A New Role for Chenoweth?

I've said many times since the tragic demise of Pushing Daisies that Kristin Chenoweth, whom I practically worship, should be given a starring role in her own TV show. Yes, I know that she did have a short lived sitcom called Kristin that sort of came and went back in the summer of 2001, but that was nearly a decade ago. With her Emmy winning work as Olive on Pushing Daisies and her Emmy nominated recurring role as April Rhodes on Glee, she's more than demonstrated both her comedic abilities and her dramatic talents, not to mention that incredible singing voice.

Well, we may finally be seeing her on our TV screens again on a regular basis. Cheno has landed a lead role in a soapy new pilot from Darren Star, the man who brought us the original versions of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, as well as Sex and the City (though of course he also brought us such less memorable titles as Central Park West, Miss Match, and Cashmere Mafia).

Kristin's new show would be called Good Christian Bitches, which certainly would rank among the more memorable titles of any new season. It sounds like pure campy fun, I have to say, especially with Kristin on board as what sounds like the villainess of the piece!

Still, I'm not getting my hopes up too high until the pilot is picked up as a series. The last time I was (somewhat) excited about Kristin landing a pilot, it never saw the light of day.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to her return to Glee this Spring as April Rhodes, where she'll be singing an original song that sounds perfectly suited to her character: 'It's 10 AM, I'm Drunk'.

Emmy Nominations for Glee

Things have been busy for me lately but I'm hoping to be able to blog again on a regular basis at some point in the near future.

In the meantime, I just wanted to mention that Glee has been nominated for 19 Emmy Awards! This includes nods for Matthew Morrison (Best Actor), Lea Michele (Best Actress), Jane Lynch (Best Supporting Actress), Chris Colfer (Best Supporting Actor), Mike O'Malley (Best Male Guest Star), Neil Patrick Harris (Best Male Guest Star) and Kristin Chenoweth (Best Female Guest Star), as well as a Best Comedy nomination.

I'm thrilled with all of these nominations, but I'm especially glad to see Chris Colfer and Mike O'Malley on the list. Their scenes together last season were so amazing and they both deserve to take home the Emmy next month.

The only thing that I'm a little disappointed with is not seeing Jonathan Groff's name among the nominees.

It should of course go without saying that if the brilliant Jane Lynch doesn't win for her work as Sue Sylvester, the Emmys will instantly lose all credibility.

Thoughts on the Tony Awards

I just finished watching my favorite of all award shows, the Tony Awards, and I thought I'd share some thoughts about the show.

I like Sean Hayes and he had a couple of amusing moments tonight while he was hosting the show, but I honestly wasn't very impressed overall by the job he did, especially during his opening monologue. In fairness to Sean, though, I have to say that Neil Patrick Harris, who hosted the Tonys brilliantly last year, is a very tough act to follow.

I had to wonder why they hadn't asked his Promises, Promises co-star, Kristin Chenoweth, to host the show, or at the very least to co-host with Sean. Her bit tonight about not having been nominated was great, as was her appearance at the beginning to make out with Sean and demonstrate that they had plenty of on stage chemistry.

The show opened with a medley of performances from this year's new musicals, which I liked, but there were sound problems which really disappointed me, especially since the same thing happened last year, too, and you'd think that they would have learned from that!

The highlight of the medley for me was Kristen Chenoweth's song from Promises, Promises and the song from American Idiot, followed by a performance from Green Day.

I wasn't really rooting for anyone in particular tonight, so I don't have a lot to say about who won or didn't win, except in one instance: after watching all the performances from the nominated shows, I found myself hoping that American Idiot would win for Best Musical. Then again, I was probably already a bit biased since I've always loved the source material for that show.

Still, of everything I sampled tonight that is probably the show I'd be most likely to see if I had to pick just one.

In addition to loving the performance from American Idiot (and what a trio of hotties the leads are, by the way!) I liked what I saw from the casts of Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage Aux Folles, and Memphis (though there were some sound problems in that last one) and I thought Catherine Zeta Jones' rendition of 'Send in the Clowns' from A Little Night Music was incredibly beautiful.

My education in all things Musical Theater, which began early last year, has continued steadily ever since.While I still have a lot to learn and to experience, I have familiarized myself with most things Sondheim. I really love the original cast album of A Little Night Music and I've been wanting to check out the revival's cast album, with Zeta Jones and the incomparable Angela Lansbury, and tonight just gave me even more reason to do so.

I was just reading yesterday that Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch are taking over for Zeta Jones and Lansbury in the show this summer and I'd love to be able to hear their version, too! I haven't really experienced any of Bernadette's work yet, but Company is one of my favorite cast albums thus far and Elaine's 'The Ladies Who Lunch' is my favorite song from that show.

But back to tonight. The performances from Ragtime and Fela were the only two that I just couldn't get that into. That's not to say I thought they were bad, of course. I just didn't really connect with either of them.

What I did connect with were the special performances by Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele. I was a bit disappointed in one sense, I admit: I thought they'd be singing together, when in actuality they gave back to back solo performances.

That's a minor quibble, though, because they were both incredible. Matthew did 'All I Need is the Girl' from Gypsy and not only did he sound amazing, but he was as hot as I've ever seen him, and that's really saying something!

I felt a tiny bit let down when the music for Lea's number began and it was 'Don't Rain on My Parade'. I absolutely loved her rendition of the song on Glee, but my first thought tonight was that she should have sung something we all hadn't heard her do so recently.

That went right out the window, though, when she started singing. Hearing her do the song live, with so much more intensity than she brought to it as her character on Glee, was a totally different experience. She was phenomenal, there is no other word to describe it. What a voice, what a star!

I also loved when she sat on Jonathan Groff's armrest on the way up the aisle! The two of them, best friends in real life, are so adorable together! I was hoping that Jonathan, whom I kept catching glimpses of in the audience, would at least get to present an award, but no such luck.

By the way, Jonathan (whom if you hadn't already guessed is someone I've been crushing on in a major way since his time on Glee) is going to be starring in the revival of the play Deathtrap in London starting in August. It's bad enough that I'm forever longing to go to New York to see all of these shows, but now I'm wishing I could afford a trip to London, too!

Speaking of plays, I really want to see Next Fall! The little bit we got to see from it in the play montage looked pretty good, but it was the banter of the stars, Patrick Heusinger and Patrick Breen, as they described their nominated show that really caught my attention. Honestly, though, I thought all of the plays sounded very good.

I know the award show is already long, of course, but I do wish we could see more from the nominated plays, too. I guess seeing a full scene acted out from each one would be too much to ask for, but it really feels like they get the short end of the stick.

Last year, I really enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris' closing number at the end of the show, so I was hoping for something similar tonight. Instead, they had the cast of Memphis, who'd just won Best Musical, perform again. It just felt like it was all thrown together at the last minute and not really a great way to end the night. Maybe Neil Patrick Harris was just so good last year that he ruined all future Tony Awards for me?

All in all, though, I loved getting my annual taste of Broadway.

Kristin Chenoweth, I Love You

The other night, I wrote about Ramin Setoodeh's homophobic review of Promises, Promises and his views about the inability of gay actors to ever play straight roles successfully.

Kristin Chenoweth, who co-stars with Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises and is one of my very favorite people on the planet, has responded to Setoodeh's ridiculous piece in detail:

"As a longtime fan of Newsweek and as the actress currently starring opposite the incredibly talented (and sexy!) Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of “Promises, Promises,” I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh’s horrendously homophobic “Straight Jacket,” which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight. From where I stand, on stage, with Hayes, every night — I’ve observed nothing “wooden” or “weird” in his performance, nor have I noticed the seemingly unwieldy presence of a “pink elephant” in the Broadway Theater. (The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Tony members must have also missed that large animal when nominating Hayes’ performance for its highest honors this year.)

I’d normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too “queeny” to play “straight.”)

This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile. Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that “as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.” Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That’s so sad, Newsweek! The examples he provides (what scientists call “selection bias”) to prove his “gays can’t play straight” hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now!

Openly gay Groff is too “queeny” to play Lea Michelle’s boyfriend in GLEE, but is a “heartthrob” when he does it in Spring Awakening? Cynthia Nixon only “got away with it” ’cause she peaked before coming out? I don’t know if you’ve missed the giant Sex and the City movie posters, but it seems most of America is “buying it.” I could go on, but I assume these will be taken care of in your “Corrections” this week.

Similarly, thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to enjoy Hayes’ performance and don’t seem to have one single issue with his sexuality! They have no problem buying him as a love-torn heterosexual man. Audiences aren’t giving a darn about who a person is sleeping with or his personal life. Give me a break! We’re actors first, whether we’re playing prostitutes, baseball players, or the Lion King. Audiences come to theater to go on a journey. It’s a character and it’s called acting, and I’d put Hayes and his brilliance up there with some of the greatest actors period.

Lastly, as someone who’s been proudly advocating for equal rights and supporting GLBT causes for as long as I can remember, I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can’t be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams. I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!"

God, I love this woman!

Tony Nominations and a Bit of Homophobia

The nominees for the 64th Annual Tony Awards were announced yesterday. Over the past few years, I've really come to love watching this particular award show and getting a taste of what's going on in the theater world. Seeing songs performed from the musicals and scenes acted out from the plays during the Tonys is as close as I've managed to come to Broadway.

It can be a bit hard to get all that excited about the nominees in advance when you haven't seen any of the shows, of course, but there are usually one or two people on the list that I'm already a fan of.

I was hoping to see Kristin Chenoweth's name among the nominees this year, but it was not to be. Her co-stars Sean Hayes and Katie Finneran were both nominated, but she was not. The reviews of Promises, Promises haven't been all that great, sadly, but I was still keeping my fingers crossed for her. I have to admit that when I first heard she was doing the show I got the cast album for the original production and it honestly seemed like an odd fit for her. The original seemed to be Jerry Orbach's show, first and foremost.

Speaking of those bad reviews, one I should mention is the rather homophobic review by Newsweek's Ramin Setoodeh, who just couldn't get past the fact that an openly gay man was playing a straight role. In fact, he incorporated the review into a larger piece posing the question: "Heterosexual actors play gay all the time. Why doesn't it work in reverse?" Are you kidding me?! It's been working in reverse for centuries, pal.

Here's what he said about Sean Hayes:

'The reviews for the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises were negative enough, even though most of the critics ignored the real problem—the big pink elephant in the room. The leading man of this musical-romantic comedy is supposed to be a single advertising peon named Chuck who is madly in love with a co-worker (Kristin Chenoweth). When the play opened on Broadway in 1968, Jerry Orbach, an actor with enough macho swagger to later fuel years and years of Law and Order, was the star. The revival hands the lead over to Sean Hayes, best known as the queeny Jack on Will & Grace. Hayes is among Hollywood's best verbal slapstickers, but his sexual orientation is part of who he is, and also part of his charm. (The fact that he only came out of the closet just before Promises was another one of those Ricky Martin-duh moments.) But frankly, it's weird seeing Hayes play straight. He comes off as wooden and insincere, like he's trying to hide something, which of course he is. Even the play's most hilarious scene, when Chuck tries to pick up a drunk woman at a bar, devolves into unintentional camp. Is it funny because of all the '60s-era one-liners, or because the woman is so drunk (and clueless) that she agrees to go home with a guy we all know is gay?'

Setoodah also goes on to critique Jonathan Groff's performance on Glee in much the same fashion. I think the real problem lies with Setoodah and those like him who just can't seem to focus on anything else beyond an out performer's real life sexuality.

It's called acting, people. Would they get hung up on the fact that a married actor was playing a single ladies man, for instance? No. They wouldn't let the his personal life affect the believability of the performance in the least. But if an actor is openly gay and playing straight, it's all these guys can think about!

With Setoodah freely admitting that straight actors can successfully play gay, the issue seems to come down with his own perceptions of masculinity and what it means to be straight. In other words, manly heteros can play act at being gay just fine, but queers can't possibly fool anyone into thinking they're 'real' men. Give me a break!

At any rate, here are this year's Tony nominations for performances:

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Finian's Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian's Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!

I love Laura Linney and Angela Lansbury (who won a Tony last year), and of course Jude Law is always incredibly sexy, so I'm glad to see their names on the list.

Here are the show nominations:

Best Play

In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play
Next Fall
Red
Time Stands Still


Best Musical

American Idiot
Fela!
Memphis
Million Dollar Quartet


Best Revival of a Play

Fences
Lend Me a Tenor
The Royal Family
A View from the Bridge


Best Revival of a Musical

Finian's Rainbow
La Cage aux Folles
A Little Night Music
Ragtime

Of all of these, I think La Cage aux Folles and American Idiot intrigue me the most. I've seen the original French film of La Cage aux Folles (I won't even mention seeing The Birdcage!), but never the musical. I'm not a big Kelsey Grammer fan, though.

As for American Idiot, a musical based on my favorite Green Day album just sounds like the definition of awesome!

Chenoweth, O'Malley, and Colfer Do It Again

Ah, Glee night. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous this week. After all, how do you follow up one of the best episodes in TV history? Last week's Madonna episode was pure magic.

Luckily, they were off to a good start tonight with the return of Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes. I still get chills when I listen to the version of 'Maybe This Time' that Kirstin and Lea Michele performed during Chenoweth's first appearance on the show.

Her return visit was just as fantastic, musically speaking, and Cheno also got to demonstrate her excellent comedic timing once again. Still, I have to say that I really enjoyed that they didn't make the whole episode about April. This show should never revolve around the guest stars and I'm glad that the writers seem to get that. April's return was just one of tonight's plots and it didn't eclipse the other stories.

Kristin and Matthew Morrison performed two more duets, Springsteen's 'Fire' and, best of all, a mash up of Burt Bacharach's 'One Less Bell to Answer' and 'A House is Not a Home'. I can't tell you how much I loved the second duet! Those two just sounded so incredible together. I once again had chills.

Kristin, with the glee kids backing her, ended the show with 'Home' from The Wiz, another great performance. Her voice is just so very beautiful, I could listen to her sing all day long and never tire of it.

By the way, if you're a Kristin fan you should check out tomorrow's Live with Regis and Kelly. They're doing Broadway Week on the show and Chenoweth will be there tomorrow doing something from her new Broadway show, the revival of Promises, Promises! It's as close as I'm going to get to seeing her in the show, so I'm looking forward to it.

As I said, April's return was just one of tonight's plots on Glee. There was also a plot about Sue trying to make Mercedes lose weight to stay in the Cheerios, which culminated in Mercedes singing Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful', and there was the Kurt/Finn plot. I was especially looking forward to the latter story because Mike O'Malley was returning as Kurt's dad, Burt, and I've been blown away by every single scene he and Chris Colfer have done together so far.

I absolutely loved Kurt's rendition of 'A House is Not a Home', which he sang directly to Finn in front of the entire glee club. What a moment: sweet, sad, and heart wrenching. I've always wished that we'd seen Kurt sing 'I Honestly Love You' to Finn last fall in the episode entitled Ballad, but tonight more than made up for that.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want or expect a Kurt/Finn pairing at all. I do love the way they're writing this, though, with Finn uncomfortable with Kurt's feelings but not at all hateful towards Kurt about it. I think Kurt has to go through this sort of hopeless crush on an unobtainable straight boy before he can look for someone who is truly interested in him. We've all been there and it's more about us being ready for something than it is about the straight guy we think we love.

I really like Chris Colfer's voice a lot, his solo version of 'Defying Gravity' is my most played song Glee song to date and his rendition of 'A House is Not a Home' was beautiful. I love that Kurt is getting more solos at last!

The same goes for Mercedes. Of course, I'd still like to see Artie, Tina, Puck, Quinn, and Santana get more solo parts, too. One of the best things about this week was that Rachel didn't have any solos! I love Lea Michele, but Rachel and Finn get almost all the solos and it's time to spread the wealth a bit.

Anyway, tonight we found out that Kurt had set up his father with Finn's mother and the two had really hit it off. Kurt was of course envisioning himself and Finn sharing a room together (and was planning to decorate accordingly), but things took a somewhat different turn and Kurt was left hurt by seeing his father bond with Finn over sports.

Once again, O'Malley and Colfer's scene together was some of the best work I've seen, as Kurt expressed his hurt at seeing his dad bond with 'the son he always wanted'. I especially loved the following exchange:

Burt: Look, Kurt, I love you. And I am sympathetic to all your stuff. But come on, buddy, we've got a deal here, right? I don't try to change you, you don't try to change me. You are my son, and a little guy talk with some other kid isn't going to change that.

Kurt: Guy talk? I'm a guy.

Burt: Come on, you know what I mean.

What's great about this story is that it feels so realistic. Kurt has the sort of dad that many gay teens would love to have, someone who is very supportive and who truly loves him no matter what, and yet they're very different people. It makes perfect sense that Kurt would be insecure about their bond as father and son.

I seriously think that Chris Colfer should not only be nominated for an Emmy but take home the statue on the strength of Kurt's scenes with his dad alone. Mike O'Malley should get one as well. These two are doing some amazing work.

Gleeful News

Someone out there seems to be asking themselves what all they could do to make me love Glee any more than I already do. It's like a shadowy, behind the scenes figure is running down a check list made specifically for me:

Hire Kristin Chenoweth. Check!

Give Kurt a boyfriend. Check! (They're casting him for next season).

Hire Spring Awakening hottie/out gay actor Jonathan Groff. Check!

Let Sue Sing! Check! (It's coming up in the second half of the first season!)

And now, the latest item to be checked off the list: Hire Neil Patrick Harris!

This doesn't leave much remaining on my list, I have to say. As soon as they deliver a few tasteful nude scenes for Puck and Mr. Shue, I'll have just about everything I could possibly want!

Let's Talk

I don't usually watch talk shows. When I was younger, I'd tune in for at least part of The Rosie O'Donnell Show nearly every day after school, but other than that I've never been a big fan of the genre. I usually will watch a show only if there's a guest on that I specifically want to see. These days, that means recording it on the Tivo and fast forwarding through everything but the interview in question.

Over the last two days there have been three interviews I really liked, so I thought I'd mention them.

The first was Adam Lambert's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday. If there was a talk show I'd watch with any regularity, it would definitely be Ellen's. Not only do I think she's just an amazing person, period, but she's just so funny and yet still someone that seems like she could put anyone at ease instantly.

I had no intention of watching American Idol again this season, since I know there could never be another Adam Lambert and I think anything else will pale in comparison, but with her replacing Paula Abdul as the fourth judge, I might check it out.

Anyway, Adam and Ellen talked about the controversy over the AMAs and Adam again said he felt like there was nothing to apologize for but that he hadn't wanted to offend anyone. Ellen pointed out that if someone was going to be offended by a display of sexuality, they should be offended by all such displays. In other words, if you're not going to be offended by a man and a woman doing something risque, or two women, then you can't cry foul just because it's two men.

Adam: "I think, too, that... people aren't used to seeing gay men portrayed that way on TV. I mean, the gay male image in the media tends to be very cliche and safe. And I think I got up there and had a little bit more energy..."

This is a very good point. I'm so sick of hearing homophobes say that they're fine with gays as long as they don't 'have to see it'. They apparently don't realize how bombarded we all are by heterosexuality everywhere we look. It's time they got over it and realized that them not wanting to see it is their issue, not ours, and we're not sacrificing our equality because they have issues.

After their chat, Adam performed Whataya Want From Me, the song that I am currently obsessed with and listening to several times a day. There are some other songs on his CD that I really love, but that particular one is definitely the best.

The next talk show appearance was by the person whose song was my obsession for the last few weeks, Chris Colfer. I don't even know how many times I've listened to his version of Defying Gravity from Glee since I bought it. Of course, I listen to all of the songs from Glee quite a bit, but something about Colfer's version of that song just gets to me.

Anyway, he was on The Tonight Show last night and I was very surprised by how relaxed and funny he was. I say this because I saw him a few weeks back on The Bonnie Hunt Show and he just seemed so nervous then! Last night, he seemed completely at ease and he was incredibly funny, cracking Conan up with his impression of the kid from The Omen and just generally being quick witted.

Colfer has really blown me away with his portrayal of Kurt. The scenes between Kurt and his father in the episodes 'Preggers' and 'Wheels' were amazing, and Chris impressed me even more with the scenes between Kurt and Finn in 'Ballad' where they bond over the fact that they've both lost a parent. Even beyond those episodes in which he played a big role in the week's story, there are several small scenes in other episodes that seem to stand out more than they would in the hands of a less capable actor.

It's funny, I expected to love Glee for the humor and the music, and I expected to drool over Matthew Morrison (and Mark Salling, aka Puck, was an added bonus in that department!), and I certainly do. I didn't expect, though, that there'd be this completely unknown actor who'd impress me this much and make the character of Kurt truly mean something to me.

Finally, rounding out the trifecta of talk, I recorded this morning's The View to see Kristin Chenoweth. There are certain personalities on that show that really get under my skin, so I have to really like someone to watch them when they visit that particular talk show!

Kirstin was there to promote her new Lifetime Christmas movie, Twelve Men of Christmas, which looks pretty cute and has a bunch of hot, shirtless guys in it! That, plus Cheno, what more could you ask for? Well, maybe a song or two, but even without that, I'll be tuning in.

They talked about her Emmy win for Pushing Daisies and how she asked for work during her acceptance speech. I still can't believe that no one has given this woman the lead in her own show now that she's free!

She briefly mentioned her upcoming return to Broadway in Promises, Promises, but they changed the subject before she could really say anything more about it. That was annoying, especially since they gave far more attention to the fact that she'll be a guest judge on American Idol this season.

The best news is that she'll also be returning to Glee as April Rhodes, which should be pretty fantastic.

Chenoweth Returns to Broadway

I was just reading the news that Kristin Cheoweth, who as you probably know by now is one of my most favorite individuals on the planet, is returning to Broadway next Spring in a revival of Promises, Promises. The musical will also star Sean Hayes, best known as Jack on Will & Grace.

Still being a Broadway neophyte, I know absolutely nothing about the show, but this will be Kristin's first time back on Broadway post-Wicked. I've already vowed to myself that I'll be going to New York at last, even if I have to starve myself to save the money to do so!

How amazing would it be to see Cheno on Broadway? I know countless people already have, of course, but I'd like to be one of them. I've been planning a trip to NYC for a very long time now, there are so many places and things I'd like to see. Maybe this will give me the kick start I need to stop daydreaming and actually make it happen.

In the meantime, I guess I'd better find myself a copy of the original cast album for the 1960's production of Promises, Promises and find out what it's all about.

National Equality March and Harvey Milk Day

Towleroad has some great footage up of this weekend's National Equality March, as well as an interview with out Broadway star Gavin Creel, who attended the event along with the cast of Hair. I haven't seen any interviews with her, but I know from what she posted on Twitter that Kristin Chenoweth was also among the thousands who were at the March. All the more reason to love her!

It looks like it was an incredible moment in the LGBT civil rights struggle and I really regret that I couldn't be there myself!

You can watch Cleve Jones, the gay activist who fought alongside Harvey Milk in the 1970's and has kept up the fight ever since, and who called for this March to begin with, address the crowd here.

In a nicely timed moment, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill creating May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day in California, something that he'd previously vetoed. That, of course, was before they made a movie about Milk that won some Oscars.

Chenoweth + Glee = Perfection

Tonight, Kristin Chenoweth guest starred on Glee. Take a second and reflect: Kristin Chenoweth. Glee. Together as one! Right now, I feel like such a total fanboy dork, but I don't even care! For an hour, it felt like all was right with the world.

Needless to say, it was completely awesome. Kristin not only gave three beautiful musical performances, she was downright hilarious. Someone seriously needs to give this woman another shot at being the lead in her own show.

Okay, so if you didn't see the show, Kristin was playing April Rhodes, a woman who was a senior and the star of the glee club when Will was a freshman. With Rachel having quit the club last week to take the lead in the school production of Cabaret, Will decided he needed to bring in a ringer and found out that his old crush April left school three credits short of graduating.

He tracked her down, finding her to be a trashy alcoholic who still had an amazing voice. Will convinced her to sober up and take a second chance at life, high school, and glee.

Kristin's first song, as she showed the glee kids what she could do, was Maybe This Time from Cabaret (which became a duet with Lea Michele's Rachel, as they cut back and forth between Rachel singing in rehearsal and April singing in glee) and, it goes without saying, it was beautiful. I especially loved that when she was done, Kurt was wiping a tear from his eye!

April didn't completely win the glee kids over, though, so Will encouraged her to try harder. This lead to some of Kristin's funniest work ever, as April encouraged Kurt to drink before school to boost his confidence (and gave him her vintage collection of muscle magazines!), taught Mercedes and Tina how to shop lift, and visited Puck and another of the football players in glee in the team shower!

Later, Will told April how much he'd always regretted never having sung with her, so she took him into the bar at the bowling alley and they did a fantastic duet of Heart's Alone. Kristin and Matthew Morrison sounded so great together.

Of course, Will eventually realized what a bad influence April was on the kids and, after she showed up drunk for their big show (but still managed to do a kick ass version of Carrie Underwood's Last Name), Will let her go. April had already figured out that she didn't really belong there, though, and that as good as it felt being in the spotlight again, she'd realized after the performance that she was taking it away from one of the kids. It was a nice way to wrap up her stint on the show and let Kristin show off more of an emotional side to go along with all the hilarity.

I've already purchased all three of Kristin's Glee song on iTunes and I'm sure they'll be at the top of my playlist in no time at all.

With all of that said, I was sad to see that Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester only had one scene in the episode. I would have loved for her to have a scene with Kristin!

I should also say that I really don't want to see Glee become all about the big guest star of the week, so even though I completely adored tonight's show, I hope they make appearances like this an occasional, special thing and not a weekly, Will & Grace type of thing.

Glee Does it Again

With each new episode of Glee, I come away convinced that the show has reached a new high that it will be hard to top. Last night was no exception, filled as it was with more hilarious one liners from Sue Sylvester and a riotously funny climax where the entire football team busts a move on the field to Beyonce.

Best of all, though, was Kurt. After last week's amazing episode, I didn't think Chris Colfer could possibly impress me more than he already had, but I was wrong.

Last night's episode started with Kurt and two friends recording themselves doing the choreography from Beyonce's Single Ladies video (for Youtube, perhaps?) before being interrupted by Kurt's father.

This was the first time we'd seen his dad, though we found out last week that he'd given Kurt a new car in exchange for a promise to stop wearing form fitting sweaters that stop at the knee. We also knew that he had later taken said car away after discovering Kurt's tiara collection. So, we were obviously prepared for someone who wasn't very accepting of the person his son is.

When his dad walked in on the Single Ladies dance, Kurt tried to get him to believe that the unitard he was wearing was all the rage with jocks as work out gear and one of his friends 'helped' by claiming that Kurt was on the football team now, as a kicker.

Later in the episode, Kurt approached Finn after Glee rehearsal. Before Kurt could ask him his favor, Finn jumped to conclusions and told him that he already had a date to prom but was flattered, since he knew dances were important to teen gays. This could have been done in a mean spirited way, but instead it was perfect, showing Finn to be not only at ease with Kurt's sexuality but with the fact that Kurt might even be interested in him.

Kurt quickly denied that he was gay, though, and then said he just need to ask for a favor. The next scenes were on the football field, where we found out that the two guys had been 'rehearsing' together for Kurt's 'audition' as kicker, which was about to take place.

To the derisive laughter of the team, Kurt started in on his 'warm up', which was the Single Ladies dance routine, only culminating this time in a perfect field goal at the end, which shut the team right up. The coach quickly announced that they'd found their new kicker, while Kurt gave a beauty queen wave to the team. It was beyond hilarious. I watched those scenes three times before I even finished watching the rest of the episode, I loved them so much.

Later, for his own reasons, Finn asked Mr. Schuster to help loosen up the losing football team by teaching them to dance, which lead to Kurt teaching them the Single Ladies routine during practice. When the game finally arrived, the team was losing 6 to nothing before Finn convinced the guys to do their 'ring on it' play.

As the other team watched in amazed confusion and the stands went crazy with dancing of their own, the football team did the Single Ladies routine before Finn made a pass to his buddy Puck and they scored a touchdown. Then, of course, it was up to Kurt, who kicked the winning field goal as his dad went wild with pride in the stands.

Of course, it's only in the movies or on TV that anything like this could ever possibly happen, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful to watch.

The best was yet to come, though. At the end of the episode, Kurt's dad told him how proud he was of him. Kurt was glad that he'd made his dad proud, but said that he had to tell him something, that he couldn't lie anymore. Being in glee and in football had shown him that he could be anything- "And what I am is... I'm gay."

Again, Chris Colfer played this scene so perfectly. Kurt's fear in saying those words to his father was crystal clear, as was his determination that they finally be said. The way he said 'gay', suddenly softer than the rest of his speech as if he was stumbling over the word itself, was somehow right on the mark.

Surprisingly, Kurt's dad was accepting. He told Kurt that he'd known since his son was three years old and only wanted a 'pair of sensible heels' for his birthday! He said that he didn't love the idea, but that if it was who Kurt was, he couldn't do anything about it and still loved him just as much. He did pause to ask if Kurt was sure, though, as if there might still be a glimmer of hope that his son was just confused.

At first, it seemed like this reaction was a bit too implausible, given what we knew about Kurt's dad from last week: that he'd bribe his son to, essentially, dress less 'gay'. But I think the real clue to his character came when he was watching Kurt take the field to kick the ball during the game. Kurt's father looked almost afraid and said to himself "He's so little."

I think, then, that anything he might have done to try and make sure his son fit in more with the rest of the guys at school was out of fear that he'd end up hurt if he didn't. The end of the show demonstrated that this is a father who, though he doesn't really understand his child at all, still loves him very much and accepts him because he can't change him. That certainly sends a great message.

Kurt and his Dad nearly moved me to tears, after another episode that had me laughing out loud for most of the hour. Glee does this mixture of hilarity and heart so well that they've already ruined me for other shows. This is hands down my favorite series on the air.

The best part is that with each passing week, the characters are given more depth. Kurt, of course, over the past two episodes has grown into a fully realized character, but even the supporting cast is beginning to move beyond their own high school stereotype. For instance, two of the teen 'villains' on the show, football player Puck and cheerleader Quinn, were both made a bit more human by their own stories this week.

This show has it all at the moment: an incredibly talented cast (especially, it must be said again, Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester!) and fantastic writers.

As you can imagine, I'm more than a little bit excited for next week, when Kristin Chenoweth guest stars! Just when it seemed Glee couldn't get any better!

Thoughts on the Primetime Emmy Awards

The 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards were on tonight and since I love awards shows, I thought I'd share my thought about the proceedings with you. If it turns into a love letter to Neil Patrick Harris in blog form... well, can you really blame me?

I liked his opening number, although it wasn't nearly as good as his closing number from this year's Tony Awards. Still, he looked fantastic and sounded great. He's pretty much the perfect award show host, and probably the world's most perfect gay man. He should be cloned so that in the future, we can all have our own NPH.

The way they divided up the awards by genre this year was an interesting touch. I thought that worked out pretty well, especially since it allowed me to just skip right past all the reality show awards in just a few seconds.

The very first award was for Supporting Actress in a comedy and I really, really wanted Kristin Chenoweth to win, not only because I completely adore her and thought she was amazing as Olive Snook, but because Pushing Daisies was such a fantastic show and it really deserved at least one major award.

When they called her name as the winner, I'm sure my neighbors must have thought I was either losing my mind or having really great sex. I mean, why else would I be shouting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" so loudly?

Her tearful and hilarious acceptance speech just summed up why I love her so much. Someone give the woman a lead part in her own show, please!

The next award was Best Supporting actor in a comedy and of course I wanted Neil Patrick Harris to win for his great work on How I Met Your Mother. Plus, he and his partner, David, looked so great together sitting in the audience and I really wanted to see a kiss between them when Neil's name was called.

Alas, it was not to be. It especially sucks that he lost to someone from Two and a Half Men. Ugh! At least it lead to some good comedic moments from NPH about being a sore loser.

I am glad that the Award for Best Actress in a Comedy went to Toni Collette (whose Australian accent always surprises me) for United States of Tara. I loved her performance and am still counting down the days until the show comes back for a second season. Like I said when the nominations were first announced, though, as comedic as the show is at times I'm still on the fence as to it being a comedy and not a drama.

After that award, there wasn't much I cared about in particular until Neil Patrick and Nathan Fillion's cameos as Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which was great. I loved the bit they did for the show tonight and the original source material.

I really like Jessica Lange, who won Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series. I think she's one of the most talented actresses in the business. That said, I wanted Sigourney Weaver to win for her fantastic work in Prayers For Bobby. Still, if someone else had to win, I'm glad it was Lange.

I like the recent trend of doing a live performance during the In Memoriam segments, and they got it right this time by not trying to show the singer and the clips of those who'd passed away all at the same time, which in past attempts meant not being able to see all the people they were honoring.

Honestly, most of the rest of the awards weren't really ones that I had any favorites for, so I don't have all that much to say about any of them.

It was disappointing to see 30 Rock win yet again for Best Comedy, though, especially against How I Met Your Mother in its first nomination. I like 30 Rock a lot, but the Emmys always seem to get in these ruts where they just honor one show over and over for several years and it just isn't fair. I also didn't think 30 Rock was quite as good this year, since they've started relying so heavily on guest stars.

Well, that's about it. I'm so thrilled for Kirstin Chenoweth! That was the best part of the night, other than NPH just being generally awesome. I hope he hosts the 62nd annual Emmy Awards and that Glee dominates the night next year!

Emmy Nominations

The nominations for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards were announced today and though a lot of the nominees seem to be the same old shows and people (Charlie Sheen again, really?), I was very happy with a few of the nominations.

At the top of that list is Kristin Chenoweth, nominated for the second year in a row as Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the role of Olive Snook on the late, great show Pushing Daisies. You probably know by now that I completely adore Kristin and I'd love to see her win an Emmy, not only for herself but for the show, which won a couple of technical Emmys and an Emmy for directing last year but really deserved more.

Kristin's competition: SNL's Amy Poehler and Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams, who were both nominated against her last year as well, SNL's Kristin Wiig, 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski, and Weed's Elizabeth Perkins. I think Chenoweth has a real shot at winning this year.

Another nomination that made me really happy was How I Met Your Mother, which finally, after four seasons, is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series! I've always been a huge fan of this show and have said before that I think it's the best ensemble comedy on TV right now. (Every time I say that, someone brings up The Office, which I must confess I've never really watched, or 30 Rock, which I like a lot, but I still think How I Met Your Mother is better)

Neil Patrick Harris, meanwhile, got his third consecutive nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for playing Barney Stinson and I really hope that he wins this year. He more than deserves it.

The show itself really deserved the nomination and I hope it takes home the Emmy. Like I said, I'm a 30 Rock fan as well but they've already won enough.

For Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, I'm pulling for Toni Collette, who was incredible in The United States of Tara, though honestly I would have thought it more of a drama than a comedy, as funny as it can be at times. Still, it can be hard to draw that line between the two these days.

The other nominees I was glad to see were the Lifetime movie Prayers For Bobby and its star, Sigourney Weaver. The movie had a real impact on me and I thought Weaver was really incredible in it.

The final bit of great news is that Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting! After watching him host the Tonys last month, I think he should just host every awards show from now on. Hopefully he'll sing again, since I thought his closing number at the Tonys was one of the highlights of the night.

Book Chat

I keep meaning to write about what I've been reading and somehow I never get around to doing it! I can't even keep track of how many books I've wanted to talk about in the past few months which I haven't ended up writing a single word about.

I'm just going to do sort of a general book post today on some of the more recent things I've read.

Over the last month or so, I've devoured all five books in Ethan Mordden's 'Buddies' series, collections of short stories centered around the same group of gay friends in Manhattan published from the early 1980's through 2005, when the final one came out.

I completely fell in love with the characters in these books. In the first two books, I've A Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore and Buddies, the stories really aren't in any sort of chronological order, so things jumped back and forth quite a bit between time periods. Usually I wouldn't be too thrilled with that, just because I'm close to being obsessive compulsive about chronological order! I won't watch shows or movies (if they have sequels) out of order, and if one book is connected to another in any way, I've got to read them in the right order. I thought reading stories about the same characters that didn't really go in order would drive me mad.

It ceased to matter, though, as soon as I started reading the books. I was just enjoying them too much to be bothered by unimportant details like that. It was really nice to read books about gay men that weren't focused on hooking up or even romance (though both occur, of course), but rather on gay friendships. They're also incredibly funny books that had me laughing out loud constantly.

Starting somewhat with the third book and moving through to the last one, the stories began to flow in chronological order, but even if they hadn't it wouldn't have mattered. I was hooked. The books (the last three are: Everybody Loves You; Some Men Are Lookers; and How's Your Romance?) move the characters from the beginning of the Stonewall era through to the present day. The main characters (the narrator Bud; his best friend Dennis Savage; Dennis Savage's partner Little Kiwi; their friend Carlo, who is the epitome of Stonewall sexiness; and young Cosgrove, a street kid looking for a place to belong, along with several secondary characters who pop up throughout the series) age and change with the times, but most importantly they remain a family.

It was especially interesting to read this series, given that a lot of what I've read about this particular time period,as far as gay fiction goes, has been set in San Francisco. It was really nice to get the New York point of view.

I was so sad to come to the end of the books and to have to say goodbye to these characters! Of course, the third book was originally supposed to be the final one, but after a gap of several years, two more were written. So I can only hope that Mr. Mordden will change his mind again and add another book (or several!) to the series.

I also read Kristin Chenoweth's memoir, A Little Bit Wicked, a few weeks ago. I'm not that big on celebrity memoirs these days (back during junior high and the early years of high school, I read quite a few, mostly about golden age Hollywood stars), but I really enjoyed Kristin's book. It was a quick, funny read. Her sense of humor really appeals to me and her whole outlook on life is just one that I really respect. If you want a fun non fiction read this summer or if you're a fan of Kristin's (and if you aren't, why not?!) and haven't picked it up yet, you should look for it.

Last month (or was it in March?) I read Stephen Fry's novel Making History and wanted to write a whole post on that, but now too much time has passed. I really enjoyed it, though. Fry has to be one of the funniest men alive, I just love his wit. Needless to say, I laughed a lot while reading the novel.

I also liked the premise of the book, which is that a physicist and a graduate student in history, who is writing his thesis on Hitler's early years, team up to change history by making sure that Hitler is never born.

It turns out, though, that we should be careful what we wish for, even where the existence of Adolph Hitler is concerned! It's a really enjoyable book (with some gay characters, by the way) and if you've never read any of Fry's books, I think this would be a good one to start with.

Currently, I'm reading a collection of gay themed short stories from the Men on Men anthology series. I'm enjoying it, though walking around with the book on campus the other day did earn me a few interesting looks. I'm sure the title of the series had people picturing something quite different than literary fiction!

Insomniac Ramblings

Lately, insomnia has been haunting my nights. I'm not quite sure why, since I've never really been a sufferer of that particular affliction before.

Since I'm still awake, I figured I might as well write about something.

I think my adoration of Kristin Chenoweth is fairly well documented by now, so you'll probably understand how excited I was to read about her upcoming memoir, A Little Bit Wicked. I'd actually read about it last summer but I hadn't heard much about it since then until I saw an article today about some of the more, uh, interesting moments that have happened in the theatre.

It's coming out on April 14th and you know I'll be all over it!

One of the best parts about working in a bookstore is the discount, of course. One of the worst parts about working in a bookstore, though, is also the discount! The result so far is eight overflowing bookcases here in my apartment and a significantly larger portion of my check given back to the company than I'd ever have if I worked in any other kind of store.

I read something recently about a man who had so many books that they lined every single wall, in every single room and hallway of his rather large house and he'd still had to have a shed of sorts built in his back yard to house the overflow. Sometimes I wonder if my own future will look at all similar to that!

Thinking about my own ever growing book collection doesn't even take into account the books that my future partner, at the moment completely hypothetical, will bring to the relationship! There's a great essay in one of my favorite books about the love of books, Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. It's called Marrying Libraries and is all about her and her husband having to combine their separate libraries, decide how to organize the books, and choose which duplicate copies to say goodbye to.

It would probably seem silly to anyone who isn't a big book person, but it's so easy to get attached not just to the wonderful words between the covers, but to a particular copy of a book that can hold memories of when and where you bought it and first read it, of the person you were at that time in your life.

I can't imagine ending up with someone who isn't a book person to some extent. The romantic in me dreams of leisurely Sundays spent with our noses in our books and discussing what we've been reading.

I see that sort of relationship now and again at work, in couples who come in together for books. It always makes me smile when one will ask the other "Have we read this yet?" They're usually older and so far always heterosexual, but it still proves that it's possible!

Of course, it's silly to place any kind of restriction on who you'll love. I'm sure I could be equally happy with someone who wasn't a book person, I just wonder what we'd talk about as time went on. I think all relationships need that common ground, that bond over something beyond just the fact that you love each other.

I'm rambling on. Blame the insomnia.

Glee

I was just reading that Kristin Chenoweth has been cast in a recurring role in Glee, an upcoming musical comedy from Fox centering around 'the worst high school glee club in America'. You know I completely adore Kristin and the show will also star someone else I've been hoping to see more of: Broadway vet and As the World Turns alum Matthew Morrison. The generally awesome (and openly gay) Victor Garber will also be in the cast.

Just reading the description, I think it would be a show I'd want to catch even if the cast were completely unknown to me. Knowing that Kristin will be involved and will get to sing just makes my day! I can't wait. I do wonder what this means for Legally Mad, the David E. Kelley pilot she was starring in. It sounds like Glee will be ready to debut this spring, though, and Legally Mad wouldn't be on until next fall if it's even picked up. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to what sounds like Ally McBeal revisited, although I would of course tune in for Kristin alone.

I'm really looking forward to Glee, though, and I just wish it were already May so I could see it for myself!

Great Chenoweth Interview

Okay, I know I just blogged about Kristin Chenoweth yesterday and that I should probably pick a new topic today. But Kristin was interviewed on CBS's Sunday Morning today and gave a fantastic interview in which she discussed, among other things, her strong faith and her equally strong support of gay rights.

Kristin: I'm a big gay rights person. I believe that... people should be able to get married who want to get married.

Interviewer: Now you grew up Southern Baptist, right?

Kristin: Sure I did...

Interviewer: Gay Marriage?

Kristin: I support it.

Interviewer: Gay adoption?

Kristin: Yep.

Interviewer: But there are many Christians who have issues with homosexuality.

Kristin: Sure, and I understand that. That's what they've been ingrained. But you know, I have been exposed to a different way of life. I've been exposed-

Interviewer: Now some folks in Oklahoma might say corrupted.

Kristin: Yeah, corrupted. And that's okay. I'd hate for them to judge me, I don't judge them. You know, I just can't apologize for it.

I knew already that Kristin had a strong Christian faith (her second CD, As I Am, is mostly Christian music) and that she was a very gay friendly person, but I still loved seeing her voice her support for gay marriage and adoption on national TV.

What can I say? Kristin is just made of awesome.

Kristin's New Role

Well, it's being reported that Kristin Chenoweth has already landed a starring role in a new series. You know I adore Kristin completely and will totally be watching. I'm happy for her, but I'm also sad for two reasons.

First, this is totally the nail in the coffin for Pushing Daisies. Yes, it was already canceled, but there was always the hope, however slight, that some other network would pick it up. Now, with Bryan Fuller back at Heroes and Kristin getting a new show, I have to accept that Daisies is really over.

The other reason I'm sad is that the show Kristin has landed is a new legal drama by David E. Kelley. It's called Legally Mad and is set at a law firm in Chicago. Does this sound familiar? How about this description of Kristin's character: "a cheerful and brilliant attorney who nonetheless exhibits flashes of psychosis — and enjoys being mistaken for a teenager."

Does this not sound like Ally McBeal redux? Okay, Ally wasn't usually cheerful, but flashes of psychosis? I have to admit that, once upon a time, I was a major McBeal fan. In its first few seasons, I thought it was incredible. But then it became all about pratfalls and silliness. It became less a fun show with quirks than a show built on nothing but quirks.

I just worry that the same thing will happen with Kristin's new show. I think Kelley does legal dramas far better than he does legal comedies, and even though this is described as a drama in the article, it sounds more along McBeal lines to me.

The real kicker, of course, is that her character's name is going to be Skippy Pylon!

I'll be watching for Kristin and one thing I'm sure of is that she will spin whatever gold she can out of the material and make it fun to watch.

Music Talk

Can I just say how much I love Kristin Chenoweth? I know that I've said it before. I know that I'll say it again. But I just completely adore her.

I watched last Wednesday's episode of Pushing Daisies last night and it had this fantastic scene where her character, Olive Snook, sings Eternal Flame. One of my favorite moments in season one was a similar scene in which the lovesick Olive sang Hopelessly Devoted to You and I'd been hoping that they'd have Kristin sing again before the show ended. I totally wasn't expecting it when it happened, though, so it was a great surprise.

I bought Kristin's holiday CD, A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, today and- no shock here- I really like it. I have her two earlier CDs already and I listen to them all the time, especially Let Yourself Go, which has some really fun songs on it. I'm kind of sad that I'm only going to be able to listen to this new CD for one month every year!

I'm going to have to buy the Wicked and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown Broadway cast recordings next, I guess. I really hope some smart TV Exec snaps Chenoweth up for a new show soon now that Pushing Daisies is going off the air.

All right, so to sum up, I basically worship Kristin Chenoweth. I'm probably even going to see Four Christmases just because she's in the cast. I haven't had a non-sexual crush like this since I loved Sarah Michelle Gellar back during her Buffy heyday, but that ended after I saw one too many interviews with her and discovered that it was actually Buffy I liked, not Sarah!

Speaking of music, I've been meaning to mention that I think one of the best CDs that was released this year was Jay Brannan's album Goddamed. I first discovered Jay's music on YouTube (although I'd seen him before that in the movie Shortbus, I didn't actually realize that he was the same guy at first) and was really impressed, especially with the song Housewife. If you aren't familiar with his music, you should check out his videos on YouTube where you can find him singing most of the songs from the CD.

I had a chance to go see him in concert a few months back, but of course I had to work and couldn't find anyone to cover my shift, so I missed out, which is the way things usually go with me! I'm hoping he'll come back this way someday.