Lady Gaga: Paparazzi
Serial Pictures presents a Josh Akerlund production. Birds chirp and the scene opens on sunny sky and palm trees at a stately mansion. Fountain, chandeliers, designer elegance. White marble statuettes, exotic orchids, and an abundance of cash lying about. Leggy cutely-fringed blonde Lady Gaga is in bed with her French lover, played by Alexander Skarsgård, asking him if he loves her. Of course he does. Love and kisses. A close-up of the bills of money reveals that it is the chart-topping superstar's face that is printed on them. Her lover effortlessly picks her up in his arms, and carries her outside, to the balcony. Ooh, romance in full bloom, things couldn't be happier. But wait, something is amiss. This flake is setting her up for prying yellow press camera lenses. Which clicks away merrily. She realizes she's been set up, and tries to put an end to it. It is then that he tosses her over the balcony. As she plummets down, a vertigo-inducing black-and-white swirl. She hits the pavement and the newspapers say "Lady Gaga is Over" and "Lady No More Gaga"....She has survived, but is now confined to a wheelchair, depending on her chauffeur to lift her out of the limousine,and place her onto the chair. She also appears to be blind. It is only now that the song starts. "We are the crowd, we're c-coming out, got my flash on it's true, need that picture of you, it's so magical, we'd be so fantastical..." There then follows scene after scene with Lady Gaga indulging in a fetishistic display of beauty found in the ugliness of medical instruments: wheelchairs and crutches, as she is assisted by a bevy of attractive model types acting as nursing personnel. Making out with them on the couch. The Lady wears a revealing leather outfit, and momentarily more than once mimicks being crazy with tongue lolling. And highly controversial images of a plethora of 'dead models' randomly strewn through the mansion, on the lawn, and out by the pool, quite inexplicably, but apparently part of the theme of the video is inspired by celebrity suicides, victims of their own fame. They are the sexiest corpses to date in any music video, whatever else your opinion of this questionable idea might be. And there is a never-ending stream of them, some lying grotesquely contorted, as Lady Gaga goes really, really deranged/artisticly creative down much darker avenues/plainly necrophilic (take your pick). Anyway, it can be interpreted that she draws power from them, the more they perish, the more she flourishes. Back to strength, she rises to power again, she is The It Girl again."I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me, papa-Paparazzi" The song's lyrics are clearly about being stalked by an obsessed photographer, yet there is none of that in the music video itself."Leather and jeans..." the fashion references go, later on "...eyeliner and cigarettes..."They're playing house again. Wearing a weird Minnie Mouse outfit, rounded off with cartoonishly cruel vampy black lips, the Lady pours her boyfriend a drink. Which is, of course, laced by her with cyanide. She takes an antidote. Hands him the glass. He accepts, drinks, realizes he's been had, does a double take at her drinking from an ornate tea-cup, eternal lights-out time, he slumps, the glass rolls, the icecube spills. The Lady grins wickedly. "9-1-1 Emergency, hello?" She coolly announces "I just killed my boyfriend."Forensics arrive to examine the body. Dusting for prints. Lady Gaga is of course the clear culprit.She's back!!!" the headlines proclaim. "We love her again," they blare their insincerity. "She's innocent," they protest. Media interest reaching fever pitch, she is in a limousine, overt leggy display, and taken to the police station to be indicted. "Look into the camera. Walk away." Celebrity mug shot with a pussykitten snarl. Ain't nobody contrite here. The End. Credits flash briefly.
murder