'Glee': Matthew Morrison says he isn't anti-Britney Spears

Matthew Morrison insists, "I never said I didn't want a Britney episode" of  "Glee."

Despite bountiful reports that the actor known as glee-club adviser Will "Mr. Schue" Schuester is against FOX's hit Tuesday series doing for the Britney Spears catalog what a high-rated episode recently did for Madonna's music, he maintains that isn't the case.

"They kind of took two answers and made them into one to sound really bad," Morrison tells Zap2it. "It's interesting. The show has struck a chord. You look at the iTunes [best-seller] list every week, and we're in the Top 10. A lot of kids had never even heard a Madonna song, and it's the same for the older generation that has never been exposed to rap songs."

Expect the Billy Joel standard "Piano Man" to surge again on the charts after Tuesday's (May 18) "Glee" episode, since Schuester cuts loose with his old high-school enemy Bryan Ryan ("How I Met Your Mother" regular Neil Patrick Harris) on a duet of the tune.

Since he calls Harris "an old buddy of mine," and guest director Joss Whedon famously guided the "Once More, With Feeling" musical episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Broadway veteran Morrison felt he was in good hands all around ... but he admits it was "a challenging week.

"There was a lot going on. Neil came to work early the day after he did (the opening number on) the Oscars, and I had gone to the Oscars as well, so a lot of us were tired. You get on that set and do a musical number, though, and you can even see the crew members tapping their toes with big smiles on their faces. They've probably never done a show like this."

Morrison adds that "Buffy" mentor Whedon was "such a pro. He knew exactly every shot he wanted, and he was so gentle and kind to be around, I loved it. I had a great time."

Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news.


Photo credit: Getty Images