PROFILE: Whitey McConnaughy, director

name: Whitey McConnaughy
company: Refused TV
job/title: Director

First video: It was for The Catheters, a great band on Sub Pop. I got the gig because I was the DP on a video for The Shins — also on Sub Pop — and the label's general manager, Megan Jasper knew I wanted to direct a video for them. So, they gave me this Catheters track "Nothing." The song was and is great and the budget was a whopping $4,000. We shot it on my film equipment (a Super 16 and a 35mm camera) and ran it through my production company. The video got picked by MTV for this segment called "Here Today, Hip Tomorrow" and t actually got played on MTV2 a bunch. From there I began a great relation ship with the nice people at Sub Pop Records.

--> watch The Catheters "Nothing"

Strangest Video: "Listen Up" by The Gossip. It was a last minute video and The Gossip were recording a new album up in   Seattle. The video featured a bunch of cross dressers. The male lead was   played by a woman from NYC who goes by the name of Murray and the female lead  was played by a man who goes by the name of Kelly. The DP and I never quite   got it figured out who we should call "him" or "her." The shoot was fun and   everyone was so rad. It's great to see a band like The Gossip finally receive some well deserved success.

--> watch The Gossip "Listen Up"

What's Next: Directing a new Helio Sequence video for Sub Pop. Finishing up a DVD anthology on the grunge pioneers Mudhoney, also for Sub Pop. Directing more commercials, writing more treatments. I recently finished work on a screenplay I was commissioned to write. It's a feature length comedy my writing partner and I wrote. I'm in the running to direct it, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. Just working on lots of diverse projects as much as possible.

NEW RELEASE: Vampire Weekend "A Punk"

While it's too early to proclaim Vampire Weekend my favorite indie rock band with an Ivy League pedigree — Don't worry Jon Spencer, your Blues Explosion is still #1 in my heart — this quartet of Columbia University alums is looking like a good bet to break big in 2008. The buzz has clearly reached overseas because the mighty Hammer & Tongs creative team doesn't take on a low budget commission for any band. This purposefully choppy performance piece plays up the manic precociousness that propels each beat of pretty glorious exampled of what the Vampwees call "Upper West Side Soweto." --> watch "A Punk" --> watch "A Punk" via YouTube or MTV (I embedded the YouTube, but the MTV version looks much better)

Vampire Weekend "A Punk" (XL)
Garth Jennings of Hammer & Tongs, director | Hammer & Tongs/Anonymous, production co | Nick Goldsmith & Garth Jennings, DP/editor

NEW RELEASE: Ice Cube "Gangsta Rap Make Me Do It"

After a couple kid-friendly flicks and years of red carpet treatment, O'Shea Jackson isn't the same angry black man that made critical music in rap's golden era. But, he can still act like it. In "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It," Ice Cube facetiously lays the blame for the majority of America's problems at the feet of the genre he helped propel to the mainstream. Violence, rape, murder, theft, arson, war?  All the fault of rap music, according to the Nazi-ed up classroom teacher tells a classroom of kids in the year 2020.  Deft edits of stock footage from natural and political disasters follow, intercut with a shadow boxing Ice Cube. It's a gripping visual for a song that confronts the hypocrisy of rap's pop culture critics and should provoke discussion for months to come. (review Craig Belcher) --> watch "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" in quicktime or  via MySpace 

Ice Cube "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" (Lench Mob)
Jonathan Silver, director/editor | Jeff Kwatinetz & Giovanni Hidalgo, producer |  Colin Watkinson, DP [photo by Arnold Turner of director Jonathan Silver and Ice Cube]

BOOKED: Bizzy Bone f/ DMX - Ethan Lader, director

artist: Bizzy Bone feat. DMX
song: "A Song For You"
label: After Platinum
director(s): Ethan Lader
production co: Kleiner, Inc.

BOOKED: Sheek Louch - Todd A, director

Having already delivered a hit video for Lox/D-Block  member Styles P, Todd A is set to work with Sheek Louch, also of the influential NYC crew. Could Jadakiss be next?

artist: Sheek Louch
song: "Good Love"
label: Koch
director(s): Todd A
production co: Raging Nation Films

SHOT: Story Of The Year - Ryan Smith, director

Story Of The Year on the set of "Wake Up" with: Director Ryan Smith (top row, third from left) and producer Michael J. Katz and DP Christopher Probst (bottom row, left and right, respectively).

artist: Story Of The Year
song: "Wake Up"
label: Epitaph
director(s): Ryan Smith
production co: The Artists Company
rep: Laure Scott

Photo by Chadwick. Click it, make it bigger.

NEW RELEASE: The Cheetah Girls "Fuego"

It might hurt to admit it, but the music industry is driven by teenyboppers. Be it the Mickey Mouse Club, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany (aka the First Wave Of American Pop Music), the NWOAPM crew of Britney, 'Nsync, and Backstreet Boys, bubblegum music aimed at kids spending their allowances is proven lucrative game. The current craze centers around the stable of stars at Walt Disney's Hollywood Records, which has figured out the formula of leveraging TV show and movie opportunities into pop stars. We're talking The Jonas Brothers, Hilary Duff, Hannah Miley Montana Cyrus, Jesse McCartney and the whole High School Musical jackpot. Right in the thick of all that is The Cheetah Girls, a pop trio with a successful series of Disney Channel movies to drive music sales. Although the next CG movie is reportedly set to be a Bollywood adventure, "Fuego" is a slight bilingual tribute to Tropicalia and the Isla Bonita of your choice. The video itself mixes some typical pop teen performance set-ups with backgrounds that have a Washington Heights and West Side Story vibe. Although the girls don't quite hit all their choreography marks — which might be part of the charm, actually — the clip is as on target as it needs to be to help grab some allowance money from the kiddies. --> watch "Fuego" via YouTube plus a Behind The Scenes short

Cheetah Girls  "Fuego" (Hollywood)
Marcus Raboy, director | Hagai Shaham, producer | DNA, production co | Welles Hackett, DP | Mario Mares , editor | Skulley Effects, vfx 

SHOT: Trey Songz - Ray Kay, director

artist: Trey Songz
song: "Last Time"
label: Atlantic
director(s): Ray Kay
production co: Rockhard Films
rep: Robin Frank Management

SHOT: Trey Songz - Syndrome, directors

artist: Trey Songz f/ Plies
song: "Can't Help But Wait"
label: Atlantic
director(s): Syndrome
production co: Robot Films
rep: Robin Frank Management

BOOKED: Chingy - Syndrome, directors

artist: Chingy f/ Ludacris & Bobby Valentino
song: "Gimme That"
label: Disturbing The Peace/Island Def Jam
director(s): Syndrome
production co: Robot Films
rep: Robin Frank Management

NEW RELEASE: Janet Jackson "Feedback"

Who wants to see Janet Jackson and her humongous orbs? Before you get all excited and take your hand off your mouse, you should know I'm referring to the illuminated planetary spheroids that Janet and her dancers use as Pilates ball launching pads for dance moves and intergalactic travel. Janet is back after a lengthy break with this introductory shot off Discipline — her first for Island Def Jam — and a video that looks back as much as it looks forward. The choice of UK director Saam to create a sort of companion piece to his otherworldy "Golden Skans" video for avant gardish rockers the Klaxons signals a desire to reinforce her tendency to do the unexpected. The video itself, however, comes across like a minimalist version of Barbarella — or Britney Spears' "Oops... I Did It Again," to use a video reference —  mixed with the militant and ultra-disciplined vibe of Janet's epochal "Rhythm Nation." The choreography is as razor sharp as you would expect, while Saam delivers enough compelling images to live up to the collaboration's promise. Be sure you stay tuned to the end, when Janet and crew descend upon a more lquid world to play with some gravity defying, milky, white globular goo. (Come on, get your mind of the gutter.) --> watch "Feedback" via Yahoo premiere

Janet Jackson "Feedback" (Island Def Jam)
Saam, director | Billy Parks, producer | Partizan, production co | Max Goldman , DP

SHOT: Maroon 5 - Marc Webb, director

Shooting this week in Los Angeles...

artist: Maroon 5
song: "Goodnight, Goodnight"
label: Octone/A&M/Interscope
director(s): Marc Webb
production co: DNA

SHOT: Idina Menzel - Liz Friedlander, director

Broadway star Idina Menzel returns to the pop music world with this first clip off her album I Stand, set to hit stores on January 29...

artist: Idina Menzel
song: "Brave"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Liz Friedlander
production co: DNA

BOOKED: Ben Lee - Todd Strauss Schulson, director

Prepare to be invited to a pot luck dinner with Ben Lee and a cavalcade of  '80s TV celebs in this music video tie-in with the new season of Vh1 programming. The song is currently being featured in a series of Vh1 spots.

artist: Ben Lee
song: "American Television"
label: New West
director(s): Todd Strauss Schulson
production co: Mt. Vernon

MTV Adds for the Weeks of 1/14/07

MTV Adds:
Ashlee Simpson "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" (Geffen)
Cobra Starship "This City Is At War" (Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen)
The D.E.Y. "Give You The World" (Epic)
Fat  Joe f/ J. Holiday "I Won't Tell" (Imperial)
Janet "Feedback" (Island Def Jam)
Maroon 5 "Won't Go Home Without You" (Octone/A&M/Interscope)
Natasha Bedingfield f/ Sean Kingston "Love Like This" (Epic)
Sara Bareilles "Love Song" (Epic)
Spill Canvas "All Over You" (Warner Bros.)
Vampire Weekend "A Punk" (XL/Beggars)

MTV2 Adds:
Cobra Starship "This City Is At War" (Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen)
Kid Sister "Pro Nails" (Fool's Gold)
Scarface "Girl You Know" (Asylum)
Shawty Lo "Dey Know" (Asylum)
Spill Canvas "All Over You" (Warner Bros.)
Vampire Weekend "A Punk" (XL/Beggars)
Webbie "Independent" (Asylum)

MTVU Adds:
!!! "Yadnus" (Warp)
Bjork "Declare Independence" (Atlantic)
Chrisette Michele "Be Ok" (Island Def Jam)
Cobra Starship "This City Is At War" (Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen)
The D.E.Y. "Give You The World" (Epic)
Flo Rida f/ T-Pain "Low" (Atlantic)
Gorillaz "Rock It" (Virgin)
Jay-Z "American Dreamin'" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
John Legend "Show Me" (Columbia)
Kid Sister "Pro Nails" (Fool's Gold)
Metafore "Nah Mean" (Luckybug)
Sara Bareilles "Love Song" (Epic)
Serj Tankian "Honking Antelope" (Serjical Strike/Warner Bros.)
Tegan & Sara "The Con" (Vapor/Sire/Warner Bros.)
Tunng "Bullets" (Static Caravan)

MTV Jams Adds:
Janet "Feedback" (Island Def Jam)
Kid Sister "Pro Nails" (Fool's Gold)
Mike Jones f/ Hurricane Chris "Drop & Gimme 50" (Asylum/Warner Bros.)
Soulja Boy "Yah" (Interscope)
Webbie "Independent" (Asylum)

VH1 Adds for the Weeks of 1/14 & 1/7/08

Vh1 Adds for week of 1/14:
Nelly Furtado "In God's Hands (Geffen)
Lenny Kravitz "I'll Be Waiting" (Virgin/Capitol)
Taylor Swift "Teardrops On My Guitar" (Big Machine) 

Vh1 Soul Adds for week of 1/14:
The Dream "Falsetto" (Island Def Jam)
Lenny Kravitz "I'll Be Waiting" (Virgin/Capitol)
Tamia "Almost" (Plus One)

Vh1 Adds for week of 1/7:
Britney Spears "Piece Of Me" (Jive/ZLG)
Eddie Vedder "Guaranteed" (J)
Gwen Stefani "Early Winter" (Interscope)
Jordin Sparks "Tattoo" (Jive/ZLG)
Kid Rock "Amen" (Atlantic)
Radiohead "Bodysnatchers" (TBD)
Radiohead "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" (TBD)
Rooney "I Should've Been After You" (Cherrytree/Geffen)
Sheryl Crow "Love Is Free" (A&M)
Sia "Day Too Soon" (Astralwerks)

Vh1 Soul Adds for week of 1/7:
Chuck Brown "Party Roll" (Full Circle)
Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators "If This Ain't Love" (Timmion)

BET Adds for the Week of 1/14/08

BET Adds:
Janet Jackson "Feedback" (Island Def Jam)
Soulja Boy f/ A-rab "Yahhh!" (Interscope)

Rap City Adds:
Dem Franchize Boyz "Talkin' Out Da Side Of Ya Neck" (So So Def/Virgin/Capitol)
Mike Jones f/ Hurricane Chris "Drop & Gimme 50" (Asylum/Warner Bros.)
Pop It Off Boyz "Crank Dat Batman" (Universal Motown)
Rocko "Umma Do Me" (Island Urban/IDJMG)

Fuse Adds for the Weeks of 1/14/08

Adds:
Alicia Keys "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (J)
Ashlee Simpson "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" (Geffen)
Chris Brown "With You" (Jive/ZLG)
Lupe Fiasco "Superstar" (1st & 15th/Atlantic)
Sixx:A.M. "Accidents Can Happen" (10th St. Ent)

Music Choice Adds for the Weeks of 1/14/08 - 12/31/07

Adds for week of 1/14:
August Burns Red "Composure" (Solid State)
The  Autumn Offering "From Atrophy To Obsession" (Victory)
Breed "Take A Picture" (Selym)
Dinosaur Jr. "Been There All The Time" (Fat  Possum)
Fat  Joe f/ J. Holiday "I Won't Tell" (Imperial)
Klaxons "Magick" (DGC/Geffen)
Michael Buble "Everything" (Reprise/Warner Bros.)
Scarface "Girl You Know" (Asylum)
Silverchair "If You Keep Losing Sleep" (EastWest)

Adds for week of 1/7:
Backstreet Boys "Helpless When She Smiles" (Jive/ZLG)
Beanie Sigel f/ R. Kelly "All Of The Above" (Roc-A-Fella)
Britney Spears "Piece Of Me" (Jive/ZLG)
The Dream "Falsetto" (Island Def Jam)
Gorillaz "Rock It" (Virgin)
Hurricane Chris f/ Boxie "Playas Rock" (Polo Grounds/J)
Kenna "Say Goodbye To Love" (Interscope)
Keyshia Cole "I Remember" (Geffen)
Monster In The Machine "Savior" (Emotional Syphon)
Moros Eros "On My Side" (Victory)
New Atlantic "Cold-Hearted Town" (Eyeball)
Smif-N-Wessun f/ Chuckii Star "Gotta Say It" (Duck Down)
Thursday "Ladies & Gentlemen: My Brother, The Failure" (Victory)

Adds for week of 12/31/07:
50 Cent f/ Akon "I Still Will" (G Unit/Interscope)
Bob Dylan "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (Columbia)
Bon Jovi f/ Leann Rimes "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (Mercury) 
Boot Camp Clik "BK All Day" (Duck Down)
Ce'Cile "Hot Like Dat" (Danger Zone)
Cheri Dennis "Portrait Of Love" (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
Dolla f/ T-Pain "Who The **** Is That" (Konvict Muzik/Jive/ZLG)
Drowning Pool "Enemy" (Eleven Seven)
Elliott Yamin "One Word" (Hickory)
Glory "Acelera" (VI)
Godsmack "Good Times Bad Times" (Universal Republic)
H.I.M. "Bleed Well" (Sire/Warner Bros.)
I Wayne "Life Seeds" (VP)
J Xavier f/ Lil Kano & MC Qua "Get Yours (Remix)" (Noo Day/Music World)
Jaheim "Never" (Atlantic)
John Mayer "Say" (Warner Bros.)
Jzabehl "Naughty Boys" (March 3rd)
Kirk Franklin "Declaration (This Is It)" (Fo Yo Soul/ZLG)
Led Zeppelin "The Ocean (Live)" (Atlantic)
Pastor Rudolph McKissick, Jr. "Right Place" (Emtro Gospel)
Plain White T's "Our Time Now" (Hollywood)
Public Enemy Vs. Benny Benassi "Bring The Noise (Remix)" (Ultra/Sequence)
Queens Of The Stone Age "Make It Wit Chu" (Interscope)
Radiohead "Bodysnatchers" (TBD)
Radiohead "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" (TBD)
Saigon f/ Swizz Beatz "Come On Baby" (Atlantic)
Throwdown "Holy Roller" (Trustkill)
Trap Starz Clik "Get It Big" (OnDeck/Universal Republic)
Vickie Winans "Special Day" (Destiny Joy)
The White Stripes "Conquest" (Third Man/Warner Bros.)
Yung Ralph "Look Like Money" (Universal Republic) 

CMT Adds for the Weeks of 1/7/08 - 12/24/07

CMT Adds for week of 1/7:
Dale Watson "Hollywood Hyena" (Hyena)

CMT Adds for week of 12/31:
Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here" (Capitol Nashville)

CMT Pure Adds for week of 12/31:
Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here" (Capitol Nashville)
Steve Earle "City Of Immigrants" (New West)

CMT Adds for week of 12/24:
Alan Jackson "Small Town Southern Man" (Arista Nashville)
Luke Bryan "We Rode In Trucks" (Capitol Nashville)

CMT Pure Adds for week of 12/24:
Alan Jackson "Small Town Southern Man" (Arista Nashville)
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver "Sadie's Got Her New Dress On" (Rounder)
Teddy Thompson "Change Of Heart" (Verve Forecast)