During a TV Academy panel Tuesday, the stars and creators touched on Rachel’s botched audition, filming sex scenes and teased the upcoming body switch episode.

The Glee cast and creators were in high spirits Tuesday during a panel promoting the show for Emmy consideration at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, where they dished on everything from Rachel’s botched audition to an upcoming body switch episode.

Here are eight highlights from the funny and poignant session.

1. Co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed that the remaining four episodes of the season would explore what happens next for Rachel (Lea Michele) after the glee diva choked during her NYADA audition. “The next episodes after this really deal with the implications and complications,” he told the packed house. “The great thing about that character is that she just doesn’t give up. That’s a wonderful thing to write to, Rachel’s tenacity. I think people love that about her, that she has a dream, even now. It’s inspirational to a lot of kids to see a scene like that and not get what you want in the moment but to not give up. That’s the idea of what the show is about.”

2. For her part, Michele said filming the botched audition scene was truly heartbreaking — and came from something she worried about during the Glee concert tour. “Every night on the Glee tour when I’d sing ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,’ I used to call [exec producer] Dante Di Loreto and say, ‘I’m going to mess up one night, I know it and I’m so scared to have that happen,’ “ she said. “To have that happen to her in such an important moment was so sad, which is why that scene came so easy to me — because it was actual nerves and something that I truly felt fearful about for her and for myself as a performer.”

3. Dot Marie-Jones noted Coach Beiste’s domestic violence story line isn’t over and drew from a friend’s experience to portray the emotional scenes in which her character is beaten by her husband. “It wasn’t hard to get there,” she says, noting she cried while reading what was happening to not only her character but Rachel as well. Meanwhile, look for Jones to cover Taylor Swift’s “Mean” in Episode 20, titled “Props.”

4. “She probably has more run-on sentences than I do,” Jane Lynch said of her on-screen nemesis, Roz Washington (Nene Leakes). Fun fact: Ian Brennan writes almost all of Sue Sylvester’s dialogue — as well as Leakes’ material. When crafting the character, Murphy revealed that he drew upon the Real Housewives star’s time on Celebrity Apprentice before he realized that he could call and offer her the part. Her first scene: a page-long monologue that was met with a round of applause from the cast and crew.

5. Looking back on the “First Time” episode, the cast praised the writers and directors for crafting a story for LGBT teens that didn’t exists for older generations and noted that the network worked with them on the intimate scenes between Rachel and Finn as well as Kurt and Blaine. Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith, meanwhile, offered different insights into filming the tender scenes. “I was really sweaty,” Monteith said, noting the couple’s close proximity to the fireplace in the scene. Added Colfer: “I was scared shitless.”

6. During the Christmas installment directed by Matthew Morrison, Kevin McHale’s Artie found what could be his calling when he directed the episode at the center of the hour and based his performance on someone close to the show: Ryan Murphy. “I was trying to [imitate him] but Ryan was like, ‘You can’t be mean, I’m writing you much too nice.’ ”

7. Amber Riley had perhaps the line of the night when asked to recall her favorite moment with on-screen love interest Chord Overstreet: “It’s always interesting when we kiss because both of our lips are so big,” she said to laughs. “We have to figure out whose lips are going to be on top!” The night’s other best zinger went to Colfer, addressing Kurt’s tight gold lamé pans from his NYADA audition: “I had two fittings and had no idea it would be a battle of the bulge.”

8. As for what’s ahead, spoilers were sparse but the cast did tease the upcoming “Props” episode in which Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) falls into a fountain and wakes up to find everybody is someone else. Set to swap: Tina becomes Rachel, Kurt is Finn, Puck becomes Blaine and Mike becomes Joe, with Santana as Artie. “Accessories I never had before,” Shum said of sporting dreadlocks for the episode.

What are you most looking forward to seeing? Glee airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

You will need tissues.

1. Rachel is not so easily defeated. Viewers shocked to see New Directions’ shiniest star choke during her NYADA audition, don’t be fooled. While series boss Ryan Murphy said it was a more interesting choice for Rachel (Lea Michele) not to go sailing through to her dream school, it’s not in the character’s DNA to accept defeat. “The great thing about her is that she does not give up,” Murphy said, adding that the writers had fun in the upcoming episodes writing to her defining “tenacity.” Michele said she was “really devastated” for Rachel, and identified with the “real fear” of failure that performers face regularly.

2. Oh yes, there will be tears. It’s still anyone’s guess who will be moving on from — and out of? — Glee when Graduation Day comes and Season 3 ends. But the cast is already all broken up about it because they began shooting the season’s last episode this week. “I definitely collapsed on to the ground the other day,” Michele said. All the actors ‘fessed up to crying at some point — and they had only been through two days of filming! Kleenex, gleeks. Kleenex!

3. Freaky Friday time. This is totally happening: Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) will fall into a fountain at the mall, and when she comes to, everyone will have switched bodies. Really. You want proof? Fine. Look for Tina to wake up as Rachel. Also, Kurt (Chris Colfer) will play Finn (Cory Monteith), Puck (Mark Salling) becomes Blaine (Darren Criss) and Santana (Naya Rivera) becomes… Artie (Kevin McHale)? “Naya as Kevin is hilarious,” executive producer Ian Brennan said. But perhaps topping even that is Mike Chang (Harry Shum) as Joe Hart (The Glee Project winner Samuel Larsen). “Harry with dreads… best thing ever,” Brennan said.

4. The next formidable pairing: Coache Bieste (Dot Marie Jones) and Puck! You read that right. No clue as to why they’re teaming up, but consider this: They’ll be singing Taylor’s Swift’s banjo-driven “Mean,” which the country star wrote in response to her critics. (She’s a fragile flower, people!) Let’s read into these lyrics together: “Someday I’ll be livin’ in a big ol’ city and all you’re ever gonna be is mean. Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me and all you’re ever gonna be is mean. Why you gotta be so mean?” Wait, who’s picking on Puck?!

5. Official: Brittany’s a senior. If you’re wondering if McKinley’s senior class president had magically reverted back to junior status just because Heather Morris’ face isn’t on the cover of the Glee graduation soundtrack, think again. What kind of grades she’s pulling is a bit murkier…

Source: TVGuide

Michele is an outspoken animal supporter. She’s a proud vegan and has worked hard to ban carriage horses in NYC. Now she’s hoping to share her message of compassion with teenage girls.

In the May issue of Seventeen magazine, the “Glee” actress talks about animal rights, her work with PETA, and the importance of taking care of stray animals.

“I’m a huge animal lover, and it makes me so sad to see homeless animals suffering. Since animals can’t speak up for themselves, it’s our job to protect them. That’s why I’ve been supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for the past four years. It all started with me simply going to peta.org and writing in the comment box that I wanted to help. The next day, PETA contacted me with a list of campaigns I could join!” she says.

She also explains how easy it is for teens (and anyone, really!) to spread the word about animal rights — all you have to do is use your social media.

“There are so many ways to help. You can use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to encourage people to bring strays to animal shelters where they’ll be cared for properly. Or you can adopt them like I did!”

The spread also features other ways to get involved in animal activism, including tips on pet adoption, how to join PETA’s street team, and suggestions for volunteering at animal shelters.

This kind of compassion is really something to sing about!

Links:
- Appearances > 2011 > December 7th: Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Lea Michele has more in common with her Glee character Rachel Barry than her vocal talent. The 25-year-old New Year’s Eve actress was bullied in school, but not because of her social status — because of her name.

“Sarfati. That’s my real last name,” Michele said on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Wednesday. “I don’t use it a lot because I got Lea So-fatty, Lea So-farty at school.”

Of course, Michele isn’t the only actor to speak out about their experiences with bullying in school. Stars like Charlize Theron, Demi Lovato and Eva Longoria have all opened up recently to discuss how they survived the mean kids of their youth.

So when did the Triple Threat drop her real last name and start using Michele instead?

“When I was little and I went on my first audition, they were like, ‘And may we have your name?’ And I was like, ‘Lea Michele.’ And I’ve been Lea Michele ever since.”

Watch the Tonight Show episode below:

 

Lea Michele doesn’t stray too far from her Glee character Rachel Berry in Garry Marshall’s star-packed New Year’s Eve: Once again, she plays a precocious singing talent matched with a tall, amiable galoof (in this case, Ashton Kutcher). Still, the film is notable as Michele’s first big-screen endeavor, and even bigger things may be to come for the 25-year-old actress, as rumors have her on the very select short list to play Eponine in Tom Hooper’s movie version of Les Miserables. An enthusiastic Michele recently sat down with Vulture to talk about her fear of romancing Kutcher, the scrutiny that comes with those Les Miz rumors, and the aesthetic influence of her Glee showrunner Ryan Murphy.

The 25-year-old actress says she was inches away from plunging off stage during one of Glee‘s live shows before Lea’s lifesaving intervention.

“Lea saved me,” says Dianna. “There was a slightly smaller stage (than usual) and fireworks which came down a little closer, almost on top of us and I couldn’t see. Lea’s like, ‘Get over here, you’re about to die!’ It was kind of serious. Now I always remember to look down once in a while.”

Source

“I know that she’s going to be in the school musical,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, regarding her character Rachel Berry. “I have some awesome storylines with Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, and I’ll be singing a lot of Broadway as always.”

Michele added that the new season will continue to focus on the core group of students, in particular those characters that are in their senior year. The actress also claimed that the show will continue to reinvent forgotten pop songs for a modern audience.

“In season one we did a lot of classic rock songs, or not even so much classic rock but songs you haven’t seen in the Top 10 in a while,” Michele explained. “I definitely think they’re going to do more of that this year, taking songs that used to be incredibly popular and reinventing them.”

Michele has previously admitted that she is not focusing on her character’s potentially reduced role next season, but has said that she is excited about the possibility of a spinoff series focusing on Rachel and Kurt.

Glee will make its season three premiere on September 20.