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| Born This Way Foundation launch event – live | Born This Way Foundation launch event – live |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 5.32pm: And that is all for our live coverage of the Born This Way Foundation launch event at Harvard University, featuring Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga's mom, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra (for one tiny question), Kathleen Sebelius, a couple professors, a couple experts, an empowered youth. | |
| It takes a lot of gumption to round up Oprah and a Cabinet member for a televised mock trial at Harvard in which the spectacle mostly amounts to yourself being asked questions by experts about their own respective areas of expertise. | |
| In Gaga's defense, she took care to say repeatedly that she did not have the answers but was merely trying to shed light on the questions and urge as many people as possible to try to answer them. | |
| Was it an indulgent piece of pop star theater? A little bit. But Gaga explained herself well, and the others participated gamely. And they kept it pretty short! | |
| The success or failure of the Born This Way Foundation doesn't depend on this event. It depends on what they do next. | |
| 5.20pm: Lady Gaga wrapping it up with hearty thanks. "My mother and I are going to go have some wine and celebrate." No Oprah? | |
| And curtain. | |
| 5.17pm: Launch event drawing a broad spectrum of reactions. | |
| Watching the BTWF webcast; Gaga is so inspiring. Yet again proving she cares deeply about common folk & how she is more than just an artist. | |
| — Stacey Winter (@SeasonOf_Winter) February 29, 2012 | |
| Some asshole commented "L U V Madonna" on the BTWF livestream. #PrayForMadonnasFans | |
| — Ramez † Lady Gaga (@hausoframez) February 29, 2012 | |
| 5.14pm: Best part so far. The token "empowered youth" onstage is asked about what she does at her school. She's painfully shy. But she gets this out: | |
| "At my school, I try to set an example. Because without an example, kids don't know what to do. And if one kid can set an example, then the rest will follow." | |
| Clapping, clapping. | |
| 5.10pm: Here's the answer to that "Why are you doing this, Lady Gaga?" question, which she gave in response to a question from an audience member. | |
| "It just kind of fell in my lap. I put out 'Born This Way' [and it developed]. My music speaks to it, and for whatever reason, this cause, it sits right here and it doesn't move. Wherever I go, it's always with me, and I have to do it. | |
| "I believe that if you have revolutionary potential, you must make the world a better place, and use it." | |
| That part was heartwarming. | |
| 5.07pm: And that's correct, a Cabinet member just interviewed a pop star. | |
| 5.03pm: Secretary Sebelius up now. "Well I think that the question, Lady Gaga, that you were just talking about with kids, one of the things... that the research says is that a friend, a person intervening in a bullying situation is enormously powerful.... What can you, we, all of us do to let kids know how powerful they are?" | 5.03pm: Secretary Sebelius up now. "Well I think that the question, Lady Gaga, that you were just talking about with kids, one of the things... that the research says is that a friend, a person intervening in a bullying situation is enormously powerful.... What can you, we, all of us do to let kids know how powerful they are?" |
| Gaga says use technology. Create a sense of acceptance within the classroom. Tell a teacher. "It's going to take a really long time. And if anyone knows how to get a message out there, it's me." That came off as a little self-congratulatory. "If I made a song called 'Just Dance' really big all over the world, I might be able to make a song called 'Just Be Nice.'" | Gaga says use technology. Create a sense of acceptance within the classroom. Tell a teacher. "It's going to take a really long time. And if anyone knows how to get a message out there, it's me." That came off as a little self-congratulatory. "If I made a song called 'Just Dance' really big all over the world, I might be able to make a song called 'Just Be Nice.'" |
| Here's a window into Gaga's thinking, and where she places herself in the pantheon of cultural greats: "I'm obsessed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and they would say, 'Give Peace a Chance.' And reporters would shove microphones in their faces and say 'Explain.' And they would just cuddle and say, 'No.'" | Here's a window into Gaga's thinking, and where she places herself in the pantheon of cultural greats: "I'm obsessed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and they would say, 'Give Peace a Chance.' And reporters would shove microphones in their faces and say 'Explain.' And they would just cuddle and say, 'No.'" |
| It's clear that Gaga cares deeply about the effort. The question is, why? She describes her "moment of empathy." Where does the empathy come from? | It's clear that Gaga cares deeply about the effort. The question is, why? She describes her "moment of empathy." Where does the empathy come from? |
| 4.57pm: What's the flavor of the event so far? The mock court, with experts in psychology and average folks with experience of victimhood asking Gaga questions alongside the famous panelists, is certainly contrived... and for the most part working. Lady Gaga is an eloquent individual. She is responding at length to complicated questions about how to make society safer for the most vulnerable. Every once in a while she throws in a joke to keep the audience laughing and attentive. | 4.57pm: What's the flavor of the event so far? The mock court, with experts in psychology and average folks with experience of victimhood asking Gaga questions alongside the famous panelists, is certainly contrived... and for the most part working. Lady Gaga is an eloquent individual. She is responding at length to complicated questions about how to make society safer for the most vulnerable. Every once in a while she throws in a joke to keep the audience laughing and attentive. |
| "You know, [societal change] could be 50 years from now – and if I'm dead, I don't give a shit. I just hope it happens." | "You know, [societal change] could be 50 years from now – and if I'm dead, I don't give a shit. I just hope it happens." |
| Gaga is calling on experts and activists and researchers and loudmouths of every stripe to join the movement. It's nothing if not ambitious. | Gaga is calling on experts and activists and researchers and loudmouths of every stripe to join the movement. It's nothing if not ambitious. |
| 4.49pm: OK, that headdress is definitely not tulle. And we neglected to mention the sheer lace gloves, tied with bows at the wrists. | 4.49pm: OK, that headdress is definitely not tulle. And we neglected to mention the sheer lace gloves, tied with bows at the wrists. |
| 4.47pm: Deepak is up. He asks Gaga if a better world is possible and what it will take. | 4.47pm: Deepak is up. He asks Gaga if a better world is possible and what it will take. |
| She thinks yes, it's possible, and in fact it takes "very little" to change the world. "I believe that if every one of us transformed just a small bit of ourselves to be ... a little more tolerant, [it would change]. The problem is there are so damn many of us!" | She thinks yes, it's possible, and in fact it takes "very little" to change the world. "I believe that if every one of us transformed just a small bit of ourselves to be ... a little more tolerant, [it would change]. The problem is there are so damn many of us!" |
| That gets a laugh. | That gets a laugh. |
| 4.44pm: Gaga on the docket. | 4.44pm: Gaga on the docket. |
| 4.40pm: First question from the prosecution, played by Ogletree: what is the purpose of Born This Way? | 4.40pm: First question from the prosecution, played by Ogletree: what is the purpose of Born This Way? |
| Gaga: "To challenge meanness and cruelty by inspiring young people to create a support system in their respective communities." | Gaga: "To challenge meanness and cruelty by inspiring young people to create a support system in their respective communities." |
| 4.39pm: Gaga by the way is attired in a scoop-necked merlot crushed velvet blouse and pencil skirt with a massive black tulle headdress. We think. | 4.39pm: Gaga by the way is attired in a scoop-necked merlot crushed velvet blouse and pencil skirt with a massive black tulle headdress. We think. |
| The conceit of the launch event is emerging. Lady Gaga is to be put on trial. The emcee is Harvard Law School Professor Charles J. Ogletree. He has just introduced U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Deepak Chopra and a student and another professor. | The conceit of the launch event is emerging. Lady Gaga is to be put on trial. The emcee is Harvard Law School Professor Charles J. Ogletree. He has just introduced U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Deepak Chopra and a student and another professor. |
| What charges will Lady Gaga face in this show trial? Objection! | What charges will Lady Gaga face in this show trial? Objection! |
| 4.35pm: Lady Gaga: "I would like to introduce to you the woman who made me what I am today. She's who I steal all my style tips from... I quite often think I see a halo around my mother's head when she walks around. ... She has always been my supporter, and she makes me want to inject that sense of family and support into the world. And so ladies and gentlemen, this is my mother Cynthia. | 4.35pm: Lady Gaga: "I would like to introduce to you the woman who made me what I am today. She's who I steal all my style tips from... I quite often think I see a halo around my mother's head when she walks around. ... She has always been my supporter, and she makes me want to inject that sense of family and support into the world. And so ladies and gentlemen, this is my mother Cynthia. |
| Cynthia Germanotta, co-founder and president, Born This Way: Thank you, to my darling daughter for that lovely introduction. I appreciate it. | Cynthia Germanotta, co-founder and president, Born This Way: Thank you, to my darling daughter for that lovely introduction. I appreciate it. |
| 4.32pm: IT'S WORKING! Audio and video up. Here. | 4.32pm: IT'S WORKING! Audio and video up. Here. |
| 4.31pm: We have made out some of what Gaga said: "If every single person in this room just told one single human being that's not here about everything we talked about, it's all about spreading the message. The culture of love is not going to change overnight. We have to start it slowly, but you are the answer, and know that, and go home and take with you that you are the future." | 4.31pm: We have made out some of what Gaga said: "If every single person in this room just told one single human being that's not here about everything we talked about, it's all about spreading the message. The culture of love is not going to change overnight. We have to start it slowly, but you are the answer, and know that, and go home and take with you that you are the future." |
| Oprah then said: "And one of the things you are saying is that we all understand... you can't make laws to make people change." Oprah compares the BTWF mission to the Civil Rights movement and the Women's Rights movement. | Oprah then said: "And one of the things you are saying is that we all understand... you can't make laws to make people change." Oprah compares the BTWF mission to the Civil Rights movement and the Women's Rights movement. |
| Audio out again. Could the difficulties stem from the massive number of people attempting to watch? | Audio out again. Could the difficulties stem from the massive number of people attempting to watch? |
| 4.27pm: I believe that Lady Gaga just told Oprah, "This is not an anti-bullying foundation. This is a youth empowerment foundation." The crowd applauds heartily. | 4.27pm: I believe that Lady Gaga just told Oprah, "This is not an anti-bullying foundation. This is a youth empowerment foundation." The crowd applauds heartily. |
| 4.26pm: A measure of the ardor of Lady Gaga's fans may be in the comment stream developing on YouTube of would-be viewers ticked off that they will not, indeed, be watching a livestream of the Born This Way Foundation launch event. Much of what they are writing cannot be quoted here, politely. But in sheer number the stream of comments is fantastic. | 4.26pm: A measure of the ardor of Lady Gaga's fans may be in the comment stream developing on YouTube of would-be viewers ticked off that they will not, indeed, be watching a livestream of the Born This Way Foundation launch event. Much of what they are writing cannot be quoted here, politely. But in sheer number the stream of comments is fantastic. |
| 4.21pm: Now audio is back up. Oprah Winfrey just introduced Lady Gaga. The inexplicable echo effect is still going on. There's a lot of clapping, although it's hard to tell exactly how much clapping because it's doubled. | 4.21pm: Now audio is back up. Oprah Winfrey just introduced Lady Gaga. The inexplicable echo effect is still going on. There's a lot of clapping, although it's hard to tell exactly how much clapping because it's doubled. |
| Let's "listen" to Lady Gaga! | Let's "listen" to Lady Gaga! |
| 4.19pm: Gaga with a fan outside the event. | 4.19pm: Gaga with a fan outside the event. |
| 4.16pm: Whoops. Now the bad audio is gone too. Our apologies to those following along – or trying to follow along – at home. Surely the problem will soon be repaired. Meanwhile some poor Harvard tech is screwing up the Lady Gaga / Oprah event. In the spirit of the Born This Way Foundation, our deepest empathy and heartfelt, nonjudgmental support goes out to that person. | 4.16pm: Whoops. Now the bad audio is gone too. Our apologies to those following along – or trying to follow along – at home. Surely the problem will soon be repaired. Meanwhile some poor Harvard tech is screwing up the Lady Gaga / Oprah event. In the spirit of the Born This Way Foundation, our deepest empathy and heartfelt, nonjudgmental support goes out to that person. |
| 4.13pm: They're having some trouble with the live feed. Currently audio but no video. And the audio is haunted by an eerie, Gaga-goth echo. We just heard an administrator mention Lady-ady Ga-ga-ga-Ga, to loud applause. | 4.13pm: They're having some trouble with the live feed. Currently audio but no video. And the audio is haunted by an eerie, Gaga-goth echo. We just heard an administrator mention Lady-ady Ga-ga-ga-Ga, to loud applause. |
| 4.09pm: Still waiting for the event to start. As you can see from the above image, Lady Gaga has arrived to the building. In the build-up to today's event the Harvard Crimson ran a story introducing readers to Oprah. Think you already know everything about Oprah? Did you know she's afraid of chewing gum? That's Oprah fact No. 4. Oh wait I think it's starting! | 4.09pm: Still waiting for the event to start. As you can see from the above image, Lady Gaga has arrived to the building. In the build-up to today's event the Harvard Crimson ran a story introducing readers to Oprah. Think you already know everything about Oprah? Did you know she's afraid of chewing gum? That's Oprah fact No. 4. Oh wait I think it's starting! |
| 3.40pm: And this from @LadyGaga herself. | 3.40pm: And this from @LadyGaga herself. |
| The chef at hotel made me a surprise. So awesome to see the message spreading already. One cookie at a time. twitpic.com/8pyxyj | The chef at hotel made me a surprise. So awesome to see the message spreading already. One cookie at a time. twitpic.com/8pyxyj |
| — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 29, 2012 | — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 29, 2012 |
| 3.35pm: To supplement our live coverage of the Lady Gaga / Born This Way Foundation launch event, you can follow the BTWF Twitter feed -- or you can watch the event here. | 3.35pm: To supplement our live coverage of the Lady Gaga / Born This Way Foundation launch event, you can follow the BTWF Twitter feed -- or you can watch the event here. |
| Sanders Theatre is filling up!We'll be live tweeting the event @BTWFoundation starting at 4:00pm EST. #BTWFlive twitter.com/BTWFoundation/… | Sanders Theatre is filling up!We'll be live tweeting the event @BTWFoundation starting at 4:00pm EST. #BTWFlive twitter.com/BTWFoundation/… |
| — Born This Way (@BTWFoundation) February 29, 2012 | — Born This Way (@BTWFoundation) February 29, 2012 |
| 3.30pm: The last time there were this many celebrities in a room with Oprah Winfrey was when Oprah Winfrey staged her farewell shows. | 3.30pm: The last time there were this many celebrities in a room with Oprah Winfrey was when Oprah Winfrey staged her farewell shows. |
| Tom McCarthy here. We're getting set to live blog the launch event of the Born This Way Foundation, a youth empowerment project started by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. As youth outreach goes, this is way beyond after-school-special territory: BTWF is big. Oprah-big. Plus Harvard. Attending today's launch at Harvard's Sanders Theatre are Ladies Gaga and Winfrey; Deepak Chopra and the US health secretary, among other luminaries. | Tom McCarthy here. We're getting set to live blog the launch event of the Born This Way Foundation, a youth empowerment project started by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. As youth outreach goes, this is way beyond after-school-special territory: BTWF is big. Oprah-big. Plus Harvard. Attending today's launch at Harvard's Sanders Theatre are Ladies Gaga and Winfrey; Deepak Chopra and the US health secretary, among other luminaries. |
| Participating in the foundation are Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the California Endowment. | Participating in the foundation are Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the California Endowment. |
| We'll see just how they've chosen to introduced Born This Way (@BTWFoundation) to the world soon – it's due to start at 4pm ET. Meanwhile let's note the foundation's stated mission, which is "to foster a more accepting society, where difference are embraced and individuality is celebrated." From the BTWF website: "We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love." | We'll see just how they've chosen to introduced Born This Way (@BTWFoundation) to the world soon – it's due to start at 4pm ET. Meanwhile let's note the foundation's stated mission, which is "to foster a more accepting society, where difference are embraced and individuality is celebrated." From the BTWF website: "We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love." |
| Maybe you're following our coverage in the company of a person who makes her residence under the proverbial rock. This would be a good time to lean over and tell her that the foundation takes its name from the smash hit Gaga album and single, which sounds nothing like Madonna's Express Yourself. | Maybe you're following our coverage in the company of a person who makes her residence under the proverbial rock. This would be a good time to lean over and tell her that the foundation takes its name from the smash hit Gaga album and single, which sounds nothing like Madonna's Express Yourself. |