Tonight Dancing with The Stars premieres on ABC at 8pm! Join Franky for his live blog. American Idol alum, Kellie Pickler is partnered with Derek Hough. Expect her to go far in the competition.
Also, Montavilla recaps RuPaul’s Drag Race, airing on Logo at 9/8c pm.
Second Round of Performers Announced for ACM Awards, Sunday, April 7 on CBS – Country music stars Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town are scheduled to perform at the 48th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton and to be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7 (8:00-11:00 PM live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. These artists join previously announced performers Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, George Strait and The Band Perry, as well as those performing at the 3rd Annual ACM Fan Jam, headlined by Brad Paisley, along with special guests Dierks Bentley, Hunter Hayes and New Artist of the Year nominees Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer and Florida Georgia Line. – Read more at TV By The Numbers
Recording Academy to Honor Jennifer Hudson at Grammys On the Hill Awards, 4/17 – The Recording Academy – the organization internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards- will present its 2013 GRAMMYs on the HillAwards in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 17 at the Hamilton. Known as “Washington’s most interesting mix of music and politics,” the event will honor GRAMMY and Academy Awardwinner Jennifer Hudson for her artistic achievements and generosity as a philanthropist. “We are elated to recognize Jennifer Hudson as not only a gifted musician and actress but as an extraordinary humanitarian who has selflessly contributed her time and talent to numerous worthwhile causes,” said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow . “She is one of the industry’s most enduring, giving and gifted women, and we are privileged to be honoring her artistry, her commitment, and her generosity.” – Read more at Broadway World
Guests Announced For Christmas 4 Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament – The Annual CHRISTMAS 4 KIDS CELEBRITY GOLF TOURNAMENT date has been announced and includes Country artists like TRACY LAWRENCE, BO BICE, LISA MATASSA, DEL GRAY of LITTLE TEXAS, MARK COOKE, TY BROWN and more, along with Bluegrass duo hosts, THE ROYS. The event will be TUESDAY, APRIL 23rd at the PINE CREEK GOLF COURSE in MOUNT JULIET, TN. The cost is $125 per person, and that includes lunch, dinner and drinks. – Read more at All Access
Idol Answers: Scariest Moments – AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 12
Jon Bon Jovi Talks Tour, Turning Down “American Idol” & New Album’s “Uplifting Optimism” – Bon Jovi rocked the American Idol stage Thursday night, but if things had gone a little differently, the band’s famous frontman might have been sitting at the judges’ table with Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj. Jon Bon Jovi says he was invited to judge Idol — and all the other singing competitions — but he declined. “They asked us my interest level in all of those shows and none of them appealed to me just simply because I had a tour and an album slated,” Jon tells ABC News Radio, adding, “It’s not for me. It’s a different life than I lead.” But that doesn’t mean that the singer disapproves of those shows…or having Bon Jovi songs performed on them, for that matter. – Read more at ABC News Radio
Syesha Covers “Stay” – A Preview
Syesha is currently starring in the The Book Of Mormon tour, which is currently in Chicago. She’ll play the City Winery tonight at 7 pm.
Roll up, roll up: Jennifer Hudson enjoys a fun night at the circus with her son David Jnr – However, for singer/actress Jennifer Hudson on Sunday, she swapped her Hollywood lifestyle for a real circus as she enjoyed a fun night out with her son. The Dreamgirls star, 31, treated her three-year-old son David Jnr to see the clowns, acrobats and clowns in Long Island, New York on St Patrick’s Day. The pair went to see the travelling Barnum and Bailey Circus at the Nassau Coliseum. It looked like David Jnr had also picked up a souvenir as he clutched a rolled up flag as they left the venue. Read more at The Daily Mail
Carrie Underwood on collaborations and One Direction
Kellie Pickler returns to television – “Right now, I have this window where I’m just in the studio recording,” says Pickler, who’ll be part of the show’s 16th season when it premieres Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT, ABC). “I’ve got a few dates, and that’s going to be the tricky part — bouncing from the recording studio to the dance studio, then making it to the concerts on the weekends.” Pickler’s part of a cast that’s heavy on athletes (like NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones and boxer Victor Ortiz) and comedians (Andy Dick, D.L. Hughley). It also has another country singer, Wynonna Judd. “This is my extracurricular activity,” Pickler says. “Like when you’re in high school or college and you’re a cheerleader, a football player, a baseball player or on the chess club. This is kind of like my extracurricular activity that I get to do on the side for fun. – Read more at USA Today
Dancing with the Stars Boss on Recapturing the Magic (and Viewers): “It’s Back to Basics” – “Perhaps that was a miscalculation on our part. Maybe we underestimated how important it was to have a new story rather than a continuation of one,” Green tells TVGuide.com. “We thought seeing old favorites come back would be really appealing, and I think it was to core fans of the show. All-Stars did deliver in terms of being able to try some new dances out, new challenges and really pushing the level of competition. I think what it lacked was the shock of the new. “The more outlandish stuff probably won’t be back,” Green says. “The picking [dances] for each other will be. I don’t think there’s an issue with that. … Some of the things we did last season was because it was All-Stars and some of those people had done the whole show, so we had to keep them guessing. I don’t think we’ll be pushing as far and wide with the challenges now because I don’t think we need to. A lot of the joy is seeing if someone can do a paso.” – Read more at TV Guide
Keck’s Exclusives First Look: Smash Goes to the Tonys – The struggling Smash, which NBC is moving to Saturdays starting April 6, will close out its second (and likely final) season in late May or early June by sending the main characters to the Tony Awards. A trip to Broadway’s big night “was part of the pitch that got me the job,” says executive producer Josh Safran, who took over as showrunner this season. “It’s an event that doesn’t necessarily require you to be nominated to be there. People attend, perform and present awards. And there is a song that involves the entire lead cast.” – Read more at TV Guide
‘The 67th Annual Tony Awards’ to be Broadcast Sunday, June 9 on CBS – THE 67TH ANNUAL TONY® AWARDS will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Sunday, June 9 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards show, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been a part of the CBS family since 1978. The show returns to Radio City Music Hall after two years at the Beacon Theatre.
The nominations for THE 67TH ANNUAL TONY® AWARDS will be announced live on Tuesday, April 30 from New York City. This year marks the 67th anniversary of the TONY Awards, which were first held on April 6, 1947 at the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ballroom. The ceremonies are presented by Tony Award Productions, which is a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, which founded the Tonys in 1947. – TVByTheNumbers
Simon Cowell’s YouTube Audition Channel Launches – Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and YouTube today unveiled details about the March 20 launch of The You Generation, a global online audition channel. Launching in 26 countries, the channel will run a competition over 52 weeks with 26 two-week rounds. Contestants will be able to upload their auditions in categories that range from makeup and style to cooking and of course singing. – Read more at Deadline
