Among them were the news that Tony Award winner Idina Menzel will return to play Shelby Corcoran, the music director of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline and Rachel (Lea Michele)’s birth mother. According to digitalspy.com, when asked at the panel about Menzel and her Wicked costar and fellow “Glee” guest star Kristin Chenoweth, Murphy said, “They are both too busy to be regulars but they are both coming back this year, yes.” Chenoweth’s return as boozy ex-glee clubber April Rhodes was previously confirmed.

Digitalspy and the Los Angeles Times also reported that “Glee” will do a “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-themed episode. The news was revealed by Murphy at the panel after Emmy-nominated cast member Chris Colfer (who plays Kurt) mentioned that he wanted to sing “Time Warp,” from the film and stage musical favorite, next season.

A Comic-Con panel for that other Fox juggernaut, “The Simpsons,” also revealed that the “Glee” cast will visit Springfield in animated form during the series’ upcoming 22nd season, according to the Times.

When discussing the “Glee” episode that will follow the Super Bowl broadcast in February 2011, Murphy said, "We're in negotiation to do a really big tribute episode but we haven't closed it so I can't say."

At the panel’s end, when asked if more classic Broadway show tunes, such as those from Guys and Dolls, would be heard in the “Glee” mix, Murphy replied, "Of course we will. We're just getting started, and we have a lot we'd like to pay homage to. When we do those numbers, we do them as fans, and I'm a fan of all those numbers."

The second season of “Glee” will premiere Sept. 21 at 8 PM ET on Fox.

— Thomas Peter