The ONE LIFE TO LIVE cast and crew was buzzing with excitement on Friday, Sept. 21, when Timbaland (a.k.a. Timothy Mosley), Keri Hilson and the group One Republic taped performances on the Capricorn set. The musical interludes will air Oct. 9.

John Brotherton (Jared) was rushing through the lobby as I arrived at OLTL's studios. "Wow, that rocked," he said. (Don't forget, he's new. The other cast members were less jumpy, though they were all excited.)

Time for a small confession: Before that day I didn't know who Timbaland was. For those of us suffering from terminal squareness, he is a music producer and performerwho's been affiliated with many of the biggest names in popular music.

I'll let the soap's musical director, Paul Glass, explain: "He's been a producer for years. Recently he has become more prominent on the stage. He's unbelievable. The last record that he did was Shock Value. It's an entire CD of collaborations. He has hip-hop artists and pop stars like Justin and Nelly [Furtado]," explains Glass. I've been talking to them since January, trying to find the right moment, working with the story. We're pretty fortunate to get these guys on the show."

Sept. 21 wasn't a regular taping day, so most of it was devoted to the concert scenes. Many of the contract players were in the Capricorn audience and fans will see them grooving to the music. Viewers will also see my Soap Opera Digest counterpart, Lauren Flynn, standing behind Natalie and Jared. (She's wearing a blue top.)

I watched Timbaland and Keri Hilson sing "The Way I Are," a very catchy tune. It was very danceable (though no one was dancing at Capricorn). The artists ran through the number three times. I've been on the set enough times to have figured out this rule of thumb: The more people (actors and extras) in a scene, the longer the scene takes to tape. There are more people to herd, and to keep quiet. Most of the work is setting up Capricorn to be ready for Timbaland et al to do their stuff. Even (executive producer) Frank Valentini was doing his part to arrange the guests and get everyone to settle down.

Once Timbaland started, it was interesting to see which actors/characters got into the sideline dancing. Tika Sumpter (Layla) and Melissa Gallo (Adriana) did the most grooving by far. In stark contrast was John-Paul Lavoisier's Rex, who seemed like he did not to want to be there. (I later learned that it had been a late night for Lavoisier and he was exhausted.)

I did my usual milling about, catching actors and asking them the usual questions. I especially love hanging out in hair and makeup. It's a casual, happy place. I usually leave with a beauty tip or two and a product suggestion. (This week's tip: Big, Sexy Hair's Instant-Set Curling Spray — at sexyhair.com — for use with a flat iron.)

I plan to invest in Timbaland's newest CD and impress all my friends with the story that I met him. (Okay, so not technically true, but I was in the same room, breathing the same air. And even a tired John P. is worth a trip uptown for!)