Horrible Turn not so horrible

     I may be a tad behind the times, but I discovered only yesterday that there was a prequel out (since November 2009) to Joss Whedon's (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firely, Angel) awesome Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.  Called Horrible Turn, the prequel is not official, and does not involve any of the same actors or crew.  Or even actors and crew who have been involved with TV or movies.  However, unlike most fan-made spin-offs, it is almost as good as what it is seeking to emulate.  The production value and professional look are at least as good as the original, it's a bit longer, and it pays homage to not just it's source material, but also other Joss projects.

     Horrible Turn is the story of a teenage Billy Buddy (Tyce Green), working in a garage laboratory on plants, and pining for Australian exchange student Katie Kitty (Kristin Massa).  So that explains why Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser) wanted to create a new Australia!  Billy still has a best friend, this one named Wade (Dominic Difelice), though he had enough similarity, including the water-based name, for me to assume that Wade will eventually become Moist (Simon Helberg,The Big Bang Theory).  The biggest difference is that his lab partner, Kenny Hammerstein (Jacob Buras), who is, by the way, the best part of this prequel, is hated by everyone for his holier-than-thou attitude and giant ego.

     Then Billy discovers that the newly formed Evil League of Evil is creating havoc, and calculates that the next target will be his high school math competition.  Billy has invented a potion to make everyone like each other, and tasks Hammerstein to drip the stuff into the ventilation system.  Hammerstein decides he would rather drink the whole thing himself, making himself instantly beloved by everyone, and completes the transformation to Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, Castle, Firefly).  Of course, Billy gets everything wrong, and, burned, decides to become an evil genius instead of helping people.

     Among the references to the original are appearances by Bad Horse and Dead Bowie, similar news casters, an Australian girl chorus that resembles the Bad Horse Chorus, and familiar parts of costumes.  The humor, music, and plot arc are also close.  A truck says "Dahlhaus" on the side, a reference to Joss's last series, Dollhouse, and the rival math team is from a school called Serenity, and there's a character on them team named Felicia Night.  The best part may be that Johnny Snow (Christian Haile), only mentioned in Dr. Horrible, is a fleshed out character who worships Hammerstein and hates Billy.  Stay tuned through the credits for more Johnny goodness.

     Hopefully, Joss will include the actors at least in any upcoming Horrible sequel, of which there is sure to be, lending legitimacy to this wonderful project.  Also, it would be smart to cast Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, Family Guy) as Johnny Snow, to further connect the two, since Haile came across as a young Warburton.  You can watch the entire Horrible Turn for free online.

Dana Delany takes a page from Castle

     Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany spent a couple of weeks off of Wisteria Lane recently co-starring in an exciting two part episode of Castle.  As a rule, I don't watch procedurals, so despite my great respect for Nathan Fillion, dating back to his days on Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, and through Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, I have not seen that show since the pilot.  What I hadn't realized was that it had really built up a splendid ensemble cast, and by the end of the two hours, I had added a season pass to my TiVo.

     Delany was wonderful, as expected.  If her taking the role seems odd to you, as she is already a series regular, perhaps it was to draw some of Housewives's audience over to Castle, or build her name recognition before her new pilot premieres.  Whatever the reason, it was nice to see her reunited with her Housewives husband, who is the title character on Castle.  She really showed a different side of her, and she brilliantly portrayed the tough FBI agent.

     Aside from Delany, Stana Katic really proved herself as Beckett, Castle's partner who was being hunted down by a serial killer.  The episodes also featured Leonard Roberts (Heroes) as Delany's partner.  It was a gripping story, spurred by a book written by Castle which was being made into a movie, and the lead character was based on Beckett.  I think the literary aspect, as well as Fillion's humor, is what sets this aside from other legal or crime dramas on television.  These two episodes involved a very devious, very intelligent serial killer, who was every bit a match for our heroes.

     Next week, Castle and Beckett will try to figure out who would drop a gargoyle on a historian.  Fun!  Tune in Monday nights at 10pm on ABC.

Neil Patrick Harris's role on Glee sure to be Legen - wait for it - dary, and that's not all!

***WARNING!!!  THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MANY SPOILERS ABOUT UPCOMING EPISODES OF GLEE. ***
    Neil Patrick Harris, currently co-starring in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and formerly of Doogie Howser, M.D. and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, is coming to Glee!  It's been a big week for NPH news, as it was also released that he would star as a human who meets tiny blue creatures in the new Smurfs movie.  The movie will begin shooting next month in Central Park.
     But what of NPH on TV's most popular new show?  Word is that Harris will appear in an episode of Fox's Glee, which is taking a far too-long break while American Idol runs, during May sweeps as a former classmate and rival of Will's (Matthew Morrison).  Apparently, Neil's character, named cheekily 'Bryan Adam', not only competed with the current glee club director for parts, but bested him often.  Now Bryan is a member of the school board for the high school, and wants to get rid of the arts program, blaming his success in it as ill preparing him for later life.  The episode will feature plenty of flash back fun and a huge duet between the two men.  It will also be directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, who cast Harris in his internet sensation Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and who is rumored to be planning a sequel.
     Setting aside just how awesome that will all surely be, Glee has had plenty of other excitement.  For instance, President Obama is having the cast over to the White House on Easter Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll.  Saturday Night Live vet Molly Shannon has joined the cast in a recurring capacity, beginning in May, as an enemy for Sue (Jane Lynch), playing an alcoholic, pill-addicted, badminton coach who teaches astronomy.  Olivia Newton John (Grease) will make an appearance.  Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) will sing and try to win Will back.  The Puck (Mark Salling) / Rachel (Lea Michele) pairing will be revisited.  There will be an entire Madonna-themed episode, with many, many songs.  And best of all, Sue will sing!!!
     The show, unsurprisingly, has already been renewed for a second season.  This coming summer, kids will compete in a reality show to fill three new roles in Glee next fall, including a boyfriend for Kurt (Chris Colfer), an R&B singer who is also on the football team, and a brand new diva.  And this May, the current cast will do seven concerts in Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.   Whew!  That's a lot of Glee dish.  Tune in on Fox Tuesday, April 19th at 9pm to catch the next new episode of Glee.