It will be interesting to see how they tie this tragedy into an a capella rendering of “Save Tonight” by Eagle Eye Cherry, but if anyone can do it deftly, it’s the master of subtlety, Ryan Murphy.

Just kidding. I’m guessing even Ryan Murphy doesn’t watch Glee anymore. In any event. Tomorrow night, if you’re feeling particularly mad at yourself, make yourself an individual serving of microwave popcorn, force your cat upon your lap, and watch this bullshit.

Glee, Thursdays at 9 on FOX.

*The other two are being gay and being in a wheelchair.

Murphy is teaming up with Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum to remake the 1976 horror classic The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Based on a true story, the film centered on five mysteries murders attributed to The Phantom Killer in the bordertown of Texarkana, Arkansas. Frequent American Horror Story director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon will direct. There’s no word yet on how the film will be updated but it’s a safe guess that the Phantom Killer will forgo his classic pillowcase mask for one made of pleather with zippers all over it. (Shock Til You Drop)

Now that he’s shown himself amenable to the concept, maybe Ryan Murphy will be willing to reboot Glee with a show set in Japan about a group of Japanese army stragglers who refuse to acknowledge the end of WWII and go totally ninja on everyone. It could be called Deathcaliber.

But, whatever. Either way.

Predating Casey Anthony and O.J. Simpson by about half-a-century was Elizabeth Short, a Los Angeles murder victim who has been immortalized in film, television, and newspapers as “The Black Dahlia.” The media circus surrounding the mystery of her murder may be the largest factor in why the case was never solved. Even today, the case manages to intrigue new audiences, as Ryan Murphy demonstrated recently in an episode of American Horror Story.

For those unfamiliar with the facts of the case, as well as the countless adaptations in the media, let’s examine exactly who The Black Dahlia was and what happened to her.

Born in 1924, Elizabeth Short was a Massachusetts-born girl who moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 with her father, but quickly found herself on her own after a falling out in 1943. After further travels back home to Medford, MA, and then to Florida, Short returned to LA to visit an old boyfriend, Lieutenant Joseph Fickling. She remained in LA for six months, which turned out to be the remained of her young life.

On January 15, 1947, Short’s body was found near what is referred to as South Central Los Angeles. Her body was cut in half at the waist, a smile was carved on her face ear-to-ear, and her body was drained of its blood. She was cleaned and posed despite the mutilations.

Due to the graphic nature of the crime, the local, then national media jumped on the case, sensationalizing Short as “victim material,” painting her as a woman who was loose with both sex and alcohol, though the opposite was true. The Black Dahlia nickname was bestowed upon her after her death by a reporter, a reference to the popular film The Blue Dahlia at the time.

The police working the case received phone calls and packages from the person purporting to be the killer, but they also received over 50 confessions to the murder. The truth was never discovered due to the fact that reporters had trampled the crime scene and tainted much of the evidence police had available.

The Los Angeles District Attorney synthesized, then analyzed the tips and confessions to create a “short”-list of 25 suspects. Predictably, speculation has abounded over the past 70 years, allowing authors and screenwriters free reign over a compelling case that is unlikely to ever be solved. The setting of 1940’s Los Angeles also provides a compelling film noir backdrop for various interpretations, ranging from the practical to the fantastic.

For those not hip to the show, Horror Story follows the Harmon family as they move from Boston to LA, dealing with their marital problems, all the while having to negotiate their new house, which, of course, is haunted. It stars Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Frances Conroy, and Jessica Lange.

Ever since the show’s teaser campaign, the project has served as a sort of mystery to be solved, which evidently hasn’t scared away casual viewers who stumbled upon the show looking for sexy vampires or dudes killing zombies.

However thin the plot appears to be, the show’s creators, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, have managed to weave together perfectly balanced elements of shock, horror and storytelling to accomplish what many thought would fall flat. And in a way, the doubts people had about the show actually ignited the fury behind trying to figure out what Murphy and Falchuk are planning.

What will happen to both the living and the dead people stuck in the Murder House? W

hat’s growing inside Vivian?

And most of all, who controls “The Infantata” in the basement?

Here are nine American Horror Story plot theories.

The entire story is made up by Violet after finding the dead bodies of Ben, Vivian & Hayden and being institutionalized.

Before you shake your head and say this is crazy, think about the show we’re talking about. So far, the rules of American Horror Story exist only within whatever Murphy & Falchuk can come up with. Knowing this, it’s possible that after the scene in the pilot where Viv cuts Ben after she catches him in bed with Hayden, what if Ben lashed out and accidentally killed her, then Hayden, and finally himself. Violet comes home and discovers the grizzly psycho sex murder scene and becomes unglued and is institutionalized, spending the rest of her days living out this fantasy within her head. 

It makes sense because during the pivotal moments of the show, Violet is the person that demands to be in the house. She even says, “We’ll take it,” to Marcie the Realtor in the pilot, and tells her mother she’d run away before she’d leave the house.

Tate is the puppeteer of “The Infantata” in the basement.

There have been lots of subtle hints that Tate is tied to the creature thing in the basement. He uses it to protect Violet multiple times, including when he has Violet lure both the high school bully and the home invasion killer down stairs. But also, he is insistent about meeting Violet there so that they can be alone,. It’s as though he is the only person that can shield her from the monster.

When Tate initially got the bully into the basement, the camera flashed between him and “The Infantata,” causing Violet to ask him what that monster was and how controlled it.  However, once Tate saved Violet from the Home Invasion killers, she stopped questioning his intentions, and instead started asking what the monster was, prompting the tale of Dr. Charles Montgomery’s most vile work, the reanimation of his own dismembered child.

The troubled past Ben Harmon talks about was caused by bizarre psychic powers.

There is something about Ben that just doesn’t add up, starting with the house’s bizarre hold over him. It causes him to wake up in the middle of the night and play with fire. Not to mention his insane meetings with Larry the fire starter. More importantly, is the fact that Ben is becoming slowly unglued.

When Ben meets with Tate in the playground on Halloween, he tells Tate that he can relate to him more than Tate can understand, making him quite possibly the worst therapist on Earth if not the most pathetic human being. If Ben’s childhood antics were the cause of super bizarre psychic powers, it would make sense how he is extremely susceptible to the power of the house and incapable on fighting it off.

(Check out these ‘American Horror Story’ viral clues‘)

Between this little teaser and the “clues” that we posted about yesterday, this show is shaping up to really raise the bar for horror on TV. Now, we don’t know a thing about the premise, beyond “it’s a family that moves into a haunted house,” but the production designs and cast have been enough so far to ensure that we keep our eyes on this until the October 5th premiere on FX.

As we see from this video, we’ve got Dylan McDermott as the patriarch, and Connie Britton as the mom, supported by Jessica Lange, Jamie Harris, a bunch of disembodied arms and legs, and everyone’s favorite vampire encased in concrete, Denis O’Hare.

How much you wanna bet the kids are home schooled?

(Check out ‘American Horror Story: Meet the Family‘)

But clues to what?

Uh, the show? Stuff that happens in the show? Show-related goings-on and occurrences?

It’s not really clear what the clues are for, but don’t take my word for it. On the show’s YouTube channel, there appear to be nine clues (as of press time. Expect more.) that reveal what we can safely assume are elements of the show.

Even if you can’t put two and two together, watching these videos gives you a good sense of how creepy the show is going to be. Extremely. It appears to be extremely creepy. It’s good to see Glee hasn’t sucked out the more macabre sensibilities from Ryan Murphy.

So, take a gander at the videos and let us know what you can deduce.

All I’v taken away is that the lady with the sword to her stomach looks preggers. Is someone gonna take her baby? Intriguing…

FX has been hot on the show ever since Murphy said, “I have an idea.” They even wrote it in big red letters with little hearts on their fall calendar before the pilot was ordered to series, and have now officially set it to premiere October 5. In creating it, Murphy and Falchuk took inspiration from classic 1970s horror movies, including Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now and The Shining. If the series turns out to be half as awesome as it sounds, we could be in for a nice companion to The Walking Dead. No, not the Sandra Bernhard special. (Deadline)

Here’s “Glee“-creator Ryan Murphy on the announcment:

“This tour was all about going out and performing for our amazing fans who have supported our show from the beginning, but due to the limited time we had to travel during our hiatus, there were only so many cities we could get to before we had to resume work on the television series. We knew that not every fan who wanted to attend a concert would get that opportunity. Now, thanks to our friends at Twentieth Century Fox Film, we’ll be able to bring the concert experience to movie theaters across the country in full three dimensional glory. We promise every passionate ‘Gleek’ a cinematic experience that will have them singing and dancing in the aisles.”

Oh, and it’s going to be in 3D too, because why wouldn’t it be? Enjoy your “Glee” concert movie, America. You’ve earned it.

In “American Horror Story,” McDermott stars opposite Connie Britton, her boobs, and Jessica Lange. The plot is being kept under wraps but a pilot breakdown did provide this info about two characters:

Ben Harmon (McDermott), a handsome and masculine but sensitive therapist who loves his family but has hurt his wife, and Vivien Harmon (Britton), his gorgeous wife who is a force to be reckoned with. Lange plays their nosy neighbor, a role that has been beefed-up after her casting.

Masculine but sensitive. Probably uses Brut aftershave and wears turtle-neck sweaters the rest of us can’t pull off. That’s perfect casting. (Deadline)

Novelist Brett Easton Ellis, the satirical author behind American Psycho, wrote the following eyebrow-raising nugget into the Twittersphere:

“I like the idea of ‘Glee‘ but why is it that every time I watch an episode I feel like I’ve stepped into a puddle of HIV?”

That’s some in-ter-es-ting word choice for a show that has an inordinate amount of gay characters. It’d be like calling “Seinfeld” a “puddle of Holocaust.” I assume Ellis will either apologize, or”Glee” creator Ryan Murphy will furiously respond and generate more Tweet drama. On a related note, I miss the days before Twitter when celebrities used to fight each other in person at the “Source Awards.” If nobody comes out of this with a black eye or chipped tooth, I’ll be so angry… I’ll have to sing about it? (Vulture)

And we’re about to get hit in the dome with a big ole’ gay vampire. O’Hare has been cast opposite Connie Britton as “Larry the burn guy.” Subtlety, thy name is Murphy.

I have reservations about this decision. I don’t know if I will be able to believe that O’Hare isn’t a gay vampire after he was SUCH a gay vampire on “True Blood.”. I guess if they cover him with enough burns, I can suspend disbelief.

The pilot episode shoots next month once Murphy finishes shooting this season of”Glee.” Expect the pilot to radiate the quiet dignity for which Ryan Murphy shows are known. (Deadline)

There’s no word why first-choice Murphy dropped out on contention for the project being produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Jay-Z but it probably has something to do with Murphy’s mangling of Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind. There’s no way he’s letting that man near his beloved Hard Knock Life. (Deadline)

Historically, horror TV programs have “sucked” (it’s an industry term), which apparently Murphy realized as he promises to transcend genre as he did with “Nip/Tuck” and medical shows then with “Glee” and all those other shows about gay handicapped teenagers.

FX President John Landgraf refers to it as a “really complicated, interesting psychological horror show…” Interesting? I guess he doesn’t want to oversell it. This news is surprising given this recent story that David O. Russell sold a secret show to FX with Connie Britton firmly attached to star. The only logical conclusion that one can draw from this paradox is that David O. Russell and Ryan Murphy are the same person. Which explains why they’re both such big yellers. (THR)

I’ve never seen an episode of Glee.” Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against it, other than the fact that even though I absolutely hate musicals and pop music, I’m constantly being told to “give it a chance.” But that’s hardly the show’s fault, so when it comes to “Glee,” I’m content to live and let live. Or so I thought.

While I can’t pretend to know much about the show I am more familiar with its creator, Ryan Murphy. He was also the creator of the plastic surgery drama, “Nip/Tuck,” and the director of Eat Pray Love, a film that, Allah willing, I will never have to sit through. But that’s not why I know him. I know Ryan Murphy because he’s been the star of two very public hissy fits.

One incident involved Slash, the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist. After Slash turned down “Glee’s” request to use some of the band’s music, Murphy equate the rocker to a washed-up has been, and called his intelligence into question. Granted, Slash went on record stating his dislike for “Glee,” saying the show was “worse than Grease and Grease is bad enough,” before adding, “Actually, I look at Grease now and think ‘between High School Musical and “Glee,” Grease was a brilliant work of art.” Given the circumstances, it’s easy to see why Murphy replied in a less than tactful manner.

But the second incident, involving the band Kings of Leon, was much more confusing. After the band refused to allow their song “Use Somebody” to appear on “Glee,” Murphy went on a tirade against the group in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“F— you, Kings of Leon. They’re self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument.”

The self-importance is staggering. First of all, why the hell would a seven-year old be listening to Kings of Leon or watching “Glee?” Second, why is it the band’s job to inspire children to join a glee club or pick up an instrument? Third, why is “Glee” the only way to go about inspiring children toward music appreciation? And last but not least, who gives a shit if children appreciate music? Maybe I’m missing “the big picture,” but I couldn’t give a rats ass if some seven-year-old picks up an instrument or joins a glee club. I’d rather a show inspire them to get a god damn job and stay the hell off my lawn.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who had a real problem with Murphy’s pompous remarks (although I’m probably the least important). Today, Foo Fighters front man David Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins both criticized Murphy, with Hawkins going as far as to call him a “fucking jerk.” Grohl went on to say:

“It’s every band’s right, you shouldn’t have to do f—ing ‘Glee.’ And then the guy who created ‘Glee’ is so offended that we’re not, like, begging to be on his f—ing show. … F— that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do ‘Glee.’ … I watched 10 minutes. It’s not my thing.”

So now I find myself rooting for a band I haven’t listened to in ten years as they crusade against a television show I’ve never even seen. And judging from the comment section on articles covering Grohl’s remarks, I’m far from alone. Why? Maybe the show is too over exposed. Maybe it’s because of the show’s overzealous fan base. Maybe it’s because of Murphy’s pompous attitude. Or maybe, deep down, a lot of people can’t stand teenagers and, or musicals. But whatever the reason, the “Glee” backlash has begun, and I’m happy about it.

Glee

Michael Ausiello did some digging and was able to uncover a casting breakdown for the pilot’s four leads. And, thankfully, the Twilight elements are minimal.

• Ben Harmon | Though as sensitive as a woman, this 40ish therapist is also a man’s man.
• Vivien Harmon | Ben’s gorgeous wife, she is a force to be reckoned with in spite of her vulnerable demeanor.
• Violet | The Harmons’ 16-year-old daughter is a Goth with more issues than a Borders magazine rack.
• Tate Langdon | This 17-year-old is as dangerous as he is seductive. And not “Glee’s Puck dangerous,” either; we’re talking “Charles Manson dangerous.”

Ah. So it seems that the action is centered around the Harmons and their shitty daughter. Still no word if there will be a supernatural element to this show, but it seems that they’re going for a more reality-based drama. One thing is certain, it seems there won’t be any glee clubs on this show. Though seeing a jazz tap routine performed by a “Charles Manson dangerous” type sounds compelling. If that doesn’t work out here, maybe “Dancing With The Stars” can figure out some kind of work-release situation. (TV Line)

• A sexy look at the hard-partying life and times of H.P. Lovecraft.
• A family of East Coast serial killers adapts to life in Midwest suburbia.
  
• True-life tales from the guy who gets paid to drain Rosie O’Donnell’s many abscesses.
• Two plastic surgeons lose their licenses and end up teaching music at a loca high school.
  
• Rocky Horror Picture Show fans must come to terms with the fact that the film they love just isn’t that good.
• A deranged lunatic places toilet cams in an Arby’s restroom at The Mall of America.
• Writer Frad Balchuk plots the murder of his limelight-hogging writing partner, Mrian Burphy.

This move seems a little redundant, as I assume anyone that likes”Glee” would already line up to see this remake. See, if the producers Smith had gone a different direction, like Tarantino or maybe that Winter’s Bone gal, then they could have tapped into two audiences. Missed opportunity on their part.

What does all this mean, other than “I’m still not going to see this movie”? It means that the producers, aka “Willow Smith’s parents” take the musical aspect of this production seriously, but not seriously enough that they’re not going to dumb-down the influence of Jay-Z on the project. I can just imagine a production meeting with Will, Willow, Jada, and Ryan Murphy all gabbing it up about which Katy Perry song to introduce in the third act while Jay-Z sits across from them, slowly, methodically banging his head on the table, only to lift his head up and with a solitary tear streaming down his face. (Deadline)

“Fuck you, Kings of Leon. They’re self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music.”

DAAAAAAMN! That’s one angry showrunner/musical theater buff! However, this feud appears to be pretty one sided, as Caleb Followill, the band’s singer, issued this non-combative non-response:

“This whole Glee thing is a shock to us. It’s gotten out of hand. At the time of the request, we hadn’t even seen the show. It came at the end of that record cycle, and we were over promoting [“Use Somebody”]. This was never meant as a slap in the face to Glee or to music education or to fans of the show. We’re not sure where the anger is coming from.”

AW YEAH! Take that, Murphy! You wanted a fight, you got… Total and complete rock star apathy! How does it taste? Neutral? I bet. Here’s a tip: if you want a fight, don’t go after multi-multi platinum rock stars who’s entire “thing” is appearing like they don’t care about anything. I bet Marilyn Manson would engage you in a Twitter war or something, but Kings Of Leon? Those guys practically wrote the book on 21st century apathy. Good luck with your massively successful show, though. I’m sure Maroon Five won’t say no to having their songs Glee-ified. They basically are already. All you have to do is add choreography. (Vulture)

I can see it now. “Hello Alma,” ultra super creepy Hitchcock (played by Hopkins) says to his wife and editor Alma Reville in a disturbing whisper. “I think you need to cut a little bit more off that scene,” he says, brandishing a large knife. “Which part? The tail end or the head,” Alma asks, her attention focused on the editing deck. “How about… the neck.” He slices her throat, just like what happened in real life. Yes, that really happened, don’t consult Wikipedia or his many biographies.

Actually, Hopkins has been rumored to play the North By Northwest director for years, when Ryan Murphy was attached to the project. Murphy’s version didn’t come together, and he later went on to create something far scarier than anything Hitchcock ever made: “Glee.” (/Film)

Rumors were circulating that Glee‘ was planning a Justin Bieber-themed episode along the same lines as their Madonna and Britney Spears tributes. Thankfully, showrunner Ryan Murphy has shot holes in that claim.

“Those [tributes] are reserved for artists with big catalogs,” Murphy explains. “Bieber comes up in episode 13 as a small plot point.”

And I then added, “Have you seen that kid try to act? F*ck that sh*t.”

You can plan on avoiding that episode and plot point on February 15th. (Entertainment Weekly)

By definition, a “cult classic” is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. This is certainly true of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has maintained a devoted following for more than 35 years.

And if there’s one thing devoted fans of a cult film do not appreciate, it’s when you go and screw around with their beloved film. But I guess Glee” creator Ryan Murphy didn’t get the memo, since he recently met with Fox 2000 to discuss a Rocky Horror remake.

Other than the fact that Murphy brings a slew of “Glee” fans to the table, I don’t see the upside. Mainstream audiences can care less about a remake, while Rocky Horror fans will feel alienated. Then again, I could be wrong. After all, it worked for The Wicker Man. (Deadline via Latino Review)

Watch an awesome clip from The Wicker Man remake after the jump…

Good news for anyone who likes washed-up pop stars! Britney Spears is going to appear on "Glee", according to the show’s creator Ryan Murphy.

Instead of having a drunken Spears ram her car into the glee club’s bus or attempt to buy drugs off of one of the students, the show decided to take the high road by having most of Britney’s scenes take place in a dream sequence.

After being put under in the dentist’s chair, some of the characters from the show will "hallucinate about being like the singer." I can only assume that means they will dream about forgetting to feed their children while drunkenly scouring the house for that last free sample of Valtrex. (Coming Soon)

Seeing dollar signs in all things faaaaaaabulous, Universal is moving forward with a film adaptation of the Broadway musical hit Wicked. The movie will take the Wicked Witch of the West back to high school, where she is terrorized by the popular Glinda the Good Witch.

The studio is taking meetings with a few directors, ranging from the awesome to the willing to make this kind of movie. First up, The potential directors are JJ Abrams, James Mangold, Rob Marshall, and "Glee’s" Ryan Murphy. I really don’t see Abrams hopping aboard this one due to his busy schedule of not sucking. The other three seem more well-suited for the material, given their experience with bringing musicals to film. I did notice that Universal has seemed to overlook Adam Shankman. He’s probably sitting somewhere crying his eyes out over this snub. But in all fairness, he cries while watching "The Bachelorette." (Deadline)

^{Lord only knows where that finger has been.}

The soothsayers over at Hustler have done it again. Apparantly, the thought of the "Glee" cast rubbing their genitals together isn’t a far-fetched scenario that exists only in parody porn and fan fiction. Ryan Murphy, the show’s co-creator and producer, has been forced to ban sex in the kids’ trailers. He creepily announced his decree to Telegraph UK:

"But I have a rule: don’t do it in your trailer. They’ve broken that rule on many occasions. I’m like, ‘I know you guys are young and hormonal, but don’t do it in your trailer’. I’m the dad, that’s what I say’."

This news makes me feel sad for the female castmembers. They must be so bored while all that sex is going on without them.