14-year-old singer/songwriter Jessarae stopped by the J-14 offices to tell us all about his music, what his parents think of his tunes, and his secret celeb crush!

J-14: How would you describe your sound?
Jessrae: It's singer-songwriter with an edge. It has a little bit of pop in it but it's a little funkier.

J-14: Who are you influenced by?
Jessarae: When I started playing guitar and writing songs, I mainly listened to Damien Rice. His music is kind of down, but he's still my favorite. My parents went to dinner one time and they came back and I was like, 'Guys, I have a new song for you. You have to hear it!' So I sat them down and started playing this song -- and it had to be like ten minutes long -- and I was just sitting there singing 'Why did you have to die, die, die?' My dad's cracking up with tears, and I thought he was crying like he felt it, because I was feeling it so much, but he was laughing because I was a ten-year-old singing this song about a lost love that you've been with for your whole life!

J-14: A lot of your songs are about love - is that what influences you the most when you write?
Jessarae: It's more of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Whatever mood I'm feeling at the time, whether it's happy or funky or kind of sad. I add stuff that hasn't happened and stuff that has and kind of mix them in to what I feel. It's hard for me to write a lot of these songs because it's so heavy on me. Every time I sing it, like my soul pours out into it, but I love it.

J-14: How were you discovered?
Jessarae: It happened when I was singing in the dentist office. I wasn't actually even going to go to the dentist that morning because it was really early, but my mom made me. I was just singing and playing guitar for a few songs, and this guy came over and wanted to hear me sing. So I sang three songs for him and as he's sitting there listening to me with his dentist mask on!

J-14: How do you balance school with your music?
Jessarae: I'm in 9th grade at a very musical school, so we sort of work as partners with them. They give me work ahead of time. They're happy for me [at the school] because they see how hard I work. It's always been my thing to be a musician. It's in my family - my mom's a musician, and so are my grandpa and my great-grandpa.

J-14: Who's your celeb crush?
Jessrae: I don't know if I really have a crush right now.
Jessarae's Mom: When you were young it was Miley Cyrus!

Jessarae's debut EP,Damaged Heart, is currently on iTunes -- be on the lookout for his full album this winter! Plus check out the songs he performed just for J-14 after the jump.

When J-14 hung out with Every Avenue at during their stop at NYC's Highline Ballroom, we had to ask lead singer Dave Strauchman what's up with the band, especially since their new album, Picture Perfect, drops today, November 3! Check out what Dave had to say about Every Avenue's new music, touring with All Time Low, and the one thing he has to have with him on the road!

J-14: Where did the band name Every Avenue come from?
Dave Strauchman: I used to play guitar in the band, and the original singer and drummer was like 'Yeah, Every Avenue!' And I was like, 'Cool! I'll play guitar!' I was like sixteen.

J-14: What's your favorite song off the new record, Picture Perfect?
Dave: My favorite song is called "Mindset." It's the very last song we recorded and almost didn't make the record. It was a last minute thing. They were like, "We're done doing everything," and I was like, "No, no, no, no! We've got to do this one. We've got to play drums." "Mindset" is pretty much the whole random situation of meeting someone -- it totally caught you off guard and you're like, 'Whoa! Whoa!' and falling head over heels for that person.

J-14: Have you gotten used to mixing your the songs with your old ones on this tour?
Dave: It's ridiculous. The last record we've been playing for awhile, so I kind of got use to it. But we put these new songs up on Myspace and, I barely even know the song! Literally I forget the words and I'm like, "What am I going to say next?"

J-14: Who are some of your biggest influences?
Dave: So many! As a band, Jimmy Eat World is one of our biggest influences. They're amazing. I'm a big fan of Gavin Degraw -- he's so good -- John Mayer, Butch Walker, and Elvis Costello. I like the new Jay-Z album, and there's this band called Phoenix that I really love.

J-14: What was "All Time Low" like to tour with?
Dave: All Time Low is amazing. They're just the most down-to-earth guys ever, really big-hearted people. They're not like a huge band that's jerks to everybody - they try to accommodate everyone on the tour like, "What are you guys eating?"

J-14: Is there one thing that you always need to have on tour?
Dave: Probably my cell phone. I don't really need much! I wear the same stuff everyday, but I have to have socks. If I don't have black socks, I freak out. And a toothbrush - that's pretty needed.

Orianthi has performed live on the Grammy stage with Carrie Underwood and was rehearsing with Michael Jackson for what would have been his This Is It tour. Now the Australian electric guitarist is ready to break out on her own with her debut album, Believe -- it drops today, October 27! You can also see her in Michael Jackson's tribute movie, This Is It, which opens tomorrow, October 28. "I think his fans are going to be upset watching it but at the same time excited for what could have been and seeing his vision for it," Orianthi says. "It's a celebration, not a sad movie." Orianthi told us even more about Michael and her own music when she stopped by the J-14 offices.

J-14: What are your favorite songs off Believe?
Orianthi: I have so many -- I'm super proud of the whole record. I love playing "What's It Gonna Be" -- it's a real sort of rock, high energy song. "Bad News," "Suffocating," and "Highly Strung," -- which is the instrumental song on the record -- all those songs are a lot of fun to play. I love high energy tracks, and there's a lot on there. And "Feels Like Home" was written about coming over to L.A. [from Australia]. It's really a personal song. There's a guitar solo on every song, and it's a really empowering record.

J-14: How did you become part of Michael Jackson's This Is It tour?
Orianthi: I actually got an e-mail through MySpace from the musical director, Mike Bearden. I thought it was a joke first! I played the "Beat It" solo for Michael, and he really loved it and came over to me and grabbed my arm. He started walking up and down on stage -- he wanted me to walk around with him while still playing the solo. He was like, 'That's really cool,' and he hired us all that night! I've never been that nervous in my life ever. He not only brought amazing music into the world, but he's donated to so many charities and brought so many people together. I've never seen any other artist that has affected that many people in the world. It would be horrible if I auditioned and didn't get the part. I just prayed that I'd get it!

J-14: What was it like to work for Michael?
Orianthi:: Working with him was incredible. I had an amazing time. He was the nicest person, so supportive and encouraging. He just wanted us to do our best, don't be nervous, and just project your energy out to the crowd. He said anything I tell you, anything I want fixed, I say it with love. He was putting together one of the biggest shows on Earth. It would have been so amazing to see. I'm such a huge fan, so I would light up watching him dance and sing right in front of us. Every time he came in the room, everyone got so excited. We wanted to see all his fans faces light up when he got on the stage. First song of the set, opening night, just watching all his fans freak out -- I would have loved it.

J-14: How does it feel to be supported by music legends like Santana?
Orianthi: Santana is my idol. I actually picked the electric guitar because of him after watching one his shows when I was 11 in Australia. I went with my dad and saw his show. I was just blown away by the way he played -- the amount of soul he put into his playing. It really affected me. I turned to Mom and Dad and begged them to get me an electric guitar. They got me this bad secondhand one but I never put it down -- I just wanted to learn all his solos. To have his support means so much to me and to hang out with him is so surreal. It's humbling. I got to jam with him a couple of times!

J-14: What was it like to be on stage with Carrie Underwood at the Grammys?
Orianthi: She's awesome -- really nice, really sweet. I'm a big country fan! She's got a great voice. It was really cool of her to invite me up to jam with the band. It's a pretty surreal experience playing at the Grammy awards. I turned to her on the stage and was like, 'I'm nervous'. She's like, 'This is what we're born to do. Just do it'. It was really cool to embrace their vibes about it. She's done it so many times -- playing in front of a live audience and dealing with how many people watch it. I try not to think of the enormity but when you look out from stage and you see Paul McCartney and Bono and a bunch of people, it's like yeah! I actually went to a couple of Grammy parties with Carrie afterwards and that was typical. We got to chat and hang out. It was really chill and cool.

J-14: What are your fave radio songs right now?
Orianthi: I love Kings of Leon. I think they're awesome. It's real sort of Earthy music. It's cool - [lead singer Caleb Followill] sings really differently. I think it's very unusual and people just take to it. It's just a little more offbeat. It's just cool -- I dig the record a lot.

Photo: Courtesy of J-14

The first movie of the Cirque du Freak series, The Vampire's Assistant, hit theaters today and J-14 exclusively sat down with star Jessica Carlson to dish on everything from vampires to her cute costar Josh Hutcherson. To read Josh's Q&A about the flick, click here.

J-14: Tell us a little about the movie The Vampire's Assistant!

Jessica Carlson: It's an action adventure movie about this boy who lives this kind of boring life and he and his friend go and see the circus of freaks, Cirque De Freak. He meets a lot of characters, at the circus of freaks and I don't want to give it away. But there're vampires in it. It's going to be really cool.

J-14: Can you tell me about your character Rebecca, the monkey girl?

Jessica: For so long I wasn't allowed to say that I was a monkey girl! My character isn't really part of the freak show. She kind of works behind the scenes for the Circus of Freaks. She's just this really cool, innocent girl and she really helps Darren become a part of the Circus of Freaks. It's really cool how she's just a strong girl and doesn't really need saving. She's also friends with Snake Boy and Darren. Darren's played by Chris Massoglia and he's really cool.

J-14: Is balancing school and work difficult?

Jessica: It's kind of like a double life thing in Hannah Montana! It's funny cause I'll be filming and then have to go take my chemistry test. It's fun though, I'm glad I'm able to do the teen thing in high school and act. And I just love it, I love acting so, it's worked out.

J-14: When did you decide you wanted to go in to acting?

Jessica: I saw Peter Pan on Broadway -- I was probably in first grade or something and I was so amazed by it. I started taking local acting classes, acting in school plays, independent films, commercials, theater, Law & Order, and now, The Vampire's Assistant.

J-14: Our readers are huge fans of Twilight. Are you a fan?

Jessica: I read the books first and I'm so scared to read the last book Breaking Dawn because I just really want Edward and Bella to stay together. I think I'm Team Jacob, he's really hot. I'm excited for the New Moon to come out because Paul Weitz directed The Vampire's Assistant and his brother directed New Moon.

J-14: Why do you think vampires are such a trend now?

Jessica: I think people are really in to the anti-hero and it's a change. It's cool that everyone can kind of be heroes. Like vampires are fighting their want for blood but they still want to do good and stuff so, I wouldn't mind having a vampire lover and being a vampire. That'd be cool.

J-14: If you found out your crush were a vampire, how would you react?

Jessica: Oh my gosh, that would be so cool. Maybe I'd like to become a vampire, I think that'd be pretty cool. I'd be kind of freaked out though. I don't even know. I'd be shocked. I can't even imagine what I'd do. In Cirque du Freak, I'm kind of the love interest of a vampire, but it's different because my character Rebecca is surrounded by freaks all the time so she doesn't discriminate.

Photo: Courtesy of Francis Hills

A Rocket To The Moon just dropped their debut album, On Your Side! We were excited to hear the new record, so the ARTTM boys -- lead singer and guitarist Nick Santino, guitarist Justin Richards, bassist Eric Halvorsen, and drummer Andrew Cook -- stopped by J-14's offices to talk to us about their fave songs, crazy fans, and their love for Taylor Swift!

J-14: Where did the name "A Rocket To The Moon" come from?
Nick Santino: I started it as a solo thing a couple of years ago, and when I thought of a name, I wasn't really thinking of anything crazy behind it. [The name] sort of popped in my head. I don't know if I read something and it jumped out at me -- tt was just something that I put down and it stuck.

J-14: What's your favorite track off your new album, On Your Side?
Nick: Mine would be "Like We Used To." It has a slower melody and is kind of a break up song, but it has a happy ending. I think it's a cute song.
Andrew Cook: My favorite is "On A Lonely Night." I love the vibe of the song. Every time I hear it, it's like listening to it for the first time. I really like how Caitlin's vocals kind of blend in to the song too, and it has a cool touch to it -- a sort of poppy country-ness to it. It makes me happy.

J-14: How did the "Annabelle" vs. "Dakota" storyline come about?
Nick: Annabelle is like a pain kind of girlfriend that's really annoying, and Dakota is like the cute love. So I guess it seems like the love songs can be written about this character Dakota and all the hate, mean songs can be about Annabelle.
Eric Halvorsen: Kind of like our song "Mr. Right" -- we've all gone through the good and the bad relationships.

J-14: Have you had any crazy fan encounters on the road?
Eric: There's some crazy fans for sure. One time we were in Florida on our friend's bus, just playing video games, and someone upfront yelled to us about some crazy girls outside. We're like, 'Okay, whatever.' Five minutes later we hear a thud. We look out the window, and there's this girl hanging off the bus -- she's hanging onto the window trying to look in. It was crazy. So we closed all the blinds!

J-14: What was it like touring with Hey Monday and 3OH!3?
Nick: [Hey Monday's] Cassadee is a crazy, crazy little girl. She's a sweetheart but she's insane. She's just like one of the guys on tour. You don't even expect that she's a girl!
Justin Richards: 3OH!3 are some of the coolest, most down-to-earth dudes. You'd never think that they had the number one single.
Eric: They hung out with us every single day on their bus. We would eat their food.
Andrew: Real good food.

J-14: Do you guys have any celeb crushes right now?
Eric: Nick's celeb crush is Taylor Swift.
Justin: I'm pretty into Taylor too. I really like Kristen Stewart. And Rob Pattinson - he's a dreamboat.

A Rocket To The Moon is currently on tour with The Summer Set, Vita, and Ian Walsh. Their OP Presents: Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge Tour starts November 1. Check out the dates after the jump!

Little Manhattan, RV, and Bridge to Terabithia star Josh Hutcherson's all grown up -- and starring in the first film from the Cirque du Freak Saga called The Vampire's Assistant. He chats exclusively with J-14 about evil vampires, werewolves, and his celeb pals.

J-14: What kind of vampire do you play in The Vampire's Assistant?

Josh Hutcherson: My character Steve is a vampaneze, which is basically an evil vampire. And the difference between the vampires and vampaneze is that the vampires live by a certain code -- they can't kill, they can't do certain things, and they only drink blood to survive. But the vampaneze just do whatever they want. So my character is the reckless type and that was really fun to play. It's definitely different than anything I've played before because I haven't ever really got the chance to play the bad guy kind of role.

J-14: What was the most evil thing you had to do?

Josh: There's a big fight scene between me and Chris Massoglia, who plays Darren. We became good friends during the movie and I literally have to throw him across the room because the vampires and vampaneze have super strength. I throw him and he lands in a pile of chairs and then I was like, "I'm sorry, I don't really mean this," but you gotta do what you gotta do! It was fun playing the bad guy -- you really get to let loose and just be mean and aggressive.

J-14: So how do the vampaneze compare to the Cullens from The Twilight Saga?

Josh: The vampaneze are much more hardcore and open about being vampaneze. The Cullens are kind of shy and reserved and they don't want anybody to know. But the vampaneze are out there like, "Aah! We're vampires! We're going to do whatever we want and drink everybody's blood and go crazy!"

J-14: At first, your character Steve is reluctant to become a vampire, but he does it for his friend. Have you ever done anything like that for a friend?

Josh: For me, my friend recently tried out for American Idol. We had to get up at 3:30 in the morning and drive out to Pasadena's Rose Bowl. We had to sit on the blacktop for like four hours before we even got to go in. Then we got inside and had to sit there in the boiling sun for like another three hours until he got to audition, so it was really hectic. I can't sing, so I didn't audition. He didn't make it past the first round, unfortunately -- he's actually a really, really good singer, but it really depends on what they're looking for. But it was crazy -- and you see a lot of crazy people there.

J-14: Speaking of good friends -- you're good pals with Spectacular!'s Victoria Justice, Avan Jogia, and Simon Curtis. Tell us about your friendship.

Josh: We all like a lot of the same things -- we all like going to the movies, we like the same kind of music, and we're all pretty easygoing people. It just seems to work -- we hang out all the time. We actually love laying on the floor listening to old records. We have this rug in my house that's the softest rug you've ever heard of. So we lay on that and listen to records that were handed down from my parents. I think we're all just really compatible with each other and that makes for a really great friendship.

J-14: And ironically Victoria is playing a werewolf in an upcoming Nickelodeon movie. So who do you think would win the werewolves vs. vampires battle?

Josh: Honestly, I think that the werewolves would. Werewolves just seem so strong, big, and powerful. Vampires are really strong as well, but I think there's something about a wolf, like the wolf integrity. I think they would prevail, unfortunately. Victoria and I haven't had a chance to duke it out -- werewolves and vampires yet -- I'll let you guys know when that happens!

Photos: Courtesy of David Lee / Universal Pictures

Iyaz may have originally written his hit single "Replay" about a girl that he can't get out of his head, but ever since he stopped by the J-14 offices, we haven't been able to get "Replay" out of our heads! The hitmaker dished with us about how he met Sean Kingston, the inspiration for his music, and what to expect from his debut album!

J-14: How did you get hooked up with Sean Kingston?
Iyaz: He sent me a MySpace message! He was like, "I love your stuff, man. Let's work together, man!" But I never replied. I ignored him for three days, then I gave him a fake number! He got upset, so I gave him my number. After he called me, he flew me out -- I was supposed to go to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a day, but I stayed for a whole week during Memorial Day. And now I'm on his label, it's crazy!

J-14: What kind of music did you have up on MySpace?
Iyaz: I had music that I did on a little Dell laptop with a cheap headset from Wal-Mart! I made it sound like studio though, because I went to school for engineering.

J-14: What was your inspiration for "Replay?"
Iyaz: I was writing it for my girl -- everywhere I go I see her! Everywhere I go she's like a song stuck in my head! You know that song: "Lamb Chop's play along?" That song that grows on you! There are songs that you just can't get out of your head that won't go away. That's "Replay."

J-14: What happened when you first played "Replay" for your girlfriend?
Iyaz: She was screaming on the phone! I don't normally let her hear all of the songs so I played it through the phone first. I won some brownie points, yup!

J-14: Who has been the biggest crush of your life?
Iyaz: I had a crush on Beyonce, but Jay-Z went and put a ring on it so I had to put a lid on it! My new crush is Megan Fox. She. Looks. Good. She was actually sitting in front of us at the VMAs but I was too scared.

J-14: Was your girlfriend jealous?
Iyaz: She texted me and said, "I see you're sitting behind your girlfriend."

J-14: Are girls more of an inspiration or a distraction for you?
Iyaz: Both! I like making songs for the ladies. Ladies are the ones who are going to buy the album. Dudes are not going to buy the album. Dudes are going to be like, "hey my lady's listening to you more than me!" He's trying to talk to her but she's just listening to me! There will be a lot of of love songs, a lot of relationship songs on the album.

Spill with us in the comments below: Are you loving Iyaz's single "Replay?" What song do you get stuck in your head?

Photo: Courtesy of Reprise Records

It may be hot in The Hills, but Whitney Port and the girls of The City are heating things up in the Big Apple for the second part of season one! The City's star Whitney talked to J-14 about all the drama that's in store for The City fans this season: there are new roommates, new relationships, a new job -- and find out what she has to say about dating on national television!

J-14: So what is going to be new and different about the new episodes of The City?
Whitney: I'm moving into a new place, I switch my job, I have some new people coming in and out of my life! I realized that what I came to New York to do was to design my clothing line and I felt like I wasn't being true to myself and proactively going for it. So I went to Kelly and we discussed a game plan: she told me I could work freelance at People's Revolution and design my line on the side using one of her showrooms as a studio space. This season shows me on that whole journey doing what I came here to do. Also, now I'm dating, which is different because last season I had a full on relationship!

J-14: Will ex-boyfriend Jay be on this season at all?
Whitney: You see a little bit of him. I like to keep in touch with my exes and I've been fortunate enough to end on a good note with them. It's always been important to me because it's crazy how you can love someone so much one second and hate them the next. I just find it really bizarre!

J-14: We've been introduced to some new friends this season, but do you still keep in touch with Lauren Conrad?
Whitney: Yes, we do. We talk quite a lot. Recently, she was in New York for the VMAS and presenting at the VH1 Diva's Event!

J-14: How is it having your parents watch you go on dates on television?
Whitney: It's very, very strange but the good thing about it is that I'm really close with my parents and I would probably tell them every detail anyways so I'm not really that afraid about how they're going to judge it. I think the key is to be honest with your parents. They're not the enemy, you know?

J-14: What have you learned about yourself from doing the show?
Whitney: I think I've learned that if I really set my mind to something and really motivate myself in that direction I can get anything done. I grew up with a family that kind of always took care of me. They were always doting over me and I was always like a helpless little child. I think it's been a really big learning experience to be on my own and realize I can conquer things without having someone rescue me.

Tune into The City every Tuesday 10:30 p.m. ET/PT!

Have you guys been watching The City? What do you think about this season? If you could ask Whitney anything, what would you ask her?

Photo: Alex Oliveira/Startraks