By Akshay Bhansali

It's been almost a week since the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon, and it may be fair to say that viewers have resoundingly picked their favorite song. Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris have held the top spot on the iTunes singles chart with their powerful rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" since the Hope for Haiti Now compilation album dropped earlier this week.

Not a bad way to introduce an artist, JT (Matt is signed to Justin's Tennman labell). Morris' debut record When Everything Breaks Open dropped a few weeks ago, and MTV News' Steven Roberts and I had a chance to catch up with the Denver, Colorado-based recording artist to talk about the album and his plans for the future.

Matt hasn't gotten around to picking a lead single from his album yet — in fact, he has found fans are responding equally well to a few of his songs (namely "Love," "The Un-American" and "Money," which features a guest spot from Timberlake), he has kept his options open. But he was kind enough to grace us with a performance of two songs when he stopped by Newsroom a few weeks back. Enjoy "The Un-American" and "Love," and be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for more on Morris' budding career.

You know you're in for a special night when you spot a former president speaking with the Boss and the Material Girl.

Just before President Clinton joined MTV News backstage to talk about Haiti's rebuilding process, he ducked into Bruce Springsteen's rehearsal of "We Shall Overcome."

Afterward, Clinton and Springsteen stood center stage catching up. Seconds later, Madonna joined into the conversation. I was off in the wings. Still, can you imagine being a fly on the wall for that one?

From what I could see, President Clinton did most of the talking, but both stars listened intently. (I imagine those roles pretty much reverse in their regular lives.)
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MTV News has a team of reporters in Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We are following their journey via e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET

Suchin Pak, 2:06 p.m., Thursday (January 21): "Today we got away from the safety and order of the military and saw what the city looks like. On one end of the runway are the U.S. Joint Forces and as you walk down the long tarmac you eventually reach the UN compound. Neither could get us out to an aid distribution center. So, with a tip from a reporter, we headed out of the airport in the hope of reaching a large tent city he had just come from. I didn't even have my passport, but we took the chance and found a driver.

"Pierre, a 30-year-old Haitian who spoke English, drove us into town. You've probably seen on TV what the buildings look like here, but the overwhelming question is what to do with the people who are wandering around, looking for work, food, water and missing relatives. As we neared a hospital, Pierre handed me his facemask and warned me about the risk of tuberculosis [and other airborne diseases]. He wrapped his shirt around his head and we got out to see what the scene was like.
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MTV News has a team of reporters in Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We are following their journey via e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m.

Suchin Pak, 6:35 p.m. Thursday (January 21): "We have finally landed in Haiti. We arrived on a helicopter filled with MREs (meals ready to eat), but with barely any seats. It's controlled chaos here. I've talked to soldiers who have been moving medical supplies all through the night: gauze, medicine and tools.

"While the operation to distribute water and MREs halts when the sun goes down because of security concerns, the medical units work through the night. We were allowed into the surgical tent and saw first hand what an injury looks like when it has gone untreated for days. Thousands have undergone amputations like this one, and as the surgeon says, 'It's a loss of limb, but not a life.' A large helicopter filled with nurses arrived moments ago and they were told to grab water and find a patch of grass for the night.

"It looks like we'll be sleeping under the stars tonight — or more specifically, on a tarmac at a busy airport. Even water is scarce at this point, so we're conserving as much as we can. I spoke to a young captain in charge of distributing aid via airlifts who arrived last Saturday and he stressed the need for donations of money, not supplies, as it takes more effort to distribute those materials. We go out on our first mission in Haiti tomorrow at first light."

Akshay Bhansali, 7:35 p.m. Thursday: "After a chopper ride to the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Bataan to pick up more MRE's for the troops to hand out, we were on our way to Port-au-Prince. As soon as we hit the Haitian capital's airspace, I found myself harnessed and holding onto my camera for dear life, shooting out of an open bay of the chopper overlooking the city.

"The first thing that struck me was the smell of burning and oxidized structures and ... life. It brought me right back to September 11, 2001, as I made my way out of Tribeca, New York after the towers fell. But this scene surpasses 9/11 in scale by far. Entire sections of residential neighborhoods are leveled. Plumes of smoke are visible from the air and dump trucks and debris-clearing machinery are moving along the roadways. Landing at the airport made me realize just how much energy is being put into the relief efforts here. Three and four helicopters with relief goods and supplies take off at a time. One chopper pilot said they are flying close to 290 flights a day now."

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET.

Reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Wednesday and will depart for a naval vessel off the coast of Haiti on Thursday.

Suchin Pak, 9:15 p.m., Wednesday (January 20), 
Guantanamo Bay: "We get up in a few hours to catch the helicopter into Haiti. Today I was able to see how the base at Guantanamo Bay — which is best known for less optimistic missions — is coordinating a massive effort to get supplies to Haiti. Thousands of cases of water bottles, MREs (meals ready-to-eat), water canisters and helicopter cargo nets bound for air-drop were being loaded onto giant aircraft.

"What is normally a nearly-empty base has become a major hub for humanitarian efforts to Haiti, with aircraft landing and taking off on the runway 24 hours a day. This place is alive with action. Military from all over the country are arriving by the hour and there is a sense of urgency and camaraderie in the air. Our guide, Joshua Nistas, a 26-year-old Naval petty officer who has been stationed here since August, is amazed and proud of how quickly they've sprung into action, calling this his most inspiring mission to date.

"But the reality is clear: As body bags are also being loaded on to the planes, the loss of life will be far greater than any of us imagined just a week ago. Josh has been told to prepare for aftershocks, and this base will be a part of the aid efforts for as long as it takes. How all this aid will be distributed is overwhelming, and on Thursday we'll be able to see this from the air and ground."

Sean Lee also tweeted updates from the ground in Guantanamo on Wednesday, reporting that, "A bunch of naval officers have been temporarily forced to camp out at Gitmo on their way to Haiti because there's now so many boots moving in." He also reported on one of Nistas' good friends, who "left his very prego girlfriend on a dime to go to Haiti when the quake hit. As president Obama said of America, 'That's what we do.'" Lee also reported that the giant pallets of MREs that keep popping up in news reports contain 480 meals per pallet.

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET.

Reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee departed Miami on Wednesday on their way to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they will embed with the military for a relief flight to Haiti.

Suchin Pak, 11:20 a.m. (Wednesday, January 20): "We are waiting for our military contact and the private plane terminal is filled with young doctors in scrubs. I talk with Rodney Napier, 24, who works in a Haitian restaurant here in Miami and is going with the surgeons to Haiti tonight. They're here with a volunteer organization based out of Canton, Ohio called the Granted Wish Foundation. Rodney has been to Haiti before with his father, who has been working in Haiti for the past six years. I asked him what he thought and he said he was nervous, but mostly sad. His last trip to Haiti two years ago was heartbreaking enough. His family left in tears and today he'll be in the same city. We wished each other well."

Adam Stewart, 12:05 p.m. (Wednesday, January 20): Our two Air Force pilots arrive at the terminal in Miami to begin fueling and prepping the Lear Jet. It's very small, but also apparently very fast. We'll make the approximately 400 mile trip in about one and a half hours, as opposed to the three it normally takes when flying in a prop plane."

12:25 p.m.: "I just had an informal conversation with our initial military press contact Raymond Sarracino (retired Air Force). He was giving us some of the broader details on the operation going on in Port-au-Prince, specifically diving into one of the primary functions of the two aircraft carriers stationed there (one of which we will be our home on Thursday and Friday night). The two massive ships are each able to produce approx 5,000 gallons of fresh water per hour via reverse osmosis treatment of sea water. The hard part, however, is that there is no direct pipe that runs from the ships to the mainland, so each bottle of fresh water has to be hand-filled and transported via helicopter. It's quite a daunting task, but one that has produced millions of gallons and provided clean drinking water for thousands of the quake victims already."

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET

Our first dispatches come from reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee as they prepare to embed with the military for a relief flight to Haiti.

5:19 a.m. EST, Wednesday (January 20), Suchin Pak: "We caught an early morning flight to Miami and then a military flight to Guantanamo. From there, we will get helicoptered into Haiti. Our mission is to follow a relief package from the U.S. into Haiti. We wanted to see what a relief effort looked like every step of the way.

"I'm not sure what to expect: The worst, or not as bad as my imagination? I keep telling myself I've covered Katrina and the Asian tsunami — but what will this look like tomorrow?"

10:19 a.m. EST: "Just landed in Miami, waiting for our military plane to take us to Guantanamo base. As we land, I get texts of the aftershock, but sadly, they are saying that not much more damage can be done at this point.

"We flew to Thailand after the tsunami and while there was devastation, sadness and loss of life, we saw very little of that. The buildings were cleared, zones were safely outlined, hotels were back up and running and things looked almost like heavy construction zones. Even the refugee camps were carefully set up and the talk was of rebuilding already. As I watch the news now, I realize this will not be the case when we land in Haiti, and the difference is shocking to me. We are on the first wave of real, large-scale military relief and it seems like we will be walking into a rescue mission rather than a rebuilding one."

4:59 a.m. EST Wednesday, Adam Stewart: "How is one supposed to feel when they know that over the next few days, they will witness human suffering on a level that is unimaginable? This question has plagued my mind as we've spent the past 12 hours prepping our team for a truly incredible journey into the heart of one of the worst natural disasters in recent history.

"Final destination: Port-au-Prince, the epicenter of last week's massive quake. I left my comfy home in New Jersey knowing that the next 96 hours will be pretty much the complete opposite of my home life.

"Once in Miami, we'll be hitching a ride with he U.S. military in a small jet as we hop another 1,000 miles or so to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We'll spend the afternoon getting to know the humanitarian relief team that we will have the privilege of being embedded with over the next few days. A military helicopter will take us to an aircraft carrier floating just off the coast of Haiti's capital.

"After we settle in, we'll await the first helo transport into ground zero at Port-au-Prince airport. From there, it is anyone's guess. I hope to see children smiling and people receiving the relief that they so desperately need. I hope to be a part of the solution to this massive global tragedy."

Sean Lee, from his Twitter account: "On our way to Haiti, just learned of a 6.1 aftershock. Scary … Military telling us that once we board the copter to Port-au-Prince our schedule's tough to predict. Least of our worries, I'm sure."

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

"Jersey Shore" has quickly elevated itself from simple reality entertainment to full-blown cultural phenomenon. They've been parodied on "Saturday Night Live," poked fun at themselves via a Funny or Die clip and attracted the largest crowd in history to the MTV Newsroom. Now they're getting the chance to welcome a new star into their midst. Actor Michael Cera — the star of "Superbad," "Arrested Development" and the opening-this-Friday "Youth in Revolt" — sat down with some of the stars of "Jersey Shore" to get a full-scale summer share makeover for a series of promos that will run this Thursday (January 7) while a new episode of "Jersey Shore" airs.

Check out these exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, which feature the amiable and awkward Cera getting a full DJ Pauly D hairstyle and a handful of grooming tips from J-WOWW. And for a full look at Cera's interactions with Snooki, the Situation and the rest of the crew, be sure to check out this week's brand new episode of "Jersey Shore."

Christmas came late thanks to the insanity of the MTV mailroom around the holidays. But boy, did Santa come through big time!

Although it was delivered a week ago, today I finally received a magical package from the North Pole. And when I say the North Pole, I really mean Arkansas.

Kris Allen's adorable, beautiful, witty, hilarious, amazing, irresistible, phenomenal, Nobel Peace Prize-deserving perfect mother sent me my very own PajamaGram after catching a silly subliminal message about jammies in a recent "Kris Allen Outtakes" video. Enclosed with the Christmas-themed pajamas? A card that read, "Because you asked nicely."

Mama Allen and I have shared a fun little Twitter friendship over the past several months. (She started it, Kris. I swear to you on my Paula Abdul "Touched By Evil" DVD.) I've been trying to keep our Twitter parties on the DL after Kris jokingly asked me to stop cavorting with his mom in the digital world. But you know what? I'm in love with Mama Allen and I want the world to know.

So from the bottom of my bursting heart: I thank you, Mama Allen! You helped make this Christmas season more kick-awesome than I thought was humanly possible.

To my real mom: Don't worry. You're still number one in my book. Also, I'm glad you didn't buy me pajamas for Christmas, because that would be some "Sophie's Choice" ish right there.

I started working for MTV News back in June and got sent on my first travel assignment in August. The charge? Make the cross-country trip to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the annual Outside Lands Festival to talk to some bands and report on what was going on at the big show. It was a great weekend full of typically bizarre Bay Area weather (I got a nasty sunburn on Friday and had to buy a sweatshirt to keep myself warm on Sunday), great performances (The Dead Weather, Pearl Jam, Black Eyed Peas, the Mars Volta and Tom Jones totally killed it) and some interesting interviews (I talked to Silversun Pickups about how to stay cool during field shows and heard TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe tell a great story about ingesting chemicals and watching "The Beatles Anthology").

One of the more interesting run-ins I had over the weekend was with Jason Mraz, who at the time was enjoying the incredible success of "I'm Yours" (the breakout single from his 2008 album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.). Mraz was in great spirits, having just completed his mellow, feel-good afternoon set at the festival. We talked about the legacy of the Beatles (we were both anticipating the release of "The Beatles: Rock Band"), macrobiotic restaurants and the audience interactivity at his shows. While he was in the middle of explaining how he encourages his crowds to high-five one another, he flagged down another festival-goer (I later found out he was the frontman for an excellent band called the Morning Benders) and interviewed him about how he was feeling. It's one of my favorite moments of the year that nobody has seen (except for myself and producer Matt Elias), and I hope you enjoy it.

So what do you think? Should we be giving Mraz his own MTV show? We're ready to put together the pilot for "Vibin' with Jason" if you guys are up for it.