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[03/13/10 - 07:00 PM]
Live at the Paley Festival: FOX's "Glee"
By Jim Halterman (TFC)

Please note: As a courtesy, please do not reproduce these comments to newsgroups, forums or other online places. Links only please.

7:11 PM - Tonight's archival clip is from another time in the past where music was brought to primetime television in the form of the 1977 series "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour." With the sitcom's cast singing "Hooray for Hollywood" as well as Esther Williams-style water dancers in a pool, it's a shock that it was cancelled after nine episodes. Ok... not much of a shock.

7:19 PM - Paley guru Craig Hitchcock looks as revved up about tonight's "Glee" event as the many squealing Gleeks in the audience. Craig proclaims this night of PaleyFest has the largest audience to date. TV Guide is tonight's host and Craig introduces Editor-In-Chief Debra Birnbaum.

7:21 PM - Debra on why she loves "Glee" - "It's a comedy. It's a musical. It's Jane Lynch." She introduces the director's cut of the next new episode, which doesn't air until April 13. The crowd truly goes wild and is beyond "Glee"-full.

8:09 PM - After the excellent new episode, Debra introduces tonight's moderator, E! Online's Marc Malkin, who calls himself a "big, gay Gleek" and admits to sometimes stalking the cast but with this enthusiastic crowd, nobody is going to fault him.

8:11 PM - Marc introduces tonight's panel - Dante Di Loreto! Ian Brennan! Brad Falchuk! Jonathan Groff! Jessalyn Gilsig! Jenna Ushkowitz! Kevin McHale! Dianna Agron! Mark Salling! Jayma Mays! Chris Colfer! Amber Riley! Cory Monteith! Jane Lynch! Matthew Morrison! Ryan Murphy!

8:15 PM - Marc asks where did the idea for "Glee" come from. Ryan surprised FOX executives by saying he wanted to follow up his dark series "Nip/Tuck" with a family musical. Ian had written a feature script called "Glee" which was dark but they rewrote the version for television and it's the "Glee" we all know and love today.

8:17 PM - "We are going to do an episode during the second season that has original music. We are going to do that." - Ryan on changing up from only doing cover songs on the show.

8:19 PM - In finding the cast, Ryan reveals that despite getting more known performers they wanted to do something to discover people. "We found a large number of the cast in New York. Everybody who auditioned had to act, sing and dance... they were all so moving." Ryan also reveals that Sue Sylvester was written especially for Jane Lynch.

8:21 PM - "I don't think you can compare them. They are two different beasts." - Matthew Morrison on comparing the work on Broadway to work on "Glee."

8:23 PM - Ian on the challenges working with the censors: "The censors actually work for you. The Broadcast Practice and Standards are actually on your side and they want to guide you... they're actually trying to protect you from the groups that are going to boycott you. They're actually not the bad guys."

8:25 PM - Ryan on how they got Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Lead singer Steve Perry got behind the script and said yes. In fact, everybody has said yes except for a few notables like Coldplay and, oddly, Bryan Adams. "The past six months have been totally different," Ryan adds due to the popularity of the show and the two soundtracks.

8:27 PM - Marc says that Neil Diamond actually tweeted after the show used "Sweet Caroline" in a recent episode. (Yes, Neil Diamond is watching "Glee!")

8:28 PM - Chris Colfer reveals that he auditioned for the role of Artie but Ryan ended up writing the role of Kurt especially for him. One weird thing for Chris since the show hit? "A lot of people that weren't so nice to you claim to have been your best friend which I found fascinating because I don't forget easily."

8:30 PM - Marc said everyone on Twitter wants to know about whether Puck and Rachel will get back together and Ryan promises they will but that Puck will remain the bad boy so don't expect things to go smoothly... and fans can expect him to have an affair with every lady on the show.

8:31 PM - Kevin admits that he loves his wheelchair and gets up and dances as soon as the cameras turn off. Ryan says that of all the numbers on the show, the "Proud Mary" number with the cast in wheelchairs is the one he is most proud of. "It's my favorite episode so far," he adds.

8:33 PM - The Madonna episode is coming! Why Madonna? "When she first came out I was 17 years old and in many ways she's been the soundtrack for my life," says Ryan, who also said they got everything they wanted and there will be 10 Madonna songs in the upcoming episode.

8:35 PM - Jane does "Vogue" in that episode. "I started rehearsing this dance in December," she reveals, "because it takes me 10 rehearsals more than the normal person." Shot in black and white, Jane is joined by Amber and Chris in the sequence. After she's finished probably giving too much information, Jane looks to Ryan, "Was that too much?" He shrugs and says, "That's okay."

8:37 PM - Marc remembers he forgot to mention that Lea Michele couldn't make it tonight but sends her best to all the fans who showed up.

8:38 PM - Jonathan, who worked with Lea in Broadway's "Spring Awakening," on joining the cast - "I guess you don't know what to expect when you come onto a show, especially a show that has been as successful and a phenomenon as this one... everyone on this show is so hard-working and genuine and has passion and has their feet firmly connected to the ground."

8:40 PM - Ryan reveals that Kurt will have a boyfriend coming up this season. Chris only asks, "Please don't let him be better looking than me."

8:41 PM - Ryan on what Kurt stands for in the show: "I'm not interested in seeing [Kurt] be gay bashed. I'm not interested in seeing him being picked on. I'm interested in him winning, and him being popular and him being a survivor and him being a role model to so many gay kids who watch that show and who see that character and say 'I can be that.'"

8:42 PM - Matthew and guest star Neil Patrick Harris will be singing two duets together in an upcoming episode - one from Aerosmith and one from Billy Joel.

8:44 PM - On her fans feeling compelled to tell her their issues due to her multiple-issued character, Jayma says, "They ask me to take pictures with me and say 'Oh, can you pretend like you don't want to touch me in this picture?'"

8:45 PM - On being evil as she is in a particular scene from the episode screened tonight, Jessalyn says, "I will make a meal out of any evil moment. I absolutely adore it."

8:46 PM - "We're going to do an episode about theatricality. It's not a full-on tribute like to Madonna but in a different way... she's arguably the most important pop artist right now so it makes sense for us to do her. We reached out to her and she said 'Yes.'" - Ryan on using Lady Gaga's music in an upcoming episode.

8:47 PM - "It was the best 'no' that I've ever gotten in my life because it made me work harder." - Amber on her rejection from auditioning for producers on "American Idol." (She says she didn't even get so far as auditioning for Simon Cowell.)

8:50 PM - Marc asks what other minority groups Ryan wants to feature and he says that he doesn't really target any particular groups or people but just come up with stories. "It's not specific, it's more organic than that."

8:51 PM - "What made Sue so damn terrible?" Ryan said he and the writers thought about it and "I think we came up with the idea of her having a handicapped sister and having to raise that sister and the taunts and torments and popular people going after you and I think when Jane did that scene I think you saw the character in a new light and you got maybe five more episodes of terrible action because you knew there was a pain beneath that."

8:53 PM - Q & A time. Ryan is asked if people come up to him and break out into song and he answers, "Pretty much every day." Ryan does say that there will soon be a website for people to upload auditions and they will pull 2-3 from there for the show next season.

8:56 PM - Ryan is asked if he picks the song first, then writes a story around it. "Sometimes, not always. There are a couple of songs that I've definitely done on the show - like 'Rose's Turn' for Chris, I did it for Lea Michele for 'Don't Rain On My Parade. 'I did it for Jane with 'Vogue.'" He adds that 95% of the time, however, it starts with the theme, then story, then song.

8:58 PM - "Is Julia coming?" asks Chris eagerly when a fan asks if Julia Roberts (who Ryan just directed in the film version of "Eat, Pray, Love") will make an appearance on the show. "I don't know if Julia's going to do it," Ryan answers.

8:59 PM - Ryan admits that he's had to say no to a lot of "American Idol" contestants and not just from this past year but from the past 4-5 seasons. Ryan says he doesn't say no but wants to see them on tape.

9:00 PM - A fan suggests pairing up Kurt's dad and Finn's mom and Ryan says they already shot an episode. "Kurt masterminds their parents getting together so he can move in with Finn."

9:02 PM - Ryan reveals that the "Glee" tour was originally only going to be 3 concerts but as they sold out, they added more. He reveals that they just added another Los Angeles tour date and it sold out in 22 seconds. Wow.

9:04 PM - Matthew and Jane look at each other with surprise when Ryan says that they will somehow be a part of the tour.

9:06 PM - A teacher stands up and thanks the show for profiling teachers. Matthew talks about a favorite English teacher and the porcelain wiener dog he took from his classroom. He says that viewers can see that same wiener dog in his classroom on the show and it's a dedication to that teacher.

9:07 PM - Kristen Chenoweth will be back for another episode in this upcoming new crop of first season episodes. On working with her, Matthew says "She's such a pro and she's such a sweet girl and she always just brings it every single take even when the camera is not on her."

9:08 PM - That's a wrap, folks. One more PaleyFest 2010 event to go so check back tomorrow for Brian's coverage of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."





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· GLEE (FOX)
· PALEY CENTER (TFC)





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