There’s still a healthy debate raging over whether Chris Brown’s onstage meltdown at the BET Awards Sunday night was real or fake, but at least one celebrity is speaking out in support of the singer: Jermaine Jackson. 

Chris Brown’s attorney says the R&B singer has completed nearly 300 hours of community service since being sentenced for beating Rihanna.

After participating in several charitable events in recent months, including BET’s Haiti telethon in February, Chris Brown wanted to align with a good cause that would bring attention to his home state of Virginia.

Chris Brown will headline and host the benefit concert, “Virginia Stand Up! A Call to Action,” in Richmond, Virginia, on May 15, 2010.

Billboard Bits serves up the best bite-sized nuggets of music news and gossip every afternoon.

(Credit: Carlos Alvarez / Getty)

According to the countdown widget on my super-secret Twilight fan site, there’s only 116 days until Eclipse, the third installment of the Twilight saga, is released in theaters. I’m so excited, I almost hugged the head right off my Edward Cullen body pillow. True story.

I just heard some sad news, though. According to Celebuzz, New Moon director Chris Weitz will not be back behind the lens for Breaking Dawn, like many people expected. Summit Entertainment has yet to name a new director but if I get a vote, mine goes to Michel Gondry. Wouldn’t that be bonkers?

In the meantime, Weitz will be busy with the film-adaptation of Neil Strauss’ seduction manual The Game (which I’m hoping brings Mystery and his furry top hats to the big screen) and American Pie: Part 8275987. (Just kidding! It’s only Part 4, entitled Another Bullsh*t Night In Suck City. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Stifler’s mom.)

All is not lost, fellow Twi-hards. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in theaters on June 30.

A judge is praising Chris Brown’s progress on his probation for the beating of ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

“American Idol” contestant Chris Golightly has been disqualified from the top 24 and replaced with Tim Urban, Fox confirmed early Thursday morning.

When it comes to Chris Brown, you think you know—but you have no idea. Thankfully, Pretty Boy stopped by the MTV studios recently and cleared the air in a little platform we have called “The 5.”

In this episode of “The 5,” Chris Brown explains the inspiration behind his latest album Graffiti, how he’s trading in his classic cardigans for something a little more couture, and his posi-core message for the future. Plus, hear how Orlando became his home away from home. (Sorry, Atlanta. Try not to get too jealous!) And, finally, Chris reveals why this album is his most personal yet.

Check out the MTV Buzzworthy interview with Chris Brown and watch his “Crawl” video below.

Chris Brown, Chrisette Michele, Nas and the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams are the latest celebrities added to the roster for BET’s “SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon taking place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami tonight (Feb. 5).

There’s a 101 Dalmatians joke somewhere in here but I can’t really put my finger on it. Here we have Chris Brown, having a seat at  Vivienne Westwood’s fashion show in Milan, rocking some optical-illusion-inducing polka-dot-and-gingham shoes.

The kicks are courtesy of Vivienne Westwood. And I will say this, it is a look. Somewhere between the casual, at-home threads Denzel Washington rocked in American Gangster and Gregory Hines in The Cotton Club.

The intensity of the dots are actually offset by the cut of his gray slacks. Some Hammer-pants-gone-Jazz-Age action right there. Oddly, it somehow kinda works.

+ Check out more photos of Chris Brown at Milan Fashion Week here.

Mariah Carey had a little too much bubbly. Taylor Swift kicked of 2010 with another big win. Chris Brown stepped out with a new woman, and Keith Urban only had eyes for Nicole Kidman. It all happened this week, and we’ve got the pics to prove it.

(Credit: Michele Crowe, MTV)

Way back in the bygone age of December, 2009, we begged and pleaded for you to send in your most pressing questions for Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba. Now we have the answers to these queries.

Among the various topics covered in this Dashboard Q&A are Carrabba’s overseas touring plans, his time spent in Further Seems Forever, his song “Get Me Right” and its connection (or lack thereof) to New Moon and which Dashboard jams are closest to Carrabba’s heart.

Watch Dashboard Confessional’s MTV Buzzworthy Blog fan interview below. And check out brand-new Dashboard Confessional photos here.

Soundgarden fans woke up to incredible news this New Year’s morning: the band, which split in 1997, is officially reuniting. Frontman Chris Cornell confirmed the reconciliation via Twitter, writing, “The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” and linking to a new Website, Soundgarden World. As of now, the site only offers fans a place to provide their contact information for updates on the reunion.

Beyond the Upside: Look back at a decade of Soundgarden photos.

Cornell and other members of Soundgarden spent most of 2009 hinting that the long-awaited reformation was on the way. In March, all of the band but Cornell rocked together onstage during a Seattle stop on Tom Morello’s Justice Tour. As Rolling Stone reported, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron were joined by Tad’s Tad Doyle for a run-through of “Nothing to Say,” “Spoonman” and “Hunted Down.” The following month, Cornell told a reporter, “If I was there, I probably would’ve gotten up onstage.” As for reunion prospects, he added, “You never know.” Thayil revealed the genesis of that special set in an exclusive Rolling Stone interview, where he said, “It was a blast. Playing with Ben and Matt carried a lot of sentimental weight.”

In July, Cornell revealed to RS that the band was talking about putting together a release of Soundgarden B sides and a box set of unreleased songs. “We all feel it’s time to do that, and we have a lot of fans out there, and we have a lot of new fans discovering our music, and I think the catalog and the legacy of the band has been ignored by the record label and previous management, so we decided to get together, and start working towards putting something like that out,” he said.

And in October, Cornell was clearly in the Seattle-legends-of-the-’90s spirit when he participated in a Temple of the Dog reunion at Pearl Jam’s Los Angeles gig. He joined the band for a rendition of their 1991 hit “Hunger Strike,” and RS learned Thayil and Shepherd were in the house to check out Cornell back onstage with drummer Cameron. As of now, it’s unclear how Cameron’s duties in Pearl Jam will be affected by the Soundgarden news.

Check out photos from grunge’s early days.

In his July ‘09 RS chat, Thayil said a reunion would happen if there was a real demand: “People would have to want to.” He added, “We all play enough and are acquainted with the material enough that I think it would take a few rehearsals. When Ben, Matt, and I got together with Tad, it was like falling off our bike and getting back on.”

Related Stories:

• Chris Cornell Says Soundgarden Talking B Sides, Box Set Releases
• The Soundgarden Songs You Haven’t Heard: Kim Thayil Breaks His Silence
• Soundgarden Nearly Reunite At Tom Morello Justice Tour Stop in Seattle

Let’s check the rear-view for the other Top 5 Songs of 2009. Number 5: Mario, “Break Up,” Number 4: Paramore, “Where The Lines Overlap,” Number 3: The Clipse, “Popular Demand (Popeyes),” Number 2: Drake, “Best I Ever Had,” and now…

+ Number 1: Phoenix, “Lizstomania”

An unassailably perfect pop song, taken from Phoenix’s amazing Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album. The opening tinkle of keys, the galloping beat, The Smiths-esque guitars that crash in before the chorus and those ponderous lyrics; are they about composer Franz Liszt’s 19th Century rise to stardom? A regretful look at the end of a relationship? Both? Doesn’t matter, once Thomas Mars coos, “So sentimental/Not sentimental, no” you’ll fall under this brilliant song’s spell.

And then there was one. Quick recap of my Top 5 Vids of 2009: #5: Rihanna, “Russian Roulette,” Number 4: Vampire Weekend, “Cousins,” Number 3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Heads Will Roll,” and Number 2: Handsome Furs, “I’m Confused.” And now…

+ Number 1: Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me”

Gurl! Don’t look so surprised! “You Belong With Me” was a teen rom-com (a bunch of teen movies, actually) wrapped up in a music video, wherein Taylor plays two roles (whoa there, Meryl Streep!); one bad brunette, convertible-pushing mean girl, the other a nerd-tastic band geek vying for the attention of the boy of her dreams.

While things don’t look so good in the beginning (notes are written with Sharpies and read through windows… because your parents suspended your texting privs or something?) this is, ultimately, a love story, and, baby, he says, “yes.” TEAM TAYLOR!

Yesterday I threw some shine on my #3 Top Video of 2009, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll.” But the hits keep on coming. My #2 Top Video of 2009 is…

+ Handsome Furs, “I’m Confused”

Director Scott Coffey’s clip for the Handsome Furs’ lo-fi/new-wave rave up (taken from their awesome album, Face Control) is basically Night Of The Living Dead Cool Kids. Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and Alexei Perry kick out the jams at a house party until a serious case of Zombie Flu hits the crowd. Then, well…you know how these things go; sooner or later, everyone’s stumbling around, spitting infected black grime at one another, and it all looks like a hipster version of “Thriller.”

Cliff’s Notes to Chris’ Top 5 Songs Of 2009: #5: Mario, “Break Up,” #4: Paramore, “Where The Lines Overlap,” #3 The Clipse: “Popular Demand (Popeyes)” and now…

+ Number 2: Drake, “Best I Ever Had”

Ah, Drake. Music’s Can’t-Miss-Kid drew a considerable amount of ire for “Best I Ever Had”’s Kanye West-directed, chest-focused video. Regardless of how you feel about Kanye the filmmaker, Drake’s qualities as a a singer/songwriter/rapper/burgeoning star are pretty much indisputable.

The Canadian DeGrassi veteran/Young Money all-star made a big splash with this mixtape cut (taken from his essential So Far Gone). It’s got everything that’s good about Drake: hooks coming at you from all over the place; a great match of voice and beat (Drake’s smooth tones over the rising/falling bass line); and, of course, a lot of aw-shucks-I’m-the-greatest charm and braggadocio.

Yesterday we admired the creepy interrogation scenes of Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” and the manic, tracking shots and jumpy editing of Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins.” Now, we continue the countdown of my favorite Buzzworthy music video with this cabaret scene from a galaxy far, far away. The next clip on my list of Buzzworthy’s Top Videos of 2009 countdown is…

+ Number 3: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Heads Will Roll”

In this RIchard Ayoade-directed clip (taken from The YYY’s It’s A Blitz album), Karen O. and her boys are playing a dinner theater that’s one part Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” video, one part David Lynch film and one part budget-Werewolf schlock flick.

However, you’ll be hard-pressed to pay attention to anything other than Karen O.’s insane bubble-wrap-butterfly-wings and her minimal, hip-shaking dance moves as she commands this lush, disco-rock anthem from the stage.

Yesterday, in beginning the countdown of my favorite songs of the year, I gushed about Paramore and Mario making music out of bits and pieces of multiple sub-genres. Today, no such post-modern biz will take place. Nope! These next cats make straight-up hip-hop for those who like their rap uncut. Get prepped, students: the #3 song on my Buzzworthy Blog Top 5 Songs of 2009 countdown is…

+ Number 3: The Clipse, featuring Cam’ron, “Popular Demand (Popeye’s)”

Over a crunching, old-school Neptunes beat, the brothers Thornton (they’re twins, btw) rhyme about hotels, NBA ballers, balling out, and eating fast food. Riding over the horns and pianos, Malice, Pusha and their pal — Harlem’s own Cam’ron — sound cocky and comfortable talking about how great they are.

“Popular Demand” is probably the strongest song off a very strong album (Til The Casket Drops). It’s a healthy dose of NYC-style hip-hop (even though they hail from Virginia) and a welcome return from arguably the decade’s greatest rap duo.