Gaga-Madonna parallels

LIKE A VIRGIN: While some naysayers insist that Gaga is a flash in the pan, I.B. notes, industry veterans point out that the same dismissive remarks were made about Madonna in the early days of her career, which has now spanned a quarter century. What the two have in common is a rarefied gift for concocting slam-dunk dance/pop smashes. (4/29a)