Brassy showstopper Bette Midler is not happy with what MTV has done to the world of live music performance: “After MTV came along, people were seeing their favorite singers in videos, and suddenly there was a certain vision of a song–how it should sound, how it should look. Then [in concert], there was no room for improvisation–everyone wanted an exact replica,” she told the New York Daily News. While I see her point in a sense–although one could argue that recording music, and widely disseminating said recordings, also sets up a similar false expectation among audiences–MTV did play the awkward video for Midler’s take on the Stones’ “Beast Of Burden,” which features a true=to-embarrassing-’80s-form Mick Jagger. And they played it a lot. I mean, I’d think Midler’s audiences would be savvy–not to mention devoted–enough to know that Jagger wouldn’t show up for every one of her performances, but maybe she’s still feeling the sting? [NYDN / YouTube]