Britney Spears Tweets First Look At 'Hold It Against Me' Video

Spears posted photo of herself surrounded by microphones after video shoot wrapped on Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears on the set of "Hold It Against Me"
Photo: Britney Spears

What will Britney Spears look like in the video for her smash hit "Hold It Against Me"? Well, the singer gave fans a sneak peek over the weekend when she tweeted a photo of herself on set.

In the lo-res pic, Spears is shown from the shoulders up, standing with her back to the camera and her face turned toward it. The singer is in a red outfit and surrounded by a wreath of microphones.

On Saturday, she tweeted, "Day 1 of the HIAM shoot with [director] Jonas Akerlund. Such an incredible experience. I think this will be one of the best videos I have ever done." On Sunday, the same day the photo was taken she wrote, "Day 2 is a wrap! #HIAM video coming soon...."

Choreographer Brian Friedman also kept fans updated on the video shoot via Twitter throughout the weekend. "Good luck 2 @britneyspears and all of my incredible dancers," he wrote on Saturday. "You all have surpassed my expectations and I am so thankful for ur hard work!"

And on Sunday, he continued the praise, tweeting, "What a fabulous day on set of HIAM! @britneyspears killed it! She danced her ass off! Great work 2 my dancers too... Y'all slayed!"

Meanwhile, fansite Breatheheavy.com reportedly obtained a call sheet for the video, which revealed that the video was shot at Paramount Studios. The sheet also indicates that sometime Lady Gaga stylist B Akerlund designed the costumes for the video and that "Project Runway" hairstylist Philip Carreon worked on the shoot.

What do you think this new photo suggests about Britney's new video? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Lady Gaga Or Britney Spears? RuPaul's Drag Queens Weigh In

'RuPaul's Drag Race' season three premieres Monday (January 24) on Logo.
By Damian Vaca

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Photo: Getty Images

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — Reluctantly crouched behind the red carpet line, drag queens primping and taking their time, the flashbulbs go off and the cameras go up, all of them yearning for their chance at the cup!

On Tuesday night, we caught up with the stars of "RuPaul's Drag Race" as they head into battle to see who will be the top drag queen of season three. Amid the glam and sequins in the air, competition was definitely on everyone's mind, so what better time to find out who RuPaul's drag queens predict will rule 2011: Lady Gaga or Britney Spears?

"With Britney and Gaga coming out with new [albums] this year — it's going to be Gaga," Shangela, of season two, predicted. "Gaga runs the world, so Britney better take a seat and enjoy."

Tough words about a woman who has reached the #1 iTunes spot in 19 countries since her new single, "Hold it Against Me," was released a little over a week ago.

Season three's Venus D Lite, who could give Madonna a run for her money, stated, "I would probably say Britney — only because Gaga has had her spotlight moment."

However, Raja, also from season three, disagreed: "I'm going to say Gaga. ... She challenges everyone and really puts out new ideas, and I certainly appreciate that."

With both artists set to premiere highly anticipated videos in the next couple of months, fans are waiting to see what new creative visions the stars will bring to the world of pop culture.

"I would love to see [Gaga] just be an artist and not just a character," said Sonique of season two. "With Lady Gaga, you can't really expect anything other than something that is going to be controversial."

season three castmember Mimi Imfurst, who arrived on the red carpet in an epic "worldly" outfit, is definitely on Team Gaga: "Lady Gaga has all the creativity that Britney doesn't have, plus all the talent she doesn't have, so Lady Gaga all the way."

When all is said and done, one thing's for sure: RuPaul's drag queens definitely aren't shy about expressing their opinions. Season three of "RuPaul's Drag Race" premieres Monday (January 24) at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. Central on Logo.

Who do you think will conquer 2011: Britney or Gaga? Sound off below!

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Justin Bieber Debuts New 'Never Say Never' Poster

Teen sensation is shown between his Canadian hometown and the big city in movie poster.
By Kara Warner

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Photo: Paramount Pictures

As most of Justin Bieber's die-hard fans already know, the movie event of February is quickly approaching. Bieber's first full-length feature film, "Never Say Never," hits theaters in about three weeks, on February 11, just in time for Valentine's Day weekend. MTV News has been keeping up with the Biebs since he announced plans for the big-screen project back in August.

On Monday (January 24), Paramount Pictures released a new poster for the film, which shows the 16-year-old standing tall in the middle of a street, seemingly stuck between two worlds — on the left side is his hometown of Stratford in Ontario, Canada, which is shown in black-and-white, with a sign in the background that reads "Population: 32,000"; on the right side, Bieber is standing next to the crowded New York City skyline, which is depicted in full color. The "Baby" singer is shown dressed in all black, including a black jacket that zips up off-center, black jeans and black, unlaced high-tops. The tagline reads: "Find out what's possible if you never give up."

It's a nice change from the first poster, which just showed Bieber's profile and that famous, perfectly side-swept hair, partially hidden by a hoodie. It's interesting that the "big city" shown in the new poster is New York City, however, rather than Atlanta, where Bieber moved when he was just starting out after signing with manager Scooter Braun and linking up with ATL superstar Usher.

Also worth noting are two new clips and partial trailers from the movie, called "Every Stage" and "Underdog," respectively. Both clips show a few adorable home videos of Bieber learning to play the drums around age 3, followed by shots of what his life is like now, including screaming fans, huge sold-out concerts, his friendship with Usher, etc.

What do you think of the new poster and videos? Have you already bought your tickets to see "Never Say Never"? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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James Franco Takes Dramatic Look At '70s Series 'Three's Company'

Franco had a unique way of introducing his film at the Sundance Film Festival.
By Terri Schwartz

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PARK CITY, Utah — James Franco is nothing if not ambitious. The 32-year-old actor is balancing several upcoming film roles, a teaching gig at Yale and the likelihood of being nominated for his first Oscar with a new meta-art piece at the Sundance Film Festival. Franco's "Three's Company: A Drama" premiered in the New Frontier program of the fest in an attempt to, in Sundance's words, view the 1970s sitcom from "a slightly oblique perspective."

So Franco decided to re-create the first three episodes of "Three's Company" at Sundance, sans the laugh track, and play it up for its dramatic value. His film was then projected up onto four screens in the theater so that it surrounds the audience. To add to the effect, Franco re-created the living room set in which so much of "Three's Company" takes place as the theater area where the audience watches the film.

"I was just thinking, back in the day, when people were watching that show, people were probably sitting in their living room watching these other people in their living room, so I thought, let's suck the audience into their living room and then there's projections on all four walls," Franco explained. "And it's not just seeing the show on all four walls. It's like, Chrissy's on this side, and Janet's on this side, and you're in the middle."

New Frontier advertises itself as a program that "explores narrative structure, the three-dimensionality of the cinematic image, and innovations in transmedia storytelling." If the 1970s television series seems like a strange launching pad for such an introspective look at television, you probably wouldn't be more confused watching what Franco came up with than Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox were in this video.

But even though Franco is trying to play his analysis of the sitcom as a serious drama, he isn't taking the entire project without some elements of humor. He donned a Suzanne Somers wig at the installation's afterparty, sang the "Three's Company" theme song during the art exhibit, and then tried to teach MTV News' Josh Horowitz how to improvise the theme song's lyrics to make them as graphic and inappropriate as possible. Let's just say Franco was a bit more imaginative than Horowitz was willing to be in front of the cameras.

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

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Justin Bieber's Next Album To Capture Justin Timberlake's Magic

Songwriter Sean Garrett says former 'NSYNC star's success inspires Bieber's new project and also dishes on Beyoncé's album.
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Justin Bieber may have declined the chance to join Justin Timberlake's label, but according to a songwriter in the know, the former 'NSYNC crooner is the inspiration for the teen sensation's upcoming album.

Songwriter Sean "The Pen "Garrett, who has been working with Bieber on the follow-up to the chart-ruling My World 2.0., spoke with Billboard about the direction for the teen superstar's forthcoming album, saying the project will feature more grown-up fare.

"What we're trying to do with Justin is to segue him into young adulthood," Garrett said of the project, which is also slated to feature production from hitmaker Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. "The one great thing about Justin Bieber is the fact that his fans are going to grow with him. So we want all the fans that started out with him to still be intrigued and excited about him, but we want to also stretch out a little bit and make the fans that are 22-23 years old love Justin as well. When Justin Timberlake went from the last album of *N Sync to his first solo album -- I want to say [we're aiming for] that level. That's the bar for the type of song, that level of 'Cry Me a River,' big records."

Garrett, who has crafted records for stars like Chris Brown and Bieber's mentor Usher, also said he's hard at work on Beyoncé's next project. However, the songwriter didn't divulge too much information, only revealing that he's "been working with her extremely hard ... she's my favorite."

While Garrett said the plan for his next outing is to angle Bieber toward a swiftly maturing audience, Bieber himself has refused to categorize his music, insisting to MTV News in December that he's just focused on creating quality records.

"Whatever comes out of my mouth is just what you guys are going to hear," Bieber explained of his hits. "I don't know, it's not a specific type of music. Whatever music I write, I wouldn't say I'm pop or R&B or country or anything: I would just say it's just good music,"

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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.
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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.

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Katy Perry Praises Lady Gaga, Ke$ha In Maxim

The 'Firework' singer reveals, 'I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Katy Perry on the December 2010 cover of <i>Maxim</i>
Photo: Maxim

Everyone knows that Katy Perry is besties with Rihanna, so it might not be too surprising that Perry has only the kindest words for fellow female pop contemporaries Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, even if she has been critical of one of those women's artistic choices in the past.

"I love what Gaga is doing, and I love what Ke$ha is doing," Perry says in Maxim's new issue, for which she also serves as the cover girl. "I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video."

But, Perry isn't just dishing on her fellow lady celebrities, she's also showing some love for the fellas, one of whom she married in the fall. "I've said Justin Bieber [was my celebrity crush] quite a few times, but I think I'm over it now. I think it's probably safe to say I married my celebrity crush," the singer shares about husband Russell Brand. "Don't barf on this magazine."

Earlier this year, Perry was chosen to top Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 list, and she admits that the honor has really given her cred all over the place.

"It's a worldwide thing — the rest of the world makes it their standard," she says. "It's one of the questions they ask me in all interviews now, even in places where Maxim doesn't exist. I'll go to Timbuktu, and they'll be like, 'You're the #1 hottest,' and I'm like, 'Maxim said so, but thank you so much for saying so in Timbuktu.' "

So, what does Perry think makes ladies sexy? A fun-loving attitude, obviously.

"The way she presents herself and the air she has about her. You can feel her power and her confidence," Perry explains. "Also, the way she uses her ability to communicate, her brain and personality. I think that's really sexy because you all know the hottest woman can be the biggest bitch, and that's not cool."

Still riding high on the success of her Teenage Dream album, Perry shows no signs of slowing down, with a 2011 tour and a role in the "Smurfs" film on the way.

"You know, I wasn't allowed to watch 'Smurfs' growing up, ever. I grew up in a sheltered household, and my parents would keep us from certain things they thought were too much for us and our eyes," she recently told MTV News regarding her role as Smurfette. " 'Smurfs' had what my parents said was a lot of sorcery and magic."

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