Lady Gaga Muppets Holiday Spectacular...or whatever it's called...

[Monkee Girl]

Hi guys!

Did anyone watch this Thanksgiving night? I did and thought it was pretty good. None of the songs bored me, I even enjoyed the Elton John/Gaga duet and I am not really a big fan of either performer. I thought she did pretty good as a host...though her Kermit scenes were very...weird. They felt ad-libbed and kept going on is circles almost. I don't think those parts were written very well. I also enjoyed the JGL duet; didn't realize he could sing so well.

I do wish there were more Muppet skits. The scene with them in Gaga's dressing room were great. Especially Pepe, who is my favorite Muppet. I don't think he could get any closer to her either. Very funny stuff.

Over all, it was a fun show and I would love to see a new Muppets Holiday special for next year and with a new artist. I could see a new Holiday tradition in the making.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Isn't the title redundant anyway? I thought Gaga IS a Muppet....

#notaGagafan

 

[Monkee Girl]

I watched it and as Gaga fan, I thought it was just okay. Its clear this special was nothing more than a way to promote her latest album ARTPOP, hence the limited presence of the Muppets. I enjoyed the duet with Elton as well and I also LOVED her duet with RuPaul (didn't care for her outfit though). Personally, I think her 2011 Thanksgiving special was 100 times better than this year's. Glad you enjoyed it!

haha, definitely could feel the 'buy my CD!' vibe. For a holiday special it had what...2 holiday songs in it? but it's all good. I didn't see her other special, we only watched this one because it was the Muppets. Overall, it was something fun to watch after eating all that turkey

 

[Disneyfanman]

I didn't like the special at all. Maybe my expectations were too high after my recent delight with the Muppets movie, viral videos, the last Christmas special, etc. I admittedly wasn't familiar with Gaga's most recent music (her older stuff is in high rotation on my I-Pod) so all the songs were new to me. I thought the Elton duet was forced. Interestingly I'm the only one that I know who watched it. I wonder how it did in the ratings?

 

[erasure fan1]

Interestingly I'm the only one that I know who watched it. I wonder how it did in the ratings?

I Don't know how everywhere else was but by the looks of how many people were out waiting for the stores to open and shopping, I would say not very well.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I didn't like the special at all. Maybe my expectations were too high after my recent delight with the Muppets movie, viral videos, the last Christmas special, etc. I admittedly wasn't familiar with Gaga's most recent music (her older stuff is in high rotation on my I-Pod) so all the songs were new to me. I thought the Elton duet was forced. Interestingly I'm the only one that I know who watched it. I wonder how it did in the ratings?

It was a major flop, according to the Huff Post and other news outlets: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/lady-gaga-muppet-ratings-thanksgiving_n_4364050.html

In another thread that's discussing (and raging on) this topic, some are trying to pin the floppage wholly on Gaga. I think it's a combination of the two, in that: Muppets and Gaga are a BAD combination (as I pointed out in yet another thread I started in October), and also in that both elements of the special have seen better days. *shrug*

 

[Hakunamatata]

It was a major flop, according to the Huff Post and other news outlets: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/30/lady-gaga-muppet-ratings-thanksgiving_n_4364050.html

In another thread that's discussing (and raging on) this topic, some are trying to pin the floppage wholly on Gaga. I think it's a combination of the two, in that: Muppets and Gaga are a BAD combination (as I pointed out in yet another thread I started in October), and also in that both elements of the special have seen better days. *shrug*

I wonder how much they had to pay Sir Elton to perform on the same stage as Gaga.

 

[Disneyfanman]

I checked a couple of rating sites. It looked like it and Glee tied for the ratings basement on Thursday. Both in numbers and demo. The special wasn't promoted well, but as I mentioned, I did watch it and didn't like it. I think Gaga will survive but I worry about the impact on Kermit and gang. I did not think that they were well utilized.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I checked a couple of rating sites. It looked like it and Glee tied for the ratings basement on Thursday. Both in numbers and demo. The special wasn't promoted well, but as I mentioned, I did watch it and didn't like it. I think Gaga will survive but I worry about the impact on Kermit and gang. I did not think that they were well utilized.

Kermit and the gang have a much stronger following than some half witted pop diva wanna be. I wouldn't worry about them.

 

[englanddg]

I respect that many people don't like Lady Gaga, but for you to call her a "pop diva wanna be" is pretty harsh Check out this acoustic performance of her single "Marry the Night." None of the other contemporary "singers" come close to Gaga's talent.

I wouldn't say the most. There is no doubt she has talent. Nice Tori Amos / young Alicia Keyes impression she did there though.

Actually, I've heard just as stirring a performance on TV variety shows. I don't see anything special. The lyrics are not amazing, the vocals are not difficult, and the piano isn't either.

Now, if Gaga could do this...



(try playing that...I can...it's nearly Rachmaninoff in terms of complexity, and requires the precision of Joplin.)

Or have some real soul in her music, like this...



Or have a story to tell, like this...



Or have great (even if simple) lyrics, like this...



Or even have a gimmick that didn't involve dressing up like a fool...like this...



THESE women are musicians. Gaga, well, she's a product. Just like Beiber. Reselling other people's sounds, and trying to shock. More focused on the show than the art. There's a place for that, but it wouldn't make me consider you an amazing MUSICIAN...

To be fair, this may just be a low part of her career. I think Timberlake was headed in the Gaga direction for a while, but he's pulled back the past 6 years or so, and the stuff he's turned out has been much better as a result.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I respect that many people don't like Lady Gaga, but for you to call her a "pop diva wanna be" is pretty harsh Check out this acoustic performance of her single "Marry the Night." None of the other contemporary "singers" come close to Gaga's talent.

[youtube][youtube]

It is what it is.

 

[englanddg]

Obviously I'm die hard Gaga fan, but I have to agree with this. Compared to the immense success she encounter with The Fame/Fame Monster from 2008-2010, this new album era has been less than groundbreaking. Much of the promotion for the album has seemed too forced, the Thanksgiving special as an example. Not only that, she is beginning to take herself a little too seriously (firing her manager b/c he didn't like her artistic direction). Her latest album ARTPOP has some standouts (Gypsy, Venus, G.U.Y) and interesting musical composition, but it lacks the wonderfully written lyrics that made 2011's Born This Way a true masterpiece. How someone goes from writing the stunning lyrics in "The Edge of Glory" to garbage like "Walk down the runway, but don't puke. It's okay, you just had a salad today" is beyond comprehension.

ARTPOP was hyped a "reverse Warholian experience" and it is not. Sure, she's collaborated with Jeff Koons and the photo shoots with famed photographers Inez & Vinoodh were great, but their hasn't been any "art" beyond those collaborations. She truly could have done something exceptional with this album, but instead of making an album where ART was the forefront, it becomes just another standard EDM dance album. Its no wonder that the album only debuted with around 250,000 copies. I enjoy the album and I can't wait for the accompanying tour, but I truly expected more. Here's hoping album number five is better.

I agree with Todd.

http://blip.tv/todds-pop-song-reviews/applause-by-lady-gaga-a-pop-song-review-6645152

 

[Disneyfanman]

She seems a little frantic. I'm not sure what is giving me that impression, but I really don't question her talent. The special just didn't resonate with me at all. It was like someone was pretending to be Gaga, if that makes any sense. I mean I loved her last few years of music. On stage, on Thursday, she didn't even seem very comfortable. Maybe the time off for the hip injury really set her back. And her time on stage with the Muppets felt uncomfortable. Just nothing worked for me.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

I gave it 15 minutes then switched channels. Not a Lady Gaga fan at all, only tuned in for the Muppets but even they weren't enough to carry it for me. Just one big infomercial for her latest release and very little holiday.

 

[Matt_Black]

I like Gaga, as she's very aware of what she's doing. She draws heavily from David Bowie (certainly during the song "Applause" which she performed on the show). She combines talent and showmanship to market herself. The only other current pop performer who seems as self-aware and intelligent about what she is doing is Ke$ha, who writes not only her own songs, but also songs for other performers. The kinda vapid pop diva thing she's got going on is a brilliant act, one which she's utilized well so far.

I think the problem was that instead of making it a Muppets special, or a holiday special, they tried making it as an old-school variety special that featured some Muppets segments and some holiday segments, which is something that might have worked in the seventies or eighties, but not so much now.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

There was a TV Special with Lady Gaga, Elton John, and The Muppets AND I MISSED THIS? D: I never even heard of it until now!