Glee's Tribute to Whitney Houston

While the episode started out rocky, it ended with a song that reminded me of why I got into Glee in the first place. But before I cover the end of the episode, let's review the episode itself first.

Whitney Houston was the singer that Glee decided to honor this time around. The beginning of the episode opened into an upset Mercedes joining up with Rachel and Kurt in mourning Whitney. They crowd around Kurt's locker and hang a picture of Whitney up to commemmorate that she is there in spirit.  Will freaks out because he is worried that they are still grieving even two months after. Emma recounts her personal story about how she connected to Princess Diana's passing even though she didn't know her because she was scared to leave home after graduating high school. Will decides to make the assignment Whitney week.

Britney finally gets a solo! She sings and holds her ground. Towards the chorus, however, Santana comes in. The two of them make another great duet.

Sam (from the Glee Project) is now in love with Quinn. While helping her with Physical Therapy, he finds himself falling more and more for her. Quinn and Sam talk about where they are and they aren't really in a relationship yet. They have both acknowledged that they like each other though.

Kurt has been *cheating* on Blaine! He has been emotionally distant with Blaine and as a result of that, has felt closer to Chandler, a overly enthusiastic NYU-bound student who he met at Between the Sheets (music store). They were texting for days and Kurt seemed significantly happier after meeting him. Blaine discovers the texts, however, and the two of them argue. They both admit that they are feeling differently in the relationship but that they want to work on their problems. They go to couples counseling.

Will and Emma want to meet with a wedding planner to get the wedding planned for May instead of Christmas in December. They hire Mr. La-ven-der (pronounced as three syllables) and Emma seems to really like him. However, Will does not like how he is only proposing dates in September or October. He throws a tantrum and leaves the room as he insists on getting married in May. Emma confronts him and he shares his feelings of dread about how his Glee kids are leaving him. He really wants them at the wedding and is afraid of how the club will be after they leave. (*On a personal note, while it is sweet that Will and his Glee club are so close, it's strange to me how personal he takes their relationship sometimes. He really sees himself as their parent in a way. He wants them involved in every aspect of his and Emma's lives.)

Overall, the musical numbers were sweet but as with other tribute episodes, not much plot movement was done during this particular episode. I enjoyed it despite this and am looking forward to the Graduation episode coming up!

Till then,

The Omnipresent Publicist

The Voice Live Eliminations Week 4

Teams Adam and Cee-Lo are the latest to perform and they did not disappoint. Cee-Lo's Jamar Rogers and Juliet Simms both followed up their stellar performances with equally talented numbers tonight. Jamar performed "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi and his style really suited this particular song. He was rarely off pitch, showing me that he really can be consistent. Juliet performed " Cryin' " and despite confusing me with her new look, she blew me away with her range! It was a wonderful choice for her.
For me personally, James and Cheesa both fell short as Cheesa was much better in her save performance and James connected better to his song selection last week. Overall though, team Cee-Lo really put up tough competition for team Adam to beat!

Team Adam's Tony Lucca surprised all by performing Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" and making it much edgier than expected. I liked the approach and it showed he can really branch out. Mathai definitely did not do as well tonight as with "Ordinary People" but I could tell this song made her uncomfortable. She didn't seem comfortable with the pitch and she didn't really have a feel for the song overall. Pip also had that same reaction to Adam's selection of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" and it showed in his performance. It was very lackluster and didn't feel like it was a genuine Pip performance. Lastly, Katrina impressed with "Jar of Hearts." For the first time in this competition, despite her being dressed eerily similar to Adele, I felt like she was her own separate artist and had her own identity. It was beautifully refreshing and I loved it. I'm hoping that America saves her because based on just tonight's performance, she deserves to stay.

Then came the instant eliminations. Boy are those things causing real controversy. First with Christina eliminating Jesse and then with Blake eliminating Jordis! Now, they are bound to be criticized even more. Cee-Lo eliminated James and Adam, shockingly, eliminated Pip. Pip was one of his highest scoring artists but it looks like Adam is pulling for Katrina or Tony to win at this point.

I can't wait for the results tomorrow. Who else is going to be eliminated this week?

Till then,

The Omnipresent Publicist

Gossip Girl

And so begins another entry on a Gossip Girl episode.

I have to say, I'm enjoying the focus on the other two characters for once. Chuck is engrossed in finding out who his mother is (and finally finds out that it is indeed Diana!) and Serena has her Gossip Girl gig. Only problem is that Lola suspects and finds out that it is her and confronts her about it! Even Diana finds out about it (looks like Serena's not as good as being subtle as she thought). Diana offers to keep their partnership secret but Serena later overhears her on the phone later. It turns out she was the one who donated blood to save Chuck that night! Lola, thinking that she has finally found the proof that she needs to show the rest of the UES that Serena is the "real" Gossip Girl, sends Diana's recorded confession to Gossip Girl.

This ruins Dan and Blair's British-themed salon coming-out party, inspired by the Brangelina of the Five Boroughs. Although this wasn't the first thing to try to disrupt their party. Serena, Lola, Nate and Chuck all crashed it at the beginning. This draws Blair into a depression as she worries that their relationship/pairing will not work. It takes a lot of convincing from Dan that things will be alright if they're together. Dan and Blair end up spending the night together and exchanging witty banter.

Lily and Rufus were on the verge of getting back together but Lily finds out that Rufus has been putting up Ivy in a hotel. This drives her into a fury and further drives the wedge between them. Rufus is later seen in a coffee shop and told his debit card has been declined. He pays with cash and is seen with a look of worry on his face.

So ends another Gossip Girl episode and we are one step closer to the season finale. I hear from many sources that big drama is on the horizon. I can only hope we are ready to hear it!

Till then,

The Omnipresent Publicist  

NCAA March Madness

And the champion of the NCAA March Madness tournament is...................


KENTUCKY!


The University of Kentucky won over Kansas University. It was a hard-fought victory as a lot of credit has to be given to Kansas University for rallying in the second half. In the end though, Kentucky hung on and pulled through.

What a great tournament this has been!

Congratulations to all teams that made the Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen. You guys deserve your notoriety and deserve to be known as some of the top basketball programs in the nation!


Until next time,
The Omnipresent Publicist