Lady Gaga kisses Mayor Bloomberg to bring in 2012 New Year in Times Square
A possible record crowd of revelers welcomed the New Year in Times Square, bidding farewell to troubled 2011 on a night when the weather and the vibe were pleasantly warm. Turning up the heat on the spring-like evening was hometown hero Lady Gaga, who pranced through renditions of her "Marry the Night" and "Born This Way" in a skin-tight black suit - and planted a big smooch right on Mayor Bloomberg's lips as the ball came down.
"This is my hometown, and my dream!" she declared after emerging in a bizarre octopus-like outfit that initially showed only her face - with a black mask around her eyes.
The former Stefani Germanotta's appearance capped a daylong street celebration, with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly predicting it might be the biggest turnout ever in the tradition that dates to 1904.
Gaga, later sporting a giant white mask and Versace outfit, wrapped up the night by joining Bloomberg in setting the Times Square ball on its descent at 11:59 p.m. A one-ton cascade of confetti fell on Times Square as Gaga gave way to the sounds of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York."
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mayor-bloomberg-kisses-lady-gaga-bring-2012-year-article-1.999425
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Like me and everyone else, you, too, decide what the "right thing" is, all the time.
You can bet that to Gaga or any other professional performer with agents and managers, there is no such thing as just being at a "New Year's celebration" on live national TV. To her, it was a negotiated, booked appearance for the purpose of advancing her career, first and foremost.
I don't really care about it, and as condemnations go, mine in this case is mild. Let her do what she likes. But it's not to her credit, and not very cognizant of our times.
Actually, she is no doubt cognizant of whom she is kissing, and of what he currently stands for to the world: the excuser of Wall Street criminality, the brutalizer of street protest.
If she presents herself as an advocate for the right thing in some cases (as in "Born This Way"
then she knows that conferring a kiss on this particular character is also a decision.
Only sourpusses do that. Let the champagne flow!!!
Just tuned in at the end of Marry the Night but got to see the live Born this Way. I was very surprised to see her change costumes so fast to do the ball drop. Must have had a pit crew lined up and waiting. 
She is an extremely talented young woman. I enjoy her music and performances.
For the last decade they've made this big deal out of turning it fancy and modern: "It's made from thousand hand-cut crystals!" "It's using state-of-the-art LED lamps!"
And yet, when the time comes for the big reveal, the whole thing just strikes me as "meh".
I miss the old-school ball:
