Blake Shelton, ‘Fast and the Furious’ Writer Team for NBC Drama – The Voice judge Blake Shelton is branching out into scripted programming at NBC. The country music star is teaming with The Fast and the Furious writer Gary Scott Thompson for a drama based on his song “God’s Country.” The Universal TV project has a script commitment at the network. The potential series, called In God’s Country, centers on a hardworking Midwestern farm family. When its patriarch dies, his grown children discover he was keeping a devastating secret they could never have imagined. Thompson, who also created the early aughts drama Las Vegas for NBC, is executive producing with Shelton, Narvel Blackstock and Laurie Pozmantier. – Read more at Hollywood Reporter
How Simon Cowell Is ‘Building Strength in His Back’ 6 Weeks Post-Op as AGT Finale Arrives –
“Simon is swimming many times a day to build the strength in his back since the surgery,” the insider says of Cowell, who has also missed the majority of production on Britain’s Got Talent which is currently in the semifinal rounds in the U.K. “It was a few weeks before he could get back in a pool after the surgery, but now and for the last couple of weeks, he’s been swimming as much as possible,” the insider shares. “He’s reading a lot and building his muscle strength in his back with the exercise and eating healthy foods but he’s taking it week by week to ensure the post-surgery healing stays on track.” – Read more at People
‘She Bangs’ at 20: ‘American Idol’ Alum William Hung Remembers the Ricky Martin Song That Made Him Famous – Today, Hung still has no regrets. “It’s all about continuing to reinvent yourself, and figure out what makes you happy,” he tells Variety in a new interview. I decided to get into motivational speaking about three or four years ago, because I feel that I can make it a bigger impact through speaking, compared to just entertainment alone. I could still be entertaining, but I want to have a message to inspire people to keep chasing their dreams. And now more than ever, we need that inspiration, because it is a tough world to survive in, with the coronavirus pandemic. I’m also very interested in gaming because that’s my passion right now. I am looking to teach people how to play Japanese Mahjong for the English audiences. – Read more at Variety
Lauren Alaina’s New Nashville Home Includes a Rug Made from a Beloved Family Cow: WATCH – Lauren Alaina couldn’t be happier with her new Nashville home. “I’m very proud of it,” the country star, 25, says in an exclusive video tour with PEOPLE, above. “I got it in February, and I’ve spent all of the quarantine getting it ready. That’s the only blessing I’ve had — I’ve been able to be home and get my house together, and I’m really, really proud of it.” Inside the 2,200-square-foot property, Alaina’s living room features a rug made from her family’s late cow — left to her by her stepfather Sam Ramker, who died of cancer in 2018. – Read more at People.com
He got David Archuleta through ‘American Idol.’ Now he’s helping this Utah singer in the ‘AGT’ finals – Kenadi Dodds showed up on Dean Kaelin’s doorstep with a guitar and a power in her voice that belied her age. In some ways, Kenadi reminds Kaelin of Archuleta. When she talks, her demeanor is sweet and somewhat timid. But she does a complete 180 when she sings. “David Archuleta was honestly that shy — it wasn’t an act. He was that shy, but all of a sudden, as soon as he started singing, it wasn’t about him anymore. It was about the song and his connection to the song,” Kaelin said. “Kenadi’s a lot that way as well. Once she plays that first chord and her mouth opens, it’s all about the song and all about the emotion. All of the other stuff goes away. – Read more at Deseret News
20 Questions With Bea Miller: The Surprise Success of ‘Feel Something’ & Her ‘Truthful’ Next Chapter – Although HBO’s acclaimed teen drama Euphoria premiered over a year ago, the “Euphoria Makeup Trend” has become a new social media movement, with TikTok creators and music stars like Lizzo soundtracking their makeup-transformation clips with Bea Miller’s song “feel something.” Like Euphoria, “feel something” was also released in 2019 — but thanks to the new trend, Miller, a pop veteran whose songwriting has increasingly embraced her emotional vulnerabilities, has a growing streaming hit on her hands. – Read more at Billboard
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Buy Their First Home Together in California – Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are making major moves in their relationship. The couple has been together for almost five years, and now ET has learned that the “Don’t Speak” singer and country crooner closed on an Encino, California, home together for $13.2 million earlier this year. The deal was done off-market. ET also learned that this is the first home the pair has bought together. Their new 13,000-square-foot nest features three full floors, a four-car garage, a state-of-the-art home theater, a pool with inset spa and a cabana offering a full wet bar and outdoor kitchen. The property had been privately marketed for sale, asking $14 million, by Craig Knizek, James Harris and David Parnesof The Agency. – Read more at Entertainment Tonight
