Live4MusiC

(week starting 20th Sep)

Rock & Pop

• Lady Gaga - The Cherrytree Sessions

• Maroon 5 - Hands All Over

• Santana - Guitar Heaven: Greatest Guitar Classics

• Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies

• Jimmy Lin - Its My Time

• Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man

• Selena Gomez - Year Without Rain

• Seal - Commitment

• Various Artists - The Muttons Show: What the Bleah

• Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment Glam Box

• Sharon Corr - Dream Of You

Classical & Jazz

• David Garrett (VLN) - Rock Symphonies

• Lizz Wright - Fellowship

• Jane Monheit - Home

• Various Artists - Jukebox: Best Country Hits

Dance & Soul

• John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up

• Thievery Corporation - It Takes A Thief

 Asian Pop

• Karen Mok 莫文蔚 - <寶貝> Repack

(Credit: In Touch Weekly)

The good people over at "In Touch Weekly" dug up this (relatively) old-school photo of Lady Gaga during her college year at New York University, back when she was just Stefani Germanotta, and just like "us," she wore jeans and t-shirts to class and had to schlep her own stuff around. Hard to believe that a girl who wore a neck brace and a red lace snood to the 2009 MTV VMAs was wearing baggy jeans a plain old shirt just a few years back.

Oh, and if you inexplicably haven't heard, Lady Gaga's been nominated for a record-breaking 13 VMAs this year. And while the VMA attendees haven't been announced yet, could you imagine the shock if Gaga showed up on the 2010 VMA red carpet in... jeans and a t-shirt?

We already know that Lady Gaga is pretty much finished with the follow-up to her smash full-length debut, The Fame. But now we finally have a peek at some of the material that might be on the album, thanks to footage of Gaga performing at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball last Thursday.

"This is a brand-new record that no one's ever heard before ... ever," she said while seated at one of her signature deconstructed pianos and wearing a bedazzled black bra and panties with black boots. "And I've never, ever played it live, ever."

On her Twitter, she described "You and I" as a "new song ... written in NY on the piano I grew up on."

Sounding a tad hoarse, Gaga described the song to her audience as a bit of a "rock-and-roll tune," predicting that for that reason it will not likely get used as a single, but that it is "very dear" to her heart.

"It's been a long time since I came around/ It's been a long time, but I'm back in town/ And this time, I'm not leaving without you," she sang, describing a whiskey-breathed lover for whom she's pining.

"He said, 'Sit back down where you belong, in the corner of my bar with your high heels on,' " she continued, her voice rising and getting a bit more growly just before the band came in and provided a swaying backdrop to the bluesy rocker. " 'Sit back down on the couch where we made out the first time, and you said to me/ "Something, something about this place/ Something about lonely lights and my lipstick on your face." ' "

She wasn't kidding about the song having a rock edge, as the tune eschewed most of her dance flavor, right down to a rollicking barrelhouse piano solo, during which she stood up on the piano bench and bashed out some John-worthy runs on the black and whites. She finished the tune crouched on the bench, wailing, "You and I," while pumping her fist, before giving it a big finish that included kicking a heel up on the keyboard and lying across the piano bench with her head on the ground.

Gaga tweeted about her performance at the 12th annual fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, writing, "What a brilliant evening with wonderful friends. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. What a magical stage."

Gaga also took the stage in a wheelchair with her chest covered in fake blood and accompanied by an oiled-up male dancer for a run through "Alejandro," and she performed her ballad "Speechless." During the latter, John came out and joined her for a dueling-pianos showdown, trading off verses on the tune dedicated to Gaga's dad and then reprising theirGrammys duet with a snippet of his hit "Your Song," during which he improvised the line, "I hope you don't mind that I wrote down in words/ How wonderful life is with Gaga in the world."

The gothic-themed event took place at a Windsor mansion owned by John and partner David Furnish and featured performance artists wearing straightjackets and dangling from fake trees and bandaged men in white coats serving cocktails in medicine bottles. According to reports, guests included Elizabeth Hurley, Kate Beckinsale, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, Jon Bon Jovi and Kid Rock.

- MTV.com 

(week starting 10th May) 

Rock & Pop 

• Lady Gaga - Remix 
• Keane - Nighttrain 
• Justin Bieber - My Worlds 
• Godsmack - Oracle 
• Placebo - Covers 
• Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards 
• Foals - Total Life Forever 
• Papa Roach - To Be Loved: Best of 
• Charice - Charice 
• National - High Violet 
• Various Artists - Boom 
• OTV - American Idol Season 9 
• OBC - American Idiot (Featuring Green Day) 
  
  Classical & Jazz 
• Lady Antebellum - Need You Know 
• Aiza Seguerra - Perhaps Love 
  
  Asian Pop 
• Cheer Chan 陈绮贞 - Immortal Tour <太陽巡迴演唱會影音記錄> 
• Serene Koong 龔芝怡 - 55:38:7 

CONCERT promoters and record labels in Singapore said they are seeing more companies - from banks and telcos to car dealers - sign on top performers to jazz up their corporate events. These range from private functions to dinners for staff or long-time clients.

Mr Ngiam Kwang Hua, managing director at Rock Records, said the hot acts are now more willing to appear at private shows. 'CD sales are dropping these days since many people download music illegally, so artistes and their record companies have to look for other revenue sources,' he said.

Rock Records brought in Taiwan artistes Wu Bai and Kang Kang for private events at St James Power Station last year. They were held to promote a cognac distributed by Beam Global Asia, a spirits company.

Concert promoter LAMC Productions has brought in American singer Dionne Warwick, French soprano Emma Shapplin and American girl group Girlicious for corporate shows over the past five years. SingTel flew in American electro-pop sensation Lady Gaga last June for an exclusive showcase at Clarke Quay to launch one of its services.

The big boys - and girls - do not come cheap. Industry experts estimate that flying in an Asian celebrity could cost anywhere between $60,000 and $250,000. Booking a Western act could cost between $200,000 and a few million dollars.

But companies feel it is worth the money spent. Dr Dora Hoan, BWL's chief executive officer, said the cost of bringing in Mayday runs into six figures, but added: 'Our 20th anniversary is a milestone event and we are heavily invested in making it the best event we have ever had.

- Sunday Times 

Lady GaGa has been revealed as winner of both the Best Dressed andWorst Dressed awards at theShockwaves NME Awards tonight (February 24).

NME.COM users voted for the singer, who recently appeared onstage for her 'Monster Ball Tour' dressed as PVC-wrapped nun and a tasselled lampshade, in both categories.

In the Best Dressed group she won ahead of nominees Yeah Yeah Yeahssinger Karen O, Florence And The Machine's Florence Welch, ex-Oasisstar Liam Gallagher and The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding.

In the Worst Dressed category she was voted 'winner' ahead of nominees Katy Perry, La Roux's Elly Jackson, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy and Liam Gallagher.

- NME