Not surprisingly, the performers at the 2008 Video Music Awards were a who’s who of who’s smoking hot right now -- Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Paramore, The Ting Tings, Christina Aguilera, T.I., Kid Rock, LL Cool J and Kanye West all rocked Hollywood. But when it came to showstoppers -- aside from Britney’s big do-over -- Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers and Pink had it in the bag.

Looking like a character from Mad Max heading to Tina Turner's Thunderdome on top of a 20-tiered layer cake, Rihanna opened the show with “Disturbia/Seven Nation Army” while surrounded by writhing zombified dancers. On the flipside, the JoBros stripped things down and sang “Lovebug” while sitting on a stoop on the Paramount lot -- before jumping onstage as a flood of screaming fans swarmed in on them. (We know you sooo wanted to be there!) And Pink’s badass glass-breaking, bomb-throwing, nipple-revealing rendition of “So What” put the term “eye-popping” on the 2008 VMA map.

Yeah, we could go on and on about all the kick-ass performances -- Katy Perry looked super cute! Xtina had a kick-ass post-baby bod! Paramore pulled a fast one on us! -- but why don’t you check ’em all out for yourself? We’ve got all the pics and videos you need right here at your little fingertips.

More pics after the jump...

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Nick Jonas, along with fellow Jonas Brothers Kevin and Joe (and mom and dad), were in NYC today, talking about a cause close to their hearts: diabetes. Nick, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2005, launched a Website that he hopes will help other young people living with diabetes.

After choking up while talking about being diagnosed, Nick revealed that the band's new song, "A Little Bit Longer" -- which immediately shot to #1 on iTunes after it was released yesterday -- was something he started working on right after he learned he was sick. But it wasn't until he got frustrated about having low blood sugar on the set of Camp Rock that he finally found the inspiration to finish it.

In fact, his biggest concern before going onstage isn't nerves, it's making sure he isn't too "low." If he is, everyone behind the scenes is poised with medical supplies and snacks in case he needs them. Just the other day, Nick told Kevin and Joe he wasn't feeling well during a show, so Kevin killed some time by talking to the crowd while Nick took a break. Of course, Nick admitted he let his big bros sweat it out alone onstage for a few extra minutes.

A "bad attitude" and "weird cravings" are other symptoms Nick sometimes experiences on the road -- when he wants Pizza Hut, the boy better get it!

+ More photos from the event after the jump...

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Seth Rogen kept us on our toes yesterday when he was at 1515 for TRL. With the insanity that is Tokio Hotel Fan Week, we weren't sure we were gonna get anywhere near the new king of comedy. But at the last minute, we got the call that Seth had a few minutes to spare. We quickly dropped everything and rushed to the studio, where the laid-back actor cordially answered all the questions we threw at him.

We talked about everything, from his new movie Pineapple Express to his love of '80s pop-rocker Huey Lewis. He even poked fun of the smoky stunt he and James Franco pulled at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards. Here's what he had to say...

Buzzworthy: What did you actually smoke on the set of Pineapple Express?

Seth Rogen: It's called Wizard Smoke. It's, like, a benign plant. It'll probably kill me in several years, but I guess it's just like oregano. Honestly, I don't know what it is. [Laughs.]

BW: What's your all-time favorite stoner flick?

SR: That's a good question. There's been a lot of debate as to what is or is not actually a "stoner flick." Like, is The Big Lebowski a stoner movie or is it just a movie about a guy who smokes weed a lot? Is Dazed and Confused a stoner movie or are there just stoner characters in it? So, I would say The Big Lebowski, if you count that. If not, I would say Friday because that is a pure stoner movie in my mind.

BW: Did you feel pressured to pull off a good stoner flick with Pineapple Express?

SR: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I had to look my own friends in the face again at some point, and it would have been such a humiliating failure if I couldn't write a weed movie. [Laughs.] So, yeah, I felt a lot of pressure, mostly from myself though.

BW: Are you happy with the end result?

SR: I am. I love it. Honestly, I watch it and can't believe they let us make it.

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Although they rule the charts in their home turf of Australia, The Veronicas have yet to find mainstream success in the U.S. So far, the biggest headlines they've made were in 2006 when Lisa Origliasso -- one-half of the group, alongside identical twin sister Jessica -- dated Ryan Cabrera.

But "Untouched" -- the first single off their sophomore album, Hook Me Up, which was released Down Under last year but just became available on iTunes a few weeks ago -- should have electro-pop lovers rejoicing that they've touched down on American soil again. Sounding like a cross between t.A.T.u. and Dragonette, The Veronicas' video for "Untouched" is reminiscent of the high-concept, stylized looks of "Mr. Brightside" and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies."

We talked to Lisa and Jessica about their new video and album and what it's like being big in Oz while still trying to make a name for themselves in the States.

Buzzworthy: Hook Me Up is huge in Australia. What are your expectations for it here?

Jessica Origliasso: In Australia, our first album went four-times platinum. It was massive. We didn't have expectations, I guess, for the second record, even over there. It was a little bit of a different sound, it was a little bit of a risk. We're just really lucky that Australian fans loved it, and it actually grasped an even bigger fanbase than the first album. I guess over here we just want to get our music out there and hope that people...

Lisa Origliasso: Can relate to it and get something from it.

BW: Is it weird going back and forth between Australia and the U.S., basically from multiplatinum stars to relative unknowns?

JO: "Untouched" was the second single in Australia, and it was huge over there. But it's not weird.

LO: I guess the biggest difference between Australia and America is people don't know us as well over here, so we have to work a little harder to let people know what we're all about. In Australia, everybody's very familiar with us, so people know what to expect.

JO: Yeah, we do find ourselves working a little harder, you know?

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Though it sometimes seems like Phantom Planet just can't shake their insta-affiliation with the piano tinkle of The O.C. theme song and former drummer Jason "Rushmore" Schwartzman, the boys are working hard to give everyone something new to talk about.

The less-pop-more-Brit-rock sound of their latest album, Raise the Dead -- their first release both on Fueled By Ramen and without Schwartzman -- brings them one step closer to maturity. But before you reluctantly delete "California" from your iPod, we should point out that Phantom Planet 2.0 holds no ill will toward their past. In fact, in an apparent homage to, well, themselves, their new single, "Do the Panic," was heard on an episode of The O.C. knockoff Gossip Girl.

We sat down with Phantom Planet to find out what life's been like since their celeb drummer departed and they joined the Fueled By Ramen family and hit the road with labelmates Panic at the Disco on the Honda Civic Tour.

+ Plus, watch what the band had to say about leaving "California" behind and how -- and why -- cult leaders influenced their new album here.

Leaving "California" nothing more than a distant speck in the rearview mirror of their tour bus, Phantom Planet channeled their inner Brit rockers and switched up their sound on their latest album, Raise the Dead.

The comically creepy video for the first single, "Do the Panic," features a grimy old cabin in the woods, an ax-wielding maniac and musically inclined severed limbs. But the idea didn't come from repeat viewings of The Addams Family and/or The Evil Dead trilogy, and their updated sound wasn't inspired by a hop across the pond.

In this exclusive Buzzworthy interview, Phantom Planet talks about how a morbid fascination with infamous cult leaders like Charles Manson, David Koresh and Jim Jones shaped their songwriting and why they feel the need to constantly one-up themselves.

+ Plus: check back tomorrow to see what the band had to say about the departure of drummer/actor Jason Schwartzman, joining Fueled By Ramen and what it was like touring with Panic at the Disco.

Since we first started listening to them, The White Tie Affair went from small-time gigs to big-time tours -- they're currently on the road with Kill Hannah on the Hope for the Hopeless Tour -- from YouTube stars to TRL heroes. And they've gracefully braved grandiose comparisons to hometown heroes Fall Out Boy (though the Killers come to mind, and Boys Like Girls fans, you also need to pay attention), though they're carving out their own niche with glammed-up, synthed-out dance-rock tracks like "Candle (Sick and Tired)" and "Allow Me to Introduce Myself... Mr. Right" faster than you can swill champagne out of the bottle.

They sat down with us and talked about a few cuts off their debut album, Walk This Way, harnessing the awesome powers of Google to land a band name, harnessing the awesome powers of Journey, and playing volleyball against We the Kings -- and getting their asses handed to them.

Watch Buzzworthy's exclusive interview with the White Tie Affair, and check out their brand-new video, "Candle."

(Credit: AmericanIdol.com)

We ditched work in the middle of the day last week and went to the Nokia Theater, which is literally right around the corner from 1515, for a special concert by season 2 American Idol alum Kimberley Locke.

After belting out hits like "8th World Wonder" and "Fall," Kim was kind enough to take a few minutes to chat with us. And, of course, we asked her expert opinion on who will be crowned this season's Idol, David Archuleta or David Cook?

Although she's not necessarily rooting for anyone, she said, "I think David Archuleta's gonna win." Why? Because he's got that all-American, boy-next-door charm, which is "what American Idol voters love."

Of course, she admitted the David vs. David showdown "could go either way." So, get ready to dial your little fingers off -- then cross 'em that your guy wins.

+ Plus: catch up on a whole season's worth of American Idol wrap-ups, and check back next week for more on Kimberley Locke's concert and an exclusive interview with her.

Beware: Testament isn't for the skittish or faint of heart. They have been bringing their brand of thrash metal to headbangers around the world for 20-plus years and they've done hard time at the infamous Alcatraz prison.

OK ... so they didn't actually serve time there or anything. When we say "hard" we're referring to how fast and furious our Artist of the Week rocked on The Rock to show you what life would be like behind bars if they were running things.

It's a fitting location, considering Testament and Alcatraz both call San Francisco home. In fact, the band got their start in the Bay Area. They released their first album, The Legacy, in 1987, running in the same circle as fellow metal legends Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax.

Over the years Testament's lineup changed but their sound has always remained the same: metal, metal and more metal. Their 14th album, The Formation of Damnation, was released last month and features all but one of the original members. Older and wiser, Testament go back to their roots on this album, delivering pure, unadulterated, chest-crushing metal.

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After The Bravery polished their sound on their sophomore album, The Sun and The Moon, they decided to "re-imagine" (aka rework) the album's 12 tracks. The two-disc The Sun and The Moon Complete was born, with disc two taking the band back to its rough-around-the-edges electronic roots. Not like they needed to retool things -- they easily avoided the dreaded sophomore slump when "Believe" bested their catchy 2005 breakout hit "An Honest Mistake" on Billboard's Modern Rock chart (#4 and #12, respectively).

We chatted up Sam Endicott, Anthony Burulcich and Michael Zakarin to find out why they went back into the studio and what happens when you toilet paper another band's van.

Buzzworthy: What's the most fun you've ever had on tour?

Sam Endicott: We opened for Depeche Mode for three months in Eastern Europe, which was really cool.

Anthony Burulcich: Martin Gore is, like, a semi-professional foosball player and they would always have a foosball table backstage.

SE: For, like, the past 20 years...

AB: Every band they play, it gets very competitive. We got better over the course of the tour.

SE: I think we're the only band that's ever beaten them.

BW: That's impressive...

SE: They were pissed, and we were really nervous we were going to get kicked off the tour. But I think they respected us for it.

AB: Yeah, it was just so much fun to, like, play a game every night with such an iconic band.

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