Should Lady Gaga get any credit for pulling her ‘Do What U Want’ music video?

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I’ve actually been making an effort to ignore Lady Gaga for a bit because the stories about her last week were so gross. But we have some new photos of her (Gaga on Friday, in white), so we might as well talk about it. Gaga flamed out last year, I think, when she hurried the release of ARTPOP and tried to make it some huge cultural moment about her “art” or whatever and in the end, very few people cared. She’s all stunt and very little talent at this point. At one point, Gaga tried to promote her single “Do What U Want,” a song which features vocal work by R. Kelly. It was an attempt by R. Kelly for some dual promotion, because he was promoting his new album around the same time as well.

But what happened, just as Gaga was trying to promote her single as R.Kelly was promoting his album, was that the Village Voice published an epic takedown of R.Kelly and his long history of abusing and committing statutory rape on young girls. Suddenly, Gaga wasn’t as eager to promote that single (although it was still playing on the radio often enough). As it turns out, Gaga had actually filmed a music video to go along with the single. And the video was done by noted pervert Terry Richardson.

The raunchy video starring Gaga and Kelly was directed by controversial photographer Terry Richardson and depicts racy scenes between the singers. Its release would have coincided with heated attention focused on scandals involving both Richardson and Kelly. According to our source, Kelly plays a doctor in the video, with Gaga acting as his patient in scenes that riff on her real-life hip injury last year.

Gaga asks Kelly, “Will I ever be able to walk again?” The singer replies, “Yes, if you let me do whatever I want with your body.” The not-so-good doctor then adds, “I’m putting you under, and when you wake up, you’re going to be pregnant.” Alrighty, then!

We’re told the video was shot in September for a December release. After weeks of delays, it was mysteriously scrapped, and in January, Gaga posted an angry message on her website, blaming bad management and a tight schedule. But we’re told there were other factors. Around the same time, Richardson was accused of sexual misconduct on his sets by several models, and an online petition asking big brands to stop hiring him was launched on change.org.

Kelly, meantime, in December faced backlash over an in-depth Village Voice interview with veteran Chicago writer Jim DeRogatis, in which he chronicled “stomach-churning” sexual assault suits against Kelly in the 1990s, saying there were “dozens of girls — not one, not two, dozens — with harrowing lawsuits.”

A source told us, “Gaga had a video directed by an alleged sexual predator, starring another sexual predator. With the theme, ‘I’m going to do whatever I want with your body’? It was literally an ad for rape.” Reps for Gaga and Richardson didn’t comment. Kelly’s rep didn’t get back to us.

[From Page Six]

Yep. I don’t know if we should give Gaga credit for scrapping the video, do you? I mean, not releasing the video was pretty much her only move. TMZ also got their hands on a clip from the video and it’s really gross – you can see it here. I’m not going to embed that sh-t.

Also – Gaga recently posted some photos of her dog Asia dressed up in her jewels. PETA got pissy about it, because PETA literally has nothing better to do with their time I guess.

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Photos courtesy of Gaga’s Instagram, Pacific Coast News.

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49 Responses to “Should Lady Gaga get any credit for pulling her ‘Do What U Want’ music video?”

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  1. Kiddo says:

    If she was going to do something for the good of others, instead of simply protecting her brand, she could have made a statement about why she decided to scrap the release. But Gaga isn’t a revolutionary as she purports, she is a marketing machine.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Excellent point.

    • Kate says:

      +1

    • fairyvexed says:

      Richardson only preys on the vulnerable and powerless. He sucks up to the likes of Gaga and Beyonce´. Don’t they have people who can google? It reminds me of Johhny Depp defending Polanski, who picked victims the same way. Depp and others like him can hire bodyguards for his daughters. Us peasants? Just shut up and buy my album or tickets to my movie or whatever.

    • Miffy says:

      Great point.

      And it’s not like these were new accusations against Richardson and R. Kelly either, she still insisted on working with them. The only thing that changed between now and then was how much publicity those accusations garnered, so literally the only thing that changed her mind was how it might impact her already flagging popularity.

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      Exactly. Even Lena Dunham (who I cannot stand), publicly apologized for her association with Terry Richardson, and explained herself. Gaga’s just hopping on the bandwagon. And didn’t she say that she was, in the past, either treated like a sexual object by record producers and/or sexually molested by a boyfriend (one of those two things)?? So why would she even work with people like R Kelly & Richardson? It’s not like these accusations are JUST coming out.

    • Omega says:

      She picked these specific people to work on her rapey song because she wanted to cause a stir. Their history has been well known for years. Its no coincidence that she brings them together on this particular song. This WAS her PR move. That it was never released is thanks only to her record company having final say on what is released.

  2. Abbott says:

    Wish people thought Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ was as gross.

    • lisa2 says:

      I think a lot of people did.. It was just that song was very catchy and it just pulled you in.

      guiltily raising my hand.. I can’t stop dancing when I hear it..

      • Sarah says:

        Glad I ‘m not the only one, lisa2. I always feel like I should shower after I hear it. A lot of people did/do think it is a bad message – me included. The Miley twerk heard round the world didn’t help matters any.

    • L says:

      Don’t mean to be rude but as far as I’m aware robin thicke has never been purported to be a sexual predator Terry and R Kelly however are a different story

      • Abbott says:

        Good point. Same message though. Just because Thicke had less predators in his video didn’t make the song less offensive, for me at least.

      • fairyvexed says:

        It’s a predator’s theme song. So he might not be one himself but he’s making money on making it cute.

  3. original kay says:

    No. She should not.

    Also, doing that to her dog is nasty.

  4. Sarah says:

    No she doesn’t get credit for pulling it! She filmed it with the plan to release it. You know full well she had to sign off on the concept and she knew the history of Uncle Terry and R. Kelly. She gets no credit. None. None whatsoever.

    • Belle Epoch says:

      Agree – no brownie points for pulling a video that should never have been made in the first place. Now we know how stupid and vile she really is.

      • Hannah says:

        Double agree. And she wrote the song. “Do What U Want” (Gaga is too arty to bother with the y and o!) with my body is a very clear message. She clearly intended it to stirr controversy cause that’s what popstars who think they’re a lot more interesting than they actually are do. And yes, I’ve heard her contrived explanation of what that songs is about. Not buying it (literally and metaphorically).

    • Christie says:

      Triple agree. She’s only pulling the video because of the article, afraid it’ll hurt her brand. If the article hadn’t been published, she would have released the video like she planned. You don’t get points for knowingly working with not one but TWO people who have been accused of vile things, and then only scrapping it because you realized it would look bad on you.

      • Zinjojo says:

        Yes, yes and yes!

      • fairyvexed says:

        If she really wanted to be controversial she’d face LOOSING money, not raking it in. Stand up for people everybody hates——–women, gays, Muslims, the scapegoats of society——now, THAT’S rebellious. Instead it’s like she’s sneering at people who’ve been victimized.

      • TheOneandOnlyOnly says:

        Quadruple agree – Gaggles has shown that despite the faux politics and progressive stances, she and her label are about the money first last and always; she’s falling her handlers are savvy to stave of the descent of this cash cow.

  5. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I’m glad it was pulled, for whatever reason. She was a jerk to make it in the first place, though, so I’m not giving her much credit.

  6. lisa2 says:

    I think the video being pulled is more about Gaga and Richardson. They are the ones that are more under fire. Richardson because of the abuse allegations that are now floating around. And Gaga because her music is not selling. R. Kelly has always been known as a freak. And none of that has affected him musically really. Well I don’t think so. I think he has not had a hit is a while.

    But once again we see how Gaga is making miss step after miss step; and working with Richardson is never a good thing. GROSS on all 3 of them

    • Bridget says:

      People have given Kelly a pass, but the video being pulled really was primarily about him. That VV story was all about how Kelly somehow gets a pass for being a predator, and how people still work with him, and stirred his story back into the public consciousness. And then Gaga puts out a song with him called “Do What U Want”. She got a lot of flak there, completely deservedly.

  7. Jana says:

    I seem to remember her throwing a hissy fit over the video not being released when she wanted it to be seen? So I give all credit to her management, record label, or whoever for not putting it out.

  8. We Are All Made of Stars says:

    I don’t know why anyone would work with Terry Richardson, but in her case I’m guessing it had something to do with the shock value of the theme of the video and the disgustingness of Terry. I also find it sad and incredible that the allegations against Kelly were made fourteen years ago and yet most people, even the ones who are really up on celebrity gossip, don’t really have this on their radar. How could this have happened? I suppose she could have been as in the dark about it as everyone else, but overall this whole fiasco just smells of really poor judgement on her part. I am sad to have to say that because I really liked her for her uniqueness when she first came out but now she is going down the crapper. With all her emphasis on anti-bullying and empowerment, it would be more than appropriate if she would come out and make a statement about what went wrong and why she doesn’t stand for the horribleness that this has all turned into. Call your lawyers, Gaga.

  9. Talie says:

    There was enough out there about both of them beforehand.

  10. Dash says:

    She was all set to release it. VEVO had stills of it and were posting them on their FB – Gaga was crawling on the floor in underwear and R Kelly was standing over her. It was pulled so last minute, had to be the record label and not Gaga herself. She had hyped the release, her fans were waiting for it, and then it was never mentioned again. They did a live performance of the song at some award ceremony where he was playing her dirty boss (something like that). She was happy to go along with it.

    Bieber did a song with R Kelly around the same time which was pretty gross as well. How much of a bubble do these people live in that they wouldn’t stop for a second and think about who he actually is?!

  11. Jem says:

    Ha. Even her dog looks like he’s over it.

    I think shes got genuine talent, but i also think shes an a$$hole

  12. eliza says:

    Lol. So PETA and others are pissed over those dog pictures? Mmmmkay.

    There are plenty of reasons to dislike and rail on Gaga, those dog pictures are the least of them.

    I guess when I put a Halloween bat costume on my doggie last Halloween for a romp through the neighborhood, that was abusive?!

  13. starrywonder says:

    I don’t care about the dog being dressed up. My best friend just posted pic of her dog wearing a fedora, a scarf, and sunglasses. I think the dog looks embarrassed but I am not going to sic PETA on her or GAGA about it. That said yep her video is super gross and Richardson and R Kelly are disgusting.

    • Ana says:

      They are complaining about the clip-on earrings in the second picture. I to some extent understand because a dog’s ears can be very sensitive and those seem like heavy earrings.

  14. kibbles says:

    That video is so disgusting. And with the two biggest perverts in the music/directing world today. Gaga is over if she feels the need to resort to this to sell her music. She pulled the video because her handlers and music label knew she had gone too far. Unfortunately Gaga didn’t have the sense to realize this before she felt the need to collaborate with R. Kelly and Terry Richardson. Gaga is only concerned with selling records and staying in the limelight at any cost.

  15. Lady says:

    That little clip was revolting. It was as though they were trying to make it fun and sexy but it just came off as three losers being creeps.

  16. kri says:

    Once again, we have a case of “I’m an ARTIST, therefore somehow special”-they aren’t subject to rules or laws the way “boring regular” people are. That attitude makes me want to hurl. The fact that Gaga (and anyone else) knowingly seeks out people like R Kelly &Richardson makes me want to scream. Someone has to start leading the fight against these types of people-she could have made a real stand here. As far as I can tell, she only yanked the vid cause she knew it looked bad for her after all the Richardson stuff that’s come out. Her dog has more dignity and class than Richardson or Kelly will ever have, and definitey a better sense of style than Gaga.

  17. aenflex says:

    R Kelly is trash. I don’t know how to separate the decent from artist from the pervert. I would never have worked with him, were I in her, (or any artist’s), shoes.

  18. Samtha says:

    She doesn’t get any points for scrapping it, since she felt okay enough to make it in the first place. It’s not like she could work with two noted sexual abuser, on a video that glamorizes sexual abuse, by accident.

  19. Jayna says:

    She didn’t pull it. Her label and management made her do it probably. She tweeted a photo the other day of her dogs with this quote by her about the DWUW video. It was reported on a gossip site.

    “Yesterday (20 June), Gaga responded to the controversy, by posting a picture of her dogs looking wide-eyed, with the caption: “Stella and Asia after watching DWUW.”

  20. Jayna says:

    It’s her dog. She’s not abusing it. I hate dressing up a dog and would never do it to my animals. But my nephew’s pug dances around like crazy when they pull out outfits. He loves it when they put clothes oh him and hats. Then he runs around all proud. It’s cute. I wouldn’t have believed it i I hadn’t seen it. Gaga wouldn’t hurt her dog. Maybe the clip-ons were for a second and a photo. I highly doubt she would put tight pinchy ones on him/her.

  21. J-uk says:

    Nope – not when she works with known sexual predators… When you court controversy so often, it is bound to bite you on the a$$ – KARMA. And let’s be honest – this “decision” had nothing to do with her; those record label execs pulled the vid… Too bad they didn’t pull the collaboration. R.Kelly should not be around women/girls, let alone the music biz…

  22. Annaloo. says:

    OMG, I wrap my cat in scarves and little beanie hats and take pictures. He actually sits still and lets me do it while emitting his “happy squeaks” (happy squeaks come out when things like Tuna, belly rubs and new toys happen) – I think he stays still more bc he likes the cooing and cuddling I do to him while dressing him up….but now I’m worried! AM I A BAD FUR-MOM????!

  23. Izzy says:

    Dear Gaga: Google is your friend. Use it before the PR clusterf— begins, it’ll help.

    Dear PETA: Just STFU already or go find a real issue to deal with. The dog in the jewels looks pissed and unamused, but not abused.

  24. Jane says:

    That video clip was gross. She’s lucky her label pulled it. That was probably the best thing that happened to her all year.

  25. Jag says:

    No. She shouldn’t have made it in the first place!

  26. Mack says:

    Very little talent? Come on…no matter if you like Gaga or not, you can’t deny that she’s extremely talented.

  27. clumsyme says:

    I find it interesting that they call Richardson an “alleged” sexual predator and Kelly a sexual predator. Shouldn’t we all agree by now that he is a sexual predator not just an alleged one?

  28. Baskingshark says:

    In that first picture the dog is like “As soon as you take this stupid thing off my face I am going to pee in your shoes then put myself up for adoption on Craigslist.”