Glee & GaGa: So Happy I Could Die.

Hi. I'm alive. That is all.

Spoilers ahead, because I'm assuming you've already watched.

Last night was Glee's Lady GaGa episode. We all know it was amazing. That's not what I want to talk about. First off, let's recap the fact that the week before last Idina Menzel and Lea Michele sang "Dream the Impossible Dream" which is like Susan Boyle inspirational type shit and I cried and came all at the same time. My broadway dreams fulfilled! So here's that video.

Then, last night, my perfect storm hit shore with Idina and Lea singing Lady Gaga. It made me think, what if at some kid's choice award show, all three of them sang this song and then got slimed. That'd be just epic. So fantasize about that with this fantastic duet of "Pokerface." My favorite part of this video is Brad.





Whew. So, I wanted to share this not just becuase it's two crazy talented ladies singing together, but what it means for [duhn duhn duhn] Pop Culture. I mean, what do you think it feels like to be Lea Michele and sing with Idina Menzel, the queen of broadway. In my mind Lea Michele (p.s. stage name or real name? Is Michele her last name? Anyone, anyone? Beuller?) has always been the princess of broadway and now she's singing with what outwardly seems to be a mentor-figure. That just has to be epic. I revel in it. So I assume you do as well.

But my main point of this post is to talk about how Glee has captured such a current part of our culture. By having a Lady GaGa episode, Glee has solidified her cultural influence by recording it in television history. For a show that's already pretty groundbreaking and taking America by storm (granted, not to the level of Bieber Fever), but to have them then incorporate another element of high-pop culture is really interesting to think about. If Lady GaGa makes it to a level of importance that her personal cultural phenomenon is recorded for the masses by another cultural phenomenon, you know you're legit. Just like if you get parodied on SNL, you know you're hot shit. I'm not a regular watcher, so I don't know if they've parodied Glee or GaGa, but still, you get my point/joke. For me, it solidified the lasting impact Lady GaGa has had on society because, as Kurt said so well "She's only the biggest pop act to come along in decades. She's boundary pushing. The most theatrical performer of our generation. And she changes her look faster than Britt changes sexual partners."

Then, there's the scene where Kurt's dad stands up for him in a way never before seen on network television. No one has ever said the things Kurt's dad says. And never before has it been in front of such a huge viewing audience. This episode reflected more than just pop cuture, but the politics of our society. I'm going to let the video speak for itself. So listen up, and pay attention to Mike O'Malley from GUTS as he sends it out to you, Moira:

Thank you, Glee. Thank you. This is why you're such a great show. I had lost hope and became kind of a doubter when Rachel Berry belted "Total Eclipse of the Heart" a few weeks ago. In my mind, you jumped the shark then and there. But you've reeled me back in. Some episodes are hit or miss. Some of the characters are pretty one dimensional cardboard cut outs that you could do more with, but instead you opt to make jokes about stereotypes. But it's moments like these, when you take a current political issue and humanize it. I hope the parents of the kids watching this show, see this and realize something about themselves. Kurt's dad recognizes that it took him a long time to get to where he is with his son's sexuality. That he used to use the word "faggot" just how Finn used it. I wish there were more men, more fathers, like Mr. Hummel in the world. Kurt isn't all flamboyance and fabulousity. He struggles everyday, not because of some self-imposed "choice." But because people don't take the time to see him, a person. They see Kurt, the homo. How much would you bet Kurt thinks about trading who he is so that he doesn't have to deal with the shit Finn just dealt out to him? An insurmountable sum of money. But when it comes down to it. It's not Kurt's fault. I mean, it'd probably be easier. Yeah, easier for everyone else. It's the mindset of everyone around him that's a problem. Not that I'm blaming all of life's hardship on the people around you. But we've somehow learned to not see people anymore but to just see a gay person or a black person or a dumb person or a poor person or a cleaning lady or a banker. Not a person who's family has never supported them or a person who's been in chains because of the way they look or a person who has dyslexia and needs to be taught differently or a person who works two jobs to get dinner on the table or a woman cleaning your house because she sends money back to her parents in Mexico or a man who counts money all day and goes home to an empty house filled with pictures of his wife and kids who left him 2 months ago. We have to stop seeing just gay, black, stupid, poor, and profession. We have to start seeing people.

Real People are Awesome.

This made Hasselbitch bearable! She’s a person! A real one! Who can talk sanely to other real people!

Clearly real people rule.

Rachel Maddow is a real person.

And she made The View bearable.

They talked about her coming out and meeting her partner, which she described as a “gay Desperate Housewives.”

And then Bawbra Wahtlahs says something about Whoopi coming out, to which the most ambiguous one replies “please, that door’s been open for years.” I’m sorry, it has? What? Are you saying Whoopi is a Big Gay Homo? I totally didn't see that one coming. I might have to go reevaluate my belief system.

If you missed the most bearable episode of The View ever, you can watch Maddow's clip here. It’s worth it. Because besides all of the talk about Maddow’s coming out and how they make her wear makeup and what not, they actually talk about the economy and they do it without yelling. Hasslebitch kind of actually bows down. I think it’s because our hero Maddow referenced how freeze spending caused the first depression to be “Great.” She’s so clever. I see what she did there.

And then to top it all off is the shoulder tap Maddow gives Hasselbitch at the end. The Shoulder Tap That Launched 1,000 speculation.