Tag: glee

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?

In defense of Fuinn…

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The Glee fandom is officially the most petty group of viewers I have ever been a part of. Just read the comment section after Entertainment Weekly or E!Online posts spoilers or recaps, it’s completely nuts. And the main source of this division, like most fandoms, is shipper wars. Now, I would love to take the next 300 words or so to bitch about how much I despise all things Finchel and how I enjoy Glee significantly less when they are together. I would so love to do that, but I’m not. If you are a true fan of a show, you will not stop watching just because your OTP is no more and you should be able to show support for your favorites without bringing down fellow ships. And just for the record, I am not delusional enough to believe that Fuinn will be endgame. With what the show has told us, it’s going to be Finchel and (most likely) Quick. Does that make me particularly happy? Not necessarily. Will I throw a fit when Finchel inevitably reunites? Most likely. But for the time being, I am taking the high road and I am simply going to say why I continue to support the highly-hated relationship of Finn Hudson & Quinn Fabray.

1. The First Cut Is the Deepest (yes, I went there)

I think it’s important to keep in mind that while Finn may have been Rachel’s first love, Rachel was not his. Take a look at the F13 of season one. There is a reason why Finn was so supportive of Quinn when he thought she was carrying his baby. There is a reason why he brought her the baby blanket. There is a reason why he was so hurt when Babygate went down. I don’t deny that Finn also loved Rachel, but he loved Quinn first. And there is no reason why his love for Quinn is/was not just as pure and true as his love for Rachel.

2. They could be great if given the proper chance

This season’s superbowl episode, The Sue Sylvester Shakedown, proved that Fuinn has the potential to be a power couple not just at McKinley but the fandom in general. And while they have ability to bring the worst out in each other, they also inspire the other to be brave. Man, I’ve gone soft, that was so cliche- but so true. The pessimist in me is saying that after their current little stint is over, they will probably never be revisited. And that’s a complete shame because there is so much potential here…we just need the right writers to pull it off.

3. They never really got over each other…

…and they probably never will. If Fuinn gets anything positive out their renewed relationship in the end, it needs to be closure. And it needs to be told in a way where the relationship ends on their own terms and not because of a third party (Rachel, Jesse, Puck, Sam, etc). They have been a part of each other’s lives for too long to not be able to at least be good friends.

So ends my Fuinn sermon. Now I can go back to hating Finchel in peace…silently, of course.

Four HBIC with Big Hearts

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Every television show has them: the bitchy popular girl a la Regina George who rules the school and makes the lives of others a living hell. They get what they want when they want and typically have a picture-perfect life from the outside. You’re meant to hate them right along with everyone else, but in the end, you can’t help but love them. Because on the inside, the part of them very few ever see, these girls are vulnerable, insecure and just want to be accepted like everyone else.

4. Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl

at her bitchiest: Since we’re not friends anymore let me speak frankly, you’re not that smart. You lack focus and discipline. Charm is all well and good but in the real world knowledge is power. You wouldn’t make it past the first round of admissions at Yale no matter how hard you tried. Have fun in Providence.

at her best: I really need my friend right now. I’ve been acting like I’m okay, but I’m not. They say it’s a broken heart, but… I hurt in my whole body.

3. Mini McGuinness, Skins

at her bitchiest: I hope you die puking up your kidneys. Bitch.

at her best: I’ve been a complete bitch. To you all. Some more than others. And I’m really sorry. It’s just… well, you’re all so cool and alternative, and when I’m with you I feel like a bit like… Nicola Roberts. She’s the plain one in Girls Aloud.

2. Brooke Davis, One Tree Hill

at her bitchiest: Okay, guy in need of a clue. Here’s one. Women send signals. That was a brush off. Before you dip into your shallow pool of wit, let me paint us a picture and save us both the trouble. Here’s your evening. You are going to slink back off to your buddies, laugh this off, get wasted, go home, and make nice with yourself. But don’t be thinking of me, because even your fantasy of me, isn’t interested in you.

at her best: There’s a day when you realize that you’re not just a survivior, you’re a warrior. You’re tougher than anything life throws your way, and you are.

1. Quinn Fabray, Glee

at her bitchiest: Are you an idiot? How am I supposed to trust you to take care of our baby when you can’t even figure out how to sell a damn cupcake?

at her best: I can’t do this. This year is about me and don’t say that I am selfish because you have no idea how much I’ve been through. I’ve been down this path before, I know this feeling…like I need you. Duets don’t work for me and I don’t need you. What I need is to find a way to keep Santana off my heels, what I need is to find a way to torture Rachel and I need to start learning to ignore people.

Why Glee Needs to Get Some Female Writers STAT

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This is something that has been irking me for a while and I finally need to get it off my chest: Glee really needs to get some female writers, pronto. The female characters on the show are written horribly and come off as shallow, manipulative and unnecessarily bitchy. The glee club has turned into this mass-orgy of failed relationships, mostly due to the girls’ infidelity. (This, of course, excludes Mercedes who hasn’t had a love interest yet…oh right, she has an affinity for tots. The bigger girl who eats her feelings…wow, that’s not stereotypical or anything)

Let’s see here…

  • Quinn cheated on Finn with Puck; and she cheated on Sam with Finn
  • Rachel kissed Finn while he was dating Quinn and she made out with Puck while she was still with Finn
  • Tina presumably cheated on Artie with Mike
  • Santana and Brittany have been hooking up behind Artie & Sam’s back. It doesn’t matter if “the plumbing’s different,” cheating is still cheating in my book.

Finn’s cheated on Quinn and he encouraged her to cheat on Sam. But has he ever been called out for it? No. Double standard? I’m thinking hell yes.

But what I really want to address is the complete character assassinations of Quinn & Rachel. I’m not a Rachel or Finchel fan by any means, but the way Rachel has been written post-break up is the epitome of the crazy desperate ex-girlfriend. We have seen that Rachel is going to be a star and (in my opinion) that’s something she needs to accomplish solo. Finn does not share the same goals as her. The only person I can see Rachel working with in the long run is Jesse. Leave my Fuinn alone.

According to some spoilers, in a forthcoming episode Finn goes on a stakeout with Rachel because he thinks that Quinn is cheating on him with Sam. Really RIB? Really?! The Fuinn relationship has only ever been used as a prop for Finchel, making Quinn come off as this nasty, controlling, shallow person who only cares about her popularity. If last season was a testament to anything, we saw that Quinn was so much more than the blonde, bitchy head cheerleader. But this would require continuity, another important aspect of television that Glee not-so-gracefully ignores. Quinn became a much stronger, independent and caring person before she gave birth to Beth. Whatever growth she might have had last season has now been fully erased. She seemingly only dated Sam in order to get back at the top of the social pyramid and now she’s “using” Finn to be crowned prom queen. I use parentheses here because I want to believe that she’s not. But knowing RIB like I do, this will probably not be the case.

It is perfectly possible for couples to break up mutually or for any other reason really than cheating. Why do the guys come off smelling like roses when they’ve done an equal amount of damage to the relationship?

Dear RIB aka Glee Gods, this is a formal request for some estrogen in your writing room. I know us, female viewers, would appreciate it.