A photograph of Lady Gaga arriving to the Grammy Awards ceremony in one of her signature outlandish outfits would, I suspect, make Andy Warhol shiver with pleasure. As critics continue to describe her performances and videos as performance art, one could make an argument that her mere arrival nods to the genre.
I can't help it, I find her totally refreshing. After years of watching awards shows with celebrities advertising designers' latest haute couture, I missed Cher, Bjork and the like. Lady Gaga is taking the fame machine and showing how easily it can be consciously manipulated. And, unlike the many reality stars garnering fame for their boring, trumped up personal dramas, Gaga actually has talent.
And can we also just give a shout out for all the ladies getting props? LA Times' Ann Powers has been writing about the dominance of women in the pop music sphere. I may not be the biggest pop music fan, but I gotta be happy for the ladies after years of brazen hip-hoppers (I'm a fan) and white male rock stars taking home all the statues.
