That Eric Alper

The pop star who is best known for her out-of-this-world red carpet outfits has also given us some of the catchiest songs of this generation. Lady Gaga never ceases to drop dazzling hit singles, each one surprising and delighting her fans in some new unique way. However, it would be outrageous to talk about Gaga without mentioning the many music videos that compliment her work. There’s no other artist that quite knows how to put on such a great show, so it makes sense that she has over thirty videos with extensive work and detail put into each one. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable.

Lady Gaga has won nine Grammy awards including for best album, performance, and song writing.

‘Poker Face’

‘Poker Face’ will go down in Gaga history as one of the singer’s most popular and recognizable songs, and the music video which accompanied its release is undoubtedly owed a huge part of the credit. Adding it to the ranks as one of many great hits that mentions the strategic game in a meaningful way, the song was the world’s best-selling single of 2009.

The lyrics can be summed up as Gaga boasting to the world about others being unable to read her poker face, making it clear that she has mastered the expression’s hidden truth. The catchy, repetitive chorus that we all know and love: “Can’t read my, can’t read my/ No, he can’t read my poker face” will forever be etched into our brains. The hit’s music video was the third of the singer’s career, filmed at a gorgeous mansion in Malibu. Featuring incredible examples of choreography, wardrobe styling, and overall glamour, the video positioned the singer as the superstar of the moment. Even 11 years later, it’s impossible not to dance while watching it.

‘Paparazzi’

The music video for Gaga’s last single on her album “The Fame” was a seven-minute long mini film, and also one of the first videos that used YouTube to create marketing buzz. Without MTV’s censorship, the singer’s creative liberties were unconstrained, and she took full advantage of that. In various interviews since its release, Lady Gaga has said that there are many interpretations of the video but mostly she created it to focus on the lengths people are willing to go to for fame. Oh, and you can’t forget True Blood actor Alexander Skarsgard’s notable appearance.

‘Telephone’

A Gaga favorite much like ‘Poker Face’, ‘Telephone’ follows up the story that was left behind in ‘Paparazzi’ when the singer murders her boyfriend, (played by Alexander Skarsgard). This video is special for many reasons, but watching Beyonce AKA “Honey Bee” break Gaga out of prison is one of the best storylines that any 10-minute video could have. Following a similar theme of violence and with inspiration taken from the famous director Quentin Tarantino, the video combines crazy costumes and dancing to create a signature Gaga production.

‘Born This Way’

Following a similar long-form video format, Gaga delivers yet another jaw-dropping performance with her 2011 release, ‘Born this Way’. It may just be the singer’s most intricate video to date because of its unique storyline in which a new race of humanity is born into the world. Gaga herself gives birth in this video, following her extremely crazy and “out-there” themes. The hair/makeup and costumes make it iconic in typical Gaga fashion.

‘Bad Romance’

There’s no other Lady Gaga video that incorporates all elements of the singer’s talent into one production. Released in 2009 under Gaga’s second studio album “The Fame Monster,” ‘Bad Romance’ combined beautiful acting, incredible choreography, and an impactful plot to create an unforgettable five-minute work of art. Not to mention that skeleton scene wrapping everything up. Simply masterful.

Gaga is already making waves with her latest studio album, “Chromatica” released earlier this year.” Videos for the album, that feature famous names in the music industry like Elton John and Ariana Grande, was curiously shot entirely on a iPhone 11 Pro.

The superstar, no stranger to the stage, has embarked on a total of five concert world tours throughout her career

His House is not just a horror movie about a haunted house… it is more than that!

Debutant director Remi Weekes’ His House premiered at Sundance at the beginning of the year, while the movie was officially released on Netflix during the Halloween weekend. The audience waited for the cheap thrills of horror movies and the classic jump scares cliché. But seriously, we did not expect the tension and serious drama happening on screen! This is why we say it is more than the classic haunted house stories that we know of.

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Coming back to His House, the movie addresses much more dire themes that the soul of the deceased returning to the living. Female infanticide tying up with the traditional haunted house and stringing into a cautionary tale of refugee crisis. That’s right, the combination sounds rather creepy… with the cast adding up the cherry on the pie with their on-point acting.

His House tells the story of Rial and Bol, a couple from South Sudan.  During the very first scene, the dramatic experience starts, with the couple trying to flee their hostile homeland with their daughter. On their perilous journey across the sea, tragedy strikes again with the death of their daughter. Cut to three months later, when they are assigned a dilapidated old house. Many horror fans out there would get the hint… “An old house with a couple moving in? Sounds like 90s horror!” Not at all… there’s something more. Their social worker advises them to assimilate and not antagonize, ending their conversation with “Be one of the good ones”.

We see two perceptions of a classic haunting in the movie, by our couple. While Bol instinctively goes into denial mode, like most men in horror movies would do, Rial seems not to be bothered at all. As if she were expecting the demons of their past would surely follow them.

Why do the jumpscare cliches work in His House but fall flat in other movies? Maybe other movies would send vibes that the character will just ignore and think that they were hallucinating. But in this one, the characters believe them! And the fact that the movie has already planted the vile seed that there’s a dead daughter already plays with your subconscious.

The director has also made sure not to make everything that scares the audience based around the ghosts. A brilliant effort to show the scare of helplessness when Rial is trapped in a what looks like a labyrinth of alleys in the neighbourhood. The scene evokes the claustrophobic feeling of some while playing with the “what if you are alone in the world” feeling of others.

Jumpscares offer the instant gratification in horror movies for sure. But a good horror movie requires extreme levels of storytelling, so as not to confuse your audience with what is real and not. Remi Weekes uses the different themes to highlight human stories. For His House, the characters are not the victims, they are the survivors. Well worth for any horror fan that seeks some good horror flick!

• Guest Post

Health care is a big topic in the United States and one that can be quite polarizing. There’s a lot of debate over government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

If you’re not familiar with these programs, it’s easy to get confused. After all, they have almost the same name! However, at heart, these programs are dramatically different. If you don’t already know, it’s important to get informed about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid.

What does each program cover and who benefits? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.

Basics of Medicare

Medicare is a program funded by the federal government that provides adults sixty-five years or older with healthcare coverage. Most people over the age of sixty-five are eligible, though an individual or their spouse must have worked at a job and paid Medicare taxes for at least ten years prior to enrolling.

Medicare only covers individuals, not entire families or households. An individual can apply in a three-month window around their birthday in either direction.

There are different types of Medicare coverage that one can obtain. Some cover only inpatient care, while others cover more elaborate things such as outpatient care and prescription medicines.

There are different eligibility requirements for different parts of the Medicare program. You can read more at medicarewire.com.

Basics of Medicaid

Medicaid, on the other hand, is funded by both the federal and state governments. Medicaid programs provide healthcare coverage for families and individuals with very low incomes. Age is not a factor, unlike the Medicare program. It’s all about income.

Medicaid recipients must qualify through a thorough process that occurs every 12 months. Any increases in income are reported while on a Medicaid plan. It is possible for a low-income individual or family to make more money than they are expected to and get bumped off of their current health plan.

The benefits of a low-income family or an individual can obtain from Medicaid programs varies from state to state. Some plans cover nearly all areas of health while others are more limited in what they can provide.

Most plans also do provide behavioral health benefits as well as physical.

Dual Coverage

It is possible for an individual to be covered under both Medicare and Medicaid. It happens more often than you might think. This is known as having dual coverage.

If a person is both over the age of sixty-five and making a low enough income level in their state, they will be eligible for both forms of health coverage.

With dual coverage, Medicare always takes precedence over Medicaid or any other type of commercial health coverage.

The Differences Between Medicare and Medicaid

Navigating the United States health system can be complicated. Understanding the differences between Medicare and Medicaid is a good way to start getting your bearings in terms of how things work.