Glee

Glee Season Four: “The New Rachel”.

/ Lisa

Glee cast promo pic, source: google images.

Last night the first episode of season four of Glee aired on New Zealand television – less than a week after it first aired in the States! Yay!

So, first of all, thanks Four for doing this. This is one of the major issues with TV networks in New Zealand and Four is doing something to rectify it. Because seeing spoilers is quite lame.

However, I was less than impressed with the new episode.

During season three, I started to not like Glee as much as I did when it first started, but I thought it redeemed itself a little by the end of the season. I had hopes that season four would continue with the redeeming, but after seeing the first episode, I am sorely disappointed.

The first thing that really irked me was that the New Directioners had become ‘popular’ and were starting to act like the rest of the ‘popular’ people. As in, they began being mean.

I was actually sitting there thinking, “WHAT?” Especially when Artie joined in in the mocking of the lunch lady. Why wouldn’t he just tell them to shove off? They all know what it is like to be picked on and need to stick up for each other. I was unimpressed.

The next thing that irked me was that they only let one new person into the group. Sure, there were some bad auditions, but Sugar Motta (Vanessa Lengies) is part of the group and she can’t sing or dance. I don’t get it. Especially because I thought Jake (Jacob Artist) was amazing and he wasn’t included in the list! Then, the one person who was added, Marley (Melissa Benoist), was rather so-so.

There was even a quote by Artie about acceptance. This entire episode for me showed they are definitely not accepting anymore. There doesn’t have to be a set number in New Directions and over the last three seasons they have been all about getting more people. They should be ecstatic that so many people want to be part of the group now.

The fight about who would be “The New Rachel”? No, just no. This was an absurd competition and it shouldn’t have been Blaine who won either. Yes, I like Blaine, but gosh, he gets so many songs already. Share it around!

Now, I know a fair few of the characters were seniors and were moving on and you got a taste of where a few of them had headed, but aren’t they still part of the cast? I’m not sure anymore. Santana and Mercedes are by far two of the best singers and they were no where to be seen.

And where was Rory?! The other Glee Project winners were there. In fact Alex Newell, who originally only won a smaller episode arc than Damian McGinty, looks to have become a series regular, which I highly agree with. But was this at the cost of Damian?

After all of this, I was quite disappointed in Glee and it did not leave me feeling good, like it usually does.

I will give it a few concessions. As already mentioned the addition of Alex Newell to be a regular is great. I also quite liked Kate Hudson’s character. That was done right. I enjoyed her. Leading on from this, I also liked the Rachel storyline and the addition of Kurt at the end was great. But I’m thinking, and it was mentioned on Twitter, that it would have been so much better if a Kurt and Rachel spin-off had occurred. That would have been amazing.

So overall, I was not that impressed. I will keep watching, probably, because I’m still invested in it. But I think I would have preferred to see more of the contestants from The Glee Project actually make it on to Glee instead of ‘Marley’, they at least are not blah, which is my initial impressions of Marley, and probably won’t change.

Amy Winehouse.

/ Lisa

So the big news in the entertainment world today is that Amy Winehouse has been found dead in her London apartment.

Wow.

Kind of came out of the blue that one. When I read the news on twitter, I was actually shocked.

In all honesty, I’ve never been a huge fan of her. It’s her voice. It kind of grates me like Macy Gray. But I will admit she was a very skilled song writer. The lyrics and sound of her albums were awesome.

I developed this opinion when I heard the Glee version of ‘Rehab’. When I heard Winehouse singing it, I hated it. But when Glee did it, I fell in love with it.

I was really shocked at the news, because of the few articles I’ve written about her in recent months.

The first was this one about how she was clean and starting to get her life in order. She wanted to move to the country and have kids!

So how did she end up dead in her apartment this morning from a supposed drug overdose? One can only speculate, but the coroner’s report is sure going to need to answer some questions. Did she relapse and just take too much? Or did she mix alcohol and drugs? Who knows.

The other article I wrote was about Winehouse already having completed her new album, but it being delayed because she was entering rehab as a precaution before hitting the road.

So is there an album all ready to go, just waiting for a release date to be announced by record execs? Maybe. Only time will tell, because if it’s finished, there’s no point in letting it sit around not being listened to.

From today’s news reports she didn’t do too well on the road, having performed drunk and not impressing fans. So maybe this is the reason for a possible relapse and consequent death?

I’m just speculating, it will be interesting to watch what comes of it in the coming days and weeks.

But as someone mentioned on Twitter earlier today, she is another one to join the 27 Club.

Amy Winehouse: September 14 1983 – July 23 2011. Aged 27.

It’s been a while…

/ Lisa

As the headline says, it has been a while. My first post in… (actually, I can’t be bothered looking at the date of my last post) a few months, at least. So just a few musings…

AVATAR: It has become the highest grossing movie of all time. I honestly don’t know what all the fuss is about. Went to see it in 3D, which was barely a redeeming factor, because there totally could have been more stuff coming out at you. The storyline was barely existent and very reminiscent of Pocahontas. I agree that the CG animation is amazing and if Avatar wins Oscars for its special effects, good on ’em. However, if it gets best picture, which is highly likely, I will be ashamed of the entire human race. I like movies which actually have a plot and storyline, flashy blue aliens just don’t do it for me. But, I can understand why people are going to see it in their droves – as James Cameron says in January’s issue of Empire: “Controversy is more interesting than agreement. Controversy fuels curiosity.”

BIG DAY OUT: A week before I was to drive to Auckland I was very much contemplating selling my ticket. Until about 9pm I still wished I had. But then Muse took the stage. A-MAZ-ING. I loved seeing them play super massive black hole live and the amount of energy they exerted on stage was addictive to watch and listen. A redeeming act to the hot, sweaty, un-exciting, day that was the Big Day Out. Oh and Rise Against were rad to see again, but the sound on their stage was unbelievably shit making it difficult for them to be amazing.

UP IN THE AIR: Two words: George. Clooney. And another: SWOON. Personally part of me wants to live like his character Ryan Bingham – nothing in my backpack because I burnt it all (you’ll get this reference if you go see the movie) and I totally want one of those awesome 10 million miles cards. What could be better than flying all around the US and staying in totally sweet hotels and getting paid for it? Anyway, it’s about a company that fires people, that is the business. So with the economic down turn, their business is booming. Anna Kendrick plays his protege of sorts Natalie Keener. She proves she is so much more than Twilight and will probably still be making movies when K-Stew has used up all her Twilight fame. Definitely worth a watch, if not several.

MY SISTER’S KEEPER: I was so frikin’ angry they changed the ending. HOW DARE THEY. Bad Hollywood etiquette. Changing a novel’s end to make it more film worthy. BAD HOLLYWOOD, BAD.

THE INFORMANT: WTF? Adds new meaning to Matt Damon (said in that retarded-team-america way). What a fucking idiot. Has an Austin Powers feel to it, but ultimately the movie is just bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES: ZOMG. So good. 19th Century period England where they all fight zombies and were taught by ninjas. BRILLIANT. And of course there is Mr Darcy. Set to be turned in to a movie with Natalie Portman as Elizabeth. Can’t wait. Everytime I watch the 2005 film version of P&P I keep expecting zombies to jump out.

GLEE: TV Programme: amazing. Soundtrack No 1: amazing. Soundtrack No 2: amazing. Can’t wait for the second season. It’s like High School Musical but for adults. Oh and Cory Monteith who plays Finn is 28. Playing a 16-year-old. That’s just weird.

ANNOUNCED GIGS: Pixes announced a side show at The Powerstation on the 11th March and it sold out in 2 minutes. I didn’t even have a chance. However I have better things to do then, like The Backstreet Boys concert that’s happening at Vector. Then Cobra and Gaga. It will be a busy weekend. Paramore gig transferred locations to Waitakere Trusts Stadium in order to open up some more tickets because it sold out on the day and then the extra tickets sold out too. I am lucky enough to have one. Weeee! But still, gig’s now out west and not south, still does not make travel easy.

FALL OUT BOY: Chatter all week about Fall Out Boy officially breaking up because of some tweets sent by Pete and the gang saying they quit. Every band has to have a break at some point and that is what they are doing. They’ve recorded CD after CD and done nothing but tour for the last seven years. They’re on a break and they don’t know how long it will last. I’m going to take the come-backs-are-very-popular route. It gives me hope.

And hopefully this set of rants will have reinstated the weekly rant-athon and more regular postings.

Lisa out.