The day has finally come … TONIGHT on Fox, Glee returns with the first new episode of the Spring season and in celebration, the entire cast of Glee attended The Spring Premiere Soirée held for the show at Bar Marmont here in LA last night. Here are a few photos of some of the castmembers in attendance last night along with some deets about what we can look forward to seeing (and hearing) in the upcoming new eps:

In its first 13 episodes, the show treated viewers to covers of songs by Neil Diamond, Rihanna, Kanye West, Barbra Streisand, Beyonce, Queen, Liza Minnelli and more. The music from “Glee” is a huge success in its own right, with more than 4 million digital downloads sold and two soundtracks already certified gold. A nationwide tour, “Glee Live,” featuring key members from the show’s cast, kicks off in May and has sold out, and the show is boosting sales for the original artists behind the songs. Its stars are even featured on the current issue of Rolling Stone. When the hourlong hit returns Tuesday for a nine-episode run, expect twice the tunes per show and even more mash-ups and musical diversity. “Every single possible musical style and taste is going to be in there,” says “Glee” co-creator Brad Falchuk. “It doesn’t matter what you like – you’re going to find what you like and stuff you never heard of that you’ll love.” But the commercial success of the “Glee” songs wasn’t a reason for the boost, he says. Instead, he said the decision was made because the music greatly enriches the show by giving viewers an emotional understanding of what the characters are going through. Falchuk says he and fellow show creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan intentionally upped the number of songs to a minimum of five per episode for the balance of the first season (three to five had been the norm). Falchuk says Murphy, also creator of the cult TV hit “Nip/Tuck,” is the master behind the music: “He’s the iTunes library, the Rainman of music.” This season, the characters will express their joy and frustrations through the songs of best-selling acts like AC/DC, the Beatles, Lionel Richie, Olivia Newton John and Madonna. In fact, Madonna gets her own entire episode: a tribute to the Material Girl packed with 10 songs, seven of which appear on a separate soundtrack, “Glee: The Power of Madonna,” set for release April 20 … Producer Adam Anders arranges, records and mixes all the featured tracks sometimes as many as 10 a week. “I have eight studios going at all times on ‘Glee,’” says the 34-year-old, who counts Disney’s “High School Musical” and “Camp Rock” among his credits. “I have a partner in Sweden, and we basically get 27 hours out of a day because we have a nine-hour time change.” The pair works around the clock to craft the songs, usually a couple of weeks before each episode is shot. When the episode airs, they know immediately which songs are hits by simply clicking on iTunes. “As a songwriter or producer, you never get that kind of instant reaction,” Anders says. “It’s really cool.”

Yes, folks, and it all begins TONIGHT. Yesterday I posted a few teaser screencaps from next week’s episode The Power of Madonna that spoilerishly reveal the song that Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch) performs in that ep and I understand that after tonight’s new episode airs (titled Hell-O), Fox will air video of Sue‘s performance! YOU MUST TUNE IN TONIGHT, at all costs. I’m hoping to be able to share that video with all y’all after it airs … stay tuned! We are mere hours away from an all new ep of Glee … who’s excited?

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Last Friday we got our first look at the 2nd movie trailer for the upcoming sequel film Sex and the City 2 (due out in theaters on May 27) and today we get our first look at the 2nd promo poster for the film … cuz, apparently, good things come in twos. Like the first promo poster for the film we saw last December, this new poster features only Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) … behold:

While I’m ALL KINDS OF EXCITED to see this latest installment of SaTC, I’m not sure I’m totally in love with his promo poster. SJP looks great and all but she doesn’t look … alive. The photo has been airbrushed to perfection … far too much perfection. I’m not crazy about the sunglasses cum opera glasses either. Even still, I don’t think there is anything in existence that can quell my excitement at seeing this film. We’ve still got a little over a month left to go before Sex and the City 2 hits theaters … can you stand the wait?

[Source, thanks Seda]

About a year ago, in May of 2009, we learned that Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford had signed on to play the lead role of Ren McCormack in the planned updated remake of the classic 1980′s film Footloose (which stars Kevin Bacon in the lead). But today we learn from Entertainment Weekly that Crawford has decided to pull out of starring in the film due to his obligations to filming new episodes of Gossip Girl. At this point, there has been no decision on who would replace him … and considering that Kenny Ortega has also pulled out of directing the film, it may be time to rethink this whole thing. Tho, EW reports that the studio is still committed to making this remake:

Looks like Chace Crawford won’t be filling Kevin Bacon’s shoes after all in the remake of the iconic 1984 movie Footloose. Crawford’s rep has confirmed that the Gossip Girl hottie has backed out of the dance-loving lead in the remake. Sources tell EW.com that the studio is now likely to cast an unknown, possibly launching a nationwide search for the role. (Previously, Zac Efron was attached to the role but dropped out to avoid being typecast as the musicals guy.) Paramount declined to comment but one source tells EW.com that the culprit this time is Gossip Girl’s shooting schedule. The frothy CW show is scheduled to resume production in July, but Paramount is hoping to get Footloose into production sometime this summer, and Crawford can’t do both at once. Although Crawford signed on to the film about a year ago, almost everything else about the project has changed since then. About five months after Crawford joined the cast, director Kenny Ortega dropped off the film, saying he was “exhausted” from his frenetic work on the Michael Jackson concert film This is It. Once that happened, the studio abandoned its most recent rewrite from Erin Brockovich screenwriter Susannah Grant. Writer/director Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) penned a rewrite. Brewer’s redo, which some say is closer to the original film — about a town that’s outlawed dance and music — has been fully embraced by Paramount chief Adam Goodman. Sources say Goodman and Co. would like Brewer to direct the film, but Brewer is already committed to helm Mother Trucker for New Regency. Meanwhile, Dancing With the Stars alum Julianne Hough is still lined up to portray the lead character’s love interest, portrayed in the original by Lori Singer.

IF this remake has to be made, maybe it’s for the best that an unknown actor play the role. With an unknown actor in the lead, there is a chance that this remake might be able to keep some of the innocent spirit of the original film. It’s been my belief from the beginning, tho, that this Footloose remake is a bad idea. I cannot see how the Footloose storyline could capture the imagination of today’s young audience (which is why casting Chace Crawford was a really good chance at attracting that audience anyway) and would, most likely, not satisfy older fans of the original film. If this whole idea died in pre-production, I wouldn’t mind one bit. Considering how many things are going wrong with the film, mebbe the universe is putting its foot down? What do y’all think … should Paramount continue to move forward with this planned Footloose remake?

[Photo credit: Ethan Says; Source]

Our dear Jake Gyllenhaal is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of GQ magazine. As y’all should know by now, Jakey poo will be starring in his first big budget action film this Summer, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time … In support of that upcoming film, Jake talks to GQ magazine as well as poses for a few photos … with some of his adoring fans. Here is our first look at Jake on the cover GQ magazine and some excerpts from his coverstory interview where he talks a bit about his late friend and co-star Heath Ledger:

Jake Gyllenhaal has already proven his versatility by starring in films such as Brokeback Mountain and Jarhead. Now he stars in the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, taking on his first action role and solidifying his status as a superstar. In an interview with GQ correspondent Chris Heath, Gyllenhaal opens up about his relationship with Heath Ledger, his parents’ recent divorce (“I think it takes a lot of courage for my parents to make the decision that they made”), and his love for his family. As for his own life, Gyllenhaal explains, “I’m trying not to keep things so neat. I think I’m realizing my strengths and my faults. I think I’m trying to see what is me…and what is not me.”

On working with Heath Ledger: “He was very sensitive. He didn’t always have a sense of performance in his everyday life. He knew who he was. I think actors very often, they know how to present something, and that’s part of their job. I think he was just really sensitive. We often used to do a lot of things together, because people were very interested in him and I think we felt safe together.”

On how Ledger’s death affected him: “Even when we did Brokeback and stuff, it was like my work was the only thing that mattered to me. It was like I could only understand or define myself through doing that. Life, I didn’t totally understand. And I think I was afraid of life. And I had success in my work, enough success that you could keep going back there. But after that happened … I think I recognized that it was work. And I recognized that this is for real.”

While I still have my doubts that Prince of Persia will be able to wow audiences, I am really rooting for Jake to succeed with his new film. If he does well, he’s sure to get more action film leads … and action film leads usually have to get all sweaty and half-nekkid on the big screen … which would be a win-win situation for ALL involved. In any event, I’m still very much looking forward to seeing him in Persia — and I’m also looking forward to seeing a few photos from his GQ photospread. Check ‘em out, after the jump …