I have always heard these StarKid fans getting all up in arms about how Darren has gotten famous because of Glee, but they knew him before everyone else didWHY DO YOU THINK WE CARE? I first heard of him because of GleeI actually tried watching one of the Potter musicals and, guess what, I didn't really care for itand I love Harry Potter and musicals so
Anyway, I hope that fans of him from his StarKid days will one day realize that it doesn't matter if they were fans first or second or third or whateverit doesn't matter ONE BITget over yourselves.

"Live every week like it's Shark Week."

Hipster alert.

Meh. You're going to have to blame J.K. Rowling for my fandom of Criss and Starkid. How dare she write such a huge epic which would then spawn a group of fans to create a parody of said epic.
It's kind of funny though, since I started watching Glee first and loved his character Blaine. Then I watched A Very Potter Musical and it became a bit of an obsession. I truly think it has a right to be viewed as its own entity from J.K. Rowling's creation. Harry Potter has been such a massive part of my life, but the show is just so unbelievably well done it's crazy. Absolutely crazy. Every ex5b4aggeration of character has been so lovingly done and perfect. And I continued to watch Glee (for Kurt and Blaine), and for some reason I never twigged that Blaine was Darren Criss until my friend mentioned Criss on Glee and my whole universe fell apart. I respect Starkid and their talent and
everybody
on there but I haven't watched anything else of theirs except for the Potter Sequal. I'm not a massive fan of Darren because of Glee (I mean, I adore him on Glee, but I adore Chris as Kurt too but don't follow him off the show) or because he's the flavour of the month (in fact, he's had so much backlash because of Glee it's disturbing and disgusting), but because he's Harry Potter to me. No question. He's as Harry Potter to me as Daniel is. I love them both. And it says so much about the quality of Starkid that from a parody they can create characters that are just as good as the original source.
I love them all. Every single actor have all made me cry with laughter. But Darren in particular is special to me because he's Harry. I don't understand why there is this need for competition over who deserves success over others. They all deserve success. They are all extremely talented. But fame is fickle and cruel. It disgusts me how people talk about Darren because they hate his character on Glee. Don't wish that on Starkid. Instead, wish them success.

Hell, I'll comment on this too because I'm also what you would call a "real" starkid. I've watched all their stuff for years, and I love all the actors. I think it's amazing how much they've all grown as performers and singers, and I think the whole cast is wonderful. Anyone who's seen Starship and still says Joey Richter can't sing is on drugs. Darren being the most talented Starkid is debateable, but the same goes for every other person in Starkid. But I support ALL starkids!
I'll admit, I was very hesitant about Glee. I thought the whole show was kind of stupid until Darren went on it. He's the reason I gave Glee a chance, and I know a lot of people who only gave Starkid a chance because they fell in love with Darren on Glee. However it worked out though, I don't care. I'm happy for Darren and for his success, and him landing a role on a successful show helped Starkid get more recognition. Everyone got benefits from Darren landing Glee. And if you ever hear anyonb68e from Starkid talk about Darren, they're nothing but happy for him.
OP, you don't like that Darren's become more successful when you don't think he deserves it compared to other Starkids, and even though I don't agree with you, that's your opinion. I'm happy for him, and so is his Starkid family.

I'm also a "real' Starkid fan, and I'd like to say 2 things:

1. I like all the actors. I think it's a crime Joe and Lauren aren't more famous than they are. But I like Darren, too. Yeah, it's possible.
2. I'm sure all your little buddies at Starkid trying to build an acting career dependent on gaining fans would really appreciate you telling people not to watch their work. Obviously you don't want them to be successful, otherwise you wouldn't post bullcrap like this on the internet just because your pissy that a few lesser mortals got to watch your precious show. Not to mention that if you're too uneducated about entertainment to understand that more viewers=better prospects for the actors you claim to support, perhaps you should stay off of Starkid's youtube page, mmmmmmkay?

LOL hipster.

You can not be serious right now! Name another member of Starkid, who can act, REALLY sing, write songs, and play more than half a dozen instruments! Oh that's right, you can't, Because there isn't one!
As for him not being the most attractive, well there is just no accounting, for some peoples tastes!
Also, I suggest that you get used to seeing Darren Criss, all over your dashboard,(and everywhere else, for that matter) Because he is headed for super stardom. Besides staring in the Glee 3D concert movie this summer and having had the producers of Glee, sign him on, as full time cast member, for the upcoming 3rd season season, he also just signed on, to act in his first major motion picture Imogene, and is going to be on Broadway for 3 weeks in Jan-Feb 2012. So eat your heart out!

You really get over the whole "StarKid is MINE!!!11!! You aren't a TRUE FAN because you weren't there in the beginning!!!!!!" thing after you pass the tender age of fourteen.

I can't stand people like you, seriously. Because you watched some videos before other people you're a better fan of starkid or you like them more? People discover things at different times! I didn't know who Darren was before glee but that doesn't mean I've done anything wrong by watching productions by starkid later than others and I still enjoy them
Jesus
your
Starkid? ugh
You also say that Darren isn't as talented as some of the other cast membershey I think he's one of the best. He didn't have as many jokes in AVPM or AVPS as some of the other characters but that is not a measure of talent. Darren is a
very
talented musician. I'm sorry but you cannot deny that.
Looks are subjective. IMO he is gorgeous, you clearly don't agree.
Surely if everybody is "jumping on the Starkid16d0 bandwagon" then people are becoming more familar with people like Joey Richter and Lauren Lopez aswell? They are appreciated for their talents but Darren is on a very popular show on Fox so of course he is going to get a little more attention.
You act like it is new that talented people are underrated/not given enough attention in this business when it definatly is not. It happens all the time.
If you don't like Darren on your dash unfollow the people that are posting about him. Easy.
http://i51.tinypic.com/s3hro5.jpg

Yes other Starkids are more talented in differentways but tv isn't about who's most talented. It's about flukes and who fits a character. And who goes out for it.
I started waching avpm before I watched Glee but stopped because it was on a computer with my friend and all that so I couldn't see it too well and the sound was iffy. But seeing Darren on Glee I was reminded of the talent/ awesomenss it probably held. And when I watched it I loved everyone.
Darren knows he's superbly lucky to be on Glee. It means that his solo career gains some steam, but more importantly it means that Starkid can welcome in new fans that will help it, and all of the other Starkids be seen by the rest of the world as the truly talented people they are. And hopefull it will help Starship reach Broadway. Because that would be beyond epic.
And serioiusly? It doesn't all have to do with who's hotter or who's more talented. They are all amazing people as far as I can tell. And everyone who is a fan of any of them should realize that all of them want the best for each other.
I do however understand any annoyance directed at people who make it hard for any of the Starkids to continue their happy shenanigans. Or who will show up at concerts/ shows soully hoping for Glee people or songs. Because that is sad. But hopefully anyone who does that decides to actually investigate Starkid and falls in love with it too. The more fans there are the better for us. Except for your chances of meeting any of them if you have the money to go to a show.

Whatever floats your boat, but to me Darren Criss all the way =D Haha! I love his geek dorkiness hotness.
Haven't really seen that much of starkid but I've done a quick search on google images to look at those you mentioned and I like Darren Criss the most out of them =D

stephlem89, great response. I have little to add to it, but I still will try.
As someone who watched the show on youtube BEFORE it was even called AVPM- before it got taken down at the beginning and had reached a thousand views or so, I feel fine in telling you (OP) to get over yourself.
A true fan of Starkid will be happy at the success any member of the Team is getting. More fans and exposure of the individuals means more resources that go to Starkid productions in the long run. We as fans do not own them, so stop being deluded about any claims you think you have over Starkid.
Yes, it is personally annoying when people used to ignore some of our claims about the Starkid awesomeness, and now they love it (why do ppl never listen?), but it is incredible that you are actually mad at them getting exposure and mainstream success.
I was not a fan of Glee before Darren was in it. I only watched the episode where Neil Patrick Harris was a guest star, and some 2 months after the fact. But I embrace any project that Darren -or any other Starkid- takes and wish them the best. Because I care about them being successful and actually being able to live out of doing what they love (hope you've bought Julia's book by n5b4ow).
Yes, it sucks that now that they are more famous they are more out of our common reach. Need to divide their attention among more people. But you can't begrudge any Starkid their success, if you truly are a fan.
And on your other ludicrous points- Darren is incredibly talented. Yes, the whole Team is FULL of amazingly talented people. Yes, they all deserve all the success in the world. They are also talented in different things and it is how they complement each other that makes the Starkid Team a success. They are all very good at various, different things.
At first Lauren and Joe Walker were the ones that had caught my attention, amidst this bunch of amazing people. I stumbled upon Darren's covers by mistake (around 2007-2008? before the musical) and for a while didn't realize he was the same guy that played Harry Potter. His voice and versatility draw people in too.
Darren is a talented singer and actor. But he is also a brilliant musician. The musicals that you love oh-so-much and are so possessive about would not be the same without his contributions. He did some of the music in AVPM (and possibly the most known ones are his), plus all of the music for the other musicals, aside from being deeply involved with the script and productions overall. He absolutely deserves any success that comes his way.
Please stop giving the rest of the Starkid fans a bad reputation.

Great post, Stephlem89!
OK, I've waited for a while and finally decided to post my response to the OP. At first I wanted to say just go back to playing video games in your parent's basement, but I thought that might be rude so I didn't say it.
I think this new article sums it up the best
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110502/ap_en_ot/us_music_q_a_darren_criss _1
AP: When did you realize your first appearance on the show was a big deal?
Criss: I don't watch a lot of TV. I'm really busy so I wasn't really feeling it. I was living in my little crappy apartment. It was really dirty. Nothing really manifested itself in an immediate way. I still had laundry to do, bills to pay. Any successes it may have garnered it didn't hit me (laughs) at all so it was this very intangible thing. People were like, "It's doing really well" and I was like, "OK, great."
I have to admit I had never heard of Darren Criss or Starkid or AVPM/AVPS until his name started popping in message boards and online for a potential role on Glee last fall.
If you look at his credits on IMDB, he was in Eastwick and a few other things in 2009 (the year he graduated from college) but in 2010 he only appeared in one episode of Cold Case UNTIL he appeared in Glee! I actually remember him in CC, he played a hippie at Wood Stock in a flashback.
It looks like Starkid fans are upset that he has all this popularity from Glee, but you have to be practical and he had bills to pay. He was still playing the piano and singing songs at the Italian restaurant at the mall back in October for $50 a night (and probably a free meal)!
Would you rather he be living in that "crappy apartment" knowing that he has all these Starkid fans or have the opportunity (through Glee) to make Starship and get the music and dvd available for millions to enjoy?!
I bought tickets to see the Glee show this summer just to see Darren perform live. I can't wait until June 4!

Jeez, this post is so rude and uppity on so many levels.
For one, if you're really a Starkid, wouldn't you be HAPPY that Darren's success is gaining Starkid more exposure?? Why should new fans ever be a bad thing?
I actually did happen to find out about AVPM/AVPS before Darren was signed on for Glee, but it wasn't all that long before, and I admit even from the beginning I was just particularly taken with Darren because I thought his music was awesome and got into his his Disney covers on his youtube channel and stuff. So even prior to Glee, Darren just stood out to me from Starkid
But that's besides the point- the point is, if it had been ANY of them who gained sudden success, I don't see why any fan of Starkid should be getting all uppity about it. Sure, the new fans may be mostly preoccupied with Darren now, but they're being exposed to Starkid as a whole in the process! They're discovering the shows, discovering all the other super talented people involved, and that's all a great thing for the company! So if you're really a fan, get off your high horse and appreciate that all these new people are getting exposed to something you love, and in getting exposed they'll probably come to love it and want to help support them and enable them to keep making and putting on wonderful shows
If they're getting exposed by first being really into Darren, what's so wrong with that?
Furthermore, that's pretty nervy of you to come on acting all uppity about Starkid and then basically bash Darren as if he's not worthy of the success. Yes, Lauren Lopez, Joe Walker, Joey Richter, Joe Moses, etc. are all awesome and extremely talented
Yes, they all absolutely deserve success. But
so does Darren
. For cripes sake, Darren has written
much
of the music that's made Starkid musicals, well, musicals! I know that for AVPM he wrote it with AJ Holmes as well, but I'm pretty sure he at least had a good hand in writing the show's most iconic songs: Get Back To Howarts, Granger Danger, Not Alone, etc. And then he wrote ALL the music for AVPS and now Starship. So yeah not that the dialogue of the shows aren't great (they are), but still, they'd hardly be the same without the awesome music. Which Darren wrote/had a big part in helping write. So to go and act like he's not "worthy" of being the first one to break out is just rude. He IS just as talented as the other Starkids. They are ALL talented, and they ALL deserve success, and Darren simply happened to be the first one to break into the mainstream.
But meanwhile, he deserves it for himself AND he's bringing even more exposure to the Starkid team. This is all a very good thing, and if you're truly a fan then you should be happy for him. Not coming on here to bash him and talk about how "superior" the others are to him.
Oh Bambi, I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy. - Kurt Hummel

TROOOOLLLLLLLLL IN THE DUNGEON!!!

This message has been deleted.

I'm so happy Darren got his big break, he's amazing and I heard of him and A Very Potter Musical through Glee (i'd briefly watched AVPM before but not properly). That doesn't mean I don't LOVE Joe Walker and Lauren in AVPM. I'm not pretending i'm a big Starkid fan but I love AVMP and i'm glad it introduced me to Starkid. Your entitled to your opinion though so have a redvine.
THIS IS THE MADEST I'VE EVER BEEN!

Mama Umbridge is superior little chillens!

Every time I see Darren in a magazine or interviewed I just feel so incredibly proud and in awe, remembering back when NO ONE would listen to me about how great this thing called "A Very Potter Musical" was. Back when I suffered through Eastwick just becasue Harry freakin Potter was in it. Back when I waited on YouTube for 7pm JUST to be amongst the first to see AVPS.
I'm not going to lie and say it's not annoying that my best friend (who I literally sat down to watch AVPM and who instead wandered off two videos into it out of "boredom") AFTER Darren appeared on Glee is suddently a hardcore fangirl (at least she does really li1c84ke Harry Potter and musical theatre)
BUT, c'mon now! You can feel pride because you were an original Starkid, but don't take that out on Darren Criss, who IS very talented and worked very hard to get where he is. The other Starkids have other things going on, they're focusing on their own interests. Darren was the only one who really went out of his way to audition and network, so of course he was the first to be discovered. You should be proud of him and hope that his booming popularity will be the stepping stone for Lauren or the others to get their own breaks.
More popularity for the Starkids can only be a good thing in the long run. It means more money, more prestige and makes it more likely that they'll be able to continue making plays for a good long time (with Darren Criss continuing to write songs, even from Gleeyou have to admit that he is loyal. He's made it and he has a pretty tough gig going, and he STILL found time to write the songs and help out with their new "Starship" play)
I thought in Hufflepuff you just spend the day making stuff with safety scissors and glitter

I kind of half agree with you. In the sense that it annoys me when my friends who ignored me about Darren Criss and Starkid for months and months (way before he was even thought of in glee) suddenly walk up to me and start saying how I should check out this thing darren criss was in called a very potter musical. I am glad that he had new fans now and a much larger fanbase (especially because there is a poster of him in a magazine) but I just get a little ticked off at their trying to rub it in my face. I usually just reply with "yeah it is awesome. Have you seen their other stuff like little white lie or mamd? What is your favourite song off his Ep?." It usually shuts them up.
I don't agree with the whole everyone is more talented and attractive than Darren Criss thing. Without Darren Criss who wrote a lot of the lyrics and music AVPM/S would have been no where near as good.

I can honestly say that I love Darren Criss but I haven't joined the starkid 'bandwagon'. I love Blaine, and Glee and I did watch Eastwick but I've never been into Harry Potter and I don't feel I need to dive into his past to be a 'true' fan
'You killed them?!?'
'But I thought you liked themthey liked you'

As someone who has been a fan of AVPM from the very beginning (qui5b4te literally I remember watching it on youtube and it had barely 2000 hits) I feel pretty comfortable in saying, get over yourself.
Just because someone hasn't discovered it until now doesn't mean they enjoy it any less, and doesn't mean their claim of being a fan is any less legitimate. The popularity that has been brought to Starkid by Darren being on Glee is a really positive thing.
Starkid isn't 'yours'. It's theirs, it's Starkid. I've heard nothing but how awesome and deserved they think Darren's sudden popularity from glee is.
as for whether or not he's the most talented he wrote just about all the music, and was significantly involved in the scripts that you love so much and you go and say he's not even close to the most talented of the cast? Others may be better actors, better singers as well but without the songs and without the script AVPM and AVPS wouldn't have half the magic it does have. It wouldn't exist without him.

Okay I agree with you to some extent. I think it's not cool of the people who pretend to be Darren's biggest fan and only found out about him a month ago when his first Glee episode aired. But I think you should just allow what is coming to come, smile and take pride in knowing that you were with him before he was super famous.
Saying that anyone is "superior" is a little harsh and is practically impossible to evaluate who is better than whom. I think it would be better to say "Starkid is superior" and leave it at that. no matter who you think is better than the other none of them would be who they are as an actor or a person with out the person they are "superior" to in your eyes.
Darren is amazing, he has chased after this dream and his hard work is paying off. not all the starkids want to be film actors, the difference between stage and film is monumental and many actors prefer stage to screen.

OHMYGO, same.