FIVE STAR POLL - Glee "The First Time" 11/8/11

[Remysun]

Crap. I thought the DVR was starting so I could attend to my business,
but it never switched channels after the hard drive finished warming
up. As a result, my commentary has to wait sometime between tomorrow
(if my sister DVR'ed it) and 8 days (for Hulu).

My apologies, so here is the logline from Wikipedia:

The school musical West Side Story is readied for performance, with
Artie as lead director. Mike argues with his father regarding his role
in the musical, while Coach Beiste gains an admirer in the form of a
football recruiter. Kurt and Blaine debate whether to have sex, as do
Rachel and Finn, the latter of whom is worried about being recruited
for college football. The Dalton Academy Warblers return, as does Dave
Karofsky (Max Adler).

Songs:
"Tonight"
"Uptown Girl"
"A Boy Like That"
"I Have a Love"
"America"
"One Hand, One Heart"

Anybody want to five star poll (or nominate Line of the Night and
Newport Award)?

5 Stars -- a tender emotional experience
0 Stars -- painful, awkward, poking moment you wish you could forget

[tdciago]

On Nov 8, 11:27 pm, Remysun <remysun2...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Crap.

Yeah. And you haven't even watched it yet.

> 5 Stars -- a tender emotional experience
> 0 Stars -- painful, awkward, poking moment you wish you could forget

1.5 stars. That's 1 star for Coach Beiste, who was terrific, and a
half star for Mike Chang. Everything else in this episode made me
want to gag.

[Ian J. Ball]

On Nov 8, 8:27 pm, Remysun <remysun2...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Anybody want to five star poll (or nominate Line of the Night and
> Newport Award)?
>
> 5 Stars -- a tender emotional experience
> 0 Stars -- painful, awkward, poking moment you wish you could forget

Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...

[Tony Calguire]

"Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote in news:f7be5129-e602-438c-8186-
b69720...@p20g2000prm.googlegroups.com:

>
> Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
> unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...
>

Worse... we'll start calling you Ian Q. Ball.

[Barry Margolin]

In article
<f7be5129-e602-438c...@p20g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,

"Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

> Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
> unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...

Even W/Q usually seems to watch the first 5 minutes of a show before
declaring it total garbage.

--
Barry Margolin
Arlington, MA

[Ian J. Ball]

In article <barmar-0B7B67....@news.eternal-september.org>,

You and Tony are killjoys... :(

--
"I'm giving you the chance to *be there in time*."
- Mr. Finch in Pilot, "Person of Interest", 09/22/11

[David]

Ian's punishment shall be to calculate the average score in every
"Glee" poll.

[Obveeus]

"Remysun" <remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Crap. I thought the DVR was starting so I could attend to my business,
> but it never switched channels after the hard drive finished warming
> up.

Side note: I read recently that DVRs use about 10% of a home's total
electric bill. Are the things really that much of an electricity hog?

> The school musical West Side Story is readied for performance,

Yep...lots of music worth dismissing results. 'America' was good
though...and the Billy Joel song topped the night's music even if the vocals
were capable rather than believable.

> with Artie as lead director.

The Artie storyline here was great. I expected him to turn into a diva
crazed with power, but instead the episode gave him more depth/honesty.

> Mike argues with his father regarding his role
> in the musical,

Parents can be such tools...is it any wonder that so many shows portray
parents 'disowning' their kids for not growing up to be what they wanted?

> while Coach Beiste gains an admirer in the form of a
> football recruiter.

I really liked the Coach Bieste storyline. Another adult female virgin on
the show. On the other hand, I was having a hard time with the idea that
Ohio State shows up for personal visits to a highschool that doesn't play
more than mediocre football. I sure hope that Finn's delusions of playing
at Ohio State are not on par with the other character's beliefs in their
entertainment career futures...though I suspect otherwise.

> Kurt and Blaine debate whether to have sex, as do
> Rachel and Finn, the latter of whom is worried about being recruited
> for college football.

The show did an excellent job with this...combining simple horniness (Finn)
with desires to grow up (Rachel/Blaine), get it out of the way before
college (Rachel again), and love (Kurt) into a decent mix of realistic
teenage angst.

The Dalton Academy Warblers return, as does Dave
> Karofsky (Max Adler).

The best thing about the Warblers was the female (librarian?) they sang to,
which looked like Brittany with dark hair. Other than that, their uptown
boy vocals really cut the heart out of a great song.

> Songs:
> "Tonight"
> "Uptown Girl"
> "A Boy Like That"
> "I Have a Love"
> "America"

Santana was excellent.

> "One Hand, One Heart"
>
> Anybody want to five star poll (or nominate Line of the Night and
> Newport Award)?

My 'Newport Award' goes to the comedic bit about vegan meat substitutes
because I thought of him when that scene aired. Yes, I know, I'm missusing
the award title.

> 5 Stars -- a tender emotional experience
> 0 Stars -- painful, awkward, poking moment you wish you could forget

4 Stars...lost a star for having all that West Side Story music.

[Obveeus]

"Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

>Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
>unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...

Since you are always wrong about everything, a '0' would be the fitting
score for you to give.

[Ian J. Ball]

In article <j9e99n$9g4$1...@dont-email.me>, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com>
wrote:

So that's a "Go ahead and vote!!"??!! ;p

[Obveeus]

"Ian J. Ball" <ijball-...@mac.invalid> wrote:
> In article <j9e99n$9g4$1...@dont-email.me>, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>> "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
>> >unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...
>>
>> Since you are always wrong about everything, a '0' would be the fitting
>> score for you to give.
>
> So that's a "Go ahead and vote!!"??!! ;p

By all means, vote. These internet polls have just that much credibility.

[Ian J. Ball]

On Nov 9, 8:40 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:
> "Ian J. Ball" <ijball-NO_S...@mac.invalid> wrote:
> > In article <j9e99n$9g...@dont-email.me>, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com>

> > wrote:
> >> "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:
>
> >> >Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
> >> >unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...
>
> >> Since you are always wrong about everything, a '0' would be the fitting
> >> score for you to give.
>
> > So that's a "Go ahead and vote!!"??!!  ;p
>
> By all means, vote.  These internet polls have just that much credibility.

OK, I will, but only if I can vote to give all of W/Q's TV show
ratings postings 0 out 10 stars as well...

[David]

On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 08:49:50 -0800 (PST), "Ian J. Ball"

<ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

>On Nov 9, 8:40 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:
>> "Ian J. Ball" <ijball-NO_S...@mac.invalid> wrote:
>> > In article <j9e99n$9g...@dont-email.me>, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >> "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:
>>
>> >> >Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
>> >> >unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...
>>
>> >> Since you are always wrong about everything, a '0' would be the fitting
>> >> score for you to give.
>>
>> > So that's a "Go ahead and vote!!"??!!  ;p
>>
>> By all means, vote.  These internet polls have just that much credibility.
>
>OK, I will, but only if I can vote to give all of W/Q's TV show
>ratings postings 0 out 10 stars as well...

I vote for chocolate chip mint to be the official ice cream flavor of
rec.arts.tv.

[Obveeus]

I found the perfect Christmas gift for all you r.a.tv people:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDyOD1C67J0

[Dano]

"David" wrote in message news:91clb7t74kcgodk55...@4ax.com...

===================================

Not me. I vote for "Schweddy Balls" by Ben & Jerry.

[Arthur Lipscomb]

On 11/9/2011 8:20 AM, Obveeus wrote:
> "Remysun"<remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Crap. I thought the DVR was starting so I could attend to my business,
>> but it never switched channels after the hard drive finished warming
>> up.
>

This happens to me every now and then; the show will be programmed to
record but just won't. I also occasionally get a message that one or
more shows have an overlap when none exists.

> Side note: I read recently that DVRs use about 10% of a home's total
> electric bill. Are the things really that much of an electricity hog?
>
>> The school musical West Side Story is readied for performance,
>
> Yep...lots of music worth dismissing results. 'America' was good
> though...and the Billy Joel song topped the night's music even if the vocals
> were capable rather than believable.
>
>> with Artie as lead director.
>
> The Artie storyline here was great. I expected him to turn into a diva
> crazed with power, but instead the episode gave him more depth/honesty.
>
>> Mike argues with his father regarding his role
>> in the musical,

Did they recast the dad?

I was left with a low opinion of the episode but you did point out some
of the better moments.

[David]

On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 12:00:28 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

>I found the perfect Christmas gift for all you r.a.tv people:
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDyOD1C67J0

We already know we're all getting Hulu Plus subscriptions.

[Obveeus]

"Arthur Lipscomb" <art...@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

> On 11/9/2011 8:20 AM, Obveeus wrote:

GLEE:

>>> Mike argues with his father regarding his role
>>> in the musical,
>
> Did they recast the dad?

He definitely looked different, but maybe it was because the last time he
was on it was in a scene where he was standing over Mike yelling at him? In
any case, this new Dad seemed about a foot shorter and much less
'businessman success personified'. Previously, the dad came off as an alpha
male business/political leader type whereas the dad in this episode looked
more like something that would be seen on 'The Office'.

[Obveeus]

"David" <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d2dlb7dsnn1vq0aqc...@4ax.com...

...same basic sentiment.

[Steve Bartman]

On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 11:20:20 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:


>4 Stars...lost a star for having all that West Side Story music.
>

I'd go with a '3'. I agree with most of what you said. My problem with
it, and the rest of the season, is too many sub-plots jammed into too
little time. It feels muddled. I need more time on each piece. The
play/Artie/bad fathers and the virginity stories would have been
enough for one show. I didn't need the coach, Ohio State, predatory
Warblers, drunkenness, girl power group therapy, so much of the gay
bar. Emma and Shue are bystanders this season, and I personally think
Shue is the engine for the series.

More trimming, more screen time for fewer characters per show, and I'd
be happier.


Steve

[Obveeus]

"Steve Bartman" <sbar...@visi.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 11:20:20 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>
>>4 Stars...lost a star for having all that West Side Story music.
>>
> I'd go with a '3'. I agree with most of what you said. My problem with
> it, and the rest of the season, is too many sub-plots jammed into too
> little time. It feels muddled. I need more time on each piece. The
> play/Artie/bad fathers and the virginity stories would have been
> enough for one show. I didn't need the coach, Ohio State, predatory
> Warblers, drunkenness, girl power group therapy, so much of the gay
> bar.

The Ohio State stuff definitely could have been dumped as there has already
been plenty of plotline to show that Finn is bipolar (overly sure of himself
and overly down on himself) and a poor leader inspite of his good
intentions. The Bieste stuff with the OSU guy was good, though as her
character is often more interesting than the kids. The gay bar stuff was
only useful as it established a possible return for the gay football player.
The Warbler stuff...yep, ditch all of that completely.

> Emma and Shue are bystanders this season, and I personally think
> Shue is the engine for the series.

I agree about Shuster being a plot driver and getting too little screentime
this season. Emma hasn't been anywhere this season, but her character
basically went nowhere last season as well. The writers were out of ideas
for her and stuck in that dentist plotline...and her character never
recovered from it. This episode, the kids bring up sex and as the school
counselor she got up and ran away? That was one of the few places where
her character should have been prominant.

> More trimming, more screen time for fewer characters per show, and I'd
> be happier.

I like most of the character stories, though I would love to see the Warbler
stuff gone, the Sunshine Corozone stuff gone, the adopted baby plotline, and
Mercedes too. Sometimes it is frustrating that whole episodes go by without
character advancing (or even appearing). This week we got none of the
political race (Sue or Kurt's dad) and no Will/Emma stuff which made me wish
the show was 2hours a week instead of one.

What they really need to do is cut back on the musical numbers. Now that
the Glee songs are not burning up the music charts, they should limit the
show to 3 or 4 songs per week and spend more time on the characters.

[Steve Bartman]

On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 19:21:06 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

>
>"Steve Bartman" <sbar...@visi.com> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 11:20:20 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>4 Stars...lost a star for having all that West Side Story music.
>>>
>> I'd go with a '3'. I agree with most of what you said. My problem with
>> it, and the rest of the season, is too many sub-plots jammed into too
>> little time. It feels muddled. I need more time on each piece. The
>> play/Artie/bad fathers and the virginity stories would have been
>> enough for one show. I didn't need the coach, Ohio State, predatory
>> Warblers, drunkenness, girl power group therapy, so much of the gay
>> bar.
>
>The Ohio State stuff definitely could have been dumped as there has already
>been plenty of plotline to show that Finn is bipolar (overly sure of himself
>and overly down on himself) and a poor leader inspite of his good
>intentions. The Bieste stuff with the OSU guy was good, though as her
>character is often more interesting than the kids. The gay bar stuff was
>only useful as it established a possible return for the gay football player.
>The Warbler stuff...yep, ditch all of that completely.

Just to be clear, I don't dislike any of the sub-plots. I especially
liked the Coach B. one. I just think there are too many of them too
fast.

OK, I lied. I don't care a whit for the baby/Puck vs. the cougar
thing. A big yawn. And I don't see the point of the second glee club,
except to keep Ms. AdoptTheBaby around. I know she has great pipes,
but it's a time waster for me.

It seems as if the plotting is more a function of who they signed to
deals than anything else. I know the direction was to dump the guest
stars and return to plot-driven shows, and I applauded that, but there
are so many sub-plots that the central part of the show is gone. How
long since they talked about Nationals? How long since the whole club
performed together? Even the play was "off"--Santana is in it but Finn
isn't because it's a school function and not a glee club project? OK,
but why? The show isn't called "School Play."

Sue is pretty much MIA this season. I think they went big too early
with her character, as if they didn't know it would be the breakout
character in the first season. I don't think they know what to do with
her. It's hard to out-outrageous her at this point.

Emma is different in that I think she has room to grow and isn't going
to graduate. They have time to get her and Shue married, have a baby,
etc.

I'm still wondering how they're going to break in the new cast when
the first one graduates almost as a bloc. Is Irish Kid going to stick?
If so his singing is great, but he needs acting lessons.

>What they really need to do is cut back on the musical numbers. Now that
>the Glee songs are not burning up the music charts, they should limit the
>show to 3 or 4 songs per week and spend more time on the characters.

I'm good with three, but I wish they'd do ALL of EVERY song, or don't
bother. They do a good job of fitting them into the story. I really
liked their choice of "It Ain't Easy Being Green" for an Irish kid.
<g>


Steve

[Remysun]

On Nov 9, 12:05 pm, Arthur Lipscomb <art...@alum.calberkeley.org>
wrote:

> This happens to me every now and then; the show will be programmed to
> record but just won't.  I also occasionally get a message that one or
> more shows have an overlap when none exists.

Overlap of a minute is still an overlap, and it's become common enough
on ABC and FOX, maybe NBC.

[Barry Margolin]

In article
<9c321987-3bc3-43b2...@p9g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>,

And I think Glee is usually scheduled to end at 9:01.

[Obveeus]

"Steve Bartman" <sbar...@visi.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 9 Nov 2011 19:21:06 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>> The Bieste stuff with the OSU guy was good, though as her
>>character is often more interesting than the kids. The gay bar stuff was
>>only useful as it established a possible return for the gay football
>>player.
>>The Warbler stuff...yep, ditch all of that completely.
>
> Just to be clear, I don't dislike any of the sub-plots. I especially
> liked the Coach B. one. I just think there are too many of them too
> fast.

This show does have a lot of balls in the air, but that is a better
predicament than the majority of shows where there are only one or two
plotlines and they are played out at an excrutiatingly slow pace.

> OK, I lied. I don't care a whit for the baby/Puck vs. the cougar
> thing. A big yawn.

That is my least favorite plotline as well. The best chance it has at
redemption is if Puck can do what is right for his kid and make sure that
Quinn does not get custody. Still, him falling for the new mommy is not a
positive for the show unless this show has the balls to be risky and have
the two of them run off happily ever after.

> And I don't see the point of the second glee club,
> except to keep Ms. AdoptTheBaby around. I know she has great pipes,
> but it's a time waster for me.

Given that the second Glee club has evolved as an all female group so far,
I'm wondering if the future will have Shuster's group as all-boys and the
second club as all-girls and play the two groups against each other that way
until there is a re-merger.

> It seems as if the plotting is more a function of who they signed to
> deals than anything else. I know the direction was to dump the guest
> stars and return to plot-driven shows, and I applauded that, but there
> are so many sub-plots that the central part of the show is gone.

For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that goal.

> How
> long since they talked about Nationals? How long since the whole club
> performed together?

With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile. I'm
wondering at what point the 'must have 12 members to compete' clause will
come back into play and make everyone realize that neither Glee club is
currently big enough.

> Even the play was "off"--Santana is in it but Finn
> isn't because it's a school function and not a glee club project? OK,
> but why? The show isn't called "School Play."

The West Side Story production WAS a school play, though...not a part of
Glee club. Finn specifically did not want to be part of it because he
needed to concentrate on Football and Glee/dancing. Others specifically did
want to be in the play to round out their college resume (same goes for the
school elections). Shuster specifically did not have anything to do with
the play because he wanted to concentrate on Glee club (and trying to teach
his Glee kids to dance). Having these kids doing a stage musical keeps
everything in the show's wheelhouse while still portraying the kids as
having more going on at school than just Glee club (which is good since they
never seem to do anything academically).

> Sue is pretty much MIA this season.

She is running for office.

> I think they went big too early
> with her character, as if they didn't know it would be the breakout
> character in the first season. I don't think they know what to do with
> her. It's hard to out-outrageous her at this point.

Yep...and the truth is that her character needs to be restricted to limited
doses so as to avoid turning off viewers, just like Kramer on Seinfeld.

> Emma is different in that I think she has room to grow and isn't going
> to graduate. They have time to get her and Shue married, have a baby,
> etc.

Once they overcome that virginity issue...which seems to be a problem for
all the adult females at the school.

> I'm still wondering how they're going to break in the new cast when
> the first one graduates almost as a bloc. Is Irish Kid going to stick?
> If so his singing is great, but he needs acting lessons.

Isn't 'Irish Kid' one of the gimmick contestants from the reality show? If
so, I don't see him staying long term. As for who graduates...Finn, Rachel,
Mike, and Kurt are the only three for sure, aren't they? Brittany and Puck
are seniors, but both have enough academic problems that they won't
graduate. Same goes for Quinn as they can explain her as missing some
grades due to baby making.

>>What they really need to do is cut back on the musical numbers. Now that
>>the Glee songs are not burning up the music charts, they should limit the
>>show to 3 or 4 songs per week and spend more time on the characters.
>
> I'm good with three, but I wish they'd do ALL of EVERY song, or don't
> bother.

I agree with that. The only time songs should be limited to a partial play
is when they are joke numbers (mashups that fail or bad singing numbers from
the spoiled rich girl).

[Steve Bartman]

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:23:17 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

Trimming . . .

>This show does have a lot of balls in the air, but that is a better
>predicament than the majority of shows where there are only one or two
>plotlines and they are played out at an excrutiatingly slow pace.

I liked the number of sub-plots in the first season. I could list all
the balls they have going now, but it would be too long a list.
Certainly over 25. And they're going to bring back Sam? Arrgh.

>> OK, I lied. I don't care a whit for the baby/Puck vs. the cougar
>> thing. A big yawn.
>
>That is my least favorite plotline as well. The best chance it has at
>redemption is if Puck can do what is right for his kid and make sure that
>Quinn does not get custody.

If they care at all for the "educational" factor for the young
audience they'll make sure that the single woman with the job, an
education, and an apartment keeps the baby. I think they will.

Still, him falling for the new mommy is not a
>positive for the show unless this show has the balls to be risky and have
>the two of them run off happily ever after.

The actor who plays Puck is what? Twenty-nine? He needs to run off or
graduate or drop out, or something. Soon.

This sub-plot isn't bad for narrative's sake. It was just so
predictable that there was zero ooomph in it. I'd be more interested
in the Rachel's Mom aspects of her staying in town than this.

>> And I don't see the point of the second glee club,
>> except to keep Ms. AdoptTheBaby around. I know she has great pipes,
>> but it's a time waster for me.
>
>Given that the second Glee club has evolved as an all female group so far,
>I'm wondering if the future will have Shuster's group as all-boys and the
>second club as all-girls and play the two groups against each other that way
>until there is a re-merger.

Probably. My overall boredom with the second club is that it further
highlights the "I'm quitting!!. OK, take me back!!" cycle on the show.
I know it's HS, but these guys quit and stomp off more than my Little
League team did. Shue used to try to impose some structure, but now
he's just a bystander.

>For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
>winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that goal.

We just differ there. We know this is the last year for a lot of the
cast. There needs to be a plot engine propelling it to the climax.
School elections ain't hacking it for me.

>With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile.

Me either, and that's a lot of what I started watching the show to
see. Larger production numbers, with different forms of dancing. Look
back at the song in the shopping mall with the escalators from Season
One and compare to what we've been given this season. Lame.

I'm
>wondering at what point the 'must have 12 members to compete' clause will
>come back into play and make everyone realize that neither Glee club is
>currently big enough.

I'd think Shue would be on top of that. There seems to be zero
recruitment going on.

>> Even the play was "off"--Santana is in it but Finn
>> isn't because it's a school function and not a glee club project? OK,
>> but why? The show isn't called "School Play."
>
>The West Side Story production WAS a school play, though...not a part of
>Glee club. Finn specifically did not want to be part of it because he
>needed to concentrate on Football and Glee/dancing. Others specifically did
>want to be in the play to round out their college resume (same goes for the
>school elections). Shuster specifically did not have anything to do with
>the play because he wanted to concentrate on Glee club (and trying to teach
>his Glee kids to dance). Having these kids doing a stage musical keeps
>everything in the show's wheelhouse while still portraying the kids as
>having more going on at school than just Glee club (which is good since they
>never seem to do anything academically).

I get all that, but I still didn't like the fracturing. The play could
have been a glee club production a la Rocky Horror. But even if it
wasn't they went to all that trouble and build-up with the casting and
Artie's sub-plot, and we got six minutes of play. It's a great
musical, but not really known to a lot of viewers under 40. They
missed a chance to let it all hang out and show a good portion of the
action, especially to put the songs in some context. And I REALLY
wanted to see Kurt as Officer K. It just felt very abrupt. They're in
the heat of the action, then they cut to the empty post-show stage
where they TALK about what happened. SHOW ME!

I wouldn't mind some scenes in regular classrooms either. It could be
worked in.

>> Sue is pretty much MIA this season.
>
>She is running for office.

Yeah, but mostly off-camera. And I don't care if she wins or loses.
The anti-glee club Grinch act is past its freshness date.

>> I'm still wondering how they're going to break in the new cast when
>> the first one graduates almost as a bloc. Is Irish Kid going to stick?
>> If so his singing is great, but he needs acting lessons.
>
>Isn't 'Irish Kid' one of the gimmick contestants from the reality show?

That's what I understood.

If
>so, I don't see him staying long term.

He should. He brings a lot to the table for the writers. And he can
really sing.

As for a new set, do they bring in freshmen as a bloc, which gives
them up to four years of "legs", but hamstrings possible plot lines,
or do they do a mixed crowd, and risk repeating the mistake they made
originally with making Rachel, for example, a sophomore and only
giving their singing star three seasons?

As for who graduates...Finn, Rachel,
>Mike, and Kurt are the only three for sure, aren't they?

I thought Mercedes too. And Santana. Could be wrong. Tina is a junior,
and Artie. Oh, and Blair I think, but I don't care.

Brittany and Puck
>are seniors, but both have enough academic problems that they won't
>graduate.

Puck needs to go away. Brit can stay. They need the dancing chops, and
she plays HS. Puck plays like Wooderson in "Dazed and Confused" except
he didn't get the memo to stay off school grounds.

Same goes for Quinn as they can explain her as missing some
>grades due to baby making.

She's boring to me., I liked her in the first season, but now she just
seems tired. She sucks the energy out of every scene she's in.


Steve

[Obveeus]

"Steve Bartman" <sbar...@visi.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:23:17 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> Trimming . . .
>
>>This show does have a lot of balls in the air, but that is a better
>>predicament than the majority of shows where there are only one or two
>>plotlines and they are played out at an excrutiatingly slow pace.
>
> I liked the number of sub-plots in the first season. I could list all
> the balls they have going now, but it would be too long a list.
> Certainly over 25. And they're going to bring back Sam? Arrgh.

Supposedly he will be back as a guest sometime this season...probably tied
to a holiday feel good and help out the homeless plotline.

> Still, him falling for the new mommy is not a
>>positive for the show unless this show has the balls to be risky and have
>>the two of them run off happily ever after.
>
> The actor who plays Puck is what? Twenty-nine? He needs to run off or
> graduate or drop out, or something. Soon.

Yep...you know you are getting too old for school when you are aging out of
the job as a pool cleaning gigolo.

> This sub-plot isn't bad for narrative's sake. It was just so
> predictable that there was zero ooomph in it. I'd be more interested
> in the Rachel's Mom aspects of her staying in town than this.

Ugh...no...not more Rachel/Mommy angst. Yes, Puck falling for her was
predictable, but only because he wants to be involved with his kid's life
and is trying to form himself into the image of a family man. That is why I
hope the show dares to have it work out for them...just so we can listen to
the PTC types complaining about the 'bad message for kids' when the message
is that he grew up, settled down, and started caring for a family.

>>> And I don't see the point of the second glee club,
>>> except to keep Ms. AdoptTheBaby around. I know she has great pipes,
>>> but it's a time waster for me.
>>
>>Given that the second Glee club has evolved as an all female group so far,
>>I'm wondering if the future will have Shuster's group as all-boys and the
>>second club as all-girls and play the two groups against each other that
>>way
>>until there is a re-merger.
>
> Probably. My overall boredom with the second club is that it further
> highlights the "I'm quitting!!. OK, take me back!!" cycle on the show.
> I know it's HS, but these guys quit and stomp off more than my Little
> League team did. Shue used to try to impose some structure, but now
> he's just a bystander.

Kids quitting things at the drop of a hat...and changing their minds minutes
later is very realistic plotting, though...as is the partner swapping every
half dozen or so episodes as they all try to figure out what other person
completes them.

>>For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
>>winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that
>>goal.
>
> We just differ there. We know this is the last year for a lot of the
> cast. There needs to be a plot engine propelling it to the climax.
> School elections ain't hacking it for me.

I'd rather see the emphasis on the characters...which should care more about
graduating and planning for their life after high school than striving for a
moment of group glory at Nationals.

>>With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile.
>
> Me either, and that's a lot of what I started watching the show to
> see. Larger production numbers, with different forms of dancing. Look
> back at the song in the shopping mall with the escalators from Season
> One and compare to what we've been given this season. Lame.

True, the show has cut back on some of the dream sequence style production
numbers. Maybe the closest this season was when they did the school
courtyard number with all the cheerleaders joining in just so they could
cause trouble at the end.

> I'm
>>wondering at what point the 'must have 12 members to compete' clause will
>>come back into play and make everyone realize that neither Glee club is
>>currently big enough.
>
> I'd think Shue would be on top of that. There seems to be zero
> recruitment going on.

They did do some recruiting early in the season, but then Shue kicked out
the 'bad-singing girl'...and the other goth kids never returned once Quinn
gave up that new style. As a result, the Irish kid is their best hope...but
they are still 3 or 4 more people short.

> I get all that, but I still didn't like the fracturing. The play could
> have been a glee club production a la Rocky Horror. But even if it
> wasn't they went to all that trouble and build-up with the casting and
> Artie's sub-plot, and we got six minutes of play. It's a great
> musical, but not really known to a lot of viewers under 40. They
> missed a chance to let it all hang out and show a good portion of the
> action, especially to put the songs in some context. And I REALLY
> wanted to see Kurt as Officer K. It just felt very abrupt. They're in
> the heat of the action, then they cut to the empty post-show stage
> where they TALK about what happened. SHOW ME!

We just differ on that. I didn't want to see West Side Story played out in
its entirety. Devoting multiple episodes to its music was more than
enough...and the show should always steer clear of showing the characters
doing acting rather than singing parts. Shows where actors act inside of
the act they are already doing rarely work well.

> I wouldn't mind some scenes in regular classrooms either. It could be
> worked in.

Agreed...especially if some of the seniors are going to fail to graduate for
academic reasons.

>>> Sue is pretty much MIA this season.
>>
>>She is running for office.
>
> Yeah, but mostly off-camera. And I don't care if she wins or loses.
> The anti-glee club Grinch act is past its freshness date.

Her pissing around at the school trying to get rid of one 'useless waste of
money extra-curricular activity' while she runs another one is played out.
it was never more than just her marking her territory. On the other hand,
I'd love for this show to have the honesty to bring the issues to some real
political debate because it is a hot button topic in these current economic
times where schools are having to decide what to cut: foreign language or
drama, music or chemistry, etc... The show could be useful if it didn't
just dismiss the issue. Have Shuester fighting to keep his job as a
Spanish(?) teacher and as Glee club runner as the school has to cut one of
the two for funding reasons. Make more of an issue of the need for parents
to personally raise funds to keep the Glee Club (and Cheerios) running.

>>Isn't 'Irish Kid' one of the gimmick contestants from the reality show?
>
> That's what I understood.
>
> If
>>so, I don't see him staying long term.
>
> He should. He brings a lot to the table for the writers. And he can
> really sing.

His singing is very 'stage-y', just as with Kurt. I'd rather see them
recruit characters that can sing pop tunes than show tunes.

> As for a new set, do they bring in freshmen as a bloc, which gives
> them up to four years of "legs", but hamstrings possible plot lines,
> or do they do a mixed crowd, and risk repeating the mistake they made
> originally with making Rachel, for example, a sophomore and only
> giving their singing star three seasons?

Bring in a new crop of kids with undefined ages and work out later if they
started as Freshman or Sophmores, just as with this group of kids. SKINS
does just fine turning ove rthe entire cast every couple of years and there
is no reason that this show cannot do the same. Besides, they shouldn't be
worrying/planning on being on the air for more than another 3 years anyway
since that isn't typically how TV works. Sure, kids graduate and leave the
show, but that is how the real world works and who knows, maybe the next
Freshman will turn out to be the next Janet Jackson.

> As for who graduates...Finn, Rachel,
>>Mike, and Kurt are the only three for sure, aren't they?
>
> I thought Mercedes too. And Santana. Could be wrong. Tina is a junior,
> and Artie. Oh, and Blair I think, but I don't care.
>
> Brittany and Puck
>>are seniors, but both have enough academic problems that they won't
>>graduate.
>
> Puck needs to go away. Brit can stay. They need the dancing chops, and
> she plays HS. Puck plays like Wooderson in "Dazed and Confused" except
> he didn't get the memo to stay off school grounds.

I agree that I want Brittany to stay, but since she is running for Senior
Class President, I'm guessing that she is a senior. She might get confused
on that kind of rule, but one of her opponents would have pointed out
Brittany's ineligibility by now if it were the case.

> Same goes for Quinn as they can explain her as missing some
>>grades due to baby making.
>
> She's boring to me., I liked her in the first season, but now she just
> seems tired. She sucks the energy out of every scene she's in.

It is hard to root for a girl that is trying to mess up her baby's life. If
she'd get over that and start working on herself instead of always trying to
take from others, she would be more enjoyable onscreen. Still, the show
needs 'villains' and Quinn and Santana fit that measure.

[Steve Bartman]

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:57:28 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

>Supposedly he will be back as a guest sometime this season...probably tied
>to a holiday feel good and help out the homeless plotline.

I hadn't thought of that. Good idea if they do it. I actually liked
Sam more than a bunch of the other regulars.

>Ugh...no...not more Rachel/Mommy angst.

I didn't say I liked it. I would just prefer it to Baby Daddy.

An aside, I wouldn't have minded knowing more about Mercedes' or
Santana's home situation, or ever seeing Rachel's fathers.

Yes, Puck falling for her was
>predictable, but only because he wants to be involved with his kid's life
>and is trying to form himself into the image of a family man. That is why I
>hope the show dares to have it work out for them...just so we can listen to
>the PTC types complaining about the 'bad message for kids' when the message
>is that he grew up, settled down, and started caring for a family.

I'm fine with pissing off the PTC types, but I don't find it credible
that she would find Puck even remotely attractive as a life partner.
She's a grown-up.

>Kids quitting things at the drop of a hat...and changing their minds minutes
>later is very realistic plotting, though...

But they've done it to death with Rachel stomping off and Kurt
changing schools. The club itself is a skeleton now, and it's the club
which held the series together in the first two seasons. All pulling
together toward a goal.

>True, the show has cut back on some of the dream sequence style production
>numbers.

Maybe this is the source of some of my uncomfortableness. Originally
the show was a movie musical, a sort of live action cartoon. Sue
embodied this. So did the breaking-into-song-in-the-hallway. It was
why we could believe there could be slushies to the face on a daily
basis with no repercussions. (My wife is a PS teacher. The degree of
parental "I'll sue!" threats has never been higher.) The "contract"
the show made with the viewer was "Sit back, enjoy, this isn't real."
This season they seem to be drawing much more toward trying to show a
real HS experience, but they still want students to traipse down the
hallway singing to themselves. It's jarring.

>> He should. He brings a lot to the table for the writers. And he can
>> really sing.
>
>His singing is very 'stage-y', just as with Kurt. I'd rather see them
>recruit characters that can sing pop tunes than show tunes.

My understanding from posts here was that in RL he specializes in
swing music, hence maybe the hair style. They haven't given him much
singing yet.

>Bring in a new crop of kids with undefined ages and work out later if they
>started as Freshman or Sophmores, just as with this group of kids.

I thought they defined Rachel as a Soph. in the pilot.

To some extent they can waffle, but they have to give viewers a place
to stand to some degree if the plots are going to work. A freshman is
an order of magnitude more socially immature than a senior. It's
probably the biggest gap in anyone's lifetime. If they want hardcore
romance and sexual tension they can't populate Season Four with
declared freshmen, but they also can't make an actor who is really 13
or 14 look like an 18 YO. At least not the males.

>I agree that I want Brittany to stay, but since she is running for Senior
>Class President, I'm guessing that she is a senior.

Another thing I don't get. I was student body president in my HS. The
campaign and election took ten days. The show runs sorta kinda against
real seasonal time. (It's the end of football season in the show, just
as in the world.) Why are they electing a senior class president in
November? If it's for next year and she's a junior it's way too early.
Sometimes I think the writers never went to HS.

>It is hard to root for a girl that is trying to mess up her baby's life.

True.

If
>she'd get over that and start working on herself instead of always trying to
>take from others, she would be more enjoyable onscreen. Still, the show
>needs 'villains' and Quinn and Santana fit that measure.

I don't see Quinn as a villain. More a victim of monumentally bad
parenting, which they showed earlier. I think she's the most
intelligent female in the cast, but they haven't let that show much. I
hope she'll end up with a breakthrough before she leaves.

Santana is damaged too, in different ways, but I have no sympathy for
her. She's a sadist and a user, she knows it, and she likes it. I know
she represents a teen archetype, but she's distasteful.



Steve

[Obveeus]

"Steve Bartman" <sbar...@visi.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:57:28 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>>Ugh...no...not more Rachel/Mommy angst.
>
> I didn't say I liked it. I would just prefer it to Baby Daddy.

I'd prefer the baby plotline go away completely.

> An aside, I wouldn't have minded knowing more about Mercedes' or
> Santana's home situation, or ever seeing Rachel's fathers.

Rachel's fathers...yes. Mercedes I would just prefer to go away. I hadn't
thought about Santana's homelife, but I guess I'd rather not see another
plotline get added at the expense of seeing more with Kurt's Dad.

> Yes, Puck falling for her was
>>predictable, but only because he wants to be involved with his kid's life
>>and is trying to form himself into the image of a family man. That is why
>>I
>>hope the show dares to have it work out for them...just so we can listen
>>to
>>the PTC types complaining about the 'bad message for kids' when the
>>message
>>is that he grew up, settled down, and started caring for a family.
>
> I'm fine with pissing off the PTC types, but I don't find it credible
> that she would find Puck even remotely attractive as a life partner.
> She's a grown-up.

She is a 'grown-up' in age, but pretty much everything we had seen from her
before she adopted the baby indicated that she still acts like a child. In
any case, I doubt she will go for Puck...beyond the momentary carnal stuff.

>>Kids quitting things at the drop of a hat...and changing their minds
>>minutes
>>later is very realistic plotting, though...
>
> But they've done it to death with Rachel stomping off and Kurt

Just like many real teenagers that live in high-drama every day.

> changing schools. The club itself is a skeleton now, and it's the club
> which held the series together in the first two seasons. All pulling
> together toward a goal.

...and by the end of this season they will all spin back together again.

>>True, the show has cut back on some of the dream sequence style production
>>numbers.
>
> Maybe this is the source of some of my uncomfortableness. Originally
> the show was a movie musical, a sort of live action cartoon. Sue
> embodied this. So did the breaking-into-song-in-the-hallway. It was
> why we could believe there could be slushies to the face on a daily
> basis with no repercussions. (My wife is a PS teacher. The degree of
> parental "I'll sue!" threats has never been higher.) The "contract"
> the show made with the viewer was "Sit back, enjoy, this isn't real."
> This season they seem to be drawing much more toward trying to show a
> real HS experience, but they still want students to traipse down the
> hallway singing to themselves. It's jarring.

I don't see that much of a change...and the slushies this year are still
around a bit...along with the very dream sequency number in the school
courtyard that ended with the Cheerios setting the Glee piano on fire...no
real reprecussions for anyone.

> To some extent they can waffle, but they have to give viewers a place
> to stand to some degree if the plots are going to work. A freshman is
> an order of magnitude more socially immature than a senior. It's
> probably the biggest gap in anyone's lifetime. If they want hardcore
> romance and sexual tension they can't populate Season Four with
> declared freshmen, but they also can't make an actor who is really 13
> or 14 look like an 18 YO. At least not the males.

Who said that they want hardcore sexual tension or romance any more this
season (or next) than they did in the first season? Teens thinking they are
in love and have found their lifetime partner before they are even old
enough to drivre isn't a groundbreaking idea...and that can lead to plenty
of romantic tension/angst without any 'sex'...or with it.

>>I agree that I want Brittany to stay, but since she is running for Senior
>>Class President, I'm guessing that she is a senior.
>
> Another thing I don't get. I was student body president in my HS. The
> campaign and election took ten days. The show runs sorta kinda against
> real seasonal time. (It's the end of football season in the show, just
> as in the world.) Why are they electing a senior class president in
> November? If it's for next year and she's a junior it's way too early.
> Sometimes I think the writers never went to HS.

I think the writers just don't care to be too literal about that
stuff...same as the kids being in school all day long and yet never doing
anything except walking the halls and attending Glee club.

> If
>>she'd get over that and start working on herself instead of always trying
>>to
>>take from others, she would be more enjoyable onscreen. Still, the show
>>needs 'villains' and Quinn and Santana fit that measure.
>
> I don't see Quinn as a villain. More a victim of monumentally bad
> parenting, which they showed earlier. I think she's the most
> intelligent female in the cast, but they haven't let that show much. I
> hope she'll end up with a breakthrough before she leaves.

The breakthrough she needs is to find something for herself instead of
always looking to take other people's stuff. She also needs to care a whole
lot less about what other people think as she spends way too much time
trying to jockey for prom Queen style status symbols. Rachel is obsessed
with seeing her name in lights, but Quinn is obsessed with having people see
her name in lights.

> Santana is damaged too, in different ways, but I have no sympathy for
> her. She's a sadist and a user, she knows it, and she likes it. I know
> she represents a teen archetype, but she's distasteful.

...and yet her character genuinely cares about Brittany. I have yet to see
Quinn's character genuinely care about anyone.

[~consul]

'tis on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:48:06 -0600, wrote Steve Bartman thus to essay our thoughts to discern upon

-------- Original Message --------
> I'm still wondering how they're going to break in the new cast when
> the first one graduates almost as a bloc. Is Irish Kid going to stick?
> If so his singing is great, but he needs acting lessons.

I know! He can't even portray a leprechaun right!
--
"... respect, all good works are not done by only good folk. For here, at the end of all things, we shall do what needs to be done."
--till next time, consul -x- <<poetry.dolphins-cove.com>>

[~consul]

'tis on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:08:43 -0600, wrote Steve Bartman thus to essay our thoughts to discern upon

-------- Original Message --------
> On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:23:17 -0500, "Obveeus"<Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>> With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile.
> Me either, and that's a lot of what I started watching the show to
> see. Larger production numbers, with different forms of dancing. Look
> back at the song in the shopping mall with the escalators from Season
> One and compare to what we've been given this season. Lame.

Looks like the plays/musicals are going to be the venue for joint performances.

>> The West Side Story production WAS a school play, though...not a part of
>> Glee club. Finn specifically did not want to be part of it because he
>> needed to concentrate on Football and Glee/dancing. Others specifically did

> I get all that, but I still didn't like the fracturing. The play could
> have been a glee club production a la Rocky Horror. But even if it
> wasn't they went to all that trouble and build-up with the casting and
> Artie's sub-plot, and we got six minutes of play. It's a great
> musical, but not really known to a lot of viewers under 40. They

For the audience that likes this type of show, I think they would have at least a passing familiarity with the musical. IMO.

> missed a chance to let it all hang out and show a good portion of the
> action, especially to put the songs in some context. And I REALLY
> wanted to see Kurt as Officer K. It just felt very abrupt. They're in
> the heat of the action, then they cut to the empty post-show stage
> where they TALK about what happened. SHOW ME!

That is the fault of the writers/editors, as it should have been how their real lives were being mirrored in the musical. They did it a little with Santana and whatshername, but not ... on the nose about it enough.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Remysun <remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Crap. I thought the DVR was starting so I could attend to my business,
>but it never switched channels after the hard drive finished warming

>up. As a result, my commentary has to wait sometime between tomorrow
>(if my sister DVR'ed it) and 8 days (for Hulu).

>My apologies, so here is the logline from Wikipedia:

>The school musical West Side Story is readied for performance, with
>Artie as lead director. Mike argues with his father regarding his role
>in the musical, while Coach Beiste gains an admirer in the form of a
>football recruiter. Kurt and Blaine debate whether to have sex, as do

>Rachel and Finn, the latter of whom is worried about being recruited

>for college football. The Dalton Academy Warblers return, as does Dave
>Karofsky (Max Adler).

>Songs:
>"Tonight"
>"Uptown Girl"
>"A Boy Like That"
>"I Have a Love"
>"America"

>"One Hand, One Heart"

>Anybody want to five star poll (or nominate Line of the Night and
>Newport Award)?

>5 Stars -- a tender emotional experience
>0 Stars -- painful, awkward, poking moment you wish you could forget

Several Leonard Hofstadter songs made tonight's episode far better than
the usual pop tune crap. I'd have prefered that the songs weren't
played over the scenes, sigh.

Coach Beiste's love scenes were charming and funny. The kids' love scenes
made me want to throw up, although Kurt's disgust with Blaine in the
parking lot was decently acted.

Nice production of "America". Clever to have the Jets in the audience.

I agree with Artie: Rachel and Blaine had zero chemistry. They didn't
even look at each other singing "Tonight", although they got better in
"One Heart". One questions how the hell the two of them got cast as lovers.

As always, The Warblers remind the viewer of what a glee club might be,
but they get awful music to sing. "Uptown Girl" is one fucking depressing
song. It's a crap, throwaway pop tune. We're supposed to think Billy Joel
is proclaiming his love for Christie Brinkley, but Miss Brinkley deserved
a much better song. Joel got the girl, then he lost her because the two
of them never saw each other during the marriage, except when she popped
into his music videos. Their marriage was effectively over after a few
months, though they wouldn't get divorced for several years. What a
fucking jerk.

[Arthur Lipscomb]

Nope, not even a minute (plus it will record minus the overlap).
Sometimes the problem can be fixed by deleting the recording then
setting it again.

[Remysun]

On Nov 8, 11:58 pm, "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

> Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
> unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...

Technically, no one's stopping you, but there's also several methods
of calculating average which throws out the lowest score, and then
there's the issue about empowering trolls. I think there's not enough
data points being collected as is, and that makes the troll influence
more disturbing.

Solution? A set of calculations that only accept zero scores from
those who have given non-zero scores in the past. That way, trolls are
either eliminated or their effect is pushed to the mean, ironically
blunting their meanness.

Because what we really want to see is the fan base eroding in relation
to its jump the shark moment.

[Remysun]

On Nov 9, 11:22 am, "Ian J. Ball" <ijball-NO_S...@mac.invalid> wrote:

> So that's a "Go ahead and vote!!"??!!  ;p

And at least you admitted it. I'll make sure you have a calculation
with your vote included.

[Remysun]

On Nov 9, 11:20 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> I really liked the Coach Bieste storyline.  Another adult female virgin on
> the show.  On the other hand, I was having a hard time with the idea that
> Ohio State shows up for personal visits to a highschool that doesn't play
> more than mediocre football.  I sure hope that Finn's delusions of playing
> at Ohio State are not on par with the other character's beliefs in their
> entertainment career futures...though I suspect otherwise.

Mediocre? They won the Super Bowl Thriller game for the division,
remember?

[Obveeus]

Yes, that was a 'monster' game. Still, that probably isn't the recruiting
criteria that OSU uses.

[Obveeus]

"Remysun" <remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Nov 8, 11:58 pm, "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

>> Hey! - Can i just give "Glee" a "0" in every one of these polls, sight
>> unseen?! Or will people just say I'm a "meanie" if I do that!?!...

>Solution? A set of calculations that only accept zero scores from
>those who have given non-zero scores in the past. That way, trolls are
>either eliminated or their effect is pushed to the mean, ironically
>blunting their meanness.

If you want the results of the poll to be useful, you should *always* throw
out Ian's vote on anything as he is always wrong.

[Remysun]

On Nov 9, 11:49 am, "Ian J. Ball" <ijb...@mac.com> wrote:

> OK, I will, but only if I can vote to give all of W/Q's TV show
> ratings postings 0 out 10 stars as well...

Google Groups took away an opportunity to give a 1 out of 5.

[Remysun]

On Nov 9, 11:20 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> Side note:  I read recently that DVRs use about 10% of a home's total
> electric bill.  Are the things really that much of an electricity hog?

35 W, according to the manual. It's gotta be the 24/7 electronic
standby, versus the mechanical operations of a VCR.

> The Artie storyline here was great.  I expected him to turn into a diva
> crazed with power, but instead the episode gave him more depth/honesty.

> Parents can be such tools...is it any wonder that so many shows portray
> parents 'disowning' their kids for not growing up to be what they wanted?

> I really liked the Coach Bieste storyline.  Another adult female virgin on
> the show.

I like the Beiste angle, but that's so many afv's, it's a problem, and
in "Mash Off", the attack ad throws Sue into the afv mix.

> On the other hand, I was having a hard time with the idea that
> Ohio State shows up for personal visits to a highschool that doesn't play
> more than mediocre football.

They'll show up as long as there's a player they might be interested
in, but it wasn't Finn.

> I sure hope that Finn's delusions of playing
> at Ohio State are not on par with the other character's beliefs in their
> entertainment career futures...though I suspect otherwise.

I think the assessment took him off the high horse he had from last
year's title.

> The show did an excellent job with this...combining simple horniness (Finn)
> with desires to grow up (Rachel/Blaine), get it out of the way before
> college (Rachel again), and love (Kurt) into a decent mix of realistic
> teenage angst.

At the same time, the show did point out that the virginity thing was
done in "The Power of Madonna".

> The best thing about the Warblers was the female (librarian?) they sang to,
> which looked like Brittany with dark hair.  Other than that, their uptown
> boy vocals really cut the heart out of a great song.

They just couldn't go downtown, not being The Beezelbubs.

> My 'Newport Award' goes to the comedic bit about vegan meat substitutes
> because I thought of him when that scene aired.  Yes, I know, I'm missusing
> the award title.

Nice touch. We'll make that a Special Libretto Award. Call it when you
see it.

[Remysun]

On Nov 10, 8:23 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> "Steve Bartman" <sbart...@visi.com> wrote:

> > Just to be clear, I don't dislike any of the sub-plots. I especially
> > liked the Coach B. one. I just think there are too many of them too
> > fast.
>
> This show does have a lot of balls in the air, but that is a better
> predicament than the majority of shows where there are only one or two
> plotlines and they are played out at an excrutiatingly slow pace.

Except the show has gone slow with class elections at the wrong time
of year taking longer to hold than it does to cast and rehearse a
musical.

> Given that the second Glee club has evolved as an all female group so far,
> I'm wondering if the future will have Shuster's group as all-boys and the
> second club as all-girls and play the two groups against each other that way
> until there is a re-merger.

Won't happen. Quinn's been refused and Rachel won't leave Finn, nor
Tina leave Mike. But there is a hint that Schuster's gonna be the
motive force for the reunion, since he broke the group up.

> For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
> winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that goal.

Except we're invested now. If they backslide, there had better be a
good reason.

> With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile.  I'm
> wondering at what point the 'must have 12 members to compete' clause will
> come back into play and make everyone realize that neither Glee club is
> currently big enough.

It almost came back in "Mash Off".

[Remysun]

Line of the Night: "I've got pound cake. Sara Lee." (Nutty, woody,
creamy flavor with just a burst of cherry...)

Steve Newport Award: "America", adding Jets to the Sharks' number,
although "A Boy Like That" had that nice Chicago counterpoint
technique as that Warbler wooed Blaine. "Uptown Girl" caused upchunks.

The episode was too Logo, going to the gay bar (underage) on drag
night, but it was good to see Karofsky again. He's gone through the
stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance,
mnemonically named by TV Funhouse as "Drink alcohol before doing
anal."

Artie was an ass to insist that Maria and Tony had to have lost their
virginity. The Romeo and Juliet story loses its power without the
chastity. Just a bunch of skanks otherwise. And although I liked what
he said about overcoming his handicap, since when does the director
get congratulated like that before the curtain call?

Coach Beiste deserves some love, but from next week's preview for "I
Kissed a Girl", it looks like she won't get it.

Keong Sim still plays Mike Chang, Sr., in an almost Dead Poets Society
plot.

I have a happy solution for Finn. Many Ohio high school players end up
playing for Michigan, and their theater program has a good rep from
being Arthur Miller's alma mater.

But we missed some Schustinbury, which is the first time I think many
fans were waiting for.

[Remysun]

On Nov 10, 9:57 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> His singing is very 'stage-y', just as with Kurt.  I'd rather see them
> recruit characters that can sing pop tunes than show tunes.

Kurt singing EMF's "Unbelievable" at Rachel's backstabbing would have
been real good.

[Remysun]

On Nov 16, 8:39 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> Yes, that was a 'monster' game.  Still, that probably isn't the recruiting
> criteria that OSU uses.

No, they hear who the local stars are and check them out.

[Obveeus]

"Remysun" <remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Nov 10, 8:23 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:
>> "Steve Bartman" <sbart...@visi.com> wrote:
>
>> > Just to be clear, I don't dislike any of the sub-plots. I especially
>> > liked the Coach B. one. I just think there are too many of them too
>> > fast.
>>
>> This show does have a lot of balls in the air, but that is a better
>> predicament than the majority of shows where there are only one or two
>> plotlines and they are played out at an excrutiatingly slow pace.
>
>Except the show has gone slow with class elections at the wrong time
>of year taking longer to hold than it does to cast and rehearse a
>musical.

I'm not sure why you think school elections don't take longer than school
musical casting...though yes, the time to actually get to the point of
putting on a show takes nearly the whole semester. Of course, real Glee
clubs only learn/practice/perform a dozen or so songs in an entire year as
well so the show is going to have to be unrealistic about the quantity of
music/performance or it would be very boring as a main topic.

>> For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
>> winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that
>> goal.
>
>Except we're invested now.

We are? Not me. I could care less if they win Nationals or don't even make
it to Nationals. The show could put together good storylines for either
outcome.

> If they backslide, there had better be a good reason.

The team splitting isn't a good enough reason already for them to backslide?
Heck, the only reason they even made it last time was through the hokey-ness
of a tie at Regionals.

>> With the split, I don't see them all performing together for awhile. I'm
>> wondering at what point the 'must have 12 members to compete' clause will
>> come back into play and make everyone realize that neither Glee club is
>> currently big enough.
>
>It almost came back in "Mash Off".

The one thing that is clear is that Shelby is a much better recruiter than
Will Shuster. She has a whole bunch of background singers in place already
and Will has only been able to add 2 students in total...both brought to him
by other members of the Glee club.

[Remysun]

On Nov 11, 12:21 am, "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:

> I agree with Artie: Rachel and Blaine had zero chemistry. They didn't
> even look at each other singing "Tonight", although they got better in
> "One Heart". One questions how the hell the two of them got cast as lovers.

It's actually more important to project one's voice towards the
audience than to appear singing to each other.

[Obveeus]

"Remysun" <remys...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> The episode was too Logo, going to the gay bar (underage)

I liked the show's subtle emphasis on the word 'the'...as in 'THE gay bar'
rather than 'A gay bar'...because the town only has one.

> I have a happy solution for Finn. Many Ohio high school players end up
> playing for Michigan, and their theater program has a good rep from
> being Arthur Miller's alma mater.

Finn played several years of high-school football where the team didn't win
any games. Nothing has suggested that he is capable of playing college ball
at all, and certainly not for a decent program. Perhaps he could play
college football at the University of Findlay?

[Remysun]

You also pointed out the improvement, which I take was a dramatic arc,
hopefully to refute the idea that they needed to lose their virginity
in order to be better actors.

[Remysun]

On Nov 16, 10:59 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

> I'm not sure why you think school elections don't take longer than school
> musical casting...though yes, the time to actually get to the point of
> putting on a show takes nearly the whole semester.

by using the word "and", I meant the whole process from start to
finish, not either/or.

> Of course, real Glee
> clubs only learn/practice/perform a dozen or so songs in an entire year as
> well so the show is going to have to be unrealistic about the quantity of
> music/performance or it would be very boring as a main topic.

Yeah, the lesson learned from only one soundtrack album from The
Heights.

> >> For me, the centntral part of the show is the characters, not the goal of
> >> winning Nationals as I could really care less if they accomplish that
> >> goal.

> >Except we're invested now.
>
> We are?  Not me.  I could care less if they win Nationals or don't even make
> it to Nationals.  The show could put together good storylines for either
> outcome.

First season, they had to win Sectionals. Regionals could be the
season ending heartbreaker. The second season premiere made New York
City mandatory. To deprive this season of all that competition leaves
only these love-hate subplots and graduation. And the show has a
history of starting strong, only to have weak episodes later on in the
season.

> > If they backslide, there had better be a good reason.
>
> The team splitting isn't a good enough reason already for them to backslide?
> Heck, the only reason they even made it last time was through the hokey-ness
> of a tie at Regionals.

And last year's tie with The Warblers was dumb.

> The one thing that is clear is that Shelby is a much better recruiter than
> Will Shuster.  She has a whole bunch of background singers in place already
> and Will has only been able to add 2 students in total...both brought to him
> by other members of the Glee club.

They are background and The Cheerios outfit on at least one suggests
Santana's influence. But Shelby should be better than Will. Her
handicap is being the second club.

[Adam H. Kerman]

The "learning to act" bit is about getting whom you want in the sack into
a relationship, not about sex itself...