LADY GAGA NABS TWO WINS AT MUCHMUSIC VIDEO AWARDS

Lady Gaga in Toronto for MuchMusic Video Awards

Despite it being Father's Day and also having received the unfortunate news of her Friend Clarence Clemons' passing last night, Lady Gaga demonstrated her consummate professionalism, soldiering through two Rehearsals today for the MuchMusic Video Awards, after skipping last evening's Run-through.

Gaga dazzled not only in one, but a total two Performances this evening both opening and closing the Awards.  She kicked-off the evening with a Medley of The Edge of Glory (ft. Clemons) and Government Hooker, appearing in a leather-studded Bodysuit and a Turquoise Bob Wig, performing from a maze of Ladders.  Watch it here. 

She closed-out the Festivities by returning to the Stage in a Cocoon for Born this Way. Donning a long turquoise Wig and high-shouldered feathery Get-up seen prior on her The Monster Ball Tour, later removed to reveal a yellow Leopard-print Blazer.  Gaga wound-up smearing blood upon herself, including her Wig by the end of it all.  Watch it here.

LADY GAGA - BORN THIS WAY REVIEW

At long last we are gifted with the eagerly-awaited return from The Mother of Pop herself, Lady Gaga - not that she ever really was away.  Born this Way is a 14-track Opus, equally Runway-inspired as it is made for the Dance Floor.  And over the course of the past three years those of us who were early supporters of hers have been rewarded handsomely by our investment of faith, seeing no other star shine as brightly as hers.  Make no mistake about it, Lady Gaga is a Phenomenon and an Icon in all senses of the word.

Born This Way shows an astonishing amount of growth from Gaga's 2008 debut The Fame.  Gone are the days of singing about "riding on Disco Sticks" and "doin' it for the Fame". By golly, she's famous.  She's really famous.  Musically, vocally and lyrically, Gaga has progressed as an Artist, striking that fine balance between Pop Art and a level of accessibility which even your ten-year old Niece gets.  A now-Gaga is '90s-obsessed and fixated on Biblical metaphors, in addition to the concepts of Social Justice and Self Acceptance.

This hour-long Set starts off on a brilliant note - a first Techno-Rock contribution from Fernando Garibay complete with Bongos and Organs.  Marry the Night takes you to the Chapel in high gear before fully taking flight late with a Pat Benatar-like Breakdown and Vamp which elevates the listener into a higher state of consciousness  - the Album's Title Track, yet another Garibay production.    

Government Hooker is a dark, edgy romp which sounds like something played over a Video Montage  between costume changes on her The Monster Ball Tour.  Industrial, New Wave and with a Hook which melodically takes a cue from Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love, this number definitely is among the Cream of the Crop on the Disc.  Myself not having gone "gaga" (yes her name can be used as a verb also) over RedOne production Judas, its context is understood better after hearing the Album fully.  It serves as a part of a recurring motif - dark, bitter Verses set against the sweet fluffiness of fun Choruses.

Americano with its Flamenco flare delivers more of that passione we heard on prior Single Alejandro, although much more festive and in the spirit of Boney M. and Santa Esmerelda. An ode to Gay Rights, musically it seems out-of-context from the rest of Born this Way, although we will need to see this Garibay production set to stage in all its visual glory to see where Gaga is going with this. 

LADY GAGA PREMIERES "AMERICANO" IN MEXICO

Lady Gaga in Toronto - March 2011

Despite there being rumours spreading on Twitter that Lady Gaga had cancelled her Mexican shows, these turned out alas to be false.

Lady Gaga rewarded her ecstatic Mexican Fans in Guadalajara with a piping hot rendition of the never-heard Americano from upcoming sophomore Disc Born this Way, due in just 18 days!  Before stepping on stage she Tweeted, "Can hear 30,000 Monsters slamming the stadium floor in Guadalajara. It sounds pop revolution, fists pounding furiously. Have a big surprise.". 

Although this version uploaded by a Fan, is mostly played on the Piano with her Band joining-in fully for some Flamenco fanfare late, the theatrical number looks to be a highlight on the Album. She sings to her Latin Lover (is it Alejandro??), "If you love me/We can marry on the West Coast/On a Wednesday/En el verano o en Agosto (in the summer or in August).". She's a Storyteller.

Watch the Video below:

WATCH A PREVIEW OF HBO'S " LADY GAGA PRESENTS THE MONSTER BALL"

This totally will break your heart. Watch this Sneak Preview from HBO's Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: Live at Madison Square Garden.  Gaga has a breakdown, talking about her own insecurities and feeling as though others are out to destroy her.  She is defiant, telling the Camera, "Sometimes I feel like a Loser Kid in High school ... and tell myself I'm a Superstar every morning and be for my Fans what they need me to be.".  She goes on to say how others sometimes "see Wigs and Lipstick and just shut down because they don't know".  

The HBO Special airs Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 9:00 PM EST.

LADY GAGA TO LAUNCH "BORN THIS WAY" TOUR

Lady Gaga in Toronto - March 2011

Although it may be a little ambitious launching yet another Tour while she currently is still touring, Lady Gaga announced that on Friday, May 27, 2011 she will be kicking off her Born this Way Tour on ABC's Good Morning America.  On that morning's broadcast, she will be performing a free Concert.  She will however be taking a few weeks off after The Monster Ball Tour ends in April to recuperate.  Legendary!

Although I've seen her live five times already, including just last month, I will definitely go out and support her again.  One cannot reason with a Monster.  I was Born this Way!

Enter to win a copy of Lady Gaga's Born this Way here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

NEW MUSIC: LADY GAGA - BORN THIS WAY (THE COUNTRY ROAD VERSION)

Lady Gaga & Maria Aragon in Toronto - March 2011

As a special treat for Fans who have made her Single Born this Way number one now for six consecutive weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Lady Gaga has released this epic version of the Hit.

Just this morning Lady Gaga unleashed this Def Lepard/Bon Jovi-esque offering of Born this Way (The Country Road Version) for Fans. All gutts 'n' glory. Harmonica included. A nice companion to her You and I which she has been performing on her The Monster Ball Tour.

Preview it in full below (audio content owned by Universal Music):

I WAS ASSAULTED BY LADY GAGA'S HANDLER

Lady Gaga greets Fans at Toronto Hotel - March 2011

Attempting for a seventh time today to meet and get a Photo with Lady Gaga, my luck fell short yet again. Well, actually I can't quite blame it on luck alone as there might have been a bit of maliciousness involved.

Waiting outside of Lady Gaga's Yorkville Hotel today were a small group of Fans, a few Paparazzi and Autograph Collectors. Being quite frigid and rainy, only the truly dedicated had waited as Lady Gaga did a round of Press inside her Hotel for the likes of CTV's eTalk and MuchMusic.

Anyone who's followed my Blog or even knows me on a personal level will know v. well that I am an ardent supporter of Lady Gaga and have always been since MP3s leaked well before her Debut Disc The Fame was even released. Many of my Friends, a few who are influencial DJs in the City and Music Bloggers, have given me thanks for turning them onto Lady Gaga. At the end of the day however, it is her sheer talent and drive which has gotten her where she is, even though many people like to take credit for her success story.  I might not be the type of Fan who wears shirts that say "I LOVE LADY GAY GAY" or show-up to her Concerts in Drag, but that in no way makes me any less of a Fan.

Over the past two years, I've seen her perform six times, three of those times at The Monster Ball Tour, once with my two Nieces. I own all her releases and Special and Import Editions ad nauseum. My Bedroom Wall is decorated with a large mounted Poster for The Fame Monster for crying out loud and if you asked me to sing any Track off of hers to-date by rote, I probably would be pretty good at it. Ask me about Current Events in the World.... not so much.

It has always been a great hope of mine to one day meet Lady Gaga and even though in my time I have been graced by the presence of many a Celebrity, she has always been at the top of those whom I aspire to meet the most. This has even been documented in a profile about me in The National Post. I have made the efforts - believe me - but have fallen short. Whether it be waiting hours on-end at MuchMusic on multiple occasions, a total three occasions while she was in Toronto on tour, or more recently, these past two days.  I just haven't been lucky.

LADY GAGA AND MARIA ARAGON DUET AT TORONTO "THE MONSTER BALL" SHOW

Maria Aragon & Lady Gaga - Air Canada Centre (March 2011)

Instead of repeating a Review of the same show I saw last July, I will point out a few key differences at  Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Show at Air Canada Centre.  In what is now my sixth time seeing Lady Gaga perform live since her rise to Fame began in 2008 (and third time attending this Tour), I can say with confidence that she vocally is at the top of her game right now.  What is even more impressive is that she did this after a long flight directt from Paris this afternoon, as she had made her Runway debut at a Thierry Mugler Fashion Show last night there.  Congratulating her tired self, she told the audience: "If I can do it, you have no fucking excuse!".

Lady Gaga chats with Fan on Phone

Aside from a few subtle Costume changes and song omissions like Speechless and So Happy I Could Die, a couple exciting bits were infused into tonight's Show.  During Alejandro from her The Fame Monster Disc, she dived right into the audience without warning, giving Fans a giant thrill.  Lady Gaga also called one Fan randomly on his Cell Phone to chat, to which he thanked her for helping inspire him to "out" himself as a young Gay Man.  Aiding Gay Youth is a cause which the Mega-Star believes in strongly, donating proceeds from her Shows to a Charity named Green Chimneys which assists homeless Youth in the LGBT Community.

The ultimate highlight of the evening though was a much-hyped Duet between ten year-old Winnipeg singing sensation Maria Aragon and Lady Gaga, performed not once but twice on stage of U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart-topper, Born this Way;  one Piano Version, one it is original glory in the encore of the Show.  Gaga visibly was moved by the talent of this young Girl whom she inspired.  

Watch Lady Gaga and Maria Aragon duet on Born This Way (Piano Version):

LADY GAGA LANDS IN TORONTO FOR "THE MONSTER BALL" TOUR

Lady Gaga poses for Terry Richardson at Toronto Pearson International Airport

After making her Runway debut last night at a Thierry Mugler Fashion Show in Paris, Lady Gaga defines what it means to live a Jet Set Life. Flying into Toronto this afternoon via a private Gulfstream Jet with her Entourage which included Celebrity Photographer Terry Richardson and Toronto-loving Mentor and Best Friend Lady Starlight, Lady Gaga stepped off the Plane in style, posing for Photos in front of her Tour Bus for Richardson.

Today, Gaga wore her famous heel-less Boots, Tights and a T-shirt with its sleeves torn-out, exposing some cleavage through the sides.  Brrr.

For a full recap of Gaga's The Monster Ball Show at Air Canada Centre including her duet with ten year-old Maria Aragon, click here.

See some of these Photos below I snapped from afar prior to her Bus leaving the Tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport, en route to their Hotel in Yorkville.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

LIZA MINNELLI SURPRISES LADY GAGA AT NEW YORK CITY SHOW

Liza Minnelli, Billy Stritch & Lady Gaga

Fans at Monday night’s The Monster Ball Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City got a huge treat with Liza Minnelli and her Musical Collaborator Billy Stritch spotted in the audience together. Gaga revealed some of the harsh criticisms she received from her Mentors at the Tisch School of the Arts, telling her that she looked too “ethnic” and not Blonde enough to ever become a Leading Lady in America. Well, she proved them all wrong, didn’t she?

Gaga singled out Minnelli, thanking her for being an inspiration to other non-Blondes, then asking the crowd to give her a standing ovation. Stritch shared his Photos online with Broadway World from the evening, including some Photos they took together Backstage. Lucky Lady. See, Celebrities really are just like us.  They want their Photos with Celebs too!

Read the Write-up in full here.

(Photo credit: Broadway World/Billy Stritch)

LADY GAGA ON "JAY LENO": CONFIRMS MADONNA'S SUPPORT

Lady Gaga on Leno

Lady Gaga appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night, sporting her three Grammy Awards from Sunday night and in them, she placed some M&Ms for him to snack on.  She donned a shiny black mask which she took off after Leno began commenting on her controversial Meat Dress.

Gaga confirmed that she will be recording an HBO Special for her The Monster Ball Tour shortly as she gears up to tour. She will be in Toronto on March 3rd along with opening act Scissor Sisters.

On rumours that Madonna is displeased with Born this Way borrowing to much from her hit Express Yourself, Gaga confirmed that she had received an e-mail from the Queen of Pop and her Management wishing Gaga all the best with the Single. Gaga then went on to say, "What the Queen says will be, shall be". So that's that.

Watch Gaga on Leno below:

SCISSOR SISTERS TO OPEN FOR LADY GAGA IN 2011

Well how about that? Just two days after their phenomenal Toronto show, Scissor Sisters have been announced as the Opening Act for the on-going second leg of Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour. They will be joining Gaga on-stage after a quick break from their current Touring schedule beginning February 19, 2011.

Make it known that Scissor Sisters are humbling themselves completely here. The band has been making headlines for a while, forming in 2001 and have won a number of BRIT Awards already including International Group, Album and Breakthrough for their eponymous debut in 2005. Success has not translated stateside and despite hailing from New York City (like Gaga) where they can easily fill a small theatre, they can actually pack 02 Arena in London.

After having seen Lady Gaga four times already in the last two years, I won't be attending her March 3, 2011 show at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Whoever has a ticket though to her show next year is going to be in for a real treat. Don't forget to check out my Review, Video and Pics from their show the other night!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

LADY GAGA TORONTO MONSTER BALL TOUR - SECOND LEG REVIEW (PICS & VIDEO)

Seeing Lady Gaga's Monster Ball a second time this evening at Toronto's Air Canada Centre proved to be a wise decision as the first leg of the Tour was lacking in many regards. This time around, Gaga has perfected her show with meticulous precision using bigger production, bigger budget, bigger sets, bigger theatrics. Phenomenal.

Delivering nothing but the best selections from The Fame and The Fame Monster, each song packed a punch, tieing in with the evening's theme of the journey to The Monster Ball where Gaga claims we can all be "free to be the Superstars we deserve to be because we've given her so much confidence as a person".  She cites that after having been made to feel awkward and un-sexy in her youth, she can finally bask in her own sensuality now, repeatedly asking the audience, "Am I sexy?". 

LADY GAGA'S TOUR BUS ARRIVES IN TORONTO

So Lady Gaga's Tour Bus has pulled into Toronto's Air Canada Centre in preparation for Sunday and Monday night's Monster Ball shows.  "Where's Gaga?" I asked its Bus Driver.  "Oh, she'll be in tomorrow."  And there you have it, Gaga fans.  Back off, she's mine.  Full review of the show to come tomorrow night, so don't expect any updates tomorrow as I'm pulling out all the stops to bring you some exclusive Gaga footage.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

CONTEST: A GA-GAGA GIVEAWAY!

Hello, Peaches!  I'm pleased to announce yet another exciting giveaway for my loyal readers.  This is your chance to win an ultra-rare signed 8x10 by the planet's hottest superstar, Lady Gaga looking....  totally ladylike (?).  The autograph is an item from The Mr. Will-W. Museum of Signed Art and the photo is vintage Gaga.  The prize is certified authentic as it was acquired through a respected dealer, with a lifetime guarantee on it.  Any Gaga afficionado will know that her signature has gone through multiple incarnations and this is one of her few signing styles.

To enter, all you need to do is email me at mrwillw@mrwillw.com before the deadline of May 1, 2010 at 12:00 PM EST with the name of the next single off of Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster disc.  The contest is open internationally and the winner will be e-mailed directly.  One entry only per reader, please.  Hint: the track was sent to radio in North America on April 20th.  Good luck!

LADY GAGA'S THE MONSTER BALL TOUR - BACK FOR SECONDS!

She's back.  Lady Gaga will be stopping off in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver for the second leg of her wildly successful The Monster Ball Tour.  This time around though, Gaga has the financial backing of Virgin Mobile, so you can expect it to be a much larger production.

For those of you in Toronto, tickets go on sale March 19, 2010 at 10:00 AM on Ticketmaster.   A presale option is available for Virgin Mobile customers here.  Lucky!

 

For a complete list of North American dates, click here.

I did attend the first leg of the tour earlier this year and had a great time. My main issue was that it all seemed rather distant and the set wasn't grand enough for a huge arena like Toronto's Air Canada Centre.  It seems that they've worked out the kinks this time around and you can count on me being there again.  You can read my review of the show and see some pics/videos I got here.

NEW MUSIC: ALPHABEAT - TELEPHONE/BAD ROMANCE ALPHAMONSTERMASHUP MEDLEY (LADY GAGA COVER)

Danish super-group Alphabeat have just leaked this medley of Telephone/Bad Romance (AlphaMonsterMashUp) originally by Lady Gaga, to commemorate the launch of The Monster Ball World Tour's UK leg.  They were been hand-picked by Gaga herself as the tour's opening act.  The track is featured as Song of the Day at pop music authority PopJustice and rightfully so. 

In all honesty, I didn't really enjoy the group's Polydor Records (Universal Music) sophomore effort The Spell nearly as much as their debut This is Alphabeat from EMI. The second album bordered a bit too much on camp to be taken seriously in my opinion, whereas the first album was just the right balance between camp and proper pop. But this right here, is good stuff.  The music takes a bit more of a supporting role behind lead female vocalist Stine Bramsen, who sounds solid. Four minutes of 90sliciousness.

The single is available for those of you in the UK, as a free download in Amazon.com.  Unfortunately though the track is not available internationally.

Listen to a AlphaMonsterMashUp by Alphabeat (audio content owned by Universal Music):

LADY GAGA ON OPRAH

So yeah, basically I'm here balling my eyes out after seeing Lady Gaga on Oprah Winfrey, her first appearance ever on the show.   I feel as though I'm watching my little sister grow up and am so proud of her.  Although it was a little messy, her three-song medley of Monster, Bad Romance and Speechless was wildly entertaining and the audience, comprised  mostly of die-hard fans, was just enthusiastic.

On the show, Lady Gaga (or just Gaga as she prefers to be called) mentioned how she pretty much dresses the same on-stage as she does off-stage, but to the left I actually have photographic proof that she does like to just kick back and wear T-shirts like the rest of us sometimes.  I got this photo of her leaving MuchMusic's headquarters in Toronto, summer 2008.

Lady Gaga gave us a bit of insight into her daily schedule and essentially she wakes up in the morning, turns on her computer and conceptualizes new looks, going back and forth between reference points.  She then brings her ideas her team of designers, The Haus of Gaga who either give her the thumbs up or thumbs down.  Most of the time she winds up getting what she wants anyway.  She mentioned also that she wanted very much to paint herself blue and coincidentally, director James Cameron was on the show earlier promoting Avatar.  She joked that Avatar came along and stole her thunder.

The show reached an emotional high note when Lady Gaga explained the importance of treating your parents well, always working hard and sticking to your dreams, as her eyes welled-up.  Winfrey also accepted a compliment from Lady Gaga, seeming genuinely touched by her kind words.  In true Gaga form, she also announced that all proceeds from the January 24th date of her newly-revamped The Monster's Ball Tour will be going to aid relief in Haiti.  Also, any profits from merchandise sold on her website that day will also go to the cause.  Amazing.  How could you not love this girl?

Although not HQ, here's a clip that has surfaced on YouTube from the show today:

REVIEW: LADY GAGA THE MONSTER BALL (TORONTO)

Toronto's Air Canada Centre was chosen asthe second stop-off on Lady Gaga's self-headlined The Monster Ball tour. It was her main objective to give fans an expensive-looking show at an affordable price considering that she was originally to co-headline the Fame Kills tour with rapper Kanye West. As we are aware, those plans were kiboshed as he opted to take a mental rest leaving Lady Gaga to her own devices. Headlining an arena tour for an artist who has been in the game just over a year is almost unheard of, but she has accomplished just that already. Above this, she sold out completely here in Toronto, leaving no doubts to how popular she has gotten in this short amount of time.

Lady Gaga drilled home a few very important points repeatedly to the audience this evening at what she calls her "pop-electro opera": 1) She hates money. In fact she claims to be "broke", having invested most of her earnings into her own videos and shows. 2) She is very grateful to Canadian fans as we made her debut album The Fame and single Just Dance number one before any other market. 3) She is obsessed with becoming a better artist every day because she has "the best fucking fans". 4) If you don't like her show, you can "get the fuck out". Very poignant, indeed.

Finally arriving on stage at 10:30 PM after two opening acts Semi Precious Weapons and Kid Cudi (admittedly mismatched) warmed up the crowd, Lady Gaga arrived in-persona and full of her signature bravado. Surprisingly, the band was nowhere to be seen and there seemed to be much dependence on backing tracks, except for slow numbers where she played the piano; she came armed with a tight-knit team of dancers. The show was very simply laid out with much visual focus being placed on three LED screens on-stage where abstract vignettes were projected onto between songs. The first half of the show focussed almost exclusively on new material from her The Fame Monster disc and despite having been released only Tuesday, most of the audience already knew how to sing along to the tracks.

To view more pics from The Monster Ball, click here.

Opening number Dance in the Dark was performed behind a grid screen, which started the show on a bit of a distant note and this I felt, plagued parts of The Monster Ball. Lady Gaga performs much of the show too far away from the audience perhaps. This may be a result of the stage's design, as it is intended to make the concert look as if it is a work of art within in a frame. I will not take anything away from her though as truly she gave it her all tonight, frequently making efforts to connect with her audience asking "Canada, how are you doing?". She went on also to perform hits Just Dance, Love Game and Monster to the enthused audience which was primarily female, although there were a good number of male fans and families in attendance too. Above this, her singing was all live and she was able to do so while dancing through most of her show.