Lady Gaga fans petition 'Idol' over edited 'Alejandro' [poll]

After Lady Gaga's complaint Thursday about the editing of her "Alejandro" performance on Wednesday's "American Idol," her fans have launched a petition urging Fox to air the uncut version of the performance, MTV reports. That version is embedded above.

The petition, which aims to collect 10,000 signatures -- classifies the "Alejandro" number as art: "GaGa gives performance art to the Pop World. Emphasis on the word art. Would you take a $250,000 painting, cut it in pieces, and put it together to better fit your wall? No. Thus, you should not take the art of this artist and do the same."

Idol Tracker's Shirley Halperin was in the audience and has some observations about how things went down -- pointing out the fact that keeping the last two minutes of Gaga's routine in the broadcast likely would've meant no time for contestant Aaron Kelly's final encore.

With "Idol" earning $8.1 million every half hour it's on the air, according to Forbes, Lady Gaga's Little Monsters could be making a fairly pricey demand. Petitioners' alternative demand -- an apology -- might be a little better on the budget.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Lady Gaga in Japan last month. Credit: Shuji Kajiyama / Associated Press. 

Comments

[Brandon]

who cares?! seriously. its american idol, she should have her own show for what she calls "art." She seriously needs to calm down, before people start getting sick of her.

[Dee]

This Lady Gaga act was really to obscene to be on TV during prime time at all -- to heck with the uncut part. I'm no longer an Idol fan after my children were exposed to that.

[CDZ from the Ministry]

Christie D'Zurilla here from the blog with a gentle reminder that we don't print comments that include profanity, even if you use asterisks or dashes in the words ... if you're not seeing your comment go live, that's probably why.

//cdz

[Rafael Noble]

It's too late Brandon, I'm already sick of Lady GagGag. As far as I'm concerned, they could have "edited" the rest of her performance as well. I guess she's uptight about losing two of the fifteen minutes of fame her gimmick ridden career will be afforded.

[Brian]

Dee,there was nothing inappropriate about her performance at all. There was no excess skin shown, and the lyrics were fine. There wasn't even that much gyration from the dancers. I fail to see how the performance could possibly have offended you. I've watched it several times myself and found nothing wrong with it. Did you even watch it at all? You're just a hater. No one likes a hater Dee.

[Leigh ann Burchell]

It seems suspicious to me that of course the majority of what gets cut is the guy on guy scenes in the dancing. America should finally learn to accept all people and respect an artist when they are kind enough to come and perform by editing her performance. Especially without her knowledge beforehand...

[Silvia]

The piece should not have been shown during prime time TV while young impressionalbe kids were watching TV.

[Anna Bear]

This is to 'Dee':
You knew Gaga was going to be on american idol, even if you didnt they said she was going to perform almost everytime there was a break. EVERYONE know her performance art. Im 15 years old, i have more common knowlage then you do. It no ones fault but yours, if you were so concerted about what you children are getting "exposed to" you would've change the channel. And just fyi, Lady Gaga isnt an act, Gaga is a nick name her producer call her gaga as a nickname, i dont understand why nobody gets that, like me, my birth name is Tatiana, but my nickname is Anna... i know, i know its like wicked sience but if you think really, really, really, hard, you can understand it. how can people be so ingnorent, its rediculouse. Its a freaking name. And the way you say "I'm no longer an Idol fan..." is like someone is going to say "oh no, please, please, please dont go, yah were making "8.1 million" bucks "every half hour", but Dee, that moneys worth nothing if your not watching." get over youself. What kind of country was i brought into, people full of hate, unexpeted of differnet, and wouldnt see art if Gaga threw it on you, like glittery syrup on a slap jack.

[Nichele]

First off, I am an avid Idol watcher and Gaga superfan. I think it is really ridiculous how American Idol's ratings are so low this season - they call on Gaga to perform to boost their show - and then they edit her performance. This is the height of stupidity on Fox's part. They had to edit because they wouldn't have had time for Aaron's goodbye song? Give me a break. They spend too much time BSing around with the contestants and spent an AWFUL lot of time letting Harry Connick Jr perform and plug his new shows, etc. On top of the fact that (and I'm no Tim Urban fan, but) they didn't let Tim Urban sing his final song on Idol Gives Back because they conveniently didn't have the time - they really screwed him over. So all of Fox's excuses for not airing the FULL performance of Alejandro are ridiculous. Every week on Wednesdays, we have to sit through Ryan "Just-Killing-Time' Seacrest's annoying banter with the judges, awkward unnecessary personal questions directed at the contestants and obnoxious introductions to washed-up musical acts desperate for exposure on television. And then when the queen of pop makes time out of her insanely busy schedule to perform for AI, they edit her out. I highly doubt that Idol will re-air the unedited performance, but they had better issue a heartfelt apology next week and give Gaga the respect she deserves.
- Disgruntled Little Monster

[Joey Broyles]

Attention everyone!

To Brandon: Lady Gaga was upset about being cut, but wanted her fans to see the full version. It's online so they have. It is the fans that have started the petition, not her.

To Dee: You shouldn't let your children watch t.v. or walk down the street. Keep them locked up until their eighteen because your kids have already been exposed to "that" way before Lady Gaga. Better to expose them and then tell them why it's wrong, then live in your little anti-sexual fantasy world. It was sex that created them after all.

To Rafael: We'll see my friend, we'll see.

[Navin]

Old the older people here need to stop being so over protective. Im in my young teens and i love Gaga , i even went to the Monster Ball. Most kids learn about sex and drugs at th age of 8 or 9. What they showed on Idol was what she was doing in the unedited one so i see no point in cutting it. And most young kids are in bed by 9. Oh and isn't it your fault for letting your kids watch her performance. It was only on every AI commercial within the last week and the performance show!

[dane muhlig]

Gaga was NOT edited enough on American Idol! She is filthy, dirty morally! She needs to SELL OUT to Christ fast or she will be dancing her way directly to Hell according to the Bible! [Rev.21:8]

[Lynn]

How in the hell does this performance offended anyone at all? As far as I can see this women did a hell of a great job and she keeps doing good as time goes on.. She's had such great hits so far... She's an excellent performer, she is just being herself. So don't be putting someone down for something that they do. She does what she loves and I respect that. Why do some people have to be haten on lady gaga or any other performer. She does her own thing and if you don't like it, don't even watch her.

[schristensen]

Could you be anymore full of yourself, your singing songs for cry out loud, not curing cancer.

[Thomas Gutzke]

I have to be honest with you, I really like the song "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga a whole lot better than her song Alejandro. And I understand that music is art, but I also think that you are missing something very vital in your article, and that is that if you want to compare Lady Gaga's song to a $250,000 painting, then you have to compare the sheet music to a painting, and not a one time video. Sure, I'm a Lady Gaga fan, but it is her scribbled musical notes on paper that is the art, provided that she is a musician, and not her stage performance. As for the song Alejandro being worth $250,000, I would like to remind everyone that I have yet to hear about this musician's passing, and therefore, It could only be worth $250,000 if she could somehow convince everyone that no one has really ever heard it. This I think would be a stretch. So, of course, I am not going to sign the petition. Thanks, Thomas Gutzke ~ Somewhere in Texas.

[becca]

That's art? hahahahah. Thats like calling the "dogs playing at the pokertable" art. Seriously, its garbage. Thank goodness HarryConnick Jr came to save the day.

[Philip]

OK, since we're calling out individual posters, attention Joey Broyles: Lady Gaga urged her Twitter followers to protest.
And Anna Bear: sweetheart, please learn to spell and put together a coherent sentence before blasting people's perception of what art is. Although I'm totally stealing "like glittery syrup on a slap jack."

[Andre]

@ Rafael Noble. I would hardley call her 3 years in the industry "15 minutes" especially while she's managed to make herself TIME's Most Influential Artist. And you're at home living a sad pathetic life.

[Andre]

@ becca.

Um, sense when did you become some art critic. That painting is art, so is Lady Gaga. If you're on such a high horse lets see you produce something of that artistic caliber.

[Lady Gaga Luver]

What an insult! How can one of the most emotional and beautiful Lady Gaga songs and performance be cut down??! Yes, just for the record, I AM a Lady Gaga fan, THE #1 fan, and #1 Little Monster! Seriously, cutting down "Alejandro" was rude, unnecessary, and just plain insulting. I mean, if someone gives Gaga an invitation to perform on American Idol, or ANY TV show, as a matter of fact, than anyone viewing it should feel extremely honored and lucky to be witnessing such talent! Cutting it down was wrong, and to top it all off, non-Gaga fans (aka: Haters), who managed to see the edited version would see it as if Lady Gaga had gotten the lyrics messed up! I don't know about other Gaga fans, but I am deeply insulted by this, as is Lady Gaga. If you asked her to perform, then don't cut down any of her performance; she worked hard to make it look amazing, and it just all got ruined. I don't know what others say, but Gaga fans all around the world will always stand up to support Gaga, and we won't let anything like this go. Air the uncut version of "Alejandro", and don't insult Gaga, because her fans will always be ready to fight for her, no matter what!

[LALA]

in all these bantering, has anyone commented on how HOT MARK KANEMURA looked in that performance, he's the only reason i watched wednesday.. HAWT HAWT HAWT... there... as you were...

[The-Manque]

Oh my god--

People seriously need to grow up. If you're outraged at Lady Gaga's performance, you might as well be outraged at the entire arts community for their "outrageous" performances. Next thing you know, you'll want all the nude statues in the museums to be censored. IT'S CALLED PERFORMANCE ART. GET OVER IT.

Second, don't wine about your children being "exposed" to this. Just because you're too irresponsible to monitor what your kids watch on TV doesn't mean it needs to be banned for everyone else.

[RachelTHP]

I believe that any performer who takes themselves seriously and puts 100% into each and every performance should be given some form of notice that what was taped would be edited. It seems to me that Lady Gaga had no idea that Fox was going to do this. Regardless of what Gaga considers art and what Fox believes fit for their show, the bottom line is that the performer should be AWARE of what they're going to do to their performance! We all know how editing can change almost anything, and this was just unfair and disrespectful.

[K]

What in the Sam Hill has happened to American pop music?? Most of the guest "artists" I've seen perform on American Idol this season amount to not much more than circus side show acts. These are marginal "talents" who have to almost upstage themselves under the substantial weight of overstaging -- bizarre "choreography", blinding light-show effects, inane props, etc. -- to distract from the fact that there just isn't much "talent" there in the first place.

Now I realize that I'm talking here to fans of the likes of Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, the Black Eyed Peas, Adam Lambert, Usher, and so on, so I expect to get roundly lambasted for my words. Go right ahead.

[Some Chick]

First of all, when did parents stop parenting? I'm serious now. Every time I watch any video or read any article online where people can post, I see parents coming online and complaining about how it is inappropriate. There is a reason why your television sets have parental controls, just as there was a reason they kept announcing Lady Gaga would be on next. If you're so worried about what the tele teaches your kids, and how it influences them, why don't you sit them down and talk about it first. I don't care if you work 9 or 12 hour shifts, so did my parents when I was younger. They took the time to explain to me right from wrong, and didn't allow me to watch or do certain things. You know what? I listened to them. So to all the parents complaining over the performance, do us all a favor and be a parent, and stop acting as if the media will do all the work for you.

Second, to the person who pulled the good Christian card, just stop. I tried to go to your website, and as a Christian myself, parts of it really freaked me out. You might want to edit that a bit.

Finally, if anyone doesn't like her or her performances, you can always flip the channel and ignore her. Of course, then what would you have to complain about? (: