Lady Gaga

Often film sequels are slam dunks at the box office, a seamless continuation from where a previous hit left off. But as the new installment of the 15-year-old franchise "Men in Black" proves, getting to the big screen isn't always a cakewalk. One of the most troubled productions in recent Hollywood memory, Sony Pictures' latest movie in the Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi-comedy franchise encountered multiple script rewrites, a discontented star and a three-month production shutdown as writers and studio executives scrambled to fix a project that nearly fell apart . By the time it was over, the studio had run up a tab of nearly $250 million - making "Men in Black 3" one of the most expensive releases of the summer.

Cedar Point plans to turn the Ohio theme park's Million Dollar Midway into the $6-million Luminosity nighttime spectacular complete with lights, lasers and fireworks tied to a stage performance with DJs, dancers and drummers. PHOTOS: Luminosity nighttime spectacular at Cedar Point Debuting on June 8, the 40-minute Luminosity: Ignite the Night stage show will be followed by a pyrotechnics finale that leads into a DJ street party designed to turn the midway into an enormous dance floor.

While most of us have Christmas on our minds, Universal Studios Hollywood is already planning for next Halloween. > Halloween Horror Nights 2011: Review | Photos | Celebrities   Universal has been conducting an online survey to gauge fan interest in 50 movie and television properties as potential haunted maze themes for Halloween Horror Nights 2012. The annual post-Halloween poll offers fans a glimpse into what could be on the horror horizon at Universal.

Lady Gaga, Mother Monster, social media genius. Whatever you want to call her, the 25-year-old pop star, nee Stefani Germonatta, is the first person to collect more than 20 million followers on Twitter. For comparison's sake, Barack Obama, our nation's president, has 12.8 million followers. Hmmm. Gaga has been the reigning queen of Twitter since August 2010, when she surpassed Britney Spears, the former record holder by getting 5.6 million followers. Oh how times have changed.

Producer Rodney Jerkins is a heavyweight in the pop music world who's worked with an array of A-list artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears. But now, the urban music hit maker has set his sites on a new kind of star — one who can sing the praises of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese.... Well, you know the rest. Jerkins and his Chicago-based company Artists & Brands are mining new musical talent from the rap and R&B world, coaching young artists on the art of a catchy hook, then offering the tunes to companies such as McDonald's (their main sponsor)

Pop singer Lady Gaga arrives in Los Angeles on Wednesday for the first of two shows at Staples Center. To get a sense of the concert, and Gaga's achievements, here's a statistical (and not so statistical) analysis of her world. 667,070,854 : Combined hits from her videography on her official YouTube/Vevo channel for "Alejandro," "Telephone," "Bad Romance," "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich," "Poker Face," "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)," "Paparazzi," "Love Game" and "Just Dance. " 18.1 million.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Amy Winehouse's dad is quoted as saying Lady Gaga "would be great" to play his daughter in a movie about her life. But another report quotes him as saying a movie won't happen. ( Mirror , Daily Mail ) The music industry executive injured in the Hollywood shooting last week has died. ( Los Angeles Times ) The song isn't so rosy for "Glee," which is seeing its ratings drop in its third season. ( Los Angeles Times )

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" has become the fastest-selling single ever on Apple's iTunes store worldwide, racking up more than 1 million downloads in five days, Apple said Friday. Apple said the song ? a Madonna-influenced dance track that the 24-year-old singer performed after "hatching" from a giant egg at the Grammy Awards ? had hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes in 23 countries. "Born This Way," the title track of a new album to be released in May, also went straight to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles charts earlier this week.

Almost immediately after she deposited herself in a corner booth at L'Espalier, the restaurant at Boston's Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the December afternoon after the first American date of her Monster Ball tour, Lady Gaga made a confounding statement. "I don't see myself as ever being like anybody else," said the 23-year-old known to her mom (eating lunch nearby) as Stefani Germanotta. "I don't see myself as an heir." Yet there she was, in a blond Hollywood bob and black tuxedo-bra combo much like the costumes Madonna wore 20 years ago, discussing a show that conjures the spirits of Michael Jackson, David Bowie and the punk-rock drag queens of downtown New York and promoting music -- the newly expanded edition of her 2008 debut album, "The Fame," greatly enriched by eight new songs and repackaged as "The Fame Monster" -- that pays blatant homage to ABBA, Queen, Eurodisco and Marilyn Manson.

POP MUSIC Lady Gaga In the humble beginnings of her music career, Lady Gaga penned tunes for artists such as the Pussycat Dolls. Now her electro- pop songs have made her into one of the biggest, most infamous pop stars of late. Her show is sure to deliver plenty of theatrics, disco balladry, and avant-garde costumes. Staples Center, 1111 S Figueroa St., L.A. $51.25. http://www.staplescenter.com . Vans Warped Tour Now in its 16th year, this traveling punk-rock show is catching up in age to its young-leaning audience.

Not just anyone can pull off the glass bubble bodysuit Los Angeles designer Michael Schmidt made for Lady Gaga to wear on a 2009 cover of Rolling Stone or the Lego dress he whipped up for Fergie to wear onstage at the 2011 Kids Choice Awards. But Schmidt's new line of jewelry lets all women explore their inner rock goddesses. Consider an elegantly draped metal mesh cuff, without seams or a clasp, that rolls onto the wrist effortlessly. A crystal rope infinity knot necklace. A hairy goat fur cuff with spikes.

Add it all up, and Doris Day's singular singing voice has spent more than 11 years on the Billboard charts. Her three dozen-plus films made millions of fans and dollars. And now, after nearly two decades of living below the radar in Carmel, Doris Day is back on the charts. "My Heart" is a baker's dozen of songs from the vaults, many produced by her late son, Terry Melcher, who worked with the Byrds and who co-wrote and sang "Happy Endings" on the CD, and sang a second song on it with his mother.

Producer Rodney Jerkins is a heavyweight in the pop music world who's worked with an array of A-list artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears. But now, the urban music hit maker has set his sites on a new kind of star — one who can sing the praises of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese.... Well, you know the rest. Jerkins and his Chicago-based company Artists & Brands are mining new musical talent from the rap and R&B world, coaching young artists on the art of a catchy hook, then offering the tunes to companies such as McDonald's (their main sponsor)

Sinéad O'Connor and 50 Cent couldn't be more different, but when it comes to over-sharing on Twitter, the 1980s icon and gruff rapper have quite a bit in common. While we've become accustomed to Kanye West's rants and boasts on the social media site (such as crowning himself the new Steve Jobs this week), or Laurieann Gibson's smackdowns with Lady Gaga fans, O'Connor and 50 are the latest in a recent rash of celebrities — namely musicians — whose meltdowns and bouts of TMI (Too Much Information)

To the surprise of virtually no one, Adele's "21" is officially the top-selling album of 2011, with a final tally of 5.82 million copies, while the British soul singer's single "Rolling in the Deep" was the year's bestselling song with 5.81 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan's year-end sales report issued Wednesday. Adele's album entered the chart at No. 1 in February and has never dropped out of the Top 10. This week marks the CD's 14th nonconsecutive week as the nation's top-selling album.

Elton John will be up for a Golden Globe for song for "Hello, Hello" (co-written with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin) from the film "Gnomeo & Juliet" on Jan. 15. John's third Globe nod comes amid a whirlwind of activity for the 64-year-old pop legend. Your nominated song is a duet with Lady Gaga , whom I know you are very artistically simpatico with. How did that happen? When she asked me to do the [2010] Grammys, one of her songs merged into "Your Song," and I left it up to her. I said, "We've met before, but this is your moment on the Grammys.

Staples Center Lady Gaga, March 28, 2011 (Wed.) Gibson Amphitheatre Alejandro Fernandez, Sept. 3 (Fri.) Mayan Theater Gogol Bordello, June 21-22 (now) El Rey Theatre Cynic, July 22; Yoshida Brothers, Aug. 1; Boris, Aug. 27 (now) House of Blues Everytheory, June 17; Hollywood Live, June 18 (Thurs.); Highway 61, June 9; Thrash and Burn featuring Asking Alexandria and more, July 27 (Sat.) House of Blues Anaheim Tainted Love, July 29 (Fri.

Lady Gaga, Mother Monster, social media genius. Whatever you want to call her, the 25-year-old pop star, nee Stefani Germonatta, is the first person to collect more than 20 million followers on Twitter. For comparison's sake, Barack Obama, our nation's president, has 12.8 million followers. Hmmm. Gaga has been the reigning queen of Twitter since August 2010, when she surpassed Britney Spears, the former record holder by getting 5.6 million followers. Oh how times have changed.

The '60s gave us "Blowin' in the Wind," folk-poet Bob Dylan's challenge to the brutal status quo. The '70s served up Neil Young's "Ohio," an anthem of generational rage against the military-industrial machine. The '80s laid down "The Message," Grandmaster Flash's hip-hop jeremiad about the vicious cycle of race-based poverty. The '90s broke loose with Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade," a rap-rock rant targeting corporate greed and cultural imperialism. And the '00s? It's produced some memorably sardonic screeds (Green Day's "American Idiot")

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Amy Winehouse's dad is quoted as saying Lady Gaga "would be great" to play his daughter in a movie about her life. But another report quotes him as saying a movie won't happen. ( Mirror , Daily Mail ) The music industry executive injured in the Hollywood shooting last week has died. ( Los Angeles Times ) The song isn't so rosy for "Glee," which is seeing its ratings drop in its third season. ( Los Angeles Times )