Glee - The Power of Madonna

As a vehicle for creating top selling albums and singles, the television music drama Glee has achieved unparalleled success - Glee – The Music – Vol 2 entered the charts at number two last week.

Hot on the heels of that success the TV show will be releasing their latest effort on April 26th, with what is bound to be another smash, featuring the music of the Queen of pop, Madonna.

The Power of Madonna marks the next official chapter in the Glee music songbook.  This much talked about and highly anticipated mini-album features the cast of Glee’s distinctive and unique take on such Madonna classics as “Like A Virgin,” “Express Yourself,” “Vogue,” “Like A Prayer” and more…

Celebrated for its witty writing and ability to breathe new life into pop music, Glee has proven to be an unstoppable cultural phenomenon. The most award winning new show, Glee was recently honored with accolades from the Golden Globes (Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical), Screen Actors Guild (Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series) and People’s Choice Award (Favorite New TV Comedy).

The music from Glee has become an international sensation with Glee: The Music, Volume 1 and Glee: The Music, Volume 2 topping charts in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. Here in the UK, more than half a million singles have been downloaded in addition to both Glee: The Music, Volume 1 and Glee: The Music, Volume 2 reaching the top and second spot respectively in the album charts.

The Power of Madonna tracklisting:

1. Express Yourself

2. Borderline/Open Your Heart

3. Vogue

4. Like A Virgin

5. 4 Minutes

6. What It Feels Like For A Girl

7. Like A Prayer

Here is the update provided for the series, so you will know what to expect:

It’s all about ‘feeling your emotions’ this week in Glee, as Mr Schu sets the club another challenge;  he wants them to bond more with each other and Glee wouldn’t be Glee if it wasn’t all done through the medium of song. The kids get paired up randomly with the most unlikely partners to sing their hearts out to with some rather shocking results. Someone develops an obsessive crush for Schu himself and a certain set of parents are not happy when they hear some unexpected news, but in the end through all the tears and heartache, the true meaning of friendship prevails as things get tough for two particular young lovers.

Well what about the music? Here is the playlist for episode ten, so you can loosen up your vocal chords in readiness:

Song: Endless Love
Performed By: Rachel and Mr Schu
Original By: Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

Song: I’ll Stand By You
Performed By: Finn
Original By: The Pretenders

Song: Don’t Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl
Performed By: Mr Schu
Original By: Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police and Young Girl by Gary Puckett and The Union Gap

Song: Crush
Performed By: Rachel
Original By: Jennifer Paige

Song: (You’re) Having My Baby
Performed By: Finn
Original By: Paul Anka

Song: Lean on Me
Performed By: Artie and Mercedes
Original By: Bill Withers

And here is Endless Love as performed on Glee by Rachel and Mr Schu.

Glee: The Cast

Glee has without doubt become a TV phenomenon since bursting onto our screens and has already notched up a number one album in the UK with Glee: The Music Volume 1.

The US series has provided E4 with a massive hit, reaching 1.3 million viewers, while winning a Golden Globe Award and now a Gold album in the UK.

The soundtrack to the series has created a complete revolution in music sales, with the featured tracks in each episode being made available to purchase online straight after airing.

The singles from Glee: The Music, Volume 1, led by the anthemic Don’t Stop Believin, have exploded into the UK charts selling a combined total over 550,000 in two months!

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the latest collection of the cast’s fantastic, fresh and unique versions of classic songs taken from all areas of popular music.  It includes the Glee cast’s versions of hits by The Pretenders, Lily Allen, The Rolling Stones, Cyndi Lauper, Kelly Clarkson and Van Halen.

The full track listing for the album Glee: The Music Volume 2 is as follows:

1       “Proud Mary”.
2       “Endless Love”.
3       “I’ll Stand By You”.
4       “Don’t Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl”
5       “Crush”.
6       “(You’re) Having My Baby”.
7       “Lean On Me”.
8       “Don’t Make Me Over”.
9       “Imagine”.
10    “True Colours”.
11    “Jump”.
12    “Smile” (Lily Allen cover )”.
13    “Smile” (Charlie Chaplin cover )”
14    “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”.
15    “Don’t Rain On My Parade”.
16    “You Can’t Always get What You Want”.
17    “My Life Would Suck Without You”.

Glee: The Music Volume 2 is released on March 15th and is available as a CD or digital download via Epic Records.

You can watch Glee on E4 Monday and Thursday nights and on Channel 4 every Sunday in the UK.

the inbetweeners

It must be approaching Christmas as the soundtrack from the brilliant tv comedy series The Inbetweeners is due to be released next week on November 2nd.

The Inbetweeners is the soundtrack to the BAFTA nominated British sitcom about a group of sixth formers struggling through their teenage years. The series follows four friends Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) who are neither popular nor ‘geeky’- they are The Inbetweeners.

Featuring songs from long standing bands The Cure (Inbetween Days) and The Jam (That’s Entertainment), through to relative newcomers the Maccabees (Latchmere and About Your Dress) and the Rumble Strips (Girls and Boys in Love), The Inbetweeners is definitely as much about the music as it is about the laughs.

But as well as an outstanding musical soundtrack the album also includes some of the funny moments from the series that has set new boundaries for teenage/young adult orientated comedy on UK tv.

Full tracklisting:

Disc 1

1. Briefcase (Dialogue)
2. Morning Runner – Gone Up In Flames
3. The Libertines – Don’t Look Back Into The Sun
4. The Wombats – Moving To New York
5. Miss Timbs (Dialogue)
6. Justin Timberlake Feat. Timbaland – Sexyback
7. Jamie T – Sheila
8. Bumder (Dialogue)
9. Kate Nash – Foundations
10. The Duke Spirit – Love Is An Unfamiliar Name
11. Thom Stone – She Knows
12. Mumm-Ra – She’s Got You High
13. Caravan Club (Dialogue)
14. Jack Penate – Second, Minute Or Hour
15. The Cure – Inbetween Days
16. Belle & Sebastian – I’m A Cuckoo
17. Friend (Dialogue)
18. Tellison – Gallery
19. Field Music – She Can Do What She Wants
20. New Cassettes – You Won’t Stop
21. Business (Dialogue)
22. Freaks – The Creeps (Get On The Dancefloor)
23. Transformer – Cinema Car
24. Royworld – Elasticity
25. Theaudience – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
26. Underage Drinkers (Dialogue)

Disc 2

1. Morning Benders (Dialogue)
2. Biffy Clyro – A Whole Child Ago
3. Neil’s Lego Collection (Dialogue)
4. Gorillaz – Kids With Guns (Hot Chip Remix)
5. Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome – Dance Wiv Me
6. Fish Punch (Dialogue)
7. The Maccabees – Latchmere
8. White Lies – To Lose My Life
9. The Rumble Strips -Girls And Boys In Love
10. Feisty One You Are (Dialogue)
11. Hot Chip – Over And Over
12. Sam Isaac – Fire Fire
13. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. – War Of The Worlds
14. The Young Knives – Fit 4 U
15. Simon At The Disco (Dialogue)
16. The Maccabees – About Your Dress
17. Ed Harcourt – Born In The ’70s
18. Drive By (Dialogue)
19. Passion Pit – Cuddle Fuddle
20. Lloyd Cole – Wild Orphan
21. Jay Gets Dumped (Dialogue)
22. The Jam – That’s Entertainment

Tuesdays Channel 4, 10pm,
Wednesdays E4, 11pm

Last night saw the first episode of the hilarious comedy quiz, You Have Been Watching. Writer and presenter Charlie Brooker was joined by three guests to help him dissect the week in television. A critical look was given to BBC’s The One Show on how they manage to blend serious heart-wrenching stories with the light and very mundane.

I was a late-comer to Charlie Brooker’s brilliant Screen Wipe series last year, and so was pleased to see that You Have Been Watching was simply another outlet for his very sarcastic, twisted and rude comments on what people watch on television.

There were plenty of ‘laugh-out-loud’ moments as Brooker steered the three panelists through a series of rounds to highlight the weird and bizarre, as well as the rubbish tv that is shown in the UK and abroad.

If you missed the show last night you can watch it online or on Virgin Media ‘TV On Demand’. The show is also repeated tonight on E4.

Anne Frank

The Diary Of Anne Frank – BBC One, 7pm

How nice to have a BBC drama of this quality shown at a convenient time and produced in an easy-to-view 5 night format. My son has recently studied Anne Frank at school and we were both looking forward to watching The Diary Of Anne Frank.

I have to applaud the BBC for the perfect scheduling, which enabled my son time to get his homework done and for both of us to eat dinner before sitting down together to thoroughly enjoy this dramatisation by Deborah Moggach.

All the actors involved gave superb performances escpecially Ellie Kendrick whose portrayal of Anne as a sometimes stoppy and selfish, feisty teenager whose determination not to follow in her mother’s footsteps is easily relatable today.

Tamsin Greig also gave an excellent performance as Anne’s dreary and fearful mother, Edith Frank. I wonder how like this she actually was in real life – a mother’s portrayal through the eye’s of a teenage daughter is never going to be a flattering one!

My only criticism is that the first four episodes almost had an Enid Blyton ‘Five Go Mad…’ feel to them. Even Otto with his arms covered in excrement trying to unblock the unusable lavatory was portrayed as a bit of a lark.

However, with prior knowledge of the dreadful fate that awaited all of the inhabitants the final episode had a totally different feel. With news of the allies gaining ground and the arrival of crates of fresh strawberries bring fresh hope to the group so that even Edith managed a smile we still knew their fate was inescapable.

In the final few minutes Anne suddenly became a shaking, frightened child again as the Frank’s, the Van Daan’s and Mr Dussel were led out of the building to certain death.

What a testament to Anne’s spirit, determination and talent that despite all adversity she still managed to achieve her ambtion to ‘live on after her death’ with the publication of her diary. A true inspiration.

‘E4 Laughs at Edinburgh’ – The Podcast Series

If you’ve ever thought that the Edinburgh Festival sounds like a bit of a laugh, but you’re too skint (can’t be arsed) to travel all that way – then E4 have a solution.

The likes of Jim Bowen, Jim Jeffries, Reginald D Hunter, John Pinette and last year’s ‘If Comedy’ award nominees Andrew Maxwell and the King of Hospital Radio, Ivan Brackenbury, will be bringing their favourite acts from the festival to the E4 Udderbelly and new E4 Cow Barn, at the Edinburgh Festival.

E4 will give a twice weekly slice of the best and most exciting new comedy talent to emerge during the festival to download as a podcast or listen to on the E4 site.

I have finally managed to catch the last episode of this show.  I’m so upset that it has been given the chop in USA as it is one of those shows that can make you laugh out loud one minute and cry the next with it’s brilliant observation of family mechanics and well written dialog.

It was great to see Justin and Rebeca finally get it together,Saul come out to the whole family and Kevin finally married off and hopefully happy!  But what about poor Nora – she has just been told that Kevin and Sarah have just discovered another illegitimate sibling produced by her philandering, deceased husband, William.

And what of Kitty and the eternally gorgeous McCallister (Rob Lowe) – will they ever have a child?  I guess we will never know…!

The deadline for uploading your rocking air guitar videos to has been extended to the 21st July and you now also have the opportunity to win a Gibson guitar!

For anyone who doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about, E4 are, for the first time EVER, holding an online UK air guitar competition – Unstrum Hero – the air guitar competition to rock your world!

Just visit e4.com/unstrumhero to get all the info you need to enter.  Break a leg!

Here’s one for all you rocker’s and fans of cheesy American films – the UK’s first air guitar competition online!

Dig out those greasy flares, let your hair down and strum as if your life depended on it – with a choice of 4 tracks to rock to including the obligatory ‘Ace of Spades’ by Motorhead, how hard can it be!

All you have to do is upload a 60sec video of your best air guitar performance to www.e4.com/unstrumhero before Thursday 17th July.

The winner will gain the title of ‘Unstrum Hero’ and a trip to London (with a mate) to compete for the UK air guitar crown and you may even find yourself representing the UK in Finland – all courtesy of E4.com.

What have you got to lose……!