COMIC-CON 2010: ‘Glee’ will do ‘Rocky Horror’ episode
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In the home stretch of the Comic-Con mega-marathon Sunday afternoon, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy and select cast members -- NOT Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, alas -- dropped a few tantalizing glimpses of the upcoming Season 2 for a packed crowd of Gleeks in Ballroom 20.
Maybe the biggest news nugget: The producers are planning a special “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-themed episode at an unspecified date. During the panel, cast member Chris Colfer, who plays the flamboyant Kurt Hummel on the show, said he’d like to sing “Time Warp,” “Rocky Horror’s” signature anthem. It was then that Murphy revealed that he would soon have his chance in a special episode devoted to the cult flick, as the audience cheered wildly. (Apparently, the tidbit was carefully planted: After the panel was over, the teeming throng exited to the original version of “Time Warp”).
Murphy also said the producers plan to trim the number of musical numbers per episode, from eight to five. “That got to be a little much,” he said of the musical demands.
“People think we’re gonna be bigger and bigger, more crazy,” Murphy said. But “the second season is designed to be a little more intimate. It’s just (responding to) feedback, feedback from the fans.”
Among the possibilities: An episode devoted to cheerleader Brittany ( Heather Morris) and a show that follows the diva Mercedes ( Amber Riley) to her church.
Of course, this winter “Glee” will be exposed to an even broader audience, as Fox has chosen it as the lead-out programming for the Super Bowl, the most-watched event in the TV business.
“We’re in negotiation to do a really big tribute episode, but we haven’t closed it yet, so I can’t say,” Murphy told the crowd.
“Nothing says Super Bowl to me like ‘Glee,’ ” he joked.
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Scott Collins is a former staff reporter for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. He joined the staff in 2004 after previous stints at the Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. Author of the book “Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN,” he is a frequent pop-culture expert on national TV, radio shows and industry panels. He left The Times in 2016.