B singer Avant has signed to Capitol Records to release his next album, due in the summer. The multiplatinum crooner was previously signed to MCA, before the label folded into Geffen Records, through which he released four albums and a string of hit singles, including his breakout "Separated." Avant's yet-untitled next album is expected to include production from Rodney Jerkins and Mr. Collipark, among others.

12.4.07

A lot of 25-year-olds still aren't sure what to do with their lives, but the superstars on Forbes' 20 Richest Stars Under 25 are already set for retirement. A quartet of athletes tops the list, with hoops heavyweight LeBron James landing at #1, followed by NFL rookie Reggie Bush, tennis star Maria Sharapova and golf prodigy Michelle Wie. A few other notable appearances: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen come in at #5 with $17 million each; "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe is at #6 with $15 million; Hilary Duff is at #7 with $12 million; Avril Lavigne is at #8 with $12 million; Carrie Underwood is at #11 with $7 million; Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) is at #17 with $3.5 million; and Lindsay Lohan is at #18 with $3.5 million as well. ...

Speaking of year-end lists, the never-ending dramas of Britney Spears landed the pop star at the top of the 10 most-searched items on Yahoo in 2007 once again. According to a Reuters report, Spears has topped the list every year for the past seven — except in 2004, when Paris Hilton beat her out. Hilton was at a lowly #5 before bumping up to #3 this year thanks to her brief jail sentence this summer for a traffic violation, while Lindsay Lohan's driving habits boosted her from #10 up to #6. The #2 spot was held down once again by World Wrestling Entertainment, with much of the interest centered on the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit. Beyoncé moved up two spots to #5, Fergie crashed the top 10 at #9, and Jessica Alba squeaked in at #10. The list was rounded out by Japanese manga series "Naruto" (#4), online game RuneScape (#7) and fantasy football (#8). Meanwhile, Jessica Simpson, Pamela Anderson, Shakira, Chris Brown and "American Idol" all fell out of the top 10. ...

Kanye West got a little help from a friend on Sunday night during his show in Manchester, England, according to the Liverpool Echo. Midway through the show, Jay-Z strolled onstage to perform "Encore" with West as the crowd went wild. ... Usher's wife, Tameka Foster — and the mother of his newborn baby, Usher Raymond V — has taken a lot of heat from bloggers and overly possessive fans since she first started dating the R&B superstar. In a new interview with Essence, the stylist opens up about the haters. "Unfortunately many people live for negativity and are brainwashed by the misinformation of bloggers, rumors, haters and speculators," she tells the mag. "They don't want to believe the truth because the negative stories have more appeal to them. Friends tell me about some of it and we'll laugh, but honestly, I don't pay attention to the gossip on the day-to-day." ...

Veteran Bay Area rapper Spice 1 is in stable condition after being shot Monday, according to his manager, Six. "He was only shot once," Six told MTV News. "I'm not sure where the reports are coming from that he was shot multiple times. He was in critical condition, but now doctors are watching him. They're trying to remove a bullet, but they aren't giving out too many details. They said he should be good, but they're being precautions because the bullet was so close to his heart." BallerStatus.com originally reported the shooting, in which the Hayward, California, native was shot after he fell asleep in his car outside his home. When the rapper awoke, an armed stranger attacked him. It is unclear whether it was a robbery or a premeditated threat to the rapper's life. He's being treated at the Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, California. ...

Chalk this one up to one giant Missundaztood-ing? According to TMZ.com, artist Scratch (real name: Kyle Jones) has filed a civil suit against Pink, claiming he was featured on "Respect," a track on her 2001 Missundaztood CD, but was never paid. The performance was also featured on Pink's "Live in Europe" DVD. He's seeking $717, 600 in back pay and damages. ... When Snoop Dogg appeared with his daughter Cori on Tuesday's "Ellen DeGeneres Show," the 8-year-old was quick to say that her dad wasn't that strict. But Snoop does lay down the law in one area. "You say I'm not strict," the rapper said. "Tell Ellen how old you have to be before you can have a boyfriend." Cori's answer? "Seventy-seven." ...

MySpace is launching a new program called "Transmissions" that will allow musicians to perform their songs live in a studio, then screen and sell the videos of the performances immediately on the site, at a price of their own choosing. The New York Times reports that James Blunt will be the first artist to participate in the initiative, introducing five songs, including his new single, on the site today. ... According to TMZ.com, Dennis Quaid and wife Kimberly Buffington have sued Baxter Healthcare, makers of the drug Heparin, claiming that a near-fatal overdose of the anticoagulant given to their newborn sons was the result of improper labeling. They claim that the look and packaging of the 10 IU/mL is too similar to the 10,000 IU/mL vial of the same drug. Three children in Indiana have reportedly died from similar mistakes. As of Tuesday (December 4), no suit has been brought against the hospital, Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai. ...

Nokia, the world's top cell-phone maker, has announced a deal with Universal, the world's biggest music group, to offer free 12-month access to music by artists on the Universal roster for people who buy Nokia's music phones. According to Reuters, the "Comes With Music" offer could be joined by several similar deals with other labels by the time the Universal program kicks off in the middle of 2008. In a switch from similar deals currently being offered, Nokia users would be allowed to keep all the music they download during the 12-month period. ... Speaking of Universal, it looks like Colbie Caillat accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the label's new Web policy. In a recent e-mail to fans, Caillat explained that from now on her MySpace page will only feature 90-second clips of songs instead of full-length ones. "Every artist signed to a Universal label has to comply immediately," she wrote. According to Wired News, though, the policy actually went into effect a few months ago and requires all Universal labels to limit the length of music posted on third-party sites to 90 seconds, unless the site has a contract with Universal that allows them to stream the full song on-demand. ...

You didn't think System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan was just going to sit around while his band was on hiatus, did you? Dolmayan's online comic-book store, Torpedo Comics, is running a scavenger-hunt-style contest whose grand prize is a free trip to Las Vegas, complete with a tour of the "gigantic" Torpedo warehouse led by Dolmayan himself. Fans have to find four specific comic books hidden within the "Monolith" section of TorpedoComics.com, with the first three books offering clues that will lead to the fourth, which will have a secret code.

• "Borat"

• T.I.
• Wilco
• The Cool Kids
• Miley Cyrus
• Journey

Photo: Calvin

After two weeks, rapper T.I. has been knocked out of the top spot on the Billboard albums chart — but not by a single, big-name artist. Actually, it took the combined might of 20 hitmakers to get the job done, and now, thanks to sales of more than 222,500 in just one week, there's a new LP sitting in the #1 slot.

With track contributions from heavyweights like Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry and others, the 25th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation franchise managed to outsell T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. by more than 125,000 scans, dropping the rapper's latest — which, during its third week in stores, generated 93,500 in sales — to #3. According to the latest SoundScan tallies, interest in the disc waned by 47 percent.

Now 25 even trounced Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus — the latest release from the star of the Disney Channel original series — which finished at #2 with 113,000 copies sold. So, really, Now 25 faced little competition on its way to the finish line — although, one album picked up a significant amount of ground coming down the home stretch.

After entering last week's chart at #20, sales of the soundtrack to the film "Hairspray" — which features the vocal talents of the movie's stars: John Travolta, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Michelle Pfeiffer and others — swelled by 95 percent, and the release itself surged ahead 16 chart positions to finish at #4. Following at #6 is Fergie's The Dutchess, which scanned close to 50,000 units, while Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight holds steady at #7, with 46,900 sold. Coming in at #8 on next week's chart is Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, which netted another 45,400 in sales during its 19th week of release, and returning to the top 10 at #9 is Nickelback's All the Right Reasons, with a reported 42,500 scans. Rounding things out at #10 is Bon Jovi's latest, Lost Highway, with sales coming in at just under 42,000.

Now 25 was among 16 new releases to open on next week's chart, and one of only two discs to penetrate the top 10: American acoustic-folk singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat's Coco bows at #5, having sold 50,900 copies during week one. The third-highest-charting debut belongs to Yellowcard and their new one, Paper Walls, which sold 40,400 copies during its first week on record store shelves and landed at #13.

Meanwhile, Rooney's Calling the World sold more than 15,200 units to claim the chart's #42 spot, followed at #44 by the Rocket Summer's Do You Feel with 15,000 copies scanned. Rapper Tech N9ne's Tech N9ne Collabos: Misery Loves Kompany opens at #49, with sales reported at 13,500, and finishing at #65 with 10,500 copies snatched up is the latest studio offering from the Chemical Brothers, We Are the Night. Christian punks MxPx's Secret Weapon surfaces at #76, after selling 9,500, and 10 spots down, debuting at #86, is Legally Blonde: The Original Broadway Cast Recording, with sales coming in at little more than 8,300.

Editors' An End Has a Start bows at #117, thanks to sales of more than 6,200, while Suzanne Vega's newest, Beauty & Crime, finished at #129, with 5,700 sold. (hed) p.e.'s Insomnia generated close to 5,500 scans during its first week in stores, which lands the LP at #138 on next week's chart. Meanwhile, Behemoth's The Apostasy opens at #149 with 5,000 scans, followed at #150 by One Cell in the Sea, the debut album from A Fine Frenzy, also known as 22-year-old singer/songwriter Alison Sudol, which sold just under 5,000 units. Finally, with 4,600 copies grabbed up, is the latest from Nile, Ithyphallic, which claims the chart's #162 spot.

• T.I.
• Colbie Caillat
• Fergie
• Linkin Park
• Amy Winehouse

MTV.com Exclusive: Colbie Caillat

• Colbie Caillat

Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, More On The 2008 American Music Awards Red Carpet

• Miley Cyrus
• Jonas Brothers
• Ashley Tisdale
• Akon
• Christina Aguilera

Beyonce, Fergie, Miley, More Rock The 2008 Grammy Red Carpet

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• Ace Young
• The Shins
• Joey Fatone
• Mark Ronson

Colbie Caillat Gets Ready For The Grammys

• Colbie Caillat

MTV.com Exclusive: Colbie Caillat

• Colbie Caillat