Left: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and gouache sketch on a 9 x 12 inch page in a Fabriano Venezia journal. A young actor/singer on "The Glee Project." Click on the image to view an enlargement.
Yes I love "Glee."
Look I dated a guy in high school who played the organ and composed music. I helped him make films. When we broke up I dated another young man who played the guitar. I play show tunes on the piano. I love Fred Astaire movies. I frequently burst into song and dance (albeit poorly) in my own life. (There is actually Super 8 footage of a teenage me "tap" dancing in the middle of the Australian desert—mom just had to point the camera at me.)
More important I believe that "Glee" dramatises important messages about life, diversity, and behavior that need to be seen on TV. And it does all this while being alternately hilarious and gut-wrenching, and sometimes both at the same time.
There is no alternate universe in which I don't love "Glee."
I have wondered if I'll stop watching it now, after its third season—now that some of my favorite characters are graduating. Then I remind myself that Jane Lynch will still be on the show. I think the woman is a national treasure so of course I'll have to watch.
But last year I found "The Glee Project" in the off season. Cast hopefuls come together in a reality competition show. Each week they have different singing and acting assignments, and each week someone goes home. The winner gets a contract on "Glee."
Last season 4 of the kids from the competition actually had roles of various duration on the show.
This year a new group of would-be cast members are at it again. Since the majority of the show is about performance and not about "drama" it's a show I can enjoy watching.
If you like "Glee" you might want to check out "The Glee Project," over on Oxygen.
