April 04, 2011 It’s official, the foreplay is over. Pinch your cheeks and don’t blink in the opening sequence of HOUSE Season 7 - the smouldering bed scene between House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) is very real indeed!

For years, the sexual tension between the star-crossed lovebirds has been simmering. ‘Huddy’ fans all over the world heaved a deep sigh of regret lamenting the what-ifs, when Cuddy first got together with private investigator Lucas (Michael Weston) instead of House. Not surprisingly, the long-awaited union was also voted in the top 20 list for TV.com’s annual “Top 100 Everything” which highlights the pivotal moments that helped shape the culture of television in 2010.

Fans used to House as the acerbic, Vicodin-popping doctor might find it unthinkable that their favorite ‘hunchback of Princeton Plainsboro’ will be transformed by love endorphins into a smiling, laughing man cuddling his beloved on the beach. Says Hugh Laurie, “Even the appearance of happiness has taken some getting used to. I had a week of happiness training before the season started up, and I’m whistling more than usual.”

For House, it’s also a whole new struggle in relationship dynamics. House gets off on the wrong foot when he treats Cuddy’s mother, Arlene Cuddy (Candice Bergen, Murphy Brown) for hypochondriasis (a disorder whereby sufferers misinterpret normal body sensations for dysfunctions), unaware that she is not just any other patient. And it’s not just one but two Cuddys breathing down his neck, when the sister, Lucinda (Paula Marshall, Californication, Nip/ Tuck), joins in the fray.

While juggling double dates with his bromance buddy Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), House also has to overcome his two left feet (with a bum leg no less), in a movie-musical scene with Cuddy choreographed by Emmy-winning Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance), albeit in a dream sequence.

This season is not all about ‘Huddy’, for a fresh face will be on board in replacement of Thirteen (Olivia Wilde). Emmy-nominated Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcardia) will join the team at Princeton Plainsboro as brilliant med student Martha Masters, who graduated from high school at 15 and has two PhDs under her belt. House gains a new sparring partner in Masters, whose socially awkward nature strikes a chord with House in more ways than one. An interesting piece of trivia - Tamblyn admits somewhat sheepishly, that her character is inspired by her real childhood bestie by the same name.

Other guest stars to look out for include Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Jack Coleman (Heroes), Dylan Barker (The Good Wife), as well as Matthew Lillard and Amy Irving from Alias.

Can Masters survive her term under the eccentric House as the two geniuses clash head to head? Can House and Cuddy work as a couple, without undermining their relationship as colleagues? Don’t miss the premiere of HOUSE Season 7 on AXN this May!

HOUSE Season 7 premieres 3 May 2011, Tuesdays to Thursdays
at 10.55pm (SG, MY, HK) 9.55pm (JKT)

OR
Premieres 16 May 2011, Mondays, at 10pm (PH)

First and exclusively on AXN