Song of the Week

New York State of Mind, rendition done by Glee Cast

I always know when Fall arrives because of the immense amount of advertisements for Fall TV shows and movies. I have already started my Fall TV obsession. I spent this past weekend glued to Hulu and my DVR, a favorite Fall sport of mine. When I got to Glee, I was actually hesitant to watch it.

The past few seasons of Glee have been kind of boring. The storyline wasn’t going anywhere, and the music was all the same. As I turned on the first episode of this new season, I realized that Kate Hudson joined the Glee cast. I was hysterical!!! For those that don’t know, I absolutely love Goldie Hawn!

Kate Hudson is not the only reason though that I am so fired up for this fourth season of Glee. After watching the first episode, I was blown away by the new characters. Ryan Murphy, the writer of Glee, as well as American Horror Story and The New Normal, really gave a fresh twist to the Glee storyline. In addition to the new characters, Murphy still seems to be keeping tabs on the old characters, like Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) who has since graduated from high school and the glee club, and has ventured off to NYADA in NYC. Kate Hudson plays Rachel Berry’s dance instructor at NYADA. I find this new layout fascinating. Most of Murphy’s shows exhibit fresh, realistic storylines. After all, if Murphy booted Lea Michele off, one of the main characters, the show would have definitely lost that profound reality.

In this performance of “New York State of Mind,” a song sung and made famous by Barbra Streisand and Billy Joel, we see Rachel Berry performing in her singing class at NYADA, and we see the newest member of glee club, Marley, auditioning to become a part of the glee club. I find it fascinating that Murphy has tied Marley to the one and only Rachel Berry. For those that watch Glee, you’ll probably agree with me when I say that Marley and Rachel are quite different, in fact they’re foils of each other. However, to our surprise, their minds must think alike! They both chose the same song, and they both sang it with similar styles. This idea really adds to the emotional appeal of this performance. We see the once-famous glee club star at the bottom of the pack – for once – trying to find her place in NYC, and we see the quiet, down-to-earth “newbie” who, like Rachel, is also trying to find her place.

I encourage anybody who hasn’t watched Glee from the beginning, to at least watch Ryan Murphy’s new shows: American Horror Story and The New Normal. American Horror Story will be returning for its second season and The New Normal just started (two episodes in). And don’t worry if you didn’t catch American Horror Story, season one! Murphy has decided to give each season a totally new storyline with new characters, a new plot, and a new setting! I will warn you that this show tends to get graphic, and is definitely NOT for young kids. But it still is brilliant!

So set those DVRs, and let Fall be the season of exploration and novelty!!! Oh, and HAPPY FALL (almost).

-Live and love your life!