06/30/2011
Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Muse Added To Grammy Show
Usher, Jaden Smith, B.o.B, Janelle Monae and Lady Antebellum will also perform on February 13.
By Gil Kaufman
Justin Bieber and Usher
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
While Willow Smith is the one who made music headlines with "Whip My Hair" last year, it's her brother, "Karate Kid" actor Jaden Smith, who will take the stage at the upcoming 53rd Grammy Awards in a special performance alongside Usher and Justin Bieber, with whom he collaborated on the song "Never Say Never" last summer.
The trio joins a list of new performers added to the show on Thursday (January 20) that will also include another power trifecta made up of B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, according to a press release from the Recording Academy announcing the additions to the February 13 telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Also taking the stage next month will be nominees Muse and Lady Antebellum. They will join a roster of previously announced performers that includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green and Miranda Lambert. It will be the first time on the Grammy performance stage for Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monáe, Muse and Smith. Eminem, Green, Gaga, Perry, Usher and Lady Antebellum will be making return visits for the occasion.
While 11-time Grammy winner Eminem leads the pack in nominations this year (with 10 nods), Mars has seven nominations, and Gaga and Lady Antebellum are not far behind with six nods each. B.o.B has notched five, Perry and Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Bieber, Muse, Usher and Monáe are each nominated for two Grammys.
No details of the collaborative performances were released, but the Grammy announcement promised a rare, never-before-seen event for the Mars, B.o.B and Monáe segment.
With the addition of Antebellum, all five Album of the Year nominees (Eminem, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Perry) are now scheduled to perform on the show. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.
Which Grammy performance are you most looking forward to? Talk about it in the comments!
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Britney Spears' 'I Wanna Go' Director Breaks Down Cheeky Clip
Chris Marrs Piliero explains the video's 'Half Baked' and 'Terminator' homages, but what about those elusive seashells?
By Kara Warner
Britney Spears in her "I Wanna Go" music video
Photo: Jive
Britney Spears' video for "I Wanna Go" — a dream-sequence-y, pop-culture-reference-packed tongue-in-cheek attack on the paparazzi — is so fun, it's quickly becoming one of our favorites. And because we can't get enough of it, MTV News sought out the vid's creative mastermind, director Chris Marrs Piliero (who also directed Ke$ha's "Blow"), to explain it to us, frame by frame.
"This opening scene poked fun at the ridiculous rumors that surround Britney," Piliero said of the clip's opening press conference, during which Britney tells off a room of reporters. "That is our homage to 'Half Baked.' I was really stoked that we were able to include that little parody homage in the video and that Guillermo Diaz, who is the guy [in the scene] giving the thumbs up, is from the movie."
After strutting out of the press conference and squeezing the butt of an autograph-seeking fan (played by one of her dancers), Spears strolls down the street, passing by a baby in a stroller who whistles at her.
"We were actually going to have three babies," Piliero revealed. "But the other two were just crying and crying. and I was like, 'F--- it, get 'em outta there.' And the one baby, he ruled and was supercute, so we went with him."
Spears' next saucy move is to flash a bunch of guys on the street: a young boy, his dad, a male driver getting a ticket and the cop writing it.
"That little kid was awesome," Piliero said of the young redheaded boy. "If you look closely, he's actually squeezing his juice box all over this shirt. The cop is another one of Britney's dancers. You might recognize him from the 'Hold It Against Me' video, he had blue hair."
Next up, Spears encounters a paparazzo on the street and grabs his camera and throws it to the ground.
"That was a very genuine performance from Britney," Piliero said of the scene. "I felt like she was letting out her inner emotion toward paparazzi. It was also really cold. I think she just went for it."
Cut to Spears on top of a taxi, microphone in hand with a long cord, which she uses to take out the various photographers who have surrounded her.
"A lot of people think this was inspired by 'Kill Bill,' because I'm a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. I would totally own up to that if it was true," he admitted. "But I actually intended for her to always having her performance with the microphone [throughout the video] for her performance setup, so I thought that was a good way to tie it all together and I didn't want to give her a real weapon."
But Piliero was making an intentional pop-culture reference with the wording on the movie theater marquee in the background of the scene that reads "Crossroads 2: Cross Harder." "I've always thought that 'Die Hard 2: Die Harder' is one of the most ridiculously awesome titles for a sequel," he said. "And I needed to put something in the marquee, and I thought it would be a really fun Easter egg for fans."
Now something odd happens with the paparazzi who've been hit by Spears' microphone weapon — they are revealed to be robots or androids. "I love pop culture and this whole video is kind of a dream sequence," Piliero said. "I think it's natural to have fantasies and dreams with stuff inspired by pop culture, so that's why the robot guys kind of have a 'Terminator'-ish feel."
Before the "Terminator" 'bots can move in on Spears, Diaz drives up in a sports car and whisks her away, where he celebrates by pouring a carton of milk all over himself.
"Guillermo kills it in the scene with the milk, he's hilarious," Piliero enthused. "And I love Britney's reaction there; both her reactions where she's laughing are so good. A lot of people ask about the milk and what the deal with it is, a lot of people have theories too. I don't need to say what the point is, because I love hearing what people say, so I'll leave it at that. Same goes with the seashells too."
Cut to the final scene, where we realize that it was all a dream. Spears is at the press conference, shaken out of a daze when Guillermo steps in and tells the reporters, "No more questions," then hands Spears a handful of those seashells that Piliero won't explain. He looks back at the camera at the last moment and we see his eyes are robot red, an obvious nod to Michael Jackson's zombie-green eyes in the last shot of "Thriller."
" 'Thriller' is one of my favorite music videos ever," Piliero said. "I remember watching it when I was 5, that was what inspired me to become a music video director so I wanted to pay homage to it."
What do you think the milk and the seashells signify in "I Wanna Go"? Share your theories in the comments below.
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Britney Spears Fans Declare She's 'Back'
'You can tell that she was having fun. She looked like she was enjoying herself and loving it,' one fan says after Spears' L.A. show.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by James Lacsina
Britney Spears performs at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday
Photo: Splash News Online
Have you heard? Britney's back! That's the consensus her fans came to on Monday night in Los Angeles, where Britney Spears took the stage at the Staples Center, garnering very positive reviews from her fans.
Rachel Guillory, who happens to be from Brit's home state of Louisiana, said, "She interacted with the audience. She talked, she looked happy the whole time."
Her friend Chandler Cortina added, "You can tell that she was having fun. She looked like she was enjoying herself and loving it."
The good vibes were pouring out from everyone MTV News spoke to after the show, with fans raving about her stage presence and her killer dance moves. "I'll tell you one thing: Britney is back," Andrea Urioste declared. "Who feels me on that?" she asked the crowd, who cheered in approval.
Photos: Britney brings it in Los Angeles.
Duprel Nave agreed. "I've been a Britney fan since the beginning. She rocked it and I've been waiting for her to come back," she said. "She gets so much criticism in the media, but she is badass. She's amazing."
Fan Heather Goodly compared this trek, which is several dates in from its kickoff last week in Sacramento, to her last tour. "I went to Circus and this is a thousand times better than that show," she said. "She dances a lot more fiercely, [there are] a lot more hair flips, which is amazing for Britney."
"It's like 2004, 2001 Britney is completely back. Energetic, excited," Ricardo Garcia shared.
So, which parts rocked the most? " 'I Wanna Go,' " Pattie Cortez said of Spears' performance of her new single. "That was our favorite part. It was so intense. Everybody was doing the fist pump."
Chris Rocha went old-school for his pick. "When she did 'Slave For U,' [with] the original choreography, that brought back the old Britney for me. I was waiting for that, and to see that come back, it was awesome."
Have you seen Britney on tour? Tell us what you think in the comments!
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