When I first watched Glee, I felt giddy. Unabashedly expressive, darkly humorous...it was an earnest program with a heart.
And yes, I'm talking in past tense. The Hollywood machine ate the show for brunch and bulimically purged it into the pretty mess we now have before us.
Don't get me wrong - I still watch Glee. It contains fine writing, fun characters and strong talent. It just got all glossy and perfect on me. And nowhere is this more apparent than with our darling lead, Rachel.
Lea Michele's "Rachel" is the centerpiece of the show. More than an amazing, almost Streisand-level singer, her acting is endearing and accessible, which is no easy feat, since she plays an annoying character: self-serving, narcisstic and occasionally ruthless. But somehow she pulls it off. Or did.
Apparently, they replaced her with another slimmed down, super polished Hollywood starlet, who looks like yet another machine-made actress, and just doesn't have the same effect on me.
Lea Michele:
Her sexed up and slimmed down replacement:
I wonder if they know each other?
Lea Michele's audition for Glee, before the machine:
Listen, I understand the game: she's in Hollywood, keeping up with her flying star and getting in touch with her "vegan" side. (Back in the day, we used to call it an "eating disorder" - now you can hide behind the healthier guise of "veganism" to slim down without all that stigma.)
And I don't really know if she has an eating disorder (though I think once you hit the borders of LA, one is bestowed upon you, whether you like it or not). But why couldn't they leave well enough alone? Now, Rachel looks like a pre-pubscent stickling on the show. Her warm and inviting face has turned Hollywood hollow.
And of course, like every other female actress, she only has one "stylistic" choice to make: sex up or get out.
When I see so many pouty, preening female celebrities, I wonder if they ever feel silly, playing up sex appeal to almost comical levels. It's like they've been trained to be on the constant verge of an orgasm. That's got to be painful to maintain. Come already.
Hustler-style "sexiness" is de rigeur. Physical imperfection won't be tolerated. The machine is churning, keeping us all on the run, literally. (And by us, I do mean women mainly. If you want to argue that, please send an email to: getargripfool@yahoo.com.) If women remain in a constant, agitated state of insecurity, they're too busy "fixing" themselves to find their real voice.
Rachel was my secret TV heroine. She was supposed to be larger than life, not a waif. I looked up to her, in that fictional, far-off sense. Rachel wouldn't have succumbed to this Hollywood assembly-line pressure.
Or perhaps she would have; Rachel is driven to succeed at all costs. If that's the case, I'll choose to remember Rachel before she made it big and got small.
Though if she gets a nosejob, I'm SO outta here.
One of my favorite performances on Glee:
Here's some more video:
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(Excellent writing as usual!)
However, I never miss anything you write.~r
In the meantime, take a moment to watch the videos I posted. She really is an amazing talent.
Every time I see a "People" magazine in my hairdresser's studio, I don't recognize a single face. That's partly due to my age (I don't care about what's "hot" anymore) but partly due to the fact that all the young "starlets" have the same body, same haircut, same eyebrows, and same plastic surgery. I literally cannot tell them apart on a casual perusal.
I saw one Glee...but find I have no time for tv. I do have time to read though.
R
Great commentary!
It is sad to see so many Hollywood women who are so attractive, but would be even more so if they just gained 20 pounds.
On Glee, I find Jayma Mays (Emma) and Naya Rivera (Santana) even more alarmingly skeleton like. It really takes away from the enjoyment of what is overall a supurb show.
With respect, I completely disagree with this statement. Rachel has shown clearly multiple times her desire and drive to be a "Star." I think it was in the 1st season episode involving the mattress ad that she told the director that outside of some condition or other and posing nude that she would do anything to break into the business.
Yes, Lea Michele's remaking is annoying. But the real shame is that she was ever the centerpiece of Glee.
You say that Lea Michele is an almost Streisant-level singer. She's not. She's got an almost Streisand-quality voice, but she weilds it like a bludgeon. It's painfully embarrassing to watch, and it destroys many opportunities for inspired ensemble singing. Take "Don't Stop Believing," the signature song. Michele hollers over her castmates so aggressively that one has to watch the screen to know who else is singing.
It's a Glee club. Meaning a group of singers harmonizing.
A Streisand-level singer doesn't Scream Real Loud through every number. Michele was given an impressive set of pipes (and now has an impressive set of glutes to match them) but no judgment about how hard to blow them, as it were. And apparently the directors are so cowed by the quality of her instrument (tee hee) that they won't do any musical directing themselves.
So she's skinny, and that's no fun for us Kate Winslet-loving, Oreo-sneaking, Athleta-wearing humans. What's really no fun is that this show could have been a fine introduction to singing for millions of TV viewers who've been battered by Idol. Instead it's Lea Michele hurling decibels at us.
When the revolution comes, Chris Colfer will be the show's centerpiece.
Adequate Parent, more than adequate points, especially the point that this show could have been an introduction to singing on so many levels.
Stim, I did wander whether Rachel would succumb to the pressures. As for getting nude, guess "Rachel" broke that rule (well, semi-nude - look above). Perhaps more accurately, I like Rachel before she made it big and became small.
Leslie, Jennifer Gray - yes. Almost mentioned her. She's unrecognizable...and she had such a sweet, distinctive face. Now, she's oatmeal. Or Carly Simon - sheesh. I watched an interview with her and kept wondering, "Who is this woman?" Didn't even know. That's scary.
Off to tend to chicken in the oven.
more time to think about all this. you make some presumptuous judgements against her. you claim to be in favor of positive body image but you assume that she isnt proud of her body or that the choice to slim down was not her free choice. I think she looks really attractive both before *and* after. it would very much help if you bolstered this with an interview discussing her actual personal reasons for slimming down.
"But why couldn't they leave well enough alone?" who is "they"? the Hollywood Powers that Be? and I thought *I* believed in conspiracy theories, haha.
"And of course, like every other female actress, she only has one "stylistic" choice to make: sex up or get out."
huh? who gave her this choice? you assume someone pressured her to do that. but doesnt that, lacking any further evidence, possibly say more about your personal hangups than the reality of hollywood? it may be true there are other factors, but you certainly enjoy your sarcastic jump to conclusions here. oh well, what else are blogs good for.
"Rachel wouldn't have succumbed to this Hollywood assembly-line pressure."
hmmm, it would help if you actually quoted someone about this supposed pressure. I would argue that its not much different than peer pressure in high school-- voluntary and possibly a fundamental part of culture and not merely intrinsic to hollywood. ie, hollywood is the mirror, not The Man... or whatever.
"Though if she gets a nosejob, I'm SO outta here. "
agree with this wholeheartedly, I tend to dislike plastic surgery, and it would seem you could have made your point better with heidi montag, who clearly has serious personal issues, some clearly self-destructive, in attempting to keep up with the "hollywood machine"
I was watching Firefly last night and looking at Kaylee and thinking, "If that's Jewel Staite after she supposedly gained 30 pounds for the role, how friggin' thin was she before?" Because, honestly, even as Kaylee, Staite was not exactly chubby, if you know what I mean.
Good grief, Hollywood.