Glee update

Since "Preggers," I have been waiting for a "Glee" episode to make me sob on more than one occasion - tonight was the night!

It's incredible to me that Chris Colfer who plays Kurt was an unknown before the show. Every episode that features him, especially in scenes with his dad, I just weep. His eyes are so expressive and really, his version of Burt Bacharach's "A House is Not A Home" was sung so well. Not sure he out did his version of "Defying Gravity," but I loved it.

Then I cried during the Kodak commercial where the dad is talking to the baby and e-mailing pictures to "Grammy." I think Kurt left me vulnerable to advertisements. (I tried to find it online...but I haven't yet. I'm always so baffled when that happens.)

As I wrote earlier, I was so glad Kristin Chenoweth returned! But was anyone else disappointed that Lea Michele didn't chime in on "Home"? I love the song - I've got a family connection to the Dorothy role in "The Wiz" - so that was part of it, too. So I cried.

It occurred to me tonight to tally up the awardees on the show :

Tonys: Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff

Drama Desks: Groff, Chenoweth(2),

Emmy: Chenoweth

Nominations: Matthew Morrison (Tonys, Drama Desks), Lea Michele (Drama Desk)

Someone said to me recently that TV and movies has really changed Broadway in stars now transition from one to another to another and back again. I'll be thinking on that.

In other news..."American Idol" is now, in a word, boring.

Glee (April 27, 2010)

I'm going to say it since no one else really has - the last two episodes of "Glee" have been less than stellar. No great songs, not even great Sue lines. Tonight, though, we learn how the Cheerios stay thin - a concoction that has to do with Ipecac and maple syrup - and Kristin Chenoweth returns.

'Bout time. Idina Menzel was great, but since she didn't sing, this episode is better.

Mmmbop

Hanson is coming out with a new album. For those of us who have every album of theirs (me? what?! no....), it's kind of exciting to see what all those babies and wives have made them. This is one of my favorites from the last album:

Tender TV

"Parenthood" is the most moving TV I've seen in awhile - Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard and Erika Christensen combine with a great supporting cast to tell the stories of love and hardship of the Braverman family. It's refreshing to see such a supportive family drama in the midst of broken families - and those are represented, too. Just about every episode brings tears to my eyes, especially the tender moments with 5-year-old Jabbar (Tyree Brownpossible the cutest kid ever) and his new dad, played by Shepard. A friend recently turned me on to the show and I watched about 5 episodes of it on Hulu this past weekend and just caught the latest.

Anyone who loved "Gilmore Girls" would probably love to see Graham in a similar, if less chatty, role. I get a little frustrated with how rebellious her daughter, played by Mae Whitman, is - that tends to feel exaggerated. Then again, I was so not rebellious at 15, so it might be true! She's always sneaking out to meet her boyfriend, appropriately named Damien, and what not.

Christensen, whom I've only seen in "Swimfan" about a thousand years ago, is great, too, playing a lawyer mother of a little girl. Her husband is this super cute stay at home dad, played by Sam Jaeger. So progressive.

"Death at a Funeral"

There are two major reasons to see "Death at a Funeral:" James Marsden on acid and Danny Glover in a wheel chair.

I saw Chris Rock on Bill Maher a couple weeks ago and fell for his completely non-persona. I have never been a fan of his stand up but after seeing him talk straight, I thought seeing his new movie might be interesting. He doesn't play "Chris Rock" in it - so refreshing to see him as probably more like himself for once. Besides, there's a part where James Marsden sits naked on a roof, damn high in two senses of the word.

Back with "Glee"

In January, it felt like such a long time until "Glee" would be back on TV. 

But I'm just going to say it: Best scene in the show was when Idina Menzel and Mr. Shu met for the first time at the Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal. She better sing. It's crazy how much better she looks on camera in "Glee" than she did in the "Rent" movie - she looked old and overly made up then. Last night, she looked great. And I was so pumped when she went back to his apartment. I like where that storyline is going. 

Jonathan Groff was also a great addition, as let's face it, everyone knew it would be. Cory Monteith as Finn has never been able to sing as well as Lea Michele as Rachel so, Fox, nice work at finally giving us a talented guy. (I've always liked Artie, but he hardly sings alone! And that David Bowie cover...ugh.) He and Michele have great chemistry already, probably from acting opposite one another in "Spring Awakening." 

The episode itself was mediocre partially because though we had a break from the show, the show did not give any time difference like a Spring break or something. It plunged in almost unnervingly - though the recap was thorough and funny. Also, it occurred to me last night a pretty big plot flaw - there's not way in "real life" that Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions would be competing. Most competitions of this sort divide by size and VA is huge while ND is small. Maybe I just want to keep Groff on the show for as long as possible. 

Lambert and "Idol" together again

n. Last year, my roommate and I logged more than 50 votes one night for Adam Lambert. So, it seems fitting, especially with my previous posts about Lambert and my respect (read: love) for his voice (read: his nail polish) and showmanship (read: glam), that I give my commentary this week when he was the mentor.

First of all, I'm pretty sure he's been the best mentor this season, or ever - well, except for maybe Andrew Lloyd Webber. He actually gave people advice that made sense - be more playful, tune in to your inner actor, use falsetto at the end, quicken the tempo - and would have been helpful, had the contestants followed through. I must admit, I don't care for any week that "Idol" uses Michael Jackson, Madonna or, like this week, Elvis. At least the Beatles are coverable, even if they are a tough standard to live up to. Anyway, I thought the week was about as disappointing as it could get. Casey James - whose performance of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" last week brought tears to my eyes - typically threw away his vocal because it was an uptempo song. Crystal Bowersox played a cookie-cutter performance of several of her others. Lee Dewyze, my favorite contestant, was good, but I won't be downloading his Elvis song like I did his adorable cover of The Stones' "Beast of Burden." The list goes on. I can't wait until tonight when Lambert performs and shows these kiddies how to actually perform.

But I'll still be watching next week!

My favorite part of "Idol" this year is Kara, though. I was ambivalent last year about her becoming a judge but I just think she's so cute. She cried during Mike's performance, she is so encouraging and if you do a quick Google search, girl can sing! I'm always scrutinizing her hair and her outfit because whoever her stylist is, man I wish I could bring her to Syracuse. Also, anyone notice she could be Katie Steven's mom? Hilarious.

"Little Secrets"

I gave up going to live shows on a regular basis a couple of years ago. Aside from a few classical music or jazz concerts and the occasional bar band, I stuck to that. I don't know if it was the crowd surfer falling on my head at a Lemuria show at Mohawk Place in '08 or the price or the fact that I haven't really loved a band in years, but where as I used to see a lot of bands - granted, not great ones sometimes - in high school, I'd about given it up.

The last two weeks have been a revelation. I think I needed the break from live music so I can appreciate it now. Here's my list:

Passion Pit March 28, Niagara Falls, NY- Even though their light show broke down and even though I didn't know all the words to all the songs, Passion Pit made me want to dance so much that I broke many a sweat during the set. Mayor Hawthorne and the County was one of the openers and my love for '60s pop - and Marvin Gaye? - was satisfied. Passion Pit, for those who aren't familiar with them, play electro-pop, mixing synthesizers and instruments and are indie darlings hailing from Massachusetts (the lead singer's parents live in the Buffalo area!). They only have one album out, so as a lover of it, I heard everything I wanted. The highlight? "Little Secrets" was incredible live - so much energy even for a bunch of dudes pressing buttons. The other highlight? When the band came out for an encore and played a cover of The Cranberries' "Dreams."

Miike Snow March 30, Syracuse, NY (at SU in the Schine Underground) - I totally missed the opener of this show because the group of us going had beers at Chuck's first. The tickets were $5 each, so we didn't care in the least. I've never been to this venue before and there was probably only 200 people there, maybe less. I could barely see the stage which maybe wasn't a bad thing - the band was pretty boring. Their music was good but the performance lacked what Passion Pit had - energy. They played "Animal" and "Burial" to the crowd's delight, still, just as the CD stagnates around track 8, the band loses steam after those numbers. The highlight? "Sylvia" was awesome because they did the whole song, broke it down by layers and then built it back up to a huge climax right in the middle of the show - also, it's probably my No. 1 song on the record. 

The Hold Steady April 10, Syracuse, NY (The Westcott Theater)- Let me just say that this show was partially made by the fact my boyfriend and I had Alto Cinco beforehand. When I first moved to Syracuse, I didn't much care for Alto Cinco - which is conveniently located next to the Westcott - but now, after trying the nacho fries and the BBQ Tofu burrito, I'm hooked. Anyway, we waited an hour for a table there and met up with my boyfriend's dad who is a big Hold Steady fan, too. Turns out, he's not the only dad loving on Craig and the boys. The demographics of the Hold Steady show leaned male (so that's where all the guys have been hiding since 2003...) and tended up. After watching a bunch of tween hipsters jam at Passion Pit, I was pleased, especially because there was no line for the women's room. While our friend called it "the best show ever," I tend to disagree. "Magazines," "Southtown Girls" and much of the back catalogue the band played was awesome - and, granted, I haven't been listening to them for very long. There was a lot of fist-pumping, beer sloshing and sing alongs that truly show the dedication of the Hold Steady's fans. But, somewhere in the middle, they started playing songs from the yet-to-be-released album. I get that bands have to try out new songs on the road - never in a clump in the middle of the show! It felt like the energy got sucked out of the room, at least where I was standing. I will say, though, since that night all I've been listening to is The Hold Steady - I even made a Hold Steady Pandora station. Dudes play a great show.