WATCH IT: Coldplay "Viva La Vida" (2 versions)

It is rare for the high art and the music video worlds to overlap, so it might come as a surprise to see two different video clips for one song inspired by a painting from 1830. The artwork, by the painter Delacroix depicting the French "July Revolution," is on the cover of the most recent Coldplay album and now it is the backbone of two separate clips for the title track, ‘Viva La Vida.’ The first clip is directed by Hype Williams and uses the painting "Liberty Leading the People" as the color palette for a sparkling, yet murky, post-effected backdrop. It's a simple clip that echoes the graphic, expressionistic qualities of the Apple TV commercial featuring the song and focuses completely on the performance. [review by Doug Stern] --> watch "Viva La Vida" (official version), also in streaming Quicktime

Coldplay "Viva La Vida" (Capitol)
Hype Williams, director/producer/editor | Naaila, production co | John Perez, DP | Hype Williams + Scott Pryor, post production supervisors

The second "alternate" clip is done in the style of director Anton Corbijn's Depeche Mode classic "Enjoy The Silence" and apparently directed by Corbijn as well, although that's not 100% clear. It features Coldplay frontman/baby-misnamer Chris Martin as a freshly deposed King with plenty of time on his royal hands. He drags the inspirational painting around, his last vestige of privilege, as he visits old castles and a tiny city that allows him to bask in his own majesty, even as the painting reminds him that Liberty will never be held back for long. Is the Liberty in the painting taunting the dethroned King, or showing him that new, unexpected freedoms await even deposed despots? Recommended viewing for the current occupants of the West Wing. [review by Doug Stern] --> watch "Viva La Vida" (alternate version)

TUNE IN: FNMTV with video debuts + VMA Nods for 8/8/08

This week's episode of FNMTV Premieres will feature video premieres from The Cab, Donnie Klang and Morningwood, plus a performance by Santogold.

Also, nominees for two more 2008 MTV Video Music Awards categories — Best New Artist and Best Dancing In A Video — will be announced on the show. The nominees unveiled last week are:

Best Hip Hop Video:

• Flo Rida "Low" - Bernard Gourley, director
• Kanye West "Homecoming" - Hype Williams, director
• Lil Wayne "Lollipop" - Gil Green/Dwayne Carter, director
• Lupe Fiasco "Superstar" - Hype Williams, director
• Mary J. Blige "Just Fine" - Chris Applebaum, director

Best Pop Video:

• Britney Spears "Piece of Me" - Wayne Isham, director
• Danity Kane "Damaged" - Syndrome, director
• Jonas Brothers "Burnin Up" - Brendan Malloy & Tim Wheeler, director
• Panic At The Disco "Nine In The Afternoon" - Shane Drake, director
• Tokio Hotel "Ready, Set, Go!" - Warwick & Haering, director

Click the categories to see all the nominated videos. And tune in for this special all 8's episode of FNMTV: 8pm on 8/8/08.

WATCH IT: Truckasaurus "Fak!"

It's hard to say what's riskier about this viral video for Seattle electronic pranksters Truckasaurus: Forcing viewers to ponder the implicit (explicit?) homosexuality of professional wrestling, or inviting the litigious goons at Vince McMahon's WWE to slap down a Cease & Desist letter faster than Andy Kaufman could incite an ass-kicking from Jerry Lawler. Director/Editor Dan Borden recuts a "classic" match between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior so that each pelvic thrust is synced with the beat. It's kinda random and fun, but no more so than the fake Hollywood trailer that precedes it. --> watch "Fak!" via PitchforkTV

Truckasaurus "Fak!" (Fourth City)
Dan Borden, director/editor

SHOT: R. Kelly - Anthony Mandler, director

artist: R. Kelly
song: "Skin"
label: Jive/ZLG
director(s): Anthony Mandler
production co: Les Enfants Terribles

BOOKED: Avant - Bille Woodruff, director

artist: Avant
song: "When It Hurts"
label: Capitol
director(s): Bille Woodruff
production co: Gertie
rep: Yell Productions

WATCH IT: All Time Low "Poppin' Champagne"

Well, it looks like the effects of Barack Obama's nuanced speech on race relations — "the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime," according to pundit Andrew Sullivan —are already being felt in the pop-punk constituency. All Time Low actually seem to exist in a sort of Colbertian post-race world where poking fun of hip-hop video stereotypes is no more dangerous or transgressive than dressing a midget in a Celtics leprechaun suit or having a three way tongue twisting session with a ferret. It's certainly juvenile, no doubt, but "Poppin' Champagne" is certainly less offensive than even a semi-clean edit of the Ludacris video "Pussy' Poppin." --> watch "Poppin' Champagne"

All Time Low "Poppin' Champagne" (Hopeless)
Travis Kopach, director | Jeremy Sullivan, producer | Dignity & Shame, production co | Russell Griffith , DP | Donald O'Reilly, art director | (note: Travis Kopach is signed with DNA)

WATCH IT: Fonzworth Bentley "Everybody"

A rap record by an effete valet might not be a sure bet in the machismo-oriented marketplace of the rap world, but this isn't just any manservant. Fonzworth Bentley is Diddy's former umbrella holder, who's also held his own on tracks by Da Band and Outkast. On "Everybody," the first single from his debut  album C.O.L.O.U.R.S, Bentley calls in heavy hitters Kanye West and Andre 3000 to play members of a tuxedo-clad quintet with a ridiculous moniker (Cool Outrageous Lover of Uniquely Raw Style) based on the album title. The video director — who is actually Fonzworth's little brother and a USC film student — spreads the shine equally among Fonzworth and his more famous co-stars. That and the outrageous choreography leaves him a bit in the background, but it's a role he may be quickly outgrowing. (review by Craig Belcher) --> watch "Everybody"

Fonzworth Bentley f/ Kanye West & Andre 3000
"Everybody" (G.O.O.D./Epic)
Dion Watkins, director | Sa-Ra , producer

SHOT: Rocko - Gabriel Hart, director

Director Gabriel Hart and Rocko on-location in Atlanta...

artist: Rocko
song: "Dis Morning"
label: So So Def/Island/IDJMG
director(s): Gabriel Hart
production co: SI Film/Southern Trees Film Group

SHOT: Buckcherry - Darren Doane, director

Director Darren Doane and Buckcherry singer Joshua Todd on the set of "Don't Go Away."

artist: Buckcherry
song: "Don't Go Away"
label: Atlantic
director(s): Darren Doane
production co: LEVEL4

BOOKED: Ace Hood - Gil Green, director

artist: Ace Hood f/ Trey Songz
song: "Ride"
label: Def Jam/IDJMG
director(s): Gil Green
production co: 305 Films
rep: Labuda Management

note: Gil Green is signed with Merge @ Crossroads

BOOKED: Plain White T's - Shane Drake, director

artist: Plain White T's
song: "Natural Disaster"
label: Hollywood
director(s): Shane Drake
production co: Red Van Pictures
rep: Labuda Management

BOOKED: Rise Against - Kevin Kerslake, director

artist: Rise Against
song: "Re-Education (Through Labor)"
label: Geffen
director(s): Kevin Kerslake
production co: Merge @ Crossroads
rep: Labuda Management

SHOT: Alice Cooper - Gabrielle Geiselman/Piggy D, directors

Co-directors Gabrielle Geiselman and Piggy D with Alice Cooper (center) on the set of a three video shoot for the rock legend's new album, Along Came A Spider.

artist: Alice Cooper
song(s): "Vengeance Is Mine" + "(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side" + "Killed By Love"
label: SPV
director(s): Gabrielle Geiselman & Piggy D
production co: Black Victory

WATCH IT: The Octopus Project "An Evening With Rthrtha"

According to a handy set of Cliff Notes that art/design studio Double Triple and animator/director Ryan Junell — the same team that delivered the quite nice Spoon video "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" — a Rthrtha is "sort of like a Chuthlu, an ineffable extra-dimensional creature, incomprehensible to human perception." Got it? If not, don't worry. It's by definition incomprehensible. So, while the meaning of this dazzling multi-media video may be hard to pin down, the visuals are a real thrill as it clearly depicts a descent into chaos. Things start all nice and pleasant with various nature shots that remind me of the cover to R.E.M. Green, before segueing first to a bat attack that's just as vicious as any Hunter S. Thompson nightmare and then to a nightmarish onslaught that is so ineffable it can only be described as Rthrthaish. --> watch "An Evening With Rthrtha" with a making-of flickr set  

The Octopus Project "An Evening With Rthrtha" (Peek-a-Boo Records)
Double Triple & Ryan Junell, directors

WATCH IT: Vampire Weekend "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

Never piss off the Wiccan chick. That's the lesson singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig learns in this new Vampire Weekend video directed by UK comedic actor Richard Ayoade. After getting busted by his goth sweetie while in mid-serenade to a hot debutante at a posh party ever, the girl uses her underworldly powers to transport Koenig and his now famously preppie bandmates into what must be their worst nightmare: A clichéd gang of overly styled mope rockers who finally look like their band name. Scary, indeed. --> watch "Cape Cod Kassa Kassa"

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Vampire Weekend "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (XL)
Richard Ayoade, director | Lisa Mayer Sommer, producer | Warp Films, production co | Aaron Phillips, DP

SHOT: The Academy Is - Petro, director

Director Petro (third from left) with The Academy Is on the set of "About A Girl" (which is not a cover of the Nirvana song)...

artist: The Academy Is
song: "About A Girl"
label: Fueld By Ramen/Atlantic 
director(s): Petro
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: Okkervil River - Seth & Bobby, directors

artist: Okkervil River
song: "Lost Coastlines"
label: Jagjaguwar
director(s): Seth and Bobby
production co: Partizan

SHOT: The Lo - _U_P, directors

Aka the group usually known as Camp Lo...

artist: The Lo
song: "Lumdi"
label: SRC/Universal Motown
director(s): U_P_
production co: Triggerhappy

NEWS: RW Media Signs Director Tue Walin Storm

RW Media has just signed director  Tue Walin Storm of production house The Kompany.

Directing credits include:

• Cobra Starship "Send My Love To The Dance Floor..."
• Armor For Sleep "Williamsburg"
• Randy Travis "Faith In You"

MTV Adds for the Week of 8/04/08

MTV2 Adds:

• All Time Low "Poppin' Champagne" (Hopeless)
• David Banner "Shawty Say" (Universal)
• DJ Khaled "Out Here Grindin’" (Koch/Terror Squad)
• Fonzworth Bentley f/ Kanye West & Andre 3000 "Everybody" (G.O.O.D.)
• Hawthorne Heights "Rescue Me" (Victory)
• N.E.R.D. "Spaz" (Interscope)
• Shinedown "Devour" (Atlantic)
• Snoop Dogg "Those Gurlz" (Geffen)
• Soulja Boy "Donk" (Interscope)

MTVu Adds:

• All Time Low "Poppin' Champagne" (Hopeless)
• Beck "Gamma Ray" (Interscope)
• Gnarls Barkley "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" (Downtown/Atlantic)
• Hawthorne Heights "Rescue Me" (Victory)
• M.I.A. "Paper Planes" (Interscope)
• Nas "Hero" (Def Jam/IDJMG)
• Radiohead "House Of Cards" (TBD)
• Snoop Dogg "Those Gurlz" (Geffen)
• The Stills "Being Here" (Arts & Crafts)

MTV Jams Adds:

• Damian Marley "The Mission" (Universal)
• David Banner "Shawty Say" (Universal)
• DJ Khaled f/ Akon, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Trick Daddy, Lil Boosie "Out Here Grindin’" (Koch/Terror Squad)
• Snoop Dogg "Those Gurlz" (Geffen)