Headlines: Carrie Underwood Returns to SNF

Carmen Rasmusen Herbert: Goodbye, Rickey Smith – I was in the car headed down to St. George when I got a phone call from one of my friends from “American Idol,” Clay Aiken. “I need to give you some heavy news.” Clay told me our dear friend and fellow “American Idol” contestant Rickey Smith had died in a car accident on May 6. My husband held my hand as I softly sobbed in the front seat, thinking back on the short time I had known and grown to love Rickey. – Read more at the Deseret News

Maroon 5 Joins Growing Number of Bands Boycotting North Carolina Over Anti-Gay Bill – Maroon 5 announced on Friday the band was cancelling two upcoming shows in Charlotte and Raleigh to protest North Carolina’s new anti-gay legislation. “This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band,” the group said in a statement posted on its website. “We don’t want to penalize our fans in North Carolina by not performing for them, but in the end it comes down to what we feel is morally right AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY.” – Read more at Hollywood Reporter

Former ‘Idol’ Casey Abrams not idle when it comes to touring – Casey Abrams has done well in making a name for himself and building a loyal fan base globally since his time as a finalist on the 10th season of “American Idol.” “It was pretty grueling at times,” reflected Abrams of the whole “Idol” experience, but he enjoyed it and made some great friends along the way, including celebrity judge Randy Jackson who executive produced Abrams’ self-titled album for Concord Music Group. Through ‘Idol,’ he also befriended Haley Reinhart with whom he recorded a few songs that did decent on radio—the Christmas single, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and a snappy treatment of Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack.” – Read more at NWTimes.com

Why are those TV guys rocking out with Taylor Hicks at the Regions Tradition golf tournament? – The Birmingham rock and soul man and 2006 “American Idol” winner is teaming up with an all-star cast of musicians from Birmingham TV station WBRC/Fox 6 to perform following Saturday’s third round of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Hoover. Billed as Taylor Hicks and the NewsBrothers, the group includes Hicks on lead vocals, Fox 6 news anchor Janet Hall on backing vocals, meteorologist Mickey Ferguson on harmonica, sports anchor Rick Karle on drums and meteorologist Wes Wyatt on guitar — along a supporting cast that features members of Hicks’ touring band. – Read more at AL.com

Simon Cowell: Why We Love Talent Shows – So why do we love watching talent shows? I’m going to have to take myself back a few years, when I was a kid. I actually can remember watching these shows when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I remember, funny enough, one particularly really bad act, which was a ventriloquist, and his puppet was some weird monkey. The judges said he was terrible, and he got really mad at them, and for some reason, that got really stuck in my head. It’s fascinating to watch. It’s sort of addictive. Is there anything new or different we should expect in this season of America’s Got Talent?
Well, ultimately, like we say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” More music acts are coming to the show this year, and that’s my number one priority—because I don’t believe we’ve attracted anywhere near the music talent a big show like this should do. I’m going to see if we can improve that. – Read more at Parade Magazine

Carrie Underwood Recording This Year’s Sunday Night Football Theme.

Yes, Carrie Underwood will once again sing the NBC Sunday Night Football Theme.