The news happens all the time, even while you're enjoying your catching up on beauty sleep. Check out this brief rundown to bring you up to speed this morning -- a quick heads up from your friends at MTV News.

Here's what we've got:

The man behind the voice of [article id="1562169"]Optimus Prime tells us that he's grateful to fans[/article] for his role in one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. Peter Cullen, who originated his "Transformers" role back on the 1980s cartoon, said the superpowered truck may have sounded a whole lot like George Clooney in the movie. "Without the fanbase, I certainly would be on the normal highway route of being looked over," the told us. "The genuine appreciation I have is to the fanbase." ...

He's pulled off Danny Ocean with no problem -- and in two more movies than Frank Sinatra at this point -- but [article id="1562162"]can George Clooney follow Ol' Blue Eyes' lead in other roles[/article]? We take a look at some of Sinatra's most iconic performances -- a heroin addict in "The Man With the Golden Arm," an action hero in "Von Ryan's Express," a tabloid reporter in "High Society" -- to see how George might measure up. ...

And each Tuesday brings a whole slew of album releases, and this week's new class includes Fabolous' From Nothin to Somethin, Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris, DJ Khaled's We the Best, Enrique Iglesias' Insomniac [article id="1562171"]and a whole lot more[/article].

Quote of the Day: "You always hear rappers talking about 'hip-hop is dead' or 'hip-hop is wack,' then their album comes out and they only have one good song on there. How are you contributing?" -- [article id="1562151"] Stat Quo[/article]

Here's what everyone else is talking about:

Men who want to get closer to Rihanna have to pass the Jay-Z test first, the singer tells People. But while she doesn't even know who is expressing interest ("[Jay] actually never tells me. I have no clue who they are and I guess I'll never know") Rihanna isn't too concerned that she's missing out on much. "Jay has my best interests in mind," she explained. "If it's a good guy, I know Jay won't shut him down." ...

After Kanye West's guests left his big [article id="1562034"]30th birthday bash at New York's Louis Vuitton store[/article], the shop was missing $30,000 in merchandise, according to a post on SOHH.com's Ya Heard blog. Adding insult to injury, the party photo that runs alongside the post shows that Ye's name was misspelled on his cake. ... Then again, maybe that missing merchandise story is just a rumor. New York Post's "Page Six" reports that a Vuitton staff member surprised Kanye with a $7,150 suitcase from LV's Damier Azur collection -- and that doesn't sound like the sort of gesture that would follow a $30,000 shoplifting discovery. ...

TMZ.com reports that the medical conditions that led the L.A. County Sheriff to reassign Paris Hilton to home confinement last week were an extreme case of attention deficit disorder and claustrophobia. According to the report, the heiress may not have been receiving all of her medication in jail, and suffered panic attacks as a result. She is currently being held in the medical ward at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, according to TMZ. ...

Following TMZ.com's Friday report that Christina Aguilera was spotted leaving the office of a maternity specialist in New York the day before, gossip sites have been hopping on the "Is she or isn't she?" train, with News of the World reporting that the singer has been "sporting a small bump" and the Bosh wondering about her status -- and publishing recent shots of Xtina holding something in front of her general stomach area. There's still no official word, but when we know, you'll know. ...

Farm Aid is packing up and heading to the big city this year. Farm Aid 2007: A Homegrown Festival will play New York's Randall's Island on September 9, with board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp on the show's initial lineup. More acts will be added to the event, which marks the first time that Farm Aid -- which launched in 1985 -- has come to New York. ...

Drew Barrymore has joined Salma Hayek, Andy Garcia and George Lopez in Disney's talking-animal live-action film "South of the Border," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Barrymore will lend her voice to a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua that gets lost in Mexico. ...

Guillermo del Toro and Clive Barker are teaming up to produce the thriller "Born," starring Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany as a couple who discover their Claymation creations "are acting out a nightmare that comes to life," Variety reports. The film will begin production in the U.K. this August. ...

Pixar revealed its 2009 project on Monday, announcing "Up," which follows a 70-year-old man who fights baddies alongside a wilderness ranger, according to Variety. The animation house has "Ratatouille" out this year, "Wall*E" due in '08 and the next chapter in the "Toy Story" saga set for 2010. ...

And the iPhone may be getting some serious competition on the way from Sony -- but not too soon. Reuters reports that Sony Ericsson has filed a patent for a mobile device with video game features, but a company spokesperson said Monday that it is not announcing any new products yet, in response to speculation that the new device would be a phone/PSP hybrid.