This Thanksgiving Won't Be Gleeful...

I know what you're thinking. When did the violence loving cat and mouse duo from the Simpsons start writing for the Motivators TV blog? Well, we can't lie and cartoons can't write. Itchy and Scratchy is the chosen user name of two powerhouse Motivators TV bloggers who enjoy duking it out from time to time...or you know, always. They fight fight fight but on certain topics they can unite and stand together to take down unstoppable forces. Get ready for a good long read folks. Settle yourself in with some popcorn, nestle yourselves warmly in promotional sweatshirts and make some hot cocoa because for once Sarah and Anthony have combined to share their (can it be true) opinion on a rather important issue. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and it's banning of the cast of Glee.

Sarah

If there’s one thing that Anthony and I can agree on, it is TV. Ok, while we may Itchy and Scratchy it out about NCIS vs. Lost we can put the golden gloves away when need be. Think of it like wrestling. Remember how DX and Mankind came together, united under one solid front of hatred towards the evil corporation (the McMahons?) Think of it kind of like that, except minus the short shorts, gratuitously fake violence, and the hairy man under the mask. But other than that, it’s exactly the same.

So what, prey tell has caused this joint union of anger and who is it directed towards? Well right now, our only source for the rage, nay…disappointment, comes out of TMZ (hardly reliable, we know) and it’s directed at NBC. You see, according to TMZ, the fair weather peacock has pulled the plug on a Glee performance at the Thanksgiving Day parade. The performance was all but set in stone when Macy’s got a call from the bird to put the kibosh on the deal. What’s that sound you ask? That’s the sound of millions of Gleeks hearts breaking. 

I’m legitimately trying to come up with a reason as to why NBC would do this. Are they that petty that they don’t want to give performance time to another network’s hit show? Are they trying to save the time frame for a Biggest Loser dance off? What will Al Roker be doing that could possibly be more entertaining than anything that the Glee kids could pull off? There’s really no reason why Glee shouldn’t be allowed to perform at the parade. I mean, unless NBC is jealous.

Is it ballsy of me to call out an entire network in one of my blogs? Eh, maybe. But this is the same network who has given me nothing but grief since they killed Lucy off on ER. I mean seriously NBC, short of Community, which you put on at the exact same time as Bones and Flash Forward, causing both Anthony and I the need to DVR that gem, what have you done for us lately?

Oh there was that really good show Modern Family. Oh wait, that was ABC.
You had that spinoff of the most popular drama on TV…oh wait…that was CBS.
You created an amazing drama that will eventually take the place of one of the world’s most popular shows when it goes off the air later this year…oh wait, that was ABC again.
You created that wonderful show about high school kids in a Glee club…oh wait, that was Fox, that’s Glee and that’s the same damn show you won’t let me enjoy while eating chocolate shaped turkeys for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning.

Not for nothing NBC, not all of us really care that much about seeing Meredith and Matt sit there and make crappy puns about the balloons. However, I’d gladly say bring on the puns if it meant the peacock would stop its tail feathers from being in such a bunch and let cast of Glee perform.  Think that was bad? That was just my take. *Runs to ringside, tags Anthony*

Anthony 

Remember the way you felt when Triple H and Mankind performed the notorious ‘DX’ salute together side by side? I do too. It was definitely unexpected and I never even imagined I’d see it, but at the end of the day it made sense because they came together for a common good. DX and Mankind had different styles, different fans and even differences in their core beliefs and didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But when Mankind was beaten down and exhausted by the dastardly and unethical practices of the McMahon-led ‘Corporation’, he crawled to his corner and reached his hand out for help even if that help came from an unlikely source.

So I’ve been tagged in and I know what many of you may be thinking: When is he going to crawl under the ring, grab a ‘steel’ chair and stun fans by slamming his unsuspecting tag team partner in the back? Well not this time. Though a good heel turn is always great theater, I am focused on the goal and I want those tag team championship belts!

But seriously, professional wrestling metaphors aside, I completely agree with Sarah and I am greatly disappointed by this news. If the source is accurate, it certainly leads me to believe that NBC’s true colors have been shown here and they aren’t the colors of the rainbow that are represented in their logo. What good reason do they have for pulling the plug on a ‘Glee’ performance? Like Sarah, I am leaning mostly towards jealousy. Not only because of the success of the other networks, but because perhaps they had the opportunity to have ‘Glee’ on their network and they passed on it. Of course I can’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of the complex industry that is show business, but correct me if I am wrong; shows from other networks are represented in the Thanksgiving Day Parade every year!

Though the hype doesn’t really surround NBC the way it is currently surrounding other networks, I don’t think that will stop us from seeing The Simpsons or Spongebob floating by in the parade this year. I am sure there are a host of other characters and shows that will be represented from other networks this year as well, just like every other year, and this is what leads me to believe that the kibosh was put on the ‘Glee’ appearance because of the sting that they feel every time they see how successful it has become. Let alone the potential for new viewers to dial in to Fox every Wednesday night at 9pm EST (do it!) after liking what they saw at the parade. I can see why they’d be bitter and kicking themselves if they did in fact pass on picking up ‘Glee’. I do not know this to be fact but again, if you’re going to allow representation from other networks, what good reason do you have for not including this particular hit show? It will disappoint many, including myself who may or may not be actually attending the parade this year with tickets in a premiere location, but that’s beside the point.

When you are responsible for producing on a nationwide, highly viewed, tradition like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you owe it to us to be as much on the pulse of the American people as possible. Which, if you asked me last year, I’d say you did a pretty good job of it after the entire viewing audience was unexpectedly Rick Roll’d live in the middle of a performance. So get back to the drawing board NBC, and remember that the audience is more important than your egos when it comes to the Thanksgiving Day Parade.