First Look: Watch Kellie Pickler Play a Pirate Genie in Nick Jr.’s Shimmer and Shine – Kellie Pickler will debut her “animated alter-ego” on Shimmer and Shine this week: a pirate genie named Zora, who is likely to earn her a few new fans in the preschool set. “I loved being the voice for her,” the “Best Days of Your Life” singer, 30, tells PEOPLE. “She’s oh-so fearless and a bit of a spitfire.” Pickler’s pirate Zora teams up with the show’s namesake genies-in-training and their pal Leah for a magical adventure on Zora’s flying pirate ship.- Watch at People Magazine
Meuse a semifinalist in Songwriter’s Showcase – Congrats to our hometown “Idol” girl gone abroad, Jessica Meuse. She’s been named a semifinalist in Larry Joe Taylor’s 5th annual Songwriter’s Showcase. She recently moved from Slapout in Elmore County to Houston, Texas, where she’s working with the Lone Survivor Foundation. Jessica is one of 31 performers and the competition continues Monday. This year’s finalist will perform at Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival (#LJT2017) and on their 2018 Songwriter’s Cruise with Royal Caribbean International. – Read more at Montgomery Advertiser
Blood, Sweat and Tears worth it for Bo – American Idol runner-up Bo Bice is the new frontman for the band and he is excited for the upcoming tour. “It is actually our second time to Australia, Blood, Sweat and Tears came about two years ago, which was my first experience of Australia. We were treated so well that it made us come back,” Bice said. “One of my favourite parts of getting come back is something all the guys made fun, which is beans on toast. I had it for breakfast every day (last time).” Bice came to the band’s notice after he performed one of their songs (Spinning Wheel) in season four of American Idol in 2005. – Read more at Bendigo Advertiser
Danny Gokey finds strength, hope to overcome life’s challenges – When Danny Gokey released his previous album, “Hope in Front of Me,” he lacked a key component most artists count on to help create awareness of the project. “I had no tour to support it,” he says. “I remember we did the release and then it’s like ‘All right, now we’ve got to do work’ and we didn’t (have any). … We couldn’t land a tour to save our lives. Nobody was interested. And so it just got to this point where we just kind of had to work and grind and create our own thing.” That isn’t a problem with his new album, “Rise.” Gokey is the opening act for popular Christian band Casting Crowns on that group’s winter/spring tour, which is at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on March 4. Gokey is thrilled. – Read more at TribLive.com
Dancing With the Unfair Advantage? Heather Morris, Maksim Chmerkovskiy Sound Off on the Glee Star’s Pro Dance Past – Prior to joining Glee, Morris, who has been dancing since she was a kid, appeared on So You Think You Can Dance and as a backup dancer for Beyoncé. That puts Morris and dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy at an advantage, right? “I hope so,” Chmerkovskiy told E! News after the Dancing With the Stars season 24 cast was announced on Good Morning America. “I’m excited. No, why not? Listen, I’ll take it.” “Take it for what it’s worth,” Morris chimed in. – Read more at EOnline
Simone Biles Didn’t Hesitate at a Second Chance to Join Dancing With the Stars – When Dancing With the Stars first came calling for Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, she was barely finished with her impressive run at the Rio Games and had to watch as her teammate Laurie Hernandez took home the mirrorball trophy in season 23 instead. So when the opportunity presented itself to compete in the upcoming season, she didn’t think twice.
“Getting the call, I don’t think you hesitate. I didn’t,” she told E! News after the entire cast was revealed on Good Morning America on Wednesday. “I was like, ‘I want to do it!'” – Read more at EOnline
Kym Johnson Reveals Why She Returned to ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘How Can I Resist That?’ – “When they told me [my partner] was Mr. T, I was like,’You know what? How can I resist that?'” the 40-year-old dancer explained. “I’m coming back, and I’m so glad I’m here.” Johnson and Mr. T (who was on hand for the interview as well) also joked about being respectful to each other on the show, lest her husband, Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec, had to get involved. “Robert’s like, ‘Oh, you’ve got Mr. T. I hope I don’t have to come and kick his a**,'” she said. – Read more at ETOnline
Nancy Kerrigan Has Been Waiting to Join Dancing With the Stars for a Very Long Time – “I mean, I’ve wanted to since the beginning,” she told E! News after the season 24 cast was revealed on Good Morning America. “So it’s just scheduling and wondering if my body can hold up because I’ve been falling for 40 years.” – Read more at EOnline
Simon Cowell says he lives in ‘constant fear’ after burglary – Simon Cowell has said he lives in “constant fear” and concern about his young son’s welfare after his home was burgled by a serial offender who later killed a motorcyclist in a hit-and-run. “This incident has caused me great concerns about the security of my family. On reflection I am very scared of what could have happened to my son if the burglar had gone into his room. “I could not bear to think of the consequences and also a lot would have happened if the burglar had come into our room.” – Read more at Telegraph.co.uk
