Rihanna and her main man in the video, played by British model/boxer Dudley O'Shaughnessy, are not only addicted to drugs, but also each other. The clip's director, Melina Matsoukas, said the video is a warning about the dangers of those types of dependencies.
"We love, obviously, to do provocative imagery ... we always try to definitely push the limits," Matsoukas told MTV News. "I think because, in the end, it's not really at all about domestic violence. It's really just about it being toxic, and they're on this drug trip and that definitely plays a part, but I think it's also about being triumphant over those weaknesses, and she leaves him. It's not trying to glorify that type of relationship. The bad parts of it, that's what you don't want. In the end, her leaving, it represents her getting that out of her life. The drugs and the addiction and the toxic -- that's what brings her downfall and brings a lot of harm."
The video was originally slated to shoot it in Brazil then it got moved to Belfast, Ireland. Rihanna trusted her longtime collaborator and gave her full control to come up with just the right treatment. The singer's new hair and its more natural color helped shape the mood of the video and "how being really natural is forward-thinking." The pair then got supermodel Agyness Deyn onboard to read the monologue, and soon, all the pieces of the puzzle came together.
"It makes you feel so good, like you're lost in electricity or love or whatever it is, you're lost in it," she said about the track. "Obviously, it feels easy to put her in a club with some lights ... so it was really trying to capture that feeling and also what she's singing about."
Seeking inspiration from "real, raw movies" like "Attack the Block," "Kids," "Trainspotting" and "Requiem for a Dream," Matsoukas wanted to capture all that darkness in the video.
"[The song's] totally rave-y... and that's the feeling, just music rushing over you, and then I started thinking about drugs and addiction and love and how that's an addiction," she said. "We've all lived the ups and downs of being in a toxic relationship. It's really about the obstacles of trying to let it go, but at the same time how great it makes you feel, so it's hard to let it go.
"Again, it goes back to a story that we all can relate to," she continued. "It's not Rihanna's story; it's her story in the video, and she's acting. But everybody's [as well]. Obviously, there's a lot of comparisons to her real life, and that's not at all the intention. It's just that I guess people naturally go there because art imitates life, and it's a story we all relate to and we've all experienced. Like, it's based on my life; it's based on her life; it's based on your life, like, everybody."
The video, in between moments of truly real situations, is made a bit dreamier thanks to imagery including a scene where Rihanna vomits ribbons. "All of it was supposed to be a bit surreal, but still real," she said. "So it was finding those little moments like the cigarettes, the ribbons and all this archival footage in there, and the projection stuff throughout it gives it that surreal thing and what's going on in her mind and her purging of her partying ways or whatever the toxic relationship was. And that's what that's supposed to represent."
What did you think of Rihanna's "We Found Love" video? Share your reviews in the comments!
His team is already 'working on the script,' Bieber tells MTV News. By Kara Warner, with reporting by James Montgomery
Justin Bieber Photo: MTV News
Although most of Justin Bieber's time revolves around his music career (he has not one, but two albums in the works), the young entrepreneur also seems to have designs on a career in Hollywood.
Yes, he already hit the big screen with last year's box-office success "Never Say Never," but that film was unscripted and a biopic of sorts. When MTV News caught up with Bieber recently during the "MTV First" premiere of his "Mistletoe" video, he revealed that although he has a lot on his plate, he wants to make time to make a movie.
"What's happening is: get off this tour, and then my [holiday] album's coming out, so I have to go back out and promote that album ... and then after that ... it's almost time for my next album, so then everything starts over again," Bieber told us. "Hopefully next summer I can start on a movie or something," he snuck in.
And although Bieber didn't divulge exactly what kind of movie he wants to do, he did say that his team is "working on the script."
The 17-year-old teen heartthrob has expressed an interest in pursuing an acting career, particularly after he guest-starred on "CSI" last year, where he received praise from the show's executive producer and managed to impress everyone in the cast with his work ethic.
Bieber has also said he'd love to try out his comedic skills. "[I want] to do a comedy with Will Ferrell, like play his son or something like that," Bieber said, adding, "What's up, Will?"
What kind of movie role would you like to see Justin in? Share your ideas in the comments!
Cate Edwards, the daughter of former presidential candidate John Edwards and the late Elizabeth Edwards, married college sweetheart Trevor Upham yesterday.
The couple wed beside an altar candle lit in her mother's memory.
After the ceremony, they welcomed friends and family into the sprawling Edwards home in Chapel Hill, N.C., where they mourned Elizabeth's death from breast cancer 10 months ago. John Edwards hosted the reception on the lawn.
"We want this to be really happy and joyous; that's what my mother would want," Cate Edwards said before the wedding at the Chapel Hill United Methodist Church.
"There are a lot of sort of small ways that she's infused into the day," added Cate, 29, who got engaged to Upham, 30, her boyfriend at Princeton, late last year.
For Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Upham, the day was one they will never forget, and came as a welcome respite from the turmoil her life has seen over the past few years.
First, her mother's breast cancer returned and spread, and then her father was forced to admit an affair with Rielle Hunter that produced a daughter, Quinn, now 3.
The cover-up of that affair with campaign money during John Edwards' presidential run led to criminal charges; he has pleaded not guilty in federal court.
But Saturday was for celebration and Cate's young siblings - Emma, 13, and Jack, 11, who still live with their father - were given prominent roles in the event.
Emma was maid of honor, while Jack, in a tux his father took him to rent, was a groomsman. "They had a tough year, but they're doing well," says Cate.
Cate's brother Wade died in an accident at age 16 in 1996.
Meanwhile, close friend Jennifer Palmieri said the whimsical and sentimental Elizabeth could be felt everywhere in her elder daughter's and Trevor's shining day:
"It's like every song is Elizabeth's song, every flower is Elizabeth's flower."
A licensed attorney, Cate left her Washington, D.C., law firm earlier this year to launch an educational nonprofit, the Elizabeth Edwards Foundation.
Trevor is a surgical oncology fellow at the National Cancer Institute. After a two-week tropical honeymoon, they will continue to reside in Washington, D.C.
A pesar de lo dicho ayer, Peter Mensch, manager del guitarrista Jimmy Page, se retractó totalmente en eso que la banda buscaría un reemplazo al ultragenial Robert Plant para seguir rockeando y toureándola por el mundo tras su show de 2007 en el O2 Arena de Londres por el poder de la música más sexual de la historia. No habrá más Led Zeppelin, no hay planes de que lo haya.
Mensch comentó: "Led Zeppelin se acabó. Si no los vieron en el 2007, se los perdieron. Probaron reemplazantes a Robert Plant, pero nada funcionó. Se acabó. No hay planes para continuar. Francamente, ojalá todos dejaran de hablar al respecto."
Los fans no están nada contentos, especialmente los británicos, considerando los precios delirantes de las entradas del show reunión.
Gaga and Mars join already announced performers Coldplay and LMFAO for November 6 show. By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga Photo: WireImage
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are set to join the MTV EMA party. On Monday (October 17), Gaga and Mars were announced as the latest performers at the November 6 show, which takes place in Belfast, Ireland.
Gaga is up for six awards, including Best Female, Best Live Act, Best Pop Act, Best Song and Best Video for "Born This Way." She scored the sixth nom in the Biggest Fans category, an honor she'll share with her Little Monsters if she wins.
Mars is tied with Katy Perry for four noms at the show; he's up for Best Song and Best Pop for "Grenade," along with Best Male and Best New. Adele, Justin Bieber and Thirty Seconds to Mars are each up for three. Other big nominees include Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, My Chemical Romance, Eminem, Arcade Fire, Far East Movement, Wiz Khalifa, Linkin Park and Kings of Leon.
The show will premiere on Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más at 6 p.m. ET on November 6 and noon on mtvU on November 7. American and Canadian audiences can vote for the North American nominee for the Worldwide Act award, who will represent the continent at the EMA against contenders from across the globe.
For a complete list of nominees and to vote for your favorite artists, check out the MTV EMA website. Stick with MTV News as we roll out more information on performers and presenters.
