Has Lady Gaga Finally Gone Too Far?

July 1, 2010 — -- She bounded into the pop culture world as a beacon of hope, a pint-sized pixie pushing pop songs but still pushing the envelope, a square peg not content to squeeze into a Britney or Miley hole.

That was then -- circa "Bad Romance" and "Telephone," which, admittedly, were not that long ago. It's only taken a few months for Lady Gaga's revolution to roll back on itself. Her schtick -- wearing next-to-nothing, strutting in super-high platforms, running ragged 'round the world -- has turned her into a spectacle.

Gaga has become a parody of Gaga. You know your act has lost its edge when everyone from babies to grandfathers starts mimicking it.

For more than a year, Gaga tried to outdo herself every day. Mission accomplished. She now struggles to shock. She showed up at a Mets game and flashed her middle finger. She busted into the Yankee's club house just because. The overwhelming response to the news that she may have dressed up as a man for Vogue Hommes Japan? Shrug.

It's like walking by the neighborhood miscreant ranting and raving about how we'll all be damned to hell on your way to work. No need to stop and listen, he'll be doing the same thing tomorrow.

While Gaga continually reinvents her appearance, her music has been slow to evolve. Much has been made of her latest single, "Alejandro," sounding like a ripoff of Ace of Base's 1993 hit, "Don't Turn Around." People said its video was a little too reminiscent of Madonna's '90s fare.

She told Rolling Stone that her upcoming album will feature music "more bitter than it was before," but the song she debuted at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball late last month, "You and I," begs to differ. While it's a change from her usual dance-pop sound, there's no dark undertone to her rollicking piano riffs.

In the court of public opinion, the tide seems to be turning against Gaga. Last month, in an interview with WFAN radio, Jerry Seinfeld called her a "jerk" for her antics at that Mets game. "I'm not one of these all-publicity-is-good people," he said. "People talk about 'you need exposure' -- you could die of exposure."