Comedy, Drama, High School, Singing and Dancing!  This is the recipe for the smash FOX Television series Glee.  Glee was created by Ryan Murphy, who also created one of my all time favorite television shows, 1999’s Popular.  Glee has been doing very well for itself this fall.  People all over are eating it up and are hungry for more.  Not only have the ratings been great, but the songs that are featured in the show are quickly downloaded on iTunes by the masses, putting them at the top of the most downloaded songs list. 

The show revolves around a high school glee club that has become a haven for teenage misfits.  Matthew Morrison, a Broadway actor who originated the role of Link Larkin in the Tony award winning musical Hairspray, plays Will Schuester. Schuester decides to take over the failing Glee program and hilarity ensues.  With comedy powerhouse, Jane Lynch as his nemesis (Sue Sylvester, a Machiavellian high school cheerleading coach at the high school where Schuester teaches Spanish), the show always delivers the laughs.  Another Broadway performer, Lea Michele, plays the self-proclaimed star of the glee club, Rachel Berry.  Michele originated the role of Wendla Bergmann in the Tony award winning musical, Spring Awakening.  Michele, along with Morrison and Lynch are joined by a very talented cast who, for the most part, all sing and dance. 

       Above: The Cast of Glee.

Glee has not only become a successful T.V. series, but it seems to have created its own subculture of fans.  The fanatics of Glee have categorized themselves as “Gleeks.”  Gleeks have been known to watch every episode multiple times, have all of the new songs from Glee downloaded before the episodes air, use quotes from the show in everyday situations, follow every cast member on Twitter, and make fan videos on YouTube.  This past week I found two of my friends actually having a Glee lip synching battle via YouTube.  One girl would lip synch and perform a song from Glee and challenge the other girl to out-Glee her.  It was so hilarious and true to the spirit of Glee. The videos would begin with them saying stuff like “I see your “Don’t Stop Believing,” and raise you “Bust Your Windows.”  Glee seems to never stop pleasing.  Each episode gives one of the characters a chance to tell their story and show the audience how they fit into the puzzle.

 The latest news on Glee is that Joss Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire and Dr Horrible’s Sing a Long Blog will be directing an upcoming episode.  Also Jonathan Groff has signed on to be in five to six Glepisodes!  Groff was the male lead to Lea Michele’s Wendla, in Spring Awakening.  He will play the male lead in the rival glee club, Vocal Adrenaline.  According to creator Ryan Murphy, Groff will be playing male diva, or a “Miva.” “A Miva is a male version of a…”   Well I guess we will have to watch to find out.  One can only hope for a Rachel Berry slash Miva Spring Awakening and or “Once More, with Feeling” duet!  News of Whedon and Groff, has all of the Gleeks (including myself) GLEEKING THE (beep) OUT!  If only I could make an appearance on Glee, my life would be complete…

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It, tells the story of a rebellious Texas teen (Ellen Page of Juno fame) who trades in her beauty pageant life for the rough and rowdy world of roller derby.  I have really wanted to see this movie for quite some time but I have yet to get that chance.  I still wanted to give my fabulous readers a review and I figured out a great way to do so.  I decided that I should talk to some people who know a thing or two about the world of roller derby, so I enlisted the help of some real life roller girls from the Texas Rollergirls Recreational League, the Rec-n-Rollerderby in Austin, Texas .  The Texas Rec -N-Rollerderby league is an athletic and social organization formed to give all women the opportunity to learn and play the sport of Flat Track Roller Derby.  I was fortunate enough to get to speak with three fabulous and fierce skaters.  In derby it is all about having a killer name  and these ladies have it covered!  I spoke with Penny Pistol, Dottie Karate, and MamaKazie.  Here is what they had to say about derby and the movie Whip It.

Encore:  What position do you play in derby?

Penny Pistol: Blocker and sometimes Pivot

Dottie Karate: Pivot jammer blocker

Mamakazie: Blocker/occasional Pivot

Encore: Why did you get involved with rollerderby?

PP: I grew up playing all kinds of sports, and spent my teen years playing on a national championship select softball team which took up just about all of the time I wasn’t in school. I suppose I rebelled by shunning any type of athletic competition when I graduated high school. My senior year of college I found myself feeling really unfulfilled with a lot of things in my life and saw an ad for a derby bout in the Austin Chronicle and looked it up on line. I immediately became obsessed with the idea of becoming part of it. The next day I pawned some cd’s, drove to Austin, bought a pair of roller skates and a cheap set of pads, a friend gave me a helmet that they had used as part of their Halloween costume. I hadn’t skated since I was in second grade, but strapped the skates on and taught myself how to skate in parking garages around campus. I was extremely fortunate in the fact that about a week and a half later the Rec League formed and welcomed me with open arms. It was the most intimidating thing I’ve ever done, stepping into the rink with all these bad ass ladies when I could barely stay up on my skates, but it was also the best decision I have ever made!

DK: I went to the inaugural season Texas Rollergirls championship game and thought, “Oh I could SO get into that.” Skating, fighting, and dressing up… it was too good to be true!

MK: I started skating 6 weeks after my second child was born. The birth was so amazing and made me feel strong enough to do anything! I was looking for way to reconnect with my physical self that would keep that feeling going.  Really, the last time I had experienced anything like it was when I would go rollerskating one night a week in middle school. Every other day of the week I was the chubby goth kid writing poetry in the corner, but on Thursday nights at C&N Skate Palace I felt like I could fly around the rink. I always carried that memory with me and was super excited to learn the sport of roller derby.

Encore: What was your initial reaction when you heard about the movie Whip it?

PP: I was pretty stoked when I heard they were making Whip-It. I think the old “any press is good press” stands true. Rollerderby has had such a huge positive impact on my life that I hoped it would open other women up to it too!

DK: It’s about time!

MK: Honestly, skepticism. I was afraid it would play up the theatrics of past incarnations of the sport, and that it would be total exploitative fluff. When I learned a bit more about who was directing it and which actors were attached to the project some of that skepticism faded.

Encore: Did you opinion change once you saw the film?

PP: It was great when I saw the movie.  I got to see it with a bunch of my derby girls which was really fun.  I went in with the expectation that it was going to be a cute, coming of age story with some derby mixed in and that’s what it pretty much is. I mean having chicks like Juliet Lewis and Kristin Wigg portray skaters was fun to see too.

DK: Not at all.  I think we all experienced a collective sigh of relief when we found out that Drew Barrymore would be in charge of the first modern rollerderby movie.  I love that she focused on having FUN while playing a super aggressive and highly competitive sport!

MK: Yes! I really enjoyed the movie. The version of roller derby played in the movie is really different from WFTDA level flat-track derby, but it was no where near as gimmick laden as I feared it would be. The story was really sweet, and it avoided an entirely formulaic ending.

Encore: What is one thing about the world of Roller Derby that you wish the film did or did not show?

PP: I wish it would have shown a little more the true life side of derby girls. First off it’s a huge time commitment, and people have careers, signifigant others, kids, etc. that they juggle to be able to play. That’s one of things that I respect so much about these women is the passion they have for derby.  The dedication and sacrifice that so many people make to play can be really inspiring.

DK: Well obviously I think it should’ve been flat track! While banked track derby is amazing to behold, flat track derby I think truly captures the original Do It Yourself spirit of rollerderby.  All you need is a flat surface (we’ve played on tennis courts, basketball courts, and in the streets!) and some skates and you’re on your way.  Flat track derby is accessible, which is precisely why there are almost 400 leagues all over the world now!

MK: The film did not do an accurate job of capturing how intensely skaters train. Most of the skaters I know from competitive leagues are on skates at least five days a week, for hours at a time. They cross-train, they go to speed skate classes AND league/team practices. As a result, they are incredible athletes. And if I can cheat and add a second item: I wish the film had done a better job of representing the true diversity in size that can be found in roller derby. I can think of no other sport where a 5’2” 110 pound skater can share the track with a 6’ 200lb skater. It’s been really inspiring for me to see women of all sizes, from a huge age range, come together in this sport and I would love for the rest of world to get to see that women of all sizes can be serious athletes.

Encore: Why should other women get involved in Roller Derby?

PP: It’s a unique opportunity to be able to create an alter ego for yourself, you choose your name, make your costume and have the chance to become this other version of yourself for a little bit, it’s a really great outlet for women. I also feel that it is so empowering to be able to be competitive, aggressive and really physical with people and be encouraged and embraced for it. I mean really there’s not a ton of opportunities out there for women to be able to put on a pair of fishnets and hit other girls (legally of course) and not be objectified - but respected for it. I have met the most amazing women playing rollerderby and feel so lucky to be able to call them my friends.

DK: Because, really, why wouldn’t you?  It’s fun, it’s a great workout, and it’s totally empowering!  There’s this saying we have in derby: “Rollerderby means never having to say you’re sorry.”  As in, I’m not sorry that I’m a strong, talented, bad ass woman that just knocked you DOWN.  Every woman deserves to get to experience that feeling.

MK: This sport has introduced me to women aged 18—47 from all walks of life. We have rednecks, attachment-parenting devotees, professors, accountants, students, bartenders—it’s this crazy mix of women who might not ever cross-paths with each other if it weren’t for roller derby. This sport unites us in competition on the track and gives us an opportunity to become engaged with our community (through service projects) all in a business environment created and managed by skaters. The sport is fast, intense and FUN! I’m a parent to two small kids, I work full time as a university administrator and I’m in grad school—lacing up my skates and hitting my skate-sisters is the highlight of my week! Every woman should have the opportunity to play this sport and discover her community and herself.

Seasons change and so does your wardrobe.  Autumn is upon us all and now it’s time to bundle up and keep warm.  For some this is an exciting time of layers, scarves, hats, and textures.  For others, this is a time for frustration, and confusion on what to wear to keep warm yet cute all at the same time.  Encore knows that the events, galas, openings, concerts, shows and parties don’t stop just because there is a chill in the air.  We know you still have to be a sexy head turner making fall hotter than Spring Break in Cabo!   So to help we asked accomplished fashion stylist, Dawn Del Russo, to give us 5 tips to get us looking fierce for fall!  Dawn is the owner of BellaDawn.com and author of “101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle.”   Her keen sense of fashion and style has been featured in national magazines such as InStyle, Life & Style Weekly, Us Weekly, and Real Simple Life.  Here is what Dawn had to say.

1. What is THE color for Fall 2009?

Dawn:  This fall I am seeing lots of deep sea blue.  Handbags are a great way to add the color to your wardrobe, or for more fun, splurge on a pair of blue leather gloves.  I love the way this color looks with crisp whites, nudes, and olive tones.

 2. Leggings were everywhere last fall.  Are they in or out this year?

Leggings are a great go to item in any wardrobe.  They are definitely still in style.  The latest styles are more embellished with black sequin detail, and crystals.  Leather leggings are super chic and can be dressed up with killer heels and a back baring top or casual with a white T and ballet flats.

 3. How can you stay warm and fierce on those cold nights out to the theatre?

Layering is always key; this way you always have the option to remove a piece.  Scarves are all over now. They are not just for the outdoors.   They can be worn to accompany an outfit, and look chic on guys or girls.  Cashmere is a perfect splurge item, and sooooo seriously warm.  Look for a stylish sweater or at least a pair of gloves.  Finally, patterned tights with embellishment are the object of my obsession.  Wear them with any dress or skirt and they will make a perfectly stylish outfit.

 4. Should make up change with the season?  If so what should you do for a flawless fall face?

Yes, absolutely it should change.  Winter skin tone is a lighter color.  Blush, lip color, and powder should compliment your tone.  For flawless skin, always moisturize and remember to wear SPF all winter.  A facial at least twice a year is always a plus.

5. I have a guy and a girl.  They can each only buy one new thing for the fall.  What should they get?

The guy should definitely buy a nice deep blue wool coat with button details.  Add a scarf and you’re good to go.  I’d say if the girl is all about fierce, then a leather vest with studded or ruffle detail.  Also, she can look for an embellished blazer.

Thank you so much Dawn, for taking time out of your busy fashionista life to answer our questions!  With these tips, we are sure to be the fiercest thing fall has ever seen!

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls!  Welcome, welcome, welcome to the OFFICIAL Encore Magazine Blog!   The goal of this blog is to take you from the stage and beyond all across the nation!  We will have interviews with people who work in the performing arts, movies, television, fashion, and more!  There really is no limit to what can happen in this crazy world we call blog.  You never know what each new post will hold!  We want to bring to our readers stories and people that we think will be interesting and entertaining.  Part of that is seeing what is going on all over America.  We want to know what is happening in your neck of the woods.  Do you know of an amazing theatre or dance company?  Maybe there is a band or music group that is so phenomenal that we have to know about it! Is there an unusual form of entertainment that people in your town love to do?  Do you know of a fab festival celebrating music, a certain culture, a season, a person, or food?  Let the Encore Magazine Blog know!  We are always on the lookout for new stories.  Just send an email to jonathan@encormag.com and let us know what is going on and why you think it would be great for the Encore Magazine Blog!  We are so excited about launching the Official Encore Magazine Blog and cannot wait to hear what you think!  Oh my Blog you guys, let the blogs begin!