Britney Spears' 'Slave 4 U': The Story Behind The Video

'Slave' is facing off against 'Criminal' in the finals of MTV News' Britney Spears tournament — vote now!
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears on the set of her video for "I'm a Slave 4 U" in 2001
Photo: MTV News

The competition was stiff in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years, but we're finally at the homestretch.

After narrowing 30 videos down to the final two — Brit's sweaty, old-school clip for "I'm a Slave 4 U" and her newer, equally sexy one for "Criminal" — it's all up to fans to decide which video will reign supreme on Friday (December 2), Britney's 30th birthday.

But before you cast your vote, let's take a deeper dive into the Francis Lawrence-directed video for "Slave."

Up until the raw clip, Britney's sex-kitten antics had been reserved for the PG set, but with "Slave 4 U," the singer launched herself into full-on sex-siren status. Appearing in the video drenched in sweat, it was the most provocative look (including her thong over her jeans!) that the then 19-year-old vixen had ever given her audience.

Spears told MTV during a taping of "Making The Video" that the theme of the song and the video, which put Spears right in the middle of a sexy dance party (with an appearance by celeb DJ du jour DJ Skribble), really matched who she was at the time.

"We're in Los Angeles shooting my first single off my new album," she said of the clip, shot over Labor Day weekend in 2001. "It's basically saying 'I'm a slave for the music.' Like, when you go into a club, you can't help yourself; you're enraptured in it. When I go to a club, I can't just sit there and chit-chat. I'd much rather be on the dance floor, just dancing. And that's what the song's talking about."

Lawrence, who would later go on to direct Spears in 2008's "Circus" as well, wanted the video to move far beyond the sleek dance clubs of L.A. or New York. He wanted it to go global. "I came up with this concept of having this club be in this abandoned Asian bath house and having it be filled with young world travelers, the kind of people who would go to these far exotic places to go to a place like this."


Head over to Britney30.MTV.com and vote for your favorite music video in MTV News' Britney Spears Tournament: 30 Videos for 30 Years.

Many of Spears' clips up until "Slave" had been very high-concept. This one, however, focused on Spears and her dance moves. "Really, the concept of the video, it's not this deep, drawn-out concept story line," she said. "It's just me going to a really cool club, the kind of club that you watch on TV and [you go], 'I wish I was there.' "

Lawrence added, "Everything we do incorporates a lot of dance, every little vignette [is] all really done through dance."

The video, which debuted in September of that year, follows Spears as she makes her way through the club, dancing and sweating the night away. As the party progresses, anything and everything that can hydrate the revelers has completely disappeared. So Spears and her pals take the party elsewhere.

"I walk in, and everyone's just hanging out. Everyone's in their own world," she said. "And it ends up being really, really late and the sun comes up, and we're all out of drinks, and we get really thirsty and it's raining, and we drink the water."

Do you think "Slave" or "Criminal" should come out on top? Let us know in the comments!

What's your favorite Britney video? Make sure to vote at Britney30.MTV.com or the MTV Newsroom blog, and share your picks in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675236/britney-spears-video-tournament-slave-4-u.jhtml

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'Three Stooges' Trailer Delivers Slapstick And Snooki

Farrelly brothers bring the Stooges into present day but leave their classic comedy style intact.
By Kara Warner


Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos and Sean Hayes in "The Three Stooges"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

The Farrelly brothers have finally unleashed the first trailer for their "Three Stooges" movie, and if you're a fan of Larry, Moe and Curly's classic slapstick, consider it an early Christmas gift.

The nearly two-minute spot opens at the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, where a burlap sack containing the baby Stooges is dropped at the doorstep, complete with the first eye-poke gag.

The rest of the trailer features a smorgasbord of classic "Three Stooges" quotes, gags and slapstick, with a couple of modern twists thrown in. There's the familiar "spread out!" shout when the boys prep for a fight, Curly's panting and dog barks when he spots a beautiful woman (one of whom is played by "Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara) and their "Mind your P's and Q's" gag. There are lobsters stuck to faces and dropped in pants, plus countless objects thrown at our main characters.

In one scene, the guys are introduced to the iPhone, which Curly puts up to his eye to try and blink-talk with someone.

The final shot of the trailer features some very familiar faces: JWoww and Snooki from our very own "Jersey Shore."

"Hiya, Snook, I gotcha a present," Larry says, holding out a cardboard box to an unsuspecting Snooki. "Go on, open it." Snooki opens the top and a hand jumps out and pokes her in the eye. "Owww!" she yells, and the trailer fades to black.

After years of false starts and attempts to reboot the classic eye-poking, head-bonking comedy franchise with stars such as Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Jim Carrey, the movie now is being headlined by the trio of Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamontopoulos.

Although the film is not yet rated, when MTV News caught up with the Farrellys earlier this year, they promised to keep things PG.

"The Stooges, by the way, are just naturally and organically PG," Peter Farrelly said. "That's what it is. We wouldn't want it to be what it isn't. It's like 'Napoleon Dynamite,' as funny as that was, that was a PG movie, not PG-13. It's just natural, and this is what the Stooges is.

"They are Moe, Larry, Curly as you remember them," he added when asked if the co-directors had plans to modernize the characters at all. "It's not a biopic. It's the episodes just as you saw but we rewrote, we have all new episodes. We have three episodes. Technically, each episode picks up where the last one left off. Each one begins with its own theme, so it's about an hour and 25 minutes. Three episodes, fun, old-fashioned, but it takes place present-day, and they look, dress and sound like the Three Stooges."

Check out everything we've got on "The Three Stooges."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675538/three-stooges-trailer.jhtml

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Rihanna, Usher Added To Grammy Nominations Concert

Lady Gaga, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco and the Band Perry also scheduled to perform at November 30 event.
By Jocelyn Vena


Rihanna
Photo: WireImage

Rihanna and Usher have been added to the performance lineup for "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night," set to go down November 30.

They join already announced acts Lady Gaga, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Sugarland and Jason Aldean. Country crossover act the Band Perry will perform a full concert of their own after the Grammy nominations concert wraps up at L.A. Live's Nokia Theatre. LL Cool J will again host the show, which will air at 10 p.m. on CBS, Billboard.com reports. This marks the fourth year the Recording Academy had held one of these concerts.

As some of music's biggest names take the stage during the special, the nominations for major Grammy categories will be announced. The awards ceremony will go down February 12 at the Staples Center, and will air live at 8 p.m.

Over the course of her career, Rihanna has taken home four Grammy Awards including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella," two trophies for "Run This Town" (including Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration) and Best Dance Recording for "Only Girl (In the World)." Rihanna is currently riding high on the forthcoming release of her new album, Talk That Talk, and two buzzworthy singles, "We Found Love" and "You Da One."

In the thirteen years he's been nominated for Grammys, Usher has amassed seven, including wins for Best R&B Vocal Performance Male for "U Remind Me," Best R&B Vocal Performance Male for "U Don't Have To Call," Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah," Best Contemporary R&B Album for Confessions, Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo/Group for "My Boo," Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "There Goes My Baby" as well as Best Contemporary R&B Album for Raymond v. Raymond.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674539/usher-rihanna-grammy-nominations-concert.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Should 'Stay Strong,' Usher Says

'All of this comes with the territory,' Ush tells MTV News of paternity-suit drama.
By Jocelyn Vena


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Photo: Ben Rose/ WireImage

Usher might not have known how big Justin Bieber would become when he discovered him a few years back, but he was pretty sure he had found something special.

Since Bieber burst on the scene with his My World EP back in 2009, the 17-year-old has grown up with the world watching. He's gone from up-and-comer to full-fledged pop sensation, racking up chart-topping albums and a box-office hit and becoming an all-around mega-heartthrob — all in two years.

Of course, with the good does come negative attention as well. Recently, Bieber was hit with a paternity lawsuit, which has since been dropped.

Usher, no stranger to his own controversies, had these words for the Biebs: "Stay strong. And know that all of this comes with the territory."

Aside from the drama, Usher is especially proud of Bieber's charitable side. His mentor said he "absolutely" knew the kid from Stratford, Ontario, had a big heart from the start.

"To write a check is only half of it, but when you truly take on a responsibility to be a philanthropist, you accept an effort, and I really think that Pencils of Promise is something that has a very bright future," Usher told MTV News at an event for the charity, noting that Bieber is a only a small part of it.

Usher — who appears on Bieber's new Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe — gives credit to the folks surrounding the teen superstar, including manager Scooter Braun. "Just judging from the determination and the will power of the entire team around Justin, I see a very, very promising [future] for him as a philanthropist," Usher said.

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