Gaga’s You and I Vedio: Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet

Lady GaGa - You And I

Gaga’s new video “You and I”, which makes its TV premiere yesterday at 7:49 p.m. ET/PT on MTV and Logo, followed by a live Q&A with Gaga on MTV.com — is a nonstop feast for the eyes that recalls many of pop culture’s greatest tales. In the vedio Gaga takes on many shapes (mermaid, sprite, man) and lovers (mad scientist, Jo Calderone) to end up with her version of a fairy-tale ending. But fans will also be watching the clip to see what pop-culture milestones are referenced in the video. So here it goes: the “You And I” pop-culture cheat sheet.

Chinese Water Torture Cell: The act was made famous by Harry Houdini. During the stunt, the famed magician would be trapped inside a case filled with water and had to escape before it was too late. In the video, Gaga is seen submerged in a tank filled with water in her lover scientist’s barnyard lab.

Drag Kings: Female performance artists who dress up like men, typically personified by male stereotypes. In this video, Gaga’s Jo Calderone recalls Gwyneth Paltrow’s James Dean in Kevyn Aucoin’s 2001 book “Face Forward.”

“Edward Scissorhands”: The 1991 Tim Burton-directed film starring Johnny Depp about a man created by a mad scientist to be the child he never had. In the video, Gaga’s lover tries to create a love to call his own.

“Footloose”: Gaga and her ladies throw a dance break of epic proportions in a barn — a play right out of the 1984 Kevin Bacon-starring film about a teen who gets a small town dancing again.

“North by Northwest”: In the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, the film’s leading man, Cary Grant, finds himself alone in the middle of nowhere standing at a crossroads. It is an image reminiscent of the opening of the video, when Gaga stands at a crossroads among the cornfields.

“Pygmalion”: The 1912 play written by George Bernard Shaw based on a Greek myth. In Bernard’s play, Henry Higgins works to transform the lower-class Eliza Doolittle into a more refined person. It was famously made into a film in 1964 starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison called “My Fair Lady.” In the video, Gaga’s scientist lover works to transform her into his dream creature.

“Signs”: Crop circles, like the one Gaga plays her piano in, play a big part in the 2002 M. Night Shyamalan film, in which Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin try to fend off aliens that have descended on Earth.

“The Little Mermaid”: In 1837, Hans Christian Andersen published the story of a young mermaid who dreamed of life as a human and would do anything it takes to lose her tail and gain feet. Although the story has been retold many times, the popular 1989 animated Disney flick stands as a childhood favorite. Gaga’s mermaid also loses her tail and gains legs.

“True Blood”: There are many creatures who live in the “True Blood” realm of fantasy, including fairies who live in a dimension known as Faery and enjoy nature and dancing — much like Gaga and her dancing troupe in the cornfield.

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