Okay, so on my regular blog, I’m doing this thing called BEDA, which stands for Blog Every Day In August. I had no idea what to write about for today, so I made a list of my favorite 11 married couples that are on, or have been on, television, and then decided to post it here! NOW, this list is only of shows I have watched, or am currently watching. And this isn’t a finalized list, but it does sort of go in order from least to most liked by me. But I’m sure I will always change my mind when I look at it. Also, I chose 11 people, because I simply could not narrow it down to 10. I’m sure this guy wouldn’t mind.

Also, I had a really difficult time thinking of married couples, because I only allowed myself to choose one married couple per show, and a lot of the shows I watch now don’t feature more than one married couple (if any).

11. Dharma and Greg Montgomery (from Dharma & Greg)

I love this couple (and show) so much. You have a very, very rich and rather uptight guy (Greg) and a really, really free-spirited hippie (Dharma) whose families have very, very strong opinions about each other. This couple really knew how to balance the crazy (from both sides) and love each other no matter how neurotic the situations they found themselves in turned out.

10. Jason and Maggie Seaver (from Growing Pains)

Okay, yes, this show is from way back in the day, but you guys. I LOVED IT. (Still do.) Maggie was a news reporter and Jason was a therapist who worked from home and they fought and laughed and disciplined their children A LOT and they always entertained me. When I was watching this, at the mere age of 10, I wanted to BE Maggie. They are seriously the perfect couple.

9. Cliff and Clair Huxtable (from The Cosby Show)

Anyone who does NOT love this couple has a heart of ice. I mean, could they be any more adorable?! Plus, they totally kick butt with Clair laying down the law through angry (but awesome) rants and Cliff teaching lessons through more…amusing antics. They truly love each other and I love them so, so much.

8. Ray and Deborah Romano (from Everybody Loves Raymond)

Seriously, who didn’t watch this show and love the chemistry between Ray and Deborah?? I’m surprised their marriage lasted with that woman as a mother-in-law. Sure, they fought, quite a bit, but I’d say that’s nothing compared to what in-laws to do a lot of the families I’ve seen. I love this couple so, so much.

7. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen (from The O.C.)

Sandy and Kirsten were pretty awesome parents, considering they randomly took in a criminal when his own mother left him. And not only that, but (despite her original disdain for him) Kirsten ended up loving Ryan like he was her own, legit son. And that is pretty adorable. They raised two outcasts, went to many glamourous parties that resulted in fights, lasted through REBECCA (ew) and ALCOHOLISM and quite a bit of death, and Julie. I’m surprised they lived through it, let alone survived a marriage.

6. Carla and Christopher Turk (from Scrubs)

I mean, considering she has to battle his other one true love, J.D., I’d say this is a pretty strong couple. They did have their (major) problems at the beginning of the marriage, and then the problems with trying to get pregnant, but they finally came around and ended up the most solid couple in Scrubs history.

5. Monica and Chandler Bing (from FRIENDS)

I love how Monica and Chandler’s story ended up (except for the whole her not being able to have children thing, that SUCKED). They were so adorable together and I love that he would clean every. single. thing. in the apartment to surprise Monica, even if it completely threw off her neurotic obsession with the way she likes the furniture arranged. And, I mean, COME ON! He peed on her jellyfish sting. If that isn’t love…

4. Tobias and Lindsay Fünke (from Arrested Development)

Okay, I didn’t say they had to be a *functional* couple. But married they are, and what amazingness it was. I particularly liked the therapy episode when they traded roles. They may not be the best couple as far as raising a child goes, but they certainly are entertaining.

3. Ellie and Captain Awesome (from Chuck)

Disclaimer: No, I did not put them this high up because they are two beautiful, beautiful people. Ellie and Awesome are…just that. Awesome. They would do anything for each other and pretty much have; weather it be Awesome fighting off killers to protect Ellie, or Awesome suffering an evening of Morgan to find out how to plan the perfect date for Ellie, or Ellie putting aside her need for an new washer and dryer to get a television for Awesome. And now that Ellie knows Chuck’s secret, meaning Awesome doesn’t have to hide it from her, I can only hope they will help fight crime together!

2. Lily and Marshall Eriksen (from How I Met Your Mother)

Ohmygosh how cute are Lily and Marshall?!? Answer: very. They stick by each other no matter what, and for the most part never really get into arguments that last longer than an episode. Except for that time Lily put off the wedding. But they eventually got married and that all that matters. And even though they live in a smelly neighborhood, they truly are one of the most adorable/most unrealistic marriage on my list. And that is why I love them.

1. Van and Cheyenne Montgomery (from Reba)

Out of all the people in this list, Van and Cheyenne definitely top it. Putting aside the whole teenage pregnancy thing, even though it is the entire reason they got married in the first place, they really are the perfect couple. They love each other, they fight, they stick up for each other, and they are both ridiculously stupid. Which makes them all the more entertaining. I wish they were a real couple, THAT is how adorable they are.

.

So, what did you think? Honorable mentions go to Richard and Emily Gilmore (from Gilmore Girls), annnnd Jesse and Rebecca Katsoplois (from Full House), annnnd Meredith Gray and McDreamy (from Grey’s Anatomy) annnd Mike and Carol Brady (from The Brady Bunch).

Let me know if I’ve forgotten anyone, or if you have a favorite married couple of your own!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Book

All right, since it’s been a while since I’ve updated this series, I’m going to catch you up on what The “Golden Trio” have been doing.

In year one (HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone) Harry, Ron, and Hermione fought Voldemort, who was trying to find and keep the sorcerer’s stone so he could have immortal life. How little we knew then, right? Right….

In year two (HP and the Chamber of Secrets) Harry, Ron, and Hermione fought Voldemort again, who this time used his old diary to lure Ginny to the Chamber of Secrets, thereby luring Harry into the CoS to save Ginny, so Voldy could kill dear old Harry.

And now we are in book three. As a little plot reminder, we find ourselves back at Hogwarts, everyone safe except for Harry (of course). Sirius Black is on the loose, and he wants to KILL HARRY. (Get in line.) Naturally Harry goes out of his way to land in trouble and things escalate and he finds out things about his father and he gets ATTACKED by a couple of DEMENTORS during a Quidditch game (SHOCK! OUTRAGE! DUMBLEDORE WAS FURIOUS!) What is Harry going to do? Where will he go? Who will he confide in? SIRIUS BLACK WAS THEIR FRIEND! Once again it is up to the trio to find Sirius, set the record straight, maybe go back in time, save a couple lives, and look forward to next year’s trials and tribulations. Just another day in the life, right?

This book is definitely better than the previous two, and not just because the books are increasingly well written. Let’s just be honest—the plot is a LOT more interesting. Granted, book two is seriously important in relation to book six (particularly the ending and whatnot) and it is simply unbelievable the things J.K.R. ties into all of the books that you don’t even think about until you are reading the seventh book. Then you go back and check the previous installments and FREAK OUT because J.K.R. just freaking BLEW YOUR MIND. (Or is that just me?)

I really do love Lupin, the latest teacher to be brought in for the Defense Against the Dark Arts. As much as I love me some Lockheart, it was really fun reading passages about DAtDA classes with a teacher who can actually….defend against dark arts. The twist and turns of plot are most entertaining and brilliantly written because time travel really does confuse me a lot. I loved the Divination classes, and reading about Harry and Ron’s death predictions was hysterical. While the latter half of this book is, essentially, repeating its-self, it doesn’t allow any stalling; in fact, I find the pacing quite enjoyable.

I really do love the creativity of this book. Having been quite a while since I’ve read it last, I found myself deeply immersed in the creative, witty, terrifying, and altogether (for lack of better term) brilliant writing.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Movie

I have a love/hate relationship with this movie. I think it is lovely, and the way they handled the time-turner scenes was fantastic. I thought the movie was well paced, and just an overall fun movie to watch. My problem lies with the information given (or lack there of). There are a lot, A LOT A LOT, A LOT of important things in this book that seemed to have been altered/left out altogether, especially dealing with the scene in the Whomping Willow/Shrieking Shack.

The acting in this movie has improved drastically, though there are a bit of hilarious moments within the film that make me cringe. One in particular scene caused my roommate and I to go into such a fit of giggles that we’ve been quoting it ever since. (It is the scene right after Harry Potter learned Sirius’ real identity and he shouts “HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!” seriously, we could NOT stop laughing…still can’t.)

I think this movie is a definite improvement over the last two. I like the different kind of filming this movie had; I have no idea what the technical name is for all this film talk, but the approach was new and interesting. The Knight Bus was absolutely what I wanted it to be, save the bit about Neville. Which, I must bring up now, because it will be in almost the rest of my posts. WHY do they cut Neville’s part so much? I know that (at least) the fifth, sixth, and seventh books were not out at the time of the third movie’s release, but seriously Neville plays a large, LARGE part in the later volumes that it is really a disservice to the character. (I love Neville; I must defend him always.)

Overall I much prefer this movie to the first two. The new director brought a nice change to the story telling, and I knew that things could only improve from here.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Moment of Truth

As if you had to guess what I would say. The book wins, the book ALWAYS wins. I feel there was just too much left out for the movie to take my final vote. I think the balance was nice, and yes, they cannot include everything in the movie, but I would much prefer them to cut the smaller details and include the more important conversations that would be important later in the series.

I do love both the movie and the book, but ultimately, books have a power to do what movies sometimes cannot—and that is to really, really bring us into the world of Harry Potter.

New Directions

vs.

Vocal Adrenaline

Episode title: Journey

Premise: Regionals- Glee club (New Directions) vs. Vocal Adrenaline. New Directions must win or come in second, or the Glee club is no more. *gasp*

Songs sung:

Don’t Stop Believin’ - Originally by Journey. Sung by: Glee Club

Any Way You Want It/Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’- Both originally by Journey. Sung by: Glee Club

Faithfully- Originally by Journey. Sung by: Glee Club

Bohemian Rhapsody- Originally by Queen. Sung by: Vocal Adrenaline

To Sir with Love- Originally by Lulu. Sung by: Glee Club

Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Originally by Judy Garland. Sung by: Puck and Will

Thoughts/Comments/Concerns: **minor spoilers below**

Such a sad day- this was the finale of Glee! Boooo. But, as far as finales go (at least for this season) it did not disappoint. I cried, my mother cried, all my friends cried while watching it; as far as I know, all of America (who watched it) cried wept.

For their performance New Directions did a medley of Journey Songs. This is quite significant as it relates back to the pilot episode (anyone remember the lawn guy singing Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’? Classic.) Faithfully was amazing- I swear, no one can belt it out like Lea Michelle. I think this song was a good opener to their performance and I’m glad the entire club was used in each song as opposed to Sectionals, when Rachel sang pretty much the entire first song by herself. Any Way You Want It mashed with Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ was brilliant; I really enjoyed these two songs together. I’ve never heard so many songs mashed together than performed on Glee, and amazes me every time. The last song in the mashup was Don’t Stop Believin and I am soooooooo happy Puck and Santana got lead vocals.

Vocal Adrenaline (and by that I mean Johnathon Groff) sang Bohemian Rhapsody. HOLY FRICKING COW this was the BEST performance of Glee history (I know I say that every week, but this seriously ROCKED). Not only is this performance amazing on its own (like listening to it on the cd) but the way it was shot made it the best scene of the season. If you’ve heard this song before, you will know that it lasts almost six minutes. That would be a long time to watch Vocal Adrenaline perform. So the writers interlaced this performance with Quinn’s delivery scene. I don’t think I could describe how freaking brilliant it turned out. On top of that, the dancing Vocal Adrenaline did was unbelievable, and Diana Argon nailed one of the most terrifying delivery scenes shouting phrases that matched what Jesse was singing (”Mama” and “let me go” and “just gotta get out” among others).

To Sir with Love was by far the most emotional scene of the episode. Every single person was crying, and having read/seen interviews, every actor/actress was actually crying on their own. That fact alone makes it even MORE emotional, and then I’m crying and I’m all “GLEE CLUB COME BAAAAAAACK” even though I know they are signed up for at least two more seasons. On top of all of this, the song was even MORE emotional because they were singing to Will, thanking him for everything he has done for the Glee club.

The last song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung by Puck and Will. I love the way they approached this song; I always love this song performed with the ukulele. It was a really sweet ending to the episode, with everyone happy and content. I did think the ending was rather abrupt, but that is what made it lovely- ending on such a sweet note.

Final thoughts: **major spoilers below**

As far as season finale’s go, this was good. I’d say out of the five shows I watch weekly, this ranked third (below Chuck and Psych, and above How I Met Your Mother). The seemed to resolve a lot of issues which is good, but I don’t feel there was enough of a catch, or cliffhanger, to draw you back for next season. Now, don’t get me wrong, I will be watching this the SECOND it comes back. But I think if you were on the fence about Glee, it didn’t give enough incentive to return next season. However, I do like that they set up a potential love triangle for Will and Emma and Emma’s dentist (played by the beautiful John Stamos). And I am excited for them to go back to sectionals and regionals.

To be honest, I’m glad New Directions lost. I do think they should have placed second, but I can see why it didn’t happen. And realistically speaking, there is no way they could have beaten Vocal Adrenaline. But this is a television show, and by having them lose sets up the opportunity for at least one more season (which they’ve already been picked up for two more) by going to sectionals and regionals. Most likely they will win regionals next time, moving on to nationals and whatever comes after that.

Again, the music was great and Bohemian Rhapsody will forever live on as one of the greatest performances of the show. It will be interesting to see if they bring back Jesse St. James or Idina Menzel’s character, seeing as how the writers threw a huge curve-ball with her character in the finale. As long and she and Rachel sing together again, I will be happy. I think bringing Jesse back will be more difficult as he is supposedly going to college now, but I don’t feel like there was enough closure with him and Rachel. And I would realllly like it if the football coach came back (whatever his name was- Ken something). I think there should be a LOT more Sandy time, as he is definitely my favorite character. And bringing Josh Groban back will always be a plus, because his character is HILARIOUS.

Overall I am really sad Glee is over, but it was a great season. I hope they don’t sell out too much over the coming episodes; this show is great as it is. I hope all baby drama has finally finished, now that Quinn has given birth to Beth, and I hope the love triangles are kept to an absolute minimum (basically just Will/Emma/Emma’s Dentist will be fine). And of course, Sue’s one-liners will be GREATLY missed. I can’t wait for next season!

I’m really hoping they will put up Bohemian Rhapsody, but until then, here are two other performances:

Journey Medley:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow:

One of my favorite French actresses, who happens to be in three of the movies mentioned above, is Audrey Tautou. I adore her. I’ve been collecting her films and they are all so quirky and quite interesting, so naturally it was only a matter of time before I saw Coco avant Chanel.

The plot of this movie is fairly simple- it follows the life of Coco Chanel (Tautou) from her childhood days up until she became a household name.

I really liked this story, as it followed the life of Chanel many people don’t know. I, for example, never knew she acquired the name Coco as a nickname from her on again/ off again lover, whom she met in a cabaret, where she used to sing. I also never knew that she wanted to be a famous singer/dancer. I must admit, while I do follow fashion, I don’t do as much research on the ladies (and gentlemen) who design the clothes. I’m usually too busy researching Broadway shows and new books and authors. I think that is why I enjoyed this film so much. I know a lot of Coco’s work on clothing and accessories, but I had no idea she revolutionized French fashion by single handedly getting rid of corsets. (Now, keep in mind, French fashion is wildly different than American, so in the 40’s and 50’s (and possibly early 60’s) they were still wearing corsets.)

The film seemed to flow nicely over the years of her life, weaving in and out of her ongoing relationships and semi-affairs. This film focused on the determination of Coco to become something more than a courtesan (which, she ultimately was); she desired to work at a time where women simply did not work. Labor was a man’s job- the women were there to entertain. Her determination led her to become one of the most recognizable and respected women in the fashion industry, and that is saying something.

The film didn’t seem to stall in any one place; and while it did feel a little long towards the end, I never once lost interest in the movie. The actors were simply phenomenal. Audrey seemed to transform herself into Coco; she did some fantastic acting that was quite different from the other roles I’ve seen her play. Benoit Poelvoorde played Balsan her on/off lover, a character both good and evil. He was the man responsible for introducing Coco to “Boy” Capel (played by Alessandro Nivola), a character I fell in love with then deeply loathed, the only man Coco really fell in love with. He was the one who got her into the fashion scene. The supporting cast was quite remarkable and entertaining. I don’t think there was any one character I didn’t like.

I would definitely recommend this movie. It has caught some flack for being too “simple” but I think that is what made this movie so enjoyable- its simplicity. I didn’t mind that there was no huge commotion; I think Chanel led a peaceful, simple life and that is what Anne Fontaine set out to portray. I also want to add that if you do decide to watch this movie, make sure you check out the bonus features. They are packed full of trivia about Chanel, and France at the time of the movie’s setting. I learned so much more through the bonus features, which was a perfect ending to the movie. Definitely check it out!

Episode title: Funk

Premise: The Glee club is in quite a serious Funk. Naturally, they sing about it.

Songs sung:

Loser- Originally by Beck. Sung by: Puck and Finn

Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)- Originally by Parliament. Sung by: The Glee Club

It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World- Originally by James Brown. Sung by: Quinn

Another One Bites the Dust- Originally by Queen. Sung by: Jessee St. James with Vocal Adrenaline

Good Vibrations- Orginially by: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Sung by: Puck, Finn, and Mercedes

Tell me Something Good- Originally by: Rufus. Sung by: Will Schuester

Thoughts/Comments/Concerns: **minor spoilers below**

This episode was really, really good. I enjoyed all of the songs performed, and can not wait until the finale next week.

Loser was sung perfectly by Puck and Finn; I really think this is one of the best performances from these guys all season. The way the song was shot also provided a more original setting than just singing in front of the Glee club. Having to get a job at Sheets & Things (because they slashed the tires of their rivals) they use the store and the employees (BRILLIANT return of Sandy, btw) to show what losers they are.

Give up the Funk was a great ending to the episode, showing Vocal Adrenaline that Glee club does stand a chance to win at regionals.

It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World was both emotional and hilarious. Ryan Murphy (creator of Glee) has this way of making even the most dramatic and serious scenes make you laugh. Instead of having just Quinn, who is nine months pregnant, sing a song about a man’s world being nothing without women, you have the whole unwed mother’s society doing background vocals and dancing. It was a little difficult to take this song seriously, which is sad because they don’t give Quinn enough songs. Diana Argon has a BEAUTIFUL voice and it is quite unappreciated. She did fantastic with this song, and I’m so glad they gave it to her over Mercedes.

Another One Bites the Dust was performed by Vocal Adrenaline in hopes to scare the Glee club into thinking they had no chance. Of course it worked, but holy frickin cow was Jesse amazing on this song. I know, I know, I am obsessed with Jonathon Groff, so I can’t really say anything he sings is bad. But he really, really did amazing on this song. So amaaaazing.

Good Vibrations was enjoyable, as Puck and Fin both had the chance to rap. Which was quite hilarious/they were actually pretty good. Mercedes did a great job adding a little pizzaz to the number.

Overall, these songs were great. But they were NOTHING compared to Tell Me Something Good. Now, usually I have nothing but utter disdain for Will Schuester. I think if he were a real teacher he would be fired immediately. I can’t stand him. And yet, this song MADE this episode. In an attempt to seduce Sue Sylvester, the cheer-leading coach, he paraded his body and flaunted what the good Lord gave him, making this one of the most memorable scenes this season.

Final thoughts:

I really, really liked this episode. It was funny, clever, and it also contained one of the most horrendously heartbreaking moments ever. In an attempt to throw her off her game, Vocal Adrenaline egged Rachel. In the parking lot. She was called there by her former flame Jesse St. James (who became a traitor and left Glee club to go back to VA) and in the end, smashed an egg over her head. Then they all left, and Rachel stood alone, in the parking lot, trying not to cry.

SO FREAKING SAD. I’m not exaggerating. I cried when it happened. And I talked to my friend who also cried. I mean… it was just soooo sad!!! Also sad was the Will/Sue storyline where he tried to crush her emotionally (which he did) three days before cheer-leading nationals. In the end it all worked out for the best (for the most part) but it was still a painfully sad episode.

Definitely a great episode leading up to the finale. I can’t wait!!!!!! (Although, I must say, I do want Glee club to lose regionals. But that is another post for another time.)

Episode title: Theatricality

Premise: Girls (and Kurt) go GaGa, boys cover Kiss.

Songs sung:

Bad Romance- Originally by Lady Gaga. Sung by: The girls of Glee club, and Kurt

Poker Face- Originally by Lady Gaga. Sung by: Rachel and Idina Menzel

Beth- Originally by Kiss. Sung by: The boys of Glee club

Shout it Out Loud- Originally by Kiss. Sung by: The boys of Glee club

Funny Girl- Originally from the musical Funny Girl. Sung by: Idina Menzel

Thoughts/Comments/Concerns: **minor spoilers below**

This episode was a great episode, and not just because it was hilarious…because it is always hilarious. For once they really got to show off their acting skills! I think the moment between (the very homosexual) Kurt and (the very heterosexual) Finn, and Kurt’s father, was the most emotional scene of the night. I also really enjoyed Kurt stand up to the football players who could most likely knock him out in two seconds, after they insulted him, calling him a freak and a “girl.” I think the whole story line with Kurt has shown that it is okay to be yourself, even if others do not approve.

The songs were quite wonderful, as usual. Bad Romance was perfect; all of the Lady Gaga inspired outfits made for a very amusing episode. I loved their rendition of Poker Face- in fact, I think I like it better than the original! The Kiss songs were great, particularly Beth. Seeing as Puck wanted to name his baby Jackie Daniels, I think Beth is a great alternative. Funny Girl was a good song, and performed wonderfully, but I think there could have been a much better song chosen to represent theatricality. Just saying…

Final thoughts:

Really good, emotionally touching episode. I think it got the message across that it is okay to be yourself, and to not be afraid to let others see the real you, because your true friends won’t mind. Anyone who does mind, well just go kick them in the shins.

Yesterday I went to see Letters to Juliet with my friends, and I was so excited! I love Shakespeare! I love Romeo and Juliet (although I think it is a tad overrated)! I love traveling! I love Amanda Seyfried! Naturally, I loved this movie.

Detailed plot (no spoilers):

A girl from America (Sophie played by Seyfried) goes on a “pre-honeymoon” to Italy with her lame fiance and finds an unanswered “letter to Juliet” which is one of the thousands of letters left at the fictional lover’s Verona courtyard. This letter is like, a million years old (more like 50) and soon Sophie joins the Secretaries of Juliet, ladies who answer the letters left behind. Sophie decides to answer this letter and ends up on a wild journey around Italy looking for the long lost loverrr.

Basically…

This is so very much an awkward chick flick. But that is what makes this movie amazing- it’s awkwardness. I love all of the characters; even the asshole fiance was amazing. All of the actors and actresses were quite enjoyable; and I was very happy to see an amazing performance from Vanessa Redgrave after so much tragedy in her family. It made the movie even more touching to watch. Seyfried’s performance is almost flawless, and I loved her wardrobe! I loved Gael Garcia Bernal in Motorcycle Diaries and he played his part of the fiance perfectly. I loved and hated him at the same time, which is unusual (I just either love or hate a character). I didn’t recognize Christopher Egan from anything else but his character was pretty much the best ever. His facial expressions had the entire theater laughing and my friends imitating them for the rest of the night. (Imitating the facial expressions…not the theater laughing…)

The point of this movie is to find a long lost loverrr, but it was also just a fun love story. I didn’t go into it thinking “oh it better be like this” or “i really hope this happens” or anything like that. I went to enjoy a fanciful chick flick and cannot wait to see it again. I will definitely be owning this one!

I really wanted to see this movie in the theaters, but a lot of things happened and I didn’t end up seeing it until now. I was really surprised at how much I liked it; I mean, I knew I would enjoy it, but I really, really liked this movie. Since I’ve been writing A LOT of papers lately, I was in the mindset to approach this movie as if I was expected to write a paper on it.

One thing I noticed was in the beginning, before their journey staarted, Burt and Verona were sitting on the couch, wondering if they were “fu*kups.” While the point of the movie was for them to find the perfect place to raise their children, I think the hidden meaning, at least for me, was to show them they are not fu*kups; in fact, compared to the rest of their friends and families, they are quite normal! This journey also helps to strengthen their already adorable relationship.

As far as acting goes, everyone was fantastic. I’m so used to Maya Rudolph’s crazy antics on SNL (she was one of my favorites on the show) so it was nice to see her lovely acting skills when it came to a serious role. Jim has always been a favorite since The Office, so I had no doubts he would do a fine job. The rest of the cast was so perfectly flawless it made the movie so enjoyable. Usually there are one or two people who stick out (in a bad way) but I really felt like everyone did a fantastic job.

Overall I enjoyed this movie and will definitely be adding it to my collection soon. The music was great, the actors were great, and the plot was quite entertaining. I give it five Lauren stars.

Episode title: Dream On

Premise: No weekly assignment for Glee club. Most of the songs revolved around the word dream.

Songs sung:

Dream On- Originally by Aerosmith. Sung by: Will Shuester/Neil Patrick Harris (Brian Ryan)

The Safety Dance- Originally by Men Without Hats. Sung by: Artie

Dream a Little Dream of Me- Originally by Mamas and the Papas. Sung by: Artie and Glee Club

I Dreamed a Dream- Originally from the musical Les Miserables. Sung by: Finn, Puck, Jesse St. James, and Rachel

Thoughts/Comments/Concerns: **minor spoilers below**

Tonight’s episode of Glee was quite amazing. There were twists and turns of plot that I had guessed from the beginning and it was wonderful for them to FINALLY play out. Sadly there were only four songs in the episode, but they were quite spectacular.

Dream On was much better than I thought it was going to be. I mean, I knew it was going to be good, but I was really surprised at how high Neil’s voice got. And I didn’t realize how good Shuester’s voice was…probably because they didn’t have him rap. Omg I’m so happy that he didn’t rap.

The Safety Dance made me so happy because 1)they finally gave Artie a chance to not only sing but DAAAANCE and 2)I love this song, no lie. Artie did a great job with this song vocally, and I really liked the filming of this scene. It was like a flash mob scene thing and actually reminded me of something that Improve Everywhere would do. I also liked how they had all of the Glee characters in this dance, but they only focused on Artie.

Dream a Little Dream of Me is absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite songs. And it’s definitely one of my favorite M&TP songs. Poor Artie- this song made me so sad for him! But he did a fantastic job with this song which made me quite happy.

Lastly we come to one of the most amazing songs on Glee. I Dreamed a Dream will never, ever be performed greater than it was last night, no matter who is singing it. You have Lea Michelle who is simply more than amazing. Pair her with the legendary Idina Menzel and words cannot do it justice.

Final thoughts:

Really great episode, but really sad. However, I was very happy to have the plot come together like I wanted! Yay GLEE!!

Here is the video (which is a little odd as it is the mirror image of the original… oh well) of I Dreamed a Dream. Enjoy!

Episode title: Bad Reputation

Premise: Find songs with bad reputations and transform them into beautiful works of art. Or something like that…

Songs sung:

Ice Ice Baby- Originally by Vanilla Ice. Sung by: Will Shuester/Glee club

Physical- Originally by Olivia Newton John. Sung by: Olivia Newton John/Coach Sylvester

U Can’t Touch This- Originally by M.C. Hammer. Sung by: Artie, Kurt, Mercedes, Brittany, and Tina

Run Joey Run- Originally by David Geddes. Sung by: Finn, Puck, Jesse St. James, and Rachel

Total Eclipse of the Heart- Originally by Bonnie Tyler. Sung by: Finn, Puck, Jessee, Rachel and Glee Club

Thoughts/Comments/Concerns: **minor spoilers below**

I must say, I was very concerned that Glee was going down the drain. Sometimes shows get really popular and then they have to keep up with the audience’s expectations and that leads to a terrible fiery crash. So imagine my surprise after two very lackluster episodes when this show… completely ROCKED. Seriously, it is one of my absolute favorite Glee episodes of all time.

All of the songs were very well done; Ice Ice Baby, U Can’t Touch This, and Physical were quite enjoyable and really funny. Ice was awkward because Shuester was singing/rapping and it is always awkward when he does that, but besides that, they were really enjoyable.

However, I have to say, this episode would not have been what it was without both Run Joey Run and Total Eclipse of the Heart. I’d never previously heard of Run Joey Run, but let me just say the Glee remake is far, far better than the original (trust me, I looked it up). The music video accompanying RJR was PRICELESS and I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the fact that they had Sandy come back and make a cameo. That was simply the icing on the cake. Of course, without giving too much away, this set up the sadness that was Total Eclipse. I have heard this song many o’ times throughout my life, and I have always secretly liked it. So when they started singing it I was really excited, but I had to act cool in front of my friend I was watching Glee with, because I was having a total nerd moment and didn’t want her to see. But then we both found out that we loved this song and then we just sang it quite loudly. It was amazing. And sad. (The episode, not our singing, though I am sure that was…something). The choreography to Total Eclipse was really, really pretty (which probably explains the picture above). They incorporated some pretty sweet ballet moves and it made me fall more in love with Jesse St. James (like that was even possible).

Final thoughts:

Overall I can’t express how much I loved this episode. I’ve already watched it about six or seven times (no lie) and after writing this post I really want to watch it again. Meh, finals can wait. Glee is way more important. Also I love Molly Shannon’s character- very funny addition to the teachers. If you were thinking about catching an episode of Glee, randomly, I would definitely suggest this one. The end.