Beyonce's 'Countdown' Video Shoot Was 'Evolving, Spontaneous'

'I love the creative team that works with Beyonce because they can roll with anything,' video director Adria Petty says.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyonce in her video for "Countdown"
Photo: Columbia

Beyoncé's "Countdown" video plays up the singer's theatrical side. It pays homage to iconic films like "West Side Story" and "Funny Face," as well as '60s icons like the Supremes and Audrey Hepburn. The clip, co-directed by Adria Petty, is an eye-catching glimpse at the pop culture moments that reside in the creative conscience of the pop star.

While a lot of the video displays the singer's personality and spunk, as well as her ever-expanding baby bump, it's clear that Petty and her team worked hard to make sure they captured the spirit of the milestones they re-created in the video.

"I brought Beyoncé a number of references and we picked some out together. Most were German modern-dance references, believe it or not. But it really evolved," she told MTV News, calling it "an evolving, spontaneous process."

Check out what we spotted, and let us know what we missed!

"The references were then dispersed to her creative team (hair, makeup, wardrobe), and they interpreted them on the set in their own special way. Of course, one of the strongest wardrobe references was Audrey Hepburn in 'Funny Face' when she does the beatnik dance scene. I think a lot grew from there," Petty continued.

Shot over the last few months in New York City warehouses, the shoot was all about being able to squeeze in all of her work commitments while also trying to finish the elaborately set video.

What do Queen B's fans have to say about that "Countdown" baby bump?

"The shoot was great. We had a number of brilliant dancers and musicians and a top-notch crew. Beyoncé brings in a number of her own people who are so hardworking. Our video was the fourth they had shot in five days," Petty said. "I love the creative team that works with Beyoncé because they can roll with anything and keep smiling. Everyone was really upbeat and excited because we all love the track and the opportunity to work with Beyoncé so much."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672200/beyonce-countdown-video-shoot.jhtml

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Michael Jackson Phone Recording: 'I Had No Childhood'

Among other testimony, a much-hyped slurred phone recording is played in full.
By Gil Kaufman and Kara Warner


Dr. Conrad Murray looks on during trial at the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 5
Photo: Getty Images

After bringing a succession of Dr. Conrad Murray's girlfriends to the witness stand, on Wednesday (October 5), prosecutors in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician focused on the kinds and amounts of drugs Murray ordered in the months leading up to the pop star's death at age 50 on June 25, 2009.

The most anticipated moment of the day was the promise of the full recording of a slurred-sounding Jackson recorded on Murray's phone in the weeks before the "Thriller" singer's death. Bits of the tape were played during the prosecution's opening statements.

Among the testimony Wednesday:

» In the much-hyped phone recording, Jackson talks to Murray about his grand plans for the This Is It shows, including raising enough money to start the Michael Jackson Children's Hospital. "I love them because I didn't have a childhood," he says of why kids are his primary cause. "I had no childhood. I feel their pain. I feel their hurt." When Jackson goes silent for 13 seconds, Murray asks, "Are you OK?" Jackson's response: "I am asleep."

» Medical-supply rep Sally Hirschberg testified that Murray put in drug orders that were a bit unusual for a cardiology clinic, including ones for Lidocaine and IV bags. The former is typically used as a local anesthetic to relieve skin irritation from the injection of anesthetics such as propofol, the surgical anesthetic Murray administered to Jackson on the night of his death.

» Hirschberg also said she refused to send supplies to a private address Murray provided in California because of company policy, sending them instead to the doctor's Las Vegas office. The day after Jackson's death, Hirschberg said she got a call from Murray's office asking her to cancel an order for medical supplies.

» DEA computer forensics examiner Stephen Marx discussed emails on Murray's phone containing medical information about a patient named "Omar Arnold," which is reportedly one of the aliases Jackson used to obtain prescription medicine.

» Investigator Elissa Fleak from the L.A. County Coroner's office testified that when she inspected Jackson's bedroom the day he died, she found a variety of prescription pills at his bedside, including heavy sedatives Diazepam, Lorazepam and Temazepam, as well as a blue bag full of propofol vials, the same bag security guard Alberto Alvarez mentioned during his testimony.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter. He faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672057/michael-jackson-trial-phone-recordings.jhtml

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Kirsten Dunst Obtains German Citizenship

Adding another country as a homeland on top of the United States, Kirsten Dunst has revealed that she's acquired her German citizenship.

The "Melancholia" actress broke the news to German tabloid B.Z. during a recent interview, as she said, "I'm now a real international lady, one who can film in Europe without a problem."

Miss Dunst added that it's her hope to take a role in a German film at some point in the future, telling, "It would be the greatest joy for me to act in a German film."

Able to speak the country's language at a child's level, the 29-year-old currently pays visits to relatives in Hamburg, though she's pondering the purchase of a property in Berlin.

Dishing about her plans, Kirsten said, "I would prefer to buy an apartment in Berlin. It's such a young city, and right now so much is happening in Berlin."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/kirsten-dunst/kirsten-dunst-obtains-german-citizenship-550881

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Concert Picks: Robbers On High Street, Screaming Females, 7 Seconds?

Woohoo, weekend! We miss it like so every time it leaves. It’s not like we don’t get to enjoy music all week long, but as our relative tempo and mood suggests, there’s just something about being caught up in the live format. Thankfully, our picks more than feel the same way. We’ve got some smorgasboard-type genres [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/tomfQn1oP0A/

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Vinny Remembers Pre-'Jersey Shore' Bullying

After 'DISconnected' premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, Vinny will take part in an MTV News special discussing digital abuse.
By Eric Ditzian


Vinny Guadagnino
Photo: MTV News

Long before Vinny Guadagnino was beating the beat on "Jersey Shore" (and beating off the attention of club-hopping ladies), he was a gawky kid getting picked on by high school girls.

"I was really awkward-looking and I got bullied a lot — especially by the hot girls," he recently told MTV News. "I was cool enough to sit at the popular table with the hot girls, but at the same time, I wasn't the most popular kid at that table. They would make fun of me and it would really hurt me, because you don't want the girls thinking that you're a loser."

How times have changed. But Vinny hasn't forgotten what it's like to be bullied, and he's made an effort to use his celebrity to bring attention to the issue, taking part in MTV's A Thin Line campaign to empower kids to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse. On Monday, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the channel is set to premiere "DISconnected," a film about online bullying. After the movie, Vinny will take part in an MTV News special to discuss these issues.

Though he's now a celebrity with almost 2 million Twitter followers, he still encounters digital abuse. Not long ago, he posted a YouTube video with some of his young cousins in the background and, as he put it, "some hater called a little girl in the background fat."

"I've learned not to let it affect me, but there are other people that can be affected by it," Vin added. "That's why I want to share a message with young kids that whenever someone is pointing the finger at you, they have a ton of problems themselves that are making them do that. That's their own insecurities talking."

Be sure to tune in to "DISconnected" on Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, and check out the movie's Facebook page. Plus, stay tuned after the movie for MTV News' Q&A special.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672152/vinny-jersey-shore-bullying-disconnected.jhtml

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