Showing posts with label glee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glee. Show all posts

10.22.2010

"GleeQ" - The Cover Heard 'Round the World

Gleeks gone wild? If you hadn't heard, GQ's newest issue has a story and pictorial dedicated to the all-time greatest TV show ever, Glee. But hold on to your show tunes, everyone.  We're not in a high school glee club anymore.

The Parents Television Council is up in arms over the sexy display, saying that the cover borders on pedophilia considering the three featured (Quinn, Rachel and Finn) play high school students on the show and GQ is a magazine geared towards grown men. The GQ editor-in-chief responds by saying that in real life, these three are in their mid-20s and are old enough to make their own decisions.

I was kind of surprised at first to see these pictures and I can see how the Parents Television Council would take offense considering how popular the show is with kids these days. But then I think about it and I just don't see that big of an issue with this cover or any of the pictures inside.

This isn't Highlights for Kids or even Teen People or YM (do those still even exist for teenage girls to read like I did?) we're talking about.  This is GQ magazine.  And the PTC contradicts their own case in a way by saying a magazine geared towards grown men shouldn't objectify girls who play high school aged characters.  The magazine is for grown men.  That's the audience and thus the market that you're catering to. Lea Michele (Rachel) and Diana Agron (Quinn) are beautiful and frankly I think it was only a matter of time before we were going to see it.  We kind of already did with the Rolling Stones issue that came out a few months ago.

If your kids are getting a hold of a GQ magazine, it might be time to re-examine yourself as a parent.  And if they see it in the market and ask why their favorite Glee characters are in their underwear on a magazine... Well I'm not a parent so I don't know what you would respond with but I'm sure you'll think of something.

This begs the question of just how young is too young to be watching Glee?  I've had this debate with my friend and her mom before as we watch the show together sometimes and I'm not gonna lie, some of the stuff that's been on the show isn't always suitable for kids younger than high school age.  Sure the singing is fun, but there's also a good amount of adult content that isn't appropriate for elementary or even middle school-aged kids.  I honestly don't think I would let my child watch Glee if they were younger than high school.  How are you supposed to explain to a second grader why Finn is praying to Grilled Cheesus for the chance to touch Rachel's boobs and why this is something so important he wants to pray about it and why he's so glad when his prayers are answered?  I just get it.  A high schooler probably just gets it.  A sixth grader?  Hopefully doesn't.

Yes there's the whole "they're role models now" aspect of it, but their fanbase isn't just screaming preteens.  Do you know how many Wednesday morning IM conversations take place between me and Julie about how hot Finn and Puck are?  Not gonna lie, I wouldn't mind a Finn and Puck shirtless spread in Cosmo or something.  But just them.  I'm good without Artie and Kurt.  They have adult fans too.  They have plenty of guys in their 20s and 30s who think the girls are hot.  You have to meet both markets.

At the end of the day, why is it okay for kids (and I mean younger than high school age) to watch a show that shows high schoolers engaging in bullying and taunting and sex and dealing with very real and heavy life issues, but it's not okay for these same kids to see the same characters in their real life roles promoting themselves and their show?  Am I contradicting myself?  Because I don't see much of a difference.  You can't condone one then lash out at the other.

This has opened my eyes as to just how tough it is to be a parent these days and actually have to explain stuff like this to your kids.  So I give the PTC props for recognizing that we have some impressionable youth out there that will see that magazine cover.  But maybe drawing that line between fantasy and reality isn't the worst thing you can teach your kids how to do either.

The moral of the story:  I still love me some Glee.

9.28.2010

It's a Spears-tacular

If you hadn't heard, mainly from me (and honestly I don't know how that's possible), tonight was the Britney episode of Glee.  Hence the title of this post.

All Britney songs, redone by the amazing members of the cast of Glee.  Not just any Britney songs though.  Songs from Britney in her prime.  The songs I straight blasted on the radio of the '89 Mitsubishi Montero and danced to at all the high school dances.

But the best part of it all was that Ms. Spears herself would be making cameo appearances on the show.

And you know what? It wasn't half bad.

I honestly didn't know what to expect but of course the gossip columns set the bar pretty high with rumors and even Twitter photos of Britney on set.  I read everything about it and couldn't figure out what the heck kind of role she would play.  Well tonight I got my answer.  She didn't really play any kind of specific role.  She became part of each character's fantasy and made brief appearances just as a way for the kids in the glee club to get that extra push towards whatever they were trying to change in themselves.  At first I was like "That's it?" but after processing a little bit I realized that's kind of all that was needed.  She simply played herself and it worked.

It was an interesting dynamic within the show of the older crowd (mainly the glee club teacher) not seeing her as a role model or icon.  And it's not hard to see how they could think that way.  I mean she did go a little crazy for a good couple years.  Okay a lot crazy.  But the fact of the matter stands that she is a musical icon.  She's the best-selling female artist of the 2000s and in June of this year Forbes Magazine named her as the No. 6 most influential and powerful celebrities in the world.  Britney's legit whether you want to believe it or not.

She's definitely had her struggles but let me tell you, she's turned herself around.  La Lohan could take a  few lessons from Britney in how to take control of your life back. I think this appearance on Glee tonight showed that she's continuing to work on her image and is still a rock star.  People will be talking about this episode for a while, you can guarantee it.

So props to Glee as usual and props to Britney for making a really good career move.  She's on her way back I think.

Oh and p.s. next week's episode is going to be a sobfest.    

9.14.2010

Let the Countdown Begin

There is officially one more week until the premiere of the second season of Glee.

So it's only fitting that as we count down the seven days until the greatest night of television ever, we look back at the top seven moments from the first season of Glee. These are in no particular order, but just the songs and performances that I think made season one so exceptional.

Trust me, this was not an easy task. Luckily Wikipedia has a list of every single song that was featured on the show so I could look back at what's been done but this made it even harder to choose. So hopefully this list serves as the best of the best for all of you Glee fans who read the blog.

Our first choice is the song that started at all. In the very first episode, Mr. Schuester nearly walks out on his new task as glee club director until the star quarterback takes hold of the group and injects some fresh new ideas into them. And when Mr. Schuester hears what they're capable of, he knows that some legit things can happen.

Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" became the iconic song of the first season of Glee:

9.07.2010

Video of the Day 9/7/10 - TWO. MORE. WEEKS. Edition

The season premiere of the second season of Glee is officially two. weeks. away. Which means get ready for an abundance of Glee posts, especially in the weeks leading up to the premiere.

To refresh your memory on how I really feel about Glee, click here.

The previews and promos are starting to creep up. I just saw my first one on TV and it gave me chills. So get excited LTD readers! Glee is back!

8.30.2010

Video of the Day 8/30/10 - Um You are NOT on Glee Edition

That show "America's Got Talent" is now in the semifinals I guess.  I first saw this video on an episode of Chelsea Lately which, if you haven't watched that show, you should seriously start.  Hysterical.

Anyway, so this girl starts to sing "Pokerface" by Lady Gaga except she tries to remix it and fails.  But it's not like she came up with her own rendition of it.  No.  This chick decides she is going to sing the version that Lea Michele and Idina Menzel performed on Glee last season.

Observe:



The worst part was that all of the judges (and Chelsea Handler) all thought she came up with this on her own. And they all hated it.

She did NOT come up with it on her own. Lady Gaga actually does a sick piano version of it herself and then the geniuses at Glee created a duet for Lea Michele and Idina Menzel who KILLED it.

Observe the Lady Gaga version:



Observe the Glee version (sorry the video is kind of crappy but it's the only one I could find):



Come on girlfriend. If you're going to do this version, you'd better work. it. out.

8.27.2010

I Swear...

...if the onset dating between the Glee cast members ruins the show, I will not be pleased.

(Sidenote: Naya, you go girl.)

Glee returns in only a few short weeks and I of course have been reading all the rumors and some of the spoilers. Does this ruin the show for me? Nope. Because spoilers don't give away this magic:



So like I said, there's going to be a lot happening on the next season of Glee. But is it too much? I'm not gonna lie, I get a little bit worried that they're going to try to make every episode bigger and better and more performance oriented than the last and it could lose a lot of what makes it an incredible show.

Attention spoilers ahead.

First and foremost, much like the Madonna episode, there is going to be a Britney Spears-themed episode. But unlike the Madonna episode, Brit will actually make an appearance on the show. That is awesome. However, is this necessary? How does this flow in with the storyline? Apparently they go to the dentist or something, get hopped up on novocaine, and then hallucinate that they are singing Britney Spears songs.

Don't get me wrong... they're calling it a tribute to Britney's most fabulous days and I for one love me some fabulous Britney. "I'm a Slave 4 U" was my JAM in high school.

But I don't want Glee to go down the path of just episode after episode of karaoke-ing the hits of different celebs. A Madonna episode, a Lady Gaga episode, now a Britney episode? Obviously I know that at the end of the day they will work. it. out. because they are Glee. I mean anyone who can turn a Lady Gaga song into something I want to belt out in the car every day on the way to work is mega-talented.

It's always been such a well-rounded show that had a fantastic storyline that was complimented by even more fantastic singing. And I don't want it to shift to become fantastic singing and every once in a while there's a glimpse of a storyline.

Yet, something still tells me I will be completely and very very pleasantly surprised. It is Glee after all. Consider yourself warned LTD fans... there will be a Glee explosion come mid-September.

4.14.2010

Why You Should Be Watching Glee

Glee's season premiere was last night and it was amazing. But why oh why should you tune in? Well friends, let me see if I can try and get you to understand just why Glee is so legit.

First and foremost, Glee makes you smile. Personally, I love to smile. Sure there are some sad and dramatic moments but when you end with a song and Jane Lynch is involved, you walk away feeling pretty good. These days I think everyone can use something to lift them up every now and again.

Speaking of the singing, this is the choir nerd coming out in me but it is seriously amazing. In the most recent issue of Rolling Stone (which I should have bought yesterday at the grocery store! Man!), executive producer Ryan Murphy said that Lea Michele, who plays Rachel, has the voice of a generation. He isn't kidding. Michele's voice can be compared to a modern day Barbra Streisand. The emotion she puts into each and every song she sings on the show stays with you long after the performance. She's been a Broadway sensation since she was eight years old and has a voice that she was simply born to share.

It isn't only Michele's voice that stands out, however. Every member of the cast has had some sort of professional experience singing. Matthew Morrison who plays Mr. Schuster has also been on Broadway for years and was nominated for a Tony. The girl who played Mercedes auditioned for American Idol. This isn't a show where a bunch of actors were cast to also be singers and dancers. Every single person on this show is a bonafide performer, an actual triple threat. They sing, dance and act equally as well - they are the complete package.



The songs they sing also speak to the audience, no matter which era of music you enjoy. Some of the songs the cast has covered includes Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", "Hello Goodbye" and "Imagine" by the Beatles, "Jump", "Proud Mary", "Lean on Me" and many more classics. The group has also sung songs from Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, and, most recently, The All-American Rejects just to throw a more modern twist in there. There have been Broadway songs as well with Lea Michele (Rachel) famously singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the movie "Funny Girl" in the Sectionals episode. There's something for everyone and every song resonates for the tone or theme of that particular episode. In fact, Murphy has said that after writing an episode, he picks a song to coincide with what's happening. And it's perfect every time.

Plus the content of the show is completely current and relevant. Sure it's about a glee club but more importantly it's first and foremost about the differences in everyone and embracing those differences. It's about the fact that jock or nerd, gay or straight, black or white, everyone has struggles, everyone has passions, everyone has dreams and goals and aspirations. The show also focuses on issues like teen pregnancy, divorce, love, and good old-fashioned competition. They're issues that viewers can relate to and have possibly even found themselves in and the actors do such an amazing job portraying what their characters are feeling that it makes it nearly impossible to not feel something as you're watching.

And if you think that the cast just isn't doing it for you, tune in for any number of amazing guest stars. Last season, we saw Josh Groban and the incomparable Kristin Chenoweth (star of "Wicked" on Broadway). This year, Idina Menzel who starred in "Rent" on Broadway plays the director of the rival show choir and is joined by Jonathan Groff, a Broadway sensation who played opposite Lea Michele in "Spring Awakening". We'll also see Neil Patrick Harris and who doesn't love themselves some NPH?

You guys, Glee is seriously legit. Forget about the stereotype of it as a "singing and dancing" show because it's a lot more than that.

4.07.2010

VideoS of the Day 4/7/10 - Plural Edition

There are some amazing videos out there right now.

Sooo if you didn't get the memo, Glee is back in six days. I love Glee. I will be posting something (possibly tonight - clearly I've got the blogging bug back) about why Glee is an amazing show. There will also be a countdown of the top-five moments/performances from last season. It's a Glee explosion.

To start off here is a teaser of the new season with some RIDIC singing by Lea Michele who plays Rachel. Not going to lie, I want to be her.



Shoutout to Julie for this video. This is Derek Hough and Chelsie Hightower dancing the Paso Doble with Mark Ballas on guitar. All three are pro dancers on Dancing with the Stars. I didn't watch the elimination show last night so any fans who did have already seen this. Spoiler alert: Buzz was voted off. But is that really a spoiler for anyone?

I've tried adjusting the embed code but for some reason it's not doing anything sooo the stupid video is wider than my blog is. Why doesn't YouTube offer the smaller versions anymore? Enjoy anyway.

2.17.2010

Video of the Day 2/17/10 - It Needs to be April Edition

Why April? Because that's when GLEE is back! If you've been going through withdrawals like I have, this one is especially for you:



Sidenote: It is amazing how I sound exactly like Rachel when alone in the car driving to work. Just saying. Uncanny really.

11.25.2009

Video of the Day Thanksgiving Edition

If you haven't seen the show Glee, seriously what are you waiting for?

This is a video of the cast singing the National Anthem at Game 3 of the World Series in September or whenever that was. Le. Git.