Lady Gaga: One of the signs of the Apocalypse?

[beepy]

<p>Correct me if I'm wrong, but is not Polaroid formally out of their former film business, with only the assets being bought up by entrepreneurs trying to revive the production lines?</p>

<blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34747697/ns/business-us_business/">Lady Gaga New Face of Polaroid</a></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Or is Polaroid going to keep some film business - no right? The article suggests otherwise. This is simply marketing (where the rubber meets the sky).<br>

Not much photographic news in here - sad to say...</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>I'm not sure, but I thought that Poloroid was one of the Tom Petters companies - Tom was recently convicted in MN of running a ponzi (sp) scheme - Poloroid may have been sold to pay off some of the bills, debt, etc... but I don't remember with 100% certainty. Or they may have sold the name only.</p>

<p>I know that Poloroid had a new "Instant" digital product - that basically was a small thermal printer (think Credit Card reciept) hooked to a P/S camera. I'm not sure if that is still on the market or not, or they may be coming up with completely new stuff. I know that they (Poloroid) also put their name on memory cards and other digital products in the past.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

[beepy]

<p>Yeah, the "brand" was sold a long time ago... and the assets that came with it were being shed. Controversy arose over the <a href="http://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2009/09/08/polaroid-rage/">Polaroid photography collection planned sale</a>:-(<br>

I believe the Petters ponzi scheme (now known as the Madoff Scheme - Ponzi was an amateur in comparison) - involved other assets of his holdings. But the splash effect is dismembering the once great trust of the collection.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Gaga is pretty shrewd for a kid, she understands pop culture and marketing potential. Polaroid could do a whole lot worse than live on as a fashion accessory. Their old marketing people didn't recognize the potential in the hipster culture so it's their own fault for failing.</p>

[beepy]

<p>Lex, this is a hipster side I haven't seen of you before! :-)<br>

I was tongue in cheek on the Apocalypse - but yeah... maybe part of Polaroid's issue was not keeping up with the times from a coolness sense - since I think they were the "cool" and immediate alternative to Kodak.<br>

But I really know nothing here... just blabbering.</p>

[stan_schurman1]

<p>They could do a lot worse than to have Lady Gaga as their spokesperson. She is a highly talented entertainer and certainly no airhead. Played piano at 4 years old. Accepted at Julliard. Admitted to university at age 17. And I like her music....and I'm an old guy.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"Lex, this is a hipster side I haven't seen of you before! :-)"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Hipster, me? Heaven forbid. But they are a potential market, pretty much the same folks who appreciate any alternative cameras: Lomo, Diana, Lubitel, Holga, pinhole.</p>

<p>Nah, my appreciation for the Gaga is her performance artist shtick more than the music. I like Sandra Bernhard, Bette Midler, Madeleine Kahn, that sorta thing, and Gaga is pretty hip to that tradition. And at only 23 she's already branched out to other ventures to capitalize on her very unapologetic, almost mercenary pursuit of fame. Polaroid should have latched onto someone like her when there was still a chance of saving their instant film lineup, especially for folks into Polaroid transfers. Hang on a sec... I did some Polaroid transfers... yikes, maybe I do have a slight hipster virus. But I swear, I only did transfers ironically.</p>

[will_daniel1]

<p>Lady Ga Ga is my new hottest babe on the planet. That's coming from an old guy whose previous picks for that honor were Madonna (not aging very well) and Shakira.</p>

<p>Will</p>

[stan_schurman1]

<p>I was never much of a Madonna fan, but Shakira, yes. Lady Gaga is a complete show. Her whole act is almost a sendup of the whole pop culture thing. But the lady can sing and play and she wont lip-sync her live performances.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>Monster got her first. Anyone want some triangular ear-bud headphones?<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Heartbeats-Headphones-Black-Chrome/dp/B002P8OYEI">http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Heartbeats-Headphones-Black-Chrome/dp/B002P8OYEI</a></p>

[beepy]

<p>This is a whole side to Photo.net I've never seen before.<br>

And I agree - Lady Gaga is very talented. My son said she was penning songs for others before singing her own material? </p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>FWIW, Roisin Murphy grouses that Gaga stole her stage look... which is probably true, altho' Gaga stole costuming and makeup ideas from Cher and maybe a bit of Dale Bozzio too. Perhaps Roisin can get a gig as the spokesmodel for a revived Spiratone, if that ever happens.</p>

[jgalyon]

<p>Lady Gaga...hot? talented yes....hot? From where I sit...she gives new meaning to the word homely...and that's being extremely kind.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>She serves as a blank tablet for all the lit. crit. types who have nothing better to write about - well they have to write about somebody, I suppose. She is certainly not hot in my book, and just because she writes her own songs does not mean anything. She "writes" terrible songs. Haven't we reached her ten minutes of fame yet? No doubt she is a member of Mensa too.</p>

[JDMvW]

<blockquote>

<p>I like Sandra Bernhard, Bette Midler, <strong>Madeleine Kahn</strong> , that sorta thing, and Gaga is pretty hip to that tradition. [LEX]</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Me too.</p>

<p>Did you ever see <em>De Düva</em> ? This has been hard to find, but it's now on line at (<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3803584387889303730">link</a> ). It may be Madeleine Kahn's first role in film.</p>

<p>Quite incidentally it also shows how close Swedish and English are, as the nonsense Swedish is surprisingly close to the real thing.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Got your e-mail of that link, JDM, thanks.</p>

<p>I'm not sure what Gaga's looks have to do with anything. There are plenty of good entertainers who don't fit into the narrow niche of ideal beauty some folks have. Ditto her musical talent. I doubt the current owners of the Polaroid marque cared much about that. But her fame and sales figures with the right demographic are significant and this time they aren't missing an opportunity like they did in 2003 when Andre 3000 urged gals to "shake it like a Polaroid picture."</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Maybe another Britney Polaroid stickercam is in order; ie another Polaroid unexpected hit.</p>

[graham_line]

<p>Much rather buy something from Lady Gaga than Ashton Kutcher or Ilie Nastase</p>

[markci]

<p><em>"I'm not sure what Gaga's looks have to do with anything."</em><br /> Clearly her natural looks don't, or she wouldn't be where she is. Both sides seem to be exaggerating their case. She has a nice body and average features (above average post-nose-job). Without the makeup, wigs and the rest of her getup, she looks pretty ordinary. (Look at the first result for her name on google image search for example). She knows she's no supermodel, or even Madonna, in the looks department, but has figured out another way to get attention. A way which she's turned into a performance art project/critique of pop fame. Good for her. If I had 10% of her talent for self promotion, I would be posting this from my vacation home in the Cayman Islands.</p>

<p>And I think you're right, Lex. The value of the Polaroid brand at this point (to the extent there is any at all) lies with the hipster crowd.</p>

<p> </p>

[richardsperry]

<blockquote>

<p>Lady Gaga...hot? talented yes....hot? From where I sit...she gives new meaning to the word homely...and that's being extremely kind.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I don't think she cares that you don't want to have sex with her. It appears to me that enough women and gay men want to, to pay her rent and bills.</p>

<p>Couple years ago, I had some gay friends over. And I got talked into watching some Lady Gaga videos on TV on YouTube, it was after 2 and I was drunk what can I say. I definitely remember (through the light beer and scotch stupor) a video of hers, the one where she mocks fun at those critics suggesting she was a transsexual(hell, I thought she was a TS too). It was some prison scene, or something. I thought that it was distinctively clever and cheeky.</p>

<p>While I don't necessarily like her stuff, I do give her props for turning a relatively homely girl/woman with a great voice into whatever it is she is. I would never have thought she was hipster, she's way too mainstream/showtunes to be hipster. She's not stupid, that's for sure; she's making tons more not doing the homely-girl hairy-armpit-legs Lilith Faire circuit, which she could have done easily.</p>

<p>Edit, well that's what I get for not checking dates. This thread is half a year old. It was directed from a topical thread. My bad.</p>