Before she was Gaga

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

A 19 year-old soon to be star, then known simply as Stefani Germanotta, poses for a photo at her parents’ place in New York city. Although photographer Malgorzata Saniewska didn’t know it at the time, it would be one of the first photo shoots of the pop star lady Gaga.

• Malgorzata Saniewska worked in a New York restaurant with the future Lady Gaga
• The musician was just 19 when Saniewska photographed her in 2005

Editor's note: This story was originally published on February 24, 2012.

(CNN)We've come to know her as Lady Gaga, but before the world tours, "The Fame" or even the dress made of meat, photographer Malgorzata Saniewskaknew her simply as her restaurant co-worker, Stefani Germanotta.

In the summer of 2005, Saniewska happened to be tending bar at the same West Village restaurant where the 19-year-old soon-to-be star worked as a waitress.

Just 24 at the time, Saniewska had moved from her native Poland to the United States two years prior with dreams of becoming a photographer.

But to support herself, "I started working as a bartender," she recalled. "It was definitely a money thing. I did want to go to school, but I didn't do research on photography, my focus was to make better money."

Keeping an eye on her bank account is what drove Saniewska to study accounting, leaving photography to become an amateur pursuit for a while.

Photographer Malgorzata Saniewska

She went from taking landscape photos of New York City to setting up her own shoots, with Gaga being among some of her first ones.

"We were colleagues, we didn't hang out really heavily, but she's the nicest girl ever. ... She's down-to-earth," Saniewska said. "At that time, she gave me a CD of her first single, and I listened to it and I was really impressed. And she's a beautiful girl. Based on her looks and her personality I thought (a photo shoot) would be great fun."

Back then, Gaga "played piano and sang. This 19-year-old girl, she was really talented. She didn't talk about it a lot, (but) she did say that she studied music. ... I cannot even explain to you what she sounds like with just a piano, then or now," Saniewska said. "I offered her the photo shoot, and she said yes right away."

Gaga had the perfect location in mind: Her parents' place on the Upper East Side.

The two young women hopped on a train and headed over there, and set to work creating what Saniewska says became Lady Gaga's first photo shoot, although Saniewska didn't know that at the time.

"The house was empty, it was just the two of us," Saniewska said. "I knew she was a singer, so our focus was her and her very first piano. We just hung out in her parents' living room, and the piano was right by the window."

"She's a good model, obviously," Saniewska added with a laugh.

Armed with just her first point-and-shoot camera, Saniewska let the intimate shoot unfold organically.

"We had no plan."

"We basically walked into her house, she did hair and makeup, picked out the clothes and we started," she recalled. The lighting was natural: "No strobe lights, nothing special, no tripods," she said. "It was hand-held."

Saniewska, who's never been formally trained, said she shot around 200 photos that day. After culling through the resulting images, choosing the photos with the best natural lighting, she presented Gaga with a CD of the pictures. The burgeoning singer was happy with them, and used some of the art for her own promotional materials.

Of course, there's no way Saniewska could have known that the young woman she photographed on a summer day in 2005 would become the international superstar she is today. As a matter of fact, Saniewska says that at first, when she saw her as Lady Gaga, she didn't recognize her, having been accustomed to her as a long-haired brunette waitress.

Even as Gaga's fame continued to grow, Saniewska kept those early photos to herself "out of respect," she said, particularly because she wasn't in touch with her.

And then, she just so happened to bump into her old colleague in 2010.

"I actually ran into her in the East Village, and she came up to me. She was already Lady Gaga, and we spoke a little, and she leaned on me, and she said in my ear, 'Did you know that this was my first photo shoot?' I had no idea," Saniewska said. "She was really excited. From that moment on I figured I could do something about it. And she's OK with it."

Saniewska hopes that those viewing the photos will get to see another side of Gaga, a peek at who the star was before the world knew her name.

But even with all the fame, to Saniewska, she's "still the same girl. The fact that we ran into each other and she came up to me -- she didn't say 'Hi' and run off. She stood there for 15 minutes, just chatting. She remembered my name, she remembered who I was, and she had so much to say. She's still the same person to me."

Malgorzata Saniewska is a photographer in New York represented by Corbis Images.

A 19 year-old soon to be star, then known simply as Stefani Germanotta, poses for a photo at her parents’ place in New York city. Although photographer Malgorzata Saniewska didn’t know it at the time, it would be one of the first photo shoots of the pop star lady Gaga.

2. Germanotta and Saniewska worked together at a restaurant. Germanotta was a waitress. Saniewska was a bartender.

iewska didn’t know it at the time, it would be one of the first photo shoots of the pop star lady Gaga.

3.She gave me a CD of her first single, and I listened to it and I was really impressed, “ Saniewska remembered. “ And she’s a beautiful girl. Based on her looks and her personality I thought (a photo shoot) would be great fun.”

4. The photo shoot was at the home of Germanotta’s parents.

bered. “ And she’s a beautiful girl. Based on her looks and her personality I thought (a photo shoot) would be great fun.”

5. The house was empty, it was just the two of us, “ Saniewska said. “I knew she was a singer, so our focus was her and her very first piano.”

t (a photo shoot) would be great fun.”

6. The lightning was natural. “No strobe lights, nothing special, no tripods, “ Saniewska said.

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t (a photo shoot) would be great fun.”

7. she did hair and makeup, picked out the clothes and we started,” Saniewska recalled.

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t (a photo shoot) would be great fun.”

8. Back then, Gaga “played piano and sang,” Saniewska said. “ This 19-year-old girl, she was really talented. She didn’t talk about it a lot, (but) she did say that she studied music. …I cannot even explain to you what she sounds like with just a piano,then or now.”

9. Saniewska said she shot around 200 photos that day.

ally talented. She didn’t talk about it a lot, (but) she did say that she studied music. …I cannot even explain to you what she sounds like with just a piano,then or now.”

10. Saniewska gave Germanotta a CD of the pictures. The singer was happy with them, the photographer said, and used some of the art for her own promotional materials.

in to you what she sounds like with just a piano,then or now.”

11. As Lady Gaga’s fame continued to grow, Saniewska kept the early photos to herself “out of respect,” She said, particulary because she wasn’t in touch with her.

you what she sounds like with just a piano,then or now.”

12. The two would later bump into each other in 2010.

spect,” She said, particulary because she wasn’t in touch with her.
you what she sounds like with just a piano,then or now.”

13. I actually ran into her in the East Village, and she came up to me,” Saniewska said. “She was already lady Gaga, and we spoke a little, and she leaned on me, and she said in my ear, ‘Did you know that this was my first photo shoot?’ I had no idea. She was really excited. From that moment on I figured I could do something about it. And she’s ok with it.”

14.”She didn’t say ‘Hi’ and run off,” Saniewska said. She stood there for 15 minutes, just chatting. She remembered my name, she remembered my name, she remembered who I was, and she had so much to say. She’s still the same person to me.”

on I figured I could do something about it. And she’s ok with it.”

15. Saniewska hopes that those viewing the photos will get to see another side of Gaga.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/28/entertainment/cnnphotos-before-she-was-gaga/index.html

South African preacher mocked after charging for 'heavenly' photos

A South African preacher has been roundly mocked online after reportedly charging followers to view his photos of "heaven."

Paseka Motsoeneng, a self-styled prophet, claims a track record of amazing feats.

As the leader of the Church of Incredible Happenings, he's says he's healed people during sermons and even once claimed to deliver a fish from the womb of a pregnant woman.

But Motsoeneng, popularly known as "Prophet Mboro", may have gone a bit too far with his latest otherworldly boast.

A South African news site quoted a church spokesperson on 30 March saying that "the prophet did go to heaven" during an Easter church service and that while there "he took pictures" using his smartphone.

Those eager to see photographic proof of the afterlife will have to open their wallets though. Mboro has asked those who wish to view the pictures for a donation of 5,000 rand (about £240 or $340).

Although some of Mboro's followers rushed to say that the story was satirical, that didn't stop South Africans from ridiculing the pastor.

"If the Americans can go to the Moon why can't Pastor Mboro go to Heaven and take pics," tweeted one. Another commented: "Don't forget your selfie stick when U go to heaven."

For those unable to afford the donation, there was also plenty of humorous speculation online about what the photos might show:

But others thought the pastor's claim was no joking matter.

"What is the government doing about Pastor Mboro?" ‏@ThatGirlCebi wondered. Others accused the Mboro of duping his followers. "Can u please Investigate Pastor Mboro's claim that he went to heaven and took selfies! He wants R5,000 for a pic!" one South African declared, directing a tweet at the authorities.

The pastor, reportedly a multi-millionaire who owns a fleet of luxurious cars and was once the subject of a BBC documentary, is no stranger to scrutiny over his financial affairs. In 2015, he was questioned by a public commission investigating the commercialisation of religion. He denied all wrongdoing, remained defiant, and told his supporters that he was determined to go to jail if that is was is necessary to protect his church's image.

Mboro has not yet commented on the social media storm and BBC Trending tried to contact him, but he has not yet responded.

Below are the Pictures;

Pastor fails to resurrect after telling people to bury him alive

Five members of the same family were charged with the murder of a prophet who had been called to their their home in the village of Mazonde, Zimbabwe to help them cleanse their house of evil spirits.

According to local newspaper, Zed 24 News, the accused family identified as Leanmore Mutero, Tonderai Muswere, Michael Muchengeti, Manasa Mutero andNicholas Mutero, appeared at the High Court in Harare facing a murder charge for participating in the death of self-professed Prophet Shamiso Kanyama, who accidentally died during a healing ceremony.

Pastor Kanyama had reportedly asked his followers to bury him alive so that he could summon more cleansing powers to heal the family that had been plagued by mysterious deaths.

Zed 24 News reports that High Court Justice Owen Tagu heard how on that day, the late pastor had been invited to attend the home in the Muzarabani district, which is situated along the Mozambique-Zimbabwe border, by their priest, Zvidzai Muchengeti.

The five men had requested the priest to help them clean their home of evil spirits, because it was causing mysterious deaths in their family.

Responding to their request to perform a healing ceremony, Kanyama had ordered his followers to dig a grave and bury him alive because that was the way he summoned more healing powers to ward off evil spirits. However, the plan backfired on the prophet when instead of being resurrected as he supposed, the men dug up the grave again to find him dead.

Kanyama helped to dig his own grave before praying and jumping inside, Father Zvidzai, who has turned State witness, told the High Court. He continued that after laying face down in the grave, he ordered his followers to start covering him with soil.

“He pegged a grave-shaped pit in front of my hut and asked for help to dig the pit,” Zvidzai continued. “Deceased requested to be buried alive so that he would gain power to drive away the evil forces.”

Fearing for the life of the prophet as the men were in the process of filling the grave, he requested the men to stop what they were doing, Joseph Taderera told Justice Tagu.

However, they ignored his pleas when Kanyama urged them to continue the process of burying him alive, stating that he would rise from the grave unharmed.

“I warned the men about the danger of their actions, but my advice fell on deaf ears because Kanyama shouted, telling me that I am disturbing his angels, and urged them to continue filling the grave, saying that he would later come out alive,”Taderera said.

source: http://guardian.ng/news

SOCIALITE DEBBY SEMPAKA POSES NUDE

Well known city Socialite Deddy Sempaka left most of our dudes panties running different directions due to unforeseen circumstances.  

The socialite left many pocketing as she flaunted her body on the bed wearing nothing, where she never stopped at having fun, but caused more fun in various pants.

Kehlani’s suicide attempt a ‘sympathy’ move, says Chris Brown

Rapper Chris Brown has called R&B singer Kehlani’s suicide attempt, that lead to her hospitalization, a ploy to get sympathy.

“There is no attempting suicide. Stop flexing for the gram. Doing for sympathy so then comments under your pics don’t look so bad,” he wrote on Twitter.

There is no attempting suicide. Stop flexing for the gram. Doing shit for sympathy so them comments under your pics don't look so bad

— Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) March 30, 2016

His harsh comment soon prompted backlash from other Twitter users.

“Chris Brown......stfu,” Rickey Thompson wrote. Daniel Christopher added, “Suicide is NOT a joke @chrisbrown. Your misogyny is disgusting & if you don’t think attempted suicide is real, look at your own career.”

Brandon Evers also responded, “Chris Brown is a perfect example that having a daughter won’t make a man less of a misogynist. It’s scary to know he’s raising a young girl.”

Brown, 26, however, does not seem to care about what people said about him. Without addressing the issue anymore, he posted later that day, “The amount of followers I got and the amount of comments are the amounts of... I give.”

Kehlani hinted that she attempted suicide with a picture of her lying in a hospital bed. The suicide attempt came after the America’s Got Talent participant was accused of cheating on her boyfriend, NBA star Kyrie Irving.

Apple privacy protests are held around the country

Protesters at the Apple Store on 5th Ave. in New York demonstrate in support of the company's privacy policy. Demonstrators are expected to gather in a number of cities to protest the FBI obtaining a court order that requires Apple to make it easier to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a gunman in December's mass murders in San Bernardino, Calif.  Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY

FBI hacks into terrorist’s iPhone without Apple

Thanks to the skills of an unknown third party, the Department of Justice was able to access data on the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.
SAN FRANCISCO — Although the government officially withdrew from its battle against Apple Monday, many observers sense the tech privacy war is just getting started.
"This lawsuit may be over, but the Constitutional and privacy questions it raised are not," Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who had criticized the Justice Department's legal effort against Apple, said in a statement Monday.
The Justice Department withdrew its legal action against Apple after a method brought to the FBI earlier this month by an unidentified entity allowed investigators to crack the security function without erasing contents of the iPhone used by Syed Farook, who with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out the December mass shooting in San Bernardino that left 14 dead.
The government maintained it was looking for access to one phone, but Apple countered that asking for a code that could access the iPhone 5c would create a backdoor to all such devices that was exploitable by other entities.
"This case should never have been brought," Apple said in a statement released late Monday. "We will continue to help law enforcement with their investigations, as we have done all along, and we will continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated. ... This case raised issues which deserve a national conversation about our civil liberties, and our collective security and privacy."

USA TODAY

In its two-page filing in a California magistrate's court, the government noted that due to outside assistance it "no longer requires the assistance from Apple Inc." Justice spokeswoman Melanie Newman said the FBI is reviewing the contents of the phone as "consistent with standard investigatory procedures," and that "we will continue to pursue all available options for this mission, including seeking the cooperation of manufacturers and relying upon the creativity of both the public and private sectors."
Government law enforcement officials have denied charges the FBI wanted to establish a backdoor to Apple's encryption, and swatted away accusations that they were using the case to gain broader access to consumers' devices.
"The San Bernardino case was not about trying to send a message or set a precedent; it was and is about fully investigating a terrorist attack,'' FBI Director James Comey wrote in an editorial last week.
The FBI has about a dozen similar cases pending in which it wants access to smartphone information to assist with a case. So while this particular showdown may be over, "there are other cases pending where law enforcement relies on the All Writs Act" to access tech gadget data, referring to an old law that can compel companies to help the government in pursuit of its duties, says Denelle Dixon-Thayer, Chief Legal and Business Officer at Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser.
"This question is clearly not going away just because the government has withdrawn their request in this particular case," she says.
Mozilla and dozens of other tech companies that supported Apple with amicus briefs will be watching what happens next carefully.
Privacy issues have both societal and financial implications. Given the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, concerns loom about how rogue regimes could leverage back doors into tech products to go after detractors. Companies like Apple, whose brand identity is anchored to data security, could face declining sales if smartphones and tablets prove hackable.
All that is counterbalanced by the need for public security in an age when terrorists use encrypted smartphone communication to secretly plot devastating attacks such as the recent suicide missions in Brussels and Paris.
Justice officials declined to comment on whether the technique used to unlock the phone would be applied to other encrypted devices. Authorities also refused comment on whether the method would be shared with Apple.





Apple officials said on a call with reporters last week that if the iPhone in question was accessed, the company would want to know how so it can improve its encryption techniques. Declining to turn over such details to Apple engineers would "leave ordinary users at risk from malicious third parties who also may use the vulnerability," says Steve Crocker, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Monday's action concludes six weeks of building tensions between the government and the the Silicon Valley i-product giant. The FBI insisted for weeks that only Apple could crack the contents of Farook's iPhone. Apple said such an action amounted to a digital "backdoor" that could eventually undermine the privacy of consumers — an unwavering stance supported by Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other tech giants.
The foes were poised to face off in a court room in Riverside, Calif., last week before the Justice Department abruptly asked for — and was granted — a postponement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has crusaded in a highly coordinated public campaign against the dangers of weakened security in digital devices. This month, Apple said the “Founding Fathers would be appalled” because the government’s order to unlock the iPhone was based on what it said was non-existent authority asserted by the DOJ.
California U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said federal authorities had pursued the litigation to “fulfill a solemn commitment to the victims of the San Bernardino shooting — that we will not rest until we have fully pursued every investigative lead related to the vicious attack.’’
Alex Abdo, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, called the government’s “unprecedented power-grab” a threat to everyone’s security and privacy.
“Unfortunately, (Monday's) news appears to be just a delay of an inevitable fight over whether the FBI can force Apple to undermine the security of its own products,” Abdo said in a statement late Monday. “We would all be more secure if the government ended this reckless effort.”
Marco della Cava and Jon Swartz reported from San Francisco, Johnson from Washington, D.C.

Saudi Prince Offers Kanye $10m To Spend One Night With Kim Kardashian

The public display by American rapper Kanye West of his financial difficulties, has brought him an unexpected offer from Saudi King Salman’s youthful son and heir, Prince Mohammed: $10 million for the opportunity to spend one night with his wife, reality television star, Kim Kardashian. Kanye West created a worldwide commotion in February, by bashfully announcing on Twitter that he was $53 million in personal debt. The impecuniousness, he noted, was the result of following his dreams in the fashion industry.

The Saudi Defence Minister, Prince Mohamad Bin Salman, made a controversial offer yesterday, during a press conference, that could solve Kanye West’s money problems. The powerful prince, who has an estimated wealth of more than a billion dollars, offered to pay the rapper $10M to spend one night with his wife. “I have no interest whatsoever in his music or his clothing,” Prince Mohamad told reporters, “but his wife, she is a treasure of inestimable value. I would gladly pay $10M or even more to spend one night with her.”

Neither Kanye West nor Kim Kardashian, have reacted to the offer yet, but it has already provoked violent reactions from various feminist organizations. In an interview with CBS, the spokeswoman for the Women’s Liberation Action Network, Jane Austin, called the offer “an insult to women across the world”, saying that it shows how women are still treated as objects is certain parts of the world.

Chris Brown Blasts Karrueche Tran, I Made You Famous [DETAILS]

Instagram War: Chris Brown Blasts Karrueche Tran, I Made You Famous [DETAILS]

Things are heating up between Chris Brown and his ex, Karrueche Tran, and it’s all happening on Instagram.

It began when Chris Brown called out Jacob York, Karrueche Tran‘s manager  in the caption of his Instagram picture. But from there, it just spiraled. What started as a back and forth between Chris and Jacob turned into an exes war when Chris actually referred to Karrueche as a “b-tch” — and her response was not happy.
After captioning the t-shirt pic with “Hey…. I know that shirt. @jacobyork fat *** is gonna have a speech for you. I respect the support.” But apparently not so much. Shortly after, Jacob posted a photo of a quote that read “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” Chris commented on it though; it had a lot of profanities, but basically he called him out for being overweight and capitalizing “off every vulnerable barely famous emotionally distraught female with a pretty face.”
Karrueche, clearly wasn’t happy about being called a b-tch, so she commented too. “You’re calling me a bi-ch yet you’re screaming my name in a song about getting back together? CAN ALL THIS PETTY SH-T STOP. IT IS SO UNNECESSARY. You have a beautiful daughter and so much to live for. LIVE YOUR LIFE and be positive. I am so over the drama! I just wanna work and be happy and take care of my family. Every f–king day it’s something new!!! And all you f-cks get your life and laughs from this sh-t show(sic).”

Kim Kardashian posts a naked selfie again

Kim Kardashian gave birth to her son Saint West just under three months ago and 

has so far kept her post-baby body under wraps.

Until now.

The reality star posted a naked photo to her Twitter and Instagram on Monday, with a few 

strategically placed black bars, and we’ve got to hand it to the mother-of-two, she looks 

amazing.

Of course a photo like this was always going to get the world talking.

The world reacts;