It feels like Christmas!Glee creator Ryan Murphy gave gift after gift of season 2 secrets Monday — including who will guest star on the holiday episode, which A-list hunk will be appearing, and what’s up with the Britney episode!
But if you want to be surprised, stop reading now: SPOILERS follow!
Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle will make her acting debut on Glee‘s holiday show, and she’ll sing, too. “Susan is on the same label as us and is a fan of the show,” Murphy told People Magazine. “She’s coming out with a Christmas album, so the story I want to do in our Christmas episode is to have Kurt give her some sort of fantastic makeover and have her sing a song that’s from her album on the show.”
Casting Javier Bardem on the show for the latter part of the season was a favor to the Oscar winner, who’s a major fan. “He requested it,” said Murphy. “I think he bought the first 13 episodes on DVD and became obsessed with it. He said it was like crack. And he’s such a ham that it totally makes sense to me that he would want to sing and dance. I think he’s going to play some demented Spanish rock star substitute teacher something, but I don’t know — we haven’t figured that out yet.”
Sir Paul McCartney is apparently another fan, and Murphy was surprised — to the point of thinking he was being “Punk’d” — to receive a note from the Beatle along with two CDs full of classic songs that Sir Paul would love to let the show use. “I was gob-smacked,” said Murphy, “so of course we are going to do something with him.” The collaboration likely won’t be a full-blown tribute episode, however.
• He just started directing the Britney Spears tribute episode. “She is arguably the most important female, other than Lady Gaga, of the last ten years,” Murphy said, noting the show will showcase “not only her music but about her public image. Many of the kids on the show went into singing and dancing because of her. Also at the heart of it, it’s a show designed to show off the skills of Heather Morris, who plays [Glee's cheerleader] Brittany.” The episode, he said, was Spears’s idea. “I just think that she loves what the show is about, that the show’s about paying tribute to pop culture in a very loving, respectful, kind way. She responded to that.”
• Terri Schuster (Jessalyn Gilsig) will resurface to wreck havoc. “She does not want to be divorced and she’s decided in the middle of the first 10 to seek vengeance by going after someone that would make Will incredibly jealous.” Jonathan Groff will also be back for two spring episodes.
• The planned Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute episode will air around Halloween, featuring the film’s signature song “The Time Warp.” Said Murphy: “My favorite thing to do is to torture the boys and claim that I don’t know who’s wearing those gold lamé briefs, because now they’re all on diets. They’re all in terror that I’m going to tell them that they’re the one who has to get naked.”
• A big-screen Glee isn’t likely (although he’s been asked), but a film version of the show’s live concert tour is. “I would do that just because there are so many kids particularly who love the show, and we can’t go to every city. I think we’re going to shoot that next year.”
