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The following italicized article is from www.mtv.com:Last week, fans were treated to the premiere of Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video. The sleek, dark look at celebrity life was a new aesthetic for the star, who hooked up with Jonas Åkerlund on the clip.
While her dance scenes were choreographed by Brian Friedman, it was noted Hollywood martial-arts expert Steven Ho who helped Britney work out the moves to battle herself in the video.
"I've been very fortunate to have worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, and the video's producer, Hagai Shaham, thought my style would be a good fit with Jonas and Britney. I was brought in to train Britney, choreograph the fight and set up wires for the levitation shots," he told MTV News about joining the project.
"I've always wanted to work with Jonas," he continued. "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."
Not only were Åkerlund and Ho onboard for some mortal combat, but the star herself warmed up to the idea of battling a clone. "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," he 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.
"Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she's an athlete," he added. "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?"
The key, it seems, was making Ho's fight moves work with Friedman's dance routine. "It was really great working with Brian; he's an absolute professional. He was diligent about our fight style being cohesive with the dancing, and that's why it worked so well," Ho recalled. "Our rehearsals were on the same stage, so it was very helpful to have Brian's feedback from a dancer's point of view."
It seems that one of the most memorable moves in the fight, Spears' quickstep during the smack-down, was all her own.
"Britney was fantastic about incorporating what we had practiced in rehearsal, and as a consummate performer, she was able to take ownership by adding her own flavor to the fight. There's a quick cut in the video that features Britney taking a series of small shuffle steps in her heels. This is something she came up with herself that I thought added a nice break of 'cuteness' in the fight," he said. "Jonas drowned out the music here to highlight the tapping sounds, and it's really one of my favorite beats of the video."
Aside from the two Britneys, the other main characters in the fight were her sky-high heels and flowing gowns. "The wardrobe was one of the stars of the fight," he explained. "At first I was concerned about how to approach the long trains. There were discussions with Jonas and [stylist] B. [Åkerlund] and [fashion assistant Renelou Padora] about possibly shortening the train for safety issues. After I showed my wife [designer Nina Petronzio] the pictures of the dresses, she literally said, 'I will kill you if you cut those trains down.' We ended up incorporating the trains as 'weapons.' We treated them as if they were sharp blades, giving Britney reason to jump and evade around them." Source: MTV
The following italicized article is from www.justjared.com:Britney Spears and her sons Sean and Preston make their way through the airport on Wednesday (February 23) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The 29-year-old pop princess is heading home after a vacation to her hometown of Kentwood over the President’s Day weekend.
On Monday, Britney and her security team went to pick up some pizza. Brit waited in the car while a bodyguard went inside!
See more pics here!Source: Just Jared
The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:If Britney Spears made half a million dollars from product placements in her new music video ... would you hold it against her?
Sources connected to Britney's video tell TMZ ... Spears netted a cool $500,000 for various product placements in her "Hold It Against Me" video.
We're told the dating site Plentyoffish.com, one of several companies featured in the vid, forked over "a couple hundred thousand" to feature their site on Brit's computer during the vid and saw immediate results ... a 20% spike in traffic the day after the video premiered. Source: TMZ
Today, attorney Christopher E. Schmidt, legal representation to country music's the Bellamy Brothers, released the following statement in response to pending legal action against pop star Britney Spears:
The Bellamy Brothers have been artists, in the true sense of the word, with over 50 hit songs; more than 20 of those songs reaching the No. 1 position in the country charts over the past 35 years. The music business has given them the rare opportunity to enjoy making a living writing and playing music all over the world. Even though David and Howard are some of the nicest and most down to earth guys you will ever meet, they are also smart and experienced businessmen. So naturally, David asked me for my legal opinion of whether or not the Britney Spears recent single "Hold It Against Me" infringed on the copyright of their song "If I said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" that David wrote in 1979.
In my opinion, it is not necessarily the similarity of the titles that is of legal concern. This would be more of a trademark issue. Rather, the issue is whether or not the exact lyrics "would you hold it against me" are used in the same way in the hook of the song. It becomes somewhat uncanny if you simply double the beat of the Bellamy Brothers’ song and match it up with Britney's version. Literally thousands of fans for both artists have also taken notice. They are scratching their heads questioning whether or not Britney’s song "lifted" part of the song previously written by David Bellamy. But for me, the scale tips substantially in knowing that Dr. Luke not only co-produced Britney's song with Max Martin, but that Dr. Luke also co-wrote the song with Max Martin and others.
This isn't the first time Max Martin and Dr. Luke have been accused of copyright infringement.
Dr. Luke was sued in 2007 for copyright infringement along with Avril Lavigne and her record label for “lifting” portions of Avril's hit song "Girlfriend." The suit subsequently settled in 2008. There is also a current Katy Perry song that features Snoop Dogg called "California Gurls" produced and co-written by Dr. Luke and Max Martin (among other writers, including Katy Perry) where The Beach Boys' record label has filed a diminutive claim against the writers and publishers of the song for credit and royalties. Dr. Luke was party to yet another copyright infringement suit in 2008 for the song "Feels Like Tonight" by Daughtry. Although this is not conclusive evidence that Dr. Luke intentionally lifted a phrase from a Bellamy Brothers song, it certainly shows a possible pattern and warrants a more serious look into the matter.
As a transactional attorney primarily focusing on managing my clients' careers and protecting their intellectual property, I had a duty to bring in the heavyweights to help us further evaluate the situation. I put a call in to Daniel Moskowitz who is a friend and colleague with the Nashville law firm King & Ballow. Daniel had mentioned to me before that one of the partners in the litigation section of his firm, Richard Busch, had won a multi-million dollar suit against Universal/Aftermath Records for Eminem. Richard also received a jury award of over four million dollars for his clients against Bad Boy Records. Most importantly, I recalled Daniel telling me that Richard recently established new precedence regarding copyright infringement in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit when the court affirmed a ruling that copyright infringement may occur by the copying of a single common word such as "Dog," if the alleged infringer uses that word in the new composition in the same way as it was used in the original musical composition.
This past week, the Bellamy Brothers and I met with Richard Busch to engage his services and handle this matter appropriately. Richard has submitted the two songs to a renowned musicologist for evaluation and expert opinion. From here, it is just a matter of trying to work things out amicably with everyone involved.Source: Bellamy Brothers' Official SiteBrit's legal team is gonna eat them for breakfast.
The following italicized article is from www.justjared.com:Britney Spears lays down low in her seat as her bodyguard heads into Pizza Shack to pick up lunch on Monday (February 21) in Louisiana.
Over the weekend, the 29-year-old pop princess went for a drive with boyfriend Jason Trawick to pick up some food at Sonic Burger.
After picking up food at Sonic, the couple took Brit’s boys Sean and Jayden to meet up with her sister Jamie-Lynn and niece Maddie for a fishing trip!
See more pics here!Source: Just Jared
The following italicized article is from www.justjared.com:Britney Spears and boyfriend Jason Trawick visit the drive-thru at Sonic Burger on Saturday (February 19) in Kentwood, Louisiana.
The day before, the couple, along with 29-year-old pop star’s two kids, Jayden and Sean, were spotted at LAX leaving Los Angeles.
See more pics here!Source: Just Jared
''Hold It Against Me'' is currently at #3 on Mediabase with 10559 spins and 63.801 million listeners.
Click here to vote for ''Hold It Against Me'' on your local radio station!Source: Break The Ice
The following italicized article is from www.huffingtonpost.com:A little after 9:55 p.m. EST, my Twitter news-feed flash-flooded into a sea of foreign (to those living in Medieval Times...) hash-tags like #HIAM, #HIAMVideoPremiere, #FemmeFatale. Which could only mean, the one and only Britney Spears (Oops!) did it again. After fourteen tepid, smoke-and-fog teasers, the highly-hyped Jonas Åkerlund-directed music video for her hard-thumping club banger of a single "Hold It Against Me" finally premiered.
I've so far refused to read full-length reviews, because the general consensus via Twitter caused me perpetual eye-rolling. Example: Mr. Perez Hilton/gaga-for-Gaga fan tweeted to "Britney" his disappointment regarding her lack of dancing. As per usual, fans remain trapped in a pre-Britney buzz-cut, "Best of..." music video collection replete with red catsuits, school-girl garb collection and frenetic pelvic thrusting dance routines -- a time wherein the pop princess was seemingly on top of the world. Um, let's not forget that she was also eighteen and giggling while claiming she'd be a virgin until marriage in Pepsi-sponsored press conferences. Times have changed.
What I'm trying to say is, at 29, "Hold It Against Me" very well may be Britney's most personal, mature and greatest work of art yet. Yes, you read it right. A-R-T (sans the ludicrous product placement). The video kicks off with a meteor racing towards earth. The explosion is Britney, showing off her midriff to a slew of flashing cameras and dancing on a lit sound-stage surrounded by half-naked, writhing male dancers. Typical Britney. But then the chorus starts and Britney, in a flowing wedding dress, is hauntingly elevated into the air with surrounding futuristic screens basically playing, yep, a "Best of..." Britney video collection. With her golden locks and caked-on makeup, this is a return to the old, squeaky-clean Britney. This is how fans wish to remember her pre-babies/divorce/rehab: our beautiful and perfect pop princess, celestial, flying free and on top of the world and looking down on little ol' us. But I can't help but notice Britney's sad, soulful eyes, her subtext screaming to the cameras, "I'm not a Slave 4 U, I won't gimme you more, I'm no longer a girl, but I'm a woman with real life issues who sometimes tours the world and breaks records. You want a piece of me? Take your best shot. Here I am."
Other up-to-interpretation scenes reveal a Britney surrounded by a wreath of microphones (she's always gotta be "on!", the microphones are her shadow), and Britney battling (in fancy stilettos) a look-a-like. But there's no winner (she's her only competition, the only one standing in her way is herself a la Black Swan). She eventually comes "back to life" on stage for the confetti-exploding, choreographed closing scene celebration, which presents a return to old school Britney (Look, she's dancing in a cute Britney outfit! She fell and got back up! Another "comeback"!)
But the most moving part of the entire five-minutes comes during the dub-step breakdown, in which neon paint shoots from Brit Brit's finger tips, covering the screens projecting her immaculate, former self and drenching her perfect white wedding dress. Uh oh! Britney is going "crazy" again and her kingdom of followers (in this case, the probably Terence Koh-inspired identical figures without eyes who struggle aimlessly under her billowing dress) have lost, and are lost, without their Queen.
So, this is why I have no problem with the lack of hard-hitting choreography in this music video. The video, to me, quite complexly represents something quite simple. Although uber-fans (okay, or just me) playfully refer to her as Godney, she's oh-so-human. The once picture-perfect pop star has returned and is offering fans the new, worn-and-torn and yes, stronger than yesterday Britney.
A recap. She lands on earth, it explodes. She flies in the air like an angel with her mega-fans dancing blindingly underneath her. She can't always handle the pressure of living up to her greatest hits constantly following her and the world wanting a piece of her. She battles herself, falls down, gets back up, and we all watch in anticipation and obsession while switching on the record button. But everything's gonna be okay. Because she's Britney, bitch, a Southern gal with big dreams who stole and broke the world's heart. She needn't give an elaborate explanation for this video. It is what it is: Britney at her most authentic, the sometimes frappuccino guzzling (and a bit hay-zay) pop icon. Take it or leave it. But don't hold it against her.Source: Huffington Post
The following italicized article is from www.justjared.com:Britney Spears carries her 4-year-old son Jayden through LAX on Friday (February 18) in Los Angeles.
The 29-year-old pop princess got ready to catch a departing flight with boyfriend Jason Trawick, who held on to her older son, Sean Preston.
The day before, Brit premiered her video for “Hold It Against Me.”
“Hope you guys love it as much as I do. If you didn’t I’ll kung fu kick you like I did to that chick in the video,” she tweeted.
Will.i.am revealed on his Twitter page that he was in the studio with Britney recording another song for her upcoming album Femme Fatale!
See more pics here!Source: Just Jared
Yesterday we learned that our dear Britney Spears, who FINALLY premiered her Hold It Against Me music video last night, bought herself a stunning 10-bedroom $20 million dollar mansion. Today we learn that homegirl has already begun the process of moving from her old Calabasas, CA home to her new pad in Hidden Hills, CA.
Now, naturally, we aren’t going to see any photos of Brit Brit carrying boxes or really having anything at all to do with the move because if you can afford a $20 million dollar home, you can afford to hire movers. But, these photos do show that the process of moving Britney‘s belongings to her new home has already gotten underway. My guess is that Britney, her man Jason Trawick and her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James will be spending the next few days getting themselves acquainted with their new 10 bedroom, 13 bathroom digs. I, personally, hate moving … but even I can see how moving into a new $20 million dollar mansion could be fun … can you?Source: Pink Is The New Blog
The following italicized article is from www.mtv.com: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.
Perhaps hooking up with the "Telephone" director prompted Spears to delve into this newer territory. As her manager Larry Rudolph explained to MTV News on premiere night, the collaboration between the pair was years in the making. "Jonas is someone we've always wanted to work with," Rudolph explained. "She's always wanted to work with him. You know, Jonas did 'Ray of Light' for Madonna, and that's when she became a fan of his."Source: MTV
The following italicized article is from www.dailymail.co.uk:She currently resides in a $8.9m hilltop property in the exclusive Calabasas area of Los Angeles, but it seems Britney Spears is eager for an upgrade.
The 29-year-old singer is said to have purchased a new house in the extremely private Hidden Hills community just a couple of miles south of her current location.
The stunning new property sits on over three acres and boasts a massive 20,000 square feet of indoor space.
The mock Tudor mansion house has ten bedrooms and 13 bathrooms all with high ceilings and dark hardwood floors.
'Between the chandeliers, the huge ballroom and the double stairway entrance there is something completely enchanting about this home,' Hollywood real estate expert Chad Rogers told In Touch magazine.
One of the bedrooms is painted bright pink, which might need a fresh coat to better accommodate her boys' tastes.
The singer has two sons from her marriage to Kevin Federline, five-year-old Sean Preston and four-year-old Jayden James.
The house is very child oriented and even has a games room complete with air hockey table, pin ball machines and arcade games.
Outside there are expansive private gardens set on three acres complete with a tennis court, swimming pool and multiple hot tubs, with caves and waterfalls plus huge areas of lawn and mature trees.
The pop princess' new home is in the same community where superstars like Jennifer Lopez, the Osbournes and the Kardashians have all owned homes.
The village-like area is completely gated and private with its own Starbucks, supermarket and restaurants which will keep Britney and her family away from prying eyes.
See more pics here!Source: Daily Mail
The following italicized article is from www.exminer.com:A survey from Orange County’s Equality Project asked 1,000 gay men all over Southern California who is the greatest Gay icon. Britney Spears won the poll with 31 percent of the vote. “Britney Spears is a genuine Gay icon, says Equality Project’s Joel Waddell. She is genuine in her affection for us and doesn’t need to exploit us as a marketing tool like some other current Madonna-like icon."
Speaking of Madonna, she came in second with 25 percent of the vote. “When Madonna puts out a new album, she will be on top again. Madonna is the greatest icon the Gay community has ever had,” says Mr. Waddell. He isn’t happy with the fact Lady Gaga came in third with 22 percent of the vote.
“Lady Gaga is a talentless scam artist. She is to the Gay community what Hitler was to Germany—completely destructive. He is a little bit more enthusiastic about Katy Perry, who earned 12 percent of the vote. Other names mentioned include Perez Hilton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Cher.Source: The Examiner
The following italicized article is from www.celebrity-gossip.net:Tending to her all-important motherly duties, Britney Spears was busy tending to her youngest son Jayden James Federline in Encino, CA on Thursday (February 10).
Along with the help of her fleet of bodyguards, the "Hold It Against Me" singer toted her precious boy in her arms en route to the day's karate practice session.
See more pics here!Source: Celebrity Gossip
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