Lady Gaga + Beyonce, ‘Telephone’ vs. Katy Perry, ‘California Gurls’ — Greatest Pop Video of the Modern Era [First Round]

Last year, we ran a super-sized competition to determine the greatest pop song in modern history, from the ’80s to today. Now, we’re back — and this time, it’s all about honoring the best and boldest in music videos.

The collision of two of music's biggest stars was good news for pop fans in 2010, but it was very bad news for the patrons of a certain roadside diner. In "Telephone," Lady Gaga and Beyonce played a couple of felons with a penchant for poisoning those who had done them wrong, and the ten-minute-long finished product boasted the best that both artists had to offer: Avant-garde outfits and turn-on-a-dime camera shots screamed 'Gaga,' while Beyonce demanded attention through laser-sharp choreography and a quiet, indelible confidence. Plus, the inclusion of Kill Bill's Pussy Wagon was simply a thing of beauty.

Upend a life-sized Candy Land set, equip Katy Perry with a pair of cream-deploying boob-cannons and BOOM—you've got "California Gurls." The video for the first single off of Teenage Dream set the standard for Perry's now-signature sense of colorful whimsy and offered more innuendo than a foot-long sausage stand. Plus, you can't go wrong with a feature by Snoop Dogg that includes, "Bikinis, zucchinis, martinis /
No weenies."

One video depicted a dream come true, the other, an escape from a nightmare. Cast your votes before December 1 at 5 PM ET, and check out which other videos are going head-to-head in our Greatest Pop Video tournament!