Hell-O Gleeeeee!!

Welcome back, Glee! We’ve missed you! With so much hype and anticipation leading up to the second part of the famed Glee Season 1, the lead-off episode “Hell-O” left us with a lot to sing about. Although the 45 second recap of the Part 1could have taken over an hour, the show did a lot to prepare the audience for the amazing Part 2.

They lead off with main characters Finn and Rachel together, a relationship Finn barely realizes he’s a part of. Nonetheless, they become the power couple of the Glee club while Quinn and Puck are forced to fight things out on the side. Mr. Shue thought this would be a new beginning but his disaster called life keeps following him around like a dark rain cloud. Sue and Emma are both eager to get to Will. Back from Boca, Sue intends on a Cheerios challenge to destroy Glee Club while Emma and Will plan their first date. When things don’t go so well in that department, Will and Emma find themselves going in different directions; Will embraces his single life while Emma tries to define hers.

All of this drama centers on the recent fame of the Glee Club finally winning sectionals in Part 1. They come back ready to rule the school but end up with more slushy facials than last season. Their new quest: Regionals and McKinley’s biggest competition: Vocal Adrenaline. After the not-so-sudden F-rachel breakup, naive Rachel falls head over heels with Adrenaline senior star, Jesse St. James (Spring Awakening’s Jonathon Groff), and a duet of Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello” seals the deal. In an attempt to regain a balanced rivalry, Will meets up with Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran (Wicked/Rent’s Idina Menzel) and informs them of the star-crossed lovers in their two groups. Shelby has an effect on Will and liberates him into bachelorhood. The Glee Club, however, is not so easily swept away giving Rachel an ultimatum to drop Jesse or be replaced.

The most hilarious scene, however, is still in plot-worthy question. Director Brad Falchuk is always throwing in hilarious side stories that may or may not show up as leading story lines. In this instance, Finn accepts a date from cheerleader Brittany and cheerleader Santana. Unaware that the two are acting under the Sue’s scheming, Finn sits twirling his spaghetti across from gossiping Brittany and Santana. After sending back their clean plates---Brittany claims there was a mouse in hers---, Santana and Brittany gossip about Glee Club and Finn and share interesting insights. (Brittany, “Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?”)

Season 2 led off with a lot of expectation. Who would get together? Would the group succeed and win or fail as miserably as most of the group’s social lives? The promise of more music was definitely upheld in this first episode “Hell-O” but the incessant Hello theme was a little much. From the All American Rejects “Gives you Hell” to the Doors “Hello, I love you”, we definitely got the message.

Although amazing in writing and character design, the episode would never exceed our expectations because of the hype built up over the four-month break. The promise of guest stars and dance-offs and the secret plots lines left us all wondering what we would see in the first episode and made us a little disappointed when we didn’t get everything right away. Still, we have to give creators Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy some credit. The potential for Part 2 is undeniable and we can’t wait to be blown away.

Love Sean Michael xoxo

What’s there to love about Love Sean Michael? He’s sweet, he’s suave, and he’s sweeping through Ithaca oh, so smooth.
Still young, Sean Stolar is the face of the pop/funk/electro cool that is Love Sean Michael. A heartbreaker from the tender age of six, Stolar has embraced his gift of a sweet, yet, suggestive serenade. He played piano and guitar from the get go and after dozens of bands, 17-year-old Stolar took over famed clubs like LA’s Viper Room, the Roxy, and CBGB. Following in the esteemed footsteps of his brother Julius of J and the Birds, Stolar paved his way through the NYC music scene.
Stolar traveled to Ithaca to attend Ithaca College and had to transition to the slower pace of upstate. You may recognize him from local groups such as Super Cola and White Hot.
Stolar sensed the need for change and set out to redefine the point of collaboration in the first place. Stolar hopes to resurrect the quality that’s been missing in the music industry.
“It’s important to produce something that I would want to hear,” Stolar says. “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
The answer---Love Sean Michael, an 8-ish group of studio musicians blending the ease of city rhythms with an ultra-plush sophisticated funk. Stolar is featured on guitar, keyboard and vocals. The latest single “So Romantic” has a soft techno edge and a hook to make anyone smile.
With a lot of original music, Sean says he can’t help but cover the music he appreciates most. If you thought you knew Michael Jackson, you haven’t heard him like Stolar. He idolizes the greats in R&B, soul, and funk and claims Prince as his greatest discovery or “the rapport of his thunder.”
Stolar has also been staying true to form and remains independent from large labels and producers. Along with Dave Weingarten and Dan Timmons, Stolar has taken control of the band’s direction and written, recorded, and produced all of their projects. Pending the finish of LSM’s latest EP, Stolar is in the works of a greater umbrella corporation to house all of their budding ideas and projects. Love Sean Michael LLC will include a record label, publishing company, production company, merchandising and a fashion label which will be finalized in the next coming weeks.
This week, however, is something special. After a European tour with LSM this past summer, Stolar has found a innate sense to recognize high quality sound. Straight from Berlin and Rome respectively, Stolar is bringing in Acid Washed and Dam Funk for a show of international proportions. The trio of groups will make their American debut together and perform this Friday April 23rd at 10:00 p.m. at Castaways. While Acid Washed is a Parisian duo fusing ‘90s house and disco beats, Dam Funk or the “Ambassador of Boogie Funk” brings a synthesized, deep bass vibe straight from Cali. The two, combined with Love Sean Michael, hope to create more of an atmosphere than a concert showing off a softer side of Castaways that may be just the sweet, suave, smooth sound we’ve been missing.
“We really wanted to see a real show that’s different and refreshing,” Stolar said. “You have to go with what you believe in and be creative. That way, the results will always be magical.”
Look for more from Love Sean Michael at myspace.com/loveseanmichael and loveseanmichael.com.

A Turn for Independent Media

We may see the glass half full but we're still a little hurt by the hopelash.

Hopelash: Like a backlash, hopelash is a 180-degree reversal of everything Obama-related. Sufferers were once Obama's most passionate evangelists. Now they are his angriest critics. Sample sentence: "At least with Bush everyone knew he was an asshole. Now we've got the same wars, the same lawless prisons, the same Washington corruption, but everyone is cheering like Stepford wives. It's time for a full-on hopelash."


There was a lot of clapping during Naomi Klein’s presentation last night. An energized audience was lucky enough to hear the renowned, independent media journalist and kept the speech as interactive as her “make-a-change” agenda.

Klein’s introduction was internationally prestigious. Her book, The Shock Doctrine, has been translated into 25 languages including Arabic and Hebrew. Although it is targeted and mainly addresses corporate America, the book has the power to reach an international audience and what’s even better: it applies to them. Not only do American efforts of “diplomacy” affect our little town of Ithaca, but more so, do they affect far-world countries and nations most people can’t even pick out on a map.

Klein referenced the capitalistic side of American and foreign outreach programs especially in the private sector. Large private corporations are currently capitalizing (no pun intended) on the situation in Haiti lurking around waiting for large projects that they could invest and profit from. Even though the impoverished country is indebted heavily (from a French slave debt from the 1800’s), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loaded yet another giant loan that will most likely go unpaid. ---Klein noted that the IMF recently overturned the loan into a grant after protests and human rights groups and independent media organizations acted and noted this injustice.

Klein went on to speak of the importance of public versus the privatization of almost every sector of our economy: the military, education (higher education, health care, social security, etc.) She raised a very important question that relates to everyone around the world: Do we want to gamble our futures (i.e. social security for example) on the ups and downs of Wall Street? There is little trust in anything corporate because they mainstream the system to the basics and leave little room for personalization and special protections.

That’s where independent media comes in to really act as the needed 4th estate. The important thing I learned from the presentation is the power of independent media. To note from Klein’s introduction, the Park Center for Independent Media prides itself and their field on how they are able to lend a voice to those who need it. It seems the farther we get away from corporate mainstream, the truer and more accurate narrative will emerge (Isn’t that the point of journalism, we hope?). Klein empowered the people of Ithaca and has done so with the Shock Doctrine. She gave a realistic, yet still optimistic presentation that was supported with detailed research: no opinion, just the facts. It was hard to question what she was saying.

And so, with an Obama-like ease, Klein cut off her speech just in time for a standing ovation.


Please support the truth that comes with independent media! Where else will we get our information?