maanantai 13. joulukuuta 2010

Lady Gaga wax figures

Lady Gaga got wax figures of Herself to famous Madame Tussauds wax figure galleries all over the world at 9th December 2010. She got eight figures at once, each wearing different outfits of Her. I have always thought that the clothes on all of the wax figures in Madame Tussauds were donations from the real people, but apparently they are not. Because clothes on Gaga figures are made carefully after Her original outfits, and they look just like the real thing, but they still aren't real! Gaga has never wore them. I was disappointed. And I can tell, they made one mistake in the clothes, the phone cord in the black telephone hat is on the wrong side, now it's Gagas left side, but it should be on Her right. And some of the figures doesn't look just like Her, even when they are made from the same mold. It's something in the eyes, shame. But anyway, I would take any one of them to my home, or all of them, if I could.
The figures costed 150 000 £ each! Total 1 200 000 £.
239 000 $, total 1 915 000 $.
175 000 €, total 1 398 000 €.
The figures are in London, New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood, Berlin, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

torstai 2. joulukuuta 2010

Free Lady Gaga games

The Poker Island Quest
Browser game, free

The only official game that you can play as Lady Gaga. Actually pretty funny game. You play as Lady Gaga and try to hurry to the concert place at time. The controls are slightly difficult, I recommend you to use keyboard commands and not the mouse. It's a real 3D game, viewed in isometric perspective. You have to collect items and avoid paparazzis. Gaga can also throw playing cards at them, so they stun, otherwise they will stun Gaga with their camera flashes. There is a few minutes time limit in each level, which is just enough. At the second level Gaga drives a car from Her villa to the concert place, which is really fun. At the concert place there She has to play some poker with the security guards, which is kind of frustrating, since the game works with pure coincidence. The music track is just instrumental intro of Poker Face in endless repeat, but it's fine, and if it's not, you can turn it off. The best thing is that this game features real Lady Gaga, and She acts kind well in the video clips, exaggerating of course, but it belongs to this games theme. I'm wondering is She really driving the Jeep, since She has not a driving lisence.
Sharks in the pool! Too shame I can't push the paparazzis in it.
 Car is difficult to drive, but it goes fast! Quite fun.
 The best is Lady Gaga Herself in the videos.
Play the game:

Lady Gaga Soundboard
Browser game, free

Is this even a game? There's some sentences and words, that Gaga has said. You can click the words to hear them. They are from interviews and Telephone music video. I wonder where some screams are from. I wish there would be more of them, they are quite funny. Lots of more.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/15/Lady-Gaga-Sound-Board.html

Lady Gaga dressing game

This is the best Lady Gaga dressing game, but can a dressing be a good game? It's the modern day version of paper puppets with changeable clothes and it's far easier to switch them in computer screen (I still like paper puppets more). This game has largest amount of clothes of all of these Gaga dress-ups. It's kind of old, because the clothes are from the Fame-era, there's Just Dance, Beautiful, Dirty Rich and Poker Face stuff. Still the clothes are quite "normal" and there's nothing really "Gaga" = outrageous, which I would've liked. But Gaga looks like Herself, comic version though, all the pictures are nicely drawn with vector graphics.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/3/Lady-Gaga-Dress-Up.html

Lady Gaga Style
Browser game, free

Game has few clothes, accessories and wigs. Some of them doesn't belong to Gaga, like handbags and pants(!). Nothing outrageous, some hoods and peaked caps at least. But vector Gaga looks nice and the wigs are cute. And there is Bad Romance playing at the background, the whole song! And the game isn't pink.

Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/17/Lady-Gaga-Style.html

Lady Gaga Glam Fashion
Browser game, free

Best of these Gaga dressing games. This actually has some outrageous Gaga stuff, like Bubble dress, Razor-glasses and Her enormous white cotton candy wig. But why Gagas skin tone can be changed to dark brown(!). Character doesn't look exactly like Gaga, but it's pretty. And the background isn't pink. The music also lasts for some half minute, which is an achievement in these games of five second soundtrack, and it's still boring.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/6/Lady-Gaga-Glam-Fashion.html

Lady Gaga Dress-Up
Browser game, free

The only realistic looking Gaga! This has a right body form, when others are skinny comic figures. This is vectored on a real photo. And almost all the clothes are Gaga clothes. There's some of Her best glasses also, like Paparazzi glasses. But there should be more costumes and more outrageous stuff. And the music is annoying.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/13/Lady-Gaga-Dress-Up.html

Lady Gaga Concert
Browser game, free

Not very much clothes, but where would be? Mirror mask and dress are there, but everything else is quite normal. Brown and black wigs are far away from Gaga. Where is the concert? This is just a quick clothing game.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/14/Lady-Gaga-Concert.html


Lady Gaga Fashion Monster
Browser game, free


This is not a fashion monster. Quite many clothes, but nothing special. And the previous clothes have to be dragged away before putting next clothes on, or then they will go over each other, how stupid. Gaga is badly drawn in Photoshop like the clothes also, and some of the clothes that are "Gaga", are in wrong colour. Annoying music.
Play this game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/12/Lady-Gaga-Fashion-Monster.html 

Lady Gaga Styling
Browser game, free

Gaga looks like big eyed anime doll. Horrible. That doesn't even try to look like Her. Many clothes, nicely vectored. Poker Face mask and quite normal stuff. Why is everything glittering?

Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/10/Lady-Gaga-Styling.html

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé
Browser game, free

Characters look nice, although they don't resemble very accurately Gaga and Beyoncé. Too few clothes for Gaga. And they are kind of latexy all. And the blue angular dress, which is in every Gaga dressing game. Score is quite beautiful piano music, comparing to the others, which are just annoying.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/7/Lady-Gaga-and-Beyonce.html

Lady Gaga Gossip
Browser game, free

Dressing game on a gossip magazine. Weird, but interesting. Maybe some find that fun, they can write the texts to the paper. There is pretty many Gaga costumes, from Bad Romance. Orbit has lost it's rings, but otherwise they are nice. Annoying music.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/8/Lady-Gaga-Gossip.html

Lady Gaga Make-up/Dress up
Browser game, free

This game has few dresses, large amount of accessories and make-up. Some of the dresses are real Gaga clothes and they look nice. Almost all of the accessories, like brim hats(!) are not Gaga at all. The character looks something like Gaga and it's nicely drawn, but with some of the wigs it doesn't look like Her at all. The wigs just are so normal, nothing like Her. Fun for a while, but the make-up part is boring and really nothing outrageous can't be done. There isn't even the cheek bolts, just normal make-up. And the music last for five seconds and repeats forever and is really annoying.
Why does that "Lady Gaga"-logos "L" look like "C" in Coca-Cola?
Play the game:
http://www.funnygames.co.uk/make-up-lady-gaga.html

Lady Gaga Makeover
Browser game, free


Boring make-up game. But Gaga is a real photograph and some of the glasses and accessories too. Shirt can be changed, but there is nothing Gaga there. And the tattoos to chest, arms and face(!) are tribals, how awful! Annoying music too.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/11/Lady-Gaga-Makeover.html

Lady Gaga make-up game
Browser game, free

This looks fine, but there's not very much in it. Make-up and some accessories. Good glasses though, V magazine ones and even animated video glasses! But there is piercings, that can be put on Her nose and lips. And gossip news are running in the bottom of the screen(!)
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/9/Lady-Gaga.html

Chazie Lady Gaga Style
Browser game, free

This has quite many clothes and new ones, like Telephone jail dress and American flag bikini. Nice. But Gaga is some freaking anime character. I hate it! It doesn't look like Her at all. Wigs are nice, but at the start the character is bald(!) Also there is many same dresses just different in colour. And no specific places for clothes, which is frustrating.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/16/Chazie-Lady-Gaga-Style.html

Cute Lady Gaga
Browser game, free

Cute Lady Gaga? And there is a big headed manga character?!? That's an insult! But the clothes are nice. And Her breast can be seen just the tape crosses on them. Bubble dress and Poker Face swimming suit, but not very much other Gaga stuff there.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/5/Cute-Lady-Gaga.html

Dress Up Lady Gaga
Browser game, free

The title of this game is a lie! This is a make-up game, not dress up! And Gaga looks horrible in this picture, nothing like real Her. And all the make-ups are drawn badly in Photoshop. There is very few things to do. The background is moving, and really annoying, and there are some irrelevant graffiti there.
Play the game:
http://www.ladygagagames.net/game/4/Dress-Up-Lady-Gaga.html

Lady Gaga Dressup
Browser game, free

Dressing game, one of a million. Finnish game, but that doesn't make it good, unfortunately. Lousy picture of Gaga drawn in Photoshop, but at least it looks something like Her. Very little doing, only 21 objects to add and that's suppose to be a game. And there is only few real Gaga objects and the rest are from the imagination of the games maker, which means boring. And strangely the objects can be drag to anywhere in the picture, when they usually have specific places where they could be put.
Why can I do this?
Play the game:
http://pelikone.fi/pelit/tyttojenpelit/Lady-Gaga-Dressup-Game/5300

Lady Gaga Puzzle
Browser game, free

Puzzle game in the original meaning of the word, jigsaw puzzle. Nice idea amongst all these make-up and dress-up games. But it's not very fun to play after all. Seven puzzles with different pictures, but just one of the pictures is a photo of real Gaga! The one from Eh, Eh single cover, the other six pictures are different costumes from "Lady Gaga make-up/dress-up"-game, and the music is the same annoying piece. You can turn the pieces with space-bar. But how funny it is to play a computer puzzle, with small image and a just a few pieces? Nothing as funny as were the real puzzles of childhood. And the final picture looks crooked.
Play the game (click "Ga verder"-text and just wait till the game starts):
http://www.girls--games.com/lady_gaga_puzzle_663.html

GQ Presents: The Lady Gaga Paper Doll
★★★☆☆
This is extremely funny Lady Gaga dress up game made by Gentlemens Quarterly magazine. Lady Gaga looks like Herself and the game features very funny outfits, parodical, but fun. It's not much of a game, more of a joke, since it's so small, but anyway I recommend you to try it since it's very funny. Not all the costume pieces fit exactly in place and Bad Romance Razor Glasses are a little bit too big, but that's not a big problem.
Play the game:
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/201105/lady-gaga-paper-doll

Azalea's Dress Up Dolls: Lady Gaga Make-up
★★☆☆☆
This game is not the worst I've seen, but not the best either. Not any (annoying) music, and you can put the things in right place just by clicking them. But some clothes you still can move with mouse cursor. At least herts and stars, which are probably meant for Gaga's cheek, appear in the air, when you click them, but you can move them manually too. There are some Gagalicious clothes, but not very much of them, this is more a make-up game. But there's some pretty nice hairs/wigs, including Judas style, which is rare, since other of these games are older. Doing the makeup is not very fun, there's a lot of colour choises, which are quite irrelevant. The doll looks something like Gaga, which is a bonus, but why you can change Her skin colour from blueish-light-grey to dark brown?
Play the game:
http://azaleasdolls.com/gaga.html

tiistai 9. marraskuuta 2010

My Interview in Helsingin Sanomat

Sire Sasa made a headpiece in the spirit of Lady Gaga

Pop lady breaks the dressing codes

Published: 14.10.2010 in the City section of the paper



Martti Kainulainen/Lehtikuva
There have been seen messianic tones and extreme fashion in Lady Gagas concerts. The artist among other things played flaming grand piano in her underwear in Wednesday night in Helsinki.








Lady Gagas fans hope the wild style to spread
Esa Juntunen HS

Hello? You can't answer that phone. It's made of cardboard, says Sire Sasa.
     Telephones cord leads to blue spikehat, which Sasa is bearing on his head.
     Weird? No, because the Redeemer of ultimate fashion is in the city and congregation has free dress code.

Pop icon Lady Gagas concert is about to begin in Hartwall Arena, and bunnyhats, giant furs and insane heels flashes in the yard.
     This is great. "Gaga brings colour to us grey finns", says Anna Ryynänen in her anime-costume.
     "Gaga communicates, that everyones personal styli is okay. You can be yourself", accompanies Laura Annala in her shiny glitter leggings.
     The direction is right, because finns dress dull, lines Stina Laurila. She has wrapped herself in a cellophane dress for the honour of the gig.
     American star affects also in another way.
     "Gaga has inspired me to make songs and to paint", tells Aurora Näsi.
     The most productive fan is Sire Sasa with his telephone hat, who has constructed fourty different Gaga-accessories.
     "I made also another telephone hat. I was selling it in internet, and someone ordered it to Florida."
     Weather nobody strikes it so over as Gaga herself. She has been seen among other things in frog costume and in bacon dress. "I wouldn't quite wear that. Can you even move in those costumes?" thinks Katriina Matikainen.

____________________________________________________________________________


*I so should have made a telephone handpiece that can hold a cellphone inside!
**I would wear meatdress. It's on my creations-have-to-make list. And it's by the way made of full meat, not bacon.

Haastatteluni Helsingin Sanomissa

Sire Sasa teki päähineen Lady Gagan hengessä

Popleidi murtaa pukukoodit

Julkaistu: 14.10.2010 lehdessä osastolla Kaupunki



Martti Kainulainen/Lehtikuva
Lady Gagan konserteissa on nähty messiaanisia sävyjä ja äärimmäistä muotia. Keskiviikkoiltana Helsingissä taiteilija muun muassa soitti palavaa flyygeliä alusvaatteisillaam.








Lady Gagan fanit toivovat villin tyylin leviävän.
Esa Juntunen HS

Haloo? Siitä luurista ei vastata. Se on tehty pahvista, sanoo Sire Sasa.
     Puhelimen johto menee siniseen piikkihattuun, jota Sasa kantaa päässään.
     Outoa? Ei, sillä äärimuodin vapahtaja on kaupungissa, ja seurakunnalla on asu vapaa.

Popikoni Lady Gagan konsertti on alkamassa Hartwall Areenalla, ja pihalla vilahtelevat jänishatut, jättiturkit ja järjettömät korot.
     Tämähän on hienoa. "Gaga tuo väriä meihin harmaisiin suomalaisiin", sanoo Anna Ryynänen anime-asussaan.
     "Gaga viestii siitä, että kunkin persoonallinen tyyli on okei. Voit olla oma itsesi", komppaa Laura Annala hohtavissa kiiltolegginseissään.
     Suunta on oikea, sillä suomalaiset pukeutuvat tylsästi, linjaa Stina Laurila. Hän on keikan kunniaksi kääriytynyt sellofaanimekkoon.
     Amerikkalaistähti vaikuttaa myös toisella tavalla.
     "Gaga on inspiroinut minua tekemään biisejä ja maalaamaan", kertoo Aurora Näsi.
     Tuotteliain fani on luurihattuinen Sire Sasa, joka on nikkaroinut neljäkymmentä erilaista Gaga-asustetta.
     "Tein toisenkin puhelinhatun. Myin sitä netissä, ja joku tilasi sen Floridaan."
     Tokkopa kukaan lyö niin yli kuin Gaga itse. Hänet on nähty muun muassa sammakkoasussa ja pekonista tehdyssä mekossa. "En minä nyt ihan niin pukeutuisi. Pystyykö niissä asuissa edes liikkumaan?" miettii Katriina Matikainen.

____________________________________________________________________________


*Olisi niin pitänyt tehdä luuri, johon saa kännykän sisälle!
**Kyllä minä pukeutuisin lihapukuun. Se on tehtävien asujen listallani. Ja se on muuten tehty kokolihasta eikä pekonista.

torstai 4. marraskuuta 2010

The Monster Ball concert review in Helsingin Sanomat


Superstar performed also with make-up on the cheeks

Published: 15.10.2010 in the Culture section of the paper
 Mikko Aaltonen
Lady Gagan show oli sekoitus popkonserttia, gay-henkistä kabareeta,
 musiikkiteatteria ja stand-upia.
 Lady Gagas show was a mix of pop concert, gay-spirited cabaret, music theater and stand-up.

At the second time in Finland performing Stefani Germanotta alias Lady Gaga offered an unforgettable show, which was a strange mix of pop concert, gay-spirited cabaret, music theater and spontaneous stand-up in Helsinki Arena in Wednesday night.
With her strange costumes constantly shrugging Gaga changed her outfit over ten times during the show.
Most of the garments was the kind that in tram car on the casual passenger they would have caused suspicions about the bearers mental state.
Fashion and music were only one element in Lady Gagas Monster Ball-show. For some kind of a common thread of the performance arose general provocation and raising the self-esteem of teen-aged fandom. The star compared herself with Jesus and shouted: "You are all born to superstars and you can become whatever you want, if you want it enough. I want that when you leave here, you don't love me more, but yourselves."
The use of religious themes is surely an old trick with provocation-willing pop-stars and familiar yet from the concerts of Gagas contest-sister Madonna from the 1980s. Gagas freakiness was nevertheless more fierce: during Teeth-song Gaga swam at the fountain in the set of her home-city New Yorks Central Park, and from the fountain welled up blood and arose a Christ-statue. The fake-blood run down from Gagas slashed throat into her bikini.
Sold-out Arenas 11.000 spectators watched and listened in turn silently as well as incontinently indicating their favour. It felt like here really might be a pop-star, such as we haven't seen before.
A small paradox is that how conservative Gagas popmusic is when compared to the glatantness of her character and show. This is probably completely considered. If mainly as mainstream disco-electro thumped music would be any more challenging, the entirety might have been too hard to swallow for great masses.
Now the performance get strength right from the contrasts. The contrast between musics easiness and shows blasphemy and Gagas own characters supernaturalness and on the other hand humanitys transposition managed to keep the interest on the whole two hours.
The nights most touching moment wasn't the turbo-loaded dance numbers with electro-bumping and nude surface, but when Gag sat with her make-up sprawled in front of a grand piano and told a story about her deceased grandfather.
"My grandpa wouldn't like all this sex and leather, which I have in my show, but he would've liked that that I perform and play music to you."
After this she presented the concerts only taste of her next year upcoming Born This Way-album, this 1980s style adult-rock sounded You and I-song. During these songs Gaga acoustically performed alone, she showed like in passing that she is not just a produced and plastic pop-product, but also a real musician, who control the situation even then where there is no band, battalion of dancers and a truckfull of gadgets for backup.
In front of a flaming grand piano other fakelash slouching sitting Gaga doesn't look a supernatural superstar anymore, rather an ordinary in her twenties, who is sincerely abashed of the grace she got.
When she accompanied herself little bit clumsy with grand piano, it came to mind that Madonna would not even in the start of her career hardly took such risk with exposing so completely her own humanity.
By the aid of that Gaga might even paddle past her most obvious paragon.

The Monster Ball konserttiarvostelu Helsingin Sanomissa

Supertähti esiintyi myös meikit poskilla

Julkaistu: 15.10.2010 lehdessä osastolla Kulttuuri





Mikko Aaltonen
Lady Gagan show oli sekoitus popkonserttia, gay-henkistä kabareeta,
 musiikkiteatteria ja stand-upia.
Lady Gagan show oli sekoitus popkonserttia, gay-henkistä kabareeta, musiikkiteatteria ja stand-upia. 


Toista kertaa Suomessa esiintynyt Stefani Germanotta alias Lady Gaga tarjosi keskiviikkona Helsingin areenassa ikimuistoisen shown, joka oli omalaatuinen sekoitus popkonserttia, gay-henkistä kabareeta, musiikkiteatteria ja spontaania stand-upia.
Omituisilla puvuillaan tasaisin väliajoin kohahduttava Gaga vaihtoi konsertin aikana asukokonaisuutta yli kymmenen kertaa.
Suurin osa vetimistä oli sellaisia, että kolmosen ratikassa satunnaisen matkustajan päällä ne olisivat herättäneet epäilyjä kantajansa mielenterveyden tilasta.
Muoti ja musiikki olivat vain yksi elementti Lady Gagan Monster Ball -showssa. Esityksen eräänlaiseksi punaiseksi langaksi nousi yleinen provosointi ja teini-ikäisen fanikunnan itsetunnon kohotus. Tähti vertasi itseään Jeesukseen ja huusi: "Olette kaikki syntyneet supertähdiksi ja teistä voi tulla ihan mitä vaan, jos haluatte sitä tarpeeksi. Haluan, että kun poistutte täältä, ette rakasta enemmän minua, vaan itseänne."
Uskonnollisen tematiikan hyödyntäminen on provosointiin taipuvaisilla poptähdillä toki vanha temppu ja tuttua jo Gagan kilpasiskon Madonnan 1980-luvun konserteista. Gagan friikkiys oli kuitenkin rajumpaa: Teeth-kappaleen aikana Gaga pulikoi kotikaupunkinsa New Yorkin Central Parkiksi muunnettujen lavasteiden suihkulähteessä, josta pulppusi verta ja kohosi Kristus-patsas. Tekoveri valui Gagan aukiviilletystä kaulasta bikinien sisään.
Loppuunmyydyn Areenan 11000 hengen yleisö katseli ja kuunteli vuoronperään hiirenhiljaa sekä estottomasti suosiotaan osoittaen. Tuntui, että tässä todellakin saattaa olla poptähti, jollaista ei ole aikaisemmin nähty.
Pienen paradoksin tarjosi se, kuinka konservatiivista Gagan popmusiikki on verrattuna hänen hahmonsa ja show'nsa räikeyteen. Tämä on todennäköisesti täysin harkittua. Jos valtavirran disko-elektrona pääosin jytkynyt musiikki olisi ollut yhtään haastavampaa, kokonaisuus olisi saattanut olla suurille massoille liian vaikeasti nieltävää.
Nyt esitykseen oli saatu voimaa juuri kontrastien avulla. Musiikin helppouden ja show'n rienaavuuden ristiriita sekä Gagan oman hahmon yliluonnollisuuden ja toisaalta inhimillisyyden vuorottelu jaksoivat pitää mielenkiinnon yllä koko kaksituntisen ajan.
Illan koskettavinta hetkeä ei koettu elektrojyskeen ja paljaan pinnan tahdittamissa turboahdetuissa tanssinumeroissa, vaan kun Gaga istahti meikit levinneenä ison flyygelin ääreen ja kertoi tarinan edesmenneestä isoisästään.
"Isoisäni ei olisi pitänyt kaikesta tästä seksistä ja nahasta, jota showssani on, mutta hän olisi pitänyt siitä, että esiinnyn ja soitan musiikkia teille."
Tämän jälkeen hän esitteli konsertin ainoan maistiaisen ensi vuonna ilmestyvältä Born This Way -albumilta, 1980-lukulaisena aikuisrockina kajahtaneen You And I -kappaleen. Näiden yksin akustisesti tulkitsemiensa kappaleiden aikana Gaga kuin ohimennen näytti, ettei hän ole vain tuotettu ja muovinen pop-tuote, vaan myös aito muusikko, joka hallitsee tilanteen silloinkin, kun tukena ei ole bändiä, pataljoonallista tanssijoita ja rekka-autolastillista härpäkkeitä.
Liekehtivän flyygelin ääressä toinen tekoripsi repsottaen istunut Gaga ei näyttänyt enää yliluonnolliselta supertähdeltä, vaan lähes tavalliselta parikymppiseltä, joka on vilpittömän hämillään saamastaan huomiosta.
Kun hän säesti itseään hieman kömpelösti flyygelillä, kävi mielessä että Madonna olisi edes uransa alussa tuskin ottanut samanlaista riskiä paljastamalla yhtä täydellisesti oman inhimillisyytensä.
Sen voimin Gaga saattaa vielä porskuttaa ilmeisimmän esikuvansa ohi.

The Fame Ball concert review in Helsingin Sanomat

Lady Gaga is the pop-princess of the new age

The singer has talent to even inherit Madonnas scepter

Published: 7.30.2009 in the Culture section of the paper
Translater by Sire Sasa


Pertti Avola
Helsingin Sanomat
Timo Jaakonaho/Lehtikuva
Lady Gaga muutti pönäkän konserttisalin diskoksi.
Lady Gaga transformed the stout concert hall into a disco.

First came Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, then Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and now this Stefani Joanne Germanotta or Lady Gaga.
Is Lady Gaga serious, or does the former performance artist just bring her disputed image so far, that it start to become a parody?
Hard to say.
At her concert in Kulttuuritalo, or show is a better word, Gagas numerous influences could clearly be seen.
Besides Madonna she borrows tones for her image for example from Gwen Stefani, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and Cher.
Especially Gaga's imaginative costumes and emphasis of her own sexiness reminded the latter one.

Gaga's music is slightly 1980s style dance-pop, energetic but empty - or then gentle parody produced with a grin in the corner of the mouth. Perhaps the name of Lady Gagas first hit represents the music best: Just Dance.
Gagas show is a comprehensive product, where live music unifys with backtracks and video. Gaga gives an image of herself both as a selfconscious worldstar and just a stardom reaching neighbourgirl, who wants to keep close relationships with her fans
She accentuates that she wants even her every listener to feel like a star, to cherish great dreams about themselves and then made the dreams come true.
Like this Lady Gaga said in June in Rolling Stone -magazine and now also at the stage of Kulttuuritalo.

Close the relationship between Gaga and her fans really is, in Finland too. Sold-out Kulttuuritalo was filled with 1700 fans, whose average age felt to be about sixteen.
They appreciated without term Lady Gagas flirt, small talk and posing, not to mention the music itself. At the same time formed up a real fine atmosphere, which transformed a little stout concert hall to a sweaty disco for an hour and a half.
Lady Gagas music is pulchritudinous dance-pop, which lyrics tells about disco, sex, boys and cheating. The familiar dance-pop share from The Fame -album was leaded through energetically and fast in the show.
A bit mechanical in the album sounded songs Lady Gaga presented with the help of three dancers more warmly and also more frantic.

Vibe steadied when Gaga performed with piano and the accompaniment of the backing band the ballad versions of the songs Brown Eyes and Poker Face, which although turned to dance version in its end. In these versions at the latest could be heard that this woman can sing.
In the same part was heard a funny story about what is it like to perform in the slick floor of a New York gay-club, when the warming-uppers were naked dance group oiling themselves.
In her own playful postmodernism Lady Gaga is perfect pop-princess of 2000s, excellent performer and as a singer in way different cast than some Britney, but to the state of Madonna she has still a way to go.
Although Lady Gaga is 23 and Madonna 50. Youth exuding pop-queens scepter could swap soon.

The Fame Ball konserttiarvostelu Helsingin Sanomissa

Lady Gaga on uuden ajan pop-prinsessa

Laulajassa on aineksia vaikka Madonnan valtikanperijäksi

Julkaistu: 30.7.2009 lehdessä osastolla Kulttuuri
Timo Jaakonaho/Lehtikuva
Lady Gaga muutti pönäkän konserttisalin diskoksi.
Lady Gaga muutti pönäkän konserttisalin diskoksi.

Ensin olivat Madonna ja Cyndi Lauper, sitten Britney Spears ja Christina Aguilera, ja nyt tämä Stefani Joanne Germanotta eli Lady Gaga.
Onko Lady Gaga tosissaan, vai viekö entinen performanssitaiteilija vain edeltäjiensä kiistellyn imagon niin pitkälle, että siitä tulee jo parodiaa?
Vaikea sanoa.
Kulttuuritalon konsertissaan, tai show on kyllä parempi sana, Gagan lukuisat vaikutteet olivat selvästi esillä.
Madonnan lisäksi hän lainailee imagoonsa sävyjä muun muassa Gwen Stefanilta, David Bowielta, Freddie Mercurylta ja Cheriltä.
Jälkimmäisestä muistuttavat etenkin Gagan mielikuvitukselliset esiintymisasut sekä oman seksikkyyden korostaminen.

Gagan musiikki on lievästi 1980-lukuhenkistä tanssipoppia, energistä mutta tyhjää - tai sitten virne suupielessä tuotettua lempeää parodiaa. Ehkä Lady Gagan ensimmäisen hitin nimi kuvaa musiikkia parhaiten: Just Dance.
Gagan show on kokonaisvaltainen tuote, jossa livemusiikki yhdistyy taustanauhoihin ja videokuvaan. Gaga antaa itsestään kuvan sekä asemastaan tietoisena maailmantähtenä että vasta tähteyteen kurkottavana naapurintyttönä, joka haluaa pitää läheiset suhteet faneihinsa.
Hän korostaa sitä, että haluaa kaikkien kuuntelijoidensakin tuntevan itsensä tähdeksi, hellivän suuria unelmia itsestään ja sitten toteuttavan nämä unelmat.
Näin Lady Gaga sanoi kesäkuussa Rolling Stone -lehdessä ja nyt myös Kulttuuritalon lavalla.

Läheiset Gagan ja fanien välit kyllä ovat, Suomessakin. Loppuunmyytyyn Kulttuuritaloon oli ahtautunut 1700 fania, joiden keski-ikä tuntui olevan noin kuusitoista.
He arvostivat ehdoitta Lady Gagan keimailua, jutustelua ja poseerausta, musiikista puhumattakaan. Samalla muodostui varsin mainio tunnelma, joka teki hieman pönäkästä konserttisalista puoleksitoista tunniksi hikisen diskon.
Lady Gagan musiikki on vetävää tanssipoppia, jossa lauletaan diskosta, seksistä, pojista ja pettämisestä. The Fame -albumilta tutun tanssipopin osuus vedettiin show'ssa läpi energisesti ja nopeasti.
Levyllä hieman mekaanisilta kuulostavat kappaleet Lady Gaga esitti kolmen tanssijan avittamana lämpimämmin ja myös riehakkaammin.

Meno tasaantui kun Gaga esitti pianolla ja taustabändin säestyksellä balladiversiot kappaleista Brown Eyes ja Poker Face, joka tosin lopuillaan kääntyi tanssiversioksi. Näissä versioissa viimeistään kuuli, että tämä nainen osaa laulaa.
Samassa osuudessa kuultiin myös hauska tarina siitä, millaista on esiintyä newyorkilaisen homoklubin liukkaalla lavalla, kun lämmittelijänä on häärinyt itsensä öljynnyt alaston tanssiryhmä.
Omassa leikittelevässä postmodernismissaan Lady Gaga on täydellinen 2000-luvun pop-prinsessa, erinomainen esiintyjä ja laulajana aivan toista luokkaa kuin joku Britney, mutta Madonnan asemaan hänellä on vielä matkaa.
Tosin Lady Gaga on 23, ja Madonna 50. Nuoruutta uhkuvan pop-kuningattaren valtikka voi vaihtua piankin.

Lady Gaga in Finland 2010

Lady Gaga visited Finland and Helsinki with Her Monster Ball Tour in 13.-14.9.2010
Her private airplane is Cessna 560 XL Citation XLS+
Inside it looks like this:
My little brother works at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, where Gaga landed. He's in the plain cleaning team, but unfortunately wasn't at work this day. But he has been in U2's private jet.

Lady Gaga was also given double platinum records for Her Fame Monster-album, which has been played all around Finland this year, yeah! The platinum record prizes weren't the usual CD-like, Finnish shoe designer Minna Parikka has designed them for just Gaga and they are wonderful:
Parikka also designed some accessories as gifts to Lady Gaga, shoes with ropes:

Leather gloves, they are nice:

And shoe mask:
I don't like that mask very much, because it looks like a mess and why should Gaga have shoes in Her head? Minna Parikka is a shoe designer, but does that mean that she has to add shoes everywhere? And the main reason is that the mask looks like ugly bondage stuff which I hate. No offense to Parikka, she has only three days to create these. But maybe it looks better on Gaga Herself, like everything She's wearing.

Like this!

The Monster Ball

I was at The Monster Ball in Helsinki, Finland 13.10.2010. Gaga's second show in Finland was in Helsinki Arena (Hartwall Areena) which has 11 000 seats and it was sold out in both days Gaga concerted there, 13th and 14th. No we are talking about scale that fits for Her!
Gaga was suppose to come in Finland with Monster Ball at the summer, but the concert was moved. I was sad when we didn't knew She was going to come here later. So it was a very happy morning when I opened the newspaper and there were an announcement of The Monster Ball Tour in Helsinki. I was queing the tickets in next morning, there were some 20 people in line before me. I was the only one who wasn't dressed normally, since I had my Poker Face mask on. Unfortunately the tickets run out in fifteen minutes and I just didn't get mine. I was really sad, took off my mask and went home, but immediately went online and bought the ticket from Finnish internet auction Huutonet. I bought a ticket to standing auditorium of course and it costed me almost double price again 100€ ($140) (original price was 60€ for standing auditorium, I don't understand why some tickets costed 80€). It was totally worth the money, but I was a little annoyed when I just bought the ticket with double price and in the next day there was an announcement for second gig in the newspaper. But I'm so fast, sometimes it's giving trouble (not this time, really).
The concert was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I think nothing could top it, before Gaga's next tour perhaps. The set list was:

ACT I: City
 1. Dance in the Dark
 2. Glitter and Grease
 3. Just Dance
 4. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
 5. The Fame
ACT II: Subway
 6. LoveGame
 7. Boys Boys Boys
 8. Money Honey
 9. Telephone
10. Brown Eyes
11. Speechless
12. You and I
13. So Happy I Could Die
ACT III: Forest
14. Monster
15. Teeth
16. Alejandro
ACT IV: Monster Ball
17. Poker Face
18. Paparazzi
19. Bad Romance
Before Gaga came to the stage there was Lady Starlight DJ:ing and fooling around with a whiskey bottle and a tomahawk in her hand. She was drunk. Then came the warming-up band, Semi Precious Weapons, which was okay, but everybody wanted Gaga. Then they just start to build the decor, because it took so long and we had to listen half of some Michael Jackson's greatest-hits-album. I even spent time counting the loudspeakers hanging on the roof around the stage, there was 128 of them.
When Dance in the Dark started to play and Gaga's shadow was shown in the screen everybody got crazy. The show was totally like an opera, like Lady Gaga has promised: "Worlds first pop-electro opera". So wonderful, awesome and amazing; the music, costumes, decor, videos, dance, the Fame Monster, everything was just perfect!
I was able to smuggle a pocket size water bottle with me this time, which was a salvation, since I was jumping, dancing, shouting and singing all the time. I was wearing my Blue Telephone Hat (which I choose over Alejandro Crown, because it's blue and shows better in the shady hall than black crown), Lightningbolt Shirt (from LoveGame) and red half gloves from Telephone. This first picture is from Helsingin Sanomat:


And I get to the papers! I knew from the last time, that there would be reporters and for this I came early to the arena. I looked around and soon I spotted two news guys. They were so easy to recognize, when the photographer had a brimmed hat, it almost had "Press"-card in its string. I guessed they were from Helsingin Sanomat and they were. Helsingin Sanomat, "Helsinki News" is the biggest newspaper not only in Finland, but in all Scandinavia. It's an honor to get in it. So I spotted the photographer and I went to talk to him. I asked if he would like to get a good picture and I showed my Hat which I wasn't yet wearing. He liked it and we took many photos and the journalist came to ask me some questions. Then a few minutes later some other reporters found me, two women from Aamulehti "Morning Paper". Again we took many photos and I answered some questions. This reporter was clearly going to the concert herself, she had a bow in her hair and we wished good concert to us both.

But the most amazing thing is that Lady Gaga Herself saw and praised my Telephone Hat! It happened after LoveGame and before Boys Boys Boys when She walked around the stage talking and She saw me at the crowd very near the stage. Gaga spotted me with Her Disco Torch, which She had in Her hand. She said to me: "...boy, I like your Telephone Hat, that's very crafty! And your hair, it's really good. You're giving me a little flavor for the gay kids right now..."
Here's my video about that and the concert:

keskiviikko 3. marraskuuta 2010

The Fame Ball

I was at the Fame Ball in Helsinki, Finland 28.9.2009. The show was in Kulttuuritalo, "House of culture", which has room for lousy 1388 people (889 seats and 504 standing). Totally underestimated even if it was Gaga's first concert in Finland.
I didn't right away get to know that Gaga was going to perform in Finland, so I missed totally the ticket sales. But in the Finnish internet auction Huutonet there were many tickets for sale. I bought one for best place in the standing auditorium. It costed me double price or 100€ ($140), but it was totally worth it.
The concert was awesome! It was the first gig I was ever been! But certainly not the last. But I will only go to Gaga's concerts, no other artist or band is worth my money. The set list was:
  1. Paparazzi
  2. Lovegame
  3. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
  4. The Fame
  5. Money Honey
  6. Boys Boys Boys
  7. Just Dance
  8. Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
  9. Brown Eyes
  10. Poker Face (Acoustic Version)
  11. Poker Face
Concert started an hour late and during that time we was forced to listen Hyper Crush, which was a warming up band, lousy one. But the concert was my best experience before Monster Ball. Especially Poker Face got the crowd crazy. It was very hot and tight in the standing auditorium and I was jumping all the time. I was wearing my Back Hole Glasses (my first ever Gaga prop), Lightning Bolt Shirt (made after Lady Gaga logo), white silk gloves (that I've bought just before the concert and I almost got late because of them), black leather biker gloves, metal bracers and chainmail belt. I was the most "outrageous" dressed fan there (nothing to compare my later outfits though) and I think Gaga saw me:

I went to the concert alone, because I didn't know absolutely any Gaga fans yet. But with a surprise when the concert was over I met my friend from high school when we were coming out of the building. I didn't knew she was a Gaga fan, and she didn't knew about me being one. We talked and I showed her a picture of Gaga that I've made with Illustrator (vector graphics program):

I have thought of giving it to Gaga Herself, but She didn't come out then. Luckily I met my friend, because she encouraged me to give my picture to the band members who were smoking outside the building. So I talk to them and I asked one of them (maybe Nicolas Constantine, the guitarist, or Thomas Kafafian the bassist) to take my picture and giving it to Gaga. He asked "What is it, a bomb?" and took it and promised to give it to Gaga. Inappropriate joke, since I'm Her fan and I would never like to bomb Her (I only bomb Her with love).