This Week: An Evening with Glee at the Academy

As you know, I've got a thing for high school dramas. But Glee makes all the others fall far far away in comparison. On Monday night I went over to the Academy for An Evening with Glee. It was a sold out event, so I feel very honored to have been there. (We were close to not getting in because people were there at 10am to line up! Luckily the Academy found a way to accommodate everyone.) We got to watch this week's episode "Home" and then the cast and writers / producers came out to answer questions from the moderator, Kristin Dos Santos. The interest value can depend a lot on the moderator, but Kristin did a good job of asking both questions about the characters and questions about the writing and the process.

If you're not familiar with Glee, here are some reasons why you should be...

• it's hilarious. funny. something that always makes me smile.
  
• it's full of underdog type characters that never cease to surprise with something new.
  
• it's well written. there are plenty of simple things to relate to about the show, but a lot of the situations are unique and different than your typical high school storyline.
  
• the character of Sue is a complete win.
  
• the singing will give you goosebumps every time.
  
• it's emotional too. when asked, How do you keep Glee from being a cheesy after-school special? Ryan Murphy's answer: "The more personal it is, the less cheesy it is." That was my major take-away from the night.

Another really interesting part was when Kristin asked the cast if they've had any memorable encounters with fans. The actors when down the line and told some pretty amazing stories. Kevin McHale (who plays Artie) said the mother of a boy in a wheelchair told him that they love the show because when she asked her son why he loved Glee his answer was, "I've never seen anyone like me on TV before." And another mom had shared with Lea Michele (who plays Rachel) a story of how her daughter stood up for herself at school after being teased for having "2 moms". When the mom asked her daughter if she was okay, the daughter replied, "Yea, Mom. I'm like Rachel Berry!" Very cute. I know a lot of people that like to think that TV doesn't affect them, but this proves that it completely does. Watch Glee - the first season is out on DVD if you need to catch up!
Here's a picture I took on my iPhone while we were waiting in line and the cast was arriving one by one. This is Chris Colfer. (He plays Kurt.)