Blame the "Thong Song," or how I lost my glee for "Glee"

I know the exact moment that I lost all desire to ever watch "Glee" again. It came early in the Oct. 21 episode, "Mash-Up," and frankly, it's the most embarrassed I've ever felt while watching a TV show.

Having been behind in my DVR viewing, this only happened Monday night. My wife and I were feeling a little uneasy about "Glee" in recent weeks -- man, Will's not-so-pregnant wife is annoying as crap -- but we decided to keep going because we love Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) sharp barbs and genuinely had interest, maybe even a slight sense of empathy, for characters like Finn and Will.

Then it happened: the moment I had been dreading ever since I decided to give "Glee" a chance. Yeah, its pilot had won me over. And yeah, Lynch is hysterical as a diabolical cheer coach. But once Will (Matthew Morrison) began cheesily rapping to Young MC's "Bust a Move," I knew the writing was on the wall.

Look, I accept that "Glee" is about a high school glee club and therefore is going to have music be an integral part of the show. I can also live with the idea that anyone, at any time, can break into song in over-the-top fashion. When done properly -- you know, with actual plot integration in mind -- it can be quite amusing and clever (see gay Kurt dancing to "Single Ladies" or Will's man-band grooving to Color Me Badd).

But there's also a reason "Cop Rock" is an all-time TV punchline. The idea of watching actors, even highly skilled ones, always gliding effortlessly into song or busting out jazz hands becomes redundant and ridiculous over time. Add novelty songs that no one would ever want to hear again to the mix, and folks, you have a recipe for disaster.

So when, moments after Will finished writhing to Young MC, the suave glee leader busted out a stunningly unwatchable version of Sisqo's "Thong Song" in front of Emma -- wearing a wedding dress ... ugh, don't ask -- I turned to my wife, she turned to me, and we mutually decided that we couldn't, in good conscience, continue on.

And with that, "Glee" was stopped mid-episode, never to return to my DVR list.

Now, part of me gets the joke. "Glee" is so outlandish because, in many ways, it's a parody of high school dramas, musicals and soap operas. I understand that Quinn never takes off her cheerleading uniform. I get that Rachel is supposed to rival the "American Idol" wannabe who really believes that dreams of stardom will come true. And again, I totally get that music is a HUGE part of the show and will help sell countless CDs and spur Gleeks everywhere to make their own YouTube videos.

But as smart and sweet as "Glee" can sometimes be, this show isn't for someone with my discerning taste. The plots are nonsensical (fake pregnancies, secret engagements), the song choices too transparent or intentionally bad. The final nail in the coffin -- Will grinding to "Thong Song," full facial expressions and smoky vocals in tow -- was more embarrassing than watching a bunch of overzealous guests perform a drunken version of "The Electric Slide" at a wedding.

I wanted "Glee" to morph into "Freaks and Geeks" with a few clever music references tossed in, but sadly, it's a song and dance pairing that wasn't meant to be. "Thong Song" made sure of that.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com

So Far So Good: One Blogger's Quick Review of Fall TV

OK, so it's only been like a month since the Fall TV season started, but what better time to evaluate the shows that have invaded my weekly routine and a few that just haven't quite made the leap to must-watch.

With "30 Rock" returning this week -- featuring a delightful guest spot from the ever-creepy Steve Buscemi -- the demands on my television watching (and my DVR) will only increase, so it's time for a little editing down of my weekly watching routine. So, who's in and who's out?

"The Good Wife": OK, so the politico-geek in me nearly squealed when last night's episode made reference to a shady real estate developer named Gerald Koztco that Chris Noth's embattled state's attorney Peter Florrick may have had dealings with. Ummm, Tony Rezko, anyone? Anyone? This show just seems to get better with every episode, and it's become a must on my list.

"Community": If John Oliver and Ken Jeong are in every episode, I would watch nothing but this show on repeat. Although it was hit-or-miss last week, the show has managed to pull off its ridiculousness with ease. It's a got a great "Scrubs"-esque cast of secondary characters like Jeong as Señor Chang that'll definitely keep me hooked for the season.

"Glee": Unfortunately this one's out. It's not that I don't find it funny. It's not that I dislike it. It's not that I don't think Jane Lynch deserves every award under the sun for her hilarious turn as Sue. It's just that the whole musical angle of it -- kind of important to the premise of the show -- bugs me in a scratch-your-eyes-out way, and I just can't get past it.

"Modern Family": Here's another critical hit I'm just not feeling the love for, although I may watch for Shelley Long and Benjamin Bratt who show up as exes on the show. It's funny and well-written, but I'm feeling underwhelmed by the premise and the characters. I think this'll just have to be one of those I watch when there's nothing else on.

"The Vampire Diaries": Oh, I admit it. This is my guilty pleasure for the season, but I don't feel so guilty anymore since I found out that Ken Tucker of EW enjoys this show almost as much as I do. It's a lot darker than I originally imagined (there have already been a couple of fairly gruesome deaths that I may have fast forwarded through on the DVR). And ever since the show revealed a potential anti-vampire coalition including the local Sheriff and a TV news reporter, it seems the show actually has a plot that goes beyond teen angst and brooding looks.

All in all, it seems like the fall season has been shaping up pretty well. Any fall shows you think I should be watching or shows that you think I've treated unfairly? Let me know in the comments below.

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypresssgazette.com

"Glee" earns an encore

I warned my wife before we watched Fox's "tweet-peat" of the "Glee" pilot this weekend that it might be a complete waste of our time.

Admittedly, I was trying to retain some credibility in case the quirky show choir comedy turned out to be more "High School Musical" than "Freaks & Geeks," but honestly, I really didn't know what to expect.

After a much-ballyhooed premiere following "American Idol" in May, Fox saved the second episode for fall's big bang (8 p.m., Wednesday to be exact), creating some heavy buzz on Twitter and other social networking sites. I wanted to watch the pilot when it originally aired, but conveniently forgot ... so that led me to avoid critical write-ups, and more or less hope that I'd be given the opportunity to find the show on my own.

Set in an Ohio high school, "Glee" follows a dysfunctional show choir led by the talented but Tracy Flick-ish Rachel Berry (Lea Michele in a star turning role). Spanish teacher and Neil Patrick Harris-lookalike Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) plays your typical wide-eyed teacher trying to change the world, and when given the opportunity to take over the slumping show choir -- thanks to a particularly amusing plot twist and teacher dismissal -- he begins to dream big.

Only problem? Five misfits, including Berry, comprise the glee club, or a group about as far down on the social totem pole as the acne-ridden geeks who used to convene in the cafeteria at my high school so they could play "Magic: The Gathering." (Sorry for piling on, guys. I hope you've adjusted to the real world by now.)

When Berry threatens to quit because she can't take the ridicule from peers any longer, Schuester faces a near-impossible task -- transforming the glee club into something cool on campus. In a twist of fate, he overhears star quarterback/'80s monster ballad enthusiast Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) singing REO Speedwagon in the locker room shower, and thanks to the power of some pot-fueled blackmail, finds a studly male counterpart who can hang with Berry's impressive vocals.

Without giving anything else away, the "Glee" pilot succeeds by sticking with archetypes that everyone who has survived high school can relate to. One one side of the hallway stands the uber popular crew of jocks and cheerleaders ("Cheerios" headed by the awesomely evil Jane Lynch.) On the other, social outcasts that live face down in the toilet bowl.

While parts of the pilot come across as heavy-handed and all-too familiar, the inner workings of the high school caste system can breed comedy gold. Already, Lynch's Sue Sylvester is a standout, a heartless taskmaster who is used to winning trophies and monopolizing the market of popular bubbly blondes. She couldn't even being to comprehend life with a competing social entity like a well-rounded glee club. However, you can see the gears turning in Will's head. He plans to push her at every turn.

Those monumental face-offs -- others include Will and his controlling wife; Finn and teammate/school bully, Puck; Rachel and Finn's celibate girlfriend -- should be enough to carry the show through one season. Ultimately, they'll have to work around some of the cheesier, cliche-ridden components and really dig deep into the dark humor that I found so inviting. Subtlety could also go a long way.

Having Alexander Payne's "Election" as an early reference point is a great start. So far, "Glee" has made use of the movie's inner monologues, quick-cut backstories (Finn's is particularly memorable) and quirky background instrumentals. "Glee" also steals liberally from "Freaks" -- McKinley High for the school name, the Mathlete-like wordplay of Cheerios -- but doesn't (and probably won't) feature the soul-crushing realism of Paul Feig's masterpiece.

So while every critic has seemingly chimed in with an opinion, the hype here is that "Glee" has a chance to bring the high school dramedy to a new level thanks to its bold musical numbers. They're ready made for big ratings and if done right as over the top parodies, big laughs.

That could be a huge turnoff to those who like their teenage angst a little less glitzy, but for most, it'll be a nice ray of sunshine in what plays out like a relatively gloomy high school existence. We'll see if Wednesday's second episode picks up where the entertaining pilot left off.

To watch the "Glee" pilot online visit www.fox.com/glee.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com

Who's up for some jazz hands?

Everyone's writing about new Fox show "Glee" as if it's some cataclysmic event that we should all be aware of in TV land. Honestly, it must be the post-"American Idol" time slot, because the number of stories I've seen on the Web and wire have been pretty alarming.

Anyway, I'd normally be dismissive of the premise -- anything that resembles "High School Musical" or features hyperactive show choir kids at the center of each episode wouldn't seem to be up my alley -- but so far, I've read comparisons to a favorite TV show ("Freaks and Geeks"), a favorite movie ("Election") and have been teased with a future appearance by the darling Kristin Chenoweth. Apparently, these reviewers know how to evoke a Pavlovian response from me.

Of course, those could all be super lazy comparisons considering "Glee" is set in a high school, but based on what I've read, I'd be interested enough to find out. (Plus, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, who I don't always agree with, makes a pretty compelling argument with his enthusiasm for the show.)

So I may or may not TiVo "Glee" just for kicks. After all, it's only a one episode investment. In a somewhat unprecedented move, Fox is airing the pilot after "Idol" -- and will probably get a huge spike because of that -- then saving the remaining episodes for fall.

Want to know more? Well, it's by the "Nip/Tuck" guy, Ryan Murphy. It's on whenever "Idol" wraps up its karaoke-fest tonight. Also, no one at the show apparently got the memo that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has been run into the ground.

Read the abundance of articles from the AV Club, Alan Sepinwall's blog and Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune for further details. Also worth checking out: the AV Club did a "Random Roles" interview with "Glee's" Jane Lynch, who seems to be in every major comedy project these days.

Watch it and report back to us tomorrow with your thoughts!



-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com

TV Potpourri: Dr. Rory Gilmore on ER, Fox's new "Glee" club

Hugh Jackman wasn't kidding: the musical IS apparently back.

Everyone's favorite TV guru, Michael Ausiello, reports at EW.com that Fox's upcoming musical comedy "Glee" will feature Broadway and television veterans Kristin Chenoweth (serenity now, Tom) and Victor Garber ("Alias") as recurring cast members on the mid-season replacement for "American Idol." Described as a sort of "Friday Night Lights" for the drama geeks, the show follows the efforts of a Spanish teacher trying to makeover the school's less-than-excellent glee club. Did I mention that Ryan Murphy, best known as the creator of the deliciously weird "Nip/Tuck" is responsible for this?

More News from the ER

Apparently Rory Gilmore couldn't hack it in the news biz, so she moved on to... medical school? "Gilmore Girls" star Alexis Bledel has signed on to guest star in the "ER" series finale on April 2 as new intern Julia Wise, according to Radar. On the heels of the much-anticipated return of George Clooney (supposedly in the March 12 episode) to the show, it's not terribly exciting, but we're looking forward to a lot of speed talking and coffee. Speaking of Clooney's return, he did tell Larry King that his appearance will coincide with another big-name guest star: Susan Sarandon.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com