Glee Slammed By GLAAD Bosses

Gay rights campaigners have lashed out at the producers and writers of TV musical Glee for including a controversial line about transvestites in the show's pre-Halloween tribute to The Rocky Horror Show.

The cast took on characters from the spooky and camp 1970s musical in a themed episode, which scored huge ratings last week.

But Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) officials have taken issue with the use of the word 'tranny' to describe Rocky Horror's chief character Frank-n-Furter, who dresses in stockings, lingerie and high heels.

In the Glee tribute, actor Harry Shum Jr.'s character Mike is forced to pull out of his role as Frank-n-Furter because his conservative parents don't want him to look like a "tranny".

A statement from GLAAD reads, "The casual manner in which the word was used is jarring, even if he (Shum, Jr's character) may have been repeating what his parents said.

"This inclusion of this slur is particularly alarming given last season's powerful episode in which Kurt's father chastised Finn for using the word 'f*g'. That episode sent a powerful message to the show's young fanbase that words have power and they can hurt.

"Unfortunately the larger problem here is that the word 'tranny' has become an easy punchline in popular culture, and many still don't realise that using the term is hurtful, dehumanising and associated with violence, hatred and derision against transgender people - a community that is nearly invisible in media today."

It's "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" Tonight!

It's Halloween. What's a Gleek to do? Let's put on The Rocky Horror Picture Show is what Will (Matthew Morrison decides to do!

The reason that New Directions is putting its spin on the 1975 cult classic (at least according to the plot) is that Emma's (Jayma Mays) a big fan and Will wants to impress Emma, so... it's time for "Time Warp."

That's Kurt (Chris Colfer) underneath the bald Riff-Raff wig, by the way. Movie alums Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf are in the guest cast, playing station managers at the TV station where Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) hurls her "As Sue Sees It" darts. And, yes, Sue's scheming to stop the show.

The Halloween-themed episode will be broadcast tonight at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX.

Glee's Ryan Murphy in Talks for a Rocky Horror Big Screen Remake

We still have to wait an entire week for Glee‘s much-blogged about Rocky Horror Picture Show episode, and considering the buzz surrounding the Gleeks take on the cult classic, it’s not surprising that there is now some interest in pursuing a feature-length remake.

Deadline is reporting that Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy has met with Fox 2000 to discuss an updated version of Jim Sharman’s 1975 Frankenstein romp, which originally starred Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick.

Murphy is known for writing and directing some of Glee‘s flashier, more elaborate episodes (like last season’s “The Power of Madonna” and the recent “Britney/Brittany.”)

To date, his feature-length directorial credits include Running With Scissors (2006) and this summer’s Eat Pray Love. Both were memoir adaptations, and both received lukewarm response from critics, but Murphy’s musical touch could be the perfect fit for a Rocky Horror reboot.

What do you think? I’m always up for musicals, but does Rocky Horror need to be redone, or is it better left as is? Given Murphy’s success with Glee, do you think he’s the right choice to do the Time Warp again? Does this just make you more excited for a new episode of Glee?