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+ Justin Timberlake nabbed the Creative Arts Emmy last night for his musical monologue on "SNL." The Emmys were hosted by Glee's Jane Lynch. Performance props to "SNL"'s The Lonely Island who lost to JT, but put on a rousing medley of their hilarious songs. (MTV News)

+ Demi Lovato performed at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday. Along with her songs ("Unbroken," "Skyscraper") she covered Lil Wayne's "How to Love." Check out the photos and more. (Just Jared)

+ Justin Bieber received the Horizon Award during the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards. He was joined by GF Selena Gomez and Usher. Toni Braxton was also honored. Peep video of the Biebs doing Matchbox Twenty's "3 A.M." (Rap-Up)

+ Kanye West's concert at Austin City Limits on Friday was a (mostly) one-man show delivered as a "passion play in three parts." Read the review and peep the photos. (MTV News)

+ Gavin DeGraw spoke to VH1 about the brutal attack he experienced in New York City in August. "Being that I've had thousands and thousands of great nights and just, essentially, one bad night," he said, "I'll take the odds." (VH1)

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Tags Buzz Bites, Celebrity, Demi Lovato, Gavin DeGraw, Glee, Jane Lynch, justin bieber, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Matchbox Twenty, Selena Gomez, Toni Braxton, Usher

(Credit: Brook Pifer/Orange Avenue)

You can call it emo, you can call it rock, you can call it pop-punk, but in the end, pop music is pop music, and Daytona Beach, Florida's Orange Avenue make some really, really catchy pop.

Led by frontman Derek Anderson, this Florida five-piece started out in 2007, with a spunky, self-titled debut LP. After sharing stages with acts ranging from Rihanna to All-American Rejects, the band returned to the studio to record last year's excellent Reset EP. And while it wasn't a complete break, or new start, it did represent a decided leap forward in songwriting and production.

While their music has the energy of punk, it has the sheen of the best radio pop, calling to mind the likes of Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty. Anderson has a great way of matching melody to lyrics. And nowhere is this more evident than on the soaring "This Time Baby."

Check out Orange Avenue tour dates, music and videos at the band's MySpace page.

Tags All-American-Rejects, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, Orange Avenue, Rihanna

Apologies in advance for the bad food analogy I'm about to make. Clearly I'm bitter about the free bag of generic popcorn I just inhaled for lunch (with "insert brand name of prescription drug you can't pronounce" printed on the bag). Anyway, you could kind of liken the Florida music scene to a Cracker Barrel menu. Don't get me wrong: I am ALL for some Hickory Smoked Honey Glazed Ham (Backstreet Boys) and cheese grits (Matchbox Twenty).  And who knows? Maybe I want to wash down my chicken 'n dumplings (2 Live Crew) with some box wine (Dashboard Confessional).  But Miami synth-rock/electro-pop act Awesome New Republic seems to have just the right amount of pop amazingness without sounding trite (think the electronic bits and driving beats of Miike Snow blended with the psychedelic sweetness of Passion Pit).

Earlier this year, Awesome New Republic -- John Hancock, Brian Robertson, and newly-added-for-tour Jorge Rubiera -- had a Perez Hilton pop moment when P'rezzers posted a Leighton Meester cover of their track "Birthday." Side note: Leighton seems to have a knack for hanging with the boys (not that way, pervtown), as evidenced by this summer's smash Cobra Starship collabo "Good Girls Go Bad" to the literally just-released video "Somebody To Love," featuring Robin Thicke.

Now, with their brand-new album Hearts, just released on October 27th, and their song "Magic City" (from the previously released EP Rational Geographic Vol. 1) appropriately featured in tomorrow's Miami-bound episode of The City, Awesome New Republic just might be the best band you've never heard of. You're welcome.

Tags 2 Live Crew, Awesome New Republic, Backstreet-Boys, Buzzworthy Obsession, Cobra Starship, Cracker Barrel, Dashboard Confessional, Leighton Meester, Matchbox Twenty, miike snow, Passion Pit, Robin Thicke, The City

UPDATE: Here's why it's totally acceptable to like Rob Thomas!

Rob Thomas is one of those musical mysteries wrapped in an enigma: In many ways he seems like an unremarkable anti-rock Everydude. An overgrown frat boy who REALLY REALLY REALLY likes to talk about weed even though he's past the age where it's appropriate to talk about weed use and it just becomes embarrassing to witness. But he's also a MASSIVE rock star who probably doesn't have to work another day in his life.

Most of the time, I'm pretty confident that Rob Thomas' music falls squarely into the genre of Mom Rock, but other times I'll pretty much bawl my brains if I hear "If You're Gone." And if I go home and visit my parents, and I'm driving around and "Smooth" comes on the radio (and "Smooth" always comes on the radio), I will crank that ish to deafening levels and squeal along.

CLEARLY Rob Thomas is doing something right, as he and matchbox twenty have sold about a bazillion albums, he's got white-boy soul in spades, sometimes in secret I find him attractive, and he seems like a really down-to-earth guy who's able to laugh at himself. (And he supports charities and organizations I care about, which is cool.) So, I ask you, is it okay to like Rob Thomas? If you're not a mom?

+ Watch Rob Thomas' new video, "Her Diamonds," and, after the jump, watch his live performance of "Her Diamonds" from on It's On With Alexa Chung, and tell me if it's okay to like him. Okay?

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Tags It's On With Alexa Chung, Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas, video