Headlines: Clay Aiken Drag Queen News Show Alex Miller Signs Booking Deal

Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young Will Star in Virtual Production of First Date – Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, former American Idol contestants and real-life couple, will star in a virtual production of the 2013 Broadway musical First Date. Directed by Meg Fofonoff, the musical comedy will stream for five performances July 23–25 on Stellar. DeGarmo has been seen on Broadway in Hairspray and Hair, and Young’s Broadway credits include Grease and Hair. First Date, which features music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner and a book by Austin Winsberg, tells the story of Aaron (Young) and Casey (DeGarmo), two single New Yorkers on a blind date with nothing to lose, except maybe their patience and sanity. For ticket information click here.

American Idol‘s Alex Miller Signs With Triangle Talent – American Idol alum Alex Miller has signed an exclusive booking and management agreement with Louisville-based agency, Triangle Talent, LLC. Miller was a contestant on season 19 of American Idol where he finished as a Top 50 finalist. Kentucky-born, he has been performing professionally since the age of seven, first locally then graduating to larger markets and venues, including the Dolby Theatre, WoodSongs, Renfro Valley, and more. Miller will be opening for Hank Williams Jr. at the Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 15 and Josh Turner at the Kentucky State Fair on Aug. 19. – Read more at Music Row

‘NewsBeat’: Drag Queens Nina West, Bianca Del Rio & More Unite For News Show From Politicon, EP Clay Aiken – Notable drag queens including RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Nina West and Bianca Del Rio will spill the latest tea on top news stories for NewsBeat, from Politicon and executive producer Clay Aiken. NewsBeat, which will also feature Lady Bunny, Lyle and Delta Work as correspondents, seeks to provide a serious daily news show for the next generation of viewers. The program will center around hard news headline, political analysis presented by West and Del Rio. The pilot episode will feature interviews with James Carville, Touré and Scottie Nell-Hughes. – Read more at Deadline

The Voice Winner Cam Anthony on Second Chances, Blake Shelton, and His Future Plans – The 19-year-old from Philadelphia, Pa., will agree that their pairing isn’t normally what you would expect, but somehow it worked. And even though Blake knows country music best, he did help Cam quite a bit when it came to selecting songs that helped Cam on his road to winning the $100,000 prize and a recording contract. “I think particularly ‘Take Me to Church’ was one of his suggestions and other things like ‘10,000 Hours,’ that was definitely Blake,” Cam told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. – Read more at Parade

The Voice’s Cam Anthony Shares His Winning Strategy, His Feelings About Blake Shelton and His Single Plans – I can imagine. Blake said more than once during the competition that he thought you could be the first superstar ever launched by the show. Do you feel any pressure to live up to the hype?
I wouldn’t say I’m feeling pressure. It’s definitely an honor to even be looked at like that by Blake. Just being able to work with him has been outrageous and confidence-building, to have his faith in my vision and my idea of what I wanted to be as an artist has just meant the world. If anything, I’m just appreciative that he thinks that highly of me. I’m excited to take on the challenge of coming through and showing up the best way I can. – Read more at TVLine

‘American Idol’ Champ Chayce Beckham Charts His Course to Nashville – I lost my voice a couple of times. Learning the songs you might not know—that part is stressful, but it comes with the territory. It wasn’t anything I wasn’t expecting. Other than saying goodbye to good friends you make, that’s never fun. I was expecting the crazy ups and downs of showbiz. I do have a good support system from a lot of the artists who I have met in the music industry. A lot of country artists I have connected with, rock artists. There are a lot of people who are pointing me in the right direction. I’m grateful for that. – Read more at TVInsider

Laine Hardy Celebrates the Diverse Fabric of His DNA – My story that says a girl from Seoul can one day watch her grandson become the American Idol. I am only one of the 1.8 million Americans who carry the culture and experience of Korea into our country’s great story (and according to one test Japan and South India). I have learned since the show that I have a responsibility to represent our culture for the young (and old) who may be watching, to be an example of our shared Asian heritage. I am extremely proud of this. I ask that for a moment we all stop and think about the blanket. Think about how we’re all individual threads bringing in all our stories, culture and experiences to this fabric we call America. You can’t separate one part from the other without losing the whole thing. I think that’s the beauty of it. Everyone can look at the blanket and see themselves in it.- Read more at SoundsLikeNashville

Kristopher Pooley: The Man Behind the Music on ‘American Idol’ & Live Events Around the World – “I didn’t come in with any expectation of what needed to change, just came in to do what I do,” he shares. “That’s essentially how the show sounds.” At any given point within the season, they are working two or three weeks ahead of time. Because the fate of each contestant lies in the votes from viewers, often that hard work is voided after their elimination. He grieves for the great songs they prepare that are never heard, but he understands it’s part of the competition. He clarifies, “I want to say, I prefer to call the contestants, artists. I guess because there are guest artists on almost every week, the label is just to keep things straight. But they are all artists, so we treat them as such.” – Read more at American Songwriter

MGM Sold to Amazon for $8.45 Billion in Blockbuster Deal – In a landmark mega deal, Amazon is acquiring MGM Holdings — whose storied studio boasts one of the largest film and TV libraries — in a bid to turbocharge its Prime membership offering to customers and potentially mine intellectual property of franchises such as James Bond and Rocky. MGM TV produces Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, FX’s Fargo and History’s Vikings, and the studio has a stake in unscripted offerings like NBC’s The Voice and CNBC’s Shark Tank. – Read more at Hollywood Reporter

About mj santilli 34858 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!