ACM AWARD® WINNING ARTISTS CHARLES KELLEY, BLAKE SHELTON, LITTLE BIG TOWN & OLD DOMINION ADDED AS PERFORMERS FOR THE 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™! – The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions revealed additional performers and presenters for Country Music’s Party of the Year®! Multi-ACM Award winning artists Charles Kelley, Blake Shelton and Little Big Town, plus this year’s New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year winners Old Dominion have been added to the stellar line-up of live performances for the 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™. It was also announced Miss America Betty Cantrell, Chris Janson, Jana Kramer, Martina McBride, Kip Moore, Kacey Musgraves, Nancy O’Dell, Jake Owen, Chase Rice, Kiefer Sutherland and Cole Swindell have been added as presenters for the ceremony. – via dc productions press release
HBO to Debut CONFIRMATION, Starring Kerry Washington, 4/16 – HBO Films’ CONFIRMATION stars Kerry Washington (Emmy® and Golden Globe nominee for “Scandal”; “Django Unchained,” “Ray”), Wendell Pierce (HBO’s “Treme” and “The Wire”), Greg Kinnear (Oscar® and Golden Globe nominee for “As Good as It Gets”; “Little Miss Sunshine”), Jeffrey Wright (Emmy® and Golden Globe winner for HBO’s “Angels in America”; HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”), Eric Stonestreet (Emmy® winner for “Modern Family”) and Jennifer Hudson (Oscar® winner for “Dreamgirls”). Written by Susannah Grant (Oscar® nominee for “Erin Brockovich”) and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope,” “The Wood”), the film details the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, which brought the country to a standstill and forever changed the way we think about sexual harassment, victims’ rights and modern-day race relations. – Read more at Broadwayworld.com
Life Lessons: Kris Allen on Why You Need Friend & Family Time
First Person: My ‘American Idol’ Experience, by Jon Peter Lewis – So, during one of those pee breaks, I was standing at the stall and I heard Ryan say my name. I hate it when people try talking to me while I’m at the urinal, however, and I pretended not to hear. But he was persistent and finally got my attention when he said, “Hey, isn’t that your song on the radio?” I quickly turned my attention to the speakers and sure enough, there I was, playing on the radio. I ran out into the hallway where the speakers were louder to get a better listen. It was the first time I’d had a random, unsolicited run-in with my song playing on air. It was surreal. I felt like I was floating. A montage of milestone moments played out in my head. And, not for the first time, I noticed the common thread. Grinning like an idiot, my unzipped pants forgotten, there I was backstage on The Voice and I couldn’t help feeling profoundly grateful to American Idol. – Read more at Yahoo.com
American Idol: Ruben Studdard recalls the first time he met Clay Aiken – “I met him in our Hollywood audition,” Studdard tells EW. “One of my fraternity brothers had made it to Hollywood, too, so I was excited we would be able to hang out like we did in college. And he got cut the first day. So now my whole plan is shattered. So I go to the bar, like, man, I need to go get me a beer and just chill out. And I see this little skinny white dude at the table with six of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. So I’m like, ‘Who in the hell is this dude by himself with all these girls?!’ And so I went over and introduced myself, like, ‘Yo, what’s up, man, you need some help at the table?’ And he’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Clay Aiken.’ ” – Ruben, a little slow on the uptake. Heh. – Read more at Ew.com
American Idol: Paula Abdul recalls she ‘quit eight times’ – What do you remember most about your first day on the judges’ panel? A few years ago, this man came up to me and introduced himself and said, “I was your sound guy on your first day at work at American Idol.“ And I said, “Oh wow. I feel bad, I must have quit a few times.” And he said “Eight. You quit eight times.” I felt terrible for those kids. I would try to maintain composure in the midst of absurdity and they were completely delusional, like brilliantly delusional. But there was never a shortage of really incredible voices and raw talent. We were always able to find it, and that’s what was so exciting. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly
2 Mississippi hometowns celebrate ‘American Idol’ finalists – In made-for-TV events, two “American Idol” finalists are being celebrated in their Mississippi hometowns. Thousands of people turned out Saturday to see La’Porsha Renae in McComb and Trent Harmon in Amory. Each singer had a homecoming parade and performed a concert for family, friends and fans. – Read more at the Sun Herald
Survivor: Debbie calls out ‘bloody wankers’ in exclusive merge interview – You keep telling female players that you want a woman to win the game. Are you being genuine when you say this or just using that to get them to trust you? Genuine; most of the guys were BLOODY WANKERS and the ladies quite lovely.
Peter and Liz clearly underestimated your strategic chops in the game. Because you are an eccentric personality, do you think people tend to overlook you in this way? No. First two shows clearly emphasized my whimsicality and exuberance, however I was playing to win the second we were on the boat… observing closely…. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly
Happy Easter!! River loved the Easter Bunny about as much as she loved Santa ha! #happycamper pic.twitter.com/CS3yEzwVox
— Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) March 27, 2016
