Glee, arguably the most buzzed about new hit series of this Fall TV season, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Altho the series features a eclectic and diverse cast of characters, this week’s EW coverphoto only features 3 principal stars of show. HMMM. Nonetheless, with a show as successful as Glee, it’s no wonder that it’s finally being splashed on magazine covers … like this one for Entertainment Weekly:

This season’s most unexpected success story, Glee is snarky, theatrical, totally addictive — and a cult phenomenon on its way to becoming a national obsession. The comedy is currently averaging a steady 8 million viewers a week, and the people watching are enviably young: Five million of its viewers are in the desirable 18–49 demo. (It’s little wonder that in September, Fox made Glee the first new fall series to be given a full 22-episode pickup.) Meanwhile, fans are staying engaged even after the episodes are over by downloading the cast’s newest cover tunes. More than 1.7 million Glee songs have been sold since May, and that’s after only seven episodes. “I thought it would be a huge project, but I didn’t know it would be this big,” says Rob Stringer, chairman of Columbia/Epic, Glee’s label. “The public appetite for this music is incredibly intense.” Adds the comedy’s co-creator Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck), “It seems to have transcended just being a television show to moving into other cultural areas.” The number of die-hard Glee fans — or “Gleeks,” as they call themselves — is bound to grow early next year, when episodes will follow American Idol. The young cast of newcomers is already beginning to see the effects of Glee mania. “I was at Disneyland yesterday — big mistake,” says Chris Colfer, who plays gay fashionista Kurt. “I might as well have walked around with a target on my shirt, because those are our fans. I stopped and took pictures probably 40 times in between rides. This one lady got a picture of me on the Tower of Terror and had me sign it.” Says co-creator Brad Falchuk, “I keep getting e-mails and phone calls and running into people at parties just telling me the show makes them feel happy.”

I admit it … I’m a Gleek. While I find the storyline marginally entertaining, I just cannot resist the fun musical numbers. To be honest, I tend to watch the show in the background while I work and then pause/perk up when I hear a musical number kick in. It’s fun having 3 numbers to look forward to each ep. In really exciting Glee news, the show has secured the rights to Madonna‘s catalog of songs and is planning an “all-Madonna” ep to air next year:

EW has learned that Madonna has given Glee the rights to her catalog and that an all-Madonna-music episode is in the works for early next year. The hit series has been building an audience and filling the iTunes charts with its cover songs, and Madonna’s involvement is a testament to how big the show is getting. Also, an amazing Glee cover of a classic Madonna track has the potential to be even bigger than the show’s blockbuster take on “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Quinn totally has to do “Papa Don’t Preach.” And I can completely see Rachel tackling “Material Girl.”

Fun!! There is so much for Gleeks and Gleebs to look forward to, I’m thinkin’ that Glee is going to be a big hit for some time to come. Are any of y’all fans of the show? If so, what’s been your fave song performed on the show thus far?

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