noimekimmel: Lady Gaga Looks To Top 2009 'Opera'-Like VMA Set

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Lady Gaga Looks To Top 2009 'Opera'-Like VMA Set

Creative director Laurieann Gibson talks Gaga's upcoming performance and male alter ego Jo Calderone.
By Kelley L. Carter, with reporting by Jim Cantiello

Lady Gaga performs at the 2009 Video Music Awards
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Jo Calderone is an acquired taste. The male alter ego of Lady Gaga -- he first surfaced in Vogue Hommes Japan last year -- was last seen in the Laurieann Gibson-directed "Yoü and I" video, and the two didn't immediately hit it off.

"When I first met Jo, I didn't particularly like him. He calls me Ms. Laurie. And when he came to work on my 'Yoü and I' video, he was like, 'Ms. Laurie, how long am I going to have to shoot?' And I was like, 'Jo, you're going to have to wait just like everyone else.' "

Now, the two get along swimmingly. So does that mean he'll make an appearance at Sunday's Video Music Awards?

"Will Jo be at the VMAs? Hmmm, I'm trying to book him. I'm talking to his manager now, so I'll keep you posted," she told MTV News correspondent Jim Cantiello.

She added: "He's not a diva; he's just a real dude. He's a little scary, but he's real."

Scary indeed. In the Vogue Hommes Japan issue, Calderone talked about his relationship with Mother Monster, saying, "[My occupation is] mechanic for my dad's business. This is the first time I've had my picture taken. Well, I always helped my dad at work, since I was a kid. I thought it would be fun to have my picture taken."

Gibson also talked up 2009's much-talked-about "Paparazzi" performance and joked about the excessive use of blood. "I thought it was an opera," she said. "I started out to create an opera. It was 'Paparazzi,' and it was the beginning of everyone seeing how crazy we are -- but crazy creative, and MTV [is] the most amazing platform to deliver that."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday from Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visiting VMA.MTV.com.

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