He's back. To let you know: he can really shake it down.

My love for this child cannot be described.

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream.

My girl Margaret, the Jezebel night editor and also Wellesley '06, just posted this video.  It's wonderful.  I love Darren Criss.  I love this little boy.  I love his giant tie and tiny dance moves. Enjoy!



xo kate

"I know this might be uncool/ But I'm just telling the truth/ My self esteem's not low enough to date you/ It's close, but not quite there/ Give me time to get a little bit more desperate/ And you and I could make an awesome pair/ A totally awesome pair." - Garfunkel and Oates

Three up-and-comers in women in comedy.

Heather Morris

"Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?"

Joining the cast of Glee as a professional dancer performing in a musical show, I don't think that Heather Morris intentionally became a comedienne, but her deadpan humor and classic one-liners made Brittany S. Pierce the second best thing about the show.

It remains to be seen if she'll be able to play anything else besides hilariously clueless but as long as she's making the lulls between performances on Glee slightly less mind-numbing, I'm on team Heather.

Garfunkel and Oates

Actresses/Comediennes Kate Micucci (Scrubs, Raising Hope) and Riki Lindhome (Million Dollar Baby) together form the comedic singing duo Garfunkel and Oates.  G&O cleverly and hilariously write and perform original songs that listeners can really identify with, such as "Pregnant Women are Smug" and "This Party Took a Turn for the Douche." 

xo kate

Could it be?

You may recall that a few months ago Danielle, with the help of the cast of Glee, taught you how to Dougie.  Well, it seems like W&W may have a bigger fan base than we originally thought.

Here's a video of Michelle Obama doing the Dougie at a Washington, DC middle school.


I'm not saying the First Lady definitely learned to to Dougie on the blog, but I'm certainly implying that it's a possibility. I'm also using this opportunity to let you all know how awesome I think she is.

xo kate

And then it got awkward.

I love a skinny tie.  I love purple.
But I really love this voice.

I am, of course, talking about my totally inappropriate crush on Darren Criss.

I don't really think that he's that cute, (If you ask me, Mark Salling is the only Glee guy worth writing home about.) and he's not particularly smooth or a great dancer.  But his voice is absolutely what keeps me watching Glee.  In my opinion, the introduction of the Warblers is the only thing that got Glee through this season at all.  For me, I was pre-destined to be a Warblers fan because I've been a huge fan of the Tufts Beelzebubs since my first year of college.  (If you don't know, the Bubs are an all-male acapella group at Tufts University.  They appeared on the first season of NBC's The Sing Off and are the real voices -- besides Blaine and Kurt -- of the Warblers.  They also arrange most of the songs.) I knew I'd like the Warblers and then I heard Teenage Dream.  I was hooked.  They took that song to a whole new level, and I loved it. Loved it, loved it.  I thought that my love peaked with When I Get You Alone.  (Which I listened to on repeat for approximately three weeks.)  But I was so very wrong.

I bought the Warblers Glee album last week (well, I completed the album for $3 since I already owned most of the songs) and I've pretty much been listening to it non-stop since then.  Which is a little bit strange, since it's only about an hour long, and I have a desk job.  But it's absolutely phenomenal.  I tried for a long time to come up with a metaphor for the Darren's voice.  But I couldn't.  So this is the best I can do: Darren's voice is like ice cream; sweet and smooth and full.  I don't know if that makes sense, but I mean it as a compliment.  He has single-handedly made me like three songs that I previously hated:  Hey Soul Sister, Raise Your Glass and Teenage Dream.  This is particularly impressive because Katy Perry and Pink are in my artists-I-hate pantheon.  (I'm actually a closet Train fan, I just think that song was horrible.  But For Me, It's You and Get to Me are two of my favorites.)

At any rate, last week it got awkward because I heard Darren's Glee cover of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know and my obsession went to a whole new level.  Suddenly, I was following him on Facebook and trying to log into "live chats" with him in the middle of the work day. (And I'm going to be honest with you, I don't even actually know what a live chat is.  And I never found out because of "unexpectedly high traffic."  Apparently I'm not the only one with a Darren Criss problem.)  I watched him on Ellen.  I awkwardly googled him to find out his age (24), whether he's really gay (no) and if he has a solo album (EP only, available on iTunes).  I watched him on MTV. I listened to his top five indie bands on Spin.com.  I watched him on The Today Show.

And it was all because of this:



So there you have it, wildcats.  I'm officially a Gleek.  And, apparently, a stalker.

xo kate

Smokin

Our wolfpack is hot. Savvy?

(images via whereisthecool?)

On my house, on my job, on my loot, my shoes, my shirt, my crew, my mind, my father's last name

Yet another early-ninties TV star's birthday has come and gone without proper acknowledgement from me.  Apparently you cannot count on me for timely recognition of these monumental events.  Hopefully what I lack in punctuality I make up for in enthusiasm.

Canadian masterpiece, Mr. Alan Thicke -- better known as Dr. Jason Seaver, patiarch of the Growing Pains clan -- turned 64 yesterday.  I wish that I could sing you my version of the Growing Pains theme song, because it's pretty moving, but it's really an opus to be experienced live. Plus, my duet partner isn't here and without him, I can't really do it justice.  For now, relive the magic with this:

This legend is not only a sitcom star, singer/song-writer and game show host and star of the greatest TV theme song of all time, he is also the father of four of my favorite people.

First, of course, Alan's son, Robin Thicke, is obviously a hugely talented R&B singer whose songs are so sexy they should be illegal. Robin collaborated with Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf) and had his song covered by crazy-talented Darren Criss on Glee this season, so he's pretty much a TV star as well.

The many sons of Alan Thicke.

Mike Seaver -- also known as Kirk Cameron -- was Dr. Seaver's TV son and also one of my very first crushes.  (He fell somewhere in between Billy Joel and Jason Priestley.)  Kirk's on-screen antics and apartment-over-the-garage living was the stuff of pre-teen dreams.  Personally, I really wanted Mike to end up with Julie, the nanny, but Kirk's real-life romance with Chelsea Noble, who played Kate, made him end up with her.  Learning this news at age six may have been the first time I experienced celebrity gossip.  Unfortunately, Mr. Cameron only stars in Christian-themed movies now, which don't get a whole lot of play at the Chambers.

Mr. Thicke's next son has definitely had the biggest impact on show business, and my personal life.  In season seven of Growing Pains, Jason and his wife, Maggie, took in foster son, Luke Brower, played to perfection by the one, the only, Leonardo DiCaprio.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  I don't think anymore explanation is needed on this one.

You might that this is all -- I mean, seriously, how much talent could one man's DNA hold? -- but no!  I recently discovered (thank you, Wikipedia) that Mr. Thicke is also the god-father of Comedy Central darling Daniel Tosh, host of Tosh.0 and possibly the funniest person on TV/the internet right now.  For reals, you can look it up.  DDT (Daniel Dwight Tosh) is absolutely hysterical and if you aren't watching him you should start. 

So, thank you Alan, for all you've given us.  Happy Birthday and welcome to the wolfpack.  And remember, we're nowhere near the end, the best is ready to begin...

xo kate

Teach me how to Dougie

I am one of those really lucky people that already know how to Dougie.

Now, now...don't be too jealous. I have a friend named Lauren, and she taught me about 4 months ago. She also told me about an amazing and real incident of a Dougie Disaster caught on tape. It is pretty awesome/funny/horrible/yet still really funny.



Don't worry. I did some investigating, and this dude is still alive. And now in the wolfpack.

If you don't yet know what the Dougie actually is, you can watch the official video here.

If you don't have an awesome dougie dancing friend like Lauren, you can learn how to do the Dougie from Glee castmembers (highly recommended).



It may be Tuesday, but I suddenly feel like dancing. You?

Riddle me this: Katy Perry's Popularity?

Ever since the release of Teenage Dream, I don't like her. I don't like her music anymore. I don't get her style. I think her image is contrived. I think her songs are convoluted. I think Katy Perry went from being a cool new artist who like cherry chapstick, to a fake with frosting covered boobies.

In fact, the only Katy Perry attributes I find redeemable are a) husband, Russell Brand b) her cracky/shatter nail polish stuff and c) Glee-cast covers of her song.

Am I alone in this?

Am I missing something?

I must be.

Cause her songs continue to rise on the charts. She performed at the Grammys. And she's even on the cover of Elle this month.

I just don't get it.

Let's take the Fireworks song. The chorus is admittedly catchy, but the verse lyrics ruin it for me. Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?

Is this a joke? Has somebody been watching American Beauty on HBO?

No, Katy, I don't ever feel like a plastic bag. But riddle me this: do you ever feel like pulling a Tanya Harding on Lady Gaga so that you can rise to the top and claim all the disenfranchised youths as your fans? Yea, I bet you do.

Well, you clearly now know how I feel. And I know Neil feels the same way. My sister shares in my confusion. In fact, this is what we looked like when one of my good friends told me she loved California Gurls and thought it was just the best summer jam. Come again?

But now I really really want to know what you guys think.

(1) Do you like Katy Perry? Her songs? Her cupcake ta-tahs?

(1b) If so, what am I missing? Do I need to give her another chance like I did with Kesha? (Tik tok gave me a headache, but We R Who We Are has caused me to dance in elevators.)

Or like me,

(2) Are you confused by her growing popularity? Does Teenage Dream make you want to stab yourself in the jaw?

I love to be right. And I love when people agree with me (don't look at me like that, you know you love it too). But I also can admit when I'm wrong. And I'm all for second and third chances. So tell me, does Katy Perry deserve one?

Tell me the truth. I can handle it.

The Heart of the Matter

Last Saturday night I was out with my wolfpack celebrating the birthday of a lovely wildcat, JG, at Rockfellas in Salem, Mass.  (No, Jay-Z wasn't there.  I don't want to talk about it.) Rockfellas is a delightful little place should you ever have occasion to go to Salem, but, beforewarned, Salem should be famous for it's potholes as well as it's witch trials.  Drive with caution.  

That hair is what dreams are made of.

Anyway, I was digging the cover band made up of four petite men who played 80's, dance and rock. (Not 80's dance rock, as I originally thought -- I was pretty surprised when I heard them play Kings of Leon.)  I liked them immediately because before the show they complimented my new boots.  (Although they used lyrics sheets for their songs.  Aren't reputable cover bands suppose to memorize the lyrics?  Hell, I knew the lyrics to all their songs.  Which is just another reason that I should be in a band.)  But, all in all, they were fine: the crowd was feeling the music, everyone was dancing and singing along. 

That is until the opening cords of Heart's Alone came on.  The dance floor cleared.  The room went silent.  Suddenly, it was a duet between me and the lead singer.  To say that this was not a crowd of Heart fans would be an understatement.  At one point someone came up to us and said, "Oh, great, music to slit my wrists to."  The song full-on tanked.

I love Heart.  I have long been pulling for them to make a Journey-esque revival as a cover band staple. My question is, why hasn't it happened? Why do some bands make the resurgence into pop culture and some don't?  Why Journey and not Heart?  Heart had more hits than Journey over a longer period of time -- they were even in an episode of Glee! 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Journey fan -- Separate Ways is one of my karaoke songs and, if I do say so myself, it's pretty powerful.  I'm just wondering why Heart isn't appreciated for their contribution to rock history?   So, without further ado, here are some of my reasons why Heart should be appreciated  as a great rock band, presented in no particular order.

They are pioneers.  Heart was the first hard rock band to have two females in the lead in sister-duo Ann and Nancy Wilson.

They are versatile.  Heart's hit songs ranged from hard rock (Barracuda) to folk (Dreamboat Annie) to pop (There's the Girl) to, my personal favorite, power ballads (Alone, What About Love, Crazy on You).

Controversy followed them.  Ranging from legal battles with management to lesbian sister rumors to fights on stage, Heart knew that people love a basketcase.

The Eminem connection.  The hook for my very favorite Eminem song is a Heart sample from Crazy On You.

Complicated relationships.  Sisters dating brothers and an inter-band love triangle made Heart a soap opera worth following.

Longevity.  Heart is formed in 1973 and still performs today.  That's a long time to keep rocking.

The music.  Their songs are awesome, and I promise that you actually know way more Heart songs than you think you do.  If you doubt me, click a link to hear the song.  Alone, Dreamboat Annie, These Dreams, All I Want to Do is Make Love to You, Barracuda, Crazy On You, If Looks Could Kill, What About Love, Will You Be There in the Morning.

For God's sake, the hair!  In the eighties, Heart full-on perfected rock star hair.  It was like a combination of Cyndi Lauper and Garth Algar. 

So, for these reasons and many more, I present my plea to you.  Wildcats, will you please consider joining me in my quest to bring Heart back?  Your country, and cover bands across America, need you.

Thank you for your consideration.

xo kate