Hello Stickers & Donuts fans, I am Amber and I am seriously obsessed with the new show Glee! Let us count the ways:
1. The amazing songs! Because the show is about a high school glee club, of course there are many songs to hear and enjoy. What really amps up my enjoyment factor is the outstanding choreography, costumes and lighting they give each number. The photo above is taken from the “Bust Your Windows” scene, where Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones (center) is tearing it up both visually and vocally. Each episode has at least two musical numbers, and the first of several Glee albums, Glee: The Music, Volume 1, was released this week. Will I be buying it immediately? Oh my, yes.
2. It takes place in OHIO, land of opportunities. Also, where I grew up and live right now! Although I have never been to Lima and the (sadly) fictional William McKinley High School, any show with Ohio as its backdrop is likely to stay on my radar. So far we have: many ethnicities, singing & dancing, football & cheerleaders, and no accents. YES! All of these things happen in Ohio*, although the “no accents” part is the most important. Lima is nestled lovingly in the crook of the giant, orange 2. I also cleverly hid where I live with Mr. Schuester’s picture. *Frankly, as I am from eastern Ohio, I actually mean “the Greater Cleveland Area.”
3. Hot/Adorable Teachers! The best part of high school was lucking out and getting a young, hot teacher (or the next best – the young, hot substitute). With Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester and Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury this school is all set on the “super awesome eye candy” front. It’s actually not fair, if you think about it. Bonus points are awarded for the amazing outfits everyone wears – just like a real high school they dress according to their personalities, as is easily seen below:
For ways to dress like the fabulous Miss P, check out this Fashion Me Fabulous post!
4. A large ensemble! My favorite shows (Arrested Development, The Office) usually have a large cast, which is useful for having an A, B, C and sometimes even a D story. A series feels more realistic to me if the characters have a lot going on, and each action they take has consequences both large and small. And this way if you get bored/annoyed with one character there are lots of others to focus on instead! The number of episodes broadcast hasn’t even hit the double digits yet, so the development of the twelve main characters (and many supporting ones) is still underway. But I can tell you right now one person in particular is pulling ahead of the pack, and she is #5:
5. JANE LYNCH! Head cheerleading coach and Glee club nemesis Sue Slyvester is equally terrifying and hilarious, and only the amazing Jane Lynch could play her that way. From her permanent sneer to her quietly muttered jibes, Sue isn’t afraid of anything but losing, and will stop at nothing to destroy the Glee Club in order to restore the status quo (and her dry cleaning budget). As she uses both the Cheerios and her local news spot as a bully pulpit, the only words that can do Sue justice are her own, as evidenced in the following quotes:
“Dear Journal, feeling listless again today. It began at dawn, when I tried to make a smoothie out of beef bones, breaking my juicer. And then, at Cheerios practice, disaster. It was unmistakable. It was like spotting the first spark on the Hindenburg. A quiver! That quiver will lose us nationals, and without a championship, I’d lose my endorsements, and without those endorsements, I won’t be able to buy my hovercraft.”
“You know, there’s a question I get asked a lot. Whether I’m accepting an honorary doctorate or performing a citizen’s arrest, people ask me, “Sue, what’s your secret?” Well, I’ll tell you my secret: western Ohio. Sue Sylvester’s not afraid to shake things up. You know, I’m tired of hearing people complain, “I’m riddled with this disease!” or “I was in that tsunami!” To them, I say “Shake it up a bit! Get out of your box! Even if that box happens to be where you’re living.” I’ll often yell at homeless people. “Hey, how’s that homelessness working out for ya? Give not being homeless a try, huh?” You know something, Ohio? It’s not easy breaking out of your comfort zone. People will tear you down, tell you you shouldn’t have bothered in the first place, but let me tell you something. There’s not much of a difference between a stadium full of cheering fans and an angry crowd screaming abuse at you. They’re both just making a lot of noise. How you take it is up to you. Convince yourself they’re cheering for you. You do that, and someday, they will!”
And that’s the way Sue “C”s it.
Linky Links:
Watch Glee Online – Fancast & Hulu
Images – Glee Images
Songs – iTunes
Funtimes – NYMag’s Overnights Glee breakdowns (search this tag), Television Without Pity Recaps (Gleecaps??)
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8 Responses for "Currently Obsessed With: Glee"
Hi Amber :D
I so want to watch Glee…Can’t wait till it starts in the UK!
Believe you me, Amirah – it will amaaaaaze you. :D
Oh Amber, you are such a girl! Nice write up, I look forward to reading more from you, particularly about things that aren’t Glee. I’d like to know more about this “Cleve-land”. Do you cleave there often, or is it like Mardi Gras, where you get excited about it the first time, but after that, it becomes a chore?
I watched the first episode, and I didn’t like it. I don’t think Glee is for me. Too much group SINGING (I am not a fan of acapella and related music.)
Hooray for your first post, though!
Gonna echo the congrats on the first post Amber, but I also can’t turn down an opportunity to start a fight about Glee.
The song you chose to highlight what’s good about Glee’s musical numbers – that Mercedes busting up Kurt’s windshield song – was really really cool. It throws verisimilitude into the wind and gives us a kick-ass little musical fantasy. And Mercedes’ voice is pretty stellar. I have also really been on board with all of Kristin Chenoweth’s tunes (holy shit, I miss Pushing Daisies) and Kurt’s “Single Ladies” dance spectacular.
But just about every other performance (especially Will’s raps – as you rightly note) embarrasses the hell out of me. And not because they’re mostly performing Top 40 horseshit – I’m gay enough to get over that. It’s the absurd way everything is produced. The massive compression and ubiquity of auto-tune destroy it all for me. It just feels like some schmuck in the engineer chair located the slider labeled “personality” and knocked the whole thing down to zero.
Oh and the less said about Aca-fellas, the better.
And then there are these grand leaps in logic – Will thinks his wife is pregsies when she’s clearly not; Sue Sylvester can become genuinely kind one second and reverts to evil the next; Emma and Ken’s marriage (Seriously? Seriously.)
Oh and the spotty use of voiceover – sometimes Will has it, sometimes Rachel, sometimes Sue, sometimes Fin, sometimes Puck, sometimes no one. It smacks of lazy writing.
But obviously still watching – what does that say about me?
Oh and (nickpick factor 11 here) Emma’s a guidance counseler, not a teacher.
OKAY. TRICIA. I did the same thing, I watched the first episode and didn’t like it — then my friend told me to watch a few more and now I LOVE IT. So, TRY AGAIN! (But I like acapella…)
Seanicus – Did you know I can edit comments? The desire to make yours all about loving Glee is intense. >:D But Cleveland is never like Mardi Gras, ever – it is like the walk down St. Charles after the parade, when all you see is drunk people and trash and your feet hurt.
Patrick – As someone who gets second-hand embarrassment watching musicals I was a little surprised I like Glee as much as I do. I’m not too picky about the songs, since they’re trying to build their fanbase right now & need songs that casual viewers will know. Hopefully we’ll get a wider range as the series progresses.
The leaps in logic are nothing new for me, since I also love 30 Rock & Arrested Development. Plus, it’s high school! That place made no sense, no sense at all. And from the creators of Nip/Tuck I’ll be surprised if the baby doesn’t have lobster hands or something. I’m not down with the voice-overs, though.
Since Emma teaches about self-confidence (through the wearing of sunglasses) she’s teacher enough for me! And clearly you’re still watching because you’re AWESOME. <3
Maria – I love acapella too! And it definitely takes a few episodes to hit its groove; good call.
me encanta glee lo amo
especialmente a finn y will shusters!!
me encanta la voz de rachel y hla cancion que interpreta con finn “no air”
o cuando canta take a bow
ooo si es hermocisima su voz la idolatro!!
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