Much has been made of the similarities between Lady Gaga‘s “Born This Way” and Madonna‘s “Express Yourself” and now Madge herself has weighed in on the controversy.

The 53 year-old musician and director told 20/20 she thought it was “flattering” overall but found Gaga’s song to be “reductive.”

“She’s a very talented artist,” Madonna said. “I certainly think she references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it’s amusing and flattering and well done.”

“[Her songs seem to be a] statement about taking something that was in the Zeitgeist, you know, 20 years ago and turning it inside out and reinterpreting it.”

Speaking specifically about BTW:

“When I heard ['Born This Way'] on the radio… I said, ‘That sounds very familiar.” When interviewer Cynthia McFadden asked if she found it annoying, Madonna replied “It felt reductive.”

While Madonna may not love everything the “You and I” singer does, Lady Gaga has expressed nothing but love for the “Material Girl.”

She told Jay Leno in February that she was a huge fan “personally and professionally” of Madonna.

Madonna has announced the name of her 12th studio album – MDNA – will be released in early spring. She is also the performer for the Super Bowl’s Halftime show on February 5th.

Photos of Madonna from the premiere of her latest film W.E. are under, along with the vids of her 20/20 interview.

(Read the article)

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Never one to shy away from nudity or outlandish designs, Lady Gaga takes on a new shoot for L’Uomo Vogue‘s January issue with all the usual Gaga components in place.

Photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and stylist Nicola Formichetti work their black and white magic on the “You and I” singer who sports odd headgear and bares her breast for the shoot.

Gaga, who wears a Yves Saint Laurent jacket, Chanel silk trousers and a Philip Treacy hat, is described by Italian art critic Franceso Bonami as a singing sculpture.

“Lady Gaga is a sculpture-singer. Her metamorphoses are proper performances or aesthetic mutations, more than genetic. In her style there’s something sci-barbaric – i.e. barbaric sci-fiction,” he said. “Her body is not a territory to conquer, it’s rather a stage on which you can set up a new scenography each time.”

Photos (and the two other covers, actor Michael Fassbender and Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli) are below.

(Read the article)

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Lady Gaga joined a cavalcade of stars who rang in the new year at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest) on Saturday night.  She helped celebrate the show’s 40th year along with Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Florence + The Machine, and Gym Class Heroes.

After her performance, Lady Gaga set the famous New Year’s Eve Ball on its descent, which she said was a “dream come true.”

When the festivities at Times Square ended, the Mother Monster moved the party to her family’s Upper West Side restaurant, Joanne.  Joining her were several other celebrities, including Seacrest and girlfriend Julianne Hough, Jenny McCarthy, and Ashley Tisdale and her new boyfriend Martin Johnson.

Click through to see a video of Gaga performing her hits “Heavy Metal Lover,” “Marry The Night” and “Born This Way.”

(Read the article)

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The 2011 American Music Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday and it turned out to be the women who dominated the trophy room.

It was a night full of girl power with Taylor Swift taking three honors and artists Adele and Nicki Minaj each leaving with two awards.

Other gals who grabbed the win: Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez.

For the boys, Maroon 5, Foo Fighters, Blake Shelton, Bruno Mars and Usher left the Nokia Theatre with a golden gong.

Artists Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber – who’ve dominated most award shows this year – were left empty handed this time out.

Want to see the full winner’s list? Check it out below. (Read the article)

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It’s a record breaker and a wallet buster – Visionaire magazine’s LARGER THAN LIFE issue is truly massive – and the appropriate Lady Gaga appears on the cover.

The publication will have two editions, the over-the-top version will ring in at 5 feet by 7 feet and cost a whopping $1500. The standard print edition will come in at a much smaller (but still bigger than your average newsstand magazines) 36 inches by 49 inches and only set you back a mere $375.

For the art magazine’s Guinness Book of World Records (yes, it wins one for size, not price!) photography, Gaga is drenched in oil with a mermaid tail and red, white and blue hair. She was snapped by famed photogs Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

Of the slick and oozing substance she’s covered in, Gaga says “There is no oil too thick as to destroy the imagination.”

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Another teenager who was bullied committed suicide over the weekend and Lady Gaga is vowing to take action.

Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14 year-old high school freshman from the Buffalo, NY suburb of Williamsville, was found dead outside his home on Sunday morning, had been the subject of bullying for over a year, according to his parents.

The teenager tried to stay positive, even posting an online message of hope for the “It Gets Better” anti-suicide campaign in May but the taunts and harassment were too much for him and he took his own life.

Rodemeyer, who called Lady Gaga his role model, said she made him “happy” with her “Born This Way” message.

Now the pop superstar wants action taken against bullies and to make it a hate crime.

“Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying,” she tweeted. “Bullying must become be illegal. It is a hate crime.”

“I am meeting with our President,” she continued. “I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey”

It is unclear when or where Lady Gaga will meet with President Obama on this, but he is attending the second Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit, taking place yesterday and today.

In the end, it was Jamey’s father, Tim Rodemeyer, who said it best:

“To the kids who are bullying they have to realize that words are very powerful and what you think is just fun and games isn’t to some people, and you are destroying a lot of lives.”

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Lady Gaga cast him in her video for “You and I” but has Taylor Kinney taken on the part of Gaga’s boyfriend?

The Vampire Diaries hottie (Uncle Mason, the werewolf) and Stefani Germanotta, (aka Mother Monster) have reportedly “hooked up” since the making of the video back in July.

Kinney, 30, and Gaga, 25, spent Labor Day weekend together in Mission Viejo, CA and “were hanging out” a source close to Gaga told People magazine.

The twosome were also spotted together by patrons of the Southern California spot The Sneak Joint during the holiday weekend.

“I couldn’t tell it was her at first,” a customer told RadarOnline. “It just looked like some hot couple making out, but then I realized it was Lady Gaga! Everyone went nuts! She was so sweet too — she even signed some autographs.”

Ironically, the song “You and I” was written with her on/off boyfriend Luc Carl as inspiration and muse for the tune.

[image: WENN]

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Lady Gaga leaves it all behind for the cover of the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

The “You and I” singer dons considerably less make-up than usual for a more natural appearance. Should we call her Stefani Germanotta – she seems so different in these photos than her Gaga persona?

Gaga says whether she has on loads of cosmetics and accessories or none at all, it doesn’t matter. She doesn’t see a distinction.

“I think that artifice is the new reality. It’s more about just being honest and sincere to the core of what you do. Whether I’m wearing lots of makeup or no makeup, I’m always the same person inside.”

The singer says that so much of what we’ve come to see as natural really isn’t so why shouldn’t she indulge create and play with those ideas.

“Don’t you think that what’s on the cover of a magazine is quite artificial?” she asks. “There’s this idea that it’s all natural, but everything’s been staged to look natural. It is also an invention. It’s just that my inventions are different. I often get asked about my artifice, but isn’t fashion based on the idea that we can create a fantasy?”

Gaga also shared her love of her new hobby, surfing, which she picked up on a rare vacation from work.

“I fell off a lot in the beginning,” she says, “but one of the surfers said to me, ‘Now that you can stand up, just look into the future and enjoy the ride.’ I thought that was an interesting metaphor about life.”

The October issue goes on sale September 27th.

[image: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin/Harper's Bazaar]

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The 2011 MTV VMAs are over and done with Adele taking home four moon men trophies and Katy Perry close behind with three.

Perry won Video of the Year for “Firework” and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” was the most lauded video – taking home Best Director, Art Direction, Editing and Cinematography.

Other winners were Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Nicky Minaj, Beyonce and Tyler, the Creator.

Highlights of the night include Lady Gaga performing as her male alter ego – Jo Calderone, The Hunger Games first look footage, Beyonce and Jay-Z baby announcement and the Amy Winehouse tribute with Russell Brand, Tony Bennett and Bruno Mars.

Get the full list of winners below. (Read the article)

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Lady Gaga will bring her music, costume changes and positive message to Springfield in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons titled “Lisa Goes Gaga.”

Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith) gets a pep talk, a song and a flash mob as Gaga tries to help her and the town with it’s low self-esteem. She also shares a smooch with Lisa’s mom, Marge.

“I play a little bit of a slut,” quips Gaga. “The apple doesn’t fall far from my artistic tree.”

Mother Monster has just recorded her part and said she was really trying to stay true to the honesty of the characters on the long running show.

“I make music, but I don’t do voice-overs every day of the week, and their characters are so awesomely convincing and sincere and wild and funny, I had to remind myself constantly of the sincerity of the humor,” she said.

Lady Gaga has a rather animated look sometimes with bright candy-colored hair and outrageous clothes so for her actual cartoon appearance in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons, it may be hard for the creative team to top that.

Simpsons creator Matt Groening has confidence they will give Mother Monster the right look and says they are up for the challenge.

“It’s very hard to top reality with her, but I’m sure we’ll come up with something that is going to be as improbable as her usual wardrobe,” he said.

Gaga will play herself and Smith is in awe of working with her.

“This is extraordinary! I’m stunned that she has time in her schedule that she’s coming to our studio to record,” she told Broadway.com.

The episode will air in the Spring of 2012.

[image: EW]

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