Celeb News: Popdust Crowns Lady Gaga #1 Artist on new "Popdust 40" - Page 2

B94

Britney & Beyonce so low.

And Rihanna also.

Kh-Loud

FLOP LIST! there are rappers on da poplist, and RIHANNA & BRITNEY are too low!

Dephira

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Originally posted by HarrySapphire

He should have been #5 really

Symphonic

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Originally posted by xChunk

Wow. That's such an huge accomplishment, especially because she's beaten Justin Bieber for #1 and Popdust is such a credible and popular source

Vertigo Stick

Rihanna is not going to be above no damn Beyonce

And Justin Bieber is a force, gorls, so deal with it. I dislike him, but there is no denying his popularity/success

ifyouseekLEM

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Originally posted by HarrySapphire

His *** in certain pop stars throats allows him to get featuring credits when they sing.

RobynYoBank

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1. Lady Gaga
2. Justin Bieber

Okay, then.

slobro

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#1 Lady Gaga
email

And the honors for biggest pop star in the world right now go to…who else? Since her emergence in 2007, no one has better embodied the ideals of pop than Lady Gaga, who has been responsible for more memorable hit songs, iconic pop culture moments and shifts in the Top 40 landscape than any other artist in recent memory. She creates more headlines than anyone else, but only because she has the songwriting abilities, studio savvy and performance mastery to back up the hype, and she might be the greatest case example of why pop music deserves to be taken seriously since the heyday of Michael, Prince and Madonna in the ‘80s. It’s never a given that the biggest pop artist of any point in time will also be the best, so for being both simultaneously over the last few years, Gaga is an obvious choice for No. 1 on our list.

NOWNESS: Born This Way and its title track were the most anticipated album and single of 2011, and neither disappointed, the latter topping the charts for six weeks and becoming one of the all-time anthems for the LGBT community, and the former selling a million in its first week and already spawning two additional top ten hits. And all the while, Gaga has been ever-present on TV, where she has guested on both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, in magazines, where she’s covered V, Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar this calendar year, and in the headlines, which she’s made for naked photo spreads, surprise club appearances and her on-off relationship with New York’s most famous unfamous bartender, Luc Carl. Simply put, there’s no artist it’d be harder to imagine pop without right now than Lady Gaga. (20/20)

RESUME: Can you believe it’s barely been three years that Lady Gaga has been in our lives? Debut single “Just Dance” didn’t even top the charts until early 2009, but since then, Gaga has scored nine top ten hits, including two additional No. 1s, and sold nearly 22 million albums worldwide, an incredible achievement in this day and age. Meanwhile, her 200-date Monster Ball Tour ranks as the 15th most-successful tour of all time (the highest by any artist on this list outside of Gaga idol Madonna), and in the era of social media, Gaga perhaps holds the most important popularity superlative of all—she has the most Twitter followers of any human being on the planet, with over 12 million Little Monsters hanging on her every word. (9/10)

DRAMA: Gaga’s had her fair share of drama dealing with zealots of various stripes, including religious evangelicals upset with her pro-gay message and animal rights activists not amused by the whole meat dress thing. She’s also been on the receiving end of plenty of sniping comments from peers or predecessors, most recently Bette Midler and Eminem, though the latter claimed his dis to be a joke. And then there’s that whole mess about who exactly invented “Lady Gaga”—ex-producer Rob Fusari claimed it was him and sued her for $35 million, Gaga disagreed and countersued. Still, for all the tzuris in her professional life, Gaga must be docked a few points here for having relatively little in her personal life—as far as we can tell, things with her family and close ones are all good, and what little drama there is with maybe-boyfriend Luc Carl is surprisingly uninteresting. (13/15)

THIRD-BEST SONG: If you accept “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” as her two best songs—and they’re certainly her most enduring thus far—then No. 3 would probably have to be something off Born This Way. The American public might go for the title track, and Gaga herself would go for her personal favorite “You and I,” but we’re gonna go with “Edge of Glory,” one of 2011’s best pop songs and an all-purpose anthem to match nearly anything by Gaga songwriting heroes Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. The year might not see a musical moment more sparkling than the song’s heavenly bridge, where the seas of synths part for recently deceased guest saxophonist Clarence Clemons, giving us one last classic sax break to remember him by. We are thankful. (10/10)

MUSIC VIDEOS: If we handicapped Gaga by considering only her music videos and no other factors, she still would probably have been number one on this list. Her videos are filled with symbolic plot lines (“Alejandro” is about the angst of being a gay Nazi? Maybe?), wtf visuals (the telephone hat in “Telephone,” her fish eyes in “Bad Romance,” the entire Mother Monster prologue to “Born This Way”), and allusions to filmmakers like trash king John Waters, visual sculpture artist Matthew Barney and cold dread master Stanley Kubrick that let some of her viewers feel very highbrow about themselves. There’s also more underwear dancing than could possibly be counted. No one has done more to make music videos a cultural event again than Gaga; even her detractors are forced to tune in to see what the fuss is about. Though admittedly we’ve watched the “Telephone” video several times now and still don’t know why she felt the need to poison everyone in that diner. (10/10)

LIVE SHOW: Gaga’s live show is a musical seemingly stitched together from off-Broadway productions of Blade Runner, Studio 64 and If You Got The Money, Honey: The Guns ‘N’ Roses story. There’s ridiculously over-the-top guitar solos, glittery beats by the dozen, armies of backing dancers who haven’t eaten carbohydrates since the Clinton administration and a surprisingly touching piano interlude. (Who knew “Poker Face” would have worked as a Cole Porter song?) But even more important than the tunes and the spectacle is the pep talk. Once you’re in the Monster’s Ball, Gaga wouldn’t dare dream of letting you leave before she’s told you many times in several minutes-long rambling interludes how amazing you are, little monster, and how you were born a superstar and no one can ever, ever, ever take it away from you, and she loves you just as much as you love her. To Gaga’s immense credit, it never sounds like shtick. (5/5)

NON-MUSICAL VENTURES: Like any good pop star, Gaga has tried her hand at merchandising, including her own line of tangle-free headphones, dubbed Heartbeats, and her own MAC Cosmetic lipstick line, Viva Glam. Proceeds from the sale of Viva go to benefit HIV and AIDS charities and speak to Gaga’s true extra-musical passion. Gaga is a tireless advocate for the LGBT community, and her support extends far beyond saying “Bless God And Bless The Gays” at award shows. Last fall she appeared at the National Equality March rally on D.C.’s national mall and at a anti-“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rally. She went one step further on Twitter, asking her fans to reach out to United States senator Harry Reid, one of the leading advocates of repealing the ban against openly gay soldiers serving in the military, and urge him to push for the Senate to vote for the law’s repeal, and to contact their own state representatives as well. Amazingly enough, @HarryReid responded with a promise to do so, stating that “It’s the right thing to do. Come back to Vegas soon!” We’re not saying that Gaga single-handedly overturned one of the most shameful, prejudiced laws in United States history, but she certainly helped! (5/5)

FASHION/HAIR: People often talk about Gaga’s knack for earworms, eye for provocative visuals or versatile voice. What often goes unmentioned is that Gaga is one of the most hilarious musicians working today. Just look at the stuff she wears! Vinyl nun habits! Coke-can hair curlers! Bubble dresses! Suits made out of raw meat…that are supposed to serve as powerful/confusing metaphors for civil rights! But Gaga is not one to solely rock some avant-couture (all of it designed by her Haus Of Gaga production team and most likely inspired by the phrase “I dare you to wear this.”) She’s also happy to spend time in her music videos or onstage romping around in glittery leotards or her underwear. Simply put, no one else is coming up with anything on the level of the outfits she regularly displays. Just don’t expect her to show up wearing pants. (5/5)

HOTNESS: For her first Rolling Stone cover feature, Gaga said that “I don’t feel like I look like the other perfect little pop singers.” She posed naked on that cover, so she’s clearly got plenty of confidence in her supposedly less-than-perfect looks. It’s been noted by more than one critic that unlike most pop starlets, Gaga focuses almost solely on entertaining and empowering her female and gay fans, and any attention from straight guys is just an afterthought. She certainly is much more likely to dress to shock and perplex, rather than titillate. But when the mood strikes her, Gaga can do wonders with a pair of boots, lingerie and attitude. (8/10)

WHO THEY’VE DATED: Gaga has sung about her love of “Boys, Boys, Boys” and proclaimed her bisexuality, and her best tracks ooze with freeform lust. But don’t get the wrong idea. Gaga has talked openly about her celibacy, telling England’s Daily Mail “I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody. So it’s OK not to have sex, it’s OK to get to know people. I’m celibate, celibacy’s fine.” Hey, dating and sex is fine for most people, but for Gaga that just takes time away from designing the next cigarette sunglasses. It’s worth noting here that she has a tattoo inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke, her favorite poet and the bard of the romantically confused, so perhaps she’s more shy than one might suppose. Anyway, even Gaga cannot survive on work and fake blood alone, and last year she reportedly dated her stylist Matthew Williams. And then, of course, there’s her on-again/off-again boyfriend Luc Carl, a New York bartender/musician and the inspiration for many of the songs on The Fame, as well as most recent single “You and I.” (3/5)

FAN CRAZINESS: She loves her little monsters, and they certainly love her back. The Internet is filled with videos of fans rushing the stage to hug her, fans gushing about how they met Gaga and she was as awesome as you’d hope and galleries of tattoos done in her honor. But perhaps the best tribute to her fans’ devotion is that when Gaga used the Twitter accessory TwitLonger to post the lyrics to her new single “Born This Way,” 8 million devoted Gaga fans crashed the site! (5/5)

TOTAL SCORE: 93

—Michael Tedder

Harry

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Originally posted by Dephira

He should have been #5 really

I think it's safe to say he shares the spot with Katy.

Nicole

@ Justin Bieber not being deserving when he's sold more albums, has more YT views & more online power than everyone's faves. Not to mention his little $13M movie made more money than Burlesque.

Auburn

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Originally posted by _DeviouS_

Really? He's HUGE.

He ... just no.

Remixed

WHO THEY’VE DATED: Five points for Timberlake; minus a point for Federline. (There were other guys? Oh, OK.) (4/5)

Vertigo Stick

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Originally posted by xChunk

Wow. That's such an huge accomplishment, especially because she's beaten Justin Bieber for #1 and Popdust is such a credible and popular source

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Christina Aguilera [#25

Well what did you think of their placement of Christina? Well deserved? Generous? Too low? Too high?

Bad Wolf

Good #1, but otherwise the list sucks.

And Popdust who?

Vertigo Stick

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Originally posted by Haus_of_Nicole

@ Justin Bieber not being deserving when he's sold more albums, has more YT views & more online power than everyone's faves. Not to mention his little $13M movie made more money than Burlesque.

Thank you. I really don't like Bieber, but that's not going to discredit his success.

Harry

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Originally posted by Vertigo Stick

Well what did you think of their placement of Christina? Well deserved? Generous? Too low? Too high?

She should be higher. Who else with #1 single on iTunes today and she uses no cheap tricks to get there.

Nicole

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Originally posted by Vertigo Stick

Thank you. I really don't like Bieber, but that's not going to discredit his success.

I don't like him either but he's a pop cultural PHENOMENON in a way that Katy, Rihanna, etc are not. You can't turn on a talk show w/o the host making some sort of "joke" about him. He's always a topic of conversation.

Reza

Britney still on the list after 13 years in the game

Cap10Planet

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Originally posted by Haus_of_Nicole

@ Justin Bieber not being deserving when he's sold more albums, has more YT views & more online power than everyone's faves. Not to mention his little $13M movie made more money than Burlesque.

Right. He's a phenomenon.

GeezusHaberdash

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#6 Beyonce
Beyoncé’s emergence marks her time as surely as Madonna’s, Mariah’s, and Gaga’s mark theirs. She changed how R&B is sung, with the hip-hop inflected speed-speak vocal style she perfected with Destiny’s Child. Then, going solo, she became the biggest R&B singer in the world. Naturally, she married the biggest rapper ever, Jay-Z, and now they pal around with another First Couple. That’s power.

NOWNESS: Beyoncé’s 4, released a few months back, wasn’t quite the blockbuster sales success that some of her previous albums were, and it hasn’t yet spun off a hit single on the level of “Single Ladies,” “Crazy in Love” or even “Halo.” Still, it was a No. 1 debut, and Beyoncé had always seemed more concerned with how the album was perceived artistically rather than commercially. On those grounds, the album was a success, as it drew some of the greatest critical raves of her career. Still, nobody’s going to be confusing Beyoncé with Janelle Monae anytime soon—the Queen B still had the marquee performance at Oprah’s going away ceremonies, and made history earlier this year by becoming the first female artist ever to headline the prestigious and monstrously-attended Glastonbury Festival in the UK. (17/20)

RESUME: With Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé sold more than 14 million albums in the U.S., and her FIRST three solo discs have racked up over 10 million U.S. sales on top of that. (Worldwide, her solo total is closer to 18 million.) Of her official charted singles—not counting duets or guest spots—only a handful have failed to make the top ten, where she’s landed 11 times since 2003, four of them at No. 1. (Two of her guest spots landed in the Top 5, as well: “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” with Jay-Z, and “Telephone,” with Lady Gaga.) Add to that her successful worldwide concert tours, and it’s clear that it’s good to be the queen. (10/10)

DRAMA: Like a lot of showbiz lifers, Beyoncé tends to leave the drama on the set. A typical Beyoncé “controversy” occurred recently when she referred to Tina Turner as “my queen of soul” and incurred the wrath of Aretha Franklin, who has very decided opinions on who gets to be the queen of soul. But we do have to bump her up a couple points for the drama surrounding the many lineup changes Destiny’s Child went through in B’s early years—instigated by father/manager Matthew Knowles—as well as her recent professional breakup with pops, which though discreetly handled probably has at least one really good story behind it. (7/15)

THIRD-BEST SONG: “Get Me Bodied,” from 2006’s B’Day, is probably most famous now for providing the basic prototype of “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” her world-eating hit from two years later. (The video even featured choreography that paid tribute to the 1969 Bob Fosse film Sweet Charity—a precursor to the “Single Ladies” video, whose famous dance routine was also a nod to Fosse.) But while “Single Ladies” eventually reached cultural burnout via all those damn TV ads and movie trailers, “Bodied” still has as much force as ever, thanks to its dense thicket of percussion (thanks to producers Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, and Beyoncé herself) and the free-and-loose air about it. She’s seldom sounded like she was having so much fun. (9/10)

MUSIC VIDEOS: There aren’t many more purely iconic music videos from the past few years than the one for “Single Ladies.” It kicked off a worldwide dance craze (albeit with a dance that Fosse had lined up four decades earlier), and B. gamely parodied it on SNL with Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake. But that clip is a walk in the park compared to “Crazy in Love,” in which Beyoncé, in writer Keith Harris’s words, “goes all Stripperella beneath a busted hydrant.” (9/10)

LIVE SHOW: Yes, B can be very over-the-top in concert: just peep Rich Juzwiak’s highlight reels from her two live DVDs. (Her enacting the first word in the title of “Crazy in Love” in the latter gives the song a whole new meaning for sure.) But she also puts a lot into every performance—all talking, all singing, all dancing, as they used to advertise early sound movies. There’s a lot of spectacle—lights, choreography, grandiose climaxes. But the star really is the show here. (4/5)

NON-MUSICAL VENTURES: Beyoncé co-runs a fashion line, House of Deréon, with her mom (it sells at Macy’s, among other department stores), and puts her name and likeness to a handful of perfumes that Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’s definitive Perfumes: The A-Z Guide adjudge mediocre (True Star, by Hilfiger, is a “standard-issue, well-crafted white floral of no consequence”) or worse (Diamonds, by Armani, is likened to “a fruit-flavored liquid antibiotic”). All of this stuff does very well financially, but her most visible non-musical work has come as an actress—particularly her wide-eyed lead role in 2006’s Dreamgirls (as Diana Ross’s doppelganger) and her acclaimed performance in 2008’s Cadillac Records (as the real-life Etta James, whose “At Last” B would sing on Inauguration Day, 2009). As for 2009’s Obsessed—itself a doppelganger of the ur-’80s Michael Douglas thriller Fatal Attraction—well, it did win her an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. (4/5)

FASHION/HAIR: Beyoncé loves showing off her figure, which no one blames her for. (On the other hand, what choice does she have?) But she also loves bold-faced drama in her clothes, which makes them pretty damn hit-or-miss. How bold? She employed Project Runway runner-up Chris March, one of the show’s most outlandish designers, to design some of her stage wear. She’s best when she stays simple, and lets what her mama gave her work out the rest. (4/5)

HOTNESS: She wrote “Bootylicious” about herself, because somebody had to. That’s just the way it works when you’re built like something out of a comic book. Curves for years, toned enough to make Jack LaLanne cackle with glee on his way to heaven—not to put too fine a point on it, but, uh, damn. (10/10)

WHO THEY’VE DATED: When she belts “Put a Ring on It,” it’s not merely posturing. Beyoncé began dating Jay-Z 11 years ago, at age 19, before marrying him in 2008. Aside from a high school boyfriend and a rumored few months with Marques Houston before Jay, that’s about it. Moral: if you’re going to leave the field to others, grab the biggest player on your way out. (5/5)

FAN CRAZINESS: Beyoncé has the dubious honor of having had not one, but three separate super-fans who pursued her so aggressively (and frighteningly) they were sent to jail for their trouble—in 2004 (Houston, shortly before B. sang the National Anthem at the very same Super Bowl where Janet and Justin’s “wardrobe malfunction” took place), 2008 (a Connecticut man nearly ran over a cop while heading to the George Washington Bridge, where Beyoncé was “meeting him”), and 2010 (in Rio de Janeiro, where B. and Alicia Keys were filming the video for “Put It in a Love Song,” a man went past security and decked an off-duty cop). And we haven’t even mentioned Kevin and Makael… (5/5)

TOTAL SCORE: 84

lemme read through this
:book: