Getting Slushied

Getting slushied is commonplace for the members of the Glee club, in the popular tele-series 'Glee'. Many might find it irritating how shakes and slushies are randomly thrown at on the Glee guys and girls in the first and the second seasons of the series, but it is indeed a fun way to represent the bullying stereotypes that almost all of us commonly experience in life, in some form or the other.

Bullying is, in fact, a problem all over. Schools are the breeding grounds and the practice is continued with gusto by the bullies in colleges too, and it gets diversified further, and becomes multi-pronged, multi-dimensional and even multi-participative.

I think, 'Glee' raises a fundamental issue and colors it & exaggerates with fun and banter, and packages it with all the ingredients of mass appeal, but the underlying message is never lost.

In the storyline, the Glee club is shown as the most unpopular group, for having dared to go against the grain, by embracing song & dance, and it is largely the alpha-male student population which targets the club with its extreme bullying antics. The slushying sequences, later, have become nothing short of a trademark for the show and have added spunk to its theme of celebrating one's true self by rising above petty opposition, and by winning over the brute forces through a display of sheer talent & histrionics, getting noticed, and gaining acceptance.

Here, Artie, perceived as the 'dork' in the wheelchair, gets slushied badly.......

.....and, yet, he strongly empathizes with the faith: Be Who You Are, Be Proud!

GLEE - Unleashing the Inner Loser!

"Glee" is the brand new show on Star World that has captured

the imagination of the young and old, in India....

and, especially, here, in Kolkata.

"Glee" is in the musical-drama genre, which itself is a new concept for us,

as far as English language television series is concerned.....

yet, it is something that all of us fed the regular dose of Indian films laden with songs and dances are well acquainted with.

We love the drama, we love the excesses, and we love the deeper conflicts resolved in a naturally liberating manner that has an easy charm.

The series is originally aired, in the United States, on Fox, and the first season had started there last September. But, in India, the series is just about to have the first season finale.

We have woken up late, but with a lot of fervor and glee!

A brief intro for the uninitiated:

The plot focuses on a high school show choir (a modern glee club) called New Directions, at the fictional William McKinley High Schoolin Lima, Ohio.

The show, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, features select music with popular appeal and chart hits. The song covers are essentially sung onscreen by the characters themselves. Choreographed by Zach Woodlee, the show features five to eight production numbers per episode.

There are twelve main roles with star billing. Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester, a Spanish teacher, who becomes director of the glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Jane Lynch plays Sue Sylvester, head coach of the Cheerios cheerleading squad, and the Glee Club's arch-nemesis. Jayma Mays appears as Emma Pillsbury, the school's mysophobic guidance counselor who has feelings for Will, and Jessalyn Gilsig plays Terri Schuester, Will's wife of five years. Lea Michele plays Rachel Berry, talented star of the glee club who is often bullied by the Cheerios and football players. Cory Monteith plays Finn Hudson, star quarterback of the school's football team who risks alienation by his friends to join the glee club. Also in the club are Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones, a fashion-conscious diva who resents having to sing back-up; Colfer as Kurt Hummel—a gay male soprano; Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams, a guitar player and paraplegic; and Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang, an Asian American student with a fake speech impediment.Mark Salling plays Noah Puck Puckerman, a friend of Finn's on the football team who at first disapproves of Finn joining the glee club, but later joins the glee club himself. Dianna Agron plays Quinn Fabray, Finn's cheerleader girlfriend, who too joins the club later.