Gleek Nation: Too Hot for TV?

The television show Glee is pop culture right now. The music, the fashion, the drama-- those kids are all the rage! In real-life, the Glee actors aren't kids; they're mostly twenty-somethings on the rise, and some of them are making waves. While the cast has graced the pages of US Weekly and Rolling Stone alike, a handful of cast members recently made the cover of an unlikely publication.  GQ, anyone?



See the entire GQ spread here.



Expectedly, the Parents Television Council has strong feelings about Lea, Dianna, and Cory's racy new glossies.  Representatives have frowned upon GQ's sexualization of Gleeks, professing that "'Glee’ is only masquerading as a family show and is far from appropriate for young viewers."  While I applaud the values of the PTC, and their effort to help parents make informed decisions, that statement was a little far-reaching.

I'm not a parent yet, and nowhere near qualified in these matters, but I never categorized Glee as a 'family show' in the first place.  Glee does boast cutesy teenage characters who can belt out the tunes, but the show is not to be confused with its sparkly alter-ego, High School Musical.  The first season featured a pregnant-at-16 Quinn and a more-than-mildly inappropriate Kristin Chenoweth portraying a washed up drunkard.  Not exactly fodder for the growing 8-year-old mind. To say Glee feigns family show status would be like saying Jersey Shore is posing as a lifestyle documentary.

FYI:  Glee's FCC rating is TV-14. 

Leave this one for the big kids.  And cancel little Johnny's subscription to GQ. It's simply irresponsible parenting.

Hear Our Brave New Voices

Founded in 1996, Youth Speaks, Inc. is an organization after my own heart. They use language and performance to empower our nation's youth because, as their tagline states, "the next generation can speak for themselves."

If you tune into HBO, you may be familiar with Youth Speaks' International Poetry Slam-- Brave New Voices.  Russell Simmons, a known proponent for the development of underserved youth, sponsors the presentation of the annual slam as an HBO documentary series.  The show follows teams from more than 50 cities worldwide as they write, practice, train, and perform their hearts out on the spoken word stage. It also features appearances and words of encouragement from heavy-hitters like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Common (who hosts the show).

While some poems are light-hearted accounts of first-love and summer fun, others are controversial, in-depth looks at race, gender, and social inequality. Brave New Voices also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process-- the tears, the meltdowns, the moments that get too real for comfort.

This show is worth surrendering to your couch on a Saturday night.  These young people have some things to say, and you best believe they are going to be heard!

Team Philadelphia's Alysia Harris performing her poem "That Girl" in the 2008 Brand New Voices competition.



You can catch the season premiere this Saturday at 11/10c on HBO. http://www.hbo.com/russell-simmons-presents-brave-new-voices

Gays, Gleeks, and Jesus Freaks! {Where is the love?}

My boyfriend and I have a Sunday morning ritual. We have breakfast, go to church, and catch a movie at the A.M. Cinema because it's only $5 to watch a movie before noon and that helps us, as young professionals, to justify the popcorn and large Coke purchase.

A few weeks ago, I was dying to see Easy A.  Emma Stone is one of my favorite rising actresses right now.  She's hilarious!  And, well, I grew up on Amanda Bynes' movies and improv. (Who doesn't remember
Ask Ashley?)

Easy A was everything you want from a teen movie.  Female arch-nemeses, popular music, sex (affected though it was), cute guys, and angsty antics to fit in to the high school social hierarchy.

But, while Marianne, Amanda Bynes' bible-thumping, Mary-Jane-clad, hypocritical character was the perfect antagonist to Olive, Emma Stone's eccentric, sarcastic, pseudo-hussy character, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable about her.

I just don't understand why popular culture so often casts focus on religious extremists.  Why are Christians so often portrayed as kumbaya-singing, holier-than-thou... Jesus Freaks?! I'm sure it's the same reason the news paints all Muslims as terrorists, and Jews as penny-pinching cheapskates.

Stereotyping. Intolerance. Ignorance. Prejudice. 

Just as I was feeling disillusioned by these popular references and some shocking, devastating acts of intolerance in our country this week, entered stage left- Glee.
I was not initially interested in this show, but my mom made me sit and watch the Single Ladies episode, and I was sold on the quirky humor, familiar songs, and teenage drama.

While the singing is probably what makes the show so popular, I commend it because it is pioneering some important social territory.  Since the first episode, it has touched on teen pregnancy, empowerment of disabled persons, homosexual tolerance, and, most recently, religious sensitivity. The series doesn't do it in the dramatic rite of shows like Dawson's Creek, The OC, or Party of Five did.  It's not so aggressive or in your face.

Glee is using its popularity to say "it is okay to talk about these taboo topics; in fact, let's have some discussion." The diverse cast of students talks about controversial issues without overtly pushing any particular agenda.  I appreciated the way the writers approached the sensitive topic of religion, and the struggle that many teens have with questioning their beliefs and with prioritizing their religious rituals, from going to synagogue to Friday night dinners.

Glee presents a well-rounded, magnified view of our society.  And I pray to grilled Cheesus, or whatever higher being, that we can all learn a little something about loving each other, if not from our churches, our families, or our teachers, then from good ol' American primetime.

Missed this week's Glee? See the episode here: http://www.fox.com/glee/full-episodes/625454625001

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