LEGENDARY MUSIC SUPERSTAR CELINE DION TO RECEIVE ICON AWARD AT THE “2016 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS” – Billboard and dick clark productions announced today that renowned musical performer Celine Dion will be honored with the esteemed ICON Award on the “2016 Billboard Music Awards.” Dion will also take to the stage for a special rendition of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” after she accepts one of the most prestigious Billboard awards an artist can receive. The ICON Award is a lifetime achievement award that honors the cultural impact of an artist whose extraordinary talent as a creator and entertainer has stood the test of time. Past recipients include Neil Diamond (2011), Stevie Wonder (2012), Prince (2013) and Jennifer Lopez (2014). – via dc productions press release
Michael Strahan, Kellie Pickler, Alec Baldwin to compete on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ – Michael Strahan, Alec Baldwin, Kellie Pickler, Paula Deen and Lance Bass are among the contestants booked for Season 2 of Celebrity Family Feud, ABC confirmed. The 10-episode, sophomore season will kick off June 26, with Steve Harvey returning as host. The object of the game is to “pit celebrities and their families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people,” the network said in a press release. – Read more at UPI
THE VOICE Winner Jordan Smith to Make Special Appearance in ‘I Hope You Dance’ Cinema Event – Republic/LightWorkers Records artist Jordan Smith, Season 9 winner of “The Voice,” will join a star-studded cast for the nationwide theater event, “I Hope You Dance, The Power and Spirit of Song,” premiering in over 300 select Screenvision Media theatres nationwide Monday, May 16 at 2 and 7 p.m., with encore showings Monday, May 23 at 2 and 7 p.m. Smith’s special appearance will feature his breathtaking a capella rendition of “I Hope You Dance” created specifically for this theater event. The music video for his current hit single, “Stand in the Light,”will also be showcased and introduced to audiences by the film’s producer, Spencer Proffer. – Read more at Broadway World
Scotty McCreery on New Book, ‘Idol’ Memories and Record Label Setback – But it’s interesting because McCreery is openly acknowledging that he saw Idol as the competition it actually was, and he made decisions that aligned with his personal beliefs and brand while also motivating fans to pick up their phones and vote. The fact that he was 17 during his stint on the show is all the more remarkable considering there were older contestants who handled the experience like karaoke night with friends. By contrast, McCreery was telling his story every week: a polite, small-town guy who loves his family and friends. That clear, concise narrative was crucial to his Idol success. – Read more at Rolling Stone
Scotty McCreery believes in going big — and going home – As McCreery got older, graduated high school and started college, Judy McCreery started taking steps back so her son could make his own decisions. And it’s worked out. Recently, he was voted the “Best American Idol” by the readers of the Los Angeles Times, and he’s Country Weekly’s reader-voted Hottest Bachelor and Sexiest Man. McCreery has sold almost 3 million albums and won awards from BMI, CMT and the Academy of Country Music. After winning “American Idol,” McCreery has come to understand that it’s up to him to turn his advantage into a lasting opportunity. That said, he’s determined to respect his roots — laughing that while the book is called “Go Big or Go Home,” he also believes “go big and go home” is smart advice, too. – Read more at The Tennessean
Interview: Kree Harrison Chats Idol Reunion & Her Upcoming Album – “It is kind of crazy how you can explain the journey to your best friends but meeting strangers who immediately have had that same experience, you have the same bond who went through the same thing…we will all share that idol family feeling forever,” Harrison says. Performing on the stage with past contestants, Harrison had the opportunity to meet and spend time with people that she has admired such as Jordin Sparks. “There was definitely tears, laughter and a lot of whiskey,” she laughs. “Kellie Pickler and my drink of choice, we both love Jack Daniels.” – Read more at The Shotgun Seat
Sound Check: Javier Colon finds his voice after “The Voice” – The 38-year-old singer-songwriter from Connecticut won the inaugural season of the NBC music reality show in 2011. He dutifully released the major label “Come Through For You” with middling success, and he’s happier to be back on his own and with a smaller company (Concord) for this year’s “Gravity.” “It’s a different animal, a different time,” Colon says by phone while traveling between shows on the East Coast. “This album was just made in a completely different way. I was able to really just be myself, and I was given free rein to write songs and send them in and get feedback. There was just a great musical conversation and dialogue about what I wanted this album to be like, which was very exciting.” – Read more at Macomb Daily.com
What’s next for Wakeman’s Emily Keener after ‘The Voice’ – CLEVELAND – A local musician’s career is blossoming with some extra help from “The Voice.” Wakeman resident Emily Keener made it to the final 12 on the show. She sits down with WKYC’s Jim Donovan on Channel 3 News at 7 to talk about what’s next for her career, how she balanced school with Hollywood and the incredible lessons she learned on the show. – Watch the Video at WKYC.com
Writer/Producer busbee Talks About His Hits With Maren Morris, Pink, Lady Antebellum And Other Artists – BC: You’ve done really well on the pop side. One of your hits was Pink’s “Try.” What’s the story behind that song? I flew to Detroit just to write those four songs, one a day for four days. We were all filming a video for some promo stuff, so I had another friend of mine show up. We planned for him to come the day we wrote “Try” because we had the chorus. [I thought] Let’s flush out the verses and have him record while we’re doing that, so we can have footage behind the scene. We have all the raw footage of us writing the whole song. It’s really kind of unique. That hardly ever happens. We wrote it, and I turned it into my publishing company. They loved it. Eventually, my manager and one of my publishers at the time pitched it to a friend of ours, Rani Hancock, who was (an A&R exec) at RCA at the time. Originally, we were going to try to get it on Kelly Clarkson. There was talk of Daughtry doing it. I actually recorded it on Adam Lambert, but it just wasn’t the right fit. – Read more at Songwriter Universe
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestant Paige VanZant is Dating Troupe Member Alan Bersten — Get the Scoop on Their Romance! – ET has exclusively learned that there’s a budding romance in the DWTS ballroom this season between contestant Paige VanZant and troupe member Alan Bersten — and we’ve got all the details! A source close to the couple tells ET that their connection is “still new” and the attraction between the 22-year-old UFC fighter and the 21-year-old professional dancer has been building all season. – Read more at Entertainment Tonight
Von Miller says he was ‘blessed’ to appear on DWTS – A day after being eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars,” Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller took to Instagram Tuesday afternoon to rave about the experience. Miller said he “Made lifelong friendships!!,” adding that he was “blessed” to have appeared on the show and he thanked his dance partner, Witney Carson. – Read more at ESPN
