Re: Kurt Hummel Appreciation Thread

[Jellyrolls]

Tis the season:

[lilypaperclips]

[img][/img]
http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2011/10/19/glee-kurt-and-the-casting-couch/

Above is a link to an old article about whether an effeminate character can be a viable subject of female fan attraction and objectification amongst other things.

Could be cool to discuss...again by the lengths of this thread. Still, one more time with feeling!

[Divalicious]

Looking at Kurt/Chris feature by feature it still makes me wonder why Glee was so afraid to acknowledge Kurt is a very attractive young man, without pointing out how irresistible Blaine was as well.  Beautiful, unusual eyes. Porcelain skin, which is really porcelain, damn him.  Incredible hair.  Amazing legs, long lean torso.   You compound all of that with a sharp mind, a unique talent, and a huge heart.  It almost seems like Glee was surprised that Kurt was not just an example for kids, especially young gay people, that he was an object of desire.  It isn't just about his appearance, Kurt is as gorgeous on the inside as he is on the outside.  

Even if Glee seemed to shy away from gay relationships, by never having them sit by each other in class etc, there was no reason to portray Kurt as undesired.  Even when they did allow him to be desired, at most he gets a hand brush, or a fan club of admirers.  They also never have girls hit on him, unlike Blaine.  I am not counting first season Mercedes, because it seemed her crush was based more on the fact he was nice to her, rather than burning desire.  Yes, it is well known that a girl would never find an intelligent, talented man attractive.  In fact, the fact that he was gay would give you a sense of safety, flirting without consequences.  

Perhaps part of Blaine always being the object of respect and desire was the myopic writers one trick.  Brittney is stupid, until she is not.  Santana is bitchy.  Sue hates the Glee club.  Kurt is just like a girl.  So Blaine's one trick is that everyone is on his side.  Sue can't find a rude thing to say.  Warblers worship him like a cult.  The entire Glee club sides with Blaine to shame Kurt when he flirted with someone else, but nothing any remotely like that happened when Blaine actually cheated.  He was being human.  

But just like Kurt, Kurtsies are strong. The writers know we aren't going to be scared away if he wasn't shown to be a stud.  Because we know he is a stud.  We know he is talented.  We know he is a prize.  Some factors of the audience need to have things like this acknowledged for other characters, because then they are justified, I guess.  So they can give Kurt the pathos, which Chris knocks out of the park.  They can give Kurt disappointments, and loss, and sorrow, because no one on the show can cry and become luminescent like he can.  

Glee could also use Kurt to tell the hard stories, because Chris is a great actor.  But then to show how things change, they show the positive side, and sadly always give it to Blaine.  Kurt loses the presidency, Blaine wins on a hair gel platform.  Kurt works his ass off, and doesn't get into NYADA, Blaine waltzes in.  Perhaps, in their teeny, tiny minds they thought they were being thoughtful, by showing both sides.  But Kurt always losing and Blaine always winning became a one trick joke that stopped being funny years ago.

Not that I find Chris/Kurt androgenous, I know he is most definitely a man, but he has a comfort with himself, a love of his  higher range that a lot of guys wouldn't have the confidence to embrace.  He embodies the strength of both typical gender norms.  Where some find nurturing feminine, and aggression masculine, Chris just goes and proves that they are just words, and don't belong to any gender.  To me a truly strong person, male or female, isn't whether they can lift the couch, but where they can stand up to society expectations and be themselves.  

So again, Glee, why couldn't you push this young man as an object of desire.  The girls all got short skirts and hot pants, well not Mercedes.  Guys, shirtless left and right.  They were obviously not afraid to court ratings with sex.  Perhaps the first two years Chris was more shy, but I don't really think he was all that unwilling to show his attractiveness, see any clip from their tours and his Single Ladies.  He wasn't showing a reenactment of his first performance, he was showing a very sexual aspect of his character.  I think he would have been okay with some tasteful exhibition.

Man, this is long.

[Glorfindel]

Glee could also use Kurt to tell the hard stories, because Chris is a great actor.  But then to show how things change, they show the positive side, and sadly always give it to Blaine.  Kurt loses the presidency, Blaine wins on a hair gel platform.  Kurt works his ass off, and doesn't get into NYADA, Blaine waltzes in.  Perhaps, in their teeny, tiny minds they thought they were being thoughtful, by showing both sides.  But Kurt always losing and Blaine always winning became a one trick joke that stopped being funny years ago.

This would have been believable if they indeed had made (or better: let him remain) Blaine as the straight passing jock guy he was in the beginning. It is a sad truth that straight passing gay guys (and girls?) can blend in better and have it easier in school (not saying that all straight passing gays have it easy), while the more effeminate gay guys get the bullying and will not be chosen for popular positions like being president of the school.
But in season 3 they started giving Blaine these ridiculous grandpa/toddler clothes, and on top of that Darren's acting made him look like an either overexcited or whining baby almost every time he opened his mouth. There's no way a guy like Blaine, especially not when gay, would have been so readily accepted bij his peers.

Why did they do that?
My guess is that Kurt was so popular back then, and stayed popular even after wonderboy-who-everyone-loves hero Blaine was pushed in the main narrative as a major character after his 'Teenage Dream' hit and Ryan's clear favoritism, that they thought that maybe dressing Blaine in Kurt's clothes would help him take over Kurt's position of posterboy gay.
But it backfired. In canon and in the PR game Blaine was pushed as the most popular and desirable one, but Kurt remained a fan favorite and the only relatable, fleshed out (mostly by Chris' acting) character who represented a lot of gay guys in the real world. And the more they pushed Blaine in Kurt's place the less relatable and 'real' Blaine became, as the way the other characters fawned over him and handed him prizes became more and more different from/disconnected to the way he looked and acted.
In the mean time Kurt became more of an internal power, with less flamboyant clothes and less extravagant songs to sing, so he wouldn't be noticed so much. Kurt may have been pushed to the background by his own boyfriend, but he kept shining with his own inner light and strength. And he still is the most popular male character on Glee.

 Not that I find Chris/Kurt androgenous, I know he is most definitely a man, but he has a comfort with himself, a love of his  higher range that a lot of guys wouldn't have the confidence to embrace.  He embodies the strength of both typical gender norms.  Where some find nurturing feminine, and aggression masculine, Chris just goes and proves that they are just words, and don't belong to any gender.  To me a truly strong person, male or female, isn't whether they can lift the couch, but where they can stand up to society expectations and be themselves.

 I love this, I really love how you said this.
It describes Chris (and Kurt too, but imo even more Chris) perfectly, without trying to fit him into a box to define him. The fact that he can't be sorted into a certain (stereotype) box makes him so special imo.

Btw: I've been thinking about this lately, now that Glee is so horrible. Imo the best thing Glee has ever done (besides of creating the role of Kurt for Chris of course) is allowing Chris to sing 'I Have Nothing' in its original key.
I know that in my review of that song I made a few comments about how on a few notes you could hear it was noticeable how hard it was for him, and that the song's quality (pure technical speaking) would have improved imo by lowering the key a little bit, but on the other hand..... that song is perfect the way it is. Chris practically flaunted his high voice, defying all the nay-sayers, and deliberately visited the edges of his abilities. And he did it to honor a great singer. He refused to hold back to be safe, and it is this daring attitude which makes 'I Have Nothing' so soaringly beautiful.

In that trail of thoughts: I know they had misses too, but I'm grateful to the Anders brothers for (especially in the first seasons) experimenting with Kurt's voice and to find genius ways to include him, his entire range, in the group songs (although his verses were mostly cut from the show).

So again, Glee, why couldn't you push this young man as an object of desire.  The girls all got short skirts and hot pants, well not Mercedes.  Guys, shirtless left and right.  They were obviously not afraid to court ratings with sex.  Perhaps the first two years Chris was more shy, but I don't really think he was all that unwilling to show his attractiveness, see any clip from their tours and his Single Ladies.  He wasn't showing a reenactment of his first performance, he was showing a very sexual aspect of his character.  I think he would have been okay with some tasteful exhibition.

Chris said he was ready to go shirtless for the bedroom scene in 'The First Time', but was refused. That was a few months after the Glee Live tour of 2011, which had his sexy Single Ladies (so sexy they apparently couldn't show it in the movie), and right at the beginning of season 3.
He clearly already felt comfortable with showing his chest back then, even when he was still growing into his gorgeous adult body and not as well trained as he is now.

It's a pity it took as long as untill season 5 before TPTB of Glee finally woke up and let Kurt go shirtless. (and oh my, what a glorious sight it was)

[Buenos]

There were recent articles (within the last year) of two out celebrities, Neil Patrick Harris and Adam Lambert. What is interesting is what characters of Glee have struck an impression on them.

Neil Patrick Harris saying that growing up in Arizona, and until I find the original source IIRC said there was nobody for him to look at as a model, "there was no Glee, there was no Kurt".

Adam Lambert IIRC said that watching Glee he indentified with the character who loved musical theatre and was an outcast " I was Kurt".

It just shows the resonance the character of Kurt has with audiences and why many think he was and still is the heart and soul of the show.

[lilypaperclips]

 Not that I find Chris/Kurt androgenous, I know he is most definitely a man, but he has a comfort with himself, a love of his  higher range that a lot of guys wouldn't have the confidence to embrace.  He embodies the strength of both typical gender norms.  Where some find nurturing feminine, and aggression masculine, Chris just goes and proves that they are just words, and don't belong to any gender.  To me a truly strong person, male or female, isn't whether they can lift the couch, but where they can stand up to society expectations and be themselves.

Well said. I think the showrunners superimposed their own discomfort with Chris as Kurt's embrace of the strength of both typical genre norms on the audience. Blaine, seemingly in form, represented what they felt audiences would accept because that was what they were comfortable with. Audiences rejected this thesis. As Glorfindel pointed out, Kurt remains the most popular male character on Glee.

I think the said discomfort by the showrunners was rejecteed by audiences because (a) they have eyes, Kurt embodies a male grace that is attractive to many; and (b) they have heart, they greatly emphathize  with Kurt's struggles.

There is only so far you can take Blaine when he has practically no struggle.In addition, Blaine's presentation with the clothes and the hair make it difficult to really embrace and may be seen by audience  as affectation rather than a true reflection of his character. Contrast with Kurt, whose fashion choices, some may find outlandish but they have accepted it because they do see Kurt as expressing himself through his clothes, etc.

[Buenos]

Kurt Hummel in red:

http://kurthummelfashion.tumblr.com/post/86825286342/kurt-hummel-in-colours-red

[Jellyrolls]

“I think really anything with Kurt and his dad. I feel like he’s like, America’s ideal father. I think he’s great, and I think they always did incredible scenes together. And I feel like they just wrote that in a really great way, that story line, their life together. And I feel like anytime - especially the first couple seasons when they had stuff and they were working out their relationship, it was really powerful.”
—
Kevin McHale: ‘We’re All Going To Be A Mess’ Saying Bye To ‘Glee’

Responds to: “Is there one issue or one show that you remember the most that really affected you?

[Buenos]

Kevin speaks for all of us...

[valkeakuulas]

Just listened to some of the Kurt and Rachel songs on Spotify and some of them are doing really well on play counts. Some number of plays from Kurt's epic songs by Feb 2014:

I Wanna Hold Your Hand 2 129 000
As If We Never Said Goodbye 782 000
Rose's Turn 656 000
House Is Not a Home 622 000
I Have Nothing 492 000
Not the Boy Next Door 373 000
Le Jazz Hot 261 000
Don't Cry For Me 256 000
I'm the Greatest Star 199 000
Being Alive 186 000
Bring Him Home 150 000

Some of the duet plays:

4 Minutes 1 033 000
Happy Days Are Here Again 461 000
For Good 419 000

For reference on Broadway songs the original Rachel solo Don't Rain on My Parade has 2 827 000 plays or Defying Duet has the amazing 8 673 000 plays!

I'm a little suprised that Lea's great Being Good Isn't Good Enough is at 221 000 plays.

[Jellyrolls]

Just looking at the prices things are going for in the auction, and made note of somethings.  

Partial list of Kurt items sold at auction:

Dolce and Gabana clear raincoat (worn when he slushied himself)--$450
Football jersey--$1100
Collection of five shirts--$500
Red vinyl shirt--$275
Finn and Kurt matching ponchos worn in props--$650
Le Jazz Hot outfit--$1000
Warbler outfit--$1900
Campaign posters (not just Kurt)--$400
Vote Unicorn buttons--$325
Kurt props (including blaine picture and wallets)--$600
Kurt fashion accessories--$1900
Ugly green poncho and yellow sweater--$425
Floor length sweater from the first time--$700
Big gay fun sack--$350
Kurt Michael Jackson costume--$550
Kurt locker items (featuring Klaine pictures)--$2250
Phantom of the Opera costume--$250
Chandelier Kurt swung from--$400
Second set of Kurt fashion accessories--$2750

Other notable items (I'll move this to the general thread at some point--it's just easier to keep it all in one post):

Quinn cheerios outfit--$3000
Brittany Cheerios outfit--$1200
Rachel painting from BIOTA--$200
16 t-shirts from Born this Way (including Likes Boys)--$1700
Quinn's prom queen dress--$1100
Blaine's Warbler outfit--$9500
Blaine bowties--$1300
Dream Girls pink sequined costumes (including Kurt's jacket)--$400
Artie's wheelchair--$375
Artie's sweater vests--$150
Warbler's banner--$800
12 Warblers' outfits--$2250
Mercedes' Cherrios uniform--$275
Finchel engagement ring--$3000
Blaine Michael Jackson costume--$900
Rachel Michael Jackson costume--$900
Santana Michael Jackson costume--$550
Star light from NY apartment--$2750
Second set of 12 warblers' outfits--$1400
Dalton banners--$850
Jukebox from the Starlight Diner--$700


I'll add more later.  Today's auction is only about a third of the way done.

[Jellyrolls]

Day 2 auction items:

Kurt items
Kurt's outfit in the last scene of All or Nothing--$850
Outfit Kurt wore for the grand proposal--$3250 (psycho buyer)
Outfit worn during "Take On Me"--$650
Kurt puppet--$2500
Kurt elf costume--$850

Other items
Blaine Diva jacket--$950
Boyfriend pillows (including Bruce)--$300
Sam's Macaroni Art (including Kurt picture)--$375
Rachel outfit from the Quarterback--$900
Finn tribute items from the quarterback--$700
Finn drumsticks from the quarterback--$1000
Blaine Gaga outfit--$450
Pamela Lansbury costumes (Kurt, Elliott, Rachel, and Santana)--$450
Dani leather jacket and jeans--$800
Elliott maroon blazer outfit--$900
Elliott puppet--$2500
Blaine puppet--$3000
None of the other puppets sold
Santana Elf costume--$700
Rachel elf costumet--$1100
Santana mrs. clause outfit--$1200
Funny girl props--$800

[fantastica]

i am very impressed with how much they can fetch for these items. They don't have much actual worth (who is going to wear those cloth?) so it's all for sentimental reasons. Just to show how different people are - some people put a lot of value on things other people don't even want. Now if this is a Game of Throne auction and they are auctioning off that iron chair for a few hundred bucks I would gladly go for it. Then I would put cushion on it and make it a bed for my cat, who deserves all the glory in the world. Ok on second thought I have no room for that monstrous chair either, and it would just look ridiculous in my carpeted room with my IKEA furniture. That chair needs a castle or a huge dungeon to look proper.

[bayth]

Pavarotti's casket went for $1500! (Another psycho klainer!)
Wedding shackles $2750

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