* What does Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester have to say when it comes to her boyfriends?

* Want Jason Segal’s phone number? Well you’re in luck cus he sang it out during a Swell Season concert. The Swell Season are the couple from that fantastic film Once! This is great news in so many different ways! Watch!

* Conan O’Brien really hates Heidi and Spencer. Like a lot. And it’s hilarious.

* These sculptures look SO REAL AND IT IS STARTING TO SCAR ME IN A COOL WAY.
But really. Wow.

* Stephen Colbert serenaded Elvis Costello with and Elvis Costello song. Super duper neato.

* Justin Bieber is a rebel! Kinda? He was suppose to go to a signing today but things got soooooooooooooooooooooooooo crazy that he couldn’t go or else he’d get arrested! So he didn’t go. Smart thinking J Biebs.

* Seasame Street’s best musical moments. This warms my heart in a million ways.

Hello, everyone! My name is Sydney, and I’m one of the new MuchMusic blog correspondents!

Yesterday, I got the awesome opportunity to go to MuchMusic HQ for a very special MuchOnDemand with Cory Monteith & Hedley! I, for one, am a huge fan of both Glee & Hedley, so I knew this was gonna be a great show!

My cousin Alex & I scored a perfect spot behind where the VJs do their interviews. Before we went live, the Floor Directors took us through a series of rehearsals & procedures, just to make sure everything was right. Once we went live, the energy from the audience tripled. You could tell we were all super stoked to see Cory & Hedley up close!

First up was Canadian Glee star/ultimate heartthrob Cory Monteith. Ladies, let me tell you… he’s even better looking in person! Especially when they cut to the clip of Glee, and he started lip-syncing & air drumming!! I know, I know…calm down, kids. After his interview, he stayed behind to take pictures & sign autographs with all of us Gleeks. Me being 5′1″, and Cory being 6′3″, standing next to him was quite funny. He even apologized for being so tall (awww!!). He was such a chill guy on and off camera, and was sincerely appreciative of his fans. He even gave one lucky girl his toque!

Next up was none other than Canadian Pop Rockers Hedley! It came as no surprise when Jake ran into the studio, jumped off of a chair, and did an air dive right into the audience! The interview was just as expected…WILD & CRAZY! Unfortunately (or fortunately???), Jake refused to moon the camera. During commercial & video breaks, the guys took turns between doing autographs & pictures, and chit chatting with Tim Deegan. You could really feel the bromance. The guys even came over and took pictures with my cousin & me! The pictures are hilarious, but what else would we expect from Hedley?

After the show went off air, we shot a few promos for future episodes, and stuck around to get pictures with the VJs. We had such a great time, and can’t wait to do it again!

For those of you who missed out on all of the fun, or watch the full episode now!

Two cutie pie cast members from Secret Life of an American Teen are looking for a couple hot dates while they’re in Canada! If you’re up for some good times with either Daren Kagasoff or Shailene Woodley, upload your videos after the jump! (Note: this is for two separate dates - you can apply for one, or both with two different videos).

More info comin at cha, just click through…

Daren Kagasoff
Swoon, Ricky Underwood. Aka resident dreamboat on The Secret Life of an American Teenager, aka Daren Kagasoff, aka double swoon. Good news, droolers: we’re gonna send someone on a date with this newfound studmuffin - aka, possibly you. All you gotta do is make a video proving why you should be chosen to spend some quality time with Daren. Be creative and unique and persuasive, then upload it to YouTube and send us the link. Who knows, maybe you’ll be whisked away in a limo and filmed for TV before you know it… aka, upload your video now!

Submit Your YouTube Link!

Shailene Woodley
Shailene!! You may know this pretty lady from her stint as Kaitlin Cooper on The OC, or most recently her role as Amy on The Secret Life of an American Teenager! Well it just so happens that Shailene will be coming to Canada in the near future, and we’re gonna send a fan & friend on a date with her. If you want a chance to hang with Shailene and have it all filmed to air on Much, make us a video proving why you should be chosen! Be creative and be you - then upload it to YouTube and send us the link! Good luck!

Submit Your YouTube Link!

A $4 billion lawsuit against Miley Cyrus has been thrown out.

Earlier today, a judge dismissed the ridiculous suit filed by Lucie Kim, who took offense over a photo dubbed “Hanoi Montana,” where the star made a racist gesture by slanting her eyes.

Kim says she will considering filing an appeal, despite the judge’s ruling.

What ever happened to William Hung? After butchering Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” in the American Idol auditions, Hung became the most viral overnight celebrity in history. Okay, that’s not a fact, but it seemed like it at the time. So was anyone really surprised when Britain’s Got Talent answered back with Susan Boyle?

Earlier this year, 47-year old contestant Boyle stunned all those who sneered at her appearance during the audition. Her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables left everyone watching in a state of shock.

Now, months later, the Scottish singer is finally releasing her first album, I Dreamed A Dream, hitting stores in North America this Tuesday, November 24. Unfortunately, the album has no original songs.
Her covers will include The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”, “Memory” from the musical Cats, “Cry Me a River”, which has 100 million hits on Youtube and of course, “Amazing Grace”.

But I have to wonder, while she does have a great singing voice, is she really that special? The performance was surely not a reason to start crying (I’m lookin’ at you, Amanda Holden). In my opinion, her superstardom and global attention is solely based on the juxtaposition between her looks and her voice. Ever since April she has had prolonged media interest, but is it for the right reasons? Is she really capable of having a sustained music career? Last I heard, she’s already had a breakdown due to her newfound fame. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Susan Boyle hater. I am concerned for her; she seems like a very kind old lady. Honestly, it would be too sad if she thought everyone adored her when really they were just having a laugh at her expense.

Surprisingly, for three months, I Dreamed A Dream has been Amazon’s best-selling album in HISTORY, and that’s just in pre-sales! My mind is exploding with questions! Do you think it will hit the Billboard Top 40? Are you planning on buying it? Will it only be moms that will buy it for serious listening purposes? Do you think she is likely to become the next William Hung? Are Boyle’s 15 minutes over?

Eminem will re-release Relapse next month. And no, this isn’t the Relapse 2 he promised us before the end of the year.

Titled The Refill (get it?), the album will include Relapse as well as seven brand new songs in a trend that has seen recent repackaged albums by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

Eminem says that his goal was to get new music out there as soon as he could.

“I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned,” he says. “Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year.”

Some of these new tracks include “Forever,” featuring Drake, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne, DJ Hero’s “Taking My Ball” (also released only with the DJ Hero video game), and five brand spanking new ones none of us have ever heard before.

The Refill will conveniently be out in stores on December 21st, just in time for Christmas.

The Roman Catholic Church is denouncing the Twilight franchise.

Apparently there are no Twi-hards or Team Edward versus Team Jacob debates happening inside the Vatican.

The Roman Catholic Church is speaking out against New Moon calling the Twilight franchise a “moral vacuum with a deviant message.”

The Vatican has previously spoken out against The DaVinci Code and Harry Potter films.

New Moon hits theatres tonight.

Mariah Carey caused pandemonium in London Thursday night when she appeared at a local shopping mall to switch on the Christmas lights. Although she was an hour late, Mimi was in the holiday spirit…

“I think London is very festive in the winter but you guys start celebrating in September. We wait until the end of November so I like to come over here and see the trees, and like today’s going to be.”

Of course, what would a public appearance by Mariah Carey be without a few diva demands. According to reports, the singer had insisted she be surrounded by 20 white kittens and 100 white doves but was denied because of safety concerns.

Her publicist called the demands “absolute rubbish and absolute nonsense,” but c’mon, this is Mariah Carey we’re talking about here. We’re surprised she didn’t add dolphins and unicorns to the list.

Black Eyed Peas, Dr. Dre, and Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill were just some of the stars who walked the pink carpet at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York last night.

Supermodel Heidi Klum hit the catwalk in her skivvies just six weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.

She told Reuters, “Well, Victoria’s Secret is iconic, but also, Victoria’s Secret is always on the cutting edge, I think. You know, they are always looking to the future, and they always want to do something new and different.”

Caleb from Kings of Leon had his own personal reasons for showing up.

“Actually my girlfriend’s doing one of the things, so as far as the Victoria’s Secret underwear, they all look the same on the floor.”

There are several things that make Friday the second best day of the week (following Saturday): new movie releases, tasty beverages, general ‘I don’t give an F’ attitude and of course, going to sleep and not waking up until you FEEL like it. BUT NOW IT’S EVEN BETTER, OMAGAW.

See, today’s the day we give away a pair of concert tickets via Facebook and Twitter (one pair each). This week you can score tickets to see Devendra Banhart @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on Nov 27 OR Moneen in Vancouver @ Venue on Nov 25 (19+ event)!

Find out how to win after the jump!

To win on Twitter, tweet this message:

Devendra Banhart in Toronto:
It’s free Ticket Friday! RT @muchmusic for your chance to see Devendra Banhart in Toronto on Nov 27! More info: http://bit.ly/7vSUc

Moneen in Vancouver:
It’s free Ticket Friday! RT @muchmusic for your chance to see Moneen in Vancouver on Nov 25! (19+) More info: http://bit.ly/7vSUc

To win on Facebook, post on our wall why you should win tickets to see Devendra Banhart in Toronto or Moneen in Vancouver.

We’ll pick a winner and notify them by Monday!

Can’t wait? Click here to buy tickets! And check out photos & video from past concerts!

GO GET ‘EM CHAMP!

Just in case your iPod is looking a little dry these days, might I recommend some tunes for you to spice things up again?

The Sunshine Underground is one of England’s rising musical talents, after capturing the attention of audiences all over Britain in 2005 when the lads won a BBC Battle of the Bands competition. This four-piece band from Leeds released their first album Raise The Alarm (2006) which contained the incredibly catchy songs, “Borders” and “Commerical Breakdown”. The Sunshine Underground has been M.I.A for the last couple of years much to fans’ disapproval, however are in the midst of making a comeback tour. They have recently released their new EP Everything, Right Now, with their feature track “Coming to Save You”. The full second album is anticipated to be released in February 2010. It’s well worth the wait, so don’t get your knickers in a twist!

Fact: The band named themselves after The Chemical Brothers’ song “The Sunshine Underground”, from the album Surrender.

Sounds like: Franz Ferdinand and the Chemical Brothers’ love-child. TSU produces a variety of punk, dance-rock, funk, and indie sounds.

Julian Casablancas’s song “Glass” from his solo album has been the tune that is nearly impossible to shake from my head. The lead singer from The Strokes graces us with his soulful solo album, released November 3, 2009 Phrazes For The Young. Combining his smooth vocals with an electronic-futuristic sound, accompanied by lyrics that seem to have something to say to everyone. The album is chock-full of upbeat and mellow, chaos and control. Casablancas, now free from the stylistic constraints that came from being a part of the Strokes, re-invents himself in a manner that allows for experimental freedom. Julian Casablancas’s Phrazes For The Young is his first solo album.

Top songs on the Album: “Glass”, “Tourist”, and “11th Dimension”

The album Alas I Cannot Swim (February 2008) from the British folk-pop singer Laura Marling will soon be recognized by many. With multiple sold-out shows sweeping across Europe and Australia, this nineteen-year-old singer/songwriter wrote her first album by the age of seventeen. The lyrics in this album portray Marling to be wise beyond her years, with magical lyrics comparable to that of Regina Spektor and Joni Mitchell. The Songs “Ghosts” and “New Romantic” speak to anyone who has ever loved and been loved. And let’s face it, it’s break-up season. Looking for a new artist to distract yourself with? May Laura Marling’s wisdom be with you!

Explosives were discovered outside the offices of T.I.’s Grand Hustle label.

The Atlanta police department are investigating two Molotov cocktails that were left in front of the building.

“One of the occupants came out early this morning to start his car up and noticed two suspicious bottles sitting on the front portion of the walkway,” Officer Otis Redmond told MyFox Atlanta 5 (via AllHipHop.com).

Experts are now testing the bottles to see what kind of liquids were used.

One thing we know is certain: T.I. has nothing to do with it.

And the winner is… BLOODY EYEBALL!

Over the course of this season’s America’s Next Top Model, we have witnessed some top model firsts! From having three permanent judges to guaranteed spots for models in the next round to narrowing down the finalists from four to two! The biggest first was of course PETITE MODELS! Girls under the 5’7” mark were allowed to try out for the first ever petite Top Model cycle. Who knew the much shorter girls were the weirder girls as we got Laura, the farm girl with dyslexia from Stanford, Kentucky standing at 5’6” and Nicole, the social outcast who ate lunch in the washroom stalls at school from Louisville, Colorado standing at 5’7” as the top two finalists of this season.

The episode started off with the challenge: CoverGirl commercial and photo shoot! Tyra mail stated “If a model falls in the forest, does anyone hear it?” hinting at the concept of the commercial. The girls were hikers but since they were also CoverGirls, (who hikes when you are a CoverGirl?!) they were sophisticated looking with long straight hair. Laura did not let her dyslexia get in the way of shooting her commercial and thinks of milkshakes and little cats during her photo shoot with noted fashion photographer, Nigel Barker, to achieve a raw emotion. Nicole appeared to be snooty during her commercial take as creative director, Jay Manuel said, but made up for it during the photo shoot by delivering amazing shots.

The girls are treated as if they were top models already by having the Seventeen cover shoot done in their house and having top fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon shoot their covers. He has worked with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Rachel Williams, and is one of Tyra’s favourite photographers. Seventeen editor in chief Ann Shoket says the girls are neck in neck and it could be anyone’s win at this point.

There must be some sort of emotional story to these finalists as Tyra visits their house for a special one-on-one. Each of them talk about their struggles through life and of course, it’s as if it’s rehearsed, the typical line of “I never though this would happen to me in a million years and here I am, as the finalist of America’s Next Top Model!” After the tear wiping and clearing off the snot, it is time for the final task: the runway.

Another Top Model first happened as past eliminated girls were brought back to be in the runway show as well. All four of them were rooting for Laura as they believe she is a top contender. Special appearances were made from Eddie Murphy as his daughter Bria Murphy also modeled in the show alongside cycle 12 winner, Teyona. The theme of the runway consisted of the elements of fire, wind, and water. Each element was pretty stereotypically portrayed with red light for fire, wind machine for wind, and showers for water. Nicole sorta looked like an angry hunchback storming down the walk while Laura kept it consistent and strong. The designer, Julia Clancey, looked proud of the girls at the end of the show as she waved the audience thanks.

Judging began with Tyra announcing the prizes for one last time: a contract with Wilhelmina Models, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and a cover along with a six-page spread within Seventeen magazine. Each girl’s journey was critiqued were many adjectives such as amazing or breathtaking or extravagant. Nicole’s runway walk did not go unnoticed as Tyra called it her “signature” walk. Her photos were also being called high fashion and beautiful. Her commercial was very likeable but there was no “model” being portrayed. Laura’s assessments were very close behind Nicole’s causing a difficult decision for the judges.

Does the girl who is a transformer on camera with the bubbly personality but not a model in person win? Or does the girl with the amazing haute couture poses and photos with the stoner personality win? Two beautiful ladies stand before me but only one could win America’s Next Top Model.

The winner of America’s Next Top Model is… Nicole! From week one, this girl was the one to beat and people believe Tyra would not choose the obvious leaving Laura to win. Not the case on this season of firsts as Nicole, standing at 5’7” wins the competition. Laura’s heartbreak was devastating to watch as she was too close to the finish line.

“I’m a dork and I’m America’s Next Top Model!” This is living proof that the girl who was the outcast throughout school had her dream come true on television. Take that you bullies!

A dapper-looking Zac Efron signed autographs for adoring fans and walked the red carpet at the London premiere of his new movie Me and Orson Wells.

The High School Musical star says he’ll miss the Disney franchise but is looking forward to the next phase of his career.

“I’m definitely sad to see the end of it [High School Musical] but I think it’s all about progression and growing and trying new things,” Zac said. “This is definitely the next step in that journey for me. I’m really excited, I can’t wait for everybody to see this movie and hear their thoughts.”

Me and Orson Wells opens in limited cities on November 25th.

Would you freak out if the Jonas Brothers showed up in your classroom? That’s just what happened to some lucky students in the UK.

The Jonas Brothers gave some English students the surprise of their lives when they showed up at a grade seven music class yesterday. Kevin, Nick and Joe jammed for the excited students who had no idea the boys were coming.

The Jonas Brothers said they were happy to help teach students the importance of getting into music early.

Said Kevin, “For us, music was everything around us, you know. Growing up our Dad introduced us to so many different artists and so many different things and I think for us being able to be performers and musicians ourselves was always a dream come true.”

Problems with her new $60k breast implants might be the real reason Amy Winehouse was sent to hospital earlier this week.

Wino was rushed to a London clinic Sunday night after reportedly suffering a bad reaction to cold medication.

But on his TV show, father-of-the-year candidate Mitch Winehouse sold his daughter out saying, “She’s fine, she just had a little leaky something or other” while he pointed to his chest. Nice.

In news guaranteed to frustrate unpublished authors everywhere, Lauren Conrad is coming out with another book.

The former Hills star will release a fashion advice book in the fall of 2010 called Lauren Conrad Style. Lauren says her book will “offer simple, practical tips to help anyone look fabulous.” Conrad has already published the best selling novel L.A. Candy.

Her follow-up Sweet Little Lies hits stores February 2nd.

Nick Jonas will not be joined by his two older brothers as he performs this year at the Grammy Nominations concert live on December 2nd.

However, Nick will be teaming up with members of Prince’s New Power Generation and playing with his new band, Nick Jonas and the Administration, who will drop their album, Who Am I on February 2nd.

Well, well, well. Looky what we have here: your early hook-up to buy Hedley tickets! 13 Canadian cities can get front-line access to these babies, starting Thursday morning at 10am local time. This presale will run until Friday night at 10pm local time; after that it’ll be a free-for-all! So, don’t waste time, buster.

Ticket links after the jump!

PASSWORD: Friends
Remember: you can purchase tix through this presale starting Thursday at 10am local time to Friday at 10pm local time!

Toronto
Ottawa
Kitchener
London
Kingston
Sudbury
Victoria
Dawson Creek
Penticton
Prince George
Calgary
Edmonton
Regina
Winnipeg

Didn’t luck out with the presale? Click here to buy tickets!

In case you haven’t already noticed, MuchMusic LOVES Canadian bands. I too love Canadian bands. In fact, I truly believe that Canadian bands trump all American, Scottish (-FF), Aussie, and even El Salvadorian bands. I mean, we seriously have so much talent, whether it is recognized worldwide or not.

The point that I’m really getting at is… if you take (in my opinion) the five best Canadian albums of the past 5 years and compare them to some popular albums from the places listed (especially El Salvador), it is clear that we pwn those n00bs. To give you a tasteling of what I mean, I invite you to search up, listen to, and love the best five Canadian albums of the past five years! >:]

Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
What’s kinda awesome is that this was the band’s debut album. How could something this great be produced by newbies in the industry?! The mixture of baroque pop and indie rock will leave you in awe. A great listen for a sleep playlist, wake-up playlist… chillaaang… anywhere, anytime. Always great. Best song: “Wake Up”.

Feist - The Reminder (2007)
Leslie Feist. You’ve done it again. I’d say that the highlight of this album is her vocals. All around fantastic though, especially if you really like female singers. Best song: “1234”.

Hot Hot Heat - Elevator (2006)
If you’re all about indie rock, this is for you. Probably the best indie rock album of the past half decade. Yeah, it’s that great. So, get on this one. Best song: “Ladies and Gentlemen”.

Metric - Live It Out (2005)
Okay. This one may be a little biased. Just ‘cause Metric is my favourite band doesn’t disprove the fact that they are the best band ever. Oh, and yes. Best electronic-indie album… EVER. Best song: “Live It Out // Monster Hospital”.

Billy Talent - Billy Talent II (2006)
For all hardcore-punk rock enthusiasts… tada. Reaching the #1 position on two major charts and shedding off five awesome, stereo blasting-worthy singles. Just try to listen to a rock station for a couple of hours without hearing a song off of this album. Quite possibly impossible. Best song: “Fallen Leaves”.

HI. Welcome back to the article. ‘Cause I know that you proceeded to buy each of these bands’ discographies after hearing about them. HOW VUNDERFUL. KSO, it’s obvious just how unique and wicked Canadian music can be. Now… appreciate it!!!