Tag Archives: Television

It’s Half-Time In the “Glee” Season, So What Are The Best Musical Numbers So Far?

6 Jan

"Glee" on Fox

So, it’s half-time in Glee’s sophomore (2010 – 2011) season, and therefore time to take stock of which musical numbers really rocked.

Overall, I have to agree with Jace Lacob of The Daily Beast, from a storyline character-development perspective, it’s been a bit weak compared to last year (however, I come no where near loathing it).  Maybe this lack of emotional pull spilled over to the musical numbers, because I experienced fewer goosebumps this season, and as a result, have fewer videos on my “repeat view” list.  With that said, here my top five (okay, six):

“Teenage Dream” from Never Been Kissed.

“Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show (Halloween) episode – I challenge you to not “take a jump to the left, and take a step to the right, put your hands on your hips, and pull knees in tight…”

“Baby It’s Cold Outside” and ” Welcome Christmas,” both from A Very Glee Christmas.  I mean who can resist Kurt and Blaine singing and dancing to this Christmas classic.  And anyone who grew up watching “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” well a tear or two could possibly be shed.

And, it was a toss-up, hence the top six…

“Forget You” and “Singing in the Rain/Umbrella” in The Substitute.  Yes, Gwyneth Paltrow delivered, and apparently, she is due back at some point in the second half.

So, those are mine … what are yours?

A Guilty Pleasure – British TV Mysteries

26 Oct

 

Photo: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I liked them before I spent a year living in the UK.  MI5 (Spooks across the pond) got me started stateside.  Then, after a year in Southeast London, with only five channels on the television, and little time to watch (too many books to read to make the grade), I became very focused in my viewing.  And the British mystery/crime/detective series became a staple.

In the U.K., serials always run consecutively – often consisting of only six to nine episodes with no repeats.  Even the American programs ran for a full 13 weeks without interruption (a revelation for an American TV viewer).  Overall, I found that British crime dramas addressed current themes and issues head-on, and were stocked with smart, interesting characters who were a bit grittier and real than their U.S. counterparts.  Add to that, the British accent – so endearing to the North American ear – and that dry, witty sense of humor that always seemed to accompany the rather morbid task of identifying victims and time of death and murder weapon.  Sigh…

To prove my point, here is a list of my favorites (many available here on BBC America, PBS, or on DVD): Midsomer Murders; Prime Suspect; The Inspector Lynley Mysteries; Silent Witness; Waking the Dead; and Wire  in the Blood.

And now there is Law and Order U.K. , about which I am on the fence at the moment, and Luther, which I rather like after one episode.

As for the BBC’s new Sherlock Holmes rendering, “Sherlock” on “Masterpiece Mystery!” courtesy of PBS, I can say that I’m a raving fan.  Set in the present day, this current incarnation of Sherlock Holmes is edgy, eccentric, brilliant, and slightly antisocial.  Dr. Watson is a military doctor who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan.   The New York Times review claimed, “The appeal is elementary: good, unpretentious fun, something that’s in short supply around here.”  I couldn’t agree more.  Although, one American series, “The Good Wife,” which coincidentally features Alan Cumming, host of “Masterpiece Mystery!”, is a pretty bloody excellent show as well.  If you’re not watching, you have no idea what you’re missing.

The same is true of all of the above.  Happy viewing!

The Best “Glee” Musical Numbers? The Daily Beast Weighs In

7 Jun

If you’re a Glee fan, which I unabashedly am, then this week’s season finale will be a cause for celebration and mourning … how many months until it’s back on the air?

Photo: FreeFoto.com

The Daily Beast must have thought of this, because they’ve just posted their list of the 15 Best Glee Musical Numbers.  Included are some of my personal favorites: Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” performed by rivals, Vocal Adrenaline; Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” with which I have a serious romance; Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” performed by Matthew Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris.  (Is there anything this guy cannot do?); John Lennon’s “Imagine,” showcasing the New Directions partnered with a deaf glee club, certainly a tear-jerker; “Like a Virgin” in the Madonna episode; the Rogers and Hart show-tune, “The Lady is a Tramp,” performed in a pleasantly swinging turn by Mark Salling (Puck) and Amber Riley (Mercedes); and “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables, sung by Idina Menzel and Lea Michele, yet another tear-jerker.   Okay, I pretty much like them all.

So, when the TV summer doldrums hit, you can click on this link and be reminded of what’s to come when the weather turns colder, and then you really need something to look forward to.  (If you’re really in a funk, you can always watch full episodes.)

Sometimes a girl needs a guilty pleasure.

“GLEE” Heads to Italy – The Result: “Il FlashMob”

17 Jan

I am probably a bit late with this but, hey, better late than never, as they say.  Besides, on the off chance you haven’t seen it, I figured it was worth a post.

An admission: I am a serious GLEE fan.  The show has everything I love: smart, deadpan, often black humor, great music, singing, and dancing.  If I happen to miss an episode, I catch it online.  In fact, I’ve been known to re-watch episodes with musical numbers that I find particularly appealing.  (See the “Sectionals” episode for “And I’m Telling You… ,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  Or “Mash-Up” for “Bust-A-Move.”  And “The Rhodes Not Taken” for “Somebody to Love” and “Maybe This Time.”  And, yes, it’s been done a hundred times already, but “Single Ladies” in the “Preggers” episode is a laugh-and-a-half.)

With that in mind, when I stumbled upon the latest viral video, “GLEE: Il FlashMob,” I loved that too.  Whether you’re a GLEE follower or not, if you like scenes where everyday people bust out dancing to popular music, here is your smile for the day.

Friday Ambush Makeovers on the “Today Show”

19 Oct

I will admit it, I am a sucker for the a really good turnaround story, be it watching Tyler Perry or Jay-Z on “Oprah” (I knew nothing about either before their appearances), or seeing a new member join the Joy Fit Club (after losing more than 100 pounds) on a Monday morning airing of the “Today Show.”  They inspire me.  They remind me of the strength of the individual, and what she or he can accomplish when committed.

Sometimes, though, it takes other people to help us see who we are and what we are capable of.  Witness the Friday Ambush Makeover segment during the fourth hour of the “Today Show” – the Kathie Lee and Hoda hour.   Yes, I work from home, so I can tear myself away from what it is I am doing for the 5-7 minutes it takes to watch.  But, even if I didn’t, and if you don’t, then we could watch the weekly segment online.

Each Friday morning, hairstylist Louis Licari and US Weekly contributor Jill Martin hit the Plaza at Rockefeller Center to choose two women to be their ambushees.  The women present at 7:00 a.m. or earlier know this.  They’ve made their signs, they’ve brought their family and friends, and each one has a story (for these are real women, with real lives).  When the time comes for the “big reveal,” either at 10:15′ish or 10:30, we meet the women, hear their compelling stories, and see them before the two professionals have had a chance to “work their magic.”  The family and/or friends are blindfolded, even the ambushee has not seen herself yet – the new hair cut and new hair color, the new makeup, the new clothes.   Every week I sit waiting and then, to use a worn cliche, my jaw hits the floor.  The transformations (and this truly is the right word) are amazing.  The masks come off, the family and friends scream and say, “Oh my God”, then the ambushee is instructed to turn around and look at herself in the mirror.  Some are simply thrilled (you would be too), others cannot believe that the image they see reflected back, and they fight off the tears.  One woman even gasped, ‘Wow, I’m beautiful.”  And I thought, “Good for you.  Yes, you are!”

What a great gift to be able to give someone, actually two someones, each and every week.

Watch it.  You’ll see for yourself.

Now, I’ve got to go get my sign ready and round up my friends.  Maybe I too can catch the attention of Jill and Louis, and be ambushed.  You never know.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.