Posted by Maura Johnston on 01/21/2011 at 3:00 PM News

The Popdust Files: justin bieber, mario paint, nintendo, super mario bros., video games

Nintendo has nixed a request to use 15 seconds of the Super Mario Bros. music in Justin Bieber’s upcoming 3-D extravaganza Never Say Never, which comes out February 11. Wait, they’re still working on clearing music samples now? Opening day is only three weeks away! Well, four, anyway—director John Chu’s petulant Tweet about the licensing problem came over the transom last weekend:

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/jonmchu/status/26408114655858688"]

It’s kind of cute that he thinks Super Mario Bros. needs the advertising, isn’t it? My suggestion to you, John Chu, is that you incorporate both Mario and Bieber into the movie’s musical bed by using this Mario Paint Composer interpretation of “Baby” instead:

OK, it gets a bit wonky on the choruses. But just think of the branding triumph that would result from making your music on their equipment!