GLEE

[Sweet Lu]

Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. It focuses on a high school show choir (a modern glee club) called "New Directions", at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. The pilot episode of the show was broadcast after American Idol on May 19, 2009, and the first season began airing on September 9, 2009. On September 21, 2009, Fox officially gave the series a full-season pick-up. Glee aired its mid-season finale on December 9, 2009 and returned from a four-month hiatus on April 13, 2010, picking up the remaining nine episodes of the season. The spring premiere had an estimated 13.7 million viewers, nearly doubling in followers on its return. It was renewed for a second season, which began on September 21, 2010, and featured three new cast members.[1] On May 23, 2010, it was announced that Glee had been picked up for a third season.[2]

The show's creators, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, first conceived Glee as a film. Murphy selects the series' music, aiming to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits. Songs covered in the show are released through the iTunes Store during the week of broadcast, and a series of Glee albums has been initiated by Columbia Records, beginning with Glee: The Music, Volume 1, which was released on November 2, 2009. The music of Glee has been a commercial success, with over thirteen million digital single sales and five million album sales. It was confirmed in September 2010 that Murphy has plans to create a 3D concert-based Glee movie.[3]

The show has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers. The series won the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy and received three additional nominations for Best Actress (Lea Michele), Best Actor (Matthew Morrison), and Best Supporting Actress (Jane Lynch). The show won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy in 2010. Its first season also earned a Peabody Award. It received a comedy writing award at the Just for Laughs conference in Montreal in July 2010.[4] It won four Emmy Awards including Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jane Lynch, Outstanding Guest Actor for Neil Patrick Harris and Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series for Ryan Murphy's direction of the pilot episode. It was also nominated for 15 other Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress for (Lea Michele), Outstanding Actor for (Matthew Morrison), Outstanding Supporting Actor for (Chris Colfer), Outstanding Guest Actress for Kristin Chenoweth, and Outstanding Guest Actor for Mike O'Malley. It also received one writing nomination and one other nomination for directing.

Conception

Ian Brennan conceived Glee based on his own experience as a member of the Prospect High School show choir in Mount Prospect, Illinois.[5] He initially envisioned Glee as a film, rather than a television series, and wrote the first draft in August 2005 with the aid of Screenwriting for Dummies.[5] He completed the script in 2005, but could not generate interest in the project for several years.[6] Mike Novick, a television producer and a friend of Brennan's from Los Angeles, was a member of the same gym as Ryan Murphy, and gave him a copy of Brennan's script.[7] Murphy had been in a show choir in college, and felt he could relate to the script. Murphy and his Nip/Tuck colleague Falchuk suggested that Glee be produced as a television show. The script was entirely rewritten,[6] and was picked up by Fox within 15 hours of being received. Murphy attributed that, in part, to the network's success with American Idol. "It made sense for the network with the biggest hit in TV, which is a musical, to do something in that vein", he said.[8] Murphy and Falchuk became the show's executive producers and showrunners, while Brennan is a co-executive producer and Novick is a producer.[8] Brennan, Falchuk and Murphy write all of the show's episodes.[9]

Glee is set in Lima, Ohio.[10] Murphy chose a Midwest setting as he himself grew up in Indiana, and recalled childhood visits to Ohio to the Kings Island theme park.[11] Although set in Lima, the show is filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.[12] Murphy has said that he has never seen a High School Musical film, to which Glee has been compared, and that his interest lay in creating a "postmodern musical," rather than "doing a show where people burst into song," drawing more heavily on the format of Chicago.[13] Murphy intended the show to be a form of escapism. "There's so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around. This is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable. Everything's so dark in the world right now, that's why Idol worked. It's pure escapism," he said.[8] Murphy intended to make a family show to appeal to adults as well as children, with adult characters starring equally alongside the teenage leads.[8] Murphy has mapped out plans for the series covering a three years of broadcast.[14]

[edit] Music and choreography

Main articles: List of songs in Glee (season 1), List of songs in Glee (season 2), and Glee Cast discography

The series features numerous song covers sung onscreen by the characters.[15] Murphy is responsible for selecting all of the songs used, and strives to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits, as: "I want there to be something for everybody in every episode. That's a tricky mix, but that's very important — the balancing of that."[7] Song choices are integral to script development, with Murphy explaining: "Each episode has a theme at its core. After I write the script, I will choose songs that help to move the story along."[16]

Murphy was surprised at the ease with which use of songs was approved by the record labels approached, and explained: "I think the key to it is they loved the tone of it. They loved that this show was about optimism and young kids, for the most part, reinterpreting their classics for a new audience."[15] A minority of those approached refused to allow their music to be used, including Bryan Adams and Coldplay, however in June 2010, Coldplay reversed their decision, allowing Glee the rights to their catalog.[17] and Adams posted on his official Twitter account that the producers of Glee had never requested permission from him and urged them to "pick up the phone".[18] Composer and musician Billy Joel offered many of his songs for use on the show,[19] and other artists have offered use of their songs for free.[20] A series of Glee soundtrack albums have been released through Columbia Records. Songs featured on the show are available for digital download through iTunes up to two weeks before new episodes air, and through other digital outlets and mobile carriers a week later.[14]

Glee is choreographed by Zach Woodlee, and features five to eight production numbers per episode.[21] Once Murphy selects a song, rights are cleared with its publishers by music supervisor P. J. Bloom, and music producer Adam Anders rearranges it for the Glee cast.[14] Numbers are pre-recorded by the cast, while Woodlee constructs the accompanying dance moves, which are then taught to the cast and filmed.[7] Studio recordings of tracks are then made. The process begins six to eight weeks before each episode is filmed, and can end as late as the day before filming begins.[14] Each episode costs at least $3 million to produce,[7] and can take up to 10 days to film as a result of the elaborate choreography

[Sweet Lu]

this is my guilty pleasure show. lollll

[Ophelia_Immortal]

LOVE this show!

[wickedcrazyness]

I watched Glee for the first time this week. I decided the Britney Spears episode would be a good one to watch.

It was kind of cool how they acted out the music videos, but other than that I did not like it. I thought I would because so many other people I know do, but that was not the case. I sat through the whole episode trying to understand it's appeal. I didn't find it funny and I expected it to be much better (because of all of the hype surrounding it). I think when I was younger I probably would've liked it, but I was really disappointed.

Do they always just act out the persons music videos and then have a glee club performance at the end or is it different other episodes?

[Sweet Lu]

no, it is not always like that. They did it last season for a Madonna episode.

this was not one of their better ones and hopefully you may give it another chance next week when they get back to normal.

i agree, i was not impressed with the episode this week and do not like these "tribute" episodes, as they seemed forced and out of place. their normal epsiodes are so much better and well paced.

[NYBella]

I watched Glee for the first time this week. I decided the Britney Spears episode would be a good one to watch.

It was kind of cool how they acted out the music videos, but other than that I did not like it. I thought I would because so many other people I know do, but that was not the case. I sat through the whole episode trying to understand it's appeal. I didn't find it funny and I expected it to be much better (because of all of the hype surrounding it). I think when I was younger I probably would've liked it, but I was really disappointed.

Do they always just act out the persons music videos and then have a glee club performance at the end or is it different other episodes?

I feel the same. Mostly they just burst into song unless they're doing a tribute in which they'll dress like the artist and imitate their videos like they've done so far with Britney, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

The musical aspect is what makes the show, and that's mostly why I watch. There is a bit of comedy, but it's not all great. Without the music side, it would not be as popular. They choose great songs to cover, and a lot of times the younger viewers get a chance to get acquainted with older musicians and songs that they would have not been exposed to. So that's a great and big part of the show!

[Sweet Lu]

I watched Glee for the first time this week. I decided the Britney Spears episode would be a good one to watch.

It was kind of cool how they acted out the music videos, but other than that I did not like it. I thought I would because so many other people I know do, but that was not the case. I sat through the whole episode trying to understand it's appeal. I didn't find it funny and I expected it to be much better (because of all of the hype surrounding it). I think when I was younger I probably would've liked it, but I was really disappointed.

Do they always just act out the persons music videos and then have a glee club performance at the end or is it different other episodes?

I feel the same. Mostly they just burst into song unless they're doing a tribute in which they'll dress like the artist and imitate their videos like they've done so far with Britney, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

The musical aspect is what makes the show, and that's mostly why I watch. There is a bit of comedy, but it's not all great. Without the music side, it would not be as popular. They choose great songs to cover, and a lot of times the younger viewers get a chance to get acquainted with older musicians and songs that they would have not been exposed to. So that's a great and big part of the show!

wonderfully stated Bella.

[NYBella]

Thanks

[Sweet Lu]

i agree, my least fave episodes have been the tribute ones of madonna, britney and lady gaga/kiss. jsut seemed to out of place

[wickedcrazyness]

I watched Glee for the first time this week. I decided the Britney Spears episode would be a good one to watch.

It was kind of cool how they acted out the music videos, but other than that I did not like it. I thought I would because so many other people I know do, but that was not the case. I sat through the whole episode trying to understand it's appeal. I didn't find it funny and I expected it to be much better (because of all of the hype surrounding it). I think when I was younger I probably would've liked it, but I was really disappointed.

Do they always just act out the persons music videos and then have a glee club performance at the end or is it different other episodes?

I feel the same. Mostly they just burst into song unless they're doing a tribute in which they'll dress like the artist and imitate their videos like they've done so far with Britney, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

The musical aspect is what makes the show, and that's mostly why I watch. There is a bit of comedy, but it's not all great. Without the music side, it would not be as popular. They choose great songs to cover, and a lot of times the younger viewers get a chance to get acquainted with older musicians and songs that they would have not been exposed to. So that's a great and big part of the show!

Hm, ok. Maybe I should try watching one of the non-tribute episodes then.

[Sweet Lu]

I think that's a good idea

[annihilation]

I love Glee!

Did anyone watch the Rocky Horror Glee Show episode? It was really weird.

[Sweet Lu]

yeah it was, but in a fun way.

but i am anxious for Puck to get back on. these past two epsiodes have been seriosuly lacking woihtout him, in my opinion.

[annihilation]

Yeah, I agree. The show doesn't seem complete without him. He's supposed to be returning in the next episode.

[AnaBBarrosFan]

this is my guilty pleasure show. lollll

You should feel guilty...

[Sweet Lu]

this is my guilty pleasure show. lollll

You should feel guilty...

Lollllllllll

[alanmoore]

what can i say about this show, really awesome!! i watch it because of Sue Sylvester. She's awesome!!

[Sweet Lu]

Sue RULES!!!!!!

[MIke Hussy]

It's brilliant series . I always like to watch such type of stories . I have seen all seasons of this show . All seasons of this show are fantastic .

[mina]

The show only just started in germany, today was episode 3 where Kurt comes out to his father. I really liked it. Though my favorite charakter so far is Quinn, I just love her.