With the last of the turkey carcass picked clean and having survived crazy Uncle Larry’s Obamacare rant, we awoke from our food comas to discover a sweet Thanksgiving treat better than that second piece of pumpkin pie (and without the calories!) in Lady Gaga’s Muppets holiday special that aired last night on ABC.
While some folks rode their second wind to the nearest big box store to fight the crowds for the latest electronic gadget, we poured another glass of Beaujolais nouveau and settled in for Lady Gaga and the Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular.
What ensued was a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle in every sense of the word.
The show opened with a fun rendition of “Venus” as Gaga performed full-clad in a skimpy seashell bikini as the Muppets sang back-up:
In between numbers, Gaga and the Muppets kept us entertained with playful banter. Expectedly, Miss Piggy was not happy that another blonde bombshell was stealing the show and Kermit’s attention. We thought this set up the perfect cue for Gaga to perform “Swine,” but alas, calling Miss Piggy “disgusting” may have merited a swift “HIIIII-YA!”
However, speaking of feuding divas, the special did include several guest appearances, such as the oft-opinionated Sir Elton John. We guess this means Gaga forgave him for those “dangerous place” comments. Regardless, we were pleased to see the two back at the dueling pianos as they basted each other with compliments — “You’re my favorite girl, you know that,” said Elton. “I love ya, love ya, love ya.” To which Gaga replied, “It’s always nice when I get to spend time with you because you helped me to stay inspired and put life in perspective.” — before launching into a truly amazing mash-up of “Benny and the Jets” and “ARTPOP”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7TJG65ebQM
Other show highlights include:
A rendition of “Fashion” with the one-and-only RuPaul who literally towered over the petite Gaga despite her incredibly massive heels (loved the Edie Beale look though!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=499LFcpOOwQ
The always handsome and allegedly bi-curious Joseph Gordon-Levitt stopped by to get us in the holiday spirit with a duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q0MhuhYD6Q
Gaga also performed “Manicure” and “Applause” twice — once closing the show again with the Muppets as back-up. Seriously, if she goes on tour with them, we will be there.
Missing from the performance were some of her more risqué ARTPOP tracks: “Aura,” “Sexxx Dreams,” “Jewels and Drugs,” “Mary Jane Holland,” “Do What U Want.” (It’s probably best to keep R. Kelly clear of the Muppets.) We also would have loved to have seen the muppet Janice and Gaga team up for a duet of “Donatella.” (You have to admit the resemblance is striking!) Despite all the talk of “ArtFLOP,” we couldn’t help but smile throughout the kitsch-filled special. Not only was it a great way to close out Thanksgiving, but Gaga and her Muppet friends took us on a tour of ARTPOP that made us appreciate the album — and Gaga — even more. Well played, Gaga! Your turn, Carrie. (Or should we say Fräulein Maria!)
tardis
Aww, I love the muppets and Gaga!
Alonso Sierra
Perfection!!!… I loved this show! 😀
jimbryant
Ru Paul is a joke. Sorry, but what exactly is his claim to fame? Putting on high heels and make-up? What a joke! He gets a pass because he’s black, of course.
As for Gaga, she’s becoming less and less gay-friendly.
2eo
@jimbryant: The best thanksgiving gift would be you overdosing, not in an over the internet joking rib, as an I’m actually asking you to do it human to human.
AuntieChrist
I guess Anita Bryants bastard child has to weigh in on everything in the negative… A sad, sad, sad, and pathetic creature… On a more positive note…It blows my mind every time I see Ru…The transformation from nice looking guy to fabulous queen is always a joy… Gaga was okay too…J.G.L. always adorable…Dame Elton John wasn’t bad, wasn’t good, but at least not terrible.
jimbryant
2eo,
Oh, please, your stereotypical slip is starting to show. It’s frayed and faded. You need a new schtick.
As for Lady Gaga, yeah right. If she’s so gay-friendly, why has she collaborated with TI on Jewels and Drugs? TI is reportedly homophobic. Gay people are waking up to her fake, manufactured image.
Ru Paul is ridiculous. Putting on make-up and wearing high-heels is hardly the stuff of thinking outside the box. He is a pure stereotype, and an ugly one at that.
AuntieChrist
@jimbryant: PLEASE! You ain’t got no right throwing shade at anyone miss thang… Your self loathing Freudian slip is showing every day…Drag is one thing that has evolved to become uniquely ours. It’s Theatre Pure and Simple…You’re so ugly, when you were born they put tinted windows on your incubator…That’s why you can’t do drag and why you hate yourself and everyone else…You’re never happy unless you are miserable and try to make everyone around you feel the same way…I feel sorry for you…You are a SMALL, SMALL, SMALL, person and I fear you will die alone and full of regret….SNAP…!!!
jimbryant
Drag is a stereotype. There is no imagination in drag. Putting on lipstick and powder is the easiest thing to do, and requires no imagination. Ditto for lip-syncing.
2eo
@jimbryant: Are you intentionally going for the “starved of oxygen at birth yet somehow waddled into adulthood” schtick?, or is it some kind of cruel hubris?
You’re really good at it, is all.
NoelG
@jimbryant you are a hateful idiot.
AuntieChrist
@jimbryant: YOU ARE A STEREOTYPE, stereotypes reflect expectations and beliefs about the characteristics of members of groups perceived as different from one’s own…You are a hateful person…. you sit in judgement as you are all knowing and your point of view is the only correct view…It is beyond hubris…It is real psychopathy and you need professional help…I would curse you but you have already done THAT to yourself…I have nothing but remorse and pity for you as you in your current state will never find TRUE happiness.
AuntieChrist
This bitch is killin my buzz…. I am done wasting my time….
jimbryant
Drag is a fetish and not a sexual orientation. Drag acts need to stop hijacking the gay rights cause.
Drag is damaging our rights.
Comixbear
@jimbryant: Without drag, you wouldn’t HAVE gay rights.
jimbryant
Comixbear,
Puh-lease, give me a break. Gay rights did not begin with the drag acts of Stonewall. They began in Chicago in 1924 with the Chicago Society For Human Rights. Do some reading.
The drag acts of Stonewall were part of the revolt in 1969 but they were not its definition. In any case, drag is NOT the same as sexual orientation. Drag is a fetish.
Comixbear
@jimbryant: It’s obvious you have a prejudice against drag queens, so any further comments are useless. Bigots rarely move beyond their hatred. And before you jump to conclusions, let me state that 1) I’ve never done drag and 2) I’ve never been a major fan of it. But I also don’t care if someone else does it and don’t feel like it takes anything away from me in any form. If people choose to look at drag as the sole expression of homosexuality, that’s more about them than about me. But it IS a valid expression of self. Bigotry isn’t.
AuntieChrist
jimbryant
jimbryant
Drag is a fetish and not a sexual orientation.
Fetishism, the attribution of religious or mystical qualities to inanimate objects, known as fetishes
Sexual fetishism, sexual fixation with objects, body parts, or situations not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature
Commodity fetishism, a Marxist concept of valuation in capitalist markets,Fetish, a fictional superheroine in the Bomb Queen series…F**king moron
tricky ricky
@jimbryant: he had a hit record and has had an acting career.
jimbryant
Drag is simply a fetish. Don’t deny it.
We should never allow fetishes to define our sexual orientation. Just as we shouldn’t allow the leather fetish to define our sexual orientation, we should never allow the drag fetish to define our sexual orientation.
Comixbear
@jimbryant: And we shouldn’t allow bigots to define our sexual orientation. What happened? Did a drag queen once stand you up for a date?