The Nov. 8 episode of Glee was chock full of surprises: The Glee Project winner Blake Jenner made his debut, Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.) made a triumphant return to McKinley High and Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) made a shocking decision regarding their relationship!

Searching For The Next Finn

Following his break up with Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn is a lost puppy — working in Mr. Hummel’s (Mike O’Malley) autoshop. With a little motivation from Artie (Kevin McHale), Finn is coerced into directing the school musical.

Finn struggles to find the “it factor” needed for the male lead, so he takes a page out of Mr. Schuster’s book and scouts the football team for the next Finn! Lo and behold, Riley (played by Blake) seems to fit the bill for whatever Finn is looking for — quirky, a loner and yet, charmingly HOT!

Finn tracks Riley down in study hall and persuades the perfect-looking specimen to audition for the school musical. It doesn’t take long before the two leading men are jamming out to “Juke Box Hero.” (Did anyone else pine over the glimpse of Riley’s abs? Lift the shirt a bit higher next time, please!)

Not only does Riley seem to fit in well as the next Finn, but he’s also maneuvering his way into Marley’s (Melissa Benoist) heart as well! While their interactions were simply platonic this week, I can totally see them as the new Finnchel! Don’t you agree? Out with the old, in with the new.

Long Lost Cast Members Return

While we certainly enjoyed Finn’s return in episode four, it was double the fun to get two more familiar faces during episode five — Mercedes and Mike! The long-lost cast members returned to help Finn feel comfortable back at high school, and more importantly, to teach the members of New Directions how to sing and dance like the scenes in Grease!

Mike’s return may have excited me, but it didn’t make Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) too happy. In fact, she kept her distance from her ex and wasn’t pleased with his presence. However, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel as the two shared a slight smile at the end of the episode.

Trouble For ‘Wemma’

Will readies himself to be a part of the blue ribbon panel to improve arts education in Washington, D.C. After Will and Emma participate in an awkward therapy session with Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), the coach notices Emma’s disinterest in following Will to the state capital. She urges Emma to be honest with Will and not to give up on her dreams in the process of leading Will to his.

Emma has a heart to heart with Will and Beiste was right! Honesty really is the best policy. Thanks to her truthfulness, Will is happy to let Emma stay behind and continue what she loves doing — counseling students. They work out a split schedule, hammering out an alternating weekend type of scenario, and seem to be content with their future plans.

While they seem to be acting like two rationale adults, I can’t help but wonder if this will drive a wrench into the loving relationship between Will and Emma. Will we see another couple bite the dust?

In the final scene of the episode, and what seemed to be a full circle moment, Will offers Finn a position he can’t refuse — as the leader of the glee club! Unfortunately, we have to wait until next week to hear his decision!

What did YOU think of tonight’s episode, HollywoodLifers?

— Chris Rogers

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@ChrisRogers86
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3. ‘Glee’ Season 4 Premiere Songs Revealed — Listen

On the July 24 episode of The Glee Project, contestants were pushed to their limits as their music video was to be completed — all in one shot!

The seven remaining contestants were introduced to the theme of tenacity by getting Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’ as their homework assignment! (Isn’t it about time we get a Destiny’s Child reunion in the works?)

Amber Riley served as guest mentor and picked Ali as the winner of this week’s assignment. This makes two for two for Ali. She also won during last week’s theme of theatricality.

Following their homework assignment, the contestants were instructed they would be shooting a music video for ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor. However, the catch would be that the entire group would have to finish the music video in one shot — no mistakes or the entire group must reshoot the video.

This seemed funny at first until the group had to reshoot the video at least 30 times before completing. Aside from Abraham face planting through the locker room doors, Michael not knowing how to jumprope, and Lily learning how to strip, completion relied on Ali sinking a basketball through the net. That poor girl. It took over 30 times before Ali came up with the clever idea of the group lifting her up for the final dunk!

The Bottom 3

Michael - “Brick” by Ben Folds Five – Michael is so adorable and his performance was quite entertaining. But Ryan Murphy ends up telling Michael, ”You’re not as good as Blake.” Ouch!

Abraham – “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson: Abraham did okay with this performance. His voice was a bit squeaky, but it wasn’t horrible. Ryan is tired of his excuses.

Lily – “I’m the Greatest Star” from Funny Girl: Lily does an awesome job with this performance. She plays up the musical theater comedy and admits to Ryan that Aylin hurt her feelings and “can’t take her own medicine.” Ryan admits to loving a good cat fight and eggs her on for next week.

When the performances were all said and done, Abraham stormed back on stage to demand a spot on Glee. While I found his demand to be pushy and over the top, Ryan & Co. admit that they could see all three of the bottom contenders in a spot on Glee.

Not Called Back: Abraham

I’m not shocked. Abraham may never know if his tirade got him eliminated, but what I do know is that Blake and Michael (the only boys left in the competition) are much more easier on the eyes, so I don’t mind seeing Abraham go.

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers?

– Christopher Rogers

Follow @ChrisRogers86

Donna Summer sadly passed away on May 17 at the age of only 63 after a battle with lung cancer. The Studio 54 singer defined ’70s dance music with hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.” The disco queen’s death left behind a huge hole in the hearts of her friends and fans, who took to Twitter to express their grief and offer condolences.

Rihanna‏ @rihanna
Donna Summer??

Ryan Seacrest ‏@RyanSeacrest
I remember sitting in the front seat of my mom’s toyota while she sang Donna Summer’s “she works hard for the money” songs were just classic

La Toya Jackson ‏@latoyajackson
My condolence to #Donna Summer’s family & love ones. She will be terribly missed. She was truly the #Disco Queen!

Duran Duran @duranduran
So sad to hear about the passing of Donna Summer. Our condolences.

Much like real-life high school seniors, the upperclassmen on Glee are facing an uncertain future on the show, and fans are dying to know which of their favorite graduates will find a way to return in the fall. ”That’s a wrap!” Amber Riley tweeted May 9. “Just closed a chapter in my life, the only thing I’ve known day in and day out for three years. I’m going to miss the whole Glee family, seeing them everyday!”

“I have so many brothers and sisters now,” she continued. “But I am looking forward to a much needed and deserved summer vacation! SCHOOL’S OUT Glee Kids! Let’s play!”

But after gushing about how much she’ll miss the hallowed halls of McKinley High, Amber left gleeks with one last glimmer of hope:

“Stay tuned to see what’s next for Mercedes ;)”

So while we probably won’t be seeing the dynamic diva as much as we used to, it sounds like we definitely haven’t witnessed the last of Mercedes Jones.

Follow @AndySwift

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Amber Riley was all smiles when she walked the red carpet on May 1. But suddenly her night took a turn for the worst.

The Glee star passed out and fainted on the red carpet at the TV Academy of Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood!

But thankfully, she’s OK.

The 26-year-old went on with her evening after her frightening moment and took it to Twitter to let everyone know she was fine.

“Hey guys, I’m okay :) I got a little dizzy from all the photog flashes!” Amber wrote on Twitter. “You’d think I’s be used to it by now, still a red carpet amateur I guess. Gonna get checked out but I feel fine. Thank you for all the concern and well wishes.”

Awe! We’re so happy to hear she’s totally fine and it wasn’t anything serious.

Don’t you agree, HollywoodLifers? Sound off in your comments below.

– Nicole Karlis

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Glee may have already paid tribute to Whitney Houston, albeit inadvertently, when Amber Riley belted out “I Will Always Love You” just three days after the icon’s death, but on tonight’s all-new episode, the tribute will be totally intentional — and totally awesome. From a beautiful stripped-down version of “How Will I Know” to a slightly altered rendition of “How Will I Know,” featuring Naya Rivera and Heather Morris at their very best, tonight’s episode is one you’ll want to keep on your DVR for a while.

Enjoy the performances in their entirety below, then vote for your favorite:

“How Will I Know” (full video):

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“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (audio only):

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“I Have Nothing” (audio only):

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“My Love Is Your Love” (audio only):

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“Saving All My Love For You” (audio only):

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“So Emotional” (audio only):

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— Andy Swift

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On the April 17 episode of Glee, the New Directions went retro as some members struggled with taking the next step.

With graduation day looming, Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) began to worry that Finn (Cory Monteith), Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Santana (Naya Rivera) had lost their way. At Sue’s (Jane Lynch) suggestion, Will staged a dance-off, promising the winner a replica of John Travolta’s iconic white suit from Saturday Night Fever. What, were they all out of gift certificates at Breadstix?

The dance-off, which would have hardly been the same without a lit-from-within plexiglass dance floor (courtesy of Sue, of course), was actually kind of cute. Mr. Schue named Finn, Mecedes and Santana the finalists, right before assigning them songs from Saturday Night Fever.

Mercedes knew she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her idols, but she wasn’t sure how (and if) she could make it happen. Mercedes raised the heat in the choir room with her sizzling performance of “Disco Inferno” — my favorite performance of the night hands-down — but it took Sam (Chord Overstreet) to help her realize she has a bright future. You see, Sam had secretly taped the whole thing and posted it on YouTube. Seeing all the positive comments, Mercedes decided to move to Los Angeles after graduation. In the heat of the moment, Sam and Mercedes kissed! Can we safely assume these two young lovebirds are finally getting back together? I, for one, certainly hope so!

Santana, on the other hand, was a little too sure of herself. She knew she was going to be famous and therefore believed she didn’t need to go to college. In order to help speed things along, Brittany (Heather Morris) posted a sex tape of her and Santana on the internet. I mean, how do you think people get famous anymore? It didn’t take long for Santana to realize she wanted to take control of her life and achieve fame on her own terms. She decided to go to college on a full cheerleading scholarship, for which Brittany had submitted the application. Who else thinks Brittany knew exactly what she was doing all along?

Finn, meanwhile, was afraid he wasn’t qualified enough to do anything after graduation. Even after Rachel (Lea Michele) told him she would put her dreams on hold to help him find his, Finn wasn’t sure (or wouldn’t admit) what he wanted to do with his life. Enter Mr. Schue with the solution: watch Saturday Night Fever. Though he couldn’t make up his mind for months, spending two hours in front of a television set helped Finn realize he wants to move to New York with Rachel to study acting.

In the end, Mr Schue crowned them all the winners of the dance-off, and the New Directions sang and danced in their white suits to — what else? — “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees.

What did you think of tonight’s episode, HollywoodLifers? Do you think Rachel and Finn will get married? Will Sam and Mercedes get back together? Sounds off in the comments section!

– Josh Rosenblatt

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This week, you won’t only see a mirror ball on Dancing with the Stars! All the songs featured on the April 17 episode of Glee  — appropriately titled “Saturday Night Glee-ver” — appeared on the soundtrack for the iconic 1977 disco extravaganza Saturday Night Fever. In anticipation, FOX has released two new sneak peeks! Watch the videos below, then vote: Which performance is your favorite?

In the first clip, Mercedes (Amber Riley) rocks feathered hair and knocks The Trampps‘ “Disco Inferno” out of the park. In the second, Blaine (Darren Criss) ditches class and busts his best disco moves to The Bee Gees‘ “You Should Be Dancing.”

Tune in to Glee tonight at 8 pm EST on FOX!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

– Josh Rosenblatt

More ‘Glee’ News

1. Rachel Shouldn’t Marry Finn On ‘Glee’ — He’s Holding Her Back
2. ‘Glee’ Recap: Quinn’s Fate Is Revealed — Will She Walk Again?
3. FOX Renews ‘Glee’ For Fourth Season