Holy Mike Chang‘s abs! The second season of Glee has fallen upon us, and that can only mean one thing. Yup, we’ll be resuming our weekly Gleek Out discussion posts on Manhunt Daily. This time around, I won’t hold back on expressing my opinion. I made a vow over the summer to overcome my fear of the rabid gleeks, which means you won’t be getting any sugarcoated reviews from this blogger.
Of course, you also won’t get much snarky commentary from this post. Last night’s episode was surprisingly good, as if the show suddenly decided to regain its testicles. The writers did a great job at picking up where they left off, on top of incorporating all of the characters into the plotline.
Highlights include the introduction of football coach Shannon Bieste, a new rival for our favorite villain Sue Sylvester. Seriously, there were moments when actress Dot Jones gave me chills! She played the character remarkably well, and I’ve got a feeling that the best is yet to come…
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Since some of you may not have watched yet, I’m going to avoid spilling any other details. Well, except for one thing–next week is the Britney Spears episode. And the biggest surprise about this? I’m actually excited for it.
– Dewitt
To watch the episode, hear the songs and read more, follow the JUMP:
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FULL EPISODE:
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NEXT WEEK:
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Empire State of Mind (Full Cast): OMG, the glee club needs to recruit new members! How are they going to convince other kids that it’s cool to get down with New Directions? Obviously, they’re going to perform a hit single from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Because everyone knows the epitome of coolness is… um, white people rapping?
You know how I feel about Glee doing hip-hop. While Artie is much more entertaining as a rapper than Schuester, the rest of the male cast members should never spit a single word. Let’s be honest. Cory Monteith’s attempts to emulate Jay-Z were far more horrifying than Finn’s audition for the Cheerios.
In an ideal world, this would have been reduced to a solo by Mercedes, as she performed the version that appears on Alicia Keys’ album. Maybe the rest of the group could sing back-up vocals? Swaying in background can be fun! Long story short, I’ll be fast-forwarding through this when I rewatch this episode. (2 Points)
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Telephone (Charice & Lea Michele): Meanwhile, in the school’s bathroom, Rachel makes an attempt to recruit a new member. She’s a foreign exchange student named Sunshine Corazon, and the club’s leading lady would like her to play second fiddle. But when she hears this diva break out into song? It becomes wildly clear that she could have some competition.
Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” seemed like an odd song choice for this moment, but I’m willing to forgive everything thanks to the awesome tension between these two vocalists. While watching this scene, my friend turned to me and said, “Okay, so they’re gay for one another? Either that, or they’re sharks for one another.” I’d like to think the answer is “both”, which would mean they’re dolphins for one another…
My only problem with this scene? If you’re going to do Lady Gaga, you should really do Lady Gaga. They should have stepped up the extravagance or saved this for another episode. In this case, I’m convinced the producers chose this just to have another gay notch on their belt. (3 Points)
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Billionaire (Chord Overstreet, Kevin McHale & Mark Salling): While performing in the courtyard, Finn makes eye contact with a blond guy who’s tapping his foot. They then proceed to have butt sex in the locker room shower. While singing this song.
If only that were the case! This song actually came from a jam session between the boys of New Directions and Sam, a transfer student who becomes the school’s newest quarterback. He’s encouraged to try out for the glee club, except he suffers from the same “sports and music don’t mix” disease as Zac Efron in High School Musical.
I’d give you a proper review of this song, but I was too distracted by Chord Overstreet’s dick sucking lips. UNF UNF UNF! (2.5 Points)
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Listen (Charice): Sunshine’s audition for the glee club is delayed, after Rachel sends her to a crackhouse. No, that’s not even a joke! Upon discovering Rachel’s trickery, the rest of the members opt to give Sunshine a proper audition. She blows them out of the water with her rendition of “Listen”, but the joke’s on them when she becomes the newest recruit of Vocal Adrenaline.
The funniest part about this? Charice actually became famous for singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, a very different song from the Broadway show Dreamgirls. This composition was specifically written for Beyonce when they made the movie, which would explain why I was so annoyed by Rachel’s “it was a musical first” comment.
Even though we’ve heard better from Charice in her YouTube and Oprah days, an argument could be made that her performance is better than the original artist. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be hiding for the bounty hunters that Matthew Knowles just sent in my direction. (5 Points)
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What I Did For Love (Lea Michele): Rachel sums up the entire episode with a staple of the musical theater community. A shot of Quinn as head cheerleader! A shot of Santana at the bottom of the pyramid! A shot of Artie longing for his ex-girlfriend Tina! You get the picture, right?
Outside of anything from Les Miserables, this is one of the most overperformed songs within high school voice classes. Therefore, it’s pretty damn obvious that Rachel would bust out into this jam. Her character is most lovable at these oh-so-predictable moments of vulnerability.
Overall, I prefer this sort of conclusion over the cheesey group numbers of the last season. It left me wanting more, rather than trying to wrap everything up into a neat package. (4 Points)
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BREAKDOWN OF POINTS SYSTEM:
- 5 Points = Excellent or exceeding expectations in regards to vocal performance, choreography and arrangement. Fits well within the context of the episode, and potentially better than the original version.
- 4 Points = Not too shabby! May not be entirely on par with the original, but a fantastic effort by the actors and vocalists.
- 3 Points = Tolerable. Did not induce eye rolls or kept them to a minimum.
- 2 Points = Could be a variety of factors, including poor song choice or lackluster performance. Boring or uninspired. May be an insult to the original artist.
- 1 Point = Absolutely painful. Couldn’t wait for it to be over.
I agree; it was a very good start to the season. We have lots of complications, a good new character in the coach and the new quarterback, and even some fleshing out of characters. (In addition to his abs, wasn’t that Michael’s first line of dialogue?) I was happy that we got a show tune at the episode’s conclusion; I would be disappointed if the show went totally top 40. Don’t forget your fan base.
Excited to see what’s coming.
LOL I was so mesmerized by Dot Jones that I actually had to check IMDB.com to find out if she was a man or woman! Loved the way she played tough but sensitive at the same time. Great addition. If the real world was only more like this school the religious right would be having exploding heads!
What…no screen caps of Chord Overstreet in the shower?
Charice was better than the original performer….preach!
Charice gave me chills. My partner had to get out of bed to get me to stop getting into “Empire State of Mind.” The “Telephone” duet was fun. And “Billionaire?” I don’t know the original, but adorable Chord Overstreet sold it.
Last night’s episode was insane and completely over the top! I mean really…Rachel sent Sunny to a crackhouse, LMFAO! That being said…I ABSOULUTELY LOVED IT! The Quinn & Santana smack down was a shocker, and I lol’d when Brittany just stood there like “stop the violence”, ahaha! Finn’s Cheerio’s audition was too cute! Chord is super sexy, and can’t wait to see more of him! Love Charice, but too bad we won’t be seeing her again until regionals. However, her rendition of “Listen” was in no way better than Beyonce’s. I just don’t really fathom how you can say that. She was really good, but Charice has this weird echo thing going on with her voice whenever she sings that just always throws me. I probably sound crazy because none of you probably even have a clue to what echo thing I’m talking about- oh well… Can’t wait for next week! Bring on Britney!
Olly, I’m with you on the echo thing. Its just not right somehow. And I cannot get past her tweet that she was getting botox to be ready for the show last spring. You’re a bloody teenager!!!!!!!!!! She annoys me to no end and that comment is all I hear when her face comes on screen. She also seems to try a bit too hard to be “street”. Beyonce has nothing to worry about (especially since Charice’s album is such a snooze fest). Otherwise, great show. Just hope that they really get rid of that little girl. NOW
Seriously great start to season 2!
and Britney’s episode looks EPIC!
I think I might be the only person who thinks this Chord guy is goofy looking and in no way is attractive.. Not to mention (just like Finn) he sounds pretty shitty when you take away all the fancy tech fixes to his vocals. His “every rose has its thorn” was SHIT.
I love Charice, but I think the echo thing people are hearing is her accent coming through.. and she has a TERRIBLE falsetto.. seriously.. her high notes are ALWAYS off..
I DID LOVE the episode though.. especially the “i’ve never had balls in my mouth, have you?” 😀
Why, WHY, would they lose the ONLY hot black guy? ** This has NOTHING to do with rights equality or racism… I just happen to think Mike was HOT and that will be missed.**
I must agree, Charice did “Listen” better than anyone who has ever done it before her… voice-wise, anyway. It really bothers me that her grasp of English isn’t necessarily as strong as it could/should be. It was really distracting for me when she couldn’t form some of the words properly. Maybe it was just me.
Poor Shaft, he will be missed
Also, Charice’s Listen was not better than Beyonce, she has no emotion, she’s like one of those teen idol bots that tries to sing Whitney without being to emote the feelings behind the song. When B did it in the movie I almost cried but Charice left me cold.
But Cheyenne Jackson unfff
And I’m glad someone else mentioned Sam’s DSL. But no comment on Puck’s balls comment?
Great start to the season. The Britney episode will probably rival the Madonna one. There are bound to be comparisons. As for the black guy, I hear they are replacing him with another this season who is supposed to be the male version of Mercedes. More drama for the spotlight to be sure.
Wow Kev, I agree with all of what you said. I don’t find Chord attractive at all and his voice isn’t that great. Charice is overrated; I think Rachel and Mercedes are actually much better and their big notes have much more power.
Chord has to be the hottest thing on two legs at the moment – What I would have done to be in that shower cubicle and those lips – WOOHOO
Charice makes you chill and that is a fact. Her rendition of “Listen” is better than Beyonce, and I know many of you will scream and disagree. But that´s the truth. Whenever Beyonce will sing “Listen” it has to be with absolute proper arrangement. It has to be rehearsed time and time again. The stage should be in place, the format should fit with the environment, the sound of the music accompany her should be in the highest quality, her outfit should fit with the song, her make up should be flawless, her hair should be cleanly tied up, her camera shot should be the right angle and all of this helps her to perform amazingly. For you who are not aware that Beyonce is so concerned about how she will look infront of camera. The whole performance should be always improvised, supervised and very dramatic. Contrary with Charice, she will sing the song impromtu, either with ordinary piano, kareoke or by accapella in her pajamas and you will get your goosebumps. Charice performs much better live!
WTF?! i was blown away with the Listen part. I expected a rendition the typical glee way. but lo and behold, a vocal outburst caught me off guard from that sunshine corazon. i seriously think she is the BOMB at this moment. but i guess it was off that rachel has to be the next act of the show with what i did for love, and even if she went broadway mode with that song, it just didn’t register! or maybe it’s just me. and sam, oh sam. he’s HOT and that’s given. but when he did billionaire, i went like, NOW THAT’S a BRUTAL AUTO-TUNE magic. i hope he just went with a lower key that would make him more like a “man” and not a woman-pitched-man. it was totally off! but anyway, it was a great premiere. way better than 1st season’s! and don’t forget how the blog thing made it nicer. but really, i give my two thumbs up to sunshine for the musical performance of this episode with Listen–plain vocal power, not just the camera trick bringing you to a level of dramatic peak.
To all the so called musical experts who think they know more than the professionals, do yourselves a favour and go to youtube and see how Charice sings “Listen” live or for that matter any other song. If (after the latter) you still say that she sings with a so-called “echo,” or that she sings with “no emotions,” or that she is “overrated,” you people need to buy some hearing aids. If you prefer a different artist that is one thing, but to say stupid things that can easily be refuted, that is just ignorant.
As for Beyonce, I saw her live and while I respect her for her talent, by no means does she even come close to Charice who I too saw live. This little girl’s voice is freaking crazy awesome. It is so melodic and clear that one is left speechless. The Listen version on Glee (which was really good) was toned down, so go to youtube if you want to be blown away!
As for the comment, regarding her speaking role in Glee, does someone need to be reminded that her role is as a foreign exchange student? If she spoke perfect English, then the whole character could be viewed as being contrived. Seriously, people before you make a comment, think – I heard it helps.
As always, Glee keeps me entertained. Why do people make a big deal out of Charice’s Listen. Give the little girl a break. She did a fantastic job. Before anyone gets critical and technical about anyone’s singing ability, TRY SINGING first…and LIVE!!!