Glee-related stories
Posted Nov 12th 2009 12:29AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Glee
(S01E09) If you're a
Glee fan already -- a Gleek -- this episode is going to hit you in the sweet spot. If you're not a
Glee fan, do yourself a favor and go online and watch this one (when it's available). It's just that good.
It may be coincidental, but the focus was on the school and the music. And plenty of character development with Puck, Kurt, and especially Sue. There was no football, no Slushees, no Emma and definitely no Teri. It's looking like
Glee is best when Mr. Schu's personal life is off camera. I haven't missed the Mrs. one bit. More after the jump.
Continue reading Review: Glee - Wheels
Posted Nov 11th 2009 2:04PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: OpEd, Reality-Free, Glee
When I saw the
kids from Glee sing at the World Series earlier this month, I was surprised to see that Kevin McHale, the actor who plays disabled gleester Artie, wasn't disabled in real life.
Not sure why this surprised me; non-disabled actors have been playing disabled characters for decades. Maybe it's because McHale handles his wheelchair so well, or because
Glee seems to be pretty proud of its not-calling-attention-to-itself brand of diversity. Maybe I just figured that, in 2009, hiring a disabled actor to play a disabled character wasn't a big deal.
I guess I was wrong. And I'm not the only one who's puzzled and disappointed by the show's decision. Tonight's episode, in which the gleesters rally around Artie so he can travel with them to the regionals, is the jumping-off point for an AP article on how
disappointed disabled actors are about the casting of McHale in the role.
Continue reading Why isn't Artie on Glee played by a disabled actor?
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 3:00AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E08) As
promised, this week's episode of
Heroes took us back to the heydays of the first season. Back when this was a world of wonder filled with new and exciting characters and mystery. Their futures lie before them, and it all centered on Charlie, the poor waitress that Hiro failed time and again to save back then.
Now that he's working on his bucket list before he kicks it, the time has come to head back three years and try to undo her death by Sylar's hand. Which means we got to see HRG, Claire, Hiro, Ando, Sylar and even Isaac as they were three years ago.
The question was whether or not he could change the past and save Charlie, when he failed to before. Furthermore, could he do so without changing all the subsequent events that had happened. He'd already had a taste of success with Ando and his sister, but this sojourn had much higher stakes.
Continue reading Review: Heroes - Once Upon a Time in Texas
Posted Nov 1st 2009 2:09PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Glee
When you're hot, you're hot. Fox's
Glee is hot. It's sizzling. The music is all over the charts. Their single,
"Don't Stop Believin'" went gold. It seems like everything it going right for this Ryan Murphy show.
For the third game of the World Series on the night of Halloween, fate tried to
rain on the Glee parade. Literally. It rained.
In Philadelphia where the game was being played, there was a rain delay of over an hour. If you were a
Glee fan -- a Gleek -- tuning in just to see the troupe before the game, you had to be disappointed.
Continue reading Singin' in the rain: Glee cast shines at the World Series
Posted Oct 30th 2009 8:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Music and Variety, Awards, Reality-Free, Glee
If you have any doubt about the power of television in the selling of music and making stars, this story should convince you that there is a definite correlation. Fox's
Glee has produced a solid gold successful single.
The
Glee version of "Don't Stop Believin'" has been certified as Gold in digital sales of half-a-million downloads. That's 500,000 people who've heard the song on the TV show and wanted it on their iPod or cell phone or some music playing apparatus.
"Don't Stop Believin'" was the first big song from the
pilot, but it's not the only song that has been popular. Seven songs from
Glee now occupy spots in the top 200 of iTunes' Top Songs chart. On November 3, there will be a compilation CD of the best numbers from the show, called
Glee: The Music, Volume 1.
Continue reading Glee's "Don't Stop Believin'" goes gold
Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:56AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Dexter, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten, Glee
Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.
10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: TV's biggest rule breakers
Posted Oct 26th 2009 5:03PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Commercials, Reality-Free
So, let's say TV Squad wanted to have a 30-second ad on CBS' highest-rated show,
NCIS. It would cost us $133,304. It would actually cost more, because we'd hire scantily-clad dancers, include a 35 pound bag of Doritios, fireworks in the shape of each writer, guest appearances from people like Tina Fey and JJ Abrams, and would have special effects because some of the commercial would be set in outer space for some reason, but I mean CBS would charge us $133,304.
To give you an idea of how that stacks up against other shows on CBS and shows on other networks, here's a quick list.
Continue reading If TV Squad had a 30-second ad on NCIS, it would cost $133,304
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 4:25PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free, Glee
Last night's
Glee --
"Mash-Up" -- was one of the best of the season, but it may be that it was merely an appetizer and that next week's show is going to be the big enchilada (hmm... I must be hungry). Anyway, the show won't be back until November -- after the World Series --- and based on Fox's previews, it looks like a lot is going to happen.
Continue reading The next episode of Glee will be explosive!
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 1:40AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Glee
(S01E08) In what might be one of the best episodes of
Glee since the premiere, Matthew Morrison was given a true showcase. There was also no Will family drama. Hmm ... is that a coincidence? I don't think so. I clearly have more interest in what Will's doing at McKinley High with the singing and dancing then his marriage.
Mash-ups were on the top of the to-do list. Emma and Ken asked Will for a wedding song mash-up, which was easier said than done when the two songs they wanted were "I Could Have Danced All Night" from
My Fair Lady and Sisqo's "The Thong Song." Fortunately, Will didn't sing the former, just the latter.
Continue reading Review: Glee - Mash-Up
Posted Oct 21st 2009 12:19PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has a new Hank, followed by new episodes of The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and Eastwick.- CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
- NBC has new episodes of Mercy, Law and Order: SVU, and The Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by a new Glee.
- The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
- PBS has a new Great Performances at 8.
- G4 has a new 2 Months $2 Million at 8.
- At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9, then a new Time Warp.
- IFC has a new Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) at 9.
- History Channel has a new Nostradamus Effect at 9, followed by a new MysteryQuest.
- Showtime has a new Inside The NFL at 9.
- At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Secret Girlfriend.
- Bravo has a new Top Chef: Las Vegas at 10.
- FX has a new Nip/Tuck at 10.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- TCM has The Third Man at 10.
- Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Old Christine, Glee, Cougar Town, Top Chef
Posted Oct 19th 2009 9:02PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV Royalty, OpEd, The Office, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Dollhouse, Glee, Joss Whedon
It's one of those things that you think would be cool if it happened, and then it actually happens. Joss Whedon is reporting that he'll be
directing an upcoming episode of Glee.
We know he has on occasion stepped outside his usual genre of sci-fi and fantasy based on his directorial work on
The Office. We know he's into musical theater based on his creation of the musical episode of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Doctor Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. Now, he's merging all that he's done before. Or at least he would be if the episode of
Glee ends up involving evil scientists and vampires.
Despite my own history in musical theater, I haven't been watching
Glee. Whedon's involvement in an episode would certainly pique my interest enough to catch it. Perhaps he could get together with his brother Jed and write the music for the episode, as well, turning it into a 42-minute operetta. They've done it before.
Posted Oct 19th 2009 11:03AM by Hemal Jhaveri
Filed under: OpEd, Reality-Free, Glee
There are plenty of ill-conceived female characters all over prime-time TV (just pick any show on the CW for starters) but is it fair to dump
Glee into that category? While
Glee undoubtedly has some of the most egregious, misshapen teen girls around, I don't think it's this fall's worst offender.
Sadie over at
Jezebel makes some very salient points in her
gender-critique of Glee, but she misses the mark when she calls the show "cheap and disingenuous." Yes, stock portrayals of female characters can reinforce harmful stereotypes, but I don't think that's what's happening on
Glee.
As an avid fan, I think you can appreciate the show without dismissing it because it doesn't portray women in a positive light. This is a Ryan Murphy show. And no one comes out looking good in a Ryan Murphy show.
Continue reading Does loving Glee make me a bad feminist?
Posted Oct 16th 2009 9:38AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free, Glee
Take that, NBC! When the word leaked yesterday that the performers from
Glee had been uninvited to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade because the folks at NBC didn't want to give the Fox show a national platform to strut their stuff, plenty of people thought it was a low blow. Well, something else has come along that's just as big a national stage.
On
October 31, the Glee cast will sing the National Anthem at the World Series. That's game three, and it'll be a chance for the singers to put their own unique spin on "The Star Spangled Banner."
Continue reading Forget the Thanksgiving Day Parade; Glee gets a World Series game
Posted Oct 15th 2009 8:03AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Reality-Free, Glee
If you hate musical high school shows like
Glee, then tune into this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
NBC cut a performance by the cast of Fox's
Glee for
the upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The network pulled the performance because they thought the size and scope of the performance was
too much promotion for a show on a rival network.
It gets worse. To make even more room for a Jay Leno float in the parade, NBC also bumped an appearance by the cast of
Southland.
Posted Oct 15th 2009 3:12AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Glee
(S01E07) "I don't trust a man with curly hair..." - Sue
I'll just say right off the bat -- I was a little bored by this episode. I think because it centered on the bickering and manipulations of Sue and Will. It was annoying and sort of made me want to turn the channel.
But I stuck with it because, of course, I had this review to write, but also because of the musical numbers scattered throughout the show. It clarified for me what I love about
Glee:
- Musical numbers.
- Kurt. Much more Kurt is needed.
- Any storylines with Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury), particularly those involving Matthew Morrison (Will).
After the jump, more about this episode and what I
don't love about
Glee.
Continue reading Glee: Throwdown
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