Lady Gaga's Fame Monster Eccentric, Fun

...Madonna, say many, but critics still mostly impressed

(NEWSER) - Lady Gaga’s new single is here (click here to listen), and, shockingly, the Guardian notes, the throngs of people freaking out over it has not yet broken the Internet. Early reactions:

• It sounds "a lot like Madonna’s 'Express Yourself,'" writes Michael Cragg for the Guardian . “So much so that those two words are currently trending on Twitter.” The spoken-word parts definitely hearken back to the Material Girl, but ultimately Cragg deems the song less a copycat, more “a knowing nod and a cute wink.” And while it might be “ridiculously camp ... one suspects it will probably shift a few copies.”
• The Sun is slightly less forgiving, concurring with many Twitter users that the song “bears more than a passing resemblance” to Madonna’s 1989 track. The newspaper notes that one Twitter user even claims, “you can literally sing the original over this one.”

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ' is also the rapper's best effort yet

(NEWSER) - Kanye West is officially back: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the best album of 2010 and the best album of West's career," asserts Jonah Weiner on Slate . The rapper, always unable to keep quiet about things he finds unjust, has "managed to channel his sense of injustice into his music more fully and thrillingly than ever before. It's a seething and sad album, full of tales of transgression, betrayal, repudiation, and bitter vindication. It's also wild fun to listen to." More»

Teen lends her voice to 'power ballad' with other 'random' singers

(NEWSER) - Frances Bean Cobain made her musical debut yesterday—albeit in cameo form—with the release of Evelyn Evelyn. “She’s got a great voice,” says Amanda Palmer, who put together the concept album with Jason Webley. The 17-year-old is featured on the track “My Space” along with other “really random people,” Palmer says, including Weird Al Yankovic, Tegan and Sara, and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, People reports. More»

Concert riders reveal what performers like to eat

(NEWSER) - Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez certainly aren't the only divas in Hollywood: Nicki Minaj's concert rider, recently revealed in a magazine interview, show that she has some pretty involved backstage demands as well. Those include three 12-piece buckets of spicy fried chicken, no thighs, and scented candles smelling like baked goods, the Daily Mail reports. The Huffington Post rounds up the food requests of 13 other celebrities:

• Jordin Sparks: The American Idol alum only wants healthy food, including a jar of kosher pickle spears.
• Lady Gaga: Her rider doesn't demand food at all, just beverages including Red Bull.

Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta need help, says critic

(NEWSER) - New York's new restaurant, Joanne, gets a scathing review in the Post by restaurant critic Steve Cuozzo, a fact about which few would probably care ... except that the restaurant in question is owned by Lady Gaga's parents, Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta. In his amusing critique, Cuozzo starts off by noting that the restaurant appeared to be "running mainly on acrid-smelling burnt vinegar wafting intermittently through the raucous dining room." As for the celebrity chef running the debacle, "I felt sorry for Art Smith, the fine chef who somehow hooked up with Lady Gaga’s parents," Cuozzo muses. More»