Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Rachel Weisz Joins Psychosexual Merry-Go-Round '360'
Rachel Weisz has signed up to star in a new take on Austrian dramtist Arthur Schnitzler's play "Reigen." "360" will be a psychosexual drama about a chain of partners (which only bears a metaphorical resemblance to "Human Centipede" when you describe it in exactly the wrong way) and re-team Weisz with director Fernando Meirelles, [...]
Kanye West Fans Aren't Seeing Eye To Eye On 'See Me Now'
Fan reaction to the MC's Beyoncé-featuring single ranges from 'wack' to ' 'Ye is back!!!!'By Mawuse Ziegbe
Kanye West
Photo: Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Fans agree that Kanye West is back, but they can't seem to agree on how they feel about that. The MC unveiled his latest single, "See Me Now," on Wednesday, and since then, Kanye followers have being going back and forth about whether the track is on fire or a fail.
The song, which features soulful contributions from Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson, is expected to appear on his upcoming untitled album, but, for many, the song takes things back to the MC's debut, College Dropout.
"Wow, it reminds me of College Dropout. Good to hear 'Ye laugh!" Ezekiel wrote on West's Kanye UniverseCity blog.
Bryan C.G. agreed: "This totally feel like your Dropout days. I love it."
Some fans, such as Prolifik, are all about 'Ye reviving the strings-laden throwback soul that kicked off his recording career. "Amazing! Classic flow, classic beats," the fan wrote. "I miss that old College Dropout steez! Welcome back, 'Ye."
" 'Ye is back!!!!" Tiffany wrote. "Hip Hop needs you so much!! You're brilliant."
While lots of online commenters are feeling the song, some of the MC's fans aren't seeing the appeal of "See Me Now." "This song is hot garbage," Luis Ariza declared on West's Facebook page.
The Facebook post announcing the song scored more than 580 "likes" at press time, however, some fans were not on the "See Me Now" bandwagon. "[It's the] first song from Kanye that I have not liked," Ariza wrote.
"This song needs major work," Real Talk proclaimed on West's blog. "I want harder beats and to be able to move my feet."
Chad Jones also chimed in on Facebook: "Not feelin it. Huge Kanye fan and love the evolution in his music but the track is wack. Lyrics are nice but track is wack."
" 'Ye is the man, but this song is WEAK!!!" Wallace Leeth wrote.
Jay Yey Couture thought the G.O.O.D. Music lyricist was upstaged by fellow superstar Beyoncé and undermined by the instrumental. "Kanye will sell this fall, that's for sure. However Beyoncé made this song!!!!!" the fan typed. "Kanye had too much time to come with ... this [weak] beat ... he could have did wayyyyy better."
Yeezy might not have won over all his fans with the single, but he does have the opportunity to redeem himself on the awards-show stage: West will perform at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, which air live September 12 at 9 p.m. The appearance marks his VMA return after a notorious onstage dustup with Taylor Swift, but it appears the rapper is taking the incident in stride. West closes "See Me Now" with the ad lib, "Uncle Charlie, by the way. And I'mma let you finish, but I got Beyoncé on the track."
What do you think of "See Me Now"? Let us know in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners from now through September 12.
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Kanye West
Photo: Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Fans agree that Kanye West is back, but they can't seem to agree on how they feel about that. The MC unveiled his latest single, "See Me Now," on Wednesday, and since then, Kanye followers have being going back and forth about whether the track is on fire or a fail.
The song, which features soulful contributions from Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson, is expected to appear on his upcoming untitled album, but, for many, the song takes things back to the MC's debut, College Dropout.
"Wow, it reminds me of College Dropout. Good to hear 'Ye laugh!" Ezekiel wrote on West's Kanye UniverseCity blog.
Bryan C.G. agreed: "This totally feel like your Dropout days. I love it."
Some fans, such as Prolifik, are all about 'Ye reviving the strings-laden throwback soul that kicked off his recording career. "Amazing! Classic flow, classic beats," the fan wrote. "I miss that old College Dropout steez! Welcome back, 'Ye."
" 'Ye is back!!!!" Tiffany wrote. "Hip Hop needs you so much!! You're brilliant."
While lots of online commenters are feeling the song, some of the MC's fans aren't seeing the appeal of "See Me Now." "This song is hot garbage," Luis Ariza declared on West's Facebook page.
The Facebook post announcing the song scored more than 580 "likes" at press time, however, some fans were not on the "See Me Now" bandwagon. "[It's the] first song from Kanye that I have not liked," Ariza wrote.
"This song needs major work," Real Talk proclaimed on West's blog. "I want harder beats and to be able to move my feet."
Chad Jones also chimed in on Facebook: "Not feelin it. Huge Kanye fan and love the evolution in his music but the track is wack. Lyrics are nice but track is wack."
" 'Ye is the man, but this song is WEAK!!!" Wallace Leeth wrote.
Jay Yey Couture thought the G.O.O.D. Music lyricist was upstaged by fellow superstar Beyoncé and undermined by the instrumental. "Kanye will sell this fall, that's for sure. However Beyoncé made this song!!!!!" the fan typed. "Kanye had too much time to come with ... this [weak] beat ... he could have did wayyyyy better."
Yeezy might not have won over all his fans with the single, but he does have the opportunity to redeem himself on the awards-show stage: West will perform at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, which air live September 12 at 9 p.m. The appearance marks his VMA return after a notorious onstage dustup with Taylor Swift, but it appears the rapper is taking the incident in stride. West closes "See Me Now" with the ad lib, "Uncle Charlie, by the way. And I'mma let you finish, but I got Beyoncé on the track."
What do you think of "See Me Now"? Let us know in the comments below!
The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for the winners from now through September 12.
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Photos | 2010 BET Awards Show Highlights
2010 BET Awards Show Highlights
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Lady Gaga Fans Speak Out Against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Singer posts online videos of fans urging senators to repeal controversial policy.By Mawuse Ziegbe
Members of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network join Lady Gaga at the 2010 MTV VMAs
Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/ Getty Images
When it comes to the repeal of the U.S. Armed Forces' controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Lady Gaga is proving that she's not giving up without a fight.
Gaga, who has often used her celebrity to speak out in favor of gay rights, recently launched a campaign to prompt lawmakers to repeal "Don't Ask," which bars openly gay Americans from serving in the military and has prompted the discharge of thousands of servicemembers. She walked the VMA white carpet with former members of the military who were kicked out because of their sexual orientation and she has been tweeting with high-profile politicians such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The pop icon has also blasted Arizona Senator John McCain for his attempt at blocking the repeal of the measure.
On Friday, Gaga released a video statement explaining her views on the policy, imploring several senators to vote in favor of the Defense Authorization Bill which contains language that would lead to the repeal of "Don't Ask," and actually picking up the phone and calling New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. She closed the video urging viewers to address their senators and support Reid in his efforts to bring down the policy.
And when Mother Monster speaks, her fans listen.
Gaga released another video linking to over 30 thirty video clips from young people voicing their dedication to changing "Don't Ask."
"Hi everyone, this is Gaga. Hello Senator McCain. I've been on the internet all day watching videos that have been sent in to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Gaga says. "It's overwhelming, it's emotional and quite honestly I can't believe it. So, I wanted you to see them. Please watch, here they are," the megastar says before blowing a kiss.
A playlist featuring fans from around the country follows the taped statement, beginning with a message from Alicia, an openly gay fan who recounts her experience in the military.
"I chose to serve, I did not choose to be gay," Alicia says. "Please repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It is difficult enough to find soldiers, sailors and airmen who have the honor, courage and commitment to serve."
Alicia insists that the policy contributes to a culture of fear among servicemembers, and recalls going to extreme lengths to fit in, including marrying a man and later "contributing to the near 75 percent divorce rate in the military."
In a video posted from the account 5awesomemonsters, one young woman declares, "It's not fair that in the world that we live in today, society is much more OK with two men holding guns, than men holding hands."
A pair of friends, Lauren and Ellie in Colorado, sent a video showing fans how to call lawmakers, before leaving a voicemail for Senator Michael Bennet and getting their neighbors to ring up the politician as well.
The calls apparently worked as Senator Bennet later responded with his own online video pledging his support for the cause.
"Thanks for your advocacy [and] making sure your voices are heard. It's so important for you to be involved in our democracy," Bennet says. "So, my answer to you is that I support the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' "
User americanpie3491 posted a video in which a young lady cheerfully calls Michigan Senator Carl Levin to thank him for his commitment to repealing the law.
Evan in Indiana filmed a video after calling politicians Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar and asking them to support fellow senators Reid and Levin.
"A person's sexuality has no impact on their ability to serve and defend our country," Evan says. "I hope you take this message into consideration and remember that you have been elected to be my voice."
Florida resident Diana suggested that the policy is inconsistent with other U.S. laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, aimed at combating discriminatory practices in the workplace.
"Other places we work at, we're not able to be discriminated against because of marital status, religion or sexual orientation," Diana states. "What makes it OK to discriminate against soldiers who are fighting for this country for democracy and are willing to give their lives for this country?"
Rachelseesfireworks put up a slideshow featuring a young woman holding a series of white placards, including one that read, "They serve your country with their heart, so why can't they use that same heart to love whomever they want?"
"If you're under the impression that one person is less valuable than another because of their sexual orientation, you are very wrong," Alexander Michael says in his video, before ringing his senator. "If they are willing to die for this country, you should give them the equal opportunity as another person."
Gaga fan inesthomasine explained why she believes it's important for young people to get involved in the movement.
"We are the generation that needs to have our voices heard," she says. "Because if we choose not to, we will live with the consequences for years to come."
What do you think about Lady Gaga and her fans' campaign to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? Let us know in the comments!
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Members of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network join Lady Gaga at the 2010 MTV VMAs
Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/ Getty Images
When it comes to the repeal of the U.S. Armed Forces' controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Lady Gaga is proving that she's not giving up without a fight.
Gaga, who has often used her celebrity to speak out in favor of gay rights, recently launched a campaign to prompt lawmakers to repeal "Don't Ask," which bars openly gay Americans from serving in the military and has prompted the discharge of thousands of servicemembers. She walked the VMA white carpet with former members of the military who were kicked out because of their sexual orientation and she has been tweeting with high-profile politicians such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The pop icon has also blasted Arizona Senator John McCain for his attempt at blocking the repeal of the measure.
On Friday, Gaga released a video statement explaining her views on the policy, imploring several senators to vote in favor of the Defense Authorization Bill which contains language that would lead to the repeal of "Don't Ask," and actually picking up the phone and calling New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. She closed the video urging viewers to address their senators and support Reid in his efforts to bring down the policy.
And when Mother Monster speaks, her fans listen.
Gaga released another video linking to over 30 thirty video clips from young people voicing their dedication to changing "Don't Ask."
"Hi everyone, this is Gaga. Hello Senator McCain. I've been on the internet all day watching videos that have been sent in to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Gaga says. "It's overwhelming, it's emotional and quite honestly I can't believe it. So, I wanted you to see them. Please watch, here they are," the megastar says before blowing a kiss.
A playlist featuring fans from around the country follows the taped statement, beginning with a message from Alicia, an openly gay fan who recounts her experience in the military.
"I chose to serve, I did not choose to be gay," Alicia says. "Please repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It is difficult enough to find soldiers, sailors and airmen who have the honor, courage and commitment to serve."
Alicia insists that the policy contributes to a culture of fear among servicemembers, and recalls going to extreme lengths to fit in, including marrying a man and later "contributing to the near 75 percent divorce rate in the military."
In a video posted from the account 5awesomemonsters, one young woman declares, "It's not fair that in the world that we live in today, society is much more OK with two men holding guns, than men holding hands."
A pair of friends, Lauren and Ellie in Colorado, sent a video showing fans how to call lawmakers, before leaving a voicemail for Senator Michael Bennet and getting their neighbors to ring up the politician as well.
The calls apparently worked as Senator Bennet later responded with his own online video pledging his support for the cause.
"Thanks for your advocacy [and] making sure your voices are heard. It's so important for you to be involved in our democracy," Bennet says. "So, my answer to you is that I support the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' "
User americanpie3491 posted a video in which a young lady cheerfully calls Michigan Senator Carl Levin to thank him for his commitment to repealing the law.
Evan in Indiana filmed a video after calling politicians Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar and asking them to support fellow senators Reid and Levin.
"A person's sexuality has no impact on their ability to serve and defend our country," Evan says. "I hope you take this message into consideration and remember that you have been elected to be my voice."
Florida resident Diana suggested that the policy is inconsistent with other U.S. laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, aimed at combating discriminatory practices in the workplace.
"Other places we work at, we're not able to be discriminated against because of marital status, religion or sexual orientation," Diana states. "What makes it OK to discriminate against soldiers who are fighting for this country for democracy and are willing to give their lives for this country?"
Rachelseesfireworks put up a slideshow featuring a young woman holding a series of white placards, including one that read, "They serve your country with their heart, so why can't they use that same heart to love whomever they want?"
"If you're under the impression that one person is less valuable than another because of their sexual orientation, you are very wrong," Alexander Michael says in his video, before ringing his senator. "If they are willing to die for this country, you should give them the equal opportunity as another person."
Gaga fan inesthomasine explained why she believes it's important for young people to get involved in the movement.
"We are the generation that needs to have our voices heard," she says. "Because if we choose not to, we will live with the consequences for years to come."
What do you think about Lady Gaga and her fans' campaign to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? Let us know in the comments!
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Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps
Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.By James Montgomery
Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail
On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.
The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.
"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."
Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."
"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."
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Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail
On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.
The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.
"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."
Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."
"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."
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Trey Songz Says Passion, Pain & Pleasure Scales 'New Heights'
Passion, Pain & Pleasure is propelled by 2009 'defining album,' Ready, Trigger tells MTV News.By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Trey Songz
Photo: Atlantic Records
Trey Songz has established himself as a beloved R&B artist, but the singer said it wasn't until his last project, Ready, that he began to feel like he had ascended to star status.
"I definitely feel that that album was what I thought it was. Before even the masses got it or anybody heard it, I felt like it was a defining album in an artist's career," he told MTV News. "Because even before that album, I had a couple hits, I had top 10 records, but those were songs. I had hit songs but I wasn't a hit artist. But right now people know my name and right now I feel like with Ready being so successful, I felt that was me only scratching the surface of my potential. That was almost the beginning of my career, if you will.
With his latest release, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, Trey takes another big leap forward. Songz' first two offerings are already heating up at radio and on the charts. "Bottoms Up," featuring Nicki Minaj, sits in the top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 and "Unusual," featuring Drake, appears primed to follow suit.
"With Passion, Pain & Pleasure, I feel like I'm taking it to new heights," Songz said of his fourth studio album.
After dropping Ready in summer 2009, the singer upgraded his management team to include former Warner Music and Def Jam executive Kevin Liles. The move, Songz said, was just another example of him taking greater control of his career.
"As far as what I can attribute my success to, you know, taking charge of my career," he said. "Taking full control — from the music I make to the pictures I take."
What do you think of Trey Songz' new album? Share your reviews with us in the comments!
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Trey Songz
Photo: Atlantic Records
Trey Songz has established himself as a beloved R&B artist, but the singer said it wasn't until his last project, Ready, that he began to feel like he had ascended to star status.
"I definitely feel that that album was what I thought it was. Before even the masses got it or anybody heard it, I felt like it was a defining album in an artist's career," he told MTV News. "Because even before that album, I had a couple hits, I had top 10 records, but those were songs. I had hit songs but I wasn't a hit artist. But right now people know my name and right now I feel like with Ready being so successful, I felt that was me only scratching the surface of my potential. That was almost the beginning of my career, if you will.
With his latest release, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, Trey takes another big leap forward. Songz' first two offerings are already heating up at radio and on the charts. "Bottoms Up," featuring Nicki Minaj, sits in the top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 and "Unusual," featuring Drake, appears primed to follow suit.
"With Passion, Pain & Pleasure, I feel like I'm taking it to new heights," Songz said of his fourth studio album.
After dropping Ready in summer 2009, the singer upgraded his management team to include former Warner Music and Def Jam executive Kevin Liles. The move, Songz said, was just another example of him taking greater control of his career.
"As far as what I can attribute my success to, you know, taking charge of my career," he said. "Taking full control — from the music I make to the pictures I take."
What do you think of Trey Songz' new album? Share your reviews with us in the comments!
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Lady Gaga Close To Besting Britney Spears In Twitter Followers
Spears is the world's top tweeter, but Gaga is hot on her heels.By Mawuse Ziegbe
Lady Gaga
Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga's near-dominance of all things social media is reaching a pivotal point: Mother Monster is poised to topple Britney Spears as the most-followed Twitter user.
According to the social-media website FameCount, which tracks the most popular entities on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Spears is the world's top tweeter, with more than 5.6 million followers, but Gaga is right on her heels. As of Thursday afternoon (August 19), Spears' followers numbered 5,646,028, while Gaga's online army of "little monsters" was 5,635,460 strong. The ranking could switch very soon, since Gaga has netted around 600,000 new followers this month, while Spears pulled in about 200,000. The site also lists Gaga as the most popular online entity worldwide, with more than 16 million Facebook fans and 330,000 YouTube subscribers.
Gaga's pre-eminent Twitter status is just the latest milestone marking the pop phenom's powerful viral presence. Last month, Gaga soared past the leader of the free world, President Obama, in Facebook fans. The "Alejandro" singer was also the first living person to notch 10 million fans on the intensely popular social-networking website.
Despite runaway online popularity that rivals her chart-topping music sales, Gaga still has to fend off competition from other pop stars. In July, Justin Bieber bested Gaga for the most-watched music video on YouTube with more than 245,746,720 views for the Ludacris-assisted collabo "Baby." Gaga's futuristic-disco extravaganza "Bad Romance" was close behind with 245,596,709. Bieber has since widened the gap, however, with "Baby" scoring 292,285,435 views to Gaga's 264,533,336 YouTube spins at press time.
Gaga's viral presence is undeniable, but the singer's outsize fan support has yielded results in the form of cold hard cash as well. After circling the globe on her Monster Ball Tour since November of last year, the seat-filling tour is on track to gross $200 million worldwide by April 2011.
Are you following Lady Gaga on Twitter? Who are some of your favorite celebrity tweeters? Let us know in the comments below!
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Lady Gaga
Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga's near-dominance of all things social media is reaching a pivotal point: Mother Monster is poised to topple Britney Spears as the most-followed Twitter user.
According to the social-media website FameCount, which tracks the most popular entities on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Spears is the world's top tweeter, with more than 5.6 million followers, but Gaga is right on her heels. As of Thursday afternoon (August 19), Spears' followers numbered 5,646,028, while Gaga's online army of "little monsters" was 5,635,460 strong. The ranking could switch very soon, since Gaga has netted around 600,000 new followers this month, while Spears pulled in about 200,000. The site also lists Gaga as the most popular online entity worldwide, with more than 16 million Facebook fans and 330,000 YouTube subscribers.
Gaga's pre-eminent Twitter status is just the latest milestone marking the pop phenom's powerful viral presence. Last month, Gaga soared past the leader of the free world, President Obama, in Facebook fans. The "Alejandro" singer was also the first living person to notch 10 million fans on the intensely popular social-networking website.
Despite runaway online popularity that rivals her chart-topping music sales, Gaga still has to fend off competition from other pop stars. In July, Justin Bieber bested Gaga for the most-watched music video on YouTube with more than 245,746,720 views for the Ludacris-assisted collabo "Baby." Gaga's futuristic-disco extravaganza "Bad Romance" was close behind with 245,596,709. Bieber has since widened the gap, however, with "Baby" scoring 292,285,435 views to Gaga's 264,533,336 YouTube spins at press time.
Gaga's viral presence is undeniable, but the singer's outsize fan support has yielded results in the form of cold hard cash as well. After circling the globe on her Monster Ball Tour since November of last year, the seat-filling tour is on track to gross $200 million worldwide by April 2011.
Are you following Lady Gaga on Twitter? Who are some of your favorite celebrity tweeters? Let us know in the comments below!
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