Glee Television Show (Fox)

• UPDATE: Season 1 ended June 8, 2010 with episode 22
• UPDATE: Kristen Chenoweth returns in episode 16!
• UPDATE: Live performance by Glee cast at bottom. Show returns April 13, 2010
• UPDATE: Removed the “Single Ladies” clip because Fox is idiotic, and has issued a take-down.
• UPDATE: Added the recent video clip of the Glee football team doing “Single Ladies”
• UPDATE: Added Bootie SF’s Its My Life Confessions Pt. II A+D Bootie Edit

This new Fox show about a Glee club at a high school has capitalized on the popularity of American Idol, and premiered a few months ago, before the Fall premiere season. The critics love it apparently, and I do too. Here is the show’s blurb:

From Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Nip/Tuck,” comes Glee, a new comedy for the aspiring underdog in all of us.

The series follows an optimistic teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), who — against all odds and a malicious cheerleading coach — attempts to save McKinley High’s Glee Club from obscurity, while helping a group of aspiring underdogs realize their true star potential.

Episodes one through five are available now on Hulu, and episode five “The Rhodes Not Taken” scores a significant win in casting Kristin Chenoweth. She’s a very real star of the musical stage, and has branched out to television. I think it’s quite a compliment to the show that she accepted this “guest star” part. She would “love to come back and do more”, as she says in the embedded interview below. She’s quite a talented actress and comedian in addition to her undeniable musical gifts.

Insider tip: this and another reviewer are certain that the character Kristin plays in Glee is an homage to Jerri Blank, the character created by Amy Sedaris in Strangers With Candy.

Kristin Chenoweth on Glee - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

The Fox site now has a few full episodes available to watch on-demand (streaming). Don’t bother looking for episodes on the Fox site, unless you want to install a “special player” on your computer.

I usually don’t post geographically limited or content subject to removal, but what starts on network TV will eventually make its way around the world, to DVD rental, cable TV and your local TV stations. Apologies to readers outside the U.S. — I’ve embedded Hulu’s Glee, episode 22 below.

“The cast of Glee performed this morning at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Watch their final number (with a few audio issues)”

Yes there are a few audio issues! Regardless, this is actually a very good sign, because I promise you they are not using “auto-tune” here. The song doesn’t matter. The audio issues don’t matter. What does matter is that the cast is performing live, each one singing better than Miley Cyrus ever will. If you can’t stay on pitch, or are sloppy, you can not sing in an ensemble. I did not expect them to sound this good live, Glee being a television show (and 2 audio cds) with access to the studio producer’s bag of tricks.

Audio “issues” like this happen frequently with live events, especially when microphones, amplification and poor acoustics are in play.

Glee Cast Its My Life Confessions Pt. II A+D Bootie Edit

Update on 20091002 at 11:30 by richardwalker

Hulu forums can be quite YouTube-like in their content and “trollish” rating. Glee seems to be a magnet for all homophobic haters of anything involving “singing” or “performing.”

Here are three Glee “discussion topics” on Hulu that are about gay issues or are examples of “homo panic,” most recent first. The first is tiny and new, but the other two are quite large.

Is this a show specifically made for the gays to watch? (5 entries)

Am i gay if im a guy and like this show? (99 entries)

that gay guy (67 entries)

Update on 20100125 at 17:16 by richardwalker

Glee picked up for second season; Madonna and Olivia Newton-John to guest star

UPDATE: via Daily Beast

Remember when Glee did Madonna’s “Vogue” a few weeks ago? Well, we are so over that—the new hotness is Tuesday’s remake of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” starring the England-born-Australia-raised songstress as herself, and Jane Lynch as tracksuit enthusiast Sue Sylvester.

via E Online

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images; Jeff Vespa/Getty Images

Glee isn’t going anywhere!

Not that it comes as a huge shock, but Fox announced this morning that Glee has been given an early pickup for its second season.

Even better, they’re doing a nationwide casting call for three new characters, which will air as a multipart special leading up to the season-two premiere.

And wait a minute, holy blondelicious goodness…What’s this about Olivia Newton-John and Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) sharing screen time on Glee?

Jane just told us exclusively:

“I’m so excited I can’t see straight! [Olivia] provided the soundtrack for my tortured adolescence. Her charitable work and commitment to making others’ lives and the life of the planet better is so inspiring.”

Update on 20100405 at 14:31 by richardwalker

New Episode of ‘Glee’ Directed by Joss Whedon, Starring Neil Patrick Harris

One of the season’s new episodes will be directed by evil genius Joss Whedon and will guest star Neil Patrick Harris as a washed up former show choir member… who always got all the chicks when he was in the choir with Will, whom he now considers his arch nemesis.