Some TV Stuff: Glee, American Idol

I've got some thoughts on programs I watched this week for the first time in a while. I was going to also write about the finale of "Ugly Betty" but I'm going to save that for its own separate post, so stay tuned. ;-)

After what seems like years of hype, "Glee" returned to Fox this week with a new episode. You may recall that I tried to get into it back in the fall. It didn't take. With the confirmation that an episode devoted entirely to the music of Madonna was in the works, I figured I'd be watching it again at some point. Since they decided to start the Madonna party a week early, with the premiere of "Vogue" as sung by Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), I decided to watch it this week.

I loved the video -- a virtual remake of the original. The rest of the show? I still don't get it. I didn't dislike it. I'm glad the storyline revolving Will's wife and her fake pregnancy is over. Jane Lynch still delivers some delicious lines. But I'm still just as lukewarm as I was before. I wish I knew why. I did watch parts of the episode where Kurt became the football team's kicker and then came out to his dad. The coming-out scene at the end was very nice. The football game scene just before it (the team dancing to "Single Ladies" to distract the other team) was way too ridiculous.


Maybe something besides the Madonna songs will click with me on Tuesday. I'll be at Tabu, our new sports bar, watching the show as I celebrate my birthday. Come join me...especially if you can buy me drinks!

I also watched "American Idol" this week, breaking my post-Kara-crying banning of the show from my TV and DVR. I only did so because Adam Lambert was the week's mentor. Granted, he doesn't have the years of experience that most of their mentors have had, but it's not like he's some kid. He's 28 years old and had performing experience before his Idol run last year, and the experience of being on Idol means he knows what the contestants are going through.

As it turned out, he had great advice and was honest with them, going so far as to call one contestant boring. And whether it was Adam's mentoring or the fact that these finalists have had a few weeks of singing since I last watched, overall I was much more able to tolerate them than I did back when I stopped watching. There isn't a star in the making among them, but at least I didn't want to puncture my eardrums.