Songwriter Greg Holden Discusses the Success of Phillip Phillips’ ‘Home’ – Phillip Phillips’ coronation song, “Home,” hits the radio this week, and the man behind the lyrics, Greg Holden, still can’t believe it. “It’s the biggest thing that’s happened to me,” Holden told the Scotland website, DailyRecord.co.uk. “If sales reach 500,000, I will get myself a little gold disc, which would be incredible.” – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

Scotty McCreery throwing out first pitch at Chattanooga Lookouts game June 22 – Season 10 “American Idol” Scotty McCreery will throw out the first pitch at the Lookouts baseball game at AT&T Field on Friday, June 22, at 7:15 p.m. Pete Intza, Lookouts spokesman, confirmed McCreery’s appearance and first-pitch honors. The country singer’s visit is one of the promotions during Paint the Park Purple, a benefit for the Mid-South chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association during the Lookouts vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos game. – Read more at Times Free Press

OFFSTAGE: Scotty McCreery Looks for Balance – “It was tough at first,” Scotty McCreery told me. “I mean, for 17 years of your life you live every day at home — and you see your friends every single day — and then all of a sudden, poof, you’re on the road and don’t see them for five months at a time.” That’s what he admitted to me last night (June 17) when he was in Chicago to headline his own show at the House of Blues. I was asking what he missed most about home when he was out on the road, and it came down to the people. – Read more at CMT.com

Carrie Underwood: BBC Radio 2 Babe – Promoting her new album Blown Away, Carrie Underwood was spotted at BBC Radio 2 studios in London, England today (June 18). The “Jesus Take the Wheel” songstress donned a striped top teamed with a black blazer and grey trousers as she smiled for the fans and shutterbugs that gathered to greet her. – See the Photos at Celebrity Gossip

Carrie Underwood’s Scary Underwear

Benji Schwimmer’s Naked Truth – I was a true blue, believing, serving, active Mormon and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was on a television show, and it was very widely known that I was LDS. But all my life I’ve also been pretty much gay. Not much of a surprise considering I was a dancer, but still a surprise to many—especially those who didn’t want to know. I had girlfriends growing up. I’ve been engaged once, semi-officially twice—and after there was love, I confessed to them about my situation. But I never really experimented. I felt like I was on the right track. You get home from your mission, and the next real mission is to get married and have kids and serve in the church until you die. I felt that God had blessed me with all these talents, and if I had done something sinful, it would have been a slap in his face. I’d been out of the church for about a year when I did the interview. – Read more at Out.com

Country star Jennifer Nettles is pregnant – Congrats are in order for Sugarland singer and Duets star Jennifer Nettles, who is expecting her first child with new husband Justin Miller. “They are thrilled beyond belief,” Sugarland’s manager Gail Gellman tells USA TODAY in a statement. It will be the first child for Nettles, 37, who married Miller last November in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. – Read more at USA Today

Arsenio Hall will host a new late-night talk show in 2013 – Celebrity Apprentice winner, Arsenio Hall is returning to late night TV via a syndication deal. Hall is partnering with syndicator CBS Television Distribution and Tribune Co., which will broadcast the 11 p.m. show on its 17 TV stations, including WGN-TV in Chicago and KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, giving it instant access to more than half the country. Tribune also owns or is a partner in scores of websites and operates eight daily newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. “In the end I’m a comic, and nothing fits the talk-show mode like a stand-up comic,” Hall said in an interview Monday. – Read more at the LA Times

‘Glee’s’ Cory Monteith Talks ‘The Glee Project’s’ Anti-Bullying Episode – “Glee has always advocated for things like this and anti-bullying is close to a lot of the people’s hearts who run, produce and star in the show, myself and [co-creator] Ryan Murphy included,” Monteith tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s high on everyone’s priority list to lend our support to make people more aware that this is happening to real kids every day,” he says. As part of the episode, Oxygen Media is partnering with the Bully Project for an on-air PSA featuring Monteith and online campaign featuring LeAnn Rimes. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

 
  • Anonymous

    Read some of Benji’s interview…from his bathtub lol.  Inspiring and helpful, even life-saving, for younger gays caught in the church trap.  He got out…admirable.

  • Anonymous

    Ah, Benji, Benji, you done good. … Cute that for a while he wanted there to be a Tranji, too. 

  • Anonymous

    Pentatonix is going to be doing a show for KBIG here in L.A. at 12:30 pm Friday. You can win tickets if you are good at writing haikus  :)

    http://www.facebook.com/Pentatonix 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AGWO435FL6UN2ICRVTFLWRJZSA Lexie

    A review of the Paisley/Perry/McCreery concert at Cleveland this weekend:)

     http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2012/06/brad_paisley_and_a_constellati.html

  • http://untitlement.wordpress.com Caroline Bridges

    So You Think You Can Dance question:

    I got audience tickets for the season premiere (of the main competition) next week. It tapes Monday. Does anyone know if that will air live? I didn’t think Monday was their night. Also, do we know how the one-night-a-week format will work?

    Getting excited!

  • Anonymous

    Very cool that the success of “Home” has resulted in opportunities for the songwriter/original artist

  • TheOther

    I think Greg Holden may get his wish regarding a Gold single for Home.  It’s not that far away from selling 500,000.

  • Anonymous

    I loved Benji on SYTYCD.. I loved his spirit it was infectious and endearing. I am Mormon. Benji is doing what he feels is what is best for him and that is the way it should be. Even though I may not agree with his choices I would be wrong to change my opinion of him and who he is because he believes differently than me. It does bum me out that he is portraying his own individual experience with one Stake President as church doctrine and policy. I know for a fact that it is not Mormon church policy that if a man says he is gay he cannot serve in youth organizations. Like me, you, Benji and that Stake president we are not perfect and make mistakes. I would hope that if someone wanted to truly understand the Mormon church’s stand on Gays I would read the story of Josh Weed google “club unicorn:in which I come out of the closet on our ten year anniversary” He a gay Mormon not living a lie.

  • http://twitter.com/makeFigure8s Just Me!

    Haley events this week:
    June 19, KS95′s Live 95 Concert. 21 plus event. Radio contest tickets only. Minneapolis/St. Paul
    June 20, 1pm, 95.7 WLHT,    The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI
    June 20, MIX 106.3 WGER Sizzlin’ Summer Concert Series, State Theatre in Bay City, MI
    June 21, 10AM, Fox News in the Morning - WJBK Detroit (“Free”)
    June 22, Windy City Live, ABC, 9AM, Chicago IL [Taped 6/11] (“Free”)
    June 22, My 99.9 KVUU,  Johnjay & Rich,at the Thirsty Parrot, 21+, Colorado Springs.  Open admission.  VIP/M&G via station

  • Incipit

    Just Me!, I saw a tweet tonight that Haley was going to be/play? at the The July 8th MLB ALL-STAR LEGENDS & CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME in KC – which will be broadcast July 9 on ESPN following the Home Run Derby.

    >>@Addicted2Haley: Watch HaleyReinhart play a celeb all-star softball game on July 9 on ESPN including David Cook

    Have you any news about that?

    ETA: Nevermind – E News clip posted by Lisa – mentions a few names, Haley among them – and I think one of the Glee kids? Overstreet?

    >>@FoolsApril64
    http://twitvid.com/UZGO9 – [BLIP] E!News names David Cook & other celebs participating in 9-Jul ALL-STAR LEGENDS & CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for the update, Lexie. All the videos from Scotty’s House of Blues (Chicago) sold out concert can now be seen on You Tube. I like most especially when he sang TTWG and the audience was singing with him to the point that he directed the mike to them. What a wonderful sight !

    Thanks again MJ for any kind of news about Scotty.

  • justmefornow

    Just saw James on CNN talking with Sanjay Gupta about his early personal and medical struggles and how he overcame them, (thanks again Heidi-you really are an angel)

    They showed a clip from the Idol tour of James singing that duet with Lauren. 
    -Hi Lauren, miss the tutu, lol

  • Anonymous

    Congratulations, Jennifer Nettles!  Boo on Arsenio:  after his foul-mouthed rants, I wonder if he is planning for any women to watch his show.

  • http://twitter.com/tinawinabina Tinawina

    But wasn’t it that a gay man that had ever physically acted on his attractions in any way was banned from interacting with children, not a gay man period? You can be gay, but if you ever kiss a guy and confess it you will be banned for the rest of your life.

    Anyway, I read the story. It seems pretty consistent with what Benji said. You can be gay, the church will still love you, but you are still expected to fight it, marry a member of the opposite sex, remain faithful to the marriage and have a family.

  • http://untitlement.wordpress.com Caroline Bridges

     Ah, answered one of my questions: Monday is when they tape Meet the Top 20.