Welcome to Friday, which inevitably leads to Saturday and Sunday. That's a pretty excellent combination. You'll need a few days off after the crazy week we've had here on the MTV Newsroom Blog, which featured at least one huge video premiere, the announcement of the nominations for the Grammy Awards and a lot of unusual news regarding Justin Bieber. So before you get in line to see "Black Swan," do your holiday shopping or continue to celebrate Hanukkah, check out the links below for all of the stuff you might have missed this week.

» Justin Bieber was everywhere this week, including on the wall of a Brazilian drug lord's mansion.

» Bieber was also the topic of conversation when MTV Canada sat down with Usher to discuss puberty.

» We even learned something new about the 16-year-old Canadian singer: He has conquered Rubik's Cube.

» Plenty of other stars grabbed headlines this week, especially when the nominations for the Grammy Awards were announced. Let the cutthroat competition for Best New Artist begin.
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Tags 30 Seconds to Mars, Grammy Awards, Grammys, Insane Clown Posse, Kanye West, Katy Perry

This Sunday night (December 5), the long-running "VH1 Divas" series of annual specials flips the script a little bit. Sure, it'll still feature some of the biggest female names in music, including Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Paramore, Keri Hilson, Sugarland and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. As always, it will feature some tremendous performances and some truly killer collaborations (many of which will be surprises). And it will also have plenty of glamor, glitz and theatricality that these divas are known for. But this time around, these ladies are paying tribute to people in uniform who are serving the Unite States in the military.

"VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" will air this Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on VH1. The whole show is hosted by Kathy Griffin and will air from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The VH1 team is on the ground in San Diego and managed to slip past security to capture some of the rehearsals on tape. What they found was an eyeful, and they caught Hilson, Perry and Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles practicing the Andrews Sisters classic "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," which will open the show. Check out the exclusive look at the rehearsal footage here!

The show promises to be a spectacularly entertaining series of performances, and not only will they be providing soldiers and their families with entertainment, but they'll also be donating to a good cause. Over at the "VH1 Divas" official site, they have built the "Salute the Troops Photo Mosaic," where users can upload photos in support of soldiers. For every photo uploaded, VH1 will be donating $1 to the USO's Operation Enduring Care.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing on the "VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" show? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Katy Perry, nicki minaj, Paramore, photo

JC Chasez, who spends most of his life as a judge on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," has made it clear he wants no part of an 'NSYNC reunion. Meanwhile, fellow former 'NSYNC member Justin Timberlake has pretty much got his Hollywood, music and golf careers on lock. And while the other three guys have been doing their own thing, fans always want to know if 'NSYNC can make a comeback. Lance Bass admits that with all the hoopla and buzz surrounding the upcoming NKOTBSB tour (which brings together former rivals Backstreet Boys and boy band legends New Kids on the Block), he's feeling a bit nostalgic.

"I did [see their performance]. I actually I was hosting the AMA red carpet and I got to see the rehearsal, which was really fun and so nostalgic," he confessed to MTV News on the red carpet of the Billboard Women in Music event on Thursday (December 2). He was discussing the debut performance of NKOTBSB at last month's American Music Awards. "It was a lot of fun."

He also shared that he hopped on stage with the nine guys during rehearsal, and it was the first time that that much boy band fire power had been on one stage together. So, when will we see NSYNCKOTBSB?

"We're always approached to things like that, of course everyone would love to see an 'NSYNC reunion," he said. "I would love to see an 'NSYNC reunion. Everyone's off doing their own thing. Justin has amazing movie career right now. Let everyone settle down. Let the dust settle and we'll see what happens in the future."

Tags 'nsync, backstreet boys, Lance Bass, new-kids-on-the-block, video

"Black Swan" star Mila Kunis went through quite an ordeal to help make her new film (which opens in limited release today) into one of the best critically-received movies of 2010. She had to go on a killer diet, learn a boatload of ballet moves and engage in a sex scene that her dad is not allowed to watch. It was worth all of that sacrifice, as the resulting film is without a doubt one of the finest of the year.

Because of all that hard work, Kunis deserves to get something in return. And what does the 27-year-old actress want? She wants her MTV! "When do you think that MTV is going to start playing music videos?" she asked MTV's Josh Horowitz during a conversation last week. "Let's just play any music videos."

A recent experience with the network got her passionate about the state of the network. "I was watching MTV for two hours on a flight coming here," she explained. "I hadn't watched MTV in a long time. Two hours. Not one mention of music. It was a girl pregnant for one episode, and the next thing was people doing their bucket list. What bucket list do you have at 20 years old? And then there's two douchebag guys moving into the parents house to date a girl. This isn't the MTV that I grew up with. Where are my music videos?"

While Kunis' wish may just be granted in the new year, she didn't specify exactly which videos she'd like to see. So consider this an invitation: Mila, any time you want to choose a clip for a very special edition of Wake-Up Video, just hit us up!

Tags Black Swan, Mila Kunis, video

"To get any type of Grammy accolade or anything, it's cliché but it's a dream come true in the literal sense, that thing you have between sleeping and waking up. That time spent I used to think about being on the stage and being able to thank the people that have done so much for me in my life. I've been having this dream, I never knew where it was and it never really specified what the award was. But I knew it was a night I could let the people know — the people in my life know — how much they have done with me. To have four opportunities to have that chance is incredible."

-Rap superstar Drake, gushing over the thrill he got when he discovered he had been nominated for four Grammy Awards. The rapper, who made his full-length debut earlier this year with Thank Me Later, locked up nominations for Best Rap Album, Best New Artist, Best Rap Solo Performance (for "Over") and Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group (for "Fancy," his collaboration with Swizz Beatz).

That's not the only big awards show news Drake got this week, as he was announced as the host of the 2011 Juno Awards, which are the most prestigious music awards in his native Canada. "I am beyond honored to be hosting this monumental Juno Awards in the greatest city on Earth," Drizzy said in a statement. "I want to bring a youthful energy to the show and encourage people to be excited about what Canadian music has to offer. See you all at the show."

Tags drake, Grammy Awards, Grammys, Quote

A few days back, a fun little video hit the Internet. In a two-minute clip of a Spanish talk show, Justin Bieber proves he's a secret genius. Not that we ever doubted Bieber's intellectual capabilities, but we have to say that watching Bieber solve a Rubik's cube in about minute has proved that there's a lot more going on inside Bieber's perfectly coiffed head than we could have ever imagined.

Bieber pays no attention to the show's host as he counts down to one and then focuses solely on the task at hand, fingers flying about as he moves the pieces of the cube. Without flinching or second-guessing himself, he lines up the colors perfectly and proudly displays his accomplishment for the (mostly female) studio audience to observe. After exchanging a high five, Bieber gives the cube to a lucky fan in the audience.

We're impressed by Bieber's skills, even more so because it's to be noted that we've had a Rubik's Cube lying around The MTV Newsroom for months and nobody has come even remotely close to solving the thing (though at some point somebody managed to get all the blue squares on one side). Who came the closest out of all the MTV News staffers? It was Sway, who came awfully close to cracking the code (though not with the speed of Bieber).

So in addition to dominating the music charts and conquering your local cineplex soon, Bieber is also apparently a master problem and puzzle solver. He should totally challenge Big Blue to a chess match.

Tags Justin Bieber, Rubik's Cube

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Even though she hasn't been terribly busy on the business front in 2010, Hilary Duff has still had a pretty great year. The actress and singer's time was mostly taken up by her marriage to professional hockey player Mike Comrie (he's a center for the Pittsburgh Penguins), who gave her a pretty tremendous engagement ring early in the year and made her his wife in August. But Duff hasn't stopped keeping herself in the public eye, and her commitment to social issues continues. She participated in just such an event on Thursday (December 2), when she participated in the "Blessings in a Backpack" event at Normandie Elementary School in Los Angeles. The program gives backpacks full of ready-to-prepare food to underprivileged children, and Duff helped prepare a batch of backpacks with the assistance of the kids from the school.

Duff wasn't the only star out in the open, as Nick Lachey paid a visit to the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles for the season premiere of "The Sing-Off" (a show he also hosts) and Justin Bieber continues his march across Europe (he's back in the United Kingdom) in support of My Worlds Acoustic. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which contains over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Shakira, the Jonas Brothers and Eminem!

Tags hilary duff, photo, Spotted!

In just a few short weeks, 2010 will be make the strange transition from present tense to fading memory. Any time a new year is upon is, it means it's time to reflect on the year that was, and MTV News has already gotten a jump on the proceedings with the Top 25 Songs of the 2010. Over the past two days, we have revealed 15 of those tracks (check out 25-18 — which includes hits from Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Swedish House Mafia — and 17-11 — which features Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry, among others). Starting on Monday (December 6), we will be revealing the top 10 songs, pulling the curtain back on two each day until we arrive at the top track of the year on Friday (December 10).

The list has been created based on submissions by a series of two dozen MTV News staffers. Those suggestions were then re-arranged using some complicated math and then argued over for days at a time. The final list is, we believe, an accurate representation of the year that was in music, according to chart success, critical recognition, fan adulation and cultural impact.

But now that we've done some heavy lifting, we want you to weigh in too. Who do you think had the top song of the year? Was it Eminem's dark, twisted, accidentally anthemic "Love the Way You Lie"? Maybe it was Lady Gaga's bombastic "Telephone." Perhaps it was one of Kanye West's game-changing singles. Or it could be Cee-Lo Green's potty-mouthed throwback "F--- You." Of course, you could prefer songs by Katy Perry, Linkin Park, Rick Ross, Rihanna or Usher. It's up to you to weigh in!

So let us know what your song of the year is in the comments below (and be sure to let us know why). Want to really let us know? Upload your video argument to Your.MTV.com (just make sure you leave the actual song out of the clip). The winner of the fan poll will be revealed alongside the actual song of the year next Friday.

Tags Eminem, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Poll, Usher

If it's Friday, it means that it's time to figure out what to see at the movies this weekend. And if it's a Friday in December, it means that your choices are at polar opposites, as they consist of either envelope-pushing awards bait or bombastic crowd-pleasers. This weekend sees a handful of releases in both categories. At the heavy-rotation end of the spectrum, there's the Asian action epic "The Warrior's Way," but if you're in the mood for something a little more challenging (and you live in the New York or Los Angeles areas), your cup runneth over. There's "All Good Things" (which features Ryan Gosling as a doomed real estate mogul), "I Love You Phillip Morris" (an unusual gay prison romance flick starring Jim Carrey), "Night Catches Us" (a '70s black power throwback) and "Bhutto" (a gripping documentary about Benazir Bhutto, the first woman elected as the head of a Muslim nation).

But if it's darkness, sex, dancing and psychological thrills you're looking for, there's only one place to turn. "Black Swan" is the hotly-anticipated and already critically-acclaimed new film directed by Darren Aronofsky (who is also responsible for such modern classics as "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Wrestler"). It stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as a pair of rival dancers who become involved in a manic, psycho-sexual thriller. It's a jaw-dropping film full of great performances and eye-popping visuals, and it will undoubtedly be nominated for many, many awards.

In order to prepare yourself for the intensity of "Black Swan," check out the playlist below. It's mostly full of homages to sex (tracks from Kings of Leon and Stone Temple Pilots) and various shades of black, but there's also Coheed and Cambria's "Feathers" for a swan tie-in. To kick things off, crank up the savage "Cry of the Black Birds" by Amon Amarth.

Tags Amon Amarth, Black Swan, kings of leon, stone-temple-pilots, video

They say that in the world of metal, there are legends, there are icons and there are gods. A few of the latter still walk among us, including Lemmy Kilmister from Mötörhead and Rob Halford of Judas Priest. Perhaps the biggest metal deity of them all celebrates another year on Earth, as Ozzy Osbourne celebrates his birthday today.

The 62-year-old singer remains just as vital as ever, as he released he spent the year releasing a new album called Scream, serving as the headlining act on yet another Ozzfest (alongside Mötley Crüe and Halford) and getting nominated for yet another Grammy ("Let Me Hear You Scream" was given a nod for Best Hard Rock Performance and is up against Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and Them Crooked Vultures).

Scream is quite an album, as it veers away from the ballad-heavy trend Osbourne had been indulging in for the past few full-lengths (he often claimed that he would rather focus on those songs, as they are his favorite tracks to sing) and focuses more on buzzsaw guitars and thudding jams. It's ironic, as it's the first Osbourne album in a while not to feature fleet-fingered guitarist Zakk Wylde. Osbourne did a ton of promotion for the album, including staging the longest and loudest scream of all time earlier this year. He gathered people together at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, and the Guinness Book of Records confirmed that the crowd did indeed top the old decibel record (which had been set by a group of Boy Scouts in Finland). He also liberally spread around tracks on video games, most notably as downloads for "Rock Band."

So raise a glass and cut an extra-large slice of cake for one of the gods of metal, and turn the volume way, way up on "Let Met Hear You Scream."

Tags Birthday, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, video