Latest news with #PokerFace
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Nancy Pelosi spotted dancing at Lady Gaga concert in San Francisco
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was seen letting loose last week at Lady Gaga 's sold-out Mayhem Ball concert at San Francisco's Chase Center. The longtime Bay Area congresswoman reportedly attended the show with husband Paul Pelosi, joining a packed and colorful crowd for the pop superstar's high-concept spectacle on Sunday, July 27. 'Lady Gaga did not disappoint! Awesome show! Fun crowd… I sat directly behind Nancy Pelosi who danced the entire show,' wrote Gina Tuckfield on Instagram. 'Paul sat directly behind her super friendly husband and next to a very hairy bear.' Another user, Sue Clark, shared their excitement. 'Nancy Pelosi at Lady Gaga concert tonight! Rock on Nancy & Paul!!!' Clark wrote alongside a photo of the couple. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sue Clark (@sunmonkey23) The sighting comes nearly four years after Pelosi attended Gaga and Tony Bennett's joint concert in New York in 2021 at Radio City Music Hall. Lady Gaga's San Francisco performances, part of her global Mayhem Ball Tour, have drawn critical acclaim. The elaborate, four-act show featured dramatic choreography, theatrical costuming and standout renditions of both new material from her eighth studio album, 'Mayhem,' and fan favorites like 'Poker Face,' 'Shallow,' and 'Born This Way.' On the first night of the Bay Area run, Gaga honored the late Ozzy Osbourne. During her encore, the pop star noted that San Francisco was one of the first cities where she felt creatively accepted. She also thanked the city 'for taking care of Tony Bennett.'
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Maizie Williams loves hearing Boney M. samples
Maizie Williams is touched that music icons are sampling Boney M.'s songs. The 74-year-old frontwoman and founding member of the legendary 70s Caribbean disco group said it was "wonderful" that Lady Gaga, 39, used the "Ma ma ma, ma" chorus from Maizie's band's 1977 track Ma Baker in her 2008 hit song Poker Face. She quipped to the new issue of Britain's HELLO! magazine: "How can I not like it; it's royalties coming our way!" Maizie added: "Of course, when you have people like Lady Gaga sampling us, it's a wonderful thing." And the star - who with Liz Mitchell, 73, Marcia Barrett, 76, and the late Bobby Farrell formed Boney M. - loves it when fellow musicians compliment the foursome's work. Maizie said: "I heard a very nice compliment from Robbie Williams who said something like Boney M. inspired him and I thought, 'I loved you before, but now I love you even more!" Boney M. split in 1986 after years of storming the charts because - according to Maizie's interview with in 2018 - they "grew apart". Maizie went on to form her new band Boney M. (featuring Mazie Williams). Boney M sold over 100 million records and had two million-selling UK Singles Chart number 1, Rivers of Babylon/ Brown Girl In The Ring and Christmas Number 1 Mary's Boy Child. And Mazie said the icing on the cake for her career would be to perform at the legendary Glastonbury music festival, held in Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, South West England. She said: "Glastonbury would be a wonderful blessing. I would love to do it - Diana Ross was there and she was amazing. "And you get people like Dolly Parton too. So yes, it would be lovely to do Glastonbury. "People think it's just for rock and hardcore type music but it's really for everyone." Asked about the secret to her, Liz, Marcia and Bobby's success in Boney M., Maizie revealed: "We've stayed humble and just continued doing what we were doing. "Our first producer knew exactly what he wanted to do with the group because we're all from the Caribbean and he wanted a sound that represented where we came from. "He produced the sound, which was original, and then added the bass voice, which gave us an edge to what we were doing." "We wanted to have an image that everyone could remember, so we went out and got costumes as we wanted to look different."
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
7-Year-Old Lady Gaga Fan Has Dream Come True, 'Can't Believe' What He Sees
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A child's stunned reaction to seeing Lady Gaga live in concert has melted hearts across the internet, as fans praise his wide-eyed wonder and genuine love for the pop icon. Gina Antoniadis (@yo_its_gina), 42, from Henderson, Nevada, shared touching footage of her 7-year-old son, Sebastian, reacting in disbelief at finally seeing Gaga in the flesh at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 19. Gina told Newsweek: "We arrived early, and, while we were waiting outside, Sebastian kept spotting people dressed up like Gaga and thought each one was her! It was the sweetest thing; he was so excited and genuinely thought she might be right there among us. "When the show began, she appeared with dark hair as part of her good versus evil theme. Sebastian has always known her to be a blonde, so, for a moment, he wasn't quite sure if it was really her," Gina said. From left: Sebastian has a surprised and excited reaction to seeing Lady Gaga live. From left: Sebastian has a surprised and excited reaction to seeing Lady Gaga live. @yo_its_gina/@yo_its_gina In the now-viral clip, Gina films herself and Sebastian using the front-facing camera, as he stares in awe at the stage and asks, "Is it really her?" while Lady Gaga performs "Poker Face." He follows up with another earnest question: why is her hair black? Gina explains that the pop star wears wigs. Sebastian's love for Lady Gaga isn't new. His dad, Athan Antoniadis, 40, has worked on Gaga's lighting crew for a decade, making the singer a familiar presence in the family's life. But it wasn't until three years ago, when his cousin Alex moved in, that Sebastian cemented himself as a "Little Monster." The two regularly host dance parties, perform the "Bad Romance" choreography, and even duet to "Shallow." Gina said: "It was honestly one of the most-joyful experiences of my life. For the first time, I wasn't just in 'parent mode.' I felt like I was experiencing the show with my best friend. "His innocent observations and questions always keep me laughing. His shared excitement was so genuine and real. He got to have fun, let loose and be apart of something big and beautiful. "This was our first concert together, and I can't wait to share this experience with my little dance partner again," said Gina. File photo: Lady Gaga performs during the kick off The MAYHEM Ball at T-Mobile Arena on July 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. File photo: Lady Gaga performs during the kick off The MAYHEM Ball at T-Mobile Arena on July 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Gaga kick-started her worldwide sellout Mayhem Ball tour in Las Vegas on July 16, treating fans to a theatrical spectacle with a cinematic storyline about good versus evil. The TikTok video has since gone viral, resonating with fans of all ages. "A whole new generation of Gaga lovers. You're raising him right momma," posted Conner. "He wanted to make sure he wasn't being bamboozled," added Sam. "I sometimes forget there's a part of Gaga's fan base who are kids omg [oh my God]. So cute he's going to remember that moment forever," wrote another user. "He must be protected at all costs," commented one viewer. "Why's her hair black? me when she wore the black long wig and not the blonde," said another fan who related to Sebastian's confusion. "I love this so much. This is how I felt. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing her!!" said another TikTok user. Gina summed up the emotional evening by saying: "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be able to bring him to this show. His joy, his spirit, his love for music … I feel so lucky to have witnessed that magic with him. Moments like that remind you how special it is to be a parent." Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
Daily Mirror
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Lady Gaga latest pop star to suffer on-stage blunder as she takes a tumble in Las Vegas
Lady Gaga took a tumble during her performance in Las Vegas as part of The Mayhem Ball tour but she quickly styled it out and carried on singing to the delight of the crowd Lady Gaga has become the latest pop girly to suffer an on-stage mishap, with fans captioning the moment she styled out a stumble on camera. The Poker Face hitmaker, who is currently on a world tour with The Mayhem Ball, was performing in Las Vegas when the incident happened. The singer, 39, was belting out Vanish Into You from her latest album Mayhem when she looked like she was about to take a tumble and fell to the floor. In the footage taken by a fan in the crowd, one of Lady Gaga 's camera crew also appeared to stumble. However, the pop icon managed to quickly get back on her feet and continue her jaw-dropping performance. Many fans online noticed the fitting lyrics she was singing as she tripped, with one quipping: "'into the night we... fall' and she did." "They better make sure the floors are not slippery the next venue she goes to," another mused, with a third adding: "Katy almost falling from cloud nine with her butterfly, Beyoncé so fat she almost broke the strings and Lady Gaga falling while performing? What is going on." It seems that there is something in the air when it comes to pop stars and their tours at the moment. Earlier this month, Katy Perry's fans were left gobsmacked by her professionalism when a butterfly prop she was perched on plummeted mid-air during a recent gig. The Roar songstress was belting out 'Roar' at the Chase Centre when the prop took a sudden dive, causing the audience to gasp in worry for the star. The singer briefly halted the song to regain her balance before carrying on with the performance. She even made light of the hair-raising incident after the show, sharing a close-up snap of her startled expression as the prop descended. Katy captioned the post: "Goodnight San Fran." Fans were stunned by the incident and flocked to social media to commend her composed response. One admirer posted on X/ Twitter: "The professionalism here is beyond insane, like that could've easily cost your life, but Katy didn't panic and she kept the show going.... "The way she kept calm and kept singing- others would have freaked and said 'no no please stop' so glad Katy is safe but the safety team needs to step up," another fan wrote. One worried user remarked: "Yeah, it's time for these artists to get out the air..." Another queried: "Why do all of these stars need these floating stages for their shows. "Her astronaut training kicked in and was able to keep her calm and able to continue with the show. Mission accomplished," another quipped.
Spectator
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Will AI kill off Captchas?
It was a line on Poker Face (the excellent US detective drama currently streaming on Now TV) that piqued my interest. Hunched over a laptop, Natasha Lyonne's heroine, Charlie Cale, claimed to be working as a 'Captcha technician' – someone who solves those fiddly, occasionally infuriating internet puzzles for money. You know – the ones that ask you to 'Select all the squares with traffic lights', 'Select all the squares with bridges' or simply tick a box to say you're human before you can log into a website. Given the series has satirised everything from New York City rent controls to multi-level marketing schemes, I originally assumed it must be a joke. But not for the first time the writers had wrong-footed me: it's actually perfectly possible to earn money (around $1 per 1,000) by solving batches of Captchas from the comfort of your own home. Who pays for these services in the first place? Like many things involving the underlying plumbing of the internet, the answer isn't particularly pleasant. It turns out that the legions of hackers, bot networks and web-scrapers who make money from our data, sometimes with malicious intent, are often willing to pay remote workers in order to help them force entry to websites. So there you have it. But just one more thing, as Cale's predecessor Columbo used to say: why are Captchas still such a big deal in 2025 anyway, given that artificial intelligence is surely capable of differentiating between photos of motorbikes and fire hydrants? As much as we might find them annoying, Captchas, which were developed in the early 2000s, still play a vital role in keeping the internet safe, says Matt Bliss, technical director at agency This is Embrace. Though they have got less annoying over the years (apparently), with much of the work happening behind the scenes. 'We think that Captchas are about solving puzzles, but most of the time it's just computers talking to computers,' he tells me over Zoom. When you try to enter a website, things like your IP address, your browser version, your time zone and even your internet history can help verify that you're a genuine user. Even crossing that ubiquitous tick-box to say you're not a robot isn't without purpose, given that the Captcha can track the way that you moved the mouse. For example, if your clicker travelled in perfectly straight lines at a constant pace, it's more likely you're a bot. By the time you're asked to complete a puzzle, you've already been flagged as a risky prospect, at which point the system flips the burden of proof on to you to prove your innocence. In theory, the tests it gives you are meant to separate robots from humans (hence the full name for Captchas: 'Completely Automated Public Turing Tests to Tell Computers and Humans Apart'), but is that really the case? Not quite. Last year, a Zurich-based PhD researcher, Andreas Plesner, developed an AI model to solve the ubiquitous Google Captchas (the ones that use images from Google Maps) with 100 per cent accuracy. 'It was actually just a side project,' he tells me over Zoom from California, estimating that the entire endeavour took him and his colleague around ten hours a week over a single semester. So will AI mean the end of Captchas? Not necessarily, say cyber security experts. Ironically, some have even suggested that the age of AI could actually make it easier for websites to detect bots on the basis that they will be the ones who solve Captchas the quickest. By contrast, those users who pause or even make small mistakes are much more likely to be genuine (as Alexander Pope put it, 'to err is human'). If Captchas are here to stay, can they at least be improved, so we no longer end up in a loop of repetitive traffic light-based tasks? There are plenty of bright sparks working on that exact question. Researchers at the University of Genoa have devised an alternative test for smartphone users involving simple physical challenges (such as tilting your phone in a certain direction) which bots will find impossible. Meanwhile, programmers at the University of Alberta have suggested 'contextual Captchas' which ask intuitive questions (i.e. 'What do you think happened next?') based on Dilbert-style comic strips. In theory, sussing these kinds of human narratives will be harder for AI-driven bots to crack – at least for now. In the meantime, it isn't just the writers of Poker Face who are having fun with Captchas. On Reddit, a small community of devotees post screenshots of particularly surreal examples of Captcha. Meanwhile the website World's Hardest Captcha has turned some of the most recognisable formats into a nightmare vortex of endless puzzles, each more difficult than the last. As for Charlie Cale's side-hustle solving Captchas for beer money, it looks like it's safe for now. So perhaps those poor souls in less prosperous countries making their living toiling away on platforms like 2Captcha and CapSolver can also provide some welcome perspective to the rest of us. After all, if you think having to identify images of tractors when you use a new wifi network is a pain in the neck, then imagine having to do it all day for a job. Forget 'I am not a robot': after eight hours of Captchas, you may feel like you might as well be.
