Tag Archives: Glee

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Song of the Day #788: ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ – Lea Michele and Idina Menzel

Top Ten ‘Glee’ Performances
#4 – ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ – Rachel and Ms. Corcoran

In one of those casting coups that simply had to happen, Idina Menzel was brought on to play Rachel’s long lost mother.

When I first saw the promos for Glee, I was surprised that the woman from Wicked was playing a high school student. Wasn’t she too old?

Then I realized Lea Michele wasn’t Idina Menzel. But their looks, and singing talent, pretty much made it inevitable right off the bat that they’d have to play mother and daughter.

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Song of the Day #787: ‘Beautiful’ – Amber Riley

Top Ten ‘Glee’ Performances
#5 – ‘Beautiful’ – Mercedes

While Rachel is clearly the star of New Directions (in large part because she insists on the title), one could argue that the strongest voice in the group actually belongs to Mercedes (Amber Riley). What she lacks in nuance she makes up for in range and power.

She’s the Effie of the group, and indeed she gets her chance to shine on Dreamgirls‘ signature tune, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,’ in a rehearsal for sectionals. It’s a cliche for a big black woman to sing that song, of course, but the show plays up that fact just enough to make it work.

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Song of the Day #786: ‘Dream On’ – Matthew Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris

Top Ten ‘Glee’ Performances
#6 – ‘Dream On’ – Mr. Shu and Bryan Ryan

Writer/director/geek God Joss Whedon, who proved he knew his way around musicals in a classic episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, helmed a great episode of Glee titled ‘Dream On.’ It’s a testament to Whedon that his episode contains three of my top ten Glee clips (Artie’s performance of ‘Safety Dance’ was the first).

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Song of the Day #785: ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ – Lea Michele

Top Ten ‘Glee’ Performances
#7 – ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ – Rachel

This song is the closest I’ve come on the blog to a repeat. Back in June, guest blogger Amy featured a mashup of this version of the song interwoven with clips of performances by Idina Menzel and Barbra Streisand.

It was a great video that really highlighted the thread that connects those three women across three generations of impressive theatrical vocals. And one third of it was the exact song I’m featuring today.

But I won’t let a little technicality like that get in the way of featuring one of the most memorable performances of Glee‘s first season.

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Song of the Day #782: ‘Gold Digger’ – Matthew Morrison and Glee Cast

Top Ten ‘Glee’ Performances
#8 – ‘Gold Digger’ – Mr. Shu and Cast

I have a powerful crush on Lea Michele. I find her far more alluring than any of the more traditionally hot cheerleaders on Glee. But my feelings pale in comparison to my wife’s drool-fest over Matthew Morrison.

I notice that many of the shows we’ve enjoyed together have had a similar his-and-her appeal. From David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files to Michael Vartan and Jennifer Garner in Alias. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton in Friday Night Lights are another great example.

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