Justice
Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

French electro-pop duo Justice have said that it'll be a while before they release any new music. But fans should understand that the reason for the delay is because the group's songwriting process is très compliqué. The pair — Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay — sat down with us before their recent performance at Hard Festival in Los Angeles to talk about it.

"We're really slow at making music," de Rosnay said. "On the album, [†], we maybe sampled 400 records."

Sampling, of course, has been a hot-button issue in the music business for the past 20 years, reaching a new peak with the dubious legality of the samples used on the latest album from Girl Talk, Feed the Animals.

But Justice — best known on these shores for their 2007 VMA-nominated hit, "D.A.N.C.E." — inhabit more of a gray area. Conflicting stories have arisen over the extent of their sampling: Fans speculate that from zero to 100 percent of the group's music is sampled.

"I know why stories are conflicting," de Rosnay said. "Because we do sample really small bits of things that nobody can recognize.

"Say we use the 'In Da Club' hand clap — not even 50 Cent would notice," he continued. "But if you listen to 'Genesis,' the first track [on †], there are samples of Slipknot, Queen and 50 Cent, but they are such short samples no one can recognize them. The ones from Slipknot, for example, are just tiny bits of the voice."

Other samples that fans claim to have found within Justice's musical maze include Three 6 Mafia, Devo, Britney Spears and Madonna. But the duo want a few of the samples to be easily identifiable.

"Sometimes we do also use big samples," de Rosnay said. "On the album, we used three big samples that we had to clear, and all the rest are just impossible to recognize. We're using the very short samples to improve the sound, because we are just writing melodies on piano and then we are listing each note taken from other records, so we make a trade between those notes and the proper loops."

De Rosnay then sat down at his MacBook, reminiscent of the way, say, Josh Groban sits down at a piano. He pressed "play" and then "stop" quickly enough to release a millisecond of sound from a song that's destined to remain a mystery to everyone but him.

"Just like that!" he said triumphantly. Repeat ad infinitum for most of the duo's songs. "That's why it takes so long to do."

So, as fans wait patiently for more music to obsess over, there's no shortage of sonic nuances to wrap your head around in the tracks the duo have already released. It's new music you've already heard.

For new versions of older music you've already heard, check out the group's live DVD/CD, A Cross the Universe, when it drops November 24.

• Justice

Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Biel are among the celebs captured in a new Disney installment of work by esteemed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz. In the images, Lopez is portrayed as Jasmine and Anthony as Aladdin in a "Whole New World" scene, while Biel is dressed as Pocahontas, running through a forest. "I was a huge Disney fan growing up as a kid, and Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel — all those characters were huge for me," Biel said in a statement. The "Disney Dream Portrait Series" will be featured throughout the year at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. ...

Gnarls Barkley don't have a release date or name yet for their second album, but it's nearing completion, according to Billboard.com. Danger Mouse is busying himself with other projects in the meantime, including lending production to the Black Keys' Attack & Release; Martina Topley-Bird's The Blue God; and Shortwave Set's new LP, which is tentatively titled Replica Sun Machine. ...

Mary J. Blige recently spoke with MTV Base about the ongoing New York steroid probe in which she was recently named. "I really don't want to clear anything up, because I've been spoken about for so many years — rumors I'm pregnant, I'm a man, I'm this, I'm that, why? At the end of the day, I have nothing to prove to anyone. I am Mary and that's that." A report that surfaced in the Times Union last week claimed Blige was among tens of thousands of people who might have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human-growth hormone in recent years, although law-enforcement officials said they don't have any evidence that laws were violated. ...

Krist Novoselic, the former Nirvana bassist who has been politically active in Seattle in recent years, has voiced his support for a 2008 presidential candidate, and it's ... Ron Paul? Novoselic alluded to the Republican long-shot candidate in his Seattle Weekly column earlier this month, saying, "The Internet is already doing this with campaign phenomenon like Howard Dean in 2004, and this year with Ron Paul." The Web site PoliticalBase.com shows that he made a $250 contribution to the candidate in mid-September. ...

Björk has nixed her planned appearance at the Big Day Out on Friday night (January 25) in Sydney, Australia. "Doctors have advised Björk to rest due to swelling of the vocal cords," Ken West and Vivian Lees, who produce and direct the festival, said in a statement posted on the Icelandic singer's Web site. "This is a great disappointment to Björk, who is on her first tour of Australia in 12 years." She is slated to rejoin Big Day Out on Monday for a show in Melbourne, followed by performances February 1 in Adelaide and February 3 in Perth. ...

The Reminder (Feist), Kala (M.I.A.), Neon Bible (the Arcade Fire), Cross (Justice) and Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem) have all made the cut as finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize. Also in the running are In Our Bedroom After the War (Stars), Sky Blue Sky (Wilco), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Businessmen and Ghosts (Working for a Nuclear Free City) and Untrue (Burial). The winner will be announced in February. ... Dem Franchize Boyz will bounce back on April 1 with their third effort, Da Point of No Return, which is anchored by the first single, "Talkin' Out Da Side of Ya Neck." Also look for featured appearances by Mannie Fresh on "Mr. Feel Good" and Blaze on "Turn Heads." ...

Marvel Studios is the latest company to reach an agreement with the striking Writers Guild of America, it was announced Friday. "Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," WGA East President Michael Winship and WGA West President Patric Verrone said in a joint statement. "Marvel is committed to fairly compensating their writers and now they can move forward with their planned production schedule." ... Yes! Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce award in Ireland, where he has been traveling with his dad and brother to trace their family roots, according to The Associated Press. The "Blades of Glory" actor accepted the award — which has been given to Jesse Jackson and others in the past — on Wednesday night and addressed more than 1,000 students at the University College Dublin. "As I perused my leather-bound volumes of 'Ulysses,' 'Finnegans Wake,' 'Dubliners,' 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,' standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: 'Damn, I should have read these books,' " he reportedly said. ...

My Morning Jacket — who sold out their June 20 show at NYC's Radio City Music Hall in just over 20 minutes — have arrived at a title for their new album. Evil Urges, the band's fifth LP, is due June 10. ... Bono hailed Bill Gates on Friday when the Microsoft chairman announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $306 million on environmentally friendly technology and farming techniques to help aid millions of impoverished Africans. "It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here," Bono said in the Swiss city, according to The Associated Press. "This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader, and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment." ...

The summer music-festival scene just got a bit less crowded. Less than two months after announcing their plan to host a three-day camping music festival on a 500-acre farm in Vineland, New Jersey, the forces behind Lollapalooza (C3 Presents) and England's Reading Festival (Festival Republic) have announced that they've pulled the plug on the event. Originally scheduled for August 8-10, the Vineland Festival, which never announced a lineup and had faced considerable opposition from area residents concerned about noise and traffic, will now attempt to launch in 2009. Organizers cited "overall festival traffic in the Northeast"— apparently referring to the just-announced All Points West Festival, which is scheduled for the same weekend in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, and is being coordinated by the people who bring you Coachella every year. Organizers also noted big bands touring the area around the same time as the reason for scrapping the event. ...

Heads up, straight-edge hardcore fans: Ex-Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson has thrown up for auction on eBay a bunch of rare and unique items from the band and other hardcore acts. Items include fliers, posters, 7-inches and more. ... Want your name to appear in a Saosin release? The band is launching a contest with mobile marketing company Mozes that will give fans the chance to have their name featured in the credits of the booklet that will accompany their forthcoming "Saosin Live" DVD/CD package. Interested? Text SAOSINDVD to 66937 and join the band's mobile list and follow the prompt. ... UB40 might want to rename themselves "UB39," at least for the time being: The British group, which was huge in the '80s, has lost its frontman. "No words can express how upset I feel today that I have been forced to make this decision," Ali Campbell wrote in a Friday post on his Web site. UB40 said in a statement of their own that they will continue without Campbell, a founding member of the band.

1.24.08

Despite widespread reports that Sean "Diddy" Combs had changed his name to Sean John, his rep clarified the situation to MTV News on Thursday (January 24). "Recent reports of a name change are totally false, he is still Diddy," the rep wrote. "He is currently in 'Sean John' mode as the upcoming Sean John fashion show is scheduled for February 8 in New York." ...

One of Britney Spears' friends was deposed Thursday by Kevin Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan as he prepares for an April trial involving a request by Spears' ex for primary physical custody of their children. Sam Lufti had previously avoided a notice to appear by Federline's team of lawyers but was eventually served in November. ... Lionsgate said Thursday that it had reached an agreement with striking writers to work on its projects, according to Reuters. "Lionsgate signed an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America today," the entertainment company reportedly said in a statement. "The writers' issue seems on its way to being solved, and Lionsgate felt it was an important time, particularly in view of our TV series, to have our writer partners get back to work. We look forward to a broad industry agreement soon." ...

John McCain is getting support from another Vietnam veteran, albeit a fictional one: Rambo. Sylvester Stallone recently voiced his support for the Arizona senator, who is in a tight race for the Republican presidential nomination, on TV's "Fox and Friends," according to a press release from his campaign. "I like McCain a lot," Stallone said. "A lot. And you know, things may change along the way, but there's something about matching the character with the script. And right now, the script that's being written — and reality — is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged, like a rough action film. ... You need somebody who's been in that to deal with it." When host Brian Kilmeade informed McCain of the "Rocky Balboa" star's endorsement on Thursday morning (January 24), he reportedly replied, "I'm going to Philadelphia and running up the steps." ...

Bono swung by the Pentagon to talk about Africa and global poverty with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The two reportedly met for 20 minutes and discussed plans to construct a new U.S. military command for Africa. The U2 singer was reportedly in Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional budget committees, and his meeting with Gates was not publicized ahead of time. ... Trey Anastasio spent the weekend in the pokey for violating the conditions of his drug-treatment program last year, The Associated Press reports. The former Phish frontman was punished for an unspecified violation of a court contract that resulted after he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in April. Anastasio, who lives in Richmond, Vermont, was in a jail in upstate New York for two days. ...

Scarlett Johansson has finally firmed up details surrounding her first music album, a collection of mostly Tom Waits covers. Anywhere I Lay My Head will drop May 20 and feature 10 Waits tribute tracks plus an original cut. The "Nanny Diaries" actress hammered out the effort in Maurice, Louisiana, during a five-week visit at Dockside Studio in spring 2007. She got some assists from Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Sean Antanaitis from Celebration and TV on the Radio's David Sitek, who produced the LP. ... The 35th annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll has named Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem as its top album of 2007. The rest of the top 10 albums in the poll, voted on by hundreds of rock critics, included In Rainbows (Radiohead), Kala (M.I.A.), Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), Neon Bible (Arcade Fire), Graduation (Kanye West), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Raising Sand (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) and Magic (Bruce Springsteen). Winehouse topped the singles list with her hit "Rehab," followed by "Umbrella" (Rihanna), "All My Friends" (LCD Soundsystem), "1234" (Feist), "D.A.N.C.E." (Justice), "Paper Planes" (M.I.A.), "Stronger" (Kanye West), "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" (UGK) and "Young Folks" (Peter Bjorn and John). ...

This year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest will take place April 25-27 and May 1-4 and feature sets from the Roots, Raconteurs, Keyshia Cole, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Santana, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, Galactic, Ozomatli with Chali 2na, Jimmy Buffett and dozens of other roots, blues, soul, Cajun and jazz artists. ... Motion City Soundtrack, Phantom Planet and the Hush Sound have slipped onto the bill for the Honda Civic Tour, which will be anchored by Panic at the Disco. The cities the trek will hit have also been announced: San Francisco (April 10); San Diego (April 12); Phoenix (April 13); Tulsa, Oklahoma (April 15); Ruston, Louisiana (April 17); Dallas (April 18); Austin, Texas (April 19); Houston (April 20); Clearwater, Florida (April 22); Miami Beach, Florida (April 23); Lake Buena Vista, Florida (April 24); Atlanta (April 26); North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (April 29); Washington, D.C. (April 30); Orono, Maine (May 2); Troy, New York (May 3); Rochester, New York (May 6); New York (May 7); Philadelphia (May 9); Wallingford, Connecticut (May 10); Boston (May 11); Montreal (May 13); Toronto (May 14); Cleveland (May 16); Columbus, Ohio (May 17); Indianapolis (May 18); Detroit (May 20); Chicago (May 23); Milwaukee (May 25); Minneapolis (May 27); St. Louis (May 30); Council Bluffs, Iowa (May 31); Kansas City, Missouri (June 1); Denver (June 3); Salt Lake City (June 4); Vancouver, British Columbia (June 6); Seattle (June 7); Portland, Oregon (June 8); Las Vegas (June 13); and Anaheim, California (June 14). ...

Uncle Murda was shot in the head late Tuesday night but the injury was not serious, according to New York's Daily News. The popular upstart rapper, who was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records by Jay-Z and backed by DJ Green Lantern, suffered a minor head wound after he was grazed by a bullet while sitting in a parked car in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. There is no word on whether the rapper has been released from the hospital. Calls made by MTV News to reps for Uncle Murda were not returned as of press time. ... Danny Glover was convicted for trespassing on Thursday (January 24) in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to AP. Canadian Niagara Hotels had charged the actor and two other men after they protested at a Sheraton in September 2006. The protest was part of a larger effort to boost salaries and improve working conditions for hotel workers in North America. They will be sentenced February 8. ...

Los Angeles city officials have asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from congregating in a neighborhood of Compton, California, and included on their list of 200 gang members was former Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight. The Los Angeles Times reports that Knight's name was on the request, which would ban members of the gang from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m. Knight, who has struggled to get his label back online after a number of legal tangles and prison time, told the paper he thought the injunction was a "publicity stunt" and that it should not have included him. "This is crazy," he said. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore." A hearing on the matter is slated for Thursday (January 24). ...

Perez Hilton won an $85,000 judgment on Wednesday in a defamation lawsuit brought by celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson. According to AP, a judge ordered Ronson to pay the blogger $85K, plus an additional $2,000 if Hilton (born Mario Lavandeira) requests it, in the suit over a report on Hilton's blog last year. The post repeated a claim from CelebrityBabylon.com that said Ronson planted cocaine found in friend Lindsay Lohan's car during a May car crash involving the actress. "Perez Hilton will take steps to make sure every dime is collected," his lawyer Bryan J. Freedman said. "This should make one careful before filing a lawsuit against him." The judge removed Hilton from the suit in November after the blogger's attorneys argued he was protected by free-speech rights. Ronson's attorney unsuccessfully argued that Hilton's lawyers' fees were excessive and that he should get no more than $13,400 to recover his legal costs. ...

And the hits just keep coming ... just not the ones the music industry is looking for. According to numbers released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, global music sales fell by around 10 percent in 2007, falling at a faster rate than they did in 2006, despite a growth in digital-music sales of around 40 percent. The IFPI said illegal downloading continues to be a major problem, with the ratio of illegally downloaded tracks to legal tracks sold at around 20 to 1. Also included in the report was news that the first-ever global music-download sales chart was topped by Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," which sold 7.3 million downloads across the world. ...

Gallows, a punk band from England, are the latest act to be banned from playing the House of Blues at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to The Onion's A.V. Club. The group was reportedly barred from playing its scheduled show there Tuesday night because Disney objects to the group's lyrical content. Machine Head and Cannibal Corpse suffered similar fates at venues located on Disney property last year.

• Jennifer Lopez
• Gnarls Barkley
• Mary J. Blige
• Björk
• Feist

Britney Spears
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Does anything go right for Britney Spears anymore? In the wake of Brit's recent hospital stay and 15-minute meeting with Dr. Phil, the troubled pop star was spotted Monday night on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard, having a bit of car trouble. Spears' car suffered a flat tire near the 405 freeway. According to a rep from the Los Angeles Police Department, the singer abandoned her Mercedes in the middle of the street and accepted a ride home from one of the many paparazzi who were following her. The LAPD had the car towed to a nearby lot for safekeeping. Spears will have to cover the $104 towing fee, as well as a $35.60 storage fee. ...

Lindsay Lohan is being sued by the woman she allegedly chased in July while driving under the influence, and now Tracie Rice is seeking more money from the actress. According to TMZ.com, Rice has filed legal papers that allege she has already spent $3,500 in therapist bills and other medical-related expenses. She also claims she lost her job because of the car chase. ...

John Legend, Robin Thicke, Lil Mama, Anthony Hamilton and Fantasia are some of the stars who will serenade Aretha Franklin when she is honored as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the year at an event at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8. The music legend is being hailed for her outreach efforts to children's and health-care groups, churches and food banks in the Detroit area. The event will also feature a silent auction with items by members of Led Zeppelin, Bill Clinton and others — proceeds go to MusiCares, which helps musicians in need of financial, medical and/or personal help. ...

Kanye West has been on fire lately with his blog, posting about everything from Dr. Dre's new line of headphones to a nostalgic look at Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" video. ... Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Fergie, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne and Lindsay Lohan have something dubious in common — they've all been named on Mr. Blackwell's annual worst-dressed list. Victoria Beckman topped the list. ... Ray J is teeing up a new album for release in April, and he has taken Lil Wayne, the Game and Snoop Dogg along for the ride. All I Feel also boasts production from Rodney Jerkins, and Yung Berg is featured on the album's first single, "Sexy Can I." ...

What's good for Radiohead is apparently good for Coldplay. According to various reports, including one from British newspaper the Daily Star, Coldplay may be mulling a departure from EMI, the band's longtime label home. Radiohead ditched the label and released their last album, In Rainbows, independently online. According to a source, Coldplay don't feel they "necessarily need a label" and will consider all of their options before re-signing with the company. The band has been working on its fourth LP with producer Brian Eno (U2, Depeche Mode), and had originally hoped to release the new material this spring, though no official release date has been given. ...

The South by Southwest lineup has swollen to include Bun B and the Black Keys. Blitzen Trapper, the Von Bondies, the Raveonettes and Vampire Weekend have also been announced to play at the festival, which will happen March 12-16 in Austin, Texas. Speaking of the Keys, their new album, Attack & Release — which was produced by Danger Mouse — will hit stores April 1. ... Sean Penn and the Coen brothers keep raking in the accolades — the respective "Into the Wild" and "No Country for Old Men" directors have been nominated for the Directors Guild of America's best filmmaker honor. Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood"), Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton") and Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") are also up for the distinction, and the winner will be announced January 26. ...

According to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, singer Bif Naked, 36, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Naked, whose real name is Beth Torbert, reportedly found a lump in her breast during a self-examination. She is scheduled for a lumpectomy this week and will also undergo chemotherapy. "It's like being on 'The Price Is Right,' " she told the paper. "I can't believe coins didn't come out of the machine. They said, 'This is not something we're happy with. Let's do an ultrasound.' ... A week later ... they did these tests, and this biopsy came back basically being pretty gosh darn positive for breast cancer." Naked is not afraid to take on the chronic disease. "I'm really confident that it's going to be a snap for me," she said. "I have a pre-existing aneurysm in my heart, so it will be a challenge medically. Hopefully in three weeks I can start my chemotherapy. ... After that, you can go through the steps of radiation, and hopefully be right as right." ...

According to guitarist Brian Bell, Weezer's forthcoming sixth album is in the bag. "Personally, I think it's our best yet," he said in a statement. "Never have the four of us worked so hard and passionately on an album, and we all look forward to performing this culmination of our talents and combined knowledge in 2008 in a city near you." ... French electronic sensations Justice will anchor the bill for the forthcoming MySpace Music Tour, which is set to kick off March 3 in Austin, Texas, and run through March 31 in Los Angeles. Diplo, DJ Mehdi, Chromeo, Busy P and Fancy are also scheduled to perform. ... Eels frontman Mark Oliver Everett has an autobiography on the way. His tome, "Things the Grandchildren Should Know," examines the singer's life and his early days in rock music. The book will be available in the States in the fall. ...

There's a new Web site that's designed to help pair drummers with bands that are short on talent. Over at DrummerHunter.com, bands that need a kitman can browse potential players using a profile system similar to those used on dating Web sites or social networks like MySpace. Drummers can post contact information, MP3s of their playing, acts they like and genres they can play, all for free. Bands can then search the profiles and contact the sticksmen directly.

1.07.08

Shins multi-instrumentalist Marty Crandall was reportedly arrested Friday night on a domestic-violence charge after an altercation with girlfriend and former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Elyse Sewell. In a LiveJournal.com post titled "Worst Weekend Olympics" that has since been locked, Sewell, who dated Crandall for several years, wrote that a night of drinking in a Sacramento, California, hotel room ended with her escaping "from the room through a blitzkrieg of violence." According to several reports, the post featured photos of Sewell's heavily bruised arms and bloody knuckles, and noted that Crandall bore bite marks from their alleged scuffle, which resulted in Sewell's arrest as well. Both were reportedly booked after she notified hotel security about the incident — Sewell was reportedly released from jail Saturday, while a search of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Web site shows that a man named Martin Lesley Crandall was released from jail Sunday. A spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department could not be reached for comment at press time. In a Sunday afternoon post, Sewell wrote on her LiveJournal.com page that, "I'm feeling much better on this new day (after sleeping until noon). I've decided to heed the advice of many commenters (lawyerly types) and friends — lock my last entry about the legal foibles between me and my ex-boyfriend." The Shins' label Sub Pop responded to the matter on Monday (January 7), saying in a statement, "Marty Crandall and his ex-girlfriend Elyse Sewell were both arrested over the weekend following an argument at a Sacramento hotel which resulted in hotel staff calling the police. They were both taken into police custody and released over the weekend. There will be no further comment at this time, and [we] would appreciate their privacy being respected." Crandall and Sewell are due back in court Tuesday. ...

Jay-Z, Bono, Al Gore, George Clooney, Jon Stewart and Matthew McConaughey were just a few of the celebrities who appeared in a video poking fun at Microsoft founder Bill Gates on his last day and subsequent retirement. The clip aired Sunday as a part of Gates' last keynote address to his company. In the video, Gates — with newfound time on his hands — explores several alternative post-career options. First he's in the studio cutting a record with Jay at the boards. "You killed it, Billy G," Jay says in the clip. Then Bono gets a phone call that brings him offstage during a concert — on the other end, Gates shares his new high score at "Guitar Hero." The near-eight-minute video ends with the iconic software advocate receiving a cheering ovation. ... Curiously, the Gates keynote event wasn't the only place where Jay and Bono crossed paths recently — the exiting Def Jam prez checked out a screening of U2's new 3-D concert film on Monday (January 7), according to RollingStone.com. Jay reportedly left the "U2 3D" screening early. ... Miley Cyrus, Fergie and John Legend have been roped into the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, which will go down March 3-22. The country-centric event will also feature Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts. ...

Kid Rock's scheduled arraignment Monday in DeKalb County, Georgia, has been postponed until February 4, according to the DeKalb County Solicitor's Office. The arraignment stems from Rock's arrest in October on a misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly got into a brawl over a woman at a Waffle House. According to a Solicitor's Office spokesperson, the postponement was necessary to give officials more time to investigate the matter and determine whether they'll prosecute the case. ... Nicole Kidman is having another, um, kid. The actress, who already has two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, is expecting her first baby with new hubby Keith Urban. ...

Add Beanie Sigel to the growing list of veteran rappers unhappy with what they see as a lack of support from Def Jam. Jay-Z detractors LL Cool J and Method Man have been the most vocal, but in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid over the weekend, the Philadelphia lyricist revealed his — and labelmate Freeway's — frustration with the label. "It's some f---ed-up sh-- that needs to be addressed," Sigel said. "A lot of questions should be directed to the people in charge. They need to be put on the spot and asked questions. Because I want to know myself. ... I'm waiting to hear the same answers to questions that me and Freeway get asked." Jay-Z has stepped down as president of Def Jam, but he still seemed to draw some of Beans' ire, though he wasn't directly named. Beans, however, explained he will release a mixtape soon titled "True American Gangster," a play off Jay's most recent album, November's American Gangster. ...

According to a post on Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider blog, "American Idol" season-five winner Taylor Hicks is the latest "Idol" to get the boot from J Records. Just weeks after season-two champ Ruben Studdard was dropped, an unnamed label source told the site that Hicks is going to record his next album on his own, because "he is no longer on the J Records roster." A spokesperson for J Records could not be reached at press time. ... Jessica Simpson escaped to Mexico over the weekend, with boyfriend Tony Romo — and her parents — in tow, according to People.com. The two were also joined by some of Romo's Dallas Cowboys teammates, who have apparently warmed up to the actress, who some had criticized for distracting the quarterback. ... Actor Jack Black and wife Tanya Haden are expecting their second child, according to The Associated Press. Black reportedly confirmed his wife's pregnancy over the weekend. Black and Haden, a cellist and the daughter of jazz great Charlie Haden, were married in 2006 and already have one child, a 6-month-old son. ...

BT, an electronic-music producer who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears to the Roots, is speaking out about the alleged abduction of his daughter by the child's mother. According to a statement released by his publicist, 3-year-old Kaia Transeau has been missing for three weeks, and BT has not had contact with her since the first few days she was gone. "I am diligently and delicately working to do everything possible to amend this tragic family situation," he said in a statement. "As a father, my only goal is to get my daughter back home. I appreciate your continued support and understanding in this desperate hour." Kaia is on the National Crime Information Center's missing-persons list (304-625-2000). ...

José González is feeling green — the indie-folk luminary will launch an environmentally friendly trek starting February 29 in Miami. The singer/songwriter has partnered with Reverb for his Green Tour, which will find him neutralizing emissions from venue energy use and calculating his CO2 footprint. Tickets will cost an extra 50 cents each to offset costs for the effort, and the jaunt will end March 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... OK Go have stepped up for a good cause — the band ganged up with New Orleans funk/soul group Bonerama during the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and recorded music at a studio in the city's Upper Ninth Ward. The end result is an exclusive iTunes EP that will drop February 5 and benefit local musicians — including R&B legend Al Johnson — who are still struggling to get their lives back together. You're Not Alone features three reworked songs from OK Go's last album, 2005's Oh No, as well as covers of David Bowie's "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" and Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," with Johnson contributing vocals to the latter track. The groups are also partnering to play two benefit shows: a gig Friday at Tipitina's and a February 2 concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., that will be streamed on NPR. ...

R.E.M. aren't the only big-name rock vets who will perform at this year's South by Southwest festival — Black Crowes will also descend on Austin, Texas, with a headlining show at Stubb's on March 15. The band has lined up seven additional March club gigs, during which it will play the entirety of its first proper studio release in seven years, March 4's Warpaint, in addition to classic material. The Crowes' One Night Only run starts March 2 in Sayreville, New Jersey, and ends March 20 in Los Angeles. Speaking of R.E.M., frontman Michael Stipe recently chimed in on the presidential-nomination race, and while he's not exactly going to pull a Chuck Norris and throw his support behind Republican candidate and Mike Huckabee, he did have a few kind words for the former Arkansas governor. "I can't think of probably a single issue in which I am even remotely in the same universe as that guy ... and yet, he was kind of charming and ... self-deprecating," he said on Sirius Satellite Radio program "Jade Radio." "He was actually kind of a good sport, and funny, and I don't know what that means. Maybe it's a good thing that's he's being lauded right now by the right. He's an evangelical. May God bless all living creatures, but my God ... how weird." ... A Perfect Circle mastermind Billy Howerdel has christened his new band Ashes Divide. The group will release its debut album in March, with the album's first single, "The Stone," due to hit radio January 22. ....

Sony/BMG — home to Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Carrie Underwood — is finalizing plans to sell part of its collection without Digital Rights Management protection in the first quarter of 2008, BusinessWeek.com reports. The first initiative under the deal will come via a Platinum MusicPass series of digital-album gift cards that will be sold starting January 15 at Best Buy, Target and other select stores. The album cards retail for $12.99 and come with bonus material — titles include Backstreet Boys' Unbreakable, John Mayer's Continuum and Bruce Springsteen's Magic. Also being considered is an upcoming Pepsi Super Bowl promotion featuring Justin Timberlake that will involve the free distribution of 1 billion songs from major labels.

• Reactions To Britney Spears' Hospital Stay

• Britney Spears
• Lindsay Lohan
• John Legend
• Robin Thicke
• Kanye West

M.I.A. performs at CMJ on Friday
Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images

NEW YORK — The CMJ Music Marathon is always a magical confluence of several hundred bands; scores of odd-size venues scattered all about the boroughs of NYC (and New Jersey too); air-tight, no-room-for-encores scheduling; clueless, map-clutching out-of-towners; and perilous, late-night subway rides deep into the heart of Lord-knows-where.

That this goes on for four never-say-die days and nights is a testament to the veracity of the fest's name: CMJ is not a sprint. It is 26.2 grueling, bloody miles of music. Nothing is easy. Tough choices need to be made. The wounded are left behind. That people actually seem to enjoy all of this is a testament not just to the will of the human spirit, but to the boundless energy of the pure-hearted, unspoiled music fan.

Because unlike South By Southwest — the Marathon's bratty, down-South brother (which, in the minds of many, has surpassed the elder as the premier fest in the States) — CMJ is a musical festival for people who actually like music festivals and all the headaches and heartbreaks that come along with them. There is no Sixth Street (the Austin thoroughfare that hosts the majority of SXSW's action) to speak of, no label-sponsored cocktail hours at swank Texas hotels, no delicious Bar-be-que to demolish. SXSW is easy, sort of like an industry-wide booze cruise with bands playing on the pool deck. CMJ is complicated, a sometimes-miserable mess, with bands playing in apartments in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

But despite all that — or, perhaps, because of it — CMJ also offers rewards beyond your wildest dreams. If you're willing to put in the work, then the Marathon will deliver the goods, and the battles you fight along the way make the end results that much sweeter. Bands feel like tiny pearls, discovered only after hours of prying, swearing, sweating and bleeding. And for that fact alone, it's pretty great.

In that regard, CMJ 2007 was probably the pearliest in recent memory, though perhaps not for the reasons you'd expect. After all, the concept of "discovering" a band at any music fest is about as antiquated as the concept of fests themselves, thanks in no small part to the rise of taste-making blogs, yet there was something incredibly satisfying about witnessing acts like Black Kids and Yeasayer deliver sets that more than lived up to the hype surrounding them.

The former — a quintet from Jacksonville, Florida, that currently does not have a record (though it does have a record label: Almost Gold, the home of Peter Bjorn and John) — overcame an overly chatty crowd and a malfunctioning amp at the Annex on Thursday to deliver a herky-jerky set that sounded like the Cure on DFA Records. The latter, a bunch of Brooklyn weirdos with a predilection for droning electronics and delicate African melodies, owned Saturday night, washing through the borough's Glasslands art space like some sort of mythic flood, leaving the beards-and-glasses crowd soaked and awed in their wake.

Deerhunter, No Age and Dan Deacon — a trio of acts also not unfamiliar with blog love — kicked off the Marathon Wednesday night at the Bowery Ballroom with sets that were, in order: bizarre-yet-impactful; scarily spazzy; and, well, sweat-drenched. Earlier that day, Vampire Weekend shuffled their way through an afternoon set at the tiny Cake Shop, debuting a new track or two from their upcoming debut. And Los Angeles' Health howled, chanted and flailed their way to the top of a w-a-a-y packed noise-core bill (Japanther! AIDS Wolf! Sightings!) on Friday at the Knitting Factory.

But it wasn't all up-and-comers delivering the goods. There were also pearls to be found if you managed to brave the lines to see established acts like Spoon, Band of Horses and M.I.A. French DJ duo Justice had the crowd at newish venue Terminal 5 swaying and pumping, and the Meat Puppets — yeah, the Meat Puppets — were way too excited to be playing the tiny club Pianos. There was also a fair amount of hip-hop on display — truly one area in which CMJ trumps SXSW — from a feisty Wednesday night party at the sleek Hiro ballroom that featured Kanye West's DJ A-Trak and Chicagoans Kid Sister and the Cool Kids, to a fiery Saturday set by Brother Ali.

In the end, attempting to recap something as chaotic and hydra-headed as CMJ is nearly impossible. There is no unifying theme, ever, and the 2007 edition was even more fractious than any previous year. But, as we've tried to encompass in our on-air coverage, that's part of what makes the Marathon great: it's the searching, the scheduling, the "Holy sh--, I almost died, but I made it to Simian Mobile Disco's set!" that makes this unlike any music festival in the world. There's real danger here.

And will any of the bands we mentioned above even matter in a few years' time? Probably not, but that's nearly beside the point. You don't come to the Marathon to get discovered anymore — you come here to build upon a fleeting legend, to tough out roughly 47 different shows, to traverse shadowy alleyways, to party until the sun comes up and to wear yourself down. And perhaps the most amazing thing about CMJ is that the previous sentence applies to both the bands and the fans.

Check out our complete CMJ 2007 coverage, including reports, video and photos, in the You R Here blog.

• CMJ '07: Who Have We Discovered This Year?

• M.I.A.
• Spoon
• Justice
• Deerhunter

Kanye West
Photo: Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

If he hasn't already, Kanye West should really win something for his "That's two years in a row!" tirade backstage at at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. How about Best Meltdown While Wearing a Tuxedo? Or maybe Most Unnecessary Outburst During an Awards Telecast?

Perhaps that's thinking too small. At this point, Kanye has sort of become the Dominique Wilkins of award-show temper tantrums — he's the human highlight reel of really unwarranted tirades. From preshow threats and mid-show walkouts to post-show tirades and backstage blustering, West has done it all ... and with a résumé as strong as his, he's probably in line for a lifetime achievement award of sorts.

(See what you, the readers, had to say about Kanye West being crowned chart champ over 50 Cent, in You Tell Us.)

So even though he reportedly told anyone who would listen that he would "never return to MTV" during his VMA rant, we figured that we'd still go ahead and recognize West for the true pioneer he is. After all, can you name another artist who's lost the plot so many times — in so many creative ways — for no good reason? If you disagree with our selection, please feel free to launch into a childlike, profanity-laced diatribe about it. Of course, before you do that, you might want to check out West's greatest hits, which we've compiled below.

» Date: November 14, 2004
» Event: The 32nd annual American Music Awards
» The Highlight: West Walks When Wilson Wins

Upon hearing he has lost the Best New Artist award to "Redneck Woman" Gretchen Wilson, West storms out of the AMAs in a show of protest. He later tells reporters, "I felt like I was definitely robbed, and I refused to give any politically correct bullsh--ass comment ... I was the best new artist this year." He also brings up the idea of a massive conspiracy against him, questions the award show's voting process and promises never to return to the AMAs. A legend is born.

»Date: February 13, 2005
»Event: The 47th annual Grammy Awards
»The Highlight: Kanye Dons Angel Wings, A Heavenly Persecution Complex

Following his behavior at the AMAs, West's temperament is obviously a major story line for everyone. Everyone except West, that is. Seems he feels he is being unjustly focused on in the weeks leading up to the Grammys. He makes his feelings of persecution known during his awards-show performance, which features his apparent death (damn you, haters) and subsequent resurrection (rising above it all ... complete with angel wings), all while a full gospel choir wails and thrusts its arms heavenward. Minutes later, College Dropout is named Best Rap Album, at which point West gives a hyper-cocky speech that climaxes with him proclaiming, "A lot of people were wondering what I was going to do if I didn't win anything ... I guess we'll never know" (see "Kanye Steals The Show, But Ray Dominates Grammy Winners' Circle").

» Date: December 4, 2005
» Event: A Kanye West Foundation/ Musicland Performance at Santa Monica High School in California
» The Highlight: West Shocks And Awes Grammy Voters With Preemptive Strike

A week before Grammy nominations are even announced, West gives a rambling, impassioned and truly excellent interview to MTV News in which he: a) threatens to have "a real problem" if Late Registration doesn't win Album of the Year (see "Kanye's At It Again: 'If I Don't Win Album Of The Year I'm Gonna Have A Problem' "); b) predicts that it won't, primarily because of comments he made about George W. Bush during a Hurricane Katrina telethon; c) rips magazines like The Source and Vibe for not bestowing "classic" status on his albums; d) justifies his behavior by repeatedly stating that he spent $600,000 of his own money producing and promotion Registration; and finally, e) compares himself to Tom Cruise. The next day, The American Journal of Psychiatry begins planning a special "Kanye West: The Best of Egotism" double issue. ...

» Date: November 2, 2006
» The Event: The MTV Europe Music Awards
» The Highlight: Kanye Storms The Stage At The EMAs, Does Wonders For U.S. Foreign Relations

After his "Touch the Sky" clip loses to Justice and Simian's "We Are Your Friends," West leaps onstage and interrupts the duo's acceptance speech, arguing that his video deserved to win because it "cost a million dollars and Pamela Anderson was in it." Backstage, he continues his tirade, telling members of the press that "it's complete bullsh--. I paid a million ... it took a month to film; I stood on a mountain; I flew a helicopter over Vegas. ... I did it to be the king of all videos." (He later admits to having had a "sippy sippy" or two before the outburst: see "Kanye Admits To Having Had A 'Sippy Sippy' [Or Two] Before EMA Rant.") It is — to this point — his finest tirade, an outburst so succinctly jingoistic and, well, downright American that it's no wonder the EMA audience booed. George W. Bush, on the other hand, probably did a sweet donut in his Camaro, played a lick of air guitar and was like, "F---in'-A right, Kanye."

Wait — don't cash out on the VMAs just yet! From Britney's sultry comeback performance to the big winners, you saw it all — well, almost everything! Get yourself even richer with our wall-to-wall show coverage, party reports, videos and loads more at www.VMA.MTV.com. For reports, photos, video and much, much more from previous VMAs, dive into the VMA archives.

• Kanye West
• Justice

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz at the <i>Rolling Stone</i> party on Saturday
Photo: Jason Squires/WireImage

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz had more than a VMA win to smile about Sunday night. As the band's Belvedere Suite party in the Fantasy Tower at the Palms Casino Resort got underway in the wee hours, Ashlee Simpson gave Pete a little treat — and it wasn't from the table of free breakfast goodies. Though they were roped off in the small V.I.P. section of the party (which Perez Hilton crashed around 3 a.m.), the couple weren't exactly hidden from view when they gave new meaning to displays of public affection. We tried not to stare, but it's not often you see near-expert lap dances from non-pros. It was actually somewhat instructional, and so expertly done that it made us wonder — did Ashlee take lessons? Somehow, Pete managed to DJ for awhile after that. Also caught in the act at the party: Cee-Lo mooning people (he dove into the Palms pool with all his clothes on later), and Mario Lopez apparently in an argument with a girl who stormed out. ...

(Check out photos of Diddy, Britney, Ashlee, Pamela Anderson, Kanye, Ludacris and many more tearing up the VMA party scene in Vegas — right here!)

Minutes away at Tao, Jermaine Dupri, Nelly and Travis Barker hosted a party where famous friends such as Lil Wayne, Robin Thicke, MIMS, DJ Drama, Shar Jackson, Doug E. Fresh, Fonzworth Bentley, and the Clipse kept coming in all night.

"Hey DJ, I want you to play the song that's gonna move this building!" JD said into the mic. He had a VIP section with Nelly, and both superstars had their girlfriends — Janet Jackson and Ashanti, respectively — with them.

"I'm not even gonna tell you what to play," Dupri continued. "You play the hottest sh-- right now."

On cue: "I get money, I-I get money..." The turntablist dropped 50 Cent's "I Get Money" to a raucous reaction. "OK DJ!" Dupri said a few minutes later. "I want you to drop the second hottest record right now!"

On cue again: "La, la, la, wait till I get my money right" as the DJ dropped Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

Later, it was time for an impromptu concert. T.I., whose own VIP section was in back of Dupri's, got on the mic and performed "ASAP," Bring 'Em Out" and "Big Things Poppin'." Not to be outdone, the one-man walking party central himself, Jamie Foxx, got on the mic and did the chorus to "Gold Digger." Nelly also got on the mic in the VIP section, and rocked his new single "Wadsyaname." Alicia Keys and Doug E. Fresh took the mic as well. ...

Over at the Hard Rock Hotel's Body English (definitely one of the most poppin' spots all VMA weekend), birthday boy Swizz Beatz would have gladly accepted a rendition of "Happy Birthday" (the Stevie Wonder version) from his good friend Eve, but the former pitbull in a skirt did give Swizzy a little something extra at his party. Eve starred in her own mini-concert to get the festivities off to a running start. Akon, Alicia Keys, the Clipse (they were making the rounds last night, weren't they?), Pharrell Williams, Angie Stone and Taye Diggs were just some who came out to congratulate "The Monster" on another year. Swizz and friends didn't hold court in a VIP section -- they stayed on an elevated dance floor. Swizz himself got on the mic and rapped along with some of the records the DJs spun, such as "Money in the Bank" and "Top Down." Funny thing, though: At certain points in the party, people were literally jumping up and down, but it wasn't to one of his signature productions like "Get Me Bodied" or "Money, Cash, Hoes." He was hyping the crowd off of dance music, like Daft Punk's "One More Time."

"It's showtime! Push it up, push it up!" Swizz yelled as people bounced into the air. Some of Swizz's VIP friends in the balcony started throwing wads of dollar bills to the dancefloor. ...

Official VMA maestro Timbaland held court over at Jet in the Mirage, where he was joined by Keri Hilson and Yung Berg, who came through with a mini entourage. The multi-platinum producer took the mic and held court, telling the DJ which tracks to play — which were mostly his own! Of course, they were all bangin', from Justin's "SexyBack" to Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right," the atmosphere felt like the show finale all over again. ...

"It's showtime! It's rain time!" Swizz yelled on the mic. One reveler in the balcony got so excited, he lit up two sparklers like it was the Fourth of July and started waving them in the air. ...

Elsewhere, in a considerably less snooty, velvet rope-heavy setting, deep in the heart of so-called "Old Vegas," in a little dive called Beauty Bar with horrifying bathrooms and free cans of Miller Lite, Video of the Year nominees Justice and Kanye West's DJ A-Trak threw an amazingly spare soiree that was short on passed hors d'ouevres (and by "short on," we mean nonexistent,) but long on sweaty grinding and fist-pumping electro. Taking the tiny stage just after 1:30 a.m., flanked by a posse that included artist So Me (who created the animation for the nominated "D.A.N.C.E." clip) and just about everyone associated with the Ed Banger record label, the dynamic duo of Justice threw "D.A.N.C.E." onto the turntables and began to systematically chop it up and break it down to its most funky elements, much to the enjoyment of blissed-out guests like Mark Ronson and the guys from Peter Bjorn and John, not to mention every single hipster in the house. Flipping expertly between pounding house and cheekier exercises in grimey bass, their set was gleefully lo-fi — just two turntables and the occasional graphic projected onto the brick walls — yet perfectly matched with the dingy couches and spare strands of Christmas lights that accounted for all of the B-Bar's decoration. They also managed to rock as hard as anything else we saw this week.

And when they wrapped things up with a remix of "D.A.N.C.E." -- one that managed to work in portions of 50 Cent's banging "I Get Money" -- that was followed by a pretty-much-verbatim rendition of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," it was a little bit surreal and a whole lot of fun. You know, how Vegas is supposed to be. ...

So are the VMAs hot or what?! But there's much more Vegas riches to share: For a wealth of updates and info on performers, presenters and voting, check out www.VMA.MTV.com. For reports, photos, video and much, much more from previous VMAs, dive into the VMA archives.

• VMAs 2007: The Vegas Honeymoon
• VMA Parties Heat Up Vegas!

• Paris Hilton, Diddy, Timbaland, Janet Jackson, More Hit The Vegas Party Scene
• Adrian Grenier, Nelly, Shia LaBeouf, Britney And More Stars Spotted In Vegas

• Ashlee Simpson
• Fall Out Boy
• Cee-Lo
• Clipse
• Akon

Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." video
Photo: Wea

There's obviously a whole lot going on in Justice's retina-busting clip for "D.A.N.C.E." — nude girls, ads for headbands, royalty in riding gear, rotating crucifixes, psychedelic beards, star-spangled tuxedos. But there's probably even more that you're not aware of.

"Some of the animations are, like, references to T-shirts that were made in the past, and some are dedications to friends, like a way to say hello to someone and they're the only one who knows it," laughed So Me, the exceedingly French designer who created the animation used in the clip. "Some people notice these things and some people don't, and that's what makes the video fun. There are so many levels. Like, the girl with the riding helmet is Charlotte Casiraghi, who is the daughter of the princess of Monaco. She's a very cute girl, like 18 or something, so we thought it would be funny to feature her."

But So Me's copious animations — he contributed "something like 500," which bob and weave between T-shirts modelled by Justice's Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Auge — don't stop with inside jokes and tributes to barely legal fans of equestrian sports. He also had a much more nefarious idea for the clip, one born out of a three-year battle with French censors.

"It's funny because on TV here, you're not allowed to do advertising in videos," he explained over the phone from Paris. "Like, you can't show any brands or they blur it. I did a video back in the day for DJ Mehdi [another signee to Ed Banger Records, the home of Justice], and in the background there were some posters for his album, and the TV channel made me blur them. So with the Justice video, I said, 'OK, they want me to blur my brands? I'm going to make a three-minute advertisement for So Me T-shirts, and they're never going to notice and they're not going to make me blur it.' It was very sneaky and it worked."

Has it ever. Currently, four of the shirts seen being modelled by Justice in the video are available for purchase at ultra-hip boutiques and more will be coming soon. It's hard to blame him for looking for a little extra shine: From start to finish, the clip for "D.A.N.C.E." was a rather Herculean undertaking, one involving a whole lot of pre-planning, a ton of rehearsing and weeks of wrist-crippling animating.

"Justice and I did the concept based on record covers I've done for Ed Banger. Then we met with [directors] Jonas & Francois to discuss the key moments that had to be in the shooting. Like when Gaspard shakes Xavier, the letters fall down off his T-shirt; or when the girl plays the keyboard on her shirt and the keyboard falls to the ground," So Me said. "Those needed to be done because you can't go back and do that later, and there were like five or six really important instances like that.

"And then once the images were shot, we started to do the animation; we did like 500 T-shirts. They're wearing blank T-shirts in the video, and we did the animations for it," he continued. "They're all based on flat, 2-D graphics, which we had to animate. So it took me like three weeks just to do all the drawings."

So while So Me handled all the illustrations, the technical side was left to directors Jonas & Francois, who — like So — have been part of the Ed Banger family for a few years now. (They'd previously directed some promos for the label and helmed the video for Kavinsky's "Testarossa.") And though the entire video seems to hinge on a bunch of really high-tech techniques, the duo say that everything got its start with just four tiny pieces of black tape.

"We shot Xavier and Gaspard wearing plain T-shirts with four pieces of black tape stuck to them to follow the movement of the fabric in post production. That's it," Francois snickered. "At the same time, So Me was preparing the drawings — all very different and much fun — either because we had a special need, either because he liked them. Some designs were already on real T-shirts; it was fun to make them alive."

"We shot the video in a Parisian nightclub that also happens to be a movie house, and it's a huge labyrinth of endless corridors in the basement. Everything was wrapped in one day, from early in the morning through late, late at night," Jonas added. "We were a small crew of four people: the two of us for the animation and two persons who tracked the film — following the tape — then erased the pieces of tape from the image."

The duo claimed that they have no problem with the fact that their work on the video tends to be overshadowed by So Me's animated flurries, and everyone involved seems to relish Justice's underdog status at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards (see "MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations"). Though it seems a long shot, there is a chance that the "D.A.N.C.E." vid could shock the world and take home the award for Video of the Year, which would be extra sweet for the animator.

See, So Me was onstage at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, trying to accept the Video of the Year award for Justice vs. Simian's "We Are Your Friends," when Kanye West bum-rushed the stage and threw one of his patented tantrums (see "Kanye Admits To Having Had A 'Sippy Sippy' (Or Two) Before EMA Rant"). At the VMAs, "D.A.N.C.E." is pitted against West's video for "Stronger," which means that maybe — just maybe — So will have the chance to finally deliver that acceptance speech.

Or maybe not.

"When he came onstage, I just thought to myself, 'OK, don't say too much, because the guy's angry,' " So Me said. "I just sat there, relaxed and smiled at him because we were winners. He was wrong all the way, so I just let him talk.

"If we win this time, it would be great. We would've won both the European and the U.S. awards. If we do, it would be really funny, and maybe Kanye will jump onstage again."

Go behind the scenes with other Video of the Year nominees:
» Kanye Added Perfectionist Touch — And Venetian-Blind Glasses — To 'Stronger' Video: VMA Lens Recap
» Rihanna's 'Painful' 'Umbrella' Shoot Kept Her On Her Toes: VMA Lens Recap
» Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' Was Really Just A Decrepit London Building: VMA Lens Recap
» Justin Timberlake Went 'Around' And Came Out With A Broken Finger: VMA Lens Recap
» Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable' Guy Had A Tough Time Getting Dumped: VMA Lens Recap

Wait -- don't cash out on the VMAs just yet! From Britney's sultry comeback performance to the big winners, you saw it all -- well, almost everything! Get yourself even richer with our wall-to-wall show coverage, party reports, videos and loads more at www.VMA.MTV.com. For reports, photos, video and much, much more from previous VMAs, dive into the VMA archives.

• The 2007 MTV Video Music Award Nominees
• 50, Kanye, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Eve, Adam Levine Set For 2007 MTV Video Music Awards

• Justice

The 2007 MTV Video Music Award Nominees

• Beyoncé
• Justin Timberlake
• Shakira
• Amy Winehouse
• Kanye West