+ Jessica Simpson has landed her first magazine cover, post-breakup with Tony Romo. (Glamour)

+ Hey girl hey! Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester loves to wrap her lips around a foot long! (Skinny Girls, Big Sandwiches)

+ Wanna enter for a chance to win a VIP trip for two to L.A. to see Morningwood at Six Flags Magic Mountain? DO IT NOW! (LogoOnline)

+ Check out this interview Kid Cudi gave recently, talking 'shrooms and being more than just Kanye's little sidekick. (Complex)

+ Up-and-coming MC/pop songstress/crazywoman Amanda Blank is launching a coast-to-coast tour with Matt and Kim to close out the summer and support the launch of her new CD 'I Love You,' with dates from L.A. to D.C. (MySpace)

+ Brit Brit's back to her old tricks again, and by old tricks we mean Lindsay Lohan. The two were spotted partying into the wee morning hours at an L.A. hotspot last night. Come on now, girl -- we're almost rid of Daddy-o. Don't spoil it now!! (Life & Style Weekly)

+ We hate to say it, but Perez Hilton has a pretty good ear for up-and-coming music, so much so that he's getting his own record label. Yikes. (The Tripwire)

+ FINALLY some good news today... Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo have broken up. The kicker is that it was because Tony didn't want to dress up as Ken doll for a "Barbie & Ken"-themed party. Wonder who gets to keep the Dream House?  (Pink Is The New Blog)

+ Like her or not, lady is getting paid: Lauren Conrad just topped the NY Times' Best Seller's List! (StarPulse)

+ It's nice to see all the American Idol kids sticking together in spite of all the anti-gay protesters that are showing up outside their concerts (bashing Adam Lambert). (Popnography)

+ Lady Gaga made history this week, as she is only the third artist EVER to have three songs on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. (Perez Hilton)

+ This weekend, Lindsay Lohan threw herself at 2008 MTV VMA host Russell Brand and surprisingly enough, the self-proclaimed sex addict said "NO!" (The Superficial)

(Credit: Wendy Hope)

Jim Jones is all sorts of talented. The MC/mogul has appeared in multiple films, did a cameo on The Wire, has four full-length albums under his belt, a handful of mixtapes and at least as many beefs (Jay-Z, Tony Yayo and even fellow Diplomat, Cam'ron, to name a few).

The New York City hustler who co-founded Dipset with Cam'ron and Juelz Santana has gone quickly from high-ranking Blood to hip-hop hype man, to Warner Brothers A&R man, to solo MC, to video director to co-CEO of Diplomat Records and on and on and on. Dude just makes things happen. And he's in good company. Whether or not they all still get along, Cam'ron, Juelz Santana and Jim Jones are all stirring up enough buzz to give rap's biggest names a run for their money right now.

But it doesn't end there for Jim Jones. The professional hype man is going above and beyond with the promotion of his March 24 release, Pray IV Reign, and staging an off-Broadway musical called Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside The Life And Mind Of Jim Jones. The play, which already saw a limited run in November, will be performed during the week of the album's release. Jim Jones plays himself among a cast of about 20 trained actors. Has that ever been done before? Not to my knowledge.

Finally, with his acting chops already well-proven, Jim Jones dropped by MTV to film a series of exclusive Featured Artist clips. His role as a tough-talking business man isn't much of a stretch, but you definitely won't see the valley-talking Hills spoof coming.  Along with a trip to Jim Jones Industries, check out two interview clips, a Jim Jones freestyle, an exclusive "acoustic" performance of "Na Na Nana Na Na," a new photo gallery AND a "Family Tree" video playlist curated by Jim Jones himself!

Dig into that Jim Jones overload while I catch my breath a minute.

Solange is on a video hot streak! Remember that zonked-out one she did a minute ago -- "Sandcastle Disco" -- with all the crazed animations and general high-tech eye-poppery? In that clip, she brought the Motown girl group vibe up to date and gave it a whole new attitude.

In her latest, "T.O.N.Y.," Solange pays tribute to that old-school flavor that pops its neck in every note of her soulful songs. The video, which Solange and co-director Va$htie shot completely in black and white, cashes in on that same '60s glamour that drives her sound.

Watch as Solange struts the streets of New York City and shows that fool Tony just exactly what he's missing.

+ The "We Are One" all-star concert at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday afternoon kicked off a week of Inaugural celebrations. Beyonce, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Usher, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, will.i.am, and others were on hand to say YES WE CAN. (MTV News)

+ As we reported, Beyonce will be singing a super secret song at the Inaugural Ball tomorrow night when President and Michelle Obama take the dance floor. Only Beyonce isn't so good at keeping secrets. (Pssst: it's "At Last" by Etta James). (D-Listed)

+ Dear Miley Cyrus (and Emily Osment!): We are officially BEYOND psyched for your new Hannah Montana movie. LYLAS, Buzzworthy. (Disney Society)

+ A naked pic of Madonna from 1979 is up for auction, and let's just say that the J. Sisters could use this puppy as a killer "before" shot if they were so inclined. (Gawker)

+ Speaking of Madge, she's not really stressin' this whole recession sitch too much: She was just named the #1 Top 10 earner of 2008. Other richie riches rounding out the list include the Jonas Brothers (never heard of 'em. You?) and Coldplay. (LA Times)

+ Lady Gaga brings new meaning to the term "fit to be tied." And also "absolutely insane hair bow." (The Superficial)

+ For your consideration: example #1,456 that some people's Jonas Brothers love/ OJD goes a leetle too far: undies snatchin'. (Websters Is My B****)

+ Notorious, the biopic about legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G., opened at No. 4 at the box office this weekend. No word on whether the sale of Coogi sweaters have been affected. (MTV Movies Blog)

+ Go ahead and add "gourmet chef" to Jessica Simpson's growing resume: the pop singer/reality star/actres/ country singer's recipes for banana breakfast fruit smoothies and no-fat broccoli and cherry tomatoes appear in the 2008 Dallas Cowboy wives Family Cookbook, eventhough she's... uhm... not technically Tony Romo's wife (or fiancé even). Awww! Remember when she didn't even know what tuna is? (NYDN)

+ Country singer Carrie Underwood is sorry she led the world to believe that Jessica Simpson's beau (and Underwood's ex) Tony Romo still has her on speed dial. "I would never mean to say anything to hurt anybody or stir up anything, because I'm just not about drama ... at all," said the American Idol winner, who then reinforced her point by privately apologizing to Jess publicly asking for Jess' forgiveness in the current issue of Elle.

+ Who knew that The Hills gals were also Halloween queens?! Check out Lauren Conrad's tribute to 1920's glam, plus admire Audrina Patridge's ability to show her true colors. (Remote Control)

+ Sultry come-hither stare? Check. Flowy white negligee? Check. Perfectly wind-blown hair? Check. Britney Spears, looking smokin' H-A-W-T on the cover of her new album, Circus? Checkmate. (Newsroom)

+ And speaking of Britney's new look, you won't want to miss these pics of the singer on Halloween. (Just Jared)

+ Like Fat Joe before him, Barack Obama thinks brothers should "pull up their pants." And, presumably, do the rock-away. (MTV News)

+ And, in sadder news, Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died today at the age of 86. Obama, who recently suspended his campaign to spend time at her bedside, issued a joint statement with his sister calling Dunham "the cornerstone of our family." (Reuters)

+ Actress Jennifer Hudson joined 100 celebrity friends (like Oprah, Missy Elliott and Fantasia) and family members in mourning for her mother, brother and nephew at a private memorial service in Chicago this morning. (E! Online)

+ Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard got stung by a scorpion twice ... and lived to tell about it. (Spinner)

+ Meanwhile, despite what those crazy Brits (and Perez Hilton) would have you believe, rapper Lil Wayne was not involved in a crazy gang-related gunfight last weekend. In fact the rapper's alive and well. And, apparently, bitching about how music these days is soooo uninspired. (NME)

+ Obama supporters Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel helped Barack the vote at a pro-Dem pep rally over the weekend. "I'm not here as some dude who writes goofy songs," Timberlake said. "Me and Jess, we're here as Americans. We're here as humans, because this is something we had to do." (MTV News)

+ Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy has announced that they'll be pushing back the release date for their new album, Folie a Deux. "Six months ago, we thought it would be a fun idea to release our album on Election Day," said the band in a statement, "but this is not the election to be cute." (Rolling Stone)

+ Meanwhile, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo are NOT engaged, okay?? "Somebody said we bought a ring [at Neiman Marcus]," Jess told Entertainment Tonight. "I couldn't drag Tony into Neiman Marcus if I tried." (Usmagazine.com)

+ Katy Perry is gearing up to host next month's MTV Europe Music Awards! And apparently she's a wee bit psyched. "I was so excited when I heard that I was nominated for two awards," says Perry, "but when I was asked to host the show I wet myself, Fergie-style!" (MTV News - UK)

+ Two of David and Victoria Beckham's former housekeepers have been taken into police custody for "allegedly looting the famous couple's mansion of souvenirs and then selling them on eBay." Good plan! (E! Online)

+ Good news, football haters! The Jo Bros are playing at halftime during this year's Thanksgiving Day Cowboys/Seahawks game! Happy (early) Turkey Day, everyone! (Pollstar)

+ M.I.A. becomes the latest boldfacer to bring down the house with T.I. on "Swagger Like Us." (MTV News)

Is Pink your average pop star? Not by a long shot.

Since releasing her first album, Can't Take Me Home in 2000, she's leaned every which way from R&B to rock, and successfully at that. She's so damned cool that we want to be her friend, and scares us just enough that we wouldn't want to be on her bad side. She's smart, funny, outspoken and a downright enjoyable person to be around. She's also got a history of activism.

And now she's talking to you on MTV about her passion for politics. Wazzat? Yeah, politics. She takes it very seriously, even more so in this election year. In shooting MTV Choose Or Lose promos with her in New York -- at that barroom bastion of politics McSorley's, in Tomkins Square Park and a rooftop location on the city's ever gentrifying Lower East Side -- and Toronto, she was candid and uncensored when discussing the issues of the day.

It's no secret that we loves us some Pink around here. If you're a devout MTV watcher -- and we know you are -- you've seen Pink quite a bit lately. She made a couple of late summer appearances on FNMTV and performed a fiery version of her latest single, "So What," during the 2008 VMAs. She'll also be on hand Nov. 6 in Liverpool for a performance on MTV's European Music Awards.

As if you didn't know, "So What" stems from Pink's fifth studio album, Funhouse is due on Oct. 28. The album's first single, "So What," is a smash hit that topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., as well as the pop charts in 10 other countries. No small feat, indeed.

Pink wrote or co-wrote all of the album's tracks and used several different producers, including No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal and singer/songwriter/producer Butch Walker, and, once again, Swedish pop master Max Martin, who worked with her on 2006's I'm Not Dead. She's the real deal.

Check out her VMA performance and the "So What" music video below, as well as 13 of her thought provoking MTV Choose Or Lose promos.

And don't be afraid to love Pink.

You THOUGHT 2008 was the year of the gentleman, which it is if you're Ne-Yo. And it's also the year of the election, if you hadn't heard about that rarely-discussed little news nug. And it's the 25th anniversary of Cabbage Patch Kids -- those lovable little dolls born of an otherwise-reviled veggie, with a sparkle in their eyes, and a John Hancock on their bums. The ones that caused 'bows-throwin' frenzies at toy stores across the country, if you're old enough to remember cray-cray moms getting clocked in the grill during Cabbage Patch stampedes.

And while it's been 25 years since the first Cabbage Patch Kiddie sprouted, it's also been four years since Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey (at that point still a couple) got the CPK treatment and were forever immortalized, for better or for worse, in the Celebrity CPK collection.

It's also been almost TEN years since Nick and Jess made sweet, sweet musical love in the woods, on a carousel, and in a diner in their "Where You Are" video, which you totally forgot about until now, didn't you?

Oh yeah, my source at Cabbage Patch HQ (who has an actual cabbage for a head), tells me that some new celeb Cabbage Patch Kids are in the works. Perhaps they're planting the seed for your very own little squeezable Tony Romo? Or a non-threatening Katy Perry doll? Also, is it unhealthy that I kinda miss the Chicken Of the Sea-era Jess and Nick? It is, isn't it?

+ Travis McCoy isn't exactly thrilled with his girlfriend's (musical) affinity for kissing other women. That said, he wants Katy to know he'd be willing to make an exception for Elisabeth Shue.  (Usmagazine.com)

+ And speaking of Mr. McCoy, check out these party pix of Gym Class Heroes hanging with Danity Kane.
Note: By "hanging with" we really mean "in the same room as." (Metromix New York)

+ Just 24 hours after his crazy, camera-related arrest, Kanye West's ready to explain why he got snappy with photogs! Or at least, to cryptically blog about it. "We back in the lab!!!" Kanye wrote. "I'm cool with the paparazzi. This guy wasn't cool. I gotta work now ... I'll rant later!" (MTV)

+ Meanwhile, Britney Spears may be on the paparazzi's side. (TMZ)

+ Has Pink been sucked into Scientology? (Perez Hilton)

+ You know that saying 'a picture is worth a 1,000 words?' Well, this shot of Amy Winehouse is the photographic equivalent of a manifesto. (Scandalist)

+ And speaking of photos, these shots from Madonna's concert bring three words to mind: The Vagina Monologues. (Best Week Ever)

+ Jessica Simpson doesn't want her exes calling her up. Unlike a certain other ex-Tony Romo dating country star we know ... (Usmagazine.com)

+ Only five weeks until Beyonce drops her new album which -- in some vague-but-exciting way -- features Justin Timberlake. (MTV)