Confessions

I have a confession to make today. I am now a dedicated ‘Glee’ addict. There, I said it. Something about those definitely-not-but-supposed-to-look-like-it teens lip-synching to their pre-recorded music makes me wanna get up and do my own Beyonce ritual.

The reason this is embarrassing is that not even my music/dancing best friend likes the show. She who made me sit through ‘Wicked’ and the on-stage version of ‘High School Musical’ thinks it’s a stupid show. But honestly, aside from 'Mama Mia', which quite frankly isn't worth the popcorn you later poop out after watching it, musicals freaking rock.

From my very young days “I could have danced all night’ was a bedtime lullaby, which progressed into hairbrush/mirror scenes of ‘I have confidence’. With childhood classics behind me, I was ready for my move into contemporary musicals. But the fever really struck when they started bringing out crappy high school musicals. Granted, ‘Grease’ was in the 70’s, so I never watched that. But after watching ‘Bring it On’, I started a cheerleading squad at our school. It only lasted about a week, since cheerleading is freaking lame, but I was hyped. After ‘Center Stage’, the musical friend and I choreographed a hundred dances. We were sh*t, but we were hooked. After ‘Coyote Ugly’, I too wanted to dance like a slut on a bar counter. Funny enough, that was the one that stuck. I still do that.

The ‘High School Musical’ kids are too young for me, and I feel like an elderly pedophile because a) they look 10 and b) I cannot relate to any of them. Which is why ‘Glee’ is awesome. In true ‘Buffy’ style, high school kids are portrayed by 28 year-old actors. I feel confident and law-abiding to perv over all and any of them. They don’t shy away from portraying the gay, he’s as queer as a 9-bob note. The lead teacher is a Justin Timberlake clone. And the songs are just AWESOME! Yes, there is a part of me that loves seeing 16 American football players dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’.

And those clever executives down at Fox know that although everyone loves a good musical, people are going to want to discredit it as being cheesy. They then inserted the delightfully cynical, ball-crushing, one-liner delivering Jane Lynch as the cheerleading coach. So I can defend my loving it to my pseudo-intellectual colleagues.

If you haven’t already caught the fever, it’s time.