There’s always a joker in the pack…and the joker is “Lee.” Ahead of Joker: Folie à Deux, a movie I’m starting to worry is real, Lady Gaga released a new companion album tied to the film that’s sort of a soundtrack and sort of not really a soundtrack. A spiritual soundtrack, if you will, featuring mostly covers of standards and a couple of new songs.
One of those standards is “The Joker,” which I and many others instantly recognized as the Bond-like theme song to the Australian sitcom Kath & Kim. Originally from the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, the song was also recorded by Shirley Bassey — and that rendition inspired the Kath & Kim theme. Given that the song is so synonymous with the series, especially to Gaga’s fans (gay), I couldn’t help but wonder whether that connection ever came up during the album’s making. And even if it did, has Lady Gaga ever seen Kath & Kim?
I’m trying to imagine the context in which Lady Gaga, or even Stefani Germanotta for that matter, would have sat down to watch the Aussie comedy, which originally aired from 2002 to 2007. She’s of course traveled the world, but she stopped touring in Australia back in 2014 — so maybe she has a gripe with the nation as a whole. Plus, Australians aren’t mentioned at all in “Born This Way.” Had it been a Lebanese show, then perhaps she would have seen it.
As someone who loves hearing songs I recognize, I am pro-Harlequin. It also includes covers of “That’s Life” (which they did on SMASH) and “If My Friends Could See My Now” from Sweet Charity and Kathie Lee Gifford’s Carnival Cruise commercials. But there are also Gaga originals: the titular “Folie à Deux” and “Happy Mistake.” And to think we get all of this, even with LG7 right around the corner.
MORE TENSES
PAST — Have you ever heard Molly Shannon tell the greatest story that has ever been told? If you haven’t, you simply must. Basically, as a child she and her friend skipped their ballet lessons in Chicago and instead snuck onto a flight to New York City, where they ran amuck through the city — hopping turnstiles to get to Rockefeller Center, dining and dashing, and swiping souvenirs. Then she had to call her dad to figure out how to get back home. I think about it constantly. Here’s a clip of her telling the story on Watch What Happens Live back in 2018.
PRESENT — Will & Harper on Netflix is a must-watch. After former SNL head writer Harper Steele’s transition, she and Will Ferrell take a road trip across the country and it’s an incredibly beautiful, moving documentary that you have to see for yourself. Give it all the Oscars — especially for Kristen Wiig’s original theme song that plays over the end credits.
FUTURE — America’s Sweetheart Hoda Kotb announced that she’ll be leaving the Today Show after 17 years, an announcement that elicited guttural howls nationwide. When I heard the news I collapsed in horror, my world rocked, the ground shaky beneath me. But being the future-minded thinker I am — I immediately started thinking about what’s next. Hoda could easily pivot to her own solo talk show, but what will become of her two seats at Today? Only she has the versatility (Hoda Kotb vers icon) to juggle both the newsy 7 o’clock hour with the boozy 10 o’clock hour — so I imagine she’ll have two replacements. Next in line are Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, and while Sheinelle has the star quality needed for the fourth hour, I think the show could take a bigger swing to fill Hoda’s shoes. What about 30 Rock star Brian Williams, who has both the news chops and humor needed for Today? Then we’d probably get more Allison appearances, which is a bonus. And naturally Michelle Collins should be in the conversation for the fourth hour. We’ve got time before Hoda hits the road, but I hope they at least consider thinking outside the box.