Lea Michele has already made quite a name for herself in Broadway before landing the big one in ‘Glee’, which includes the lead in the Tony Award winning coming-of-age musical ‘Spring Awakening’. With such noteworthy Broadway credits under her belt, plus an Emmy Award nod for her work in ‘Glee’ and an overpowering singing voice, it is no wonder she is rumored to be in the lead in the film adaptation of the Broadway classic and tour-de-force, ‘Les Miserables’, to be helmed onscreen by Tom Hooper.

This won’t be the first time Michele’s name has been attached to a film adaptation of a hit musical. Last year, she has also been eyed for the role of Elphaba in the movie version of the Broadway smash hit, ‘Wicked’. The New York Post reports that aside from Michele, Grammy winning singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, ‘True Blood’ star Evan Rachel Wood and Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson are also being considered for the role of Eponine.

With so much competition plus her busy ‘Glee’ taping schedule which would most likely stretch till April, plus the possibility of a finale tour especially for the exiting senior cast members, it will be exciting to see if Michele does get the part, after all, of all those being considered for the part of Eponine, she is the only one with real musical experience, both onstage and onscreen.

Move over Sue Sylvester, Becky Johnson’s now working for the President of the United States.

Becky Johnson may be Coach Sue’s right hand in ‘Glee’, but in real life, 21-year old actress Lauren Potter has a lot more on her plate than she has ever imagined, and she is more than happy to do it. Potter has just been appointed by President Obama himself as part of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Joining Potter is project trainer Julie Ann Petty, who has extensive experience in working for and with people with intellectual disabilities and special needs.

“I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years,” the President said via a released statement. The committee, which consists of 21 public members and 13 federal government members, will work hand-in-hand with the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in providing information on how such individuals can secure for themselves proper education, housing, employment opportunities and other essential needs, basically, everything that a normal individual should have in order to have day-to-day sustainability.

“It is important to me that people with intellectual disabilities are represented and treated fairly and are given the same opportunities as every other American,” said Potter, she also adds, “Our challenges are the same as many others, we want to be safe in school—free from bullying and teasing, we hope to be welcomed at parks, recreation centers and other community activities, we worry about jobs and where we will live but mostly we want to be treated how you want to be treated – with respect!”

The ‘Glee’ star is no stranger to the various forms of social challenges she referred to as she experienced many of those even as a child. “Like so many other kids with special needs, I have been bullied,” she told People Magazine. She continues, “Kids in elementary school made me eat sand, and those same boys would walk behind me, teasing me. Finally I had enough, and I told them to ‘grow up.’”

Potter is a living testament that individuals with intellectual disabilities and special needs can be as successful as normal individuals not only if they set their hearts and minds to it, but also if the government and society provide them with the same opportunities as normal individuals would easily have. Apart from the committee, Potter has also worked with the Special Olympics, the American Association of People with Disabilities, Down Syndrome Association and with Abilitypath.org for the group’s fight against bullying. She is also a student at Irvine Valley College.

“I never thought I could be an actress, but I am. I never thought I would be a presidential appointee and I am! The possibilities are endless for anyone and that is what I hope to help bring to this committee – a real life example that with a supportive community and an encouraging country we all can live the American dream!” the actress said via a statement.

‘Glee’ did make waves with the Parents Television Council (PTC) last night. Its latest episode, ‘The First Time,’ made rippling, hurling and curling waves among parents as the episode focused on two of the show’s couples – Finn & Rachel and Kurt & Blaine – trying to get some action for the first time, as Blaine and Rachel struggled with the dilemma of how to be believably romantic and passionate as Tony and Maria for their upcoming ‘West Side Story’ school musical.

This isn’t the first time ‘Glee’ has irked the Parents Television Council, remember when Cory Monteith (Finn), Lea Michele (Rachel) and Diana Agron (Quinn) strutted their sexy stuff in GQ last year?

Perhaps the show’s execs was quite aware that they might come under fire for ‘The First Time’, as they displayed a viewer discretion warning prior to the episode’s airing, but for these parents, that warning just doesn’t cut it.

“The fact that Glee intends to not only broadcast, but celebrate children having sex is reprehensible. The gender of the high school characters involved is irrelevant. Teen sex is now more prevalent on TV than adult sex and Glee is only playing into that trend,” said Tim Winter, president of the PTC.

“Research proves that television is a teen sexual super peer that can, and likely will, influence a teen’s decision to become sexually active. Fox knows the show inherently attracts kids; celebrating teen sex constitutes gross recklessness,” he added.

Whether these parents are concerned about their kids or are just plain uptight and conservative is still up for debate. One thing’s for sure though, this won’t be the last time that the PTC and other conservative groups would clash with the Fox hit show, after all, high school students having sex, regardless of their gender, is no shocking news, and ‘Glee’ has always been known to entertainingly and sometimes controversially push the envelope in tackling sensitive, trendy and relevant issues affecting teenagers at present, both in school and at home.

The names are out for the 2012 People’s Choice Awards nominees. Fans can now start voting for their favorite shows and stars, and leading this year’s race is ‘Glee’ among TV nominees, Katy Perry with nominations stretching from movies to TV to music, and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ bagging 9 nominations including Favorite Movie and Favorite Action Movie.

In the TV category, ‘Glee’ earns nods for Favorite Network TV Comedy, TV Comedy Actor for Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer, TV Comedy Actress for Lea Michele and Jane Lynch, and TV Guest Star for Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristin Chenoweth.

Katy Perry is also racking up nominations with the usuals like Favorite Female Artist, Song of the Year for ‘E.T.’, Favorite Pop Artist, Music Video for ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)’ and even Tour Headliner. But the biggest surprises are her nominations for TV Guest Star for her work in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and Favorite Animated Voice as Smurfette in the summer hit ‘The Smurfs’.

The People’s Choice Awards will be held on January 11, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ star Kaley Cuoco, who is also in the running for Favorite TV Comedy Actress, will be hosting the event.

The kids from ‘Glee’ are celebrating Christmas a tad early this year. With still a week to go before hitting the shelves, ‘Glee: The Music, the Christmas Album Volume 2’ is now being streamed from cover to cover on AOL Music. The album’s got all the Yuletide classics, but knowing the vocal versatility of the Gleeks, you’ll know that this is not just any seasonal rendition, as proven by their previous hit Christmas covers, ‘Merry Christmas Darling’ and Blaine and Kurt’s ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’.

The 12-cut album includes famous seasonal tracks like ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, a Mariah Carey original sung by the show’s resident soul diva Amber Riley; Naya Rivera’s sexy and sultry rendition of ‘Santa Baby’; another Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) duet with ‘Let It Snow’, ‘Blue Christmas’ by the show’s newest cast member, ‘Glee Project’ winner Damian McGinty, who plays Irish exchange student Rory; and the ensemble track ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ sung by the Glee kids.

International singing sensation Charice welcomes the new month with grieving and sorrowful news. Her estranged father, Ricky Pempengco, was killed yesterday, October 31, in their hometown of San Pedro, Laguna Province, in the Philippines. The young singer was quick to withdraw her appearances in the upcoming ‘David Foster and Friends’ concert on Wednesday and Thursday in Singapore.

“I am not going to be there to be part of David Foster and Friends concert. I have to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible to be with my family,” Charice posted on Twitter.

40-year old Pempengco was stabbed with an ice pick on the chest and back after he and the suspect bumped onto each other at a local store. Witnesses say the suspect, who was allegedly intoxicated at the time, didn’t rest until he was sure that the victim was dead. Laguna police Chief Sr. Supt Gilbert Cruz said that a manhunt is underway with a PhP 20,000 reward for reliable tips about the suspect’s whereabouts or for his head. The motive for the crime is still unclear as police have established that the suspect and Pempengco have no prior connection whatsoever.

Charice have not seen her father in years after her mother, Raquel, left him taking her and her younger brother with her. Pempengco allegedly has a history of domestic violence and wife battery, but this did not deter the 19-year old singing sensation from expressing grief over his murder and anger directed at his slayer.

“I loved him and I will still love him,” she tweeted. “He’s still my Dad after all.”

Charice had a difficult time growing up. Aside from physical and verbal conflicts between her parents, the singer had to endure financial hardships before breaking out into the highly competitive recording and performing scene. After earning significant exposure in the Ellen Degeneres Show, Charice soon found herself as Oprah Winfrey’s newly discovered talent and became her stepping stone as she worked her way into acclaimed composer David Foster’s radar. Since then, not only has she performed alongside Foster all over the world, but she has also secured a recurring spot in the hit TV musical series, ‘Glee’, as Filipina exchange student and glee club rival, Sunshine Corazon.