Headlines: CMA Fest Features Country Favs, AGT Winner Darci Lynne Set for NBC Special

‘America’s Got Talent’ Winner Darci Lynne to Star in NBC Holiday Special – The 2017 winner of America’s Got Talent Darci Lynne Farmer will star in a one-hour holiday special for NBC. “Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas” will feature the 13-year-old with special musical guests and heartfelt visits to her hometown of Oklahoma City. Airing in December, Farmer will bring to life her characters including the show-stopping rabbit Petunia, the shy mouse Oscar, and the brash Edna. Through ventriloquism and song, Farmer will deliver a high-energy special filled with laughs for the holiday season. – Read more at Billboard.com

CMA Festival Airs Tonight on ABC

Maddie Poppe to be recognized at the Iowa State Fair – American Idol Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe of Clarksville will be recognized Thursday at the Iowa State Fair during opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. – Read more at WCF Courier.com

‘American Idol’ singers stay true to themselves on tour – “It’s a really big honor,” Poppe says. “I grew up watching the show. I’ve always been a fan. I have memories of watching the bad auditions, watching people like Jordin Sparks and Taylor Hicks being crowned, and watching Kellie Pickler. But I never thought anything like this could happen.” Poppe says Hicks, from Season 5, is her favorite “American Idol” winner. She says this past season’s contestants became close and were rooting for one another to win. – Read more at St. Louis Dispatch

Jordin Sparks Talks Motherhood, ‘American Idol’ and Why ‘Day One Fans’ Will Love Her New Album – All that has inspired her to get back in the studio, where Sparks is at work on her next LP. While her biggest hits have been pop ballads, Sparks’ 2015 album Right Here Right Now saw the singer dip into the R&B/hip-hop world. The album didn’t live up to the commercial heights of her previous LPs, but it also garnered some of the best reviews of her career. Sparks says this upcoming album, her fourth, will be a fusion of pop and R&B — and one she’s confident her longtime fans will be excited about. – Read more at Billboard

With Carrie Underwood Beside Him, Keith Urban Celebrates “The Fighter” – The best part about attending a No. 1 party for Keith Urban is that he always does a live performance of the song being honored. And so it was Monday afternoon (Aug. 6) when a crowd of Music Row insiders gathered at the Back Corner bar in Nashville to cheer Urban on for his 24th top single, “The Fighter.” Upping the entertainment quotient considerably was the fact that Carrie Underwood, his duet partner on the recording, showed up to sing along with him. Urban’s co-writer on the song — busbee — also sang and played bass on the performance (As Urban used to do in his early stages as an artist, busbee shuns the use of capital letters in his name.). – Read more at CMT

Jordan Smith’s new album lets the Harlan singer and songwriter act his age – Working on his new album, “Only Love,” Jordan Smith came to an important realization. “Something I had to come to terms with is that I am a younger person,” Smith says from his home base in Harlan. “I have a lot of fans from all different walks of life, all different ages. But ultimately, I am a young guy, and this album has definitely taken on a younger, more current sound, in my opinion, because of that searching that I did, because of that process of figuring out who I was and realizing that was part of it.” Smith attributes a good portion of the album’s groove to producer RedOne, known for work with Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj, for giving his sound a more pop sheen. – Read more at Kentucky.com

Kelly Clarkson’s Daughter’s Cute Crush on Chris Martin

Smash Reunion!

Waitress star Katharine McPhee’s Smash co-star Megan Hilty pose backstage.

‘American Idol’ star who left IDF speaks up about secret mental health battle – When former “American Idol” star Brett Loewenstern was discharged from the Israel Defense Forces on the last day of basic training, the singer had profuse gratitude for the army psychiatrist who broke the news to him. Having moved to the Jewish state amid media fanfare in 2016, Loewenstern made “aliyah” with a singular dream in mind: to serve in the IDF performing corps, singing and playing guitar for the troops. Alongside this long-held vision, however, the peppery red-head harbored serious doubts about his chances of “making it” abroad. During that heady summer of 2016, Loewenstern was particularly worried about how he would manage his Bipolar II disorder. Within weeks of landing in Tel Aviv, he found himself surrounded by familiar demons, and without a support system. – Read more at Times of Isreal

The Voice Rhode Island Lottery Promotion with Season 11 alum Billy Gilman

Well, this is odd.

About mj santilli 35128 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!