Today I read a blog. Six Reaons Fox's Glee is Infuriating. Reading it annoyed me. I had to face fact that there are people who don't love Glee. Who are you? Can I duel you? Or can we at least sing about? (To semi-mirror Jesse St. James' lines to Rachel when she won't come out of the bathroom to have sex with him.)
I decided to make my own list of six things. Six things that sing Glee's praises. Yes.
1. THE CONCEPT. To my knowledge, there has never been a musical TV show before. It's ground breaking. Every week is an hour out of a 22-hour broadway show. (22 episodes in season one.) Ryan Murphy, thank you for your brilliant brain and for pushing this show.
2. THE NODS TO POP STAR LEGENDS. It started with Journey. Many people, including my mother, found "Don't Stop Believin'" to be despicable. No can do Steve Perry like Steve Perry, right? Right. But the goal of this show is to remake classics into choral versions. It works. Then there was Madonna and Lady Gaga. Gaga responded to the episode via Twitter: "GLEE WAS SO AMAZING! AH!!!!" There's also Neil Diamond, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Phil Collins, Queen. ("Somebody to Love" still gives me chills.)
3. THE TALENT. Matthew Morrison is insane on this show. Some people, like the Phoenix blog I listed, hate his rapping. I think he's pretty amazing at it. No, he's not Eminem. But this is a Broadway-singing, choir show. Choir rap is much different, you see. Also, "Dream On" is legen...wait for it...dary. (If you've never watched How I Met Your Mother, disregard that.)
Lea Michele can do anything. Really. From "Defying Gravity" to "Poker Face." She's been on Broadway since age 7. Hence the mad pipes. (I also hope the gossip about her being a diva in real life are false.)
Cory Monteith is a very different vocalist. He has said on multiple occasions that before Glee the only place he ever sang was the shower. That's what I love about Glee. Most everyone was a nobody. But everyone is ridiculously awesome.
4. THE CHARACTERS AND GUEST APPEARANCES. Let me start with the guest appearances. Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris, Olivia Newton-John, Josh Groban. Uhm WOW. Bringing in these professional, amazing guest stars really puts the show on a whole new level. Brings in fans of those stars and adds depth to the show. All the regular characters are amazing, too. I've already raved about Mr. Shue, Rachel and Finn so I'll take a second to do the others justice. Mark Sailing (Puck) plays a fantastic jerk, with some soft spots, with a beautiful voice. Really, more solos from Puck please! Glee wouldn't be the same without Chris Colfer (Kurt) either. Having a male who can sing soprano...whoa! Also, Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) aren't exactly major characters, but they have some of the funniest parts. (Dolphins are gay sharks, anyone?) Ps. Santana totally rocked "Bad Romance." I want more! And Brittany can SERIOUSLY dance; best dancer on the show.
5. THE WIT. Every character is witty, but Sue Sylvester's lines alone could hold this show up.
"You know, for me trophies are like herpes. You can try to get rid of them but they just keep coming. Sue Sylvester has hourly flair ups of burning itchy highly contagious talent."
"I will no longer be carrying around photo ID. Know why? People should know who I am."
6. THE MESSAGE. It's okay to be you. That's what Glee tell us, and I like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment