Jessica Sanchez has been confirmed to appear on Glee. But that’s not the only casting news: Bette Midler has agreed to guest star after being invited on by Ryan Murphy. And some of the cast have tweeted out photos giving a sneak peek at upcoming episodes.

Jessica Sanchez Officially Cast on Glee

It’s now official: American Idol season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez will be heading to Glee in a recurring role, according to TVLine, which means she’ll be appearing in multiple episodes. BuddyTV reported back in June that she was in talks to join the show. And just last month, she told reporters that “Nothing’s confirmed … But it’s in the works.” Now that her stint on the American Idol Live! Tour is past her, she can focus on not only her debut album (which will most likely be released in November or December), but also on this acting gig as well.

No other details are known about Jessica’s role on Glee just yet, such as who her character will be or if she’ll pop up at McKinley High or be a part of the New York storyline, or something else altogether (maybe a member of another Glee Club?). But it wouldn’t be surprising if creator Ryan Murphy tweets out spoilers as they plan out her character. He even tweeted this out last night: “Michael Ausiello broke news of Jessica Sanchez on Glee. With voices like Jessica, Lea, Naya, Melissa, Amber, and Jenna…Streisand episode?”

Get Ready for Bette Midler

Speaking of Ryan Murphy spilling the beans on Twitter, he was at the God’s Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards in New York last night and during his speech, he invited a certain entertainment icon to appear on the show: “I just asked the incredible Bette Midler to be on Glee in front of 1,000 people. I hope she says yes!” Three hours later, he gave an update with her answer: “Bette said yes! Amazing. I am plotting…who should she play?” Normally, a TV show would create a character first, then focus on casting. But this is Glee, and we all know Ryan doesn’t always conform to convention.

To show this wasn’t just Ryan Murphy letting the news slip prematurely, Bette Midler herself tweeted out a confirmation and gave an idea for who she should play: “And from the stage, @ryanmurphy invited me to guest on @Glee! I should get out more!! … Ok, @rpmurphy, I have one vote for Rachel’s grandmother…hmmmm. I’m thinking, I’m thinking!!” Now, keep in mind that, almost two years ago, Ryan also invited Anne Hathaway to guest star on the show (and she not only said yes, but knew what character she wanted to take on), but that never ended up happening. But still, if you’re excited by this news, fingers crossed.

Sneak Peek Photos at Upcoming Episodes

Twitter seems to be a theme in today’s Roundup, as we have some photos that Ryan Murphy, Dianna Agron and Chord Overstreet have tweeted to their followers, teasing some of the upcoming episodes. (In last week’s Roundup, we gave an update on Quinn’s return to the show and her possible encounter with cheerleader Kitty.) Dianna Agron tweeted, “Excited to say that after a successful hair test, wardrobe fitting & reunion with the gang yesterday…today is Quinn’s first day back!” And both Dianna and Ryan tweeted out some photos to get us all excited for her return, and Chord Overstreet is performing a song with Darren Criss:

Dianna Agron: “Friday night at Breadsticks.”

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Dianna Agron: “This scene goes down as one of my new favorites.”

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Chord Overstreet: “Bout to shoot a fun song w @DarrenCriss for episode 7. I don’t think y’all are ready for this. Pics are coming!!”

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And get ready for “Greased Lightning”:

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Are you looking forward to seeing Jessica Sanchez in a recurring role? And will Ryan Murphy follow through on his word and bring on Bette Midler as a guest star?

(Images courtesy of FOX, WENN, @MrRPMurphy, @DiannaAgron and @ChordOverstreet)

Jeff Dodge

Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.