William & Kate: The Royal Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton will wed tomorrow at Westminster Abbey. Because of the time change, I plan on watching a re-run in the afternoon. I am indecisive in chosing whether or not the wedding is an entertainment overkill, or if it really is "a celebration" of the century. There is no doubt in my mind that the wedding will be the "wedding of the century", but I'm not sure if it is worth all the time, money + effort. All in, the wedding will cost an astounding 80 million pounds. That is around $100 Million Dollars. The wedding, of course, will be completely over the top, and to say at the least, amazing. However, I still can't tell if I am a supporter of the wedding. On one hand, it must be annoying for those who live in England. I heard that 50% of the people think the wedding is stupid/ the royals are jokes, and the other half is completely interested/ support it. I've made up my mind. I am very excited to see it. Kate Middleton will enter the church as a commoner and will leave the church a princess. It really is a fairytale. She will instantly become one of the most recognizable faces in the world, one of the most influential, and like Diana, will be adored by the people. Also, she will become a fashion icon. I, myself, am a huge fan of Princess Diana. I will be interested to see how Kate evolves as she becomes "princess", and how she compares to Diana in her personality, her actions and in her fashion statements.

I saw the William & Kate movie on Lifetime the other day on the premier. The movie was a poor exposition of the royal couple. The film portrayed William as an average person, who, at a time in his life, didn't care much about Kate. Kate was portrayed as a nagging girlfriend. The movie was entertaining, but it completely failed at showing the viewer the real Kate and William. I am not saying that they were portrayed incorrectly, but the movie was just silly.

It turns out that I am very excited for the wedding. I will be interested to see who attends and how everything turns out. It is suppose to rain in London tomorrow. Well, there's a slight chance. I'm sure the sun will still shine regardless of the weather. Afterall, it will be the most memorial day for thousands of British people.

Government Hooker

Lady Gaga made her modeling debut in Paris for the Mugler fall/winter season collection. The collection featured dark and gloomy outfits. From larger, plastic shoulder pieces, to skin-tight latex pants, every outfit shinned with a glossy looking polish to it. Of course, the fashion show would not be complete without a customized playlist from Gaga herself, including a remixed version of the up & coming "Government Hooker". "Government Hooker" is already a favorite of mine, and I haven't even heard the album version. It is very catchy & reminds of "Dance in the Dark". It seems to be darkness and struggles. Or should I say, about overcoming your struggles + making light out of the dark. "I'm gonna drink my tears tonight. I'm gonna drink my tears and cry, cause I know you love me, baby." The song is great. The fashion show went well. Gaga could've passed for one of the models. However, the long hair & dramatic catwalk gave it away. And as for Mugler, Nicola Formischetti (Creative Director + my favorite!) + Mugler team did a great job. What a great collection.  Gaga ordered every outfit on the entire collection for herself. Nice.

JUDAS

Judas is the 2nd single Lady Gaga released. The song includes a catchy beat similar to Bad Romance. I'm sure you all have heard it by now. When first released, it sparked controversy over the biblical-related lyrics. "I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel, but I'm still in love with Judas, baby." After the 2nd time I heard this song, I knew Gaga was not making a statement only about religion, but about love, betrayal and progression. Let the cultural baptism begin! Gaga said, "We don't touch on things that we have no right touching upon, but the inspiration and the soul and idea that out of your oppression, your darkness, your Judas, you can come into the marvelous light. It's about the inspiration and to never give up.. we created a new Jerusalem."

So, what does Judas mean? Whats the meaning behind the genius? Judas is about the idea of betrayal. Gaga could be talking about how she continuously fell in love with the wrong guy, or someone who isn't good for. Judas is the darkness, the personal vice and the bad thoughts in all of us. Judas is a celebration of faith. The biblical reference is only there to relate how Gaga is similar to Jesus in that they have both been victims of betrayal. Not surprising (to me atleast), but still the more genius, Gaga released the single 4 days before the day Judas denied Jesus 3 times. What is so genius and thought provoking about this is that Gaga probably did this to show how the public bought her music & in a way, bought & sold her out. It's interesting to think about these ideas.

Also, what is interesting is that Gaga said her music writing routine is explained in the song. "In the most biblical sense, I am beyond repentance. Fame Hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind. But in the cultural sense, I just speak in future tense." Gaga says that when she first sits down (at the piano, on tour, or anywhere) and "vomits her mind" her 15 minutes. She "throws up" her thoughts and ideas and comes up with melodies. She says it can take minutes, hours, days, months or years to complete the song. However, it is all based upon what she came up with in 15 minutes. It is so interested to see how she comes up with these phenomenal, catchy and most importantly, symbolic songs.

Judas is her best work yet. It is the most symbolic and certainly very powerful. The video is said to be Gaga playing Mary Magdalene and Norman Reedus as Judas. The video will be the best video yet. Gibson, Gaga's choreographer says,"It's a phenomenal video: really powerful, really impactful." The lyrics receive an A+. Lady Gaga's exposition of the song, A+. The fashion will surely will receive an A+. Also I know that her live performances of Judas will be A+ worthy.

Once again,
A+ for Gaga.

Billy Joel

How cool is this guy?

What this is all about is that we are all suffering for our love of music.

Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Acoustic Version Live at Oxegen Festival 2009) HQ

All you need is Love, Art & Eachother.

Piano: Part 4

This is Gaga performing "You and I", the first song she performed off her new album. It was the first time she played it. She performed it on The Today Show in NYC. I was there. I woke up at 4 AM & stood in the rain to watch her play. She said, "Don't cry angels, today is a beautiful day." She was right, it was.

Piano: Part 3

I'd like to thank Lady Gaga for help making my goal of changing the way piano is viewed. She makes the piano look cool. She makes it look so easy + her performances inspire me so much. Also, she taught herself to play the piano, starting at age 4. The Grammy performance spoke. The performance was alive. Her & Elton John played on a 2 piano piano (not sure what to call it!) and sang Your Song + Speechless. It was remarkable. Watching her play the piano, wow. She has perfected her piano skills & as a piano player, she is one of the best. Her and Elton John are amazing. Oh! I just found out that Lady Gaga is Godmother to Elton John's baby! I'm jealous. LOL

Piano Pt. 2: The Change

I want to change the way people see the piano. Most kids + teens don't think of it as "cool", or not as "cool" as other instruments, such as the guitar or drums. I want to destroy & recreate the piano's reputation. Not everything I learn or play during lessons are scales & "boring" classical music. I want to change the reputation the piano has. I want it to be cool. I want the piano to be cool. I want all instruments to be cool. I want the world of music to be viewed differently. I want it to be light-hearted & FUN. In today's times, music has become so competitive + less enjoyable. Music unites people & allows for space to be made, feelings to be expressed, and to be overall enjoyed. Its not about "show me what you got" or "how fast can you play this song?" Music isn't a contest. I never let anyone tell me that I can't play well enough, can't sing good enough, or don't write good enough lyrics. I've found my freedom & space in the music, and that's what music is about.

Piano

I've been playing the piano since I was 8 years old. Although I originally wanted to start taking lessons, I quickly realized I didn't enjoy it. However, I stuck with it, and things changed when I was around 13. This is when I learned that I could learn to play songs that I hear on my ipod, radio, etc. I never really enjoyed playing classical music (Bach, Mozart, etc.) but I learned to appreciate it. The biggest moment in my piano-playing career so far is when I played Little Shop of Horrors for my school choir. I learned the 26 page long song & performed it infront of over 200 people. I was 11. In this picture, I am 12 or 13. (Not sure! LOL) Currently, I play my own music, write my own songs & come up with original melodies. I want to change the way people, especially teens + kids view piano. Either playing classical, pop, or my own, the piano is still my favorite. It is a skill I will have for the rest of my life. How rewarding.

MUSIC

Lady GaGa's 2009 VMA performance was the first time GaGa really showed what she was all about. Her bleeding to death performance showed the world that not only could she sing & play the piano, but each performance + outfit she wears is a statement meant to be thought about. After seeing this performance, I knew she would be the world's best.

First Entry.

Hey! I'm Billy. What my blog is about is my thoughts & feelings on topics such as art, music, singers and performers, literature, fashion, travel and life. Hope you enjoy reading my blog!
-WTA