More Spoleto

Read my preview piece about the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra's first concert tonight.

Emmanuel Villaume's 10 years at Spoleto

My first multimedia piece for the Post and Courier.

So Southern

Check out the food blog I am writing while in Charleston, S.C.

Lee Dewyze - crowned

How is anyone surprised the Lee Dewyze won "American Idol?" He's so pretty.

Glee and Gaga

I recently arrived in Charleston, SC to be an arts intern at the Post and Courier covering the Spoleto USA Festival for the next three weeks. While I am discovering new places to eat, shop and tan, I am also discovering the scarcity of televisions in the residence hall we are staying in. My friends and I ran into our first floor lounge this evening, raring to watch "Glee," only to be shut down by some older ladies settling in - they had peanut butter on the table! - to watch the finale of "Dancing with the Stars." We proceeded to take the elevator to each floor, run around that floor and find it has no TV, until we reached the fourth floor. There, we met some other friendly Gleeks.

The episode itself was a mish-mash of hot and cold. Here's my breakdown:

Best song of the show: Idina Menzel singing "Funny Girl"

Worst song of the show: Menzel and Lea Michele singing "Poker Face" - talk about ruining an emotional moment!

Best line of the night: Brittany, "You look terrible. I look awesome."

Worst line of the night: Umm the whole last five minutes. Does there have to be a lesson in every episode?

Best character connection: Burt and Kurt Hummel when Burt comes to his son's rescue from Finn's homophopia

Worst character connection: Tina. Her vampire was ridiculous.

Runner-ups: Mark Salling singing "Beth" was cute and poignant - yeah, Quinn, let him be in the delivery room! Lea Michele's stuffed-dress (just hilarious. I think I can make one of those).

Only one "Idol" left for me

I text-voted several (or more than several) times for Lee Dewyze during "Glee" commercials tonight. After seeing Justin Timberlake sing "Hallelujah" on the Haiti benefit earlier this year, Tim Urban attempt it earlier this "Idol" season, and Jason Castro whine through it a few seasons ago, Simon's choice for Lee was just so tired. With Simon choosing him, Lee has been preordained as the "Idol," like Adam Lambert was last year. Could the song's repetition hurt him tomorrow night? Too bad my votes can't ensure his place in the final seemingly every "Idol" blogger has been talking about since the top 10 - a Dewyze-Mommasox finale.

Then again, repetition is not something "Idol" has ever been concerned with. How many times have we heard "Somewhere Over the Rainbow?" Or the fact that Matt Giraud sang "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" last season and Casey and Mike proceeded to do it again.

Speaking of Casey, I didn't get a chance to write of my disbelief last week - Casey, America? Really? Over the teddy bear father with the best voice in the competition? Big Mike's music wouldn't ever be my cup of tea but I had to respect his resonant, smooth voice. Casey" sounds, as Kara said, like a lamb when he holds a note longer than two beats.

Then again, second best performance of the night goes to Casey with "Daughters," even though he looked so indignant to be playing it. Below, my favorite performance of the season: Casey with"Jealous Guy."

Idina's Lea's Momma

I think we all saw that coming.

And it's about time Idina Menzel sang on "Glee" - and a "Les Mis"-filled episode? More please.

As for Artie's storyline, he's a cutie but his emotional moments don't feel as real as Kurt's, probably because, as he said in Rolling Stone, Ryan Murphy based Kurt on himself in high school.

Neil Patrick Harris, I just don't love you like other people love you. But your scene with Sue - "I have a secret room upstairs. Like Letterman." - made me forget your annoying cameo in "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay." Not that the movie was good otherwise.