Thursday, September 9, 2010
John Quale the Male Lady Gaga?
John Quale has been singing since he could speak. At 11, he had his first professional gig at the Kennedy Center, with the Washington Opera children’s choir. He continued his studies at competitive Interlochen Arts Camp, performing and touring with musicals and choirs through his high school and college years.
Inspired by his love for a wide range of musical styles and artists like David Bowie, Depeche Mode, opera, madrigals, Gregorian chant, The Smiths, and Gilbert and Sullivan, John began to write and record his own music while still a teen. In college, he was lead singer and songwriter for Chicago synth pop band Endora; later, after moving to Los Angeles, he wrote, produced, and released his solo debut album, Worldview, which is now available on iTunes.
While in LA, John won critical acclaim for his role in smash musical “The Beastly Bombing,” a winner of the LA Weekly Theater Award for Best Musical that enjoyed two short off-Broadway runs in NYC. He also wrote a civil rights anthem called “Rise Up and Shout” for a documentary of the same name about emerging gay Los Angeles artists which recently premiered on the Sundance Channel.
In 2006 John created the character of Prince Poppycock: a roguish operatic dandy with a persona and repertoire that drew on all John’s varied influences as a performer and a musician. Described by style maven and pop culture journalist Rose Apodaca as “a rock star in Rococo France,” Poppycock’s look and sound combined elements of glam rock, light opera, synth pop, and Western art music in a way that was fresh; sometimes startling; and always entertaining, doing each of those traditions justice yet transcending the past – rather than simply updating it – to become something truly original.
The glittering reign of Prince Poppycock commenced when John was invited to perform the Figaro aria, ‘Largo al Factotum,’ at a friend’s club. There was one stipulation: he must wear a wig. John appeared in a towering powdered confection to highlight how the song is about being a fabulous hairdresser, and Poppycock’s royal presence was instantly in demand. Witty and glamorous, with a powerful trained voice, Prince Poppycock has opened for bands like the Dresden Dolls and The Sounds; sung at extravagant special events like New York’s Dances of Vice; and opened for performance art legend Ann Magnuson at downtown LA’s prestigious Redcat Theater. He is currently a contestant on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
John continues to work actively on both Prince Poppycock as well as his solo projects as a singer and songwriter. He is presently partnering with songwriter and keyboardist Kristian Hoffman (of The Mumps and Klaus Nomi note) on the Poppycock debut album.
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While many of the early acts on America’s Got Talent‘s semi-final competition buckled under the pressure Tuesday, the electrifying moment of the night came at the end with Prince Poppycock, whom Sharon Osbourne dubbed the “male Lady Gaga.”
Without a doubt, the outrageous performer was Tuesday night’s favorite of all three judges and the studio audience. His strong voice, outlandish costumes and sheer creativity made him the “superstar” of the night, according to judge Piers Morgan.
“He’s different every time because that’s his thing,” Morgan says. “He’s so creative.”
Osbourne, who told PEOPLE last week her daughter Kelly is a huge Prince Poppycock fan, added that his “creativity is unstoppable and stunning.”
“I bow down to him,” she said
Let me know what you think after watching the video below.
Beauty
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of i-D magazine, Nick Knight mirrored his 1985 '100 Portraits' series and photographed 200 of the most important people in fashion, music and culture today. Alongside the photographic portraits, Knight created a series of unique video portraits of each sitter during this landmark seventeen-day shoot.Check out Gaga's below:
Lady Gaga - SHOWstudio - 200 Portraits from SHOWstudio on Vimeo.
Gaga Make-up Free
Lady Gaga "hyperventilated" when she was forced to go make-up free for her 'Alejandro' video.
The eccentric singer admitted she clashed with director and photographer Steven Klein over his vision to see the star minus her famous cosmetics and blonde locks, but in the end she was glad he forced her to be herself.
She told Japan's Vogue Hommes magazine: "We are both very strong-willed and we both have very specific visions. And I knew his specific vision and he knew mine so that it was like tugging at a rope together. And then we tied a beautiful knot! I wanted to bring him out of his comfort zone and he wanted to bring me out of mine.
"He was stripping me down, taking off all my make-up, no eyelashes, no liner, saying, 'I'm cutting all of your hair off' and not tanned ... For me, I was hyperventilating, but it did force me to be myself."
The 'Telephone' singer - who is famed for her kooky fashion sense - recently revealed she thinks stars owe it to their fans to look good on the red carpet.
She said: "I think you should look nice all the time. When I meet celebrities and they're in casual clothes, I'm always like, 'Whaaat?' I don't mean to be judgmental, but it would do them better to be who they really are, all the time. When I get out of a car and there are 30 fans waiting for me, I know I'm dressed the way I should be."
Gaga's Yoga Stop
Going to get her sweat on, Lady GaGa was spotted at Liz Glover’s Bikram Yoga Studio in Washington D.C. on Wednesday (September 8).
The “Teeth” songstress showed up on Capitol Hill for a 90-minute class at a heaping 105 degrees and mingled with the instructor’s young daughter for awhile after.
Of Gaga, studio owner, Glover, told press, "She was very friendly. Every member of her staff was very nice and very professional."
Mother Claims her late daughter inspired Lady Gaga
A still-grieving mom says her late daughter inspired Lady Gaga on her path to superstardom, and wants the "Poker Face" pop icon to give the tragic teen her due.
Yana Morgana is seeking the rights to release the dozen or so songs her daughter, Lina, recorded with Gaga -- then Stefani Germanotta -- before Lina committed suicide at age 19.
And she wants the "Paparazzi" princess to acknowledge it was Lina Morgana's dark, edgy style that helped create Lady Gaga.
"I'm doing this because I want to keep her spirit alive," Yana, 41, told The Post. "Lady Gaga is holding Lina's soul, and I want her soul to be free."
Music producer Rob Fusari introduced the pair at his New Jersey studio in early 2007, in the hope Germanotta's songwriting and Morgana's singing would generate hits.
At the time, Lina was a songbird from Staten Island, whose Russian-immigrant parents would later separate. Germanotta was a privileged Manhattan girl trying to make it in the music world.
"Lina had a hard life because we emigrated from Russia. People would make fun of her because she was different, her mom was a single mom," said Yana, who claims Gaga even adopted the dark aspects of Lina's persona.
"Every other word she says is from Lina. She talks about having a dark and tragic life, but she had everything she wanted in the world. She went to [the same] high school as Nicky Hilton, her parents were rich. But Lina did have a tough life, and she often talked about her tragic life," Yana said.
What they had in common was a svengali -- Fusari.
A music industry-insider close to all three said, "When Rob originally brought Stefani into the recording studio to meet Lina, he introduced her as a songwriter who would potentially co-write songs for Morgana's first album."
Gaga helped write a few songs for Lina, who recorded them, said the tragic teen's ex-manager.
Later, Gaga and Lina recorded about a dozen songs together at Fusari's studio, the manager said; none was released commercially. Some, such as "Wunderland," nevertheless made it to YouTube and MySpace.
It was perhaps during these collaborations, Lina's mother believes, that her daughter's fashion style, performance techniques and dramatic stagecraft influenced Gaga.
To make her point, the mom produced pictures of Lina taken to promote her career, including a mock album cover shot.
In them, Lina strikes poses and wears bikinis, lingerie, outlandish wigs and thigh-high boots -- all later replicated in Gaga's racy publicity photos, the mom believes.
"Lina had that style. Gaga had a different style. She changed dramatically overnight," Yana said.
Within a year of their collaboration, Lina jumped to her death from the roof of a 10-story hotel on Staten Island. About a month after the October 2008 suicide, Germanotta became Lady Gaga, took the music industry by storm and spawned an army of fans she dubbed her "little monsters."
Tyler Schwab, Lina's ex-boyfriend, said he was stunned the first time he saw a Gaga video.
"It was the same style, the same look, the same music, the same voice, the same jaw line -- the way they expressed themselves," said Schwab. "And I was like, 'Is that Lina?' It was so, so shocking. It was like looking at a ghost."
Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman at Interscope Records, declined to comment for Gaga on Yana Morgana's assertions.
Fusari, through his business manager, Sandy Linzer, also declined comment.
"I'm not looking to file a lawsuit," Yana said. "I just want them to acknowledge Lina as an artist and release her music."
In March, Fusari made his own claims against Gaga, 24, filing a $30 million suit that claims he helped turn her into a superstar.
Industry insiders said Lina, too, could have been huge.
"She had a fantastic voice, a great tone and quality -- a little bit dark," said songwriter Deborah Ferrara, who co-wrote a song with Lina. "I think that she would have had a great career."
Read more & check out Lina's music video below: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gaga_owes_my_kid_for_fame_NyfPkmLNGBjhWSj6WHXaNL#ixzz0z37PdN1Q
Yana Morgana is seeking the rights to release the dozen or so songs her daughter, Lina, recorded with Gaga -- then Stefani Germanotta -- before Lina committed suicide at age 19.
And she wants the "Paparazzi" princess to acknowledge it was Lina Morgana's dark, edgy style that helped create Lady Gaga.
"I'm doing this because I want to keep her spirit alive," Yana, 41, told The Post. "Lady Gaga is holding Lina's soul, and I want her soul to be free."
Music producer Rob Fusari introduced the pair at his New Jersey studio in early 2007, in the hope Germanotta's songwriting and Morgana's singing would generate hits.
At the time, Lina was a songbird from Staten Island, whose Russian-immigrant parents would later separate. Germanotta was a privileged Manhattan girl trying to make it in the music world.
"Lina had a hard life because we emigrated from Russia. People would make fun of her because she was different, her mom was a single mom," said Yana, who claims Gaga even adopted the dark aspects of Lina's persona.
"Every other word she says is from Lina. She talks about having a dark and tragic life, but she had everything she wanted in the world. She went to [the same] high school as Nicky Hilton, her parents were rich. But Lina did have a tough life, and she often talked about her tragic life," Yana said.
What they had in common was a svengali -- Fusari.
A music industry-insider close to all three said, "When Rob originally brought Stefani into the recording studio to meet Lina, he introduced her as a songwriter who would potentially co-write songs for Morgana's first album."
Gaga helped write a few songs for Lina, who recorded them, said the tragic teen's ex-manager.
Later, Gaga and Lina recorded about a dozen songs together at Fusari's studio, the manager said; none was released commercially. Some, such as "Wunderland," nevertheless made it to YouTube and MySpace.
It was perhaps during these collaborations, Lina's mother believes, that her daughter's fashion style, performance techniques and dramatic stagecraft influenced Gaga.
To make her point, the mom produced pictures of Lina taken to promote her career, including a mock album cover shot.
In them, Lina strikes poses and wears bikinis, lingerie, outlandish wigs and thigh-high boots -- all later replicated in Gaga's racy publicity photos, the mom believes.
"Lina had that style. Gaga had a different style. She changed dramatically overnight," Yana said.
Within a year of their collaboration, Lina jumped to her death from the roof of a 10-story hotel on Staten Island. About a month after the October 2008 suicide, Germanotta became Lady Gaga, took the music industry by storm and spawned an army of fans she dubbed her "little monsters."
Tyler Schwab, Lina's ex-boyfriend, said he was stunned the first time he saw a Gaga video.
"It was the same style, the same look, the same music, the same voice, the same jaw line -- the way they expressed themselves," said Schwab. "And I was like, 'Is that Lina?' It was so, so shocking. It was like looking at a ghost."
Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman at Interscope Records, declined to comment for Gaga on Yana Morgana's assertions.
Fusari, through his business manager, Sandy Linzer, also declined comment.
"I'm not looking to file a lawsuit," Yana said. "I just want them to acknowledge Lina as an artist and release her music."
In March, Fusari made his own claims against Gaga, 24, filing a $30 million suit that claims he helped turn her into a superstar.
Industry insiders said Lina, too, could have been huge.
"She had a fantastic voice, a great tone and quality -- a little bit dark," said songwriter Deborah Ferrara, who co-wrote a song with Lina. "I think that she would have had a great career."
Read more & check out Lina's music video below: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gaga_owes_my_kid_for_fame_NyfPkmLNGBjhWSj6WHXaNL#ixzz0z37PdN1Q
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Yes, There Is A College Class On Lady Gaga
Sharpen your pencils, little monsters: The University of Virginia is offering a class on Lady Gaga called “GaGa for Gaga: Sex, Gender, and Identity.” Taught by grad student Christa Romanosky, the Lady Gaga class is a prerequisite course to essay writing on the theme of how the mama monster pushes social boundaries. Students will listen to Gaga’s music and watch her music videos, but also read about her influence on feminism and gender expression. UVA has also offered Harry Potter-themed classes to make prerequisite essay courses more interesting.
Lady Gaga Stops Show to Break Up Fight!
WASHINGTON - During the performance of ‘Monster’ at a concert in Washington D.C. Tuesday, Lady Gaga stopped the show to break up a fight between two people in the audience.
“Stop fighting…do not fight at this show,” she said after she called for the music to be stopped. “Is she okay, are they both okay, I don’t know who hit who?”
The show was held at the Verizon Center. “I’m sorry, I just don’t want you to fight,” she continued. “Only fake monster fighting, okay?”
The show stopped for about a minute while she spoke to the crowd. Then she asked “Do you think I’m sexy?”
“Stop fighting…do not fight at this show,” she said after she called for the music to be stopped. “Is she okay, are they both okay, I don’t know who hit who?”
The show was held at the Verizon Center. “I’m sorry, I just don’t want you to fight,” she continued. “Only fake monster fighting, okay?”
The show stopped for about a minute while she spoke to the crowd. Then she asked “Do you think I’m sexy?”
The Cult of Gaga
Fans of enigmatic performer Lady Gaga descended on Gallery Place yesterday evening to attend her sold-out show at the Verizon Center. As expected, many in attendance paid tribute to the singer's iconic fashion sense with home-made, Gaga-esque outfits...or at least hair and make-up
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Gaga into yo-yo dieting, says book
A new book is claiming that Lady Gaga starves herself in order to fit into her costumes, said Britain's Daily Mail.
The book - Poker Face: The Rise And Rise Of Lady Gaga, by the singer's former tour manager, Mr David Ciemny - says Gaga was hospitalised six times last year due to her yo-yo dieting.
Mr Ciemny says that the star goes to dangerous lengths in order to stay skinny, said the Mail.
He writes in his book that Gaga would go on junk-food binges while on tour and would gorge on sweets and unhealthy food. Then, she'd not eat for weeks in order to slim down. He recalls that she once lost 9kg between fittings, said the Mail.
Her weight had reportedly been the subject of concern when she shot her music video for Paparazzi.
A witness from the shoot said: "Producers had to shoot around her. They draped fabric over her thighs and shot her backside with a softer lens."
Gaga has other health issues to worry about.
In January, she was forced to cancel four US shows after suffering from an irregular heartbeat brought on by exhaustion, noted the Mail. She also tested "borderline positive" for Lupus, a tissue disease which claimed the life of her aunt.
Following a severe case of jet lag after arriving in Australia, Gaga passed out three times while performing her first show in Auckland back in March, said the Mail
In the flesh: Lady Gaga dons raw meat on cover of Vogue Hommes Japan
Lady Gaga has worn her fair share of off-beat costumes – but her latest jaw-dropping ensemble is sure to cause an uproar.
Posing on the September cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, the boundary-pushing singer wears nothing but pieces of raw meat strung together to create a dress-like design. The only thing redder than her shocking look is the color of her lipstick.
Though Gaga, 24, has yet to comment on her eyebrow-raising photo shoot, it's not a surprise that PETA is none too pleased with her new look.
"Oh, Lady Gaga's job is to do outlandish things, and this certainly qualifies as outlandish because meat is something you want to avoid putting on or in your body," PETA's President, Ingrid Newkirk, told the Daily News.
In 2008, Tyra Banks came under fire for making the aspiring models on "America's Next Top Model" wrap themselves in raw meat and pose in a slaughterhouse during a photo shoot.
Following the episode, PETA promptly reacted, criticizing the model and reality show for glamorizing the murder of animals.
"No matter how beautifully it is presented, flesh from a tortured animal is flesh from a tortured animal," the animal rights organization said in a statement. "Meat represents bloody violence and suffering, so if that's the look they were going for—they achieved it."
Gaga's magazine cover is also accompanied by the new issue of Japanese Men's Vogue, which features an interview and photo spread with the singer's male alter ego, Jo Calderone.
The brooding brown-haired mechanic from Sicily bears a remarkable resemblance to Gaga, whose middle name is Joanne, leading many to speculate that the photos are in fact of the "Alejandro" singer in drag.
In the interview, Calderone claims to be a close friend of Gaga's, as well as her occasional lover.
"I met her at a shoot [photographer] Nick Knight was doing," Calderone told the mag. "She's f---in beautiful, and funny, and interesting. I was a little nervous for Nick to start shooting. She said, "Don't be baby, you were "born this way." I took her out after. The rest is private ;)"
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/09/07/2010-09-07_lady_gaga_dons_raw_meat_on_cover_of_vogue_hommes_japan.html#ixzz0ysJZS2Ct
Send us your Lady Gaga fan photos, Little Monsters!
Attention, Little Monsters: The Washington Post needs you!
Tonight, Lady Gaga descends upon Verizon Center for what promises to be an epic affair. The music! The outfits! The humanity! They are asking for fans to send them photos of homemade Gaga-inspired outfits.
You can tweet your photos to @washingtonpost or send them to their summer concert gallery. The best photos will be featured on The Post's music blog Click Track.
If you aren't witnessing the spectacle in person, check out all the coverage over at Click Track.
Gaga got a Diamond Whip for Beyonce?
The American singer, Lady Gaga has presented Beyonce Knowles a unique birthday gift which is a custom made diamond whip, made out of hundreds of diamonds and leather.
The eccentric singer has splashed out thousands of dollars on the gift. Beyonce was also gifted a matching underwear while Gaga sang Happy Birthday to her.
Knowles squealed with excitement when she received her gift from Lady Gaga. It is said that this gift was an inspiration from Gaga's prison themed video for 'single telephone' which starred Beyonce Knowles.
In the video, the duo is dressed in sexy leather and studded outfits while Gaga sports metal chains and Beyonce a tight black jumpsuit along with a chauffeur’s hat.
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