To Glee Or Not To Glee
Glee – making a song and dance (2009)
Several months ago America had Glee – fever. A new show that used a show choir as its main focal point took the nation by storm with high ratings, celebrity fans and the domination of the pop charts. It quickly became a phenomenon in America and its repeated that success over here in the U.K with us Brits craving more and more.
The pilot episode finished with a cover of journeys don’t stop believing, the same song X factor winner Joe Mcelderry performed on one of the final shows. People had already put journey back into the charts but Glee released this cover version and quickly over took the original on downloads alone.
The show focuses on a bunch of high school misfits, who share a passion for singing, led by high school teacher, Mr Schuester aka Mr Schu who is in a dead end marriage and trying to reclaim his passion for life. Then there’s Rachel; a young wannabe starlet who loves the spotlight and has ruthless ambition, Kurt the effeminate male who has a diva attitude, Mercedes the girl who’s not afraid to speak her mind, Tina the shy punk rocker and Artie the wheel bound guitarist.
Glee is the typical story of high school, there are the geeks, losers, nerds and outcasts that are taunted and bullied by the more popular jocks and cheerleaders. However it’s not just the students that have issues, the teachers also have their own baggage to handle and its far messier then imagined. The school guidance counsellor has a fear of germs and issues of touching other people; the football coach is desperate for female attention and in denial of his body image and the principal is obsessed with cutting the schools budget.
However the craziest character is played by Jane lynch (Role Models and 40 Year Old Virgin). Jane plays the sociopathic Sue Sylvester, the coach of the Cheerio’s; a winning cheer leading team that does whatever it takes to be on top. Sue does everything she can to try and sabotage the Glee Club because although she doesn’t show it she feels genuinely threatened by it. Sue loves the spotlight and won’t share it with anyone.
Although the characters seem a little clichéd Glee works well as a TV show especially in the winter as it’s, sometimes annoyingly, upbeat. With its mix of familiar songs, amazing vocal performances, bizarre characters and it’s ironic view on high school, there are pamphlets in the counsellors offices titled ‘I can’t stop touching myself’, it’s easy to understand why Glee is so popular and why it’s here to stay. For some it’s the best thing since sliced bread and for others it’s a guilty pleasure.
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