By Danielle Brennan, TODAY
Viewers and fans on the plaza got a little surprise this morning.
Singer and songwriter Chris Brown brought some smooth moves to TODAY when he and a group of dancers invaded the plaza to the beat of his new single, "Fine China."
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PSY is the 34-year-old South Korean rapper behind the viral music video "Gangnam Style," which has been seen by more than 150 million people on YouTube. He tells TODAY's Savannah Guthrie he never thought so many people would be fascinated with his music and dancing.
South Korean rapper PSY brought his unique style to the TODAY plaza Friday, teaching his signature horse dance to the show’s anchors.
The singer became a viral sensation when his “Gangnam Style” video garnered phenomenal attention within two short months.
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From left, Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie join PSY and a backup dancer on stage.
“I didn’t expect that at all. I just unloaded this video only for the Korean viewers in YouTube and suddenly, within 60 days, I’m here,” PSY told Savannah Guthrie just minutes before taking to the stage for a performance that had the whole plaza jumping, not to mention Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, and "Meet the Press" anchor David Gregory, whose vigorous dance moves soon lit up the Twitterverse.
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David Gregory (right) shows off his "Gangham Style" to the TODAY anchors and PSY.
PSY, whose real name is Jae-Sang Park, has been well known in South Korea for more than a decade, but said he’ll have to work just as hard stateside to match that success.
“Thing is, I’m (a) rookie here now, so I got to do it all over again, like 12 years ago,” he said.
Gangnam is a posh neighborhood in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The song pokes fun at the area’s trendy style and residents.
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Asked the inspiration for his "Gangham Style" dance, PSY said, "Honestly, it came from (a) horse."
“I describe it as noble at the daytime, and going crazy at the nighttime,” said PSY, who studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
The "Gangnam Style" video is the most viewed K-pop (Korean pop) video on YouTube, with more than 167 million hits since its release. Its catchy hook has garnered high-profile fans, including Britney Spears, to whom PSY taught the dance recently on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” During that appearance, he explained the mindset of the dance: "Dress classy and dance cheesy.”
Psy, who shot the video in 32 locations in South Korea over the course of two days, sang an encore performance of “Gangnam Style” on TODAY.
Asked where he came up with the idea, PSY quipped: “Honestly, it came from (a) horse.”
Eun Kyung Kim is a contributor to TODAY.com. Some might say she grew up in the Gangnam neighborhood of Tucson, Ariz.
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Allison Ortiz, Erica Rivera, and Alexandria Rhodes have been lined up since 4:00 am Wednesday morning to see Twilight stars on TODAY.
When we heard there was already a line forming out on the plaza for "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson's appearance Thursday, we just had to run outside and see who these fans were!
Five fans were camping out as of noon – and they were the definition of Twihards. The first three girls in line have been waiting since 4 a.m. Wednesday. They joined the crowd for Taylor Lautner’s appearance on TODAY this morning and as soon as he was done, went right back to their vigil for Pattinson.
“It’s such an exciting experience. Just to see them, to get a picture makes me happy,” Alexandria Rhodes said.
Alexandria, who came in from Ohio and her two friends, New Yorkers Allison Ortiz and Erica Rivera, were originally planning on getting together in New York City next week but changed their plans when they heard the "Twilight" stars were appearing on TODAY.
The trio has already worked out a plan for the next 24 hours: Two more friends on the way, so they'll take shifts on line and eat at the 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts nearby. They’ve already started bonding with the group of two behind them, even watching the duo's stuff while they left for a while.
So what will they say to Pattinson if they meet him?
“That we waited out here and were freezing!” Erica said. (At 63 degrees, New York is hardly frigid right now, but maybe the girls are chilled to the bone with excitement).
Alexandria just wants to thank Pattinson for taking the time to make these appearances because it means a lot to the fans that come to see him.
And these girls have a good reason to feel so thankful — they were literally brought together by the franchise. Alexandria first met Allison through talking about "Twilight" on Twitter. Through the saga, their friendship has grown, which makes these last two films particularly bittersweet.
“I cried a little when I watched the trailer [for "Breaking Dawn Part 1"],” Allison admitted. “But we have a year left until "Part 2" so it’s not over yet! I won’t really cry until then!”
Tune in tomorrow to see Robert Pattinson greet his dedicated fans on the plaza!
Lisa Granshaw writes and produces for TODAY.com. She may not be a Twihard, but she’s watched all six "Star Wars" films in a row in one day and is still waiting for her chance to meet George Lucas (it could happen).
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