On Set: Keeping Up the Glee in Season 2
Sep 21, 2010 12:33 AM ET
by Denise Martin
There's a manic energy on the set of Glee. With one week until its second season premiere, the cast and crew have little time to think about how the show's heavily hyped return will fare.
In the choir room, Amber Riley and Naya Rivera are power-stomping and rump-shaking through another run of Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High." While Eric Stoltz directs that scene, from the season's fourth episode, Adam Shankman arrives to prep the fifth. He's shooting segments for Glee's Halloween episode, in which the club mounts a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. During a break, choreographer Zach Woodlee shows Shankman some potential moves for "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me," a planned show-stopper for chaste guidance counselor Emma (Jayma Mays).
Amid the commotion, Chris Colfer is geeking out over the script for Episode 6, newly delivered from the writers. "It's so good, but oh, it's gonna be controversial," says the actor, who was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of out-and-proud glee clubber Kurt. "I know we're going to get critics saying the show has gone too gay."
Nerves are there, to be sure. The challenge to make the second season sing like its first is not lost on anyone. "I think that's the biggest fear, not being able to keep it going," Colfer says. "We've literally come off Everest; it's been such an amazing year. I don't want to say it's downhill from here, but, I don't know!"
Perhaps more than any returning show this fall, Glee has a lot to live up to. The musical comedy about a choir of misfits became an instant phenomenon when it launched last year. The show spawned five chart-topping soundtracks, a multi-city concert tour and rapturous attention from the media.
Co-creators and executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan have been holed up for weeks, writing new episodes, one of which celebrates the music of Britney Spears and another that engages a debate about faith. When they arrive on set for the first time in a long while, the cast giddily welcomes them.
The plan, according to the producers, is to maintain Glee's mix of pop song optimism, snarky comedy and grounded teenage angst. "I almost think it's good that we didn't win the Emmy" for best comedy series, Brennan says. (Glee did win awards for supporting actress Jane Lynch, guest star Neil Patrick Harris, directing and sound mixing.) "This way, we're still reaching."
The second season, which premieres at 8/7c on Fox, even goes as far as to acknowledge Glee's perceived hiccups. McKinley High's roving gossip blogger Jacob lists the offenses: Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) raps too much, Rachel (Lea Michele) is too overbearing, New Directions is nothing but "a glorified karaoke club designed to make the inventors of Auto-Tune millions of dollars."
But like its defiant leader Rachel, Glee won't be changing its tune. In fact, the other 38 minutes of the premiere thumb its nose at non-fans, culminating in a theatrical-yet-plaintive performance of a showtune ("What I Did For Love" from Broadway's A Chorus Line.)
Shankman, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance and the director of the movie-musical Hairspray, calls it a fearless family show, unafraid to tip sacred cows. "They very successfully push a lot of boundaries," he says. "Rocky Horror, while really risqué, is perfect for Glee because they all, in theory, feel like misfits."
If there's been a consistent criticism about Glee, it's that the show is in danger of overhyping itself through non-stop media coverage and numerous marketing tie-ins, including a clothing line and a series of young adult novels.
"I don't think we shove anything down anyone's throat that they don't ask for," says Rivera, who plays Cheerio Santana. (And it's not the cast leaking the news: All the actors are trained to pre-empt every question about plot or music with some version of: "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about that.")
Heather Morris, who plays Santana's ditzy sidekick Brittany, agrees. "You can feel the difference between this year and last. This year, viewers need to know everything that goes on with the show."
"But it's cool because when we get in here, on set, you can't sense that," Morris says. "We're in our own Glee bubble."
Rocky Horror's Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf to Guest-Star on Glee
The truth is, there are no bigger gleeks than the cast itself.
"You guys! Our songs are ringtones!" Michele says, peering into her iPhone. She's been looking online to see if she can download the cast's version of "Empire State of Mind," and she's irked that it's not available. Kevin McHale, who plays wheelchair-bound Artie, explains their frustration: The studio initially gives the actors only copies of the songs they record. "We have to trade. Like, I'll tell Amber, 'I'll give you 'Safety Dance' for 'The Boy is Mine.'"
"I blast the songs in my car," McHale says.
Today is an extra good day for the cast, he continues, because they're shooting three musical numbers in the choir room, "so we all get to watch. That doesn't always happen."
When the brass section kicks in to "River Deep, Mountain High," the actors watching the performance on the monitors go wild. Michele bops her head along, mouthing the lyrics and cheering. Later, after Dianna Agron, who plays Quinn, and new cast member Chord Overstreet, who plays new student Sam, perform Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz's "Lucky," Rivera sighs dreamily. "That was so sweet!"
No one seems to mind the long hours that are required to learn and record new songs, rehearse choreography, and shoot the show. Cory Monteith, who plays jock-turned-glee clubber Finn, says "Look at our set, look at what our workday consists of: singing and dancing. It kicks ass."
And it comes with a bonus. "Of course, there's pressure on the new season," Monteith says. "But the show requires so much of us that it becomes a wonderful place to hide. It limits our exposure to the hype. I think this whole experience would be a lot more difficult if I had more free time."
Stoltz, who also directed an episode of Murphy's previous series, Nip/Tuck, has another theory about that. "Remember the Viking ships that would chain the slaves at the bottom to row the galleys? These kids have been chained together for a couple of years and I think they've got Stockholm syndrome. They're in love with their captors."
On the other hand, he also understands them. "We were shooting a mash-up of 'Get Happy' and 'Happy Days Are Here Again,' and I got chills, which is rare for me because I've been around a long time," he says. "But when it does happen, I mean, it's what we live for."
TV Guide
by Denise Martin
There's a manic energy on the set of Glee. With one week until its second season premiere, the cast and crew have little time to think about how the show's heavily hyped return will fare.
In the choir room, Amber Riley and Naya Rivera are power-stomping and rump-shaking through another run of Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High." While Eric Stoltz directs that scene, from the season's fourth episode, Adam Shankman arrives to prep the fifth. He's shooting segments for Glee's Halloween episode, in which the club mounts a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. During a break, choreographer Zach Woodlee shows Shankman some potential moves for "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me," a planned show-stopper for chaste guidance counselor Emma (Jayma Mays).
Amid the commotion, Chris Colfer is geeking out over the script for Episode 6, newly delivered from the writers. "It's so good, but oh, it's gonna be controversial," says the actor, who was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of out-and-proud glee clubber Kurt. "I know we're going to get critics saying the show has gone too gay."
Nerves are there, to be sure. The challenge to make the second season sing like its first is not lost on anyone. "I think that's the biggest fear, not being able to keep it going," Colfer says. "We've literally come off Everest; it's been such an amazing year. I don't want to say it's downhill from here, but, I don't know!"
Perhaps more than any returning show this fall, Glee has a lot to live up to. The musical comedy about a choir of misfits became an instant phenomenon when it launched last year. The show spawned five chart-topping soundtracks, a multi-city concert tour and rapturous attention from the media.
Co-creators and executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan have been holed up for weeks, writing new episodes, one of which celebrates the music of Britney Spears and another that engages a debate about faith. When they arrive on set for the first time in a long while, the cast giddily welcomes them.
The plan, according to the producers, is to maintain Glee's mix of pop song optimism, snarky comedy and grounded teenage angst. "I almost think it's good that we didn't win the Emmy" for best comedy series, Brennan says. (Glee did win awards for supporting actress Jane Lynch, guest star Neil Patrick Harris, directing and sound mixing.) "This way, we're still reaching."
The second season, which premieres at 8/7c on Fox, even goes as far as to acknowledge Glee's perceived hiccups. McKinley High's roving gossip blogger Jacob lists the offenses: Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) raps too much, Rachel (Lea Michele) is too overbearing, New Directions is nothing but "a glorified karaoke club designed to make the inventors of Auto-Tune millions of dollars."
But like its defiant leader Rachel, Glee won't be changing its tune. In fact, the other 38 minutes of the premiere thumb its nose at non-fans, culminating in a theatrical-yet-plaintive performance of a showtune ("What I Did For Love" from Broadway's A Chorus Line.)
Shankman, a judge on So You Think You Can Dance and the director of the movie-musical Hairspray, calls it a fearless family show, unafraid to tip sacred cows. "They very successfully push a lot of boundaries," he says. "Rocky Horror, while really risqué, is perfect for Glee because they all, in theory, feel like misfits."
If there's been a consistent criticism about Glee, it's that the show is in danger of overhyping itself through non-stop media coverage and numerous marketing tie-ins, including a clothing line and a series of young adult novels.
"I don't think we shove anything down anyone's throat that they don't ask for," says Rivera, who plays Cheerio Santana. (And it's not the cast leaking the news: All the actors are trained to pre-empt every question about plot or music with some version of: "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about that.")
Heather Morris, who plays Santana's ditzy sidekick Brittany, agrees. "You can feel the difference between this year and last. This year, viewers need to know everything that goes on with the show."
"But it's cool because when we get in here, on set, you can't sense that," Morris says. "We're in our own Glee bubble."
Rocky Horror's Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf to Guest-Star on Glee
The truth is, there are no bigger gleeks than the cast itself.
"You guys! Our songs are ringtones!" Michele says, peering into her iPhone. She's been looking online to see if she can download the cast's version of "Empire State of Mind," and she's irked that it's not available. Kevin McHale, who plays wheelchair-bound Artie, explains their frustration: The studio initially gives the actors only copies of the songs they record. "We have to trade. Like, I'll tell Amber, 'I'll give you 'Safety Dance' for 'The Boy is Mine.'"
"I blast the songs in my car," McHale says.
Today is an extra good day for the cast, he continues, because they're shooting three musical numbers in the choir room, "so we all get to watch. That doesn't always happen."
When the brass section kicks in to "River Deep, Mountain High," the actors watching the performance on the monitors go wild. Michele bops her head along, mouthing the lyrics and cheering. Later, after Dianna Agron, who plays Quinn, and new cast member Chord Overstreet, who plays new student Sam, perform Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz's "Lucky," Rivera sighs dreamily. "That was so sweet!"
No one seems to mind the long hours that are required to learn and record new songs, rehearse choreography, and shoot the show. Cory Monteith, who plays jock-turned-glee clubber Finn, says "Look at our set, look at what our workday consists of: singing and dancing. It kicks ass."
And it comes with a bonus. "Of course, there's pressure on the new season," Monteith says. "But the show requires so much of us that it becomes a wonderful place to hide. It limits our exposure to the hype. I think this whole experience would be a lot more difficult if I had more free time."
Stoltz, who also directed an episode of Murphy's previous series, Nip/Tuck, has another theory about that. "Remember the Viking ships that would chain the slaves at the bottom to row the galleys? These kids have been chained together for a couple of years and I think they've got Stockholm syndrome. They're in love with their captors."
On the other hand, he also understands them. "We were shooting a mash-up of 'Get Happy' and 'Happy Days Are Here Again,' and I got chills, which is rare for me because I've been around a long time," he says. "But when it does happen, I mean, it's what we live for."
TV Guide