This is a new reality show (about 3 episodes in) that focuses on competition based performances to win a 7 episode arc on the regular Glee. A few initial reactions:
1) Isn't all auditioning technically competition anyway? Especially for a huge incredibly popular tv show? Ok I guess they're just taping it now.
2) It's on Oxygen?
3) That's an awesome prize. Really, that's no joke that's a real opportunity for someone.
Naturally I'm watching it. Because I watch EVERYTHING, especially the stuff that sucks. And I wanted to publicly say that I think this show is horrible and exploitative. It's also a guaranteed cry when you tune in so it's basically just emotional cutting on cable.
These kids are really talented. I'm not saying that lightly, I live in NYC, I'm friends with fancy professional Broadway people, I went to theater school (I feel like this is less qualifying since it was in Idaho but whatevs!), and I'm generally hard on everyone about everything. If they weren't talented I would be bitching about it here so you can trust, these are all gifted "contestants."
They're also like 9 years old. Ok, they're 18-ish, but they are babies! And in this show, they are learning songs, singing, dancing, and constantly performing for the real casting director, vocal coaches, and choreographers of Glee. These folks are not easy on them. They all get ripped apart a lot. And then they cry about it. And then I cry about it. Granted, I get overly attached to people competing on reality shows, but THIS IS SUPER SAD!!
As IF these kids don't have it bad enough ALREADY with the fact that they want to be triple threat professionals. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD OF A LIFE THAT IS?!?!?! Artists are constantly suffering, and being ripped down, WHY AM I WATCHING THIS?!!!! It's horrible. They're so young, sweet, and talented, I just want them all to get one guest spot on one episode of Glee! Why do they all have to be dragged through the mud and then eliminated like this? It's awful!
Also the show is shot in tremendously high drama fashion, manipulating us into being totally wrecked by every elimination. Seriously, I actually find this show much more emotional (and in a BAD way, in an upsetting way) then regular Glee, the DRAMA show.
Not to mention that they are mostly singing songs that have already been done on Glee which you figure they must already have the rights to, and they will eventually try to sell these performances the same way they sell the Glee performances and music videos on Itunes. Was Glee really not enough of a cash cow for you people? REALLY? No? Oh, then you should get a bunch of teenagers hopes up and have them sing for free and then profit off of it.
*many of these are assumptions I do no know if the contestants are paid royalties for sales on their performances. however, my money is on not*
**also the songs and music videos are not currently available on itunes so hey, maybe they never will be but I would be surprised**
Ultimately this show is just making me dislike the Glee show that I already like. It shows me this incredibly ugly professional side of the creators and crew that I don't want to see. The magic of television is that I don't know that people are mean to Sandra Oh when she can't cry on cue. I don't want to see Shonda Rhimes get in a fight with her. I don't want to get to know all the amazing and talented actors that DON'T get parts on Grey's Anatomy. That's why the audition process ISN'T ON TELEVISION. Sigh.
I really really hope they do not do another season. When the winner of this show shows up on the regular Glee it is going to be lame. It is going to completely break the 4th wall for me and suddenly it's going to become this Brechtian experience where I'm hyper aware of how they got there and how I feel about it and I'm going to spend the whole time analyzing their performance. It's going to affect my enjoyment of the show.
Oh well. I hope they prove me wrong and this turns out to be a much happier ending then it's seeming but I have to say that I doubt it. It's a doggy dog world out there in show business and the whole idea of this show was to put it on camera. De-pressing.
I need a candy.
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