Justin Bieber Joins Ranks Of Pop Stars With 'CSI' Cameos

Bieber's season-premiere debut follows guest turns by Diddy, Taylor Swift and more.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber in "CSI"
Photo: CBS

Justin Bieber is making his "CSI" debut on Thursday night (September 23), and while it remains to be seen whether the teen idol can pull out an Emmy-worthy performance, his appearance on the show continues the series' tradition of casting marquee names for guest spots.

Taylor Swift got to live out her dream in March 2009, when she played Haley, a girl found dead outside of a motel. While Swift didn't have very many lines, the pop singer did display some chops onscreen and got to indulge her morbid acting fantasies.

"I've always joked around with my record label and my mom and everybody — all my friends know that my dream is to die on 'CSI,' " she said last year. "I've always wanted to be one of the characters on there that they're trying to figure out what happened to."

But not everyone plays the victim. When Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz made a cameo on the show in March 2009, they hit up the East Coast version of the show on "CSI: NY." The Wentzes went dark for their parts as Chester Byron and Lila Wickfield, playing a young couple entangled in the world of drug-dealing.

"It's easy to play passionate roles with the person you love," Wentz said about hooking up with his wife onscreen. "There's nothing weird about it when you love the person."

Diddy worked the opposite end of the legal spectrum when he was cast as a defense attorney on "CSI: Miami" in December 2008. Describing his character as a "nemesis" to David Caruso's he explained, "I wanted to keep on studying and learning; working with great actors, directors, great shows. I've never done a television drama. I've always wanted to play a lawyer. I didn't want to play, like, a rap artist or a criminal."

And that brings it back to Bieber, who'll make his first of two appearances this week as troubled kid Jason McCann on "CSI" (the second will air in February). He'll certainly be showing fans a side of him they haven't seen.

"He's a troubled young man, raised in the foster-care system, whose hard-luck life has left him scarred and angry," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told MTV News last month. "When we first meet Jason, we meet him at a community center where he's giving a testimonial in honor of a man who takes Jason and his older brother in when they had no one else, and that man is now in jail and Jason's brother is out for revenge and looking for payback."

Are you planning to watch Justin's "CSI" debut? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos Related Artists

Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk Kristy Swanson

Lady Gaga 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Speech 'Resonated' With Maine Crowd

'She wasn't paid to come here and speak; she did it because she felt like she needed to,' one supporter tells MTV News at rally.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Cliff Kucine/ Getty Images

PORTLAND, Maine — On Monday, thousands packed into Deering Oaks Park to witness Lady Gaga's rather spur-of-the-moment speech in support of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Many of them were students at the nearby University of Southern Maine, active in the school's Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity, and they were understandably amazed that one of the biggest pop stars on the planet had come to their town to speak on their behalf.

But, as MTV News learned in speaking with some of them, the event had a much deeper meaning too. As it turns out, many of them also had a personal stake in the ongoing debate over "don't ask" — which failed to get enough Senate votes on Tuesday (September 21) to spur a formal debate — and to have Gaga in their corner meant more than they could express.

"Her speech really resonated with me because, actually, this summer, I thought about joining the military, but because I'm gay, I can't," USM student Kelly Golek said. "If it's repealed, there's a very good chance I will [enlist]. So I thought this whole event was amazing, because you really don't see something like this. Like, what other pop star would come out and do this? She's very brave, and I was totally moved by that speech."

"It really resonated with me, because I've actually been considering the military, because I took my ASVAB [military aptitude exam], and I got an incredibly high score, so I could basically do anything I wanted to in the Navy," Ellen McDonald said. "But because I'm a lesbian, I'm not able to do that at the moment. So, [her speech] really touched me, because those are my hopes and dreams."

And even those who weren't prohibited from serving openly still felt a personal connection to Gaga's speech, because, the way they see it, she's lending her voice to the voiceless.

"She wasn't paid to come here and speak; she did it because she felt like she needed to. [She said] 'I'm coming to Maine ... be there,' " Chris Johnson said. "It makes you feel like you have a voice, because she takes the issue and says, 'I will be your voice, because I know you're not being heard right now.' She's the voice of this generation that's not old enough to vote, but we have different points of view from the generation that raised us."

"There are celebrities that do things to help humanity, but Lady Gaga really does things," USM student Marepheen Berry said. "She has a way of putting forth her messages. She shocks people, and that's what I like about her: She shocks people, and it really opens up their eyes and turns heads."

Of course, there were also those in the crowd who, while active in the fight to repeal "don't ask," were mainly there to see Lady Gaga. And, really, can you blame them?

"I think it's unbelievable. I was in shock when we first heard. I don't even know how to describe it," USM freshman Joseph Sibley laughed. "When we found out, I was like, 'There's no way, nobody ever comes to Maine, and nobody ever talks to us.' ... And I'm glad I came. It was awesome."

What do you think about Gaga's rally against "don't ask, don't tell"? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Related Videos Related Artists

Luján Fernández Magdalena Wróbe Katharine Towne Katherine Heigl Katie Cassidy

Usher Dazzles On The VMA Stage With 'DJ' And 'OMG'

Ush combined his legendary dance skills with spectacular special effects.
By Rochell D. Thomas


Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Call it what you will: talent, swag, skills. But one thing's true about Usher Terry Raymond IV: When he steps on the dance floor, some mysterious thing comes out of him and puts the G in groove. After he was tapped to perform at the 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards, executive producer Dave Sirulnick challenged Usher to "show why you're king," and the 31-year-old Grammy winner didn't disappoint.

As predicted by the lucky few who got a peek at Thursday's practice performance for his hit "OMG," Ush pulled off moves that would make the late great Michael Jackson jealous in a mammoth stage production that included more special-effects bells and whistles than a summer blockbuster.

Usher opened the performance with "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," perched two flights above the stage on a ledge surrounded by blinding green laser lights. Then he slid, with the help of barely visible wires and mounts, down a flight, all the while popping and locking. When the father of two finally ticked his way down to stage level, he was surrounded by an army of dancers also clad in black suits with white stripes designed to toss and catch special effect lights.

Directed by Anthony Mandler, Usher's "OMG" clip earned Best Male Video, Best Dance Music Video and Best Choreography Moonman nominations. During the pre-show, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" beat it in the Best Dance category, where Raymond was, for many, the lead contender.

If Usher was disappointed, he didn't let it show. When he launched the "OMG" portion of his performance, the stage seemed to disappear, as red laser lights moved forward in blinding configurations spelling out O.M.G. and Usher's name. More dancers lowered from the ceiling on Cirque du Soleil-esque contraptions, dipping in and out of the red beams. Such a 3-D light display could probably have been seen from the moon, if it weren't for the roof of the Nokia Theatre.

Usher ended his set standing, head back, with his arms outstretched in the Jesus pose. He didn't say a word. Didn't need to.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Leelee Sobieski Leighton Meester Leila Arcieri Lena Headey Leonor Varela

Justin Bieber Is 'Funny,' 'Outgoing,' Rumored Girlfriend Says

'He's not fake at all,' Jasmine Villegas, the girl Bieber was caught kissing, says.
By Jocelyn Vena


Jasmine Villegas
Photo: Kevin Parry/ Getty Images

While it has yet to be confirmed whether Justin Bieber and his "Baby" co-star and current My World tour opener Jasmine Villegas are dating, she opened up about the pop star in a new interview. She never mentioned their current romantic status, but she did note that Bieber is as real as it gets.

"Well, let's see, [what's] something that I would know about Justin ... He's just an outgoing person. He's funny," she told Bop and Tiger Beat in an interview posted online. "He's just so random, but I think everybody would know that.

"There's not much that I would know that people don't know because Justin is just 100 percent [real] with his fans and his friends and he gives everybody his full personality," she dished. "So that's a really good thing about him. He's not fake at all. He's just like, 'I'm Justin. Here's me.' "

Rumors of a romance between Villegas and Bieber were fueled when the two were recently caught kissing in the backseat of a car. Both have denied that anything is going on, with Bieber insisting he's single.

"I mean, girlfriends are trouble at this age," he said. "Girls are fun to hang out with but, like, having that one steady girl ... we're constantly traveling and one girl's not gonna really [work]. You can't really have one girl. I don't really have any crushes at the moment. ... Right now, the best thing is [that we're] just teenagers having fun doing what we love. We're just staying ourselves and remaining humble."

Related Artists

Luján Fernández Magdalena Wróbe Katharine Towne Katherine Heigl Katie Cassidy