John Rich Hosting St. Jude Fundraiser Featuring Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker – Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Jeff Foxworthy and Big & Rich will perform at the St. Jude Presents John Rich & Friends concert on June 5 at the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tenn. Rich will host the event that launches the 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic golf tournament. – CMT
Channel 933 Summer Kickoff Concert with American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez
Adam Lambert braces for whirlwind with ‘Trespassing,’ Queen tour – “All I had on my plate was working on my music. It felt so good,” he says. “The last album I made while I was on the road and I was just adjusting to all this.” He remembers struggling to dial down the competitive mind set “Idol” requires and learning how to navigate the imposed intimacy of his interaction with fans. “Now I’m renting a house and I’m in a relationship,” he says. “I’m living somewhat of a normal life.” Or at least he was. With “Trespassing” in stores, Lambert’s existence is again taking a turn for the extraordinary, as he launches a campaign RCA Vice President of marketing Nick Pirovano claims will stretch well into 2013. “We know this album has several singles,” Pirovano says, adding, “We want a No. 1 album, and we feel good about the setup.” – Read more at The Los Angeles Times
Chris Colfer and Adam Lambert on VH1 Big Morning Buzz
Chris and Adam with host Carrie Keagan
As the show went to break, Chris was introduced. He hugged Adam and the two chatted for awhile in between a clip of the “Trespassing” video. <3 <3 <3.
Upfronts 2012: NBC aims to look beyond music – “Smash” stars Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty performed the ballad “Let Me Be Your Star,” before being joined onstage by “The Voice” judge s— Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera — in their signature red revolving chairs (which will get more air time when the series returns in the fall). Advertisers were even shown a clip, introduced onscreen by “30 Rock’s” Tina Fey and late night host Jimmy Fallon — imagining what the upcoming season might look like if it went through the “Smash” machine: with a montage showcasing actors from “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Law & Order: SVU” and even “Grimm,” belting out mid-scene. Then there was a performance by “The Voice” winner Jermaine Paul. And yet another performance by Katherine McPhee.- Read more at The LA Times Blog
Catching Up With Katie Stevens – In 2010, Katie Stevens captured the hearts of Connecticut, making it to American Idol’s Top Ten before she even graduated from Southbury’s Pomperaug High School. These days, the 19-year-old from Middlebury is living in Los Angeles trying to become a superstar singer in spite of losing “Idol.” It’s a daunting task that she talked about with Fox CT’s Alison Morris. See Stevens live Wednesday on Fox CT News at 10 p.m. following “American Idol.” – Read more at Hartford Courant
Megan Hilty on the ‘Smash’ Finale and ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ – Fans of NBC’s “Smash” are waiting to find out tonight in the season finale whether Karen Cartwright, played by Katharine McPhee, or Ivy Lynn, played by Megan Hilty, will win the part of Marilyn Monroe on Broadway. If anyone’s keeping tabs offscreen, Hilty has an edge. The petite blond actress just wrapped a seven-performance concert staging of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” as Lorelei Lee, a role made famous by Carol Channing on Broadway and cemented on the silver screen by Monroe in 1953. – Read more at Wall Street Journal
‘Smash’ Finale Preview: Who is Best Equipped to be Marilyn? – “I think Karen has a similar drive to succeed Marilyn,” McPhee tells THR. “She was just haunted by so many of her little demons. But that being said, Karen is just at the cusp of possible success and notoriety and success sometimes destroys people.” In addition to a similar drive, Karen’s challenge with her relationship with boyfriend Dev (Raza Jaffrey) almost parallels Marilyn’s tortured romance with Yankee slugger Joe DiMaggio. “There is a bit of a connection between Marilyn’s men wanting her to just stay at home and Joe DiMaggio wanting her to just stay at home and be part of the family, have children and her struggling with wanting that but also wanting to have her career,” McPhee says. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Host Darren Criss on His Big Win, Gleeful Fans and Theater Love – Asked about the fourth season of Glee, Criss says, “As a fan, I look forward to seeing what happens between Blaine and Kurt [Chris Colfer]. It’s a very common thing when people in love go off to college and have to figure out what happens, so that journey interests me. But listen, I’m just glad to be back at all, so if they have me sitting in the back of the choir room all year, that sounds fine! As usual, Criss is being too modest, but he has a clear vision of why his star has risen so fast in less than two years. “I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it wasn’t for the fans,” he declares. “Even before Glee, Broadway fans have been very good to me.” – Read more at Broadway.com
HOWARD STERN: Ryan Seacrest interviews Howard about America’s Got Talent
