New releases for Aug. 2, 2011: Greyson Chance’s debut album, “Soul Surfer,” “Pure Country 2″ and “Stormchasers: Season 3″ on DVD
Greyson Chance
Greyson Chance, the 13-year-old Internet music sensation from Edmond, releases his hotly anticipated debut album “Hold on ‘Til the Night” today on Ellen DeGeneres’ new eleveneleven record label.
A former student at Edmond’s Cheyenne Middle School, Greyson skyrocketed to fame a little more than a year ago when a YouTube video of his piano-and-voice cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” went viral with the help of DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest and Ashton Kutcher.
One month after “Paparazzi,” Greyson Chance was one of the most famous 12-year-olds in the world. Two months after his take on Gaga’s song hit the Internet, Greyson and his family were making a second home in California so he could record “Hold on ‘Til the Night.”
“I had some bad experiences in the studio with some of the producers when I started,” Greyson told The Oklahoman’s Gene Triplett in a recent interview. “I think a lot of people didn’t understand what I was trying to do. I was trying to make this really open album, and I wanted a pop-rock record. And so when I first started it was really hard. But then I found some producers that I really loved, and they really respect me, musically and creatively.
“I really put my creative opinion and thought into this record, and that’s why I think it turned out so well, is it’s real. It’s not a fake record.”
To read more of Gene’s interview with Greyson, click here.
Greyson will play a home state show on Friday, Aug. 19 at Frontier City theme park. The show is set for three days after his 14th birthday. For more information, go to www.frontiercity.com.
For Oklahoma country music fans, two DVDs coming out today should be of interest. Superstar Carrie Underwood, who hails from Checotah, makes her feature film debut in the inspirational biopic “Soul Surfer,” which is based on the true story of teen surf champ Bethany Hamilton, who in 2003 lost her left arm in a shark attack off Kauai, Hawaii. In a stunning comeback, the 13-year-old returned to the ocean less than a month after the attack and went on to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a professional surfer.
Underwood plays Sarah Hill, a youth leader at the church the Hamilton family attends. Sarah serves as a sympathetic sounding board for Bethany as the teen struggles to cope with her drastically altered life. She also gives Bethany a chance to gain a new perspective when she takes the girl on a mission trip to tsunami-ravaged Thailand.
To read my column in which Underwood talks about her movie debut in “Soul Surfer,” click here. To read my “Soul Surfer” movie review, click here.
Country singer-songwriter Katrina Elam, a native of Bray, makes her acting debut in “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” a spinoff of George Strait’s 1992 hit musical. Elam stars as Bobbie Thomas, who as a baby receives the gift of a divine voice from a trio of angels. But the angels (Cheech Marin, Michael McKean and Bronson Pinchot) also require her to follow three rules — never lie, always be fair and never break a promise — in order to keep her heavenly talent. When Bobbie leaves her tiny Kentucky hometown to seek her fortune in Nashville, the aspiring country singer learns the path to stardom is riddled with obstacles, including the temptation to compromise her values for wealth and fame. Strait makes a brief appearance in the film playing himself.
To read my interview with Elam about the movie, click here. To read my “Pure Country 2″ movie review, click here.
Also, Oklahoma is one of the states highlighted as Discovery Channel’s “Stormchasers: Season 3 – Let Chaos Ensue” debuts on DVD today. Viewers can journey with a group of adventurers, filmmakers and scientists as they drive through Oklahoma, Nebraska and New Mexico – Tornado Alley – in during the show’s third season. Riding in an armored research vehicle, the teams risk their lives as they get up close to tornadoes and ultimately run out of places to hide.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Greyson Chance, “Hold on ‘Til the Night.”
John Hiatt, “Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns.”
Trace Adkins, “Proud to Be Here.”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “How I Go.”
Keb Mo, “The Reflection.”
Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs – Deluxe Edition (Scenes From The Suburbs)”
“Victorious” cast, “Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show.”
Drive-By Truckers, “Greatest Hits 1998-2009.”
Mat Kearney, “Young Love.”
DVDs
Cold Weather
Eastbound & Down: The Complete Second Season
Everwood: The Complete Fourth Season
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
Last Night
The Music Never Stopped
The Perfect Game
Pure Country 2: The Gift
Quarantine 2: Terminal
Rio
Soul Surfer
Stake Land
Stormchasers: Season 3 – Let Chaos Ensue
United States of Tara: The Third Season
YellowBrickRoad
Books
Cold Vengeance (Special Agent Pendergast) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Retribution (Dark-Hunter) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Back of Beyond by C.J. Box
Joy Bauer’s Food Cures: Eat Right to Get Healthier, Look Younger, and Add Years to Your Life by Joy Bauer, Carol Svec
Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown by David Wiedemer, Robert A. Wiedemer, Cindy S. Spitzer
Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur by Ryan Blair
-BAM
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