Lady Gaga: 'I went bankrupt' and was '$3 million in debt' after extending my Monster Ball tour
There's plenty of perks that come with being one of the world's rising pop superstars, but not having to pay the bills isn't one of them. "I actually went bankrupt after the first extension of The Monster Ball," Lady Gaga said in an interview with Stephen Fry for the Financial Times. "And it was funny," she continued, "because I didn't know!" Gaga described calling various people and asking, "Why is everyone saying I have no money? This is ridiculous; I have five No. 1 singles …" "And they said, 'Well, you're $3 million in debt,' " she recounted. At that point, the high costs associated with every revision made to her concert tour were paid for by Gaga herself. "It's honestly true that money means nothing to me," she told Fry. "The only big things I've purchased are my dad's heart valve and a Rolls-Royce for my parents, for their anniversary."
he singer even explained that she bought the new car just so her dad would no longer have a "Lady Gaga" license plate, which caused him to get "followed everywhere" "Other than that," she said, "I put everything in the show." The extravagance – of everything from her stage décor to her costumes – isn't a frill that Gaga is willing to do away with anytime soon. It's art. "I live halfway between reality and fantasy at all times because I choose to, and anyone can choose that," she explained. "I believe everybody has something so magical about themselves." "Why, as a society, are we so afraid of magic? Why is magic synonymous with artifice? Why is the fantastic synonymous with a lie?" she wondered aloud. "If art is a lie," she told Fry, "then I will tell that lie every day until it's f--king true."
Lady Gaga fans crashed retail website Amazon.com after the singer's new album Born This Way went on sale for just 60p. Amazon bosses decided to cash in on Gaga's huge following by offering the album download for just $0.99 when it was released on Monday. The bargain price prompted fans to flock to the site, and many users lost connection as downloads slowed and the service struggled to meet demand. A message posted on the Amazon website read: "Amazon is experiencing high volume and downloads are delayed. If customers order today, they will get the full Lady Gaga, Born This Way album for $0.99. Thanks for your patience."
Lady Gaga certainly knows how to raise the blood pressure of her fans. The pop superstar dared to bare in a see-through blue dress yesterday as she posed for puictures at a photo call in Mexico city. Leaving little to the imagination, Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – only had two strategically-placed pieces of striped tape preserving her modesty. The 25-year-old superstar, who was in the Mexican capital city to promote her new album Born This Way, also debuted a new do, wearing what appeared to be a wig styled in a short bleach blonde bob with a blunt fringe. The fringe and other strands were dyed black and she completed her wild look with her signature red lipstick, black eye make-up and a pair of outlandish platforms. The singer recently revealed how she had witnessed the tragic events that occurred in new York on September 11 2001. At the age of 15 Lady Gaga saw the Twin Towers collapse from the roof of her school, the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan, New York.
Lady Gaga Respond To Osama Bin Laden Death
In an exclusive new radio interview the pop queen said that Osama bin Laden’s death earlier this week was: ‘An historical moment in the fight against hatred’. She also recalled her father, Joseph, coming to collect her from school on foot on the historic day. The worried pair then waited in fraught desperation for ten hours before they finally learned that Gaga’s mother was safe. The Poker Face singer’s mother Cynthia worked right across the street from the World Trade Center an had been caught in the terrible commotion ten years ago. ‘The whole city was covered in ashes,’ Gaga told the radio host Toby Knapp in the interview on Washington, DC’s Hot 99.5 on Friday. Gaga, now 25, said she experienced conflicting feelings after she learned bin Laden had been killed. ‘It’s a difficult thing,’ she said ‘Nobody wants to celebrate anyone’s death. But I know it was something that meant a lot to the people of New York, especially those who lost loved ones that day.’ Lady Gaga is heading back to Los Angeles this weekend and will serve as the latest superstar mentor for the final four contestants on next week’s American Idol.
Elton John And David Furnish Confirm Lady Gaga As Godmother
This week Sir Elton John, 64, and husband David Furnish, 48, confirmed that superstar Lady Gaga is the godmother of their 4-month-old son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. During a "20/20" interview that aired Friday, host Barbara Walters asked the couple about their decision to select the controversial "Judas" singer for the special honor. "A lot of people said, 'Oh, that's crazy,'" Elton revealed. "And they don't know her, and we do." Elton suggested that the public not judge the singer born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta by her stage persona alone. "When you get to the real person underneath, there's a simple girl who loves her parents," he said. Elton And David Open Up On Fatherhood David anticipates Lady Gaga helping navigate Zachary's future interest in music. "Zachary's going to inherit an incredible musical legacy from his father one day, and she will be a good person to guide him through the ins and outs of the music business, 'cause she sure knows everything about the business now," he said.
Clearly, Lady Gaga is not the only celebrity ever picked to oversee the physical and spiritual well being of a child in the event the parents are no longer able to do so. The following is a list, compiled by Parade magazine, of other famous godparents. Elton reportedly has several godchildren himself, among them, Brooklyn and Romeo, the sons of Victoria and David Beckham. U2 frontman Bono is the godfather to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's twins, Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon. Sting and wife Trudie Styler accepted the honor to be godparents to Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son, Rocco. The late Michael Jackson was the godfather of Lionel Richie's famous daughter Nicole.
Aside from Gaga's good news this week, she also experienced backlashes when her manager denied Weird Al's initial requests to make a parody of "Born This Way" and when she responded in an angry rant to NME when the magazine compared "Born This Way" to Madonna's "Express Yourself." But there were more shocking news stories this week. Judges in the manslaughter hearing of Michael Jackson physician Conrad Murrary will allow autopsy photos of the king of pop to be used in court. Leann Rimes wed actor Eddie Cibrian, and Rihanna tied a chart record with the Supremes. This was a great week for news. Be sure to check back in seven days for more water cooler talk. See you then.
Spectacle: Lady Gaga ‘hatches’ out of a giant egg during her performance of Born This Way at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last night * Singer emerged after being in ‘incubation’ * She spent three hours inside the egg getting into character * Star wins three gongs, including best pop vocal album
She had already made one of her most bizarre red carpet entrances yet as she arrived at the Grammys concealed in a giant egg.
And Lady Gaga made sure she ‘hatched’ in a spectacular way for her performance at last night’s live show.
The 24-year-old outrageous singer emerged from the glowing egg to launch into a spectacular version of her latest single Born This Way.
Scroll down to see video of the performance…
Dramatic: The singer’s outrageous red carpet entrance and subsequent performance didn’t disappoint fans as she left her egg At one point, she played on a dramatic organ with disembodied heads balanced on top. Gaga bagged three awards and was nominated for a total of six gongs.
Egg-xellent: At one point Gaga sat inside the egg on stage and sang her forthcoming single
Heads will roll: Gaga played on an organ complete with disembodied heads during the performance
Ensemble: Gaga wowed fans with a spectacular dance routine at the Los Angeles awards show for which she has received six nominations She was honoured for best pop vocal album and had censors reaching for the mute button after she exclaimed, ‘Oh, s***!’ when she accepted it. Earlier, the star had been barely visible through opaque shell as she was carried on a sedan chair by four scantily-clad attendees at the event, being held at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Known for her kooky outfits, it appears the outrageous star may well have outdone herself.
Winner: The star was nominated for six Grammys and walked away with three, including best pop vocal album, seen here after changing into a racy leather black outfit
Another outfit change: The singer slipped into another risque outfit of knee-high boots and gaffer tape around her chest with a half jacket Be afraid: Willow braves the scary Gaga as she meets the singer at the ceremony Another outfit change: The singer slipped into another risque outfit of knee-high boots and gaffer tape around her chest with a half jacket, and met rising star Willow Smith at the ceremony The star is currently riding high in the download charts after her new song Born This Way managed to hit number one in 21 countries within hours of being available to download on Friday. Her entourage did the speaking for her on the red carpet as they chatted to Ryan Seacrest – Gaga refused to speak because she was in ‘incubation’ ahead of her performance although she did muster a wave.
What an entrance: Lady Gaga arrives to the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles today, hiding in a giant egg
Walking the red carpet: The outrageous singer was being carried by four scantily-clad attendees She’s in an embryonic state and won’t be born until the performance,’ explained one of her assistant to Seacrest.
The egg is fitted with an oxygen tank and a fan.
Seacrest told E! viewers that the singer has been inside the egg for three hours getting into character ahead of her performance of the track tonight with only her Blackberry for company. Kelly Osbourne tweeted: ‘You will not believe your eyes when you see how @ladygaga showed up to the Grammys.’ Last year Gaga caused controversy by turning up to the MTV Video Music Awards in a dress made out of meat. Entertainment channel E! also managed to set a new world record for the largest gathering of Lady Gaga impersonators. The group, who strutted the red carpet, had to dress in an outfit resembling one worn by the star in the past – either on the red carpet or for a performance. The exact number of people who took part is set to be released shortly.
Stopping traffic: Seen here being carried down the street outside the Staples Center
Cracking up! Her arrival created something of a stir amongst onlookers
People are already going crazy for Lady Gaga's anthemic new single, 'Born This Way.' But we couldn't help but notice that in just about every article or review of the song (not to mention your comments, beloved PopEater readers), people are calling out its similarity to Madonna's 'Express Yourself,' with some even claiming it's a blatant rip-off. While we wouldn't go that far -- we love Madonna (you have no idea), but people give her so much credit as a pop innovator you'd think she built the first synthesizer with her bare hands -- it's impossible to not see the thematic and melodic parallels between Her Madgesty's pop classic and Gaga's latest club jam. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, Madonna should be feeling pretty good this morning. People are loving Gaga's new tune, but the big story that has emerged since its debut this morning is its rather obvious similarity to the Material Girl's 'Express Yourself' (there's also a little 'Deeper and Deeper' in there, too, if you ask us). Compare these songs
