Everyone, calm down.
Adele!
Hi! I’ve not contributed to YourItList since approximately 1964, but I’m back! Get excited.
- Celine Dion – she is amazing after all.
- Justin Timberlake – now that he’s an “actor” I don’t guess this is likely to happen.
- Dolly Parton – it’s coming on June 28th! Before the apocalypse(s)!
- En Vogue – but I’m probably Never Gonna Get It.
- Charlene – without her, I’d have never been to me.
And since it seems that I’m writing about music, I have to tell you … not that you asked … that I’m getting quite tired of this “Lady Gaga is trying to be Madonna” thing. It’s getting old and I have other things to think about … like the Tony Awards or what I’m supposed to watch until 30 Rock and Modern Family come back. Anyway, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it; probably too much time. If you like Lady Gaga, listen to Lady Gaga. If you like Madonna, listen to Madonna. If you like them both, well, then you have good taste and you should carry on.
Gaga vs. Madonna
Vivienne Westwood wants her own TV show
As told by Carrie Kania
In an interview with Vogue UK, Dame Vivienne Westwood - no secret, my favorite designer – admitted that she is interested in hosting a chat show called “Get a Life”
This is fine with me.
The world may not need another show with celebrities pitching products and productions, another show with musical guests and scripted off-the-cuff remarks, another show awkwardly tackling serious subjects while Bieber waits in the wings to discuss his haircut – but the world does need more from Dame Westwood.
“It would be called Get A Life – and it’s on two levels, get a life for future generations but also what are you doing right now with your own life? If we are an endangered species it is your duty to do something about it and get the most out of it,” she tells Vogue (UK) .
Other celebrities who should host talk shows that I would watch, include Lindsay Lohan, Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, and Barry Gibb.
The Best of the Night: It Books Awards the Grammys
The 53rd Grammy Awards, held last night, was an evening of stellar performances, bizarre imagery, star-studded tributes, and, of course, awards. Only ten Grammys were actually presented during the telecast and three of them went to Lady Antebellum. Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Best Album, and followed the win by closing the show with Ready to Start. Key players went home sans awards including Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.
The list of performances was outstanding –Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Eminem, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Bob Dylan, Lady Antebellum, Muse, Mick Jagger, Mumford & Sons and more – reminding us why this award show is so much more entertaining than the Golden Globes was a few weeks ago.
In one of the most anticipated performances of the show, Eminem and Rihanna gave another powerful performance of Love the Way You Lie. Their chemistry is just so intense. Eminem was then joined by his mentor Dr. Dre for “I Need a Doctor,” giving us one of the more compelling performances of the night.
Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and gospel singer Yolanda Adams came together for a tribute to the legendary Aretha Franklin (who has won the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy a record 11 times, 8 of them consecutively). It was a wonderful, heartfelt performance by some of the best vocalists out there, so let’s overlook poor Xtina’s slipping on the stage and just focus on a great start to the evening.
After the jump are the It Books Awards:
Lady Gaga shot by Nick Knight
All the blogs and the Facebooks and the Twitters and the hashtags #bornthiswayfriday are all a buzzing today with the release of the cover to Lady Gaga’s long awaited Born this Way. Since she debuted a small portion of the title track at the VMAs in December her fans have been desperate for more information about the song and the album.
But we’re here to talk about Nick Knight, the famed British fashion photographer. Having already shot for the world’s top designers, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Levi Strauss, Yohji Yamamoto. Yves Saint Laurent it only seems natural that he’d turn his lens toward Gaga. Knight’s image is sure to be one of the most viewed photograph of the decade. He recently published a midcareer retrospective of his work, from 1990 to the present day, called Nick Knight. Looking through the pages of his book you can see many similarities with the way he has captured Gaga and the transition of his work over the past twenty years.
Nice to Meat You
Desperate for a humane and hygenic way to replicate the controversial meat dress worn by Lady Gaga at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards? Look no further than the “Meat-Lace” from OnchMovement!
Made of completely animal-free materials, the Meat-Lace stays fresh, juicy, and tender for years, without the pesky spoiling problem that comes with live meat accessories. Featuring an attractive 18 inch black and gold chain, and priced at an affordable $55, this Meat-Lace is sure to add flavor to any outfit. Also perfect for Halloween!
What do you think – will you buy the Meat-Lace?
“Get Your Gleek On”: Which Bands Should The Cast Of ‘Glee’ Cover Next?
I don’t know about you, but I was left speechless after last week’s episode of Glee. Partially, it was because stupid American Idol had cut off the last 10 minutes on my DVR but it was mostly because their homage to Madonna was completely off the chain, off the hook and off whatever-metal-object-you-can-imagine. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show already has a Lady Gaga-inspired episode in the can and there’s talk of taking on Britney Spears sometime soon.
With all these creative odes bursting off the small screen, I got to thinking. What if I was the music supervisor for Glee. Who would I have the cast tackle next? After a lot of playlist-scouring and soul-searching, I came up with the following picks: Bob Dylan, Death Cab For Cutie and Hole. I sure hope Sue Sylvester would approve!
BOB DYLAN: What Bob Dylan lacks in vocal dexterity (or coherence), he certainly makes up for in lyrical brilliance. After all, not only has the “Tambourine Man” penned some of most poignant songs of the 20th century, but he was even awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for creating “lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” A ’60s-inspired episode would be aces and I’d love to see Glee get all folky on our collective asses. Why, I can even hear Mr. Schuester serenading Ms. Pillbury with the classic crooner “Lay Lady Lay” before the firs time they do it™. Swoon.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Sure, Death Cab For Cutie‘s songbook might lack the pomp and circumstance of Bob Dylan, but their catalog remains equally poignant because I can’t think of another band in the last 10 years who has successfully tapped into heartbreak and heartache quite like this group of indie-rockers. Last summer, I actually had the great pleasure of seeing DCFC perform at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic orchestra. It was so rad to hear them get the classical treatment and I can only imagine what their songs would sound like if they were put in the Glee blender. Personally, I think Mercedes could wail on “The Sound Of Settling” or “A Lack Of Color” could be turned into a tortuous duet between Finn and Rachel.
HOLE: This pick is definitely my dark horse—much like Courtney Love, herself. Some might think Hole is a totally o-v-e-r, but with the recent release of their long-awaited album Nobody’s Daughter, they’re just getting started… at least until they inevitably call it quits again in another year or two. The lineup might be different but the band’s goal remains the same: to pen rocktastic anthems that inspire and empower. Judging from new songs like “Samantha” and “Skinny Little Bitch,” I’d say mission accomplished. After Quinn finally pops out the bun in her oven, it’d be great to see her re-embrace her inner awesomeness with a rendition of “Miss World” or “Celebrity Skin.” Now that’s a study in demonology I’d love to see!
Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter, what are you waiting for? I’m not scared to sic C. Love on your tush… and I don’t know if you’d live through that.
Lady Gaga makes some calls
Lady Gaga’s new video (featuring Beyonce) for the song Telephone debuted last night.
Overall, I like! There were hits and misses, obviously, and I can only hope that the acting between Gaga and Beyonce was that cardboard on purpose (Beyonce can kind of act, right?) but otherwise, it was ok. The clear highlight of the video:
I could watch that all day. A few more highlights after the jump.
Show me your teeth
My ears have barely stopped ringing from the Lady Gaga concert last week and my love for her is far from abating.
There is a new video out for Teeth from her Fame Monster album. I’m not, scratch that, wasn’t really into the whole Vampire thing until seeing this. Suddenly I’m a convert.
I don’t know if it’s the official video, as I don’t see it on her website. I do know that it’s directed by Sergio Ceron, whose website is intense and slightly disturbing.
Thanks Gaga for this video; I’m sure the woman in the office next to mine already hates the song seeing as that I ‘ve played 60 times today.
boom.
“Paging Dr. Luke…”
I’ve lived in Los Angeles for more than a year and I still don’t have a doctor. Okay, technically, that’s not entirely true. I have a dentist who I’ve already seen twice. (Mostly because he shows movies while you sit in the chair and get your teeth cleaned. Last time I watched Slumdog Millionaire. Sometimes I really do love L.A.) However, when it comes to a normal doctor, I’ve come up with bupkiss. This is something that my mom brings up nearly every time we talk on the phone. Our conversations typically go something like this…
Me: “Hey Mom.”
Mom: “Hi sweetheart. How are you?”
Me: “I’m aight. You?”
Mom: “Good. Have you found an internist yet?”
Seriously, it’s that bad. The last time I spoke to her and, of course, she asked me about settling on a physician, I thought about telling her that I found a doctor I’m really stoked on: Dr. Luke. Here’s the one glitch… Dr. Luke isn’t a real doctor. He’s actually a super-producer who’s responsible for some of the decade’s best pop music. He got his start playing guitar in the Saturday Night Live band in 1997 but it wasn’t until he hooked up with fellow uber-producer Max Martin to write and record tracks for Avril Lavigne (“Girlfriend”), Pink (“Who Knew?”) and Katy Perry (“I Kissed A Girl”), that he became a star in his own right.
Dr. Luke-produced songs play in my head on a daily basis so I thought I’d pick the top three tunes I find myself humming when I’m shopping for groceries… or buying stamps at the post office… or picking up my dry cleaning. In other words, the following songs by Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus and Ke$ha always cause random bouts of singing from this lil’ lady. My apologies to anyone within earshot.
KELLY CLARKSON’s “Since U Been Gone”
A million years ago, in another life, I used to DJ. I spun at concerts, while bands did that whole set-change thing, but mostly I got my cred from spinning at MisShapes in NYC. The nights that I worked in that cramped lil’ DJ booth were probably the most glamorous nights of my life—and it’s all been downhill from there! (Just kidding. Sorta.) Anyways, if there’s one thing I can boast about from my tenure on the wheels of steel, it’s that I was the first person to play “Since U Been Gone” at this weekly hipster haven. When I put it on, the dance floor paused; the song was still really new and this was not exactly the kind of audience that watched American Idol on the regular. However, within about 20 seconds, the floor beneath my feet started thumping because people were jumping up and down, dancing like their lives depended on it.
I remember Greg K., one of the hosts coming up to me, grabbing both of my shoulders and saying, “What. Is. This. Song.” I replied, “Kelly Clarkson’s new jam. It’s amazing, right?” He just grinned and started shaking me. I took that as a “yes.” Needless to say, from that point on, “Since U Been Gone” was a staple on any MisShapes playlist.
“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
MILEY CYRUS’ “Party In The U.S.A.”
Almost out of the blue, Miley Cyrus released this page-out-of-diary track in the summer of 2009 and I immediately logged it as one of my favorite tunes to scream, er, sing at the top of my lungs while driving through the streets of Los Angeles. (Did I feel guilty? You wish!) Sure, The Artist Formerly Known As Hannah Montana admitted to never hearing a Jay-Z joint before cutting the song (gasp!) and she thought it was somehow appropriate to pole dance while performing the song at the Teen Choice Awards, but not even those snafus can distract me from this song’s brilliance. It’s just that good. If Dr. Luke knows how to do anything, it’s pen infectiously-catchy-yet-lyrically-simple ditties that are accessible to everyone, regardless of age, sex or musical preference. If you ask me, that’s the sign of a true songwriting genius. As my beloved Barry Manilow would say, he writes the songs that make the whole world sing.
And apropos of nothing, how amazing is the picture below?
KE$HA’s “TiK ToK”
Ever since I heard “TiK ToK,” I was smitten—and, apparently, so was the rest of the music-downloading public. Her Dr. Luke-produced debut album Animal hit #1 on the Billboard charts the week after its release—sorry, Susan Boyle!—and she even knocked Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” out of the number-one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. Take that, Stefani Germanotta! (That’s Gaga’s real name, for those of you non-monsters out there.) I realize I might get pelted with a onslaught of hairbows for saying this, but I think Ke$ha could definitely kick Lady Gaga’s silicone-clad tush, if push came to shove. Sure, Gagaloo could use some—if not all—of her accessories as a weapon, but Ke$ha looks like she’d tear out your extensions, punch you in the neck and then spit in your face. In other words, homegirl doesn’t fight fair—and I love her for it.
Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter, what are you waiting for? Don’t make me sick Ke$ha on your collective asses!
Oh Gaga, how I love thee
… Let me count the ways
I was fortunate enough–cause I’m a free bitch, baby–to attend the Lady Gaga concert on her Monster Ball tour last night at Radio City Music Hall. 
As you can see from my photos (taken poorly with my camera phone) our seats were deliciously close, about 8 rows from the stage and just 2 behind Donald Trump. I could not have been more impressed with the show. It lacked the some of the over-production of other pop singers, because Gaga can, well, actually sing. Sorry, Britney, Madonna, et al.
As a concert it was not dramatically overdone. It had the usual killer lighting design and occasional pyrotechnic –she shot us all with a gun that looked as if it were emitting a high powered sparkler. There was also plenty of filler with video clips ranging from Lady Gaga getting a tattoo, to a handsome man vomiting what looked like Listerine on her. I don’t know why it worked, but it did. Her dancers were stellar too, and costumed such that there was a beautiful androgyny to them. Best of all, they never overshadowed her, perhaps because she was wearing costumes like this. 
I appreciate her efforts to put on a somewhat smaller scale show, she could have easily sold out the much larger Madison Square Garden. Instead, she chose to risk exhaustion and perform 4 shows in a slightly more intimate venue. Perhaps I’ve been drinking the Monster Juice, but I truly believe that she loves her monsters, her fans.
And she wants us to love her too. “Take my picture,” Lady Gaga begged of her monsters. She was ever so briefly coquettish as she lay on the stage and likened herself to Tinkerbell, “I’ll die if you don’t clap for me.” We do! Good Gaga, we do love you!
The only omission from the show were the McQueen heels that I somehow manage to mention in just about every post I write. Speaking of heels, I wore mine.
yes i did
Lady Gaga, I do want to be friends, I hope that’s okay.
Badder Romance
Continuing Youritlist’s ongoing Lady Gaga coverage, I’m happy to share more evidence of Gaga’s fabulousness.
A group of dedicated fans have made a hilarious parody of the singer’s excellent “Bad Romance video.” The production value leaves something to be desired, but Gaga herself approved the remake via Twitter, stating simply: Holy S**t. Enjoy below.
Life in plastic …
… she’s fantastic.
Wonderful news from the land of Gaga. As you’ve very likely heard from Perez or eleswhere, Gaga now has a Barbie-esque doll designed by Beijing designer Veik
. The dolls showcase her most fabulous wardrobe choices. Though, I don’t see how you’d decide which of her creations to pick as I support just about anything that she decides to wear … or not wear.
The Heels!
Happily for me, the McQueen heels that I can’t get enough of (the ones that make an appearance in the best music video ever) are also part of this precious tiny collection. (Full set of images here.)
Sadly, for now, these lovely likenesses won’t be sold anywhere. Probably for the best as I’d spend entirely too much time playing with them, staging countless weddings with my Zac doll 
In other Gaga-news, the National Enquirer is reporting that she poured a glass of water on a drunk man’s head after he allegedly verbally attacked both Lady Gaga and American Idol sensation Adam Lambert.
don’t fuck with the Gaga.
Going Gaga
Thanks to her knack for unique sartorial choices, we’re predicting that you’ll bump into more than a few Lady Gagas on the street this October 31. What Amy Winehouse and her beehive and shakily-applied mascara were to trick-or-treat ’07, Gaga promises to be to oh-nine. If you’re looking for a last minute costume, check out this step-by-step video from Threadbanger (via MTV Buzzworthy Blog). Sadly, if you’re more inclined to do the muppet-poncho thing, you’re on your own.
