Background and release In an interview with MTV, director
Marc Klasfeld said that the video's storyline was inspired by
Sixteen Candles and other works of
John Hughes, as well as "all those great '80s high school movies." Including a long series of outtakes during the ending credits was influenced by a similar idea in
The Cannonball Run. Perry tweeted, "I told someone about my new music video I just filmed & they responded with 'wow, that's gonna break the internet.'..... Should I knock on wood?" Starting from June 8, a series of short video clips was uploaded on the Facebook profile, YouTube and Perry's official web version premiered later on the same day on
Funny or Die. On July 11, after crossing the half-million "likes" mark, Perry released an interview in character as Terry on Digital Spy. Perry, in character as Kathy Beth Terry made various references to
Rebecca Black and other guests on the video on her Twitter and Facebook. She also gave interviews to the Digital Spy, Australian
Cosmopolitan, and BOP Tiger Beat. The video went on to win Favorite Music Video award at the
38th People's Choice Awards.
Synopsis "Kathy Beth Terry" (Perry), a teenager with braces, headgear, and oversized glasses, has just awakened the morning after a house party, surrounded by passed-out partygoers. A male guest, Aaron Christopherson (
Glee star
Darren Criss) opens the door to her bedroom and congratulates her on having the "best party ever." Puzzled as to what happened, she goes online, only to find pictures of herself in various compromising positions, including one picture of her licking the stomach of the boy in bed next to her. The video then goes into a flashback of the events that occurred the night before. While doing a
Sudoku puzzle, Kathy hears loud music from the house next door, and goes over to complain. She is greeted by
Rebecca Black (who appears as a homage to Black's viral video "
Friday"), who invites her in. Everett McDonald (portrayed by
Glee star
Kevin McHale) ogles Kathy from afar and fantasizes about being with her. However, Kathy is more interested in football player Steve Johnson (model Richie Nuzzolese), who turns her down because of her appearance and appears more interested in a blonde (Angela Frezza). To cheer her up, Black gives Kathy a makeover, ripping off her headgear with pliers, waxing her upper lip, dressing her in tight-fitting neon clothes, and teasing her hair out. Steve becomes enamored with her, and everyone starts dancing. Kathy and Rebecca are also seen playing a
Just Dance dancing video game (a series that features songs by Perry), in this case, dancing to "
Hot Stuff" by
Donna Summer from
Just Dance 2). In the backyard, pop-rock band
Hanson acts as the house band while Kathy's uncle Kenny (musician
Kenny G) appears and plays the saxophone solo on the roof of the house (done in a mimed performance, as he did not play the instrument in the actual recording). The entire party ends up moving to Kathy's house, where she throws up after drinking too much. Everett punches the football player for grabbing Kathy's buttocks (visualized by him as a medieval sword fight with Kathy as a
damsel in distress). At the end of the night, Kathy finally passes out next to the football player. The video shifts back to the next morning, where she looks at the photos with regret, but is also ecstatic to have a naked football player sleeping in her bed. The film ends with
Corey Feldman and
Debbie Gibson as Kathy's parents, Kirk and Tiffany Terry, confronting Kathy about the state of the house after hearing about uncle Kenny playing the saxophone, but forgiving her after recalling their own wild youth. The video's ending credits feature various deleted lines, bloopers, and extra scenes from the party, as well as Everett bringing Kathy breakfast in bed. After the credits end, it repeats the shot where Kathy gets tape ripped off her upper lip, but her scream is heard this time. ==Live performances==