'Glee' actress explains racy photos

A day after the Parents Television Council blasted the cover of the new GQ, calling it "near-pornographic," at least one of the "Glee" cast members has offered an apology.

Dianna Agron, 24, who plays cheerleader Quinn Fabray and who posed on the cover and a photo spread with co-stars Cory Monteith, 28, and Lea Michele, 24, explained on her blog Thursday that the magazine "asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' version. At the time, it wasn't my favorite idea, but I did not walk away. . . . If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention."

The cover of GQ's November issue features a fully dressed Monteith embracing Agron and Michele, who are both scantily clad. The spread includes several suggestive photos of the two women depicting schoolgirls.

Stressing that she was speaking "not . . . [as] a representative of the three of us, the show, or Fox, only myself," Agron apologized for "perpetuating the type of images" that challenge "the levels of comfort in [our] viewers and fans."

Monteith and Michele have remained mum, but fellow "Glee"-ster Mark Salling told KIIS FM's JoJo Wright, "Personally, I think it's not a big deal. . . . People are starving, [The Dallas] Cowboys are losing - there are more important things to worry about in the world."

Tim Winters, president of the Parents Television Council, disagrees.

"It borders on pedophilia," he said on Wednesday, referring to the cover. He described the spread as a "near-pornographic display."

Fox Broadcasting declined to comment, though GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson told the AP that the network had been aware of the shoot but was not involved. "It was up to the individual actors and the reps for the actors to approve the concept," he said.

Reps for Michele and Monteith did not respond to AP's requests for comment. Agron's publicist would only confirm the authenticity of her blog posting.