Madonna “Furious” With Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and set a record on iTunes when the new-age anthem about acceptance and embracing differences premiered online earlier this month. But for all its record-breaking, the smash single’s woken a sleeping giant in the form of pop culture luminary Madonna. The single has been seeped in criticism over its uncanny resemblance to Madonna’s 1989 hit “Express Yourself” – and The Material Girl is furious that Gaga is telling people that she’s co-signing those similarities.

Just last week, The Gaga appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show, where she claimed that Madonna had emailed her a “blessing” to release “Born This Way,” despite the comparisons between the new song and the one Madge made gold all of those years ago.

“I got an e-mail from her people and her, sending me their love and complete support on behalf of the single and if the queen says it shall be, then it shall be,” Gaga said at the time.

FACT: Madonna’s representative informed CNN’s Headline News Entertainment that she is unaware of the existence of any email Madge sent to Gaga. Not cool in Madonna’s book, say insiders.

“Madonna is on a war footing and you can expect to see a spectacular response in due course,” a source close to the 52-year-old’s camp yapped to Australia’s NW Magazine this week. “She’s been really impressed with Lady Gaga up until now, but this time she has gone a little too far.”

The “Borderline” singer’s also branded Gaga’s appearance at this month’s Grammy’s -which saw the 23-year-old rocking blonde hair extensions in a high ponytail reminiscent of Madge’s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour – as “disrespectful.”

“This is just the kind of challenge Madonna thrives on. She has seen countless pretenders come and go, but she still sees herself as the Queen of the Music Industry and it’s high time people were reminded of that.”