Glee continues soundtrack binge

The award-studded Glee has entered its second season. To the delight of fans all over the world, the series is as commercially appealing, intriguing and as musical as ever. For us Pinoys, the star to watch in Glee is Charice. Admit it, even non-Glee fans out here make it a point to watch the show whenever Charice is present. She has appeared twice, singing Listen and All By Myself to very good reviews. So the question now in our minds is, will she appear again? Has Sunshine Corazon turned into a recurring character? I am hopeful she has.

I also ask. She said goodbye last week so I wonder: Will Gwyneth Paltrow’s Holly be back again this season? She is a luminous presence whose musical numbers are always memorable. I still have her Forget You and the mash-up of Umbrella and Singing In The Rain playing in my head. What I read in a fan magazine is that Broadway and Pushing Daisies star Kristin Chenoweth, who can sing powerfully and as sweet as an angel’s, will be back to wreak havoc on Mr. Schuester. Her Home and mash-up of One Less Bell To Answer and A House Is Not A Home were some of the first season’s highlights.

I also worry. I wonder where the people behind Glee intend to take the budding gay relationship between Kurt and Blaine. This might just be an ordinary part of the plot like Quinn’s pregnancy in season one that is now forgotten. But you can never tell how viewers will react to this turn of events. Besides, Glee’s director Ryan Murphy also did the edgy series Nip/Tuck and that means he has no fear about pushing the envelope as far as he can. Kurt and Blaine have shared a kiss so I now wonder where they are headed next.

As for the rest, there is really no cause for fans to worry. The Rachel, Finn and Quinn love triangle is holding up very well. I know some people though, who are getting impatient about Rachel and Finn getting together again. Of course, Sue remains active and dedicated to her goal in bringing Will’s Glee club down. Check out her new minions, whom she refers to as her Legion of Doom. Aspiring diva Mercedes is building up rivalries with Rachel, Santana, Brittany and others. Kurt may return to McKinley High soon. Do you think Blaine will follow suit?

One more question. Why is it that, while really big stars like Paltrow, Chenoweth and even Neil Patrick Harris and Olivia Newton-John have featured songs in Glee soundtracks, there has not been one by Charice? I thought of this because of the release of Glee: The Music, Volume 5 featuring songs from the second season. Paltrow performs with Will in Kiss plus Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) and Landslide with other cast members. With songs like Firework, Baby and Somebody To Love, the charm is as palpable as ever in what is probably the 10th Glee soundtrack CD to date. However, Listen by Charice would have made a very good addition.

Now also out is Showstoppers Volume 3. This is like a best-of collection of the most memorable performances from the first season. It is a very good batch with 20 cuts, which shows why an estimated 30 million releases have been sold on CDs and digital downloads. Awesome is Kurt’s A House Is Not A Home. Also a standout is Mercedes’ Beautiful. Just look at what they did to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face and Bad Romance. And what about Hello, a lovely duet by Rachel and Jonathan of the beautiful baritone. It is just too bad that he is not in the show anymore. He made a good rival for Finn.

For the newly initiated to the Glee phenomenon, the show’s soundtrack releases are all locally available. These are all titled Glee: The Music and feature the cast plus special guest stars. There is also the Showstoppers series that includes the Journey To The Regionals plus The Power Of Madonna, The Rocky Horror Glee Show with songs from the cult favorite, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and pop horror tunes like Thriller and The Christmas Album.

Up next is the first album by Blaine’s glee club The Warblers plus solo CDs from Matthew Morrison, who plays Will, and Mark Salling, who is Puck. I wonder when Lea Michelle, who is Rachel, and Amber Riley, who is Mercedes, will come up with theirs.