Lady Gaga in the “Video Phone” music video

Photo: Columbia/Music World

Monday night was the premiere of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s sexy, Hype Williams-directed “Video Phone” video, featuring the two pop stars dancing and posing pin-up style with massive toy guns and matching leotards.

The clip is charged with energy, and the cynics out there might wonder if putting two sizzling divas in a room together created any kind of rivalry. But Gaga says there was no such thing.

“What I was excited about is with B, I had no ego,” Gaga told MTV News about the collaboration. “Neither of us had an ego. It wasn’t about competition. It was about, like, ‘Man let’s give the world what they want. Let’s do a real girl-power collaboration where we support one other.’ ”

For the Day-Glo-tinged video, Gaga ditched her typical avant-garde look and styled herself more like Beyoncé. “I said, ‘I want to do you in your video, and I want to tribute you. I want to dress up like you,’ ” she recalled telling her co-star. “And Hype Williams … was so excited. He was like, ‘Gaga I want no makeup on your face.’ It was really stripped down — real Beyoncé hair, and we wore the same outfit in the video, and I [paid tribute to] her.”

Gaga, whose own gothic-pop aesthetic has grown more elaborate as her popularity has risen, said she wanted to honor B for creating her own style. “I wanted to [work with her] because this was an era for her in her career where she defined herself aesthetically,” she said. “And that should be applauded that a woman did that. She’s so great at what she does.”

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Beyoncé in the “Video Phone” video

Photo: Columbia/Music World

When one imagines a collaboration between Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Hype Williams, the mind reels with visions of outlandish costumes, hip-displacing dance moves, DayGlo flames, fish-eye lenses … the list goes on and on.

Thus, it’s a little surprising that the just-released clip for Beyoncé’s “Video Phone” has nary a flame or fish-eye shot (there are, of course, plenty of outlandish costumes). However, don’t make the mistake of thinking this video is by any means straightforward — it’s plenty WTF!

Opening with a tracking shot that pays homage to Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 flick “Reservoir Dogs” (and features Beyoncé wearing a Zorro mask) and closing with her firing an assault rifle while seated atop a motorcycle, it’s a decidedly weird trip, a cartoonish fantasy brought to life. There’s an extended sequence where Beyoncé dresses up as ’50s pinup Bettie Page, and other parts where she handles more firearms than a Guns & Ammo editor. There are eyeball-popping colors and head-spinning edits, too.

But weirdest of all is Gaga’s cameo — mostly because it’s shockingly normal. She’s not wearing some gravity-defying outfit or hairstyle: She sings a verse, fires a sidearm and then works her way through a chair-dance routine with B (which, it should be noted, is pretty great). And then she disappears.

(Gaga said last month that she told Beyoncé, “I don’t want to show up in some frickin’ hair bow and be fashion Gaga in your video.’ I said, ‘I want to do you,’ ” which offers some explanation.)

It’s definitely not the Gaga we’re used to seeing, but her appearance isn’t exactly run-of-the-mill, either. And neither is this video, for that matter. Especially not when you’re watching Beyoncé snap her gum and shake her hips and grope an AK-47 while the screen pops from electric green to Kool-Aid red.

If only all videos were this “normal” …

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Lil Wayne in his “Got Money” music video

Photo: Universal Motown Records

There will be no recession in record stores over the holidays. In fact, with major releases from some of the biggest names in music slated to hit stores over the next six weeks, this shopping season is packed with one of the biggest bumper crop of anticipated releases in years.

Unlike past years, when hyped albums by Madonna, Eminem, U2 and other megastars were the focus of shoppers’ action, this year’s offerings span a wide variety of new stars (the “American Idol” triumvirate of Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta), reissues by Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, a greatest-hits collection from Britney Spears and highly anticipated albums from Rihanna, 50 Cent and Shakira. (All dates are subject to change.)

November 17
First out the gate are a number of albums that have been kicking around for so long, some people began to wonder if they would ever hit shelves. Chief among them is 50 Cent’s Before I Self-Destruct, a disc that has been pushed around for nearly a year as the G-Unit boss made room for his capo, Eminem, to release Relapse. Kid Sister will also finally get a street date for her long-simmering Ultraviolet album, which has been in the offing even longer than 50’s disc.

“Idol” winner Kris Allen will come out of the gate with his self-titled debut, which will vie for attention with the debut from Diddy pal Justin Bieber (My World), John Mayer’s Battle Studies and “MTV Unplugged” disc from Katy Perry. Also, look for the Fall Out Boy greatest-hits album, Believers Never Die

November 23
Thanksgiving week will blow things out even more, as turkey-stuffed shoppers will be able to choose from two Beyoncé albums: a live disc called I Am … Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, as well as a deluxe edition of her I Am … Sasha Fierce album. She’ll be fighting for attention with a deluxe edition of Britney Spears’ The Singles Collection, two versions of Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster reissue, Shakira’s She Wolf and Rihanna’s Rated R.

A couple of divas could spoil things for the array of superstars, as “Britain’s Got Talent” breakout Susan Boyle drops her first effort, I Dreamed a Dream, and “Idol” glam rocker Adam Lambert offers up his bedazzled For Your Entertainment. Also set for release is Pricele$$ from Cash Money boss Birdman and the self-titled debut from BlakRoc, anchored by blues duo the Black Keys and featuring cameos from Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, ODB, Raekwon, Ludacris and Jim Jones (which actually drops on the 27th, which they’ve dubbed “Blak Friday”).

December 1
The ranks thin a bit by December, which brings the debut album from “Idol” firebrand Allison Iraheta, Just Like You, as well as the first CD from “Dollhouse” singer and Internet sensation Priscilla Renea, Jukebox.

December 8
Things get a bit nutty again the following week, with a pileup of big names, led by Chris Brown with Graffiti, the 20-year-old singer’s first release since his guilty plea in June for assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna in February. The hip-hop-heavy week will also see the long-delayed Till the Casket Drops from the Clipse, Gucci Mane’s The State vs. Radric Davis, and Snoop Dogg’s Malice N Wonderland.

Super-producer Timbaland will host the usual array of A-list talent for his Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2, while 30 Seconds to Mars emerge from a year of label drama withThis Is War, indie faves Animal Collective offer up the Fall Be Kind EP, rapper Redman will also stuff some stockings with a little something called Reggie Noble 9 1/2, Ludacris will release a greatest-hits album and smoothie Robin Thicke will provide some Sex Therapy.

December 15
There are only a handful of big names on the roster for December 15, but they’re major ones, led by Lil Wayne’s long-delayed Rebirth, the soon-to-be-incarcerated rapper’s so-called “rock” album, which will be packaged with the debut from his Young Money crew. Alicia Keys will return with The Element of Freedom.

December 22
And, as befits a true diva, Mary J. Blige has the lane all to herself December 22, when she drops Stronger.

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Robin Thicke and Jay-Z

Photo: G. Banks

In new footage featuring Robin Thicke and Jay-Z in the studio for on Thicke’s track, “Meiplé (Me I Play),” the two are seen working out the perfect way for Jay to deliver his line: “Black Brigitte Bardot, Beyoncé.”

Jay raps about Saint Tropez, champagne and beautiful women in the track, which is set to appear on Thicke’s upcoming Sex Therapy album. In the footage, Thicke is at the boards, producing the track, as he and Jay decide Hov needs to double his voice on “Beyoncé” for a dreamier effect.

“When you say it like that, you can see how beautiful she is when she walks in the room,” Thicke tells Jay. The two share high fives as everyone in the room seems to agree that they finally got it just right. The track debuted on New York’s Hot 97 on Friday.

Afterwards, Jay and Thicke address the camera. “Great day’s work — we did what we’re supposed to do,” Jay says. “We brought our lunch pails. They were Louis [Vuitton] lunch pails, but it was a lunch pail none the less. And we got in there, we did our work. We got our ebony and ivory on.”

Recently, Thicke spoke to MTV News about the collaboration and said he still couldn’t believe he got the Hottest MC in the Game to join him on a track.

“Working with Jay-Z [came about because] he came by the studio, and he heard the album. He was very excited,” he said. “[It's] kind of like a De La Soul kind of song, but he was really excited about it. To work with him was a dream come true. It was one of the best days of my life.”

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Beyoncé accepts an award at the EMAs

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ Getty Images

Bowler caps, bow ties, corsets, crystals, “boobie thingies” — no, these are not the remnants of last weekend’s Halloween rave but rather the accoutrements returning host
Katy Perry flounced around in at this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. Together with the theme “Katy Kat Club,” the Sally Bowles-inspired garb was only appropriate as the 16th annual EMAs returned to its inaugural location of Berlin, just days before the 20th anniversary of when the Berlin wall came tumbling down.

Jay-Z,
Beyoncé, U2, Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, David Hasselhoff, Juliette Lewis, Shakira, the Jonas Brothers and Tokio Hotel were just some of the stars that turned up on the red carpet to commence the largest awards show in MTV Europe’s history. A staggering 17,000 audience members congregated at Berlin’s O2 Arena and Brandenburg Gate, while an estimated 2 billion people tuned in from home.

It was a night contrasted by both the old and new, bad jokes on the German language and crackling political overtones. Veteran act Green Day opened up the show with a blistering two-song performance that had lead singer Billie Joe pogoing his way through the crowd and ending in shooting flames and fireworks as “Minority” slowed to its last four-note chord. (Proving why the group was once synonymous with teenage angst, Joe later returned to the stage after winning for Best Rock with these wise words: “Great that we got the best co– band — I mean, rock band. Pardon my German.”)

A slithering and glittering Katy Perry then took the stage, bellowing out “Herzlich wilkommen meine damen und herren!” and performed a raw-vocal medley that included the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Curiously, Perry then ribbed Lady Gaga later during the show when she emerged from a set design involving a giant ruby-red shoe. “They say that if a guy has big shoes, then he has … the funny thing is, I think this belongs to Lady Gaga!”

The first award of the night went to U2 for Best Live Act. Taking the stage, Bono introduced the Edge, who in an emotional speech expressed how the recording of “One” in Berlin — inspired by Germany’s then-recent reunification and symbol as the new Europe — “brought the band together.” More East/West references abounded. Upon winning the award for Best Urban, Jay-Z, donning sunglasses and a black leather jacket, succinctly said, “The will come a day when the only walls that come down are just music,” then said something about the Jonas Brothers.

Both Lady Gaga (Best New Act) and Eminem (Best Male) accepted their awards remotely through televised acceptance speeches.

	EMA 2009 Show Highlights

And what is an awards show in Germany without the Hoff? Clad in a dazzling chrome silver dinner jacket, David Hasselhoff returned the country’s seemingly undying love for him by flashing his select knowledge of the native language. “Yo! Twenty years! Alles klar! I am not responsible for the wall falling down,” the former “Baywatch” actor announced with an apparent slur. “Wie gehts? Alles klar! Gut!”

But it was three-time winner Beyoncé (Best Song, “Halo”; Best Female; Best Video, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”) who had the best line of the night. Having performed earlier in a silken red set straight out of a Daphne du Maurier novel, the visibly weary singer simply said upon receiving her final award: “There is one person I want to thank, and that is Jay — for putting a ring on it!” then shot her fist into the air to loud cheers. “You go, B!” Katy Perry shouted from the sidelines.

Despite other spirited performances from Jay-Z, Shakira and overwhelmingly popular local androgynoids Tokio Hotel, the true stage spectacle of the night came from Leona Lewis. What started off as a rather standard rendition of “Happy,” set against a starry background, experienced a jaw-dropping special effect as a green vortex whirred around the singer then dramatically vanished into glittering stardust.

In the much-publicized highlight of the evening, Dublin rockers U2 performed a free 20-minute set in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate for the rabid 10,000 fans who had secured a spot online. Shot several hours earlier and beamed into the arena, the concert moved the audience even remotely as the giant pillars were emblazoned with the words “One Love” and “Freedom.” “Happy birthday, Berlin!” frontman Bono crowed during a performance of “One,” his voice both soaring and sage.

U2 returned to the big screen to close out the show, this time with Jay-Z freestyling over a performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Jay-Z rapped in the lyrics from Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up.” The gates behind them lit up in the holiday colors of green and red, like an early present. Bono leaned in to hold to Jay-Z’s hand as the duo raised them up triumphantly in the air.

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Lady Gaga

Photo: MTV News

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé have apparently found a quite a kinship in one another and have become good friends quickly. While it might seem that the two superstars would be worlds apart it terms of image, sound and vibe, but at the end of the day there’s no question that they’re two of the hardest working women in pop music today.

And perhaps those personality traits made it easy for the two of them to bond and collaborate with one another. Since the 2009 Video Music Awards, where both women won awards, their paths have been crossing quite frequently — and they’ve worked together on two projects so far.

The first to appear will be Beyoncé’s clip for “Video Phone.” Not many details have emerged about the Hype Williams-helmed video, which was shot in Brooklyn, New York, last month.

The pair also collaborated on a new song, “Telephone,” that will appear on the forthcoming deluxe reissue of Gaga’s debut LP, dubbed The Fame Monster, which includes eight new songs and is slated for release on November 23 (Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour launches in Montreal four days later).

Gaga had nothing but praise for B when she sat down with MTV News for a long interview on Tuesday.

“You know she is such a beautiful person, and I gotta tell you, I just adore her,” she said. “I had kind of lost faith a little bit in meeting artists in the business — and then I met Beyoncé.”

She also spoke briefly about how much fun the two of them have together. “She is a real, real woman,” Gaga said. “I have never laughed so hard on a video set in my life. We had the best time doing ‘Video Phone.’ ”

MTV News will have lots more from our sitdown with Lady Gaga in the coming days!

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Rihanna

Photo: Scott Gries/ Getty Images

Rihanna will be performing at this year’s American Music Awards,
joining previously announced acts like Eminem, Jay-Z, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys and the Black Eyed Peas, MTV News has confirmed.

	2009 American Music Award Nominees

The show airs on Sunday, November 22, the day before Rihanna releases her new album, Rated R. At press time there was no word on what song she will perform, but she’s already dropped two singles from the album — the eerie ballad “Russian Roulette”
and the midtempo “Wait Your Turn” — and the Young Jeezy collaboration “Hard” has already hit radio.

It will be the third time she’s performed on the show. In 2007, she sang her Ne-Yo duet, “Hate That I Love You,” and her breakthrough hit, “Umbrella.” In 2008, she sang “Rehab.” Rihanna has won three American Music Awards in the past.

The awards show will feature an array of nominees determined by data from Nielsen SoundScan radio and retail figures, with Taylor Swift in the lead with six nominations, followed by the late Michael Jackson and Eminem at five apiece. Though Jackson had not released new material for nearly a decade at the time of his passing, his nominations are based on the strong sales of his catalog albums following his death.

Other multiple-category nominees include Lady Gaga, T.I., Kings of Leon, Beyoncé and the Peas, who all have three. For the third year, winners will be determined by online voting.

Rihanna will appear on “Good Morning America” on Thursday and “20/20″ Friday night. She’s also set to visit MTV’s “It’s On With Alexa Chung” on Monday.

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Photo: MTV News

As promised, we got Lil Wayne talking about his No Ceilings mixtape right here. Weezy F. Baby’s first official mixtape of the year — he’s going in, he’s going off, the man in his prime. We’re going to take you right in the studio as Wayne records his joints. If you want to get the whole tape for free, check out Young Money’s new Web site.

This Week’s Main Pick

Street King: Lil Wayne

Holding It Down For: Young Money/ Cash Money

Mixtape: No Ceilings

Real Spit: When you’re hip-hop’s most active touring act and prolific song maker, sometimes your agendas don’t mesh. Wayne’s been all around the world on his I Am Music tour and Young Money Presents: The America’s Most Wanted Music Festival, but he says it’s too difficult to record while you’re on the road. He has a studio on the bus, but you can’t record when the bus is rolling. But now, with touring over and Wayne settled back into his routine of living in the studio, he had time to craft No Ceilings — No Ceilings because the sky is the limit.

“I don’t like to do real songs on there, ’cause the producers be wanting their money,” he told DJ Scoob Doo about beat jacking. “So I just do sh– that’s already out. It’s easier. N—as be like, ‘You killed that n—a on his own song.’ That’s not the intentions. No, I did not kill nobody on their song. I like the song. That’s why I liked it. I didn’t kill them. I ain’t even rapping like them. I killed their song though.”

A leak of the mixtape popped up early last week, but Weezy wants everyone to know that it wasn’t the official version — he recorded more records, such as “Single,” the mixtape title track and a unofficial remix to Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams,” for the proper version.

“I got great producers and great friends that gave me great beats,” Wayne said. “I went in and did four or five new songs.”

No Ceilings — in full — dropped on Halloween via the new Young Money Web site.

“I’m gonna scare the sh– out everybody in the muthaf—in’ rap game,” Wayne told us with a grin.

Wayne and Scoob Doo will be releasing “The Nino Brown Story 2″ DVD later this year.

Joints to Check For:

» “Oh Let’s Do It.” Three minutes and 45 seconds of pure rap dumb-out — Wayne sounds just as hungry now as before he sold a million albums in one week. Dr. Carter kicks his first lines about his jail sentence next year. “Lock the CEO up/ And I’m the CEO, f—/ Prison in February, and I ain’t in no rush.” He also says a farewell to his ever-present cup. “Rest in peace my Styrofoam, now they won’t know what I be on.” Look out for when he switches flows halfway through.

» “Banned From TV.” Weezy goes ape over classic Swizz Beatz from Noreaga’s posse cut. “Bi—, I’m in the building/ You just decorating,” he raps. “I’m just detonating, then I get blatant/ More dangerous than Internet dating/ Scoob got the cameras on, so I gotta show off/ I put your sister, I’ll knock your bro off.”

Then there’s the line that has the whole sports world talking. “Smoke weed, talk sh– like Lane Kiffin.” Kiffin, of course, is the controversial coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team. Weezy loves sports.

» “Watch My Shoes.” Weezy immortalized the beat from 3 Deep’s song of the same title. Wayne talks about making love to the beat and digesting his comp. “I’m so unfit because all I eat is rappers/ And these rapper ain’t sh–/ I like my fast food faster.”

» “Sweet Dreams.” Beyoncé featuring Nicki Minaj — the Young Money millionaires get in where they fit in, adding extra spice to B’s smash. Nick has an array of one-liners referencing Plaxico Burress, “Kung Fu Panda” and our favorite, Falcon Heene: “I’m everywhere/ You like balloon boy, you was never there.” Meanwhile, Wayne does it for the show, coming “cold as Theraflu,” igniting a lyrical powder keg.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams

Photo: Johnny Nunez/ Getty Images

After Jay-Z put in road time with Mary J. Blige last summer and Ciara earlier this year, it’ll be a strictly boys night out when he takes the stage on October 9 to kick off a 24-date tour of college campuses and arenas. Joining him in the first sustained tour in support of the near-platinum The Blueprint 3 will be N.E.R.D., VMA house band leader Wale and Jigga protégé J. Cole.

The tour launches at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, on the Penn State University campus on October 9 and will take the crew to arenas in Canada, Seattle, Baltimore and Providence. Along the way, it will stop at campuses in Champaign, Illinois, Ypsilanti, Columbus, Amherst, El Paso and Austin, where the tour is currently scheduled to wrap up on November 22.

North Carolina native Cole, 24, the first signing to Jay’s new Roc Nation label, appears on the Blueprint 3 track “A Star Is Born,” and the tour will be his first major exposure to life on the road. Cole, who was trying to hustle tracks to Jay just a few years ago, is slowly getting used to life in the spotlight. He recently told MTV News that the session for the “Star” was the first time he’d ever been in the studio with his new boss, an experience that was understandably nerve-wracking.

“[Jay-Z] was on the couch at first, right there,” Cole said. “It was the first time I was in the studio with Jay. And Beyoncé was there, to make it 10 times worse. Half my thoughts are trying to think of a verse, and then Jay-Z is there watching you write a verse. So, I’m soaking it up.”

Jay-Z tour dates:

» October 9 – University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
» October 10 – Highland Heights, KY @ The Bank of Kentucky Center
» October 13 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Rexall Place
» October 14 – Calgary, Alberta @ Pengrowth Saddledome
» October 15 – Kelowna, British Columbia @ Prospera Place
» October 16 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ General Motors Place
» October 17 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
» October 21 – Ypsilanti, MI @ Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
» October 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
» October 24 – Providence, RI @ Dunkin Donuts Center
» October 25 – Amherst, MA @ University of Massachusetts Mullins Center
» October 27 – Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
» October 28 – Columbus, OH @ Ohio State Value City Arena the Schottenstein Center
» October 29 – London, Ontario @ John Labatt Centre
» October 30 – Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
» October 31 – Toronto, Ontario @ Air Canada Centre
» November 1 – Ottawa, Ontario @ Scotiabank Place
» November 7 – Fresno, CA @ Fresno State Save Mart Center
» November 12 – Champaign, IL @ University of Illinois Assembly Hall
» November 19 – Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
» November 20 – El Paso, TX @ University of Texas at El Paso Don Haskins Center
» November 21 – Lubbock, TX @ United Spirit Arena
» November 22 – Austin, TX @ University of Texas at Austin Frank Erwin Center Arena

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Taylor Swift

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

The year may not be over yet, but People is already naming its Best and Worst Dressed celebrities of 2009. Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Vanessa Hudgens are among the women receiving kudos for their various contributions to the world of style.

Actress Kate Winslet is named the Best Red Carpet celeb. Reese Witherspoon earned the title of Best Short Dresses, while Cameron Diaz got Best Jeans, and the first lady received Best Accessible Glamour.

	People’s 10 Best Dressed Women

Hudgens is celebrated as Best Hippie Chic, and Swift, as evidenced by her fantastic VMA gown, is recognized for Best Sparkle.

Other ladies on top are “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto for Best Use of Color; Nicole Richie, who gave birth to her second child earlier this month, for Best Maternity; Beyoncé for Best Street Chic and Kim Kardashian for Best Bikinis. Predictably, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are named the year’s best fashion rebels.

“I’m inspired by ’70s glam, decadence, skyscrapers, Madonna,” Gaga told People, a statement she proved time and again at Sunday’s VMAs.

Robert Pattinson, Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper are among the guys noted for their dashing sense of style.

Of course, we’re almost more curious about the fashion failures noted in the special double issue, which hits newsstands on Friday. Paula Abdul and Renée Zellweger made the Worst Dressed list for picking the wrong dresses to walk the red carpet in. “The Hills” star Heidi Montag is called out for her cut-out Herve Leger dress, which was also worn by Kristin Cavallari and Heather Graham. And, of course, Jessica Simpson and her infamous mom jeans are among the year’s Most Memorable Style Moments.

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