Starstruck by her Disco Stick

I went to The Monster GaGa, hosted by the one and only Lady GaGa, with my sister in Manchester last night. It was my second GaGa concert experience. The first time that I saw her perform was almost a year ago, back in London. The first time was a barebones affair with sets that looked like a bunch of GaGa's friends got together and used their DIY tools to produce them. It was also a much shorter set; one that lasted just under an hour. A lot has changed since last July - she's won a truckload of awards (including two Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards), been the subject of an episode of Glee (which puts her on par in terms of cultural impact as Madonna!), been namechecked by President Barack Obama (at the Human Rights Campaign's 13th Annual Dinner back in October 2009) and released the successful companion piece to her debut album 'The Fame'. With 'The Fame Monster', Lady GaGa's expanded repertoire of songs allowed her to put together a much longer show, one that lasted almost two years and it's rather incredible how many hits she has accumulated in such a short time. Above is a clip of 'Paparazzi' that someone kindly recorded and uploaded from the concert in Manchester the night before I went.

The show began, appropriately enough, with 'Dancing in the Dark' and it was a rather intriguing beginning to the show - as the curtains lifted, we set GaGa already standing at the top of a staircase on the stage, where she remained motionless for most of the song. Not only were the sets bigger and better, employing lots of hydrolics, there were more dancers and much more costume changes. My favorite song from 'The Fame Monster' is 'So Happy I Could Die' and GaGa performed this number in an ensemble that resembled a wedding dress made from folded film that opened and closed like a lizard. That number has so much beauty in its simplicity and serenity and this was literally heightened when she was lifted up high to create the impression of her ascending into heaven. Another striking moment came during 'Monster' when GaGa and her bevy of bodaciously-built male and female dancers acted out the line 'He ate my heart and then, he ate my brain', resulting in GaGa being smeared with red body paint on her chest.

As a live performer, this Lady is pure class and charisma. I am just so awestruck by how someone so young can have such a commanding presence. GaGa's obvious pleasure, comfort and confidence at being onstage and adored by thousands of fans puts the likes of Britney Spears to shame. That she manages to create intimacy that belies the size of the venues that she's performing in nowadays is incredible. That she's a gifted vocalist and musician (she plays GaGa also engages her audience in spontaneous, effortless banter through out the show. I couldn't help but be reminded of Madonna watching GaGa, not because I see GaGa copying Madonna (although we all know that every female pop icon that came after Madonna is indebted to her in one way or another), because both of them embrace the power of image and self-expression and the necessity of projecting all of your dreams and fantasies. My sister and I were on the standing floor and we were literally two meters from the stage. We were on our feet for two hours before she came out and another two hours for the show itself. My feet and my back were aching like mad but I just danced away all the mundane frustrations of daily life and for one night, we were all her little monsters.

No Single Ladies? Halo-No!

Beyoncé dominates this year's Grammy nominations, with a leading 10 nods, including in the three main categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. None of this is a surprise to anyone who has witnessed the cultural impact of 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)' in the past twelve months. The song has spawned countless YouTube tributes and more recently, has been referenced in breakout TV shows such as 'Glee' and 'Cougar Town'. The phenomenal success of this song has even been recognized by President Obama! So, how is it that Beyoncé's nomination for Record of the Year is for the popular but nowhere nearly as iconic 'Halo'? I guess the Recording Academy felt like living up to their reputation of being out of touch with the zeitgeist. Strangely enough, 'Single Ladies' still scored Beyoncé (and her co-writers) a nomination in the Song of the Year category, which means that the song was considered by the nominating committee but deemed not worthy of the Record of the Year category.

Meanwhile, Lady GaGa can console herself for being passed over for Best New Artist with her nominations in the same three major categories as Beyoncé. Her 'Poker Face' is nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year and her debut album 'The Fame' has been nominated for Album of the Year, where the other three nominated acts are the Black Eyed Peas, the Dave Matthews Band and Taylor Swift...cue a bunch of tired, old Kanye West jokes. Speaking of Taylor Swift, she joins Lady GaGa and Beyoncé in being the only acts this year that are nominated for all three major categories. It's encouraging to see young female singer/songwriters being recognized for their talent in an industry that often takes women less seriously than their male counterparts.

The most glaring omission from the nominations is probably the clear and deliberate snub of former Grammy favorite Whitney Houston, whose warmly-reviewed and commercially successful comeback album 'I Look to You' was actually released one day earlier than scheduled in order for it to qualify for this year's Grammys. With the highly influential Clive Davis in her corner, it's certainly curious as to how she missed out on a single nomination. Perhaps a duet with Beyoncé on 'I Look to You' would have been advisable but in all fairness, hindsight is 20/20!

Grammy goes GaGa...

...but not in the Best New Artist category! The Grammy nominations will be announced later today and there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the ineligibility of Lady GaGa in the aforementioned newcomer race due to her nomination last year in the Best Dance Recording category for her debut single 'Just Dance'. Grammy's President Neil Portnow has conceded that the way Best New Artist nominees are selected will probably have to be reviewed and revised following the omission of the biggest newcomer to pop in the 2008/09 award season. Meanwhile, the rules do not prevent recording artists who are not even on their debut album in the eligibility period from being eligible for the Best New Artist Grammy. Previous Best New Artist winner Shelby Lynne was already on her sixth studio album when she was nominated. Don't feel too bad for GaGa, though. I have a strong hunch that she'll still reap multiple nominations in the Pop and Dance categories, not to mention the all encompassing main categories of Record, Album and Song of the Year. Besides, that's what a true pioneer does...they blaze the trail for those who come after them, even if they themselves miss out!

American Music Awards 2009 = Divas Live 2009

I don't usually care about the AMAs coz it's usually just a bunch of rock bands that I would never listen to but this year, it's looking more and more like the ultimate festival for pop divas with larger-than-life personas. Two veteran divas who ruled the 1980s and 90s are making appearances that will fan the embers of nostalgia for that period in pop music and deliver some sort of retrospective celebration. Whitney Houston is performing 'I Didn't Know My Own Strenght', a new signature track off her current album 'I Look to You', as well as accepting the AMAs' International Artist award. Janet Jackson will be performing an eight-minute medley of her greatest hits to commemorate the release of her upcoming greatest hits compilation 'Number Ones'.

Another diva will be staging somewhat of a comeback, too. Jennifer Lopez is debuting her brand new single 'Louboutins'. Considering that she hasn't had a US top 10 single since 'All I Had' went to number 1 in early 2003, it seems like the stakes are high for La Lopez but the new track is pretty damn catchy and it's produced by the hottest producers in da game, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream.

However, the performer I'm most excited about is Lady GaGa. It's been reported by Entertainment Weekly's Whitney Pastorek that 'Gaga’s AMA performance appears to be her most far-reaching live effort yet, as though she took a look at that bizarre gyroscope dress-to-piano transition she rather botched on Saturday Night Live and said, “Yeah, but what if we made it even harder for me to get to the keyboard?” She’s not only performing “Bad Romance,” which was to be expected, but seizing the opportunity to debut “Speechless” off her Fame Monster reissue as well.' The sheer ambition and boundless creativity of this performer continues to astound me....of course, this is all conjecture until we actually see what she has in store for us....all that I know is....I want to go to there!

Oh, and by the way, I realize that there was an actual Divas Live show on this year but let me tell you, VH1 were playing pretty fast and loose with the definition of a diva this year. I mean, Whitney Houston is a diva. Miley Cyrus? Not so much!

I love, love, LOVE Cynthia Nixon

Watch this amazing actress/public school system advocate/human rights activist give a rousing speech at the National Equality March over the weekend! Yes, yes, yes!!! She is so spot on about how the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act is mandatory and even if there was same sex marriage in all fifty states, not all citizens and families are equally protected under the law if DOMA still stands! People have to realize that this is not only about the right to throw a big party and declare and celebrate your love (as important and beautiful as that is!) but it's about giving everybody the same rights to protect themselves and their loved ones from the same economic, social and political challenges, complications and obstacles that every single member of society faces! So, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Barack Obama, it is time to fulfill the promise of your presidency and 'move beyond words'!

On a side note, it has been widely reported that the currently shooting sequel to 2008's "Sex and the City: The Movie", starring the fabulous Cynthia Nixon herself (along with three other broads who should have been taking part in this march if they cared at all about reciprocating the goodwill that the gay community has given them over the years!) will feature a same sex wedding (I won't give away the parties involved in this union but true fans won't have any trouble speculating!).

I am also posting a video of Lady GaGa speaking at the same rally. It's good to see the hottest singer in pop right now put her money where her mouth is! I love how she actually put on clothes to punctuate how serious a cause this is to her! We love you for doing your part, GaGa...cherry, cherry, boom, boom, indeed! Meanwhile, where the hell was Madonna? Madonna, I will always love you but show your gay fans, the ones who supported you through two divorces, that Pepsi controversy, your Sex book backlash and even, The Next Best Thing, the same love and loyalty that they have always given you!

National Equality March

The National Equality March takes place in Washington DC this weekend. For those of you living in America, with any sense of civic duty, get yourself to the march this weekend and stand up for the equal legal protection of all citizens and families, regardless of sexual orientation! The world will be watching and as always, America has an amazing opportunity to show the world what it truly stands for.

I love that the current Broadway revival of Hair will be dark this weekend to accommodate the cast's participation in the march! Just coz I feel like namedropping, I wonder if my former director, Diane Paulus, who directed this production of Hair, will also be taking part.

One of my current favorite pop stars, Lady GaGa, will be marching, too, so boys and girls, don't forget to pack your disco sticks for the ride down to DC!!!