Tonight, The Voice 8 Battle Rounds continue. Tuesday 1 hour episodes begin. 8/7c pm NBC.
Ryan Seacrest Productions Developing ‘Babushka’ Game Show With TF1, Armoza – Ryan Seacrest Productions is partnering with Israel’s Armoza Formats and France’s TF1 on primetime studio game show Babushka. The producers plan to launch the show next month at MIPTV in Cannes. In Babushka, contestants are presented with 10 giant Russian “babushka” dolls and must open 8 of them for the chance to win up to $500,000. If the babushka is empty they lose whatever money they have accumulated to that point, but if there is a smaller doll inside they continue to win. – Read more at Deadline
‘American Idol’ mentor Scott Borchetta admires ‘artistic vision’ of Team NOLA’s Quentin Alexander, Joey Cook – Alexander said he had been rehearsing a different tune for the pivotal showcase performance, but “Spell” came up in a hallway conversation with Borchetta. At a later rehearsal shortly before the Los Angeles House of Blues showcase, Borchetta encouraged Alexander to try “Spell” instead of what he’d been working up. “The piano player played the chords and I started singing and the whole thing fell together,” Alexander said. “You could tell the difference in how well my spirit kind of meshed with ‘I Put a Spell on You.’ To have that moment was really magical.” – Read more at NOLA.com
Introducing Joshua Ledet – Idean’s Music Showcase Headline Act
Introducing Joshua Ledet. Joshua is the headline act at Idean’s Music Showcase event on Tuesday March 17th, in Austin, Texas. To sign-up for tickets to see Joshua perform visit www.idean.com/cxux.
Gary Overton To Step Down as Sony Music Nashville CEO – In a brief statement, Sony Music Entertainment announced today (March 17) that Gary Overton will step down from his role as Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville at the end of the month. “This is a result of a mutual agreement between Mr. Overton and SME,” the statement reads. “Working at Sony Music has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Overton said in the release. “I will deeply miss the talented team at SMN, but I am also excited about starting the next chapter of my career. I want to thank the amazing staff for their tireless commitment to supporting our incredible artists.” – Read more at Billboard
Empire Finale Preview: Jussie Smollett on Jamal’s ‘Cookie Moment’ — and a Pivotal Father-Son Music Scene – “Lucious is the master puppeteer. He shot Bunkie in the face, in the eye! He left his wife in jail for 17 years and divorced her!” Smollett roars. “Can you trust him? Hell, no!” The good news for Jamal, though, is that he managed to “cut those puppet strings” when he moved into a sketchy Brooklyn neighborhood and ended his reliance on the vast wealth Lucious accumulated as the head of Empire Entertainment. “Jamal is now on more of an equal playing field with Lucious — not financially, obviously — but in a man-to-man sense of things,” reasons Smollett. “Lucious can’t pull the rug from under him because there is no rug that Jamal’s standing on that Lucious owns.” – Read more at TVLine
‘American Idol’: Clark Beckham Knew All About Taylor Hicks’ ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ – For this week’s cinematic theme, the American Idol top 11 will perform songs from the movies. Last week, they were told to “get the party started,” and Clark Beckham asked for clarification before choosing his song. “They asked me what would I play to get the party started. If it’s my party, it would be the Doobie Brothers’ ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ all day long. It’s such an energetic song with a great piano part, and Michael McDonald is one of my heroes.” Billboard asked Beckham if was familiar with Taylor Hicks’ performance of the same song way back in season 5. “It’s one of my all-time favorite performances,” Beckham confessed. “I’ve watched it hundreds of times. I did his arrangement. That’s how I made the cut [to one minute and 30 seconds]. I looked back at what he did, and that’s what I ended up doing.” Hicks, fresh off spontaneously sitting in with Carlos Santana at a show in Birmingham, Ala., was watching American Idol and saw Beckham’s performance of “Takin’ It to the Streets.” “I thought it was great. It definitely fits Clark’s style of music,” the season 5 champ told Billboard. “He understands his identity as a performer on the show. Clark definitely has the musical tools to go really far in the competition.” Then, laughing, Hicks added, “I might have him beat on the dancing part!” – Read more at Billboard
