The TV Chick

Last year, Glee quickly grabbed my attention. It combines my love of music with my love of television in a format that truly has never been done before. If you haven’t seen it by now, I’m not sure where you have been living for the past year. I recently had the chance to chat with the absolutely wonderful Jayma Mays, who plays Emma Pillsbury — the quirky, slightly OCD guidance counselor at McKinley High School. You can read (and listen to) part one of my interview here. However, many of you submitted questions via Twitter, of the more fun and personal variety. She was very touched by this, so without further ado, here are five things you didn’t know about Jayma Mays.

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Happy Glee day! Tonight’s episode titled The Power of Madonna, which I reviewed here, tackles the music of a legend. It is truly epic, and pays homage to a deserving artist. But really, I’m just happy Glee is back on my TV. What started as a little show with some big talent has had incredible success. In the back 9, there are new love interests, new couples and tons of new music. I recently had the chance to chat with the wonderful and extremely talented Jonathan Groff, a Broadway star who is now the new resident heartthrob. We talked about what it has been like working with his best friend again (Lea Michele), what goes into making an episode of Glee and the differences between stage and screen.

How did you get the part of Jesse St. James?
Well I actually about two years ago did a television pilot called Pretty/Handsome for FX with Ryan Murphy, that Ryan Murphy created and directed that never got picked up. And so I met him — I was doing Spring Awakening on Broadway at the time — and I left the show to do the pilot and I met Ryan and worked with Ryan, and then a year and a half later, he created this television show called Glee. He had known my work from Spring Awakening and also from working with him, and he said if the show does well and we get picked up for more episodes, I’ll create a character for you. And then he created Jesse St. James.

So you didn’t have to audition at all?
It was just written for me, so I didn’t have to audition or anything.

You come from a Broadway background. How has it been making the transition to television?
It’s been really interesting. It’s a totally different thing and I’ve sort of been comparing it to long distance running maybe as opposed to short distance running because in the theater you’re doing eight shows a week, and you have to pace yourself in order to be able to fit them all in. So you have to know when to push and pull back and when to conserve your energy and when to give it and all of that. And in television, you do a scene once with no rehearsal, and you had a day or half of a day to do your work on it, so it’s very intense, it’s fast, it’s high focused, and it’s acting. It’s sort of the same thing, but the mediums are so different that you have to adjust the way that you work. It’s been a real education.

And do you find that you have a preference: Broadway vs. a television show?
For me, acting is acting. As long as the part is good and the director’s good and the cast is great, it’s sort of fun to do that in whatever medium as long as you really love what you’re working on. I loved working in the theater and the projects that I’ve gotten the chance to work on, and I’ve really, truly loved working on this show and getting to spending time with the people and the material there. So I don’t think I do have a preference.

Well, that’s a good thing.
Yeah, yeah. (laughs)

And you and Lea Michele are best friends. I actually saw both of you perform at Feinsteins in the winter.
Oh really??

Yeah, I loved it!
Oh cool! We had so much fun at that concert. That was so fun.

Yeah, it was sort of like both of you unplugged. I loved it.
Aw, awesome.

So, what has it been like to work with her again?
Words can’t properly describe it. It’s been a blast. You get to sing and dance with your best friend. And not only do you get to work with your best friend, with sort of all the fun and good times and ease that that involves, but I also get to work with a peer who is an artist that I completely respect and admire. When you are an actor, or a musician or an athlete or whatever, you want to be challenged and work with people that push you and that inspire you, and Lea happens to be one of those artists for me that I have always really admired and really been inspired by and I’ve always been sort of made better by. And so it’s sort of two fold, because I love her so much as an actress and a singer and a performer, and then I also love her so much as a human being and as a person, so it’s been really incredible to get to work with her again. And we have that history together, so there’s an ease in our working relationship that comes with years of knowing each other and know each other’s work.

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Glee returns tonight! Are you as excited as I am? I recently had the chance to catch up with Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri Schuester). In case you missed Part 1 of my interview, check it out here. In this next installment, she talks about Emma and her husband stealing ways, her dream guest stars and Glee’s incredible ensemble cast. She also addresses the Will and Terri fans when I asked her if there is still hope for the couple. She even shares a little bit about season 2.

I watched a little behind-the-scenes video where you came in wearing the same outfit as Jayma, during the kissing scene.
(laughs) Yeah. That’s a perfect example. Okay. Let’s talk about that beret. When I saw her in that white beret, I was like Lou, are you kidding me? You literally dressed her like an angel. She literally has a halo on her head. This is ridiculous. So then I had to find a beret, and come on set. I was thinking that Terri should just cut her hair into a bob and dye it red. Because I think that’s how simple Terri is. I think Terri really thinks, If I just look like Emma, then he would love me again. But that beret, I mean that’s where Lou is such a genius. Because obviously, Jayma looks so adorable in it, so perfect and yet it made it impossible for any character to have sympathy for my character.

Have there been any other pranks that you’ve pulled like that or any other pranks that have been pulled on set?
Let me think. I feel like there have been some things. I mean, everybody gets kind of goofy from time to time that’s for sure.

Did you show up during the next kissing scene? I know there is a Will/Emma kiss from the promo.
I was on set, actually. Because if we’re shooting in the apartment then usually we’ll spend the whole day there. So they shot that and then the following scene was actually a scene between Emma and myself in the apartment. It was a really fun scene.

Oooh interesting.
Did you get to see the next episode at the Paley Festival?

I wasn’t there. I couldn’t make it out there, I wanted to go so badly.
Yeah, because we aired the next episode.

I know!
Did people like it?

People did like it! I think there was some interesting reactions to Idina Menzel’s character.
Really? What did they say?

Well there might be something between her and Will.
Yeeees. Exactly.

So I think that people who are crazy about Emma and Will…
Ohhhhh! It’s so good! [The show] is so smart, you see! Isn’t that so good? Because everybody thinks it’s going in one — oh it gets so good!

I am so excited!
It gets so good, because it’s exactly what you don’t expect, but it’s actually probably truer to life, what would really happen. You know, because people don’t just ride off into the sunset very often.

Right, the world’s not perfect.
Yeah. Oh yeah, it gets really, really good. I was on set that day that they kissed, and I thought it was disgusting.

(laughs) Is there going to be any future showdowns between you and Emma?
Between Emma and myself? Yeah.

And what about between you and anyone else? Maybe Will?
Will and I, we have another one. And then we have some sad things.

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The day has finally arrived! Glee is returning to TV and all is right on my DVR again. The first 13 episodes have brought an incredible amount of success from a SAG award to a Golden Globe to accolades for the show’s fashion. It is rare for a show with only 13 episodes to garner so much recognition so quickly. It has also built up one of the most devoted fan bases in the world. I am so filled with glee (yeah I said it) at the fact that people have fallen in love with this show. Back in May, when it was just a little pilot that could, I realized that there was something very special about it. And Ryan Murphy and his creative team have kept the momentum going since then. There is not a single episode of the entire show that I haven’t adored. Some I like more than others, which is only natural, but any show that is able to bring tears to my eyes simply from a song is at the top of my list.

Hell-O is the triumphant return we have all been waiting for. By now, you have probably read multiple recaps and reviews because it was screened at the Paley Center a couple of months ago. But I want to give you some highlights and tidbits that maybe you haven’t read, without of course spoiling the episode in any major way. When we last left our Glee kids, they had just won sectionals. The episode ended with one of the most amazing song and dance numbers (My Life Would Suck Without You) and Will and Emma finally kissing after weeks and weeks of waiting.

The episode picks up with that scene we’ve all seen in the promos: Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes walking down the hallway thinking they are going to rule the school and then getting slusheed in the face. As much as I don’t like to see anyone get slusheed in the face, this kept their characters grounded. Of course Glee won’t make them popular, why would it? We then learn a lot about Finn’s angst — he is now dating Rachel and she’s a little too, well, Rachel for him (as if you couldn’t tell from the Team Finn shirt she was wearing in the promos). But he’s clearly still very unsure of himself. Now onto another couple — Will and Emma, who really do care for each other but there are obstacles getting in the way. Some obstacles might have names, others take the form of crazy quirks. For those Wemma fans out there, the happy ending doesn’t come so immediately. And then there’s Jesse St. James (played by the lovely looking and super talented Jonathan Groff), the lead of Vocal Adrenaline (New Directions’ competition) who woos Rachel, which doesn’t please the Glee club in the least.

The theme of the episode is obviously Hello. Mr. Schuester gives the Glee Club the assignment to come up with a song with hello in the title. Finn chooses The Doors “Hello, I Love You,” Rachel and Jesse St. James sing a duet of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” upon their meeting (only they would break out into glorious song in the middle of a library), the Glee club sings “Hello, Goodbye” by the Beatles and Rachel sings one of the best musical numbers I think I have ever heard her do–and it’s not a Broadway show-stopper. It is “Gives You Hell” by the All American Rejects. I love this move into new genres of song — especially ones that challenge their Broadway belter to get out of her comfort zone. I have frequently said that I would listen to Lea Michele sing the phone book, and she turns this alternative song that I never really liked into one I will most likely listen to on repeat on my iPod. Well done, Glee!

There is also an amazing showdown between Emma and Terri. The best part about it is that it’s not any sort of yelling or screaming match but more of a subtle takedown where Terri gets into Emma’s head and makes her doubt herself. Ryan Murphy’s brilliance shines here yet again. Even if you hate Terri (which really, you shouldn’t), she still shares this history with Will that we barely know anything about. She is still a part of him even if they aren’t together anymore. From speaking with Jessalyn, I know this storyline/love triangle is really going to heat up and I think they are setting it up for greatness.

The episode ends with “Hello, Goodbye” which is relevant to all the Glee clubbers lives in different ways. And I have gone this entire time without talking about Santana and Brittany. Brittany has definitely become one of my favorite comedic voices on the show, with witty one liners and the ability to play stupid in a very smart way. She and Santana are both out to get Finn (under the master plan of Sue Sylvester), and it is quite hilarious. The best Brittany one liner of the episode is: “You know that dolphins are just gay sharks.” I think I may have made a lot of people turn around and look at me when I laughed so hard. I am really glad that Brittany is getting more face time (and more time for one liners) because she is so hilarious and adds such a great element to the show.

Hell-O is definitely a wonderful way to kick off the season. I have very high hopes for Groff’s character, and I enjoy Idina Menzel as well (she guest stars in this episode as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline). There is comedy, show stopping numbers and the Glee Club drama that we have all come to know and love. However, the 2nd episode (Power of Madonna) is epic. It is probably the best, most innovative 45 minutes of television I have ever seen. So if you are happy that Glee is returning (seriously who isn’t??), your mind will be blown next week.

Glee is back tonight at a special time of 9:28 pm on FOX.

And here are a couple of video previews to tide you over:

Rachel sings “Give You Hell:”

Will and Emma moment:

Glee is back in just one day! My countdown clock will soon become obsolete. I am so thrilled that it is returning, and I jumped at the chance to chat again with Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays Terri Schuester. I know there are huge Will and Emma fans out there (Wemma as they have become affectionately known), but I love Terri because I think Jessalyn plays her with such magnificence. She adds a little crazy to the mix but she also shows that nothing is ever perfect. If we got what we wanted right away on any TV show, it would be the easy way out, and if there is one thing about Ryan Murphy and his creative team I know for sure, it is that they are never ones to do this. There is a great Terri moment in the mid-season premiere (“Hell-O”) but as Jessalyn explains, it really heats up later. We talked about the amazing fashion on the show, interesting fan reactions, and her song.

Congratulations on all the success of the show. It has been an amazing season. What has awards season been like for you?
I think it just ended, or it just ended for me. I never understood when people said it’s a season that it’s really a season. I mean, it goes on. There are a lot of award shows (laughs) that I never knew about. It was amazing. The Golden Globes were amazing because we just — we couldn’t believe we were there. We sort of felt like we snuck in. And then when I got to the table and the whole cast was sitting there. And Chris was there and Mark’s there and Dianna, and we just looked at each other like what are we doing here? We’ve only shot 13 episodes (laughs). And then, a really fun one that I went to — this was the kind of thing I never knew about — was the Costume Design Awards. Lou Eyrich is our designer who also designs for Nip/Tuck, she was nominated, and she actually won that night. And Jayma and I went there in support of her and it was just really fun to see. We get so much attention from the show but we know that the show is such a collaborative experience and Lou is such a good example. She helps us find our characters, and she really sort of creates such a visual experience, so to see her get recognized and kind of put the spotlight on her…Jayma and I both agreed it was our best experience out of all the award shows.

Yeah, she does some incredible work on the show.
Doesn’t she? And she takes such big risks and I just feel like because there’s so many times that our characters are present but not necessarily speaking. I mean, especially for a lot of the kids. You know, they might have an episode where — I just saw one where Dianna, she doesn’t have much to say but just whenever she’s on screen, there’s still a story being told, and so much of that is also through what she’s wearing and her posture. So it’s just really interesting how everybody kind of tracks the evolution of our characters. And there are so many of them.

There are actually websites out there dedicated to the fashion on Glee.
Are you kidding? (laughs)

There’s a site called What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?
What? Are you kidding me?

No you have to go check it out!
I mean, Emma’s wardrobe…that’s a perfect example. It’s ingenious. And of course, I selfishly, from Terri’s point of view, think Emma’s a genius because she dresses like a saint but she’s actually a husband stealer.

Oh she totally is…
But the way she dresses…it makes her look like a good person.

And I wanted to know what it was like filming that scene that last time we spoke, you referred to it as the reckoning between Will and Terri. It was so incredibly intense.
Was I right?

You were right, absolutely!
It was intense. This is why it is so much fun to work on Ryan Murphy’s show because it’s really fun to watch an audience get frustrated with the show. You know, a woman came up to me in the store the other day (laughs), it was so hysterical. I’m standing in a store with my daughter, and this older woman — I mean, she was probably in her 60s — she comes over and she says “You know what I don’t understand? How can he be so stupid?” (laughs)

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Wow. Just wow. Last night’s fall finale of Glee, titled “Sectionals,” was one of the most perfect mid-season finales (or season finales for that matter) I have seen in a very long time. I can’t say this enough, but Ryan Murphy and his creative team are truly brilliant. The episode centers around the Glee Club’s trip to Sectionals. Since Mr. Schuester couldn’t take them, Emma (Miss Pillsbury) volunteers, and pushes back her wedding. However, their trip to Sectionals is not without problems. Mercedes revealed to all of the Glee Club (minus Rachel) that Puck is the father of Quinn’s baby, and then Rachel gets suspicious. She spills it to Finn, who storms out and leaves everyone to scramble.

When the Glee Club arrives at Sectionals (with Jacob filling in for Finn), they draw the last spot and have to watch the other schools go first. It is quickly evident that Sue leaked their set list, and they can’t sing the songs they were planning on doing all along. (Eve’s group even did the wheelchair number!) Rachel calls an emergency meeting, where Mercedes gives the ballad over to her. Earlier in the episode, Mercedes sings I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going) from Dreamgirls, and I will admit I shed a tear (and my heart melted a bit). So Mercedes was all set to sing the ballad, but admits that Rachel should sing it and she is their shot to win. Rachel steps up and says she has something she’s been working on since she was four. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue runs into Finn at school and “leaves his keys” for Finn to show up at Sectionals. He shows up, song in hand, and they start rehearsing. It is finally showtime, and Emma holds up the phone for Schue to listen to the Glee Club perform.

The Glee Club opens with Rachel singing “Don’t Rain on my Parade” as the ballad portion. I could talk for days about Lea Michele’s talent. This number was jaw-dropping, tear inducing, and just amazing. She knocks it out of the park with anything, but ballads are clearly her forte. When I saw her sing at the True Colors Cabaret Night, her show-stopper was a ballad she sang. As much as I love all the other Glee cast sharing the spotlight with Lea, this was her moment to shine, and she nailed it (times 1,000).

After her ballad, Rachel introduces the rest of the Glee Club, and they sing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” which was really great. Meanwhile, Mr. Schue comes home to Terri, who says she’s in therapy and wants to work on their relationship. He leaves without saying much to go to Emma and Ken’s wedding. When he arrives, Emma is sitting by herself. She explains that taking the kids to Sectionals was the last straw for Ken, and that she did it for him and not the kids. He tries to stop her from going but this show isn’t going to tie up everything in a pretty bow. Emma declares that he just left his wife, she put in her resignation, and then leaves.

The best scene of the episode, and best musical number comes at the end. The show didn’t tell you who won Sectionals until the last scene when the Glee Club shows Mr. Schue the trophy. They then declare that they prepared a musical number for him. “My Life Would Suck Without You” is one of my favorite Kelly Clarkson songs, and dare I say it that Glee’s rendition was just as good. But it wasn’t just the singing (led by Lea Michele) that was amazing. They incorporated an entire season of performances into that musical number. They did the dances from Push It, Single Ladies, Crazy In Love, and everything in between. During the performance, Mr. Schue clearly realizes he can’t let Emma go. He runs down the hallway to find her and looks in her office but she (along with all her stuff) is gone. This was such a perfect subtle moment. They can’t just run to each other’s arms, we have to want it so badly it hurts. He spots Emma down the hallway, goes to her, and finally kisses her. The look on Emma’s face after this kiss was a whole season of angst let go: finally she had gotten her dream man. When I spoke with Jayma a couple weeks ago, she clearly couldn’t reveal this wonderful moment, but in her subtext, I could see she was rooting for her and Will (even if she couldn’t say it). The kiss ended the episode, and what a perfect episode it was.

After a (half) season of drama, not getting along, and pregnancies–the Glee Club all came together. Sue gets fired for leaking the set list, Schue gets reinstated as the Glee Club director, and justice has been served. But what makes this show truly a cut above the rest is that there is always a bumpy road along the way, but when it all comes down to it, Ryan Murphy knows what the fans want, and he gives it to them. I haven’t read anything thus far that said anything negative about this episode…because there isn’t anything. I have watched the last scene approximately 10 times since writing this, and it’s so subtle and wonderful. Finn may have been frustrated and angry with Quinn and Puck, but he knew he had to support the Glee Club. Even Santana admitted that she loves Glee Club, and it’s the best part of her day. Now one could say where do they go from here now that they all get along and support each other and Emma and Will are together. But there is a long road to Regionals ahead. Jonathan Groff will be heading up their competition Vocal Adrenaline, there is much more to the Terri/Will relationship, we need to meet Rachel’s two dads, and Emma and Will aren’t just going to have a perfect relationship. I’d also kind of like to see the Ken backlash. Will he be around in the back 9? I imagine so, but who knows. And whatever way Sue is going to find to be reinstated is bound to be hilarious and wonderful.

Glee, I applaud you. (In fact, during last night’s episode, I may have given Lea Michele a standing ovation–yes, I am aware it’s just TV). You have done for me what no other show has done in a very long time, in that I am excited every week to see what comes next. You have combined music, dancing, talent, drama, comedy in an innovative way that has truly never been done before. It is going to be a long time until April, but I will be re-watching the episodes to prepare (and fill the void), and listening to all the wonderful music. If the back 9 is anything like the first 13 episodes (which I’m sure it will be), there is a lot to be excited about. I recently read this article in New York Magazine about how TV is an art form (and has become one in the last decade or so). If anything proves this thesis, it is absolutely Glee. It was a wonderful end to an absolutely amazing half season.

And I know my Glee reviews haven’t had great videos lately, so I hope all of these make up for it! I know you want to watch them over and over again, because I sure have: (I can’t even pick my favorite quotes of the episode, because it was all so good).

I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going):

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Don’t Rain On My Parade:

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You Can’t Always Get What You Want:

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My Life Would Suck Without You:

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