Glee had caused a fuss before the show even aired. From the first cryptic commercials to the success of the first episodes, potential future audiences wondered if a show about misfits singing in a show choir could "make it." The buzz was loud, expectations were high. In the end, however, Glee successfully managed to combine karaoke-style singing with astute commentary on the high-school experience and universal teenage dramas. Although TV had been enamored with the karaoke-style singing show format ever since American Idol premiered in the US in 2002, few had attempted to combine singing with elements of traditional comedy. Before Glee premiered in 2009, creator Ryan Murphy spent his time assuring potential audiences that the show wouldn't include only show tunes and that cast members wouldn't spontaneously break into song. People were put at ease when they saw that the show featured some of their favorite songs, including songs from Top 40 lists to oldies to yes, even a few show tunes. A hit with audiences, the TV show Glee, which was originally conceived as a feature-length film, quickly became a hit.

Quicklets: Learn More. Read Less. Robert Kirkman is a New York Times bestselling author living in Richmond, Kentucky. Kirkman is currently a partner at Image Comics, which publishes The Walking Dead. His other works at the company include Invincible and The Astounding Wolf-Man. Invincible has been adapted into a motion comic. The Walking Dead won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series and the 2010 Scream Award for Best Comic Book. He also founded a new imprint at Image called Skybound, which focuses on up-and-coming series outside of the mass-market. He remains active on the television series as an executive producer and writer. The Walking Dead originated as a New York Times bestselling comic series written by Robert Kirkman. The first season's universally critically acclaimed. Whether it's because it packs a raw, emotional punch (TV Guide) or contains wonderfully skilled framed shots (Newsday), The Walking Dead shows that it's a unique entry on television network AMC.

Quicklets: Your Reading Sidekick! ABOUT THE BOOK Glee is part musical, part teenage drama, and part dark (but not too dark) comedy. The show is set in Lima, Ohio at fictional McKinley High School. Glee tells the story of the New Directions, McKinleys show-choir team that is composed of ambitious misfits. They are determined to win the national competition, but it is an uphill battle against their show-choir competitors, social pressures to be popular, and their own interpersonal dynamics. If thats not enough, Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach at McKinley, is hell-bent on destroying the glee club. She constantly torments the students for her own entertainment and inexplicably hates their coach, Will Schuester. Beneath her tough exterior, though, shes a bully with a big heart. Drawing off the popularity of American Idol, Glee provides prime-time audiences a rich context to experience the power of music. As the on-screen characters wrestle with theirs stereotypical identities, music gives them opportunities to express themselves fully and feel that they are part of something special. Its not all campy show tunes and sappy love songs. Often satirical, and at times absurd, Glee allows viewers to connect with their inner you-fill-in-the-blank: inner diva, inner jock, inner geek, inner over-achiever. . . you get the picture. The ensemble cast brilliantly portrays the anxieties and crises teenagers face. In watching them, were reminded that our insecurities dont all disappear the day we graduate high school. MEET THE AUTHOR Paula Braun is a recovering bureaucrat. On a whim, she took a one-year assignment in Iraq and followed it with another one-year assignment in Afghanistan. After that, she needed a break, so she semi-retired and joined a bridge club. To support her bridge habit, she entered the glamorous world of freelance writing. You can follow Paula on twitter @paula_braun EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Finn feels personally responsible for Sams injury and confesses to Emma that all three prayers he made to Grilled Cheesus have been answered. Emma provides practical explanations for what occurred, and tells Finn, Everyone struggles with the big questions. Finn is shaken by the news and sings R.E.M.s Loosing My Religion. Kurt is excited about the fashion at Mercedes church, and he show up with her wearing a fabulous hat. Mercedes asks the congregation to pray for Kurts father and leads the choir in an ensemble performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. After church, Kurt visits his father in the hospital and tells him, I dont believe in God, Dad, but I believe in you, and I believe in us. You and me. Thats what sacred to me. Burt lightly squeezes Kurts hand, and Kurt calls for a nurse. The episode ends with the New Directions singing Joan Osbornes One of Us. Will expects Sue to turn him in to Principal Figgins, but she agrees not to use the song against Will. She had a change of heart after visiting her sister Jane who told her God never makes mistakes. Finn finally eats the remaining half of his Grillled Cheesus sandwich... Buy a copy to keep reading! CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on Glee Season 2 (TV Show) + About Glee + About the Director and Producer + Overall Summary + Episode by Episode Commentary and Summary + ...and much more

Steve details his descent from bright star to burnout in this newly repackaged edition of the definitive, highly acclaimed novel from the creator of Veronica Mars and Party Down. Houston, sophomore year: Steve is on top of the world. He and his friends are the talk of the school. He’s in love with a terrific girl. He can even deal with “the astronaut”—a world-famous hero who happens to be his father. San Diego, senior year: Steve is bummed out, drugged out, flunking out. A no-nonsense counselor says he can graduate if he writes a 100-page paper. So Steve starts writing, and as the paper becomes more and more personal, he reveals how a National Merit Scholar has become an under-achieving stoner. And in telling how he got to where he is, Steve discovers how to get to where he wants to be.

From the two defining personalities of post-cyberpunk SF, a brilliant collaboration to rival 1987's The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling