Naya Rivera News

Having already broken down barriers in Season Three insofar as the depiction of gay teenage romance in concerned, last night on GLEE Ryan Murphy and company addressed lesbianism and its similarly taboo place in society - both in school and out. Brave and daring, GLEE's "I Kissed A Girl" episode surely opened up the doors to closets and more open conversations pertaining to human sexuality, yet it also painted a complex and all-too-real picture of the challenges facing teens of any and all sexual persuasions and how challenging it really is to be a teenager at the edge of seventeen in 2011. On the musical side, last night's show boasted an eclectic assortment of Sapphic-themed songs to go along with the dramatic content, such as Dolly Parton's "Jolene", Melissa Etheridge's "I'm The Only One", KD Lang's "Constant Craving" and Katy Perry's recent hit "I Kissed A Girl". With Pink's "F-ing Perfect" given the duet treatment courtesy of Kurt and Blaine and a stripped-down, male-sung version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" rounding out the seriously stupendous songstack, it was a night to remember for many more reasons than merely oh-so-fabulously spilled slushies and touching coming out stories - the music really, truly acted as an elemental ingredient; even more than usual. So, too, did Naya Rivera's seriously fine acting throughout make her turn as Santana this season a truly Golden Globe and Emmy-worthy performance - not unlike how Kurt's complex coming out story rightfully acted as award bait for Chris Colfer in seasons past. So, for all of that - and to recount the stunning "Constant Craving" and all of the rest of the superb musical sequences; as well as all about Rachel's surprising expulsion from McKinley High right when Sectionals are quickly approaching - read on.

On tonight's episode of GLEE, Finn tries to rally the rival show-choirs behind one of their own. Sue's bid for political office causes heartbreak for another teacher; and the student body elections turn scandalous. Check out photos and audio from the episode below!

On the next episode of GLEE, airing November 29, Finn tries to rally the rival show-choirs behind one of their own. Sue's bid for political office causes heartbreak for another teacher; and the student body elections turn scandalous. Check out photos from the new episode below!

The fine art of the mash-up has been a hallowed tradition that has been explored to a significant extent on GLEE since the very beginning, so a night filled with only such two-stack tracks would seem to be the ideal way to celebrate the show's 300th musical performance to date, which came in last night's "Mash-Off" episode. The mash-ups blasted off in a grand manner and the carefully-constructed couplings were often quite brilliant twists on the sounds of the original singles - the spectacular 300th performance showcase of Adele's "Rumor Has It' and "Someone Like You" acting as the musical apotheosis of the evening. Mixing disparate elements from the incredibly diverse musical catalogs of Adele, Lady Gaga, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Blondie, Van Halen, Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle, "Mash-Off" managed to shine a light on the couples singing the musical mergings, as well as provide the high entertainment value implicit in any episode so far on the resoundingly strong third season of GLEE.

In tomorrow's episode of GLEE, Harmony (Lindsay Pearce), the girl Rachel met at the NYADA mixer, comes to McKinley High to terrorize Rachel into not applying to the program. In the epidode, the New Directions tackle 'Rumor Has It/Someone Like You,' 'I Can't Go for That/You Make My Dreams,' Hit Me with Your Best Shot/One Way or Another,' 'You and I' and 'Hot for Teacher.' In the video below, GLEE star Naya Rivera (Santana) chats about what to expect from tomorrow night's episode.

In tonight's episode of GLEE, Harmony (Lindsay Pearce), the girl Rachel met at the NYADA mixer, comes to McKinley High to terrorize Rachel into not applying to the program. Check out photos and audio from the 'Mash-Off' episode below!

In the November 15 episode of GLEE, Harmony (Lindsay Pearce), the girl Rachel met at the NYADA mixer, comes to McKinley High to terrorize Rachel into not applying to the program. Check out photos from the 'Mash-Off' episode below!

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!

The potential prospect of the entertainment behemoth known as GLEE taking on perhaps the finest American musical ever written - WEST SIDE STORY - is enough to make any Broadway baby near-exultant, yet when the songs of the classic Bernstein/Sondheim score then are allowed to act as all-too-apt musical commentary on risque dramatic content in the highly controversial episode itself - all-too-appropriately named "The First Time" - a cataclysmic consequence can almost be counted on to inevitably arise. And, it did. Again. And again. And again - all night long. While it may have very well been Kurt, Rachel and Blaine's first roll in the hay, it would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack to find much - if any - fault whatsoever with GLEE's button-pushing and excellently played tribute to Tony and Maria. Given what resulted from the doomed coupling of those Shakespeareans - Tony and Maria being more modern-day answers to Romeo and Juliet, of course - the ire of all the up-in-arms conservative helicopter parents in the country - and Capulets and Montagues, too, for that matter - could not even dare to try and contain the joy, excitement and sheer pleasure of what is undoubtedly one of GLEE's finest hours to date. There was a message or two to be learned, too. Yes, indeed, GLEE taking on WEST SIDE STORY went all the way - and then some. So, whether you are a Jet or Shark, you must be compelled to give it up for GLEE and its ode to WEST SIDE STORY.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the upcoming GLEE holiday album is now streaming online on AOL Music. The album of Christmas classics is titled 'Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2'. It will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday, November 15th.

Just in time for the holidays, Glee brings joy to the world with the release of Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2, available Tuesday, November 15, 2011. The Glee holiday cheer is spread with the cast's own festive renditions of such Christmas staples as 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Let It Snow' and 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. Especially poignant is the GLEE Cast's interpretation of Band Aid's 1984 hit 'Do They Know Its Christmas?,' which raised money to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia and sold 1 million copies in it's first week. New cast members, Lindsay Pearce, Alex Newell, and Damian McGinty, from the wildly popular show The Glee Project are featured on 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' and 'Blue Christmas', along with fellow discovery Samuel Larson accompanying the GLEE Cast on 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. Among the 12 tracks on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 are two original songs 'Extraordinary Merry Christmas' and 'Christmas Eve With You', both written by Adam Anders, Peer Astrom and Shelly Peiken (see full track listing below). Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 is available today for pre-order on iTunes.

Just in time for the holidays, Glee brings joy to the world with the release of Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2, available Tuesday, November 15, 2011. The Glee holiday cheer is spread with the cast's own festive renditions of such Christmas staples as 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Let It Snow' and 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. Especially poignant is the GLEE Cast's interpretation of Band Aid's 1984 hit 'Do They Know Its Christmas?,' which raised money to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia and sold 1 million copies in it's first week. New cast members, Lindsay Pearce, Alex Newell, and Damian McGinty, from the wildly popular show The Glee Project are featured on 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' and 'Blue Christmas', along with fellow discovery Samuel Larson accompanying the GLEE Cast on 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. Among the 12 tracks on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 are two original songs 'Extraordinary Merry Christmas' and 'Christmas Eve With You', both written by Adam Anders, Peer Astrom and Shelly Peiken (see full track listing below). Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 is available today for pre-order on iTunes. Check out an audio preview of 'Let It Snow' below!

In the November 15 episode of GLEE, Harmony (Lindsay Pearce), the girl Rachel met at the NYADA mixer, comes to McKinley High to terrorize Rachel into not applying to the program. Check out photos from the 'Mash-Off' episode below!

Coming after a nearly month-long mini-hiatus following the superb "Asian F" in early October, the gleeks of McKinley High on GLEE swept back onto the main stage last night with the hotly anticipated "Pot O' Gold" episode, which introduced new recurring cast members and THE GLEE PROJECT co-winner, Damian McGinty in the tailor-made role of sassy and offensive Rory Flanagan. While McGinty proved to be a winning addition to the roundly respectable line-up of GLEE Season Three, once again the musical performance highlight of the night goes to new GLEE regular Darren Criss - alongside show standout Lea Michele and the rest of the glee club - and their electrifying take on Katy Perry's campy anthem "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)". Much like with Lea Michele's emotionally shattering "Firework", once again a Katy Perry anthem has been rendered even better than the huge hit original by the gleeks of GLEE. Also, "Pot O' Gold" - directed by HAIRSPRAY movie musical helmer Adam Shankman - continued the season-long character arc of Tony-winning Broadway star Idina Menzel, in the role of rival McKinley glee club director Shelby Corcoran, and further developed her complex relationship with Quinn and Puck, played by sensitive Dianna Agron and imposingly forceful Mark Salling - the latter of whom contributed an emotionally charged and displayed his rarely seen softer side with his sensitive rendering of the 80s Foreigner power ballad "Waiting For A Girl Like You". McGinty's two selections - Teddy Thompson's "Take Care Of Yourself" and Kermit The Frog's "Bein' Green" - were relatively lucky and charmed introductions to the foreign exchange student character. Additionally, Mercedes, Santana and Brittany also got a Christina Aguilera/BURLESQUE-esque moment in the spotlight with their sweet and sexy "Candyman" (written by Linda Perry) as the newly formed girl-group The Troubletones. So, as for the rest of "Pot O' Gold" and how the songs stacked up in their dramatic context - as well as virtually everything else? Read on! The rainbow certainly ends with a shiny, gleaming pot o' gold - and maybe a leprechaun or two to love, too! Thank goodness it's Tuesday (or was) - and thank St. Patrick it's GLEE! After all, we've been waiting for a GLEE like this all October!

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!

From the anthem hit 'Don't Stop Believin' to the iconic rendition of 'Vogue' to the pop phenomenon 'Teenage Dream,' GLEE has sold more than 36 million songs. Now GLEE has reached another impressive milestone: 300 musical performances. The 300th performance, a momentous mash-up of 'Rumor Has It - Someone Like You,' will debut in the upcoming all-new episode of GLEE airing Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, GLEE will celebrate its 300th musical performance on the November 15th episode when Amber Riley, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris, and other stars of the show perform Adele's 'Rumor Has It'/'Someone Like You'.

Just in time for the holidays, Glee brings joy to the world with the release of Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2, available Tuesday, November 15, 2011. The Glee holiday cheer is spread with the cast's own festive renditions of such Christmas staples as 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Let It Snow' and 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. Especially poignant is the Glee cast's interpretation of Band Aid's 1984 hit 'Do They Know Its Christmas?,' which raised money to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia and sold 1 million copies in it's first week. New cast members, Lindsay Pearce, Alex Newell, and Damian McGinty, from the wildly popular show The Glee Project are featured on 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' and 'Blue Christmas', along with fellow discovery Samuel Larson accompanying the Glee cast on 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. Among the 12 tracks on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 are two original songs 'Extraordinary Merry Christmas' and 'Christmas Eve With You', both written by Adam Anders, Peer Astrom and Shelly Peiken (see full track listing below). Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 is available today for pre-order on iTunes.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more! For last week's biggest events: visit THIS WEEK IN PICTURES: October 8-14.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will join millions of lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and allies by participating in Spirit Day and wearing purple on October 20, 2011.