It's the end of the world as we know it, but Ariana Grande looks like she'll do just fine in this apocalyptic adventure directed by screenwriter Max Landis — who is indeed the song of music video legend John Landis.
I'm not the best with either Greek or Real Housewives mythology, so there's a chance I've got this all wrong. Maybe Lady Gaga isn't a modern day Icarus, who's been brought down from her artistic heights by money men and in-fighting executives. Maybe Bravo TV mastermind Andy Cohen isn't God, and the Housewives won't serenade us in the afterlife.
But, I am 100% certain this is 11 minutes of inspired insanity — and that includes the four minutes which are just credits. Shot on-location at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon and featuring a cast of hundreds — we're talking models, Real Housewives, a Michael Jackson impersonator, Gandhi, and much — this opus plays like a compilation of every idea, big or small, that's struck Lady Gaga and her team since the mixed reaction to her Artpop launch.
And it's open-ended enough that you can run with whatever narrative you want: Take it as proof of Gaga's creative rebirth, or as messy self-indulgence. So long as you take it in, share it, and talk about it, I'm pretty sure it's mission accomplished for this master media manipulator.
There's some star power behind this new Melanie Fiona — it premiered on Jay-Z's Life+Times site, stars Omari Hardwick, and was directed by actor Larenz Tate (Menace II Society and lots more) — but the video would stand alone even without those talking points.
