NATIONAL LAMPOON'S 'VAN WILDER: THE RISE OF TAJ'

Last updated: Thursday, October 12, 2006

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S 'VAN WILDER: THE RISE OF TAJ' - DEBUT MUSIC VIDEO

JONNY LIVES! 'GET STEADY' MUSIC VIDEO CO-DIRECTED BY KAL PENN AND MORT NATHAN, STARRING KAL PENN

Jonny Lives! bring their Brit-Pop-meets-Lower East Side-rock sound to the soundtrack for National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj with party anthem "Get Steady". The video, co–directed by the film's director, Mort Nathan and star Kal Penn (Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle,) is a "Hot For Teacher" meets "Good Mornin' Little Schoolgirl" visual-mash-up-gone-wild.

The "Get Steady" video marks the directorial debut of Kal Penn who plays Taj Mahal Badalandabad in the Van Wilder films and gives a raunchy collegiate crash course in Party 101 with Jonny Lives! rocking a fictional Ivy League college campus, complete with hot co-eds and sexy instructors.

Jonny Dubowsky from Jonny Lives! said, "We had so much fun shooting the video - it reminded me of a college sorority formal we recently played at where things got out of hand. "Get Steady" has a way of bringing the party and is a perfect fit for the new Van Wilder film ( Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj)."

"I have wanted to get into music video directing for quite some time now, but having never done it before," said lead actor & "Get Steady" video co-director, Kal Penn, "it's nice to work on a team with & learn from Mort (who's directed a lot more than I have), and to be able to create a video that has a tie-in to a film like The Rise of Taj. The movie is definitely not a sequel in the traditional sense: it's a franchise film, which takes my character and introduces him to a different situation, 4 years later, halfway across the world. We wanted to create a very lighthearted & fun video in the vein of the film: a teacher with a nontraditional, anti-establishment style of teaching, who finds himself in a brand new place."

On Nov. 21st, Eleven Seven Music will release the original motion picture soundtrack for National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj. The soundtrack is a 16-song compilation that goes all night, featuring party-ready rock anthems from artists with their own cult followings. The soundtrack includes Buckcherry's smash hit "Crazy Bitch," Everclear's newest single, "Hater," never-before released tracks from Hanson and The Exies, along with songs from bands like Brandtson, The Starlight Mints, Punchline, The Lashes, The Ordinary Boys, Reuben, & The Alternate Routes, among others. The Jonny Lives! "Get Steady" video will be included as enhanced content on the soundtrack (alongside multiple other videos from soundtrack artists).

" I loved the song, 'Get Steady' as soon as I heard it and I knew it would work great in the film, which it did," said film director, Mort Nathan, "and when I heard there was an opportunity to work with the band and make a music video I jumped at the chance to -direct it. It was great fun working with the band. They instantly got into working with comedy directors. They embraced the idea that we could showcase their music and make people laugh at the same time."

When National Lampoon's Van Wilder was released in 2002, actor Kal Penn inspired a cult following for his portrayal of Taj. In the upcoming sequel, Taj heads to England's prestigious Camford University, and in the process, teaches the uptight student body how to party. MGM's National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj will be released in theatres nationwide on December 1, 2006.

"Get Steady" is a glossy and gritty party rocker that is the lovechild of a crazy 48 hours in the UK that included a run of shows with the Kaiser Chiefs, a stop at the NME Music Awards, a bottle of tequila with Dave Grohl, cigars with the Kings of Leon, and a wrestling match with UK DJ femmes the Queens of Noize. The weekend's insanity filtered back to NYC where a sleazy guitar riff hit frontman Jonny Dubowsky like a ton of bricks – all he could do while enjoying another booze-soaked night was grab a pen. On a napkin at Niagra – a favorite Lower East Side hang – Jonny jotted down the anthem that would become the band's calling card and is set to become a weekend party anthem.

'Get Steady' Music Video

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For more info on Kal Penn please visit: www.MySpace.com/KalPenn

For more info on Jonny Lives! please visit: www.MySpace.com/JonnyLives & www.JonnyLives.com

Check out the story behind "Get Steady" HERE

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Source: specialopsmedia.com

| Thursday, October 12, 2006

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