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Article, AllYourScoop .com
"Something In The Water: 5 Stars You Know With a Common Past"
July 18, 2031
By Mikhayla Mendlesen
Pull out your high school yearbook and take a good long look at your graduating class. Better yet, if you were in any clubs, look at the members. Now, ask yourself: how many of them went on to be internationally famous? (We'll wait).
Whatever the number (we're guessing 0), William McKinley High School has got yours beat. It may be a mid-sized school in a mid-sized town in Ohio, of all places, but in the year 2012, said school's Glee Club (who knew glee clubs still existed?) had 12 members, 8 of whom were seniors. Of those eight, five are truly, legitimately, internationally famous (and the other three aren't exactly slouches either). Don't believe me? Well, how many of you have heard of KURT HUMMEL?
You read that right. Arguably the most famous on this list, Hummel had a rocky start on his path to stardom, and rarely talks about his experiences pre-New York. But unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you know the story from there: he initially failed to get into college for musical theater and was headed towards a career in fashion when he lucked a second chance at drama school. Not only did he get in this time, post-graduation he landed a bit chorus part in an off-off-Broadway show. The show was a bust, but Hummel got spotted by WOODY ALLEN and cast in said icon's next neurotic comedy, where he stole every scene and garnered a slew of rave reviews from critics. Today the two-time Oscar nominee splits his time between New York and LA. Now that he and hottie hubby LAMAR CARPENTER have a baby, he's taking longer between projects; his next movie, Season of Circles, won't be out until late next year.
If you're one of the millions who follow Hummel's career as close as can be, you likely already know the next celeb on our list: Broadway goddess Rachel Berry. Accepted to the very-same college that rejected Hummel, it's commonly said that this brunette bombshell has four Tonys (three being Broadway's top honor, the fourth being her third husband, NY Congressman TONY HUGO). Hummel and Berry have sung together at a number of live events for charity. For years, fans have been clamoring for them to perform together on the silver screen; the pair has remained coy, but pointedly refuse to rule out the possibility. Maybe there's still hope?
Next in our list of "how did one class contain that much talent" is MRS. MERCEDES JONES-LINCOLN, proud owner of 14 Grammys to date. With her latest album debuting at #1 on soul charts and with two singles off it already crossing over to pop success, she's sure to be getting more in a few months. She signed to Stones Throw just out of high school and was the first of her peers to hit L.A. When she started to get big, she could have dropped out of UCLA, but she delayed her first tour until her diploma was in hand. No wonder the woman with the golden voice, who's been compared to the great Aretha Franklin by many, is also a role model to girls around the world.
Hummel—Berry—Jones (to use her maiden name)-can you imagine being in a choir club with those three voices? But we promised you five stars, didn't we?
If you haven't heard of MIKE CHANG, well, you must just not be cultured enough! Maybe you'll remember this ballet artiste better if we mention his three years on the "100 Most Beautiful People" list. Currently he's the principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, but he also regularly choreographs routines in a variety of dance styles for reality powerhouse Just Dance. He's stated this will be his last season at ATB, and despite all the dance academies competing to gain him as an instructor, we here at AllYourScoop hope he'll give even more of his time to dancing on our television screens.
Last but certainly not least: do you ever listen to the radio? Or, you know, see any TV? If you do, you know about queen of the airwaves SANTANA LOPEZ. Armed with duel degrees in business management and mass communications, she headed to Vegas with her dancer girlfriend, a fellow (albeit 2013) McKinley grad and took that city by storm, getting a nationally syndicated radio show within the year. But the Latina beauty definitely doesn't have a face for radio—less than three years later she made the jump to television, where her straight-talk, sharp wit, and practical advice have led many to call her the long-awaited heiress of Oprah (kids, ask your mom). The real question is, why hasn't she had any of her old school chums on her show? Fans, get on it—we expect to see online petitions by the end of the week, you hear?
And if you're wondering about the other three seniors from that year: Noah Puckerman is a community organizer in Los Angeles working with teen dads (take a look at his organization's donors sometime and you'll see some familiar names), Quinn Jordan (nee Fabray) is a Yale grad working in public health and microfinance, and Finnegan Hudson is a two-time Teacher of the Year in the group's hometown of Lima. It's quite the group when "Teacher of the Year" is the most humdrum title on the list!
We here at AllYourScoop .com would love to be flies on the wall at that high school reunion!
And we're left with the question of the year: what was IN the water in Lima, Ohio that year? And can we have some? Comment below!