Lee DeWyze to play local shows, Wrigley event – July 19: Watch DeWyze’s live concert at Swinghouse Studios in Los Angeles on stageit.com at 8 p.m. The performance is 50 notes on the website, which translates into $5. – Read more at the Daily Herald
‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON FINALE TO AIR SEPT. 18 WITH TWO-HOUR TELECAST – NBC has announced that “America’s Got Talent,” summer’s No. 1 show in the 18-49 demo, will end its current season on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. “American Ninja Warrior” and “Siberia” will finish their respective current seasons on Monday, Sept. 16 with one-hour episodes. – Read more at NBCumv.com
After MidNight names Aldean, Bryan, Underwood, Lady A, Owen as hosts – Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen and Carrie Underwood will be the first of 20 artists to take over the After MidNite show after Blair Garner steps down July 31. Garner is a DJ at Nash FM in New York. The takeover, which runs from Aug. 1 through the end of 2013 will also feature special performances and interviews. Underwood will host Aug. 1-2; Aldean the week of Aug. 5; Bryan the week of Aug. 12; Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood the week of Aug. 19 and Jake Owen the week of Aug. 26. – Read more at Country Standard Time
Taylor Hicks brings his Las Vegas show to Atlantic City July 18-27 – Singer-songwriter Taylor Hicks knows that no matter what he achieves over the course of his career, he’ll always be thought of as an “American Idol” winner. And that’s okay with him. “I’m very blessed and fortunate to have come off of the biggest platform that ‘American Idol’ has ever had,” the 36-year-old Birmingham, Alabama native said in a recent telephone interview. “At that time, Idol was the biggest, and really the only game in town.” – Read more at Delconewsnetwork
‘American Idol’ Season 12: The Top 11 Interview Each Other (Video) – The results range from the expected to the totally unexpected. Velez caught Taylor off guard by asking about his relationship with Holcomb. Many questions revolve around the tour, including which bunk the Idols prefer to sleep in (top, middle or bottom?) and how they feel about performing for thousands of people in large arenas. The Idols also answer questions about fan encounters they’ve had since the season finale and who the most interesting person was they met during their time on Idol. (Hint: They all gave the same answer!) – Watch the videos at Hollywood Reporter
Jason Castro to Make TV Acting Debut in The Up Original Movie,”The Perfect Summer Scheduled to Air on July 13 and 14 – Internationally-renowned singer-songwriter Jason Castro will make his TV acting debut when he appears in the UP original movie, “The Perfect Summer,” scheduled to air on the network on Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14 at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. EDT. In the inspirational sun-and-surf family drama, which stars Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight,” “The Expendables”) and Daytime Emmy nominee Sydney Penny (“All My Children,” “The New Gidget”), he takes on the role of Cody, the local surf shop owner. Several of his songs will also be featured on “The Perfect Summer” soundtrack. On July 11, Castro, who recently wrapped up a co-headlining tour with Ryan Cabrera, is scheduled to embark on a week-long expedition with “I am Second” to Colombia, South America. This fall he can be seen on Matthew West’s “Into the Light Tour” which will also feature label mates Sidewalk Prophets. – Read more at Breathecast
Harry Connick, Jr. is a man who knows – Country music is probably one of the last frontiers for lyrics. Broadway’s probably the other one. But there’s not a lot of lyrics really being written, so for people trying to tell stories with words, they appreciate the idea of understanding the lyrics. … Somehow, (my) message of singing runs and vocal embellishments got miscommunicated, because a lot of people say, ‘Man, we agree with you. People shouldn’t sing runs.’ Man, I wasn’t saying that at all. Some of my favorite singers, going back to Louis Armstrong, all they did was screw with melodies and change them. But the difference is, they knew the melody and then opted to change it. So all I was saying was “Learn the song, and sing the lyrics. Think about what you’re singing.” And those young women that I mentored, they’re kids. They need to know. I mean, when I was that age, I had to be told that, too. Think about it before you sing it. It seems very fundamental, but it’s actually a lot harder than it looks. I can see how that (would resonate) with the Nashville folks, and I’m glad. Think about this — I’m on this huge television show, having a real dialogue about music. How cool is that? – Read more at The Tennessean
Paula Deen Dumps Legal Team – Exclusive – After a tumultuous few weeks for Paula Deen, a source close to the Deen family exclusively tells Entertainment Tonight that the celebrity chef has changed her entire legal team after the fallout from her admission of using a racial slur in a recorded deposition. Deen has hired Grace Speights from Morgan Lewis’s Labor and Employment Practice to now represent her. Speights has handled many employment discrimination cases as well as claims of discrimination in public accommodations. Harry Weiss and Patty Glaser will also be on Deen’s new legal team. – Read more at Entertainment Tonight
Blake Shelton On Adam Levine: ‘I Want Him To Be More Like Me – Drunk All The Time’ – Blake Shelton blames Adam Levine’s healthy living for why he gets frustrated with his fellow “The Voice” judge. “I get frustrated with Adam because, to me, rock stars are supposed to be drunk all the time. But he’s very healthy,” Blake told Men’s Journal, which features the country star on its cover. “He takes care of himself. And it drives me crazy, because I want him to be more like me. Drunk all the time.” – Read more at Access Hollywood
Prince Charming: Glee star Chris Colfer turns teen author – Hearing a bunch of 40-year-olds talking about what’s appealing to teenagers is always funny,’ says Glee star Chris Colfer. ‘When I was a teenager, a studio executive told me that if I wanted to make a movie, it was going to have to be about how the character lost his virginity, how he wants to become popular, otherwise nobody’s gonna want to see it. I was like, “Absolutely not.” Not every teenager in the world is on a quest to become popular. I certainly wasn’t; when I was in high school, I wanted people to leave me alone.’ – Read more at Standard.co.uk
