WAS IT A FEVERISH DREAM ? LADY GAGA AND THE MUPPETS

It was kind of a slow evening at our house.   Wife was sick.  Younger child was playing a video game.   I was channel surfing with no particularly destination when I stumbled across the weirdest thing I'd seen in a long time - it appeared to be Lady Gaga singing with some of The Muppets.   That was simply too bizarre a scene to be true so I stopped to see what was actually going on.  Yes, in fact it was  - she was the co-star in  ABC's Lady Gaga & The Muppets Holiday Spectacular.  

So where do you even start to describe this weird mash-up of genres and demographics ?   You kind of had to wonder what marketing genius came up with the idea of a show that would allow five years olds to watch Gaga cavorting with The Muppets, while going through some of the ugliest stage costumes known to mankind (one looked like an oversized condom).  That's not even addressing the blatant  attempts to sell her newest album "ArtPop" which judging by the couple of songs I heard, wasn't particularly catchy, or inspiring.   That said, the "ArtPop" efforts were better than lukewarm duets with the likes of Elton John (a remake of "Benny and the Jets" - "Gaga an the Jets" and "ArtPop"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a lame and surprisingly sexless "Baby, It's Cold Outside"),

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q0MhuhYD6Q

and  RuPaul ("Fashion").   The latter sounded like a third-rate Bowie tune, but had Gaga wearing the "condom" outfit.  Damn, either RuPaul is gigantic, or Gaga is petite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GsFIL90Mg0

I'll admit that "Applause" wasn't half bad in a mindless techno kind of way.  Not sure I'd want to have to explain to my young kids why she was dance with her assets shakin' all over the place and what was with the wild eyed look ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reRiDLWPRxE

The "ArtPop" duet with Elton John was ...  well dull came to mind (nice hair there Lady):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DDC857eUSQ

As for Kirsten Bell - I have no idea what her role on the television program was - maybe she was there to make The Muppet characters seem even more talented?  If so, well it worked.

The show apparently tanked with audiences.