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Emerson College

Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts context."^[2] Offering over three dozen degree programs in the area of Arts and Communication, the college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. Located in the Boston's Washington Street Theatre District on the edge of the Boston Common, the school also maintains buildings in Los Angeles and the town of Well, The Netherlands.

History[link]

Origins[link]

Charles Wesley Emerson founded the Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory, and Dramatic Art in 1880, a year after Boston University closed its School of Oratory.^{[citation needed]} Classes were held at Pemberton Square in Boston. Ten students enrolled in the conservatory's first class. The following year, the conservatory changed its name to the "Monroe Conservatory of Oratory," in honor of Charles Emerson's teacher at Boston University's School of Oratory, Professor Lewis B. Monroe. In 1890, the name changed again to "Emerson College of Oratory" and was later shortened to Emerson College in 1939.^[3]

Early expansion and growth[link]

The college expanded and rented space at 36 Bromfield Street, and moved to Odd Fellows Hall on Berkeley and Tremont Streets in the South End of Boston. With the new location, the college's first library was established in 1892. Henry Southwick, a faculty member and graduate, became a financial partner for the college with Emerson. This financial partnership led to the purchase of the Boston School of Oratory from Moses T. Brown in 1894.

At the turn of the century, faculty members Henry and Jessie Southwick and William H. Kenney purchased the college from Dr. Emerson. Soon after, the college rented a new location in Chickering Hall.

Dr. Emerson retired in 1903 and William J. Rolfe, a Shakespearean scholar and actor, was named the second President of Emerson College of Oratory. His service as president lasted until his retirement in 1908.

As the Student Government Association of the college held its first meeting in 1908, the third president, Henry Lawrence Southwick, of the college was inaugurated. He introduced the study of acting and stagecraft into the college curriculum.

During his tenure, the college rented a new building at 30 Huntington Avenue. The college was also granted the right to award Bachelor of Literary Interpretation (B.L.I.) degrees. In addition, Emerson became the first school with a collegiate-level program in Children's theater in 1919.^[4] The school offered its first course in Journalism in 1924.

The college purchased its first piece of real estate with a new women's dormitory building at 373 Commonwealth Ave. and started intramural sports in 1931 with the organization of volleyball games.

Administrative restructuring[link]

In 1930, full charge and control of the College was transferred to the Board of Trustees by William H. Kenney, Henry Lawrence Southwick, and Jessie Southwick.

When Harry Seymour Ross was appointed the fourth president of Emerson College in 1931, the first course in radio broadcasting was taught by the program director of WEEI, a Boston AM radio station.

The purchase of buildings at 130 Beacon Street and 128 Beacon Street a year later began the presence of Emerson College in Boston's Back Bay. Emerson kept ownership of these buildings until summer 2003.

In the following years, a professional training program in Speech Pathology (1935) and the first undergraduate program in broadcasting and broadcast journalism (1937) were offered for the first time in the United States. Also, construction of a theater behind 128-130 Beacon began, and the institution was granted the right to award degrees of Master of Arts.

Post-war era[link]

In the post-war era, the G.I. Bill of Rights and the Broadcasting curriculum contributed to the rebalancing of the student body from a primarily-female population to an equally-balanced population of men and women. Boylston Green, the first president to have no prior association with the college, used his background as a dean of students to enhance extracurricular activities, including the establishment of a student activities fee. These efforts led to the first publication of Emerson's student newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon, in 1947. It is still in production today.^{[citation needed]}

Emerson also saw major development in its broadcasting program. A one-year Certificate of Broadcasting was offered via evening classes. The FCC awarded the college a 10-watt license in 1949, and WERS, the first educational FM radio station in New England, was born. The station's power was increased to 300 watts three years later, and 18,000 watts by 1953.

At the start of the decade,^[when?] Emerson College became a member of the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, an accreditation association for schools and colleges in New England.

President Boylston Green eventually retired, and Godfrey Dewey served as Acting President until 1951. At that time, Jonathon French was appointed as Acting President, and he became President in December of that year, despite never being formally inaugurated.

Financial crisis of 1952[link]

The college suffered from a severe financial crisis in 1952, and sought $50,000 in emergency funding. At the time, the Chairman of the Corporation stated that without these funds, the college had three alternatives: go broke, sell out, or join up with another institution. Led by the National Alumni Council, a grassroots campaign was launched to improve the financial situation of the college. The efforts led to the resignation of the Council of Trustees, which was then replaced mostly by alumni. The new board elected a former Emerson history professor, S. Justus McKinley, as the fifth President of Emerson College.

Rising from financial trouble[link]

Pulling out of its financial crisis, the college started to develop its programs with new facilities. In 1953, Emerson opened the Robbins Speech and Hearing Clinic at 145 Beacon Street, furthering the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. A television studio was dedicated at 130 Beacon in 1954, with its first closed-circuit TV program the following year as WERS-TV. The first annual spring musical, Lady in the Dark by Moss Hart, was presented.^[when?]

The school was authorized^{[by whom?]} to grant Bachelors and Masters of Science in Speech, honorary degrees, and Bachelor of Music in conjunction with the Longy School of Music.

Back Bay as Emerson's campus[link]

As the 1960s started, the building at 373 Commonwealth Avenue was sold to purchase a dormitory at 100 Beacon Street to accommodate an enrollment of 609 undergraduate and 29 graduate students. A year later, a building at 150 Beacon Street was obtained for dorms, dining hall, and administrative offices. With major gifts from Elisabeth Abbot Smith and J.F. Buzzard, the college Library moved from the fourth floor of 130 Beacon Street into its own building at 303 Berkeley Street. In 1964, two buildings were purchased: 96 Beacon Street, which became the student union building, and 132-134 Beacon Street, which became a dormitory. The campus remained primarily in Back Bay until the late 1990s.

In 1967, Richard Chapin, former Dean of the Harvard Business School was inaugurated as the seventh president of Emerson College.

Shortly afterward, an academic planning committee approved a new course of study for general education requirements. The first level of this program replaced the college-wide requirements with a two-year interdisciplinary course of study and electives.^{[further explanation needed]} In order to accommodate this new program, the building at 67-69 Brimmer Street was purchased. The Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies was born. A year later (1972), the college gained authorization^{[by whom?]} to grant BFA, and MFA degrees.

Attempted relocation[link]

Though Emerson College has moved to various locations within the city of Boston, the appointment of Allen E. Koenig (the ninth president of Emerson College) almost took the college completely outside of Boston. As soon as he was inaugurated,^[when?] Koenig initiated talks with Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to relocate Emerson and merge the two schools. However, an agreement was never reached and the plan was dropped entirely.

At the start of the 1980s, Koenig made a proposal to the Board of Trustees for a major renovation of the college's facilities. The plan allowed for new performance spaces, classrooms, and faculty offices at Brimmer Street; remodeling the Library and Learning Resources Center at 150 Beacon; remodeling the 303 Berkeley building for the Humanities and Social Sciences Division; a new radio/audio complex at 126 Beacon; and construction of two new television studios behind 130 Beacon.

In 1984, 335 Commonwealth Avenue was purchased for Administration and the Communication Studies department. The college also received the authorization to grant MFA degrees in Creative Writing.

Despite the newly-purchased Commonwealth Avenue buildings, Lawrence, Massachusetts was soon being discussed as a new location for Emerson College, about 44.5 km (27.7 mi) away from Boston. The mayor of Lawrence announced that the necessary land would be taken by eminent domain and sold to Emerson for a token payment of $100. However, the five affected private landowners disagreed with this arrangement and fought the city in court. Three years later in 1988, Judge John Forte ruled in favor of the City of Lawrence. The river-front site in Lawrence was proposed as the new campus for the College. However, as real estate values in Boston dropped and the costs of constructing a new campus increased, the plans were put on hold and eventually abandoned when Koenig resigned as president in 1989. In 1988, the college bought a building at Zero Marlborough Street (also known as 6 Arlington Street) for dormitories and a dining hall.

In an unrelated move, Kasteel Well in the Netherlands was purchased and became the home of Emerson's overseas program (now called External Programs).

Rebirth[link]

John Zacharis became the tenth president of Emerson College and faced a college fractured by the failed move to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Over the course of two years, he moved to restore unity to the campus by purchasing a building at 180 Tremont Street, now called the Ansin Building. This purchase started a transition from Back Bay to the Boston Theatre District. Sadly, Zacharis went on medical leave in 1992 and died of leukemia shortly after.

During Zacharis's leave, Jacqueline Weis Liebergott was appointed as Acting President and, a year later, inaugurated to become the first female president of the college. Shortly after, she submitted a 10-year master plan to the Boston Redevelopment Authority which involved moving the college to the Washington Street Theatre District (also known at that time as the Combat Zone).

In the mid-1990s, a planning document of the college's future plans was drafted and public hearings were held. The college also extended health care benefits to domestic partners of gay and lesbian faculty, administration and staff. Under the plan, dental coverage and tuition waivers were also available.

1994 was also the year the college started to go online with a $100,000 gift from Mrs. Mary E. Tufte. Financed by the contribution, The Tufte Lab was placed on the fourth floor of the Ansin Building and dedicated in Mrs. Tufte's honor. The lab was the catalyst for a telecommunications / fiber optic network installation, which was completed in October 1995.

In addition, the college announced the purchase and restoration of The Little Building (Boston) (1994) across the street from the Ansin Building and next to Emerson's Majestic Theatre. Restoration was completed on the façades of the college's buildings at 126, 128, 130, 132-134, 168 Beacon Street, and 21 Commonwealth Avenue.

1996 — present[link]

In the mid-90s Emerson purchased the Walker Building (Boston) at 120 Boylston. The building currently hosts the school's Department of Television, Radio, Film Production, the Institutional Advancement (Alumni and Development) department, and the Government and Community Relations department. It also contains the school's Library and many of its classrooms.

In 2003 the Tufte Performance Production Center (PPC) at 10 Boylston Place opened. The 11-story steel-and-glass building houses the Department of Performing Arts and includes two theaters (The Semel Theatre and The Greene Theatre), two television studios, makeup and costume labs, faculty offices and an exhibition area. Also that year the Cutler Majestic Theatre finished renovations and re-opened as one of the mainstages of Emerson Stage productions.

In 2004 it was announced that the buildings at 96, 100 and 132 Beacon had been sold and would be vacated by the Fall 2006 semester.

Construction of a new 14-story residence hall at 150 Boylston Street began in March 2004, and was completed in September 2006 in time for the new school year. It is the first entirely-new residence hall in Emerson's history. The facility includes residential suites, athletic facilities, offices and meeting rooms for student organizations, informal gathering places for off-campus students, spaces for small-group rehearsals and performances, and dining facilities.

In September 2006 a long-running labor dispute between the administrators and faculty union was resolved. The administration limited the union's role in promotion and tenure, and brought department chairs into administrative roles, where they were not covered by the union. In response, the college agreed not to dismantle the union.^[5]

In 2005 the school purchased the historic Paramount Theatre (Boston) on Washington Street, with plans to build a new complex at the site. The complex will include a 565-seat main stage theater inside the existing Paramount Theater and a 125-seat black box theater in an adjacent new building. Plans also include a 200-seat film screening room, eight rehearsal studios ranging from 700 to 1,900 square feet (180 m²), six smaller rehearsal spaces, a sound stage for film students, a new scene shop, and a dormitory for 260 students.^[6]

On April 3, 2006, a three-ton scaffolding platform on the east side of the 150 Boylston construction project fell to the street below, killing two construction workers and one motorist. The scaffolding had been attached to the east side of the building and was in the process of being removed. Investigators found that the construction workers did not properly secure the scaffolding to a crane while dismantling the apparatus, causing the platform to be unstable and resulting in the collapse. Construction was stopped for over a week to allow investigators to determine the cause of the accident, but was resumed in time to meet the project's August 2006 deadline.^[7]

In May 2006, the Campus Center in the Piano Row building was named the Max Mutchnick Campus Center after a major gift from the 1987 graduate and co-creator of Will & Grace. In the same year, the school exercised its purchase option on the Colonial Theatre adjacent to the Little Building, converting the upper floors of the building to a 372-bed dormitory. With the addition of dorm space here and at the Paramount Theatre, the school hopes to accommodate up to 75 percent of its students in on-campus housing by the year 2010.

On December 2, 2009, President Liebergott announced she would step down in June 2011. On September 8, 2010, the college announced she would be succeeded by M. Lee Pelton of Willamette University.^[8]

On March 18, 2010, the newly-renovated Paramount Center officially opened, with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino illuminating the Paramount's original art deco marquee, which Emerson had restored. In addition to the 590-seat Paramount Theatre, the Paramount Center also houses an experimental black box theater, the Bright Family Screening Room, a sound stage, a scene/prop production shop, nine rehearsal studios, six practice rooms, four classrooms, 20 faculty offices, and a student gathering area. A commercial restaurant will be located on the street level.

[edit] Presidents of the college ^[9]

• Charles Wesley Emerson (1880–1903)
• William James Rolphe (1903–08)
• Henry Lawrence Southwick (1908–32)
• Harry S. Ross (1932–45)
• Boylston Green (1945–49)
• Samuel Justus McKinley (1949–67)
• Richard Chapin (1967–75)
• Gus Turbeville (1975–77)
• presidency empty (1977–79)
• Allen E. Koenig (1979–89)
• John Zacharis (1989–92)
• Jacqueline Liebergott (1992–2011)
• M. Lee Pelton (2011–present)

Emerson campus today[link]

Emerson College has completed its move^[when?] from Boston's Back Bay neighborhood to the historic Theatre District of Boston, abutting the southeast corner of Boston Common. In addition to the buildings listed below, Emerson College owns and runs the Cutler Majestic Theatre. The College also owns a Kasteel Well* in Holland, the base for its European programs and is constructing a major academic center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood to house its long-standing Los Angeles programs.

• Kasteel Well is a national historical monument that provides living accommodations, classrooms, a resource center, and related facilities. Located in southeastern Holland near the German border, Kasteel Well is approximately two hours from Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, and Brussels, and five hours from Paris, Milan, and Madrid.

Non-residential buildings[link]

The Ansin Building (180 Tremont Street)[link]

Once owned by the Boston Edison Company, the Ansin Building was purchased by Emerson in 1992. The building stands 14 stories high and contains all Visual & Media Arts (VMA) labs and facilities, offices for all VMA and Writing, Literature & Publishing (WLP) departments, and is the home of both WERS and WECB. It also contains the Tufte and 3D computer labs, Digital Production labs, and the Media Services center.

Computer Labs: 3D Lab (3DL), Tufte Lab, Writing & Publishing Lab (WPL), XML (Opened Fall 2006)
Production Labs/Facilities: Digital Production Labs 1 & 2 (DPL1, DPL2), Video Editing Lab (VEL), Steenbeck Lab

216 Tremont Street[link]

The former Union Bank building at 216 Tremont Street houses the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and its clinic for hearing-impaired children. Also located here are the offices of the Registrar, Student Financial Services, Health Services, Career Services, the Counseling Center and the International Student Center. The Bill Bordy Theater and Auditorium on the ground floor is used for lectures, performances, performance classes and special events.

Computer Labs: Communication Sciences and Disorders Lab (CSD)

Walker Building (120 Boylston Street)[link]

Home to classrooms, offices to various non-academic and academic departments, and five computer labs, and the Iwasaki Library. The fifth and sixth floors connect to the Tufte building.

Computer Labs: Advanced Projects Lab (APL), Advanced Teaching Lab (ATL), Communication & Marketing Labs (CML) 1, 2, and Journalism Lab (JRL)
Production Facilities: Newsroom TV Studio, Newsroom Editing Labs
Academic Facilities: Iwasaki Library, Emerson College Archives and Special Collections

During the summer of 2008 the Walker building underwent construction to be completed before fall of 2008 to fill in the light-well that provided natural light to floors 2 through 6 to insert the set of popular NBC television show Will & Grace, donated by Emerson alumnus Max Mutchnick, in the Iwasaki Library. The project also provides new study rooms for students on the other floors.

Tufte Performance Production Center (10 Boylston Place)[link]

Opened in the fall of 2003, the 11-story building is home to two television studios, two performing art theaters, the Huret and Spector Gallery, set and costume studios, classrooms, and the offices of the Department of Performing Arts. The fifth and sixth floors of the building are connected to the Walker Building.

Computer Labs: CAD Lab
Performance Theaters & Facilities: Semel Theatre, The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater, The Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Design Technology and Makeup Studio
Television Studio & Facilities: Di Bona Television Studio & Control Room, Studio B & Control Room

Cutler Majestic Theatre[link]

Built originally in 1903, the Majestic Theatre was one of the first in Boston to be pre-wired for electricity, shown by its use of over 4500 light bulbs throughout the building. In the 1920s it converted to vaudeville, straying from its original purpose as an opera house. The 1950s then brought motion pictures to the Majestic, and not long after that the theatre, along with much of the surrounding neighborhood, fell into disrepair. Emerson purchased the theatre in 1983, and began extensive renovations on the building. The theatre is a member of the national League of Historic Theatres.

The theatre is home to 2-3 Emerson Stage productions each year, various speaking events, Family Weekend, Open House, and The EVVY Awards, Emerson's own award show and the largest student-run live television production in the country^{[citation needed]}.^[10]

Paramount Center[link]

Opening in 1932 as a movie theatre, seating 1,700 movie-goers, the Paramount Theatre was one of the first movie houses in Boston to play talking motion pictures. In 2005, Emerson College announced plans to renovate the Paramount Theatre, building an entire performing arts facility in and around the theatre. Construction was completed in January 2010.

The project included not only renovating the Paramount Theatre into a 550-seat theater, but building both a new Performance Development Center and a new residence hall for the school. The complex will also feature a 125-seat black box theater, a 200-seat film screening room, eight rehearsal studios ranging from 700 to 1,900 square feet (180 m2), six practice rooms for individuals and small groups, a sound stage for film production classes, a scene shop, several classrooms; a restaurant, and up to a dozen Emerson faculty and staff offices. More information can be found at the Paramount Center website.

The newly renovated Paramount Center was designed by Elkus/Manfredi Architects of Boston and built by Bond Brothers. Construction began in the spring of 2007 and was completed in December 2009.

Residence halls[link]

Piano Row & Max Mutchnick Campus Center (150 Boylston Street)[link]

The newly-constructed building opened in September 2006, replacing residence hall and student union buildings on Beacon and Arlington streets with most offices relocating to the new building. Sited on Boylston St. in the historic Piano Row District, the building is often referred to as "Piano Row."

The residence floors consist of seven suites per floor. Each suite consists of three two-person bedrooms and one shared bathroom and living room for the unit. In addition, each floor has at least one residence assistant's room with either a common room or an additional residence assistant's room every other floor.

Piano Row is also home to the Max Mutchnick Campus Center, sometimes called "The Max," and the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gymnasium. The former features several conference, meeting, and rehearsal spaces open to all students, offices for Student Life and the Student Government Association, and storage for any student organization that requires it. The Brown Gymnasium has an NCAA regulation-sized basketball court, with several sets of bleachers and a sky box equipped for events, as well as a workout and fitness center for athletes. Also housing new offices for the Athletics Department, it is Emerson College's first-ever indoor athletic facility. The construction of the gym was controversial at the time of its announcement, considering lack of performing space on campus and the lack of enthusiasm around athletics at Emerson. Since then, with growing appreciation for athletics among the student body, and the development of significant new performance and rehearsal space in the Paramount Center (see below), the Brown Gym has become an important campus feature.

The building also features a cafe, which offers several made-to-order food items as well as convenience items, with indoor seating overlooking the Boston Common.

Little Building (80 Boylston Street)[link]

In addition to housing a number of administrative offices on the ground floor, the Little Building was once an office and residential space before Emerson College purchased the building in 1994 and opened for use in September 1995.

The residence hall houses over 750 students in ten floors of the twelve story building and contains the college's only cafeteria, a 10,000 sq ft (930 m²) fitness center in its basement and The Cabaret, a space in the basement used for performances with a maximum capacity of 150 people.

The housing section of the building comprises singles, doubles, triples, two quads, and suites of between 4 and 6 people made up of various configurations of singles and doubles.

The Little Building was originally built to hold 600 offices, 15 stores, 22 shops, and a Post Office. Built in 1917, it was named after its financier, John Mason Little and was designed by famed architect Clarence Blackall.^[11] The building's name is often confused as being an adjective, which leads to a surprise upon discovery that it is one of the larger buildings on campus. In 1998 the building was changed from its original red color.

Colonial Building (100 Boylston Street)[link]

Newly renovated in 2009, the upper floors of this 10-story building house 372 students in single and double rooms in three-, four-, five-, or six-person suite-like environments that include a shared bathroom. Residents share common lounges with kitchenettes and a centralized laundry facility. This was formerly the headquarters of music publishing company, McLaughlin & Reilly Co.

Paramount Center (555 Washington Street)[link]

Opened in 2010, The Paramount Center is located in the heart of the Boston Theatre district, adjacent to the Boston Opera House and on top of the newly renovated Paramount Theatre, classroom space, a film soundstage, 200 seat screening room, and a black box theatre. The Residence hall has four floors, on the 6th through 9th floors. Each floor has a common room, and a mix of doubles and four or six person suites. All rooms or suites have their own full bathroom, and all floors are coed. The 7th Floor is designated the Film Learning Community floor.

Hollywood Center (Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles)[link]

In 2007, Emerson College announced^[12] that it had purchased property in on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood on which to build a permanent home to its decades-old Los Angeles program. The international design firm Morphosis,^[13] headed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Thom Mayne,^[14] has been retained to design a signature building incorporating residential, teaching and administrative spaces. The building is now projected to be ready by 2014, when it will accommodate 200 students (twice the number of students now attending Emerson's temporary space in Burbank.)^[15]

Academics[link]

Emerson College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. Two schools (School of Communications and School of the Arts) and two departments (Department of Professional Studies and Special Programs and Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies) offer 27 undergraduate programs and 10 graduate degree programs. In 2008, Emerson admitted 37% of applicants, and is ranked 14th in the Universities-Master's (North) category according to U.S. News & World Report. There are currently 3,453 undergraduate and 837 graduate students. Tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year is $29,408 for a full-time undergraduate student; approximately 65% of students receive financial assistance averaging $15,000 in scholarships and grants, low-interest loans and part-time employment.^[16][17]

This section requires expansion.

Student life[link]

Student organizations[link]

Emerson College offers a large number of organizations, most of which are highly active and diverse ranging from curriculum based activities to social action organizations. All organizations, (except Greek-lettered organizations and departmental student organizations) are under the control of the Student Government Association and must renew their existence yearly.

Emerson Channel[link]

The Emerson Channel is Emerson College's award winning television station.^[18] The channel was created in 1999 and is run entirely by Emerson College Students. It airs on campus cable channels 3 and 56 as well as online on their website.

The channel currently produces 17 original shows including:^[19]

Closing Time Live

• A thirty minute live late night variety show

Good Morning Emerson (GME)

• A morning news/talk show

The EVVY Awards

• The largest multi-camera awards show produced by any college.

Non-Greek organizations[link]

CPLA
The Communication, Politics and Law Association at Emerson College (CPLA-Emerson) is the oldest non-partisan student run organization on campus and was founded with the purpose to foster interest and involvement in local, national and global politics and policy. CPLA combines grassroots efforts with young idealism to effect change. Using Emerson’s broad network of political alumni, Emerson students, through CPLA, have and will continue to make an impact in the social and political realms, and develop relationships that will benefit them individually in the future.

The Emersonian
The Emersonian is one of the College's oldest organizations, serving as the permanent annual record of the year's people, places, happenings, and events of Emerson. Staffed by students, the publication process take approximately eighteen months from inception to final production. All majors at Emerson are welcomed to join this organization.

Greek organizations[link]

Emerson College's Greek organizations include:

Alpha Epsilon Phi (ΑΕΦ)
Alpha Epsilon Phi is a national sorority founded in 1909 to promote esteem and sorority fidelity. AEPhi Beta Alpha Chapter is composed of a diverse group of women brought together by their common values of honesty, philanthropy, scholarship, leadership, tradition, pride, fun, sisterhood, and growth. As a social sorority, AEPhi organizes sister and Emerson events, as well as devotes time to local and national philanthropies. The sisters of the Beta Alpha Chapter at Emerson are especially dedicated to the fight against breast cancer—raising thousands to help the cause. As a national sorority AEPhi works with other local chapters and participates in AEPhi’s annual National Convention. Alpha Epsilon Phi provides a lifetime bond of friendship and sisterhood.

Alpha Pi Theta (ΑΠΘ)
Alpha Pi Theta is the oldest (and currently the only) local fraternity at Emerson College. The Brotherhood comprises an eclectic mix of personalities, talents and backgrounds, fostering a strong support system for individuals within the organization to grow and develop. Founded in 1946 by veterans returning to college from World War II, Alpha Pi Theta is based on the principles of Brotherhood, Love and Trust. Through open communication and camaraderie, "Theta" strives to promote by way of example the ideals of compassion, understanding, tolerance and service to one's community. From this model, active members and alumni continually work together in an effort to better each other, Emerson College, and the Boston communities as a whole.

Zeta Phi Eta (ΖΦΗ)
Zeta Phi Eta, established at Emerson College in 1908, is a National Professional Coed Fraternity in the Communication Arts and Sciences. Founded at Northwestern University in 1893, Zeta Phi Eta is the oldest national group of its kind. Since that time, Zeta has bonded together individuals committed to high standards in the communication arts and sciences, while providing opportunities for sharing professional interests through worthwhile activities. The sisters and brothers of Zeta Phi Eta are strongly involved with the campus community, in addition to working with many outside organizations such as the AIDS Action Committee and the American Cancer Society.

Kappa Gamma Chi (ΚΓΧ)
Kappa Gamma Chi is Emerson College's oldest and only professional sorority, dedicated to the promotion of women's advancement in society, as well as community service. The Alpha Chapter of Kappa Gamma Chi was founded at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1890. In 1902, the Gamma Chapter of Kappa was founded at Emerson, along with our brother fraternity, Phi Alpha Tau.

Phi Alpha Tau (ΦΑΤ)
Phi Alpha Tau is the nation's oldest and foremost communicative arts fraternity. Established in 1902 by a group of students dedicated to serving the community, fostering brotherhood, furthering the communicative arts, and promoting the aims and ideals of Emerson College, Phi Alpha Tau is compiled of some of the most active and unique gentlemen on campus. Our events include The Public Conversation, a forum that brings administrative officials together to discuss student concerns, the Joseph E. Connor award, an award presented to an outstanding gentlemen in the world today, and Honorary Brother Inductions of faculty, staff and administration, creating a network of brothers on campus.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the largest Fraternity by initiates in the country and the only National Fraternity at Emerson College. Priding themselves on living by their creed, The True Gentlemen, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is an organization which not only strengthens the bonds of brotherhood, but also serves to improve Loyalty, Honor, and Friendship among its members. With distinguished alumni ranging from Presidents, to sports heroes to celebrities, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has a massive network across the country from the past 150 years, and serves as a networking base even after the undergraduate experience is over.

Sigma Pi Theta (ΣΠΘ)
Sigma Pi Theta was founded in 1979 at Emerson College with the help of their brother fraternity, Alpha Pi Theta. It was established as a place where women can find a true support system, as well as an organization to support the women in both the Emerson and local Boston communities. The Sigma sisters encourage the growth of the individual, the sorority, and the Emerson community through workshops and activities held throughout the year. Sigma Pi Theta is dedicated to the principles of sisterhood, trust and love.

Athletics[link]

The College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Division III), the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and Charter member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The athletic department supports Lacrosse, Tennis, Baseball, Basketball, Cross country running, Golf, Volleyball and Soccer for all students in addition to Softball for women. The school also has an ice hockey club team and a Quidditch team.^{[20][verification needed][21]}

Student radio[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

WECB is the campus student run radio station overseen by a faculty advisor. WECB broadcasts online at its website www.wecb.fm, and on closed-circuit campus television (channel 65).

The origins of WECB date back over 60 years to when Emerson College obtained an army surplus AM transmitter. The station broadcast via carrier current from the basement of the 132-134 Beacon Street dormitory, and grew in success that included legitimate commercials, news programming and a station-owned van.

In 1983-84, WECB was scheduled for demolition without reconstruction, as part of the Mass Communications $1.6M renovation project. Carol Kamerschen, Greg Weremey and Russ Weisenbacher were instrumental in fighting the board of trustees and allowing Greg and Russ to design and build new studios at 126 Beacon St. to replace the former facilities at 130 Beacon St., 4th floor. ^[22] This status ended with the inauguration in 1998 of a new Emerson facility, the Ansin Building, featuring a full studio suite for the Emerson station of wider general public interest, WERS. WECB was left unhoused. After student concerns were raised, WECB was resurrected in a modest studio within the WERS studio suite.

Comedy[link]

The college has a well-developed comedy community, including six comedy troupes specializing in various combinations of sketch comedy, improvisation, and short films. The troupes are ECW (Emerson Comedy Workshop), The Girlie Project, Jimmy's Traveling All-Stars, Stroopwafel, SWOMO (Swolen Monkey Showcase), Chocolate Cake City, and This is Pathetic.^[23] Several comedy classes, including "Comedy Writing for Television," "Intermediate Creative Writing: Comedy" and "Writing for Stand-Up" are a regular part of the curriculum.^[24] In addition, the Emerson Comedy Scholarship is offered each year to one rising senior who has "demonstrated leadership and talent in the writing, performance, or direction of comedy."^[25] The college is also home to the American Comedy Archives, established in 2005 to "acquire, preserve and make available primary source material that documents the professional activities of the ground breaking individuals who have written, produced or performed comedy for radio, television, motion pictures or live performance."^[26]

Notable Emersonians[link]

• Emerson College Alumni
• Faculty (Past and Present)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Emerson College

Boston portal

• Official website
• WECB student radio
• Emerson Independent Video

References[link]

Coordinates: 42°21′07″N 71°03′58″W / 42.351807°N 71.065994°W / 42.351807; -71.065994

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga performing on The Monster Ball Tour in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Born	(1986-03-28) March 28, 1986 (age 26) New York, New York, U.S.
Genres	Pop, dance, electronic
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, performance artist, record producer, dancer, businesswoman, activist
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Def Jam, Cherrytree, Streamline, Kon Live, Interscope
Website	LadyGaga.com Lady Gaga's signature

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒʌrməˈnɑːtə/ STE-fə-nee jurr-mə-NAH-tə; born March 28, 1986), known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She began performing in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side, and was signed with Streamline Records by the end of 2007. During her employment as a songwriter for the record company, her vocal abilities captured the attention of recording artist Akon, who signed her to his label Kon Live Distribution.

Lady Gaga came to prominence as a recording artist following the release of her debut album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world and included the international number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". After embarking on the The Fame Ball Tour, she followed the album with The Fame Monster (2009), which spawned the worldwide hit singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro". The album's success allowed her to embark on the eighteen-month long Monster Ball Tour, which later became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. Her most recent album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts of most major markets and generated more international chart-topping singles, including "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory". Besides her musical career, she involves herself with humanitarian causes and LGBT activism.

Influenced by David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Queen, Lady Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse and outré contributions to the music industry through her fashion, performances and music videos. She has sold an estimated 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and her singles are some of the best selling worldwide.^[1] Her achievements include five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010), ranked fourth in VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music, is regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine.^[2][3] In 2012, Gaga was ranked at number four on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing more than $25 million.^[4]

Biography[link]

1986–2004: Early life[link]

Manhattan's Upper West Side, where Gaga grew up, has been an inspiration for many of her songs.

Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in New York City to parents Cynthia (née Bissett) and Joseph Germanotta, an Internet entrepreneur.^[5][6] Descending from Italian and more distant French-Canadian roots, Gaga is the elder of two children.^[7][8] Her sister, Natali, a fashion student, was born in 1992.^[9][10] Despite her seemingly affluent upbringing in the family home in Manhattan's Upper West Side, Gaga has stressed that she did not come from a wealthy background, stating that her parents "both came from lower-class families, so we've worked for everything—my mother worked eight to eight out of the house, in telecommunications, and so did my father."^[11][12]

From the age of 11, Gaga – who was raised Roman Catholic – attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side.^[13][14][15] She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure": "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak."^[16][17] Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in at school. "She had a core group of friends; she was a good student. She liked boys a lot, but singing was No. 1," recalled a former high school classmate.^[18] Gaga began playing the piano at the age of 4, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13, and started to perform at open mike nights by the age of 14.^[19][20] Her passion for musical theatre brought her lead roles in high school productions, including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.^[21] She also appeared in a very small role as a mischievous classmate in the television drama series The Sopranos in a 2001 episode titled "The Telltale Moozadell" in addition to unsuccessfully auditioning for parts in New York shows.^[11][22]

When her time at the Convent of the Sacred Heart came to an end, her mother encouraged her to apply for the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21), a musical theatre training conservatory at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.^[11] After becoming one of twenty students to gain early admission, she eventually lived in an NYU dorm on 11th Street by the age of 17.^[21] CAP21 prepared her for her future career focus in "music, art, sex and celebrity" where, in addition to sharpening her songwriting skills, she composed essays and analytical papers on art, religion, social issues and politics, including a thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst.^[20][23][24] With CAP21, she also tried out for and won auditions, including the part of an unsuspecting diner customer for MTV's Boiling Points, a prank reality television show.^[11][25] But Gaga felt more creative than some of her classmates. "Once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself," she said.

2005–07: Career beginnings[link]

Gaga (right) performing with Lady Starlight (left) at Lollapalooza 2007

Gaga withdrew from CAP21 at 19, in the second semester of her sophomore year, deciding to focus on her musical career.^[26] Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll at Tisch if unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she remembers.^[21] Settled in a small apartment on Rivington Street towards the summer of 2005, Gaga recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book accompanying the children's book The Portal in the Park, by Cricket Casey.^[11][27] She also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with some friends from NYU – guitarist Calvin Pia, bassist Eli Silverman, drummer Alex Beckham and booking manager Frank Fredericks – in September of that year.^[11][21] The band played a mixture of songs: some self-penned alongside classic rock numbers like Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er".^[11] Playing in bars like the Greenwich Village's The Bitter End and the Lower East Side's the Mercury Lounge, the band developed a small fan base and caught the eye of music producer Joe Vulpis.^[11] Soon after arranging time in Vulpis' studio in the months that followed, SGBand were selling their extended plays Words and Red and Blue (both 2005) at gigs around New York while becoming a local fixture of the downtown Lower East Side club scene.^[21]

SGBand reached their career peak at the 2006 Songwriters Hall of Fame New Songwriters Showcase at The Cutting Room in June where Wendy Starland, a musician, appeared as a talent scout for music producer Rob Fusari. Starland informed Fusari – who was searching for a female singer to front a new band – of Gaga's ability and contacted her. With SGBand disbanded, Gaga traveled daily to New Jersey to work on songs she had written and compose new material with the music producer.^[11] While in collaboration, Fusari compared some of her vocal harmonies to those of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen.^[28] It was Fusari who helped create the moniker Gaga after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". Gaga was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga."^[29] He explained, "Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'. That was her entrance song" and that the text message was the result of a predictive text glitch that changed "radio" to "lady". She texted back, "That's it," and declared, "Don't ever call me Stefani again."^[29][30] The New York Post, however, has reported that this story is incorrect, and that the name resulted from a marketing meeting.^[18]

Gaga performing in a bar, sporting one of her earlier looks (2008)

Although the musical relationship between Fusari and Gaga was unsuccessful at first, the pair soon set up a company titled Team Lovechild in which they recorded and produced electropop tracks and sent them to music industry bosses.^[11] Joshua Sarubin, the head of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, responded positively and vied for the record company to take a chance on her "unusual and provocative" performance. After having his boss Antonio "L.A." Reid in agreement, Gaga was signed to Def Jam in September 2006 with the intention of having an album ready in nine months.^[11] However, she was dropped by the label after only three months – an unfortunate period of her life that would later inspire her treatment for the music video for her 2011 single "Marry the Night".^[31][32] Devastated, Gaga returned to the solace of the family home for Christmas and the nightlife culture of the Lower East Side.^[11]

She became increasingly experimental: fascinating herself with emerging neo-burlesque shows, go-go dancing at bars dressed in little more than a bikini in addition to experimenting with drugs.^[11][14] Her father, however, did not understand the reason behind her drug intake and could not look at her for several months.^[14][30] "I was onstage in a thong, with a fringe hanging over my ass thinking that had covered it, lighting hairsprays on fire, go-go dancing to Black Sabbath and singing songs about oral sex. The kids would scream and cheer and then we'd all go grab a beer. It represented freedom to me. I went to a Catholic school but it was on the New York underground that I found myself."^[23] It was then when she became romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer in a relationship and break-up she likened to the musical film Grease: "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny, and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of her later songs.^[33]

During this time, she met performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped mold her on-stage persona.^[34] Starlight explained that, upon their first meeting, Gaga wanted to perform with her to songs she had recorded with Fusari. Like SGBand, the pair soon began performing at many of the downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall. Their live performance art piece was known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue" and, billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow", was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts.^[35][36] Soon after, the two were invited to play at the 2007 Lollapalooza music festival in August that year.^[37] The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received positive reviews.^[20][35] Having initially focused on avant-garde electronic dance music, Gaga had found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music.^[38]

While Gaga and Starlight were busy performing, producer Rob Fusari continued to work on the songs he had created with Gaga. Fusari sent these songs to his friend, producer and record executive Vincent Herbert.^[39] Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007.^[40] Gaga later credited Herbert as the man who discovered her, adding "I really feel like we made pop history, and we're gonna keep going."^[39] Having served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing, which was later acquired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.^[41] As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls.^[41] At Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.^[42] Akon then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live, making her his "franchise player."^[31][43]

As 2007 came to a close, her former management company introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne, whom they also managed.^[44] The first song she produced with RedOne was "Boys Boys Boys", a mash-up inspired by Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.".^[30][44] Gaga continued her collaboration with RedOne in the recording studio for a week on her debut album and also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records, an Interscope imprint established by producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum, after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the singles "Christmas Tree" and "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)".^[41] Despite her secure record deal, she admitted that there was fear about her being too "racy", "dance-orientated" and "underground" for the mainstream market. Her response: "My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next."^[15]

[edit] 2008–10: The Fame and The Fame Monster

Gaga performing at The Fame Ball Tour in 2009

By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles in order to work extensively with her record label to complete her debut album and set up her own creative team Haus of Gaga, modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory.^[30][45] The Fame was first released on August 19, 2008 to slow radio play. Gaga supported it by performing around Europe and in small gay clubs around the US in addition to being billed as a supporting artist on the North American leg of New Kids on the Block's reunion concert tour.^[46][47] A sleeper hit, lead single "Just Dance" had preceded the album's release by four months but only hit the summit of the international charts in January 2009, provoking the instant success of the album, earning her first Grammy Award nomination (for Best Dance Recording) and becoming one of the best-selling singles worldwide.^[46][48] Gaga achieved a greater unexpected success when "Poker Face", another sleeper hit, reached number one in most major music markets worldwide in early 2009, selling 9.8 million singles worldwide.^[49][50] The follow-up single won the award for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards over nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

The Fame itself was nominated for Album of the Year while winning Best Dance/Electronica Album at the same ceremony.^[51] Contemporary critics lauded the album, describing it as an exploration of her obsession with fame and the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle, noting its combination of genres "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks", the inspiration drawn from 1980s synthpop and incorporation of dance music with clear hooks.^[31] The Fame went to number one in Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK and appeared in the top five in Australia, the US and 15 other countries.^[52][53] It also stayed atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 106 non-consecutive weeks and, since its release, has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.^[54] The album's success spawned many 2009 honors including Billboard magazine's Rising Star award and the accumulation of 3 of 9 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, winning Best New Artist with the video for her single "Paparazzi" gaining Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects.^[55][56] In addition to being an opening act on the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination Tour during the first half of 2009 in Europe and Oceania, she also embarked on her own six-month critically appreciated worldwide concert tour The Fame Ball Tour which ran from March to September 2009.^[57][58]

While she traveled the globe, she wrote The Fame Monster, an EP of eight songs released in November 2009. Each song, dealing with the darker side of fame from personal experience, is expressed through a monster metaphor. Making Gaga the first artist in digital history to have three singles (alongside "Just Dance" and "Poker Face") to pass the four million mark in digital sales, its lead single "Bad Romance" topped the charts in eighteen countries and reached the top two in the US, Australia and New Zealand while accruing the Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video.^[59] The second single "Telephone", which features singer Beyoncé, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and became Gaga's fourth UK number one single; its accompanying music video, although controversial, received positive reception from contemporary critics who praised her for "the musicality and showmanship of Michael Jackson and the powerful sexuality and provocative instincts of Madonna."^[60][61] Her following single "Alejandro" paired Gaga with fashion photographer Steven Klein for a music video similarly as controversial – critics complimented its ideas and dark nature but the Catholic League attacked Gaga for her alleged use of blasphemy.^[62] Despite the controversy surrounding her music videos, they made Gaga the first artist to gain over one billion viral views on video-sharing website YouTube.^[63] At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga won 8 of her 13 nominations, including Video of the Year for "Bad Romance" (with "Telephone" also nominated), which made her the first female artist to be nominated twice for the award.^[64][65] In addition, The Fame Monster garnered a total of six nominations at the 53rd Grammy Awards – equating to the amount of Grammy nominations her debut received – winning Best Pop Vocal Album and earning her a second-consecutive nomination for Album of the Year.^[66][67]

Gaga performing at The Monster Ball Tour in 2010

The success of the album allowed Gaga to start her second worldwide concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just weeks after the release of The Fame Monster and months after having finished The Fame Ball Tour.^[68] Upon finishing in May 2011, the critically acclaimed and commercially accomplished tour ran for over one and a half years and grossed $227.4 million, making it one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time and the highest-grossing for a debut headlining artist.^[69] Concerts performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City were filmed for a HBO television special titled Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden. The special accrued one of its five Emmy Award nominations and has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray.^[70] Gaga also performed songs from the album at international events such as the 2009 Royal Variety Performance where she sang "Speechless", a power ballad, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II; the 52nd Grammy Awards where her opening performance consisted of the song "Poker Face" and a piano duet of "Speechless" in a medley of "Your Song" with Elton John; and the 2010 BRIT Awards where a performance of an acoustic rendition of "Telephone" followed by "Dance in the Dark" dedicated to the late fashion designer and close friend, Alexander McQueen, supplemented her hat-trick win at the awards ceremony.^[71] Other performances may have included her participation in Michael Jackson's This Is It concert series at London's O2 Arena. "I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour," she stated. "We were going to open for him at the O2 and we were working on making it happen. I believe there was some talk about us, lots of the openers, doing duets with Michael on stage."^[72]

In 2009 she collaborated with consumer electronic company Monster Cable Products to create a pair of in-ear jewel-encrusted headphones titled Heartbeats. "They are designed to be the first ever fashion accessories that double as the absolute best sonically sounding headphones in the world," she commented.^[73] Gaga also partnered with Polaroid in January 2010 as their Creative Director.^[74] Excited about "blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era," Gaga unveiled the first trio of new products called Grey Label: a pair of picture-taking sunglasses, a paperback-sized mobile printing unit and an updated version of the traditional Polaroid camera at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.^[75] But her collaboration with past producer Rob Fusari led to her production team, Mermaid Music LLC, being sued in March 2010 when he claimed that he was entitled to a 20% share of the company's earnings. Gaga's lawyer, Charles Ortner, described the agreement with Fusari as "unlawful" and declined to comment, but five months later, the New York Supreme Court dismissed both the lawsuit and a countersuit by Gaga.^[76][77] In addition to such strife, Gaga was tested borderline positive for lupus, but claimed not to be affected by the symptoms. The revelations caused considerable dismay among fans, leading to Gaga addressing the matter in an interview with Larry King, saying she hopes to avoid symptoms by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.^[78][79]

[edit] 2011–present: Born This Way

Gaga performing on the 2011 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series

Gaga released her second studio album and third major release, Born This Way, on May 23, 2011. Described as a marriage of electronic music with metal, rock 'n' roll, pop and anthemic style melodies with sledge-hammering dance beats and referred to as an album "about what what keeps us up at night and what makes us afraid," Gaga characterized it as "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress" and, upon hearing it, Akon remarked that she is taking music to the "next level."^[80][81] Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its range of different styles and her vocals.^[82][83] Born This Way sold 1.108 million copies in its first week in the US, debuted atop the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in more than 20 other countries.^[84] In addition to exceeding 8 million copies in worldwide sales, Born This Way received 3 Grammy Award nominations, including her third consecutive for Album of the Year.^[85]

In the months prior to its unveiling, Gaga released the singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" alongside promotional single "Hair". The eponymous lead single, first sung live at the 53rd Grammy Awards in a performance that saw Gaga emerge from an egg-like vessel, deals with self-acceptance regardless of race or sexual orientation. The single debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 19th number-one debut and the 1,000th number-one single in the history of the charts.^[86] It sold more than 3 million digital copies in the US by October 2011, becoming her eighth consecutive single to exceed sales of 2 million and, with worldwide sales of 8.2 million copies by November 2011, one of her five best-selling singles worldwide.^[87] Critics noted artistic and cultural references and praised the concept of the song's accompanying music video, in which Gaga gives birth to a new race amidst surrealistic images.^[88][89] The video for "Judas", in which Gaga portrays Mary Magdalene, and Biblical figures such as Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot are also featured, was criticized for its religious references but received acclaim for its overall delivery and praise from others who claimed that there was nothing offensive about it.^[90] "Judas" also peaked within the top ten in several major musical markets, while "The Edge of Glory", first a commercial success in digital outlets, was later released as a single to critical appreciation, accompanied by a video which was notably stripped down from her usually "extravagant" efforts.^[91][92] She released "You and I" and "Marry the Night" as the following singles from Born This Way. Although their "crazy and ambitious" videos were praised for their audacity, both songs failed to match the similar international success that their predecessors achieved.^[93]

Gaga continued her musical endeavors by pairing with veteran artists like Tony Bennett to record a jazz version of "The Lady Is a Tramp".^[94] She also recorded a duet with Cher on a "massive" and "beautiful" track, which Gaga "wrote a long time ago, and I've never put it on one of my own albums for, really, no particular reason."^[95] Gaga also lent her vocals to an original duet with Elton John for the animated feature film Gnomeo & Juliet. The song, "Hello, Hello", was released without Gaga's vocals but the duet version features in the film.^[96][97] She also continued her live appearances throughout 2011, performing a one-of-a-kind concert at the Sydney Town Hall on July 13 in promotion of Born This Way and at the celebration of former US president Bill Clinton's 65th birthday, wearing a blond wig as a nod to the famous performance of Marilyn Monroe for John F. Kennedy and changing the lyrics to "You and I" specifically for the performance.^[98] Televised appearances comprised her own Thanksgiving Day television special entitled A Very Gaga Thanksgiving which was critically lauded, attained 5.749 million American viewers, and spawned the release of her fourth extended play A Very Gaga Holiday.^[99] Her second performance on Saturday Night Live saw her singing a selection of Born This Way songs alongside appearing in number of sketches with Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg.^[100] In March 2012, Gaga was ranked at number four on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing $25,353,039 dollars, which includes sales from Born This Way and her Monster Ball Tour.^[4]

In early 2012, Gaga stated that songs for a new album were "beginning to flourish" as she worked with producer Fernando Garibay, while the accompanying tour for Born This Way was materializing.^[101][102] Gaga's manager, Vincent Herbert, revealed that Gaga will is working on her upcoming album during the tour, stating that the material is "insane, great records."^[103] The Born This Way Ball Tour began on April 27, 2012, at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea.^[104] The tour was met with protests from several religious groups who denounced the tour as satanic and against religious values, resulting in protests mainly from the Islamic Defenders Front, causing a cancellation in the Indonesian city of Jakarta, where Gaga was denied a license to perform. The concert however was still in question as concert promoters were optimistic that the performance will in fact go on. However, due to threats of violence from Muslim hardliners, Gaga decided to cancel the concert although 52,000 tickets have sold out in just a few days.^{[105][106][107]} On May 20, 2012, Gaga guest-starred on the 23rd season finale of The Simpsons entitled "Lisa Goes Gaga".^[108]

Artistry[link]

Influences[link]

Gaga's parents, who exposed her to artists like The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and Elton John had significant influence on her childhood and, presently, still do.^[109] "I am a real family girl. When it comes to love and loyalty, I am very old-fashioned. And I am quite down-to-earth for such an eccentric person," she insists.^[110] "I'm quite traditional in the family sense. I've always been that way."^[109] According to Gaga, Joanne Germanotta – her aunt who died of lupus aged 19 – lives on through her and inspires all of her music and art.^[111] Joanne's date of death is tattooed on Gaga's body and, despite dying 12 years before her birth, Gaga commented, "I really believe I have two hearts. I think I actually carry two souls in my body, and that I'm living out the rest of her life and her goodness – she died a virgin, she died never having experienced all these things that we all get to love and experience in our lives."^[112] Another spiritual influence on Gaga has been the Indian physician, public speaker and writer Deepak Chopra. Labeling him a "true inspiration", she stated that "he's always reminded me to work in a life of service to my fans and to fulfill my vision and my destiny" in addition to thinking about Chopra when it comes to her work as a musician: "I want so much for it to go beyond the music for my fans."^[113]

Musically, Gaga takes influence from numerous musicians from dance-pop singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Queen whilst employing the theatrics of artists like Andy Warhol and of her musical theatre roots in performance.^{[31][114][115]} The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'. That's why I love the name [...] Freddie was unique—one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music," she commented.^{[18][114][116]} Gaga receives regular comparisons to recording artist Madonna who admits that she sees herself reflected in Gaga.^[117] In response to the comparisons, Gaga stated, "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionize pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago" in addition to commenting that "there is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Madonna fan than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally."^[114][118] Like Madonna, Gaga has continued to reinvent herself and, over the years of her career, has drawn musical inspiration from a diverse mix of artists including Whitney Houston, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Scissor Sisters, Prince, Marilyn Manson, Yoko Ono, and Britney Spears.^[119]

Gaga has been influenced by a wide-range of artists as to which she has played homages to, including Madonna (left) and Bruce Springsteen. (Right)