The recent season finale for Glee was a trip back through McKinley High for the graduating seniors.  Kurt, Quinn, Finn, Rachel and Puck, in particular, got to take a journey through their high school careers as they prepared to step in to their futures.

Kurt got a blast from the past when his father stopped by the school to give him an "I love you, son" speech and launch into a performance of "Single Ladies" with Tina and Brittany, which he first saw Kurt himself performing back in season 1.

Even Mr. Schue got in on the reminiscing action, recalling the impact he has had on the kids - and vice versa - since he first took over the glee club back in the pilot episode.  To that end, he sang them a slow-paced version of "Forever Young".

The graduating seniors also took the time to say goodbye to their underclassmen glee club members, belting out a performance of "You Get What You Give".  At the end of the episode, Finn (who didn't get into school in New York) decided to send Rachel off to NYADA on her own.  Instead of letting her remain home for another year to help him and Kurt get into school, Finn refused to let her delay her dream, putting her on a train bound for New York.  Since he also told her that they had to delay the wedding so that she could head to the big apple, she belted out a sad performance of "Roots Before Branches".

Watch the full performances of these four songs from the Glee finale below and use the arrows above to browse through photos from the finale.  For more details on the season finale, click here for our recap.  Glee will return in the fall on Fox, but will be moving to Thursday nights.

Glee: Watch Performances from the Finale ('Single Ladies', 'Forever Young', 'Roots Before Branches' & More)

The graduating seniors said goodbye to McKinley High in the Glee season 3 finale.  But before that happened, most of the seniors got a chance to reflect on their time at the school and announce their plans for the future.

Kurt got a nice pep talk from his father, who decided to re-enact Kurt's hilarious "Single Ladies" performance from season 1.  Burt Hummel is basically the perfect father.  Mercedes and Sam got an opportunity to celebrate her future.  After Sam posted that video of her singing on YouTube, she announced that an indie record label had signed her on as a back-up singer.  She's heading to Los Angeles to try her hand at becoming a professional singer, while also taking classes at UCLA in her spare time.  Mike Chang announced that he got a last-minute scholarship to school in Chicago.

Santana didn't want to go to Kentucky, preferring to head to New York to try for fame, just like Mercedes.  At first, her mother insisted that she head to college, giving her an opportunity that she never had.  Later, her mother presented her with a huge lump of money that she had been saving for years, telling her that she should pursue her dream in New York.  Unfortunately - and unsurprisingly - Brittany wasn't graduating.  Her abysmal grades means that she'll be sticking around McKinley for at least another year.

Quinn spent her last few days at school looking to the future, instead of her past.  But she took the time to help Puck with his test, telling him that she still cares for him as her "first".  With her help - and his renewed determination - he passed his test and was able to graduate with the rest of his classmates.

Finn, Kurt and Rachel all opened up their letters from their schools together.  In a rather surprising twist of events, both Finn and Kurt were sorely disappointed, not having been accepted into the Actor's Studio and NYADA, respectively.  But Rachel, after botching her first audition, got accepted to NYADA.

Rachel realized that she had gotten everything she wanted from high school: prom queen, marrying the quarterback and heading to Broadway.  But she was devastated about Finn and Kurt's rejections, so she decided to defer her acceptance for a year to give both of them a chance to reapply.  She's determined for the three of them to head to New York together.  But Finn refused to let her make that choice, telling her that she needed to go to school in New York in the fall.  Further, he loved her so much that he wanted to set her free, telling her that they needed to postpone their marriage.  In order to help redeem his father's legacy, he decided to join the army.  Rachel was devastated, but Finn was insistent that if they were meant to be together, they would be in due time.  Finn's choice - and Rachel's reaction - is probably my favorite moment of Glee in a long time.

In the end, after the entire glee club turned up to bid Rachel goodbye, she arrived in New York, ready to start the next chapter of her life.

The fourth season of Glee will premiere in the fall and will be moving to Thursday nights.

Glee Season 3 Finale: A Look Back at McKinley High and Plans for the Future

Over the course of its three seasons, Glee has rightfully received both great amounts of praise and criticism from numerous television reviewers around the web. Glee is a tough television program to categorize; it's part musical, part comedy (mostly coming from Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester), part teen soap, and part PSA (according to some). The show's shifts in moods and tones from not only week to week but also throughout a single episode's different storylines give certain TV critics whiplash. How can a show that has so many absurd and ridiculous moments (Sue's suggestion of using "little people" as props in the first episode of last Tuesday night's two hour Glee event is a great example) also tackle big issues such as domestic abuse or teen suicide? In my honest opinion (full disclosure, I have always been an avid fan of this show), I think it tackles this problem (for the most part) pretty well. There are times when Glee can come off too preachy or appear to be talking about a serious situation in a silly manner, but a lot of the times I feel like Glee gets it right. However, my love and respect for Glee doesn't stem from its quirky sense of humor or its decision to face difficult social topics. The reason this show connects with me (and so many others, I believe) is because of its ability to authentically convey true emotions from its high school characters in an honest and relatable way. Despite the wackiness of Sue Sylvester's one-liners or the importance of specific messages that the creators want to share with their audience, Glee's greatest strength resides in its characters' struggle to deal with their fears, desires, and dreams, and nowhere has this been more evident than in Glee's third season.

Before the beginning of Glee's third year, the creators of the series vowed to limit the number of guest stars and tribute episodes and instead truly return the focus of the show to its main characters, specifically the seniors that would be graduating at the end of the season. While there has still been celebrity guest spots (I thought Ricky Martin was kind of "meh" but I loved Matt Bomer as Blaine's older brother, Cooper) and musical tributes to certain albums or artists (I thoroughly enjoyed "Saturday Night Glee-ver" while "Michael" and "Dance With Somebody" were also decent), Glee's main creative team of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan have remained true to their word of putting the show's spotlight on the seniors and their emotions during their final year. We've felt joy with Quinn as she was accepted into Yale or pain with Rachel as she choked during her NYADA audition. We've felt the confusion of Finn as he attempted to discover what his dreams would be for after high school and the struggle and sadness of Puck as he fights to graduate, despite his poor grades. This season Glee has reopened our eyes and hearts to these characters as they lament the end of their high school careers, leaving the safe confines of the choir room to go and face the great unknown that is their future. The emotion pours out on the screen (the actors, specifically, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Chris Colfer, and, recently, Mark Salling, have done fantastic jobs portraying these characters) , and each little moment that these seniors get to spend with their fellow glee clubbers is like a little treasure that they cherish. Even in the cooky and insane universe that they have have created, the Glee writers have found a way to tap into the raw and real emotionality of high school, where each performance is like a moment on Broadway and every relationship feels like it will last a lifetime.

Last Tuesday night's two episode Glee event put these genuine high school feelings on display again, as the ragtag group of misfits went to Chicago for Nationals and came back as the winners that they had so desperately wanted to be since Glee's pilot. Both episodes, "Props" and "Nationals," continued to illustrate the struggles of Rachel, as she attempted to convince Carmen Thibodeaux (Whoopi Goldberg) to give her a second chance at her NYADA dreams, and Puck, as he endured an emotional breakdown in the locker room with Coach Beiste, a heartbreaking scene that may have been Mark Salling's best work on Glee to date.

However, by the end of the two hours, both Rachel and Puck had made progress in the face of their difficult circumstances and basked in the glow of their victory at Nationals, which concluded with a rousing and touching performance of Queen's "We Are the Champions." The success and achievement that Rachel, Puck, and the entire glee club feel during those closing moments of the episode quell any fears or concerns about the future, representing another truthful aspect of high school life. As a student, you may have an overwhelming amount of obligations and pressures awaiting you the next day, but as long as you're able to spend a couple moments smiling and celebrating with your best friends, the challenges of tomorrow just fade into the background. Tonight Glee airs its season finale, "Goodbye," which will finally have the seniors graduating after a great season of buildup. There is no doubt that the world of Glee will be different next season, but as long as the series is able to produce moments as emotionally authentic and satisfying as it did in its two episodes last Tuesday night, Glee will ensure that I "Don't Stop Believin'" in it any time soon.

Glee: Why Season Three Has Hit All the Right (Emotional) Notes

The Glee season 3 finale will be airing this week and, with it, comes graduation.

A lot of the Glee cast acknowledges the bittersweet sadness that came with filming the finale, which marks the last time for New Directions all together in the choir room.

Recently, Ryan Murphy addressed the concern of what would happen to the graduating characters in season 4.  According to Vulture, "We had a meeting, and you know we've become like a family, and I said to them, 'Anybody who wants to stay on the show will stay on the show,'" he said. "They're all coming back.  Anyone who is a regular is coming back. Everyone said yes."   That doesn't necessarily mean that all of the characters will be back for the entire season, however.  There's no concrete plan yet how long they will last on the show or how many episodes the characters will appear in.

Before we even think about season 4, we still have to get through graduation this week.  And the season finale will include a lot of songs about looking back and moving forward.  The song list includes:

-"Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
-"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen
-"I'll Remember" by Madonna
-"In My Life" by The Beatles (not below)
-"You Get What You Give" by New Radicals
-"Not the End" by The So Manys
-"Roots Before Branches" by Room for Two

Listen to the songs below for the season finale of Glee, airing on May 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee: Listen to the Songs from the Season 3 Finale "Graduation"

In a fitting send-off for the third season of Glee, New Directions won Nationals in this week's penultimate episode.  Next week marks the season finale and everyone seems to know that this is the end of an era.

With a group of seniors graduating from McKinley High, we have to wonder which characters will be leaving the show for good.  Based on some preliminary spoilers for season 4, we also know that the graduating seniors who will be sticking around for next season will be heading to New York and will continue to have their stories featured on the show.  But the finale marks the last time that this group will be singing together in the choir room, prompting quite a few of the actors on the show to shed a few tears.

In next week's finale, members of New Directions prepare to say goodbye to McKinley High, and Gloria Estefan drops by for a cameo appearance as Santana's mother.  Songs for the episode include:

-"I Was Here" by Beyonce
-"I'll Remember" by Madonna
-"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen
-"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day

Watch a behind the scenes look at the Glee season 3 finale (airing on May 22) below and use the arrows above to browse through photos for the episode.

Glee Season Finale Sneak Peek & Photos: The End of an Era

It took three seasons of Glee, but New Directions finally won Nationals!

Fox aired a special two-hour episode of Glee this week.  The first hour showed the lead-up to Nationals.  Still bummed about her failed NYADA audition, Rachel kept trying to convince Carmen Thibodeaux to come see her perform at Nationals.  Meanwhile, Tina expressed her frustration at constantly being passed over for other members of New Directions, particularly Rachel.  But after hitting her head on a mall fountain and imagining the members of the glee club as each other, she decided to push her jealousy aside and really helped Rachel convince Carmen to see her perform.

Then it was off to Nationals, where New Directions once against faced off against Vocal Adrenaline (and Jesse St. James).  After performing "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", among other songs, it was time to crown a winner.  Thanks to a little help from judges Lindsay Lohan and Perez Hilton, New Directions finally took home a trophy (and Carmen just happened to see Rachel's performance).

Back home at McKinley High, the glee club was finally celebrated as champions, and Figgins had a surprise for Will: he was crowned Teacher of the Year.  Rachel's future is still uncertain, but she's determined to make it in New York regardless.

The season 3 finale of Glee will be airing next week on May 22.  It's graduation time at McKinley High.  Which graduating seniors will be departing the show?  Watch a preview below for the season finale.

Glee: Did New Directions Win Nationals? Plus, First Look at the Season Finale

With the announcement of Fox's 2012-2013 primetime schedule (read it here) that sees Glee moving to Thursday nights, the network has also spilled a few details on what we can expect for season 4, premiering in the fall.

Graduating Seniors. Some fans have been concerned about what might be happening to the senior class graduates at the end of the year.  Will they leave the show?  Will the writers find a way to keep them in Ohio?  Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly shed some light on what's in store for them in season 4.  Apparently, Glee will go the show-within-a-show route and have a handful of the graduating seniors move to New York to attend a performing arts school.  Glee will still be set in Ohio, and those scenes will revolve around a group of new high school students (who will be announced over the summer).  If we had to guess, our money would be on Rachel, Finn and Kurt moving to New York and remaining on the show.

New Guest Stars. The days of "no high-profile guest stars" are over (although, were they every really on to begin with?).  Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker will be appearing in season 4 in a multi-episode role.  Meanwhile, Kate Hudson has also signed on for six episodes.  There are no further details about their characters at this time.

A new episode of Glee airs on May 15.  Watch sneak peeks for the special two-hour episode here.

Glee Season 4 Details: What Happens to the Graduates? Plus, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kate Hudson to Guest Star

Fox is gifting Glee fans with a special two-hour episode next week that includes body-swapping, hallucinations, Lindsay Lohan and Nationals.

We begin next week with a rather unusual episode.  Tina bumps her head and imagines each member of New Directions as one of their fellow members.  Blaine is now Puck, Tina is Rachel, and Will and Sue have switched places with one another.  Let's hope there's a lot of good-natured jokes about the different characters when another actor steps into their shoes.

After they manage to get the body-swapping problem fixed, the kids start singing their way to Nationals.  This is it, folks...the last time all the current members of New Directions might compete together.  With graduation looming, we hope that the glee club can finally come out with a win.

Here's a list of the songs for this two-hour episode:

-"I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz
-"Because You Loved Me"
-"Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Ca
-"The Edge of Glory" by CLady Gaga
-"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion
-"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf
-"Starships" by Nicki Minaj
-"Pinball Wizard" by The Who
-"We Are the Champions" by Queen
-"Tongue Tied"

Below is a clip featuring Rachel and Tina signing "What a Feeling", as well as a behind the scenes look at the episode.

Don't miss a two-hour episode of Glee on May 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  Browse through photos for the episode here.

Glee Sneak Peek: New Directions Sings Their Way to Nationals in a Two-Hour Episode

A special two-hour episode of Glee will be airing next week for the season finale and, with Nationals, hallucinations, graduation and Lindsay Lohan, it's sure to be a wild ride.

Here's what we can expect from the episodes:  "As the countdown to graduation continues, the kids of New Directions prepare a high-concept routine for Nationals. When Tina bumps her head, the world of New Directions is turned upside down in her eyes. Then, the New Directions perform at Nationals for celebrity judge Lindsay Lohan (guest-starring as herself).

The body-swapping episode looks to be hilarious, but do you think the glee club will finally - finally - win Nationals this year?  And which graduating seniors do you think will be leaving the show?

Use the arrows above to browse through photos for the two-hour episode of Glee, airing on May 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Photos: Lindsay Lohan, Body-Swapping, Nationals and More!

Last year's prom episode of Glee ended with a rather cruel joke played on Kurt, so here's hoping that this year's prom - the last one for many of the graduating class - will be a better one.

This special episode of Glee takes place on May 8 and it looks like the glee club will once again be performing at the school dance.  Brittany takes her class president title seriously and kicks into high gear to help organize the prom celebrations.  But after the prom king and queen nominations are announced, the campaigns really heat up.  Things get complicated when some of the outcast kids start planning a rival celebration.

The rumored song list for this episode includes:

-"Love You Like a Love Song" by Selena Gomez & the Scene
-"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
-"Take My Breath Away"
-"Big Girls Don't Cry"
-"Dinosaur"

Use the arrows above to browse through photos for the May 8 episode of Glee, airing at 8:00 p.m ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Photo Preview: McKinley High Celebrates Prom

Glee is paying tribute to Whitney Houston in this week's episode.  Last week the McKinley High glee club did a disco-themed episode, singing everything from the Bee Gees to KC and the Sunshine Band as the kids strutted their stuff in white disco suits.  This week, the show is honoring the recently deceased singer.

Naya Rivera explains that the episode is also "helping us cope with the fact that we are graduating and things will be different."  The students aren't the only ones having trouble imagining life after high school.  It seems that the adults in their lives are also having trouble letting go.  The song list for the episode includes:

-"How Will I Know"
-"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
-"Saving All My Love for You"
-"So Emotional"
-"It's Not Right but It's Okay"
-"I Have Nothing"
-"My Love Is Your Love"

Below is a terrific performance by Rachel, Britney, Kurt and Mercedes of "How Will I Know", followed by the full length versions of the other songs.  In addition, Fox has put together a behind the scenes sneak peek.

Don't miss an all new episode of Glee on April 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee: Listen to the Songs from "Dance With Somebody". Plus, Watch a Sneak Peek

In this week's Glee, Mr. Schue used disco as a way to help some of the directionless kids figure out their dreams.  Singling out Mercedes, Santana and Finn as three kids who didn't really have a future plan, he asked them to figure out what they wanted to do after graduation.  Mercedes wants to be a musical legend and Sam helped her take the first step by posting one of her performances on YouTube.  Santana originally wanted to be famous, but Britney and Sue helped her get a scholarship to university, which will give her more time to figure out what she wants to pursue.  Finally, Finn decided he wanted to be an actor and will be accompanying Rachel to New York and applying for the Actor's Studio.  Jonathan Groff also returned very briefly as Jesse St. James, the Vocal Adrenaline coach, but he was cheated, because his appearance was far too short for such a fun guest star.

In the upcoming April 24 episode of Glee, the McKinley High glee club will be paying tribute to Whitney Houston.  While the kids honor the recently deceased legend, Will and Emma get closer to their wedding.

Watch a preview below for the April 24 episode of Glee, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Preview: The Glee Kids Pay Tribute to Whitney Houston

Glee is going disco on the upcoming April 17 episode, appropriately titled "Saturday Night Glee-ver".  At the beginning of the episode, Will seems frustrated about what assignment to give the kids that week, so he confers with Sue.  She remembers his previous challenge about singing songs from a specific album and suggests the album that "defined a generation": Saturday Night Fever.

Will loves the album, but is hesitant to assign it to the kids because, according to him, "they hate disco".  Kids these days, huh?  To combat that problem, Sue cleverly reminds Will that the kids are crazies for freebies and swag, so if he can come up with a good enough prize, she's sure they'll even sing disco.

Sue's idea seems to work, because the glee club is breaking out the Bee Gees in no time.  The song list for the episode includes:

-The Bee Gees' "You Should be Dancing"
-The Tramps' "Disco Inferno"
-The Bee Gees' "Night Fever"
-Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You"
-The Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love"
-KC & the Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes"
-The Bee Gees' "More Than a Woman"
-The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive"

Watch the full performances below for "Disco Inferno" and "You Should be Dancing", as well as a sneak peek with Will and Sue. You can listen to the full versions of all of the other songs.

Don't miss a new episode of Glee on Tuesday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Sneak Peeks: Watch and Listen to All of the Songs from "Saturday Night Glee-ver"!

Matt Bomer dropped by this week's Glee for a fun guest appearance as Blaine's older brother, Cooper Anderson.  A moderately successful actor, Cooper was constantly critical of Blaine, which prompted Blaine to sing out all of his frustration, of course.

Meanwhile, we learned the outcome of Quinn's accident: her spine was compressed and she's now in a wheelchair.  She indicated that she has some feeling in her lower body and hopes that with enough physical therapy she might make a full recovery.  Until then, she has Artie to school her about life in a wheelchair.  But Artie was trying hard to get Quinn used to living the rest of her life in a wheelchair in case it comes to that, although that's not a lesson she really wants to learn right now.

Sue also learned that she was having a daughter, but also found out that her fetus had some irregularities.

On April 17, Glee goes back to the 1970s to honor the disco period, complete with multiple tributes to the Bee Gees.

Watch a preview below for the April 17th episode of Glee, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Preview: McKinley High Goes Disco in "Saturday Night Glee-ver"

Glee returns with eight new episodes in a row beginning on April 10.  Matt Bomer will be guest starring in the April 10 episode as Blaine's brother (listen to the songs), but then it's back-to-back tribute episodes.

The April 17 episode of Glee, titled "Saturday Night Glee-ver", will pay homage to the disco era, with the McKinley glee club singing the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band, among others.  In fact, the rumored song list for the episode is said to include:

-"Night Fever", Bee Gees
-"Disco Inferno", The Trammps
-"Stayin' Alive", Bee Gees
-"Boogie Shoes", KC and the Sunshine Band
-"If I Can't Have You", Yvonne Elliman
-"You Should Be Dancing", Bee Gees
-"How Deep is Your Love", Bee Gees

According to the Fox press release for the April 17 episode, Jonathan Groff is set to guest star as Jesse St. James.

The April 24 episode, titled "Dance With Somebody", features the glee club paying tribute to the recently deceased Whitney Houston by performing covers of her songs.

Use the arrows above to browse through photos for the April 17 and April 24 episodes of Glee, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Glee Photos: The McKinley Glee Club Covers the Bee Gees and Whitney Houston

Glee finally returns from its long winter hiatus on April 10, with eight all new episodes in a row.  In this week's episode, titled "Big Brother", Matt Bomer guest stars as Cooper Anderson, Blaine's older brother.  A handsome actor, Cooper seems to have some serious sibling rivalry with Blaine that they, of course, express through song.  We've already seen the duo do a terrific performance of "Somebody That I Used to Know" (watch it here) and now we have the full-length versions of all the songs from this week's Glee.

The song list includes:

-"Hungry Like a Wolf" / "Rio" from Duran Duran
-"Somebody That I Used to Know" from Gotye (already posted)
-"Fighter" from Christina Aguilera
-"Up Up Up" from Givers
-"I'm Still Standing" from Elton John

This week's episode also includes "Senior Ditch Day", which sees the glee club singers skipping school for a day at the amusement park.

Listen to all of the songs below from the April 10 return of Glee, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  You can also use the arrows above to browse through a few more photos for the episode.

Did you also hear the news that Glee has been renewed for a fourth season?  Fox made the announcement today!

Glee: Listen to All the Songs From "Big Brother"!

Glee returns from its winter hiatus on April 10 with eight new episodes in a row, leading up to graduation.  In the next episode, titled "Big Brother", Matt Bomer will be making a guest appearance as Blaine's older brother, Cooper Anderson.  Unfortunately, the boys have a bit of a contentious - although loving - relationship, and Cooper's appearance at McKinley High isn't necessarily welcome by Blaine.

"It was great to suddenly find myself in their sandbox and in the choir room.  I feel like being a fan of the show helped me to jump into the world a bit easier than if I had never seen it before," Matt Bomer confessed.  Together, the brothers will sing Gotye's "Somebody I Used to Know" and Fox has already released the full length video of the performance.

Watch the performance of "Somebody I used to Know" and a behind the scenes look at the episode below.  Don't forget to tune into an all new Glee on Tuesday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  You can also watch a preview and browse through photos for the episode here.

Glee Sneak Peek: Matt Bomer and Darren Criss Sing 'Somebody I Used to Know'

There's been a lot of news about Glee today.  After learning that Whoopi Goldberg will be making a multi-episode guest appearance, and Lindsay Lohan is in talks to play herself at Nationals (read more), Fox has also released new promotional materials for the upcoming April 10 return of Glee.

When the show returns in two weeks, we'll be treated to eight episodes in a row, counting down to both the season 3 finale and graduation.  From the promo below, we can assume a few things:

-Matt Bomer plays a cool and charismatic Hollywood star named Cooper, who also happens to be the older brother of Blaine.
-Quinn seems to have survived the car crash, since you can see hear clearly in the rehearsal room towards the end of the episode.
-The boys appear in Saturday Night Fever white suits for a tribute to the Bee Gees.
-The Glee Project co-winner Samuel Larsen will be back.
-Will Rachel and Finn be dropping their after-graduation plans and heading to California?

Watch a new promo below for Glee and tune into the spring premiere on April 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  Use the arrows above to browse through photos for the episode.

Glee Preview & Photos: Matt Bomer Guest Stars When the Show Returns in April!

Two pieces of casting news was announced for Glee today.  The first concerns Whoopi Goldberg.  According to TVLine, Whoopi has been cast for a multi-episode arc later this season.  She'll play Carmen Tibideaux, a professor at New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NYADA) who travels to McKinley High to audition Kurt and Rachel for the school.  She'll be appearing in three episodes beginning on May 1.  Her role is sure to be part of an important story that will decide Kurt and Rachel's location for next season.

TVLine is also reporting that Lindsay Lohan is in final negotiations to appear in an upcoming episode of Glee as herself.  Apparently she's being tapped to play a celebrity judge at Nationals, much like Olivia Newton John and Josh Groban have done on the show.

Glee is set to return from its winter hiatus on April 10 and will end its third season on May 22.  When the show returns in two weeks, Matt Bomer will be appearing as Blaine's older brother, Cooper, who also happens to be a big-shot Hollywood actor.

Glee Casting News: Whoopi Goldberg and Lindsay Lohan to Guest Star

BIO Channel presents Glee: Don't Stop Believing, an in-depth look behind the hit show that has won the hearts of millions of people around the world.

From concept to casting to never-before-told stories from production, Glee: Don't Stop Believing delivers an hour of insider information that every Gleek is dying to know.

Viewers are taken on a journey from Glee's humble beginning as a darkly humorous film script to its unlikely explosion onto primetime.

Against all odds, the TV phenomenon has successfully modernized the musical for television audiences of all ages and revolutionized the music industry.

With the totally relatable characters portrait by a multi-talented cast, Glee changed television forever.

BIO will provide a unique look at the show’s evolution with inside accounts from cast members including Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Jayma Mays, Chris Colfer, Dianna Agron, Jenna Ushkowitz, Darren Criss and Mike O'Malley as well as Creators/Executive Producers Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk.

Glee: Don't Stop Believing is produced for BIO by Screaming Flea Productions and will air on April 10 at 9/8c, with an encore presentation at 10/9c.

Glee returns that same night at 8/7c on FOX with a brand new episode.

Glee Official Site

BIO Channel to Air Behind-the-Scenes Special: Glee: Don't Stop Believing

You know what’s worrisome?  The fact that we’re more than halfway through the third season of Glee and I’m still not entirely certain what this show is about, or what it’s trying to accomplish.  Maybe it’s just me, maybe despite the fact that I have watched every single episode since the pilot aired many years ago on that May night, I just don’t get it.  But given the critical backlash against Glee for a long while now, perhaps I’m not the only one.

I just don’t understand how we went from a fun and hopeful pilot to a mid season 3 cliff-hanger consisting of Quinn getting hit by a car while texting and driving.  Here’s what I understood as the theme of the show when it first started: a group of highschool misfits and outsiders come together to find empowerment and friendship through the shared medium of song.  It’s a bit clinical, but that’s essentially what the first season was about.  Back then, the show was rather silly.  You had the football jocks joining up with the drama geeks and creating some rather spectacular musical numbers.  You even had a wife who was only pretending to be pregnant to hold on to her husband.  Silly, right?  But who cared?  Because it was fun.

What happened to Glee after that first season is rather the same thing that happened to the NBC show, Heroes.  The problem that Glee and Heroes faced is that they were a victim of their own success.  Before Glee’s first season was ever concluded, the show was everywhere.  The kids were singing at the White House and concert tours were planned and merchandise was being released at a furious pace.  Basically, Glee got too big, too fast.  And when the show returned for its second season, it got bogged down in confusing storylines and became something else entirely.  Well, maybe that’s not a fair statement, because the truth is that Glee has always been one of the most inconsistent shows on television in terms of tone and consistency.  From one episode to the next the personalities of the characters can change, as can the quality of the storylines.  This seemed, at the time, to be a result of a team of three writers/producers who each had different versions of the show and the characters.  The only thing that doesn’t change is the quality of its musical numbers (which I typically enjoy, enough that I actually own all of the CDs for the show).

Along the way Glee also decided to become a platform for important teenage and societal issues.  Let me be clear, a lot of the issues that Glee has covered are very important.  The persecution and rights of gay teenagers (and gay adults, for that matter) is an important topic.  Bullying is also a real problem and serious discussion of these topics should be happening.  But the problem with Glee is that it doesn’t always know how to present these serious issues in a way that doesn’t make them seem trivialized.  Let me be clear about another thing: this is not a critique of the acting on the show.  I think that Chris Colfer is often brilliant as Kurt and the things he’s had to go through.  I think that Max Adler gave a very moving performance as Karofsky in this week’s winter finale of Glee.  These actors do the very best with the material that they’re given and they really pull it off very well.

No, the problem with Glee was demonstrated perfectly in this week’s winter finale.  After getting outed and bullied at school Karofsky attempted suicide.  It’s a terrible choice for any person to make, made all the more worse by the fact that he used to bully Kurt until he realized how much pain he had caused when he realized that he, himself, was gay.  The scene with Karofsky laying out his suit while Darren Criss belted in the background was incredibly moving.  The incredibly brief scene where his father screamed while trying to revive him was heartbreaking.

But then everything got shot to Hell when the show beat all of us over the head with the importance of this message while trivializing it by putting it in an episode that was supposed to be about a singing competition between two rival teams.  Make no mistake, that singing competition still happened.   It wasn’t cancelled out of respect for what happened, despite the fact that everyone was apparently upset about Karofsky.  No, instead, Sebastian decided to use this opportunity for the quickest about-face in the history of television and the glee clubs decided to use Regionals as a message of inspiration and hope.

Then New Directions sang a song where the chorus contained the words "what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger".  After Karofsky tried to kill himself.  That song is more about going through hard times and emerging victorious on the other side.  But what that song’s lyrics did was seem to trivialize attempted suicide.  Is Karofsky supposed to be happy that his recent troubles didn’t actually kill him, which means it can only make him stronger?   My reaction to the manner in which that song was used was so visceral I could barely contain it.  If they wanted the message of that song to shine through they should have slowed it down (much like they did with "Poker Face") and turned it into a serious moment. Instead, everyone was bouncing around on the stage and in their seats, cheering.  It was such an opposing moment from the quiet reflection of Kurt while visiting Karofsky in the hospital that it seems inconceivable that these two scenes took place in the same episode.

What is the point of bringing up these particular scenes?  Because it’s a classic example of how Glee tries to be a PSA, a fun musical, and a show about outsiders, relationships and silly high school "drama" all at the same time.  Often times, it tries to be all of those things in the same episode.  Not only was the winter finale about Karofsky and Regionals, but Rachel and Finn’s ill-advised wedding was thrown in there for good measure.  Oh yeah, and the last few moments of the show were a message about how you shouldn’t text and drive because Quinn did and then got hit by a car while trying to make it to the aforementioned wedding.

Let’s stop for a moment and talk about another show, as a means of contrast.  Buffy was a show about vampires.  But it was also a show about high school.  A lot of times, the monsters that Buffy fought were really metaphors about growing up.  You may or may not know that about Buffy, because the show was generally very subtle about that messaging.  Glee is the opposite of subtle.  Glee is always, always very Obvious (yes, with a capital 'O').  It only brought Karofsky back for the bare minimum of scenes this season solely so we could remember who he was so that it could set up the big moment in the winter finale.

'Obvious' isn’t always a bad thing.  A show like Revenge is very overly dramatic with somewhat ridiculous twists and turns.  A show like Once Upon a Time is generally cheesy, because its source material (fairytales) can be very cheesy.  But the difference is that both of those shows pull off their central themes very well because they embrace their obviousness.  They don’t try to be anything than what they are.  Glee wasn’t happy being a fun show about a group of high school misfits who sing.  It wanted to be show about Important Social Issues while ALSO being a fun show.  Sometimes that works (see: Buffy).  But in this case, it doesn’t.  Which brings us full circle to the fact that Glee is halfway through its third season and still doesn’t know what it wants to be, or what it wants to accomplish.

Personally, I find it very sad that this show has essentially squandered its talented cast on storylines that can’t figure out what they’re really about.  Or that the consistency in quality and tone is so varied from one moment to the next.  Not even the same types of circumstances lead to the same outcome.  Look at the terrible bullying Kurt had to endure when he came out of the closet and contrast that against what Santana had to go through when she was outed.  I don’t want to trivialize the impact of Santana’s grandmother rejecting her lifestyle as unimportant, but what she went through is nothing compared to what Kurt experienced.  Why is that?  And why does Rachel go from uncaring about the release of naked (doctored) photos of her fiancé so she can win Regionals to desperate to postpone her wedding so her BFF Quinn can be there in the same episode?  Is it because the one situation (winning Regionals) impacted her future career while the other (delaying the wedding) wasn’t all that important after all?  Why is Jane Lynch so horribly underused lately and only brought in when the show needs her to make some sort of crazy, dramatic statement (ie. "I’m with child")?

What, exactly, has happened to Glee along the way?

I don't know the answer to that question.  The truth is, I'm not qualified to write for a television show and I've never claimed that I am, so I don't exactly know how to explain what went wrong beyond what I've said.  But I am a television viewer and, I think, able to express my frustrations for a show that I used to enjoy very much. Of course, not everyone feels this way about Glee.  You may still like it.  Maybe the messaging of the show is directed more towards teenagers and, as a 32 year old, I'm missing the point.  But I don't think that's right either, because even shows that are be directed towards children can be enjoyed by adults and have messages that reach across the age spectrum.  One of my colleagues here at TVOvermind - Kevin - agrees with me about the tone of the show, but disagrees about what happened in the winter finale.  You can read his more detailed review about that particular episode here.

I don't know if Glee will just keep chugging along as the money-making enterprise that it is or if, somewhere along the way, it can really find its voice.  I hope that it does.

If you agree or disagree, share your thoughts in the comments below.

Glee: What Is The Show About? A Discussion of Consistency, Quality & Tone

Glee tackles some difficult subject matter in its fourteenth episode of season 3 and winter finale "On My Way," as the New Directions perform at Regionals in the wake of some devastating news, and Rachel and Finn move up the date of their wedding as well.  A very controversial episode, we here at TVOvermind have a few different reactions to the events of "On My Way," and we also encourage you to join editor Clarissa Rocco's discussion of Glee as a series at large.

There’s a lot to talk about with regard to last night’s Glee “On My Way,” and a million ways to begin an article like this.  Frankly, I feel humbled, and even honored for the opportunity to deliver some thoughts on such a broad spectrum of issues, so I’m going to do my best to make some honest points without overstepping any of my bounds.  In that way, I almost become Glee itself.  Minus any of the musical talent.

Now, I don’t generally like Glee.  I’ve watched it from the beginning, and never miss an episode, but somewhere amidst some well-written drama and fantastic musical performances, I found myself dropping out of any real investment in the show.  By the time Will Schuester donned a matador costume and Ricky Martin mugged for the camera this season, I realized that no amount of whiplash-inducing plot progression, Sue Sylvester machinations, or relationship mix-and-match held any meaning anymore, as if Glee had simply become a  swirling mass of soap-operatic drama, and inconsistent characterization.  I’m well aware of the history behind the show, and remember walking into season 3 on a note of optimism that allowing the show an actual writers’ room instead of alternating between scribes would do wonders for the series’ development.

Well, that didn’t work.  And even now, I feel notes of encroaching hope that moving certain characters out of high school and into more adult situations in the fourth season might bring some life to the troubled series, but at this point we might just be wasting our time with a show that never quite figures itself out.  In a way, that’s almost exactly the kind of space Glee itself seeks to explore, that search for identity, and the struggles to define one’s future in the face of the omnipresent “real world,” but the show runs into a number of difficulties when it can’t decide on the reality it wishes to present, either a heartfelt drama about teen love and social issues interjected with some joyful noise, or a caricature of cartoonish teenagers.

I do my best to avoid spoilers prior to viewing episodes, but checking up on Twitter and Facebook last night inevitably led to some awareness that “On My Way” would be a controversial one, and I’m always on edge about how I let word-of moth affect my judgement of a particular work, given that I tend to be something of a contrarian.  That said, I had a very different reaction the episode than I expected, minus of course the mixture of eye-rolling and laughter that stemmed from its “twist” ending, but we’ll talk a bit more on that later.

Let’s face it, Glee isn’t that great of a show these days, not that it ever has been, but it mines some pretty powerful drama now and again.  And as much as Ryan Murphy tends to use the show as his personal soapbox or an after-school special, there are a lot of really talented performers in both music and drama making the best of limited, and often controversial material.  For that, I thought “On My Way” deserved some attention, in the way Glee managed to broach the difficult topics of teen suicide, homophobia and bullying.  Mind you, I’m just a straight kid from New York City who’s had gay friends as far back as he can remember, and I thank Buddha and the Flying Spaghetti Monster every day that I never had to suffer through the kind of horrors that Dave Karofsky (Max Adler) or Kurt Hummel might endure on a daily basis, but the fact remains that these concepts are all-too-real scenarios that exist in schools all across the country and even the world, let alone Lima, Ohio.

And I’m not here to make some powerful speech on the nature of tolerance or pretend that I could ever have any real input into something as devastating as sexuality-related suicide, but Glee inevitably faces some sharp judgment for the manner in which it approaches such a wide topic.  I’ll understand if “On My Way” didn’t click for some people, notably in the way it somewhat stylized Karofsky’s suicide attempt against Blaine’s “inspirational” performance about cough syrup, but for my part it seemed like Glee tackled the idea just as messily as it tends to unfold in real life.  There’s nothing elegant or romantic about suicide, however performed, and quite often it presents as a rash decision made by frightened people who are sometimes only-briefly swallowed by the idea that they can’t find the strength to endure.

Even in a TV series afforded the time to carefully plot out such a difficult development, I appreciated that “On My Way” made no effort to present Karofsky’s ordeal as anything other than it was; a confused and fragile teen briefly overwhelmed by the prospect of being outed within an intolerant community.  And as much as we liberal artists, city-folk and east/west-coasters like to pretend we have the market cornered on tolerance and understanding, the simple truth is that tragedies such as this are very real, and take place in every corner of the world, daily. For a brief moment I even wanted to jump through my screen to respond to Quinn’s assertion that Dave’s suicide attempt represented a cowardly and hurtful way of dealing with his pain, if only to press on her that while I don’t disagree with that assessment of self-inflicted harm, the time for such thoughts should arrive long after the sheer weight, and relief of Karofsky’s survival had passed.  That was the most I ever found myself wanting to join the conversation Glee creates, and even if “On My Way” presented its ideas in a rather hap-hazard way, I have to believe the show at least did a good job in delivering some emotional honesty.  I felt every bit as at sea over Karofsky’s suicide attempt as Kurt, Mercedes, Sam and Quinn’s “God Squad,” or Glee’s principle faculty, who promptly drop any pretense of inner squabbling to let the horror wash over them.  I’d be just as confused as Emma over who, if anyone, should consider themselves responsible for overlooking the danger Karofsky faced.

There’s a lot more to take in about “On My Way,” though clearly none of the New Directions' victory over the Warblers at Regionals, Sue’s supposed pregnancy, or even Finn and Rachel bumping up their wedding will register as deeply as the discourse created over Karofsky.  In truth, I barely even paid attention to any of the musical numbers, as however matching Glee’s usual standard of quality they might have been, they mostly felt like padding for an episode that wanted to tread some richer landscapes.  In retrospect I suppose it might have been a little disorganized to weave Karofsky’s suicide attempt, a wedding and the rather time-consuming Regionals performances into one narrative, but I mostly gave that a pass on account of how these things never happen at a time even minorly resembling “convenience.”

I wasn’t even bothered by the absurd drama of Finn and Rachel moving up their ill-conceived wedding, as much like Karofsky, these kinds of things happen every day in the real world.  For every troubled teen who does something rash to cope with bullying, there are others looking to make commitments as deep as marriage right out of high school, and Glee hasn’t created any real impasse for why the two shouldn’t be together other than the obvious concerns about teen marriage.  And good for Glee, really, for keeping a level head about the idea, and presenting both sides of the equation somewhat respectfully with another guest appearance by Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Rachel’s parents.

And then Quinn got in a car accident, for…some…reason.  I don’t mean to present that point so clumsily, but it really wasn’t displayed with any more grace by the episode itself.  Quinn has never been a strongly written character to begin with, but “On My Way” lost almost all of the good will it created with such a telegraphed, and unnecessary twist.  Car accidents in TV series can be just as deadly, and every bit as unexpected as in real life, but there are a million better ways to introduce dramatic pathos for Quinn and the other characters than to ham-fistedly set up some last-minute punch.  Seriously, between Glee and The Walking Dead, women drivers are on fire these days.

So that’s it, really.  A good deal of “On My Way” doesn’t work, and I expect people’s reactions to be very much across the board, but I found a lot of the material powerful enough to warrant some consideration, and I hope you did too.  And it should go without saying that there’s always something to live for, and if any of you out there harbor those kinds of thoughts or know someone who does, drop everything this instant and find the people willing, and eager to help.

I’d like very much to hear your thoughts and reactions to Glee’s “On My Way” in the comments section below, but so help you if any posts for one moment take a turn toward the negative or hateful, they’ll be gone.

And Another Thing…

• However long it may last, I found it especially considerate that Glee could finally write Sue Sylvester into a place of contribution rather than meaningless villainy.  For now, I’m going to operate on the assumption that the character can’t actually be pregnant, and the story will take a turn for the usual “older woman confuses pregnancy for something else” trope.

• Similarly, I found it effective that “On My Way” didn’t try to sucker punch anyone through Sebastian’s villainy, and that the character’s attempt to bury the hatchet in the wake of Karofsky’s near-suicide turned out genuine.

• A very small detail, but for me one of the most powerful moments of the episode was bringing Daniel Roebuck in for all of two shots to convey the horror of Karofsky’s father stumbling upon, and desperately trying to revive his son.  The brevity of that appearance also gave a very lived-in quality to the show.

What did YOU think?

Glee 3.14 "On My Way" Review - For Better or Worse

Is Sebastian even worse than of a bully Vocal Adrenaline was on Glee?  This is a legitimate question we should be asking given how big of a villain the lead Warblers' has been lately.  Tonight, the winter finale of Glee airs and Regionals is once again upon us.  New Directions seems to have home court advantage, so Sebastian decides to step up his game.  But instead of trying to covertly sabotage the McKinley team, he decides to be completely upfront about it.

Sebastian approaches Rachel and Kurt in a sneak peek from tonight's Glee and shows Rachel a photoshopped photo of Finn's head on some guy's naked body.  He threatens to post it all over the internet unless Rachel and Kurt guarantee him a win at Regionals by dropping out.  Yikes!  Will McKinley cave to the pressure?  Probably not since we know they perform.  It will be interesting to see if the photo gets out though.

The Warblers will also be performing at Regionals and will do a cover of "Glad You Came".  Other songs for the episode include:

-"Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant
-"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson
-"Fly" / "I Believe I Can Fly" by Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna / R. Kelly
-"Stand" by Lenny Kravitz
-"Here's To Us" by Halestorm

Watch three sneak peeks below for tonight's all new winter finale of Glee, including the Warblers' performance and New Directions singing "Stronger". The other songs for the episode can also be found below.  You can also watch a trailer for the episode here and browse through photos here.

Glee Sneak Peeks & Songs: Sebastian Blackmails Rachel and the Teams Perform at Regionals

McKinley High celebrated Valentine's Day with a variety of love songs on this week's episode of Glee.  Rachel's fathers came to the school after Kurt spilled the beans about the engagement and were fully in support of the idea.  They even invited Finn's parents over for dinner so the families could bond.  But it turned out to be a ruse and they were just supporting the idea hoping that the kids would come to the realization that they were too young to get married.  They thought their plan had worked after they let Finn stay at their house, giving the kids a taste of married life.  But their plan backfired and Rachel and Finn have announced that they want to get married right after Nationals in May.

Meanwhile, Mercedes told her boyfriend about her dalliance with Sam and then told both men that she couldn't be with either of them.  Artie and Rory competed for Sugar's affections, but she ended up choosing Rory in the end.  He also announced that he'll be returning to Ireland at the end of the school year (although apparently that might not be entirely true).  Kurt kept getting valentines presents from a "secret admirer", who turned out to be Karofsky.  He ended up turning Karofsky down (obviously) and Blaine returned at the end of the episode.

New Directions competes in Regionals in the February 21 winter finale of Glee and they'll once again be going up against the Dalton Academy Warblers.  After that, the show will be on hiatus until April 10.

Watch a preview below for the winter finale of Glee.  You can browse through photos for the episode here.

Glee Preview: Your First Peek at the Winter Finale! Regionals and...a Wedding?

You know how Glee tends to go hiatus for a while smack dab in the middle of the season before returning in the spring?  Well, that's happening again.  In fact, the winter finale of Glee will take place on February 21.

McKinley High's New Directions will once again take on the Dalton Academy Warblers - headed by the evil Sebastian - in the winter finale of Glee.  Here's the rumored song list (not a final list and subject to change):

-"Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant
-"Glad You Came" by The Wanted
-"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson
-"Fly" / "I Believe I Can Fly" by Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna / R. Kelly
-"Stand"
-"Here's To Us"

Rachel's fathers, played by Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell, are listed as guest stars for this episode and will make their Glee debut in this week's episode on February 14.

Use the arrows above to browse through photos for the February 21 winter finale of Glee.  The show will be on hiatus until Tuesday, April 10 and the countdown to graduation will begin.

Don't miss a new episode of Glee this week.  Listen to all of the songs from the Valentine's Day episode "Heart" here.

Glee Photo Preview: New Directions Performs at Regionals in the Winter Finale!

Glee is featuring a Valentine's Day episode (on the holiday itself) this week and it's been decided that the episode will be dedicated to Whitney Houston, who passed away over the weekend.  Coincidentally, Amber Riley has already recorded a performance of "I Will Always Love You", which was already scheduled to air during the episode.

The February 14 episode of Glee, titled "Hearts", sees love in the air around McKinley High.  Will assigns the kids love songs as this week's challenge, while Rachel's fathers decide to visit the school after the news of Rachel and Finn's recent engagement.  Jeff Goldblum and Stokes Mitchell will be appearing (and singing!) as Rachel's fathers.

Expect a lot of songs to be performed in this episode.  The song list includes:

-"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole (sung by Mike Chang and Tina Cohen-Chang)
-"Let Me Love You" by Mario (sung by Artie Abrams)
-"Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine (sung by Joe Hart, Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones)
-"Home" by Michael Bublé (sung by Rory Flanagan)
-"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (sung by Mercedes Jones)
-"You're the Top" from Anything Goes (sung by Hiram Berry and Leroy Berry)
-"Cherish" / "Cherish" by The Association / Madonna (sung by Quinn Fabray, Joe Hart, Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones)
-"Love Shack" by The B-52's (sung by New Directions)
-"Chapel of Love" by The Dixie Cups (sung by Hiram Berry and Leroy Berry) - only song not found

Listen to all of the songs below and tune in to an all new episode of Glee on February 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST on FOX.  You can also watch a trailer and browse through photos for the episode here.

Glee: Listen to the Songs from the Valentine's Day Episode "Heart"