THE ROYAL BLOGGER: Manila

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

‘Provocative’ Lady Gaga allowed 2nd Manila show

American pop singer and songwriter Lady Gaga. AP/PAT ROQUE

MANILA, Philippines— Lady Gaga will be allowed to hold a second concert in Manila on Tuesday night after state censors ruled her “provocative” act was within legal bounds, a Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto said.

Calixto said a team he sent to monitor the first night of the concert on Monday found nothing wrong with the event.

“Based on the report of the inspection team I sent to the Lady Gaga concert last night, we find no violations of the special conditions of the Special Permit we issued last May 16 to the promoters of the concert, Ovation Productions,” Calixto said.

There was also no nudity or holy symbols used in an improper context, despite some “admittedly provocative” statements and choreography, which was deemed still “part of an artist’s expressions” protected by the Constitution.

“Therefore, the City Government of Pasay sees no compelling or legal reason to disallow the second concert from proceeding,” Calixto said.

Up to 20,000 fans are expected to attend the American pop phenomenon’s final Manila show, the same number as were at Monday’s concert.

Conservative Christians in the Catholic-majority nation have been staging street protests daily to demand a government ban on the events, alleging some of Lady Gaga’s songs are blasphemous.

One senior church leader said her show amounted to “devil worship.”

Lady Gaga spoke out against her local critics at Monday’s concert, declaring she was “not a creature of your government” before belting out her controversial song “Judas.”

Her world tour, “The Born This Way Ball,” has hit the headlines on its way through Asia, with an upcoming concert in Muslim-majority Indonesia denied a police permit for fear of violence from religious hardliners.

Prominent Filipino lawyer Romulo Macalintal, one of those who sought to block the Manila concert, said he was resigned to the local government’s ruling.

“They are the persons authorized by law and if that is their decision, I cannot do anything, I just leave it to God,” he said.

JUST IN: She tweeted this just right now. (4:03 PM - 22 May 12 via Twitter for iPad)

INSET: Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball Tour concert schedule (below) via LadyGaga.com

Original post here

Special thanks entertainment.inquirer.net

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Lady Gaga turns emotional in Manila concert

MANILA, Philippines—Lady Gaga played the roles of queen, warrior, goddess and sex symbol with theatrical flair on Monday, May 21 – the first of her two-night concerts at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

An appreciative crowd – which came in droves, almost filling up the newly-constructed venue – marveled at the elaborately designed stage with a medieval Gothic castle serving as the setting for the singer-songwriter’s wild vision of “the birth of a new race.”

There was drama in every part of the show, which opened with Lady Gaga riding a horse; in another instance she was on a motorcycle; but mostly she was all over the stage carousing with a cast of agile dancers and singing about standing up to authority and asserting one’s right to be free and happy.

She dared speak her mind out over the controversy stirred by her provocative image and songs – at one point mouthing expletives but later turning emotional and teary-eyed.

The concert had many highlights, but most striking was the moment when the star of the show emphatically said, “It’s not about the music, but about being yourself!”

The show may have exposed a lot of skin and simulated sex acts, but the moral crusaders and public officials who were there to find cause to punish Lady Gaga might have been too stunned to complain against the larger-than-life showcase of talent that unfolded.

The concert’s second day on Tuesday night, May 22, will push through, according to organizers.

JUST IN: She tweeted this just right now. (4:03 PM - 22 May 12 via Twitter for iPad)