Videos: Eli Stone's George Michael encounter gets a makeover

George Michael croons to Jonny Lee Miller in an old version of Eli Stone's dream sequence

Way back in 2007 (like we can remember back past lunch!) we were a bit disappointed that Greg Berlanti's intriguing-sounding yuppie-in-ideological-peril dramedy Eli Stone wasn't picked up for the fall schedule. It was encouraging that it might make an appearance mid-season, but given the intriguing premise, gay pedigree and bizarro mentions of George Michael's presence as a guardian angel, we were hoping for more.

And perhaps due to the creative drought left in the dusty wake of the writers' strike, more is what we've ended up getting, with ABC putting a good amount of firepower behind the show's premiere after Lost on January 31st. 

While the visions that Eli (Jonny Lee Miller of Hackers, Trainspotting, and Angelina Jolie's lipstick case) had of "Faith"-crooning George Michael seemed initially like a minor flight of fancy in what would otherwise be a pedestrian drama, the ads for the show are putting the gay pop singer and the show's more fantastical (hallucinatory? divine?) elements front-and-center, be they North By Northwest crop-dustings or full dance numbers.

In fact, I've found two clips of the same dream sequence, the first (and likely more current, as it has the official ABC voice intro) of which is much more elaborate and well-filmed than the other, which I'm guessing might have been from the original pilot. Maybe the powers that be have decided to let the show wander further into surreal territory following the success of Pushing Daisies? Whatever the case, the more elaborate scene is definitely better, as it shakes off the low-rent Ally McBeal vibe of the cubicle-heavy clip.

Check out both clips featuring Michael doing what he does best (having "Faith") here and here!