January 2011

Glee’s Freshest Faces

No TV show is making a bigger splash with fans and critics alike than Fox’s hit musical-dramedy Glee. Thanks in large part to big name guest stars, from actors that sing (John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris), to singers that act (Britney Spears, Josh Groban) to Broadway vets that do it all (Kristin Chenowith, Indina Menzel), Glee has been able to transcend its high school setting and appeal to audiences of all ages. This year, the guest stars may be bigger with Carol Burnett, Gwyneth Paltrow and Javier Bardem all taking the mic, but it’s the new batch of regulars that are really bringing the heat – and the viewers. From the football coach with the heart of gold to the dashing and debonair member of a rival club, here is your unofficial introduction to the Glee Class of 2011.  

 

Dot-Marie Jones

 

Dot-Marie Jones who plays football coach Shannon Beiste (pronounced Beast) is no stranger to the small screen having appeared in television shows such as Married with Children, Lizzie Maguire and Desperate Housewives. But what may surprise you is that acting was not Dot’s first career choice. 

 

At six feet, four inches tall, Jones used her height to her advantage, competing in a variety of sports including softball, track-and-field and weight lifting. After earning a scholarship to Fresno State, Jones won All-American honors her junior and senior years and even qualified for the Olympics where she came in 6th place for shot put.

 

After four years of college and 11 crushing injuries, Jones became a youth counselor at the Fresno County Juvenile Probation Center. She maintained her dedication to athletics, even becoming the World Arm Wrestling Champion (a title she has won 15 times over). It was during this time that Jones was encouraged to audition for a new American Gladiators-style television program called Knights and Warriors. Jones got the job and the rest, as they say, is history. 

 

After a successful 15 years as a working, but relatively unknown actress, Jones landed a three-episode stint on the Ryan Murphy-helmed FX series Nip/Tuck, as well as a part in his ill-fated pilot Pretty/Handsome (starring fellow Gleek Jonathan Groff). Time passed, and Murphy left the show to work on a new musical project for Fox, which would ultimately become Glee. Following a run-in with another of the show’s producers, Brad Falchuk, in a Los Angeles area Whole Foods, in which he jokingly requested a part, the role of Shannon Beiste was written specifically for Jones.

 

Darren Criss

 

Since his first appearance as Blaine, a member of the rival Dalton Academy Glee Club, Darren Criss has gone from Internet phenom to international superstar in a matter of two minutes and 48 seconds. Criss’ version of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream became Glee’s best-selling single, surpassing even the show’s cornerstone cover of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing. So, how is it that a relatively unknown kid from San Francisco became such an overnight sensation? Easy; he’s actually not that unknown.

 

Before he was Blaine of the Dalton Academy School for Boys, Darren Criss was Harry Potter of the Hogwarts School for Wizards. No, Darren Criss didn’t used to be Daniel Radcliffe. However, as a member of the Team StarKid at the University of Michigan, Criss is partially responsible for the viral sensations A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. Taking on the roles of primary songwriter and Harry Potter himself, Criss and his show have garnered over 25 million views on YouTube.

 

Graduating from college in 2009, Criss made the move to Los Angeles. After unsuccessfully auditioning for the role of Finn, which he attributes to the fact that he is “a small hobbit-ish kind of guy...not a football player,” and a role on the ill-fated Eastwick, he took to the one place he knew would get him noticed – YouTube. Posting his own version of Lean on Me, Criss got what he calls his “dream job” when he secured the role of Blaine.

 

Within hours of his first appearance, a role originally contracted for two episodes, Criss was offered a position as a regular cast member on the show’s third season. But Criss hasn’t forgotten his roots, a new show, Starship, from his Team StarKid crew is on the way with Criss again serving as the show’s primary songwriter. He also recently released his first CD Human, which features all original music.

 

Chord Overstreet

 

The mystique around the role of Sam Evans was present before Chord Overstreet was even cast. Assumed to be a love interest for Kurt, Sam has since found love with Quinn, the head cheerleader who recently gave her baby up for adoption. What the future holds for Sam is still unclear, but Chord’s past is all-American as his character.

 

Growing up in Nashville, Chord got his name from being the third of six children because as he says “a chord has three notes.” The son of country singer/songwriter Paul Overstreet who wrote such hits as Love Can Build a Bridge, Forever and Ever, Amen and She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy and his makeup artist wife Julie, Chord grew up surrounded by music.

 

He began his acting career in 2009, guest starring on the web series Private. He followed that up with a stint on the Disney Channel’s iCarly and the short film The Hole. But it was in mid-2010 that he got the role of a lifetime as the new kid at McKinley, Sam Evans. Having taken on the Travie McCoy hit Billionaire and donning a pair of especially golden short shorts during the show’s Rocky Horror tribute, Sam, and Chord, are quickly becoming fan favorites.

 

Fresh faces also include Charice, who like Darren Criss, was a YouTube sensation before landing the role of Sunshine Corazon and Cheyenne Jackson, a Broadway vet best known for his work on 30 Rock who was this-close to being cast as Mr. Schuester before producers decided on Matthew Morrison. The pair will return to screens when New Directions takes on their old rivals Vocal Adrenaline.

 

Glee airs Tuesdays on Fox, 8:00 P.M. Eastern/9:00 P.M. Central.