'Glee' Stars Stayed Up All Night For 'Thriller' Cover

'It was probably one of the most physical numbers that we've ever done,' Cory Monteith says.
By James Dinh


"Glee" stars film their "Thriller" performance
Photo: Ramey Photo

When "Glee" returns from hiatus in the high-profile post-Super Bowl slot, it's returning in a big way, covering Michael Jackson's "Thriller." On Tuesday, the cast spoke to "Access Hollywood" about remaking the iconic tune, which will reportedly be mashed up with another yet-to-be-revealed hit.

"It was a huge production. We we're shooting that until 6:30 in the morning," Cory Monteith told "AH" at the Television Critics Association press tour. "We shot all night, and it was probably one of the most physical numbers that we've ever done. I was lifting Naya Rivera at one point in the dance. It was really active. We had the whole USC band wrapped in to this number as you can see in the photos. It was awesome."

Photos of the cast filming "Thriller" surfaced on the Internet recently, depicting a prom night-turned-zombie affair. Jackson's tune is just one of the many hits to be covered in the broadcast. Other songs featured in the post-Super Bowl episode include hits by the Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum.

Kevin McHale revealed that Jackson is his "favorite artist ever" and that he has been continuously requesting to cover a tune by the late King of Pop. "I've been pushing very obnoxiously for a very, very long time, so I'm beyond thrilled that we do Michael Jackson," said the actor.

Like the iconic music video, the "Glee" cover was an extravagant production, which was fitting for star Dianna Agron, who couldn't help smile throughout filming.

"The whole night, everybody kept saying, 'Why are you laughing so much? Why are you smiling so much?' " she said. "I was just in my element. I was in huge makeup, huge hair, huge costume, the stuff that I loved the most, which is why I loved 'Rocky [Horror Picture Show]' so much."

Matthew Morrison isn't in the number, but he watched it being shot. "We actually shot it, like, a couple nights ago," Morrison told "AH." "I actually went out to see it. We shot it in Long Beach and at a high school that we used their football field at. It was stunning. It's so weird with this show. We keep outdoing ourselves. It's like, 'What is there left to do?' This number is just fantastic."

What other MJ songs do you want the "Glee" cast to tackle? Share your ideas in the comments!

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Britney Spears' 10th 'Hold It Against Me' Preview Packed With Technology

Beauty shots of television monitors marks four more days until video premiere.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Photo: Jive

There are just four more days until Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" video premieres, and the pop supernova continues to keep the suspense high.

After doling out super-short snippets of the visual to her latest dance floor-filler for over a week, the preview she gifted fans on Sunday (February 13) doesn't feature a flash of her toned legs or a scene where she and her dancers prepare to bust out some heart-racing choreography, but her presence is felt.

In the 10th, slickly produced teaser, a lofty chamber dotted with monitors looping many of her old videos takes center stage, as the bass from her insta-smash throbs in the background.

The seconds-long teasers will culminate in the premiere of the entire video, which goes down on MTV on Thursday at 9:56 p.m. ET, just before a brand new episode of "Jersey Shore." The video, which is the first single from her upcoming Femme Fatale LP, will also simultaneously premiere on MTV.com.

According to the video's choreographer, enduring days of teasers will be worth the wait. Dancer Brian Friedman recently assured MTV News that Spears is "definitely setting the bar" with "Hold It Against Me."

"She's showing that you have to push it as an artist: that you can't just settle, that you can't be calm with your choreography, that you have to make a statement," he said. "There's so many people out there competing in this world to be the queen of pop, and she's definitely claiming her throne."

Even with a top-flight track record of memorable clips, Friedman maintained that "Hold It Against Me" will be game-changing.

"Artistically, this video I think surpasses a lot of her other videos," he teased. "So many of her videos are iconic, though. You look at 'Toxic' and you look at 'Slave,' even 'Oops ... I Did It Again': People are gonna remember those videos forever. [In] '... Baby One More Time,' she made school-girl outfits relevant and so popular. This video is artistically a masterpiece, and I don't think that Britney has pushed the envelope in this way ever in any of her videos."

What do you think the rest of Britney's video will look like? Sound off in the comments!

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VIDEO FAB: Diddy-Dirty Money & Chris Brown's "Yesterday"

Diddy-Dirty Money (with the exception of the "Dirty Money" part) and Chris Brown's brand new video is here. It was yanked off the internet on Monday. But we've got it now....

Dawn and Kalenna apparently weren't invited to this party.  The two don't appear on this song so it makes sense they're not in the vid.  The "Yesterday" track off Dirty Money's Last Train To Paris album now has a video. 

The vid was shot in L.A. a couple weeks ag and is directed by Colin Tilley.  Peep the shirtless Breezy and Diddy run around the desert-like space in their new ish.

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Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Gets Praise From Hayley Williams, Lindsay Lohan, Others

'Speaking of liberation, I just heard 'Born This Way' and loved it,' Paramore's lead singer tweets.
By James Dinh


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

As the Internet lights up about Lady Gaga's brand-new single, "Born This Way," various celebrities took to Twitter on Friday (February 11) to dish their two cents on the pop superstar's highly anticipated tune.

Paramore's Hayley Williams expressed her excitement for Egypt's recent historic landmark and followed up with a tweet about Mother Monster's new dance track. "YES EGYPT!!! So inspired by your perseverance and your bravery. and speaking of liberation, I just heard 'Born This Way' and loved it. DON'T BE A DRAG JUST BE A QUEEN."

Even before the new song hit the airwaves, troubled star Lindsay Lohan was eager to hear the song as the starlet took to her Twitter, writing, "I'm so excited for Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' to drop!"

Despite the immense hype surrounding "Born This Way," some stars, including "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry, pointed out the song's similarities to Madonna's 1989 classic "Express Yourself."

"Just listened to a clip of Lady Gaga 'Born This Way' and I gotta say ... sounds a lot like 'Express Yourself' from Madonna. Thoughts?" he tweeted. "OK. Good. A lotta peeps are saying the same thing so maybe I won't get raked over the coals :) I thought I was crazy for a second. And by the way ... I'm not dogging it. Haven't even heard it all ... that was just my first impresh."

While Perez Hilton has raved about the song in previous interviews with MTV News, the gossip blogger welcomed the Madonna reference, tweeting, "Express Yourself 2.0 is what people are saying? I'll happily take that!!! #BornThisWayFriday."

Khloe Kardashian showed the track some love by re-tweeting Perez's message and tweeting to a fan, " 'Born This Way'!!!!!! Woooohoooo I love you more."

Internet sensation Simon Curtis also gushed about the song, tweeting, "Born This Way = 2011's Express Yourself - brilliant work @ladygaga."

What do you think of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"? Share your reviews in the comments section!

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This image, which nicely compliments the video below, is for a 1993 metal comp that featured some pretty ripping bands, including Eucharist, Dissection, Impaler, At the Gates, Pitchshifter and Therion, along with a bunch of groups we've never heard of. Good luck tracking it down. But before you try, check out this Norwegian TV ad [...]

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Christopher Nolan Soars With Howard Hughes Biopic 10 Years After 'The Aviator'

Ten years ago, Christopher Nolan was best known for his mind-bending thriller "Memento" and the similarly dark "Insomnia." In the time since, he's directed two extremely successful "Batman" films, cemented his reputation as a master of twists in "The Prestige" and literally received full reign from Warner Bros. in creating his dream film (pun intended), [...]

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Usher's 'OMG' ' 'Kills It Every Night,' Says Tourmate Miguel

'There's so much anticipation for this song when he comes out,' Miguel says of MTV News' Song of the Year.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker


Usher
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

MTV News just named Usher's "OMG" the #1 song of 2010, and clearly we're not alone in our admiration. But what is it like to watch it performed night after night? Miguel, who is currently opening for Usher's OMG Tour gave us a little insight.

"There's so much anticipation for this song when he comes out, and he really gives the fans what they want," Miguel laughs. "He kills it every night."

Before his latest string of hits, Usher was out of the spotlight for a period of time in 2009, when he was dealing with personal issues including a divorce. Miguel finds his 2010 comeback inspiring.

"There was a period of time, when a lot of people didn't believe in Usher and thought he was finished ... just kind of going to ride off into the sunset and disappear," the up-and-coming singer noted.

With the release of Raymond vs. Raymond and its extended, companion EP, Versus, in 2010, Usher proved the skeptics wrong with chart-toppers including "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love."

"He's such a tremendous example of perseverance and determination," Miguel beamed. "I was there throughout this album, so I've seen the adversity that he's had to overcome perception-wise."

MTV News' Top 25 Songs of 2010 have all been counted down. But the fun isn't over yet: We still want to see your picks in the comments below!

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