Happy Birthday, Theo Tams!

A very happy birthday to my favorite Canadians, Theo Tyson Tams. He was born 26 years ago in Alberta, Canada. In September of 2008, he was voted the winner of Canadian Idol by the viewers. His first single, released on the night he won, was Sing, a song he performed on the finals to rave reviews from the judges. The song went to #2 on the Canadian Billboard Singles Chart.



In May 2009, his album, Give It All Away, was released. The first single, Lazy Lovers, was my introduction to Theo, and I have been a fan since. Lazy Lovers made it to #14 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and to #8 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.



Later in the year, Wait For You was released. Theo made a brave move with the video, as it was shot with him performing a live acoustic version of the Pop song that was on the album. And it was shot in black and white. And it was amazing. The song made it to #14 on the Adult Contemporary chart. And it solidified my admiration of the singer.



Last year, he released Manhattan Blue. I would run a the video here, except Sony Canada has not made it available to be even seen by fans in the US, let alone embed in a post. Yes, over a year later, and they are keeping a tight rein on things. LOL When I originally reviewed the album on this blog (here), I mentioned he managed to do what few other Idol contestants have done, and put out a damn good first album! He was also the first LGBT contestant in North America to win, as certainly it has not happened in the US, nor does it seem likely in the near future.



Well, I kept talking about wanting to see Tams live, and it became obvious I need to take the bull by the horns to get that job done. So, once he had a tour in place for the summer of 2010, I made my plans to visit Toronto and finally hear him playing with my own ears. In fact, I timed it so I caught three different shows, and it was an absolute pleasure. Along with my favorite from the clips above, he also played most of the songs from the album, and some covers as well. One of my favorite was a performance of the Serena Ryder's Weak In The Knees.



So, have a Happy Birthday, dear Theo. May your day be filled with love, luck and laughter! To wish him your best, you can find him on FaceBook here, and Twitter here.

GLEE Redux - Comeback

From Top Left: Justin Bieber & Usher, The Bieb & Ludacris, Idina Menzel & Tracie Thoms, The Waitresses, Soweto Gospel Choir, and My Chemical Romance.

Once again I am recapping the latest episode of Glee, only using the videos of the original songs rather than the covers. Hope you enjoy.

Well, this is the 13th show of the season, and as far as I can tell, there are only 14 ordered. So that tells me that next week's show, Blame It On The Alcohol, will be the season finale. But in the mean time, we have a very special episode tonight, titled Comeback.

Mr. Shu is feeling good about life, with the regional championships coming up, his lady problems behind him, and he's teaching his Spanish class. That is when the doe-eyed Emma comes running in, dragging him off to see Sue Sylvester. They find her splayed out on the bed, with empty bottles surrounding her. While checking for vital signs, she pops up, claiming she thought the Gummi-Bear Vitamins would do the job.

Sam is fretting a bit, wanting desperately to believe Quinn's story that she caught the case of mono from Finn while saving his life, not by kissing him, as has been suggested. Despite his catching Quinn flirting with Finn, he moves on, and decides rock & roll is the answer, so he wins back with the power of the Bieber. He creates the Justin Bieber Experience, a one-man-band.

Rachel is hanging with Brittany, paying her to dress just like her, to help resuscitate her high school career. Soon they are back in Glee club, and Mr. Shu announces the them for regionals will be "anthems," and Sam offers to sing one, Justin Bieber's Baby, which featured Ludacris originally.



The girls lose it, and are going crazy. The boys are noticing, and want a piece of the pie. Well, all but Finn, who is dissing on the Biebs, while the others still think being part of the Justin Bieber Experience will be the ticket to getting lucky once again. Well, if they can figure out what to do with Puck's hair...

Sue is going over her latest plan, which was to fake the depression to infiltrate the New Directions and destroy them from the inside out. She starts with Rachel and Mercedes, making the divas go at one another, which includes a sing-off in the next club meeting. The guys are on point, showing up in their hoodies and extreme feathered bangs, making the girls look twice, and Finn scowl more than ever before. The girls once again go crazy as they sing Justin Bieber's Somebody to Love (originally featuring Usher) with Artie on the lead vocals.



Puck struggles a bit, trying to figure out what to do about his lust for Lauren, who does her best to chop him off at the knees every chance she gets. Has she not seen the boy with a towel on? Well, Quinn decides to blow off Finn, and go back with Sam Bieber, which is not lost on Santana. Soon as Quinn walks away, Santana moves in, reminding Sam he knows more than he is willing to admit. It leaves him thinking.

Lauren seeks out advice from Puck, who can think of little more than copping a grope of her knockers. She wants advice on performing in front of a crowd, and Puck mentions the tried and true picturing the audience in their underwear - not a sexy thing, but a vulnerability thing. For their Diva-Off, Rachel and Mercedes sing Take Me or Leave Me from Rent. Interestingly enough, in the film & on Broadway cast, the song was sung by Tracie Thoms and Idina Menzel, who plays Rachel's birth mother on the show.



The ladies, of course, sing the crap out of the song. Afterward, they fall into one other's arms, supporting how great the other was during the song. Sue is not impressed, asking 'Where's the hate?' Mr. Shu tells her that is not the point of Glee, and talks to her after class. He wants her to join him in an outing.

Sue and Mr. Shu go to a hospital, and Will takes her to the pediatric wing, where he goes once a month to sing with the kids. Sue relents, and agrees to join him. Mr. Shu breaks out the mandolin/kids guitar, and he leads the kids singing This Little Light of Mine. I will include a cool version sung by the Soweto Gospel Choir.



Quinn, Santana, and Tina start dressing like Brittany, much to Rachel's chagrin. Everyone is wearing her look, but she is getting no credit, not even a break. Lauren Zizes sings I Know What Boys Like by The Waitresses. Good Lord, this song reminds me of watching Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl! That is, by the way, a good thing!



Lauren started out the stating she was the hottest chick in the room. She pictures everyone in their undies, and cuts loose, making everyone cheer her on. But damn that guitar that Puck was playing, blocking the good bits...

Santana is talking with Sam, making fun of his face to mouth ratio, and he is doing impressions. Santana breaks it down for him, warning despite his looks, when he speaks, the dork tumbles from those huge lips. She wants to help him. He points out he is dating Quinn, and doesn't need her help. Santana acknowledges he is "dumb as a bag of wet hair" but even he can't believe the lame Quinn-saved-Finn-from-a-gumball story.

Sue goes to Mr. Shu's office, and announces she wants to do an anthem. The kids have to perform it, with no Bieber material or his pocket-lesbian hair. Rachel & Finn start singing Sing by a band I really like, My Chemical Romance.



Sue and the rest of kids join them on the chorus. I have to admit I am confused by the Seattle-flannel look, since MCR are goth to the end. I guess Glee just went grunge with Sue Sylvester.

Quinn goes up to Sam, asking to borrow a shirt for their date later. He says no, and says she is no longer his girlfriend, and he is now dating Santana. Quinn is crushed.

Rachel tells everyone she doesn't want to do the My Chemical Romance song, only to be shot down by the group. Sue comes into the room, only to announce she is now helping one of the groups competing with the New Directions. Will has the look of panic in his eyes, realizing he has once again been had by Sue.

Rachel is in the hallway, and Finn comes up to her, saying she was right in the room before being shot down. She wonders why he didn't speak up, but he says she needs to show them, to write an original song to the competition. He has faith in her, and likes what he is seeing him her - the old Rachel that he loved seems to be making a comeback...

Theo's Anniversary

While he just finished with the Taking It All Back Tour, Theo Tams still marks an important date today. It was 2 years ago to the day that the talented singer/songwriter was named Canadian Idol, becoming the first [and thus for the only] out artist to win the franchise in North America. I didn't watch the show, and happened across his videos online, and became a big fan myself. In my opinion, his first album, Giving It All Away, is one of the best first albums of the franchise to date. It lead me to to a recent trip to Toronto, where I attended three shows and had a fantastic time. I also met Theo, and found him to be a very sweet and handsome guy in person. But two years ago, unbeknownst to me, his night looked went this...



Congratulations Theo, and thank you Canada for letting me know about this wonderful artist. For more on Theo Tams, check out his official website here.