Why Glee Is So Remarkable?

Glee - The Season 2

2011-02-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Glee - The Season 2

Glee is a famous American musical which has attracted millions of viewers to seasons one and two up to now. This article outlines the Glee TV show plus gives detail on the episode storylines in season two as well as the new characters who have been added to the show. There is also some information on season one which was responsible for starting the momentum which has led to the series becoming one of the most popular current programmes on American TV. As a result of this success the DVD sales of season one and two have also been extremely impressive.
The second season took the existing club onto regional and national competitions as the pressure builds on the different relationships between the main characters. This season features the main characters as before with Will Schuester, Sue Sylvester, Emma Pillsbury, Terri Schuester and Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley and Mark Salling being most prominent. New characters added include Sunshine Corazon, Carl Howell and Shannon Beiste. Some of the actors responsible for bringing the main characters to life have now become well known in their own rights and seem likely to go on to have major Hollywood careers once their time in the show comes to an end.
The show throughout the second season has attracted viewing figures of around 11-12 million having built up to this total by the end of the first season and remained their consistently since. It appears that good press and public word of mouth helped the show to rise from initial figures of around 7 million US viewers for the first few episodes up to where it finished by the end of that season, at episode 22.
This popularity is also matched with an extensive list of awards that the show has already received with many expected for future episodes and series. Awards have been laden on the show, it's writers and also the actors who have brought the show to life with youthful vigour which has helped Glee to offer a charming feel throughout.
There is no doubt that Glee has very quickly become one of the most talked about and enjoyed TV shows across all American TV networks, with success now spreading abroad since the show has been broadcast in many other countries. With such early success it is difficult to know how long Glee can keep up these early achievements but the future certainly looks exciting for this inspiring musical comedy.

AFI Top 10 TV List Made By Glee And Mad Man

2010-12-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

Mad Men, Glee and Modern Family are among the American Film Institute's Top 10 television programmes of 2010.

The Big C, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead also make the grade, as do The Pacific, Temple Grandin and 30 Rock.
Unlike other bodies, the AFI does not rank shows in order of preference.
The AFI also named its Top 10 movies of the year, a list that includes The Social Network, Inception, Toy Story 3, True Grit and The Kids are All Right.
Because the organisation recognises films with US backing, The King's Speech - a British production - was rendered ineligible.
Yet the judges gave the Colin Firth period drama a special award, along with education documentary Waiting for Superman.
The other films in the AFI's Top 10 were Black Swan, The Town, The Fighter, 127 Hours and Winter's Bone.
The lists were chosen by two 13-member panels, with actress Jennifer Love Hewitt and producer Steven Bochco among the adjudicators.
It is the first time the institute's annual list of official selections has included special awards.
AFI president Bob Gazzale said they allowed the juries to acknowledge "outstanding work outside the traditional AFI criteria".

Choral singing has stormed the US pop charts on the back of a TV series called Glee. Now the show is being aired in Britain, and the music is in the top 10.

If you've just looked at this week's Top 10 singles don't worry, you haven't fallen asleep and woken up in 1981.
There's a simple explanation for Journey's power ballad Don't Stop Believin' sitting at number six and number seven in the chart - Glee. That's the name of a hit US TV series aired in Britain for the first time last week. Days later the "Glee effect" - as it has been dubbed by the American press - was rubbing off on the British pop charts.

The show is a fictional tale about a young teacher trying to turn a bunch of high school misfits into a show-stopping choir. In an integrated media strategy that surely points the way of things to come, after each episode was broadcast in the US last year a song from that show was released for download. And each song stormed the charts.
After the first episode was screened on E4 in the UK last week the show achieved a double whammy in the UK charts, with Don't Stop Believin' sung by the Glee Cast reaching number six and Journey's original version reaching number seven. Expect more of the same as the series builds momentum.
Vibrant
The show's blend of dark humour and high camp are a big part of its success, but the feel-good, serotonin-stirring songs belted out each week are also winning over even the most hardened critics.
"It blasts past any defences you might put up," said Entertainment Weekly. "Glee will not stop until it wins you over utterly."
But while glee clubs are a staple of American high school and college life, the concept is almost unknown in the UK.

Show choirs are catching on in the UK

The irony is that glee actually began in Britain, around the 1700s, according to historians. Glee clubs remained popular until Victorian times, when other styles of singing became more fashionable.
Back then "glee" referred to a specific form of unaccompanied English part song - singing with two or more voice parts, with one part carrying the melody - and were all male. This style was adopted by America's first - and now oldest - glee club, formed by students at Harvard University in 1858.
The term has evolved over the years and is now encompasses everything from Harvard's traditional 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble to the sort of high school show choirs featured in Glee.
But while they have mutated into many forms, glee clubs are still a "distinctly American tradition," says Professor Scott Tucker, director of the Cornell University Glee Club, which was founded in 1868.
'Triumph or disaster'
"Choral singing in general is incredibly vibrant in the US," he says. "The number of people singing in choirs here is surprisingly high."
One factor that could explain why this touchstone of American culture is all but unheard of in Britain is America's focus on competition. Glee isn't just about the joy of singing - many show choirs compete at national level.

CLASSIC GLEE CLUB SONGS

The Whiffenpoof Song

Far Above Cayuga's Waters

My Cutie's Due

Dancing in the Streets

Don't Stop Believin'

"They are uniquely American," says Peter Ling, professor of American Studies at Nottingham University. "That's because American schools and colleges have always had a hugely competitive element. They like things that tap into something climatic, that could end in triumph or disaster - hopefully triumph."
The history of show choirs, such as that in Glee, is very recent. They began popping up in America in the 1970s, according to cultural historians. When competitions started being screened on Public Broadcasting Service stations they got national exposure and grew from there.
"In high school you have the football team, you have cheerleaders and you have show choir," says Jake Smith, a former member of the show choir at Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Indiana.

The misfit image is exemplified by Kurt Hummel - a central character in Glee

But where sports players are cool and athletic, glee singers have a reputation for being a bit nerdy.
"An island of misfit kids," is how Mr Smith sums it up, although the success of the TV series is starting to change perceptions.
So could glee signal a shift in the transatlantic balance of TV's influence on pop tastes? Thanks to Simon Cowell, the US has taken the X Factor ideal to its heart. But could Glee work a similar influence on British music tastes?
Journalist John Walsh has joined a glee club in London, recently set up by a friend. It's informal and people just sing what takes their fancy. He loves it.
"It's singing by brute force rather than any real technique. You are just grabbing a tune and going for it. Forget book clubs, glee clubs are the future."
'Exportable'
It's not a lack of interest in music holding Brits back, it's not having the same tradition of choirs, says Caroline Redman Lusher. She started Rock Choir in Farnham, Surrey, in 2005. It's one of the closest things in the UK to contemporary glee clubs and show choirs, but without the competitive edge. There are now 60 such choirs in the South East and members range from children to pensioners.

Glee clubs used to be all male

"There are loads of community choirs in the UK but they tend to be traditional," she says. "What we do allows anyone to sing, without having to read music or know the theory behind it. There's no auditions and it's not about the best singers, it's about what we create together."
It's not a question of if they spring up in the UK, but when, says Prof Ling.
"Glee clubs are extremely exportable and kids over here have taken to other such exports, like the school prom. It's only a matter of time before we them here and they will be the all-singing-and-dancing version."
Britain, begin exercising your vocal cords now.
Glee is broadcast on Mondays on E4 at 2100 GMT.

Below is a selection of your comments.
Oxford University has a number of A Capella groups. The most successful are Out Of The Blue European Champions of A Cappella 3 times, competed at the finals of an International A Cappella competition (ICCAs) 3 times, come second in that competition twice. Their shows sell out at Edinburgh. Their singing and dancing and comedy being as good as GLEE.
Rosie, Oxford
I was a junior schoolboy in the 50s in a working class area of the West Midlands. One of the joys that I can remember was the communal singing of old patriotic songs in our music classes (Men of Harlech, Rule Brittania etc) We would belt them out at the top of our young voices and we loved it. The daily Hymn was much the same, I wasn't religious but I loved the daily singsong. At grammar school I loved nothing more than singing the descant of our school hymn at the top of my voice along with my hardened class mates. How sad is modern music lessons in school, just playing around with keyboards and headphones with not a voice to be heard. (I am a teacher of 35 years standing) I find it all so sad, I'm glad to see this one American trend, one I will welcome.
Terryd, UK
Let's face it, it had to come. After all these barren years of synthetic, formulaic, talentless, toneless, pop-droning, it was inevitable that Music would make a return one day. It's just so sad that, once again, it appears the Americans have taken something universal, neatly packaged it, and sold it back to the World at a profit. You've got to admire them. As for sticking with tradition, Ms Lusher should have been around in the late 60s when the Kodaly choir and Cor Meibion Gwalia were at the Eisteddfodds and other venues... 400 years of choral tradition. Magnificent.
Zim, London
Glee clubs are certainly a huge thing stateside, though we usually call them show choirs. Students who lived outside the district of my high school would pay extra tuition just so they could audition to be a part of our 13-time state champion show and concert choir. I think our choir was unique though, in that we were both a show choir (think Broadway) and a concert choir (singing anything from Shaker hymns to Eric Whitacre pieces, with no dancing).
Dani, Bloomington, IN, USA
I'm a teacher and we had loads of kids wanting to start up a Glee Club so we offered one and over 70 kids turn up to be in it! they love it!
JNC, Edinburgh
As a teenager, I adored singing with my school choir but then as you search through the heavily classical or incredibly religious choirs that are around, you become disheartened. On Monday I had my first session as a fully paid up member of Rock Choir and I absolutely adored it. Humour mixed with good teaching and approachable well-loved songs makes for an excellence choral experience. There's nothing quite like making a big noise with a large group of people. All the better if it's in tune.
Sarah, London
Please, kill me before this cheesy, soulless drivel catches on over here. I don't think that anyone sane could be subjected to a mob of grinning idiots murdering classic songs without wanting to go on a killing spree. Then again, the X-Factor took off, so it probably will.
Duncan, Glasgow

Glee's Musical , Soaring Your Spirits Higher

2010-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Glee's Musical , Soaring Your Spirits Higher
Glee turned spiritual in an episode aptly named "Grilled Cheesus."

The episode kicked off on a comedic note with Finn (Cory Monteith) accidentally burning his grilled cheese sandwich and seeing Jesus's likeness in the burnt bread. Finn, being Finn, starts praying to the sandwich for things like a win on the football field and a chance to touch his girlfriend Rachel's boobs.

The crux of the show, however, focused on the glee club kids grappling with spirituality after Kurt's father, Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley), has a heart attack and loses consciousness. Kurt (Chris Colfer) declares, "I don't believe in God," and copes with his grief with a heartbreaking version of the Beatles tune "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

The rest of the cast gets in touch with their spiritual sides in their own unique ways: Puck (Mark Salling) channels Billy Joel with the hit "Only the Good Die Young," while Rachel (Lea Michele) takes a cue from Barbra Streisand in Yentl to sing "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"

Mercedes (Amber Riley) sings lead on two songs, a heartfelt version of Whitney Houston's "I Look to You," and a rousing rendition of "Bridge over Troubled Water" backed by a gospel choir.

After a whole episode of getting his prayers answered, Finn has a "come to Jesus" moment when the school quarterback is injured during a game, allowing him to reclaim his position on the field. He got what he prayed for, but not the way he expected. To express his disillusionment Finn sings – what else? – R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion."

Tell us: What was the best spiritual-themed song on Glee?

Which Glee Song Made Your Spirits Soar?
- Puck's "Only the Good Die Young"
- Mercedes's "I Look to You"
- Rachel's "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"
- Kurt's "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
- Finn's "Losing My Religion"
- Mercedes's "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters"
- The cast's "What If God Was One Of Us?"

Glee On The Spotlight

2010-11-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

Glee On The Spotlight

Glee has quickly become a television phenomenon with its controversial story lines, upbeat song and dance numbers and of course, its stellar cast. Take a look at some of the compelling main characters that make Glee such a success.
Kurt Hummel joins the football team to impress his dad, but his heart lies in the glee club. He has to deflect Mercedes' crush on him and she's one of the first people he confides in about his homosexuality. Kurt develops a crush on Finn and schemes to get their widowed parents together. The plan works better than expected and Finn and his mother move in with Kurt and his dad, but Kurt's feelings are hurt when he redecorates his and Finn's room, only to have Finn describe the décor as "faggy." The gay slur prompts Kurt's dad to kick Finn out of the house. Later Finn shows Kurt he's sorry by dressing up like Lady Gaga as part of the glee club routine.
Finn Hudson gets blackmailed into joining the glee club when the club director Will Schuester hears him singing in the shower after football practice. Finn is appalled, but soon comes to enjoy his time on stage. Finn was dating Quinn Fabray until he discovered that she'd cheated on him with his best friend Puck. His affections turn toward fellow Glee club member, Rachel, but after dating her for a while, he decides he needs time alone to figure himself out. He quickly regrets his decision and tries to get Rachel back, but she's already dating Jesse St. James from the rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline.
Quinn Fabray was the head cheerleader at William McKinley High until she discovered she was pregnant. She tells her boyfriend Finn that the baby is his, but it's later revealed that Puck is the father. Quinn decides to give the baby up for adoption-to Will's wife Terri, but Quinn's parents still want her out of the house. She moves in with Finn and his family but later rekindles her feelings for Puck and moves in with him.

The success of 'Glee' is determined in part by the creation of unique, lovable characters and interesting storylines that bring these characters to life. The more that people can relate to what they see on 'Glee', the higher the chance that these people will continuously tune in. While 'Glee' fans surely enjoy the quirky characters offered by the show, a huge part of their ability to relate to these characters is through the show's enticing musical numbers.
New Directions, the official Club on 'Glee,' is encompassed by many different personalities and talents, and is a place where both of these elements combine to create a whole, dynamic character. The musical offerings of New Directions exemplify the combined sentiment of all members and seem always to summarize each episode's most important lesson. Here's a countdown of New Directions' most impressive moments from the first season.
8. "Don't Stop Believing" in "Pilot." Obviously, the first group piece stands as one of the most significant of the show's first season. The theme of the song, specifically, sets up a trend that viewers come to expect from every episode: a positive, collectively encouraging message.
7. "Smile" in "Mattress." This song's lesson is clear: individual hardships are easier handled with a smile-and a little help from one's friends.
6. "Like a Prayer" with Gospel Choir in "The Power of Madonna." New Directions' performance of this powerful song shows their ability to take a classic piece and breathe new life into it.
5. "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" in "Funk." This piece shows the club's willingness to try new things. When all of New Directions' members find themselves in a funk, they try a different, edgier approach in their performance and succeed in standing out from the competition.
4. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in "Sectionals." When faced with adversity and limited time after finding out their competition has stolen their set list, New Directions bounces back with this dynamic song. Clearly, it's not the song they "wanted" to sing, but it's just the one they "needed" for the win at sectionals.
3. "Lean on Me" in "Ballad." One thing that this song helps to show: the members of the Glee Club have each other's backs, vocally and in life.
2. "Keep Holding On" in "Throwdown." Again, this is another performance that showcases the Glee Club members' ability to help their fellow participants with the ups and downs of life. This number, especially, is directed toward Quinn as she struggles with the social effects of her pregnancy.
1. "Imagine" with Haverbrook Deaf Choir in "Hairography." This was perhaps the most touching group performance of the season, and certainly one with a powerful lesson. Even more important than the characters' ability to sing is the emotion and the integrity with which they sing. Though New Directions has a competitive spirit, they don't lose sight of the most important part of being in the group: the simple love of music.
The collection of songs by New Directions in 'Glee' seem to always bring to life an important message or lesson from each episode. It is these moments, and others like them, that reach the deepest areas in the hearts of viewers and entice them to return every week for more of the show's musical magic.

Glee is Launching a Christmas album this year, so get ready to grad those CDs!
‘Glee: The Christmas Album’ will unleash a flurry of festive cheer into the charts with the Glee cast’s renditions of Christmas classics including ‘Oh Holy Night’, ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Last Christmas’, ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ and many more.

This years biggest TV phenomenon continues to set sales records; Glee recently surpassed The Beatles 52 year record the most Billboard Hot 100 chart appearances of a non-solo act in one year. To date over 15 million Glee tracks have been digitally downloaded and over 5 million albums sold worldwide.
In the UK fans have downloaded in excess of the 2 million Glee tracks, while in the US Glee has scored three consecutive US #1 releases with ‘Glee: Volume 3 Showstoppers’, ‘Glee: The Power of Madonna’ and ‘Glee: Journey To Regional’s.’

The full track listing for ‘Glee: The Christmas Album’:
   1. We Need A Little Christmas
   2. Deck The Rooftop
   3. Merry Christmas Darling
   4. Baby, It’s Cold Outside
   5. The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year
   6. Last Christmas
   7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
   8. O Christmas Tree
   9. Jingle Bells
10. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
11. Angels We Have Heard On High
12. O Holy Night

Yes, you heard it right - The Glee Cast will be releasing a Christmas album in time for the festive season!

The people behind the hit musical themed comedy drama have announced that the cast will be releasing a Christmas cover version album in time for December 25th. The album is likely to be a huge success for the show, since the original Glee albums have reached 5 million sales worldwide, as well as 15 million downloads. The show's first LP charted in the top five straight after it's first UK release, so expect big things for the Christmas edition. 'Glee: The Christmas Album' is released in the UK on November 29th, just in time for you to open your advent calenders!

If you tuned out of "Glee" just before the preview to next week aired Tuesday night, there were quite a few surprises that you wouldn't see coming.
First of all, we have a bug that tears its way through the school, pretty much making every person who stands in its path ill. Principal Figgins goes down, leading to Sue Sylvester having to take over. Following that, Will gets sick and we have the emergence of Gwyneth Paltrow's Holly (who Terri apparently already has some sort of jealousy for).
We know that Rihanna's "Umbrella" will be a focus of the episode, but there is still one major question left unanswered -- where is Charice? She is rumored to be in this episode -- another mystery could revolve around Darren Criss, but we all know he's going to be turning back up sooner rather than later.

It’s starting to look as if Glee is inventing its own alternate reality, similar to our own in almost every way, except all music is slightly gussied up, and sung in plummier voices.
Madonna’s music already runs at a fairly high level of gussy, so these seven songs, taken from a one-off episode, are incredibly faithful to the originals. Apart from the precise, Broadway diction of the singers, every last breath, beat, spoken aside and synth stab on this special EP (Glee-P, anyone?) has been painstakingly recreated from the source material.
At its best, it’s a loving homage; at worst it’s like the re-made pop music retailers play in shops to avoid paying proper royalties. The closer to verisimilitude they get, the more you notice the things that aren’t quite right. Express Yourself and Like a Prayer, for example, are so faithful to Madonna’s versions that there’s a hole where her voice should be. It’s unsettling.
When they mash-up Borderline and Open Your Heart by juxtaposing segments of the song in a haphazard fashion, you’d be forgiven for wondering if the musical directors are a little out of their depth. Having said that, the decision to get all the boys to sing What It Feels Like for a Girl is inspired, and represents a genuinely powerful musical moment that doesn’t need the TV show’s plot to make it fly.
Which is the point at which all criticism of Glee’s music falls down, really. As they are essentially photocopies of the originals, the songs depend on the context of the show to make sense. So listening to the album on musical merits alone is close to pointless.

Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationship, sexuality and social issues. The initial main cast encompassed club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), Will's wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), and eight club members played by Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Mark Salling and Jenna Ushkowitz. For the second season, formerly recurring cast members Mike O'Malley, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera were promoted to the main cast.

The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, who first conceived Glee as a film. The pilot episode was broadcast on May 19, 2009, and the first season aired from September 9, 2009 to June 8, 2010. The second season began airing on September 21, 2010, and a third season has been commissioned. Glee features on-screen performance-based musical numbers which are selected by Murphy, who aims to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits. Songs covered in the show are released through the iTunes Store during the week of broadcast, and a series of Glee albums have been released by Columbia Records. The music of Glee has been a commercial success, with over thirteen million digital single sales and five million album sales. The series' merchandise also includes DVD and Blu-Ray releases, a young adult book series, an iPad application, and a karaoke game for the Wii.
During its first season, Glee received generally favorable reviews from critics, with Metacritic's weighted average based on the impression of 18 critical reviews of 77 percent. The season was nominated for nineteen Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, six Satellite Awards and fifty-seven other awards, with wins including the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy, and Primetime Emmy awards for Lynch, guest-star Neil Patrick Harris and Murphy's direction of the pilot episode.

Last night's Glee episode packed an emotional punch. But God it was a musical disappointment. Next week is the appearance by Gwyneth Paltrow. I sure hope it amps things up.

As this episode opens, Finn and Sam discuss buzz-kills: How can they survive making out with girlfriends who won’t put out?
Sam finds his lust-buster in Coach Beiste’s (Dot Jones) visible panty lines. But when he murmurs her name into Quinn’s ear by accident, she jumps to the conclusion -- with Sue's help -- that they’re having an affair.
The truth eventually comes out, despite Shue’s attempts to quash the hurtful truth. When the boys admit what they’ve been doing, the girls react. Rachel: squicked. Quinn: apologetic. Santana and Brittany: smug, because “this is what happens when you don’t put out.” Meanwhile, Beiste quits -- for which Sue thanks Shue. He reads his kids the riot act -- Beiste is one of them, an outsider, and they have to make her feel welcome. And he gives Beiste what she’s been waiting 40 years for: her first kiss.

Meanwhile, Puck’s back -- and he’s not going back to juvie. “There’s no chicks and no kosher meals up in that joint,” he complains. So he says his community service is taking care of Artie. Task #1: They’ll make some cash! To do so, they try busking on campus for money with Musical Number #1: Bob Marley’s "One Love." The dollars pile up and Marley spins in his grave. It’s soulless and corny. Sorry, hot Puck. They double-date with Santana and Brittany, for whom Artie still pines, but when Artie can’t fulfill true bad-boy behavior, Puck ditches him as a project and almost gets thrown back into the pokey. Artie reaches out: He’ll help Puck pass his classes and encourage him while doing humiliating highway cleanup -- because even if it didn’t work, it was a thrill being a bad-boy as long as it lasted. Aw.

An upcoming competition will pit New Directions against The Warblers, a team from an all-boys’ school, and some adorable old people from a continuing-ed school. Kurt is dispatched to spy on The Warblers. On the preppy campus, he finds that (a) everyone is adorable and (b) the a cappella group are local heroes. The blue-blazered prepsters turn in a pitch-perfect boys’ band version of Katy Perry’s "Teenage Dreams" in Musical Number #2. And lo and behold, the head cute prepster, Blaine (newcomer Darren Criss), is singing right to Kurt, who beams with a happiness we haven’t seen in him. His wide-open, unguarded joy reminds me of the moment I stepped on my college campus and realized I’d left the hell of suburbia behind forever. Uch, how I love Kurt!

Outed -- er, as a spy -- Kurt’s quizzed by the prepsters, who ask him why he’s really there. He asks if they’re all gay; only Blaine is, but it’s OK to be out there because of the zero-tolerance harassment policy. He’s overcome by emotion at the idea that someone actually cares about this. “Prejudice is just ignorance; you have a chance to teach him” by confronting the bullies, Blaine tells Kurt, and follows up with encouraging texts of “courage.”

“You can’t punch the gay out of me any more than I can punch the ignoramus out of you!” Kurt screams at the bully who’s been stalking him all episode. The future Republican senator responds by planting an anguished kiss on Kurt’s lips -- not the response the brave boy expected! Blaine accompanies Kurt to confront the Neanderthal, who’s back to being his Neanderthal self. Kurt admits he’s more upset than he might be because that squicky smooch was his first.

The girls perform Musical Number #3, a mash-up of Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones ("Livin’ On a Prayer" and "Start Me Up"). It makes me want to kill Jon Bon Jovi and Mick Jagger so they can also spin in their graves. It’s not the singing, it’s the weird arrangement. God. What’s happening? Musically, the show has so lost its way this week.

The boys’ number, Musical Number #4, is a mash-up of The Supremes and En Vogue ("Stop in the Name of Love" and "Free Your Mind"). It kind of makes me barf, but it makes Beiste smile -- and stay -- so it’s all okay in the end.