Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lady Gaga's VMA Performance All About 'Fearlessness

'

Laurieann Gibson calls opening performance an opportunity to 'create a new understanding of music.'

So much for giving up the goods.

We really tried to get Laurieann Gibson, Lady Gaga's creative director, to spill her guts about what Mother Monster has planned for her VMA performance on Sunday, but she's keeping things under wraps — in the best way possible.

She jokingly said a few censored (and, considering how much she's bleeped in the embedded video, obscene) things about what viewers will see. Long story short: She's not telling.

But Gibson did say of Gaga's opening performance, "I hope that people take the fearlessness away. The notion that you don't have to follow what is popular and that you can constantly take the opportunity and create a new understanding of music and performing.

"It could mean standing under one spotlight," she continued. "It could mean tons of camels and belly-dancing girls. I don't know. One is not necessarily better than the other. But it is about the artist. It's about 'Who's the artist?' So in that one moment, you have to take it and give it all you can."

Gibson is just following suit on the secrecy front: When Gaga talked to MTV News last week, she said she wants to surprise her fans at the VMAs. "I'm really very honored and excited to open the show," Lady Gaga told MTV News. "But I won't reveal anything; I want it to be a surprise."

From what Gaga and Gibson revealed, the performance sounds like it will be avant garde, much like her 2009 VMA set, when Gaga took the stage for a blood-soaked "Paparazzi" performance.

"It will be a continuation of everything I've been doing, and it will be exactly what they want," Gaga said. "I'm pretty good at knowing what my fans want me to do."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visitingVMA.MTV.com.



  1. Lady Gaga Lady Gaga

    Photo: Getty Images

Go Inside VMA Pitbull's 'Give Me Everything' Rehearsal With Ne-Yo & Nayer

Pitbull's fully and undeniably pretty dominating. Everything. He's crushing charts and airwaves (oh yeah and the Internet, at over 3 million downloads and rising) right now with his unstoppably huge hit, "Give Me Everything," and at this point he's officially earned his nickname, Mr. Worldwide. To watch Pitbull in action is to watch a man on top of his game and on top of the world. But when Pitbull steps onto the VMA stage to perform "Give Me Everything" this Sunday night, he's gonna have the world at his feet. As well as a couple of seriously sexy (and highly flexible) dancers.

While I was lucky enough to sit in on Pitbull's VMA rehearsal (having had "Give Me Everything" stuck on repeat in my head since March, I was totally fine with the opportunity to hear it live several times in rehearsal) I can't give away too much of what's going to happen VMA night other than to confirm that the golden-voiced Ne-Yo and the seriously sexy newcomer Nayer will join him and that the performance will be a full-blown spectacle.

+ Find out more about Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" VMA rehearsal after the jump!

Sure you know the infectious Euro house banger by heart. And sure, it's a carefree fist-pump-friendly opportunity to sweat through your shirt on the dance floor, down a few too many beverages, and leave your options for the rest of the night wide open. But lest you confuse Pitbull's message as one of sheer t-shirt-time decadence, there are some real life lessons to be learned. Embrace positivity. Let go of the past. Live in the moment, stop freaking out over nothing, and just enjoy life.

But no matter what you take away from the song, Pitbull's guaranteed to deliver VMA night. The world belongs to Mr. Worldwide.

http://www.mtv.com

THEY'RE HERE: VMA Seat Cards Photos!

Hokay, Internet. Everybody CTFO... Or actually... DON'T! It's the VMA moment before the VMAs you've all been waiting for. VMA seat cards are up, and we've got all of the photos! They're all set up in their places in the place of the places where the VMA's biggest stars will sit inside of the Nokia Theater this Sunday night!

Is a two-dimensional piece of tagboard with a photo of, say Nicki Minaj or Kim Kardashian more exciting than the real-life three-dimensional human (or super-human, actually) versions of Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian? Of course not! But the VMA floor will be absolutely packed with celebrities. Celebrities mingling, gossiping, air-kissing, tweeting, dealing with the just-like-us mortal wound of becoming massively starstruck at the mere sight of Beyonce's stunningness. The celebrity action and camaraderie on the VMA floor is like the equivalent of the dizzying din of a high school cafeteria on the first day back to school. Except there's champagne, no lunch, and people like Justin Bieber and VMA Pre-Show host Selena Gomez don't go to your high school.

The reveal of the VMA seat cards are a yearly rite of passage that means that the VMAs are thisclose and that we're saving a seat for celebrities like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, your favorite Jersey Shore cast of characters, and even legends like Tony Bennett. (Seriously.)

Tide yourself over until actual celebrities sit in their actual seats at the VMAs by checking out photos of the 2011 MTV VMA celebrity seat cards to see who's got a direct view of Beyonce, who may not be able to see over Bruno Mars' impressively tall hair, who'll be sitting next to Joe Jonas (me, duh), and who's should come wearing body armor because they're sitting next to Odd Future.

http://buzzworthy.mtv.com

Lady Gaga Surpasses Oprah, Beyonce On Forbes' Most Powerful Women List


Pop singer nabs the #11 spot, the highest celebrity placement in the lineup.

Lady Gaga is officially the world's most powerful female celebrity, at least according to Forbes, which released its World's 100 Most Powerful Women list on Thursday (August 25). Primarily dominated by politicians and CEOs, Mother Monster grabs the #11 spot on the coveted ranking, besting all other celebrity figures including friends and collaborators Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé Knowles.

While familiar faces like Hillary Clinton (#2) and Michelle Obama (#8) fill up the top 10 tier of the ranking, the Forbeslist remains slightly scarce of entertainment bigwigs. Former queen of daytime talk Oprah Winfrey appears shortly afterVideo Music Awards opener Gaga, ranking at #14, followed by Beyoncé at #18.

Other celebrity power runners include: Angelina Jolie (#29), Diane Sawyer (#47), Queen Elizabeth II (#49), Ellen DeGeneres (#55), Gisele BĂĽndchen (#60), Anna Wintour (#69), J.K. Rowling (#61) and Ann Curry (#66).

With her colossal first-week sales for Born This Way, prominent social media presence and avalanche of endorsement deals like her just-announced partnership with Barneys New York, it's hard to deny Gaga's recent reign.

In an interview with Howard Stern earlier this summer, the "You and I" singer opened up to the famed Sirius radio host about her influence in the industry, saying, "Do I feel like a powerful person in show business? Yeah."

Gaga also touched on the financial perks of her hard work, saying, "I really don't give a f--- about money at all. ... The Monster Ball was really expensive and the next show will be really expensive, and I will pay for it."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visitingVMA.MTV.com.

« World's Most Powerful Women (forbes)

RankNameAgeCountryCategory
1Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel

Chancellor

57GermanyPolitics
2Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State

63United StatesPolitics
3Dilma Rousseff

Dilma Rousseff

President

63BrazilPolitics
4Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi

Chief Executive, PepsiCo

55United StatesBusiness
5Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg

COO, Facebook

41United StatesBusiness
6Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates

Cofounder, Cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

47United StatesNon-Profit
7Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi

President, Indian National Congress Party

64IndiaPolitics
8Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama

First Lady

47United StatesPolitics
9Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde

Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

55FranceNon-Profit
10Irene Rosenfeld

Irene Rosenfeld

CEO, Kraft Foods

58United StatesBusiness
11Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

Entertainer

25United StatesCelebrity/Lifestyle
12Jill Abramson

Jill Abramson

Executive Editor, NY Times

57United StatesMedia
13Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary of Health and Human Services

63United StatesPolitics
14Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Media Personality

57United StatesMedia
15Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano

Secretary of Homeland Security

53United StatesPolitics
16Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki

SVP, Advertising, Google

43United StatesBusiness
17Cristina Fernandez

Cristina Fernandez

President

58ArgentinaPolitics
18Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Knowles

Entertainer, Designer

29United StatesCelebrity/Lifestyle
19Georgina Rinehart

Georgina Rinehart

Mining Tycoon

57AustraliaBillionaire
20Cher Wang

Cher Wang

Cofounder, Chair, HTC; VIA Technologies

52TaiwanBusiness
21Margaret Hamburg

Margaret Hamburg

Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

56United StatesPolitics
22Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann

Presidential Candidate

55United StatesPolitics
23Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard

Prime Minister

49AustraliaPolitics
24Mary Schapiro

Mary Schapiro

Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission

56United StatesPolitics
25Anne Sweeney

Anne Sweeney

Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks; President, Disney-ABC Television Group

53United StatesBusiness
26Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi

General Secretary, National League For Democracy

66MyanmarPolitics
27Ursula Burns

Ursula Burns

CEO, Xerox

52United StatesBusiness
28Amy Pascal

Amy Pascal

Co-Chair, Sony Pictures

53United StatesBusiness
29Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie

Actress, Humanitarian

36United StatesCelebrity/Lifestyle
30Josette Sheeran

Josette Sheeran

Executive Director, UN World Food Programme

57United StatesNon-Profit
31Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

Editor-In-Chief, Huffington Post

61United StatesMedia
32Gail Kelly

Gail Kelly

CEO, Westpac Group

55AustraliaBusiness
33Chan Laiwa

Chan Laiwa & family

Chair, Fu Wah International Group

70ChinaBillionaire
34Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

Political Commentator

47United StatesCelebrity/Lifestyle
35Cynthia Carroll

Cynthia Carroll

CEO, Anglo American

54United StatesBusiness
36Helene Gayle

Helene Gayle

CEO, CARE USA

United StatesNon-Profit
37Carol Bartz

Carol Bartz

CEO, Yahoo!

62United StatesBusiness
38Ellen Kullman

Ellen Kullman

CEO, Dupont

55United StatesBusiness
39Jin Sook Chang

Jin Sook Chang

Cofounder, Chief Merchandising Officer, Forever 21

48United StatesBusiness
40Safra Catz

Safra Catz

President, Oracle

49United StatesBusiness
41Angela Braly

Angela Braly

CEO, Wellpoint

50United StatesBusiness
42Marissa Mayer

Marissa Mayer

VP, Local, Maps & Location Services, Google

36United StatesBusiness
43Chanda Kochhar

Chanda Kochhar

CEO, ICICI Bank

49IndiaBusiness
44Christiane Amanpour

Christiane Amanpour

News Achor, This Week

53United StatesMedia
45Patricia Woertz

Patricia Woertz

CEO, Archer Daniels Midland

58United StatesBusiness
46Lynn Laverty Elsenhans

Lynn Laverty Elsenhans

CEO, Sunoco

55United StatesBusiness
47Diane Sawyer

Diane Sawyer

News Anchor, World News

65United StatesMedia
48Zhang Xin

Zhang Xin & family

Cofounder, CEO, SOHO China

46ChinaBusiness
49Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

Monarch

85United KingdomPolitics
50Helen Clark

Helen Clark

Administrator, UN Development Programme

61New ZealandNon-Profit
51Helen Boaden

Helen Boaden

Director, BBC News Group

55United KingdomMedia
52Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi

Democratic Leader, House of Representatives

71United StatesPolitics
53Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Monarch

40JordanPolitics
54Bonnie Hammer

Bonnie Hammer

Chairman, Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios, NBCU

61United StatesBusiness
55Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres

Talk Show Host

53United StatesCelebrity/Lifestyle
56Katie Jacobs Stanton

Katie Jacobs Stanton

VP, International Strategy, Twitter

41United StatesBusiness
57Shari Arison

Shari Arison

Heiress, Philanthropist

53IsraelBillionaire
58Angela Ahrendts

Angela Ahrendts

CEO, Burberry

51United StatesBusiness
59Yingluck Shinawatra

Yingluck Shinawatra

Prime Minister

44ThailandPolitics
60Gisele BĂĽndchen

Gisele BĂĽndchen

Supermodel, Environmentalalist

31BrazilCelebrity/Lifestyle
61Joanne (J.K.) Rowling

Joanne (J.K.) Rowling

Author

46United KingdomCelebrity/Lifestyle
62Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

President

72LiberiaPolitics
63Lubna S. Olayan

Lubna S. Olayan

CEO, Olayan Financing Company

56Saudi ArabiaBusiness
64Andrea Jung

Andrea Jung

CEO, Avon

53United StatesBusiness
65Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Managing Director, World Bank

IndonesiaNon-Profit
66Ann Curry

Ann Curry

Coanchor, TODAY show

54United StatesMedia
67Sallie Krawcheck

Sallie Krawcheck

President, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Bank of America

46United StatesBusiness
68Margaret Chan

Margaret Chan

Director-General, World Health Organization

64ChinaNon-Profit
69Anna Wintour

Anna Wintour

Editor-in-Chief, Vogue

61United StatesMedia
70Abigail Johnson

Abigail Johnson

President, Fidelity Investments

49United StatesBusiness
71Judith Rodin

Judith Rodin

President, The Rockefeller Foundation

66United StatesNon-Profit
72Ho Ching

Ho Ching

CEO, Temasek Holdings

58SingaporeBusiness
73Carol Meyrowitz

Carol Meyrowitz

CEO, TJX Companies

57United StatesBusiness
74Mary Callahan Erdoes

Mary Callahan Erdoes

CEO, J.P. Morgan Asset Management

44United StatesBusiness
75Greta Van Susteren

Greta Van Susteren

Host, On the Record

57United StatesMedia
76Mary Barra

Mary Barra

SVP, Global Product Development, General Motors

49United StatesBusiness
77Ana Patricia Botin

Ana Patricia Botin

CEO, Santander UK

50SpainBusiness
78Guler Sabanci

Guler Sabanci & family

Chair, Sabanci Holding

56TurkeyBusiness
79Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada

Chair, Head Designer, Prada Group

62ItalyBusiness
80Denise Morrison

Denise Morrison

CEO, Campbell Soup Company

57United StatesBusiness
81Tina Brown

Tina Brown

Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Beast, Newsweek

57United StatesMedia
82Virginia Rometty

Virginia Rometty

SVP, Group Executive Sales, Marketing and Strategy , IBM

53United StatesBusiness
83Drew Gilpin Faust

Drew Gilpin Faust

President, Harvard University

63United StatesNon-Profit
84Sheri McCoy

Sheri McCoy

Vice Chair, Johnson & Johnson

52United StatesBusiness
85Alice Walton

Alice Walton

Heiress, Art Patron

61United StatesBillionaire
86Laura Chinchilla

Laura Chinchilla

President

52Costa RicaPolitics
87Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Finance Minister

57NigeriaPolitics
88Sue Naegle

Sue Naegle

President, HBO Entertainment

42United StatesBusiness
89Mindy Grossman

Mindy Grossman

CEO, HSN

53United StatesBusiness
90Ruth Porat

Ruth Porat

CFO, Morgan Stanley

United StatesBusiness
91Diane Von Furstenberg

Diane Von Furstenberg

CEO, Diane Von Furstenberg Studio

64United StatesBusiness
92Jan Fields

Jan Fields

President, McDonald's USA

56United StatesBusiness
93Maria Ramos

Maria Ramos

Group CEO, Absa Group Banks

52South AfricaBusiness
94Marjorie Scardino

Marjorie Scardino

CEO, Pearson

64United StatesBusiness
95Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

56United StatesNon-Profit
96Beth Mooney

Beth Mooney

CEO, KeyCorp

56United StatesBusiness
97Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita

Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita

CEO, ArcelorMittal South Africa

52South AfricaBusiness
98Dominique Senequier

Dominique Senequier

CEO, AXA Private Equity

58FranceBusiness
99Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Founder, Chair, Biocon

58IndiaBusiness
100Beth Brooke

Beth Brooke

Global Vice Chair, Ernst & Young

52United StatesBusiness