By Lori Acken
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My fellow Gleeks, hold a big old thumb-and-pointer “L” — as in lost, languishing, longing — up to your furrowed brow if that’s how you feel now that the second season is over and fall is still so very far away.
But before you Freek out too badly, take heart — this Sunday, June 12, marks the premiere of Oxygen’s The Glee Project, a groundbreaking, 10-episode competition series straight from the mind of Ryan Murphy, co-creator and Emmy-winning executive producer of Glee.
And the victor earns something even better than a cash prize: He or she earns the chance to be covered in seven episode’s worth of slushie via a guest role on the Fox phenomenon.
The two-hour premiere event begins with an hourlong documentary special, The Glee Project: The Final 12, which offers a behind-the-scenes look into the evolution of the Glee phenomenon and explores how The Glee Project was born. Viewers will meet Robert Ulrich, casting director for both Glee and The Glee Project, and will get an insiders look at the exhaustive casting process that culled The Glee Project’s 12 talented contenders from nearly 40,000 applicants nationwide.
In The Glee Project‘s premiere episode, aptly titled “Individuality,” the lucky 12 go straight to work on their first homework assignment, which is designed to show the judges their individual personalities. The winner is awarded some coveted one-on-one time with guest mentor and Glee breakout star Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson).
Then the series’ regular mentors — casting director Ulrich, choreographer Zach Woodlee and vocal producer Nikki Anders — help prepare all of the Wannabe Gleeks for the main challenge: performing the Katy Perry pop tune “Firework.” The mentors will call out the bottom three performers who must then sing for none other than “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy for their shot at survival.
Gadget-savvy fans of The Glee Project can follow the show on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/thegleeproject, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thegleeproject and Tumblr at http://thegleeproject.tumblr.com for access to all of the latest news and information. Fans can vote for their favorite contender in the Bing Fan Favorite contest beginning at 9pm ET on Sunday, June 12 and continuing throughout the run of the show.
Log-on to www.OxygenLive.com for special live chats with cast members, as well as a special chat with the eliminated contender directly following each episode. Viewers can also log on to http://thegleeproject.oxygen.com for a more in depth look at each contender and the judges, complete with photo galleries and video.
Photo: Oxygen
