Lady Gaga is turning to an unusual method to cultivate her fan base: The pop icon is releasing songs from her new album on a section of online game “FarmVille” before they can be heard anywhere else.
The singer, known for her outrageous styles and hits such as “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance,” will allow singles from “Born This Way” to be heard within a neighboring farm in the game called “GagaVille.”
Players have to complete tasks to hear one exclusive new track per day from May 17 to 19. Additional songs that aren’t exclusive can be unlocked over the following three days. The album is due to be released May 23.
It’s the first time San Francisco game maker Zynga has received exclusive tracks from artists in a game and the first time it’s created a whole farm dedicated to an artist.
About 46 million people worldwide play FarmVille every month.
“Lady Gaga is as passionate about her fans as we are about our players,” said Zynga’s Raquel DiSabatino, director of entertainment and media, who described the relationship with the pop star as a partnership and didn’t reveal the financial terms. “This really was a great meeting of the minds to create an innovative and playful experience for those folks.”
The company also is giving away a download of the full album to fans who buy $25 game cards through electronics retailer Best Buy. Buyers will also be entered into a drawing to attend Lady Gaga’s next video shoot and get a virtual unicorn to decorate their farms.
The company is also offering virtual Lady Gaga goods to players who earn points in its other games.
Documentary to air photo of dying Diana
A shocking paparazzi photograph of a dying Princess Diana will be screened for the first time in a documentary about her fatal crash.
“Unlawful Killing,” which will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival this week, is backed by actor Keith Allen and Mohammed Fayed, whose son Dodi died with Diana. The 90-minute film will include a graphic black-and-white close-up of Diana taken moments after the Mercedes carrying the couple crashed in a Paris underpass.
The image, Diana’s blonde hair and features clearly visible, was banned in Britain before it could be shown in public. The documentary will be shown around the world but not in the U.K. A spokesman for Britain’s royal family declined to comment but royal sources said Diana’s sons would be sickened by the news. One said: “They rather hope people would treat this with the contempt it deserves.”
We knew Whitney was a mess, but this much?
The guy who once changed his name to a symbol says Whitney Houston is too out there to hang out with.
Houston, in rehab for drug and alcohol dependency, has been banned from any future Prince concerts because of her “erratic behavior and constant ticket demands,” TMZ reported Tuesday.
In the past few weeks, Houston has attended several Prince shows and appeared to be “intoxicated” at each one.
