Gaga Glee Glee

Is this the face of a Lady that does not know who she is? Pop sensation Lady Gaga mortgaged her quick rise to super-stardom on catchy tunes and far out costumes. And it paid off, in triplicate. You can hardly turn your radio on today without hearing a Gaga anthem playing somewhere on the dial.

So how does this icon relate to the cast of Glee? In the world of show choir, "theatricality" can make you or break you. Gaga is the consummate example of theatrical "thinking outside and over the top of the box" and the weekly assignment for the Glee Club when they find out that their nemesis, Vocal Adrenaline, has taken on The Gaga.

Musical highlights:

• Rachel meets her real mother-Vocal Adrenaline's Director Shelby Corchrane after hearing her sing Barbara Striesand's "Funny Girl". Idina is pitch perfect as Fanny Brice, (and I now see why they had Idina sing the tribute to Barbara at the Kennedy Center Honors last year).
• "Bad Romance" is performed by the girls of the Glee club, and Kurt, in their outrageous Gaga costumes. This is the best performance of the episode.
• THANK GOD the guys decide that Gaga is not for them, so they pull out the all the stops with their version of "theatricality"; KISS. They perform, "Shout it out Loud" and rock it!
• The boys sing "Beth" to Quinn's unborn baby, and Puck decides he would like to at least name the baby before Quinn gives the baby girl up for adoption.
• Rachel and Shelby (Menzel and Michelle) turn "Poker Face" into a touching duet between mother and daughter. Certainly would not have been my choice for a sweet duet between mother and daughter, but the musical arrangement turns this into a ballad and with these two legendary Broadway veterans, nothing is not amazing once they get their hands on it. Although it was not my favorite musical number of the night, I will admit to goose bumps.

After Kurt and Tina are harrassed for wearing full-on Gaga to school by a couple of jocks, Finn is left to defend himself and the rest of the club from the haters. But not before the emotional pinnacle of the entire season this far.

Burt, Kurts dad, (Mike O'Malley) delivers, what I think may become one of the most important moments in TV history, when he defends his homosexual son. Finn makes a crucial error, using the word "faggy" to frustratingly describe the decor Kurt has chosen for new their shared room. What makes it so important are the words Burt uses to defend his son's lifestyle choices and he then chooses his boy over Finn and his new love, Finn's mom, by telling Finn he cannot stay in his house any longer. He unknowingly gives the world a text book example of tolerance and love.

So is that what Gaga's music is about? Tolerance? Love? Theatricality?

In last night's episode of Glee, although they tackled The Gaga, I don't really think the episode was about the music, as much as it was about people and the choices that they make.

Right or wrong, accepted or criticized, you can't be afraid to go Gaga once in a while. You may just find that the most unlikey person has got your back.