Martina McBride Partners with Lauren Alaina and CMT to Continue Love Unleashed into 2017 – Martina McBride will continue her Love Unleashed trek next year, adding Lauren Alaina as the opener and partnering with CMT to turn it into 2017’s Next Women of Country tour. The season-10 American Idol runner-up heads out with the four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year just as her latest single, “Road Less Traveled,” has just broken into the top 20. “I have always been such a fan of Martina,” Lauren says. “She has had such an empowering career for all women aspiring to be entertainers.” – Read more at ABC News Radio
Taylor Hicks Talks New Album, New TV Show State Plate and Celebrating the Big 4-0 – I read that your new album is going to be a country album, is that true? I don’t know if it would be country, I think it would be rootsy. What is country these days? I don’t know if country knows what country is. How would you describe the sound of the album you’re working on? I would just say it’s definitely a rootsy, Southern, soul sound. It’s kind of a country soul record. When can we expect a release? My goal is to have a single in the spring and then late spring, have the record out. – Read more at Parade
Kelly Clarkson talks about her ‘most beautiful’ ‘Hamilton’ song, Mike Pence – Kelly Clarkson remembers exactly where she was the first time she heard It’s Quiet Uptown. “It was 3 in the morning and I was bawling in my closet,” she says of the gut-wrenching song, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for his Broadway phenomenon Hamilton. The singer covers the number on the Tony Award-winning musical’s star-studded companion album, The Hamilton Mixtape (out Friday). Uptown is sung late in the founding fathers “hip-hopera” as Alexander and Eliza Hamilton (spoiler alert!) grieve the loss of their son. Understandably, it struck an emotional chord for Clarkson, 34, who is a new mom to son Remington (7 months) and daughter River (2). – Read more at USA Today
Inside DWTS Star Mark Ballas & BC Jean’s ‘Timeless Bohemian’ Wedding — Complete with a Drum Circle! – One day wasn’t enough to contain Mark Ballas and BC Jean’s wedding celebration. “It was a three-day affair,” Ballas says of the festivities, which are featured exclusively in the current issue of PEOPLE.The festivities started Nov. 23 with a rehearsal dinner thrown by the parents of the Dancing with the Stars pro. – Read more at People.com
This is why Len Goodman will continue judging on the American version of Strictly – Why? Well, apparently it’s all down to legalities. “That’s because of the contract,” when asked on This Morning earlier today. “With the BBC you just sign an annual contract so they can chuck you out or you can leave, but in America I had to do a two-year contract and I’ve done one, so I’ve got another year.” – Read more at Radio Times
