Hockey Meets Glee

Personally, I'm not a fan of the TV show Glee. Glee takes a bunch of misfit teen characters and makes them out to be the next American Idols all while spending approximately six minutes of each season in actual classes with some value for everyday life. Like math. Or chemistry. Needless to say, despite my being forced to watch it thanks to HBIC's better half, I am not a fan of Glee.

However, I received a very interesting email today from friend of HBIC, Janelle. Janelle wanted to pass on some very interesting information from a colleague of hers named Gladys Fattorini. Gladys is a casting producer for Shed Media US, and Shed Media is hunting for hockey teams for a very specific purpose.

Here is the email that Janelle sent me. If you live in Massachusetts or in the Pittsburgh area, this may interest you. Here's what Gladys wrote:

"I am currently working on a new uplifting television program, focused on bringing communities together. I am personally focused on finding a local adult hockey league or team in the Massachusetts and Pittsburgh area who may be interested in sharing their team story and spreading awareness about their sport within the community. This is an amazing opportunity for local, smaller underdog type teams to raise national awareness and really put themselves on the map. We are looking for teams who may be new to the hockey world and/or need help with gaining local support. We are looking for teams that may be in need of a moral boost or have suffered challenges like injuries or a loss of a team member.

"Our program The Choir, documents British choral director Gareth Malone as he attempts to create choirs in the most unlikely settings. He feels choirs allow people to come together and express themselves as a community. Although choirs are made up of many voices, individuals often find unexpected personal rewards and growth through their choral experience.

"The Choir is not another competition show about finding the next pop superstar or watching people sing off-key in front of judges for a humiliating audition segment. This show is about building community spirit with neighbors, teammates, co-workers and others through the simple joy of singing. Anyone can join! The Choir is open to anyone with a connection to the community or group or team. Vocal talent is welcome, but not required and there are a variety of ways to contribute to the choir's success."

Sounds like an interesting premise, but I'm not entirely sold on this idea yet. I needed to find some sort of review to help convince me that this show would be a good idea. Thanks to Hollywood, I may have found a review that just might convince this show could work.

Ok, so it's not entirely Hollywood, but Los Angeles Times television critic Robert Lloyd penned a pretty convincing article on The Choir. But convincing a bunch of people to sign who are reluctant to get up in front of an audience probably isn't going to be riveting TV by any means. So what's the point?

"It's about increasing confidence rather than finding the next generation of pop stars," British choral director Gareth Malone said of his series. "If you're watching programs like 'American Idol,' there's a sense that if you're not a really good singer then you really shouldn't try — there are those people who fail and get laughed at. So my show's very much a deliberate attempt to redress that balance and say that anyone can sing, especially in a choir. You don't have to be the absolute best — you still have a voice, and you can still sing, and it can still be a moving thing and a powerful thing for you."

So no talent is required? Hey, that means the vast majority of us qualify as a potential choir member. So why am I blogging about singing in a choir? After all, this is a hockey blog, and the only time singing ever gets discussed is when the anthem singer does something notable.

Well, it seems that Shed Media is looking for a Massachusetts- or Pittsburgh-based hockey team to come together as a choir as Gladys wrote above. This is your chance, if you live in those areas, to get your beer league team on TV for a fun adventure!

"It's not a program that's telling an extreme story," said Malone. "It's about what happens to [the singers], it's how they feel about themselves. It's great that they perform and they improve, but in a way it's almost not about music, it's just about people. I think people are really interesting, and if you put them through a real experience over a decent period of time, amazing things can happen."

If this is something that interests you, please comment below or send me an email. I can put you in touch with Gladys and the people at Shed Media. I really think this could be pretty cool if one of HBIC's readers got his or her team on the show. And remember: you don't have to be Alicia Keys or Michael Buble to be part of this show. All you need is a team, some confidence, and the ability to try something new that may be outside your comfort zone.

The first step, though, is sending me a message with your interest. If you're feeling up to being on TV and having some fun, this opportunity may hit the right note for you!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!