Finn is fin: 'Glee' struggles to move on

CORY MONTEITH'S body was cremated, but his show "Glee" is determined to rise from the ashes.

In Touch magazine is reporting exclusively that Monteith's character, Finn, was slated to have a big story arc at the beginning of the new season, and writers are now scrambling to come up with new plots.

"Everyone on the show was told they were taking a two-week hiatus until [the producers] figure out what they want to do," said an unnamed source.

Filming of the new season was marked to start at the end of the month.

Not only do the show's honchos have to figure out how to end Finn's role and his "Glee" romance with Rachel (Lea Michele), they need figure out how much they can put on the shoulders of Michele, Cory's real-life girlfriend, who sources tell In Touch is devastated and "in a haze of disbelief."

A real-world issue has infiltrated Comic-Con. The stars and the director of "Ender's Game" have been asked to respond to anti-gay marriage comments made by writer Orson Scott Card, as they promote the science-fiction film.

Card, a Mormon, has been a strong opponent of gay marriage, and that has led some to call for a boycott. There were no signs of protest Wednesday as young stars Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and the film's director, Gavin Hood, addressed the topic.

"My view is: I've been a member of the Courage Campaign for many years and I'm a little distressed by his point of view on gay marriage," Hood said.

"However, the book is not about that issue, so I hope people can still appreciate the book, because I think he wrote a great book, and the themes and ideas in the book, I think, are universal and timeless and applicable, and I hope the book will still be appreciated as a great work of art, even though I don't agree with the author. I optioned the book, not an author, and I love what the author said in that book."

Card recently told Entertainment Weekly that the issue is now "moot" given the Supreme Court's recent ruling and, "Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute."

First off, the issue is still in dispute - maybe Card has never heard of Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court ruled on Roe vs. Wade 40 years ago and that's still in dispute. Second, Card is making a ridiculous comparison with regard to tolerance. His intolerance denied basic rights to American citizens, and his church spent millions of dollars to deny those rights. The alleged boycotters' "intolerance," to which he refers, might deny him some royalties on a movie property for which he's already been paid handsomely.

Simply saying "bygones" doesn't always work. It would be like a segregationist in the early '60s saying "Hey, my side lost that civil-rights battle, but I hope there's no hard feelings. Come shop at my store."

For its part, fearing even the smallest loss of dollars, distributor Lionsgate issued a statement rebuking Card's position and said it would hold a benefit premiere for LGBT causes.

Butterfield, 16, who plays the film's title character, said "I agree with rights for everybody" and that Card's views shouldn't change how audiences receive the film or book.

"You can't blame a work for its author," he said, a curious thought which may be true in some cases, but not, let's say, Mein Kampf.

* Warner Bros. Television Group says it has hired former Fox network reality chief - and Philly guy - Mike Darnell to serve as president of its unscripted and alternative programming.

The company says Darnell will have oversight of first-run syndicated series produced by Telepictures Productions and unscripted prime-time TV programming produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television.

At Fox, Darnell oversaw programs including "American Idol," "So You Think You Can Dance" and "World's Scariest Police Shootouts."

So, hot-off-"The-Descendants" Shailene Woodley ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") was set to play Mary Jane Watson in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Then she was reportedly out as MJ's scenes got bumped to "Amazing 3."

Fan feelings hit a fever pitch - and we all know they take this stuff seriously - when rumors started to circulate that Canadian beauty Sarah Gadon ("A Dangerous Mind") was replacing her, and then it was Holland Roden (TV's "Teen Wolf"), who at least had MJ's red hair.

But then came confirmation that Felicity Jones (Emily Dalrymple in Tattle's favorite movie, "Hysteria") was definitely joining the cast in an unspecified role, which fans speculated could be villain-turned-Spidey-lover Felicia Hardy/Black Cat.

In a chat with "Talk London," Felicity said fans may have missed the mark: "It's all quite shrouded in secrecy, but I'm the Goblin's girlfriend - I'm in a relationship with him, and his accomplice. I'm on the dark side."

Does this mean, Tattle comic-book correspondent Jerome Maida asks, that Felicity is playing Goblin girlfriend Lily Hollister or have the writers changed Peter Parker's nemesis' past lovers?

Our Spidey sense is tingling.

- Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.

Phone: 215-854-5678

On Twitter: @DNTattle