Watch Beyoncé's 'Countdown' and Its Spot-on Snuggie Remake » Gossip - The bar for the YouTube music video recreation has officially been raised.
Last week, YouTube user kkpalmer1000 uploaded a strikingly well-done recreation of Beyoncé Knowles' rather complex music video for "Countdown." A young Asian man recreates all of B's moves in a cobalt blue Snuggie, which allows for surprisingly unrestrained movement. Though kkpalmer1000's scenes were clearly shot at a house and not a studio, the production values are truly impressive. Frame by frame, this guy's got his Beyoncé down.
Coincidentally, Beyoncé was accused of having copied and pasted a bunch of the dance moves featured in the video back when it debuted in October 2011. Famed Dutch choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker complained about the simliarities between Knowles' moves and those featured in two of her pieces from the '90s: "Achterland” and “Rosas danst Rosas."
Sex, Violence, and Blasphemy: A History of Banned Music Videos » Gossip - Now that MTV rarely plays music videos, it's no big deal when the network decides a clip is too racy, violent, or disturbing to air — most people are going to watch it online, anyway. But before the dawn of Teen Mom and countless cheaply produced dating shows, it actually meant something when MTV drew the line, prompting discussions of censorship in art and racking up plenty of free publicity each time (just ask Madonna).
Here's a look at some of the most notable music video bannings over the years.
Queen's "Body Language"
Though it's laughably tame compared to any current hip-hop video, Queen's 1982 music video "Body Language" was never aired on MTV due to its highly sensual content, including close-up shots of fingernails on sweaty skin and barely clothed dancers licking and biting at each other in odd places. There's also an odd communal shower dance scene that features a severe lack of nudity.
Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls"
Believe it or not, the powers that be at MTV were not thrilled at the prospect of airing footage from a Los Angeles strip club. Though the original music video for "Girls Girls Girls" was likely an accurate depiction of the average evening for any Mötley Crüe band member in 1987, it was too much for television and was eventually edited for nudity. The band's video for "You're All I Need" was also banned from the network that same year due to a mildly graphic depiction of a murder and its aftermath.
Madonna's "Justify My Love"
Madonna embraced her stunt queen status in 1990 with the release of "Justify My Love," which blurred the lines between art and pornography with its depictions of sadomasochism and voyeurism. The singer reveled in having been banned from MTV, famously shrugging it off in a Nightline interview by saying, "Yeah, so? Lucky me." Obviously, the hoopla boosted her VHS sales. How convenient.
Soundgarden's "Jesus Christ Pose"
The six-minute video for "Jesus Christ Pose" was only played a handful of times before MTV banned it in 1991 due to its controversial depiction of a crucified girl. We'd argue the video for "Black Hole Sun" is ultimately much creepier, more interesting, and less dated. Still, it seems ridiculous that this video got the shaft while lesser bands like Limp Bizkit were free to spew mindless frat boy aggression all over the network for years.
Madonna's "Erotica"
Chances are you can't hum the tune to Madonna's 1992 single "Erotica," perhaps because it's one of the least catchy songs she ever recorded. If you were old enough to watch television, however, you likely remember the music video, which featured sapphic cameos from Isabella Rosselini and Naomi Campbell. It only aired on MTV three times, and only after a certain hour of night.
Prodigy's "Smack My B**ch Up"
In 1997, there was no music video more controversial than director Jonas Åkerlund's clip for Prodigy's "Smack My B**ch Up," which infuriated feminist groups with its depiction of violence against women. Featuring a heavy cocktail of drugs, alcohol, nudity, and even vomit, the video only once aired on MTV 2 in its full, unedited glory, and ran with MTV News warnings after midnight on the main station. The full uncensored version can be watched here. It is most certainly not SFW.
Madonna's "What It Feels Like for a Girl"
The most enjoyable of all Madonna's banned videos, "What It Feels Like for a Girl" featured a violent extended fantasy in which a woman, accompanied by an elderly lady from the "Ol' Kuntz Guest Home," goes on a crime spree, doing bad for the sake of doing bad while chowing down on fast food. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the video was only played late at night on MTV and VH1, despite being less violent than most primetime TV shows.
M.I.A.'s "Born Free"
The unflinchingly graphic short film for "Born Free" was not M.I.A.'s first banned music video: Her gorgeous, non-violent clip for "Sunshowers" was banned from major networks in 2004 after she refused to excise or modify the line, "You wanna go? You wanna win a war? Like PLO, I don't surrendo." But the Romain Gavras-directed piece was her first to be banned from YouTube due to "excessive violence." The video was later re-posted to the site by VEVO.
Mistah F.A.B.'s "Ghost Ride It"
There was nothing particularly objectionable about Mistah F.A.B.'s absolutely idiotic music video for "Ghost Ride It," up until a couple of people killed themselves in 2006 trying to replicate the stupid, stupid stunt it glorified. MTV asked that the video be re-edited after the deaths, but quit airing it altogether after Columbia Pictures complained about the video's use of an unauthorized Ghostbusters logo.
Lady Gaga's "Alejandro"
It was really only a matter of time before Catholic-bred pop provocateur Lady Gaga pissed off the Vatican, given her taste for shock and awe, but no one anticipated she'd do it so swiftly with her Steven Klein-directed video for "Alejandro." MTV relegated the video to late-night viewing on sister channels, thanks in part to that scene in which the barely clothed singer swallows a rosary. The video even drew passive aggressive criticism from Gaga's pop colleague Katy Perry, who tweeted shortly after the video's release, "Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z post pictures of their baby Blue Ivy Carter on their tumblr blog. (Source: Bauer Griffin via Tumblr)
Jay-Z Brags About Blue Ivy's Nursery, Shoe Collection On New Track » Gossip - Jay-Z is one proud papa. The rapper released a song about his first child, Blue Ivy Carter, just two days after she came into the world in January 2012. Now, six months later, baby Blue has again been named-dropped in a song.
The latest? Jay-Z sings a verse about his girl on Rick Ross' upcoming track, "3 Kings." In the tune, Mr. Z lets everyone know his little girl is a little princess. He brags about the "millions" hanging on her walls, in the form of ultra pricey Basquiat paintings, and sings about how you "couldn't f--- with my daughter's room" or "walk in my daughter's socks."
And, he's probably just telling it like it is. Blue Ivy is already very much a part of hip-hop royalty. On top of having two of the biggest stars in the biz for parents, the tot has top of the line everything, right down to her tiny slippers. She's been spotted in Marc Jacobs footwear and reportedly hangs out in a $3,500 lucite crib, with all the trimmings. Naturally.
Listen to "3 Kings" here. Rick Ross' new album, God Forgives, I Don't, drops July 31.
Usher's Stepson Passes Away Following Tragic Jet Ski Accident » Gossip - The 11-year-old son of Usher's ex-wife Tameka Foster passed away this morning due to injuries suffered in a tragic jet ski accident in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this month, reports TMZ. Kile Glover was taken off life support Saturday, a decision his mother understandably struggled with over the past couple of weeks.
Glover was reportedly declared brain dead after he was hit in the head by a jet ski while riding an inner tube on Lake Lanier in Atlanta. Reports indicate a 38-year-old family friend was operating the jet ski when he lost control, crashing into the inner tube. The accident is currently under investigation. A 15-year-old unidentified girl was also riding in the blow-up device and was hospitalized with a broken arm and a cut on her head. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Since the July 8 accident, Usher and Foster have apparently put their acrimonious divorce and custody battle over their two sons on hold. The R&B singer allegedly funded private transportation so his ex could quickly get to her son's side.
An unnamed insider told Us magazine: "Tameka and Usher don't get along, but in this circumstance Usher is coming to her side. Usher practically raised Kile as his own. He's known him for seven years. It is so sad what happened."
So far, no statement has been released by the family. The singer's Twitter account has been quiet since three days before the accident, while Foster has tweeted twice since July 8. Once she posted "#Pray4Kile," and her latest tweet, from Friday night, was simply a smiling picture of Kile and one of his brothers.
Will The Spice Girls Reunite for the 2012 London Olympics? Also, Victoria's Demands » Gossip - People of the world, get ready to spice up your life once again! Although no official confirmation has been made, The Telegraph reported this morning that The Spice Girls will perform together for the first time since 2008 at the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony.
Our favorite girls from the '90s, singers Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, and Victoria Beckham will sing two top hits from their 1996 album Spice, one of which is said to be "Wannabe," for the ceremony on August 12.
Rumor also has it that Ginger (Should she get a new nickname now that she's blonde?) will be wearing her iconic Union Jack flag dress—yes that one.
This is so what we want, what we really, really want, but apparently Victoria Beckham isn't quite as thrilled about the reunion as the rest of the globe. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the fashion designer hesitantly agreed to the reform under one provision: The group will never unite again—Ever. Still quite posh, eh?
If Geri's wearing her no-room-to-the-imagination dress, we can only hope the rest of the crew will impress in their signature styles, as well.
Silversun Pickups Announce North American Tour » Gossip - Los Angeles' Silversun Pickups have just announced a North American tour to support their highest-charting release yet, Neck of the Woods. After a series of festival dates, the band will kick off the tour September 4 at Vancouver's Malkin Bowl, followed by dates scattered throughout the West Coast and the Midwest until the final show at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on September 21. School of Seven Bells and Atlas Genius will support. The band is also slated to play the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans in late October.
Scheduled dates:
8/8 - Berkley Riverfront Park - Kansas City, MO 9/1 - Xfest - Calgary, AB 9/2 - Sonic Boom - Edmonton, AB 9/4 - Malkin Bowl - Vancouver, BC % 9/6 - Marymoor Amphitheater - Redmond, WA % 9/7 - Cuthbert Amphitheater - Eugene, OR % 9/9 - Pioneer Courthouse Square - Portland, OR % 9/10 - Mondavi Center - Davis, CA % 9/12 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA % 9/13 - Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - Santa Monica, CA % 9/16 - Red Rocks Amphitheater - Morrison, CO ^ 9/17 - Sumtur Amphitheatre - Papilion, NE % 9/18 - Hoyt Sherman Place - Des Moines, IA % 9/20 - State Theatre - Minneapolis, MN % 9/21 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL % 10/26-28 - Voodoo Music Experience - New Orleans, LA
% - w/ School of Seven Bells, Atlas Genius ^ - w/ 3OH!3, The Hives, The Wombats
Check out the music video for their latest single, "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)," which just hit No. 9 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts.
Iggy Azalea Plays the World's Hottest Pageant Mom in Her 'Murda Bizness' Video » Gossip - Leggy blonde rapper Iggy Azalea makes such a perfect music video subject, it's almost unfair to her less photogenic colleagues. Thankfully, she's moved beyond the slow-motion hair-spinning videos that helped her to get noticed and into more interesting territory: Satire!
On Saturday, the Australian rapper unveiled her official music video for her lead single "Murda Bizness," which features her industry mentor, T.I. The Alex/2tone-directed video has Iggy playing the quintessential pageant mom to a heavily made-up blonde terror. There are rhinestones, sequins, trophies, and a bunch of little girls gone bad. Maybe not bad enough.
Is Justin Bieber Beefing With Drake Bell? » Gossip - Though most of them have endured hours of chipper media training, former teen stars don't always play nice.
Ex-Nickelodeon star Drake Bell is fielding some extremely angry tweets from Justin Bieber fans these days thanks to some off-color remarks he made about both the Biebs and his beloved Beliebers. The former Drake & Josh star appears to be enjoying the attention, too, as he continues to make fun of his detractors' spelling and grammar.
It all started several weeks ago, when prissy tweets from Bell's official account landed him in hot water with pop star Katy Perry. On July 2, his timeline featured jabs at Perry's 3-D concert film Part of Me, among them, "@katyperry these biography movies about artists who have been in the market place for 5 years in ridiculous!!!"
After Perry responded to Bell's tweet with "Never thought I would categorize u as another uneducated hater, especially since we have many mutual friends and coworkers. Smooth," he claimed his account had been hacked. Uh huh. The convenience is pretty epic, here.
Instead of backing away from the scandal, however, Bell then took a swipe at another pop star by tweeting, "I wouldn't randomly bash @katyperry....bieber however lol."
Naturally, dedicated Beliebers took this tweet as a war cry and barraged Bell with angry tweets, some of which reportedly included threats and pictures of knives (those girls don't mess around). On Monday, weeks after the initial tweet, Bell tweeted, "I used to worry about being a good role model and not using profanity in my media but obviously if this is how bieber fans act...."
Justin, for his part, shrugged off the entire affair. On Monday evening, he tweeted, "Drake and Josh was my favorite show as a kid. really."
Allen Stone to Bring the Soul to JFK's Terminal 5 on Thursday » Gossip - JetBlue passengers flying out of JFK this Thursday evening are in for a special treat, as rising soul star Allen Stone is slated for a special performance at 6 p.m. ET as part of JetBlue's Live from T5 concert series.
Stone, a 25-year-old Washington native, has been lauded for the old school soul sensibilities he showcased on his self-released albums Last to Speak and Allen Stone. A New York Times reviewer gushed of a Stone live performance, "his music reached back four decades to the late 1960s and early '70s, when songwriters like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers brought introspection and social commentary to soul music."
Stone's Live from T5 performance will take place a day after his sold out concert at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. An intimate affair, the event is only open to 100 contest winners and ticketed JetBlue customers flying out that day.
In addition to appearances at the Outside Lands and Vail Soul festivals, Stone has tour dates scheduled through December across North America and Europe. In the meantime, be sure to watch Stone perform tonight on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Miley Cyrus Teams with Rock Mafia for "Morning Sun" » Gossip - The official version of a collaboration between Miley Cyrus and Rock Mafia has hit the Internet.
Following a demo leak of "Morning Sun" that made its way online last year, the group has released the following listen today for free, giving fans an early copy of a track that will be featured on its upcoming EP.
Cyrus mostly just sings backup vocals, but this isn't the first time she has worked with the band. In 2010, she made out with Kevin Zegers in the Rock Mafia video for "The Big Bang."
Willow Smith's "I Am Me" Music Video: Watch Now! » Gossip - Proclaiming her individuality in her latest song, Willow Smith has once again wowed fans with her new music video for "I Am Me".
In the track, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's 11-year-old daughter slams those who criticize her about her choices and fashion sense.
Willow premiered her "I Am Me" music video at the 2012 BET Awards, and, in the video, the "Fireball" singer moves around New York City on a skateboard pausing to sing in the middle of a busy street while belting out the lyrics: “Express myself cause it’s my liberty / I’ve been lookin’ / Your validation is just not that important to me.”
Also not important to Miss Smith is what people think of her buzzed hairstyle or what she wears, as she sings, "People don't like the way I dress, or where I'm at. I dye my hair and it's not just vanity," adding, "I am me, I am free. That's all I can be."
Encouraging others to also be carefree, Smith sings, "You have to be yourself. Be real, Be honest. Cause ain't nobody got time for that. They really don't."
After the premiere of "I Am Me", Willow took to Twitter to thank her fans while tweeting a link to her new hit, adding, "Thanks for the #IAMME Luv! This is for you guys!!!"
