The Amazing Race continues on CBS. Join Steven as he live blogs 8/7c PM.
Daughtry Performs in A Salute to the Troops: In Performance at the White House – As earnest as Common was Daughtry, the rock band led by former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, which delivered soft-rock balladry via satellite from Yokota Air Base in Japan. Also sincere, back beneath the White House tent, were performances by such active-duty military members as Christiana R. Ball, an Army sergeant, and Matt Smith and John Ed Auer, both Marine captains. – The special airs tonight on PBS stations across the country. Check your local listings. – The Washington Post
David Cook’s $1 Million Campaign For Brain Cancer Research To Culminate With Charity Concert On “#Giving Tuesday” – WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — American Idol® winner and platinum selling recording artist, David Cook, will perform a charity concert at Jammin Java in Vienna, Virginia on December 2, 2014 (#Giving Tuesday) to benefit Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), a venture philanthropy organization. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving, held the day after Cyber Monday. Since 2009, Cook and his fans have raised $930,000 for brain cancer research through the Race for Hope DC and various fundraisers. This month, Cook’s Crowdrise campaign aims to raise $70,000 to reach the $1 million mark. The performance at Jammin Java will celebrate this milestone. Cook has been a champion for brain cancer research since losing his beloved brother Adam to the disease. “It is one of my proudest life experiences to be involved in this fight,” said Cook. “With help from my friends, I know we can reach $1 million and celebrate this amazing accomplishment together at the concert on December 2nd.” Cook is putting the finishing touches on a new album and the first single, “Wait for Me,” will be available at iTunes and other digital retailers on November 17th. He will perform this single at the Jammin Java benefit show. – Read more at PRNewswire
Teen Lifeline to Honor GRAMMY Nominated Singer-Songwriter & Actress Jordin Sparks – Teen Lifeline will honor Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, actress and philanthropist Jordin Sparks with the Alfredo J. Molina Community Lifeline Award at Teen Lifeline’s 2014 Connections of Hope event at the Montelucia Resort on November 7, 2014. The 11th Annual Connections of Hope is a night to celebrate and raise funds for the “connections of hope” found daily by troubled teens that call Teen Lifeline’s peer-to-peer hotline, and are reached by its statewide suicide awareness and prevention outreach. An Arizona native, Sparks’ philanthropic endeavors have touched the lives of youth locally, nationally and internationally. Initiated by Sparks and her brother P.J., the “I’m M.A.D. Are You?” campaign cultivates community volunteerism among teens. “The amazing work being done at Teen Lifeline is something that I can really relate to,” Sparks said. “Teens helping teens through volunteerism and really making a difference is what our campaign strives to do. I am so passionate about helping kids and teens. I am proud to support this local charity from my home town that is saving lives every day!” – Read more at Broadway World
Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care to host Shine a Light on Lung Cancer on November 13 – Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care, a part of Southcoast® Health, will host Shine a Light on Lung Cancer on November 13 at 6 p.m. at the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care at 206 Mill Road in Fairhaven. The event will feature performances by Jillian Jensen and Alex Preston, both American Idol Season 13 finalists, and entertainment by Back to Sweetness. Tami Gouveia from Tobacco Free Mass will be the keynote speaker. – Sippican VillageSoup.com
‘Idol’ star, NH native Alex Preston to take stage in Concord concerts – MANCHESTER, N.H. —”American Idol” star Alex Preston is in New Hampshire preparing for two concerts at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. The concert is called “Coming Home” Preston tells News 9 that he plans to start his own tour around the country in a few weeks. He plans to move to Nashville after the tour. “The concert is mostly originals. I start off with acoustic covers that I did on the show just because people might want to see that,” Preston said. “As the show progresses I get into more original music.” Preston said he has been doing a lot of writing and is working on an album and new songs. He is not sure when it might be released. – Read more at WMUR
Craig Morgan and Kellie Pickler Sing Our Heroes Home with Mediaplanet’s “Thanking Our Troops” Campaign – Mediaplanet today announces distribution of the latest edition of “Thanking Our Troops,” a cross-platform campaign that aims to honor and repay our country’s brave soldiers for their innumerable selfless contributions. With active service members returning home on a daily basis, this campaign seeks to inspire readers to support the veteran military members who fought to protect our great nation. The campaign features an exclusive interview with Army veteran and country music superstar Craig Morgan, who graces the cover of the print publication. He opened up with Mediaplanet about his time as an active service member and how he continues to support our nation’s heroes. In an exclusive digital feature, American Idol alumnus Kellie Pickler shares what inspired her to support the troops with such vigor. She states, “You might not be able to hop on a plane and fly to Afghanistan, but everyone has the opportunity to say thank you and do their part. And no part is too small.” – Read more at PR.com
American Idol winner Lee DeWyze performs – American Idol season nine winner Lee DeWyze performs two songs before appearing at the Rathskeller Friday night at 8:30pm with Scarletta. Today on Indy Style Less plays Blackbird Song from Walking Dead and Don’t Be Afraid from his album Frames. By the way this song is also being used in Blue Cross Blue Shield campaign. – Read more at WishTV.com
Crystal Bowersox moving beyond American Idol – Maybe the best way to glean a bit of insight into Crystal Bowersox is through the lyrics to a song, “How Long,” from her recent EP “Promises.” The chorus asks “How long will the honey be here?” and it’s a perspective on the transitory nature of life and, not coincidentally, the music business too. Bowersox isn’t wasting any time worrying about it, still forging on with somewhere close to 300 dates a year, including on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at The Iron Horse in Northampton, and another on Wednesday at the Spire Center in Plymouth. Bowersox, who became famous as the runner up in American Idol’s Season 9, in 2010, is in the midst of a busy American tour this fall, while also planning her next record, most likely an independent, fan-funded effort like the last EP was. – Read more at Herald News
Q&A with Michigan’s American Idol Jena Irene Asciutto, who plays Bay City Nov. 15 – Q: How excited are you for the show? A: So excited. I actually am playing a couple of my original songs that I just wrote in the last couple months. It’s really cool, especially since I’m performing with my old band, even though they’re called a completely different name. They’re called the Social Bandits. I used to play with them when I was like 12 years old so it’s kind of cool to be all grown up and play. They’re based out of the Waterford area, the Highland area. Q: What songs do you have in store for the setlist? Q: There will be some original songs. Actually, one of them I did on the show; it’s called “Unbreakable Me.” We’ll be doing a full-band version of that. Since I’ve gotten home from tour, I’ve been producing with one of my best friends and we’ll be playing one of the new songs that we just finished. I’m playing Led Zeppelin, which is going to be a lot of fun for the older generation. – Read more at MLive
‘American Idol’ alum Brooke White releases Mormon Channel music video – American Idol” season seven finalist Brooke White released a music video Wednesday exclusively on the Mormon Channel. She wrote the song, titled “Something Divine,” to comfort a friend who was facing a trial of her faith, but White says it has taken on added significance since she became a mother two and a half years ago. In an Oct. 3 interview with “Mormon Channel Daily,” White explained that the purpose of the song is to remind listeners of their divine potential, a principle she is now trying to instill in her daughter. – Watch it at Deseret News
The Concert for Valor: Civilian Salute Promo (HBO)
Maroon 5’s ‘Sugar’ to Be Featured in Nissan Commercial – Maroon 5’s manager Jordan Feldstein revealed Thursday (Nov. 6) at the Billboard and Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference that the band’s song “Sugar” is set to be featured in a new Nissan campaign Nov. 18. In the past 18 months, Maroon 5 has worked with three different car brands. Those include Honda on the Civic Tour last year, Kia on a campaign with the single “Animals” that premiered during the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year, and frontman Adam Levine is part of the Nissan activation through The Voice and now will be featured in this newest ad. This is a unique benefit allowed by Levine’s role on The Voice, avoiding issues of exclusivity to any company. – Read more at Billboard
