We've been had by none other than Justin Bieber himself.

That whole drama about his laptop being stolen and the thief threatening to reveal personal details? It was nothing more than an elaborate PR stunt, orchestrated by the Biebs to premiere the video for his Nicki Minaj-assisted song 'Beauty and a Beat.' He pranked the whole entire Internet, and that's no small feat.

The Biebs was hopping mad when he claimed he and tour manager Josh had their laptops stolen at a gig on the Believe tour. He expressed concern about personal, sensitive info being leaked. Then a supposed naked photo landed online.

Well, today (Oct. 12), Bieber began tweeting links of sites that cover him with the #noon hashtag and what happens? We get 'Beauty and a Beat' video premiere. That's some strategically clever marketing.

The clip opens with text which read as follows:

In October 2012, three hours of personal footage was stolen from musician Justin Bieber.

The following footage was illegally uploaded by an anonymous blogger.

The "illegally uploaded footage" is the Biebs rocking out and partying with a handheld camera, filming himself at an outdoor cabana gathering, while flashing a big smile.

There are lots of exotic dances -- but not exotic dancers, mind you. It's wet and watery good times, as Bieber dances in H2O and sings while completely underwater, too, surrounded by hotties.

Minaj shows up, dancing and rapping while dressed head to toe in pink, standing on a plank over water and grooving with the Biebs. It definitely feels like found footage, especially with the tacked on scenes at the end, where The Biebs cruises down a water slide.

So any Beliebers wishing they could have gotten an up close look at Jerry, we're sad to report that it's no dice. The Biebs got us. The final score? Justin Bieber, 1. The Internet, 0.

We will take a sec to say that this video and the accompanying PR stunt did indeed remind us of the power of the digital age and how we live our lives completely plugged in at all times. That can be a bad or a good thing. It's bad when information is compromised. It's good when you capture fun, lively moments, like singing and dancing underwater.

Again, ups to JB for making us think. And for pulling one over on us.

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