‘Wedding at Graceland’: Hallmark’s Memphis Christmas movie sequel set for summer – Silver bells will give way to wedding bells when the Hallmark Channel in just a few months airs “Wedding at Graceland,” the inevitable sequel to the cable television network’s recent ratings smash, “Christmas at Graceland,” Hallmark officials confirmed Monday. To be filmed in Memphis in April on a production schedule even more whirlwind than the featured couple’s courtship, “Wedding at Graceland” will reunite stars Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown as Laurel and Clay, the former Memphis sweethearts who rekindled their romance during “Christmas at Graceland.” The honeymoon will continue (at least for fans of Hallmark romance and for Memphis film crew workers in need of a job) when Pickler returns in a third Elvis-inspired Hallmark movie set for December. – Read more at Commercial Appeal
American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks and Rachel Potter to Star in Immersive Shenandoah at Serenbe – American Idol Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and The X Factor finalist Rachel Potter will star in the Serenbe Playhouse production of the 1974 Broadway musical Shenandoah, which will take audiences into the heart of American history this spring. The Atlanta-area theatre company, known for creating epic, site-specific outdoor productions, will set Shenandoah in the midst of a Civil War re-enactment incorporating more than 100 soldiers, horses, and canon fire to sweep audiences into the story. Serenbe Artistic Director Brian Clowdus will helm the large-scale staging that runs March 13–April 7. Shenandoah has a book by James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell, and Phillip Rose, with music by Gary Geld, and lyrics by Udell. – Read more at Playbill
Katie Stevens & Virginia Gardner Join ‘Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings’ Anthology Series on Netflix – Katie Stevens and Virginia Gardner will be starring in Netflix‘s upcoming Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings miniseries! The young actresses will both appear in separate episodes in the anthology series that center around the songs created by Dolly. Katie will appear in “Two Doors Dow” as Lee Meegers. The ep is about “a family’s lifetime of secrets come bursting out during a chaotic and comedic New Year’s Eve wedding weekend. Will they make it to witness the ‘I do’s’ without killing one another?” – Read more at Just Jared
‘American Idol’ Creator Shifts Gears for Discovery Nature Documentary – American Idol creator Simon Fuller’s next TV project is a long way from the pop charts. Fuller is executive producing a six-part nature documentary called Serengeti that’s set to air on Discovery in the United States. He’s collaborating with John Downer (Spy in the Wild) on the series, which is set to premiere later in 2019. Like BBC America’s Dynasties, Serengeti will follow animals living on the African plains over the course of a year, highlighting the day-to-day struggles for survival. It will air on the BBC in the U.K. – Read more at Hollywood Reporter
Chris Kroeze to release first album since ‘The Voice’ – BARRON, Wis. – Chris Kroeze, the runner-up on NBC’s “The Voice,” is releasing his first album Feb. 22 since his run on the TV show. According to a release, the album is available for preorder now. The preorders will get a signed copy and free digital download. It will feature eight songs, including new originals and some of his most requested covers. “I’m so excited to release this album and share my music with everyone that supported me on ‘The Voice,’” said Kroeze. “I hope everyone enjoys the music as much as I enjoy performing it.” – Read more at Channel3000.com
Kree Harrison Presents World Premiere of “I Love the Lie” – Emmylou Harris and Wynonna Judd are just a few of the genre’s masters who can’t get enough of Kree Harrison. With a powerful, honeyed voice and unrivaled musical style that stand out in any genre, what’s not to love? “It’s crazy,” Harrison tells CMT.com, “Wynonna and I, we’ve become really good friends. Her quote for my new music made me cry in my coffee.” Harris also sent kind words praising Harrison’s contributions to music. “Kree is one of my favorite singers that’s why I voted for her on American Idol,” she wrote. Harrison draws inspiration from these powerful women and the women of ‘90s country in the new music she has in the works. Today (Feb. 12) she exclusively premieres, “I Love the Lie,” an original by Chris Stapleton, with CMT.com.
Cassadee Pope Reveals Phases Of Life That Led To ‘Stages’ The Album – In a recent interview with Cody Alan, Cassadee opened up about her emotional and honest approach to her new album. Spoiler Alert: She’s doing better than ever and has a book recommendation for anyone out there also going through “the muck.” “You’ve been through some stuff,” Said Cody “You’ve bounced back over and over again, so how have you had those ups and downs and kept your sanity?” “I just kept my eye on the end game,” replied Cassadee earnestly. “I was like, There is no way that I am going to feel like this forever. I’m not going to let that happen. I want to be happy.” – Read more at iHeartRadio
“This Is It”: Scotty McCreery takes fans inside his romance with his wife in his latest #1 song – This week, Scotty’s engagement song becomes his second number one, several months after he tied the knot with Gabi last June in their native North Carolina. “It’s been incredible,” Scotty says of the song’s journey. “I think one of the things that this song has done is kind of invited folks into our lives.” “I love talking about Gabi,” Scotty smiles, “I love singing about Gabi, and she’s my best friend and I wrote this song for her, and the fact that I get to share that with everybody is wonderful.” – Read more at ABCNewsRadio
Thia Megia Interview – American Idol alum stars on daytime soap Days of Our Lives – The powers-that-be obviously agreed and hired Megia to portray Haley, a nurse and undocumented immigrant who crosses paths with JJ after a suicide attempt. While the material has been mighty heavy, fortunately it’s been balanced by Megia’s lighthearted relationship with Moss. “I don’t think I could ask for a better scene partner,” she raves. “It’s always a good time working with Casey. He’s absolutely hilarious. It’s really easy to feel at ease when you’re on set with him. It’s also, honestly, like having your own personal rock concert because he’s always singing. So we have that in common.” – Read more at Soap Opera Digest
‘Last Call With Carson Daly’ to End NBC Run After Nearly Two Decades – NBC late-night series “Last Call with Carson Daly” is coming to an end. Daly is stepping away from the series but will continue on as the host of the Orange Room on “Today” as well as the host and producer of “The Voice” for NBC. “Last Call” first launched in 2002 and will have aired 2000 episodes upon its conclusion. A date for the final episode and a new show for the 1:30 a.m. weeknight timeslot will be announced at a later date. “If you had told me in 2002 I would be a part of the historic NBC late-night family for 17 years, I would have said you were crazy!” Daly said. “Hard to believe it’s been so long – 2,000 episodes. It’s time to move on to something new and let someone else have access to this incredible platform.” – Read more at Variety.com
