Lady Gaga Performs in Cocoon-Like Costume on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve"

by: Amy Sciarretto 3 hours ago
Jemal Countess, Getty Images

Lady Gaga took the stage at 11:38 PM for ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ special last night (Dec. 31) while encased in a black, sequined cocoon that looked a bit like an octopus. The big question of the night for little monsters was not “What is your New Year’s resolution?” but “What will Gaga wear?” The costume restricted her movement at first, and all we could see were the Mother Monster’s eyes as she sang. It was as though her attire mimicked the big ball that was about to drop in 20 minutes.

Gaga started out performing ‘Heavy Metal Lover,’ which was a bit of a shock, since that’s a deep album cut from ‘Born This Way’ and not her current single. She stripped off some of her black sequined cover up and there was some sort of cage around her head as she launched into ‘Marry the Night,’ which is a love song to her hometown of NYC and the most appropriate song she could have performed for this occasion.

Two of her dancers eventually offered an assist and removed the cage around her head. Then, Gaga danced and sang to tape while wearing a glittery, sparkly, bejeweled black catsuit and mask. She looked like a comic book super heroine whose sole duty was to guard Gotham.

After performing the whole of ‘Marry the Night,’ she launched into a truncated version of ‘Born This Way,’ which ended with her and her fellow dancers putting their paws up. It was a banner year for Gaga and there was no better way to end it then by performing in Times Square in her native city.

Gaga joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg to push the button to let the ball drop looking like a human disco ball in a silver dress complete with a face mask. She shared a big ol’ smooch with the Mayor, too!

When Ryan Seacrest interviewed the emotional singer after midnight and after the confetti fell only minutes after midnight, she was crying, and she could barely answer Seacrest’s questions. She could only compose herself enough to say that she wearing Versace! Oh how very Gaga of her. It was sweet to see her so overcome with emotion.

Watch Lady Gaga Perform on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

Lady Gaga, “Marry The Night” / “Born This Way”

Via:Popcrush

Watch Lady Gaga’s New Years Eve Performance (VIDEOS)

Only in Times Square, and only on New Years Eve could Lady Gaga dress like an oddball and fit in perfectly. Mother Monster headlined a night of New Years Eve performances with typical fanfare, knocking out “Heavy Metal Lover” and “Marry The Night” on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Watch Gaga emerge from her black sequined octopus costume to reveal that she’s singing with her head inside a giant ball. 3… 2… 1…

Lady Gaga, “Marry The Night” / “Born This Way”

Whose performance rocked your New Years Eve? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Lady Gaga cuts rug with Mike for 2012

Times Square went gaga for 2012! Pop Queen Lady Gaga, triggered the famous drop of the crystal ball and then danced with Mayor Bloomberg as the Crossroads of the World welcomed in the New Year as only it can. Stars like Justin Beiber, Pitbull and Drake ...

Lady GaGa welcomes in 2012 in black catsuit and blonde hairpiece

The eccentric singer performed at the New Year's Rockin' Eve in New York City – the country's most popular televised countdown at the tail end of each year. The extravaganza, hosted by Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest took place at Times Square. Lady GaGa ...

Via:Idolator

New Year's Eve Travel: Wacky Ball Drops Across The US

The Times Square ball drop is perhaps the most iconic of American New Year's Eve traditions. Across the country, many cities have followed New York City's lead by hosting their own New Year's drops. Many of these towns have taken to thinking outside the ball.

To keep track of the country's New Year's goings on, the folks over at MapQuest complied NewYearsQuest. The state-by-state guides highlight local goings on, including where to celebrate 2012 by watching weird objects fall from the sky.

Marylanders can head to downtown Easton to watch an iconic blue crab fall. If in Orlando, ring in the new year with agiant orange drop.

For more kooky New Year's drop celebrations, check out the slideshow below.

Walleye Drop; Port Clinton, Ohio

The tiny town of Port Clinton brags of being the Walleye Capital of the World. Thus, Madness at Midnight's "Walleye Drop." That's right -- the town drops a huge, 20-foot, 600-pound model fish as if it was a Times Square ball at midnight. There's also a 6 p.m. kids-drop edition of the Walleye Drop (for "all the little minnows"). 

Hershey's Kiss Raise; Hershey, Penn.

The hometown of Hershey's chocolate welcomes the new year with a family-friendly celebration that culminates at midnight "when an oversized Hershey's Kiss is raised into they sky. 

Possum Drop; Brasstown, N.C.

Brasstown is known as the Possum Capital of the World, and has a fitting NYE bash. The evening festivities kick off with the Miss Possum pageant, featuring some of the area's biggest, burliest men dressed up as beauty queens. Just before midnight, revelers can watch a live possum in a festively decorated cage lower as they count down to the new year. 

Peach Drop; Atlanta, Ga.

Atlanta residents can attest to the excitement and energy of being in Underground Atlanta (the Five Points-area shopping district) among 100,000 of their closest friends to watch the Peach Drop. When midnight approaches, all eyes turn upward to watch the 800-pound peach's 58-second descent to welcome the new year, followed by an impressive fireworks show. 

Pine Cone Drop; Flagstaff, Ariz.

Residents of Flagstaff ring in the new year with The Great Pine Cone Drop. Revelers gather outside the historic Weatherford Hotel, a downtown Flagstaff landmark for more than 100 years. As the new year approaches, attendees watch a 5-by-7-foot lighted, gold-and-silver aluminum pine cone drop from the hotel balcony. 

Guitar Drop; Niagara Falls, N.Y.

What is cooler than a traditional ball drop at midnight on New Year's Eve? How about an illuminated 10-foot Gibson guitar dropping 120 feet? The Hard Rock Cafe and the city of Niagara Falls will once again be throwing their annual New Year's Eve Guitar Drop, a street festival that draws thousands to eat, drink and party the night away.

Music Note Drop; Nashville, Tenn.

Music fans can ring in the new year in Nashville at its annual Bash on Broadway, which features a live concert by a variety of country music artists. This free event, which takes place in the heart of the Music City, includes a "music note®" drop at midnight, presented by Grand Avenue. Revelers count down to the new year as the bigger-than-ever "music note®" drops from a structure of 115 feet. 

Moon Pie Drop; Mobile, Ala.

Since 2008, Mobile has welcomed the new year with the free MoonPie Over Mobile festivities to celebrate its heritage as the first American city to celebrate Mardi Gras -- MoonPies are traditionally thrown from floats during Mardi Gras parades. The city's 12-foot electronic MoonPie will drop from the 34-story RSA BankTrust building downtown at midnight.

Cherry Blossom Ball Drop; Macon, Ga. 

Experience New Year's Eve in the heart of Georgia with Macon's Cherry Blossom Ball Drop at Cherry Street Plaza. The free outdoor festival begins at 9 p.m. with live music and entertainment and culminates in the dropping of a custom-made metallic cherry blossom ball. Since 2009, this event celebrates Macon's status as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World. 

Via:HuffingTonPost

'Barefoot Bandit'; Colton Harris-Moore gets more than 7 years for crime spree

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Colton Harris-Moore, also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," talks with his attorney John Henry Browne in Island County Superior Court, Friday, Dec. 16, in Coupeville, Wash. Harris-Moore pleaded guilty Friday to burglary and theft charges in the Barefoot Bandit case.

Ted S. Warren/AP

At times, Colton Harris-Moore's two years on the run were euphoric – the nights of beatific solitude in the woods, the soaring adrenalin rush of his first moments airborne in the cockpit of a stolen plane.

But most other times were far less glamorous: sleeping in portable toilets or culverts as he sought shelter from the elements and the police.

The youthful thief who rocketed to international notoriety as the "Barefoot Bandit" is done with both extremes for the moment. He was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in a Washington state prison after pleading guilty to dozens of charges, including burglary and identity theft, stemming from his crime spree.

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Harris-Moore, now 20, showed no reaction as the sentence was delivered by a judge who took pity on his bleak upbringing at the hands of an alcoholic mother and a series of her convict boyfriends – a situation she described as a "mind-numbing absence of hope."

"This case is a tragedy in many ways, but it's a triumph of the human spirit in other ways," Island County Judge Vickie Churchill said. "I could have been reading about the history of a mass murderer. I could have been reading about a drug abusive, alcoholic young man. That is the triumph of Colton Harris-Moore: He has survived."

Harris-Moore's daring run from the law earned him international fame and a movie deal to help repay his victims after he flew a stolen plane from Indiana to the Bahamas in July 2010, crash-landed it near a mangrove swamp and was arrested by Bahamian authorities in a hail of bullets.

Friday's proceedings consolidated cases against Harris-Moore in three Washington counties. He has already pleaded guilty to federal charges in Seattle and will be sentenced for those crimes early next year, but the sentence is expected to be shorter than his state term.

Harris-Moore faced a sentencing range of just over seven years to just under 10 years.

"Colton's very pleased," said his attorney John Henry Browne. "He was expecting the worst."

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said he's glad the case is over and he could live with the sentence.

"I can see why people are sympathetic to him," Banks said. "It's still a significant amount of time for someone who's never been in the adult system."

Harris-Moore spoke softly in court while entering his pleas. He wore an orange jail uniform as his hands were cuffed in front of him.

In a letter to the judge, he said his childhood was one he wouldn't wish on his "darkest enemies." He told a psychiatrist and his lawyers that his earliest memory was his mother telling him she wished he was stillborn.

Still, he said he takes responsibility for the crime spree. He apologized profusely to his victims and said he learned only too late of the fear he was instilling in them.

Harris-Moore said he studied manuals and online videos to teach himself to be a pilot, and the thrills he experienced while flying stolen planes renewed his passion for life and will help him rehabilitate while in prison.

"The euphoria of the countdown to takeoff and the realization of a dream was nearly blinding," he wrote of his first illicit flight on Nov. 11, 2008. "My first thought after takeoff was 'Oh my God, I'm flying.' I had waited my entire life for that moment."

Via: CSM