Lady Gaga Boosts $392 Million Fashion, Contemporary-Art Sales

Lady Gaga was among the buyers during a week of contemporary art and fashion auctions in London that raised more than 250 million pounds ($392 million).

The U.S. singer was represented in the room at Christie’s International’s June 27 charity sale of fashion items belonging to the model and designer Daphne Guinness. The auction house confirmed that Gaga was a buyer, though it wouldn’t specify which, or how many, items she bought.

The 102-lot evening sale was held to establish a foundation in memory of Guinness’s friend, Isabella Blow, the fashion editor credited with discovering Alexander McQueen. The event raised 476,800 pounds, more than four times the estimate.

“Having taken an auction away from Christie’s, I decided to give them another in its place,” Guinness said at the presale preview.

Blow died on May 6, 2007. Her wardrobe, including the clothes McQueen created for his college graduation, had been scheduled to be auctioned by Christie’s in September 2010. Guinness bought her friend’s collection before the sale with the long-term intention of putting it on public display.

An Alexander McQueen ivory silk tulle empire-line gown was among the items Guinness offered in its place. Dating from the fall/winter of 2008-2009, it sold for 85,250 pounds, a record for the designer at auction. Lady Gaga’s management hasn’t commented on reports that she bought the gown.

The top price of the evening was 133,250 pounds given by a telephone bidder for Mario Testino photograph of Guinness published in the March 2008 edition of U.K. Vogue magazine.
Basquiat Painting

The night after Christie’s sale, Phillips de Pury & Co. offered a 1981 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a friend of Blow’s when she worked at Vogue in New York during the early 1980s.

Estimated at 6 million pounds to 8 million pounds, the acrylic and oilstick “Irony of Negro Policeman” was the most highly-valued work in Phillips’s 28-lot auction of contemporary artworks. It fell to a telephone bidder for 8.2 million pounds with fees, having been sold privately earlier in the year for about $8 million, dealers said.

A 1984 acrylic-on-canvas of Olympic rings and heads painted by Basquiat and Andy Warhol fetched a further 6.8 million pounds with fees.

Another version of this collaboration, prompted by the 23rd Olympiad in Los Angeles, is currently on show at Gagosian in Davies Street in the Mayfair district of London.
Selling Rate

Phillips’s sale raised 23.4 million pounds with fees against an estimate of 15.1 million pounds to 21.2 million pounds, based on hammer prices. The evening’s selling rate of 86 percent was similar to those at the equivalent contemporary-art auctions held by Sotheby’s and Christie’s on June 26 and June 27 respectively.

Christie’s 132.8 million-pound offering was the most valuable contemporary-art auction held in Europe, surpassing the 108.8 million pounds raised by Sotheby’s from a mixed-owner sale combined with the Durkheim Collection in London in June 2011.

“The trophies are more expensive than ever,” the London- based art adviser Wendy Goldsmith said in an interview. “Works in the range of $200,000 to $600,000 are more difficult. People like bankers don’t have the same levels of disposable income, and the feel-good factor isn’t there any more.”

Sotheby’s (BID) (BID) and Christie’s day sales of contemporary works on June 27 and June 28 raised 13.8 million pounds and 15.5 million pounds respectively. Sotheby’s found buyers for 69 percent of its lots. The corresponding Part II London auctions in June 2008, at the height of the last art market boom, took 26.8 million pounds and 22.4 million pounds.

“Fatigue is another factor,” Goldsmith said. “We’ve just had art fairs in New York, Hong Kong and Basel. We’ve never had quite so much of a run-up to these auctions.”

(Scott Reyburn writes about the art market for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

Muse highlights include Robert Heller on rock music, Jason Harper on cars and Rich Jaroslovsky on technology.

Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-30/lady-gaga-boosts-392-million-fashion-contemporary-art-sales

Lady Gaga Wins Alexander Mcqueen Dress At Auction

Lady GaGa reportedly paid the highest ever price for an Alexander Mcqueen design at a charity auction by bidding over the telephone.

Lady GaGa reportedly paid the highest ever price for an Alexander Mcqueen design.

Fashion icon Daphne Guinness put a huge collection of her haute couture wardrobe up for bidding at Christie's in London, including several items by the late designer.

The 'Born This Way' singer, who was a big fan of the couturier's work, gave the charity auction a boost by outbidding rivals to buy a dress.

She allegedly spent a record-breaking $136,400 via her telephone bids.

The star is now the proud owner of a 2008 ivory silk gown, called 'The Girl Who Lived In The Tree', according to Britain's Associated Press.

Socialite Daphne sent out a special thank you message to Lady GaGa for her huge purchase.

Daphne said: ''I'm overwhelmed by how many bidders took part ... and I'm particularly moved by Lady GaGa's support for the foundation. I like her very much, and it's lovely to see the nascent beginnings of something that may help other people.''

The auction raised $747,200 for the Isabella Blow Foundation, set up in memory of the late fashion guru.

Source:http://www.contactmusic.com/news/lady-gaga-wins-alexander-mcqueen-dress-at-auction_1353136

Lady Gaga Causes Controversy With New Song About Princess Diana

Lady Gaga has caused controversy with a new song about Princess Diana's death.

Lady Gaga has come under fire for her new song about Princess Diana's death.

The 'Bad Romance' star premiered new track 'Princess Die' in Melbourne, Australia and outraged royal fans with her risque lyrics, which appear to reference the Princess of Wales' tragic death in a Paris car accident in 1997.

Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, sings: ''And wish that I would go / In my rich boyfriend's limo / Right after he proposed / With a 16-carat stone wrapped in rose gold / With the papparazzi all swarming around /So bob head your head for another dead blonde.''

Diana was fatally injured in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, while in a car with her lover Dodi Fayed, and it is rumoured that the Harrods businessman had recently proposed to her.

The 26-year-old singer's lyrics have been blasted as distasteful, but the singer is no stranger to controversy, having caused outrage by performing in a wheelchair and wearing religious garb in the past.

The singer also says in the song: ''I wish that I could cope but I took pills and left a note.''

Suicide charities in Australia have slammed the singer's words and are worried about the message she is sending to impressionable fans.

Chris Wagner, communications director for Lifeline, said: ''We understand artistic license and we get artistic expression, but celebrities need to recognise that they're role models for young people in the community.''

'Princess Die' is likely to be released included on Gaga's next album.

Source:http://www.contactmusic.com/news/lady-gaga-causes-controversy-with-new-song-about-princess-diana_1353176

Lady Gaga New Song "Princess Die" Does Not Promote Suicide

Lady Gaga debuted her latest song, “Princess Die,” at a concert in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday night. The ballad features the singer on the piano belting lyrics about suicide, relationship problems, and eating disorders.

The music industry queen has stirred up controversy once again. Critics say the song not only uses Princess Diana’s name cheaply, but also takes a bleak look at suicide that may send the wrong message to her fans.

Playing on “Princess Di,” the song title explicitly references Diana, Princess of Wales, who famously died in a car crash as her limo driver was escaping the paparazzi in 1997. In fact, the song sounds totally based on the late princess’ life - “I’m hungry from an anorexic heart” hints at Diana’s advocacy for eating disorder awareness; “I wanna see who cries” and “I wanna watch her cry” calls attention to the viewer, to the worldwide audience who watched Diana constantly; “With the paparazzi all swarming ‘round/In my white Louis Vuitton button-down” speaks to the crazed paparazzi chase that caused her limo driver to speed dangerously; and finally, “so bob for another dead blonde/whose real prince is in heaven” seems like a clear reference to the flaxen-haired Diana and her unhappy relationship with Prince Charles.

Even if these lyrics are not actually about Diana, the allusion serves two purposes. It paints the pop queen as a tragic, royal victim and the Welsh princess as a tortured person with complex desires, thoughts, and confessions. Whether Gaga’s portrayal of Diana is accurate is besides the point -- the media portrayal of her as a passive victim of fate has made us forget that she was a complex, actual human being. Gaga’s song at least reminds us to reconsider how we remember Diana.

The real controversy, however, is over the suicidal lyrics. By saying “I wish that I could cope/But I took pills and left a note,” and “bleach out all the dark I’ve swallowed,” she details methods of suicide and explictly resigns from life. As Gaga’s “Born This Way” gay rights anthem inspired an audience of LGBT young people at a time when teen suicide and bullying made the headlines, some worry that “Princess Die” will send the wrong message to her young fans who may be suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts.

I won’t protest her topic of choice - I have no idea if her song will influence teenage behavior - but I take issue with her source of unhappiness and characterization of suicide. While in other songs the speaker complains about being too famous or unhappy despite her riches, this time she’s upset about her love interest. Maybe she has self-esteem issues that go beyond her prince problems - she was “never very smart,” has anorexia, craves attention, needs some rest, and feels generally powerless. But the lyrics also contain skewed views about romance that exist everywhere in our culture. First, she expects her “real prince” to be in Heaven, metaphorically or literally betting the next guy will meet her idealized vision and give her happiness. I’m no relationship expert, but I know that no person will meet Heavenly expectations or be the key to happiness. Even worse, “I’ll be a Princess Die and die with you” portrays suicide as a romantic experience shared with her lover. As Alvy Singer in Annie Hall says about readers of poet Sylvia Plath, “tragic suicide was misinterpreted as romantic by the college girl mentality” -- and this cheap, one-dimensional romanticization is exactly what Gaga is capitalizing on.

I’m glad Gaga tackled a tough, real-life issue of unhappiness and suicide in a sugar-high music industry, and she sounds great musically. But she draws on destructive views that make her message weak, derivative, and most of all misleading. Even if her song doesn’t influence vulnerable listeners, its assumptions about “romance” promote self-deprecation and glorify death.



Source:http://www.policymic.com/articles/10419/lady-gaga-new-song-princess-die-does-not-promote-suicide

Lady Gaga Bought Tons Of Stuff At The Daphne Guinness Auction

Earlier this month, Daphne Guinness announced that she would auction off pieces from her extensive wardrobe to raise funds for The Isabella Blow Foundation. Last night at Christie’s in London, Guinness did just that — and sold all 102 lots for nearly $600,000.

It was believed Guinness’s items would sell for about $125,000 total, the Daily Telegraph reports. That’s nothing, considering that those lots contained gowns from Alexander McQueen and Christian Lacroix and photographs by Mario Testino. The night’s biggest lot was a portrait of Guinness lensed by Testino for British Vogue in 2008, which fetched around $166,000.

Source:http://www.styleite.com/media/daphne-guinness-auction-lady-gaga/

Lady Gaga posts racy picture on Twitter

Singer Lady Gaga likes to surprise her fans with wacky things. This time she has posted a racy picture of her in a lacy lingerie and set the tongues wagging. The 26-year-old singer posted a picture on her Twitter page. She tweeted, "Hey Melbourne we're here! We can hear you downstairs! Is that church bell ringing for us? The devil of pop is here." The 26-year-old is in the midst of her 'Born This Way Ball' tour and this week she has performances here.

Source:http://ibnlive.in.com/news/snapshot-lady-gaga-posts-racy-picture-on-twitter/268222-66.html

LADY GAGA SETTLES JAPAN LAWSUIT WITH DONATION

Pop star LADY GAGA is to settle a multi-million pound lawsuit by making a donation to victims of the Japan earthquake/tsunami disaster.

The Poker Face hitmaker was hit with a 3.1 million lawsuit last year (Jun11) over allegations she profited from the sale of charity wristbands she designed to raise money after the 2011 tragedy.

The class action suit, filed by a Michigan law firm, accused the singer of overcharging fans and making money through shipping costs for the £3 'We Pray For Japan' bracelets.

However, documents filed at a U.S. District Court on Monday (25Jun12) show both sides have reached a mutual conclusion, with Gaga agreeing to give £67,000 to a charity benefiting those affected by the tragedy.

Under terms of the settlement, Gaga and her co-defendants also deny the suit has any merit, reports The Detroit News.

Court records show Gaga raised at least £938,000 with her wristband fundraiser.

Source:http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/329044/Lady-Gaga-settles-Japan-lawsuit-with-donation

Lady Gaga: Sydney Harbor Boating Babe

She’s been having a blast in the land down under, and earlier today (June 25) Lady Gaga was spotted making her rounds in Sydney Harbor, Australia.

The “Just Dance” diva took a stroll down the wharf where she boarded a boat for a cruise around the picturesque waterfront.

And it looks like Gaga even used her celebrity clout to score a seat behind the wheel of the sea vessel, as the skipper taught her how to navigate the boat.

All the while, Lady Gaga attracted plenty of attention with an off-the shoulder cream colored top with white leggings and super-high-heels and sunglasses.

Gaga is in Sydney for four concerts as part of her worldwide Born This Way Ball Tour.

Source:http://celebrity-gossip.net/lady-gaga/lady-gaga-sydney-harbor-boating-babe-684456

Lady Gaga-Inspired Costume Worn By School Principal

A Boston public school principal showed up in school on Tuesday wearing an eye-catching Lady Gaga costume and prepared to milk a cow. This is to show to his students that “promises are not made to be broken.”

Justin Vernon, the principal of Roger Clap Innovation School in Dorchester, Mass., challenged his 170 students in kindergarten through fifth grade last October to read a combined 10,000 books by the end of the academic year. The students wanted something in return, though.

To check students accountable for their home reading claims, teachers had them fill out logs for their parents to sign. Kenny Jervis, whose son Nigel is in kindergarten and daughter Sofia is in third grade at Clap, said his children “really took the challenge to heart,” even competing among themselves.

By June, Nigel had read 200 books, including three from C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, and Sofia reached 150 books. Nigel and Sofia’s reading “really blossomed” over the course of the challenge, he said.

First-grade teacher Tim Apple said the school’s weekly town-hall meetings, at which each grade touted its book tally and a field trip to an IMAX theater to witness an underwater documentary celebrated 5,000-book milestone, helped keep students motivated. But Apple said the promise of seeing their principal dressed as Lady Gaga was a key factor driving students to read.

“Students were always asking ‘Is he really going to do it?’” Apple said.

Their curiosity was answered Tuesday morning when a tall figure in heels, snug black tights and a black dress emerged from a black limousine outside Clap. Adorned with a tiara, necklace, oversized sunglasses and lots of makeup, Vernon made his way toward a cow in the middle of an athletic field behind the school.

Students, some accompanied by parents, swarmed around their glamorously dressed principal and chanted “Milk the cow!” “Milk the cow!” until Vernon, pulling back his long blonde wig, knelt down and did what he promised. All these were met by rounds of applause and cheers. Now, that’s what we call a Teacher!

Source;http://empowerednews.net/lady-gaga-inspired-costume-worn-by-school-principal/1824976/
“They [challenged] me, saying ‘If we’re going to have to read all these books to meet our goal, you’ve got to do something for us,” Vernon said. “Somehow I got stuck with dressing up as Lady Gaga and milking a cow.”

The students exceeded their goal by 3,000 books, averaging more than 75 books per student, Vernon said. Books read for class and read aloud to parents counted toward the total.

Lady Gaga Is Like A '200lb Toddler' Says Manager

She may be one of the biggest stars in the world but Lady Gaga's manager thinks that the singer hasn't fully 'made it' yet. Troy Carter compared the star to a "200lb toddler" and refused to accept that she has become a full blown superstar yet.

Discussing her current record deal, Carter told Billboard: "We have I think three records left with Universal [Interscope].

"There may be a [record label] system there by the time her deal's up that looks more attractive." The music mogal also discussed Gaga's recent cancelled stadium show in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier this month."

"It's less about GaGa than it really is what's happening in the world right now as a whole," he explained. This is a microcosm. It's a generational divide. Jesus Christ got crucified. It happens."

Carter also added: "Asia is a very loyal audience and an audience that really, really loves music... it's not a passive audience at all... we plan on spending a lot more time here."

Lady GaGa is currently on the Australian leg her 'Born This Way Ball' world tour, which sees the star perform some of her biggest hits including 'Born This Way' and 'Bad Romance'.

The 'Fame Monster' singer announced her European tour dates earlier this year and has since added two additional UK shows after overwhelming demand from fans.

Source:http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/79162/Lady-Gaga-Is-Like-A-200lb-Toddler-Says-Manager-

Lady Gaga Slammed For 'Piling On Pounds' On Born This Way Ball Tour

Just a few weeks ago sources claimed that Lady Gaga's friends and family were worried about her because she 'wasn't eating', but it looks as though the star is back to full health as she performed on stage in Sydney earlier this week, showing that she had gained a little bit of weight.

But the pictures, some of which were taken at an unflattering angle seem to exaggerate Lady Gaga's size.

In full costume, Lady Gaga shows a bit of a muffin-top (we'd know all about that unfortunately), and her legs seem to have taken on a more muscular shape - no doubt from all of her hardcore exercises.

But the singer has been accused of wearing costumes that are now too small for her, and looking 'pinched at the sides'.

Some readers on the MailOnline, have said that the 'Paparazzi' singer looks "horrible", "such a mess", while another adds: "..tight underwear, rubber and plastic, stilt-heeled footwear, itchy feathers and lace, huge heavy hair and headgear, layer upon layer of greasy make-up etc. etc - everything she wears looks completely uncomfortable!"

Source:http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/79025/Lady-Gaga-Slammed-For-Piling-On-Pounds-On-Born-This-Way-Ball-Tour

Lady Gaga To Do Full Songs With Tony Bennett Again!

Lady Gaga – “Yoü And I” Pop sensation wants to collaborate with the veteran crooner Tony Bennett again to record a full songs album, after their cover of the song ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ on his ‘Duets II’ album.
According to the sources – the legendary singer, known for standards tracks such as ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’, told that he had been in contact with Gaga’s parents – She’s a very talented person. He was with her parents lately and they told she’d like to make an album with me. Crooner would like to do that, too. He’s looking forward to it.

Released in 2011, ‘Duets II’ also marked the late Amy Winehouse, alongside names including Aretha Franklin and Michael Bubl. His duet with Amy‘a cover of 1930s song ‘Body And Soul’ that was released on Sept. 14, on what would have been the singer’s 28th blasting birthday.
Tony Bennett also added: Amy Winehouse was a great pop sensation and he also liked working with Lady Gaga but they all impressed him. Talking about Winehouse, he said that, she was the most talented singer. She really knew how to sing and she was natural and creative. He wanted to tell her to slow down as she was so good but he never had the opportunity to work.

Source:http://www.mjbstar.com/celebrities/2012/06/20/lady-gaga-to-do-full-songs-with-tony-bennett-again/

Lady Gaga shows off dildo gifted by fans

Lady Gaga's fans just outdid her in sexual innuendos. They gave her some rather interesting gifts, including a dildo, a locked book and much more. The video below shows Gaga opening the various gifts, and receiving a loud applause every time she made a remark.

On seeing the racy gift she got,Gaga quipped, "Are you telling me I'm not getting enough action?" The remark was received loud applause from the fans who couldn't stop cheering. Amidst the din, Gaga thanked her fans 'for worrying so much about my sex life', adding that all was well in it!

As her crew changed her outfit while she was onstage, Gaga then opened what looked like a book, only to find that it actually a box filled with loving letters from fans. On discovering it was locked, she called her fans 'crafty' for thinking of the idea.

There were tons of come-hither looks for fans, Gaga asked if her fans were interested in coming backstage.

After reading out a letter from the box, Gaga promptly tossed the dildo at the book-creator as a Thank you! She then directed her attention at a Barbie doll with blue hair, whose neck she dismantled, rather ruthlessly, before tossing both the head and the body of the doll at the crowds.

Finally, Gaga donned a Born This Way jacket made by a fan before walking off the stage.

Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Tabloid/WATCH-Lady-Gaga-shows-off-dildo-gifted-by-fans/Article1-875010.aspx