If Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us were merely a fictional drama, it would be a beautifully acted, albeit infuriating, cautionary tale about the perversion of justice prompted by systematic racism of this country’s law enforcement, particularly in New York, and especially in the timeframe of the 1989 Central Park Jogger case.
That the events of this film actually happened makes it more exasperating, and that this type of police state abuse is still pandemic in 2019, makes it more furiously relevant. The true story is a scab in our country’s racist history (a history ripe – and still ripening – with bleeding scars).
As it stands, it is an artistic triumph, too, at times unbearable, painful and brutal, but never less than mesmerizing. It earned its well-deserved SIXTEEN Emmy nominations, including 8 for the extraordinary cast.
The whole cast is revelatory, but I don’t think I’ve experienced a more masterful evocation on screen this year than that of Jharrel Jerome, who portrays Korey Wise (and is the only actor who plays his role from teen to adult); it is a performance that is nothing less than transcendent, and it will haunt me for years.
Whether screaming at your TV, weeping at the incessant injustice, marveling at the astonishing performances, or cursing that this ever happened, you should not see this merely because of a moral obligation (though, there is that), but also because it is an exceptional artistic achievement. Film-making at its finest.
Finally got around to seeing the 2019 Emmy nominations, and, at first glance, a lot seems to be missing, until you remember that in order to be eligible, a show needed to have aired at least its first episode between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019, hence past winners/nominees near-absenteeism (e.g. Big Little Lies, The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, etc). Don’t worry – Meryl Streep will be here next year to add another award to her mantle!
While I’m dismayed, again, at the continuous snubbing of One Day At A Time, I did appreciate that the Emmys finally recognized how amazing The Good Place is – awarding it an overdue Outstanding Comedy nomination in its third year. But why no love for Kristen Bell, who anchors the hilarious insanity? And while I’m glad the brilliant “Janet(s)” episode was nominated for Outstanding Writing, how the hell was D’Arcy Carden, who gave an ingenious, pitch-perfect performance as Janet, given the cold shoulder? Seriously? Forget the nomination – the Emmy should have been mailed to her after that episode aired! (Carden had to play five of the show’s six main characters, because…oh, fuck it – I won’t even TRY to explain that here. But just believe me when I say it was a work of art. Her non-nom is a crime.)
Though, really – is there anything able to stop the power of Veep? I expect Julia Louis-Dreyfus to grab her hundredth Emmy come awards night (and deservedly so), but I was happy to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Christina Applegate (Dead To Me) and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Dolls) included this year alongside last year’s wonderful winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Catherine O’Hara is a national treasure but I never really gotSchitt’s Creek (though I tried), and I’m happy she’s being recognized for her work. (Though, horrified that Pamela Adlon, and Better Things, are both missing.)
I love the love thrown at Fleabag (yay, Olivia Colman!) and Russian Dolls, too, for Outstanding Comedy, as much as I’m exhausted at the umpteenth nominations for This Is Us in the Drama categories. Also, if you’re going to nominate the great Bodyguard as Outstanding Drama Series, then you easily could have knocked out Sterling K Brown’s or Milo Ventimiglia’s nods for Outstanding Actor (not to mention Kit Harington in Game of Thrones, though God forbid!!!), and rewarded Richard Madden’s stupendous turn as David Budd, in the series, with a much-deserved nomination. (Bodyguard’s only other nomination was Outstanding Writing.)
I didn’t hate the final season of Game of Thrones as much as the rest of the world did (as problematic as it was, my main caveat was that it was too rushed). But the show’s record number of nominations seems out of touch with the consensus that this much-maligned season was most undeserving of such accolades.
In GoT‘s supporting categories, not sure Gwendoline Christine’s nod was necessary, nor Sophie Turner’s. And while I understand the Maisie Williams nomination, the usually stellar Lena Headey was underused, and thus, under-performed. She really had nothing much to do this season. (Peter Dinklage though, as usual, was exceptional this year – though I always maintain that his is/was always more a lead role than Harington’s, rather than his thrice-won Supporting.)
And, sure, the acting in Pose might be laughable at times, but Billy Porter’s Outstanding Actor nod is a joy; he’s the heart and soul of the series, and elevates the rest of the novice, amateurish cast. And, despite that cast, the show’s storytelling is beautiful, so kudos for its Outstanding Drama nomination. And I’m also thrilled that Jodie Comer was recognized as Outstanding Actress for Killing Eve – her snub last year was ridiculous, as Sandra Oh’s Eve was nothing without Comer’s Villanelle; a yin without the yang. And did they really need to nominate Viola Davis again for the long-in-the-tooth, and completely risible, How To Get Away With Murder, over, say Julia Roberts’ complex role in the smart, beautifully acted Homecoming, which was surprisingly snubbed? Nope.
The category I’m most excited about, though, is Limited Series. There’s nary a weak nod in the whole acting bunch, with Outstanding Limited Series itself filled with five genuinely exemplary nominations, and a masterpiece or two, too.
In a category (Outstanding Lead Actor) filled with great performance like Jared Harris (Chernobyl) and Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal), the single most profound performance I witnessed this year was Jharrel Jerome, who played Korey Wise, in the breathtaking When They See Us. I sincerely hope he wins in September – it’s a name you should remember and a performance that will haunt you.
I don’t think there’s any actress who will – or should – beat Michelle Williams (Outstanding Lead Actress) for her transcendent portrayal of Gwen Verdon in Fosse/Verdon, but Patricia Arquette (Escape At Dannemora), Amy Adams (Sharp Objects) and Joey King (astonishing in The Act) could give her a run for her money (not really; this is probably the only sure thing, though if anyone can snatch it from Williams, it’s the much-loved Arquette). But I’m saddened that two excellent performances were nominated in the lead category – Niecy Nash and Aunjanue Ellis (both great in, and nominated for, When They See Us) – both were really supporting roles, and nominating them as leads only lessens their chances come Emmy night (Nash, particularly).
And with When They See Us and Chernobyl (both masterworks, in my opinion) and Fosse/Verdon and Sharp Objects and Escape at Dannemora all up for the same Outstanding Limited Series award? Well, that alone is worth the price of admission. And even another three-plus hour Awards ceremony.
Better Call Saul (AMC) Bodyguard (Netflix) Game of Thrones (HBO) Killing Eve (BBC America) Ozark (Netflix) Pose (FX) Succession (HBO) This Is Us (NBC)
Comedy Series
Barry (HBO) Fleabag (Amazon) The Good Place (NBC) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) Russian Doll (Netflix) Schitt’s Creek (Pop) Veep (HBO)
Limited Series
Chernobyl (HBO) Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) Fosse/Verdon (FX) Sharp Objects (HBO) When They See Us (Netflix)
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman (Ozark) Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) Billy Porter (Pose) Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder) Laura Linney (Ozark) Mandy Moore (This Is Us) Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) Don Cheadle (Black Monday) Ted Danson (The Good Place) Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) Bill Hader (Barry) Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate (Dead to Me) Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Mahershala Ali (True Detective) Benicio Del Toro (Escape at Dannemora) Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal) Jared Harris (Chernobyl) Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Amy Adams (Sharp Objects) Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora) Joey King (The Act) Niecy Nash (When They See Us) Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon) Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul) Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) Michael Kelly (House of Cards) Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) Julia Garner (Ozark) Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method) Anthony Carrigan (Barry) Tony Hale (Veep) Stephen Root (Barry) Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Henry Winkler (Barry)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Anna Chlumsky (Veep) Olivia Colman (Fleabag) Sian Clifford (Fleabag) Betty Gilpin (GLOW) Sarah Goldberg (Barry) Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Asante Blackk (When They See Us) Paul Dano (Escape At Dannemora) John Leguizamo (When They See Us) Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl) Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal) Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Patricia Arquette (The Act) Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us) Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects) Vera Farmiga (When They See Us) Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon) Emily Watson (Chernobyl)
If we’re lucky homo sapiens, every few years a splendid anomaly occurs in the usually vapid space-time continuum of television awards shows that negates the basic dreary tropes and widens eyes with something that is, if you’ll excuse the cliché, purely magical.
The last time we were borne witnesses to such a thrilling spectacle was on June 8th, way back in 2013, and it was the opening number of the 67th Annual Tony awards. Renaissance man – and future Tony winner – Neil Patrick Harris (he would win the following year for Hedwig and the Angry Inch), performed the original song “Bigger,” written by Tony Award winners Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights) and Tom Kittening (Next To Normal), and choreographed by Tony/Emmy winner Rob Ashford, and the number remains, (in?)arguably, the greatest opening number in any awards show history. Starting off with an ode to the 2012s Best Musical, Once, while alluding to the smaller Beacon Theater, where the awards took place the prior two years, Harris slowly morphs from intricate Irish troubadour…
I can break your heart with a work of art. And a song that’s quiet and small. But we’re back where we began it all. Radio City Music Hall.
So tonight we might go bigger…
…to full-on song & dance Master of Ceremonies, with a razzle-dazzle, lollapalooza EIGHT minutes of pure Broadway heaven. Saturating the stage of Radio City, Harris not only pays tribute to that year’s nominees, he also jumps through Pippin‘s circus hoops, gets hoisted in the air as a flyer for the cast of Bring It On, then landing without a beat, and even performs a classic, still confounding magic trick, all while continuing singing Miranda and Kitt’s brilliant ode to the theater, breathlessly and exuberantly.
It’s exhilarating to behold, and despite the spectacle of it all, with all its grandiosity, never once does it feel scattered, or discombobulated – it is overwhelming in the most wonderful way, never inundating the senses yet always dazzling them. You just sit there, mouth agape, taking in the beauty and wonder of it all. It defines the true essence of “Bringing down the house.”
Anna Kendrick and Debra Messing are ALL of us!
There are so many great lyrics in “Bigger” that it’s worth repeat viewings just to not miss them. From, “And you could bounce a quarter off the ass of Billy Porter. Lord he does eight shows a week in eight inch heels!” (Kinky Boots would go on to win 6 Tonys that night, including one for Porter) to “Hats off to Berry Gordy. He runs Motown like a boss. He dominates Top Forty and he banged Diana Ross!” (Gordy produced and wrote Motown: The Musical which ran that season, and was up for numerous awards) to poking fun of the ersatz movie version of Les Miserables (“Can I have my Tom Hooper ‘Les Miz’ closeup please? See, on Broadway we don’t need extreme closeups to prove we’re singing live. We sing live eight shows a week. Check it!”). Even Kathy Lee Gifford gets a lighthearted jab: “Mamma Mia, Lion King, The Jersey Boys are tappin’, Kathie Lee’s a Broadway lyricist so anything can happen!” (Gifford wrote the books and lyrics for Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, which ran briefly that season to some surprisingly favorable reviews.)
But it’s not all comedy. By the time Harris sing/raps…
There’s a kid in the middle of nowhere, Who’s sitting there living for Tony Performances, Singing and flipping along with the Pippins And Wickeds and Kinkys, Matildas, and Mormanses. So we might reassure that kid, And do something to spur that kid, ‘cause I promise you, All of us up here tonight,
We WERE that kid!
…we are all already screaming, or crying, or both.
“Bigger” nears it’s finale by filling up the aisles and stage of Radio City’s with countless Broadway gypsies, singers and dancers from nearly every show running that season. And when this miraculous extravaganza reaches its climax, not only does Radio City’s audience roar with a thunderous, beatific ovation lasting more than 60 seconds (a lifetime for a live TV awards show), but we at home are doing the same, emotionally drained, exhausted and intoxicated.
When Audra McDonald and Zachary Quinto walked out on stage to present the first award, Quinto wisely says to the still recuperating audience, and to a smiling, agreeing McDonald, “That’s the definition of a tough act to follow!”
Indeed, Mr. Quinto. And to paraphrase Harris’s womanizing sitcom character Barney Stinson, “This Tony performance is legen…wait for it…DARY!”
Chernobyl, HBOs latest limited series, was this years most riveting, and harrowing, drama. It is also one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever witnessed. It captures the hideousness in fascinating, gruesome detail, and the absolute catastrophic aftermath of the accident, in the Ukraine and on the earth herself, both physically and mentally (the astonishing makeup in episode 3 resulted in loud audible gasps, and left Rob and me shaking in horror).
It was brilliantly directed by Johan Renck (an in-demand music video director, who recently directed the late, great David Bowie’s final two gorgeous videos, “Lazarus,” and “Blackstar”), and the cast – which includes the always excellent Jared Harris (marvelous more recently in AMCs supernatural/horror miniseries “The Terror”), the always reliable Stellan Skarsgard, and the great Emily Watson – were all superb. The art direction and cinematography are spectacular (it is visually stunning, both beautiful and grotesque).
And it aired just in time for the eligibility for this year’s Emmy Awards, for which, one would surmise, it will be heaped with plenty of nominations.
See it now to understand the Emmy hype about to come.
As
an adult, it’s easy to poke fun at the cheesiness of Adam West and the
original “Batman” TV show – after all, I doubt the show took itself
seriously; it reveled in its kitschiness. But for millions of adult men
and women, West’s tongue-in-cheek portrayal (of a far-darker original
source material) remains comfort food, a personification of a more
halcyon, long-ago era. We can watch now, decades later, and smile at the
audacity of it’s bold, camp value, and for West’s wonderful, deadpan
delivery. But, when I was a child, it brought delight to me (still
does). I wasn’t old enough to enjoy the original run of the show, but
thanks to the rerun gods of TV, “Batman” – and Adam West – were more
than a staple of my childhood – they were an integral part of my – our –
our formative years. Some of my fondest memories are of watching the
show with my brothers, gathered around the only TV in our wood-paneled
living room, lying on the shag-carpet floor, watching joyfully as
Batman, with his sidekick Robin, battled the larger-than-life criminals
in a color-saturated Gotham City (and when the late, great Yvonne Craig
would join in as Batgirl, this little gay kid’s excitement couldn’t be
contained).
That West DID take the show seriously, even decades
after it ended, made him even more endearing. But not in a condescending
way at all, rather as a champion for what was good and valuable in the
messages he and the show brought to us.
They are lessons we can surely use still, now, in 2017.
More than 500 Sunday mornings of my pre-to-teen years were spent with my ears glued to the radio from 8am-12pm listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. It was a weekly ritual; while my mother and sisters were downstairs in the kitchen starting Sunday’s afternoon dinner (the scent of sausages frying in the pan wafted throughout our home) and my brothers played outside in the backyard, I was in my room, bed on the floor, pen in hand, jotting down that week’s Billboard hits in my notebook as narrated by Kasem – in between the myriad of artist facts, chart trivia and of course, Casey’s Long Distance Dedications.
As my teen years progressed, this tradition waned – friendships, love, passion, sex, girlfriends, boyfriends, reality, high school, life all snuck up on me – but I’ve always harbored these memories in the storehouse of my mind as idyllic relics of my youth. So, for the thousands of hours of happiness you’ve given me, I hope you are resting in peace, Casey Kasem. And thank you for telling a million kids to “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars…”
Sorry, I ain’t buying Wendy Williams’ spurious bullshit. Making Whitney’s death all about her is tacky enough, but this is the woman who was relentless on outing Houston and her best friend Robyn as lesbians back in her radio days. She’s been an interminable bully for years – to Whitney and various other celebrities – when (and why?!?) have people started taking this category 5 phony seriously? Her tears are about as authentic as the hair on her ginormous head.
I know, I know – Rock N Roll squabbles are frivolous in the great spectrum of life. But sometimes supercilious remarks by a musician way past his prime just irks the hell out of me. Case in point: Slash Vs. GLEE.
Seriously.
In a recent interview with ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, the former Guns N Roses guitarist Slash was asked about GnR’s catalog being used on the hit Fox TV show (disclaimer – I’m a GLEEK):
How would you feel about GLEE doing a Guns N’ Roses song or themed episode? Actually, we got asked about that once already but it got turned down. In the current climate of what’s going on in entertainment these days, I try to be more optimistic than negative because it’s really easy to get negative about it, but I draw the line at Glee. Glee is worse than Grease and Grease is bad enough…. When Grease came out I was like, “Oh, c’mon, give me a break.” Actually, I look at Grease now and think: Between High School Musical and Glee, Grease was a brilliant work of art.
Well, you know what I say, Slash? Sure, “to each his own”, as the old cliche goes. But infinitely greater, more fantastical Rock’ N Roll legends than you’ll ever be (e.g. Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, etc…) understand GLEEs aesthetic and happily loan their songs to this archetypal show (can’t wait for the Springsteen ep!). So, while you continue to prostitute your canon (and yourself) by allowing ‘singers’ like Fergie to use the only guitar refrain you’ll ever be famous for (and for actually partaking), in debacles like The Black Eyed Peas’ abysmal Super Bowl halftime show, I’ll enjoy GLEEs recitals of genuine Rock icons.
Irrelevancy. Such a motherfucker, huh, Slash?
*****
Here, Puck serenades his latest conquest Lauren naively inappropriately with Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” (from their 1978 album JAZZ***):
And here, the Warblers – featuring the delicious Darren Criss as Blaine – serenades Chris’ former New Direction mates with Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Silly Love Songs”***:
***Yes, the videos are flipped. Many YouTube posters encode their vids this way so YouTube’s recognition technology can’t recognize the material…
So much hullabaloo online today regarding Christina Aguilera’s Super Bowl rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”. You’da thunk she gave the middle finger to the President or took a shit on the Constitution (what, she’s not a Tea Bagger or the previous President’s administration!). As someone who loathes Aguilera’s usual sonic assault on the senses, I still must ask, who the fuck cares that she flubbed one line of the National Anthem? That this transcendentally awful song is our anthem to begin with should be the real discussion (I’m forever in the “America, The Beautiful” camp, even with its allusion to a god). In any case, Whitney Houston – for all the adoration that’s heaped upon her powerful yet soulless rendition – lip-synched it back in 91. As did Jennifer Hudson 2 years ago. And far better singers than Aguilera will ever be have blundered the song as well. At least Aguilera sang (shrilled) live. Let’s give her that.
Me? I appreciated her lyrical mishap. Heavens forbid, if all went well, we would have been subjected to Aguilera’s melismatic norm. Something akin to, well, this:
I love GLEE, of course, but I don’t often write about it here on my blog. Usually, I save it for the character-limited posting on Facebook, but tonight’s episode was worth pondering. This week’s episode finally addressed bullying, so prevalent in the modern consciousness due to the recent tragic suicides due to gay bullying.
As one would surmise, GLEE, which probably has the gayest audience of any show not on Bravo, would be the perfect forum to address such a potent and timely (and important) topic.
But, I don’t know.
As a bona fide and proud GLEEK, I’m not attempting to take a higher road here, or bash one of my weekly treasures. Even its worst episodes (e.g. the Madonna debacle) are sprinkled with moments of pure exhilaration and joy. But no one turns to GLEE – as magical as it can be at times – for realism.
But lack of reality isn’t even the issue here (sorry I went off on that tangent). No, my main objection, if you will, is the dispassion in its otherwise passionate response to bullying: bullying was – and still is – a major punch line of the show. Its usage as comic relief was always a misstep and miscalculation (one of a few, but not many) and frequently lent a cruel undertone that negated its effectiveness of inclusivity.
The writers can’t expect us to accept two tiers of bullying – on one hand, it’s okay for the dumpster dumping or the slushy in the face or Puck insinuating that he had thrown Artie down a flight of stairs. Hahaha, hilarious. On the other, it’s treated as cruel, vicious and devastating when the only gay kid repeatedly gets pushed into the locker by the (closet case) football thug (and cruel, vicious and devastating it is).
There should not be – and can’t be – any lines of acceptance. It would be foolish to prejudge the future, I know, but the writers will have to prove their sincerity by not treating the subject as comic fodder moving forward. They can no longer afford to.
One thing is indisputable, though. No one – sane, anyway – could argue Chris Colfer. As a novice, Colfer easily could morph into campy overload, but he rarely does. Often, his character is an unlikeable, snarky, persnickety curmudgeon – who can easily be a bully in his own right, but with words, not fists. Yet, Colfer is such a tremendous talent that even at his most unlikeable, you can’t help but love him. And, in this season especially, this ‘novice’, this ‘newbie’, continues to out-act and outshine everyone else on the show. When Colfer was nominated for an Emmy this year, I wrote:
“…rarely has the angst, fear, confusion, terror and finally, unmitigated joy of a gay teen coming out to himself, his friends, and a parent been so splendidly and perfectly portrayed…”
His extraordinary performances this year will surely garner him another Emmy nod – if not a win.
A few more random notes on the episode:
Even though you saw the ‘shocker’ kiss coming, it didn’t lessen the impact..
Also, I was reading how Dave “stole Kurt’s kiss!!!” How ridiculous – and insulting. A real kiss has to be mutual – Kurt didn’t reciprocate, he recoiled.
Sadly, tonight’s musical numbers were arguably the show’s worst yet (the sweetness of “Teenage Dream” notwithstanding).
Most irking, though, is the almost weekly incessant exploitation of having Janice the Muppet’s human doppelganger, Sam, shirtless AGAIN, this time with a near slow-mo gaze at his washboard torso. It’s not necessary, GLEE, to use this boy’s body to satisfy the gaggle of gay men surely salivating at their screen.
Many might complain about the kiss between Will and Bieste but I thought it was a beautiful gesture, handled elegantly and gallantly. There was no confusing emotions there – Bieste understood the innate response of Will’s action. “Now you’ve had your first kiss” was reminiscent of when Joey kissed Phoebe in FRIENDS because she’s never had the “perfect kiss” before she hit 30.
It’s starting on the blogosphere already – not a few hours after the show ended – that over-saturation of name morphing that might have started with the dreaded “Bennifer” all those years ago. Yep, now we’re getting “Blurt” – the combination of “Blaine” and “Kurt”. And it’s not the 13 year old girls starting this moniker – it’s grown men. And it’s overtly annoying. But, what’s not annoying (so far) is adorable GLEE newcomer Darren Criss, who played Blaine, Kurt’s new confidant/possible love interest. His “Teenage Dream” was inspired and sweet and was the musical highlight of the night.
My New Boyfriend 