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REVIEW: 2010-2011 Television Season

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I have always watched a crap-ton of tv, but this year seemed particularly heavy. I had at least two shows per day Monday thru Thursday and I discovered the brilliance of British television. It’s been a busy television season and on the whole, I’m satisfied with the finales we got.

Shows That Premiered This  Season…

After watching the pilot episode, I stuck with only four shows this year: Being Human, Shameless, Happy Endings and The Walking Dead. I always bitch about how much I hate American remakes of British tv shows…and yet two of them made the list. However, unlike Skins, these remakes are actually good. People have been listing Happy Endings on their comedy Emmy wishlists, and while I think that is a wee bit of a stretch, this show surprised me. Any sitcom revolving around a group of friends is immediately likened to, well, Friends. I found the overall premise of Happy Endings to be relatively weak, but the show definitely improved over the course of its short season.

FAVORITE NEW SHOW: Being Human, hands down. The show just gives such a fresh spin on the whole vamp-werewolf dynamic and it totally holds its own against the U.K. counterpart. Although, it’s official, I can’t stand the Josh/George character aka the werewolf in either version.

Discovered shows already on air…

This year, I discovered so many wonderful programs that are already on air. I love this, because then I have oodles of episodes to watch without an annoying hiatus. Thanks to blogs and mostly Tumblr, I had heard only high praises for the British shows, Misfits and Skins. Misfits is by far one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen and I kind of have a crush on Robert Sheehan. I also randomly stumbled upon The Big Bang Theory bloopers on YouTube and even those made me crack up, which gave me the incentive to blindly purchase the dvds. And it’s amazing. I am making it my mission to attend a taping before I leave LA.

While I am still making my way through Parks and Recreation & 30 Rock, I have to say, I love NBC’s Thursday night comedy line-up. I know I am so late to The Office party, it’s not even funny. Within a course of 4 days, I watched every single episode on Hulu. What can I say? It was a boring finals week. And unlike other fans, I don’t think the show has necessarily lost its mojo, I for one, loved season 6. I caught the last few episodes of season 7 on air and while I do agree that it will be a different program, I think the show has potential to be great without Michael Scott / Steve Carell. One of my roomies always sang the praises of Chuck, so I gave that a try, too. It’s a great dramedy and I kind of have a crush on Zachary Levi, too.

FAVORITE NEW SHOW ALREADY ON AIR: This is such a tough decision because I love each and every one of the programs shown above. But it has to be Community. If Glee gets an Emmy nod and Community doesn’t, there’s officially no justice in the world. Even Community‘s “weaker” episodes are better than most shows’ best. And it’s two-parter paintball season finale was damn near flawless. Community‘s comedic style is exactly my cup of tea and I am officially the biggest Jeff & Annie fan ever. I would normally find a relationship between a 20-year-old girl and a guy who is nearly 40 to be disgusting, but they are absolutely adorbs. And to think I only discovered this gem because it was on sale at Target…I have so much love for Target.

Returning shows…

FAVORITE RETURNING SHOW / BEST OVERALL SEASON: This was really not a tough call, as a lot of these shows had lackluster seasons, The Vampire Diaries. Now, I am not one of those crazy TVD fans who stakes out polls on Entertainment Weekly until TVD reigns supreme, but this season was very strong overall. I am such a fan of Tyler & Caroline and I cannot wait to see where the writers take this storyline. We finally saw some progression in the Stefan / Elena / Damon triangle and Jeremy finally got some lovin’ and a relationship I approve of. No sophomore slump here.

ONE TREE HILL: Much like Glee becoming the Kurt Show at times, One Tree Hill morphed into the Brooke & Julian Show. And I love Brooke and Julian, but it was overkill with the babies. If the network would have let Mark Schwahn & crew do the abortion storyline intended for Brooke in season 4, it would have added another dimension to the fact that she is unable to have children. It just seemed too easy to have Brooke get magically pregnant, with twins no less. I love me some Stephen Colletti, but I think the fact that he is now a series regular says enough. We all know that One Tree Hill should have ended after season 6, if not season 4. Although OTH never racked up high numbers, as a long-time fan, it’s horrible to see how its fallen not only in ratings but in quality.

LIGHTS OUT: I won’t divulge too much because it hasn’t aired on NBC yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed the finale. It was the perfect end to a nearly-perfect show. Can we get some Emmy love, pwease?

I generally enjoyed 90210‘s season 3. I think the first half of the season why stronger, but it overall was exponentially better than Gossip Girl. The only thing I really liked about Glee season 2 was the return of Fuinn and we all know how that ended. As for Grey’s, hopefully this season will be its last and it can go out on a high note. It’s already losing its magic, I don’t buy any article that claims Grey’s is having a comeback. Just limit the Calzona, give Alex a substantial love interest, bring back Addison and reunite Mark & Lexie and you’ll be back on track.

So what’s going to be my summer obsession? Well, So You Think You Can Dance, obvi, but I also started watching Six Feet Under today and I’m loving it so far. I am also planning to spend this summer checking out Fringe, Parenthood, Modern Family and The Good Wife.  All I can say is, thank God for Netflix.

Favorite Songs, Glee-Season Two

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The season two songs with the highest play-count in my iTunes are probably most people’s least favorites. I, for one, loved the original songs, two of which made the list. I don’t claim that these are the “best” covers of the season, or else “Friday” would be here because at least Glee‘s version was bearable. But these are my personal favorite songs from season 2, and as you can tell from my choices, I enjoyed the spring the season considerably more than the fall season.

5. Light Up the World

Amidst an episode chock full of Finchel (which I despise), there was this little gem, the group number for the glee club’s nationals performance. It may be pure Cheez-Wiz and it’s a little far-fetched to believe that this was written by them the day before competition, but “Light Up the World” is still my favorite song from the finale.

4. Firework

I am also generally not a fan of Rachel solos…I know, that’s pretty much Glee blasphemy. I enjoyed Lea Michele’s cover of “Firework” for two reasons: First, there was the return of season 1-Rachel, singing into her hairbrush. Second, the song played in perfectly with her conversation with Finn. I interpreted this song as her way of giving a metaphorical middle-finger to Finn, saying she doesn’t need him to be great. Of course, that’s not the truth, as she becomes the needy ex for the remainder of the season, but it was a nice thought at the time.

3. I Feel Pretty / Unpretty 

Like many others, I fully predicted that this mash-up was going to be horrific and another example for fans to use in their claim that Dianna Agron can’t sing. Pairing one of the strongest singers with one of the weakest singers seemed to be a risky concept. But to my very great surprise, the song was not only gorgeous, but the way it was used in context of the episode was perfect, it added another dimension to Quinn and paved the way for a possible Faberry friendship in the future.

2. Loser Like Me

If Glee and High School Musical hooked up, this would be their child. And as a fan of both, I cannot complain. In season one’s finale, I got chills during New Directions’ regionals performance of “Don’t Stop Believing” and I got that same feeling when they threw their confetti slushies at the end. I fully understand that the two songs vary completely on the scale of epicness. And I don’t care.

1. Blame It On the Alcohol

I will be the first to admit that in terms of quality, this is not a good cover and it fairly resembles something you would find on a Kidz Bop album. But for some reason, I flove this version and this is coming from somebody who also floves the original, it’s my pregame jam. Perhaps, like the glee club, I had a few too many Bloody Marys. But you have to admit, Sam looks pretty fly in his shades.

RECAP: Glee, Prom Queen

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I can’t decide whether I hated last night’s Glee or if I loved it. There are a few points I would like to discuss. And as always, I am full of unpopular opinions.

First, props to the wardrobe department. THIS is what prom dresses are supposed to look like. I found all of the dresses on 90210’s prom quite ugly. And who actually wears socks with heels at prom? Each of the dresses fit the girls’ personality perfectly. Props.

So, about the whole Prom King-Prom Queen debacle. Thanks to the Glee extra, I’ve known for a few weeks now who that Karofsky and Kurt would be crowned PK/PQ. But I just have a question for you: is it actually plausible to play out that Figgins would have actually announced the Kurt had won to the entire prom? Doesn’t that just encourage the bullying? Sure, it gave Kurt the excuse to give his “epic” acceptance speech, but I don’t think that would have happened outside of the Glee-verse.

My precious Fuinn is bound to break up within the next episode or two, but I am pretty content with what I got last night. Finn’s “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen” made me squee like a pre-teen fangirl and even though Finn spent the rest of the night ogling over Rachel and Jesse, I was so happy to see Quinn happy at the end of the episode. And Rachel is a damn hypocrite. When she claimed that she has been nothing but supportive of Finn’s relationship with Quinn, I wanted to prematurely Quinn-slap the bitch. Honey, the previous episode you spent the entire time trying to convince Finn that she was cheating on him and attempting to drive them apart. That is your definition of supportive? Is there a special Rachel-based dictionary out there?!

I thought all of the songs were of average quality. Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff are both amazing singers and the fact that even they couldn’t pull off Adele just proves she’s an artist that should not be covered. Artie’s “Isn’t She Lovely?” serenade to Brittany was sweet, sure. But like Mercedes pointed out, it’s about a father singing to his newborn daughter. Am I the only one who finds that mildly creepy? I actually found “Friday” to be somewhat bearable. As much as I hate Rebecca Black, I have to admit, that song is damn catchy. “Jar of Hearts” is one of my most favorite songs. And it’s not saying that Lea didn’t do a passable job, because she did. I just felt none of the heartbreak that emanates from Christina Perri’s version and Lea’s voice is just too sweet for a gritty song like that. Blaine’s song could have been omitted and “Dancing Queen” was probably my favorite of the night.

Max Adler / Dave Karofsky has got to be one of the most underestimated actor/character ever. I loved his scene with Kurt. The poor boy cried for God’s sakes. I hope he comes out of the closet soon so Kurt can dump Blaine’s ass. And I much preferred Teddy & Marco’s dance on 90210 over Blaine & Kurt’s. Sue Sylvester catches Artie attempting to spike her famous punch (even though it turns out it was just lemonade in the flask) and resorts to torture a la Marathon Man. She becomes more of caricature with each passing episode. Oh, and I am totally supportive of Sam/Mercedes. It’s time that girl got some love…but Sam, you need a haircut.

Overall, for a prom episode, I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars.

RECAP: Glee, A Night of Neglect

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And the television return week of mediocrity continues. Tonight’s Glee was the epitome of a filler episode. The plot was not moved forward in any way. It wasn’t particularly funny. And I’m guessing this episode could have been completely scrapped if need be. It was basically an excuse to have Gwyneth back and for her to cover Adele, but I will get to that later. The episode pretty much set up future episodes which I assume will include: Kurt’s return to McKinley, Santana & Karofsky coming-out parties and Wemma /Finchel reunions. Oh joy.

Tina, Mike, Artie & Brittany are McKinley High’s academic decathlon team and by some miracle they have advanced to the next round. But since the school won’t pay for the competition, they have been selling taffy. Will comes up with a better idea of the glee club doing a fundraiser / showcase featuring artists who are often forgotten about, thus the name, “A Night of Neglect.” Lauren helps Mercedes see that as ND’s resident diva she needs to start acting like one. Mercedes creates a colorful rider including a bowl of green M&Ms and a puppy for her to dry her hands on. Creepy? Meanwhile, Sunshine returns to McKinley offering to help support their benefit. This all ends up being a ruse, however, and leaves them high and dry on performance night, leaving ND to pick up the pieces and get the night back on track. Oh and we learn that Blaine needs anger management therapy. Seriously, the dude get riled up extremely easily.

Behind the scenes, Sue recruits Terri, Sandy and Dustin Goolsby to be a part of what she calls the Legion of Doom under the code names of General Zod, Honey Badger, Pink Dagger and Sergeant Handsome. Their mission? What else, bring down the glee club.

The Good

  • Fuinn: They were practically nonexistent, minus the shoulder-rest shot during the last five minutes. But at least RIB didn’t rip them a new one to promote Finchel, so this Fuinn fan is satisfied.
  • Bubble Toes: Harry Shum Jr. is a fantastic dancer and his very Fred Astaire-esque performance tonight was just as expected.
  • Buh-bye Holly: Last episode for Gwyneth. Halle-freaking-lujah. I enjoyed The Substitute, but Sexy and this episode were overkill.
The Meh
  • The Legion of Doom & The Heckling Squad: The Legion of Doom wasn’t intimidating and Sue’s new club seemed like an excuse to get Jacob & Becky some screentime. I am glad Terri’s back, though. I missed that psycho-bitch. And Dustin Goolsby made for an interesting addition. He did make for most of the comedy tonight. I would, however, be in favor of a Legion of Doom spin-off. I think it could be freaking hilarious.
  • Sunshine: Her presence had no point. If her scenes had been cut it wouldn’t have made a difference. Her cover was only satisfactory and the girl definitely has some pipes.
The Bad
  • Tina’s “solo”: Can Tina please be allowed to finish an entire song without breaking down in tears, please?! Jenna Ushkowitz has an amazing voice and she’s already underused. And she did a kick-ass job at covering Lykke Li.
  • D-I-V-A: Personally, I thought Mercedes’ actions tonight were completely out-of-character. Sure, she’s the resident “diva”, but she’s never treated her fellow glee club members with that much disrespect. But at least RIB are moving away from storylines dominated by food…
  • Turning Tables: Adele is a singer that Glee just shouldn’t touch. She has such a unique voice (much like Florence + the Machine) that a successful cover has to be pretty much the bomb dot com. And this wasn’t. I would also hardly call her a neglected artist. Her album “21” is #1 on iTunes…
Next week’s episode, Born This Way, will be a 90-minute special (obviously in honor of my 21st birthday, holla!) and will feature, you guessed it, Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” This episode will supposedly be big for Klaine, Santana & Karofsky. Maybe a coming-out party or two will also be celebrated next week?
Quotables from the episode…
Dustin: I’m handsome, I’m good-looking and I’m easy on the eyes. Also, I’m gorgeous.
Dustin: This hairline is 85 percent my own and my sperm count is off the charts.
Puck: [to Will about the decathlon team] Do you say that because two of them are Asian and Artie wears glasses?

The Five Worst Glee Covers

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I like Glee, this is obvious. As someone who is not a huge fan of music staples such as The Beatles, Queen or Journey (I know, insert gasps of horror here), I often find their covers refreshing. Sometimes the music is amazing. Sometimes it sounds like a cat being beaten to death.

Entertainment Weekly recently posted a poll of who sang it better, the original artist or the Glee cast. I viewed the results out of curiosity and New Directions was the victor in nine of 15 songs featured. I think the secret to Glee’s success is that they take a song and make it their own i.e. Toxic, Teenage Dream or Don’t Stop Believin’. When their covers start to sound like less impressive replicas i.e. Need You Now & I’m a Slave 4 U, it becomes easier to compare the two.

So here are my least favorite Glee covers in comparison to their originals. I’m not taking into account the actual performance on the show or how crappy the song was in the first place:

Tik Tok (originally by Ke$ha): This was autotuned to hell and back. I wanted to puke like Santana and Brittany after listening to this torture. It sounds like Kidz Bop to the nth degree.

No Air (originally by Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown): Firstly, I loathe Finchel duets with a fiery passion. Secondly, I hate when singers pronounce “me” as “meh” when they sing. I’m looking at you, Cory Monteith. Thirdly, oh, Cory. You sound like a malfunctioning robot.

Bridge Over Troubled Water (originally by Simon & Garfunkel): Amber Riley easily has one of the better voices of the cast. And I love this song. But I was seriously let down. I was not a fan of the back-up gospel choir. I really like the soft rawness of the original and Amber’s voice was just way too powerful for my taste.

Bad Romance (originally by Lady Gaga): I think it would’ve been interesting to see this performed acoustic like Poker Face. Check out the Lissie cover. Quinn or Santana could have rocked the crap out of that one.

I Know What Boys Like (originally by the Waitresses): I don’t think much needs to be said here. Just listen.

FALL SEASON REVIEW: Glee

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Even though Glee has not yet been able to reach the same caliber of the first 13 episodes of season one, I have been very pleased with the way this season has turned out. Episode 2.04 “Duets” is my favorite so far, with “Never Been Kissed” at a close second.

I must be the only one who was happy to see Finchel split. I typically am not Finn’s biggest fan, but I personally wanted to kiss him after he rejected Rachel’s apology not only once…but twice. Score. Less Finchel on my screen makes for a happy Kate. The only person I can stand Rachel with is Jesse, bring back the Groff asap por favor.

Okay, favorite performances time. If I had to choose, I think Sam and Quinn’s “Lucky” is my favorite song and performance so far. Even though Quinn is my favorite Glee character, I admit that Dianna Agron has one of the weaker voices of the cast. That being said, I also really like her voice, it’s light and airy and a nice break from the typical wailing we get from Lea, Naya & Amber. Besides, Sam and Quinn are just so darn cute together. “Marry You” is also one of my favorites. I mean, they did the “Crank That” dance down the aisle…that’s gold. I love when the whole cast gets featured in songs and this time even Mike Chang got to sing.

What’s on my wishlist for the rest of the season? I would love a Finn/Quinn or Puck/Quinn duet. Or what would be even better is a Finn/Puck duet where they’re fighting over Quinn. This is the one triangle I actually like because I would be fine with either outcome. We all know Sam is just an interim fling that will eventually push her towards one of these two guys. I hope it’s Finn, but I’d be perfectly okay with it being Puck.

I love Darren Criss’ voice and I don’t mind his presence on the show, but I don’t feel any chemistry between him and Chris Colfer whatsoever. If Kurt is indeed going to get a boyfriend this season, it needs to be someone we already know has chemistry with him. I’m talking about Karofsky or Sam. Before the “Kurtofsky” haters jump down my throat, I’d like to make a few points. First, you can’t deny that the two have sparks. Second, the writers wouldn’t have outed Karofsky unless this storyline was going somewhere. Third, Ryan Murphy mentioned during the past summer that Kurt would be helping his future boyfriend come to grips with his sexuality. Is this ringing any bells at all? Of course, any Glee fan knows to take anything RM says with a grain of salt, but still…it all fits.

Brittany has also become so dumb that I am puzzled as to why she knows how to walk upright. She’s the stock “blonde, ditzy cheerleader,” but I think it has been taken too far. Last season, Brittany had some great one-liners and a few moments that reflected her airheadedness. This season, Brittany is a slut who was probed on a spaceship, still believes in Santa Claus and thinks Dr. Pepper is a dentist. I’d like to see her have a moment of semi-clarity and say something smart for once.

Lastly, and I sound like a broken record, I’d like to see the show revert back to the geniusness that was the front 13 of season one. We’re headed in the right direction and the writers have proved to us that they are capable of producing high-quality material. A little more consistency, a little less random guest stars and a more equal distribution of songs will not only please me but the majority of the Glee fandom. Until February 6, gleeks.

Favorite quotes & songs so far…