Simpsons + Glee + Flight of the Conchords = AWESOME!

The Simpsons being back for their billionth season wouldn't normally be big news to me, but then I found out who was guest starring. In "Elementary School Musical", the 22nd season opener, Fox has decided to merge their powerhouses of entertainment together by having some of the Glee kids, namely Cory Montieth, Lea Michele and Amber Riley, stop by and add some music as fellow members of an arts camp Lisa attends. I did wonder, though; Where the heck were arts camps where I was growing up? Seriously?

But if that wasn't exciting enough, playing camp counselors were Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, otherwise known as Flight of the Concords. Their show that aired on HBO is dearly missed by all of us fans of guitar-based, digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo. Clement and McKenzie actually played a much bigger role in this episode than the Glee kids, but I can see why all the promos hyped the Glee stars instead, since Flight of the Concords have more of a cult following.

It's all good though. A solid episode with funny songs. I may have to download this one. Anything with more Concord action is alright by me.

Glee is back, and I'm seeing a pattern here...

...the pattern is that every time Glee comes back from some time off they always seem to start off on a downer.

Has anyone else noticed this? Lets review; "Showmance" airs after the sneak peak of the pilot, and the episode ends with Rachel having set the club back with a reckless group performance, and then finding out Finn is staying with Quinn. Bummer. Then "Hell-O" is the first episode after the fall hiatus, which ends with Rachel and Finn and Will and Emma broken up, plus the emergence of sleazebag Jesse St. James to play with Rachel's heart. Major bummer!

Now tonight Season 2 kicks off with "Audition", and what we get is a solid episode, but once again ending on a down note (pun totally intended).

So what happened, you ask? If you haven't seen it, then skip these next two paragraphs. Things start of promisingly enough, lulling us into a false sense of security. Finn and Rachel are together, New Directions is down a member (so long Matt, we hardly knew ye), but they're eager for new recruits, including new football player Sam, and Filipino student Sunshine (Charice), and Will and Sue are BFF as they join forces against a common enemy, new football coach Shannon Beiste. Plus, the amateur documentary style opening was hilarious (we found out Brittany spent her summer lost in the sewers).

But problems surface early; Tina and Artie are broken up as she's bonded with Mike over the summer and Will gets down and dirty in his dealings with Beiste. And then things gradually get worse, despite the awesome musical numbers for "Empire State of Mind" (a public lunchtime performance to instill excitement about Nationals being in New York), "Billionaire", "Telephone", etc. Rachel's self-absorption (seriously, that girl is nuts) ends up screwing the club's chances to add Sunshine to their ranks and she ends up being swept up by Vocal Adrenaline's new coach. Finn gets kicked off the Football team, loosing his quarterback status and dissuading Sam from joining the glee club when he sees first-hand how it affects your status in the school. Quinn ends up back on the Cheerios, but at the cost of Santana's standing as head-cheerleader, causing serious tension between the two. And Will looses Sue's friendship when he decides to be nice to Beiste. Things end with Rachel singing "What I Did for Love" (what she did indeed), before stepping into the choir room presumably to beg the club's forgiveness.

A great episode, but once again I feel depressed. If there is a pattern here, what is the plan? To start off so low that the only place to go is up? If that is the idea it's working, because Glee is not likely to slow down anytime soon, nor am I likely to stop watching.

And if this pattern is to continue, then things will perk up soon. Next week is the much hyped Britney Spears episode, and future episodes include a tribute to Rocky Horror and a Christmas episode. So we all know it's going to be great, and gosh darn it I just can't wait!

After a long & glorious year, season one of Glee ends at Regionals

Can you believe it was over a year ago that we got our first taste of Glee? May 19 2009 was when the pilot episode first aired as a sneak peek right after American Idol. Two long hiatus', 21 episodes, 5 albums, a slew of guest stars and a whole lot of musical numbers later it all came down to tonight. And I think you'll be hard pressed to find a single Gleek that was disappointed with how the show wrapped up it's ground-breaking first season. Check out my recap but be warned, lots of spoilers ahead.

"Journey" saw the long-awaited showdown between our intrepid heroes New Directions and bitter rivals Vocal Adrenaline. And after Jesse St. James defected back to VA last week and showed what kind of lying despicable snake he is, I was eager to see their asses handed to them on a platter tonight. But *gasp* Sue Sylvester is one of the judges, along with fellow celebrities Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John (both guest starring as themselves) and local news anchor Rod Remington. All hope seems lost. To add insult to injury, Emma tells Will that she's seeing someone else. Moment I Almost Cried #1: Will, after hearing Emma's news, is driving in his car and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" comes on; Will pulls over and bursts into tears.

But the team rallies back, deciding that even if they don't win they're going to plow ahead because they love to do it. And of course they do a medley of Journey songs at regionals, with Will watching from the wings, including "Faithfully", a mash-up of "Anyway You Want It" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"...and of course, and this brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #2: a new version of "Don't Stop Believing'". Ahhhh! It was a fantastic performance, one of the best I've seen on the whole show, and that's saying something.

Quinn's mother Judy, who you'll probably remember kicked Quinn out of the house upon discovering her pregnancy, made a surprise appearance at regionals and caught Quinn coming off stage to ask her to come back...'cause, you know, kicking your daughter out when she needs you the most can all be fixed by just coming to one of her shows. Before Quinn can unleash the anger that's plain on her face, her water breaks (kind of convenient for the plot, but alright). While Vocal Adrenaline is overdoing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on stage Quinn brings little Beth into the world at a local hospital with her mother, Puck and Mercedes in the delivery room with her; otherwise known as Moment I Almost Cried #3.

The judges confer amongst themselves, and Olivia Newton-John reveals herself to be a bigger bitch than Sue. The glee clubs gather on stage to hear the news...and New Directions looses! WHAT? Not only did they loose the championship to Vocal Adrenaline they didn't even place runner-up, not fulfilling their end of the deal with the school's principal to keep the club running. Oh no! Honestly I had a suspicion that might be the outcome. You don't want the show to conquer all of it's obstacles too quickly in the series.

Thinking the club is over with, the kids gather on stage at the school's auditorium to tell Will how much he and the club has meant to them and to sing "To Sir, With Love" especially for him. That was Moment I Almost Cried #4.

But this is Glee after all, and just when thing's look their bleakest a happy ending is often not too far away. This time it came in the most unlikely of places. Sue ended up buying the club one more year, having not only been moved to defend them against Newton-John at the competition but to realize that with the club gone her sparring matches with Will would come to an end. And who wants that, let alone a woman who lives for a good fight? Sue continues to be a complex and oddly lovable character, and with Jane Lynch's handling of her and the writers keeping her one step away from being a caricature it really works.

So good news all around. Shelby adopts Quinn's and Puck's baby, Will professes his love for Emma and leaves that hanging for next season, Rachel and Finn seem to be back together and the kids can keep being social outcasts and loving every minute of it. The final scene brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #5; with everyone reunited in the choir room, Will returns the favor to his kids with a rendition of "Over the Rainbow". A touching end to a true phenomenon.

So we only have to wait until September for new episodes. We've waited before, we can do it again. Glee's already been picked up for a third season, so hopefully this Journey isn't over yet. Now I want to be in a show choir. Anyone want to start one with me?

Who else saw the finale? Any other takes on it? You know where to turn...

Joss Whedon + Neil Patrick Harris + Glee = Very cool!

So tonight we were finally treated to the Joss Whedon directed, Neil Patrick Harris guest starring episode of Glee entitled "Dream On". As you would expect from the title, the episode focused mostly on the idea of following your dreams. And as you may also expect, it was a pretty darn cool offering.

As both a Whedonite and a Gleek, I was salivating with anticipation over this cultivation of combined awesomeness. And while I have a few minor quibbles, the episode as a whole did not disappoint.

Neil Patrick Harris played Bryan Ryan, a former glee kid and classmate/rival of Will's, who first comes on the scene as a bitter, anti-show-choir advocate, but later attempts to pursue his former passion of singing. He and Will have an awesome duet of one-upmanship with Aerosmith's "Dream On" (did you notice that song and the episode title? They're the same!) Meanwhile Rachel and her now on-again boyfriend Jesse dig up dirt on Rachel's birth mother. And Artie, with some encouragement from Tina, wonders if he will ever walk again and pursue his dream of dancing.

Though there were laughs (like the show choir recovery group, or Sue's secret room "like Letterman"), there was quite a bit of drama. SPOILER ALERT: We discover that Rachel's mother is Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, played by Idina Menzel (who, I realized while watching the show, does look a lot like Lea Michele). And we find out that Jesse is still working for Vocal Adrenaline and the plan is for him to return to his former choir, but he confesses to Shelby tonight that he does like Rachel. Will he turn out to be a villain in the end, or will he stay with New Directions because of genuine affection for the show's resident bossy ball of fussiness? Time will tell. But we finally got to see Menzel show off her vocal chops with a duet of "I Dreamed a Dream" between Shelby and Rachel. END SPOILER ALERT.

Under Whedon's direction, the episode balanced big scope with character intimacy, something that Whedon is very deft in. From the big production of the "Safety Dance" number and it's mix of stationary and hand-held cameras to the smaller scenes of two people in an office with the sun shining between the blinds, things looked and felt great.

My big complaint? More of Neil Patrick Harris please! I mean jeez, we only had like two songs with him, and one of them wasn't even a full music number, it was in a bar. When Kristen Chenoweth guest stars she has at least three full numbers. What, are they afraid to unleash his full and considerable musical chops on us? We can take it! They better be saving it for another episode, that's all I can say. But other than that, yay!

Only three episodes left for season 1. How will it all play out? Can we stand the suspense? You know where to vent or praise, see below.

Glee and "The Power of Madonna"

Now THAT's what I'm talking about!

After the downer that was last week's episode Glee bounces back in a big way with a spectacle that not only shows once and for all why Madonna is such a fixture in popular culture but also propelled the Glee story arc along, featured so many memorable moments and let the characters shine.

My God, there were so many great musical numbers. From the cheerleading routine set to "Ray of Light" to the high energy all-girls take on "Express Yourself" to Finn and Rachel's mash-up of "Borderline/Open Your Heart". There's more? You bet there's more. Then we have the three couples of Rachel/Jesse, Will/Emma and Finn/Santana singing "Like a Virgin". Then the school band and the Cheerios give us "4 Minutes". Then a tender moment of an all-guy rendition of "What It Feels Like For a Girl". Then, BIG FINALE; a gospel-choir infused "Like a Prayer" capped the episode off. Not a single sour note was struck throughout the whole hour+.

But a special mention has to go to Jane Lynch, who starred in an almost shot-for-shot remake of the video for "Vogue". Lynch continues to expands Sue's character by showing more layers, and this video really gave her a chance to shine. The hilarious changes to the spoken-word portion made it a true Sue Sylvester original. Plus we didn't know Lynch could sing until that moment.

Episode extras like seeing the background high school students in different Madonna outfits helped spark things up even more.

Plus, big time drama. Kurt and Mercedes as Cheerios? How long will that last? Will and Emma continue to complicate their relationship, but things still ended on a positive note for them this time. But the biggest surprise was Jesse joining New Directions. One big question lingers. Has he really gone over to the white hats, or is he still batting for Vocal Adrenaline?

Things are looking up for Gleeks everywhere. More please!

Glee is Back! So why am I not gleeful?

Finally, FINALLY, after months of waiting Glee has returned.

And yet, after watching the aptly named "Hell-O", I'm feeling a little depressed more than anything else.

Was I let down? No, it was a solid episode. It's just the characters were going through some bad times, and I don't like that. This is supposed to be a happy show, dammit! But I guess you can't do the happy without the sad.

As I predicted, the Will/Emma romance fizzled pretty quickly. He's not ready, as he aptly showed by making out with Vocal Adrenaline's coach after just splitting with his wife and getting together with Emma (btw, said coach is played by Idina Menzel, and she better damn well be singing at some point in the near future). Will and Emma were both swept up in the thrill of it; as she sagely pointed out, they're around teenagers so often they sometimes act like them. I think it will happen for them at some point, but it's just too early for the characters and in the show.

Their problems ran parallel with Finn's and Rachel's. Rachel wants to date Finn, Finn is enjoying being on his own after splitting with Quinn, and Rachel is therefore left vulnerable to the romantic manipulations of Vocal Adrenaline's lead male singer Jesse St. James (cool name). It seems that Jesse is going to fulfill the fears of the rest of the Glee club and cause some trouble, and Rachel is such an insecure ball of angst that she'll probably see him on the sly. Trouble brewing!

At least Sue is back and in fine form. My favorite line, said to Will: "I have no intention of burying the hatchet, unless I have a clear shot to your groin."

But one of the biggest let downs for me has to be the final performance. I had seen previews of the cast's performance of "Hello/Goodbye", by my favorite band the Beatles. I had expected it to be a glorious return to form. Instead, it was an awkward summary of the back and forth decision making between the characters. If you're going to take on the Beatles you better damn well make it fantastic (I'm saying damn a lot, aren't I?)

But I was depressed after watching the first episode the show aired in September too, and it got better. And next week is the much hyped Madonna episode, another of my favorite artists. I admit, I'm excited, despite the gloominess of "Hell-O". That's the power of Madonna.

Your thoughts on Glee's return?

Golden Globes keep on turning

So the Golden Globes have come and gone, officially kicking off this year's Award Season. And with them came all the typical glitz and glamour one tends to expect from a big Hollywood ceremony.

You see, I'm more of an Oscar girl myself. But I do have a soft spot for the Globes. It's the only big awards show that combines film and television into one three-hour event.

In that regard, I was rather disappointed with this year's ceremony. I mean, the show itself was fine. Ricky Gervais was a good host, though some of his comments were clearly meant for shock value. Martin Scorsese was given the Cecil B. Demille award in a touching tribute. And there were plenty of fashion choices to ponder or admire, and touching speeches.

No, the disappointing part came when none of my favorites were winning. Hugh Laurie lost to Michael C. Hall. Mad Men beat out House and True Blood. The nominated cast members of Glee lost. Avatar won best dramatic movie. It just was not going my way.

But it wasn't a total loss. I was surprised when The Hangover won for best movie, comedy or musical. I haven't seen it yet but from what I hear it's the kind of film that doesn't win awards, so I was pleased to see a flick like that get recognition.

What made me happiest, however, were two big moments. Glee won best TV series, comedy or musical. Damn right. And Robert Downey Jr. won a Globe for his portrayal as Sherlock Holmes. Yay! I especially liked his statement as he got on stage "If you try to play me off I will tear this place apart!"

So, ups and downs, but still enjoyable. But for God's sake, let's bring on the Oscars!

Glee: New Directions finally make it to sectionals!

Well fellow Gleeks, the kids from New Directions finally made it to sectionals the other night, and thus heralds the end of the fall season of Glee and another long wait until we see new episodes. I'm serious, we have to wait until April, what's that about? Stupid American Idol! But what a finale "Sectionals" was!

Secrets revealed? Check. Backstabbing? You betcha. Nail biting? Uh huh. A cliffhanger? A romantic one. It hit all the major points a finale should.

But aside from that it was just satisfying in so many ways. It was great to see Finn bounce back, after finding out that all the hell he was put through by Quinn and Puck was all a lie, and rejoin his team in time for the show. The business with Will and Emma makes for a lot of speculation until the shows return (how did you feel about it?) Sue got what was coming to her and you just know she'll be back in full force come April (God help them all).

But the real pleasure was seeing New Directions pull together after the competing schools got pulled into Sue's web of evil and cheated on their performances, forcing the kids to choose new songs on the fly and blow those cheaters out of the water with sheer talent. Unrealistic? Perhaps, but man was it awesome to see.

So what do we think will happen in the spring? How will Will and Emma fair? What will happen to Quinn now? Will New Directions make it to regionals? Damn Fox for making us wait! But at least the first 13 episodes will be in DVD December 28th, which will hopefully tide us over.

Pop Culture Birthday Gifts

Before we get started, allow me to wish one and all a Happy Guy Fawkes day! If you're not familiar with the English holiday that's why God invented Wikipedia.

Anywho, yesterday was my birthday, and I'm not ashamed to say it was the big 28. And while I celebrated the mini achievement of lasting one more year on this planet the world of pop culture offered a few treats of its own these last few days to mark the occasion.

First up, I got to listen to Adam Lambert's new single "For Your Entertainment". Without overselling it I have to declare it was AWESOME! Just the kind of synth dance pop I expected from the true winner of last years season of American Idol. I cannot wait for his album to drop (November 24th people, mark our calendars). And even though public opinion is divided, I'm in the camp that really likes his album cover, pictured here. It's what you call 'cool retro'. Care to join the debate?

I downloaded the new Lady Gaga single, "Bad Romance". Another hit for Gaga, with a refreshing mix of nonsense lyrics, a hard bass line and a general sense of a fashion catwalk. Plus, the accompanying music video is visually stunning, a little sci fi and a lot absurdist, all in a good way (check it out here).

The Glee soundtrack came out. Pure bliss.

A couple of new DVDs now sit on my shelf; Flight of the Conchords: Season 2 and American Dad: Volume 3. And may I just say that neither show gets nearly as much credit as it deserves.

And finally, I have joined the gaming world by purchasing a Wii. Ever since acquiring one I've been attempting to conquer the sports featured on Wii Sports with great delight, though I recommend stretching ahead of time, because my shoulders were killing me the next day (yes I am that out of shape). I can't wait to try other games.

A fun birthday all around. Here's to another year.

Mash-ups from Heaven!

Some good news in entertainment this week. Brace yourselves...

Joss Whedon is directing an episode of Glee!

Adam Lambert just recorded a song written by Lady Gaga!

All is right with the world, my friends; all is right with the world.

Glee - So Far So Good!

As of tonight, I've now seen four new episodes of Glee. And as of tonight I think the show has hit a new level of awesome.

I should start off by saying that I probably would've liked Glee no matter what. The pilot totally won me over and it's a freakin' musical in a TV show! It hits all my happy buttons. But there is always the pesky matters of plot and characterization to consider when you make a commitment to a program.

The first two new episodes, "Showmance" and "Acafellas" were good, but I was starting to wonder about consistency with the story lines - people keep ducking in and out of the club, the whole fake pregnancy thing - and neither episode really popped for me. I loved Josh Groban's cameo in "Acafellas" but was bitterly disappointed when he didn't sing. The man has the voice of an angel, damn it! Still funny, though.

Last week's ep, "Preggers", again introduced a plot element that I'm not certain about. A character is pregnant, she's telling one boy he's the father when he's not, and another character wants the baby because she's lying to her husband about being pregnant. Huh. But the whole thing with Kurt having the whole football team dancing to "Single Ladies" on the field was priceless. Plus, a great library line; "I got this from the library. Did you know you can just borrow books from there. All of them. Well, except the encyclopedias."

As for tonight's episode, "The Rhodes Not Taken"...now we're getting somewhere! Guest star (and recent Emmy winner) Kristin Chenoweth, one of my favorite singers/actresses, was an absolute hit, not only delivering showstopping numbers (I've already downloaded the track "Alone", a duet with star Matthew Morrison) but also a hilarious and real performance as a former Glee member with issues joining the current Glee club. Plus, there was more drama with the teens and their teacher, Rachel finally ate a slice of humble pie, we now have a full Glee club, and their first big performance ended on a high note. The whole episode felt solid and was just a joy to watch.

Hopefully we'll have more of that flavor in the weeks to come. But at least Glee seems to be living up to the hype. Yay!

Glee is coming! Can it live up to the hype?

With September just around the corner and my summer programs wrapping up at the library (finally!) my thoughts have turned to what's coming up in the fall as far as movies and television are concerned. Like the autumn harvest, the fall season also brings with it a new crop of TV shows vying for Nielsen ratings and your viewing pleasure. One show that has already caught my attention, thanks to a special sneak peak at the pilot episode back in May, is Fox's Glee, and chances are you've heard of it too, thanks to an aggressive ad campaign and early positive buzz. Created by Ryan Murphy, who brought us such gems as Nip/Tuck and Popular, Glee brings us into the world of a high school glee club in Ohio, and the teachers and students who make up the club, as well as the teachers and students who look down on it (I don't ever recall hearing about a glee club when I was in high school, so I'm guessing this is an American thing, but correct me if I'm wrong).

When I saw the preview in May there was a lot of stuff going on in my living room with my room mates plus sound problems on that particular station, so I missed a lot of what was happening on screen. Regardless though, I took notice right away. My eyes even welled up during the final scene. This episode was funny, poignant and above all else musical! Not many shows out there pull off that kind of combination. Plus, how could I hate something that stars one of my favorite actresses Jane Lynch as the evil cheerleading coach Sue? Can't do it.

So I was pretty bummed when the trailer for the rest of the season aired after the pilot and declared the return of Glee in September. September? I and my room mate realized we'd have to wait over three months to see more! Not cool. But I have waited patiently, and bought the single for their version of "Don't Stop Believing" from iTunes. But lately I've realized that all I've heard this summer is how Glee is going to be the hit show of the fall. Commercials have been running consistently, it's been announced that two, count 'em, two soundtrack albums will be released in time for Christmas, the cast has been doing press tours; I mean, only one episode has aired. It's pretty brassy to make such bold declarations of an entire series after just one episode. Some shows have been cancelled after one episode (Osbournes:Reloaded and Emily's Reasons Why Not to name just a couple). Take it from someone who has fallen in love with so many TV shows only to have them cancelled on me after too short a run (RIP Pushing Daisies, Keen Eddie, Brimstone, Life on Mars, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Firefly, etc.), the television industry can be a fickle you-know-what, as well as television audiences.

So just tonight I re-watched the pilot episode of Glee, which is available on globaltv.com. Honestly, to me, it was even better that second time, now that I could watch it without distraction, and I still welled up at the last scene. What hits me the hardest about this show is the message that you need to do what makes you happy and you need to be involved in what you're passionate about, no matter what other people expect of you or what other people think of you. That's a message that often gets lost in the shuffle of economic troubles and the general sense that you're not good enough if your life doesn't meet a certain standard. If this show can continue with this message while still delivering great story lines, lots of laughs and kick-ass musical numbers, then we'll have something really special on the fall schedule this year. And hopefully audiences will embrace it as well.

Besides, I've already decided that Will should leave his wife Terri and get together with Emma the guidance counsellor. Take a look at the pilot episode and see if you agree. Glee returns to Fox and Global September 9th.