BOOKED: Shakira feat. Wyclef - Sophie Muller, director

Colombian superstar Shakira will be appear in a wild street festival — loosely based on her home country's wild Barranquilla Carnaval — for this video directed by Sophie Muller.

artist: Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean
song: "Hips Don't Lie"
label: Epic
director(s): Sophie Muller
production co: Oil Factory

NEWS: Cat Solen Signs with Partizan

Director Cat Solen has signed with Partizan. She will still be represented by Justine Smith of Stompbox Media.

Cat directed both the "Bowl Of Oranges" and "At The Bottom of Everything" videos for Bright Eyes.

NEW RELEASE: Rogue Wave "Publish My Love"

Rogue Wave
"Publish My Love" (Sub Pop)
Matt Lenski, director | Amanda Fox, producer | Ultrameena Films, production co | David "Shadi: Perez, DP | in8skils, editors | Goodlookin', special effects
Description: After an arduous journey through post-production, legal limbo and a big revision, a video is finally out there to support Rogue Wave's excellent album, Descended Like Vultures. The basic concept of "Publish My Love" remained unchanged throughout: Performance footage is scattered throughout the quickly flipping pages of several books. The original director's cut used actual books, which created the virtually impossible and potentially expensive task of obtaining clearances. So, the final version substitutes a generic book filled with pages of constantly evolving psychedelic patterns and effects. The original video may have been the better — thanks to some clever  compositions — but the revised one provides lots of visual candy for a great tune. -- Watch "Publish My Love" 

NEW RELEASE: Kanye West "Touch The Sky"

Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco
"Touch The Sky"
(Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam)
Chris Milk, director | Janice Biggs, producer | @radical.media, production co | Danny Hiele, DP | Livio Sanchez @ The Whitehouse, editor
Description: On September 8, 1974, Evel Kneivel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in a custom made and largely untested rocket-propelled Skycycle. It was a nearly fatal disaster, that presumably put the kibosh on Knievel's never attempted dream of clearing the Grand Canyon. So, leave it to the most adventurous duo in music video — director Chris Milk and rap star Kanye West — to attempt it in an epic and captivating clip that works perfectly on several levels.

Combining the look of a 1970's feature film with the classic ABC Wide World Of Sports series, the video casts Kanye as Evel Knievel doppelganger Evel Kanyevel,Pamela Anderson as his love interest and Nia Long as one of the women who calls Kanye on his crap. The jump itself follows the same sad trajectory of Knievel's Snake River attempt, but there is that magical moment when Kanye does indeed "Touch The Sky." Let's hope for a sequel with a shark tank. -- watch the director's cut of  "Touch The Sky"

NEWS: Zach Merck Joins Radical Media

Director Zach Merck has signed with @radical.media for representation. The director's credits include videos for many hard rock acts, including Hinder , Cold, Vaux, Life Of Agony, Atreyu and many others.

SHOT: The Secret Machine - Patrick Daughters, director

artist: The Secret Machines
song: "Lighting Blue Eyes"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Patrick Daughters
production co: Black Dog

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE: Kelis and Marc Klasfeld

With a song title like "Bossy" it's hard to imagine that Kelis is lost and asking for directions. More likely, this picture from the set of "Bossy" shows the singer behind the wheel discussing a shot with director Marc Klasfeld.

SHOT: The Exit - Major Lightner, director

Exit singer/bass player Jeff DaRosa travels along the lonely roads of a working class Long Island neighborhood in a video for this acoustic track. 

artist: The Exit
song: "Soldier"
label: Wind-Up
director(s): Major Lightner
production co: MotivFilms
rep: RW Media

SHOT: The Terms - Major Lightner, director

Being that The Terms came together at Louisiana State University, it only makes sense that they shot "Welcome To The Now" at the Baton Rouge campus. As a bonus, they got the full LSU marching band to perform with them in the video and the song is being used in a marketing campaign for the university.

artist: The Terms
song: "Welcome To The Now"
label: Maple Jam
director(s): Major Lightner
production co: MotivFilms
rep: RW Media

NEWS: Alchemy Signs Tony Petrossian for UK

Director Tony Petrossian has signed with Alchemy Pictures for the UK. He is still with Rockhard Films and Robin Frank Representation for the US. The director's credits include videos for Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold. Most recently, Petrossian directed a video for Mercury UK band Orson.

NEW RELEASE: Vitalic "My Friend Dario"

Vitalic
"My Friend Dario" (Citizen/PIAS)
Marco Laguna, director | Yellow House, production co
Description: Don't feel bad if you have no idea who Dario is after watching this video. In fact, everything about French DJ Vitalic and this video is pretty mysterious. The singer on the track is actually Brigitte — which is actually a synthesized voice and not a real human — and your guess as to who plays her in the video is as good as mine. Other head-scratching, yet eminently likable aspects of the video are a robot, a couple of headbanging air guitarists and three scantily clad chicks in football helmets. -- watch "My Friend Dario"

NEW RELEASE: West Indian Girl "Hollywood"

West Indian Girl
"Hollywood" (Astralwerks)
Cary Heckman, director | Rik Michul, producer |Geronimo Films, production co Craig Barker, DP | Chris Wright, editor
Description: Director Cary Heckman and psychedelic rock band West Indian Girl grant a peek at the nefarious activities that go on among the starlets and scenesters in "Hollywood." The vice depicted here is cocaine, which gets distributed and used throughout the clip. Although the video doesn't glamorize the drug — unless you consider blowing lines off a hot chick's ass to be inherently glamorous — it also doesn't exactly show the downside. The video and a lengthy introduction and disclaimer from the band are up at the West Indian Girl blog. -- watch "Hollywood"

BOOKED: C-Note - Dale Resteghini, director

This reggaeton/pop group will perform in and around Miami while a storyline will show a girl remembering her broken relationship by flipping through photographs.

artist: C-Note
song: "Forgive Me"
label: Trans Continental
director(s): Dale Resteghini
production co: Raging Nation Films

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE: D-Block "Devine"

Director Dale Resteghini of Raging Nation Films (second from left) and John Franck of Koch Records (second from right) on the set of the Sheek Louch feat. J-Hood video "Devine" with the rappers of D-Block.

SHOT: Christina Milian - Ray Kay, director

Young Jeezy, director Ray Kay and Christina Milian on the set of "Say I."

artist: Christina Milian
feat. Young Jeezy
song: "Say I"
label: Island Def Jam
director(s): Ray Kay
production co: Rockhard Films
rep: Robin Frank Management

NEWS: Directors Bureau/Res 60 Sec Film Contest

Can you define love in sixty seconds?

Production company The Directors Bureau (TDB) and creative lifestyle magazine Res are co-hosting a very short film contest. The TDB Directors Challenge is accepting submissions of short films that are no longer than 60 seconds and be centered on the theme of love. The top five entries will be posted on TDB website and the ultimate winning filmmaker — as chosen by the TDB staff —  will receive $2,000.

Submissions are due by midnight, February 28. Complete details and rules have been "declassified" at the TDB_60 site.

Director Bureau's roster boasts Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola, AV Club and Shynola. Staffers include Executive Producer Cayce Cole, Music Video Rep Lana Kim and Production Manager Eric Normington.

NEWS: Oil Factory Adds Director Eliot Jokelson

Director Eliot Jokelson has signed with Oil Factory for representation. Jokelson's music video directorial credits include "Staring At The Sun" and "Dreams" for TV On The Radio. He also co-directed "Fortress" for Pinback.

BOOKED: City Sleeps - Fort Awesome, directors

artist: City Sleeps
song: "Prototype"
label: Maverick/Warner Bros.
director(s): Fort Awesome
production co: Suckerpunch

BOOKED: Horrorpops - Matthew Heckerling, director

artist: Horrorpops
song: "Where You Can't Follow"
label: Epitaph
director(s): Matthew Heckerling
production co: Propeller Productions

SHOT: Yellowcard - Marc Webb, director

artist: Yellowcard
song: "Rough Landing, Holly"
label: Capitol
director(s): Marc Webb
production co: DNA