So, remember when I said I was kind of over Glee. Turns out I was wrong. And you know how I say I don't like reality tv? Well, wrong there too. So put those two things together, and you get something I surprisingly care about more than most tv shows: The Glee Project.This is a reality tv competition where contenders battle it out for a spot on the next season of Glee. I am not going to recap the whole season or all the ins and outs, if you want that, you will have to look elsewhere. What I am going to do is say that I really hope Lindsay Pearce is not the winner. Now before I get all kinds of hate mail from the Pearcling fans, let me explain. It is not because I dislike her (though I am rooting for Damian), and it is not because she comes across poorly in the show (there is an unlikely possibility that is due to editing). I am basing this completely on what I see her tweeting.
Sure, she is all rainbows and smiles to her fans and those who worship at the throne of her musical theater greatness (the girl is talented, no question, and does have an amazing life story). But to her detractors, those who favor the other contenders, she is rude, argumentative, and behaves more like a 12 or 13 year old than a 19 or 20 year old.
Despite the fact that these tween and teen tweeps dislike her, they often love Glee, so she is serving to alienate a chunk of a very fickle demographic. I get that she wants to defend herself, but signing the tweets "later hater" is not something you are apt to see any other Glee cast member do. I would imagine they are groomed in the ways of PR, and taught to take the high road.
So, my point is, I really hope that Linsday did not win, both for her sake and the sake of Glee's ratings. Because if she DID win, and no one is helping to groom this young starlet in the ways to wisely use social media to build and support a fan base as oppose to alienate it, if they are allowing a Glee cast member to act this way, well, I predict she will act out in other ways as well, and it will affect the quality of the show.
Perhaps I am reading too much into what I see here, but I honestly feel bad that no one is helping her, teaching her to pick her battles, and not battle in a way that can last forever in the form of a screen shot.
I do not dislike her, as I do not know her personally. I simply dislike where I think this could lead. She is, in essence, a kid, and I think she needs direction if she wants a long lasting professional career. I think it is sad when virtual fighting becomes the norm. But let's face it, show biz is tough, so she better get a thick skin and learn to ignore this stuff. Otherwise, she will become the Rashard Mendenhall of Glee.
Later haters.
