Among such networks is NBC, the ugly cousin of broadcast television. Once the pinnacle of ratings and creative success with shows like Friends, NBC has now become a mess of a network. Though NBC touts critically acclaimed comedies in Community and Parks and Recreation, the network’s ratings are less than stellar. NBC’s solution to this problem? See the photo below.

Either I just had a stroke, or Cee-Lo is Dr. Evil | Promotional photo courtesy of NBC

No, NBC didn’t make a spy procedural starring Cee-Lo Green as an eccentric cat-collecting evil mastermind (though I would absolutely watch that). Rather, the second season premiere of NBC’s The Voice put the network in an unfamiliar position: first place. The Voice’s post-super bowl premiere drew the largest ratings of any (non-sports) show in 6 years (37.6 million total viewers with a 16.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic).

NBC may have found itself at the top of the Monday night ratings rankings, but it remains to be seen whether The Voice can keep those viewers. In all likelihood, many of those viewers left the TV on after the Superbowl while getting drunk and making fun of Patriots fans.

The Voice’s incessant ad campaign has garnered high ratings, but the show itself is really just another run-of-the-mill reality show. NBC’s selling point, and admittedly the show’s most appealing element, is the blind auditions. The judges sit with their backs to the contestants, able to hit a button that turns their chair around. There is the requisite amount of sob-stories behind each contestant, but for those who can stomach that, the talent can be fun to watch. NBC screens the talent for The Voice, and thus we get no comically terrible auditions in the vein of Idol. These are pleasurable if subtle deviations from the vocal competition formula, but once The Voice leaves its blind audition rounds (and gets through its excruciatingly ill-planned “battle rounds”) the show just becomes a rote Idol riff with a host that is somehow less likeable than Seacrest (seriously, Carson Daly has been on TV for years and years and somehow still doesn’t know how to act like a personable guy. I’m 90% sure he is one of the giant lizard-aliens from V).

There’s nothing overtly offensive about The Voice, and I’m sure fans of such competition series will be pleased. But at the rate these networks are churning out these cheap, highly rated competition series, the less hope I have for quality scripted programs.

Fleet Foxes Sing The Blues So Well by Kristin Toussaint

‘Men Being Manly III’ Proves That Real Men Sing A Cappella by Lauren Michael

How Mad Men Turns Black Characters into Real People by Allan Lasser

The polar bears for the Coca-Cola commercials have always entertained. | Screenshot by Aria Ruggiero

As I sat through the entire event and watched every single ad play, there are some obvious choices for the best ads of this year’s Super Bowl (in my opinion, of course).

Audi 2012 Game Day Commercial – Vampire Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lw9ZeXB2uKs

The ad quite clearly speaks for itself. I mean, who doesn’t like a parody of the Twilight series? Personally, this ad makes me want to buy an Audi with new LED headlights. Just have to wait to win the lottery is all…

Pepsi – King’s Court Super Bowl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rcf01QTcO6E

It always seems like Pepsi turns out memorable commercials each year, with this year being no different. Seeing Sir Elton John in those metallic gold platform heels followed by an unexpected appearance from Flava Flav in the king’s secret dungeon? ‘Nuff said.

M&M’s “Just My Shell”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yn3mktl30iw

This ad finally introduces the brown M&M as “Ms. Brown.” I think everyone can agree that this one is funny, and no one can resist the red M&M dancing to “I’m Sexy and I Know It.”

Sketchers – Go Run Mr. Quiggly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MlYCBJSYWBQ

This ad encompasses all the definitions of cute (I may or may not have watched this an unhealthy number of times). As we all know, the Super Bowl is also the day of the Puppy Bowl, and although this little French Bulldog wasn’t in the actual competition, he won my heart.

“Matthew’s Day Off” – 2012 Honda CR-V Game Day Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VrInJIqxUMA

Anyone who grew up watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off can most definitely appreciate this spoof of the movie featuring Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick. Personally, I loved this ad from start to finish, and it was cleverly crafted to not only sell the new CR-V, but make me want to skip class and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as well.

Those were just five of the dozens of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl, and although those were some of my favorites, many ads this year did seem to fall short of eye-catching. We’ll just have to see what’s in store for next year’s Super Bowl–which teams will play, who will perform at half-time, and of course, which ads will not only sell their product, but entertain at the same time.

If the Glee writers put even half of the energy they directed towards conversation about male genitalia in this episode towards a more cohesive set of story lines, this show would be infinitely less aggravating to review.

But seriously, when did a faculty member soliciting male glee club students for their sperm ever sound like a good idea? Blech.

Story Overview

Guest stars, grey areas and gratuitous giving of guidance were gateways for glorious goofiness, groaning and gimmicks this week on Glee. Great?

If there was an overall theme for “Spanish Teacher,” it was the feeling of impotence. Both Mr. Schuester and Coach Sylvester, impacted by negative student evaluations and threatened under competition for gaining tenure, are left feeling insecure about their work and futures.

Mr. Schuester, oddly enough, realizes that being an effective Spanish teacher usually involves being able to adeptly speak Spanish. By an extent, his newfound competition in suave Spanish teacher Ricky Martin David Martinez coupled with his newfound engagement to Emma drives him towards finally getting tenure.

Sue, realizing that her time is ticking, decides that she wants to have a child. Thus, her sperm-seeking search streamlines straight for Mr. Schuester. She also feels the pressure when Principal Figgins criticizes her cheerleading style and recommends she seek assistance from a Real Housewife of Atlanta Coach Roz Washington.

Whereas the teachers at McKinley are feeling impotent, the love-struck students appear to be feeling sterile with their relationships and futures. Sam and Mercedes, woefully caught in throes of amour after duet-ing Michael Jackson last week, seek advice from Ms. Pillsbury. She recommends that the two go a week without talking to each other. That way, each can be alone with their thoughts.

Unfortunately for you, Ms. Pillsbury, Samcedes found a technicality. They won’t talk to each other; they’ll sing to each other!

During a sleepover hangout scene that abruptly reminds viewers that the New Directions kids are friends outside of the club, Rachel blows the lid on her engagement to Finn. Kurt, disoriented by confusion, rage and a copious amount of hair gel, decides to confront Finn about it the next day.

In one of the episodes many advice lectures, Kurt reminds Finn that Rachel’s not the only good thing he has going for him. As an athletic straight man, he could be the proverbial unicorn of the New York theater community.

Other lectures, one politely enlightening and the other sassy, are delivered to Mr. Schuester by Santana and Emma (guess which one was from whom!). Lady Pillsbury, through the use of her infamous pamphlets, tells Will that he’s a meany-pants. Santana, in the most tactful way that she’s ever given criticism, reminds Schuester that he shouldn’t be teaching Spanish since it’s not something he’s passionate about.

In turn, Mr. Schuester becomes a history teacher to be more honest and to give Mr. Martinez the job of his dreams. He also does not win tenure, but, luckily for the Schuester household, Emma wins it instead.

And then nothing progresses on the Sam and Mercedes front.

Characters

"Ay Dios Mio! Pantalones! Taco Bell!" - Mr. Schuester at some point in time - I'm sure of it. | Promotional photo courtesy of Fox TV.

Mr. Schuester – It was bizarre seeing Will’s Spanish-speaking abilities being called out for inadequacy when that’s never been the scenario before. Sure, his Spanish has always been awkward, but it’s never been depicted as being that atrocious. Regardless, this episode featured Schuester in his eternal battle ping ponging between developing character and yelling at Emma way too much. As usual, it was hard to sympathize with him.

Emma – It was nice seeing Emma resume her post as the “Quirky, Sage Advice Giver” of the show. Despite her timid exterior, Emma always manages to hold her ground when people (that aren’t her) are being irrational. Especially when Mr. Schuester enters into one of his bi-episode psycho rages.

Santana – Seeing Santana gradually mellow-out over the course of the season gives me hope that maybe there are some long-term plans in this show. Her advice to Will was no less honest and sassy than it usually is, but it was far less grating than it has been in the past. Hopefully this consistent character growth stays in tact.

Songs

“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO: Ricky Martin is a pretty talented vocalist, and they have him sing a song that lent more in the way of vocals to Artie. The added Spanish doesn’t alter the song favorably, the choice errs on the side of random, and it feels like a desperate plea to make money off of iTunes with a pointless Top 40 song. Unfortunately, it worked because the song is so darn catchy.

“Don’t Want to Lose You” by Gloria Estefan: Rapid overuse of any talented singer will make mediocrity shine through like a beacon in a fog. Mercedes has been used a lot recently. This song, however, does not push her to her vocal limits like past performances have. Combine that with the vast amount of Spanish, and it creates a tangible disconnect between viewer and performance.

“Bamboleo/Hero” by Gipsy Kings/Enrique Iglesias: In terms of song recognizability, this mashup corrected one of the problems presented in Mercedes’ song. Unfortunately, Sam’s vocals were also mediocre and there was not nearly as much fire and passion in the performance as there should have been.

“La Isla Bonita” by Madonna: In contrast to the previous performances, this song lacked mainstream recognizability but featured reasonable vocals, a quieted intensity and a perfect balance of Spanish and English. The rhythmic dance beat makes for a more immediately enjoyable song, and Santana and David’s coalesce beautifully.

“A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley: And the most random song choice goes to: this song! The biggest draw of this performance was, by far, Mr. Schuester awkwardly cavorting around the stage in that matador’s outfit. It was dorky and funny in the way that Mr. Schuester should be more often. In fact, the song choice and dancing were so distracting that I barely noticed how vocally uninspiring the song was.

One-Liners

“You gon’ get in them stirrups, and you gon’ push, and push, and a full grown adult gon’ pop out with a briefcase and job, talking on a cell phone.” – Coach Roz Washington

“Our periods don’t come until the end of the month.” – Kurt Hummel

“That was some ‘muy’ serious footwork. Muy means ‘very.’” – Mr. Schuester

“Please Don’t Hog My Fiance’s Nog” – Emma’s Pamphlet

Anything Nene Leakes Says Ever.

Overall Score

Usually, when an episode is weak in writing, it makes up for it in song. When it’s weak in song, it makes up for it (mostly) in writing. Sadly enough, this episode was not particularly strong in either. The songs varied from mediocre to bizarre, and the writing didn’t carry the emotional impact that other episodes have had. When I think of the millions of things the show should address, Mr. Schuester’s teaching ability is not one of them.

“Spanish Teacher:” C

From television legend David Milch, the creator of such TV heavyweights as NYPD Blue and Deadwood, Luck is a show so focused on texturing its world that many viewers will likely be alienated. As has become the staple of HBO original programming, Luck moves slowly and methodically with a very large ensemble cast. In the vein of The Wire, Deadwood, and most recently Game of Thrones, plot will be secondary to character much of the time. On such shows, the setting of the series pretty much becomes a character in and of itself (as Baltimore was in The Wire).

Dustin Hoffman in Luck. | Promotional photo courtesy of HBO.

Luck’s silent character, then, would be the Santa Anita racetrack and its surroundings, populated by jockeys, horse owners, horse trainers, gamblers, security guards, and veterinarians. Recapping an episode with so many threads and characters would be pointless. Suffice it to say that Luck, on the surface, is about the world of horse racing, but beneath surface level is a story about people working in an industry that isn’t what it once was, all struggling to find a second chance when it seems all the chips are stacked against them. Heading up a very strong cast is a brilliant Dustin Hoffman, who plays Ace Bernstein as kind of an amoral Willy Loman. Hoffman adds a certain gravity to the proceedings that perfectly compliments Milch’s dialogue.

From an aesthetic standpoint, Michael Mann’s direction soars in the pilot. My only experience remotely connected to horse racing is buying the novelization of Seabiscuit and never reading it; however, Mann’s work (both direction and editing) finds the sweet spot of meticulous composition and artistry; I was completely engaged.

Luck’s pilot throws the viewer into the deep end, so to speak, of the horse racing world. If you aren’t familiar with the vernacular of betting and racing, it is likely that some Milch’s dialogue will go completely over your head, but Mann’s direction makes clear all the stakes of each situation when Milch’s words may become too niche for the average viewer.

Luck is a remarkable new TV show on every front. However, it is not for the casual TV viewer. The story is structured to move and develop slowly over the course of the season, with a tight focus on a very large cast of characters.

Luck airs Fridays at 9pm on HBO.

Researchers Critical of Pilot Malaria Vaccine by Camilo Pardo

At 8:00 p.m. last night, two gangs met up near a local school. Witnesses confirm that there was a large, riotous confrontation between the rival groups which ultimately ended with a trip to the hospital. The gangs? Choir groups New Directions and the Warblers. The weapons used? A rock salt-laced slushie and the greatest hits from one Michael Jackson.

Story Overview

Many weeks after their loss at the hands of New Directions, the Troubletones girls find themselves suddenly and randomly infuriated that they did not get to sing any Michael Jackson songs. Thus, the theme for the entire episode is born.

After a sassily snarky confrontation between members of New Directions and Sebastian Smythe of the Warblers at Lima’s only non-Breadstix hangout, the Lima Bean, an all-out musical war is declared. The two groups duke it out in a parking lot where casualties include both the lower registers of many singers and the retina in one of Blaine Anderson’s eyes.

Hell-driven on teenage angst, Artie and Santana lash out in the best ways that they know how: Santana obtains blackmail on Sebastian using underboob, and Artie imagines a long day dream sequence where he can dance.

Three students also find out more information on their futures in the land of higher education. Quinn, after managing to pull off straight A’s all throughout her pregnancy, scores her happy ending in her acceptance to Yale. Kurt receives notification that he’s a “finalist” for NYADA, and Rachel loses her mind because she does not.

Realizing that she suddenly has no future (and apparently she didn’t apply to multiple schools), she decides to grab on to the one thing she does have in life: Finn. She accepts his proposal.

Then she gets the letter a few days later, is accepted, and she immediately questions her engagement decision.

In the next episode, Blaine gets a peg-leg and a parrot. | Photo courtesy of Fox TV.

Characters

There really wasn’t much in the way of character development this week. With nine songs in an episode, that is not too shocking.

In short, Quinn continued to not be crazy, Rachel let her ambition cloud her judgment, Kurt took moral high ground against Sebastian, Santana was devious but ultimately joined Kurt in higher morality, Finn expressed his love for Rachel in song, Mercedes and Sam sang a duet and kissed, Sebastian matches Santana in insulting ability, and nothing at all is surprising.

Songs

“Wanna Be Startin’ Something” by Michael Jackson: Although the song bludgeoned its audience with an overwhelming amount of corny, it was just enough to be encapsulate people in the performance style that is Michael Jackson. Blaine’s singing was pretty good, the dancing was entertaining and the large performance was woefully unrealistic but very much typical of appropriate Glee camp.

“Bad” by Michael Jackson: The song in general was decent and vocally at its peak when Santana was singing. The overall performance was cute, but placing it immediately after another massive group number did the song few favors. It wasn’t as entertaining as the previous song and it wasn’t as fun.

“Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson: The performance and choreography for this number was incredible. The wild costumes, Artie and Mike dancing, and the cinematography really made the song amazing. Unfortunately, most Michael Jackson songs don’t always translate perfectly to singers that aren’t Michael Jackson. Especially for Mike Chang. Once you take away the visual entertainment, the song does not have that much left.

“Never Can Say Goodbye” by The Jackson 5: Quinn’s voice is not a showstopper voice like Rachel, Santana or Mercedes’ voices. In turn, this song was not a showstopper, but it did showcase Quinn’s voice pretty well. Her singing to her ex-flings and, by extension, her departing past made a lot of sense with the context of show’s story. It fit a lot better in the overall framework of the episode than several other songs did.

“Human Nature” by Michael Jackson: This song was not at all necessary. Generally speaking, having more than five songs really takes away from any story integrity. In turn, every song above that limit should be vocally excellent and very much relevant to the story. This song was neither. Their secret love was explored nowhere else in the episode, and Sam’s voice spent too much time in the land of falsetto. Mercedes’ voice was nice.

“Ben” by Michael Jackson: This is a less-terrible version of the story for “Human Nature.” In general, the song’s context was slightly more appropriate, but it didn’t make sense in context with the 500 million other songs in the episode. The alternating backup vocals in the song were almost impressive enough to make its inclusion slightly acceptable.

“Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson: If there’s any one moment of this episode that deserves to be re-watched and listened to 200 times over, it’s this performance. Not only is it one of Michael Jackson’s best songs, but it’s also sung by two of Glee‘s smoothest performers. The heated villain vs. villain face-off was delicious, and the cello fight was musically gorgeous. As of this moment, “Smooth Criminal” is #3 on iTunes, and it deserves to be there.

“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garret: The decision-maker who keeps thinking Rachel and Finn need more love songs should be fired. Finn’s falsetto was terrible and got even worse next to Rachel’s singing. To believe that this song helped change her mind in a marriage proposal is also ridiculous.

“Black or White” by Michael Jackson: In general, I liked this song. It’s another campy Michael Jackson song that fits well with campy New Directions. Two things, however, weaken the overall performance. First, a random song about racism felt very strange in a context that had nothing to do with racism. Second, the impact of the performance is really lessened by the fact that “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” was a better group performance.

One-Liners

“You’re like a modern day eggs Benedict.” – Noah “Puck” Puckerman

“Today’s your lucky day because Auntie Snakes just arrived from the BitchTown Express.” – Santana “Auntie Snakes” Lopez.

“This is clever; I taped it to my underboob.” – Santana Lopez

Overall Score

As awesome as some of the performances were, nothing excuses the fact that nothing really happened. Again. Occasionally a show should be more than just a bunch of singles for rabid fans to download off of iTunes. When nearly 20 minutes of the show’s 43 minutes are song, there’s not much room for any tangible progress.

Don’t get me wrong, “Smooth Criminal” may be one of the best songs this season. “Scream” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” are also quite memorable. That doesn’t change the fact that much of episode felt like a poorly written gimmick.

“Michael:” C+

The Gleecap: “I Kissed a Girl” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “Pot O’ Gold” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “Mash Off” by Jon Erik Christianson

Will Tom Brady go down again like in 2008? | Photo courtesy of Flickr Commons user avinashkunnath

The Patriots have been a powerhouse team ever since they won three Super Bowls from 2002 to 2005, and although they haven’t won one since, they can always be found at the top of their league. This year they finished out the regular season with a 13-3 record. And while the Giants have only won the 2008 Super Bowl recently, they are not a team to be forgotten. Finishing this season with a 9-7 record, they have powered forward and remarkably beat the nearly undefeated Green Bay Packers to earn a spot in the 46th Super Bowl.

Although the Super Bowl is typically when you happen to find a bunch of middle-aged men shouting at the television when their team gets an interception and runs it back for a touchdown, fear not for the rest of you all. This day provides a perfect opportunity to dish out a famously delicious recipe for tailgating or to watch all of the ridiculous, 30 second commercials that companies will go to any lengths to secure a spot for during the game. But perhaps the best part, besides the actual football game, is the half-time show.

When the Super Bowl was played for the first time back in 1967, the half-time show started out as an opportunity for a selected college marching band to perform. It wasn’t until Michael Jackson’s performance in 1993 that the Super Bowl half-time show became something to actually look forward to each year. Following that performance, the hottest artists have been sought after to give a staggering show during the annual event. Some performances, however, have been more memorable than others, especially Janet Jackson’s wardrobe “mishap” back in 2004. Madonna and Cirque du Soleil have been secured to perform for this year’s game, with a rumored appearance by Nicki Minaj as well.

Between the Patriots and Giants facing off, to Madonna who will no doubt give an earth shattering show, this year’s Super Bowl is sure to be a promising event. Make sure to tune in to see who wins this battle at the 6:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC this Sunday February 5! Don’t be afraid to get dragged to the nearest Super Bowl party – even if it’s just to polish off all the hors d’oeuvres.

Super Bowl Commercials 2012: The Best, or Just Better Than the Worst? by Aria Ruggiero

Frugal Adventure Shopping at Super 88 by Heather Vandenengel

‘Super 8′ Review: Spielberg and Abrams do the Monster Mash by David Braga

The cast of 'Smash.' | Promotional poster courtesy of NBC

It’s inevitable that NBC’s new drama Smash will be incessantly compared to FOX’s mega-hit Glee. That’s understandable, but the two shows really couldn’t be more different. Smash is a much more adult production, dealing with mature themes and a more realistic tone than the often slap-dash Glee. Yes, they are both musical series, but where Glee often fails, Smash succeeds (at least in the pilot episode).

Created by Theresa Rebeck, a New York veteran who wrote for such shows as Law and Order: Criminal Intent and NYPD Blue, Smash follows the story of the production of a Broadway musical from the first inkling of an idea to casting to a fully staged production. The show features a large ensemble cast, including Will and Grace’s Debra Messing and Christian Borle as Julia Houston and Tom Levitt, the writers of the musical in question (a musical take on the life of Marilyn Monroe). When Julia and Tom first come up with the idea to write a Marilyn musical, they enlist the help of Ivy Lynn (in a fantastic turn from Megan Hilty), a Broadway veteran struggling to break out of her middling success, who competes with newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) for the role of Marilyn. Once the musical catches a buzz due to a leaked video of the song, Julia and Tom get the support of producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston), who is struggling to prove she can still work in the midst of a messy divorce. Eileen, much to the chagrin of Tom, gets the help of director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) and the musical is on its way.

The crux of the conflict in the pilot of Smash comes in the casting phase of the production. Both Karen and Ivy are well-suited to the part of Marilyn: Ivy for her pedigree and her physical resemblance to Monroe herself, and Karen for her raw talent and hunger for the part. What’s great here is that the writers aren’t favoring one or the other. Each character is given her fair share of screen time and sympathetic characterization. It’s not always as easy as one person being the good guy and the other being the villain.

What Smash needs to portray, and it does for the most part in this pilot episode, is that in show business, things happen not necessarily because someone is talented or source material is great. It’s not always a meritocracy, as Karen’s late night visit to director Derek Wills’ apartment suggests. The behind the scenes goings on of a Broadway musical are very political—pissing off the wrong person means risking losing one’s job–or entire career.

I say this not because the show isn’t addressing it, I say it more so because Smash (or possibly NBC itself with this big publicity push) seems to be emphasizing the casting of Karen or Ivy as the core of the show. Building a season of television around a single decision or event is dangerous. Surely within weeks there will be rabid supporters for both Ivy and Karen, and whatever the show does is bound to piss people off. More importantly, Smash has established a big ensemble cast it has to service and develop, and focusing too much on the casting decision takes away from that. Ivy and Julia stand out from the rest as the two most textured characters the show has to offer. Julia is writing this musical and putting it up while attempting to adopt a child with her husband and tend to her teenage son. Ivy is interesting because she does have some measure of success on stage, but her ambition and drive is too great for her to simply sit idly in a job that isn’t her dream.

NBC is putting a lot of stock in Smash. The network is performing even worse than usual lately; NBC dropped to eighth place in the ratings on January 20th. This is unheard of (cable networks very rarely outperform broadcast networks like NBC). Smash has been given the coveted slot directly after the Super Bowl for its broadcast premiere, though the pilot is available online and on iTunes. Definitely a strong debut for the series, but we’ll have to see where things go in terms of the focus of conflict. Smash would do well to explore all of its characters in the context of the production rather than push the central casting conflict too hard.

Smash premieres February 6 immediately after the Super Bowl on NBC.

Midseason TV: What to Watch by Adrian Burke

I, for once, made a New Year’s Resolution regarding the Gleecap. Many times across my adventures on the Internet, I’ve read Glee reviews from people who seemed to despise the show with every fiber of their being. It made me angry. I was searching out for reviews on a show I loved, and the reviews seemed to despise what I loved.

With this past season, I’ve worried that, as a reviewer, I’ve become the Grinch who stole Glee‘s Extraordinary Christmas. So I made the resolution to spit a little less vitriol at the show I purport to enjoy watching.

I then sent Ryan Murphy a letter asking him to make the show better.

Mr. Murphy, don’t make a New Year’s Quitter out of me. That would be terribly rude.

Story Overview

In a manner completely befitting the episode’s title “Yes/No,” every single major event, except one final shocker, can be sorted into either categories of “Yes,” filled with joyful acceptance, or “No,” brimming with brutal rejection.

On the fortunate side of the tracks, Mr. Schuester decides that he finally wants to propose to Emma. He asks the New Directions, apparently his only friends, exactly how he should propose. Strangely enough, they all respond in song.

After some tumultuous bumps down the road, including the misgivings of Emma’s parents and concern for their future children, Mr. Schuester proposes amidst a campy synchronized swimming production put on by the Glee club.

In the messy realm of teenage relationships, Sam decides he wants Mercedes back, and Mercedes realizes she may just want the same thing, despite her committed relationship to the frequently absent Shane. Becky, equipped with the internal monologue of Helen Mirren, starts pining for the most prominent handicapable guy in school: Artie.

Artie, hesitant at first, realizes that he really likes Becky…as a friend. He eventually clears up his feelings, and Becky copes by having a sweet bonding session with Sue.

In an very unexpected turn, Finn decides he might want to join the army and become a war hero like his late father. Unfortunately for him and for any chance of a good mood on that day, his parents and Mr. Schuester decide to rain on that parade by telling him that his father did not die in Iraq.

He died afterwards due to a PTSD-induced drug addiction.

Spiraling into frustration and confusion, Finn realizes that he has one truly great thing in life: Rachel. In turn, he makes sure that he never loses her by following in the footsteps of Mr. Schuester. He proposes to her. Rachel, like Glee’s audience, was left utterly speechless. So speechless, in fact, that she didn’t respond before the episode ended.

Oh, and Coach Beiste got eloped with the man who initially left her for Sue.

Characters

She makes the loveliest Queen of England. | Promotional photo courtesy of Fox TV

Becky – I never, in a million seasons, ever expected to be listing this girl’s name under this section of the Gleecap. Fortunately, it’s for all the right reasons. Becky, under her first major spotlight, proved that she is probably one of the most mature people walking through McKinley’s halls. She wanted to date Artie, so she asked him out. She wanted to make the relationship clear even when Artie was stuttering behind. When she got her heart broken, she knew the truth behind it and handled the grief like anyone should.

With the movie Beaches.

Mr. Schuester – For the first time in a while, the show gave him lines. For the first time in a long while, I actually liked him. Sure, it was weird exactly how much he was bonding with his students, but that’s excusable given the show and all the lovey-dovey camaraderie that comes with it. People may call out his confrontation with Emma, but his concerns were completely valid.

They’ve both been through divorces. Emma’s OCD is a messy problem, and it’s not wrong of him to want to clear that with her. That was responsible, although somewhat unpleasant. His interactions with Finn were also commendable.

Sam – I’m convinced the Glee writers create entire story lines just to keep as little clothing on Sam as possible.

Coach Roz – I thought anything even mildly graced by Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes was going to be absolutely horrendous. Strangely enough, she was pretty darn funny.

Songs

“Summer Nights” from Grease: I realize this song is a cult classic that fit perfectly into the context of the show, but I really wasn’t a fan of it. The vocals were adequate but not terribly stunning. I approve of Sugar having a line, but Rory’s lines seemed very much out of range. The lyrics also left me wondering what actually happened with their summer fling. Given Mercedes’ character, I find it hard to believe everything went down just as Sam’s hip thrust’s led me on to believe.

“Wedding Bell Blues” by Laura Nyro: I find it terribly hard to believe that Emma was actually singing this. The voice, albeit just as chipmunk-y as I’ve come to expect, did not blend well with other songs I’ve heard her “sing.” Beiste and Sue’s bridesmaid’s outfits, however, made up for everything.

“Moves Like Jagger/Jumpin’ Jack Flash” by Maroon 5/Rolling Stones: Both songs fit excellently with Artie’s voice, although I’m not one hundred percent sure that “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” really added much to the song. It’s a great retro addition, but didn’t change “Moves Like Jagger” much. The man-dancing/bonding aspect of the song felt bizarre.

“First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack: For once, I think all the other female vocalists outclassed Rachel on this one, including Tina. The raw emotional energy supported by a stellar ensemble singing really made the performance surprisingly powerful. My only criticism is that I’m sick of Rachel’s crying face.

“Without You” by David Guetta ft. Usher: I agree with Santana’s comment in that the song felt pretty irrelevant. I get that it serves as a catalyst for Finn’s eventual epiphany and realization, but it gave me flashbacks of when she got an irrelevant song every single episode. Fortunately, it was a unique spin on the song that managed well with her vocals.

“We Found Love” by Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris: This season, the Glee higher-ups realized that Rachel and Santana’s voices go excellently together. They should continue to abuse the knowledge because this synchronized-swimming supported song selection was stellar (holy alliteration Batman). I even enjoyed how campy the performance was. It felt like typical Glee campy, not shove-it-down-your-throat campy.

One-Liners

“Is that a mohawk or did someone glue a squirrel to your head?” – Becky “Helen Mirren” Jackson

“He’s going to have the grease monkeys wearing white dinner jackets.” – Burt Hummel about Kurt

“If you pee in my pool, I will kill you.” – Coach Roz Washington

Overall Score

The show had a jarring amount of emotional development that I was not expecting. Finn wanting to join the army, Finn’s dad being a drug addict, Becky’s entire storyline and her maturity, Mr. Schuester’s proposal and conflict with Emma, and Finn’s ultimate proposal to Rachel all caught me completely off-guard.

The songs are my biggest complaint. Although vocally most of them were spot-on, the context or cinematography for a few felt really off. And some may rail against Mr. Schuester’s decisions, I do feel they were necessary to get out in the open.

“Yes/No:” A-

The Gleecap: “Extraordinary Merry Christmas” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “Pot O’ Gold” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “Michael” by Jon Erik Christianson

Promotional photo courtesy of NBC.

Awake, NBC. Among the more interesting dramas of the new year is Awake. Awake is part police procedural and part psychological drama. Jason Isaacs (of Harry Potter fame) stars as Detective Michael Britten. Britten wakes up from a devastating car accident to find out that his son perished in the crash. However, when he goes to sleep, he wakes up in another reality—one in which his wife died rather than his son. Britten struggles to hold onto each reality, unable to let go of either family member, and finds mysterious links between the two realities. Awake does not have a set premiere date yet, but it should show up in early 2012.

Smash, NBC. Smash has unfortunately already gotten a rep as NBC’s Glee knockoff. Though it is true that Smash is a musical series, it seems to be going for a much more realistic tone. Katharine McPhee stars as an ambitious Broadway hopeful vying for a role in a new Marilyn Monroe musical. It should be interesting to see where the show takes us and how it will differentiate itself from the mammoth iTunes-driven machine that is Glee. And honestly, any show that can tell a coherent story with any semblance of consistent characterization will have a leg up on Glee.  Look for Smash the Monday following the Super Bowl.

Cougar Town, ABC (returning). Yeah, I said it. I like Cougar Town. I really like Cougar Town. Sure, the name is enough to make you actively hate the show before you even watch it, but give it a try. This effort from Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence really hit its stride during its second season. Cougar Town maintains the goofy appeal of Scrubs without the cloying characters. Though Cougar Town’s third-season episode order has been shortened, Lawrence is confident the show will continue to run, and I’m happy to go along for the ride.  The season is slated to premiere in March.

Alcatraz, FOX. The JJ Abrams-produced Alcatraz has garnered a lot of buzz over the past few months. The story follows the island prison of the same name; the twist is that prisoners who died years and years ago are showing up in modern-day San Fransisco. Like most Abrams projects, this show is shrouded in mystery. Though the Abrams-produced Person of Interest has largely turned into the quintessential dull CBS procedural, there is hope yet for wayward LOST nerds looking for a new fix. Alcatraz debuts Monday, January 16th.

Continuity is King: Why I Watch Every Episode by Alyssa True

4 Reasons to Watch How To Make It In America by Chris Walker

Revolution Watch 2011 by Annie White

Story Overview

Guys, strap your seat belts on because this is going to be a long one.

Just kidding.

Rachel acts as a spoiled, demanding girlfriend who wants a list of gifts from Finn. Rory, homesick for his family, rooms with Sam to get the spirit of Christmas back.

Sue, moved about her first Christmas without her sister, invites the New Directions kids to sing at a homeless shelter. They agree, but the local TV station solicits New Directions into singing for their very own Christmas special at the very same time! What will they choose?!

The Christmas special. Quinn and Sam work at the shelter the entire time when New Directions comes in last minute to serenade some admittedly happy children with song.

Characters

Rachel – Nothing overly surprising here. She was being overly demanding and then, suddenly, she had a massive change of heart. I do, however, need to commend her beautifully campy performance during the Glee Christmas Special. Her crazy Kirsten Wiig eyes during every song captured her insanity and that nostalgic 50′s feeling.

Sue – Her complete 180 degree Christmas attitude makes sense to me. She’s a good person at heart, and the sudden hole in her life without Jean would drive her to help out the homeless. She wasn’t all jokes; she was serious about helping the less fortunate. It was sweet.

Quinn – She’s still not psycho! It truly is a Christmas miracle! And she was actively helping out mankind, and demonstrated moral superiority over all the other New Directions members who couldn’t make it.

"And the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day..." | Courtesy FoxTV

Songs

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey: A lovely song for Mercedes’ voice; she’s probably the best person for the song anyways. Nice vocal balance and it accomplished what it needed to do. Her seducing Sam was quite the sight.

“Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley: Finally, we have a song that excellently suits Rory’s voice. His past few performances were just “nice.” A classic song filled to the brim with crooning, albeit sad crooning, made him singing finally worth it.

“River” by Joni Mitchell: What was the purpose of this song other than to get Rachel to sing? It was depressing, it was vocally uninspiring, and it isn’t even well-known enough to be nostalgic. An episode with nine songs can afford to cut something like this.

“Extraordinary Merry Christmas” by Glee Cast: Usually when New Directions whips out an original song, it’s for a really special reason. The song was nice, although Blaine was auto-tuned to oblivion, but it didn’t hit the same par that their original songs have reached.

“Let It Snow” by Frank Sinatra: The camp, the context, the Klaine, and sheer amount of corn made this a really fun performance. The song is a sweet classic, and the two of them did it justice.

“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music: Rachel was killing me this entire performance. Heck with the singing, her leering, mad-house eyes eclipsed everything else in this song. Even though the vocals, including Mercedes, were nicely done as well.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Bruce Springsteen: Speaking of eyes, my friend Allison rightfully spent the entire song saying “open your eye, Finn,” since one of his eyelids was glued shut the entire time. The song was fun, but altogether okay. The song isn’t vocally demanding and thus, it was perfect for the duo.

“Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses: I don’t care what anyone says, that was not Brittany singing. The tepid voice we’ve gotten to hear through Tik Tok, Run the World (Girls), and the Britney episode was not present here. Regardless, the song was mediocre.

“Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Feed the World)” by Band Aid: Another song that was really enjoyable and performed well, but lost much of its luster because it was the ninth song of the episode. I was too vocally burnt out to appreciate much beyond the shots of adorable children.

One Liners

“All I want for Christmas is you, and five things on my Christmas list.” – Rachel Berry, the Jewish character.

“I’m dating Kim Kardashian.” – Finn Hudson

“I made plans to shoot reindeer on a helicopter with Sarah Palin.” – Sue Sylvester.

“This is my best friend and holiday roommate.” – Kurt Hummel, introducing Blaine to a conservative Ohio audience.

Overall Score

This episode was essentially a Christmas album promotion. It is impossible to showcase nine songs and have any kind of plot progression whatsoever. It doesn’t help when only half the songs felt worthy of taking up that much airspace.

On the upside, the episode was very fun to watch. The entire “Glee Christmas Special” part of the episode was hysterical, courtesy of the sheer volumes of camp and self-awareness stuffed into it. Even though Rachel stole the show, Blaine and Kurt’s camp should not be ignored either. I just can’t get over Rachel’s wink whilst giving Blaine, shockingly, a bow-tie.

For the sake of pure enjoyment, this episode gets a good grade, despite story shortcomings.

“Extraordinary Merry Christmas:” B+

The Gleecap: “Hold On to Sixteen” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “The First Time” by Jon Erik Christianson

The Gleecap: “I Kissed a Girl” by Jon Erik Christianson

'New Girl' promotional poster. | Photo courtesy of www.fox.com.

It’s not too often that celebrities with a high-profile career in the film and music industry take a prominent dip in the television industry; it’s usually quite the opposite. Take Selena Gomez, for example. Her rise to fame was significantly due to her role on the Disney television hit Wizards of Waverly Place. Since the series ended, however, she’s left her Disney days behind and has been focusing on her music career under the moniker Selena Gomez & The Scene, as well as her film career (let’s be honest, Monte Carlo was rather enjoyable). Or how about Johnny Depp? Today, he’s widely recognized as a blockbuster movie star and heartthrob. But even Johnny Depp got his start in the late 80’s with the television industry, when he landed the lead role on 21 Jump Street.

It seems most celebrities would think better than to return to television once they’ve struck jackpot and made it onto the big screen. This isn’t the case for Zooey Deschanel. Considering the level of international success Deschanel has garnered through (500) Days of Summer and She & Him, it’s no surprise that she’s able to attract a sizeable fan base towards her new project, New Girl.

New Girl, as the title suggests, follows the life of an overtly bubbly woman (Jess, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel) in her late 20’s, who after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend moves in with three men she met through Craigslist. Sounds a bit bizarre, I know, but that’s precisely what makes New Girl so absurdly fantastic. In most cases, a character like Deschanel’s would’ve been written as a wacky sidekick who comically aids a much more glamorous lead star. The writers and producers of the show decided against this, nonetheless, and cleverly wrote up the character of Jess in a manner that only Deschanel is unique enough to portray. For those who are already fans of Zooey Deschanel, New Girl is undoubtedly a godsend – Jess is goofy, painfully awkward, charismatic, “adorkably” charming, and she frequently bursts into song. Oh, and then there’s the awkward dancing. Lots of awkward dancing.

Though Deschanel is in the show’s main spotlight, I have to give mention to the character of Schmidt, portrayed by Max Greenfield. Of the three guys who play Jess’ roommates, none of them is as ridiculously captivating as Schmidt, the douchey bro and stereotypical ladies’ man with a heart of gold. Watch out for this dude; Jess may have some memorable awkward moments or one-liners throughout the show, but Schmidt is just as profound in that department as well. Because, well, Schmidt happens.

While New Girl has only recently joined the Fox lineup this fall (with 9 episodes to date), this new sitcom is well on its way to becoming a television classic.

Catch New Girl Tuesday nights on Fox at 9/8c.

The Gleecap: “I Kissed a Girl” by Jon Erik Christianson

Tweets of Welcome: #TweetCreep Returns by Liz Breen

Community Promotional Photo | Courtesy of TV Guide

This idea ties into the very genetics of the show. It’s easy to assume Community is a cynical show—a show that uses pop culture riffing and rapid fire jokes to poke fun at sitcom conventions and genre tropes simply for the sake of saying “screw you, we’re joke machines.” But the truth is, Community is a show that always has its heart placed firmly on its sleeve. The show is one of TV’s funniest comedies, but there has always been an emotional core to the show. The constant parody that the show pulls (much of it this week poking fun at Glee) doesn’t come from a malicious place. The pop-culture references and genre stunts are always in service of the characters and the story. In many ways, this episode serves to let us know that Community has never been about making fun of everything; it’s about how hard it can be to open yourself up to something or someone and let go of your prejudices.

Just shut up and talk about the episode, you’re probably thinking. And rightly so. The story this week, like last year’s stop-motion animated “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” was driven by Abed. When Greendale’s glee club is taken out of commission, Mr. Rad (played by SNL’s Taran Killam) asks the study group to fill in. Everyone seems reluctant to the idea, but Abed decides to try to get everyone into the spirit. What ensues is essentially a horror movie, a riff on zombie flicks in which each member of the study group becomes “infected” by the power of song. Only Community could make a Christmas episode somehow merry and horrifying. Each character succumbs to the “virus” of gleeful singing by having their tragic flaws exploited (Troy will do anything Abed does, Pierce is swayed by an appeal to his ego and age, Shirley is sucked in by the power of singing children, Annie is trapped when standing up to Mr. Rad, and Britta just wants to fit in with the rest of the group). When the glee club show comes around and fails disastrously, Abed feels guilty for having put the group through this all in the first place and goes home to spend Christmas alone. Finally, in a genuinely moving scene, the group shows up at Abed’s apartment to spend the holidays together.

Maybe it’s just Christmas time that makes me get all sentimental and whatnot, but what makes Community a great show in my opinion is that for all of it’s jokes, for all of it’s parody and self-awareness, however alienating it’s meta jokes may be, the show often reaches something raw and visceral at the core of the issue. On the surface, this episode poked a lot of fun at Glee and had fun with Christmas musical tropes. But beneath its surface of jokes it acknowledged that Christmas often serves to highlight the fear of loneliness we all seem to carry around the holidays and how important it is to cherish the bonds you have. Sometimes it’s important to give yourself to something completely, even something as silly as breaking out into spontaneous, fully-produced musical numbers for the sake of being with your friends. After all, loving something fully and unconditionally allows for more happiness, and there’s nothing more validating than letting your inhibitions go completely and to enjoy the time you have with the people you love.

Random Thoughts:

-       With this episode, Community enters its indefinite hiatus. It may be a while until we see the gang at Greendale. It may seem grim, but there are a lot of reasons that Community could see a 4^th season. For a succinct summary of those reasons, check out this article from The A.V. Club.

-       Having spent a lot of time discussing the deeper aspects of Community as a show, I fear I missed pointing out that this episode was one of the funniest of the season, perhaps only overtaken by the show’s multiple-timelines episode “Remedial Chaos Theory.”

-       Since this review has largely turned into a thought piece on Christmas (again, sorry about that, but it is a Christmas episode after all), I’d just like to take this opportunity to say Happy Holidays to everyone. Let’s all hope Community can reach six seasons and a movie.

Networks Want Ratings: The Tau of the Friends Clone by Adrian Burke

A Fistful of Paintballs: The Merit of High Concept TV on “Community” by Adrian Burke