Moms: Did the GLEE GQ cover photo hit a sour note with you? Take my poll.

GLEE may be corny, but that's part of the fun: a bunch of high school dorks find their inner Britneys, and in the process, show the rest of the school that their too cool to be crammed into lockers.

Part of its corniness is the fact that the actors who play GLEE's leads are cute, not to mention great singers and dancers.

Oh yeah, and for the most part, they're all over twenty-one.

But do the millions of tweens and teens who watch the show realize this?

Parents have to decide that quickly--at least, before the next issue of GQ magazine hits the newstands. A media malestrom has broken out over whether GLEE castmembers Lea Michelle, Corey Monteith and Dianna Agron have the right to be on it, posing suggestively.

GQ is getting a lot of mileage out of the sensual pics. News organizations have been fed the photos and a video of the photo shoot (see below). But the response of parents--and organizations like the Parents Television Council--has run the gamut from dismay to outrage.

Although I'm a parent, I guess I should consider myself lucky. My kids are already young adults, so I can breathe a sigh of relief that the TV idols of their teen years--the gang of the original 90210--waited until they were off the show before breaking character and embarrassing producer Aaron Spelling. (Well, most of them: COUGHSHANNENDOHERTYCOUGH)

Here's a video on the GLEE girls gone wild: You can also take my Sunday poll and tell me what you think:

Hitting a low note,

--Josie

Josie's Latest Book: Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
Simon & Schuster/Downtown Press

(ISBN: 9781439173176)

In bookstores June 1, 2010. Order it TODAY!

"Hollywood's got nothing on the cast of characters living in the bedroom community of Paradise Heights, who have the secrets, sex, money and scandal of an OK! Magazine cover story. Josie Brown is a skilled observer whose clever dialogue and feisty style make for truly entertaining reading." --Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives

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Comment by josiebrown on October 24, 2010 at 12:58pm: Agreed, Nicole. They are adults, and I presume they feel it will help their images in the long-term of their careers.

I have noticed that actors/musicians with young audiences have a fine line to walk, in public. I guess Miley Cyrus' career survived (thrived?) after her VANITY FAIR cover brouhaha --although, personally, I didn't see anything wrong with it. Having Annie Leibovitz is take your photo is the equivalent of having John Singer Sargent paint you during the 1890s.

Britney Spears' music videos were always suggestive--and parents didn't seem to have a problem with those, until she (to paraphrase Katy Perry) kissed a girl. Frankly, I thought that was over the top, since it was obviously a publicity stunt. Did it help her career? Hardly. Then again, marrying a deadbeat didn't help, either.

But everyone is allowed to grow up. Too bad some of these kids have to do so in public.

Comment by nicole on October 24, 2010 at 12:31pm: Luckily I have a 3 yr old who doesnt watch Glee, so I dont have to worry about this right now. BUT having said that, if my kid did watch it, I would have to decide whether to sit downa nd talk about the photos or not. On one hand, they dont do anything like this on the show, so I have no problem with older kids watching it. AND they are over 21, so they have a right to seek adult roles, by showing themselves outside the box.

On the other hand, the girls are already saying maybe they went too far on the spread. Which tells me the bad press is getting to them. And I sorta agree, did they really need shots that rival Playboy? And I dont see why the girls are scantily (uh, barely?) clad while Corey is dressed up to his chin. HMMMM, yes it's a guys magazine, but how about a gesture of SOME equality, ok?

SIGH, some things never change!

It's going to be interesting to see if the spread damages the show in the long run,