'Glee' + Wham! = heaven

It's now or never.

Daaamn. Who knew the Asian kid could dance? Killed it. Harry Shum Jr has got the Asians abuzz. He's mostly a dancer with some bit parts here, there, and everywhere. Guy was even one of the original iPod silhouettes. Also loved Kevin McHale's solo on Confessions, and let's give credit to Dijon Talton, the other hottie football player turned crooner (and Meagan Good's cousin). The girls' Halo/Walking on Sunshine was also good, but dudes in leather jackets and white ts belting out Bon Jovi? Kind of awesome.

P-P-P-Push it.

Still my favorite number from Glee thus far. Word's out that the boys v girls battle on tonight's episode (Vitamin D) kicked someone's ass, but I'm actually going to try to hold out for the whole show rather than just watching the clip on youtube.

"Each morning I get up and die a little..."

This week's episode of Glee was not its strongest but still managed to deliver the goods, proving yet again that, we shouldn't stop believing (groan). The Rhodes Not Taken finds our pretty characters at a crossroads - a couple folks are knocked up, a couple folks are hiding some secrets, and Rachel just wants to be a bitch supastar. Enter April Rhodes, in the form of Kristin Chenoweth, an overtanned, overboozed glee club has been. With Rachel's departure, Will needs a new diva and seeks out his former classmate, who was just a few credits shy of graduation, to fill the gap. It's a bit of redemption for both of them; she gets another shot at high school glory, if that's what you want to call it, and he gets to share the limelight with an old crush plus extra credit for reviving the glee club.

The effort, unfortunately, falls flat for us viewers. Let's call this episode what it really is - a vehicle for Kristin Chenoweth to be amazing, which she is. I'd never properly seen her act or sing but she more than lives up to her reputation here. At least she finally got her Emmy (for Pushing Daisies) but really, folks, give the woman a Tony or two, or ten; she has talent spilling out of her ears. The problem is, rather than enhancing the show and bringing out the other characters and performances, as a good cameo should, her appearance felt like a forced detour from the actual show. It's as if the creative team was so excited she'd come on board that they contrived of ways to make her appear as often as possible at the expense of most other characters. This works at times; Rachel's lust for fame without any real understanding of what it means parallels April's own mishandling of her considerable talent, and Will's constant fluttering between what he wants and what his students need gets another look over. But hardly a peep from Sue Sylvester?!

Will is also starting to grate on me. He's kind, generous, and does the best white boy version of Gold Digger you can find, but sometimes I question his ability as a teacher and mentor. Did he really think that importing a boozy thirtysomething would benefit the kids? I can't decide if this is a significant character flaw or significantly flawed writing. A bit of both perhaps as he's no stranger to clinging on to his past (see the second and third episodes). Like those of us (ahem) who peaked in our teen years, it's hard for him to let go or acknowledge that the world moves on even if you stand still.

In any case, this week's musical gem - Queen's Somebody to Love. The kiddies killed it. My only gripe is that the truncated version broadcast on the show omitted Kevin McHale's parts. He may have been in a boy band, he may have flat ironed his hair at one point, but the boy's got lungs. Check out the full album version, twice as long and twice the goodies. (FYI, the image here is reversed.)

High School High

My new and embarrassing obsession - Degrassi: The New Generation. I don't usually watch teen shows I didn't watch teen shows when I was actually a teenager so I don't know what to compare it to. Freaks and Geeks, My So Called Life, Dawson's Creek, The OC?? Essentially it is a spin-off of a popular Canadian youth series that never ends. (Full disclosure, I'm not a teenager nor do I own one, and in fact, my 10 year reunion is fast approaching, which probably accounts for my recent bouts of nostalgia.) Sneer as we might at kids and their petty problems, getting laughed at, finding friends, and surviving chemistry is a big deal when you're 16. Maybe one of the reasons we have so many adult wackos is because we don't take anyone seriously in their youth. I appreciate that this show maintains a conflicted if hermetic adolescent world that is neither overly saccharine nor alienating (see Skins, which I'm also watching now). It also enjoys surprising longevity for a show of this sort which gives the characters a chance to actually grow into themselves. A lot changes in those 4 years, and it's nice to see teen characters undergo similar transformations.

On a somewhat related note, I discovered the Dear Sister phenomenon thanks to a Degrassi parody of the episode where Jimmy gets shot. The whole bit is hilarious, so inspired by that and Huffington Post's useless poll of the day, here are my top SNL digital shorts (no links because I don't have access to Hulu).

1. Dick in a Box
2. Iran So Far
3. Motherlover
   
4. Dear Sister
5. Natalie Raps

Merlin returned for a second season with a small splash, according to the viewer ratings. I thought the first episode was fair. Silly BBC family fare with high production values have become my comfort food, so I did enjoy it, but my criticisms from last season remain. Bradley James struts like a 21st century jock in chain mail, Katie McGrath needs to move her face, and the stories generally could benefit from more emotional depth. I think it's missing what Richard Armitage brought to Robin Hood - a villain with an occasional conscience. Merlin lacks strong actors and characters with any nuance. Anthony Head and Richard Wilson are of course up to par in acting ability, but there's nothing satisfying about their characters. Uther (Head) will always be a model noble, erring on the side of righteousness more often than not - except in matters of sorcery. So too does Gaius (Wilson) rarely venture from his affable, wise old man role. Nevertheless, I hope a couple plot strands will inject some intrigue. Gwen (Angel Coulby) and Arthur (James) get things warmed up, Morgana (McGrath) explores her own powers, and boy Mordred makes another appearance.

Other tv news...looking forward to the return of SNL, rather Ryan Reynolds' guest turn...Colbert and Stewart are finally back from their 3 week hiatus...zero opinion on Emmys because if I watch American shows, I'm always several seasons behind at best...just started season 2 of West Wing. I do intend on keeping up with a couple shows this fall, however. Glee already occupies my Wednesday nights, and in the next couple of weeks we'll see Flashforward with Joseph Fiennes and John Cho (romancing Gabrielle Union - guaranteed to be the hottest couple on network tv) and Three Rivers with Daniel Henney. Of the two, I'm actually looking to the former for the content. The latter is mostly for extra eye candy.

GLEE

I just watched Glee and I loooooove it!!

(The youtube clip was removed. Damn you, copyright laws!)