Glee's Mark Salling a.k.a "Puck"

 I have not been shy about proclaiming my love for Fox's hit new drama Glee. I think it is one of the best new shows on television... hands down. It crosses genres, takes risks, and tackles the new multi-media cross-platform culture like no other series in history. It's a High School Musical for grown-ups. It makes music, specifically choir and showchoir, cool again... and as someone who was in both all through high school that makes me like it even more.

 It is because of my unyielding devotion to Glee that I bring you today a closer look at one of the series' stars: Mark Salling.
 Salling plays "Noah Puckerman" better known as "Puck", the rebel-without-a-cause football playing man whore who also happens to join the showchoir. His role has grown substantially throughout the first half of the season and he now plays a crucial role in a key elemant of the season's plot-arc. It was his recent rendition of "Sweet Caroline", however, that melted my heartstrings.
 Watch and fall in love:




Mark is the perfect cinderella-Hollywood story. I'd bore you with the details, but his official website can do that for me. I urge you to check it out and also fall in love with the extremely talented and ruggedly-good looking Mark Salling.

I'm Giddy for "Glee"

I've written about this topic before... but I feel that it deserves some added attention. If you haven't at least given "Glee" a chance... shame on you.
I'm not saying everyone will like it. It's quirky, and different, and certainly breaks the prime-time television mold. But to me, those are all the more reasons to watch.
What's even more amazing is the way that "Glee" has managed to take a page out of the Disney playbook and turn this into a multi-media franchise.
Much like the way Disney shamelessly cross-promotes "Hannah Montana" to include concert tours and album sales, "Glee" cross-promotes it's killer soundtrack and soon-to-be stars. iTunes doesn't lie. Every week the songs featured in the previous episode of "Glee" are among the site's top sellers. And for good reason... they are catchy, fun, and sometimes even better than the originals.
To share my point I've put below my top five "Glee" performances. Watch and I bet even you will take a peek at the show's iTunes page before too long :)

It's My Life/Confessions


Halo/Walking on Sunshine


Alone


Taking Chances


Take a Bow

Fall TV First Week Recap

First of all, I apologize for my extended absence. The whole "real" job thing keeps getting in the way of "fun blogging time". But I'm making a conscious effort to come back, especially now that the new season of "The Entertainment Buzz" on WOLV TV is just a few weeks away.

Here is why, despite marking the end to my favorite season-Summer- I actually love the fall: Football, Michigan football, leaves changing, and THE START OF THE NEW TV SEASON!!!
Considering this isn't a sports blog, I'm going to tackle the start of the TV season as my topic today.

Most of the networks haven't released their big guns yet. The exception is FOX's Glee. I was a supporter of this show when the network released the pilot last spring. I'm STILL a supporter of the show after episode two hit the airwaves this past week. The series is fun, inspiring, full of Jane Lynch, and it features an incredible soundtrack. For me, this is a recipe for instant success. The show is slightly quirky, and has the potential to alienate audiences who don't go into it with an open mind...so I beg of you, go into it with an open mind. For any person who has ever been, or is in a choir or showchoir (I was in both: see below) this show is for you. Seriously, it's written for you. In honor of the season premiere I'm sharing with you a piece of my showchoir past. Have a good laugh, or vomit slightly in your mouth, then be sure to turn to FOX for next week's episode of Glee (it's much better :).

The only other network that really went all out with season premieres this week was the CW. I tuned in for 3 of their opening acts, and I was only disappointed by one (which for that network is a great start). I'll start with the yea and work to the nea.

Yea: Melrose Place. I cringed when I first heard the network picked up this remake rather than the Gossip Girl spin-off. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. When (SPOILER ALERT) someone dies before the opening credits role, you know things are going to be juicy. There's sex, money, drugs, drama... everything the old MP had with a new age kick in the butt. I haven't warmed up to Ashlee Simpson-Wentz onscreen (which I blame on the fact that I watched 7th Heaven when she was on it, and she RUINED that show for me). I love that the writers mixed the old with the new right off the bat and weren't afraid to make some bold character statements in the first 40 minutes of the series. I'm giving this show at least another two weeks of my time.

Yea: Vampire Diaries. This is another series that I cringed when I heard about. I'm not an overboard Twilight fan (in other words, I've read the books, and seen the movie but don't drool over Robert Pattinson or think Kristen Stewart is the next big thing. I also don't have a single poster anywhere in my room). I thought this series would be a blatant rip-off and would simply just be taking advantage of the current fanged fad. Let me start then by saying that this series could have easily stood alone without the hype surrounding Twilight.
The cast is hot. The chemistry is hotter. And the storyline is already intriguing. There are many similarities to the Twilight franchise, but there are more differences. Fans of the series, and haters of the series can find something to love about the Vampire Diaries.

Nea: 90210. I loved this show last year. Now, I like it, but I'm struggling to love its season open. When the show began there were obvious protagonist and antagonist. You knew who to feel sympathy for, and who was the evil biatch. Now those lines have become increasingly crossed and I'm left wondering who to root for, if anyone. Annie has turned serious rebel without a cause, and she doesn't wear it well. Shenae Grimes was cast as the good girl... and while she's nailed playing the biatch already, it'll be hard for her to ever go back if that's what the writers intend.
Meanwhile Naomi has come full circle. You hated her, you felt sorry for her, now you're back to hating her again. If not for Silver and Adrianna there would be no one to like in the series right now. The introduction of a hot new male lead helped the season premiere, but it couldn't hold it entirely afloat. Cliff-hangers from last season's finale still weren't answered, and instead even more questions arose. Come on writers, through your fans a bone and give us something to grasp onto! I'll keep watching for now, but the show is dangerously close to losing my weekly support.