*dances around room*

Warning: This post probably has a ton of grammar errors because I wrote it in a fit of excitement. I’m sorry.

Today was a good pop culture day. Which is a term I most likely just made up defined as: a day in which several great things happened in (my) pop culture (knowledge). 

I mean, obviously, there were bad things about today - namely, another school schooting at a college in Texas. Which just so happens to be a place where 97%* of the population thinks everyone should have a gun with them all the time. Are you sure, Texas? Okaaay.

The first way that today was a good pop culture day was because the Texas Performing Arts officially announced their 2013-2014 season line-up via email (which I knew about immediately because, obviously, I’m on the Texas Performing Arts’s email list. Why aren’t you?). This line-up includes: The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Memphis, American Idiot, War Horse, and Wicked. Obviously, everyone - who cares about musical theater - has heard great things about Book of Mormon, so it’s great that it’s coming to Austin. Also, the other ones. But, you guys. CHICAGO. CHICAGO. Ohmygod. I’ve wanted to see this play for years and it is coming here. In November. I am so excited I can’t handle it. There is no way I’m missing it. No. Way.**

Another way it was a good pop culture day was that I remembered about A&E’s new series, Bates Motel. I went to the website, watched a trailer for it, and got really excited. Reasons to be excited for Bates Motel if you are like me:

• Despite being not a big fan of the horror movie genre, I’m kind-of have a thing     for horror TV (see: American Horror Story, arguably Supernatural). Bates looks     like it could be a good addition to said genre and I’m excited to see where it     goes. (see also: NBC’s Hannibal).
• Freddie Highmore. That’s all.

And finally: Disney announced that their next staging expedition will be Aladdin. That high-pitched noise you’re hearing right now? That’s my squealing.

I should clarify on this last point. Though I expressed extreme excitement over the idea of seeing Chicago, it is nothing to what I feel about this Aladdin announcement. I have loved Aladdin my entire life. Literally. The movie came out in theatres two months after I was born and, once it was out on VHS, my parents used to put it in all the time to lull infant-me to sleep. Supposedly, I rarely made it past “Arabian Nights,” but my parents would usually keep watching it anyway.

And that’s where my real love for Aladdin comes into play. Most people have certain things they immediately connect with their families. Certain songs everyone jams to in the car on vacation. Certain books your parentals read to you at bedtime. My family watches Aladdin together. More than any other Disney movie (and we watched them all, trust me), Aladdin’s always had a big effect on all of us. We say all the words along with the characters. We sing the musical numbers like we’re on Broadway - AND NOW ALADDIN IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ON BROADWAY. It’s the greatest news I’ve ever heard. Now whenever I hear “Friend Like Me,” instead of just daydreaming about how great that number would be belted out by true Broadway crooners, I can daydream about how it actually will be.

I’m more emotional about this than is probably healthy. So it goes.

*I made that percentage up too.

**One time, Spring Awakening was in town and I didn’t get to see it and so now I have an even more overly zealous and obnoxious attitude about going to see...anything.