http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hemefXgKCoU_b70rNrrhB5i8A8Dg?docId=4975586
By Alicia Rancilio
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Cory Monteith tries to be a regular guy, despite his success with "Glee."
The 28-year-old plays Finn Hudson, a lovable dope who is the quarterback on his high school football team, on the hit Fox series. Finn also has a good voice and sings in the school's show choir, and he consistently finds himself being pulled in both directions: Is he a jock or a creative? Can't he be both? High school isn't that simple.
While his character is unsure about where he stands, Monteith himself wavers between being on a Golden Globe winning TV show and a kid from Canada who loves to perform. Can't he be both? He hopes so.
Monteith grew up with his single mother and older brother in Victoria, British Columbia. Before "Glee" he had some acting experience but not much. He had a recurring role on the show "Kyle XY" which aired on ABC Family and lived in Vancouver acting in various local productions.
Cory moved to Los Angeles when he scored a role on "Glee." He now lives in a house in Los Angeles with four roommates and is the only actor in the group.
"That was something I was really careful about," he explains over lunch at an Italian restaurant in Gramercy Park. "There are those 'actor houses,' believe me. I won't name names, but there are quads of those actors that sort of roll in groups. It's not my thing."
He goes on to describe his living situation as "like 'Entourage' without the debauchery" and then adds, "I mean that."
Monteith wouldn't mind a little debauchery now and then or, as he describes it, being "a young, single guy with my friends at 3 a.m.," but he just doesn't have time for it. The show keeps him really busy. He also jokes that there's a "lack of potted plants sealing off the deck" — his private life could become very public.
Overall, Monteith isn't too worried about his image.
"It's not like I'm living double lives as a secret agent or a transvestite. What are they gonna find? If I were dating someone or if I had a family life, that could be a little difficult. That's not the case. I'm kind of boring for the press or the paparazzi."
Beyond "Glee," Monteith wants to do more but isn't in a rush to take on projects just because he can. They need to feel right. He has a record deal but is waiting to find the right direction to take it in.
"If it seems genuine, I'll put out an album. I kind of want to find my voice first. ... I hope the opportunity is still there when that comes."
Monteith may not want to get ahead of himself but his co-stars have confidence in his abilities.
"Working with Cory is such a joy. He is committed, focused and so much fun. His story to success is so inspirational, he truly deserves all of this," says co-star Lea Michele.
Matthew Morrison plays a teacher on "Glee" and compares watching Monteith to watching a real student.
"If I were to give ... a 'most improved,' it would go to Cory. He wasn't a singer. Definitely wasn't a dancer. To see where he's come, I feel like such a proud teacher ... or almost like a proud parent. It's crazy," says Morrison. "Cory's amazing. He picks up dance so fast now and he's definitely the most improved out of everyone in my opinion."
If Monteith is like a student he's trying to learn as much as possible about production.
"I soak up everything I can. ... I pay attention to the shot. I pay attention to the lighting because that's the stuff that doesn't come naturally. The technical side — that's a film school I haven't signed up for."
If "Glee" were to be cancelled tomorrow, Monteith says he would be OK.
"I've never been afraid of working. I've never been afraid of auditioning for jobs. Obviously, I've never been afraid of anonymity. I was happy (before 'Glee'). I'm happy now. I guess I'm well adjusted."
End of article
I find it quite impressive that Cory, who is twenty-eight years old, and dropped out of school in the ninth grade, is able to communicate the angst of a high school boy so effectively. The press has picked up on the fact that three of the students: Finn, Puck, and Mike Chang, are all played by actors in their late twenties. They are only a few years younger than Matthew Morrison, who obviously plays their teacher. How many years will they be able to play these roles? And how long can these characters continue to be in high school? Chris Colfer can probably "pass" as a teenager for years to come, but is Kurt going to stay in high school until he's twenty-one, or longer?
Its a dilemma for the show. Ryan Murphy said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that the kids on Glee will never graduate, but he was probably joking. Other shows have faced this situation. The example that comes to my mind because its another show I'm addicted to is "Friday Night Lights." On FNL, the students have graduated. A few of them will have recurring roles in the fifth and final season, but for the most part the action will center around the new characters that have been slowly introduced over the past few seasons. It is a testament to the high quality of the show that the second batch of students are as interesting and multi-dimensional as the first group.
I definitely think Ryan Murphy and company can do the same with Glee. As much as I hate the thought of Glee without some of its current stars, I am also excited by the prospect of being introduced to new characters that could captivate me as much as the ones I already know. And just because the students graduate doesn't mean they would necessarily have to leave the show. On Friday Night Lights, Riggins became a coach's assistant in season four. Jason Street hung around Dillon for awhile as well, as did Matt. What a storyline it would be for Rachel, Kurt, and/or Mercedes to become Mr. Schu's assistant(s) while they took college courses, or Brittany to work as the club's choreographer. Santana and Quinn could work with Sue on bullying new crops of Cheerios for years to come.
In season two of Glee we have been introduced to two new student characters: Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), who seems to be on track to become a series regular, and Sunshine Corazon (Charice), whose status is unclear at this time. Chord is twenty-one years old, and Charice is the first bona-fide teenage actor on Glee. Both characters have a lot of potential in my opinion. And Ryan Murphy has said in interviews that he is continuing to audition for new roles.
I read somewhere that Ryan Murphy pitched the idea for a Glee as a project that would only last for three seasons. That would have eliminated the graduation conflict. But I suspect that since the show has achieved a higher level of success than anyone predicted, that three year limit is probably no longer on the table. I certainly hope that is the case. I would much rather see the introduction of new students and hope for the rich character development we have already witnessed than see the show end at the conclusion of season three.
gleekette
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Chris Colfer Zimbio article
From October 22, 2010
http://www.zimbio.com/Chris+Colfer/articles/qLt9iokOKQo/Chris+Colfer+Glee+star+steps+out
Chris Colfer: Glee Star Steps Out
By Steve Heisler
Chris Colfer spent ages 8 through 16 doing community theater productions — “I was every little boy role in every production,” he says — but only saw performances if someone’s relative taped the show. “I cannot stand watching myself,” he says. “We just had a screening of (a ‘Glee’ episode), and every time I was onscreen I had to look away.”
It’s nearly impossible to avoid seeing himself now. “Glee,” Fox’s high school musical dramedy, is a bona fide hit, spawning sold-out tours and top 40 hits. According to co-star Jane Lynch, at the live performances, fans shout the name of Colfer’s character the loudest. Still, despite the attention, Colfer, 20, remains gracious. It’s less about fame than the fact that he’s finally found his place.
That’s a welcome change for the actor. After all, early years were rough as he translated his passion for community theater into high school productions and a fondness for the speech and debate team. But bullies were relentless, ambushing Colfer with insults and homophobic slurs.(Colfer publicly came out a year ago.) “The bullying evolved in the opposite direction: The older they got, the more crude and nasty the bullying,” remembers Colfer, who sought escape in theater.
At the “Glee” auditions, he went out for the role of wheelchair-bound Artie, but instead, creator Ryan Murphy wrote Kurt with Colfer in mind. The character is flashy and flamboyant. He can be ostentatious but remains an emotional core of the show. “I can relate to Kurt’s vulnerability and the fact that he’s still finding himself,” Colfer says. “We’re all searching for something to belong to. I found it with ‘Glee.’?”
And as Colfer finds his peace of mind, those bullies have come out of the woodwork, acting as if they were always great friends, which infuriates the actor.
“I got a message from one of them and wrote a huge nasty reply about how I couldn’t believe they’d contact me after the hell they put me through,” Colfer recalls. “Then when it got to sending, I deleted it. Really, what’s the point? I’m in a great place now.”
End of article
There isn't much new in this article. But I posted it because I liked the journey aspect. With bullying so much in the news right now, its important to show kids that life does get better, that adversity is tough but it can make you a stronger person. Of course I hate that Chris had to endure bullying, but isn't it so great that he is now being celebrated and admired for the traits that used to be the impetus for such negativity.
gleekette
http://www.zimbio.com/Chris+Colfer/articles/qLt9iokOKQo/Chris+Colfer+Glee+star+steps+out
Chris Colfer: Glee Star Steps Out
By Steve Heisler
Chris Colfer spent ages 8 through 16 doing community theater productions — “I was every little boy role in every production,” he says — but only saw performances if someone’s relative taped the show. “I cannot stand watching myself,” he says. “We just had a screening of (a ‘Glee’ episode), and every time I was onscreen I had to look away.”
It’s nearly impossible to avoid seeing himself now. “Glee,” Fox’s high school musical dramedy, is a bona fide hit, spawning sold-out tours and top 40 hits. According to co-star Jane Lynch, at the live performances, fans shout the name of Colfer’s character the loudest. Still, despite the attention, Colfer, 20, remains gracious. It’s less about fame than the fact that he’s finally found his place.
That’s a welcome change for the actor. After all, early years were rough as he translated his passion for community theater into high school productions and a fondness for the speech and debate team. But bullies were relentless, ambushing Colfer with insults and homophobic slurs.(Colfer publicly came out a year ago.) “The bullying evolved in the opposite direction: The older they got, the more crude and nasty the bullying,” remembers Colfer, who sought escape in theater.
At the “Glee” auditions, he went out for the role of wheelchair-bound Artie, but instead, creator Ryan Murphy wrote Kurt with Colfer in mind. The character is flashy and flamboyant. He can be ostentatious but remains an emotional core of the show. “I can relate to Kurt’s vulnerability and the fact that he’s still finding himself,” Colfer says. “We’re all searching for something to belong to. I found it with ‘Glee.’?”
And as Colfer finds his peace of mind, those bullies have come out of the woodwork, acting as if they were always great friends, which infuriates the actor.
“I got a message from one of them and wrote a huge nasty reply about how I couldn’t believe they’d contact me after the hell they put me through,” Colfer recalls. “Then when it got to sending, I deleted it. Really, what’s the point? I’m in a great place now.”
End of article
There isn't much new in this article. But I posted it because I liked the journey aspect. With bullying so much in the news right now, its important to show kids that life does get better, that adversity is tough but it can make you a stronger person. Of course I hate that Chris had to endure bullying, but isn't it so great that he is now being celebrated and admired for the traits that used to be the impetus for such negativity.
gleekette
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Darren Criss E! Online article
http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b208094_will_glee_newbie_hook_up_with_kurt_on.html
Will Glee Newbie Hook-Up with Kurt?
Only the good die young, which is why, when Glee's newest castmember, the adorable, amazing, articulate, smart and humane Darren Criss, joked to us that his character Blaine could possibly get killed off in some kind of surprise cyborg killing spree, we actually got a little worried.
But hey, if the robots don't get him first, could romance with Chris Colfer's Kurt Hummel be in Blaine's future? Here's what the actor revealed:
What can you tell us about Blaine?
The character Blaine himself is such a cool guy, and I really hope he ends up being a really positive role model and source of strength for a lot of people, gay or straight—for any teen, really.
[Blaine's] a guy that is really, he's seen some hardship and where we meet him he's a very strong, collected guy, and he's really analyzed the things that have happened to him and has defined himself because of those things and a lot of the struggle that other characters go through, he's found a way to empower himself through that. Having a character like that show up where we are in the show and where we are in our society is pretty cool.
So to answer your question he's kind of an out-and-proud student at another school, at a private all-boys school called Dalton, and he meets Kurt, befriends him and imparts whatever knowledge that he feels he can benefit Kurt with. And he's just a really cool guy. I mean even if this wasn't my part, I would see this on TV and be like, wow, cool I'm so glad that this is a character that can be present on a show that is as watched.
Can you say if he's a love interest?
I can't even say, I mean, even if I knew. I don't know, my guess is just as good as anybody's and I'm not just being coy, I have no idea. When people ask me this...it's fun to speculate these things—of course, it's always fun to see who's going to get with who—but that doesn't really interest me.
I mean, to me, if you couldn't tell by my enthusiasm about what kind of guy this was, that's the coolest part about this character. Yes, of course, we all want to see Kurt have a love interest of some kind, just because we want to see the good guys get what should come to them—however, I think as a thematic element, I think it's more interesting to me at this point to see Kurt having a role model in someone he can really truly relate to and whether or not that evolves in some kind of romantic relationship, who knows?
It's just cool that [Kurt] has like a friend, a true friend that he can kind of see as a beacon of light for him.
Now do you get to sing and dance?
I'll say yes. I won't tell you to what—and now I am being coy.
Can you say how many episodes you are in?
No, because I don't know! I don't know, and I feel bad because people are asking me and I just don't know, but I wish I did, but we'll see. To me, objectively, I really like this guy Blaine, and even if I had nothing to do with the show as audience of the show, I'd love to see him come back, and do things, but for all I know he gets attacked by giant robots and dies a horrific death.
It's all a dream.
Or maybe not a dream. We don't know where Glee is going. Post-apocalyptic storyline, anyone?
Darren's first episode of Glee is set to air Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. on Fox. In the meanwhile, you can stalk him online via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. We'll see you there (both for the episode and for the online stalking).
End of article
I. Can't. Wait.
gleekette
Will Glee Newbie Hook-Up with Kurt?
Only the good die young, which is why, when Glee's newest castmember, the adorable, amazing, articulate, smart and humane Darren Criss, joked to us that his character Blaine could possibly get killed off in some kind of surprise cyborg killing spree, we actually got a little worried.
But hey, if the robots don't get him first, could romance with Chris Colfer's Kurt Hummel be in Blaine's future? Here's what the actor revealed:
What can you tell us about Blaine?
The character Blaine himself is such a cool guy, and I really hope he ends up being a really positive role model and source of strength for a lot of people, gay or straight—for any teen, really.
[Blaine's] a guy that is really, he's seen some hardship and where we meet him he's a very strong, collected guy, and he's really analyzed the things that have happened to him and has defined himself because of those things and a lot of the struggle that other characters go through, he's found a way to empower himself through that. Having a character like that show up where we are in the show and where we are in our society is pretty cool.
So to answer your question he's kind of an out-and-proud student at another school, at a private all-boys school called Dalton, and he meets Kurt, befriends him and imparts whatever knowledge that he feels he can benefit Kurt with. And he's just a really cool guy. I mean even if this wasn't my part, I would see this on TV and be like, wow, cool I'm so glad that this is a character that can be present on a show that is as watched.
Can you say if he's a love interest?
I can't even say, I mean, even if I knew. I don't know, my guess is just as good as anybody's and I'm not just being coy, I have no idea. When people ask me this...it's fun to speculate these things—of course, it's always fun to see who's going to get with who—but that doesn't really interest me.
I mean, to me, if you couldn't tell by my enthusiasm about what kind of guy this was, that's the coolest part about this character. Yes, of course, we all want to see Kurt have a love interest of some kind, just because we want to see the good guys get what should come to them—however, I think as a thematic element, I think it's more interesting to me at this point to see Kurt having a role model in someone he can really truly relate to and whether or not that evolves in some kind of romantic relationship, who knows?
It's just cool that [Kurt] has like a friend, a true friend that he can kind of see as a beacon of light for him.
Now do you get to sing and dance?
I'll say yes. I won't tell you to what—and now I am being coy.
Can you say how many episodes you are in?
No, because I don't know! I don't know, and I feel bad because people are asking me and I just don't know, but I wish I did, but we'll see. To me, objectively, I really like this guy Blaine, and even if I had nothing to do with the show as audience of the show, I'd love to see him come back, and do things, but for all I know he gets attacked by giant robots and dies a horrific death.
It's all a dream.
Or maybe not a dream. We don't know where Glee is going. Post-apocalyptic storyline, anyone?
Darren's first episode of Glee is set to air Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. on Fox. In the meanwhile, you can stalk him online via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. We'll see you there (both for the episode and for the online stalking).
End of article
I. Can't. Wait.
gleekette
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Rocky Horror Glee Show
I am actually not going to comment too much on the Rocky Horror Glee episode because I know very little about Rocky Horror. I think it was overall an entertaining episode, but I worry that it didn't have enough Rocky Horror in it to satisfy the die hard Horror fans that have been shivering in anticipation for weeks. This episode has been hyped quite extensively, so I hope it lived up to the expectations.
Personally, I thought Sue was on fire last night. For all the people that complained about her absence from the show two weeks ago, I think they definitely got their Sue fix. She was deliciously devilish! And Becky dressed as Sue for Halloween - that was a treat!
My favorite scene of the episode was John Stamos auditioning for the role of Eddie. I so enjoy the song and dance numbers in the choir room, although sometimes the camera moves so fast, I wish we had more of a chance to focus on the individual dancers. John sounded great, and he is still 95,000 kinds of sexy. Mr. Schu's facial expressions were awesome. :)
I know there has been controversy about Mercedes playing the role of Frankenfurter, and while I can understand the frustration of hard-core Horror fans, I have to say Amber looked great, and in the famous words of Randy Jackson, she "blew it out the box" on her solo. Next to "And I Am Telling You," for me this is the best she has ever sounded, and she has had some amazing performances.
I have to say I was a little surprised that Chris Colfer begged for the role of Riff Raff, because he wasn't featured that much in the episode until "The Time Warp." But wow, they did a great job with his costume and make-up!
Overall, I thought it was good, but maybe fell a bit short of the hype. I thought all the Will-Emma stuff slowed the action down too much at times.
But I also think it was an important episode because of the body image discussions among Finn, Sam, and Artie. Again, this is where Glee transcends the level of a comedy about a bunch of high school kids. Has there been a show where boys talked about being uncomfortable with their body types, and the peer pressure of being attractive and popular? Finn's envy of Sam's physique was communicated very clearly, and his scene with Rachel where she makes him understand that its not all about physical appearance was a really positive message for boys and girls. I just wish there had been some dialogue with Artie about his struggle for body acceptance as a boy who uses a wheelchair. An opportunity there was lost.
It was also an interesting episode considering all the controversy surrounding the GQ photos and to a slightly lesser extent the scene with Brittany and Santana kissing on the bed. The fact that Will ultimately determined that Rocky Horror was too risque for the glee club, although they still performed it for themselves, after some of the topics and dialogue previously presented, made for a healthy dose of irony.
Speaking of anticipation, I am counting the days until November 9th and the episode "Never Been Kissed." Looks like Kurt and Artie will both be heavily featured!
gleekette
Personally, I thought Sue was on fire last night. For all the people that complained about her absence from the show two weeks ago, I think they definitely got their Sue fix. She was deliciously devilish! And Becky dressed as Sue for Halloween - that was a treat!
My favorite scene of the episode was John Stamos auditioning for the role of Eddie. I so enjoy the song and dance numbers in the choir room, although sometimes the camera moves so fast, I wish we had more of a chance to focus on the individual dancers. John sounded great, and he is still 95,000 kinds of sexy. Mr. Schu's facial expressions were awesome. :)
I know there has been controversy about Mercedes playing the role of Frankenfurter, and while I can understand the frustration of hard-core Horror fans, I have to say Amber looked great, and in the famous words of Randy Jackson, she "blew it out the box" on her solo. Next to "And I Am Telling You," for me this is the best she has ever sounded, and she has had some amazing performances.
I have to say I was a little surprised that Chris Colfer begged for the role of Riff Raff, because he wasn't featured that much in the episode until "The Time Warp." But wow, they did a great job with his costume and make-up!
Overall, I thought it was good, but maybe fell a bit short of the hype. I thought all the Will-Emma stuff slowed the action down too much at times.
But I also think it was an important episode because of the body image discussions among Finn, Sam, and Artie. Again, this is where Glee transcends the level of a comedy about a bunch of high school kids. Has there been a show where boys talked about being uncomfortable with their body types, and the peer pressure of being attractive and popular? Finn's envy of Sam's physique was communicated very clearly, and his scene with Rachel where she makes him understand that its not all about physical appearance was a really positive message for boys and girls. I just wish there had been some dialogue with Artie about his struggle for body acceptance as a boy who uses a wheelchair. An opportunity there was lost.
It was also an interesting episode considering all the controversy surrounding the GQ photos and to a slightly lesser extent the scene with Brittany and Santana kissing on the bed. The fact that Will ultimately determined that Rocky Horror was too risque for the glee club, although they still performed it for themselves, after some of the topics and dialogue previously presented, made for a healthy dose of irony.
Speaking of anticipation, I am counting the days until November 9th and the episode "Never Been Kissed." Looks like Kurt and Artie will both be heavily featured!
gleekette
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Glee Christmas album
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/10/25/glee-christmas-album-nov-16/
Here is the set list:
1. We Need A Little Christmas (Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer)
2. Deck The Rooftop (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, and Jenna Ushkowitz)
3. Merry Christmas Darling (Lea Michele)
4. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Chris Colfer and Darren Criss)
5. The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year (Chord Overstreet, Mark Salling, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Heather Morris)
6. Last Christmas (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Chris Colfer)
7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, and Jenna Ushkowitz)
8. O Christmas Tree (Matthew Morrison)
9. Jingle Bells (Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Kevin McHale)
10. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (k.d. lang and Morrison)
11. Angels We Have Heard On High (Amber Riley)
12. O Holy Night (Lea Michele)
Some interesting details to note:
The picture that accompanies the announcement, which may or may not be the cover art for the disc, does not feature Chord Overstreet, Harry Shum Jr, or Darren Criss, but does include Diana Agron and Heather Morris. What's interesting about this is that Chord, Darren, and Heather all sing on the album, but Diana and Harry do not. I know that Heather and Naya were added as series regulars, but I'm not certain about Harry. However, Diana definitely is a series regular, so I'm confused about why she isn't singing on the cd. While its understandable that Darren Criss as Blaine would not be in the picture - he's not a member of New Directions and will only have been on the show for a week when the cd drops - Chord as Sam is a member of New Directions, although I don't know if the actor is a series regular yet.
So its all rather confusing. The picture is definitely Christmas themed; Sue is standing in the middle, wearing a Santa hat and covering her ears as the glee club members and Mr. Schu surround her, singing.
If the picture is not the cover art, then this whole rumination may prove pointless. But the fact still remains that Diana does not sing on the cd.
Two points of speculation as to why Diana was excluded:
1) The actress is Jewish, so she chose not to participate in a Christmas album.
2) Her schedule was too busy.
Maybe we'll get an explanation at some point, maybe not.
Interesting also that Jane is featured in the picture, but does not sing on the cd. And why is kd lang on a Glee cd? No offense to her, she's amazing, but she hasn't been connected to Glee at all until now. Mmmmmm.
I am personally not the biggest fan of Christmas music, but I'm not surprised to read about this. I think it will do very well, so that's good. I am looking forward to Lea Michele singing "O Holy Night." And I think it is super cool that Chris Colfer and Darren Criss are singing together. Most people read that as proof that Blaine will be Kurt's boyfriend. We shall see.
gleekette
Here is the set list:
1. We Need A Little Christmas (Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer)
2. Deck The Rooftop (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, and Jenna Ushkowitz)
3. Merry Christmas Darling (Lea Michele)
4. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Chris Colfer and Darren Criss)
5. The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year (Chord Overstreet, Mark Salling, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Heather Morris)
6. Last Christmas (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Chris Colfer)
7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, and Jenna Ushkowitz)
8. O Christmas Tree (Matthew Morrison)
9. Jingle Bells (Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Kevin McHale)
10. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (k.d. lang and Morrison)
11. Angels We Have Heard On High (Amber Riley)
12. O Holy Night (Lea Michele)
Some interesting details to note:
The picture that accompanies the announcement, which may or may not be the cover art for the disc, does not feature Chord Overstreet, Harry Shum Jr, or Darren Criss, but does include Diana Agron and Heather Morris. What's interesting about this is that Chord, Darren, and Heather all sing on the album, but Diana and Harry do not. I know that Heather and Naya were added as series regulars, but I'm not certain about Harry. However, Diana definitely is a series regular, so I'm confused about why she isn't singing on the cd. While its understandable that Darren Criss as Blaine would not be in the picture - he's not a member of New Directions and will only have been on the show for a week when the cd drops - Chord as Sam is a member of New Directions, although I don't know if the actor is a series regular yet.
So its all rather confusing. The picture is definitely Christmas themed; Sue is standing in the middle, wearing a Santa hat and covering her ears as the glee club members and Mr. Schu surround her, singing.
If the picture is not the cover art, then this whole rumination may prove pointless. But the fact still remains that Diana does not sing on the cd.
Two points of speculation as to why Diana was excluded:
1) The actress is Jewish, so she chose not to participate in a Christmas album.
2) Her schedule was too busy.
Maybe we'll get an explanation at some point, maybe not.
Interesting also that Jane is featured in the picture, but does not sing on the cd. And why is kd lang on a Glee cd? No offense to her, she's amazing, but she hasn't been connected to Glee at all until now. Mmmmmm.
I am personally not the biggest fan of Christmas music, but I'm not surprised to read about this. I think it will do very well, so that's good. I am looking forward to Lea Michele singing "O Holy Night." And I think it is super cool that Chris Colfer and Darren Criss are singing together. Most people read that as proof that Blaine will be Kurt's boyfriend. We shall see.
gleekette
Monday, October 25, 2010
Buenos Aires Herald article
Look! An article that's not specifically about Chris Colfer. :)
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/48998
Full of Glee
By Pablo Toledo
Herald staff
I have to start with a confession: I loathe musicals. Music thrills my soul and drama moves my spirit, but most things that combine these two beloved art forms leave me cold at best, and usually make me want to leave the room. I feel like the character in the Woody Allen short story who saw a mime show and could only think “Could you please speak up?,” except that my question would go along the lines of “Why on God’s green Earth did you just break into song?”
Broadway musicals, Corrientes revues, Hollywood musicals, musical anything: get behind me, Satan! The songs I appreciate on their own (most of my most beloved jazz standards were born in musicals of some sort, after all), but seeing them sprinkled through a plot ruins both the songs and the plot for me. I’ve tried it on stage and I’ve tried it on film, I’ve tried it classic and I’ve tried it modern, and it’s always the same. So, when I started reading all the buzz about Glee, I knew I was going to hate it within the first ten minutes or so – after all, what could I possibly enjoy in a series about a bunch of high school kids who do amateur musical comedy, bad amateur musical comedy at that? I sat in front of my TV with a smug grin, ready to tune out at the first sign of musicality. Boy, was I wrong.
So, here’s my second confession: I’m a Gleek. I wait for each new episode in baited breath, and usually watch them somewhere between laughter, tears and a clenched heart. I root for Rachel and fear for Finn. I’m on team Schuester. I tremble at the thought of Sue Sylvester. I lip-synch to the songs, ooh and aah in all the right places, fawn at the pop references. I can’t help it: I’m a Gleek, and so should you.
What is all the fuss about, you ask? McKinley High is lost in the depths of Ohio, world capital of nowhere going nowhere. At the bottom of its social pyramid lies an obscure show choir, the glee club, where the most hopeless cases run for cover when they’ve had enough of being teased and bullied by the football players, the cheerleaders and everybody else. When the glee club loses its teacher to a sexual harassment accusation, Spanish teacher Will Schuester, who won the show choir national competition in that very high school back in his day, takes over and sets his aims at winning sectionals, then regionals and finally nationals: he wants to give these kids hope, and fittingly calls the club the New Directions. He even tries to recruit the cool kids. Meanwhile, he has a struggling marriage with a self-obsessed former cheerleader captain, and a crush on the germ-phobic mousy school counsellor. And he has a nemesis: Sue Sylvester, the ruthless coach of the award-winning Cheerios squad. And that’s as far as you need to go – watch the first episode of the first season and get going.
The cast of Glee was culled from Broadway and TV land, and goes from strength to strength. There are two undisputed queens: Lea Michele as the egotistic, Broadway-bound Rachel Berry, and Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. Michele is a fine actress but, most of all, she is an incredible performer with Broadway-belter pedigree, whereas Jane Lynch takes a Cruella de Ville meanie and turns the cynicism up to eleven with gusto. Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, the musically gifted gay fashionista, is worth his weight in gold, as are most glee club members (special kudos to Amber Riley’s voice and Kevin McHale, who shines from his wheelchair). James Morrison as Schuester is also just the right mix, whereas Cory Monteith as Finn, the quarterback-turned-star-performer, suffers from a bad case of can’t-singitis that is compensated by how well he grasps his role – other cast members, truth be told, suffer from the same condition, and it is clear who comes from Broadway musicals by their superior voices and dancing skills (compensated by the occasional mild outbreak of can’t act-itis).
Also in the talent department, there have been some spectacular guest stars from Broadway: both Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel had recurring roles and outstanding singing numbers, Jonathan Groff did a stint too, and even Olivia Newton-John had a very special appearance in an episode. There are, too, the much-commented thematic episodes most notably The Power of Madonna, the flawless tribute to the pop diva from the first season, followed by salutes to Lady Gaga and Britney Spears (the latter in the ongoing second season).
Glee has excellent writing, outstanding acting and more pop in 40 minutes than a week’s worth of MTV and VH1 combined, but the miracle of it all is how they gel together: if I don’t mind the song-and-dance part, it is because each number is a perfect extension of what goes on, with songs so carefully chosen it feels as if they had been written just for the occasion, and executed with a focus on theatre rather than theatricality. In a show that could be full of bells and whistles, there isn’t a single gimmick – just complex characters in dramatic situations that make interesting stories. To the beat of Broadway tunes and pop music. With dancing. And a healthy dose of kitsch. You like?
So there are many reasons to tune in, but the one that matters most is perhaps the least apparent: Glee is a show about losers and dead-end lives. For all the hormonal rage and chest pumping of the footballers, for all the bitchy sashays of the cheerleaders, for all the struggles for stardom of the social bottom-feeders in glee club, everybody knows their path is one of crushed hopes and broken dreams – at best, they will become bitter forty-somethings with lousy jobs in a small town with biting memories of once being good at something. Quarterback Finn Hudson says it all in the first episode, when he explains his teammates why the king of the school is about to join the nobodies in the choir room: “We're all losers! Everyone in this school! Hell, everyone in this town! Out of all the kids who graduate, maybe half will go to college, and two will leave the state to do it! I'm not afraid to be called a loser because I can accept that's what I am.” Or take it from Rachel Berry, the overachiever daughter of gay parents who can think of nothing but becoming a star: “I can feel the clock ticking away and I don't want to leave high school with nothing to show for it. Everybody hates me. Being great at something is going to change it. Being part of something special makes you special, right?”
The glee club kids dream of making it to the national show choir competition: they want a moment of glory, even if it is just one warm and fuzzy day to last through their lifetimes. This is Will Schuester’s vision when he takes the job – except for the fact that, truly, he wants a glimmer of his own moment of lost glory. These kids are singing for their lives, hanging by a thread with every inch of hope they’ve got. And yet they sing and dance their way through it with wide-eyed hope, turning the other cheek on life just as it is about to slap them again, standing up after each blow and breaking into song. A true study in loss, resilience and perseverance.
Pop, at its core, is the ultimate form of denial: Andy Warhol colouring soup cans was the ultimate cry of despair from a culture admitting that, yes, that’s all there is to it, so what difference does it make? Let’s love what we have, let’s cling to the surface because there’s nothing underneath. All pop is candy laced with bitter venom (or venom wrapped in candy), and Glee is the ultimate pop – all glitter and fluffy subplots and kitsch and pop references and gifted performers doing showy numbers, but at their backs they always hear time’s winged chariot hurrying near . The engine that runs the show is despair, emptiness, anguish, the sense of a life lived under a radar that will not go anywhere. It’s more tragic than tragedy, because catharsis never comes. And yet, believe me, you’ll relish each second of the ride, and it will pump you full of exhilaration – a true sense of glee, of wanting to do something silly, of playing air-guitar and singing along and dancing on the table as if it were a stadium full of people cheering your name. There, I’ve said it: I’m a Gleek, and so should you. Now let’s go watch an episode together.
End of article
I enjoyed reading the author's exploration of the sociological aspects of the show - not just the hierarchy that exists in schools, but the larger implications of life in a city like Lima, Ohio. I find it especially facinating that this psycho-social deconstruction of a typical American town was written by someone from Argentina. I'm curious to know what the education system is like there, and how much high school life in Argentina differs in comparison to the U.S., as well as the larger societal issues of higher education, upward mobility, realizing dreams, etc.
This article is a prime example of why this show is about so much more than a group of kids who sing and dance.
gleekette
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/48998
Full of Glee
By Pablo Toledo
Herald staff
I have to start with a confession: I loathe musicals. Music thrills my soul and drama moves my spirit, but most things that combine these two beloved art forms leave me cold at best, and usually make me want to leave the room. I feel like the character in the Woody Allen short story who saw a mime show and could only think “Could you please speak up?,” except that my question would go along the lines of “Why on God’s green Earth did you just break into song?”
Broadway musicals, Corrientes revues, Hollywood musicals, musical anything: get behind me, Satan! The songs I appreciate on their own (most of my most beloved jazz standards were born in musicals of some sort, after all), but seeing them sprinkled through a plot ruins both the songs and the plot for me. I’ve tried it on stage and I’ve tried it on film, I’ve tried it classic and I’ve tried it modern, and it’s always the same. So, when I started reading all the buzz about Glee, I knew I was going to hate it within the first ten minutes or so – after all, what could I possibly enjoy in a series about a bunch of high school kids who do amateur musical comedy, bad amateur musical comedy at that? I sat in front of my TV with a smug grin, ready to tune out at the first sign of musicality. Boy, was I wrong.
So, here’s my second confession: I’m a Gleek. I wait for each new episode in baited breath, and usually watch them somewhere between laughter, tears and a clenched heart. I root for Rachel and fear for Finn. I’m on team Schuester. I tremble at the thought of Sue Sylvester. I lip-synch to the songs, ooh and aah in all the right places, fawn at the pop references. I can’t help it: I’m a Gleek, and so should you.
What is all the fuss about, you ask? McKinley High is lost in the depths of Ohio, world capital of nowhere going nowhere. At the bottom of its social pyramid lies an obscure show choir, the glee club, where the most hopeless cases run for cover when they’ve had enough of being teased and bullied by the football players, the cheerleaders and everybody else. When the glee club loses its teacher to a sexual harassment accusation, Spanish teacher Will Schuester, who won the show choir national competition in that very high school back in his day, takes over and sets his aims at winning sectionals, then regionals and finally nationals: he wants to give these kids hope, and fittingly calls the club the New Directions. He even tries to recruit the cool kids. Meanwhile, he has a struggling marriage with a self-obsessed former cheerleader captain, and a crush on the germ-phobic mousy school counsellor. And he has a nemesis: Sue Sylvester, the ruthless coach of the award-winning Cheerios squad. And that’s as far as you need to go – watch the first episode of the first season and get going.
The cast of Glee was culled from Broadway and TV land, and goes from strength to strength. There are two undisputed queens: Lea Michele as the egotistic, Broadway-bound Rachel Berry, and Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. Michele is a fine actress but, most of all, she is an incredible performer with Broadway-belter pedigree, whereas Jane Lynch takes a Cruella de Ville meanie and turns the cynicism up to eleven with gusto. Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, the musically gifted gay fashionista, is worth his weight in gold, as are most glee club members (special kudos to Amber Riley’s voice and Kevin McHale, who shines from his wheelchair). James Morrison as Schuester is also just the right mix, whereas Cory Monteith as Finn, the quarterback-turned-star-performer, suffers from a bad case of can’t-singitis that is compensated by how well he grasps his role – other cast members, truth be told, suffer from the same condition, and it is clear who comes from Broadway musicals by their superior voices and dancing skills (compensated by the occasional mild outbreak of can’t act-itis).
Also in the talent department, there have been some spectacular guest stars from Broadway: both Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel had recurring roles and outstanding singing numbers, Jonathan Groff did a stint too, and even Olivia Newton-John had a very special appearance in an episode. There are, too, the much-commented thematic episodes most notably The Power of Madonna, the flawless tribute to the pop diva from the first season, followed by salutes to Lady Gaga and Britney Spears (the latter in the ongoing second season).
Glee has excellent writing, outstanding acting and more pop in 40 minutes than a week’s worth of MTV and VH1 combined, but the miracle of it all is how they gel together: if I don’t mind the song-and-dance part, it is because each number is a perfect extension of what goes on, with songs so carefully chosen it feels as if they had been written just for the occasion, and executed with a focus on theatre rather than theatricality. In a show that could be full of bells and whistles, there isn’t a single gimmick – just complex characters in dramatic situations that make interesting stories. To the beat of Broadway tunes and pop music. With dancing. And a healthy dose of kitsch. You like?
So there are many reasons to tune in, but the one that matters most is perhaps the least apparent: Glee is a show about losers and dead-end lives. For all the hormonal rage and chest pumping of the footballers, for all the bitchy sashays of the cheerleaders, for all the struggles for stardom of the social bottom-feeders in glee club, everybody knows their path is one of crushed hopes and broken dreams – at best, they will become bitter forty-somethings with lousy jobs in a small town with biting memories of once being good at something. Quarterback Finn Hudson says it all in the first episode, when he explains his teammates why the king of the school is about to join the nobodies in the choir room: “We're all losers! Everyone in this school! Hell, everyone in this town! Out of all the kids who graduate, maybe half will go to college, and two will leave the state to do it! I'm not afraid to be called a loser because I can accept that's what I am.” Or take it from Rachel Berry, the overachiever daughter of gay parents who can think of nothing but becoming a star: “I can feel the clock ticking away and I don't want to leave high school with nothing to show for it. Everybody hates me. Being great at something is going to change it. Being part of something special makes you special, right?”
The glee club kids dream of making it to the national show choir competition: they want a moment of glory, even if it is just one warm and fuzzy day to last through their lifetimes. This is Will Schuester’s vision when he takes the job – except for the fact that, truly, he wants a glimmer of his own moment of lost glory. These kids are singing for their lives, hanging by a thread with every inch of hope they’ve got. And yet they sing and dance their way through it with wide-eyed hope, turning the other cheek on life just as it is about to slap them again, standing up after each blow and breaking into song. A true study in loss, resilience and perseverance.
Pop, at its core, is the ultimate form of denial: Andy Warhol colouring soup cans was the ultimate cry of despair from a culture admitting that, yes, that’s all there is to it, so what difference does it make? Let’s love what we have, let’s cling to the surface because there’s nothing underneath. All pop is candy laced with bitter venom (or venom wrapped in candy), and Glee is the ultimate pop – all glitter and fluffy subplots and kitsch and pop references and gifted performers doing showy numbers, but at their backs they always hear time’s winged chariot hurrying near . The engine that runs the show is despair, emptiness, anguish, the sense of a life lived under a radar that will not go anywhere. It’s more tragic than tragedy, because catharsis never comes. And yet, believe me, you’ll relish each second of the ride, and it will pump you full of exhilaration – a true sense of glee, of wanting to do something silly, of playing air-guitar and singing along and dancing on the table as if it were a stadium full of people cheering your name. There, I’ve said it: I’m a Gleek, and so should you. Now let’s go watch an episode together.
End of article
I enjoyed reading the author's exploration of the sociological aspects of the show - not just the hierarchy that exists in schools, but the larger implications of life in a city like Lima, Ohio. I find it especially facinating that this psycho-social deconstruction of a typical American town was written by someone from Argentina. I'm curious to know what the education system is like there, and how much high school life in Argentina differs in comparison to the U.S., as well as the larger societal issues of higher education, upward mobility, realizing dreams, etc.
This article is a prime example of why this show is about so much more than a group of kids who sing and dance.
gleekette
Chris Colfer TV Addict article
Also from April of this year...
http://www.thetvaddict.com/2010/04/13/10-questions-with-glee-star-chris-colfer/
Ten Questions with GLEE star Chris Colfer
In anticipation of GLEE’s much-anticipated return tonight (9:28PM FOX, Global in Canada), say HELL-O to star Chris Colfer, with whom we recently had the pleasure of posing a few questions to.
With all the build-up surrounding these back nine episodes, can they possibly live up to the hype?
Chris Colfer: Because maybe they’re tired of us? [Laughs] Actually, I have absolutely no fear whatsoever because the next episodes are above and beyond anything we did in the first thirteen. The ratings will speak for themselves, but as far as the material, it just gets better and better.
What’s in store for Kurt, specifically?
We are in a heavy battle with Vocal Adrenaline, our competing Glee Club which is starting to see the New Directions as a threat. But in terms of Kurt, he has a diabolical plan of getting Finn’s mom and his Dad to get married so that he can be close to Finn always. Kurt tries setting them up so that he can be Finn’s roommate.
Will Kurt ever move on from Finn?
I think he’ll always has a soft spot for Finn, but I’m pretty sure Kurt will get a real boyfriend in the first couple episodes of the second season. One that I’m hoping is less attractive than me because I don’t want to be the bad end of the couple. Of course knowing the producers, they’re probably going to get some adonis of some kind which will really suck for me, but that’s okay.
How similar are you to that of your character?
Like Kurt, I was kind of an outcast and was bullied in high school. We’re both very different people, but the fact that we’ve had so many similar experiences, it makes the character so much more relatable because the emotion is coming from a real place.
Do you think gay teens can identify with your character?
I definitely hope so. One of the reasons why I decided to play him like I portray him on the show is that there are a lot of very over-the-top flamboyant loud characters like Kurt on television. I grew up in a very small conservative town and I didn’t know too many people like that. But I did know a lot of people that were very quiet, internal and thought themselves very superior to everybody around them and that’s how I play Kurt — like the real people that I knew and I think that has what people have been responded to.
Do you hear from a lot of fans responding to Kurt?
Thousand. I get so many letters and messages. I think fan mail lis written all digitally now. On facebook, there are so many letters from so many people just so relieved to see someone being honest with who they are in high school. It’s so important to them, I’ve gotten so many messages it’s impossible to read it all, there’s just so many yet every time I’m a little down I open up my facebook and read them.
Is there a downside to fame?
I think fame does have its ups and downs. There’s a lot you have to sacrifice, like being able to go outside without someone stopping you on the street. There’s been a couple of incidents when fans have stopped me and I kind of wish they hadn’t. Embarrassing places like the pharmacy, or the grocery store when I’m buying prunes! But it’s a give and take.
Knowing how your life has turned out, what would you tell your nine-year old self?
Oh gosh. I would tell him not to be afraid to be out of the box. I would love to tell him, ‘Hey, you’re going to be on a hit TV show so don’t worry about anything!’ But yeah, I think I would just say hang in there, it definitely will get better.
What’s it like working with Ryan Murphy?
It’s great. He’s one of the few people that can make me laugh really hard. It’s really great to watch him get inspired by something because you can see in his eyes, the wheels start turning in his head and all his creative juices start flowing. He’ll meet someone or hear a song and decide to right to it, it’s a cool sight to see.
Is there any added pressure on you now to be a role model offscreen.
There are a lot of people that look up to Kurt and personally I think that my biggest responsibility is making sure the character is handled with the respect and that it needs because he means the world to so many people. In terms of off-camera, we’re always so busy we don’t really have to worry about making fools of ourselves because we’re always working and never go anywhere. But I do think there is pressure to be the best we can both on screen and off.
End of article
My favorite line in the article (with editing):
"There are a lot of people that look up to Kurt and personally I think that my biggest responsibility is making sure the character is handled with the respect that it needs because he means the world to so many people."
Chris has expressed this sentiment in more than one article, and I marvel at his maturity and sensitivity. I also feel nervous when he is asked about being a role model, becuase its such a slippery slope, as I've mentioned previously. Role models are thrown to the wolves eventually in our society. Because no one can achieve and maintain the level of perfection that is expected of a role model. The character of Kurt obviously has flaws, as does every character in Glee. That's one of the reasons why the show is so compelling.
Chris Colfer is a twenty year old young man dealing with sudden fame, and all of its peaks and valleys. He's intelligent, articulate, hardworking, and talented. I have seen the industry change people like Chris, make them hard and introverted and less willing to open up about their lives and their thoughts because people pick apart everything they say and do.
There have already been some conflicting statements printed, which I loathe to mention but its pertinent to the discussion. Most articles about Chris mention that he is out of the closet, and of course Chelsea Lately proclaimed him gay on her show, as she does with most of her guests who are assumed to be gay, whether they have publicly stated the fact or not. Chris did not correct her.
But in at least one article, he has appeared to backpedal a bit, stating that he doesn't discuss his sexuality. People have speculated, and I happen to agree with this, that the backpedaling wasn't Chris' idea, but his handlers: press agent, the show, FOX, somebody or somebodies said to him, "If you're too open in this line of work, you're going to run the risk of pidgeon-holing yourself in terms of future jobs. You don't want to only play the gay kid for the next ten or fifteen years. And you don't want every interview to be about your sexuality."
Again, he's twenty years old, he's a greenhorn in the business, and he's got untold numbers of people giving him advice and whispering in his ear. Even under the best circumstances, he's not going to be perfect, he's not going to always say and do "the right thing." What he'll have to learn to do is listen to the advice and then make the decisions that are right for him. He needs to surround himself with people that both know him and know the industry, have his best interest at heart, and will help him navigate the dangerous waters of "Hollyweird" without sacrificing his integrity.
Here's to hoping.
gleekette
http://www.thetvaddict.com/2010/04/13/10-questions-with-glee-star-chris-colfer/
Ten Questions with GLEE star Chris Colfer
In anticipation of GLEE’s much-anticipated return tonight (9:28PM FOX, Global in Canada), say HELL-O to star Chris Colfer, with whom we recently had the pleasure of posing a few questions to.
With all the build-up surrounding these back nine episodes, can they possibly live up to the hype?
Chris Colfer: Because maybe they’re tired of us? [Laughs] Actually, I have absolutely no fear whatsoever because the next episodes are above and beyond anything we did in the first thirteen. The ratings will speak for themselves, but as far as the material, it just gets better and better.
What’s in store for Kurt, specifically?
We are in a heavy battle with Vocal Adrenaline, our competing Glee Club which is starting to see the New Directions as a threat. But in terms of Kurt, he has a diabolical plan of getting Finn’s mom and his Dad to get married so that he can be close to Finn always. Kurt tries setting them up so that he can be Finn’s roommate.
Will Kurt ever move on from Finn?
I think he’ll always has a soft spot for Finn, but I’m pretty sure Kurt will get a real boyfriend in the first couple episodes of the second season. One that I’m hoping is less attractive than me because I don’t want to be the bad end of the couple. Of course knowing the producers, they’re probably going to get some adonis of some kind which will really suck for me, but that’s okay.
How similar are you to that of your character?
Like Kurt, I was kind of an outcast and was bullied in high school. We’re both very different people, but the fact that we’ve had so many similar experiences, it makes the character so much more relatable because the emotion is coming from a real place.
Do you think gay teens can identify with your character?
I definitely hope so. One of the reasons why I decided to play him like I portray him on the show is that there are a lot of very over-the-top flamboyant loud characters like Kurt on television. I grew up in a very small conservative town and I didn’t know too many people like that. But I did know a lot of people that were very quiet, internal and thought themselves very superior to everybody around them and that’s how I play Kurt — like the real people that I knew and I think that has what people have been responded to.
Do you hear from a lot of fans responding to Kurt?
Thousand. I get so many letters and messages. I think fan mail lis written all digitally now. On facebook, there are so many letters from so many people just so relieved to see someone being honest with who they are in high school. It’s so important to them, I’ve gotten so many messages it’s impossible to read it all, there’s just so many yet every time I’m a little down I open up my facebook and read them.
Is there a downside to fame?
I think fame does have its ups and downs. There’s a lot you have to sacrifice, like being able to go outside without someone stopping you on the street. There’s been a couple of incidents when fans have stopped me and I kind of wish they hadn’t. Embarrassing places like the pharmacy, or the grocery store when I’m buying prunes! But it’s a give and take.
Knowing how your life has turned out, what would you tell your nine-year old self?
Oh gosh. I would tell him not to be afraid to be out of the box. I would love to tell him, ‘Hey, you’re going to be on a hit TV show so don’t worry about anything!’ But yeah, I think I would just say hang in there, it definitely will get better.
What’s it like working with Ryan Murphy?
It’s great. He’s one of the few people that can make me laugh really hard. It’s really great to watch him get inspired by something because you can see in his eyes, the wheels start turning in his head and all his creative juices start flowing. He’ll meet someone or hear a song and decide to right to it, it’s a cool sight to see.
Is there any added pressure on you now to be a role model offscreen.
There are a lot of people that look up to Kurt and personally I think that my biggest responsibility is making sure the character is handled with the respect and that it needs because he means the world to so many people. In terms of off-camera, we’re always so busy we don’t really have to worry about making fools of ourselves because we’re always working and never go anywhere. But I do think there is pressure to be the best we can both on screen and off.
End of article
My favorite line in the article (with editing):
"There are a lot of people that look up to Kurt and personally I think that my biggest responsibility is making sure the character is handled with the respect that it needs because he means the world to so many people."
Chris has expressed this sentiment in more than one article, and I marvel at his maturity and sensitivity. I also feel nervous when he is asked about being a role model, becuase its such a slippery slope, as I've mentioned previously. Role models are thrown to the wolves eventually in our society. Because no one can achieve and maintain the level of perfection that is expected of a role model. The character of Kurt obviously has flaws, as does every character in Glee. That's one of the reasons why the show is so compelling.
Chris Colfer is a twenty year old young man dealing with sudden fame, and all of its peaks and valleys. He's intelligent, articulate, hardworking, and talented. I have seen the industry change people like Chris, make them hard and introverted and less willing to open up about their lives and their thoughts because people pick apart everything they say and do.
There have already been some conflicting statements printed, which I loathe to mention but its pertinent to the discussion. Most articles about Chris mention that he is out of the closet, and of course Chelsea Lately proclaimed him gay on her show, as she does with most of her guests who are assumed to be gay, whether they have publicly stated the fact or not. Chris did not correct her.
But in at least one article, he has appeared to backpedal a bit, stating that he doesn't discuss his sexuality. People have speculated, and I happen to agree with this, that the backpedaling wasn't Chris' idea, but his handlers: press agent, the show, FOX, somebody or somebodies said to him, "If you're too open in this line of work, you're going to run the risk of pidgeon-holing yourself in terms of future jobs. You don't want to only play the gay kid for the next ten or fifteen years. And you don't want every interview to be about your sexuality."
Again, he's twenty years old, he's a greenhorn in the business, and he's got untold numbers of people giving him advice and whispering in his ear. Even under the best circumstances, he's not going to be perfect, he's not going to always say and do "the right thing." What he'll have to learn to do is listen to the advice and then make the decisions that are right for him. He needs to surround himself with people that both know him and know the industry, have his best interest at heart, and will help him navigate the dangerous waters of "Hollyweird" without sacrificing his integrity.
Here's to hoping.
gleekette
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Chris Colfer NY Post article
from April of this year...
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/chris_colfer_wxrkRxqIkIpmPZURb5ONzM
Chris Colfer: Oprah Winfrey Smells Like Money
Although "Glee" gets mad props for its brilliant musical numbers and knack for comedy, you can't deny that the Golden Globe winner is also capable of reducing the most stone-faced fella to tears. And quite often, there is one person behind the blubbering: Chris Colfer.
The actor has been tasked with perhaps the show's most precarious plot: making Kurt's coming out journey feel realistic, yet entertaining at the same time. And so far, Chris has hit all the right emotional notes. Tonight reveals a new, perhaps unseemly, side of Kurt as his relationships with Mercedes, Finn and his father are pushed to a breaking point.
But Chris' greatest challenge lies in the weeks to come as he's not only asked to bring the drama one more time, but to do it in 10-inch silver stripper heels. Yes, I'm talking about the Lady GaGa-inspired "Theatricality" episode ... and so is Chris! He's also spilling on the season finale, his theoretical Bravo show and what happens in Kurt's "most emotional scene yet."
PopWrap: What can you tell us about tonight's episode, "Home"?
Chris Colfer: It’s one of my favorite episodes. Kurt comes up with this ingenious plan, like a modern day "Parent Trap," to get his dad with Finn’s mom ... and it kind of backfires. But really, you have to give him credit because it was really pretty smart.
PW: Is it just a roundabout way for Kurt to share a bedroom with Finn, you think?
Chris: Yea, I’m pretty sure Kurt wasn’t that considerate about the feelings of others and just wanted to get in a bunk bed with Finn [laughs]
PW: Your big musical number tonight is "House is Not A Home" -- were you familiar with the song?
Chris: I had never heard the song before Ryan [Murphy] texted me and said I was doing "House is not a Home" this week. It was nice to get to perform a song with such emotion. That’s like candy for me – I feel like singing is the greatest tool for an actor. It really is. It lets you express the emotion to the fullest.
PW: Jonathan Groff said that what he's asked to perform on the show pushes his ability further -- would you agree?
Chris: Absolutely, 100 percent. I feel like we’re all being pushed. For me, I have a lot of vocal range and different types of styling coming up – and I think it’s all about getting out of your box, out of your comfort zone. I’ve been singing in my falsetto my whole life and I’m comfortable up there, but all this belting – like in "4 Minutes" and "Rose’s Turn," which I do in an upcoming episode, is all new for me.
PW: Since Ryan texts you guys the upcoming songs, which message has gotten you the most excited?
Chris: I think when he texted me over the hiatus telling me I was doing "4 Minutes" & "Vogue." I literally jumped up and down in my apartment in some embarrassing fashion.
PW: Let's talk about "Vogue" for a second. What was it like filming that?
Chris: It was so much fun. It was probably the longest day I’ve ever had on set. I got there at 8am and didn’t leave till 5am, but it felt historic since the video is historic. I think its place in the show is going to be so remembered.
PW: When you guys were filming "The Power of Madonna," did you think it would be such a success with fans?
Chris: I think so. I knew it was knocking my socks off and I think that out of everyone in the show, I identify the most with our audience because I am a total, major gleek myself. So I had a hunch it would be pretty epic because it was pretty epic while we were filming it.
PW: The interplay between Kurt & Mercedes is one of my favorite aspects on the show. How much of that is in the script and how much of that is you two creating what you think that friendship would be?
Chris: [laughs] You know, Amber and I are very different people from Mercedes & Kurt – but, if anything, I think we might be closer in real life. So those little moments you’re talking about, very little is written or given to us. We just have fun and make stuff up and entertain ourselves and they end up using them. It might be Chris & Amber goofing around more than it is Mercedes & Kurt. But it works so well.
PW: When did you first realize you had the power to ad lib on the show?
Chris: Oh, the writers encourage it so much. Ryan will say, “Go, talk about something.” It’s a good muscle to stretch. There’s a scene in "Showmance" right before we sing "Golddigger" where we’re talking about each other’s clothing -- I call Mercedes "a Technicolor zebra" -- and that was totally ad-libbed. Just us having fun with it.
PW: Do you have a favorite unscripted line you've added?
Chris: Well, I’ve ad libbed a lot, but it’s a tie between that Zebra line and “one day you’ll all work for me” in the pilot episode. There are a few coming up that I hope make it into the episodes they’re editing because they’re pretty killer.
PW: Tonight also sees Sue Sylvester uttering the immortal, "How do you two not have a show on Bravo" line. If you guys did, what would it be about?
Chris: [laughs] Here’s the thing, we’re so different from Mercedes & Kurt I don’t know what our show would be. I think I would turn it into a rip-off of "My Life on the D-List" – running around making sarcastic comments. Her and I aren’t very much into style and fashion as much as Mercedes & Kurt are.
PW: So are fans continually surprised when you're not wearing D&G see-through raincoats in real life?
Chris: Yes! I hate that I’m always disappointing fans every time I walk outside. It’s odd when people come up to me and say, “Oh wow, you’re so normal.” Or “h, jeans and a T-shirt – interesting.” But being on the show has helped expand my knowledge about designers and fashion. Every time I wear one of those ridiculous get-ups and everyone asks “Who makes that?" and I keep telling them, “Ask Kurt.”
PW: Speaking of costumes, yours reach epic proportions in the Lady GaGa episode.
Chris: Oh those shoes – I’m looking at them right now, they’re on top of my fridge. No one knows I have them. I stole them as memorabilia. But you can print it, I don’t care [laughs]
PW: How difficult was it to master walking in them?
Chris: They’re very dangerous, they’re like stilts -- 10-inch platform heels and I could not have been higher. They actually gave me a pair to practice in, which was a very tough process – cleaning my house and making dinner in these 10-inch heels, praying no one knocked on the door because I couldn’t get out of them quickly. Since I have big feet – I’m a size 11, borderline 12 – they had to go to a cross-dressing store to get these. So underneath all the silvery and sparkly beads, they’re bright red hooker boots. Apparently I’ll be wearing them on tour as well, so I have to get more used to them because we dance in them during that episode.
PW: How did mastering the heels rank in terms of what the show has asked you to do?
Chris: It might have been one of the hardest things I’ve done on the show. And I’ve had to do some physically demanding things, like being tossed into a dumpster repeatedly. You feel like you’re feet are going to fall off.
PW: Like Chinese footbinding?
Chris: That is exactly what I said, word for word. We got rid of foot binding, I don’t know why we as a country, as a nation, are still letting this whole high heel thing go on. It’s almost like sadomasochism!
PW: So you're starting an anti-heel brigade?
Chris: Absolutely. It’s uncomfortable, wrong – I mean, the ladies look great in them, just not so sexy on me. Although it did make my calves look very nice. But it needs to come to an end.
PW: So you mention that you'll be rocking those heels on tour -- seems like you got a little practice on "Oprah" and at "The White House." Could you have picked more high pressure situations to, for lack of a better word, rehearse?
Chris: There was no rehearsal there. Those were like DEFCON 4-got-to-get-this right performances.
PW: I have to ask, what does Oprah smell like?
Chris: Money. [laughs] Actually, I don’t think I was breathing when I actually met her, so I’m just guessing.
PW: In addition to the costumes, I hear there is some really intense stuff for Kurt in the GaGa episode, true?
Chris: We’ve definitely got some of our best stuff coming up. I definitely think there’s more of an emotional roller coaster that the club goes in, and Kurt specifically. We shot the most emotional scene that I’ve ever done – myself and Mike O’Malley as Burt and Kurt – a week ago for the Lady GaGa episode. I think the response to that is going to be great. I think it’s going to be more of a reaction than we got from “Preggers” or “Wheels.” It’s pretty intense.
PW: Is the finale also going to leave us in tears?
Chris: Yea. Oh I’m getting chills just thinking about it. You take us – the actors – and then us – the characters – and rewind a year ago to when we did the pilot. You really see how much we’ve all grown as individuals and how much our characters have grown in the show. Take all that and add the music they chose for Regionals and it’s very emotional. It’s so special to us and I hope fans are just as emotional towards it as we are.
PW: One of the big plans for season two is introducing a boyfriend for Kurt, any idea if you'll have a say in casting?
Chris: I have no idea how it’s going to work out. I’ll play it by ear, I’m sure we’ll be reading with the new characters and since we’ll be a couple, I’m guessing I’ll be there to make sure there’s no awkwardness. But hopefully I have no input, because I’m very vain and the only input I really want to give is that I need to be the better looking half of the couple. I don’t want to be the weak link or have people think, “What’s he doing with Kurt?”
PW: Are you excited to portray the next step in an emerging gay's journey?
Chris: I really am and I get more and more excited every day. I know it’s going to bring up so much more great stuff with Kurt & Burt – I live for the father/son scenes. It’s so special. And I think there’s going to be a lot of good comedy stuff that’s going to come out of it as well, which is good because I feel like so much of what I’ve done has been dramatic. I want to stretch my comedy legs as well.
PW: Any plans to haze the newbies?
Chris: Not really, but I have this whole set up that I’m going to tell them I actually work for the CIA and am just undercover as a singing teen. Oh, and that one of our producers is a drug smuggler. I think it’ll be really fun and I think I can convince them of it.
PW: Ok, if this is what your Bravo show would be, I'd totally watch.
Chris: Right, who wouldn't watch “My Life on the 'Glee' List"?
"Glee" airs Tuesdays at 9pm on Fox
End of article.
So cool to read that some of his lines are ad-libbed! The "one day you'll all work for me" line from the pilot is classic! He and Amber are so great together. I wonder if their finger-wiggling handshake was initially ad-libbed as well.
I also found the part about his singing very interesting, how before Glee he mostly sang in falsetto and didn't do much belting. Kind of surprising since he'd been involved with community theatre for several years. I think he sounds terrific in "Four Minutes;" I really like the bit of grit in his tone. And "Rose's Turn" - wow. That is one heck of a demanding song, and he sounds like he gave it everything he has. The show is giving him every opportunity to stretch and grow as a singer, as an actor, and he's making the most of those opportunities.
gleekette
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/chris_colfer_wxrkRxqIkIpmPZURb5ONzM
Chris Colfer: Oprah Winfrey Smells Like Money
Although "Glee" gets mad props for its brilliant musical numbers and knack for comedy, you can't deny that the Golden Globe winner is also capable of reducing the most stone-faced fella to tears. And quite often, there is one person behind the blubbering: Chris Colfer.
The actor has been tasked with perhaps the show's most precarious plot: making Kurt's coming out journey feel realistic, yet entertaining at the same time. And so far, Chris has hit all the right emotional notes. Tonight reveals a new, perhaps unseemly, side of Kurt as his relationships with Mercedes, Finn and his father are pushed to a breaking point.
But Chris' greatest challenge lies in the weeks to come as he's not only asked to bring the drama one more time, but to do it in 10-inch silver stripper heels. Yes, I'm talking about the Lady GaGa-inspired "Theatricality" episode ... and so is Chris! He's also spilling on the season finale, his theoretical Bravo show and what happens in Kurt's "most emotional scene yet."
PopWrap: What can you tell us about tonight's episode, "Home"?
Chris Colfer: It’s one of my favorite episodes. Kurt comes up with this ingenious plan, like a modern day "Parent Trap," to get his dad with Finn’s mom ... and it kind of backfires. But really, you have to give him credit because it was really pretty smart.
PW: Is it just a roundabout way for Kurt to share a bedroom with Finn, you think?
Chris: Yea, I’m pretty sure Kurt wasn’t that considerate about the feelings of others and just wanted to get in a bunk bed with Finn [laughs]
PW: Your big musical number tonight is "House is Not A Home" -- were you familiar with the song?
Chris: I had never heard the song before Ryan [Murphy] texted me and said I was doing "House is not a Home" this week. It was nice to get to perform a song with such emotion. That’s like candy for me – I feel like singing is the greatest tool for an actor. It really is. It lets you express the emotion to the fullest.
PW: Jonathan Groff said that what he's asked to perform on the show pushes his ability further -- would you agree?
Chris: Absolutely, 100 percent. I feel like we’re all being pushed. For me, I have a lot of vocal range and different types of styling coming up – and I think it’s all about getting out of your box, out of your comfort zone. I’ve been singing in my falsetto my whole life and I’m comfortable up there, but all this belting – like in "4 Minutes" and "Rose’s Turn," which I do in an upcoming episode, is all new for me.
PW: Since Ryan texts you guys the upcoming songs, which message has gotten you the most excited?
Chris: I think when he texted me over the hiatus telling me I was doing "4 Minutes" & "Vogue." I literally jumped up and down in my apartment in some embarrassing fashion.
PW: Let's talk about "Vogue" for a second. What was it like filming that?
Chris: It was so much fun. It was probably the longest day I’ve ever had on set. I got there at 8am and didn’t leave till 5am, but it felt historic since the video is historic. I think its place in the show is going to be so remembered.
PW: When you guys were filming "The Power of Madonna," did you think it would be such a success with fans?
Chris: I think so. I knew it was knocking my socks off and I think that out of everyone in the show, I identify the most with our audience because I am a total, major gleek myself. So I had a hunch it would be pretty epic because it was pretty epic while we were filming it.
PW: The interplay between Kurt & Mercedes is one of my favorite aspects on the show. How much of that is in the script and how much of that is you two creating what you think that friendship would be?
Chris: [laughs] You know, Amber and I are very different people from Mercedes & Kurt – but, if anything, I think we might be closer in real life. So those little moments you’re talking about, very little is written or given to us. We just have fun and make stuff up and entertain ourselves and they end up using them. It might be Chris & Amber goofing around more than it is Mercedes & Kurt. But it works so well.
PW: When did you first realize you had the power to ad lib on the show?
Chris: Oh, the writers encourage it so much. Ryan will say, “Go, talk about something.” It’s a good muscle to stretch. There’s a scene in "Showmance" right before we sing "Golddigger" where we’re talking about each other’s clothing -- I call Mercedes "a Technicolor zebra" -- and that was totally ad-libbed. Just us having fun with it.
PW: Do you have a favorite unscripted line you've added?
Chris: Well, I’ve ad libbed a lot, but it’s a tie between that Zebra line and “one day you’ll all work for me” in the pilot episode. There are a few coming up that I hope make it into the episodes they’re editing because they’re pretty killer.
PW: Tonight also sees Sue Sylvester uttering the immortal, "How do you two not have a show on Bravo" line. If you guys did, what would it be about?
Chris: [laughs] Here’s the thing, we’re so different from Mercedes & Kurt I don’t know what our show would be. I think I would turn it into a rip-off of "My Life on the D-List" – running around making sarcastic comments. Her and I aren’t very much into style and fashion as much as Mercedes & Kurt are.
PW: So are fans continually surprised when you're not wearing D&G see-through raincoats in real life?
Chris: Yes! I hate that I’m always disappointing fans every time I walk outside. It’s odd when people come up to me and say, “Oh wow, you’re so normal.” Or “h, jeans and a T-shirt – interesting.” But being on the show has helped expand my knowledge about designers and fashion. Every time I wear one of those ridiculous get-ups and everyone asks “Who makes that?" and I keep telling them, “Ask Kurt.”
PW: Speaking of costumes, yours reach epic proportions in the Lady GaGa episode.
Chris: Oh those shoes – I’m looking at them right now, they’re on top of my fridge. No one knows I have them. I stole them as memorabilia. But you can print it, I don’t care [laughs]
PW: How difficult was it to master walking in them?
Chris: They’re very dangerous, they’re like stilts -- 10-inch platform heels and I could not have been higher. They actually gave me a pair to practice in, which was a very tough process – cleaning my house and making dinner in these 10-inch heels, praying no one knocked on the door because I couldn’t get out of them quickly. Since I have big feet – I’m a size 11, borderline 12 – they had to go to a cross-dressing store to get these. So underneath all the silvery and sparkly beads, they’re bright red hooker boots. Apparently I’ll be wearing them on tour as well, so I have to get more used to them because we dance in them during that episode.
PW: How did mastering the heels rank in terms of what the show has asked you to do?
Chris: It might have been one of the hardest things I’ve done on the show. And I’ve had to do some physically demanding things, like being tossed into a dumpster repeatedly. You feel like you’re feet are going to fall off.
PW: Like Chinese footbinding?
Chris: That is exactly what I said, word for word. We got rid of foot binding, I don’t know why we as a country, as a nation, are still letting this whole high heel thing go on. It’s almost like sadomasochism!
PW: So you're starting an anti-heel brigade?
Chris: Absolutely. It’s uncomfortable, wrong – I mean, the ladies look great in them, just not so sexy on me. Although it did make my calves look very nice. But it needs to come to an end.
PW: So you mention that you'll be rocking those heels on tour -- seems like you got a little practice on "Oprah" and at "The White House." Could you have picked more high pressure situations to, for lack of a better word, rehearse?
Chris: There was no rehearsal there. Those were like DEFCON 4-got-to-get-this right performances.
PW: I have to ask, what does Oprah smell like?
Chris: Money. [laughs] Actually, I don’t think I was breathing when I actually met her, so I’m just guessing.
PW: In addition to the costumes, I hear there is some really intense stuff for Kurt in the GaGa episode, true?
Chris: We’ve definitely got some of our best stuff coming up. I definitely think there’s more of an emotional roller coaster that the club goes in, and Kurt specifically. We shot the most emotional scene that I’ve ever done – myself and Mike O’Malley as Burt and Kurt – a week ago for the Lady GaGa episode. I think the response to that is going to be great. I think it’s going to be more of a reaction than we got from “Preggers” or “Wheels.” It’s pretty intense.
PW: Is the finale also going to leave us in tears?
Chris: Yea. Oh I’m getting chills just thinking about it. You take us – the actors – and then us – the characters – and rewind a year ago to when we did the pilot. You really see how much we’ve all grown as individuals and how much our characters have grown in the show. Take all that and add the music they chose for Regionals and it’s very emotional. It’s so special to us and I hope fans are just as emotional towards it as we are.
PW: One of the big plans for season two is introducing a boyfriend for Kurt, any idea if you'll have a say in casting?
Chris: I have no idea how it’s going to work out. I’ll play it by ear, I’m sure we’ll be reading with the new characters and since we’ll be a couple, I’m guessing I’ll be there to make sure there’s no awkwardness. But hopefully I have no input, because I’m very vain and the only input I really want to give is that I need to be the better looking half of the couple. I don’t want to be the weak link or have people think, “What’s he doing with Kurt?”
PW: Are you excited to portray the next step in an emerging gay's journey?
Chris: I really am and I get more and more excited every day. I know it’s going to bring up so much more great stuff with Kurt & Burt – I live for the father/son scenes. It’s so special. And I think there’s going to be a lot of good comedy stuff that’s going to come out of it as well, which is good because I feel like so much of what I’ve done has been dramatic. I want to stretch my comedy legs as well.
PW: Any plans to haze the newbies?
Chris: Not really, but I have this whole set up that I’m going to tell them I actually work for the CIA and am just undercover as a singing teen. Oh, and that one of our producers is a drug smuggler. I think it’ll be really fun and I think I can convince them of it.
PW: Ok, if this is what your Bravo show would be, I'd totally watch.
Chris: Right, who wouldn't watch “My Life on the 'Glee' List"?
"Glee" airs Tuesdays at 9pm on Fox
End of article.
So cool to read that some of his lines are ad-libbed! The "one day you'll all work for me" line from the pilot is classic! He and Amber are so great together. I wonder if their finger-wiggling handshake was initially ad-libbed as well.
I also found the part about his singing very interesting, how before Glee he mostly sang in falsetto and didn't do much belting. Kind of surprising since he'd been involved with community theatre for several years. I think he sounds terrific in "Four Minutes;" I really like the bit of grit in his tone. And "Rose's Turn" - wow. That is one heck of a demanding song, and he sounds like he gave it everything he has. The show is giving him every opportunity to stretch and grow as a singer, as an actor, and he's making the most of those opportunities.
gleekette
Friday, October 22, 2010
Chris Colfer Yahoo! TV Blog
Yes, more Chris Colfer articles. :) This is from April.
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/chris-colfer-on-crying-real-glee-tears-tattoos-and-kurts-new-boyfriend--1190
Chris Colfer on Crying Real 'Glee' Tears, Tattoos, and Kurt's New Boyfriend
This week, "Glee" follows up its critically acclaimed Madonna tribute episode with "Home," arguably one of the series' most-heartfelt episodes to date. "Home" finds Kurt playing matchmaker with his dad and Finn's mom, but his plans for a nuclear family (and getting closer to Finn) backfire. I recently caught up with Chris Colfer (Kurt) to chat about the father-and-son chemistry he shares with Mike O'Malley, who his dream "Glee" guest star would be, what kind of beau he wants for Kurt, and whether Lea Michele was able to convince him to get a tattoo.
I cried several times throughout the "Home" episode. How emotional was it for you shooting it?
Oh, thank you! I feel so bad when people tell me that! Ryan Murphy had kind of been texting me and telling me, "This one is the big one for you, so I hope you're ready for it. Hope you get excited for it." No pressure! At first I was so excited that I got such good material to do, and then, it was utter fear, like, "How am I going to pull this off? How am I going to cry in every single scene?" But it was very, very rewarding to film it. It was directed by Paris Barclay, who I absolutely love. He directed me in the "Wheels" episode, where I sang "Defying Gravity." It was just great filming it.
What do you use to channel that emotion? How do you make yourself cry in every scene?
You know, I really don't know, and I never really plan on crying until it happens. But usually the material is good, and I just think about the people that it's going to affect, and that's enough to make me bawl. One similarity that I've had with Kurt is that I've felt a lot of the same emotions that he has. I obviously handled them very differently, and we're both very different people, but we've definitely experienced the same stuff. I do use some stuff from my own childhood — my own high school experiences. Apparently they have fake tears that they can give you, but I am very adamant about making sure the tears are real. I had no idea. I just thought that every time I saw somebody crying on TV it was real, but I think it's cheating, so I have to make sure I take the character's hurt and the character's emotion and go to a dark place to get the real tears.
How was it working with Mike O'Malley again? Is it safe to assume that we'll be seeing him in future episodes beyond "Home"?
Absolutely! Actually, I just finished shooting a scene with him, and it was probably the most-emotional scene either of us has ever had to do. I have nothing but great things to say about him. He's just a great actor. It's so much fun to be around him. It's kind of crazy. When we did the "Preggers" episode, we met each other that day and filmed everything that day. And "Wheels" was a one-day thing as well. The chemistry that I have with him on television is real interesting.
Jane Lynch is hilarious as Sue Sylvester. How do you not break character while you're shooting a scene with her?
Oh, no: I do! It's really good editing. It's impossible to not laugh hysterically in a scene with her. She's so unlike Sue Sylvester, but she's just so funny herself, so it's like you have a double-edged funny sword being thrown at you constantly. She could read a single sentence from the dictionary and put those inflections into her words, and it's hysterical!
Ryan Murphy mentioned during the Paley Festival that Kurt would be getting a boyfriend in Season 2. Anything you can tell me about that?
[The role] hasn't even been cast yet, but my only request — and I've said this before — is that they get someone less attractive than me, just because I really, really don't want Kurt to be the broken, loose end of the couple. I want him to be the "what's Kurt doing with him?" type. I'm pretty sure they're probably going to get some kind of Adonis, and it's going to really upset me. (Laughs.)
The show has had amazing guest stars. Who would you like to see as a guest star on the show?
I really, really want Julie Andrews to come on the show, and I really want her to be Kurt's fashionable grandmother. I think it'll be so cool. Anyone who's like her and is a living, breathing legend, I would love to have on the show. I would love to suck up their energy and collect some of their DNA and make a clone.
Kurt's been a football player, he's a part of the glee club, and now he's a Cheerio. What's next for him?
He's just a renaissance guy, isn't he? (Laughs.) I don't know! He's so versatile that I wouldn't be surprised if he went on to become a flag person or went on to become a golf star or play tennis. Who knows? He's pretty limitless. Actually, I am a very good sai sword thrower. Have you ever seen the movie "Elektra" or "Daredevil," the swords that Jennifer Garner has? I'm very good at those. A lot of people don't know, and a lot of people don't believe me until I bring them to set to show them, but I'm hoping they don't write it into the show, because I would like to have one skill I can keep for another project later. I'm singing, I'm dancing, I'm acting — I would like to have something else in my pocket to fall back on.
You guys have been doing all these great activities together, like being on "Oprah" and performing at the White House. What's your relationship with the rest of the cast like? Are you friends in real life?
It's difficult when I tell people how close we are, because I don't think they're going to believe me. I remember, when I was growing up and I watched shows, people would say, "We're family. We do this and that together." I would always think in the back of my head, "Yeah right. They probably hate each other." But we really are family. We play pranks on each other; we go on trips together. We all instantly bonded since the pilot and have been close ever since.
Close enough to get matching ink? Was Lea Michele able to convince you to get a tattoo?
No way. No tattoos for me. I was actually with them when they got those tattoos, and I was the one getting them food and saying, "Are you sure your parents are going to appreciate this? Are you sure your family is going to like this as much as you are? Are you sure you're not going to regret this in 10 years when you're saggy?" That was my job. But, no, I am so afraid of needles. I'm so thankful that I am; otherwise I probably would have one.
Why do you think viewers love "Glee" so much?
I really think that the show is about a group of kids that really never had anything about them or appeal to them on television. I was a total musical theatre nerd in high school, and I would've been obsessed with "Glee" because it's [the only] show on TV about kids just like me. I would've been insanely jealous of every single cast member.
Now everyone's insanely jealous of you!
(Laughs.) Yeah, but then again I don't know if anyone would want to put on the "Single Ladies" leotard! There are so many things that I do on the show that I just have to leave myself at the door or leave myself in the trailer. I personally could never wear some of the things Kurt wears in public. For whatever reason, I'm comfortable wearing them in front of 20 million people that watch the show but, in public, no way!
Leotards aside, what's the greatest thing about working on a show like "Glee"?
I think having an outlet to sing and dance and act and having such amazing, amazing material to do it to is a dream. It's very rare that you get to do so much in one project, let alone have the project be so great and written so well.
End of article.
How adorable is he? Great article. His answer about crying in scenes is so refreshing. He is the real deal.
gleekette
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/chris-colfer-on-crying-real-glee-tears-tattoos-and-kurts-new-boyfriend--1190
Chris Colfer on Crying Real 'Glee' Tears, Tattoos, and Kurt's New Boyfriend
This week, "Glee" follows up its critically acclaimed Madonna tribute episode with "Home," arguably one of the series' most-heartfelt episodes to date. "Home" finds Kurt playing matchmaker with his dad and Finn's mom, but his plans for a nuclear family (and getting closer to Finn) backfire. I recently caught up with Chris Colfer (Kurt) to chat about the father-and-son chemistry he shares with Mike O'Malley, who his dream "Glee" guest star would be, what kind of beau he wants for Kurt, and whether Lea Michele was able to convince him to get a tattoo.
I cried several times throughout the "Home" episode. How emotional was it for you shooting it?
Oh, thank you! I feel so bad when people tell me that! Ryan Murphy had kind of been texting me and telling me, "This one is the big one for you, so I hope you're ready for it. Hope you get excited for it." No pressure! At first I was so excited that I got such good material to do, and then, it was utter fear, like, "How am I going to pull this off? How am I going to cry in every single scene?" But it was very, very rewarding to film it. It was directed by Paris Barclay, who I absolutely love. He directed me in the "Wheels" episode, where I sang "Defying Gravity." It was just great filming it.
What do you use to channel that emotion? How do you make yourself cry in every scene?
You know, I really don't know, and I never really plan on crying until it happens. But usually the material is good, and I just think about the people that it's going to affect, and that's enough to make me bawl. One similarity that I've had with Kurt is that I've felt a lot of the same emotions that he has. I obviously handled them very differently, and we're both very different people, but we've definitely experienced the same stuff. I do use some stuff from my own childhood — my own high school experiences. Apparently they have fake tears that they can give you, but I am very adamant about making sure the tears are real. I had no idea. I just thought that every time I saw somebody crying on TV it was real, but I think it's cheating, so I have to make sure I take the character's hurt and the character's emotion and go to a dark place to get the real tears.
How was it working with Mike O'Malley again? Is it safe to assume that we'll be seeing him in future episodes beyond "Home"?
Absolutely! Actually, I just finished shooting a scene with him, and it was probably the most-emotional scene either of us has ever had to do. I have nothing but great things to say about him. He's just a great actor. It's so much fun to be around him. It's kind of crazy. When we did the "Preggers" episode, we met each other that day and filmed everything that day. And "Wheels" was a one-day thing as well. The chemistry that I have with him on television is real interesting.
Jane Lynch is hilarious as Sue Sylvester. How do you not break character while you're shooting a scene with her?
Oh, no: I do! It's really good editing. It's impossible to not laugh hysterically in a scene with her. She's so unlike Sue Sylvester, but she's just so funny herself, so it's like you have a double-edged funny sword being thrown at you constantly. She could read a single sentence from the dictionary and put those inflections into her words, and it's hysterical!
Ryan Murphy mentioned during the Paley Festival that Kurt would be getting a boyfriend in Season 2. Anything you can tell me about that?
[The role] hasn't even been cast yet, but my only request — and I've said this before — is that they get someone less attractive than me, just because I really, really don't want Kurt to be the broken, loose end of the couple. I want him to be the "what's Kurt doing with him?" type. I'm pretty sure they're probably going to get some kind of Adonis, and it's going to really upset me. (Laughs.)
The show has had amazing guest stars. Who would you like to see as a guest star on the show?
I really, really want Julie Andrews to come on the show, and I really want her to be Kurt's fashionable grandmother. I think it'll be so cool. Anyone who's like her and is a living, breathing legend, I would love to have on the show. I would love to suck up their energy and collect some of their DNA and make a clone.
Kurt's been a football player, he's a part of the glee club, and now he's a Cheerio. What's next for him?
He's just a renaissance guy, isn't he? (Laughs.) I don't know! He's so versatile that I wouldn't be surprised if he went on to become a flag person or went on to become a golf star or play tennis. Who knows? He's pretty limitless. Actually, I am a very good sai sword thrower. Have you ever seen the movie "Elektra" or "Daredevil," the swords that Jennifer Garner has? I'm very good at those. A lot of people don't know, and a lot of people don't believe me until I bring them to set to show them, but I'm hoping they don't write it into the show, because I would like to have one skill I can keep for another project later. I'm singing, I'm dancing, I'm acting — I would like to have something else in my pocket to fall back on.
You guys have been doing all these great activities together, like being on "Oprah" and performing at the White House. What's your relationship with the rest of the cast like? Are you friends in real life?
It's difficult when I tell people how close we are, because I don't think they're going to believe me. I remember, when I was growing up and I watched shows, people would say, "We're family. We do this and that together." I would always think in the back of my head, "Yeah right. They probably hate each other." But we really are family. We play pranks on each other; we go on trips together. We all instantly bonded since the pilot and have been close ever since.
Close enough to get matching ink? Was Lea Michele able to convince you to get a tattoo?
No way. No tattoos for me. I was actually with them when they got those tattoos, and I was the one getting them food and saying, "Are you sure your parents are going to appreciate this? Are you sure your family is going to like this as much as you are? Are you sure you're not going to regret this in 10 years when you're saggy?" That was my job. But, no, I am so afraid of needles. I'm so thankful that I am; otherwise I probably would have one.
Why do you think viewers love "Glee" so much?
I really think that the show is about a group of kids that really never had anything about them or appeal to them on television. I was a total musical theatre nerd in high school, and I would've been obsessed with "Glee" because it's [the only] show on TV about kids just like me. I would've been insanely jealous of every single cast member.
Now everyone's insanely jealous of you!
(Laughs.) Yeah, but then again I don't know if anyone would want to put on the "Single Ladies" leotard! There are so many things that I do on the show that I just have to leave myself at the door or leave myself in the trailer. I personally could never wear some of the things Kurt wears in public. For whatever reason, I'm comfortable wearing them in front of 20 million people that watch the show but, in public, no way!
Leotards aside, what's the greatest thing about working on a show like "Glee"?
I think having an outlet to sing and dance and act and having such amazing, amazing material to do it to is a dream. It's very rare that you get to do so much in one project, let alone have the project be so great and written so well.
End of article.
How adorable is he? Great article. His answer about crying in scenes is so refreshing. He is the real deal.
gleekette
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Diana's Agron's blog re GQ photo shoot
Following up on my comments at the end of my last post about the pressure the Glee actors are faced with, here is the blog post from Diana Agron about the GQ photo shoot. The backstory on this is that there has been a wave of controversy about the photos, which feature a few pics of a fully clothed Cory Monthieth (Finn) and several pictures of Lea Michele and Diana Agron posing suggestively in underwear while sucking on lollipops...you get the idea. There has been much debate about the objectification of the women, and whether FOX is trying to market Glee as a family show, in stark contrast to the tone of the pictures. I'll post Diana's blog, and then offer my thoughts.
Diana wrote:
“I’d like to start by saying that these are solely my thoughts on the November issue of GQ and the controversy that has surrounded its release. I am not a representative of the three of us, the show, or Fox, only myself.
In the land of Madonna, Britney, Miley, Gossip Girl, other public figures and shows that have pushed the envelope and challenged the levels of comfort in their viewers and fans… we are not the first. Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your 8-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry. But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?
I was a very sheltered child, and was not aware of anything provocative or risque in the media while I was navigating through my formative years. When I was finally allowed to watch a movie like Grease, I did not even understand what on earth Rizzo was talking about!? I understand that in today’s world of advanced technology, the internet, our kids can be subject to very adult material at the click of a button. But there are parental locks, and ways to get around this. I am 24 years old. I have been a pretty tame and easy-going girl my whole life. Nobody is perfect, and these photos do not represent who I am. I am also not the girl who rolls out of bed with flawless makeup and couture clothing. I am most comfortable with my hair thrown on top of my head, in sweats, laughing with my friends. Glee is a show that represents the underdogs, which is a feeling I have embraced much of my own life, and to those viewers, the photos in GQ don’t give them that same feeling. I understand completely.
For GQ, they asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ version. At the time, it wasn’t my favorite idea, but I did not walk away. I must say, I am trying to live my life with a sharpie marker approach. You can’t erase the strokes you’ve made, but each step is much bolder and more deliberate. I’m moving forward from this one, and after today, putting it to rest. I am only myself, I can only be me. These aren’t photos I am going to frame and put on my desk, but hey, nor are any of the photos I take for magazines. Those are all characters we’ve played for this crazy job, one that I love and am so fortunate to have, each and every day. If you asked me for my dream photo shoot, I’d be in a treehouse, in a wild costume, war-paint and I’d be playing with my pet dragon. Until then…..”
My thoughts:
Unfortunately this is a great example of the pressure I was referring to. Diana is in a very difficult position here. She feels a responsibility to her fanbase, and to the parents of her fanbase. She also seems to be uncomfortable with the pictures on a personal level. They do not represent who she is. But Diana is an employee. She is under contract. Photo shoots are part of that contract. As long as they aren't making her do anything illegal, I don't think she can say no. She wants to stay true to herself, she wants to be a role model for the teenage girls that admire her, but she also doesn't want to be labeled a difficult employee. I'm sure she's also not meaning to give anyone the impression that she thinks FOX or the show or whoever made the decision to send them on that photo shoot made an error in judgement.
For me, Glee is not a family show in the sense that young children should be watching it. I do think its a show that teenagers could watch with their parents, although some of the scenes are risque enough for me to question whether my fourteen year old niece should be watching. But then again, there was some language in Grease that wasn't appropriate for kids, and I saw Grease when I was eleven years old. Did it hypersexualize me? No.
GQ is not a magazine for kids. Lea and Diana are both adults. Yes, they were scantily clad and posing suggestively, but they weren't naked. I think the pictures are designed to be over the top in the same way that the show is over the top sometimes. It pushes boundaries. But the problem is, the pictures are now all over the Internet. They are not limited to the magazine. But there are pictures on the Internet that go far beyond these.
I give Diana a lot of credit. I think her post was thoughtful, honest, and yes, careful. I think she tried to walk that line between being her own person and not biting the hand that feeds her. I think she was trying to stay true to herself and stand in solidarity with the gleeks who love her. She wasn't under any obligation to make any kind of statement, but I'm glad she did.
One more point I'd like to make. When you think about the show, the guys have actually shown more skin than the girls. Yes, there was the "Bust the Windows" dance with the cheerleaders, Santana in bed with Finn, and Quinn in the hot tub with Finn. But we've also seen Mr. Schu, Finn, Puck, and new guy Sam all show off their abs. So while I think there was definitely a bias in the photo shoot (Finn was completely covered, the young women were not), I don't think you can make the same statement about the show. The only time we've seen Rachel bare her midrif that I can recall was in the Britney "Baby One More Time" sequence.
gleekette
Diana wrote:
“I’d like to start by saying that these are solely my thoughts on the November issue of GQ and the controversy that has surrounded its release. I am not a representative of the three of us, the show, or Fox, only myself.
In the land of Madonna, Britney, Miley, Gossip Girl, other public figures and shows that have pushed the envelope and challenged the levels of comfort in their viewers and fans… we are not the first. Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your 8-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry. But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?
I was a very sheltered child, and was not aware of anything provocative or risque in the media while I was navigating through my formative years. When I was finally allowed to watch a movie like Grease, I did not even understand what on earth Rizzo was talking about!? I understand that in today’s world of advanced technology, the internet, our kids can be subject to very adult material at the click of a button. But there are parental locks, and ways to get around this. I am 24 years old. I have been a pretty tame and easy-going girl my whole life. Nobody is perfect, and these photos do not represent who I am. I am also not the girl who rolls out of bed with flawless makeup and couture clothing. I am most comfortable with my hair thrown on top of my head, in sweats, laughing with my friends. Glee is a show that represents the underdogs, which is a feeling I have embraced much of my own life, and to those viewers, the photos in GQ don’t give them that same feeling. I understand completely.
For GQ, they asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ version. At the time, it wasn’t my favorite idea, but I did not walk away. I must say, I am trying to live my life with a sharpie marker approach. You can’t erase the strokes you’ve made, but each step is much bolder and more deliberate. I’m moving forward from this one, and after today, putting it to rest. I am only myself, I can only be me. These aren’t photos I am going to frame and put on my desk, but hey, nor are any of the photos I take for magazines. Those are all characters we’ve played for this crazy job, one that I love and am so fortunate to have, each and every day. If you asked me for my dream photo shoot, I’d be in a treehouse, in a wild costume, war-paint and I’d be playing with my pet dragon. Until then…..”
My thoughts:
Unfortunately this is a great example of the pressure I was referring to. Diana is in a very difficult position here. She feels a responsibility to her fanbase, and to the parents of her fanbase. She also seems to be uncomfortable with the pictures on a personal level. They do not represent who she is. But Diana is an employee. She is under contract. Photo shoots are part of that contract. As long as they aren't making her do anything illegal, I don't think she can say no. She wants to stay true to herself, she wants to be a role model for the teenage girls that admire her, but she also doesn't want to be labeled a difficult employee. I'm sure she's also not meaning to give anyone the impression that she thinks FOX or the show or whoever made the decision to send them on that photo shoot made an error in judgement.
For me, Glee is not a family show in the sense that young children should be watching it. I do think its a show that teenagers could watch with their parents, although some of the scenes are risque enough for me to question whether my fourteen year old niece should be watching. But then again, there was some language in Grease that wasn't appropriate for kids, and I saw Grease when I was eleven years old. Did it hypersexualize me? No.
GQ is not a magazine for kids. Lea and Diana are both adults. Yes, they were scantily clad and posing suggestively, but they weren't naked. I think the pictures are designed to be over the top in the same way that the show is over the top sometimes. It pushes boundaries. But the problem is, the pictures are now all over the Internet. They are not limited to the magazine. But there are pictures on the Internet that go far beyond these.
I give Diana a lot of credit. I think her post was thoughtful, honest, and yes, careful. I think she tried to walk that line between being her own person and not biting the hand that feeds her. I think she was trying to stay true to herself and stand in solidarity with the gleeks who love her. She wasn't under any obligation to make any kind of statement, but I'm glad she did.
One more point I'd like to make. When you think about the show, the guys have actually shown more skin than the girls. Yes, there was the "Bust the Windows" dance with the cheerleaders, Santana in bed with Finn, and Quinn in the hot tub with Finn. But we've also seen Mr. Schu, Finn, Puck, and new guy Sam all show off their abs. So while I think there was definitely a bias in the photo shoot (Finn was completely covered, the young women were not), I don't think you can make the same statement about the show. The only time we've seen Rachel bare her midrif that I can recall was in the Britney "Baby One More Time" sequence.
gleekette
Chris Colfer Edmonton article
Glee star takes the good with the glare
As role model for gay community, Colfer finds spotlight daunting
By Ian Spelling, Edmonton Journal October 20, 2010
Back on May 18, 2009, Chris Colfer was a regular kid, a talented, singing-and-dancing, Californian teen who had appeared in some community-theatre productions, acted in a short film and recently completed the pilot for a Fox show called Glee, an oddball sort of show whose appeal, if any, was hard to predict.
The next day, thanks in large part to an assist from the juggernaut American Idol, Glee exploded into the American zeitgeist. Colfer's life hasn't been the same since.
Glee was launched as a regular series several months later, and quickly emerged as a ratings hit in its own right, setting in motion a cottage industry of CDs, tie-in products, iTunes releases and concert dates. It also transformed Colfer, who plays the sweet-voiced, high-note-hitting, openly gay fashionista student Kurt in William McKinley High School's New Directions glee club, into an instant star and role model.
"It's been absolutely crazy," the now-20-year-old Colfer says. "For us it has to feel similar to what the American Idol kids feel like when they go from absolute nothing to a huge, huge, huge world. It's been incredible. I could write a book about it.
"The best part is knowing that the role I play and the material I'm given affect so many kids out there," he continues. "Getting the letters from them that make you bawl your eyes out, I think that's the best part of it. Some of these kids need something like my character just to cope with everyday life. People are excited that there's someone like him on television, that is his own character, who isn't the sidekick or punching bag in every scene, and who has his own storyline and is his own person.
"The worst part is the whole fame aspect," Colfer adds, "because I personally never wanted to be a celebrity or wanted to be famous. But that comes with the territory."
During Season 1, Kurt quickly won the affection of viewers, and executive producer/co-creator Ryan Murphy wasted little time before increasing Colfer's workload. Audiences watched Kurt pine for fellow glee-club member Finn (Cory Monteith), kick for the football team and connect with his father, Burt (Mike O'Malley), a widower whose love for his son supersedes his discomfort with his son's homosexuality.
Season 2 of Glee debuted in September (airing Tuesday nights), and so far -- among other developments -- Kurt has pleaded with Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) to let New Directions perform Britney Spears songs and struggled with his religious beliefs after Burt suffered a heart attack.
Speaking by telephone from his Los Angeles home on a recent Saturday morning, Colfer previews things to come in the next few weeks.
"There's a lot of amazing stuff and a lot of controversial stuff too," the young actor says. "I think the controversial stuff will get people's attention very, very quickly. And there will be more of Kurt finding himself, which is exciting."
OK, but what Kurt fans everywhere really want to know is the truth behind two hot rumours of the moment: Will Kurt finally have a boyfriend? And does Colfer play Riff-Raff in the upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Showthemed episode?
"I can't wait for everyone to see the Rocky Horror episode," Colfer says excitedly. "Oh, God, I don't know what I can say. Damn, I really, really want to tell you what I'm playing in that."
As to that other rumour ... "I'm kind of torn on the whole boyfriend thing," Colfer says, "because my only request was that he be less attractive than me, because I really didn't want to be the weak link in the couple. I wanted it to be kind of mutual, looks-wise. Then they hired (Chord Overstreet, who plays McKinley newcomer Sam), and I'm not sure if he's going to be the boyfriend now, which I think was the popular belief. I know that I thought it, but now it may or may not happen with him, so people will have to tune in to see."
For all that, however, it's the father-son moments that resonate most with Gleeks and with Colfer himself. Plenty more such moments are on the way, the actor promises, as Kurt helps Burt recover from his heart attack.
"Without trying to give credit to myself or Mike -- and even Ryan Murphy said this --(the Kurt-Burt relationship) is kind of like the show's emotional backbone. Kurt and his father are from two different worlds, but they're bonded. It's that whole acceptance thing of, 'I know you're different, but I love you anyway because you're who you are.' It's 'You're my kid' and 'You're my dad.' That's something that needs to be seen by people, and it's fortunate that it's being seen on television."
It's no secret that Colfer himself is gay. He's out and happy, and he tries to be a solid role model for those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. But it's not always easy, he concedes, to live with all eyes seemingly on him at all times.
"Unfortunately, in the world we live in, if I ever were to do anything stupid or say anything stupid, all the credibility of the character would be taken away. I want to be able to have fun, so it's a huge pressure and I do think about it every day. I probably think about it too much.
"If somebody had to be a role model, I think I'm a good candidate, in the sense that I really don't do anything obviously stupid or wrong, and I'm pretty smart with my judgments."
He chuckles. "But I'm a very, very strange, awkward person," Colfer says. "So I don't know why anybody would want to be me."
End of article
My thoughts:
Another great article on Chris, and this one was just published yesterday. I think of all the young people on the show, Chris, Kevin, Diana Agron (Quinn), and Lea Michele (Rachel) are probably under the most pressure, because they each represent a vulnerable population: people who are gay, people who have a disability, young girls who are pregnant, and the general population of teen girls. Because they represent these groups, they are seen as even more important role models than the other cast members. Which means they are scrutinized even more. Everything they say and do are subject to public opinion and debate. That's a lot to deal with on top of 16 hour days of filming and all the other work involved as an actor on a hit television show - photo shoots, appearances, press, etc.
In general, we as a community follow a pattern when it comes to stars. We discover them, we adore them, we glorify them, we place them atop a pedastal, and then as soon as they do one little thing that we disagree with, we kick them off that throne and feel no remorse in expressing our disatisfaction.
You have to have a lot of inner fortitude to survive as a star in Hollywood. Chris is so young; I think he's the youngest cast member on Glee. He's basically gone from high school student to international star in about a year's time. None of the young people on the show are that well-known, but he is entirely new to the business. As thrilled as I am for his success, I also worry about the pressure he faces. Living up to expectations can be an arduous mountain to climb.
gleekette
As role model for gay community, Colfer finds spotlight daunting
By Ian Spelling, Edmonton Journal October 20, 2010
Back on May 18, 2009, Chris Colfer was a regular kid, a talented, singing-and-dancing, Californian teen who had appeared in some community-theatre productions, acted in a short film and recently completed the pilot for a Fox show called Glee, an oddball sort of show whose appeal, if any, was hard to predict.
The next day, thanks in large part to an assist from the juggernaut American Idol, Glee exploded into the American zeitgeist. Colfer's life hasn't been the same since.
Glee was launched as a regular series several months later, and quickly emerged as a ratings hit in its own right, setting in motion a cottage industry of CDs, tie-in products, iTunes releases and concert dates. It also transformed Colfer, who plays the sweet-voiced, high-note-hitting, openly gay fashionista student Kurt in William McKinley High School's New Directions glee club, into an instant star and role model.
"It's been absolutely crazy," the now-20-year-old Colfer says. "For us it has to feel similar to what the American Idol kids feel like when they go from absolute nothing to a huge, huge, huge world. It's been incredible. I could write a book about it.
"The best part is knowing that the role I play and the material I'm given affect so many kids out there," he continues. "Getting the letters from them that make you bawl your eyes out, I think that's the best part of it. Some of these kids need something like my character just to cope with everyday life. People are excited that there's someone like him on television, that is his own character, who isn't the sidekick or punching bag in every scene, and who has his own storyline and is his own person.
"The worst part is the whole fame aspect," Colfer adds, "because I personally never wanted to be a celebrity or wanted to be famous. But that comes with the territory."
During Season 1, Kurt quickly won the affection of viewers, and executive producer/co-creator Ryan Murphy wasted little time before increasing Colfer's workload. Audiences watched Kurt pine for fellow glee-club member Finn (Cory Monteith), kick for the football team and connect with his father, Burt (Mike O'Malley), a widower whose love for his son supersedes his discomfort with his son's homosexuality.
Season 2 of Glee debuted in September (airing Tuesday nights), and so far -- among other developments -- Kurt has pleaded with Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) to let New Directions perform Britney Spears songs and struggled with his religious beliefs after Burt suffered a heart attack.
Speaking by telephone from his Los Angeles home on a recent Saturday morning, Colfer previews things to come in the next few weeks.
"There's a lot of amazing stuff and a lot of controversial stuff too," the young actor says. "I think the controversial stuff will get people's attention very, very quickly. And there will be more of Kurt finding himself, which is exciting."
OK, but what Kurt fans everywhere really want to know is the truth behind two hot rumours of the moment: Will Kurt finally have a boyfriend? And does Colfer play Riff-Raff in the upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Showthemed episode?
"I can't wait for everyone to see the Rocky Horror episode," Colfer says excitedly. "Oh, God, I don't know what I can say. Damn, I really, really want to tell you what I'm playing in that."
As to that other rumour ... "I'm kind of torn on the whole boyfriend thing," Colfer says, "because my only request was that he be less attractive than me, because I really didn't want to be the weak link in the couple. I wanted it to be kind of mutual, looks-wise. Then they hired (Chord Overstreet, who plays McKinley newcomer Sam), and I'm not sure if he's going to be the boyfriend now, which I think was the popular belief. I know that I thought it, but now it may or may not happen with him, so people will have to tune in to see."
For all that, however, it's the father-son moments that resonate most with Gleeks and with Colfer himself. Plenty more such moments are on the way, the actor promises, as Kurt helps Burt recover from his heart attack.
"Without trying to give credit to myself or Mike -- and even Ryan Murphy said this --(the Kurt-Burt relationship) is kind of like the show's emotional backbone. Kurt and his father are from two different worlds, but they're bonded. It's that whole acceptance thing of, 'I know you're different, but I love you anyway because you're who you are.' It's 'You're my kid' and 'You're my dad.' That's something that needs to be seen by people, and it's fortunate that it's being seen on television."
It's no secret that Colfer himself is gay. He's out and happy, and he tries to be a solid role model for those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. But it's not always easy, he concedes, to live with all eyes seemingly on him at all times.
"Unfortunately, in the world we live in, if I ever were to do anything stupid or say anything stupid, all the credibility of the character would be taken away. I want to be able to have fun, so it's a huge pressure and I do think about it every day. I probably think about it too much.
"If somebody had to be a role model, I think I'm a good candidate, in the sense that I really don't do anything obviously stupid or wrong, and I'm pretty smart with my judgments."
He chuckles. "But I'm a very, very strange, awkward person," Colfer says. "So I don't know why anybody would want to be me."
End of article
My thoughts:
Another great article on Chris, and this one was just published yesterday. I think of all the young people on the show, Chris, Kevin, Diana Agron (Quinn), and Lea Michele (Rachel) are probably under the most pressure, because they each represent a vulnerable population: people who are gay, people who have a disability, young girls who are pregnant, and the general population of teen girls. Because they represent these groups, they are seen as even more important role models than the other cast members. Which means they are scrutinized even more. Everything they say and do are subject to public opinion and debate. That's a lot to deal with on top of 16 hour days of filming and all the other work involved as an actor on a hit television show - photo shoots, appearances, press, etc.
In general, we as a community follow a pattern when it comes to stars. We discover them, we adore them, we glorify them, we place them atop a pedastal, and then as soon as they do one little thing that we disagree with, we kick them off that throne and feel no remorse in expressing our disatisfaction.
You have to have a lot of inner fortitude to survive as a star in Hollywood. Chris is so young; I think he's the youngest cast member on Glee. He's basically gone from high school student to international star in about a year's time. None of the young people on the show are that well-known, but he is entirely new to the business. As thrilled as I am for his success, I also worry about the pressure he faces. Living up to expectations can be an arduous mountain to climb.
gleekette
Chris Colfer LA Times article
This article is from September 8, 2009, so its over a year old, but its really good...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/09/glee-creator-and-executive-producer-ryan-murphy-discovered-chris-colfer-but-dont-tell-the-young-actor-that-it-makes-him-feel.html
"Glee" creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy "discovered" Chris Colfer, but don't tell the young actor that. It makes him "feel like a continent." A good continent, though. Colfer, 19, plays Kurt Hummel in "Glee," which premieres tomorrow at 9 p.m. He's part of the musical comedy's talented ensemble, but his triple-threat performance is already being singled out by TV critics. The following is a longer version of a feature about Colfer that will be published in the Los Angeles Times tomorrow.
The then-18-year-old high school graduate with the big blue eyes and pale skin nervously walked into the audition room to sing and dance in front of his idol.
“Why do I have the feeling you’ve been Rolf on ‘The Sound of Music’ before?” the executive producer asked Chris Colfer, giving the young actor his signature Ryan Murphy once-over. The creator of “Nip/Tuck” was casting roles for his new Fox series, “Glee,” which premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m.
“I know I have Von Trapp written all over me,” Colfer replied. “I actually was Kurt in ‘The Sound of Music’ a long time ago.”
Colfer, a community theater actor from Clovis, Calif., wasn’t just looking for his first professional job. He was face-to-face with the television writer he most admired — standing in his office, surrounded by “Nip/Tuck” props and photographs, and all he wanted to do was ask him for spoilers for the next season. Instead, he dropped his script pages, scattering them everywhere.
“I was thinking, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t sing and dance in front of this man. I idolize him so much,’” said Colfer, now 19. “So I immediately peed a little. I’m horrible at auditions anyway. Maybe that’s why I never got anything. It’s my Achilles' heel. Is that who it was — Achilles? Just checking. It could be Aries or Hercules and some scholar’s gonna write me a letter.”
The young countertenor, who had been performing since he was 9 but who knew he wanted to act “since I was an embryo,” was trying out for the role of Arty, a guitar-playing geek in a wheelchair who is part of a high school show choir at the heart of the musical comedy. He belted out “Mr. Cellophane” from the musical “Chicago,” which he had rehearsed with his grandmother.
“He’s never been formally trained and I just thought he was so talented and gifted and unusual,” Murphy recalled. “I’ve never seen anyone who looks like him or acts like him or sounds like him. You’d think he’d been at Juilliard for six years but he hasn’t.”
Still, Colfer didn’t get the part. Not that part anyway. Murphy recognized something else in the unknown performer, something that inspired him to invent a new character: a bit of himself.
Growing up in Indianapolis, Murphy sang in his church choir and immersed himself in musicals in high school and college. His mother was a beauty queen; his father was a semi-pro hockey player who was baffled by a son who requested a “Vogue” subscription when he was 5 years old, started ironing his own clothes at 7, and performed in his bedroom, holding a hairbrush for a microphone in front of a mirror.
“My dad would look at me and go, ‘What the hell? I don’t know who you are. How did you come out of me?’ He would say things like that,” Murphy said. He may not have understood his son, but he accepted him, even when Murphy revealed to him that he is gay when he was 15 years old.
“Having a dad that loves you as a young man is a very powerful thing that you carry into the world,” Murphy said. “Because no matter what you do, in some weird, unconscious way, if you’re a guy, you always try to please your dad. I think it’s a great thing to put on television. You’ve seen the gay character that gets kicked out of the house or is beaten up. You haven’t seen the gay character that is teased a little bit, but wins and triumphs.”
That character, as drawn by Murphy for Colfer, is Kurt Hummel, the “fashionable soprano” and sixth member of the glee club. The first name is a tribute to Colfer’s turn as Kurt Von Trapp. The last name comes from the Hummel figurines “with rosy cheeks” that Murphy’s mother collected when he was a child.
“So Kurt from my ‘Sound of Music’ experience and Hummel because I look like a porcelain doll,” Colfer said wryly.
Although Kurt Hummel is coming to terms with being gay, his essence lies more in his strong sense of identity and self-worth than his sexual orientation.
“When we started auditioning, I thought it was kind of ridiculous that we’re doing a musical about kids and expression and we don’t have the gay point of view,” Murphy said. “I thought it was important, but I would never want Chris to feel weird. More than the gay thing, he understood the thing about being an outsider because he felt that way in high school and I told him we’re going to tap into that.”
The witty, mature and self-possessed Colfer is not one to be at a loss for words. But even after production wrapped last month, he was still grappling with the notion that the man who invented the show he used to watch against his mother’s wishes has created a part for him that everyone, from TV critics to co-star Jane Lynch, is betting will break out.
“Everything that’s happened I can understand except for that part,” Colfer said. “That part is completely mind-blowing. Every time I think of it my eyes get wide and I just can’t believe it. It means the world to me because I want to do what Ryan does someday. For him to see me in him, I can’t even describe it.”
His admiration of Murphy aside, Colfer’s first response to learning that his character is gay was fear. He grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, in a small town where many people wear cowboy hats, farm and “no one has a sense of humor but they all drive trucks,” he said. On a recent visit home, Colfer noticed there were still many “Yes on 8” signs on lawns.
“At first, I was absolutely terrified because I’m from a very conservative anti-gay town,” Colfer said. “And then people started saying, ‘Wow, your character is a lot like how Ryan Murphy would be,' and I didn’t know I was and that was good because that would also be terrifying. In the original script, they were leaning on him being overly flamboyant and I didn’t want to do that because it’s so overdone. So I made him more internal and superior.”
A graduate of Clovis East High School, Colfer was a three-time speech and debate champion, president of the writer’s club, and wrote and directed a musical spoof of “Sweeney Todd” called “Shirley Todd.” His closest friends in school were the “lunch room ladies” because he preferred to stay home to write than to go out with friends. He also took care of his 14-year-old sister, Hannah, who was born with a critical illness that has kept her in and out of hospitals all of her life.
“I was made fun of a lot in high school because of the way I sound and the way I was,” Colfer said. “I was a lone duck in a swan-filled pond who criticized everyone. So I think everyone might be going, ‘Oh, he’s playing the gay character. Figures.’ Just because that’s how they perceived me.”
Between the ages of nine and 14, Colfer performed in local plays four nights a week. Five years ago, he landed a Hollywood agent and began traveling eight hours roundtrip to Los Angeles for auditions with his mother. He tried out for about 30 roles before he was cast on “Glee.”
Karyn Colfer remembers watching her son in his first role, playing Snoopy, when he was 8, and “I saw a light go on in my son that has never turned off.”
“We had this child, Christopher, who was extremely gifted in all areas,” she added. “He was very smart academically. He was very mature for his age because of his sister’s illness. And this was his outlet. It was a way for him to have something that was his very own, and his father and I committed to making sure that he went after this.”
Now that the word is out in Clovis about Colfer’s big break, Karyn Colfer has heard from friends who have asked how she’ll feel if people watch “Glee” and assume that her son is gay.
“I always say, ‘What if he is?’ To put it bluntly, I don’t know if my son is gay or not,” she said. “It’s not a conversation we’ve had with him. But if it ever came out that he is, he would still have his dad and myself and our support and love in everything he does in life. That would not change. Ever. You can’t stop loving someone for his sexual orientation. He’s my kid! I’m completely comfortable with whoever Christopher wants to be.”
More and more, broadcast television is depicting homosexuality in non-stereotypical ways, showing characters that embrace who they are (“Ugly Betty”) and are in loving, fulfilling relationships (“Brothers & Sisters” and “Desperate Housewives”). In this way, Kurt is bound to become a role model for teens in the midst of discovering who they are and also for adults who have been in Kurt’s shoes.
“That would be the biggest compliment because that would mean the community he represents on the show accepts him,” Chris Colfer said. “I don’t personally feel a responsibility to be a role model, but as the actor, I do. I’m happy to do what I can, but I hope I don’t become the next Ellen.”
But he could just become the next Beyonce. During the powerful episode that is scheduled to air Sept. 23, Kurt comes out to his father (Mike O’Malley) in a scene that Murphy took verbatim from his life. The one difference is that Murphy’s conversation with his dad didn’t involve the football team or hilarious “Single Ladies” dance routine, which Colfer says required “three choreographers and two therapists” to nail.
“The show is about making you feel good in the end,” Murphy said. “It’s about happy endings and optimism and the power of your personal journey and making you feel that the weird thing about me is the great thing about me. I’ve done other shows with gay characters, and I will say that in many of those cases, the gay characters didn’t have a happy ending. And I thought you know what? Enough.”
Kurt would agree, and so does Colfer, who says that he can especially relate to how different Kurt is from his surroundings. But Kurt is one to say things like, “My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé. If I don’t warm it up right, it doesn’t rise,” and Colfer’s confidence doesn’t (yet) match that.
“There’s probably more of Kurt in me than I’m willing to admit, but I really wish I could be more like Kurt,” Colfer said. “I wish I could walk into a room and have that Ryan Murphy air of superiority about me.”
--Maria Elena Fernandez
End of article
My thoughts:
Great article. This is the kind of story we love to read about: Undiscovered talent. Local kid hits the big time. Mentor and protoge. Its very surprising to me that Ryan Murphy was creating a show about a high school glee club, and wasn't planning to have a gay character? Well, I mean, besides Sandy. Maybe he felt a gay kid in the club would hit too close for him, but when Chris walked in, it was like synchronicity. Everything happens for a reason. Most of us Gleeks believe that the show wouldn't feel right if even one of the characters didn't exist, or if someone else was playing the role. That is a testament to the show, the writers, and the actors. Definitely Glee would not be what it is without Kurt Hummel and Chris Colfer.
One of my favorite sentences in the article:
"He was face-to-face with the television writer he most admired — standing in his office, surrounded by “Nip/Tuck” props and photographs, and all he wanted to do was ask him for spoilers for the next season."
Chris watched "Nip/Tuck" as a teenager? Oh my. :)
gleekette
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/09/glee-creator-and-executive-producer-ryan-murphy-discovered-chris-colfer-but-dont-tell-the-young-actor-that-it-makes-him-feel.html
"Glee" creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy "discovered" Chris Colfer, but don't tell the young actor that. It makes him "feel like a continent." A good continent, though. Colfer, 19, plays Kurt Hummel in "Glee," which premieres tomorrow at 9 p.m. He's part of the musical comedy's talented ensemble, but his triple-threat performance is already being singled out by TV critics. The following is a longer version of a feature about Colfer that will be published in the Los Angeles Times tomorrow.
The then-18-year-old high school graduate with the big blue eyes and pale skin nervously walked into the audition room to sing and dance in front of his idol.
“Why do I have the feeling you’ve been Rolf on ‘The Sound of Music’ before?” the executive producer asked Chris Colfer, giving the young actor his signature Ryan Murphy once-over. The creator of “Nip/Tuck” was casting roles for his new Fox series, “Glee,” which premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m.
“I know I have Von Trapp written all over me,” Colfer replied. “I actually was Kurt in ‘The Sound of Music’ a long time ago.”
Colfer, a community theater actor from Clovis, Calif., wasn’t just looking for his first professional job. He was face-to-face with the television writer he most admired — standing in his office, surrounded by “Nip/Tuck” props and photographs, and all he wanted to do was ask him for spoilers for the next season. Instead, he dropped his script pages, scattering them everywhere.
“I was thinking, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t sing and dance in front of this man. I idolize him so much,’” said Colfer, now 19. “So I immediately peed a little. I’m horrible at auditions anyway. Maybe that’s why I never got anything. It’s my Achilles' heel. Is that who it was — Achilles? Just checking. It could be Aries or Hercules and some scholar’s gonna write me a letter.”
The young countertenor, who had been performing since he was 9 but who knew he wanted to act “since I was an embryo,” was trying out for the role of Arty, a guitar-playing geek in a wheelchair who is part of a high school show choir at the heart of the musical comedy. He belted out “Mr. Cellophane” from the musical “Chicago,” which he had rehearsed with his grandmother.
“He’s never been formally trained and I just thought he was so talented and gifted and unusual,” Murphy recalled. “I’ve never seen anyone who looks like him or acts like him or sounds like him. You’d think he’d been at Juilliard for six years but he hasn’t.”
Still, Colfer didn’t get the part. Not that part anyway. Murphy recognized something else in the unknown performer, something that inspired him to invent a new character: a bit of himself.
Growing up in Indianapolis, Murphy sang in his church choir and immersed himself in musicals in high school and college. His mother was a beauty queen; his father was a semi-pro hockey player who was baffled by a son who requested a “Vogue” subscription when he was 5 years old, started ironing his own clothes at 7, and performed in his bedroom, holding a hairbrush for a microphone in front of a mirror.
“My dad would look at me and go, ‘What the hell? I don’t know who you are. How did you come out of me?’ He would say things like that,” Murphy said. He may not have understood his son, but he accepted him, even when Murphy revealed to him that he is gay when he was 15 years old.
“Having a dad that loves you as a young man is a very powerful thing that you carry into the world,” Murphy said. “Because no matter what you do, in some weird, unconscious way, if you’re a guy, you always try to please your dad. I think it’s a great thing to put on television. You’ve seen the gay character that gets kicked out of the house or is beaten up. You haven’t seen the gay character that is teased a little bit, but wins and triumphs.”
That character, as drawn by Murphy for Colfer, is Kurt Hummel, the “fashionable soprano” and sixth member of the glee club. The first name is a tribute to Colfer’s turn as Kurt Von Trapp. The last name comes from the Hummel figurines “with rosy cheeks” that Murphy’s mother collected when he was a child.
“So Kurt from my ‘Sound of Music’ experience and Hummel because I look like a porcelain doll,” Colfer said wryly.
Although Kurt Hummel is coming to terms with being gay, his essence lies more in his strong sense of identity and self-worth than his sexual orientation.
“When we started auditioning, I thought it was kind of ridiculous that we’re doing a musical about kids and expression and we don’t have the gay point of view,” Murphy said. “I thought it was important, but I would never want Chris to feel weird. More than the gay thing, he understood the thing about being an outsider because he felt that way in high school and I told him we’re going to tap into that.”
The witty, mature and self-possessed Colfer is not one to be at a loss for words. But even after production wrapped last month, he was still grappling with the notion that the man who invented the show he used to watch against his mother’s wishes has created a part for him that everyone, from TV critics to co-star Jane Lynch, is betting will break out.
“Everything that’s happened I can understand except for that part,” Colfer said. “That part is completely mind-blowing. Every time I think of it my eyes get wide and I just can’t believe it. It means the world to me because I want to do what Ryan does someday. For him to see me in him, I can’t even describe it.”
His admiration of Murphy aside, Colfer’s first response to learning that his character is gay was fear. He grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, in a small town where many people wear cowboy hats, farm and “no one has a sense of humor but they all drive trucks,” he said. On a recent visit home, Colfer noticed there were still many “Yes on 8” signs on lawns.
“At first, I was absolutely terrified because I’m from a very conservative anti-gay town,” Colfer said. “And then people started saying, ‘Wow, your character is a lot like how Ryan Murphy would be,' and I didn’t know I was and that was good because that would also be terrifying. In the original script, they were leaning on him being overly flamboyant and I didn’t want to do that because it’s so overdone. So I made him more internal and superior.”
A graduate of Clovis East High School, Colfer was a three-time speech and debate champion, president of the writer’s club, and wrote and directed a musical spoof of “Sweeney Todd” called “Shirley Todd.” His closest friends in school were the “lunch room ladies” because he preferred to stay home to write than to go out with friends. He also took care of his 14-year-old sister, Hannah, who was born with a critical illness that has kept her in and out of hospitals all of her life.
“I was made fun of a lot in high school because of the way I sound and the way I was,” Colfer said. “I was a lone duck in a swan-filled pond who criticized everyone. So I think everyone might be going, ‘Oh, he’s playing the gay character. Figures.’ Just because that’s how they perceived me.”
Between the ages of nine and 14, Colfer performed in local plays four nights a week. Five years ago, he landed a Hollywood agent and began traveling eight hours roundtrip to Los Angeles for auditions with his mother. He tried out for about 30 roles before he was cast on “Glee.”
Karyn Colfer remembers watching her son in his first role, playing Snoopy, when he was 8, and “I saw a light go on in my son that has never turned off.”
“We had this child, Christopher, who was extremely gifted in all areas,” she added. “He was very smart academically. He was very mature for his age because of his sister’s illness. And this was his outlet. It was a way for him to have something that was his very own, and his father and I committed to making sure that he went after this.”
Now that the word is out in Clovis about Colfer’s big break, Karyn Colfer has heard from friends who have asked how she’ll feel if people watch “Glee” and assume that her son is gay.
“I always say, ‘What if he is?’ To put it bluntly, I don’t know if my son is gay or not,” she said. “It’s not a conversation we’ve had with him. But if it ever came out that he is, he would still have his dad and myself and our support and love in everything he does in life. That would not change. Ever. You can’t stop loving someone for his sexual orientation. He’s my kid! I’m completely comfortable with whoever Christopher wants to be.”
More and more, broadcast television is depicting homosexuality in non-stereotypical ways, showing characters that embrace who they are (“Ugly Betty”) and are in loving, fulfilling relationships (“Brothers & Sisters” and “Desperate Housewives”). In this way, Kurt is bound to become a role model for teens in the midst of discovering who they are and also for adults who have been in Kurt’s shoes.
“That would be the biggest compliment because that would mean the community he represents on the show accepts him,” Chris Colfer said. “I don’t personally feel a responsibility to be a role model, but as the actor, I do. I’m happy to do what I can, but I hope I don’t become the next Ellen.”
But he could just become the next Beyonce. During the powerful episode that is scheduled to air Sept. 23, Kurt comes out to his father (Mike O’Malley) in a scene that Murphy took verbatim from his life. The one difference is that Murphy’s conversation with his dad didn’t involve the football team or hilarious “Single Ladies” dance routine, which Colfer says required “three choreographers and two therapists” to nail.
“The show is about making you feel good in the end,” Murphy said. “It’s about happy endings and optimism and the power of your personal journey and making you feel that the weird thing about me is the great thing about me. I’ve done other shows with gay characters, and I will say that in many of those cases, the gay characters didn’t have a happy ending. And I thought you know what? Enough.”
Kurt would agree, and so does Colfer, who says that he can especially relate to how different Kurt is from his surroundings. But Kurt is one to say things like, “My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé. If I don’t warm it up right, it doesn’t rise,” and Colfer’s confidence doesn’t (yet) match that.
“There’s probably more of Kurt in me than I’m willing to admit, but I really wish I could be more like Kurt,” Colfer said. “I wish I could walk into a room and have that Ryan Murphy air of superiority about me.”
--Maria Elena Fernandez
End of article
My thoughts:
Great article. This is the kind of story we love to read about: Undiscovered talent. Local kid hits the big time. Mentor and protoge. Its very surprising to me that Ryan Murphy was creating a show about a high school glee club, and wasn't planning to have a gay character? Well, I mean, besides Sandy. Maybe he felt a gay kid in the club would hit too close for him, but when Chris walked in, it was like synchronicity. Everything happens for a reason. Most of us Gleeks believe that the show wouldn't feel right if even one of the characters didn't exist, or if someone else was playing the role. That is a testament to the show, the writers, and the actors. Definitely Glee would not be what it is without Kurt Hummel and Chris Colfer.
One of my favorite sentences in the article:
"He was face-to-face with the television writer he most admired — standing in his office, surrounded by “Nip/Tuck” props and photographs, and all he wanted to do was ask him for spoilers for the next season."
Chris watched "Nip/Tuck" as a teenager? Oh my. :)
gleekette
Intro
Hello fellow Gleeks and interested persons,
My obsession with "Glee" has reached a point where I have decided to start a blog just for the show. That way I can use my other blog, sweatergrrl, for other topics in my life.
This blog will consist of my musings on the episodes and characters, as well as postings of articles and information. Just to warn you, although I love every character on the show (well, except for Terri...and Ken...and Jacob Ben Israel), this journal will heavily feature information and commentary on the characters and actors Kurt Hummel/Chris Colfer and Artie Abrams/Kevin McHale, because they are my two favorites.
In my other blog my name is librarianintx. For this blog, I've decided to name myself gleekette. Not very orginal, but I can't think of anything else.
So here we go...
My obsession with "Glee" has reached a point where I have decided to start a blog just for the show. That way I can use my other blog, sweatergrrl, for other topics in my life.
This blog will consist of my musings on the episodes and characters, as well as postings of articles and information. Just to warn you, although I love every character on the show (well, except for Terri...and Ken...and Jacob Ben Israel), this journal will heavily feature information and commentary on the characters and actors Kurt Hummel/Chris Colfer and Artie Abrams/Kevin McHale, because they are my two favorites.
In my other blog my name is librarianintx. For this blog, I've decided to name myself gleekette. Not very orginal, but I can't think of anything else.
So here we go...
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