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donderdag 1 september 2011

Lady Gaga's Jo Calderone: LGBT Advocates Weigh In

'I liked that she dove into it and stuck with it throughout the show,' Logo's John Polly tells MTV News of Gaga's VMA performance.By John Mitchell Lady gaga accepts the award for Best female Video at the 2011 VMAs Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Lady Gaga was fully committed to her male alter ego Jo Calderone during this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards. Not only did the pop star perform her latest single, "Yoü and I," in character to open the show, she spent the rest of the night wearing Calderone's black suit and signature sneer. Gaga is easily one of the most vocal lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates in the pop world. She actively campaigned against the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, has spoken openly and often about the importance of marriage equality and gave a rousing speech in Washington, D.C., last year as part of the National Equality March. So what is the LGBT community saying about Gaga's gender-bending VMA performance? "I thought it was great," John Polly, editor of Logo's pop culture blog NewNowNext.com, tells MTV News. "Gender issues are often the most challenging for people, so I liked that she dove into it and stuck with it throughout the show." Murray Hill, a popular drag-king comedian in New York City and host/creator of "Mr. Transman," a female-to-male competition, agreed. "There is barely any visibility for FTM, drag kings and lesbians on television. There is a huge imbalance," he said. "For Lady Gaga, the biggest pop star in the world, to go on TV with millions of people watching in drag as a man and then to actually say 'lesbian and transgender' live is undeniably powerful and creates change. She ups the visibility big time and gets the language into the mainstream." Polly commented on the integrity with which Gaga has approached her role as a gay-rights advocate and thinks that she might not have intended to make a statement about transgender individuals with her performance at the VMAs, but that it was perhaps perceived that way because of the political role she has adopted in other LGBT struggles. "I think it complements ," he said, "but I don't know that it was even a statement on the LGBT community; it's just a character she wanted to play. But since we don't see much, we perceive it that way." While there has been backlash against Gaga in some sectors of the gay community, particularly among activists who see a disconnect between the pop star's outspoken activism and the fact that she is not gay herself, Hill feels she deserves recognition for being an entirely pro-LGBT voice in the music industry, which sometimes suffers from instances of homophobia. "Lady Gaga has only spread a positive and accepting message for all kinds of queer people," he said. "She does this through her work, which is entertainment. There is a lot of homophobic hate spewed in the music industry and in the world. I'm grateful she is using her voice to spread the love." Indeed, Polly told us that most of the reader feedback he's seen on AfterEllen, Logo's lesbian interest website, has been positive and that he personally found the performance to be a "fun challenge" for the "Born This Way" singer. The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest. Related Videos VMA 2011: The Entire Show On Demand VMA 2011: Backstage Interviews Related Artists Lady Gaga Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670014/lady-gaga-jo-calderone-lgbt-vma.jhtmlGina Philips

Photos | Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings

Celebs Bid Farewell To Oprah Winfrey At Her Final Show Tapings Related Artists Usher Beyoncé Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1664079Diora Baird

Justin Bieber Unhurt In Minor Car Accident

Singer surrounded by paparazzi after his Ferrari was dinged.By Gil Kaufman Justin Bieber Photo: WireImage Just two days after taking home a Moonman at the VMAs, Justin Bieber chalked up another young pop star rite of passage: his first paparazzi-witnessed fender bender. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bieber was in a minor auto accident on Tuesday in the San Fernando Valley, caused by a Honda Civic that collided with his black Ferrari. "No one was injured and there was no damage to either vehicle," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Of course, when LAPD officers rolled up, they were the second ones to arrive on the scene, trailing a horde of photographers who were eagerly snapping away at the 17-year-old singer, who was driving the car. The accident reportedly occurred in an underground parking structure, when the Civic driver attempted to drive around Bieber's luxury ride and its front side clipped the left rear side of the "Baby" singer's car, according to E! Online. Check out backstage photos of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez at the VMAs. There was an unidentified passenger in the car believed to be Bieber's assistant. No police report was taken, as there was no visible damage to either car. The crash came less than 48 hours after Bieber scooped up the Best Male Video award at the VMAs for his "U Smile" video, and surprised viewers by showing up to the big show toting his snake ("Johnson"), not to mention planting a kiss on the cheek of his lady love, VMA pre-show host Selena Gomez. The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest. Related Artists Justin Bieber Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670024/justin-bieber-car-accident-minor.jhtmlEliza Dushku

Photos | MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Celebrity Hugs

MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Celebrity Hugs Related Artists Ashlee Simpson Jessica Simpson Jennifer Hudson Beyoncé Britney Spears Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1669212Daisy Fuentes

New Led Zeppelin On The Way? Jason Bonham Hints At 'Jam' Sessions With Jimmy Page -- But Not Robert Plant

Drummer admits he doesn't know what will come of 'new material.'By Chris Harris Jason Bonham Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images On Friday morning, mere hours before he was due to take the stage with classic rockers Foreigner at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, drummer Jason Bonham — the son of late Led Zeppelin kitman John Bonham — told Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of local rock station 94.7 WCSX that he'd be an ex-member of Foreigner as of September 1. But that's not the only thing he said. Much to the delight of Led Zeppelin fans everywhere, Bonham revealed that he's been meeting up with Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they've been "trying to do some new material and writing." It was the first time since Led Zeppelin announced they would re-form for a single performance (which happened late last year at London's O2 Arena, in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegün, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969) that anyone connected to the band has confirmed publicly that new music could be on the horizon for the iconic rockers. While the bandmembers have stopped short of definitively ruling out such a reunion, singer Robert Plant insisted in the wake of last year's show that he intended to focus on promoting and touring behind his critically lauded album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raising Sand. Not that Bonham knows what — if anything — will happen with the new material he's been working on with Page (who collaborated with pop singer Leona Lewis on an uneven version of Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympic closing ceremonies in Beijing on Sunday night) and Jones. He said he just shows up and takes his seat behind the kit. "I've been over a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing." He said it's still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." Bonham also explained that, before there could be a Led Zep LP, "lots of politics get ironed out," but added that recording with Zep is "something I've always wanted to do." Bonham noticeably didn't mention frontman Plant's name during the discussion. A spokesperson for Page's management had no comment on the matter, and a spokesperson for Jones' management could not be reached by press time. Related Artists Led Zeppelin Foreigner Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1593468/jason-bonham-hints-at-jam-sessions-with-jimmy-page.jhtmlIvanka Trump

Photos | 2011 BET Awards Show Highlights

2011 BET Awards Show Highlights Related Artists Chris Brown Beyoncé Cee Lo Green Bruno Mars Alicia Keys Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1666437Daisy Fuentes

Britney Spears To Be Honored At The NRJ Music Awards!

The year of the Brit Brit is continuing on FULL FORCE! Hurray!
That's right, the pop icon only just received the VMA Vanguard Award - and an ADORABLE dance tribute - and now, it's being reported that on Saturday, 21, 2012, live in Cannes, she will be honored once again at the NRJ Music Awards!
According Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-09-01-britney-spears-to-be-honored-at-the-nrj-music-awardsAubrey ODay