By James Dinh
From Candy Land princess to intergalactic alien, Katy Perry has stepped up her videography in the last year by playing a number of over-the-top characters. But in the clip for her new single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," the pop star is taking things down a notch by dressing up as a high school nerd, as revealed in the single artwork for the nostalgic tune. While we patiently await the throwback clip, MTV News has decided to take a look at some other star-turned-geek getups.
Nicki Minaj
Hip-hop's Harajuku Barbie is known for her many alter egos, but she showed fans a brand-new one when she appeared on "Saturday Night Live" earlier this year in a digital short called "Do the Creep." Wearing a long, platinum-blond wig with a high ponytail, Minaj dressed as a creepy nerd as she rapped about hiding inside the boys' locker room to watch them undress. Creepy, indeed!
Taylor Swift
T-Swift played up high school drama in the video for her hit song "You Belong With Me" by acting as two different classmates: the blond band dork and the popular brunette cheerleader. As the clip played out, fans caught Swift in plenty of fish-out-of-water nerd ensembles. But like in all Cinderella stories, the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan all in time for prom night.
Chris Brown
Much like Swift's video concept, Breezy also ventured into the world of high school popularity for the clip for his T-Pain-assisted tune "Kiss Kiss." With taped-up eyeglasses, suspenders and a plaid shirt, Brown's geek battled a jock (also played by himself). In the end, Brown scored a kiss from the female classmate, prevailing over his fellow jock character.
America Ferrera
America turned geek for four series of ABC's comedy "Ugly Betty," and we're sure she didn't mind. As Betty Suarez, the 27-year-old actress played down her beauty by donning braces, glasses and far-too-bushy eyebrows.
Jennifer Lopez
J.Lo turned out multiple characters for her "Get Right" video, and even though it wasn't your traditional geek getup, the pop star donned a short blond bob and secretary glasses as she played a starstruck clubgoer. Throw in a couple of drinks, and our diva-turned-dork was dancing on tables by the end of the Francis Lawrence-directed clip.
Which star went nerd best? Let us know in the comments!
Though the pictures tell a different story, red carpets aren't all that glamorous. They are just there to serve a purpose: Celebs go to promote something (often themselves), and reporters go to get news. Most of the time, it works. Sometimes, like last night at the New York screening of "He's Just Not That Into You," it doesn't, at least not for us.