Headlines: Jordan Smith, Danny Gokey, Set for National Anthems

Jordan Smith Will Sing The National Anthem at Saturday’s Game – The Harlan native and most recent winner of The Voice will open up Rupp Arena Saturday before Kentucky takes on Ole Miss. If you have tickets you better bring your seat belt because he’s going to blow you away. Jordan said on his Facebook that he’s always been a UK fan, “so singing at this game is another dream come true.” – Read more at Kentucky Sports Radio.com

American Idol star to sing anthem at Music City Bowl – Former American Idol contestant and Christian music singer Danny Gokey will sing the national anthem prior to Wednesday’s Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. – Read more at Tennessean.com

‘Voice’ finalist Barrett Baber to perform 2 Little Rock shows in January – Marion native Barrett Baber will perform two shows in Little Rock’s River Market in January after finishing in third place on NBC’s The Voice earlier this month. The shows will be at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 and 9 p.m. Jan. 15, both at the Revolution Music Room on President Clinton Avenue, according to Baber’s website. His show Jan. 15, The Acoustic Encore, will include fellow Voice contestant Dustin Christensen and feature “behind the scenes stories, solo acoustic performances of songs from [The Voice] and the debut of new unreleased original songs,” Baber’s website states. – Read more at Arkansas Online

Scotty McCreery Says Goodbye to ‘American Idol’ and Gives Us a Look at What’s Ahead – I had the opportunity to catch up with the season 10 alum, during which time we reflected on Idol ending, his experience on the show that made him a household name, and what’s in store next for him (spoiler alert: he’s up to a lot!). Listen to our full conversation below. – Listen at WhoSay

Interview: Catching up with Christina Grimmie, a phenomenal year in review – Christina Grimmie is one of the most adored artists in America. Blessed with a phenomenally powerful voice, she is quite literally capable of anything. Grimmie can sing so sweetly that angels swoon or she can belt out a soulful lick with such ferocity that the devil, himself, cowers in fear. Her voice might be a diva, but Christina is anything but. She’s humble, geeky, appreciative, and genuinely compassionate. She can totally glam up to be absolutely stunning, but casual with a touch of tomboy is her typical fashion jam. As an example of her appeal, recently Christina posted a picture of herself holding a dish of cookies (grandmom’s recipe), and she received nearly 24 thousand likes and almost 300 comments. That’s real fan-love. – Read more at AXS

Carrie Underwood to help rock in the new year – “I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of it before,” Underwood says, “and just being in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, there’s so many people and such a great energy. To be in the midst of the craziness, it’s really cool.” Still, she hopes it isn’t too cool outdoor-temperature-wise: “That is a big deal, in terms of what I wear and how many layers I put on. And do I go for the long underwear?” Underwood always appreciates getting back together with Seacrest, since she notes, “I’ve known him since Day One of all of this.” – Read more at Albany Herald

About mj santilli 34853 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!