Golden Globe Winners & Thoughts

The Golden Globes were pretty entertaining tonight. Ricky Gervais did a solid job hosting, and they rushed it along nicely. I can’t say I was blown away like I am at the Oscars, but I digress. There were some unexpected winners, some great surprises (some not so good), so below is a list of the TV nominations (minus mini-series) and my thoughts.

Best Television Series-Drama

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

I thought this was a category with very deserving nominees. Mad Men is a good show, so I’m not surprised. Wow, sorry for the lack of insightful comments about Best Drama.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama

• Glenn Close, “Damages”
• January Jones, “Mad Men”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

I originally thought Anna Paquin or Kyra Sedgwick would take home this award, both of whom I love. However, I was absolutely thrilled to see Julianna Margulies take home her first Golden Globe win. She is phenomenal as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, and I am so glad the show is returning for a second season.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama

• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

I kind of thought Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie would win (as tradition dictates) but Michael C. Hall is certainly great in Dexter.
Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Whew. So you all know my feelings about Glee, right? This moment was probably the best one of the entire awards show for me. The cast was dressed beautifully, Ryan Murphy made a wonderful speech and most importantly, then won! The only thing better would have been if they broke out into song on stage! That said, Modern Family is still amazing in my eyes and well-deserving too but I think it will have its time. This has been Glee’s year, and I think there are many more nominations and wins to come. With the talent pool that they have, who knows what the future holds! It has been a pleasure watching this show from the beginning, and I can’t wait to see more!

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

• Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
• Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Lea Michele, “Glee”

I was very disappointed Lea Michele didn’t take home the win. I was pretty confident Tina Fey would take home the award but Toni Colette was a bit of a surprise. She’s fantastic, but I wasn’t expecting it.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• David Duchovny, “Californication”
• Thomas Jane, “Hung”
• Matthew Morrison, “Glee”

For this award, I didn’t think Glee was snubbed. I love Matthew Morrison, but I kind of figured Alec Baldwin would win. Steve Carell is a genius though and I would have liked to see him win.
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jane Adams, “Hung”
• Rose Byrne, “Damages”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”
• Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”

Many critics have been a-twitter about Jane Lynch being robbed. Here’s what I think: It’s a tough category. Supporting Actress for some reason is lumped together in terms of Drama and Comedy, and I’m not sure that’s the right way to do it. Jane Lynch deserved to win, hands down. She is a comedic genius who has showed her diverse talent in film, television and plays alike. Sue Sylvester is an amazing character who she plays with such tenacity. I can’t say enough good things about her, and I wish she had won. I am not going to say Sevigny isn’t good in “Big Love.” I am glad that Lynch (and Lea and Matthew) had their big moment when the ensemble won, but I was disappointed she didn’t win this award, too.
Best Supporting Actor, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Michael Emerson, “Lost”
• Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
• William Hurt, “Damages”
• John Lithgow, “Dexter”
• Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

I had a feeling Lithgow would win, because he was great on Dexter. But, there was a big part of me rooting for NPH to be awarded for his brilliant portrayal of Barney Stinson.

Overall, I am mostly happy. Glee won, even if the actors didn’t. It was a night where new and old shows were honored, and I was glad to see so many great nominees. What are your thoughts? Who did you want to win? Who was snubbed?

Golden Globe Award Winners & Thoughts

The Golden Globes were pretty entertaining tonight. Ricky Gervais did a solid job hosting, and they rushed it along nicely. I can’t say I was blown away like I am at the Oscars, but I digress. There were some unexpected winners, some great surprises (some not so good), so below is a list of the TV nominations (minus mini-series) and my thoughts.

Best Television Series-Drama

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

I thought this was a category with very deserving nominees. Mad Men is a good show, so I’m not surprised. Wow, sorry for the lack of insightful comments about Best Drama.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama

• Glenn Close, “Damages”
• January Jones, “Mad Men”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

I originally thought Anna Paquin or Kyra Sedgwick would take home this award, both of whom I love. However, I was absolutely thrilled to see Julianna Margulies take home her first Golden Globe win. She is phenomenal as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, and I am so glad the show is returning for a second season.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama

• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

I kind of thought Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie would win (as tradition dictates) but Michael C. Hall is certainly great in Dexter.
Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Whew. So you all know my feelings about Glee, right? This moment was probably the best one of the entire awards show for me. The cast was dressed beautifully, Ryan Murphy made a wonderful speech and most importantly, then won! The only thing better would have been if they broke out into song on stage! That said, Modern Family is still amazing in my eyes and well-deserving too but I think it will have its time. This has been Glee’s year, and I think there are many more nominations and wins to come. With the talent pool that they have, who knows what the future holds! It has been a pleasure watching this show from the beginning, and I can’t wait to see more!

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

• Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
• Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Lea Michele, “Glee”

I was very disappointed Lea Michele didn’t take home the win. I was pretty confident Tina Fey would take home the award but Toni Colette was a bit of a surprise. She’s fantastic, but I wasn’t expecting it.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• David Duchovny, “Californication”
• Thomas Jane, “Hung”
• Matthew Morrison, “Glee”

For this award, I didn’t think Glee was snubbed. I love Matthew Morrison, but I kind of figured Alec Baldwin would win. Steve Carell is a genius though and I would have liked to see him win.
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jane Adams, “Hung”
• Rose Byrne, “Damages”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”
• Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”

Many critics have been a-twitter about Jane Lynch being robbed. Here’s what I think: It’s a tough category. Supporting Actress for some reason is lumped together in terms of Drama and Comedy, and I’m not sure that’s the right way to do it. Jane Lynch deserved to win, hands down. She is a comedic genius who has showed her diverse talent in film, television and plays alike. Sue Sylvester is an amazing character who she plays with such tenacity. I can’t say enough good things about her, and I wish she had won. I am not going to say Sevigny isn’t good in “Big Love.” I am glad that Lynch (and Lea and Matthew) had their big moment when the ensemble won, but I was disappointed she didn’t win this award, too.
Best Supporting Actor, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Michael Emerson, “Lost”
• Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
• William Hurt, “Damages”
• John Lithgow, “Dexter”
• Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

I had a feeling Lithgow would win, because he was great on Dexter. But, there was a big part of me rooting for NPH to be awarded for his brilliant portrayal of Barney Stinson.

Overall, I am mostly happy. Glee won, even if the actors didn’t. It was a night where new and old shows were honored, and I was glad to see so many great nominees. What are your thoughts? Who did you want to win? Who was snubbed?

Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

Alec Baldwin

’30 Rock’

Steve Carell

‘The Office’

Thomas Jane

‘Hung’

David Duchovny

‘Californication’

Matthew Morrison

‘Glee’

REVIEW: Glee: “Sectionals”

Wow. Just wow. Last night’s fall finale of Glee, titled “Sectionals,” was one of the most perfect mid-season finales (or season finales for that matter) I have seen in a very long time. I can’t say this enough, but Ryan Murphy and his creative team are truly brilliant. The episode centers around the Glee Club’s trip to Sectionals. Since Mr. Schuester couldn’t take them, Emma (Miss Pillsbury) volunteers, and pushes back her wedding. However, their trip to Sectionals is not without problems. Mercedes revealed to all of the Glee Club (minus Rachel) that Puck is the father of Quinn’s baby, and then Rachel gets suspicious. She spills it to Finn, who storms out and leaves everyone to scramble.

When the Glee Club arrives at Sectionals (with Jacob filling in for Finn), they draw the last spot and have to watch the other schools go first. It is quickly evident that Sue leaked their set list, and they can’t sing the songs they were planning on doing all along. (Eve’s group even did the wheelchair number!) Rachel calls an emergency meeting, where Mercedes gives the ballad over to her. Earlier in the episode, Mercedes sings I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going) from Dreamgirls, and I will admit I shed a tear (and my heart melted a bit). So Mercedes was all set to sing the ballad, but admits that Rachel should sing it and she is their shot to win. Rachel steps up and says she has something she’s been working on since she was four. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue runs into Finn at school and “leaves his keys” for Finn to show up at Sectionals. He shows up, song in hand, and they start rehearsing. It is finally showtime, and Emma holds up the phone for Schue to listen to the Glee Club perform.

The Glee Club opens with Rachel singing “Don’t Rain on my Parade” as the ballad portion. I could talk for days about Lea Michele’s talent. This number was jaw-dropping, tear inducing, and just amazing. She knocks it out of the park with anything, but ballads are clearly her forte. When I saw her sing at the True Colors Cabaret Night, her show-stopper was a ballad she sang. As much as I love all the other Glee cast sharing the spotlight with Lea, this was her moment to shine, and she nailed it (times 1,000).

After her ballad, Rachel introduces the rest of the Glee Club, and they sing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” which was really great. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue comes home to Terri, who says she’s in therapy and wants to work on their relationship. He leaves without saying much to go to Emma and Ken’s wedding. When he arrives, Emma is sitting by herself. She explains that taking the kids to Sectionals was the last straw for Ken, and that she did it for him and not the kids. He tries to stop her from going but this show isn’t going to tie up everything in a pretty bow. Emma declares that he just left his wife, she put in her resignation, and then leaves.

The best scene of the episode, and best musical number comes at the end. The show didn’t tell you who won Sectionals until the last scene when the Glee Club shows Mr. Schue the trophy. They then declare that they prepared a musical number for him. “My Life Would Suck Without You” is one of my favorite Kelly Clarkson songs, and dare I say it that Glee’s rendition was just as good. But it wasn’t just the singing (led by Lea Michele) that was amazing. They incorporated an entire season of performances into that musical number. They did the dances from Push It, Single Ladies, Crazy In Love, and everything in between. During the performance, Mr. Schue clearly realizes he can’t let Emma go. He runs down the hallway to find her and looks in her office but she (along with all her stuff) is gone. This was such a perfect subtle moment. They can’t just run to each other’s arms, we have to want it so badly it hurts. He spots Emma down the hallway, goes to her, and finally kisses her. The look on Emma’s face after this kiss was a whole season of angst let go: finally she had gotten her dream man. When I spoke with Jayma a couple weeks ago, she clearly couldn’t reveal this wonderful moment, but in her subtext, I could see she was rooting for her and Will (even if she couldn’t say it). The kiss ended the episode, and what a perfect episode it was.

After a (half) season of drama, not getting along, and pregnancies–the Glee Club all came together. Sue gets fired for leaking the set list, Schue gets reinstated as the Glee Club director, and justice has been served. But what makes this show truly a cut above the rest is that there is always a bumpy road along the way, but when it all comes down to it, Ryan Murphy knows what the fans want, and he gives it to them. I haven’t read anything thus far that said anything negative about this episode…because there isn’t anything. I have watched the last scene approximately 10 times since writing this, and it’s so subtle and wonderful. Finn may have been frustrated and angry with Quinn and Puck, but he knew he had to support the Glee Club. Even Santana admitted that she loves Glee Club, and it’s the best part of her day. Now one could say where do they go from here now that they all get along and support each other and Emma and Will are together. But there is a long road to Regionals ahead. Jonathan Groff will be heading up their competition Vocal Adrenaline, there is much more to the Terri/Will relationship, we need to meet Rachel’s two dads, and Emma and Will aren’t just going to have a perfect relationship. I’d also kind of like to see the Ken backlash. Will he be around in the back 9? I imagine so, but who knows. And whatever way Sue is going to find to be reinstated is bound to be hilarious and wonderful.

Glee, I applaud you. (In fact, during last night’s episode, I may have given Lea Michele a standing ovation–yes, I am aware it’s just TV). You have done for me what no other show has done in a very long time, in that I am excited every week to see what comes next. You have combined music, dancing, talent, drama, comedy in an innovative way that has truly never been done before. It is going to be a long time until April, but I will be re-watching the episodes to prepare (and fill the void), and listening to all the wonderful music. If the back 9 is anything like the first 13 episodes (which I’m sure it will be), there is a lot to be excited about. I recently read this article in New York Magazine about how TV is an art form (and has become one in the last decade or so). If anything proves this thesis, it is absolutely Glee. It was a wonderful end to an absolutely amazing half season.

And I know my Glee reviews haven’t had great videos lately, so I hope all of these make up for it! I know you want to watch them over and over again, because I sure have: (I can’t even pick my favorite quotes of the episode, because it was all so good).

I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going):

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Don’t Rain On My Parade:

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You Can’t Always Get What You Want:

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My Life Would Suck Without You:

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REVIEW: Glee: “Ballad”

I can’t promise that I will not have 1,000+ words to say about this week’s episode of Glee, because I just love the show so much. This week’s episode, titled “Ballad” centered around the Glee club learning ballads to sing to their partners. Mr. Schuester explains that ballads say in song what you can’t express in words. Rachel chooses Mr. Schuester (they pick names out of a hat) which results in her falling for him (if only for an episode). We also learn about Susie Pepper who fell in love with Schue in the past. I absolutely adored Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison’s rendition of Endless Love, but this storyline might have been the only one I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about. The rest of the pairs were brilliant: Mercedes and Puck, Finn and Kurt, and Quinn and Artie are the ones that stand out in my head.

When Finn and Kurt pair together, Finn reveals his anxieties about Quinn and the baby. Kurt reveals his love/crush (albeit silently) for Finn, and helps him express his feelings through song. Finn chooses “I’ll Stand By You,” for his ballad while he sings to the sonogram of “his” baby. Kurt chooses to sing “I Honestly Love You,” but we don’t get to hear it because the entire Glee Club has decided to sing a ballad to Finn and Quinn. I’ll talk more about that later.

Mercedes and Puck get together to sing and Puck reveals that he’s actually Quinn’s baby’s father. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the Glee club finds out. But Mercedes makes a good distinction between a baby daddy and a baby’s father. I still think that if Puck wants to step up, he should and can be a father. But the whole Quinn pregnancy is a mess. Later on in the episode, Finn goes over to Quinn’s house for dinner and decides to sing a ballad to her to express his feelings (and break the news to her unknowing parents). He had practiced with Kurt, and calls him in the bathroom for moral support. (One of the best lines of the night was: “I have to go, they’ll think I’m pooping”) After Finn talks to Kurt, he belts out “You’re Having My Baby,” to Quinn. Quinn’s father (who they set up to be this Conservative, Glenn Beck loving curmudgeon) gets angry and kicks his daughter (and Finn) out of the house. There haven’t been many moments where Quinn (played by the lovely Dianna Agron) is given a chance to shine. Most of the time we see her pairing up with Sue in a Cheerios outfit trying to take down Glee. This scene was really emotional, and Dianna played it so well. It was incredibly heart wrenching and realistic. With last week’s rollercoaster of emotions episode, you run the risk of turning it into a sadder show than it is, but I think that this episode had just the perfect amount of emotion paired with comedy with a dash of Kurt. In the last scene, the Glee club sings to Quinn and Finn “Lean on Me,” and yes, I will admit, I shed a few tears.

I love every episode of Glee. To me, this season has been truly perfect so far. This episode may not have been a stand out favorite of mine, but ballads are always great, especially from this talented cast. I liked that the Glee Club came together to support their friends, and it shows that the show might be full of slushees and drama, but it has a lot of heart. Another one of my favorite moments which I didn’t touch upon before was when Mr. Schuester sings to Rachel to try and get her to understand it’s inappropriate to have a crush on him. He sings a mashup of “Young Girl” and “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” while she and Emma watch. At the end, they both have fallen for him even harder. It was one of those moments that I just thought was so clever and creative. Of course Emma, who wants to help Mr. Schuester with this little problem, would just end up lusting after him. Clearly, I can’t wait to see what happens with the numerous love triangles. I just don’t know how I’m going to manage when the first 13 episodes have finished and I have to wait for the back 9. I’ll probably just have to have a Glee marathon. Whew, I did it in about 800 words. You. Are. Welcome.

Favorite quotes of the episode:

“Ballad, from the English word Ballad. Who knows what this means?” -Mr. Schuester
“It’s a male duck.” -Brittany

“I hope I don’t have to sing to the duck.” -Brittany

“It means I’m very young, and you’re afraid to stand close to me.” -Rachel

And here is the Glee cast’s performance of Lean On Me for your enjoyment:

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