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"Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she's an athlete. I got that Jonas' concept was partially about the duality of self — we all deal with that, so who wouldn't have fun fighting their alter egos?"

-Fight choreographer and Hollywood martial arts expert Steven Ho, commenting on working with Britney Spears on her new video "Hold It Against Me." In the clip's centerpiece scene, Spears battles her doppelganger in a brutal knock-down, drag-out affair that is as arresting and savage as the dance moves Spears tosses out at the end of the clip.

Ho told MTV News' Jocelyn Vena that working with director Jonas Akerlund was a smooth and seamless affair. "I've always wanted to work with Jonas," he explained. "I knew that a stylized fight would translate well with his trademark visuals, so I was thrilled about doing this project. Jonas wanted a superhuman fight with elements of brutality — that's right up my alley of how I approach an action scene, so we were definitely all on the same page throughout the process."

The work was complicated, but Spears was game for everything. "Britney was really excited throughout the whole process. It was a grueling shoot of dance and stunts, but her passion for the video and professionalism never wavered," Ho explained. "There were some pretty tough insert shots where we needed Britney to actually get hit in the face by 'herself.' We did several consecutive takes of this, and she had a lot of fun with it and was a great sport."

What do you think of the fighting in Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video? Let us know in the comments!

Tags britney spears, Quote

There comes a point in every pop star's life when he feels the constraints of his signature hairdo and he just must move on. This happened to Justin Bieber over the weekend, who made the huge, life-changing decision to lose his famous swoop and opt for a more cropped style.

(Check out a compendium of Justin Bieber's career in hair styles!)

"Thinking about getting a haircut ... hmmmmmm," he tweeted on Monday afternoon (February 20). A few hours later, he told the world about the shift. "Yeah so it's true ... i got a lil haircut ... i like it ... and we are giving all the hair cut to CHARITY to auction. Details coming soon."

He wasn't lying at all. The Biebs did cut his hair. The move actually reminded us of Joe Jonas' decision to initially stop straightening his hair and then eventually buzz it short.

Whether or not we should proud to admit it, MTV News has been there through all of Joe's major life-changing decisions, including the controversy surrounding his iconic locks. Shortly after Joe made the epic decision to wear his hair curly, his brother Kevin explained the situation. "You know what happened?" Joe's older brother said. "One day he went to the beach and just like the salt water I think it messed up your hair because it all of a sudden became curly."

For Bieber, the explanation to cut his hair was a lot less science-based. Aside from the locks going to charity, he did share that he also had another reason for loosing the swoop. Biebs explained that he "wanted to change it up" and that he thought the cut was "kind of a mature look."

We think he certainly looks older. And, there's nothing wrong with a little change, especially since the young star will turn 17 in a few short weeks.

(Check out a compendium of Justin Bieber's career in hair styles!)

What do you think of Justin Bieber's new haircut? Let us know in the comments!

Tags hair, Joe Jonas, Justin Bieber, the-jonas-brothers, video

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant finds himself in "Spotted" a lot, though the focus is usually on the celebrities who sit in the audience at the Staples Center and watch the 13-time all star dismantle the rest of the NBA. This time, the focus is on Black Mamba himself. Only a handful of hours after collecting his All-Star MVP award following an incredible performance that saw him put up 37 points and 14 rebounds, Bryant made his way over to the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California to receive yet another high-profile award. Bryant collected a prize at the first annual Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards, the cable channel's first-ever awards show rewarding excellence in sports (Bryant snagged the "He Got Game" prize for being the most outstanding male athlete). The show, which airs this Friday, February 25, also saw visits from big-name athletes like Venus Williams, Lisa Leslie and Terrell Owens and featured a performance by Travie McCoy.

Bryant wasn't the only star rubbing elbows, as the Black Eyed Peas made their way to Japan and Taylor Swift's international tour rolled through Hong Kong. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Shakira and Kanye West!

Tags Cartoon Network, kobe bryant, photo, Spotted!

Last week, the pop music world put everything on hold to allow Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video to make its grand debut. The clip, which premiered before the new episode of "Jersey Shore" on Thursday night (February 17), featured Spears in a number of different set-ups and dressed in a veritable cavalcade of fashion options. It's vintage Britney, highlighted by some excellent new dance moves and a crazy sequence wherein Spears has a knock-down, drag-out fight with herself. It's an electric, high-gloss statement of purpose that announced the return of one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

But of all the outfits Britney wears over the course of the "Hold It Against Me" video, which one is the best? That's the question that the Newsroom Blog posed to the readers just after the premiere last week, and after thousands of votes and a healthy set of arguments among Britney fans, the results are in. Which one was the favorite?

(Click here for more fashion photos from Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video!)

In a close race, Spears' giant wedding dress (which she wears during the chorus) was voted the favorite look in the clip. The dress grabbed 26 percent of the total vote, giving it a narrow first place finish over the white bustier she wears during the dance break sequence (which picked up 24 percent of the vote). Third place belonged to the outfits in the fight scenes, which featured glammed-up gowns and huge platform heels (that look picked up 23 percent).

The last two spots were taken up by the black pleather bodysuit she wears during the final sequence (that nabbed 19 percent) and the sparkly red shoulder pads visible during the microphone shots (that only grabbed seven percent, though it also probably got the least amount of screen time). "Hold It Against Me" is another great entry in the Britney Spears video collection, a compendium that contains a number of modern classics.

Which was your favorite look in Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video? Let us know in the comments!

Tags britney spears, Hold It Against Me

Lady Gaga's dedicated and devoted fan base (known among one another and to the rest of the universe as the Little Monsters) showed up in their best Gaga gear on Monday night (February 21) for Mother Monster's big show at New York's venerable Madison Square Garden. Not only were they treated to a post-Grammy live performance of "Born This Way," but they also got to be in the audience for Gaga's forthcoming HBO special.

MTV News caught up with some fans before the show, and they revealed what they wanted to see from Gaga during her latest stop on her Monster Ball tour. So did they get what they wanted?

"I'm expecting a big show since it's MSG, even though she was here before," one fan told MTV News.

Did she deliver? Well, yes. Not only did she perform all of her usual Monster Ball tunes, but she added a new tune to the roster: the chart-topping anthem "Born This Way."

Another fan declared she had high hopes since it's "Madison Square Gaga —that's her home!"
Gaga certainly paid homage to her hometown, not only through re-imagining tunes like "You & I" (with new lyrics about her family and New York hot spots), but also sharing some personal tales about growing up on the "unbreakable streets" on the Big Apple.

Another wish on a fan's list: "I expect glamor and pageantry!" That fan certainly got it. Multiple costume changes, fake blood, complicated sets and over-the-top piano playing were only small parts of Gaga's greater routine. Her show veers more towards opulent Broadway production than concert. Check out the full recap of the show, and stay tuned for more from the Monsters when Gaga returns to the Garden tonight (Tuesday, February 22).

Tags Lady Gaga, video

At this time two weeks ago, nobody really even knew a new Radiohead album was going to exist, and yet here it is. The band stealthily dropped their new album The King of Limbs (named after a spooky tree in Wiltshire's Savernake Forest) only five days after announcing it (and then released it a day early). The Internet snapped it up and responded to it just as efficiently, with many critics breathlessly posting their reactions only hours after hearing it for the first time. But Radiohead albums are dense affairs, and The King of Limbs is no exception. Slightly warmer and more melodic than their previous effort In Rainbows, the new album is another dark exploration of the line between man and machine (and the limits of the band's electronic gizmos).

But what do the critics say about the album that is certainly going to be discussed for most of the rest of 2011? The reviews are enthusiastic, if a little bit guarded, as though nobody wants to over-commit one way or another. "There is much here that will please the 'Head faithful, who will delight in the claustrophobic likes of 'Morning Mr. Magpie' and 'Little By Little,'" wrote The Guardian's Tim Jonze, noting that the band's release schedule has wreaked havoc with the way journalists have been processing The King of Limbs. "But you don't have to be a diehard fan to see the worth in 'Codex,' a beautiful melody brought into focus by the band's decision to dispense of the usual trimmings in favour of piano and ghostlike effects."

Few seem to be denying the album's beauty, though some have questioned Radiohead's focus. "This is not Radiohead's dance album. It is an album of spaciousness and claustrophobia, possibility and inhibition; at its best it feels fidgety and unstable, at its worst downcast and a bit predictable," wrote the Chicago Tribune's venerable critic Greg Kot. "[The King of Limbs is] more like an invitation to what's next with a handful of ear-opening tracks that hint at how Radiohead might evolve. Even the band seems uncertain of the destination, but it will get there with hips shimmying."

More than one critic gravitated toward the album's more dance-oriented tendencies, including the Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers. "'Morning Mr. Magpie' and 'Little by Little' both bear the mark of Flea, whose bass contributions got Yorke dancing madly in the solo sets he performed in Los Angeles last fall, and a hint of Timbaland's influence sneaks in on a few tracks," she wrote. "The music's enveloping resonance, the unalloyed pleasure it brings, colors Yorke's lyrics; even when they go morbid, they seem less concerned with demons than with ghosts who might be tamed."

Mike Diver of the BBC declared Radiohead "Britain's most consistently brilliant band" and noted that album centerpiece track "Codex" is "a piece of rarefied beauty. Thom says something about dragonflies, something else about nobody getting hurt; the words blur and blend, though, as beneath them the simplest, most strikingly gorgeous piano motif bores its way into the heart." Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes also noted that "Codex" was one of the album's highlights. "A somber, gorgeous piano ballad with muffled beats and some beautiful string arrangements performed by the London Telefilmonic Orchestra," he wrote. "A song about washing yourself clean in a world of dirty water."

Still, the somber tone didn't wash well for everybody. "The King of Limbs is a somber album, full of moments that are trying to out-low-key one another," critic Maura Johnston wrote for Esquire. "It's a fine record for a rainy day, although it's hard not to wonder if it would be received as well as it has been had it come under the imprimatur of, say, a band releasing its second or third album."

Steven Hyden of the A.V. Club seemed to sum up the zeitgeist's opinion best. "While The King Of Limbs always sounds great, the actual songs prove elusive — perhaps too elusive at times," he wrote. "The album's relatively skimpy 37-minute running time might suggest to some that this is Radiohead's slightest effort yet, but there's more to The Kings of Limbs than revealed on first listen, and even well after that."

What do you think of Radiohead's new album? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Radiohead, reviews

Remarkably, several of the late night talk shows did not take President's Day (Monday, February 21) off, so if you're reading this right now you have already missed the likes of Adele (who absolutely smoldered during a performance on Monday night's "The Late Show With David Letterman"), Good Charlotte (who rocked the early morning crowd on "Live! With Regis & Kelly") and Ed Helms (who cracked up everybody during a lively interview on "Conan"). But despite the commitment from a handful of hosts (including everybody on cable), the bulk of Monday night's shows were repeats. Fret not, though, because the rest of the week has a fantastic parade of fresh celebrities and killer musical performances as the winter grinds on.

"The Late Show With David Letterman" rounds out its week with visits from "Parks & Recreation" star Amy Poehler (Tuesday, February 22), baseball legend Hank Aaron (Wednesday, February 23) and can't-miss performances by Bright Eyes (Thursday, February 24) and newcomer Jessica Lea Mayfield (Friday, February 25). Over on "The Tonight Show," Jay Leno chats with "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson (Wednesday), "Jersey Shore" star DJ Pauly D (Thursday) and "The Adjustment Bureau" actress Emily Blunt (Friday). Leno will also welcome the likes of Hanson (Thursday) and new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Darlene Love (Friday) to his musical stage.

Jimmy Kimmel has some great musical moments coming up on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this week, including stops from Cake (Tuesday), the Twilight Singers (Wednesday) and Adele (Thursday). Not to be outdone, Jimmy Fallon also has some killer music, highlighted by the return of Bel Biv Devoe (Wednesday) and a performance by the always-wild Destroyer (Tuesday). "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" mostly stick to politics this week, though you should probably check out Jon Stewart's conversation with Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night. Conan O'Brien rounds out the week on "Conan" with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (Tuesday) and Ricky Gervais tag-team partner Stephen Merchant (Thursday). And if you stay up late on Tuesday night, you'll be treated to a performance by 30 Seconds to Mars on "Lopez Tonight."

Tags Adele, American Idol, Jersey Shore, Late Night, randy-jackson, Talk Shows, Twilight Singers

Over the course of the last few years, the New York Knicks have experienced an impressive turnaround. For most of this century, the team was a punchline, lead into total irrelevance by former general manager Isiah Thomas. But under new GM Donnie Walsh, the team has taken years of terrible drafts, horrible free-agent pickups and atrocious contracts and spun it into a team that is much more of a contender, highlighted by the off-season addition of Amar'e Stoudemire. However, while this Knicks team seemed playoff-bound, they still aren't considered an elite squad like their fellow Eastern Conference denizens the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic or Boston Celtics. The team took one more step toward greatness on Monday (February 21) when they successfully executed a trade with the Denver Nuggets (and the Minnesota Timberwolves) to bring dynamic forward Carmelo Anthony to the team.

Anthony came at a steep price, as the Knicks sent sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari, speedy point guard Raymond Felton, hard-nosed big man Wilson Chandler and very tall backup center Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets (in addition to a trio of draft picks. In exchange, the Knicks picked up Anthony, aging point guard Chauncey Billups, defensive specialist Shelden Williams, unpredictable power forward Renaldo Balkman (who was originally drafted by the Knicks in 2006) and journeyman point guard Anthony Carter. The Knicks also picked up Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves in exchange for Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry's expiring contract.

That's a lot of names, but the centerpiece of the transaction is Anthony, who is one of the NBA's most electrifying scorers. Of course, the Knicks lineup is now almost entirely new, and whether or not that new core can gel by the time the playoffs roll around is now the question on the table. But at the very least, Anthony will be coming back home (he was born in Brooklyn) and undoubtedly will be able to pursue his outside activities more deeply — including Kross Over Entertainment, his record label that features a number of hip-hop personalities. The label's first release was Cassidy's big comeback album C.A.S.H., which featured the single "Face 2 Face."

Tags Carmelo Anthony, cassidy, video

By Nuzhat Naoreen

Thursday night's episode of "Jersey Shore" was all about the prank war (with a side of sulking Ronnie of course), as Snooki and Deena faced off against Vinny and Pauly D. It started off innocently enough with Snooks and Deena conspiring to shove some cake in Vinny's face, prompting him and Pauly to retaliate. The two groups went back and forth until Vin made the ultimate move: He stole Crocodilly.

For those of you who don't know (how could you not?!), Croc is Snooks' favorite stuffed animal. Of course, she was heartbroken when she found out he was missing and our hearts went out to her as she searched hopelessly for him all over the house. But as we were watching Snooks yell out for Croc in desperation, we couldn't shake the nagging feeling that we had witnessed this before.

And we had.

Snooki meet Makenzie, a burgeoning beauty queen on a very different kind of reality show: "Toddlers & Tiaras." If there's anyone who understands the emotions that Snooks felt when she couldn't track down Croc, it would be Makenzie. You see, Makenzie has her very own croc. But it's not a stuffed animal, it's her pacifier, and she's has named it Ni-Ni. Read more...

Tags Jersey Shoore, Snooki, Toddlers & Tiaras, video

On Thursday night, Britney Spears launched a new phase in her storied career as a music video superstar. She premiered the sleek, dark video for "Hold It Against Me." The Jonas Åklerlund-directed clip will certainly have fans talking for quite some time about its metaphorical images about the trials and tribulations of pop superstardom, funky fashions and an over-the-top fight scene against herself.

With lyrics about flirting with a cute guy in a club, the song's video could have been just a straightforward narrative, but instead Spears and Åkerlund gave an insider look at celebrity, abstractly hinting at a tale about a pop star who fell from space in a fiery red comment, to find fame here on Earth. Midway through the video, our pop star character becomes overwhelmed by the pressures of fame and, emitting neon paint from her hands, she breaks down. The scene of an exhausted Spears, lying face down, her huge white gown covered in paint, might be one of the most beautiful and artistic in this entire piece.

Read more...

Tags britney spears, Hold It Against Me