Freeform’s Jordin Sparks Comedy ‘Besties’ Gets New Title, Sets Director For First Episode – Freeform has changed the title of their upcoming comedy series Besties to Unrelated. The series, starring Jordin Sparks and Gigi Zumbado has began production with actor and director Michael McDonald (MADtv, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) directing the first episode. Created by Ranada Shepard, Casey Johnson and David Windsor and executive produced by Kenya Barris, Unrelated follows Becca (Sparks) and her newly discovered half-sister Jesi (Zumbado) as they’re thrown into each other’s lives by an online genetics test and have to figure out how to go from strangers to sisters. – Read more at Deadline
Jordin was on the Disney set Filming and her Phone was Stolen!
REWARD! Whoever stole my phone on the ABC/Disney lot, please PLEASE return to *besties* production. There are irreplaceable photos of my son and my Poppy on there. PLEASE.
— Jordin Sparks (@JordinSparks) March 6, 2019
Katrina Rose, Diana DeGarmo, Philip Hoffman, and Ace Young Will Star In Reading Of ROCK AND ROLL REFUGEE – Royal Family Productions will present a special invite-only reading of the musical Rock and Roll Refugee. Written by Chris Henry and Genya Ravan, directed by Joann Hunter with musical direction by Daniel A. Weiss, the readings will take place March 14-16 at Royal Family Performing Art Space (145 West 46th street). The reading cast features: Katrina Rose (NBC’s The Voice, NYC: RENT, A Night With Janis Joplin), Diana DeGarmo (American Idol, BROADWAY: Godspell, Hairspray), Charlotte Cohn (BROADWAY: Boheme, Coram Boy), Philip Hoffman (BROADWAY: Our Mother’s Brief Affair, Cabaret, On A Clear Day , A Catered Affair, Fiddler On The Roof), Jesse Swimm (BROADWAY: School of Rock, Mary Poppins), Charles Wallace (BROADWAY: Amazing Grace) and Ace Young (American Idol, BROADWAY: Grease, Hair) – Read more at Broadway World
Gabby Barrett single hits 1 million YouTube views, keeps Munhall native in the spotlight – According to Sweet Talk Publicity, she’s working on a new release with Ross Copperman, a Nashville songwriter-producer whose credits include work with Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Darius Rucker and Jake Owen, among others. Ms. Barrett has signed on to serve as a mentor for Pittsburgh’s Women Who Rock Rising Star Contest, which is open to local artists 13 to 21. They can apply by submitting a video of an original song to www.womenwhorockpgh.com/risingstarcontest by March 31. The winner will perform at the Women Who Rock Benefit Concert on May 30 at Stage AE, North Shore. She has also partnered with Forever 21 and Girls Inc. to create a capsule collection of clothing that celebrates women in preparation for International Women’s Day on Friday. – Read more at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
LB Crew: 5 Things To Know About ‘The Voice’ Singer Who Gets A 4-Chair Turn – He appeared on another singing competition! LB talked about his past experience on American Idol in a radio interview with Alice 107.7. He made it through Hollywood Week before he was eliminated. “I think that was a great experience, and it opened me up, got my palette for music a lot deeper,” LB said. He also noted that “The Voice has been so good to me.” – Read more at Hollywood Life
ABC Gives ‘American Idol’ TV’s Biggest Promo Push – On the strength of 480 million TV ad impressions, ABC’s promo for the new season of American Idol is No. 1, moving up from third place. Last week’s chart-topper, ABC’s promo for Whiskey Cavalier, slips to No. 3. Meanwhile, the rest of our ranking is new, with NBC promoting World of Dance and Good Girls in, respectively, second and fourth, and Discovery hyping Naked and Afraid in fifth place. – Read more at Broadcasting and Cable
How Sarah Potenza Cut Down the Shamers on New Album ‘Road to Rome’ – In 2015, when she turned all four chairs in her blind audition on The Voice, the new national platform brought out its own breed of shamers: those who took her to task for “taking a shortcut” or “sport singing,” many of them within the Americana community — a community that, when Potenza first moved to town, she thought she might fit into (“I love Americana music, but it’s not the music I make,” she says now. “They want kumbaya and I’m giving them booty booty booty”). “[The Voice] is looked down upon, but, dude, it was a really hard competition,” she says. “And what’s the difference between that, and someone in a bluegrass band that is just a f*cking regurgitation of Gillian Welch? You’re just imitating. – Read more at Rolling Stone
Ruben Studdard Interview
