HOLLYWOOD -- If Hilary Duff can snag crunkster Lil Jon to graft her some beats, then Jesse McCartney should have no problem recruiting the Neptunes for his second solo disc.

After all, the dynamic duo have already laid down a remix of "She's No You," the third single off McCartney's 2004 solo debut, Beautiful Soul.

"I want to get together with the Neptunes, hopefully, if Chad and Pharrell will work it out," the singer/actor said. "I've already worked with them, and it was fun, man. They're really cool guys and insanely brilliant."

"I've been writing some new stuff, and I can't wait to start the next record," McCartney continued. "I'm probably going to head back into the studio November or December, and I'm just going to work with a bunch of producers and songwriters and try to put out an even better record."

The 18-year-old took a break this weekend from his Beautiful Soul cross-country trek (see [article id="1505809"]"Jesse McCartney To Resume The Time Of His Life On Tour"[/article]) to help out a worthy cause. McCartney hit the stage at Hollywood's Key Club on Saturday night for Hope Rocks, a benefit concert sponsored by the City of Hope to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. The subject hit close to home for the teen singer, whose relative recently underwent a bone-marrow transplant.

"I think everyone has been affected by this disease in some way, whether it's personally or through a family member, and I'm happy to do what I can for the program," McCartney said.

Rihanna, Frankie J, Natalie, Chingy and JoJo also performed at the event, which will be televised on FOX on September 3. This weekend, McCartney also walked away with two Teen Choice Awards for Breakout Male and Best Male Artist (see [article id="1507574"]" 'Napoleon Dynamite,' Kelly Clarkson Win Big At Teen Choice Awards"[/article]).

After his current tour wraps in October, the pop star will begin shooting the indie flick "Keith" alongside "Pretty Persuasion" ingénue Elisabeth Harnois.

"It's kind of a dark, depressing film, but it's an incredibly written script," McCartney said of "Keith." "It's a really meaty role, and I can't wait to start filming."

The former "Summerland" star will tackle the title role, which he describes as "completely 100 percent the opposite of Jesse McCartney."

"Keith is pretty weird. He's very avant-garde and really brilliant," McCartney said. "He just outwits everyone, from his teachers to his fellow peers, and eventually he falls in love with this girl Natalie (Harnois) while trying to bring her down. I don't want to tell you too much, but it's a really interesting story."

The romantic drama will be helmed by first-time feature director Todd Kessler and is based on a short story by Ron Carlson.

Beautiful Soul tour dates, according to Hollywood Records:

• 8/16 - Denver, CO @ Universal Lending Pavilion