Lady Gaga: Making Merry at Max’s

Thoroughly enjoying her time in her hometown of New York City, Lady Gaga was spotted out to eat last night (July 18).

The “Just Dance” diva hit up Max’s Restaurant in Alphabet City and even gave the paparazzi a special dance performance as she made her exit.

As for the controversy surrounding Gaga’s alleged stealing of Bette Midler’s mermaid-in-a-wheelchair act, Gaga says she had no idea Bette had come up with it first

Midler had tweeted, “Dear @ladygaga if you think a mermaid in a wheelchair seems familiar-it’s because it is!You can see it on youtube 24/7-with ME performing it.”

Lady Gaga replied in an interview, “I had no idea that she did that and I’m a huge Bette Midler fan. Maybe we’re just cut from the same cloth. I couldn’t hop around in that tail so I just stuck myself in a wheelchair.”

She added, “All I’ll say is that I ... admire her and find her to be one of the most brilliant and incredible performers, so that’s all I’ll say.”