Lady Gaga To Wow Fans At Mall Of Asia Arena

MANILA, Philippines — US pop diva Lady Gaga, who has captured the imagination of millions worldwide with her outlandish fashion sense of style, performance and music videos and recordings, is set to wow Pinoy fans anew when she performs on May 21 and 22 at the new indoor Mall of Asia Arena.

The two-night gig comprises the Manila leg of “The Born This Way Ball,” the brand-new global tour of the five-time Grammy Award winner which kicked off April 27 in South Korea and which will also take her to Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

The 13-city, 33-date tour, produced internationally by Live Nation and to be staged locally by Ovation Productions, will also cover Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia in Asia before proceeding to New Zealand and Australia and to 21 major cities in Europe. She is expected to perform 110 shows this year in support of her “Born This Way” album, which has sold nearly six million copies worldwide since its release in May 2011.

The May 21-22 gig of “The Born This Way Ball” will kick off the soft opening of the brand-new indoor Mall of Asia Arena as a world-class venue for entertainment and sporting events prior to its grand opening on June 16.

It will mark Lady Gaga’s second visit to Manila in almost three years after her sold-out concert on Aug. 11, 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum, also produced by Ovation Productions.

“The Born This Way Ball” concerts on May 21-22 at the Mall of Asia Arena are produced by Ovation Productions and presented by Smart and co-presented by Coca-Cola in association with Nestlé Drumstick and Lee. Media partners are ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld and Yahoo! Philippines.

source: mb.com.ph

Lady Gaga wows S. Koreans as global tour kicks offSEOUL - US pop diva Lady Gaga wowed tens of thousands of South Koreans at the opening show of her gl

SEOUL - US pop diva Lady Gaga wowed tens of thousands of South Koreans at the opening show of her global tour Friday with signature flamboyant outfits and a provocative performance.

The star dazzled some 50,000 fans at the Olympic stadium in Seoul, with the audience wearing paper bracelets reading "18 above" issued by organizers in response to Seoul banning under-18s attending.

The limit was imposed after a state ratings board judged the much-anticipated concert unsuitable for younger audiences, and ticket-holders had to present ID cards to enter the venue.

Lady Gaga rode onto the stage on horseback, wearing a glittering black bodysuit and an enormous black metal headpiece as screaming fans waved thousands of glowing sticks and chanted her name.

"I was told that your government decided that my shows should be 18 or over... So, I'll make sure it will be!" Lady Gaga shouted, to cheers from the crowd.

The professional provocateur's show included throwing dancers and herself into a giant fake meat grinder and staging scenes of machine gun fire and simulated group and lesbian sex.

The concert was the first in her "Born This Way Ball" tour, which will visit several Asian countries before going on to Australasia and Europe later this year.

It follows the success of her album "Born This Way," which has sold nearly six million copies worldwide since it was released in May 2011.

The "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance" singer belted out more than 20 hits in a 100-minute show on a stage featuring a castle-shaped structure topped with an illuminated cross.

The star, rated one of the 100 most influential fashion icons by the US magazine Time, showed off some 10 different outfits, ranging from a dress and a pair of heels fashioned out of raw meat to a skirt made of a piano keyboard.

Before the concert, dozens of Lady Gaga lookalikes in extravagant costumes inspired by the singer took souvenir pictures as hordes of fans waited in line outside the stadium, which was guarded by police and security guards.

Some male fans wore leather corsets over black and white suits and black sunglasses with metal spikes, while scores of others put on facepaint to honor the singer known for her otherworldly dress sense.

The concert prompted opposition from religious groups who accuse Lady Gaga of advocating homosexuality and pornography.

The Korean Association of Church Communication vowed last month to take "concerted action to stop young people from being infected with homosexuality and pornography" by the US star's concert.

Outside the stadium on Friday, two foreign Christian protesters held placards reading "Lady Gaga. Go home!" and "Sexual purity, virginity, fidelity", while about 20 South Korean Christian activists prayed.

In another part of Seoul about 100 Christian activists gathered for a rally.

"Lady Gaga... is a wounded soul that is in desperate need of restoration. Therefore Christians should love and bless her. We should hate the evil spirit behind her, not Lady Gaga herself," they said in a leaflet.

source: interaksyon.com

Lady Gaga ready for Seoul concert amid protests, 18+ rating

MANILA, Philippines – Lady Gaga is getting ready to kick off her “The Born This Way Ball” world tour in Seoul on April 27 amid protests by local conservative Christian groups that the singer promotes homosexuality and pornography.

The flamboyant singer arrived in Seoul on April 20 wearing a mask and a gown, a week before her concert to do rehearsals.

“What a warm and exciting welcome to Korea. I missed this country so much. Will be asleep in my castle until rehearsal. I love u!” the singer posted on Twitter upon her arrival at Guimpo International Airport.

No teens will be able to watch her concert as the Korea Media Rating Board banned those below 18 years old from attending the event, which will be held at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium.

Last month, the concert promoter submitted a recommendation to the board that Lady Gaga’s concert was appropriate for those over 12 years old but the board decided otherwise.

“For ‘The Born This Way Ball,’ Live Nation Korea submitted their recommendation report on March 16 saying the show was appropriate for people over the age of 12, according to the rating board. The board said it notified the company of the change of the age limit to 18 on March 22,” according to a report by Korea JoongAng Daily, adding that the ban on minors was mainly due to Lady Gaga’s song “Just Dance.”

On Twitter, Lady Gaga said parents should determine what’s right for their children.

“Although not affecting ticket sales in Seoul, parents should be given more credit to determine what’s good for their children. I love my fans. Thank u to all the adults in Korea who are speaking out for underaged who want to come to the BTW Ball. Maybe the gov. will change their mind,” she tweeted.

Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has banned about 4,200 songs including 35 Lady Gaga songs from being sold to children under 18, the Korea JoongAng Daily added.

Lady Gaga seems unperturbed by the rating and protests.

She tweeted, "I will perform the tour of your life if it...kills me.”

She also posted photos of her at the concert stadium.

“Imagine when it's full. I love that it's raining, so NEW YORK of you Korea! So happy! The Stage is more than I could dream for, time to kill the dance floor. Off to rehearsal,” she said.

After Seoul, Lady Gaga will hold concerts in different parts of the world including Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and the Philippines.

source: mb.com.ph