Episode 508

I was debating which of two topics to write about today, both equally heavy and meaningful: a) religion and b) Heidi Klum's overwhelming bitchiness.

I will begin with the more pressing of the issues: Heidi. Usually all we hear from her on Project Runway (other than a few incomprehensible and fluffy comments on the outfits) is "Hell-o-o!" and "See you on the runway!" and "I'm sorry, that means you're out." But this week, the contestants were charged with making garments for her active wear line, so she made an appearance in the workroom as well, and boy did we see her true colors. Among other things, she told one contestant his outfit was suited for a dog (and then accused him of being rude when he didn't respond positively) and cattily made fun of an outed contestant behind her back. This just corroborates my assertion that overly negative feedback a bad reality show does make. It's why I can't watch Chopped and why I suggest that Project Runway sticks to Tim Gunn for workroom commentary.

Now, for less relevant matters. Over the past several years, many different taboo subjects have made their way into television. Most recently, such topics as teen pregnancy, sexual assault, and abortion have been treated by everything from reality TV to teen soaps to Mad Men. But last week, a number of shows took up a topic not common (at least in my memory) to comedic television: religion. Usually when we see religion on sitcoms, it's akin to the anti-dentite bit on Seinfeld. This week - I believe coincidentally - Glee, Modern Family, and Community all aired episodes devoted in large part to spirituality and differing religious viewpoints. All three shows did it beautifully and comically, but Glee took the cake: we had yet another touching Sue Sylvester with a heart of gold scene and we saw religious experience expressed in everything from hospital bed-side prayer to The Beatles.

Which reminds me, Glee just surpassed The Beatles for most hits on the Billboard 100 by a non-solo act. My apologies to non-Glee fans for having just used the words Glee and The Beatles in the same sentence when referring to musical accomplishment, but that is just absurd.