LADY GAGA ... A MANILLE !

Lady Gaga à Manille

Tout de même 40.000 fans qui vont débourser 15.840 pesos (370 us$) chacun pour voir et entendre le ‘’Démon’’ !

On a beau être Catholique, ici on aime bien les phénomènes sulfureux ! 

Tout du moins pour ceux qui en ont les moyens, sachant que le salaire d’un Philippin oscille entre 5.000 et 9.000 Pesos par mois.

Entre les 40.000 fans et les 300 à 500 manifestants opposants … il n’y a pas photo.

Mai 21 /

Lady Gaga's Philippine concerts will go ahead as planned, organisers said Sunday, despite a series of protests from Christian groups and calls for the controversial singer to be banned.

Allan Florendo, assistant vice president of the sprawling SM Mall of Asia, whose arena will be the venue for the concerts Monday and Tuesday, said they were ready for the thousands of Gaga-fans and even any stray protesters.

"We're very ready, security-wise. We have over 300 security personnel which is in addition and coordination with the (local) police. We have at least 100 bouncers in addition to the several ushers and porters," he said.

The Asian leg of Lady Gaga's tour has seen various protests, including in Indonesia where her June show has been denied a permit by police amid threats from Islamic hardliners.

Almost 500 Christian protesters gathered near the 20,000-seat Manila concert venue Sunday, holding lit candles under umbrellas to shield them from the rain.

"We are a peace-loving people, our objective is not to make any violence or destruction to get attention," said Orlando Cutaran, head of the Christian Professionals Evangelism Fellowship.

"We don't want to interfere in their business. We are just praying on the sides that the organisers will change their minds.

"We are just taking a stand against the blasphemous songs and videos of this Lady Gaga. We don't want young people to be influenced by this."

Lady Gaga, who arrived late Saturday, had remained in her hotel for the day.

The concert was originally scheduled for just one night but was extended to two because of overwhelming demand, said Edgar Tejerero, senior vice president of company running the arena.

The city government has already warned Lady Gaga to refrain from nudity, lewd conduct and blasphemy in the Philippines, and said inspectors will be at the venue to ensure she does not overstep the mark.

Hundreds of protesters marched in the Philippine capital Saturday to demand a ban on pop phenomenon Lady Gaga's upcoming concerts, claiming her lyrics were anti-Christian.

A member of Biblemode Youth Philippines holds up banners during a protest against Lady Gaga in Manila on Saturday. Hundreds of protesters marched in the Philippine capital Saturday to demand a ban on the pop phenomenon's upcoming concerts, claiming her lyrics are anti-Christian.

Members of Biblemode Youth Philippines stage a protest in front of a billboard for Lady Gaga in Manila on Saturday.

The Philippines is a deeply-religious Catholic majority country and many of the demonstrators Saturday were from the group Biblemode International, whose founder said Lady Gaga's lyrics were blasphemous.

About 50 riot police blocked a major Manila intersection to stop the marchers from reaching the shopping mall complex where the American singer is due to perform on May 21-22.

Lady Gaga has already faced opposition elsewhere on the Asia leg of her tour, including in Indonesia where police denied her show a permit amid threats from Islamic hardliners.

The Philippines is a deeply-religious Catholic majority country and many of the demonstrators Saturday were from the group Biblemode International, whose founder said Lady Gaga's lyrics were blasphemous.

Baptist preacher Benny Abante, a former member of the Philippine parliament said the song "Judas" mocked Jesus Christ.

"You can't just say, 'Okay, I'm an artist, I'll make an artistic expression'," Abante told about 300 fellow protesters.

"You stomp on our Lord while saying you're a fame hooker, you're a prostitute wench," he said referring to the lyrics of the song.

In a statement the group called on Philippine President Benigno Aquino to stop the concerts "as this is a direct affront to the moral and religious values that our nation has been known for".
Aquino spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the national government did not wish to wade into the issue.

The city government has already warned Lady Gaga to refrain from nudity, lewd conduct and blasphemy when her Asian tour reaches the Philippines, and said inspectors will be at the venue to ensure she does not overstep the mark.

Renen de Guia, president of the Lady Gaga concert's local promoters Ovation Productions, said those who have purchased concert tickets were well aware her performance was all for fun.

"People have the freedom to express themselves artistically," he said.

"Those who oppose what Lady Gaga is doing are not being forced to watch the concert," he had said on ABS-CBN television on Friday.

In Indonesia Islamic hardliners said they were ready to die to stop Lady Gaga from performing in June. And during the star's concert in Seoul in March a Christian group vowed to take action to stop young people from being "infected with homosexuality and pornography".

But Lady Gaga has so far failed to tone down her performances, riding on to the stage on a mechanical horse, wearing a black bodysuit and an enormous black metal headpiece.

Lady Gaga rocked the Philippines Monday, defying critics and state censors as thousands of fans, many of them dressed as outrageously as she was, roared their approval.

Despite the protests of conservative Christians and warnings by state censors, Lady Gaga declared "I'm not a creature of your government, Manila".

She then belted out her controversial song "Judas", which her Filipino critics have labelled as blasphemous.

The audience tweeted photos of the US pop phenomenon wearing a full-length yellow dress inspired by Philippine national costume as she and a dance crew gyrated for the song "Born This Way" -- a gay anthem.

The city government had earlier warned that her second show on Tuesday night could be banned if the censors among the audience monitored any hints of blasphemy, devil worship, nudity or lewd conduct.

Up to 40,000 fans in the Catholic-majority nation paid as much as 15,840 pesos ($370) each to watch the US singer.

Her world tour, "The Born This Way Ball", has been dogged by controversy in Asia, with an upcoming concert in Muslim-majority Indonesia cancelled on police orders for fear of violence from religious hardliners.

In the Philippines, Catholic leader Archbishop Ramon Arguelles urged the public to boycott her two concerts. 

"Her fans are in danger of falling into the clutches of Satan," he told reporters.

Former Manila mayor Lito Atienza, one of those calling for a concert ban, said he was opposed to the song "Judas".

"We respect freedom of expression in this country. We also appreciate art and culture... but the laws should be respected," he told AFP.

But officials in the Manila district of Pasay allowed the show to go on Monday night at the Arena, a new, oblong theatre built in Pasay by the country's richest man, Henry Sy of the SM shopping mall chain.

About 100 "little monsters" -- the name given to Lady Gaga's devoted followers -- had lined up hours before the show, sporting her signature outrageous clothing, hairstyle and makeup.

A group of about 500 Christian activists tried to march on the Arena, singing religious songs while carrying placards saying "Stop Lady Gaga, the mother monster."

However riot police stopped them about one kilometre (half a mile) away.

Local authorities earlier said they had worked out a deal to permit the show while addressing the clamour by Christian conservatives.

Censors were in the audience to monitor possible violations of a law against "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows", said Glenn Agranzamendez, secretary to Pasay mayor Tony Calixto.

Christian groups have vowed to send their own monitors and warned they could sue Lady Gaga under a law that penalises taking part or sponsoring "indecent shows" with prison terms of up to six years.

Despite the protests, the demand for tickets has been so strong that the Manila concert's organisers had to extend the event from the original one-night show to two nights.

Similarly in Hong Kong, huge demand saw organisers extend Lady Gaga's original one-night run to four concerts.

But question marks remain over whether she will be able to perform to 50,000 fans in Jakarta on June 3.

Promoters are trying to save the show despite police denying it a permit after Islamic hardliners threatened to unleash "chaos".

Je me souviens, il n'y a pas si longtemps de celà, des Sex Girls Philippines ... peu contestaient le Phénomène à l'époque. (sans vouloir parler des Calendars Girls ou des ''Bikinis contests'').

Etonnement, les photos les plus ‘’hot’s’’ d’un groupe mythique des Philippines, à savoir les ‘’Sex Bombs’’, ont disparues de sur le net ! 

Ne vous inquiétez-pas, je vais retrouver.

Pourquoi cette attitude ?

Elle est étrangère, Kano ?

Salamat Po.