EricMontreal22

Makes sense--this is one of the only examples this year that I can think of (well maybe Vampire Diaries too? not sure) where the long hiatus between the Fall and Spring new episodes actually clearly worked to the show's advantage ratings wise. Part of the reason may have been Fox was smart and released the Fall "mini season" on DVD during the break, and started out their merchandising behemouth of concert tickets, cds, etc.

To be fair, I think, much like Popular (and let's be honest, Nip/Tuck too) Ryan Murphy sees the grouping of such broad steoretypes as part of the very point--he probably sees it as subversive. I'm not sure it is, but... I've actually largely prefered this second half, over the Fall, though I agree the stories have been even worse so I'm not sure why (maybe the musical numbers overall) and I think they use music FAR better than High School Musical did but I do get your point (and agree with your point about the stereotypes just playing the stereotypes, not breaking the mold). Cop Rock had the problem of its setting, but (and I recently watched the full series) it also was just really badly done. Of course Glee is smart to use established songs, it's VERY hard to get decent original songs cranked out quickly enough to have 3-5 each week and Cop Rock's songs SUCKED, but the way they staged them also makes Glee's more clumsy looking numbers (I'm talking about the ones sung "in the real world"--not the ones sung on stage), look like brilliance. It was just very very poorly executed, despite a big budget and people behind the scenes. Glee obviously works very very hard, and deserves some credit for that. (Contrarywise, that does make their laziness in other areas all the more annoying)

A *lot* of adults like and watch it though. But I agree with a lot of it (Mercedes! That's the Black girl's name lol). It is annoying that Kurt's coming out to his dad story has essentially been repeated in *three* episodes now, pointlessly!. And don't worry, the backlash about ti not being a groundbreaking show has already appened. I do think it deserves props for somehow managing to make the music work--something that Cop Rock, Hull High (anyone else rememeber that? lol), Rags to Riches, etc, etc, simply never could achieve.

I see it lasting a more or less solid three years (or at LEAST two) and crumbling in the fourth. I think one problem is, as Jack said, the cracks are showing (as they always seem to with Ryan Murphy shows, though usually after one full season). Given all the time constraints, etc, etc, while I recognize that they're cheezy, the part that wins people over (including me) are the musical numbers--and I do wonder if they'll start to run out of inspiration for them after two years. It's super cynical to say, but I can't help feeling that's inevitable. The fact that they're already repeating so many plots (and can't possibly repeat this neverending "road to sectionals/reagionals" story next year) isn't good, but maybe a new writer or some other new element can help things out. I guess I should just enjoy the ride for what it is, while it's enjoyable (like I said, despite often rolling my eyes while watching, or being shocked by how unrecognizable a character is from the week before, I *do* enjoy it, lol). Oh, Jack, Quinn lives with Puck. It was just a couple of throwaway lines, but she mentioned how Puck's mom doesn't let her eat bacon, and how she wanted Puck to date... umm black girl (God it's not a great sign that I still don't know half the names, is it lol) in that episode a few weeks back, so that he'd watch over her less and be home less. I actually think Nip/Tuck started to fall apart during Season 2 when it became so relentlessly gothic--and that's when the characters really started to be so inconsistant and make so little sense, but I know many loved that season best (I guess it wasn't as over the top as the one with the serial rapist/killer who had no penis--not to mention the last few years where I only saw some episodes but found it just so mean spirited in its outrageousness I couldn't get any fun from it)

I thought this Joss Whedon directed episode was, surprisingly, the weakest since last Fall. The Neil Patrick Harris story was way too similar to past ones we've had, the Rachel's mom story was interesting but oddly was the least featured one--it was basically the C story when it shoulda been the A. We've already seen stuff with Artie (who comes off as needlessly mean to his girlfriend over and over to me) wanting to dance and being sad he's in a chair, it was shamaltzy and disappointing. I don't watch the show for the stories--they're repetitive and, true to Ryan Murphy's past tv writing (especially Nip/Tuck) the characters change personalities at the drop of a hat just to allow whatever new plot is happening that week. I do watch for the songs, and for the fun I still get out of the show, despite my concerns, and eye rolling. That said, I actually think this Spring "season" has been better overall than the Fall, if less surprising. This New Yorker review is IMHO pretty spot on, though she may like it a bit more than I do (and I think the production numbers often are, considering the time they have, better staged than she does)--but I agree about the often odd changes in tone, etc, and about why it's still a fun watch, nevertheless. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2010/05/10/100510crte_television_franklin

Yep. It aired recently here in Canada on Drive Inn Classics (a digital station I never got) Nice to see you back here, Drew!

I can't quite decide if I find this band genius or just one obnoxious gimmick, but they're starting to make strides in the UK charts (their gimmick, like the punk band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is to remake modern hits as rockabilly/Elvis type rock songs). One problem is they're a German band, which is fine but every once and a while a word they mispronounce betrays that they're not from the US as implied. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WflwF29Dko

LOVE Hot Chip (who are oddly also rumoured to be behind the track I posted)

I think this is gonna become my fave dance tune of the Summer, and I suspect a breakthrough hit in the UK (though of course never in the US), by the mysterious UK new duo Monarchy (they did an excellent Gaga mix of Dance in the Dark), who rumour says is a team up of Stuart Price and Starmith. The video is awesome too, though I hate that they interupt the music with sound effects--a music video nono in my books (and it's the radio edit which cuts the great last part when the beat comes back in)

I have to admit nearly all I know about this is brief mentions in the New Yorker, and one article about the season in general--I had no idea he had a blog, would make a fascinating read. Had Slatkin never conducted La Trav before though? I *know* if you hadn't in years, and are working with a new group and production it's almost like conducting another show--but I still would have expected him to be more familiar with the opera. Then again I know his career is hardly built around being an opera conductor so I guess he wouldn't necesarily have experience with all the rep warhorses.

The cast was difficult and miscast, but I'm curious--how did the *orchestra* sabotage him? Certainly Ghosts of Versailles is a vastly different opera in terms of music and tone (I actually don't know it, just know about it) than Trav... LOL

Well that La Traviata production sounds awful--though I respect the new Met director for trying these new productions (and I'm glad he's kept a few of the old Zefirelli warhorses, etc)

Summertime was almost ruined for me by the American Idol takes on it (where you almost lose Gershwin's gorgeous melody! What's the point?) and I've never liked Janis Joplin's admittedly iconic take. My fave version is from a 60s recording of Porgy and Bess I have. Even though Bess doesn't sing the song in the opera (it's a nameless citizen of Catfish Row at the opening if I remember right) Leontyne Price, who was Bess, got to sing it on the recording. But I admit, Kathleen Battle's less agressive take on the song, which I hadn't heard till you posted, is gorgeous too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbhy3m4gFic

So now we have two songs from the Scissor Sisters' new album--which they promised would be "dark dance/disco" and a return to their unapologetically gay and sexual roots, like Electrobix their first single (Jake Shears actually admitted that their last album, Ta Dah, left their image neutered--I liked lots of that recor but I would have to agree, and I'm glad they've dropped the tinkly honky tonk piano/falsetto/Mika stuff which got old fast). Stuart Price produced, while doing the final mix for Kylie, and I admit I'm a bit mixed on the single. It's a good, solid, Summer song, but it doesn't really have any of that quirk or surprise factor I'd want from a Scissor Sisters track--though thank God Shears kept to his no falsetto promise. The biggest complaint for me is it could be The Killers--I love The Killers, but it's almost like SS asked Stuart Price to make a song similar to Human. Still, the song has stuck in my head and it sounds like a good opening to the album (which is meant to get progressively darker with each track). If the album is as dark and dancey as they claim, it was also probably smart to release a single that isn't so much as the lead, to still cash in on some of their Soccer Mom audience that made their last album such a huge UK hit. Also love that they used another Mapplethorpe image for the single, in keeping with their theme. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Ss94ny0fo And of course the far more interesting album track Invisible Light has already been leaked by them, and I think it's pretty awesome (equal parts dark 70s Italian synth disco--think Fear or Walk the Night with 80s Trevor Horn style work like Frankie Goes to Hollywood--plus a Thriller-esque spoken bit by Ian McKellan and a killer final build).

This has been a massive flop for Xenomania and their new label, but I still love the song even if the lyrics make no sense--gorgeous production (reminiscent of their best Girls Aloud track, the massive hit Call the Shots)

Yeah their thirtysomething boxes have a number of commentaries, etc. Their Peyton Place of course has none (and apparently it's one of their most requested titles to be continued but the company that owns PP isn't happy with their sales, even though Shout Factory is. GRRRRR I don't get why companies aren't happy when they could make SOME money instead of none.)

Of course I meant Shout Factory not Box lol

Season 3 was when it went full on serial, isn't it? I hope Season 2 did decently, I've heard season one underperformed as well (but wouldn't that make the show ideal for someone like SHOUTBox to pick up?) Ann Marcus became one of the main writers with season 3, didn't she?

Why can't you start at the very beginning? Season 1 goes for VERY VERY cheap (amazon marketplace has new copies sometimes going for 5 bucks). I'm desperate to see more--the first half of Season 2 did lose me a bit (and as much as I love Broadway, and even have Michele Lee on CD for the cast album of Seesaw that performance episode was cringe worthy) but by the end I was fully hooked. I wish there was some way to track down the later seasons (the rumour is they may come out now when Dallas is done--which should be... a year or so?)

So Pratt created/Show Ran Models Inc before he was EP at Melrose, right?

Agreed, he's the best thing to happen to this show since the pilot.

Oh I knew about the remix album--it doesn't count as a reissue IMHO.

Gaga's reissuing Fame Monster again?

The thing is. MIA isn't mainstream the way GAGA is. This is why Gaga is in some ways like Madonna--she takes a tiny bit of underground culture, adds it to the mainstream status quo and forces an image over it--POP HIT! Of course MIA doesn't have the same success--she never will. They're not really comparable.

I've caught a few (thankfully for some reason they play in Canada--most Minisodes are only accepted in the USA) though I'm trying not to spoil it for myself. Then again I've seen a lot of the Quentin Collins inital storyline already (big David Selby fan/crush here), but otherwise not much at all (I saw one of the movies, I think the first one, on TCM a while back--I wonder why they're not on DVD)--none of the major Barnabus stuff. Currently on episode 29 of the Beginnign eps though and enjoying it, but can't wait for the supernatural stuff to start up, I admit.