User:HorrorFan121/Lauren Zizes

Lauren Zizes is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since it's first season episode titled "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. She is a member of the glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set. Her storylines have seen her interact with other members of the glee club and form a relationship with Noah Puckerman. Zizes is also the president of the AV club, and a member of the high school's wrestling team. Lauren joins the glee club in the show's second season. This put her in close contact with some of the shows main characters. Her character's importance greatly improved after joining.

The character has had mixed reviews from critics. Robert Canning of IGN went on to praise Ashley Fink's performance as Lauren Zizes in the episode "Silly Love Songs", as well as her script. Sandra Mullins said "the ice around [her] heart melted just a bit when Puck mouthed Lauren that little bit of encouragement at the start of her solo." However, Rosie O'Donnel reacted negatively to the casting of Ashley Fink. Rosie said in an interview with Access Hollywood ""I have to believe that ['Glee' co-creators] Ryan [Murphy] and Brad [Falchuk] have something up their sleeve and that [Lauren] can really sing

Development
Lauren is regularly portrayed by actress Ashley Fink. In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway. Murphy did not find Fink on his Broadway exploration. Fink appeared as more of a background character in Glee's first season, but her character's importance raised greatly in the show's second season. Lauren joined McKinley High's glee club in the episode "Special Education". Fink was "obsessed" with Glee, and had been making routine guest appearances throughout the first season. She received a script that revealed to her she was the newest member of New Directions. Fink said "When I got the script [where she joined the Glee club] I texted Chris Colfer and said, ‘I think I just joined the Glee club?’ I didn’t quite believe it at first, I thought I was getting ‘Punk’d.’” She has said being cast in Glee makes her feel like "the luckiest girl in the world".

Ashley’s favorite part of being part of Glee is how Ryan Murphy manages to take the underdog and make them shine. She said "In life, there’s so much diversity, and it’s not necessarily represented on television. I think Glee is one of the few shows that actually displays the diversity and it’s just so inspirational.” In December 2010, Ryan Murphy announced that the cast of Glee would be replaced at the end of the third season to coincide with their graduation. TV Squad has said that "Lauren can deliver a zinger with the bite of Sue Sylvester and the humor of our beloved Brittany." Ryan Murphy said: "Every year we're going to populate a new group. There's nothing more depressing than a higher schooler with a bald spot." He also revealed that some of the original cast will leave as early as 2012: "I think you have to be true to the fact that here is a group of people who come and go in these teachers' lives."

Storylines
Throughout the first season of Glee, Lauren makes numerous guest appearances. She is a member of the William McKinley High wrestling team, as well as president of the AV club. She first appears in the episode "Wheels", trying out for a spot on William McKinley High's cheerleading team. In the same episode, glee club member Kurt Hummel reveals to his dad, Burt, that Lauren is a member of the wrestling team and that her parents had to sue to get her a spot on it. She later appears in Hell-O when cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester rounds together a group of unpopular, lonely students to convince glee club star Rachel Berry to date Jesse and forget about her ex Finn Hudson, calling them the "Old Maid's Club" and that Lauren is one of them. Lauren tells Rachel a past experience, in which she failed to find love with a boy. Lauren doesn't appear again until the episode "Laryngitis", when Rachel hires her to rig hidden microphones in the choir room to prove that the rest of the glee club are not pulling their weight. Lauren tells Rachel to pay her in mallomars and snickers bars. Lauren makes her last season one appearance in the Lady Gaga themed episode "Theatricality". She is seen as the leader of a group of goths who worship Twilight actor Robert Pattinson. This has a domino effect on glee club member Tina Cohen-Chang's life when Principal Figgins bans her gothic wardrobe.

Lauren returns to Glee in it's second season in the Brittany Spears oriented episode Britney/Brittany. She is seen clawing at glee club member Noah Puckerman during his performance of One Love by Bob Marley. The character's importance shifts greatly in the second season. After Kurt leaves McKinley after being harassed by bullies, glee club member Puck asks Lauren to join the glee club to fill his position and so they can have twelve members to qualify for sectionals. Lauren accepts the offer with a request that she gets seven minutes in heaven with him. Lauren preforms with the glee club at sectionals, and after agrees to remain a member of the club. The Christmas oriented episode "A Very Glee Christmas" featured Lauren preforming all the musical numbers with the glee club. Lauren's relationship with Puck is opened up again in "Silly Love Song". Puck serenades her with Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls". Lauren finds his song choice insulting and stands him up on a pre-Valentine's date, but eventually agrees to spend Valentine's Day with him as friends. Lauren makes her solo debut in the following episode, where she preforms a rendition of of "I Know What Boys Like." He helps her by telling her to picture the other members in their underwear, which she does in her timid turned confident performance.

In Blame It on the Alcohol, Lauren attends Rachel's party and gets really drunk. Finn classifies her, along with Quinn, as the angry drunk girl. She's screaming at Puck along with Quinn. Later after feeling bad because a lot of drunk, she performs with New Directions Blame It (On The Alcohol) (of course the members of New Directions were drunk again). At the end of the episode, she performs again with New Directions Tik Tok by Kesha, but gets punished for being drunk at the assembly. Principal Figgins lets the club off the hook after assuming it was all part of the performance to raise drinking awareness.

Reception
The character of Lauren has had mixed reviews with television critics. Robert Canning of IGN went on to praise Ashley Fink's performance as Lauren Zizes in the episode "Silly Love Songs", as well as her script. Lauren received several positive reviews for her performance in Comeback. While VanDerWerff found her relationship with Puck "a lot less assured" than in "Silly Love Songs", Gonzalez deemed their scenes "as endearing as they are unrealistic", and Mullins wrote that "the ice around [her] heart melted just a bit when Puck mouthed Lauren that little bit of encouragement at the start of her solo." Respers France commented that she is beginning to really like Lauren, noting: "for me Lauren represents how Ryan Murphy is able to take the concept of the outcast, flip it on its ear and shove it back in our faces with a side order of fabulousness."

However, Rosie O'Donnel reacted negatively to the casting of Ashley Fink. Rosie said in an interview with Access Hollywood ""I have to believe that ['Glee' co-creators] Ryan [Murphy] and Brad [Falchuk] have something up their sleeve and that [Lauren] can really sing because 'I Know What Boys Like' was not what I was expecting," O'Donnell said about the character's first performance on Tuesday night's episode. "I was expecting a whole Shrek-like reveal where [Puck, played by Mark Salling] becomes Fiona-ish. I just was like, 'Where's the Susan Boyle moment? She's gonna belt it out of the park!' and then she did, 'I know what boys like, I know what guys want'? I was like, 'I want more than this.'" Rosie went on to add "'[Fink's] character is so unlikable. Why didn't they get a pretty heavy girl?" O'Donnell asked. "They should've gotten someone beautiful like [actress] Brooke Elliot. It really, really strikes a chord with every overweight woman I know," she added. "Every woman I know who's heavy has strong feelings about that storyline. They're like, 'Can you believe that? I think that's horrible. That never happens in school.'"

Critics fired back at O'Donnel's statements. Justin Thompson said "Seriously, I’ve loved her character and how they’ve developed her and she’s just become a source of great comedy – is that because she’s full-figured? No. Is it because her character is well-written? Yes. It’s kind of sad to see Rosie lambast what the show is trying to do. Hell, wasn’t the last time a plus-sized teen on television in a show based about going to fat camp?" Fink merely brushed off O'Donnel's comments.