UPDATE: Next week’s Glee Project finale will feature a “surprise guest mentor” and Pink’s “Raise Your Glass”. Read the press release.
On the season finale, the four remaining contenders will have the chance to prove themselves to Ryan Murphy for the last time as they perform their most exhilarating group number yet, Pink’s “Raise Your Glass, ” while anxiously waiting to find out who wins the grand prize – a seven episode guest starring role on “Glee.” A surprise guest from “Glee” joins the group to mentor them on their final performance on “The Glee Project.”
Four contestants remain on The Glee Project: Alex, Damian, Lindsay and Samuel. This week’s theme is Generosity. It’s coming down to the wire and everybody is feeling competitive. The guest mentor arrives, it’s Kevin McHale who plays Artie.
All four contestants have to sing a last chance performance for Ryan Murphy. And this week, co-creator and writer, Ian Brennan joins him. Zach and Robert, the mentors who know the kids best, will not be involved in the final decision this week.
Alex sings, “Eye Is On the Sparrow”, Lindsay sings “Defying Gravity”, Damian sings “I Gotta Be Me”, Samuel sings “My Funny Valentine”.
BIG TWIST THIS WEEK!
NOBODY IS SENT HOME!
Four contestants remain on The Glee Project: Alex, Damian, Lindsay and Samuel. This week’s theme is Generosity. Kevin McHale who plays wheelchair-bound Artie, is this week’s mentor. It’s coming down to the wire and the final four are feeling competitive.
Glee casting director, and mentor Robert Ulrich explains that the Glee cast works as a support system. When the days get long and tough, they help each other out. The song for this week’s homework assignment is “Lean on Me”. Kevin will chose a contestant to receive some one on one mentoring later. The kids sing. Lindsay and Alex go for the big notes and nail them. Kevin felt it took Sam a while to connect to the song. Kevin could feel every word of the song Alex sang. He liked Lindsay’s soulful interpretation and thought Damian connected well. In the end, Kevin picks Lindsay as the winner of the challenge. because it’s her first win. Not only does she get a mentoring session from Kevin, but she also wins a magic comb! Kevin is very sweet and funny.
The big group number this week is “Sing” by My Chemical Romance. All the kids will be playing a musical instrument, except only Sam really knows how to play. Kevin reveals that although Artie plays lead guitar, Kevin does not know how to play, and in fact lied a little in his audition about it. Once again, he asks again who plays an instrument, and everyone raises their hand. Each of the contestants will also be sharing their performance with a “special guest”. Glee choreographer and mentor, Zach Woodlee, assigns instruments. Sam will play keyboard, Damian on drums. Alex on bass (he has no idea what that is!) and Lindsay is assigned lead guitar. He asks them all to play, and it’s a disaster. Zach says…Commit to it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRkyq4EknYs
The final 4 meet their special partners. It’s little kids! They are part of a program called Education Through Music, Los Angeles. The kids partner up with their “mini-mes” and take a moment to get acquainted. Samuel has always wanted a little brother. Damian’s partner is named Liam. “I’m blown away by this little guy.” He plays drums. Lindsay’s partner Lily has done theater. Alex’s partner, a little girl named Allegria, is a shy and nervous, just as Alex was at that age.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnOrzj1rCMo
Next, it’s time for vocals with Nikki Anders. She tells Damian that he’s becoming a “rock god”. She asks Lindsay not to sing “so perfect” and not to rush it. Sam is having some problems with the high notes. He’s got to sing his parts over and over again until he gets it right. The kiddies are perfect, of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11WdzDIjmxA
Time to shoot the video with Erik White. Here’s where the theme kicks in big time. It’s up to the contestants to help their little co-stars perform as well as they can. Kevin helps Lindsay play fake guitar convincingly in their one-on-one session. Damian says Liam is teaching him more than he’s teaching Liam. Alex is feeling uncomfortable this week, and the producers notice. Sam want’s to make sure that his kid’s one moment on camera is a good one. What does generosity mean to these contenders? Nikki thinks we’re going to learn a lot about each of the contestants through the process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P78HUAaFRK0
The “Sing” music video. Fight the power Glee kids! FIGHT THE MAN! Ha. I keed. The anti-establishment message of “Sing” always seemed a little strange in SATB harmony. But, the contenders and the kids are a charming match. The vocals are solid and powerful and the video is tagged at the end with a message promoting the music education program the kids came from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1DOB0nXR6Q
It’s time for the Bottom 3 reveal. Who is guaranteed a spot in next week’s finale? Only 3 will advance. Robert tells Lindsay her guitar playing messed up her lip syncing. Damian had some of the same problems. Alex didn’t work out some fun bits with his partner, like his fellow contenders did. The producers had a difficult time reaching a decision, but the finally do. But guess what? We’ll never find out who they chose to put straight on the call back list, because co-creator and asshat Ryan Murphy called at the last minute with a change of plans. Ryan decided that he needed co-creator, and writer, Ian Brennan’s input into making this week’s decision on who should be eliminated.
Since Ian has seen nobody, ALL 4 WILL perform. NOBODY is safe. The song assignments are handed out. Lindsay is singing “Defying Gravity”. Alex gets “Eye is on the Sparrow”. Damian is assigned, “Ive Gotta Be mMe” and Samuel sings “My Funny Valentine”–a song he’s never heard (how is that possible?) Ryan and Ian will evaluate the contenders this week without Robert or Zach–the two mentors who know them best–fighting on their behalf.
Pre performance: Damian has struggled, but he’s got a new confidence. He’s going for it! Alex doesn’t like his assignment, because “Eye of the Sparrow” was sung at his father’s funeral. It’s too painful. Nikki says the song is joyful, and a good way to look at his dad now. Sam is freaking out because he’s never heard “My Funny Valentine” in his life. The tune is hard on his vocal chords. Lindsay is crying. She’s ready to give the song everything she’s got. She’s at a point where she’s ready to bring the walls down, finally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umj61-STohk
Last chance performance with Ryan and Ian: Ryan sees Alex as “the love child of Kurt and Mercedes” and could see the duo take Alex’s character under their wing. Ryan thinks Alex has the best voice of everyone left. On stage, Alex tells Ryan and Ian the backstory of his song, and how he became ready to perform it. His performance is soulful, powerful and heartfelt. He doesn’t move into a sad place. “I think your dad would be proud of you, ” says Ryan. Alex is from Lynn, MA. (And let me tell you, that’s not a very nice place to be from) Alex was picked on in high school and always had more girl friends than guy friends. Ian finds him fascinating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sAlDb0lEZ0
Damian is next. He’s been in the bottom 3 the most. Ryan finds himself rooting for Damian, whom he feels has the best personality, if not the best voice. Damian goes on to demonstrate this with a performance of “I’ve Got to Be Me” that’s not a vocal tour de force, but really fun and SUPER CUTE. Damian dances around the stage, interacting with the band. A basket full of puppies couldn’t be more adorable. He ends by pushing the microphone over. Ryan calls it “punk rock”. Does Damian want to be a singer or an actor? He doesn’t care. He just wants to perform. Ryan tells him he did great. Ian says he’d make a good freshman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3nEod8ICNw
Lindsay is next. Her vocals are surprisingly shaky. But she’s putting more effort into imbuing the song with feeling, rather than making the notes perfect. It’s a very emotional performance. Big note at the finish. You did good, says Ryan. Ian wants to know if she can rock out. She laughs. She says she’s done being “perfect.” Ryan tells Ian that he keeps wanting to cut her, but can’t bring himself to do it, because they need her. What…as a replacement for Lea Michele?
Samuel is last. He sings “My Funny Valentine”. He didn’t know the song, but he’s working it out. It’s a very nice interpretation of the tune. He sounded vulnerable and sweet. Very good, says Ryan. He likes that he has Bible phrases tattooed on his body. Ryan thinks he’d be good as the Christian character on Glee he’s been wanting to write. Ryan tells Sam he hasn’t seen him break down or be the underdog. Ryan asks him when was the last time he cried. Sam says yesterday, because he was afraid. After his audition, Ian remarks that Samuel is hard to pin down. The other three seem authentic to him.
It’s time for the big reveal. The contenders all look at the callback sheet. A look of relief washes over Alex’s face. He’s safe (Frankly, I thought if they had to pick the winner this week, it would have been Alex). Damian is also safe. Will Lindsay or Samuel go home? Oh…Lindsay is safe. It must be Samuel…wait, he’s looking relieved…a shot of the callback sheet reveals that all 4 of the contestants will come back next week to compete in the final. Everybody is extremely happy. They sing the farewell song together. Nobody goes home.
Samuel was clearly the contestant who deserved to go home this week. The other 3 stepped it up big time, and it’s easy to see the types of roles they’d play on Glee. Lindsay as the stuck up girl who is really insecure inside. Damian as a fish-out-of-water exchange student, and Alex as a gay/transgendered kid who luckily finds some friends to help him navigate tough waters.
But Samuel? First, he seems too old to be a high school student. But that hasn’t stopped Murphy in the past (Mark Salling and Corey Monteith are pushing 30). I’m not convinced he’ll be able to embody this Christian character Murphy has in mind–first for Cameron, and now for Sam, because I’m not convinced his acting can take him much beyond the squinty eyes and pouty looks he employs in the music videos. But it’s obvious Ryan likes him or he would have just cut him, rather than pull the everyone-is-so-good-I’m not-going-to-cut-anybody trick.
I hope either Damian or Lindsay wins. Damian because he’s cute and likable and Lindsay, because despite how annoying she can be, she can sing and act. She’s probably got the broadest range of everyone left. I think she could probably play a variety of characters, some that are very different than herself. Not sure I can say that about Damian, Alex or Sam.
Promo for next week’s finale
RYAN MURPHY IS AN ASSHAT! NOT a bulletin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HICn1Ee_G68
