Yes, Gaga, Beyonce and Katy Perry are all considered up there with the Navy Seals and the 82nd Airborne as threats to China's national security, cultural branch.
Oooh. Almost forgot. In a blinding case of cyber time warp, the Backstreet Boys were also added to the Chinese list. This, thankfully, did not interrupt their gig playing Ladies' Night at the Minot, North Dakota Airport Lounge. JL
James McKinley reports in the New York Times:
Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Katy Perry have been deemed threats to “cultural national security” in China.
The Ministry of Cultural has ordered music download sites to delete songs by the pop divas, as well as songs by the Backstreet Boys and other musicians, The Associated Press reported. Cultural officials posted a list of 100 songs that it wanted removed from Chinese Web sites by Sept. 15, threatening unspecified punishments if the order was not complied with.
Six songs from Lady Gaga’s most recent album are on the list: “The Edge of Glory,” “Hair,” “Marry the Night,” “Americano,” “Judas” and “Bloody Mary.” Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” has also been banned as well as Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” which deals with a three-way sexual encounter. Oddly, the list also includes “I Want It That Way,” a Backstreet Boys song released more than a decade ago.
American pop stars weren’t the only ones outlawed. The list includes dozens of Hong Kong and Taiwanese songs as well. The Chinese government has long screened imported entertainment for political messages and commentary that counters the party line. The sensitivity of the government has been heightened since 2008, when Bjork, the Icelandic avant-garde singer, shouted “Tibet!” during a concert in Shanghai and performing a song titled “Declare Independence.”
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