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Gleek of the Week: Kevin McHale
This week’s Gleek of the Week is none other than the lovable Kevin McHale. There is something about Kevin that I adore and I can’t quite put my finger on it. He has an amazing singing voice and he plays the part of Artie Abrams perfectly. He has quite a job on his hands in playing Artie due to the wheelchair. I think it takes a strong talent to channel such an interesting character trait on top of developing the character on the whole. Oh and no one rocks suspenders like him!
BIO
McHale was born in Plano, Texas. Before becoming an actor, McHale joined an American Boy Group, NLT, which is short for “Not Like Them”. The R&B group was discovered by Chris Stokes. On March 13, 2007 they released their first single “That Girl”. The band had a guest appearance in Bratz: The Movie. On April 30, 2009, group member Travis Garland announced that NLT had split.
McHale’s acting credits include a 2007 appearance on NBC’s The Office in the season 4 episode “Launch Party”, where he played a pizza delivery boy who is taken hostage by Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott. In 2008, McHale was on HBO’s True Blood for three episodes as Neil Jones, a coroner’s assistant. Kevin was also in three episodes of Nickelodeon’s hit show Zoey 101 as Dooley.
McHale stars on Glee as Artie Abrams, a member of the McKinley High glee club who uses a wheelchair. Although you mostly see him in a wheel chair, McHale is a dancer and has responded that it was hard to control his feet from moving along with the music while he was on the set. He had his first solo single on Glee singing “Dancing With Myself” in the episode “Wheels.”
FUN FACTS
- Kevin’s favorite books are the Harry Potter series, Sidhartha, Ishmael, The Da Vinci Code and Angel & Demons
- Kevin was in running for the part McLovin’ in the hit movie Superbad
- In 2007, Kevin graduated from the Academy of Canyons High
- Kevin’s favorite color is royal blue
QUOTES
(On his inspiration for his acting in Glee)
I’m a complete nerd myself and I think I’ve always been drawn to those types in movies and on TV. So, I was really able to tap into that part of myself quite easily, but Arty is amazingly good hearted. I’d say he is naive, in a good way, to a lot of the drama that goes on around him because all he really cares about is making sure the Glee Club is always there and doing its best. I can completely relate to wanting to do something you’re passionate about and the drive to keep that dream alive, whether it’s wanting to sing in Glee Club or for me wanting to act.
Gleek of the Week: Chris Colfer
By popular demand this week’s Gleek of the Week is Chris Colfer!
Chris is one of my favorite Gleeks for sure. He always has hilarious snarky comments on the show but his real humor comes out in his tweets and pretty much every time he opens his mouth for an interview.
Case in point: “Just once I’d like to see a bumper sticker that says “My child’s a moron!” (@chriscolfer)
BIO
Christopher Paul Colfer was born on May 27, 1990 in Fresno, CA and grew up in nearby Clovis, a small town in the San Joaquin Valley that was more concerned with farming and cowboys than high fashion and show choirs. Colfer’s parents, both of whom supported his dream of becoming an entertainer, first noticed his natural-born talent after he played Snoopy in a local theater production at the age of eight. He doted on his younger sister Hannah, who was born with a critical illness. Growing up in a conservative town toughened up the future star, yet he never lost his poise, maturity, and individuality. Colfer was involved with many extra-curricular activities and belonged to several clubs at Clovis East High School. He also wrote and directed “Shirley Todd,” a spoof of the classic musical “Sweeney Todd.” Still, his creativity and love for theater made Colfer an outcast at his high school, where he considered the cafeteria room workers his closest friends.
After signing with an agent in 2003, Colfer and his mother made their regular eight-hour treks to Los Angeles for auditions. After about 30 or so tries over several years, the young star found himself face-to-face with Ryan Murphy, his favorite television writer and creator of the highly stylized and sexually-charged medical drama, “Nip/Tuck” (FX, 2003- ). Murphy was casting for “Glee,” a series about a high school choral group and the struggles of its socially outcast members to fit in, fall in love, and sing their hearts out. Excited and nervous that he was auditioning for his idol, Colfer belted out a rendition of “Mr. Cellophane” from “Chicago” (2002) that he rehearsed with his grandmother. Colfer did not get the role he tried out for – that of the guitar-playing, wheelchair-bound glee club member Artie (Kevin McHale) – but instead was cast as the witty and fashionable member Kurt Hummel (his name was inspired by Kurt Von Trapp from 1965’s “The Sound of Music” and Hummel porcelain figurines). Murphy wanted to have a gay character in the series but did not want to exploit the character, so he turned to the young actor to inject his own unique personality. Colfer told The Los Angeles Times he wanted to make Kurt witty and confident rather than overly flamboyant. (source: fancast)
FUN FACTS
- While attending high school, Chris was a member of the Speech and Debate teams and holds many titles.
- In 2007, Chris lost 40 pounds due to diet and exercise.
- Chris has a scar on the left side of his neck from a surgical procedure he had done in 1998.
- Chris practices Sai, an ancient form of Japanese weaponry.
- During high school, he was involved with speech & debate, drama, the F.F.A., was president of the writers’ club, editor of the school literary magazine, and captain of Destination Imagination.
SWEET SPOT
Chris’ sister suffers from epilepsy. His mother (and subsequently his whole family) is always working on promoting advocacy and on a quest to find a cure. I always wondered why Chris seemed like such an old soul for his age (he’s only 19!). Things like that make a kid grow up pretty fast.
I’m very excited to see what the Glee writers and producers have in store for Chris in the back 9 and the second season. So Chris, if you read this (ha), you need to know that your fans adore you!!
Gleek of the Week
So I’ve decided to start a new feature on the site occurring every Friday. It’s called “Gleek of the Week” and it will basically be a spotlight of one of the Glee cast members (guest stars included). Now, I know most of you know the bios of each and every Glee cast members and while they will be included in this feature I hope to also add some fun facts about each of them that maybe you do not know.
This week we’ll start with Glee’s newest guest star – Neil Patrick Harris. When I heard that NPH might guest star on the show my little Doogie-loving heart went pitter patter! NPH is full of WIN and I’m so excited to see him on Glee.
BIO
Actor. Born June 15, 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The son of attorneys, Harris grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where he got his start in acting as Toto in a grade school production of The Wizard of Oz. He appeared in several plays and musicals while attending La Cueva High School.
In 1988 at age 15, Neil Patrick Harris won a Golden Globe nomination for his performance opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the drama Clara’s Heart. The following year, he landed the leading role as a teenage surgeon on ABC’s Doogie Howser, M.D. The show was a hit, and for several years Harris was synonymous with his small-screen persona. He was nominated again for a Golden Globe for his work on the show, which ran for four seasons.
For the next several years, Neil Patrick Harris continued to stay busy, though his projects failed to reach the same success as Doogie Howser, M.D. He appeared in supporting roles on the big screen in such films as Starship Troopers, The Next Best Thing and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. He also starred as a neurotic editor opposite Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad. Harris also appeared on Broadway in Proof, Assassins and Rent, as well as a critically acclaimed performance as the host in Cabaret.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Neil Patrick Harris earned acclaim for several made-for-TV movies, including My Antonia, Joan of Arc and The Christmas Blessing. He landed another sitcom success in 2005 with his role as the womanizing Barney Stinson in CBS’s How I Met Your Mother.
In 2006, following media speculation about his sexual orientation, Neil Patrick Harris made a public statement in People magazine: “I am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest.” He is dating Broadway actor David Burtka.
Source: Biography.com
FUN FACTS
- His parents own a restaurant called “Perreniel’s” in Albuquerque.
- Has performed magic tricks on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (1990), “Late Show with David Letterman” (1993), “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (1992), and “Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (2003).
- performed as Mark in “Rent” at the Ahmanson Theater and the La Jolla Theater, both in Los Angeles, to rave reviews.
- He is credited using all three names because there was already a different actor named Neil Harris in the Screen Actors Guild by the time he first got his SAG card. Harris joked on NPR’s “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” that he uses all three names because it’s “far more theatrical,” and that he and his parents considered using names like “Neil Danger Harris” or “Neil Patrick Rocket”.
- Enjoys Red Bull so much on and off the set of “How I Met Your Mother” (2005) that he was given a lifetime supply of it and a mini-refrigerator by the company that makes the drink because of the amount of free advertising he has given it.
RELATION TO GLEE
As we have all heard by now NPH will be appearing in one episode of Glee as a “really funny and really mean” Dr. Horrible type character. NPH can sing and dance and will most likely be showing those skills on Glee. Word on the Glee street is that his episode is almost done being written!
Well, there you have it. “Gleek of the Week” number 1. I really want to make this fun and interactive so please leave a comment and let me know what Gleek you’d like to see featured next week!!
