Thursday, December 9, 2010

The waxworks...

Today sees the worldwide debut of 8 Lady Gaga waxworks in Madame Tussauds all over the world! Never has such a large scale debut of any waxwork been held around the world, meaning that once again...Lady GaGa is an original! At the moment of writing, seven of the eight have been unveiled.

I won't post them all up, but if you want to check them all out, they're available on www.gaganews.com (cheap plug of my site...WIN!)

My opinion on them?...Well, some of them look good. But that's where they peak, good. Yes, they're wax so they're not going to be spot on...but it's just so WEIRD looking at them when I've seen the real thing in concert so many times and met her in person a few times also. The body posture looks slightly manly, and her facial features are questionable. As for the outfits? They're not her most well known outfits, and they're not necessarily "GaGa". I'm disappointed to be honest.

Still, it's amazing that she got such a large debut and that she's been iconicised in so many places around the world. Quite the accomplishment!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Snub

The American Music Awards took place about a week ago. Lady GaGa was nominated for Best Pop/Rock Female...and Artist of the Year.

GaGa won Best Pop/Rock Female, but the AMA's refused to air her acceptance because she didn't attend. She was on tour. Why would ANYONE postpone their tour just to pick up an award? Plus, they aired an acceptance from Shakira for an award she won earlier in the night...Shakira's also on tour.

Artist of the Year came along...and the award went to Justin Beiber. But, here's the kick. According to the voting statistics, LADY GAGA won the award. Why was she not awarded it? Because she didn't turn up...

Last year, GaGa not only performed at the AMA's, but she was screwed out of an award too. Best New Artist went to Gloriana.

I know what you're thinking...who the f!$k is Gloriana?

That's what everyone asked last year.

Safe to say that when the American Music Awards come running back to GaGa to kick their ratings up a gear (their ratings were WAY down this year)...she will politely tell them to forget about it.

GaGa may be a humble woman...but make her your enemy, and you'll regret it.

Well done CBS, your awards show is now an epic FAIL.

Monday, November 22, 2010

The many outfits of Lady GaGa...part 1...

I wouldn't have the time or patience to make a post about every single outfit Lady Gaga has worn. However, I have chosen some of the most well known and decided to make my own critique about them! I don't like all of them, I love some of them...so welcome to the many outfits of Lady GaGa!

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The "Monster" Dress

This dress is the outfit which Lady GaGa wears during her performance of her song "Monster" in her show. There is no official title for the dress, but my favourite description for the dress is one that I made up myself.

This dress looks as though GaGa got lost in a washing basket.

Don't get me wrong, I like it. Kind of. It's original. It's certainly something that has never been seen before. But...

It's a load of hair covering her body. When she performs with it on, she shimmys from side to side and the first time I ever saw her perform with it (which was actually the first night SHE ever performed with it)...I honestly laughed so hard. I've grown accustom to it now. I'm fond of it.

But look at it...she looks like the long lost Italian American sister in The Muppets.



Fishnet Frenzy

Lady GaGa loves her fishnet tights. She's never had a problem admitting it. She wears them with every outfit she can. This outfit was worn at Lollapalooza 2010, as she watched her friends (and opening act) Semi Precious Weapons perform.

THIS OUTFIT IS FIERCE!

She looks like a rock superstar. The jacket is studded and beaded and all kinds of fabulous. The fishnets look epic with the jacket. Her sunglasses are so amazing...and her hair is...

HER HAIR! I love her hair like this. She wore it for about a week after this, but it has disappeared since then and I'll admit that I miss it. It suits her so much!

This outfit gets a major thumbs up from me!



Alexander McQueen

This dress and the matching shoes were created by Alexander McQueen and they were some of the last things he created before he died. GaGa had worn this dress once previously, during a photoshoot from Vanity Fair which was released a month or two before this event.

I think this dress is absolutely stunning. It's far more formal than what Gaga usually wears, and it fitted her body amazingly. Definitely one of the most beautiful outfits she has ever worn, on one of the most important nights of her career. She wore this on the night she also wore the meat dress, so it's pretty cool when you think about how they contrast.

I'm a fan of the shoes. I know that a lot of people are not, but I think that the design is so original. They are hell to walk in from what I've heard, but as GaGa says - fashion isn't about comfort.

The headpiece could have been done without, it takes away from the wig she was wearing, which looks somewhat angelic. The tinting colours of blue/grey and lavender look fabulous together. The headpiece adds the "GaGa" to the outfit, but it also takes away from the beauty of the entire piece.

One of her best outfit choices ever, for sure.

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So...that's my first post on the many outfits of Lady GaGa! More to come soon!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The best comment ever made about the meat dress...

Last night on Sheila Sheikh's "Wagon's Den" on RTE2, a discussion arose about Lady Gaga's meat dress that she wore to the 2010 Video Music Awards.

Brian Dowling made a comment that I must say is the best observation about GaGa's dress that has been made since the madness:

"Next up is Lady Gaga's meat dress...the only red carpet dress in history to come with a side of chips and a handy wipe!"

Following that, Katherine Lynch (Sheila Sheikh) followed up with another great one:

"I dunno what all the fuss was about. I mean it's not like she carved out a dolphin and stuck a panda to her head!"

Some people might not find it funny, whatever. But I love a good joke about Lady GaGa (most of them are either about "poking her face" or the fact that "she's a man", boring) and I have no problem laughing at a comment made about her when it's legitimately funny. Just thought that everyone deserved to know what I was watching last night.

More to come over the next day or two, a very insightful post about GaGa's outfits and what I think of them.

Paws Up! (")(")

Monday, November 15, 2010

Lady GaGa and her Little Monsters



Answer me one question...does Beyoncé take time out of her schedule on a regular basis to meet her fans? Does Madonna make a continuous effort to spend time with those who made her famous? As artists become more famous, do they continue their practices from their days of small fanbases and even smaller shows?

I know my answer, and the answer is no.

Now answer me this. Does Lady GaGa meet fans at every chance she gets? Is she continuously photographed signing autographs, chatting with fans and making an effort? When a fan stands out to her from the crowd, does she take them backstage?

I know the factual answer...and that answer is yes.

But WHY is she different to every other artist out there? Technically, she is the most famous person on the planet right now. Does she need to give a damn? No, she won't lose fans. She is constantly willing to risk her security to spend five minute with her fans, I have witnessed this in person. Let me tell you a story...

During her run of shows here in Dublin last month, Lady GaGa stayed in the Four Seasons hotel in Ballsbridge. It was well known, and for days on end, fans camped outside her hotel. They hoped to just catch a glimpse of her, or just to hear her voice. So, what happened?

On the third day, she sent out her security guard to the fans to count how many of them were present. A few moments later, she sent them all out hot chocolate and biscuits. Did she have to do it? No! But she was concerned about her fans well-being, because she legitimately cares. I respect that so much, because her fanbase ARE dedicated. They spend hours upon hours outside hotels, arenas, anywhere she goes...just so they can meet her.

The next day, GaGa was making her way out of the hotel. By now, the fans had figured out the entrance to the underground car park. They waited for her...and then the car drove out. GaGa's security told the car to drive on. But GaGa is the boss, and she demanded that they stop.

Lady GaGa stopped in the middle of the road, causing a traffic jam in the middle of Ballsbridge. Did she care? Nope...she had to meet her fans. There were about 20 fans, and she spent a moment with them all, making sure she signed something, and taking a picture. A hotel security guard pushed a fan, and GaGa's reaction is as follows...

"How DARE you push one of my fans! I have booked 30 rooms out in this hotel and you have no right to show such disrespect!"

The guard shit himself, to put it simply. But that's not the point...the point is that, even after 18 million albums sold, 54 million singles sold...after all the awards...after all the records broken...

Lady GaGa still takes time to meet her fans no matter if it's raining, snowing, freezing or full of traffic.

I know that I think of her as a person because of that...the night after that incident, she took me and my best friend backstage after the show.

I'll let everyone else make their own conclusions on who she stays loyal to.

Paws Up! (") (")

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Bad Romance turns one year old...



Today marks the first birthday of the video for "Bad Romance". I can still remember watching this video for the first time. It had been announced that it would be shown on LadyGaga.com at a specific time - of course the second it went online, her site crashed. All of her fans sat on the internet pressing refresh, hoping they would at least get to see a second of the video that we had all been DYING to see.

How normal is it now for people to automatically associate "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah..." with the infamous song?

"Bad Romance" is GaGa's current masterpiece. When she made this video, it brought her to new levels of fame. So many people came to adore her because of this song, and this video. So many more grew to hate her - she was doing all of this for attention, she claimed it was art but all it really was was another way to get her face into the spotlight.

People can think what they like.

I still sit and watch the video whenever it comes on. To me, it will NEVER get old. This video was a turning point in the career of Lady Gaga and as a "little monster" it became something of a cultural phenomenon.

From every visual standpoint, this video, in my opinion - was a turning point in society. Alexander McQueen provided all the clothes for this video, and his stock has risen ever since then. Despite his death earlier this year, his clothes are now worn more than ever. Who can forget the infamous "alligator heels" worn by GaGa? The ending scene (now edited out of most showings of the video on television) where GaGa lies on the bed beside the burned carcass of the man who tried to sell her in the video, shows that she will not be controlled by any man. This can be seen as somewhat of a message toward female empowerment.

Then again, this video can also be taken with a grain of salt. A simple view. Only entertainment. But I analyse anything and everything GaGa does - what each individual takes from her work is their business.

This video was the most watched video on YouTube for quite some time. It was overtaken by Justin Bieber a few months ago (and seriously if Justin Bieber's video is seen as better by ANYONE over the age of 16...go see a psychiatrist), but it is adored the world over by so many people. This video won Video of the Year at the MTV VMA's last month. Nobody can deny that with the creation of "Bad Romance", Lady GaGa brought the music world back to places it had never seen since the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson in their heyday.

Love it or hate it, "Bad Romance" has become a staple in our society. What other modern day popstar has the intelligence to reference Alfred Hitchcock films in their music...?

"I want your psycho, your vertigo shtick...want your in my rear window, baby you're sick..."

Happy Birthday Bad Romance! Paws Up! (") (")

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Meat Dress

The madness of Monster Ball week is now over, so I think its time that I gained more focus on the purpose of this blog - giving MY views on Lady Gaga. Right now, I'm going to talk about the infamous meat dress that Gaga wore to this years MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.



This dress stole the show. Lady Gaga asked Cher to hold her meat purse. Afterward, she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show wearing the dress. Ellen is a vegan. She was offended by the dress and was forced to publically explain why she acted so strangely toward Gaga, an artist she had previously praised, during the broadcast.

The dress was not worn to offend vegetarians, vegans, animal lovers or any compassionate human being. It was worn to make a statement - "I am more than a piece of meat". GaGa wore the dress to get into the papers. She had taken several discharged soldiers from the US Army in support of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The meat dress was worn to get that message to a public audience.

I wasn't offended by the dress. I wasn't surprised by the dress. Nothing she does surprises me anymore. You never know what to expect with Gaga, but when you pay as close attention as I do...anything is possible.

Was the dress in good taste? No, it wasn't. It offended a lot of people that it was not meant to offend. Do I think Gaga became more famous because of it? Of course she did. She was EVERYWHERE. Did she know it would grab as many headlines as it did? Of course. Lady Gaga is a VERY smart woman when it comes to publicity, and I have no qualms in saying she can manipulate the media just as much as they try to manipulate her. She's the biggest star on the planet right now for that very reason. I do think Gaga wore it with the right intentions, but I also think she sat down afterward and realised that she had made some kind of mistake. She didn't apologise for it, and she never will. She's not the type to do it.

I wouldn't apologise either.

Would I wear a meat dress? Never. Will I complain if she ever wears a meat dress again? Nope...

I'm not easily offended. :P

Paws up! (") (")

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Monster Ball takes over Dublin: My Review



What a week. Three Monster Ball shows in the space of four days and I am EXHAUSTED. Between queuing from early morning to bad weather and standing at the show for two hours PLUS camping outside a certain Lady's hotel a night or two...I can't wait for a good nights sleep. But it was ABSOLUTELY worth it! I met Semi Precious Weapons about twenty times (haha), Lady Starlight, all of Lady Gaga's dancers (even went to one of their dance classes, it was so much fun) and most importantly...

I MET LADY GAGA AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

However, that's not why I'm making this post. I'm going to give you all my views on her show, from how its improved, to what needs to be fixed. I won't deny that I adore the show and consider it the best show on the planet, but it's not perfect. Even Gaga herself admitted that to me. So, here it goes...

LADY STARLIGHT
Lady Starlight opened the show from when the doors opened. Nothing too extravagant, she just DJ'ed on the stage. Except she's a bit nuts in the eyes of most. She's definitely not for everyone. Rather than playing pop music, she plays rock 'n' roll metal...quite a contrast to what Lady GaGa releases, for sure. I can see why many people either missed her set, or ignored her. Personally, I love the music she was playing. I think she's a great performer. It needs to be remembered that Starlight is the woman who performed with Lady GaGa when GaGa was first starting out. Nice to see that GaGa doesn't turn her back on those who were with her from the beginning. Great for those just looking to have a good time and enjoy themselves - I even know an 8 year old who thought she was amazing. Definitely a love or hate performance.

SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS
I adore these guys. I also run a site for them alongside GaGaNews. They are not your typical band. Justin, their lead singer, is a 6'5" man in heels with make-up. Their opening song basically sums their music up...a loud voice screams "from New York motherf-ing city...it's SEMI...PRECIOUS...WEEEEEAAAPPPOOONNNSSSS!!!!" and a dirty guitar riff blares through the speakers. After a few moments, Justin appears on stage, singing the lyrics "I can't pay my rent, but I'm f--ing gorgeous!". No, they're not for children. At least, not for children who are easily led. They are love or hate, without a doubt. Many will judge them based on the fact they have a controversial image, controversial lyrics - but make no mistake about it, they can play their instruments and Justin can sing his heart out. Four years ago, GaGa was opening for them in front of twelve people - Dublin adored them. They were very impressed with how receptive the fans were. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they deserve a chance. Personally, I think they're getting better and better - they can only go up from here, they are amazingly talented.

LADY GAGA
I've seen this particular show about 12 times (I've honestly lost count, but it's around that number). The last time I had seen it before Dublin was last June in Manchester. In comparison to then? Just one word...WOW. I've heard a lot of people say "oh, she talks too much. Oh, she's too political". Well, GaGa has a way of telling her fans that they need to be proud of themselves for who they are, that they need to ignore the hate that comes their way. If she comes across as "long-winded" to some...fair enough. Not everyone is as big a fan as others. But still, even the most casual fan can't complain about the show. They got to see all the hits, and they got a lot of laughs out of her. Most importantly, she sang live. She sang her damn heart out. She danced, her dancers are an amazingly talented group of people and they love performing each night. Her band were all live, and are getting better and better with each show. You don't have to be a fan of GaGa, but when people say she isn't genuinely talented - that pisses me off. The woman sat on a damn piano and played her heart out for two songs! What more does she need to do? There's only one gripe I have with the newer version of the show - she cut Vanity out from the setlist. To all of her super dedicated fans, this is a BIG deal. We love that song!

The Monster Ball has five months left in its run. In the space of five months, who knows what GaGa could do to the show? It's amazingly good now - and it can only get better. Lady Gaga doesn't get worse - she's proven time and time again that she only gets better.

The Monster Ball is a show that EVERYONE needs to see. It may not be everyone's style of music, of performance, whatever. But just to understand the hype, everyone needs to sit up and pay attention. This show is only the beginning for Lady GaGa...that's a promise.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Monster Ball Week!

It's started, the most important week in October 2010! Lady Gaga isn't here yet, but all of her dancers and crew are here - and the lady's arrival on Irish soil is imminent. The Monster Ball is two days away, and I'm like a kid in a candy store - seriously, it feels as if I'm going to pee my pants with excitement. I'm finding an excuse to head into town today (passport pictures) so I can magically "run into" her dancers, even though they know that I know they're in town because I've been talking to them about it! They won't mind though, they're the coolest group of people you could ever meet.


So; mission Gaga - begins now.


Today: Find her dancers.
Tomorrow: Collect my best friend from the airport in prep for the show - and find the rest of her crew, including her opening acts Semi Precious Weapons and Lady Starlight.
Tuesday: Monster Ball
Wednesday: Monster Ball
Thursday: Her dancers are doing a workshop on the Long Mile Road, and I'm so going because I'm cool.
Friday: Monster Ball


I am going to be SO TIRED by the time this all ends - but you wait and see, I'll be more giddy then a leprechaun on chocolate. PAWS UP!!!!!


P.S: In unrelated news...Cheryl Cole's new song is ADDICTIVE! It has to be the whole chant thing...it mesmerises you.

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Monster Ball



The Monster Ball is Lady GaGa's currently running tour. It's been going on since late 2009, and will end around Summer 2010. I've seen it about 12 times now, and I'm going to see it again next week in the o2 in Dublin! The opening acts are Lady Starlight (who GaGa used to perform with GaGa in New York way before she became famous) and Semi Precious Weapons (I'll be writing more about them in the near future - LOVE THESE GUYS!). It's a great show, filled with visuals and GaGa really shows how talented she is - she plays piano and ALWAYS sings live. Check out some videos below. Fan or not, you can't deny that she has talent:




Also check out these videos of Starlight and Semi Precious Weapons, even if you don't like them...nobody can deny they're very interesting ;)




Monday, October 11, 2010

So, what exactly is a Little Monster?


It's simple. A "Little Monster" is a dedicated Lady Gaga fan. You may love her, you may hate her...you may be indifferent about her. Fact is, you know who Lady Gaga is. Claim otherwise, and people KNOW that you're lying. She's the most famous person in the world, how could you not know who she is? If you're online reading this blog, you're certainly not living under a rock - so stop making excuses and read on. I won't make this painful for you...yet.


There are twenty million and a half blogs about Lady Gaga out there. I even own a website (www.gaganews.com) dedicated to posting news about her. However, every single blog has been missing one little thing. Something that can make an amazing difference to everyone...


I'm going to give my opinions on her, and they will NOT always be along the lines of "ZOMGITSLADYGAGAILUVHER!!!!". I don't agree with everything she does. I'm not delusional. I have my own mind, and I can make my own decisions. She'd rather that to be honest, she's told me that herself.


Yes, I've met her. Several times.


She's a lovely woman, very humble and mature for her age, since you're wondering. And no, she's not a man, since I know you were also wondering about that stupid rumour.


You don't have to be a Lady Gaga fan. I'm not going to force you to be one. I just hope that you're open-minded enough to give me a chance, and I promise I won't let you down. This isn't an admiration blog. This blog is not going to be biased (or, I'll at least try not to be). I won't just copy and paste everything from the internet like every other blog out there.


I'm very opinionated, and it's going to show.


Plus, Lady Gaga really makes this an easy blog to write...who else has asked Cher to hold her meat purse?


Paws up Little Monster! (") O_O (")