Just when you thought FRINGE couldn’t get any stranger, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum in a little underground Harvard Lab.

On our recent visit to the set of FRINGE, the cast — looking for something, heck, anything to share that didn’t involve spilling the beans on the super-secret two-part second season finale that is currently filming as we speak — let it slip that as part of Fox’s May Sweeps programming, which will have many of your favorite Fox shows tapping into their inner Gleek, the Fringe Division will be breaking out into song!

“This is a Sci-fi show and I kind of figured the roles would be set and that would be what you do,” teased Jasika Nicole (Astrid) who will perform a song from A Chorus Line as part of a story-line that involves Walter telling a bedtime story to Olivia’s niece. “But to be in period makeup and get to sing, I’ve ended up doing way more that I ever imagined I would.” Added actor Lance Reddick who seemed to relish the opportunity to let his guard down and put his musical background to good use. “We all sing and I play the piano,” revealed Reddick. “I can play the piano, but I’m not a pianist. They sent me the recording and I pretty much had to learn it by rote.”

“Overture” will air on April 29 at 9PM on FOX.

Just in time for the Olympic hangover to have completely worn off (Alex BiloWHO?) your very own TV Addict is heading to Vancouver. And while the timing might not be ideal, the reasons are.

For we have been given the fantastic opportunity to visit the sets of V and FRINGE. So if you’ve got a question for V’s Elizabeth Mitchell (Erica Evans), Joel Gretsch (Father Jack), Scott Wolf (Chad Decker), Morena Baccarin (Anna), Morris Chestnut (Ryan Nichols), Lourdes Benedicto (Valerie), Laura Vandervoort (Lisa) and Logan Huffman (Tyler Evans) or FRINGE’s Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, Josh Jackson (TBD), Leonard Nimoy, John Noble, Jeff Pinkner and/or Akiva Goldsman, feel free to post them in the comments below.

Warning: The above photo of Walter sporting some slammin’ sideburns coupled with FRINGE’s April 1st spring premiere should in no way fool you. Seriously. Despite an April Fool’s Day relaunch, there will be very little to laugh about when the sophomore series returns. Why? Well, we’re not about to spoil the fun here. Except to say that the episode entitled “Peter” will flashback to 1985 and feature your first look at Peter’s hereto unforeseen mother played by Irish actress Orla Brady. Feel free to fill in the blanks by checking out a few incredibly spoiler-heavy photos after the jump.

Photo Credits: Liane Hentscher/FOX

Double your Ick Factor, Double your fun.
Just how creepy is the opening scene of tonight’s FRINGE? Put it this way: Poor Astrid — who, after a year and a half of working with Walter is no stranger to freaky phenomena — actually bowed out of this one. She tells Walter, “I’ve seen some disturbing things in my time working with you, and I think I’ve handled them pretty well. But this, I can’t do.”

An Unexpected Reunion.
Although this didn’t exactly mean much to us considering the critically acclaimed HBO series is still on our ‘Bucket List,’ we have a feeling that fans of THE WIRE will appreciate tonight’s all-too-brief reunion between Lance Reddick and Jim True-Frost. Why all-too-brief, you ask? Because True-Frost had to split. Um, literally.

“We Have to Go Back…”
In an effort to stop the end of the world as we know it, ,Walter, Olivia and Peter must return to the mysterious Jacksonville facility (Hence, the episode’s title) where she was experimented on as a child. Expect what happens to leave Olivia with an unexpected souvenier of the trip that will change her life and could potentially alter the series as we know it.

It’s the winter finale.
Aside from tonight marking your last opportunity for a FRINGE fix until April, this is also a chance to have your voice heard where the show’s future is concerned. You can bet that the bean counters at FOX — who as we speak are deciding what will and won’t be earning slots on the fall schedule — will study tonight’s ratings the way Walter does scientific anomalies. Which means the best thing you can do is make sure to tune in — and ask your 100 closest friends to do so as well. (If they happen to be Nielsen families, so much the better!)

The Ending.
Never fear, we’re not about to spoil what happens…  except to say that not only did it give us genuine chills, but Walter utters one sentence that will change everything. “••i••, p••a•• •on• •e•• •i•.”

Photo Credit: Michael Courtney/FOX

While J.J. Abrams may be far removed from the day-to-day operations of LOST, of this he is sure. Setting an end date was the best thing to happen to the show since the arrival of one Benjamin Linus.

“Damon [Lindelof] and Carlton [Cuse] basically insisted on it,” said Abrams of the then unheard of end date that the talented twosome affectionately referred to as ‘Darlton’ negotiated with the top brass at ABC. “Knowing that the show is going to end on its own terms means there will be a sense of inevitability, not a sense of a series reacting to a marketplace or viewership. I’m thrilled about is seeing billboards touting ‘The Final Season’.”

So to are 10 to 15 millions fans, who have anxiously been counting down the return of the most addictive show on television since May’s finale that ended with a quite literal bang. And just what does Abrams think the fan reaction will be to the final season?

“Mind-bending, amazing, intricate, and unexpected,” are just a few of the superlatives the visionary showrunner threw out. “When we started the show, we didn’t know where we were going exactly. And to see where we are and what they [Damon and Carlton] have created is insanely gratifying and something nobody could have predicted at the beginning. To see what Damon and Carlton have done is amazing and consistent with their unbelievable track record.”

Strong words from the man who knows a thing or two about amazing television (See: FELICITY, ALIAS and FRINGE). Unfortunately, outside of promising that, “I believe it will be a satisfying ending,” praise for team ‘Darlton’ is about all Abrams would spill at the recent Television Critics Association Press Tour. Well, that and that he wouldn’t be adverse to see his other network show, FRINGE, emulate LOST’s six year plan.

“I think it would be wonderful and I don’t think you can go wrong when you know exactly where the story is going to go,” said Abrams. “If FRINGE is lucky enough to continue going, I do think that at a certain point it would be a really smart thing to start to say, ‘OK, let’s figure out what the actual date is so we sort of know how far we should push things’.”

Lost amidst the excitement over yesterday’s Hollywood Reporter story that has FOX developing a stateside version of the U.K. hit series TORCHWOOD, this TV Addict can’t help but wonder: Is there room on the network for two shows that revolve around a covert group of operatives that investigate and fight for humanity’s future? And more importantly, just how worried should FRINGE fans be? Discuss.

On tonight’s fantastic installment of FRINGE, a young woman’s abduction will set off a chain of events that will change everything. And at the center of said abduction is everybody’s favorite follicular challenged anti-hero: The Observer. Actually, make that Observers.

Yes, tonight’s episode entitled “August” is the tale FRINGE fanatics have been clamouring for, as executive producers/writers J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner finally peel back the curtain on this mysterious group of men, who as it would turn out, do a helluva lot more simply observe. What exactly do they do (or why they do it), well, we’re not quite at liberty to share those details. But what we can do is help prepare you for tonight’s episode by offering up a little challenge guaranteed to hone your observational skills.

In the above line-up, you may-or-may-not observe that five Observers do not exactly belong. Post away with your guesses in the comments below and check back tomorrow morning for the answers. And trust us, following tonight’s bowler-hat-heavy episode where half the cast looks like they’ve wandered off the set of MAD MEN, you’ll thank us later.

Good News: In an exclusive interview with Michael Ausiello, J.J. Abrams promises that FOX has been insanely supportive of FRINGE despite the show’s lackluster ratings. Bad News: “Insanely supportive” does not include moving FRINGE out of the most competitive timeslot in television. [Source]

Good News: This just in, ABC has freed up some desperately needed space on our PVR/DVR. Bad News: After confirming their decision to not pick-up EASTWICK for a back-nine, essentially canceling the first-year series. [Source]