Want to know how MTV secures massive ad buys in this unfriendly recession-laden climate? We’ll give you a hint:

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Sarah Silverman, and Chris Rock all showed up during the network’s upfront presentation yesterday, entertaining ad buyers usually stuck in conference rooms and on BlackBerrys with star-power shtick. Celebrities don’t just draw in banal viewerships; they also attract big spenders!

[Photo: MTV]