Little Big Town, Love and Theft, Lauren Alaina, Vince Gill and More Will Fight Cancer with Softball – On June 13, many of country music’s biggest stars will participate in the 25th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game sponsored by PEOPLE Country as part of the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. The Grand Ole Opry team will include Chuck Wicks, Love and Theft’s Eric Gunderson, JT Hodges, Phil Vassar, Vince Gill and Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook. Team iHeart Radio’s players will include the other halves of both Little Big Town – Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild – and Love and Theft, Stephen Barker Liles, as well as Bret Michaels and Lauren Alaina, among others. – Read more at People
Chris Young Reveals Duet with Cassadee Pope on New Album – Chris Young‘s new single, “I’m Comin’ Over,” hints at the new sounds to come from the singer on his upcoming record — but Young assures fans of his previous music that he’s not leaving that work behind, nor is he changing just for the sake of change. Young adds that sonically, his new record is a bit different, from the way he recorded his vocals and its various production elements to the content of the record, which includes a duet and a collaboration, each with another well-known country artist. “There’s a male/female duet on here, which is something I’ve never done before, with Cassadee Pope, that I think everybody is gonna be really excited about,” Young shares. – Read more at The Boot
Kellie Pickler to be honored with first Operation Troop Aid Chris Kyle Patriot Award – Kellie Pickler is set to become the first recipient of the Operation Troop Aid Chris Kyle Patriot Award. The country singer is being recognized for her strong support of the United States Armed Forces and their families. “We are pleased to recognize this young lady as part of our (now) annual tradition; we welcome Kellie to the legacy of Chris Kyle’s service to our military in alliance with Operation Troop Aid,” Navy SEAL’s parents Wayne Kyle said in a statement. “Words are simply not enough to express our deep gratitude for those, like Ms. Pickler, who freely share their love and support of our military men and women. This award will be one of the great highlights for us each and every year and we are proud to be a part of it.” – Read more at FOX News
Exclusive: One Direction Teases Fifth Album’s Sound — Without Zayn: ‘It’s a Lot Different Than What We Did Before’ – “There’s a few different sounds on the album, not all the songs sound the same, like, same vibe. They are all kind of different,” Niall revealed to Live Nation/ETonline in an exclusive interview. “Couple of different guitars and drums. It’s a lot different than what we did before… but, it’s cool.” But Liam promises that Directioners who love their old tunes will be happy, too. “There’s a lot of old school vibes as well,” he explained. “I said before that it was quite Oasis-y but I was thinking about one song that I’ve been playing… it’s very diverse I think,” he added, after noting that the mix of songs is “eclectic.” – Read more at ET Online
Randy Jackson Signs Development, Producing Deal With Endemol Shine North America – Longtime “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson has signed an overall producing deal with Endemol Shine North America, co-chairmen and co-CEO’s Cris Abrego and Charlie Corwin announced Wednesday. Jackson, who previously produced “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew” for MTV between 2008 and 2012, will develop unscripted, scripted and digital programming to produce with the Endemol Shine North America team. Programming from the company already includes “Big Brother” (CBS), “The Biggest Loser” (NBC), “Hell on Wheels” (AMC), “Kingdom” (DirecTV), “MasterChef” (FOX), “MasterChef Junior” (FOX), as well as new summer programs “The Island” (NBC) and “Bullseye” (FOX). – Read more at The Wrap
