"Glee." "Gossip Girl." I love them both. If you call while I'm watching one of them, I will probably ignore you, no offense. It's not that these shows come first; they're simply my break from stress and work. This is time I spend with my friends.
Tuesdays at 8 p.m., you'll find me glued to "Glee." Admittedly, sometimes that melody gets to be a little much, but I can't turn away. I want to see the kids of New Directions win Nationals. I want the football players and Cheerios to stop their harassment, and I want Sue to leave the kids and the very attractive Mr. Schuester alone.
My high school didn't have a glee club, so maybe I can't fully understand. It does take me back when I get nostalgic for high school, although it's nothing like the school I went to. I love it because it's so real - yet so surreal at the same time. I wish students battled each other in song in the middle of the McGregor Room.
I might be a full-fledged "gleek" but I'm not into labels. That's what "Glee" has taught me. It subtly asks you to push past the stereotypes. Even though college seems less cliquey than high school, there are still plenty of stereotypes. Can Finn be a jock and love to sing? At U.Va., can that guy in your English class really be a lax bro and love to read Shakespeare? Yes, yes, he can.
Even stronger than my love for "Glee" is my obsession for "Gossip Girl." The plotlines continue to draw me to the show, though some consider them fairly ludicrous. There's more to "Gossip Girl" than that. Maybe its Nate Archibald's steaminess or Chuck Bass's sleazy appeal or Dan's quietly seductive demeanor. Maybe I admire the way Serena always gets what/whom she wants or Vanessa's free spirit or Blair's "don't-cross-me" attitude. Or maybe it's Gossip Girl's witty one-liners.
What it boils down to is this. "Gossip Girl" provides an escape from the everyday. That little island seems so far from our University community. Do they really party on the rooftop of skyscrapers instead of frat houses? Is Dan really not going to ask for his own paternity test? Is anyone going to put on normal college kid attire? Doesn't Serena own a pair of Nike running shorts? We love to hate them and we feel what they feel. Sometimes we might even accept this alternate reality as actuality. Even for the things I dislike about the characters - Jenny's Tim Burton make-up, Dan's idiocy and Blair's snobbery - I want them to all end up happy. Well, except for Georgina.
For those of you non-fanatics, it's not too late to get into the game. You might need to lock yourself in Robertson Media Center for days to catch up on all the seasons. If you're not immersed in it, maybe you can't understand. I don't want to go so far as to say it's a lifestyle, but it becomes part of a routine.
These shows aren't just a one-hour escape from reality. They are about the wild albeit believable characters that come to life every time they appear on the screen - who can even seep into our lives everyday. They display human qualities that allow us to get attached to them. They entertain us for just a little while and they can't come on soon enough.
Abbi's column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at a.sigler@cavalierdaily.com.
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