Getting Integrated (or, The Main Reason Why I Am Still Single)

They say that when you marry someone, you're also marrying his/her family.

I fought this saying for a long time.  I always thought that if you loved each other enough, there should be nothing -- not rain, not snow, not your future mother-in-law -- that could stop you from being together.  Yeah, family reunions may be a little unpleasant, but they don't last forever and you hardly ever have to interact with your spouse's family outside of that, so what's the big deal?

But after watching several of my dear friends tie the knot, I have come to understand how true such an adage is.  Couples' families have a huge influence over the couple.  Families-in-law will forever be a driving force in your joint decision-making as a married unit.  Odds are you'll see them far more often than just during weddings and funerals.  And your potential spouse will surely hold his or her family as a high priority and hope that you will get along with them.  I know I feel that way; I usually don't let a guy get to relationship status without getting the go-ahead from my sister, first.

A lot of us have a "meet-the-parents" story of one kind or another.  I, myself, haven't had many experiences with a boyfriend's parents, but the ones I have had... Well, they haven't been great.  And in all these instances, my relationship with the man's family foreshadowed the ultimate fate of the relationship I had with the man.   My first 'official' boyfriend had a mother who thought that I was some temptress who had come to kidnap her son and whisk him away into a Gaga-loving Babylon.  The second time I 'met the parents,' was a similar story.  (It's funny.  When you meet a guy's parents, you suddenly realize exactly why he has the quirks that he has.  But I can discuss that at a later date.)

It's always going to be awkward.  Always.

And the one and only time I introduced a boy to my mom and dad?  I shudder at the memory.

Yes, family is important.  But there's another important group of people you need to consider when discussing a long-term relationship, and that is the very loosely-defined group of people known as "the friends."

You know what I mean when I say "friends." Those people you -- as a college student living away from home -- spend the most time with.  As a girl, you may have your girlfriends, just as a guy may have his bros. They often are your roommates or coworkers.  Perhaps they're people who share your major and who share similar class schedules and interests.  Sometimes it's a ward group.  Or, if you're lucky, they can be this group of friends you've known since you were kids.  People who grew up with you.  People you would expect to see cheering you on at your wedding.  After all, you were there for theirs.

When I think of a close group of friends, I first think of the five protagonists from the hit TV series How I Met Your Mother.  Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney.  Always doing things together.  Dating each other.  Meeting at the same bar year after year.  They know everything about each other, share common experiences, and are there for each other when things go wrong. While it does seem a little contrived, most of us can relate to this kind of thing.  Lots of us have a "best friend" like Marshall.  Many of us have a "pet married couple" like Marshall and Lily, who may act as our surrogate parents from time to time while we're away from home.  And, let's face it, most friend groups have a Barney Stinson -- the one whack-job in the group who seems like he wouldn't fit, but somehow does.  Although our circumstances change, time and experience have helped us understand that true friendships transcend petty differences and difficult conflicts.

Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney... They know everything about each other, share common experiences, and are there for each other when things go wrong. 

If I were to meet Ted at the supermarket (or at a wedding, or while trying to remove a tattoo, or perhaps as I was protesting against one of his architectural endeavors...), I would feel more fear in meeting his four closest friends than in meeting his mother or his father.  In some ways, it is more challenging to inundate yourself into another's group of friends than it is to inundate yourself into a person's family.  Sure, family's where you come from and where you always find yourself going back.  But friends?  That's where you choose to spend all the rest of your time.  These are the people you WANT to be with, not just the people you're born with.  These are the people you share interests with, the people you purposely develop deeper relations with, people you learn from.  While you're out in college, your friends become your second family.

And, unlike a person's real family, the friends are there from the beginning.  Rarely do we ever think of introducing a guy or girl to our parents on the first date.  Even if I wanted them to meet, it's pretty difficult to ever introduce a guy to mom and dad, since they live so far away.  I've hardly been in a relationship for enough time for that to even be an issue.  In the meantime, though, most people have this "second family" that they grow super close to, and you meet them right away.  You may not have to schmooze mom and dad immediately, but you may need to get past the BFFs on the very first date.

Often, you are faced with the super important ritual known as meeting the roommates.  Not only does it give a person the chance to see how a date responds to meeting these new people, but it also can be very revealing to hear what the roommates think of the guy you just brought home.  Do they like him?  Do they seem to get along?  I can't tell you how many times I've closed the door after a date, only to immediately turn to my roommates and say, "Well, what do you think?  Thumbs up or thumbs down?"  Their poor opinion may not be the dealbreaker, but it could definitely weaken your relationship.

Meeting the roommates:  Their poor opinion may not be the dealbreaker, but it could definitely weaken your relationship.

And even if you pass the initial go-ahead, you're then faced with the next step: initiation. Now this step can be bypassed if your new friend already is a part of your social group. It's nice to date someone who has already spent plenty of time with your friends and he's already comfortable with you as part of a group of other close compatriots. It's convenient when that happens. The transition from 'friend' to 'boyfriend' is a lot more calm when he's already a part of your life and your friend group.

But what if you met the guy online, or on the street, or at the gym?  You have almost nothing in common with him, socially speaking.  You come from separate worlds.  He rock-climbs and hikes, you make music and see plays.  If the personalities aren't right, these separate worlds could collide in a catastrophic explosion.  Or it could at least lead to a super awkward experience, and early on, such awkward experiences can break down the relationship completely.  You don't want your relationship to begin on too wrong of a note, or else it will end before it starts!

How hard is it to meet the Best Friend?  Boyfriend may be super excited to introduce you to him, but don't you still feel the need to dress just a little nicer and act just a little cooler?  After all, this is your boyfriend's Best Friend.  Anyone who's best friends with your dream guy oughta be super cool and super important, right?  His opinion must be super important, right?  And what if BestFriend doesn't give you the seal of approval?  Depending on how much time Boyfriend spends with BestFriend, you may be in for a rough time.

And it's even worse when there's a group of Best Friends, like in How I Met Your Mother.  When you meet a new group of people, seldom is someone going to bother filling you in on the inside jokes that they all share, their past experiences, or the traditions they hold. You are the random stranger, surrounded by people you don't know, and you have to share the attention of the one person you have any attachment to with all of these other folks. And perhaps your mere presence puts a damper on things for them? Perhaps you are the rain on the parade that is BestFriend tradition.   You show up on the hiking trip, you appear in all the mission reunion photos, you tag along to the movies... Cool as you are, you can't change the fact that you're someone new.  Different.  You're the stranger.  The buzzkill.  The newbie.  Yuck.

When you meet a new group of people, seldom is someone going to bother filling you in on the inside okes that they all share, their past experiences, or the traditions they hold. 

Even when you do things alone, there's still pressure to have a mutual friend group to talk about.  It's hard to talk about a funny thing that happened at work when your beau has never met your coworkers.  It's hard for him to talk about his band when you've never met his bandmates.  We are social animals.  We thrive in environments where we can make connections and form further relationships.  You can only spend so much time on formal, one-on-one dates.  If you ever want to marry someone, you need to meld your entire life with someone else's entire life.  This stranger to your world needs to become an established regular.  An integrated part of your social life.  Getting to that point is very challenging.

In my own situation, I find that this whole issue concerning social integration is the primary factor that has come between me and a successful relationship.  You can trace most of my problems back to the fact that I have very few close friends. I consider myself an unestablished socialite.  My personality does not cater to having a posse or a clique or a cohort that I always do things with. I spread myself thin; I have lots of friends, but few of them are really close. There's no automatic list of people I would call to go get Denny's with on a weekend.  My friendships are more the kind where I can easily say "hi" to someone I recognize if our paths happen to cross.  I get invited to things on occasion, and while I am an extrovert who can adapt to these kinds of situations pretty easily, I do recognize that I am different and I don't immediately click with lots of people.  In such an in-transit environment as a college campus, getting to know a group of people well enough to have them be a major part of my life is hard for a girl like me.  One-on-one, I'm great.  Get me with a group, and I detach myself.  So rather than having this group of people that I always do things with, I have a smattering of individual friendships that I do one-on-one activities with on occasion.  I don't dislike this lifestyle.  It makes for an awesome formal dating experience.  One-on-one planned activities with the purpose of getting to know someone better?  I shine in that environment.  It's just that next step that I have trouble with.

So that's the first thing going against me: My social temperament. But let's not assume that I am incapable of surpassing my normal disposition and creating close bonds with groups of people.  I have had 'cliques' in the past.  My old roommates were one, and my former coworkers were another.  But then my roommates moved out and I quit my job... And now I live in the basement of my grandparents' house.  I live in a scattered ward, working as a junior high school teacher and personal research assistant to a professor.  The only people I come in contact with these days are my pre-teen students, my married mentor teacher, my grandma, and my professors.  So much for having a common social circle with my potential eternal companion! Heck, it's hard enough to find guys to simply go on dates with, let alone find a relationship.  And when someone special does show up in my ward or wherever, he's usually so well established in some other social group, and a hermit like me can hardly get her foot in the door.

Let's not assume that I'm incapable of surpassing my normal disposition... I have had cliques in the past.  My old roommates were one.

I am willing to share that I, myself, have been hit with the words, "I just don't think you'd get along with my friends, Hannah.  And that's really important to me.  Sorry. We're through."  But I don't think a guy needs to actually say that in order for me to feel the social pressure of having to win the hearts of not only the guys I'm interested in, but also of their friends.  Yes, it's a frustrating thing, knowing that most of the men I interact with have totally separate lives from me and, thus, the cards are stacked against me.

I guess that's why I'm still single.  I haven't figured out this whole "meet-the-friends" thing yet.

 But I'm discovering the solution...

All this being said, here are some things you need to be successful in dating.  Mind you, this is not a comprehensive list, but it may contain a few things that you may not initially think of, or it may put a new spin on some of the common things you hear as a single adult all the time.

1.  Do stuff.  Get out there and find a hobby that you can share with others.  Climb rocks, make music, join an opera, play tennis, go to institute, take a dance class, join a dinner group, start a game night, go to Home Evening, attend the extra seminars...  Be social.  You've probably heard this advice before, and you're always given the same reason for it:  You can't meet your future companion if you never put yourself in a position to meet someone.  And yeah, that's a valid argument.  But there's more.  I also think it's important for people to have a social group.  They don't need to be your eventual bridesmaids or the godparents for your future children, but it's healthy to have a group of people that you have things in common with.  You'll improve your social skills, you have a non-family support group, and -- of course -- you'll have fun.  Yes, you can have fun when you're single.  Fun exists outside of marriage.
2.  Group date.  If you're a nonestablished socialite like me, group dating provides a social outlet that you don't achieve in other group settings.  Double dates are nice; they're still small enough to be intimate.  They give you a chance to see how your date operates in a group, and your date can see how you operate in a group.  And suddenly you've created a mutual friend base that both of you have in common.  Total win.

Group dating provides a social outlet that you don't achieve in other group settings.

3.  Hopefully this essay will help you realize that meeting the friends can be an awkward thing for your date.  There are ways to make it easier.  Don't put a ton of pressure on it.  Bring your new friend into the group.  Make some formal introductions, and then continue to make informal introductions.  It's so nice to have a date who is willing to go the extra mile to make me feel comfortable with his friends.  And it's very encouraging when I end up making a few new friends in the whole dating process.
4.  Remember:  Life is about forming positive relationships with lots of different people.  It's not all about just finding that ONE person you're going to spend the rest of your life with.  If and when you do find that special someone, it doesn't mean you can completely forget about the other relationships that helped you get to that point.  Yes, marriage is a priority, but brotherly love, service to those around you, and learning from others is also an important part in this life journey.
Furthermore, if you never get out there and start forming good friendships, you'll never get the chance to meet the notorious "friend-of-a-friend."  I met my last boyfriend at a mutual friend's music show at a club.  I had no intention of meeting a companion when I went, but we were introduced and things moved quickly forward from there.  I never would have met him, had I not been a supportive friend already.  The more people you know, the more you're able to network.  That can help your romantic life as well as your career.
5.  Find out about yourself, what you want, and what your goals are.  I never could have written this a year ago.  That was before I realized what kind of a person I was in groups, how I interacted with people one-on-one, and what my interests were in a future companion.  Since then, I have discovered that I'm an extrovert with interesting hobbies and a bold, colorful personality that caters well to certain other personalities.  The moment I figured stuff like this out, I suddenly became more confident with other people, and I started picking guys that were better for me within social groups where I was already comfortable.  Since I am a musician, I take advantage of interactions I have with other musicians.  I make the conscious choice to expand upon my relationships with women and men who are interested in post-graduate education, like myself.  In a spiritual sense, I am better able to "separate the wheat from the tares" in dating when I am truly confident in my end goal: to marry for eternity in the Lord's Holy Temple.  When you know who you are and what your true desires are, you more quickly find those things you desire.  Remember your goals.  Remember who you are.

Remember your goals.  Remember who you are.

6.  Speaking of picking, it's totally okay to consider the friends as you're making decisions about a relationship.  I do not look down on the guy who rejects me because of how I get along with his friends.  Your friends are important, just like family is important.  It's good to give people a chance, but if you know that integrating a certain kind of person will cause excessive conflict and stress on you and your social group, maybe it's a good idea to search for your companion elsewhere. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual things.  If your date's buddies don't keep the same standards that you do, there is a perfectly legitimate reason to hit pause and re-evaluate.  Everyone is different, and there will usually be conflict of some kind, but there is a line.  Find it, and don't cross it.
7.  If you don't have a How-I-Met-Your-Mother group, don't try to get one.  You can't force a friend group like that, and they are not necessary for finding happiness in your social life.  They emerge on their own, if you are patient and if you are genuine and trustworthy.  I found that the moment I stopped trying to form a posse, people felt a lot more comfortable around me and little groups began to form by themselves.  And if I never end up having a tight-knit group like that, it's fine.  I'll settle for having an awesome eternal companion and an amazing family.

There are plenty of things we can learn from each other without completely losing our identities.

8.  This is probably the one piece of advice that I have trouble actually doing myself.  If the guy is a big fan of country dancing, why not GO COUNTRY DANCING with him?!  So what if it's not your favorite thing.  So what if you're terrible at it.  So what if it's out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes the best way to get to a guy is to first get into his social group before the relationship ever starts.  Get to know some of the people he loves and start acquainting yourself with the kind of things he enjoys. And that doesn't mean you have to give up everything you cherish and value and give into peer pressure just to impress a guy, a la Sandra Dee in Grease.  There are plenty of things we can learn from each other without completely losing our identities.
STILL thinking that this is some sort of nefarious dating tactic that promotes insecurity and lack of self-esteem?  I'll put it another way:  If you've never country danced before, maybe you'll like it! Maybe you'll enjoy hiking or skating or cello music. Or maybe you'll meet other awesome people while doing those things.  To bring things back to Grease again, Danny Zuko improved his life by joining the track team over a girl.  I don't think he regrets it at all; it didn't make his life any worse to have a productive hobby.  Real world example: I've talked to dozens of guys who discovered they loved singing simply because the girls invited them to join choir. They may never have got the girls, but they discovered something about themselves that they didn't know before.  I, myself, have uncovered tons of great performing artists simply by going out and watching my musical guy friends play at shows. It's ironic: You go into something for one purpose, only to discover something very different and far more rewarding instead.

Here's to a great summer.

Watching: How I Met Your Mother (of course)
Things going on today:  A Fast Sunday full of opportunities.
Learned:  A little more about the personal life of Neil Patrick Harris
Blessings:  Food.  Drink.  A Bed.

Lady Gaga in Japan

Lady Gaga recently visited the country of Japan and wore the following outfits:

Arrival at Narita Airport -- June 21
Gaga wore a green leather jacket from Valentino's Fall 2011 Collection.  The Dafodille platform pumps are by Christian Louboutin.  She also donned her "Pray for Japan" bracelet by Haus of Gaga and the iconic blue wig she wore all throughout Europe and for Canada's MuchMusic show.
Gaga stated in an interview that the green look was to promote an awareness of the environment in the wake of the earthquake disasters in Japan back in March.














Shopping at Harajuku -- June 23
Wearing an outfit titled "Eva – Leather Rings Tee and Ines – Pleather Hook Trousers" by Fanny and Jessy for Spring/Summer "Watch this Face" Collection.

At the MTV Video Music Aid Japan Press Conference -- June 24

The Gags wore a feather necklace designed by Japanese artist Hitoshi Korogi and Keiko Miyakoshi, part of their Roggykei collection of 2010.  The pants are from another Japanese artist, Yasuko Furuta in his Toga collection for Fall 2011.  The new straight-banged wig is by Frederic Aspiras. Accesories by Chanel, and of course the Earthquake relief wristband by Haus of Gaga. 

In this interview, Gaga encouraged tourists to come back and visit the beautiful country of Japan, which is now safe and welcoming to visitors after the travesty of earthquakes and nuclear explosions last spring.









MTV Music Video Aid Japan Performance -- June 26
Outfit custom-created by Masanori Morikawa.  Gaga also shed her blue wig to reveal little blonde topknots as she performed her songs "Born this Way" and "The Edge of Glory"  in a giant spider's lair.  Apparently it was a symbol for overcoming adversity. Liking the big anime eyes.















MTV Music Video Aid Japan Press Room -- June 26
After her performance, Gaga tread lightly across the carpet in Norikita Tatehana boots (she wears this designer EVERYWHERE).  The purse was bought in Japan and is from Gianni Versace's Spring 1992 animal print collection... Or is it from Versace 2011/2012?  She said the vest was made by "AFG Leather," a Japanese brand. Accessories by Chanel and Versace.  Again, big anime eyes.  Very Japanese.

UPDATE:  The vest is by Koshiro Ebata for Garter.

"Sukkiri" TV Show in Japan -- June 28
Gaga went Panda on us on this Japanese Television show, wearing a dress from the Roggykei collection by Hitoshi Korogi and Keiko Miyakoshi.  She wore this designer earlier as well (see above).
Here's a video of the interview.  She was so cute on this show.  I would totally wear this outfit.  The designer of Hello Kitty also appeared on the show and presented Gaga with a custom-made surprise.

On NHK News Watch 9 -- June 28
Gaga gets out her teal wig again and wears a dress by Sachio Kawasaki that was custom made for her.
Watch the interview here.

Appearance on ZIP TV -- June 29
I know nothing about this outfit yet.  I'll keep ya posted, though.









Listening to:  "Dreaming with a Broken Heart" by John Mayer
Things Going on today:  Independence day, breakfast with Julie and Barry, eating chocolate covered Bananas with Rachel Konishi.
Blessings:  My country, my leaders, my freedoms.
Things Learned:  Caitlyn's boyfriend isn't that attractive. There was a 7/11 Rave last night at 3 AM.

Spoken Ala Kevin Dorfman...

"Holy Toledo. I have a boyfriend."

This man is one of my best friends.

TEN THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2011

2011 is upon us. You know what that means? NEW STUFF:

1. Lady Gaga's Newest Album

Born this Way. Just last night Lady Gaga announced the release dates of both her first single and the record itself. The song "Born this Way" will premiere on Grammy night, (February 13, 2011) and the Album itself will come out May 23rd. Also, keep your ears open for her duet with Elton John for the movie Gnomeo and Juliet, "Hello, Hello," which comes out February 11th.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The fourth Pirates movie is coming out May 20. Whether you like it or you hate it, you're gonna have to at least see it, right? Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush reunite in the film, along with Penelope Cruz and some other great stars. Sadly, the Will Turner/Elizabeth Swann story has come to an end, and some say the series has gone too long anyway. But this is still another anticipated chapter of Bruckheimer Pirate lore. Stay tuned.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II

Yep. Probably the most-anticipated movie of the year. The END of Harry Potter happens July 15. This is the second chapter of the seventh book, which was divided into two movies. The first Deathly Hallows got excellent reviews. Let's see just how epic the end of this fantastic movie series can get!! Midnight premiere, anyone??

4. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Yet another if-you-love-it-or-you-hate-it-you-gotta-know-about-it movie. The end of this saga comes out November 18. There have been rumors about breaking this movie up into two parts as well, but as far as I can see, there ain't much for two movies in this final book. I saw Eclipse when it came out last summer, and I must say it was quite the eye-candy fest. And for that, I love it. Let's see just how amazing these attractive men look in the final chapter.

5. Rango

Johnny Depp stars in a western-esque animated movie about the troubles of a Chameleon sheriff. Apparently the animation for this movie uses the same technology as the character Golum in Lord of the Rings. Johnny Depp NOT in a Tim Burton film is always something to look forward to in my book. Keep March 4 in mind, people.

6. New Grayson Chance album

Remember that kid who got famous because of his cover of Paparazzi that was posted on YouTube? Well Ellen Degeneres took that kid under her wing and now he's got an album coming out sometime this year. This kid could be the new Justin Bieber. Maybe.

7. New Within Temptation album

Called The Unforgiving, the album is set to release March 2011. This album is a concept based on a comic book series by Steven O'Connell. If you love Within Temptation like I do, you will keep your ears open for more.

8. ROB THOMAS REJOINS MATCHBOX TWENTY!!

It has been announced on his website that Rob Thomas will be going on tour once again with Matchbox Twenty, starting January first. A new album is also somewhere in the works, though no specific date has been announced.

9. Glee Season 3

Yep. There will be a third season of Glee. Not quite sure when it will start but I'm guessing Fall 2011. Yippeeeee!!!!

10. Justin Bieber's voice change.

It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.

My Christmas Wish List: Movies, Music, and Media List

1. Albums, in no particular order:
-- Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys -- Clean Version
My Chemical Romance
-- Flamingo
Brandon Flowers
-- Dear Agony
Breaking Benjamin
-- Ocean Eyes
Owl City
-- Number Ones
Michael Jackson

2. Movies, in order of how much I want them:
-- Sherlock Holmes
-- Enchanted
-- Jane Eyre
-- Dead Poet's Society
-- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
-- Finding Neverland
-- Newsies

3. Sheet Music I Want:
-- Jon Schmidt's Christmas Songbook

4. GLEE Season 1

A Gleeful Evening

Season premiere of G eLEE.
What did I think??

Wow. Things got bad in a hurry, didn't they? But that's good! We already have a show in full swing that people will come back to week after week.
Furthermore, the song selection this time around was SO GOOD. I wasn't humungously impressed with the "Telephone" number, but it wasn't bad. My favorite was their version of "Empire State of Mind." I also really liked that new blonde guy's voice. I wonder what happens to him!!
The new football coach, Beiste, was also a great addition. And I'm glad Sue and Schuster aren't friends anymore. What would this show be without ridiculous comments about Schu's hair?

Just one thing missing: WHERE'S EMMA??
I'm sick and tired of the way they just forget about her and her relationship with Will. Where did she go?? Will they ever be together??

I'm excited for next week.

Glee Finale

Glee finale? Eh.
It's okay. My favorite part was the Journey Medley. Bohemian Rhapsody was good too, but mostly because Jesse St. James was in it and he was incredible. I don't care how much of a jerk he is, he's still gorgeous and a great performer.
I also liked how Quinn had her baby right as regionals happened, but it's not realistic. First off... a woman about to have a baby would not be singing and dancing all over the place... particularly for an event as stressful as a show choir regional competition. The child that was supposed to be a newly born infant looked too old.
But there were definitely some good things. I liked it that they didn't place at regionals. Although it wasn't a perfect ending, it left us with something more to look forward to next season. And there's always the strange change of heart that Sue had at the end.
Josh Groban was a great cameo as well.... although not as good as I expected.

Glee: Theatricality

So I've already said my whole bit about the "moral concept" of this episode on my other, more personal blog so this one's gonna be all about the GAGA.

First of all, I'd just like to say that it would be SO COOL if they could have an entire episode devoted to Lady Gaga like they did with Madonna, but of course they couldn't do that because Madonna and Lady Gaga are so much alike, and Gaga really hasn't hit enough meaningful numbers to make for a full episode about her. Maybe in a few decades, once we know whether or not she's gonna last. Then we'll talk about it. Moving on....

So the version of "Bad Romance" was MUCH more fun to listen to when it was accompanied with fun costumes and dancing. But I thought the whole song was HILARIOUS, rather than captivating or impressive. The dances, the poses, it was all so GAGA but for some reason the kids looked more ridiculous doing it. It was an intentional parody to Gaga, making the whole thing legitimate! But the song itself WASvery well arranged and put together. It kept true to the original, even though it was sung by a chorus of supposed high school kids. Of course, the original is definitely better.

Pokerface? That's another story...
First off, WHY POKERFACE? What kind of a mother-daughter bonding song is Pokerface?? It's about thinking about women while sleeping with a man? BLUFFIN WITH MY MUFFIN???? I would NEVER sing that song with my mom, no matter HOW good the arrangement is or HOW good of singers we are. Some things are just not done!
So, that's problem number one. Poor venue for the song. Poor song choice for the venue. It's one or the other, sweethearts...
Second off, while Idina Menzel and whoever-the-heck-the-girl-who-plays-Rachel-is are GREAT singers (fantastic!), the song just isn't as effective unless you got the pretentious Lady Gaga at a piano in a bubble outfit. I would rather have seen the full album version sung by all the kids than an intimate acoustic version that lacked attitude and pizzazz. It just didn't make any sense. No sense whatsoever. As a matter of fact, even when Lady Gaga sings it acoustic, the song still doesn't make sense. But at least you got Gaga there to distract you from the utter ridiculousness of the song. Sorry, Glee, I love your enthusiasm and your willingness to put this out there, but it just didn't work. Gaga is just not replaceable. You can make fun of her, but you can't replace her.

While we're on the subject of Glee...

I do like this show, by the way.

Of course I liked it better when I lived in BYU and had a bunch of girly roommates to obsess over it with me, but I still watch the show religiously every week. The characters are hilarious, the music is rocking, and there is definitely a lesson or two to be learned from these episodes...

HOWEVER...

I am disappointed in the newer episodes. They are not intriguing enough. The first set of episodes before their winer hiatus were VERY captivating because there were plenty of suspensful secrets, dramatic moments, and jaw-dropping emotional moments. Quinn's baby-daddy secret, for example, and Schuster and his wife. Things like that ended too quickly and now there isn't enough intrigue to keep me interested. There is some potential... Kurt's crush on Finn, Quinn's pregnancy, and Jesse's possible double-crossing business. But there is no tension being built! There's not enough drama, not enough suspense. Heavens. I want more. So that's my bit about glee.

My favorite Glee Characters:
Of course, Sue Sylvester. Kurt. Puck, and Emma. Mercedes seems like the sanest one, and that one dumb blonde cheerleader is just hilarious. And Artie is just cute. Everyone else just annoys me, particularly Rachel because she's just so gosh-darn obnoxious. And Finn is just stupid. And every time Quinn is on the screen I want to shoot the TV. Jesse's hot, but that's about it. As for Schuster, he does things that I just want to ask "WHY?" about. In general, the people in this show are almost too over-the-top, which can add to the humor but also irritate me to near violence. That's it.

GLEE GOES GAGA

... And I'm SO EXCITED!!

Lady Gaga American Idol 2010

Kaykaykay
ALEJANDRO.



1. Because I am already such a GAGA fan, I was a little too aware of the 'forest red-riding hood' scene she had going tonight on American Idol, which made for a slightly boring performance (for me). I'm sure others may have enjoyed a concept that was new to them, but for me, it was a passe show.
2. Her "Bad Romance" at the beginning was SO COOL. It was almost country! You know what I'm saying? Sort of a bounce to it that I have not yet heard before. Her vocalization during that number was also very impressive.
3. The outfit. I can't believe people can get away with wearing nothing but fishnet on public TV these days, but of course the one person who is actually willing to at least TRY to get away with it has to be Gaga. You gotta admit, she has courage. As for the strange black tulle hood garment thing... as my mom put it, "It got in the way." I liked it when she was seated on the piano, tho. Added a nice "riding hood" touch.
4. The dancers... what were they wearing????
5. The song is not as fun to listen to live as her other singles have been. "BAD ROMANCE" is just epic. Telephone has a definite bounce to it. But ALEJANDRO? It's more of an easy listening number, not a show-stopper.

So there's my bit about Lady Gaga (or as my mother calls her, lady GAG-a) on American Idol tonight, May 5, 2010. I liked her last appearance so much better. Pokerface gone rock-and-roll was just incredible. Now I think she's beginning to try too hard. Once again, quoting my mother, "She's trying to out-do herself all the time nowadays." And it's even worse now because you got people like Ke$ha and Christina Augiulera (however you spell her name) competing against her for the DIVA of the year.

Speaking of DIVAS, did you know Beyonce has a perfume line out now? It's called HEAT and I really wanna know what it smells like. :D TO MACYS!!!

Waiting

Waiting not so patiently for May 5. That's when Lady Gaga performs on American Idol...