Monday, October 19, 2009

Who needs Ziegfeld? Here Comes Joss!

He's made a musical version of Buffy about the most demonic song and dance man ever, followed by a small internet musical that enjoyed slight success...AND AN EMMY!!!

We should have known it wouldn't be too long before Joss Whedon would get back in the musical game. This time, he'll be directing an episode of Glee, also known as the real High School Musical. It's about Will, a guy who wants to bring the glee club of his old high school back to greatness. He's got some unlikely, but good, talent, but also has to deal with a wife who's faking a pregnancy to keep him, an evil cheerleading teacher who thinks ruining the glee club will eventually get her a hovercraft, and a counselor who thinks she has to marry the school coach but hopes to avoid touching him.
Try that, Ashley Tisdale.
If you want a better explanation, like seeing the show, go here, then watch the show Wednesdays at 9 PM Pacific, 8 PM for you Central or Mountain guys.

But let's hear from the man himself, who told Whedonesque why he's doing it...

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true... unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven't seen the show yet). Why me? Because they're struggling and can't afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn't mean Dollhouse definitely won't get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we're not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody's closed the door. If D'House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we'll still bring it, and I'll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri - read. About.

What can we expect from a 'Joss Whedon' epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin' and the crik don't rise, a good one. A television director's job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we've had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn't his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I'm known for? I'd hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I've killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can't we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I'm going to do my best, and more importantly, I'm going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don't worry. I practiced with Bamber. I'm a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j.


Of course, this leads to many possibilities, like Sweet hoping to do to Lima, Ohio what he did to Sunnydale....until he meets Sue Sylvester, the evil cheerleading coach. He may find himself trapped in a love duet that makes him wish he could burst into flames. Then he could be saved by Rachel, the Singing Slayer.
Or not. At least the "singing Slayer" idea could work. It woudn't take much to turn the Glee Club into a proto-Scooby Gang for Ohio.

This will happen when Glee has the second half of season one, probably April. By then, maybe Will's wife will be out of the way once her pregnancy scam is exposed. The sooner, the better. The other plot lines can stay.

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