Catholic League On Gaga’s ‘Judas’: ‘If She Had More Talent, We’d Be More Offended’
Lady Gaga plays Mary Magdalene in her new ‘Judas’ video — and the president of the Catholic League tells HollywoodLife.com she is ‘talentless’ and ‘irrelevant’!
Lady Gaga‘s “Judas” premieres next week with the singer in the role of play Mary Magdalene — the latest of her controversial and what some call “blasphemous” antics. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, spoke exclusively to HollywoodLife.com about Gaga’s focus on Judas and Mary Magdalene. “This is a stunt,” he says. “People have real talent, and then there is Lady Gaga.”
The league has strong opinions on the singer: ”Lady Gaga tries to continue to shock Catholics and Christians in general: she dresses as a nun, she gets raped, she swallows the rosary. She has now morphed into a caricature of herself. She is falling short. She wants to shock, does she actually believe her own BS?”
And the Catholic League President is unimpressed by Gaga’s newest video, which features Norman Reedus as Judas. In the Bible, Judas is one of the twelve apostles who ends up betraying Jesus to the chief priests and ultimately results in the death of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is the first person who sees Jesus after he rises from the dead. In some depictions of Mary Magdalene she is portrayed as a prostitute.
“I find Gaga to be increasingly irrelevant. She thinks she is going to be groundbreaking. She is trying to ripoff Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances. Another ex-Catholic whose head is turned around. This is a stunt. People have real talent, and then there is Lady Gaga. Is this the only way to jet up her performance? This isn’t random, we are getting closer to Holy Week and Easter.”
So is the Catholic League upset that Gaga will play Mary Magdalene? “Maybe if she had more talent we’d be more offended. She has gone to the well too many times,” Bill said.
Harsh!
Laurieann Gibson, Gaga’s creative director and co-director of the video, says viewers should withhold judgment until they see “Judas.”
“I will tell you now, first off, I’m Christian, and my career is evidence of God in my life, and I think that most people are already thinking that Gaga and the blasphemy and they’re premeditating the approach and I think they’ll be very shocked to find out how huge and really groundbreaking the message is and how freeing the message is for all the right reasons,” she told MTV. “And it’s really going to shock the world.”
Gaga is often a polarizing figure, people either love her or hate her. What do you think of Gaga as Mary Magdalene? Does it offend you or do you think she is a creative genius? Do you want to wait until you see the video? Sound off below!
Lorena O’Neil with reporting by Jessica Finn
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Ratchanekon
Posted at 12:01 AM on February 20, 2012
You can’t find her in Debrett’s, bsuecae she’s a Yank and not a Brit. I found her in the Social Register, though. Apparently, she’s a member of the Mayflower Society, the D.A.R. and several posh clubs.
DennisD
Posted at 7:27 AM on May 1, 2011
This is not funny. Although I am a fan of Lady GaGa, I wish that she should go back to the old ways. This ain’t funny anymore. She is praising the devil.
SteveG
Posted at 8:12 PM on April 18, 2011
I think William Donahue is a little confused. HE is the one who is irrelevant. That fool said the same nonsense 20 years ago when Madonna sang “Like a Prayer”. I find it humorous that so many catholics wonder why people are turning away from the church. With an idiot like William Donahue as their spokesperson, it’s a small wonder.
Lisa
Posted at 2:25 PM on June 15, 2011
true that
pistols
Posted at 7:25 PM on April 17, 2011
Considering Bill Donohue is the same guy who said that the victims of abuse by Catholic priests were actually willing participants, I don’t see why anybody in their right mind would care that he, or any organization that lets him represent them, might be upset.
f.o.g
Posted at 7:04 PM on April 16, 2011
how can you people call yourselfs christians??what do you peole trully know about god and his word the TRUTH? you dont! people from the world and when your a true christian you dont listen to music of the world because you know it destroys you spiritually with your connection to god and you know the things of the world are only things that our flesh wants but remember were only here temporarly and hell and heaven is eternety and their will be no days of rest in hell and no way to end it.
SteveG
Posted at 8:14 PM on April 18, 2011
Heaven and hell are a myth. Don’t believe the hype.
OldVegasGuy
Posted at 6:43 PM on April 16, 2011
Too bad for the RIGHT “christian” EXTREME RIGHT.. Too bad!
Emily
Posted at 12:26 PM on April 16, 2011
Lady Gaga is amazing. I’m a Christian, and the first time i heard “Judas” I was worried It was bad that I was listening to it, but I kept listening to it and it’s now my favorite song.
Pedro
Posted at 8:23 AM on April 17, 2011
You can love the sound, but the lyrics are not acceptable. That’s all.
grace2_89
Posted at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2011
If you listen to they lyrics, you’ll see a deeper meaning: that I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. “Jesus is my virtue, but Judas is the demon I cling to.”
She is not saying that what she’s doing is right, in clinging to the demon. She is simply stating that as humans, who still have a sinful nature, we struggle with this paradigm daily.
Oh yeah, and this, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do,” is from Romans 7:15.
Todd B.
Posted at 11:55 AM on April 16, 2011
Bill was less angry over child molestation.
lavina
Posted at 2:58 PM on April 14, 2011
below me are a butch of HATERS! Why most You people always look or the negative! #youswiminapoolofhate
go GAGA.
PhillipP
Posted at 6:19 PM on April 11, 2011
Bill Donahue is not a true Christian, only someone with many things to hide in their closet would always be screaming like he does. One day he will fall out of the closet on his face. George Rekers anyone?
Mark
Posted at 9:11 PM on April 8, 2011
I CANNNOT believe I agree with the Catholic League!!!!!!!!How hilarious this guy’s comments are! And NO, kids, this man from the Catholic League was VERY upset about Madonna’s video, “Like A Prayer”……because it was good and had a message that was not orthodox Catholic.
This Gaga girl is indeed tapping into a well that has run dry. Lay off Jesus, girl, he was pretty great as far as I have read. But when you have to resort to this stupid of a plot for a video I guess this guy is right……..her days as a shock person are numbered. She didn’t study her Marilyn Manson very well…….we have seen it all before honey, time to go back to your pampered life. You hatched too soon!
zac
Posted at 8:51 PM on April 8, 2011
i think gaga is overdoing it already, her gimmick is becoming overbearing i haven’t seen the video but i think after this it will be the end of gaga. i agree 100% with catholic league gaga should just do singing and leave christians and bible characters alone
Daniel
Posted at 7:43 PM on April 8, 2011
I love Lady Gaga’s music and am amused by the Catholic League’s response. Their act is what is old. It feels like this article was written 22 years ago when Madonna’s Like a Prayer video came out. I am sure they also thought Madonna was “irrelevant” and “talentless”. If anything, Lady Gaga is not the most original artist but she is talented and extremely relevant. She has a long way to go to reach Madonna’s level, though.
kris
Posted at 4:56 PM on April 8, 2011
Honestly, getting so sick of her.
Tootie
Posted at 3:55 PM on April 8, 2011
Lady Gaga is from a greek family… i LOVE greece.. so i agree with everything she does :)
SteveG
Posted at 8:08 PM on April 18, 2011
LOL. Lady Gaga is from an ITALIAN family. Get your facts straight.
SierraKathleen
Posted at 3:07 PM on April 8, 2011
I guess I can’t say much, seeing as I have not yet viewed the video, but I really dislike Lady Gaga’s targeting of the Christian faith. I’m not saying that I hate or despise her for it, but I don’t see why she has to play on Christianity exclusively.
I’m a Christian and from what I’ve seen in Lady Gaga’s other videos (namely Alejandro) she does little justice to my religion. I suppose you could say it is blasphemous, but I’m not here to bash her. I’m just here to state my opinion.
If she could just lay off it a little, I’d definitely be happier.
Salman Rush
Posted at 3:28 PM on April 8, 2011
Wouldn’t it be interesting to see if Gaga decided to imitate the faith of Islam.
Certainly this wont be happening for fear of a fatwa being issued on Gaga.
Christianity…. an easy target.
gbtw
Posted at 4:13 PM on April 8, 2011
easy, and boring- been done. she’s the biggest poser copy-cat… it’s not that her attack on the church is offensive b/c of anything religious, it’s offensive b/c it’s so unoriginal and fake and contrived and trying to manipulate. does she think we’re all morons? does she think nobody ever saw madonna’s controversial moves in regard to the church? gaga is pathetic and annoying. she is not an artist, she is a self-indulgent brat.
peter north
Posted at 5:47 PM on April 8, 2011
go gaga! aliens are coming!
