Movie & TV News: Once More With Feeling, Pushing Daisies, TV DVD News, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, No WGA Strike?, Mike Fright, Comic Previews

Once More With Feeling
20th Century Fox has demanded an end to sing-along screenings of the popular "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode "Once More With Feeling." Fox said that the midnight (and in many cases for charity) theatrical sing-a-long screenings violated the licensing rights to the show. Fans and cretor Joss Whedon are reportedly unhappy with Fox. On the Whedonesque blog, Joss said: "This is hugely depressing. I will do everything in my power to find out the exact reasoning for this and try to convince those responsible what a mistake it is. Of course, the words 'my power' might confuse my gentle readers into believing I have any. I don't know what I'll be able to do, and I've no idea even where to start. Nor do I think this was done maliciously or capriciously. But it's lousy news, and it’s bad business. I'm hoping the latter element might prevail. I'll keep you posted."

Pushing Daisies
TV Guide says here that the concept of ABC's "Pushing Daisies" was intended to be a small plot twist in Bryan Fuller's "Dead Like Me." In that show George Lass (Ellen Muth) was given the job of grim reaper after being killed by a rogue toilet seat. She was supposed to take the souls leaving the living world. The twist was, Fuller said, "George was going to discover she wasn't able to collect some souls because somebody was coming along and bringing people back to life [with a] touch." Fuller used one of his favorite films ("Amélie") for inspiration. He continued: "Really sad things happen in it. But you never get bogged down in the sadness. Like Daisies, it's really about human kindnesses. My goal was a storybook come to life. I wanted everything to look almost like an illustration. There's a chef that comes in and [makes] new pies every time we shoot there." "Pushing Daisies" is on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

TV DVD News
TVShowsOnDVD.com has posted info about "The Rockford Files" (Season 5) here, "Dallas" (Season 8) here, "Perfect Strangers" (Seasons 1 & 2) here, "Battlestar Galactica" (Season 3) here and "Dante's Cove" (Seasons 1 & 2) here, "Rocket Robin Hood" (Delayed) here, "Hardcastle and McCormick" (Season 3) here and "Emergency!" (Season 4) here .

The Sarah Connor Chronicles
"The Sarah Connor Chronicles" has been renamed "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and will premiere at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 and run Monday night alongside "24." Preston Beckman, Fox scheduling chief, said: "We came around thinking this is a golden opportunity to make 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' part of the huge surge of excitement in January. Fortunately, Sunday night is doing fine with our animated comedies, so we could do that."

No WGA Strike?
Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, said that the group has withdrawn the proposal that would have delayed payment of residuals to writers until the costs of production, distribution and marketing were recouped "in the overriding interest of keeping the industry working and removing what has become an emotional impediment and excuse by the WGA not to bargain." The WGA responded, that they hoped that the withdrawal of the recoupment proposal "means the companies are ready to begin serious negotiations." This is the first time that a strike by the Writers Guild of America against Hollywood film and TV studios looks like it might be averted, sometime before the expiration of the current WGA contract on October 31.

Mike Fright: Stand Up!