Oxygen announced today that The Glee Project has been picked up for a second season and is set to premiere this summer with 14 finalists instead of 12. Ryan Murphy, Dante Di Loreto, Zach Woodlee, and Nicki Anders will all be returning to the show.

Are you excited for the next generation of Damian McGintys and Samuel Larsons?

Source: The Glee Project Renewed For Second Season – E! Online

One day after the Gleek Twittersphere trended the topic “Keep The Glee Cast“, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly revealed major details about the future of Glee’s next season.

According to Matt Mitovich of TVLine, Reilly revealed to the press present at the Television Critics Association winter tour on Sunday that:

“We are graduating the characters that are [due] to graduate, and what’s come out of it is [series boss] Ryan [Murphy] and the guys have come
up with a really cool idea. There will not be a Glee spinoff but those characters will graduate and it’s led to a very interesting idea that I think is going to really give us something cool to dig into next season.”

For those of you Gleeks hoping for the Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel at NYADA spin-off, sorry! The spin-off is not happening.

There is no word yet on whether the whole “Graduating” cast is staying, but Reilly did specifically mention that Lea Michele is confirmed for next season. Rachel Berry fans rejoice! When asked about the future of the rest of the seniors, specifically Chris Colfer, Reilly offered:

“What I said before is creatively, we’d want everybody back. I’ve got to look at the contractual situation for all of those. And we will.”

Peculiar. Should the fans of Kurt Hummel and Co. be worrying right now? For the most part, no.

Plans for the show are mum, but speculation is already running high. Among speculation is that Rachel and Kurt do go off to NYADA while other ideas involve some of the seniors becoming teachers. Personally, I’m going to throw Jonathan Groff‘s Jessie St. James back into the Season 4 mix. Unfortunately, we’ll all have to wait towards the end of Season 3 for the big reveal, but as Reilly puts it:

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the show. … It’s cool. It’s different.”

Source: ‘There Will Not Be a Glee Spin-off,’ Says Fox Boss — So What About Rachel and the Other Seniors?

The Elephant Project is currently auctioning off nearly 50 different items for their holiday round of auctions to help benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Included in the round are pictures of members of the Glee cast holding Elephant Project’s beanie baby mascot (because “elephants never forget”), and signed elephants from all of them. Among the Glee cast members are: Cory Monteith, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Dianna Agron, Naya Rivera, Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Dijon Talton and creator Ryan Murphy. Jenna even wants to send you a thank you Tweet if you win her auction!

On her Facebook page, Dianna Agron wrote, “I don’t know if you’ve ever lost someone to Alzheimer’s, but I have. Both of my grandmothers. If you feel compelled, and have the money to share… As my Nana used to say, ‘The sun WILL come out tomorrow.’ And then she’d sing the song to me. She couldn’t carry a tune, but it made me smile every time and I love that we will always have our song.”

We want to help raise awareness of the Elephant Project’s amazing charity auctions, so we are giving away a pack of 5×7 pictures of all 10 of the Glee participants. You can view the watermarked pictures of the Glee cast on the pages of their eBay auctions, but our prize pack will include the un-watermarked versions of the photos.

All you have to do to enter to win is:

1) Tweet the following for an entry:
I just entered to win photos of the Glee cast from @ElephantProject & @GleekRob here: http://bit.ly/tDA8oi
2) Get an entry by leaving a comment telling us why you love Glee.
3) Both send out a Tweet and leave a comment, getting you two entries and doubling your chance to win!

Our contest will end Thursday, December 8th at 11:59pm. Be sure to use your real email address if you leave a comment, and be sure to be following the @ElephantProject & me (@GleekRob) on Twitter so that we can contact you directly if you win!

Now check out the auctions, and help support a great cause!

Season 3 is barely underway and we already have a treasure trove of goodies to look forward to, straight from the mouth of Ryan Murphy as reported by TVGuide. We already know that Idina Menzel’s Shelby Corcoran is coming back for a multiple episode arc, and Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink) is quitting New Directions. Worried about Lauren being written out of the show? Don’t worry; she has a “major story with Chris Colfer” later in the season, according to Murphy.

It’s already shaping up to be a big year for Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.). Not only was he just given parents earlier in the summer, Murphy confirms that the infamously bad singer will sing at least two songs by the time the fourth episode rolls around, and that’s not a typo– he’s singing, not dancing.

And what about those promises made earlier in the summer, that there would be no more special guests, no more tribute episodes, that the Glee Project winners would get some great roles? Well, so far he’s mostly sticking to his guns. Aside from new characters played by Vanessa Lengies and LaMarcus Tinker, there are no current plans to add any more guest stars, although Gwyneth Paltrow making a return to her Emmy-award winning performance as Holly Holiday is possible later in the year. The Glee Project winners will be staggered throughout the season, with Damian McGinty arriving in the fourth episode as a foreign exchange student staying with Brittany (Heather Morris). Naturally, she “thinks he’s a leprechaun with magical powers”. Samuel Larsen will be appearing mid-season as a relative of Mark Salling’s Puck. One or both of them might still be around for the one tribute episode they’re planning this year. The details are still fuzzy and secretive, but if it works out it will be a two-hour episode in the spring dedicated to the music of an act they’ve been trying to license for the past couple years.

What’s your favorite bit of news, Gleeks? Being able to add some more Harry Shum to your iPod? More drama for Will and Emma? Seeing Gwyneth Paltrow, Damian, and Samuel back on your TV screen? Excitement for the season is already amping up, and we’re only in the first week! Share your thoughts below!

Source: We’ve Seen the Glee Season Premiere– Here’s Your Spoilerpalooza! –TVGuide.com

First Mike Chang, now Emma. It seems to be a parent parade over at Glee this season, with the announcement that the Changs are not the only family members that will be making an appearance. Don Most and Valerie Mahaffey have been cast as Rose and Rusty Pillsbury, parents of our favourite, quirky, guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury.

Many of you may recognise Mahaffey from her stint on ABC’s Desperate Housewives where she played Orson’s estranged wife, Alma and any Happy Days fans will no doubt remember Most for his role as practical joker, Ralph Malph.

Hopefully these new parental casting revelations are just the first of many to come.

The real question now is, what brings the Pillsburys to town? Any guesses?

Source: Glee Exclusive: Meet Emma’s Parents

It looks like Glee fans have another new face to look forward to in the near future! According to Entertainment Weekly, writer and executive producer, Ryan Murphy has sent out yet another casting call in search of an ‘attractive male’ to keep consistent with the already good-looking cast.

The casting call featured some other requirements to keep consistent with the current acting talent they already have, stating:

“Young man 18 and over to play 17. He is extremely handsome. Must be an excellent singer. HUGE guest star, MAJOR recurring role.”

It looks as if Murphy is looking for some other recurring roles for the upcoming season, too, including an Ohio State football recruiter, and of course Mike Chang’s parents and Emma Pillsbury’s parents.

Do you think you have what it takes to be the next major Glee star?

Source: ‘Glee’ scoop: Time to add a new hottie?

Fox and Glee have teamed up with the National Association for Music Education to hold an amazing competition that will put funding back in to the arts programs of 73 schools across the United States.

High school glee and drama clubs, as well as other high school arts programs, are invited to enter the competition by submitting videos to GleeGiveANote.com, explaining why their school deserves a grant. Starting in October 2011, voting will begin on the site for approved videos. In December, after 2 rounds of voting, Fox will announce the 73 winning schools who will then receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Already, Glee has pledged $1 million from the sales of the show’s season 2 DVD/Blu-ray release. Visit www.GleeGiveANote.com to find out what you can do to get involved and donate to this worthy cause.

What a wonderful thing to see one of TV’s top shows, using their powers of influence for such a great cause. Good luck to all of the entrants from everyone here at GleeFan.com!

Source: Glee Gives Back! Promises To Grant $1 Million To Arts Program Across The Country!

With the premiere of Glee‘s second season only weeks away, dozens of newly released photos and spoilers are throwing the fandom into a frenzy of anticipation! New York Times photographer Todd Heisler spent five days in August documenting the show at a studio lot and in two Los Angeles-area high schools.

His candid behind-the-scenes photos offer a window into the making of the highly anticipated season two, featuring the making of the Britney tribute episode. You can see Heather in her “Me Against the Music” video, Matthew busting a few dance moves, and even a full page of the episode script! Check out the photos below!

@DiannaGleeFans on Twitter has a close transcript of what the script page says. Go follow her!

In the wise words of Gleehab.com…Glee KICKED EVERY OTHER SHOW’S ASS at the Emmy nominations, which were announced this morning! I’m almost freaking out too much to type!! Check them out below:

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Matthew Morrison

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Lea Michele

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Chris Colfer

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Jane Lynch

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – Mike O’Malley & Neil Patrick Harris

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Kristin Chenoweth

GENERAL SHOW AWARDS:

Outstanding Comedy Series – Glee

Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series – Glee

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series – Glee

Outstanding Costumes for a Series – Glee (Lou Eyrich)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series – Glee (2 total nominations for “Pilot” & “Wheels”)

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series – Glee (2 total nominations for “Power of Madonna” & “Hairography”)

Outstanding Creative Acheivement in Interactive Media – Fiction – Glee

Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series – Glee (2 total nominations for “Power of Madonna” & “Theatricality”)

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series – Glee

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series – Glee

Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series – Glee

The Emmy’s air on August 29, which also happens to be Lea Michele’s birthday! How awesome would it be if she won an Emmy on her birthday?

Shelly is doing a special contest for 2 pairs of tickets to a showing of Funny Girl! It’s one of Lea Michele’s favorite movies and also the musical that the song “Don’t Rain on My Parade” is from. The showing will be hosted by Ryan Murphy, Dante Di Loreto & Lea Michele! If you want to go, you can win 2 tickets through Shelly’s Twitter contest. All the details are below!
Good luck!

Funny Girl (1968) w/ Glee’s Lea Michele, Ryan Murphy, & Dante Di Loreto In Person

FUNNY GIRL, 1968, Sony Repertory, 155 min. Dir. William Wyler. In her Academy-Award winning film debut, Barbra Streisand re-creates her legendary Broadway role as renowned comedienne Fanny Brice, who made the world laugh even as her own world was crumbling. Premiered in 1968 at the Egyptian Theatre. Introduction by Glee creator Ryan Murphy, executive producer Dante Di Loreto and series cast member Lea Michele.

When:
Saturday May 8 (7:30pm)

Where:
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd
323.466.3456

GleeNetwork will be giving away not one, but TWO pairs of tickets to this event!
Click here to see all the rules of the contest and how to enter…

The Glee cast had an exciting day meeting the Obamas and performing a few songs at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition that dates back to 1878. The event opened with Amber Riley singing the National Anthem. That girl can sing! By the end of the day, the cast had sung Somebody to Love, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Sweet Caroline, True Colors, Home, and Don’t Stop Believing. Enjoy the videos of the cast’s performances below and make sure to check out Michelle Obama singing and dancing along to Sweet Caroline. Looks like fun! :)

Also, we’ve added the cast’s Tweets from the day so that you can check out all of their fun TwitPics and Harry Shum’s 6 minute video that he recorded while on the lawn! Enjoy!

The Easter Egg Roll

National Anthem -- Amber Riley [Full verson]

Somebody to Love -- Glee Cast, Somewhere Over the Rainbow -- Matthew Morrison & Mark Salling

-- Click to see the rest of the videos, cast tweets, and more!

It appears the Glee will be getting a whole episode in the back nine, showcasing some original music! Even though the show has been doing an amazing job with their covers, it’ll be fun to see what original songs they’ll be performing in the spring. Here’s what Ryan Murphy had to say to Billboard.com:

“I’ve had a lot of calls from songwriters, to the point where it’s kind of embarrassing and ridiculous,” he says. “So we’re writing an episode called ‘Original Song’ where the teacher asks the kids to write their own piece of music. Diane Warren is going to do two big ballads, and if it works, we’ll see what happens . . . but we won’t do it all the time.”

Also, Ryan Tedder, who’s in one of my personal favorite bands, OneRepublic, co-wrote the song “Halo” with Beyoncé. When Idolator.com asked him if he’d seen the mashup between “Halo” and “Walking on Sunshine” on Glee, he told Idolator.com:

“I did! Glee is actually my new addiction. I download every episode. They actually just approached me. Adam Anders, the guy who does all the music, approached me about two weeks ago to do original music for the next season. So I’m gonna be doing at least one song for the next season that’s original.”

I’m excited for some original tunes, aren’t you? :)

Sources:
Billboard.com – Glee’ Rewrites The Script On TV Music
Idolator.com – The Idolator Interview: Ryan Tedder

Watch a really cool video on Fox’s Youtube Channel about the making of Glee, here. It is loaded with commentary and behind the scenes footage, so check it out!

Not only is ‘Glee‘ one of the most buzzed about new series of the TV season, but it’s also got a plum spot on the Fox schedule, premiering Tuesday May 19th at 9pm ET right after the season finale of ‘American Idol.’ This special one-hour preview will whet fans’ appetites for the Fall when it’s expected to be a part of the regular schedule. From the mind of ‘Nip/Tuck‘ creator Ryan Murphy, ‘Glee’ tells the tale of the school misfits that bond together to form a Glee club and shows the power of song, hope and having fun. Fancast got on a press call recently with Murphy to discuss the show’s musical numbers, the expectations for the series, and even talk of a ‘Glee’ movie already?

How are you picking the songs for the show? Is there a magic formula at all?

All the episodes, we’re writing them thematically. Obviously you don’t do that for a pilot because a pilot is just sort of an origins tale, but it really just comes down to stuff that I like and stuff that I think fits the characters and moves the story along. And also, with every episode, we do between five and eight music numbers, and my goal is to really try and give the audience something for everybody. We have a hip-hop. We have an R&B. We have a top 40. We have country.

But as for the Sopranos thing, I mean everybody knows that that song was used on the show, but to me it transcends anything. It’s always been an anthem. I think it’s the number one most popular song in the history of iTunes or something like that. And it just seemed, I liked the idea of six ten-year-old kids interpreting that song, seeing what somebody that age would do with it, so that was always the jumping off point. Steve Perry has been incredible about licensing the song for us. He’s been and seen the pilot and loves it, and is very supportive. We’re hoping for him to make some sort of promotional appearances or do something with the show just because he’s been so great, and we all love him.

Is there anything that you can tease music wise that’s coming up in terms of…?

I would prefer not to do that just because there are so many great things, and I was asked not to. But I’ll just say that there’s something for everyone, but we’re doing big, classic rock, ’70s songs. The key to the music is to do stuff for the most part that people know, which is why I think so many people love American Idol because it’s musical comfort food in some way.

People who have been following your series from Popular to Nip/Tuck know that a lot of your actors seem to transition from show-to-show. You bring them back in guest roles. Can we expect with, besides Jessalyn, to see any familiar faces on Glee, as we move forward?

It’s funny that you said that because, with this show, I sort of have decided not to do that because the approach that we had, you know, pretty much did the casting of this pilot was to sort of use a lot of singers and dancers and Broadway people, so I really sort of want fresh voices and fresh faces in this one, so I don’t think I’ll be doing that sort of cross-pollination that I did.

(more…)