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Best Leading Actor:
*Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)

Best Supporting Actor:
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Best Leading Actress:
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)

Best Supporting Actress:
*Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best Animated Feature Film:
*“Up” (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Art Direction:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg & Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

Best Cinematography:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore

Costume Design:
*“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Best Directing: Academy Award History Maker!
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow

Best Documentary Feature:
*“The Cove” (Roadside Attractions) An Oceanic Preservation Society Production

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Music by Prudence” – An iThemba Production Dir. Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

Film Editing:
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Best Foreign Language Film:
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haddock Films Production- Argentina

Makeup:
*“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

Best Original Film Score:
**”Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best Original Song:
*“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Motion Picture:
**”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures

Best Animated Short Film:
**”Logorama” (Autour de Minuit) An Autour de Minuit Production-Nicolas Schmerkin

Best Live Action Short Film:
*“The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best Sound Editing:
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing:
**“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Best Visual Effects:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

Best Adapted Screenplay:
**“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

Best Original Screenplay:
**”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal

13/24 predicted; 19/24 overall.

Best moments of the night:
- Mo’Nique acceptance speech
- Oprah giving Gabby her “toast”
- Up Director’s wife’s reaction to his win
- Jeff Bridge’s acceptance speech (calling everyone “man”)
- Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech (thanking unrecognized mothers)
- Kathryn Bigalow making history & acceptance speech (thanking men & women in service… including fire-fighters)

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In lieu of staying relevant, I am posting my 2010 Oscar Predictions!

I’ll follow a pattern set out by many. It is a three tier prediction system which allows three educated guesses.

This may make me sound more successful when the winners are announced and I am correct in any one of these categories. Brilliant!

I’m gonna keep it simple & bold the nominee I believe will win, italicize my faves – who I want to win & add a *star next to the “dark horse.”
My reasons & opinions will be saved for after Oscar night.

[Note: I am also excited to say that Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin will be co-hosting & making us laugh! I do believe they will succeed!]

PREDICTIONS:

Best Leading Actor:
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
*Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Best Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Best Leading Actress:
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
*Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Best Supporting Actress:
Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
*Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best Animated Feature Film:
“Coraline” (Focus Features) Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*”The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
“Up” (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Art Direction:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg & Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren & Anastasia Masaro & Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
*”Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre & Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood & Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette & Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Best Cinematography:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Costume Design:
“Bright Star” (Apparition) Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
*”Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Best Directing: (my gamble & the potential Academy Award History Maker)
*”Avatar” (20th Century Fox) James Cameron

“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
*”Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best Documentary Feature:
*”Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) A Magic Hour Films Production with Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” (Roadside Attractions) An Oceanic Preservation Society Production
“Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures) A Robert Kenner Films Production with Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” A Kovno Communications Production with Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” A Mr. Mudd Production with Rebecca Cammisa

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” – A Downtown Community Television Center Production Dir. Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” – A Just Media Production Dir. Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” – A Community Media Production Dir. Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“Music by Prudence” – An iThemba Production Dir. Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” (Deckert Distribution) – An MS Films Production Dir. Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
*”Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best Foreign Language Film:
“Ajami” (Kino International) An Inosan Production – Israel
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haddock Films Production- Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow” A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production- Peru
“Un Prophète” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production – France
“The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production – Germany

Makeup:
“Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
*”The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Best Original Film Score:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
*”Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best Original Song:
*”Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″ (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Motion Picture:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) A Lightstorm Entertainment Production -James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.) An Alcon Entertainment Production -Nominees to be determined
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Block/Hanson Production -Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production -Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
*”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures Production -Nominees to be determined
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production -Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production -Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” (Focus Features) A Working Title Films Production -Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production -Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) A Montecito Picture Company Production -Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best Animated Short Film:
“French Roast” A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production -Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” (Brown Bag Films) A Brown Bag Films Production -Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production -Javier Recio Gracia
*”Logorama” (Autour de Minuit) An Autour de Minuit Production-Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” (Aardman Animations) An Aardman Animations Production -Nick Park

Best Live Action Short Film:
“The Door” (Network Ireland Television) An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
*“Instead of Abracadabra” (The Swedish Film Institute) A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” (Premium Films) A Druid Films Production -Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
“The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best Sound Editing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson
*”Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Best Sound Mixing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Best Visual Effects:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
*”District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Best Adapted Screenplay:
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
*”An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Best Original Screenplay:
*”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter -Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

At the end of the night I believe it will be an interesting head to head of directors (formerly married couple) James Cameron & Kathryn Bigelow. Hollywood couldn’t write a better drama!

Tune in on Sunday – I’d love to know what you think!

Night out w/my name-that-tune buddy. Met some local bartenders, $1 draft, & greasy bar food. Ug. Working on a script 'til bedtime. #

@butterflyb i love crossing out lists in reply to butterflyb #

@adamlambert hahaha! you have to admit… your PC comment applies both ways thanks for your honesty. in reply to adamlambert #

just formatted my new 1TB LaCie external HD to my iMac. Bring on the HiDef video #nerdalert #fb #

@gfmorris aww, just called… they're not streaming it tonight say hi to Sandra & Derek for me! have fun! in reply to gfmorris #

@jennisimmons I just called the Rutledge – they're not streaming tonight in reply to jennisimmons #

@SandraMcCracken caught your show online keeps me very excited for In Feast or Fallow. You sounded great! #

@gfmorris yup! those liars… i'm sure your recording is 10x better than what i can hear… in reply to gfmorris #

I just got some FREE music from @Waterdeep You can download it here: https://www.noisetrade.com/waterdeep (per @gfmorris advice) #

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An attractive feature of electronic music and what keeps me coming back for more is the empowering tools that allow a solo or duo to have a full sound – all woven together in an electronic tapestry. Take Andrew Bird for example – his live music takes on much the same electronic elements as do others who use samples. Imogen Heap weaves her songs live on stage, piling loop after loop and fits them in just the right rhythm and place.

Along with the new introductions to electronic artists, one of my old favorites put out a surprise electronic album: Derek Webb. Today, Thursday February 25, 2010 ONLY you can get a FREE download at NoiseTrade.com/ of his new album Stockholm Syndrome. Check it out, seriously. A lot of hype that gradually produced doubt accompanied it’s release. The relevance of its release is doubtless for me and I listen to it more than any of his past work. Going back to his previous record The Ringing Bell I can continue to understand Webb’s growth and musical trajectory. With the release of Stockholm Syndrome, Webb also released the song stems for fans and musicians to remix and mashup on a site called SoundCloud- a hosting site for remixes, electronic sample sharing, and a place for artists of all professions to communicate and critique. girltalk is the best example I can give for an artist/producer who takes dozens of song – new and old and mashes them together in insanely imaginative ways. [note: It would be another entry to discuss the role of a dj vs. producer. I'm purposely leaving out the dj/MC which uses sampling and mashing by definition] I believe that more self-produced artists like Webb & Heap are using the ease of file sharing and inexpensive mixing software to encourage creativity among fans, allowing an almost conversational give and take of music. During SILVERDOCS 2009, I saw the documentary RIP: A Remix Manifesto which furthered my education of the issues behind mashups, music downloads and the question of freedom in media exchange and copyrights. The film goes beyond music and encouraged viewer participation through video remixing. In the end, there can be collaborative, mutually-supportive peace between artist and downloader or an intense – often money-driven – power war.

Back to the music… one critical turning point in my music listening was when I started subscribing to the KEXP Song of the Day Podcast. This (FREE!) daily bit of current and sometimes pre-released music accompanied by ablog gives context and information. Bell’s song “Housefire” was one of those tunes that eased my ears into more electronic music. Instead of hearing meaningless beeps & taps, I began to hear layers of complex rhythms and harmonies. Passion Pit was the next group to REALLY catch my attention. Let me tell you, I fell head over heels and was fully convinced that if their song “Sleepyhead” could be a person – a man – I would marry him. Ironically, or not, Passion Pit became one of Paste Magazine’s “Best of What’s Next” bands and caught the attention of NPR’s All Songs Considered as well as festivals & listeners around the country in 2008. They have a pop-driven sound. Similarly, Bon Iver gave me a taste of simpler self-produced music that verges on electronic with a few affected tracks such as “Woods” which is reminiscent of Imogen Heaps’ “Hide and Seek”… and we’ve come full circle. Before I let you go, just wanted to share a list of songs in my iTunes library & final thoughts.

25 Top picks for KEXP’s Song of the Day electronic songs:

• Dan Deacon “Paddling Ghost” (5/19/09)
• Bon Iver “Skinny Love” (3/31/09)
• The Arch Cupcake “Rubix Dude” (5/11/08 )
• Booka Shade “Charlotte” (7/15/08)
• The Dodos “Fools” (7/21/08 )
• El Ten Eleven “Jumping Frenchmen of Maine” (4/14/09)
• Faunts “Alarmed/Lights” (4/1/09)
• High Places “Head Spins” (10/9/08)
• High Places “From Stardust to Sentience” (11/20/08)
• Le Loup “Beach Town” (10/19/09)
• Kinky “Fuego En La Fabrica” (3/3/09)
• Lusine “Two Dots” (9/2/09)
• Man Plus “A Ghost is a Ghost is a Ghost is a Ghost” Remix (12/19/08)
• Miike Snow “Animal” (6/8/09)
• Miike Snow “Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)” (3/11/09)
• Moby “Pale Horses” ( 7/23/09)
• Peter Bjorn & John “Nothing to Worry About” (2/25/09)
• The Pinker Tones “Fugaz” (6/3/08)
• School of Seven Bells “Iamundernodisguise” ( 11/19/08)
• Zion I “Caged Bird Part 1 (feat. Brother Ali) (4/16/09)
• Telepathe “So Fine” (2/30/09)
• Stellastarr* “Freak Out” (7/21/09)
• Nino Moschella “Continue to Call” ( 6/23/09)
• Passion Pit “I’ve Got Your Number” (11/3/08)

Click, read, download & enjoy! If you want more reading, there are several other blogs like SoftSynth Blog who shares their 25 top electronic albums of the Decade. Many other songs and artists are worth exploring in this discussion and as I barely scratch the surface, I’m finding more. Have you heard a song that inspires you to dance or mix it up? Leave a comment and pass it on!

Highlighting next week:
On the Big Screen – Oscar Predictions! I’ll be giving my predictions for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards which happen Sunday March 7th, so read ahead & tune in!

@sadiefbrinton great idea! Wish I had control of my snooze hand before 7am… in reply to sadiefbrinton #

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Why it works: Glee is the culmination of FOX’s successful reality series American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance and Disney’s hit High School Musical trilogy plus the humor/music combination in many episodes of The Simpsons. The reality shows, AI & SYTYCD, showcase rare, raw talent like the Kelly Clarkson/Susan Boyle voices and the Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo choreography we all love. But in order to get to the perfect performances & well-synced choreography we must endure the pain of disappointment and at times, horror of the not-so-talented. Glee is a gold mine of chill-inducing, pitch-perfect, light-blazing performances. While some scoff the reality-TV fad, audiences young & old can justify watching Glee because the performances are from the professionals & the songs are from their very own iTunes library: Journey “Don’t Stop Believing,” The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Van Halen “Jump,” John Lennon “Imagine” and well, you get the picture. Younger audiences will love it too! With songs like, “Gold Digger,” Rehab,” “I Kissed a Girl,” and “Single Ladies” they keep it relevant.
Another evidence of their musical success: Mashups.
Beyonce/Hair “Crazy in Love”/”Hair”, Bon Jovi/Usher “It’s My Life”/”Confessions Pt. 2″ and Beyonce/Katrina & the Waves”Halo”/”Walking on Sunshine” mixing old and new.

Let’s be honest, it was hard to call myself a fan of HSM 1,2,&3 when they’re geared toward 8-15 year-olds, but with catchy tunes and sharp choreography, it was I who dragged Nick (9) & Zack (7) to the theater for the third installment. Glee was just what I (and the thousands of other 20-somethings who secretly watched HSM) needed. With Glee, I can still enjoy song, dance, PLUS mature story-content and witty humor but in a more acceptable & predictable format -the TV Dramady series.

A reviewer I admire, Rachael Maddux of Paste Magazine, recently wrote a Season 1 Reveiw, gave it a “respectable” 51 out of 100 and pummeled it due to it’s lack of realistic plot points & far-fetched props/costumes during musical numbers. I am disappointed with this review and join ranks with the opinions of three online commenters that follow the article. Trish says, “GLEE is great satire with fantastically executed musical performances. To me, it’s like a mash-up of the best unexpected covers from American Idol with Friday Night Lights-loveable characters.” The show gives me more of what I secretly want when watching American Idol – good song choices, good voices, good performances, and a little DRAMA.

Maddux does bring up some clear issues with the show:
“…most of the characters’ wounds are self-inflicted, the natural consequences of self-serving lies and deliberate manipulations of friends, family and co-workers. There are some exceptions, some challenges and conflicts parlayed into teaching moments with all the saccharine wisdom of an after-school special. But, for the most part, every moment of character development is merely an excuse to unveil another dark layer of these people we’re supposed to identify with, root for—even love.”
So yeah, I’m not a fan of how the characters lie and manipulate in order to make things better… is the “happy ending” worth the frustration it takes to get there? Additionally, the writers of Glee aren’t afraid of sex, sexiness, and sexuality. I realized this very quickly. From the topics of Glee Club member, Kurt’s sexuality to teen pregnancies to the sensual dance numbers that only sickened me at times, Glee might just be a bit obsessed. At the same time, the show brings up several other hot-button topics such as physical & mental handicaps, marriage & faithfulness, and the all-American “just be yourself” campaign. One other shallow mention in the mix: religion. Two references to religion I can recall are when the pregnant, gold-cross-necklace wearing “Christian” cheerleader is outspoken about abstinence and when Puck decides to date Rachel because he’s a Jew & she’s a “good-looking Jew” and he wants to make his mother happy… hm. So spiritual.

Besides the music, the character rivalries are my favorite plot tent-poles of Glee. Mr. Scheuster vs. Sue Sylvester. Even the somewhat sketchy Mrs. Terri Scheuster vs. wholesome guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury keep me watching. Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester is nearly perfect and the comedy that ensues between Sue and Sheu is belly-laugh worthy!
(see this & more great Sue Sylvester Quotes)

Will: ”I will destroy you”
Sue: ”I am about to vomit down your back.”

Lynch is pushing 50 and is JUST now on my radar with this role plus her recent role in the Meryl Streep movie Julie & Julia. That’s not to say she hasn’t been working the screen for a while. Check her IMDB listings. Keep an eye on this one. Paste Magazine covered an article about Matthew Morrison’s rise to fame and his move into recording that voice I’ve come to love. At first, I was mostly disturbed by the white-boy-trying-to-pull-off-hip-hop (not to mention trying to be the “cool” teacher) but then I watched and realized he had the vocals & moves to make it work. I predict he’ll stick to what he knows and offer an album of covers & sound-alike-broadway tunes.

That brings me to my final cheer about Glee. It’s bringing back Broadway!
With musical guest appearances like Kristen Chenoweth (who I LOVE) and musical numbers like “On My Own” from Les Miserables and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from Guys and Dolls, it’s a sneak peak of the Broadway stage. I could go on about Lea Michele as Rachel Berry and her incredible vocals that make me want to jump a train to NYC to see Wicked or Chicago. Whew. This is why I love Glee.
So congradulations on winning a San Fransisco Review.)

Highlighting next week:
I’m trying to keep up with my pattern, so tune in next week for a perspective on electronic music and how my tastes have changed over the past few years. Highlighting KEXP’s Song of the Day Podcast, Imogen Heap, David Byrne, Booka Shade, Passion Pit, High Places, Animal Collective, and *gasp!* Derek Webb. Thanks for reading!