by Kate O'Hate

Those planning to tape "Once More, With Feeling," the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" musical episode airing next Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m. ET, on UPN, had better check the settings on their VCRs, or they could miss the big Hollywood ending.

Director Joss Whedon's cut of the episode (he also wrote it -- screenplay, words and musical score) runs eight minutes long, and he's gotten special dispensation for that from UPN, but it's a one-time offer.

Says Whedon's fellow executive producer, Marti Noxon, "They're only doing it for the first run. The first night is the only time you're going to see the whole thing in its entirety. The one that UPN's repeating on the Friday, Nov. 16, is a version that's cut down from the original version. So, tune in on the 6th."

As it stands now, "Buffy" is set to air from 8:00-9:08 p.m. ET, with "Roswell" airing from 9:08-10:06 p.m. ET.

For fans wondering if the score will be available on cd, Noxon warns them not to hold their breath. "They're in the process," she says. "It was going to be Joss putting it out on Mutant Enemy [his production company]. Now it looks like it's going to be (20th Century) Fox putting it out, and that means it's going to take forever. That's too bad."

Asked if it could be available by the holiday shopping season, Noxon says, "Probably not. It's a shame, but you never know."

Whenever that cd does come out, it may immortalize Noxon's TV singing debut, as a woman belting out her dispute of a parking ticket. "I sang when I was younger," she says, "and I was like, 'Joss, give me a little part.' Then he actually did. I thought, 'You know, it's really self-indulgent, but let's do it anyway.'"

"It was really fun, and it made me sure glad that I'm not an actor."