Glee

In an age of long commutes, late sports practices, endless workdays and 24/7 television programming, the image of Mom hanging up her dish towel at 7 p.m. and declaring "the kitchen is closed" seems a quaint relic of an earlier era. It also harks back to a thinner America. And that may be no coincidence. A new study, conducted on mice, hints at an unexpected contributor to the nation's epidemic of obesity - and, if later human studies bear it out, a possible way to have our cake and eat it too, with less risk of weight gain and the diseases that come with it. Just eat your cake - or better yet, an apple - earlier.

“The View” 10 a.m. Thursday, ABC: performance from “Once.” “Dudu Fisher: In Concert From Israel” Noon Thursday, KCET: Singer Dudu Fisher performs Broadway tunes and Israeli songs. “Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: "Kenny Burrell: Master and Mentor": Hosted by mezzo-soprano opera singer Suzanna Guzman, Open Call features a wide variety of productions from profiles of artists. “Soulful Symphony With Darin Atwater: Song in a Strange Land” Noon Saturday, KCET: Artistic director Atwater conducts an 85-member orchestra in compositions exhibiting styles ranging through gospel, jazz and symphonic music.

The great promise of "Smash" was that it offered a glossy insider's look at Broadway. The equally great challenge was to create original yet authentic show tunes for the musical about Marilyn Monroe embedded inside this NBC drama. "Our job is to make it feel authentic to the theater," said Scott Wittman, who composed the original songs with Marc Shaiman. The Tony- and Grammy-winning duo, whose list of credits include Broadway's adaptations of "Hairspray" and "Catch Me If You Can," had months to compose songs for the pilot.

In a "Glee" two-step of sorts, stars Lea Michele and Kevin McHale became Los Angeles-area homeowners last month within a day of each other. Michele, who plays aspiring soprano Rachel Berry, bought a bungalow in Hollywood for $1.4 million. The one-story house, built in 1920, sits behind tall hedges and has a gated driveway. The updated home features French doors, an office, attic space, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. An outdoor dining pavilion includes a kitchen.

“The View” 10 a.m. Thursday, ABC: performance from “Once.” “Dudu Fisher: In Concert From Israel” Noon Thursday, KCET: Singer Dudu Fisher performs Broadway tunes and Israeli songs. “Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: "Kenny Burrell: Master and Mentor": Hosted by mezzo-soprano opera singer Suzanna Guzman, Open Call features a wide variety of productions from profiles of artists. “Soulful Symphony With Darin Atwater: Song in a Strange Land” Noon Saturday, KCET: Artistic director Atwater conducts an 85-member orchestra in compositions exhibiting styles ranging through gospel, jazz and symphonic music.

Glee infobox 9/21/10 'Glee' Where: Fox When: 8 p.m. Tuesday Rating: TV-14-DLS (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14, with advisories for suggestive dialogue, coarse language and sex)

Of course we're talking about: Kristin Chenoweth's return to "Glee ." Not since "Ugly Betty's" Claire Meade has TV been blessed with such a lovable drunk. When last we saw Chenoweth's former glee clubber April Rhodes, she had gotten sloshed and booted from the McKinley High group. Now she's back — whew! — and she'll be belting out a couple of classics, including "One Less Bell to Answer." Aaaah, show-tune shivers.... (Tuesday) We want to talk about: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" with Jackie Earle Haley . Why?

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday: Chewbacca is coming to "Glee. " ( Huffington Post ) Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean won big at the American Country Awards. ( MTV ) Rosie O'Donnell is engaged to girlfriend Michelle Rounds. ( Los Angeles Times ) Universal will unveil its plans for the new "Harry Potter" attraction in L.A. today. ( Los Angeles Times ) Bradley Cooper says "The Hangover III" may be set in L.A. ( New York Daily News )

The act with the most songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart isn't the Beatles, Elvis or Michael Jackson. It's the cast of "Glee. " In just 18 months of appearing on the charts, the Fox TV series has set the record for the most songs on the Billboard chart in its 52-year history. This week, "Glee" debuts six songs on the chart, giving it 113 in total ? five more than the now second-place Elvis Presley, who had 108. ?Associated Press Two singers in the courtroom Fresh off his weekend Grammy win, singer Bruno Mars pleaded guilty to cocaine possession Wednesday but avoided jail in exchange for probation, community service and drug counseling.

'Glee': Given our vague resistance to musicals, we were suspicious of this newcomer, especially after it enjoyed an avalanche of blog-hype last month. But after catching up last week, this comedy has become music to our ears. Think of "Election" crossed with "Freaks and Geeks" (and surprisingly solid singing) and you've got the idea. It's a "High School Musical" that doesn't require being in high school to enjoy. Chevy Chase: He taught us sportsmanship in "Caddyshack," offered a cautionary example of family travel in "Vacation" and kept us looking for Jane Doe in our archives thanks to "Fletch."

Closing shortly after co-star Kevin McHale's nearby home purchase, "Glee's" Lea Michele has bought a bungalow in Hollywood for $1.4 million. The one-story house, built in 1920, sits behind tall hedges and has a gated driveway. The updated bungalow features French doors, an office, attic space, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. An outdoor dining pavilion includes a kitchen. Michele, 25, has played aspiring soprano Rachel Berry since 2009 on the television series. She will voice the part of Dorothy in the animated film "Dorothy of Oz," due out this year.

In the case of Gotye, as with most any rock-star import for that matter, it's a charming ritual to watch him cope with understanding U.S. media obsessions. Like when the Australia-based "Somebody That I Used to Know" singer dared open his mouth in criticism of the download-driving "Glee" machine and its handling of his hit, calling the show's cover of the tune "dry. "   Outlets widely reported the comment as a diss, but Gotye told the Ministry a different story after a jam session Tuesday at the Sayers Club for Los Angeles radio station KYSR-FM 98.7.  "You know, God forbid you try to dissect something at any length," he said with a laugh, "and people just want the sound bite.

Cedar Point plans to turn the Ohio theme park's Million Dollar Midway into the $6-million Luminosity nighttime spectacular complete with lights, lasers and fireworks tied to a stage performance with DJs, dancers and drummers. PHOTOS: Luminosity nighttime spectacular at Cedar Point Debuting on June 8, the 40-minute Luminosity: Ignite the Night stage show will be followed by a pyrotechnics finale that leads into a DJ street party designed to turn the midway into an enormous dance floor.

"Glee's" Kevin McHale , who plays paraplegic Artie Abrams, has bought a house in the Hollywood Hills for $1.025 million. The Midcentury home features a tall entry leading to a combined living and dining room with vaulted ceilings and city and hillside views. A wall of windows open to a deck on the main level of the more than 2,000-square-foot house. The kitchen features red cabinetry and stainless steel appliances, plus an island/bar with seating. Floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors open to a fenced lawn off the master bedroom suite, which has a sitting area.

The great promise of "Smash" was that it offered a glossy insider's look at Broadway. The equally great challenge was to create original yet authentic show tunes for the musical about Marilyn Monroe embedded inside this NBC drama. "Our job is to make it feel authentic to the theater," said Scott Wittman, who composed the original songs with Marc Shaiman. The Tony- and Grammy-winning duo, whose list of credits include Broadway's adaptations of "Hairspray" and "Catch Me If You Can," had months to compose songs for the pilot.

If Stephen Sondheim and Brian De Palma had collaborated on a horror musical, they would never have made "Don't Go in the Woods," an undercooked, "Glee"-like hybrid of grating indie pop songs and forest slasher flick. The people who did make it — debut feature director Vincent D'Onofrio, and screenwriters Sam Bisbee (responsible for the songs) and Joe Vinciguerra — operate under the lazy artistic assumption that simply touching chocolate and peanut butter together magically makes a Reese's Cup. Instead, a young all-male band of five ventures into wooded seclusion to concentrate on new material, whereupon they perform what sounds like the same whiny lament over and over, bicker, hook up with girls and get knocked off in turn by a masked killer.

'Glee: The 3D Concert Movie' MPAA rating: PG for thematic elements, brief language and some sensuality Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes Playing: In general release

Actress Anjelica Huston is standing at the edge of a large mirrored rehearsal space as dancers and choreographers circulate around her. Preparation for a big Broadway number is frenetically underway. In one corner, performers limber up; in another, they nervously await a director's judgment. It might seem like any rehearsal for any one of the numerous musicals that play this city nightly. Except this isn't a Broadway musical or even a rehearsal — the cameras are rolling on the set of "Smash," a new fictional television series about the theater world.

A recent subplot on "Glee" features an anguished dad trying to quash his son's dreams of becoming a professional dancer because, he reasons, show business is so fickle. And indeed it is — as Fox has witnessed to its chagrin this fall. A rare TV/music double sensation just last year, "Glee" — an over-the-top romp about a high-school show choir filled with colorful characters — has officially entered its awkward middle years. Some of the stats are about as inviting as pimples and braces.