Gleeful About Glee

I watched not an episode of the new FOX hit, Glee, til this week when I watched the finale.

I remember at some point on this year's American Idol, annoying new judge, Ellen DeGeneres, asked Tim Urban if he could act, suggesting he should be on Glee.

At the time, I had no idea what Ellen meant by that, uh, constructive criticism.

Now that I have watched Glee, I will watch it again. I somehow thought Glee was just another musical. Instead it's got some really slick writing, very funny at times.

The Olivia Newton-John and Josh Groban bit as judges, playing themselves, being really mean and self-centered, was very funny.

And when Glee bursts into song, well, it is no American Idol. Can't whoever choreographs those horrendous American Idol Results Show's group numbers ask for help from whoever choreographs Glee?

Another American Idol comment. One of American Idol's tiresome cliches is the "you made it your own" or "you did not make it your own." Sometimes this is either a good or bad thing. Very confusing.

Well, the guy who coaches the Glee Club, Kurt Hummel, played by Matthew Morrison, in the last song of the finale, sang "Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz, to his students. This was about the best, made it his own, rendition of the Judy Garland classic that I've ever heard.

So, Glee was a surprise. Very unexpected. With adult moments, like when the manly cheerleader coach tossed off a line, to the principal, about continuing to keep it from his wife the time they made like the beast with two backs, with the principal being Indian or Middle Eastern and totally confused by the phrase "beast with two backs."