FOX to Showcase it's Musical Talent (and we're not just talking Glee)

From April 29th to May 5th many of FOX's top shows including; Bones, House, and Fringe will be revamping their style to take on a musical format!


To celebrate this week of musical madness TV Squad has compiled a top ten list of best musical moments in television. It's worth noting that this list features actors who are slated to appear on Glee. Kristen Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) will be appearing on Glee tonight. Neil Patrick Harris finds himself on the list twice for How I Met Your Mother and Batman: The Brave and Bold. He will be guesting in a few weeks along side guest director and #1 on this list Joss Whedon!

Check out the list below, tell me your favourite musical moments on TV in the comments!

10. 'That '70s Show': 'That 70s Musical.' Even curmudgeon Red catches the fever on the show's 100th episode in season four, when Fez dreams up song-and-dance numbers while prepping for a high school concert. This love letter to the 1970s features characters belting out famous 70s tunes.



9. 'Pushing Daisies': 'Dummy.' Any time Kristin Chenoweth gets to flex the golden pipes, I'm a happy camper. 'Pushing Daisies' often featured musical numbers, and here's one of my favorites, 'Hopelessly Devoted to You,' from the second episode in season one.



8. 'Northern Exposure': 'Old Tree.' Pregnant Shelly wakes up one day to discover she's in her own little musical. She can't stop singing, and she's worried she'll never be able to stop. The best part of this tune is when her beloved Holling joins in with a sweet duet in this episode from season four.



7. 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold': 'Mayhem of the Music Meister.' The talented Neil Patrick Harris gets to show off his chops in this episode from season one, where the Music Meister uses his singing voice to hypnotize everyone within hearing range into obeying him.



6. 'Mad Men': 'My Old Kentucky Home.' I'm stretching it here, because this isn't a musical episode from start to finish. 'Mad Men' is way too cool for that. But this episode from season three featured the characters engaging in music in a believable way for that era. We got Joan playing an accordion while crooning 'C'est Magnifique,' Roger (in black face!) singing to his fiance, and Pete and his wife dancing a lively Charleston.



5. 'South Park': 'Chef Aid.' When Cartman comes to school singing the new hit song, 'Stinky Britches,' Chef realizes that the song he wrote 20 years earlier has been stolen. An expensive lawsuit, attorney Johnny Cochrane, a charity concert, and a bunch of famous singers all come together in a musical montage from season two.



4. 'The Simpsons': 'A Fish Called Selma.' Can anything be turned into a Broadway musical? Yes, and Troy McClure proves it in this musical episode from season 7, where 'Planet of the Apes' takes to the stage.





3. 'Scrubs': 'My Musical.' When a patient with a brain disorder hallucinates everyone in the hospital singing, it gave us the classic 'Guy Love,' in which Turk and J.D. sing about their, uh, friendship in season 6. Nothing gay about it.



2. 'How I Met Your Mother': 'Girls vs. Suits.' The show's 100th episode in season five creates a tough choice for our beloved Barney -- menswear or a sexy bartender? He gets some help from backup singers and dancers -- in suits, of course.



1. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer': 'Once More, With Feeling.' Joss Whedon's essential episode from season six finds our Sunnydale friends bursting into song for no apparent reason, revealing their innermost secrets in the process. Could it be demons? Witches? Ghosts? Anya has another idea -- bunnies.

TV News Round-Up: Tons of Exciting Casting News & More

Glee-ful Casting News Well did I call it or did I call it? Really, I think we all saw this coming (or had our fingers crossed that it would). Pending approval from CBS, Neil Patrick Harris will be scheduled for a guest appearance on Glee in a role written specifically for him! This episode will also reunite NPH with Joss Whedon, who worked together on the internet sensation Dr. Horrible. Whedon will be taking over directorial duties on this episode.
In equally exciting guest star news, creator Ryan Murphy is in talks with Jennifer Lopez who would be taking on the role of lunch lady. Plus, a certain one-named pop super star may make a cameo in an the episode dedicated to her catalog. Click here for more details.

Mad for Liz: Jon Hamm will be reprising his role as Liz's ex Drew on 30 Rock's Valentine's Day episode. Michael Sheen will also be doing a guest stint on 30 Rock attempting to woo good ol' Liz. Between sleeping with James Franco and hooking up with Danny, the new cast member, Liz has been getting some serious action this season!

Chuck Scoop- Our favourite converse-clad spy will have his Dad back in the picture. Scott Bakula will be returning as part of a major story-line towards the end of the third season.

Back for More? At the TCA press tour president of the network John Landgraf mentioned a lunch he has scheduled with Joss Whedon. This doesn't mean that a Whedon-produced show is in the works, although FX seems to be courting Whedon to produce a show for the network in the next year or two. Given the track record Whedon has with FOX with his prematurely canceled Firefly and recently axed Dollhouse, do you think Whedon will go back to do more work with FX? Or will he be given a chance this time before shuttling him off to a Friday night slot.

Caprica Countdown - The two-hour television premiere of Battlestar Galactica's prequel, Caprica will air this Friday night. In preparation for the event, Caprica star Alessandra Torresani, a self professed sci-fi nerd, talks about her role in the new show and the importance of the support of BSG fans to the new show. "We're a completely different show and we're a different style of show" she says. It wont contain the same kind of action, but it's based in the same mythology of its predecessor.


Rebuilding Torchwood Stateside In a bid to produce more sci-fi programming that they can shift to Friday nights and cancel, FOX will be producing an American version of Torchwood. There are some hopeful points in this production. The creator of the original, Russel T. Davies will remain on board, and John Barrowman may be staying on in the role of Captain Jack Harkness. I doubt anyone could carry the role like he does, Captain Jack is all about his sexuality and Barrowman has chemistry will anything (man, woman, alien) he shares a scene with.
I'm doubtful that the U.S. incarnation will carry the adult subject matter and daring edge that defines Torchwood as a program. Do you think this re-make will make it?
Click here to see TWOP's pros and cons of an American Torchwood.

This Week in TV News

I know, I've been seriously slacking with the news updates, I had to shift
my priorities to finishing up exams for this year.

Here are a few tidbits from the TV new this week:

Glee delivered a fall finale that was all we hoped this show could be last Wednesday. Now we're left in a lurch with new episodes not resuming until April 2010! There may be good news in this cloud of a 4 month hiatus, there is talk that FOX will be producing original Glee material to fill the gap in the from of clips and music video.

New TV coming to NBC this January isn't too far off, NBC has released it's mid-season schedule, including the highly anticipating return of Chuck on Mondays at 8pm. Conspicuously missing from its Monday time slot is Heroes. No word yet on the show's uncertain future.

Awards shows seem to be on their way up starting with Neil Patrick Harris hosting the 2009 Emmys. Ricky Gervais, the man who took both British and American comedy TV by storm will be hosting this year's Golden Globes. Well picked hosts must really increase viewership because I will certainly be tuning in. Check out what Gervais has to say about his hosting duties in an interview with Daniel Manu from TWOP.com. Click here for the interview.


In film news, Natalie Portman will be staring in the film adaptation of Pride, Prejudice and Zombies. Maybe zombie movies have over saturated the market in the past few years, but that hasn't stopped my obsession. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the film version of this new spin on the genre.

Dollhouse: Going out in High Gear - Review

I've often noticed that shows that are either conceived as a fixed length (or mini-series) or shows that have an established end date tend to really ramp up the intensity.

After viewing "The Private Eye" and "The Left Hand" (episodes 2.5 & 2.6) it appears that Dollhouse has certainly caught the bug. I have been a dedicated Dollhouse fan throughout its run, but I will admit that it the overarching story hasn't always been the most captivating part of the show. The majority of episodes have been heavy in stand-alone engagement structure that begins and ends in the hour with little overall plot advancement.

If this first two-hour block is any indication of what Joss Whedon will be dishing out in Dollhouse's final episodes it seems like we will be treated to a more complex narrative structure involving all the different characters in a strongly motivated forward moving storyline that will actually be serving a means to an end.

The world of Rossum is opening up to us and we've only begun to understand the the extent off its reach and the L.A. Dollhouse's role within it. Personally, I can't wait to find out more, and am hoping that Enver Gjokaj and his constantly show stealing performance as Victor is at the center of it all.

The cancellation of Dollhouse hasn't all been bad news. A finite number of episodes can lead to top notch TV. At least FOX has agreed to air the entire season unlike the untimely fate of Whedon's previous project Firefly.

I think this FOX imposed end date will be worth it for the quality TV it will produce.

Do you think Dollhouse ending is a blessing in disguise or are you still reeling from the cancellation news?

This review has been featured on Sidereel.com: check it out!

This Week in TV News

Casting News Alan Tudyk will be reprising his role of Alpha in the seventh and eight episodes of Dollhouse's second and final season. These episodes will air Friday December 11 on Fox. (source)

Sneak Peeks - To hype up the revamped incarnation of what was once Scrubs, ABC is offering eight sneak peeks of the premiere episodes. I'm still unsure about this whole new Scrubs thing, but I'll watch to find out. View the previews here



Bringing Bon Temps Home - In July 2010 you will be able to take True Blood home with you. DC Unlimited picked up the rights to manufacture the characters; Sookie Stackhouse, Eric Northman and Bill Compton will be the first figurines to be introduced. (source)

Can't wait? Bring True Blood into your home... actually. HBO is selling a full party kit equipped with a 24 of True Blood, 8 pint glasses and a bottle opener.


Dr. Horrible is Coming for you - But in what medium? In an interview with TVGuide, Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory) who played Dr. Horrible's sweaty sidekick Moist in the webseries provided fans with good news regarding the sequel to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog:

My understanding is that it might be a movie, but it also might be another Internet thing. I don't quite know. I know they're working on the next installment. It will happen. When I talked to Joss [Whedon], he sort of told me some things, but what he was talking about was so intricate that I would not do it justice if I tried to explain it now! But it will happen and we're all going to be there

Do you think that Dr. Horrible which worked so well as a web series will translate to the big screen, or should it stay online?

In other horrible news, the recently unemployed Eliza Dushku is looking for a part in the Dr. Horrible sequel. (source)
Do you think Whedon will call Dushku in for Dr. Horrible, or should she stop waiting by the telephone?

Katee Sackhoff is back in Action

Katee Sackhoff's appearance last night on The Big Bang Theory was disappointingly short, although seeing Starbuck in a bubble bath dispensing dating advice was a treat.

The good news is that Sackhoff has found herself a new home on the eighth season FOX's action hit 24 as Dana Walsh. My knowledge of Jack Bauer is limited to having only caught an episode here and there during the shows first few seasons which my boyfriend was watching religiously. Despite that I just may tune in to check out Katee's new digs.

Also joining the cast, teen heartthrob of the '90s, Freddie Prinze Jr. My eleven year old self would ecstatic!

Source

CHUCK: Premiere Date & Preview

It's official! NBC announced that Chuck will return Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 9pm. Chuck will premiere with back to back episodes the day after NBC airs an NFL playoff double header allowing for heavy promotion during the event to expand Chuck's already fervent cult-like audience base. The early return will allow the show to air a week before the return of 24 on FOX in the competing time slot.

Following the premiere, Chuck will return to it's Monday night time slot on January 11 at 8pm.

Source


Chuck Season 3 Preview here:

TV Round-Up

Since I seem to have other things going on in my life apart of TV (blasphemy I know) I've gotten behind on updating this blog. Here's a round-up of a few exciting bits of what's been going on.

We all saw it coming, Joss Whedon + Friday night slot = cancellation. FOX finally dropped the other foot and announced the cancellation of Dollhouse.

Whedon reflects on the cancellation of Dollhouse and promises another project in the near future.

More Chuck news! Any morsel is good news in anticipation of the third season. Seasoned action and sci-fi vet Robert Patrick(Terminator, X-Files and much much more) will be appearing as Col. Keller, a mysterious figure from Casey's past.

Micheal Trucco (Battlestar Galactica) has joined the cast of Facing Kate a new pilot for U.S.A. alongside HIMYM alum Virginia Williams.

Good News for Dollhouse - Fox will air all 13 Episodes

Due to the rise in overall ratings thanks to the DVR audience, FOX has promised to run all 13 produced episodes of Dollhouse's second season.

As for a third season, it doesn't seem likely considering the low ratings so far this season but FOX says they will reserve judgment until after this run.

Joss Whedon promises to provide Dollhouse fans with a degree of closure in the season finale.


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