Billboard' names Lady Gaga Woman of the Year

Lady Gaga will be named Billboard's 2015 Woman of the Year at the publication's 10th annual Women in Music event.

The Grammy Award winner will receive the honor on Dec. 11 at Cipriani Midtown in New York. The event, which will be televised for the first time, is held in conjunction with the publication of Billboard’s Women in Music list, which selects the year’s 50 most powerful female executives in the music industry. Lifetime will air the event as Women in Music on Dec. 18.

Gaga was chosen based on her "industry leadership, artistry, philanthropy, innovative contribution to music and inspiration to millions," according to a release.

“Billboard’s Woman of the Year has always represented the finest in music, and the anointing of a key influential figure who drove the conversation for that year. No one embodies that more than Lady Gaga in 2015,” said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group, which consists ofBillboard and The Hollywood Reporter. “From her show-stopping performance at the Oscars, to her co-headlining tour, to her philanthropic outreach and foundation promoting youth wellbeing and empowerment, to her new role as TV star, there is no woman dominating popular culture tastes and its evolution as much as she is today. What a force.”

Previous Billboard Woman of the Year honorees include Taylor Swift in 2014 (her second time as Woman of the Year), Pink, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé.

Source:http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/09/29/billboard-name-lady-gaga-woman-year/73040504/

The Lady Gaga of the 1920s'

Eddie Redmayne is already being Oscar-tipped for his latest role in Tom Hooper’s biopic, The Danish Girl – the story of the painter Einar Wegener, who underwent the world’s first gender-reassignment operation to become Lili Elbe. But there was another woman behind Einar and Lili.

In The Danish Girl, Wegener’s wife, Gerda, a talented artist, is played by 26-year-old Swede Alicia Vikander, who very nearly steals the show as her partner’s devoted supporter. In real life, the story is not dissimilar. Gerda married Einar in 1904 and went on to become the nation’s most prominent exponent of art deco, pioneering the bending of gender boundaries and rethinking the female gaze.

“I like to think of her as the Lady Gaga of the 1920s,” says art historian Andrea Rygg Karberg, who has curated a new exhibition of Gerda’s work in Copenhagen. “Gerda was a pioneer who spent two decades as part of the Parisian art scene and revolutionised the way women are portrayed in art.” In short, Gerda Wegener was A Big Deal. “Throughout history, paintings of beautiful women were done by men,” says Rygg Karberg. “Women were typically seen through the male gaze. But Gerda changed all that because she painted strong, beautiful women with admiration and identification – as conscious subjects rather than objects.”

ddie Redmayne is already being Oscar-tipped for his latest role in Tom Hooper’s biopic, The Danish Girl – the story of the painter Einar Wegener, who underwent the world’s first gender-reassignment operation to become Lili Elbe. But there was another woman behind Einar and Lili.

In The Danish Girl, Wegener’s wife, Gerda, a talented artist, is played by 26-year-old Swede Alicia Vikander, who very nearly steals the show as her partner’s devoted supporter. In real life, the story is not dissimilar. Gerda married Einar in 1904 and went on to become the nation’s most prominent exponent of art deco, pioneering the bending of gender boundaries and rethinking the female gaze.

“I like to think of her as the Lady Gaga of the 1920s,” says art historian Andrea Rygg Karberg, who has curated a new exhibition of Gerda’s work in Copenhagen. “Gerda was a pioneer who spent two decades as part of the Parisian art scene and revolutionised the way women are portrayed in art.” In short, Gerda Wegener was A Big Deal. “Throughout history, paintings of beautiful women were done by men,” says Rygg Karberg. “Women were typically seen through the male gaze. But Gerda changed all that because she painted strong, beautiful women with admiration and identification – as conscious subjects rather than objects.”

“Gerda refused to be defined by her rural past or what she was born into or what society wanted,” says Rygg Karberg, “just as Lili did. Both women created themselves from scratch.” Gerda was commissioned to produce illustrations for La Vie Parisienne, Le Rire and La Baïonnette, becoming hugely famous and considerably outearning her spouse. “What is more impressive is that she got ahead without trying to be more like the men to do it,” says Rygg Karberg. “She loved makeup and fashion, and didn’t see why embracing these traditionally feminine things should make her any less strong. She wanted it all.” The other string to Gerda’s lyre was eroticism. Her playful nudes, including graphic illustrations for the memoirs of Casanova, were celebrated throughout liberal society for their groundbreaking ploy of depicting female sexual pleasure – “which isn’t something you see too much of in art!”, says Rygg Karberg.

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/28/gerda-einar-wergener-danish-girl-trans-painter

Rape Survivors Pen Letter to Lady Gaga, Diane Warren for Song "Til it Happens to You

The four sexual assault survivors who helped inspire Lady Gaga’s internationally hailed music video, "Til It Happens to You," have written to the singer and to the song’s co-writer Diane Warren, thanking them in moving terms for their artistic support.

The song, which never has been released as a single, is the haunting theme of Kirby Dick andAmy Ziering’s acclaimed documentary, The Hunting Ground, which details the experiences ofAnnie E. Clark, Andrea L. Pino, Sofie Karasek and Kamilah Willingham — all of them sexually assaulted on their college campuses.

The film, which debuted at Sundance, will be aired later this year on CNN and already is the subject of pre-Oscar buzz, as is the theme song.

As of Sept. 24, the song’s music video — directed by Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke — had generated nearly 12 million views online. The song has also become a trending topic on Facebook and Twitter, with Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Platten and senior White House adviserValerie Jarrett among its online supporters. The video currently is No. 4 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart, the highest rating ever for one of Lady Gaga’s videos.

Since we first came forward with our personal stories of sexual assault to our family, to the media and in The Hunting Ground, our lives have changed significantly,” they wrote. “A burgeoning movement to end campus rape has swept to schools across the country, inspiring new educational initiatives, legislation, and, most importantly, a widespread community of support for survivors. Within this community, the four of us have carried the weight of pressuring our institutions to reform, and have dedicated ourselves to this effort."

“The release of your song will have an unparalleled impact on the culture of campuses nationwide," they continued. "Imagine a survivor who, after hearing your song, no longer feels isolated or alone. Picture that survivor’s friend, telling that survivor that it’s not her fault … We want to thank you both for having the courage to write and perform this song and for allowing your talent, your music, your lyrics and your voices to tell our stories."

Warren responded that, “The letter from the survivors from the documentary The Hunting Ground that was sent to Lady Gaga and me made me cry. I am humbled by this brave and beautiful letter and being able to write a song that can not only speak to this cause but can hopefully help bring some healing as well.”

Source:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rape-survivors-pen-letter-lady-827146

Lady Gaga gets serious in new music video about sexual assault on college campuses

The singer has released a music video for her song "'Til It Happens To You." The song and video depicts some of the types of sexual assault that takes place on college campuses across the nation. "Until it happens to you, you don't know how it feels," Gaga sings in the song.

Til It Happens To You" was created for the documentary "The Hunting Ground." 

The documentary takes a look at sexual assault on college campuses. Newsweek referred to the film as "terrifyingly true." 

The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and is available on Itunes. 

Recording "'Til It Happens To You" was especially emotional for Lady Gaga. The singer revealed in 2014 that she was raped when she was 19 years old, according to People. 

The music video was released just days before the Sept. 21 release of The Association of American Universities report on campus sexual assault and sexual misconduct. 

According to the report, about one in four women have been a victim of a sexual assault while on campus. The report's definition of sexual assault includes nonconsensual kissing, touching or groping, in addition to nonconsensual penetration involving force or incapacitation. 

Responses from more than 150,000 students, including many in Pennsylvania, are included in the report.

University of Pittsburgh and University of Pennsylvania were among the 27 schools surveyed by the AAU.

The study found that 82 percent of survey respondents at the University of Pennsylvania did nothing when they saw someone going into a drunken sexual encounter.  

Additionally, 12 percent of female undergraduate students experienced nonconsensual penetration involving force or incapacitation at the university. 10 percent of undergraduate women experienced this at the University of Pittsburgh.

The full reports for University of Pennsylvania and University of Pittsburgh are both available online. 

In addition to releasing "'Till it Happens To You," Lady Gaga will appear on "American Horror Story: Hotel" when it airs on FX on October 7.

Earlier this year the singer became engaged to Lancaster native, actor Taylor Kinney.

Source:http://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/09/lady_gaga_campus_sexual_assaul.html

Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens to You" Music Video Focuses on Campus Rape: Watch

ust weeks before the premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel, Lady Gaga surprised fans with the release of a new song and music video, titled “Til It Happens to You.”
The song, which Gaga recorded earlier this year with Diane Warren for the documentary The Hunting Ground, focuses on the subject of college campus rape and sexual assault.

The emotional video, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), was shot entirely in black and white and depicts several women being assaulted at fraternity parties and in dorm rooms. The women are then shown crying and writing phrases like, “Believe me” and “Sometimes I hate myself” on their arms before being comforted by their loved ones. Hardwicke also enlisted actress Nikki Reed for the music video, with whom she previously worked with on Twilight and Thirteen.

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The video is prefaced with a title card that reads, “The following contains graphic content that may be emotionally unsettling but reflects the reality of what is happening daily on college campuses,” and ends with the statistic, “One in five women will be sexually assaulted this year unless something changes.”
In 2014, Gaga, 29, revealed during an interview with Howard Stern that she was raped by a music producer when she was 19.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lady-gaga-new-song-and-music-video-2015189

Hotel promo shows the many sides of Lady Gaga's Countess

So far, we know that Lady Gaga’s The Countess is a bloodsucker — and a sexy one at that — and thanks to a new Gaga-focused teaser for American Horror Story: Hotel, we now know, well, not much else.
The new promo pretty much consists of Gaga dancing around, occassionally putting people on leashes, and just generally showing the many twisted sides to The Countess. Much like her portrayer, it seems The Countess has a flair for the dramatic.

Source:http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/16/american-horror-story-hotel-promo-lady-gaga-countess

Lady Gaga's Stylist Brandon Maxwell Debuts His First Collection at NYFW

To passersby, a raucous crowd outside the upscale Chinese restaurant Mr. Chow at 9 p.m. on Monday night might have seemed out of place. And indeed it was, especially for a New York Fashion Week show, which was Brandon Maxwell's location of choice to unveil his debut collection, but the designer understands the power of making an impression—Maxwell is the man behind Lady Gaga's many looks.

The fashion herd flocked to the Upper East Side to see what this stylist-turned-designer had to say—one of them being Alexander Wang, who just celebrated his brand's 10th anniversary. "I know him through Gaga," Wang tells InStyle prior to the show. "But we've been close friends on our own. He's so much fun, so down-to-earth. I'm excited to see his creations."

Maxwell's offering was certainly something to see. Hisspring/summer 2016 collection began with a line-up of razor-sharp, femme fatale suits in a neutral color palette of black, ivory, and dusty rose that eventually gave way to sweeping ball gowns, with one dramatic number drawing enthusiastic claps from the crowd. "All I really wanted to achieve was the classic, timeless piece that a woman can spend a good amount of money on and that she will wear over time," the designer says. "That was my goal, and I hope we accomplished that."

And what was Lady Gaga's part in the process? "She's really the reason why I was able to do this," Maxwell says. "She's assured me through her own life work that anything is possible."

Naturally, Lady Gaga—his guest of honor, muse, and friend—was there to lend her support. 

"I’ve been looking at this collection for a few months now and watching him pour his love and passion into it, his past, his present, and his future, and I have to say that I’m just completely speechless by how well executed this evening was," she says. "It was a special experience being here tonight and being a part of putting this show on with him and loving him as a friend."

What's more, Gaga plans to show off these looks soon. "I can wear them any time, all the time," she insists. "They're for the woman who likes to be dressed well and who likes to enjoy things that are made well, and these clothes are made perfectly, down to every inch of your body. You don’t have to worry when you zip it up that it won’t hug you in just the right way because he’s already decided the shape, and when you put it on, you become a part of that dress."

And judging by how stunning she was in her sleek Brandon Maxwell suit, we have no other choice but to believe her.

Source:http://www.instyle.com/news/lady-gaga-brandon-maxwell-debut-collection-nyfw

My Fashionable Night Out With Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Lots of Pole Dancers

At Alexander Wang's NYFW streetwear-focused show, there were stars galore—including Kanye—and a pounding bassline. A subtler genius was at play at Banana Republic.

Around 9:15 Saturday night, outside a dark warehouse where designer Alexander Wang presented his 10th anniversary collection, Nicki Minajemerged inconspicuously from her limousine.

She stood alone, unnoticed, and unsure of her next move—where were the cameras?—until a single bulb flashed from behind. 

“Come around to this side!” she screamed at the lens, pointing out in front of her: she’d give him one shot, and was evidently prepared to make a scene for it to be the best head-to-toe picture taken that night. 

Lady Gaga was blinded by flashes the second she stepped out of her car in a pair of glittering, precipitously tall platforms. 

The celebrated New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham was hunched over near the warehouse entrance, ready for Gaga and her bedazzled shoes.

Minaj slipped away through a side door.

Lady Gaga ducked under the velvet rope at one point in the evening to dance among the plebs.

Minutes later, the two music divas were seated next to each other in the front row, ignoring the crush of people around them. Gaga dragged from her cigarette and exhaled in a paparazzo’s face. 

Kanye wasn’t ready to sit, someone whispered to a security guard trying to herd people toward their seats.

The rapper’s hooded head hung low, facing a wall. Josh Ostrovsky (otherwise known as “The Fat Jew”) chatted loudly nearby, his hazard-orange sweatsuit directing attention away from an unusually shy Kanye. Kim Kardashian West was conspicuously absent. 

Wang’s shows tend to bring out all the hip-hop artists, and this year was no different. Mary J. Blige, The Weeknd with model girlfriend Bella Hadid, and rapper Tyga all sat front row. (Tinashe, Lil Wayne, and Ludacris all performed at the after party).

The designer returned to his roots with streetwear for his spring collection: bomber jackets, oversized hoodies, pajama shirts, wide-brimmed baseball caps, and lots of ripped or faded denim. Models stomped down the runway to the heavy bass thud in Leikeli47’s Fuck The Summer Up.'

The underwhelming presentation lasted only five minutes, almost as long as the show’s closer: a hypnotic video mash-up retrospective of Wang’s ten years in the business—the designer’s very own hip-hop video. 

The evening’s biggest attractions were the pole dancers, who looked like contorted mannequins when a curtain went up after the show, opening up the rest of the venue for the after-party.

One of the pole mannequins began to twirl and split and twerk in the air, and the others followed one-by-one.

They wore sporty black bras and underwear branded with Wang’s initials, AW, on each cheek.

Occasionally they took breaks, handing over their poles to another dancer.

Each station had a Wang-branded spray bottle: the designer’s face on a $10 bill, which contributed to the strip-club vibe. Several people said Wang had hired the best dancers in New York for the occasion, who were still working it at 1:00 AM, when Lil Wayne came on stage. 

The celebs were all cordoned off in a VIP-designated area, though Lady Gaga ducked under the velvet rope at one point in the evening to dance among the plebs. 

It was a fanfare-filled evening, but Wang’s collection left little to be excited about in the way of fashion.

Source:http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/13/my-fashionable-night-out-with-nicki-minaj-lady-gaga-and-lots-of-pole-dancers.html

Hotel exclusive: See Lady Gaga’s Countess exposed in new image

The Countess, the character played by Lady Gaga on American Horror Story: Hotel, is not just a bloodsucker — she’s a sexy bloodsucker. Exhibit A: this exclusive new image of a robed (or disrobed) Countess, the owner of the Hotel Cortez, from the latest season of FX’s anthology series.
But the lack of clothing doesn’t mean this woman is vulnerable. “The Countess is a very old soul,” Gaga tells EW. “She’s extremely strong. She’s been through so much. It’s kind of impossible for anything to penetrate her. This show in many ways is about her survival and there is an amazing journey that touches on the mythology of viruses and in what way these afflictions change our lives and bring us together and tear us apart.”

Source:http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/11/american-horror-story-hotel-lady-gaga-countess-photo

5 Years Later: See Lady Gaga's Meat Dress Now

Five years after Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the MTV Video Music Awards, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has put the fleshy frock on display.
It's preserved with dye and formaldehyde, but conservators are unsure how long the item will last. Jun Francisco, the director of collections, says the dress is "very hard," telling MTV News, "Right after the VMAs, the museum contacted Lady Gaga about the meat dress and the plan for the future. They agreed to send it to us, but at the time it was still raw meat. So we had to figure out — we went back and forth with ideas — and the thing we decided on was to preserve it like a beef jerky. So it’s taxidermied."
Designed by Franc Fernandez, the outfit was one of three worn by the bisexual megastar to the 2010 VMAs. Neither of the other outfits are on display as part of the collection. Her piano has also been acquired by the museum as part of its “Women Who Rock” exhibit.
The museum also possesses the outfit's matching shoes, purse, and hat. The shoes are being displayed with the dress, but the other items are still in storage.
The dress and shoes will be on display at the Cleveland museum until the end of the year, although officials are considering extending the exhibit if possible.

Source:http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2015/09/04/5-years-later-see-lady-gagas-meat-dress-now