Beyonce's 'Countdown' Video: A Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet

We analyze the Mod references and more as B does her best 'Funny Face' in new Technicolor clip.
By Rebecca Thomas


Beyonce in the "Countdown" video
Photo: Columbia

Beatniks, bobby socks and ... Beyoncé? On Thursday night, King B premiered her eagerly anticipated, Adria Petty-directed "Countdown" video, doing a bit of time travel back to the Swinging Sixties.

The colorful clip (if you doubt it, check out the glorious "Countdown" GIF Wall our pals at Buzzworthy cooked up!) is packed with references and looks — spanning the '60s to the '80s, from vintage Vogue covers to a head-to-toe homage to the Hollywood musical "Funny Face."

Check out what we spotted, and let us know what we missed!

The Banana Dance: Josephine Baker was just too hot for these United States, so she took her provocative act to the one place where a black girl in the 1920s could get down without the prude police knocking down your door: Paris. While B isn't topless with a fistful of ripe Chiquita bananas strung around her waist, she does La Baker proud in a series of twirls and booty-popping twists.

"Blow-Up": Influential Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni captured London's Mod scene in this 1966 flick. "Countdown" not only recalls the film's Technicolor glow and quick-cut technique, but B's exaggerated high-fashion poses also feel inspired by the ones depicted in the motion picture.

"Fame": Ragtag bunch of gifteds dance on tables at a New York City performing arts high school in early-80s TV series. Their leader (played by Debbie Allen) kicked off each episode with a pep talk about the high price of fame, but it's the studio and the modern dance duds that come to mind when we watch Petty's 2011 clip.

"Flashdance": Pittsburgh welder/exotic dancer has her heart set on getting into a prestigious ballet company in the 1983 cult classic. King B tugs at the shoulder of her gray sweatshirt, and pop culture welcomes another Jennifer Beals homage into the universe.

"Funny Face": A gamine Audrey Hepburn dons beatnik black in the West Village in this 1957 Fred Astaire musical. From the bunched white socks and loafers to the fancy footwork, Beyoncé kicks off "Countdown" by nailing the silver-screen queen's iconic look — and dusts off the Bebop moves too!

Check out the photos! Pop Culture References In Beyonce's 'Countdown'

The Gap: Americans presumably bought khakis in record numbers in 1998, the same year the retailer launched an ad campaign featuring swing dancers in their pleated pants. The commercial comes rushing back when B's suddenly surrounded by khaki-clad hoofers.

"Glass Pieces": Set to a Phillip Glass composition, Broadway giant Jerome Robbins created the work for the New York City Ballet. Could B's team have been checking out the piece when they picked out those colorful costumes and choreographed the airy footwork?

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody": Flashing fluorescent backdrops with monochromatic DayGlo outfit changes to match. The black-and-white tiled floor, Crayola-box makeup, even an assortment of wide-band hair bows — it's all there in Brian Grant's 1987 clip for Whitney Houston, and now it's in B's extravaganza.

Luna, Donyale: In March 1966, Detroit native became first black model to cover British Vogue, striking the eye-between-the-fingers pose for famed photog David Bailey. Beyonce, looking very Luna, shows off similar handwork.

Mondrian, Piet: Early-20th century Dutch artist's primary color-drenched, colorblock pieces were hallmark of his Neo-Plasticism style. The grid-like backgrounds in Beyoncé's visual look like they could have been painted by Piet.

Quant, Mary: Fashion/cosmetics designer reigned in the swinging '60s. Superstar's hair and makeup job looks exactly like a popular ad for the brand.

The Supremes: Motown girl group; legends. No one does Diana like the "Dreamgirl," who shakes it in a sparkly silver minidress and bouffant wig.

"Valley of the Dolls": Campy 1967 film based on novel by Jacqueline Susann about three 20-somethings with Big Apple dreams who succumb to drugs (dolls) and drama. B's pink nightdress with purple hair bow look reminds us of the movie's promotional poster.

Versace: Look no further than vintage Versace ads for clues about the juicy, rainbow-bright bodysuits that B pairs with a striped, wide-brim chapeau.

"West Side Story": Jets and Sharks knew the only way to settle a turf war was ... a dance-off! Dance master Jerome Robbins worked up a snaps-heavy number for the theatrical release. A B snaps to that.

Share your thoughts on the "Countdown" video in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672170/beyonce-countdown-video-cheat-sheet.jhtml

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Zenprise Raises $30 Million In New Funding

zenprise_logoMobile device management company Zenprise, Inc. today announced it has raised $30 million in new financing. The round was led by Silicon Valley-based Greylock Partners, with participation from all of Zenprise?s existing investors. The investment will be used to support the company's growth and accelerate product development, sales and marketing efforts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/N6hsb9lwGfo/

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Double Exposure Digicam Does What It Says On The Tin

There are still a few things film cameras do that digital cameras don’t. One of those is double-exposures, something easy with every film SLR, and all but impossible in digital without digging into Photoshop. Enter the Double Exposure Digicam, a straightforward camera with a straightforward name. The tiny digicam is like a pocket-sized Instagram, and lets [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/double-exposure-digicam-does-what-it-says-on-the-tin/

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Pet Tags

Man, I'm so irritated.

I just received four pets tags that I ordered for Bev and Mary Margaret (two for Brooklyn and two for LA) and they're all messed up. Not only did they leave off the "Margaret" on Mary Margaret's tags, but the text isn't centered correctly and runs off the right side on all four of them. (The last letter of the address is cut in half.) The tags themselves are also ugly. The edges aren't smoothed out... they look like someone just cut them from a piece of sheet metal and called it a day.

So anyway, I got them this morning on my way to Starbucks (yesterday's mail), so while I was there, I started drafting a strongly-worded letter in my head, like what I was going to say to these people when I sent them back.

And then I saw it.

In tiny print on the bottom of the invoice it said, "Our handicapped employees appreciate your order."

So now I can't send them back. If I did I'd be a total asshole.

I'm just going to order new ones from someplace else. Any recommendations?

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/5/8/pet-tags.html

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UK server failure sends BlackBerry devices offline in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (update: restored)

If there's one thing RIM doesn't need right now, it's another BlackBerry outage. Well, are you sitting down? RIM UK is currently investigating issues affecting "some users in EMEA" -- that's Europe, Middle East and Africa, for the acronym-disinclined. The company has turned to Twitter to acknowledge the outage, with T-Mobile UK and Vodafone Egypt chiming in as well (and pointing fingers at RIM, as expected). The Telegraph reports that the "glitch" hit around 11AM this morning local time, and is affecting email and instant messaging services, along with web browsing, leaving users unable to use their BlackBerrys for anything but making phone calls and sending texts. BlackBerry outages appear to be a rather frequent occurrence for RIM, typically hitting during peak usage times -- like, for example, 11AM on a Monday. So are you currently without service? Jump past the break to chime in with a comment.

Update: BBC is reporting that email services have been restored after the outage affected millions of users.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

UK server failure sends BlackBerry devices offline in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (update: restored) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/10/uk-data-server-failure-sends-blackberry-devices-offline-in-europ/

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AT&T announces the Pantech Pocket

Pantech Pocket

Next up in the deluge of Android devices announced by AT&T tonight is the Pantech Pocket -- a unique looking device that AT&T says is focused on messaging and social entertainment.  It's wide 4-inch SVGA (that's 800x600 for those following at home) should make for a nice experience using a touchscreen keyboard, and the mini-tablet form factor should allow for nice browsing and video playback.  Check the specs:

  • UMTS 850/1900/2100
  • GSM 850/900/1800/1900
  • Internal Memory:  ~600MB plus 2GB microSD™ included.
  • User Memory: 2.5 GB included (Includes a 2 GB microSD Card)
  • Support for up to 32GB microSD
  • Android  2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • Full touch 4" SVGA display
  • Screen size & resolution: 4" (600x800) 16M TFT
  • 5 MP camera with flash and HD video recording
  • 114.7mm x 78mm x 11.3mm
  • Weight is 4.66 oz
  • Bluetooth: v. 2.1 + EDR
  • Wi-Fi and access to AT&T hotspots

While this may not appeal to everyone, it's nice to see AT&T branching out and trying new things.  Again, the press release is after the break.

read more


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/hg8eUSXMGVI/att-announces-pantech-pocket

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iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites -- a zero-code cloud-based 'app creator' -- can now generate HTML5 apps that work on iOS devices. With this new feature, dubbed 'InstantApp', you can now design a single app in your browser and publish it natively on Android and iOS, and as an HTML5 iPhone app.

We haven't looked at iSites before, but it shot to fame last year when it launched with native iOS and Android support. Self-publishing Android apps wasn't a problem because Google does very little moderation of the Market, but iSites ran into trouble with its iOS apps. Thousands of people signed up for the service after it was featured on Mashable and TechCrunch, and you can imagine Apple's chagrin as thousands of cookie cutter apps flooded its approval queue.

Genwi, the developer behind iSites, realized something had to be done -- it had to circumvent the App Store approval process. Genwi, of course, turned to HTML5 Web apps -- which can be pinned to the iPhone home screen and which can be shoehorned into almost behaving like native apps.

Read on for our experiences with iSites' new InstantApp HTML5 iOS app creator.

Continue reading iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/isites-overhauled-now-lets-you-publish-cloud-based-html5-iphone/

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Obama Describes Lady Gaga As ?A Little Intimidating?

For Shaq, his towering height makes him so intimidating because, well, the dude’s big. For Amy Winehouse, it was her amazingly high hair-do. But what was it about the 5’1″ Lady Gaga that made her so incredibly tall that even President Obama found Mother Monster’s presence a bit intimidating? Apparently, it’s her shoes. President Obama revealed [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/N0hKSr87Agc/

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Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game

tarzanball
So, you're a ball. A Tarzan Ball, to be precise. You've earned the nickname thanks to your astonishing ability to shoot out a lengthy 'vine' (I hope it's a vine) at objects, and then pull yourself towards those objects.

That's a handy ability to have, especially since you've got no legs, no arms, and no other means of transportation. In Tarzan Ball, the rope is everything. But you don't just swing around the screen aimlessly - that wouldn't be much of a game now, would it?

Instead, your goal in life is to collect "targets". Each level has one of these "targets" hidden away somewhere on the screen, usually behind some kind of barrier. Once you navigate close enough to the target, you can shoot your rope at it and just reel it in. That's when you pass the level.

You can't die in this game, but it can still be very frustrating. It's actually one of the tougher games I've posted recently. Still, if you enjoy physics games, this one is quite nicely made.

[This is actually the sequel to IQ Ball, which we covered last year! -Ed]

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/21/tarzan-ball-is-a-tricky-hook-and-pull-physics-game/

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