Lea Michele Gets Cheeky in a Thong Bikini While Vacationing in Mexico—See the Pic!

What a view, right?!

Lea Michele can definitely demand attention with her powerhouse vocals, but this time she did it while staying completely silent and showing off some of her other great assets. The Glee star made her Instagram followers stop mid-scroll on their news feed when they saw a snapshot of the 27-year-old celeb posing in a revealing thong bikini while vacationing in Mexico.

"What an amazing week in Mexico...New day. New year. #Bringit2014," she captioned the picture. Once you peel your eyes off of her backside, you realize that there's actually a gorgeous scenic view, as well.

The brunette beauty has been keeping a low profile over the holidays, after working hard to promote her first solo album Louder. However, she made sure to send her well wishes to Twitter followers as the new year approached.

"Wishing everyone a very happy new year.. Sending much love.. So grateful to all of you for all your endless love and support this year.," Lea tweeted.

Before getting cheeky in Mexico, Michele became one with nature by enjoying a hike in sunny California over Christmas. "Christmas in California:) #freshair #hike #nature," she captioned the pic-framed photo on Thursday, Dec. 26.

The star had vowed to put her "feet up recharge, relax and breath in some fresh air" over the holidays, and it seems like she's doing just that (and some).

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Glee’s Cory Monteith Tribute: Everything You Need to Know

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If you are a diehard Glee fan, or even just a casual Glee viewer, the Cory Monteith(Finn) tribute episode airing tonight probably will rock you to the core. Here's everything you need to know about what to expect, what went down behind the scenes, and how to separate fact from fiction when it comes to rumors surrounding who took part.Get ready for the biggest TV-inspired cry of your life.

What It's About: Tonight's tribute episode, "The Quarterback," starts off a few weeks after Finn's death. It does not reveal how he died and does not include his funeral. The storyline centers around someone stealing Finn's letterman jacket. And  Mr. Schue invites everyone to pay tribute by singing songs for Finn. In the original script, Lea Michele (Rachel) doesn't appear until the end of the episode, when she sings Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love." That, and a show-stopping moment for Santana (Naya Rivera), who gets physical with someone, are highlights of the episode—and by that we mean you will need an industrial-sized box of Kleenex. Or 20.

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The Script Brought Everyone to Tears: "You will cry from beginning to end," says a source of the script, which was penned by the show's executive producers (and original dream-team writing trio for the early seasons), Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. "It is extremely well done." Ryan tell us of penning the episode, ""It was very difficult…But it was done with a really pure feeling of love for [Cory] and I think that's what that episode is about; treasure your friendships when you have them because one day they're not going to be there. And for young people in particular, I think that's a really sweet, kind message."

How It Was Determined Who Was In It: Despite ugly rumors that Lea Michele and Ryan Murphy did not want Dianna Agron (Quinn) to be involved in the tribute, we are told by multiple sources that it all came down to scheduling and timing. Agron simply wasn't available when the episode was shooting, and because of that, she did not ask to come back, as some of the others did. "When you write something like that," Ryan Murphy said of the episode, "there's no right way to do it. So we wrote it. We put people who were under contract to the show in it. And a lot of the actors contacted me and said, I just loved him so much can I just please be a part of it? So we put those people in." A show insider points out that Dianna attended Cory's funeral and is still "very much a part of the Glee family and remains friends with the cast."

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The Entire Episode Is a One-Take Wonder: "Almost everything in that episode is from the first take of every performance because the actors and the crew had a really hard time shooting it,' Murphy said. "I've never seen a crew that you can't continue shooting because they've left the room sobbing. It was very hard. I struggled even working on it because what they felt, not just about Finn but Cory."

Lea Michele Believes the Episode Is "Perfect": "I haven't seen it yet, but we did it because it was something we all needed to do together," Lea told Australia's TV Week. "Everyone is asking: ‘Is it hard to do this? Is it hard to be back at work?', but the truth is it's no harder at work than it is in life so we might as well all be together as a family supporting each other to get through this together."

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Everyone Was in Awe of Lea: While Ryan Murphy says "It was really tough on Lea" he also insists she is the "strongest 26-year-old I know." And Matthew Morrison said of the filming, "[Lea] had one of the first songs we filmed for the episode and she did it so beautifully and after, she said something like, ‘It can't be harder for anyone else than it was for me.' So, we knew we had to show up because our leader stepped forward and kind of gave permission to all of us to do it. I don't think we could have done it without her." In the script, Lea/Rachel doesn't appear in the episode until the end.

The Songs: Naya Rivera (Santana) sings "If I Die Young", Chord Overstreet (Sam) and Kevin McHale (Artie) sing "Fire And Rain", while Mark Salling (Puck) performs "No Surrender". The whole cast sings "Seasons of Love." This is all before Lea/Rachel makes an appearance to tearfully croon the Bob Dylan single, "Make You Feel My Love". You can hear all the songs right here:

Check back tonight, right after the episode airs, for more from Ryan Murphy about this tribute episode. And a group therapy session.

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Lea Michele Opens Up About Cory Monteith's Death: "There Was No Greater Man"

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Save for a few tweets and her heartfelt appearance at the Teen Choice Awards,Lea Michele has said very little about her late boyfriend, Cory Monteith. That all changed on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when the actress addressed his death during a Gleepanel with costars Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch, as well as show creator RyanMurphy.

Speaking to TV Week Australia, the 27-year-old actress described the Oct. 10 tribute episode to Monteith's character, Finn Hudson, as "perfect."

"I feel like, for me personally, I've lost two people: Cory and Finn," Michele said. "We had a beautiful memorial for Cory in the auditorium and some of the cast members sang and people spoke about him. It only felt right that we would do the same thing for Finn, so I felt it was very therapeutic."

Though many wondered if Michele would quit the show after Monteith died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose in July, she's found comfort in getting back to work. "Everyone is asking, ‘Is it hard to do this? Is it hard to be back at work?'" she said. "But the truth is, it's no harder at work than it is in life, so we might as well all be together as a family supporting each other to get through this together."

NEWS: Why Dianna Agron doesn't appear in Cory Monteith's tribute episode

Michele performs the song "Make You Feel My Love" in the episode titled "The Quarterback." Originally written byBob Dylan, the track has been famously covered byGarth Brooks and Adele.

Morrison was blown away by Michele's touching tribute. "She had one of the first songs we filmed for the episode and she did it so beautifully," he said. "After, she said something like, ‘It can't be harder for anyone else than it was for me.'"

Michele's fortitude was inspirational, according to Morrison. "We knew we had to show up because our leader stepped forward and kind of gave permission to all of us to do it," he explained. "I don't think we could have done it without her."

Asked what she hopes fans will remember most about her late love, Michele replied, "I really woke up every single day feeling like I was being in some sort of spell or something, that I was lucky enough to have him in my life. I feel like what happened with [Monteith's death] was [miniscule] in the scheme of who he was and his life."

"There was no greater man than Cory," she added, "so for the time we spent together I consider myself very lucky."

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Glee's Cory Monteith Tribute: Listen to Naya Rivera's Powerful Rendition of "If I Die Young"Ge

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With Glee's Cory Monteith tribute episode just a few days away, our hearts our heavy at the thought of saying a final goodbye to the actor who made us smile for four years on our TV screens. On one hand, we're excited to be a part of the celebration of Monteith's life, but on the other, we know that this is going to be one of the most difficult hours of television that we have ever had to endure.Sometimes words just aren't enough, that's why we have music.

To help prepare you for the emotional roller coaster that Thursday's episode, "The Quarterback" is sure to take us on, we've got your first listen at the touching songs that will be featured in the hourlong tribute. From Naya Rivera's powerful rendition of "If I Die Young," to the cast's emotional take on a Rent classic, grab some tissues and take a listen to the songs from this week's all-new Glee.

"Seasons of Love" (Rent, Full cast

"If I Die Young" (The Band Perry), Santana

"No Surrender" (Bruce Springsteen), Puck

Fox will air the Glee tribute episode on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m.

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