Melissa Benoist News

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 27, 2013 - Sunday, January 27, 2013.

Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) and Melissa Benoist (GLEE) sang 'Freedom' from the Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk at the Kerrigan-Lowdermilk West Coast Debut at Upright Cabaret at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood, CA, on January 20, 2013. Check out their performance below!

Last night, GLEE made its big Winter return on FOX with Episode 11 of Season Four, titled 'Sadie Hawkins' and a virtually (and sonically) dizzyingly plot-packed and music-bedecked episode written by Ross Maxwell and directed by Bradley Buecker. New characters were introduced, romances were born and furthered and a lot of songs were sung - all in all, a GLEE just right for the midway point of the year.

On this week's episode of GLEE, The girls of the glee club organize a Sadie Hawkins dance at McKinley High, in which the girls ask out their dates, leading to interesting couplings among the members of New Directions. Meanwhile, Sam is convinced that the Warblers cheated at Sectionals, and he makes it his mission to find the evidence. Also, Kurt attempts to find his niche at NYADA. Check out full tracks from the episode below, which will include 'I Don't Know How to Love Him,' 'Locked Out of Heaven,' 'Baby Got Back,' 'Tell Him,' 'I Only Have Eyes for You,' and 'No Scrubs.'

On this week's episode of GLEE, The Girls of the Glee club organize a Sadie Hawkins dance at McKinley High, in which the Girls ask out their dates, leading to interesting couplings among the members of New Directions. Meanwhile, Sam is convinced that the Warblers cheated at Sectionals, and he makes it his mission to find the evidence. Also, Kurt attempts to find his niche at NYADA. Check out photos from the episode below!

Over the past couple of weeks, GLEE creator Ryan Murphy has revealed more than a few juicy spoilers for the show's upcoming episodes on FOX.

Chris Isaacson PRESENTS and UPRIGHT CABARET will present the West Coast debut of up-and-coming Broadway songwriting duo of Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk featuring performances by Sarah Hyland ('Modern Family'), Melissa Benoist ('Glee'), Barrett Foa ('NCIS-LA'), Max Ehrich ('Young and The Restless,' Broadway: Newsies), Dezmond Meeks ('America's Got Talent'), Meghann Fahy ('One Life To Live,' Broadway: Next To Normal), Matt Sax ('Clay'), Morgan Karr (Spring Awakening), Arielle Jacobs (In The Heights), Colleen Ballinger ('Miranda Sings'), Laura Dickinson ('Disney's Phineas & Ferb') and more.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Broadway blows back, BARE takes first official bow, DROOD hits the recording studio, and so much more!

Liberally utilizing tried and true heartstring-tugging tropes masterfully displayed in holiday entities as diverse as LOVE, ACTUALLY, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, HOLIDAY INN and even showing some Chanukah action sure to set virtually anybody's menorah fully alight thanks to the Puckerman brothers, GLEE's Christmas episode - this year, aptly titled 'Love, Actually' and written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by HAIRSPRAY and ROCK OF AGES movie musical helmer and a recent participant in this very column, Adam Shankman (available here) - was all in all a quite quintessential quintet of seasonal joy, cheer, and, well, glee, broaching the quoin of many and any a viewer's heart valves in so pleasingly enacting its ample entertainment value over the course of the episode's five featured segments within the winning framework. While the split-location structure of the series as dictated by the new style of GLEE 4.0 is assuredly more pronounced than would be the case had the proposed NYC-set spin-off gotten the greenlight by FOX, the cast and creators are making it all work and it is more seamless as it goes on - and the addictive, giddy, all-consuming glee of it all that drew us all in in the first season is still there to relish by Santa's sleigh-ful.

On this tonight's episode of GLEE titled 'Glee Actually,' in an homage to the beloved holiday film 'Love, Actually,' seemingly separate storylines come together to form one merry GLEE episode. As the end of 2012 draws near, Sam and Brittany live their lives to the fullest before the Mayan Apocalypse occurs. Meanwhile, Jake and Puck spend quality sibling time together for Hanukah, Artie has a holiday dream that changes his outlook on life and Kurt has a Christmas he'll never forget. Check out photos and full tracks from the episode below!

On this week's episode of GLEE titled 'Glee Actually,' in an homage to the beloved holiday film "Love, Actually," seemingly separate storylines come together to form one merry GLEE episode. As the end of 2012 draws near, Sam and Brittany live their lives to the fullest before the Mayan Apocalypse occurs. Meanwhile, Jake and Puck spend quality sibling time together for Hanukah, Artie has a holiday dream that changes his outlook on life and Kurt has a Christmas he'll never forget. Check out photos from the episode below!

"For the first time in its charmed, yet pitiful, existence the New Directions has lost Sectionals," and, with that, indeed did "Christmas came early for one Sue Sylvester." As GLEE gave the gift of its inimitable takes on a number of musical theatre showstoppers - among them, songs from CHICAGO, COMPANY and HALLELUJAH, BABY - to gleeks around the world with last night aptly-titled "Swan Song" episode, the Lima-based glee club that now and always acts as the focal point of the show faced perhaps its most treacherous hurdle yet - and that's not even including Sue's evil shenanigans. In NYC, the temperature rose in much the same way that it actually unseasonably happened to do in Gothan itself this week with a spectacularly sexy "All That Jazz" and some seriously stage-worthy barn-burners courtesy of "Being Good Isn't Good Enough" - recently re-introduced to the world at large by no less than Barbra Streisand in her landmark 2012 tour (as well as on her recently released cut-out compilation RELEASE ME) - and COMPANY classic "Being Alive". While next week is sure to provide all the holiday cheer a show named GLEE could possibly muster - which is a whole lot - this week's "Swan Song" reminded us why GLEE connects and continues to express an all-too-rarely explored, expressed and enacted trope of those who are involved with the performing arts: competition inspires greater dedication.

Today BroadwayWorld is proud to present the third and fourth world premiere exclusive songs in a month's time, following "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" performed by Kitty (Becca Tobin) and the New Directions girls as well as "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" performed by Marley (Melissa Benoist): in addition to Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Amber Riley, Darren Criss and the New Directions with a theatrically-attuned group reworking of the 80s Crowded House pop classic "Don't Dream It's Over", here is theatrical standard "All That Jazz" from CHICAGO courtesy of Rachel (Lea Michele) and Cassandra (Kate Hudson) from this Thursday's brand new episode, "Swan Song".

Today BroadwayWorld is proud to present the third and fourth world premiere exclusive songs in a month's time, following "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" performed by Kitty (Becca Tobin) and the New Directions girls as well as "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" performed by Marley (Melissa Benoist): following "All That Jazz" from CHICAGO courtesy of Rachel (Lea Michele)and Cassandra (Kate Hudson), here is Cory Monteith, Darren Criss and the New Directions with a theatrically-attuned group reworking of the 80s Crowded House pop classic "Don't Dream It's Over" from this Thursday's brand new episode, "Swan Song".

On last week's episode of FOX's GLEE titled "Dynamic Duets", a love triangle heated up among Marley (Melissa Benoist), Jake (Jacob Artist) and Ryder (Blake Jenner), and Blaine (Darren Criss) had a run-in with the Warblers. The episode aired Thursday, November 22. Below, watch Jake and Ryder's full performance of 'Superman'!

On next week's new episode of FOX's GLEE titled "Thanksgiving", it's time for Sectionals, and New Directions receives guidance from some of the recent McKinley graduates who volunteer to mentor the glee club during their Thanksgiving breaks. Meanwhile, Rachel and Kurt have a non-traditional holiday dinner in the Big Apple. Check out photos from the episode below!

On this week's new episode of FOX's GLEE titled "Dynamic Duets", a love triangle heats up among Marley (Melissa Benoist), Jake (Jacob Artist) and Ryder (Blake Jenner), and Blaine (Darren Criss) has a run-in with the Warblers. The episode airs Thursday, November 22 at 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX. Check out full audio tracks including 'Heroes,' 'Some Nights,' 'My Dark Side,' 'Holding Out for a Hero,' and 'Superman' below!