Lady Gaga Is MTV News' Woman Of The Year

Massive tour, event videos and social causes earn Gaga her second-straight Woman of the Year title.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Lady Gaga didn't even release a proper album in 2010, and somehow, she managed to become an even bigger star. This had as much to do with the fact that she kept working with what she had — the endless tour, the incomparable videos — as it did with her harnessing her hard-fought stardom and attempting to become a force for social change. She spoke out loudly and proudly in support of gay rights and in opposition to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and, in the process, she became the kind of star we haven't seen in decades: One unafraid to offend, no matter how much she stood to lose.

(They're more than just pretty faces, but you can still check out photos of our Men and Women of 2010!)

And that fearlessness — coupled with her continued chart success and her envelope-pushing event videos — is why we've chosen Lady Gaga as MTV News' Woman of the Year. It's the second-consecutive year she's taken home the honor, which is sort of fitting. After all, no one has dominated both the musical and pop-culture landscapes quite like she has over the past 24 months. This year, she just dominated differently. And so, in honor of her reign, here's a look back at Lady Gaga's 2010, a year in which she moved from pop icon to genuine social force.

2010 Highlights: Gaga began 2010 much like she ended 2009: on tour. In January, she wowed audiences with a triumphant four-night run at New York's Radio City Music Hall and then stole the show at the Grammys with her Elton John duet and appropriately outrageous attire. She teamed with Cyndi Lauper for the MAC AIDS Fund VIVA Glam campaign and paid tribute to the late Alexander McQueen with a performance at the Brit Awards. In February, she began teasing both her revamped Monster Ball Tour and her upcoming "Telephone" video, which would catapult her to even greater fame.

Directed by Jonas Åkerlund and full of nearly as many blink-and-you'll-miss-it pop-culture nods as it was wanton violence and near-nudity, "Telephone" premiered on March 11 and basically became the event video against which all others would be judged. Fans loved it (celebs did too), and the clip would go on to inspire countless YouTube tributes. Needless to say, talk of a sequel quickly followed.

In April, she was announced as a headliner at Lollapalooza and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People. In June, she sent fans into a panic when she told Larry King that she had tested "borderline positive" for lupus and then wowed them with her "Alejandro" video, which mixed German Expressionism with religious symbolism (needless to say, some thought it went too far).

She then told Rolling Stone magazine that her new album was "finished right now" and then premiered the first song from that album, "You and I," at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball. She kicked off another leg of the Monster Ball Tour in Montreal, and, at a later date in Arizona, encouraged fans to protest the state's immigration law. At the beginning of August, she scored a whopping (and record-breaking) 13 Video Music Award nominations and delivered the goods with a surreal set at Lollapalooza.

At the VMAs in September, Gaga won eight Moonmen — including Video of the Year — and announced that her new album would be called Born This Way. But seemingly all anyone wanted to talk about was her infamous "meat dress," which dominated celeb gossip for the remainder of the month. Also of note were the "dates" Gaga took with her to the show: men and women of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, all of whom had been discharged from the Armed Forces (or prohibited from serving) because they were gay.

Inspired by their stories, Gaga began a (very loud) campaign to have the military's long-standing "don't ask, don't tell" policy overturned. She called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to vote on a repeal of the measure and posted an impassioned video plea, urging her fans to call their senators and demand they vote as well. She held an impromptu rally in Maine aimed at grabbing the attention of Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Ultimately, her efforts failed, as Senate Democrats were unable to garner enough votes to begin debate on the matter, though Gaga remained adamant in her support of gay rights, as producer RedOne told MTV News that her Born This Way album would be about "freedom."

She capped 2010 by passing the 1 billion views mark on YouTube, being named one of Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women and Billboard's Artist of the Year. She scored six Grammy nominations, placed a pair of songs on MTV News' Top 25 countdown, including "Telephone" at #10, and was honored with eight different wax figures by Madame Tussauds. Oh, and then, there's the matter of Born This Way, which is due early next year and, by all accounts, is shaping up to be pretty great. And it sort of raises the question: At this time next year, will we be handing Gaga her third-straight Woman of the Year award? We wouldn't bet against her. As she proved in 2010, anything's possible.

Did Gaga deserve our Woman of the Year title? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654467/20101216/lady_gaga.jhtml

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Usher Promises An 'Incredible Tour'

'Incredible records go with incredible tours,' he tells MTV News of his string of hits.
By Hillary Crosley


Usher
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Don't call it a comeback, but following a tumultuous 2009 that included a messy divorce, Usher could describe the past 12 months as his climb back to the top. Now, he's celebrating with a national tour.

"Been hard at work getting ready for this tour ... Man, ya'll are really in for a treat," the singer tweeted Monday. "I'm on. Twits back up."

Recently, MTV News caught up with Ursh about his upcoming national run.

"The tour starts November 13 in Seattle," Usher said. "[Producer] Max Martin made an incredible record with 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love,' but what would I expect: less? He's one of the best."

Racking up several hits on the Billboard chart this year, including "OMG" featuring will.i.am, his current single checks in at #5 on the Hot 100, and Usher couldn't be happier.

"[I'm] loving it. Just in time for an incredible tour," Usher said during a recent visit to New York. "I took a step away from L.A. tonight. My dancers and crew are real hot with me right now."

Earlier this week, the singer was nominated for four Soul Train Awards, along with Alicia Keys. Usher is up for Best R&B/Soul Artist Male, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Dance Performance.

The singer was confident that his upcoming run will be memorable. "The tour's gonna be incredible," Usher said. "Incredible records go with incredible tours."

Will you check out Usher's tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650370/20101019/usher.jhtml

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Michael Jackson Album-Cover Artist Explains Hidden Meanings In His Work

Kadir Nelson leads MTV News through his tribute to the King of Pop.
By James Montgomery


Kadir Nelson
Photo: MTV News

It is a testament to the legendary life of Michael Jackson that no matter how big a canvas artist Kadir Nelson used to tell MJ's story — and at 9 feet wide and 4.5 feet tall, he used a pretty big one — he kept running out of room. It seems that Jackson's reign as the King of Pop was just too lengthy, his list of achievements too large and his life too all-encompassing to be summed up in even the most massive of murals.

"Michael's life was so huge I couldn't get it all into the painting," Nelson told MTV News. "So I would take images from throughout his life that were milestones ... images that would resonate with his fans. And even doing that was a challenge."

Still, Nelson gave it his best effort, and the result was "The King of Pop," his epic tribute to Jackson's life, which struck such a chord with the late icon's estate (and his label, Sony Music) that it was chosen as the cover for the just-released Michael album. But what fans see on that album is just a fraction of Nelson's original work.

" 'The King of Pop' is the life story of Michael Jackson, so what you see on the album cover is the centerpiece of the mural; Michael is wearing his famous bejeweled glove, and he's wearing a golden suit of armor, and he has this collar around his neck, like what you would see in a French painting of King Philip," Nelson explained. "The theme for this painting is 'royalty' and 'pop,' because Michael was the King of Pop. So you have Michael being crowned by two Cupids, he has his birthstones in his crown. He's wearing a soft, velvet drapery over his armor, because Michael had a very soft heart. Also, his hand is placed over his heart, because he had a big heart, and he put that big heart into everything he did."

And radiating from that royal image is Jackson's life story, which begins with images of his childhood in Gary, Indiana, extends upward to a gallery of his musical influences (Barry Gordy, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, to name just a few), and then explodes with the launch of his solo career, starting with his star-making turn at the "Motown 25" television special (where he unveiled his "moonwalk" dance) and rolling right along to his Thriller heyday. There are also portions of the painting dedicated to his Bad, Dangerous and HIStory albums, and images of his children, the omnipresent media that followed him everywhere, and the women with whom he shared close relationships (Liz Taylor, Lisa Marie Presley and Madonna).

There are also, as Nelson explained, coded images hidden throughout the painting, everything from bubbles (blown by his pet chimpanzee, of course), an apple (because, as the painter explained, "kids would call [Jackson] 'Applehead' on his Neverland Ranch"), Peter Pan soaring off into the Northern Lights (meant to symbolize Jackson's ascension after his death) and, perhaps the most striking image of all, a golden throne atop a mountain: Jackson's throne, never to be occupied again.

"It's empty," Nelson explained, "because no one will ever sit in it now that he's gone."

What do you think of the Michael cover? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654225/20101214/jackson_michael.jhtml

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Dimmu Borgir Release Live DVD; Plus Led Zeppelin, Brujeria, & More News That Rules, In Metal File

'It shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums,' guitarist says.
By Chris Harris


Dimmu Borgir's Silenoz
Photo: Nuclear Blast

On October 14, Dimmu Borgir — who just happen to be Demi Lovato's favorite black-metal band — will release a a three-disc DVD/CD set called "The Invaluable Darkness," the band's first visual offering since 2002's "World Misanthropy." Boasting live footage shot last year, during gigs in Norway, Germany and England, "The Invaluable Darkness" demonstrates the unbridled furor of seeing Dimmu live, guitarist Silenoz said.

"It shows the honest rawness and atmospheric darkness of our concerts," the Norwegian told Metal File last week, after dismissing recent online rumors that his band's next LP would be coming out through Roadrunner Records. "Basically, it shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums. It's just a different side to the band, basically."

Dimmu Borgir began thinking about "The Invaluable Darkness" two years ago, but didn't start capturing footage until last summer, Silenoz explained, adding that the band will use its current stint on the Blackest of the Black Tour — which got underway Thursday night in Miami Beach, Florida, and also features the tour's founder, Danzig, along with Moonspell, Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch — to promote the DVD. Dimmu Borgir will not, however, use the tour to write material for their next LP.

"It's our first time on Blackest, but Glenn [Danzig] had wanted to bring us out before [on the tour], but we weren't available until now," Silenoz said. "We've done Ozzfest before, but we're looking forward to this tour more. We did the main stage on Ozzfest, playing in f--_ing broad daylight. This tour will let us play in bigger places, but at the same time showcase more of what the band's about, visually. We are going to concentrate on the tour for now. Some years ago, we tried putting [material] together on the road, but once we got home, we listened back to it, and were like, 'What the f--- is this?' So, we just scrapped it all. We find it's so much better to totally focus on one thing at a time, and then, when that's over, you move on to the next [thing]. We don't really feel like we need to rush things, anyway, so we'll just take our time, and it's going to be what it's going to be."

Dimmu Borgir hope to reconvene in late December to begin writing the follow-up to 2007's diabolically titled In Sorte Diaboli. "We have some ideas floating around already, but we haven't arranged any material yet," he said. "We'll start doing that once the touring for this DVD is over." The band's frontman, Shagrath, is also due to marry soon — he's engaged to actor Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, so that may have an effect on when Dimmu finish their next album, which Silenoz said could be out this coming spring.

"I'm sure [Shagrath] won't let anything get in the way [of] the band — I think, I hope," the guitarist said. "We don't need a Yoko [Ono] situation."

While Dimmu have been at it going on 15 years now, Silenoz said he doesn't think their forthcoming material will be much of a departure from their previous black-metal offerings.

"And we have always been about more than just that term, 'black metal,' " he said. "Luckily for us, the older you get, the less concerned you get with the categorization and putting labels on your music. Things start getting more and more limitless with us, and we know that we operate within certain frames. But we try not to analyze things too much, because it's just going to be working against you in the end. When we write new stuff, we don't think about what we should write — we just get together, and put material together, and if we like it, we keep it. That's the formula, if we even have a formula."

Dimmu Borgir are definitely getting older — guitarist Galder will be missing Blackest because of a recent addition to his family, and Susperia's Cyrus will be filling in for him; while former Vader drummer Dariusz Brzozowski takes over for Hellhammer, who had to leave the band in 2007 after sustaining a neck injury that's now limited the use of his right arm. As Dimmu has gotten on in years, Silenoz admits they have failed to keep pace with some of the more extreme black-metal acts that have followed in their wake.

"We helped open doors for the more extreme bands out there," Silenoz said. "I'm sure we helped open doors for bands like Watain, [insomuch as] people that had maybe started listening to us first then went on to the more extreme stuff. Let's face it — we're not as extreme as Watain and other bands like that, but we're fine with that."

The Blackest of the Black Tour continues through November 10 in San Francisco.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Dimmu's tourmates on Blackest, Winds of Plague, have announced ex-Azusa drummer Art Cruz has joined their ranks — he replaced Jeff Tenney. According to the band's blog, "Art has already added a new spark to the band and has provided us with a solid backbone that will allow us to continue our rampage stronger than ever." ...

What the world really needs is another Led Zeppelin box set, so, on November 4, Rhino Records will issue the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica CD box set. For just $200, you'll get 1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, 1970's Led Zeppelin III, 1971's Led Zeppelin IV, 1973's Houses of the Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti, 1976's Presence, 1976's The Song Remains the Same, 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, as mini-LP replicas, with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves. Now, you know what you can get your dad for Christmas. ...

Former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz have teamed up for a new project they're calling Times of Grace, and they've already started working on material for their debut album. According to Leach, "We have two songs to go and we will be finished with all of the vocals. Adam has taken lead vocals in three songs as of yet and he is doing a great job. We also worked on a track yesterday that is so epic — we trade vocals and do two different melodies at the same time. This album went from a melodic metal album to an epic mix of metal/rock/pop/shoegaze and punk. So all of your metal expectations will be incorrect — we are pushing genre boundaries." To quote "Meet the Parents," we'll look forward to that, Greg. ...

The Funeral Pyre and Early Graves will be hitting the road together next month, starting November 7 in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dates are booked through November 21 in Hollywood. ...

The latest incarnation of Brujeria, which features Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and Napalm Death's Shane Embury, have lined up several U.S. dates for this winter. The band will begin its brief trek November 28 in Denver, and wrap things up in Dallas on December 7. ... Demiricous will be touring with the Gates of Slumber starting November 9 in Denver, for a jaunt that's scheduled to run through December 6 in Indianapolis. ...

Nearly three years after Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner United concert, which took over the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square, the label is now releasing footage from that special night as "Roadrunner United: The Concert." The DVD, which hits stores December 9, will boast two discs and 24 live tracks, including Life of Agony's "River Runs Red," King Diamond's "Abigail," Killswitch's "My Last Serenade," Type O Negative's "Black No. 1" and Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." ...

According to Blabbermouth, Verrot, bassist for Swedish black-metal outfit Elimi, committed suicide on October 3. In a statement, the band said, "Verrot was a very good friend, brother, an excellent bass player/musician and an important part of Elimi; we respect his decision and hope he'll find his way with the dark gods of Chaos. Let your black flame be a part of what brings forth the day of wrath."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596756/20081009/borgir_dimmu.jhtml

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Katy Perry Praises Lady Gaga, Ke$ha In Maxim

The 'Firework' singer reveals, 'I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry on the December 2010 cover of <i>Maxim</i>
Photo: Maxim

Everyone knows that Katy Perry is besties with Rihanna, so it might not be too surprising that Perry has only the kindest words for fellow female pop contemporaries Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, even if she has been critical of one of those women's artistic choices in the past.

"I love what Gaga is doing, and I love what Ke$ha is doing," Perry says in Maxim's new issue, for which she also serves as the cover girl. "I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video."

But, Perry isn't just dishing on her fellow lady celebrities, she's also showing some love for the fellas, one of whom she married in the fall. "I've said Justin Bieber [was my celebrity crush] quite a few times, but I think I'm over it now. I think it's probably safe to say I married my celebrity crush," the singer shares about husband Russell Brand. "Don't barf on this magazine."

Earlier this year, Perry was chosen to top Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 list, and she admits that the honor has really given her cred all over the place.

"It's a worldwide thing — the rest of the world makes it their standard," she says. "It's one of the questions they ask me in all interviews now, even in places where Maxim doesn't exist. I'll go to Timbuktu, and they'll be like, 'You're the #1 hottest,' and I'm like, 'Maxim said so, but thank you so much for saying so in Timbuktu.' "

So, what does Perry think makes ladies sexy? A fun-loving attitude, obviously.

"The way she presents herself and the air she has about her. You can feel her power and her confidence," Perry explains. "Also, the way she uses her ability to communicate, her brain and personality. I think that's really sexy because you all know the hottest woman can be the biggest bitch, and that's not cool."

Still riding high on the success of her Teenage Dream album, Perry shows no signs of slowing down, with a 2011 tour and a role in the "Smurfs" film on the way.

"You know, I wasn't allowed to watch 'Smurfs' growing up, ever. I grew up in a sheltered household, and my parents would keep us from certain things they thought were too much for us and our eyes," she recently told MTV News regarding her role as Smurfette. " 'Smurfs' had what my parents said was a lot of sorcery and magic."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653905/20101209/perry_katy.jhtml

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