- Beyoncé - Telephone (Long Version)
- Lady Gaga's Fans Praise 'Amazing' 'Telephone' Video
'I can't wait to see what else she has hidden up the sleeve of one of her outrageous outfits,' writes one fan
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in her "Telephone" video
Photo: Interscope
Lady Gaga's splashy "Telephone" video premiered Thursday night. The nearly 10-minute clip, which co-stars Beyoncé, is epic. It has amazing costumes, and it also has Lady Gaga naked. It was everything the singer said it would be. It was, as the Haus of Gaga recently declared it, "a masterpiece."
Judging by the comments on MTVNews.com, it seems that Gaga's little monsters agree with the Haus about the quality of the clip. "I thought the video for 'Telephone' was great. Lady Gaga is super-talented but she is also a phenomenal entertainer," Nikki817 wrote. "I think that she is just what the music world needs and I can't wait to see what else she has hidden up the sleeve of one of her outrageous outfits. Yay for Gaga."
LoveAsh87 wrote, "OMFG. That was such an amazing video. I love LADY GAGA, she is so freakin' talent[ed]. And I'm glad I'm one of her lil monsters. I can't wait to see what she brings next. That was freak[in'] rad!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Jhonny loved the video the first time and every time since that he's seen it. "LOVE IT. OMG. It was so comical at the same time too. I was laughing a lot and she was so fierce with her makeup," he wrote. "I first watched it and was like, huh? But watch it three more times and you'll see you missed things you didn't see the first time. Her sister is also in there btw for like a second, and it was just funny and she outdid herself again."
S loved the video, but still can't deny the quality of Gaga's previous video effort. "It was a super-fun, funny, colorful and quirky music video," S wrote. "But 'Bad Romance' still remains her best video. But this is only the beginning; she'll get greater as she goes on."
Perhaps CityBoyfromNY summed it up best for Gaga fans when he wrote, "Who needs crack when you have Lady Gaga!!!!"
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- Lady Gaga Premieres Epic, Outrageous 'Telephone' Video
Beyoncé co-stars in the clip, which is the best big-budget video since ... Gaga's last big-budget video.
By James Montgomery
Lady Gaga in her "Telephone" video
Photo: Interscope
Well, that was certainly worth the wait.
On Thursday night (March 11), after months of anticipation, leaked on-set photos and rather excellent adventures in hairstyling, Lady Gaga's epic video for "Telephone" finally premiered during E! News, and, honestly, if there's something she didn't cram into the clip, well, then we missed it.
Part hyperkinetic pop-culture joyride — nods to everything from films like "Caged Heat" and "Kill Bill" to seizure-inducing Japanese television and the color-drenched photography of David LaChapelle — part electric dance extravaganza, "Telephone" is nine-plus minutes of everything you could possibly love about Gaga (and Beyoncé, who, we're sure you know by now, co-stars in the clip), only amped up to the Nth degree.
It's ambitious, funny and clever, playing much more like a short film than a music video. There are opening and closing credits — it's important to know that the video was written by Gaga and director Jonas Åkerlund, after all — elaborate, over-the-top (or barely there) costumes, and a whole lot of celebrity cameos. This cost money, this took time, this was a work of love and blood and sweat and tears (and a whole lot of hairspray). This was worth it.
Opening in an ominous women's prison, we first see Gaga being led to her cell by a pair of, well, let's just call them "beefy guards." She is stripped of her impossibly shoulder-padded dress and left nude, while the other inmates howl, and as the guards shut the door behind them, the one cracks to the other, "I told you she didn't have a di--" (a joking nod to those nasty hermaphrodite rumors, of course).
From there, we get glimpses of Gaga's life behind bars — make-out sessions in the exercise yard (where she is inexplicably wearing sunglasses made out of half-smoked cigarettes), the occasional catfight in the commissary — and then, after nearly three minutes of introduction, Gaga takes a phone call and the song finally begins, first with just some gentle electronic notes and LG's tender vocals, then morphing into a stuttering electro-pop stomper, complemented by a dance sequence (Gaga and her inmates strutting and climbing dressed only in studded underwear, fishnets and stiletto heels) that's sure to make the censors rather nervous.
Gaga is then bailed out, but not before she busts a Michael Jackson shuffle while one of the guards surfs around on the dating site PlentyOfFish.com (a scene which isn't even the strangest example of product placement in this video). Waiting for her outside the gates is none other than Beyoncé, driving the so-called "P---y Wagon" from "Kill Bill." The two engage in some seriously stilted dialogue — "You know what they say: Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger" — though Gaga's dead-eyed stares at the camera make it very clear that it's all intentionally bad (as the acting in all good "women in prison" flicks should be). They then go screaming off into the desert.
They pull into a diner, where Beyoncé pours herself into a booth opposite Tyrese Gibson, who is a total jerk — so much so that B poisons his coffee. We then cut to a delightfully campy sequence titled "Let's Make a Sandwich" featuring Gaga standing in a kitchen wearing a folded-up telephone on her head while dancers cavort behind her, wielding salad tongs and assorted cutlery. She then, well, makes a sandwich, being sure to show off the Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip logos (this is the strangest example of product placement), whips through a tightly choreographed — and, really, pretty clever — dance sequence and then chomps down on the sandwich. And when was the last time you got to see her do something like that?
It turns out she also makes poison, which she dumps into some honey and delivers to Beyoncé's booth, dressed as a towering waitress with a telephone dangling in her eye. Gibson smothers his breakfast in the stuff and dies. Unfortunately, everyone else in the joint — including Gaga's pals the Semi Precious Weapons — does the same, and they all suffer the same fate. Gaga and Beyoncé begin the video's third over-the-top dance number, popping and strutting while the dead bodies lay around them. It's sort of creepy, to be honest.
The two then pile back into the Wagon and head out onto the highway (not before Gaga does a solo performance in front of the vehicle while dressed in an ultra-tight leopard-print number), and as the video reaches its conclusion, they deliver some more of those cheesy lines, join hands and zoom toward the horizon, police sirens wailing in the background. The last thing we see onscreen is text, which promises us "To Be Continued ... " because, hey, why not?
So now that it's finally here, what else can really be said about the "Telephone" video? To be honest, I'm not sure. It is electric and excellent and alive. It is certainly the best big-budget clip since, well, Gaga's last big-budget clip and probably the best video you'll see all year (well, either that or OK Go's new one). It more than lived up to the hype, which, frankly, few thought it would. But, perhaps most notably, it is an event. You will remember where you were when you first saw it. And when was the last time you could say that about a music video?
With "Telephone," Gaga has entered the rarest of pop stratospheres, up there with the Madonnas and the, gasp, Michael Jacksons. I'm not comparing talent, just ability: ability to wow, to enthrall and put on a show — one I can only hope is continued sometime very soon.
What did you think of the "Telephone" video? Was it all you wanted and more? Sound off below!
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- Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' Video: What Can We Expect?
Piecing together clues and leaked photos, we try to guess what's in store for Gaga and collaborator Beyoncé in the clip.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in "Telephone"
Photo: Interscope Records
On Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET, fans will finally get to see the "Telephone" video by Lady Gaga, featuring collaborator Beyoncé and pals Semi Precious Weapons. Shot in California in February and directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the video has Gaga's little monsters salivating in anticipation of its release.
Although we don't know everything that's going to happen, there are certain leaked details that are giving us a few ideas of what we can expect — Lady Gaga is in jail, Beyoncé breaks her out and from there, we imagine, the two have some wacky adventures that include them stopping at a desert diner. So far, here are the clues we've gathered:
Lady Gaga will be wearing some crazy outfits. In leaked photos, she's been seen wearing everything from crime-scene tape to American flag garb to a telephone-shaped eye patch made from hair. She's also been seen in a studded leather jacket and a sparkly strapless dress, with cigarette sunglasses on, covered in heavy chains. Beyoncé also appears to be getting her fashion on in a military-style, jewel-encrusted blue top.
Gaga was inspired by Quentin Tarantino. Uma Thurman's ride from "Kill Bill" appears in the video and Semi Precious Weapons confirmed that the video certainly had nods to Quentin Tarantino, something Gaga and Beyoncé also touched on in their "Video Phone" clip. "It's very Tarantino-inspired," frontman Justin Tranter shared. "Sort of like violent melodrama glamour."
She got "crazy" and "magical" on set with Beyoncé. "It's gonna be so crazy," B said about working with Gaga on the video. And, Semi Precious Weapons added that the girls are kind of "magical" together. "Obviously, Gaga's one of the greatest music visionaries of our time," Tranter said. "And Beyoncé is one of the greatest visions of our time. She is a music visionary too."
This video will leave "Bad Romance" in the dust. Simply put from Gaga herself, "I feel so bad for the 'Bad Romance' video 'cause the 'Telephone' video's so much better. [Beyoncé's] really a great friend of mine. We have a lot of fun working together. We're so very different in our approaches, but somehow when we come together it's really magical. I'm very excited for everyone to see the video."
The clip picks up where "Paparazzi" leaves off. Both Beyoncé and Gaga herself have confirmed that the video picks up where the other Åkerlund-directed clip, "Paparazzi," leaves off. So what exactly does that mean? Well, perhaps the "Paparazzi" heroine has been jailed for the crime of killing her lover (played by "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård) and now it takes the one and only Beyoncé to bust her loose.
Are you excited for the "Telephone" video? How will you celebrate the premiere? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' Video To Premiere Thursday Night
Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' clip, featuring Beyonce, is set to premiere on E! Thursday at 11:30 p.m.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in her "Telephone" video
Photo: twitter.com/ladygaga
Attention, Monsters: Lady Gaga is set to premiere her "Telephone" video, which of course features Beyoncé, on Thursday. After teasing her fans last week with a photo of herself (barely dressed) from the video, it was announced on Sunday (March 7) during E! News' broadcast of the Oscars red carpet that Gaga will premiere the hotly anticipated clip Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET on E! News.
Lady Gaga's official Web site announced that more details about the premiere will be made public Monday morning. The video, which is reportedly shy of 10 minutes long, was shot in California in February and was directed by "Paparazzi" director Jonas Aklerlund. The clip features collaborator Beyoncé as well as Gaga's pals Semi Precious Weapons.
Gaga, who appears in the video in a number of characteristic getups (including phones on her head, said the video picks up where "Paparazzi" left off. "What I like about it is it's a real true pop event," she told Phoenix's 104.7 KISS FM last month. "And when I was younger, I was always excited when there was a big giant event happening in pop music and that's what I wanted this to be."
In the video, Beyoncé reportedly breaks Gaga out of prison for what has been described as a Tarantino-inspired clip that even features the truck that Uma Thurman's character drove in Tarantino's "Kill Bill." When Gaga and Beyoncé collaborated on B's "Video Phone" clip, there were visual nods to Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."
"I feel so bad for the 'Bad Romance' video 'cause the 'Telephone' video's so much better," Gaga said. "[Beyoncé is] really a great friend of mine. We have a lot of fun working together. We're so very different in our approaches, but somehow when we come together it's really magical. I'm very excited for everyone to see the video."
Are you excited for the "Telephone" video? How will you celebrate the premiere on Thursday? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Beyonce 'Very Proud' To Open Cosmetology Center In Brooklyn
B cuts the ribbon on the new Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Phoenix House in Brooklyn, New York.
By Rya Backer
Beyoncé
Photo: Jason Kempin/ Getty Images
On Friday (March 5), Beyoncé spoke in downtown Brooklyn, New York, at the Phoenix House, a nonprofit recovery center for drug and alcohol addiction, to unveil a project she and her mother, Tina, have dreamed of and worked on for years: the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center.
According to the press release, the program is "a seven-month cosmetology training course for adult men and women." L'Oréal has donated all the products to be used at the center, and their spokeswoman Beyoncé, along with her mother, have pledged to donate 0,000 annually.
After brief remarks by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Tina Knowles, among others, Beyoncé graciously took to the podium to explain both her ties to the house — she first visited in 2007 as part of research for her role as Etta James in "Cadillac Records" — and her hopes for the program.
While Phoenix House provides varied vocational training, "I felt like they needed something that was geared towards women — something that would teach them skills that would give them hope even after the Phoenix House," Beyoncé explained about why she chose to fund a beauty school. Her mother also owned and operated a salon in Knowles' hometown of Houston.
"I saw that a salon was a place for women to socialize, share stories, cry, laugh and get advice," she continued about her experiences growing up around a beauty parlor. She was close to tears as she added, "Most importantly, I saw the joy it brought my mother, knowing she was a part of their transformation."
B admired the strength of the women and men who've chosen to go to Phoenix House, citing the stigma placed on the disease of drug and alcohol abuse, and that while none of them chose to be addicts, they have all "chosen to get better." As the speech ended and a brief set of photo ops — including the cutting of a ceremonial ribbon — began, Beyoncé took to the microphone one last time. "It's a very proud day for me and my mother," she beamed.
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- Lady Gaga Teases 'Telephone' Premiere With New Photo
'RING RING it's coming little monsters,' Gaga tweeted on Thursday about the premiere of 'Telephone' video with Beyonce.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in her "Telephone" video
Photo: twitter.com/ladygaga
Lady Gaga took to her Twitter account
on Thursday (March 4) to tease her fans about the forthcoming release of her hotly anticipated "Telephone" music video with Beyoncé. Although there have been many rumors about exactly when the video might premiere, Gaga simply said it's on its way. She tweeted earlier this week that the clip was still being edited and she wants it to be "perfect."
She tweeted "RING RING its coming little monsters" along with a link to a photo of her in a prison-like room,
wearing nothing more than crime-scene tape placed in all the right places and some deep-red lipstick.
She also tweeted the good news about the song itself, which is Gaga's latest #1 hit. "LITTLE MONSTERS!! Today is an exciting day. Telephone become our SIXTH NUMBER 1 RECORD IN A ROW IN AMERICA! I love you so much! Celebrate!"
The photo's prison setting would work with the rumored story line for the video. Reportedly Beyoncé, who is featured on the track, breaks Gaga out of prison for what is expected to be a Tarantino-inspired clip that even features the truck that Uma Thurman's Bride drove in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill."
While fellow video co-stars Semi Precious Weapons have described the chemistry between Beyoncé and Gaga
as "magical"; B herself said the ladies got "crazy"
on the California set of the Jonas Åkerlund-directed clip.
Gaga, who appears in the video in a number of characteristic get-ups (including phones on her head), shared that the video picks up where "Paparazzi" left off. "What I like about it is it's a real true pop event," she said. "And when I was younger, I was always excited when there was a big giant event happening in pop music and that's what I wanted this to be."
Are you excited for the "Telephone" video? What do you think the photo is all about? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Beyonce Says She 'Killed' Sasha Fierce
'I don't need Sasha Fierce anymore,' B says of the alter ego she created.
By Hillary Crosley
Beyoncé
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images
Beyoncé is killing the game again, but this time it's herself — or at least her alter ego.
"Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her," B said in a recent interview with Allure magazine.
Of course, the singer created her alter ego Sasha Fierce in an effort to separate her own shy personality from her stage persona and give herself the courage to be free and sexy while performing. Beyoncé even went so far as to name-check the alter ego on her last album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce. The LP was split into two physical CDs and two genres. The I Am ... side held pop songs like "If I Were a Boy" while Sasha Fierce boasted urban chic like "Video Phone," B's first duet with Lady Gaga.
Now the singer says that she's comfortable enough with herself to be all of those things without an alias.
"I don't need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I've grown and now I'm able to merge the two," she explained.
In fact, the singer/songwriter/actress admitted that she's currently taking a career break after the conclusion of her world tour in Trinidad this month, adding she'd like "to paint and cook and to do Broadway shows and museums. And learn just to be at home and just watch television."
Though Mrs. Carter is eyeing a vacation, she's still got two new videos on the way — one with pop powerhouse Lady Gaga for "Video Phone" and one for Alicia Keys' "Put It in a Love Song," so we won't miss her for long.
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- Beyonce Gets 'Crazy' With Lady Gaga In 'Telephone' Video
'It's gonna be so crazy,' B tells Tyra Banks of the stars' second video together.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga in her video for "Telephone"
Photo: Interscope Records
Though Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's "Telephone" video still doesn't have an official premiere date, info about the clip is slowly but surely making its way to the fans. Last week, Gaga gave fans a glimpse of what she will look like in the video, and B recently dished about the clip when she stopped by "The Tyra Banks Show."
"I am such a huge fan of hers. We just filmed her video two weeks ago in Los Angeles, and it's gonna be so crazy," said Beyoncé, who also worked with Gaga on her clip for "Video Phone." "I don't want to give too much away because I don't want her to be upset, but it's a part two of 'Paparazzi.' She's just so smart and she's becoming an icon in her own right."
Beyoncé also said she was going to Brazil to shoot the video for Alicia Keys' "Put It in a Love Song." She told Tyra that she loves working with other powerful women.
"I actually leave today and go to Brazil. ... I'm going there to work — I am finishing my last leg of my tour. I'm filming a video with Alicia Keys there," she said. "I'm so excited to work with women. I'm a girl's girl, so to show that women who are successful can support each other and have a good time, I'm just so happy to bring that message across with Gaga and Alicia Keys. ... I learn something from all these ladies."
Gaga recently revealed the cover art for the "Telephone" single, which is due out on March 2, on her Web site. It features a photo of Gaga wearing a hat made from a telephone and a picture of a Sasha Fierce-mode Beyoncé.
There still very few details about the "Telephone" video available. We know that part of it will take place at a diner and that at some point Beyoncé breaks Gaga out of jail. "We die in [the video]," Semi Precious Weapons lead singer Justin Tranter said of his band's cameo. "And I think that's probably all I'm allowed to tell. ... And, I think, what people have already talked about: It's very Tarantino-inspired, sort of like violent melodrama glamour."
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- Jay-Z Takes Credit For Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' Dance
Jay cracks jokes on BBC show about his wife stealing her most famous moves from him.
By Jocelyn Vena
Jay-Z and Beyoncé
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images
Jay-Z doesn't really like to open up about his personal life and rarely talks to the press about what he and Beyoncé do together in their off-time. But when he stopped by BBC One's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross" across the pond last Friday, Jay decided that he'd just roll with the personal questions and have a good-natured laugh about the whole thing.
"You're my guy," he joked to Ross about how he loves to talk to him about life with his pop superstar wife, ranking his confidantes: "Obama. You." (He had just shared with Ross that he had been invited to the White House by President Obama.)
Hova explained that Beyoncé was too busy with previous engagements to join him in the U.K., and then he seemed to take advantage of her absence to declare that he was the mastermind behind her famous dance moves. "She's actually in Trinidad," he said. "She has a concert. [We go to each other's shows] all the time, of course. She's a magnificent performer. I steal routines from her. She stole many things from me. You know, I see it onstage ... the ['Crazy in Love'] 'Uh-oh' dance, I started that. You probably don't know what that is."
Then Jay decided to take credit for her most famous dance to date: "I actually created that dance [from 'Single Ladies']," he deadpanned. "That was me again. [I said], 'You should do this [the hand-wave motion],' and she did it. I wouldn't really tell anybody. It's what you asked me, so I don't want to make it seem like I'm making myself more important."
Jay-Z remained in a jocular mood when Ross asked how he spent Valentine's Day with Beyoncé. "Well, I'm not gonna tell you that," he said after a pause. "I'll give you a little bit of information. She was in Peru, and I was in Denver, on my way to here, and ... it was very romantic. ... Skype."
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