Glee's not-so-plain Jane having the scene-stealing time of her life

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester: Fox photo

PASADENA, Calif. -- It's loud and crowded at an indoor/outdoor Fox party. But "overnight sensation" Jane Lynch can be heard above the din.

"This is the role of a lifetime," she says of her portrayal of scene-stealing, super-nasty cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester on Fox's Glee. "It's overwhelming to the point where I don't feel a damn thing."

Lynch, 49, had appeared as a guest star or recurring character in a host of TV series before Glee put her by far under the brightest spotlight she's ever basked in.

"Because I've been doing this for so long, you fuel yourself for disappointment," she says. "But you get over the success quickly, too. So I'm not walking around going 'Yesssss!' I'm still doing my job. And believe me, this is gratifying to have four people surrounding me as I sit here. I feel ridiculous. But when this show ends I'll be movin' on and doin' something else. And maybe it won't be as big a success. So you really have to cherish these moments."

Lynch has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Sylvester. She'll find out Sunday night whether she comes up a winner. And yes, she has a dress at the ready.

"That was the biggest psychological relief," Lynch says. "A designer (Ali Rahimi) approached my agent. And he brought me to his workshop and we found a dress."

She hasn't written an acceptance speech and has no plans to do so.

"I know myself," she says. "If I half-assed write a speech, I'll screw it up. I'm much better not thinking of things. I'm always much better on my first take than I am on the second, third or fourth."

Glee is on hiatus at the moment and won't be returning until April 13th on a new night, Tuesdays. Next fall, the show will introduce three new cast members after a recently announced international casting call via online auditions. Might the newbies be intimidated by the very thought of Lynch as Sylvester?

"You flatter me," she says. "These kids, they don't bow at my feet. They'll be fine."

In Lynch's view, Sylvester is just a "typical, over-the-top villain. She drips evil to the point where she's not even dangerous. She's just funny. She can't really exist in real life, and that's why I love playing her. She's almost in her own melodrama. She's e-e-e-e-vil. If she had a mustache, she'd be twirling it."

Playing Sylvester led to a series of Xbox commercials that began airing over the Christmas holidays. She's lippy and overblown in them, but "that's not Sue Sylvester," Lynch hastens to add. "I hope people don't think it is. That would probably tick off Fox."

Otherwise, "I'm not getting offered a damn thing," she says of cashing in on the notoriety that Glee has brought her. "First of all, I'm not available, 'cause we're working so hard. And I'm very happy to just do this job. I don't need to be a trillionaire or working every moment of the day anymore. I used to be much more hungry and ambitious."

The only thing she's hungry for at the Fox party are a cup of coffee and "something chocolate," which her agent willingly fetches for her while she continues to gab with reporters. A little star treatment never hurts.