Kellie Pickler, Restless Heart, to sing Anthem at CMA Fest – In other festival news, the CMA has also announced the names of the artists that will be performing the National Anthem during the Nightly Concerts at LP Field. Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers will sing the anthem on Thursday, June 11, followed by Restless Heart on Friday, June 12; Kellie Pickler on Saturday, June 13; and Lee Greenwood on Sunday, June 14.- Read more at Billboard
Tony Awards Performers Announced – The first group of performers have been announced for THE 69TH ANNUAL TONY AWARDS®, airing live on Sunday, June 7 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. Tony Award winners Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming will host the 2015 Tony Awards for the first time, live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The entertainment packed evening will feature performances from the 2015 Tony-nominated shows in the Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical categories. They include 69th Annual Tony Awards co-host and nominee Kristin Chenoweth and the cast of “On the Twentieth Century,” nominees Brian D’Arcy James, Christian Borle, Brad Oscar and the cast of “Something Rotten!,” nominee Chita Rivera and the cast of “The Visit,” nominees Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe and the cast of “The King and I,” as well as the casts of “On the Town,” “Fun Home” and “An American in Paris.” – Read more at CBS
Carrie Underwood announced as Summerfest headliner – Summerfest organizers announced Thursday that Carrie Underwood is coming to the Big Gig. Underwood will take the Marcus Amphitheater stage on Thursday, July 2. Tickets go on sale May 29th at 10 a.m. and include Summerfest admission. – Read more at WISN
American Idol’s Jax joins Dennis and Judi in studio
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Kelly Clarkson on Legal Weed, Supporting Hillary and Backgammon With Reba – In March, Kelly Clarkson’s Piece by Piece became the singer’s third LP to top the Billboard 200. It’s also the final installment in the six-album deal she signed with RCA Records immediately after winning American Idol’s first season, in 2002. Clarkson says she’s loving her new freedom. “Man, I have no frigging clue what’s coming next, but it’s going to be fun,” she says, calling from her Nashville home. “I haven’t ever been able to pick who to work with as an artist, so it’s nice now that it’s a choice. It’ll be cool to ‘Breakaway,’ for lack of a better term, and see what’s out there. If I want to make a country record, I’ll make a country record. If I want to make an R&B record, I’ll make that. I’ve made enough money in my career. This is just the cherry on top.” – Read more at Rolling Stone
Here’s what happened when we played Heartbeat vs. Walk Away with Kelly Clarkson – As any true fan would know, Heartbeat and Walk Away are the titles of Kelly Clarkson songs. So, naturally, instead of asking her whether something was a hit or a miss, we asked her to rate some shiz with song titles. You know, like how she feels about Taylor Swift and Kanye West or whether she’s into Facebook and flare jeans. Being Kelly Clarkson, obviously she answered like a boss. – Watch the video at Cosmopolitan
Past ‘Voice’ champions volunteer with Second Harvest – NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – The day after The Voice crowned its new champion, two former winners championed a good cause of their own. Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradberry volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee on Wednesday morning. The two singers spent time boxing food, sorting donations and inspecting items to make sure they were good to serve. Both said it was a great experience. – Read more at wsmv.com
The many lives of Kellie Pickler – Like many music stars today, Kellie Pickler is doing a lot more than singing songs. Sure, she’s been working feverishly on a new album, due out, she hopes, some time this summer. But she’s also starring in her own reality-TV series, and she’s even selling a line of home goods inspired by the memory of her great grandmother. That’s the kind of thing that happens to you when your singing talents get you to “American Idol,” and eventually to country stardom. “I’ve got a plate full, that’s for sure,” said Pickler, who performs live Sunday at the Santa Cruz American Music Festival. – Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel
‘Dancing With The Stars’: Noah Galloway On His Third Place Finish – Noah Galloway didn’t get the golden mirrorball on “Dancing with the Stars,” but he still feels like he won. “I definitely feel that way,” Noah told Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson after Tuesday night’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale. “I mean, I came into this thinking I’d be the first or second person to go home, and we came all the way to the finals and made third out of, what was it, 12? I’m happy with that.” Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy scored Season 20’s big prize, edging out Riker Lynch and Allison Holker. Noah said he picked Rumer from the start, until Riker started to show some major moves a few weeks in. – Read more at Access Hollywood
Survivor: Worlds Apart: Mike Holloway on his big moment and what has him ‘pissed off’ – Mike Holloway became a million dollars richer last night when he was crowned the victor of Survivor: Worlds Apart. The oil driller called into Entertainment Weekly Radio (SiriusXM, channel 105) this morning to chat with Jessica Shaw and me about his epic run, his stiffest competition, and getting one of the best edits ever. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly