Video: Chris Young break dances on “The Talk”; Reba McEntire appears Friday on the show
The CBS daytime show “The Talk” is celebrating Sunday’s 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards with special guests, segments and live performances this week.
Country superstar and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and ACM Award-nominated performer Chris Young appeared on the show today.
Lambert joined the ladies at the table as a guest co-host, and in the process revealed a secret about Young: he can break dance. Naturally, Young was called on to demonstrate his skills, and he did so quite well.
ACM Awards co-host and country music icon Reba McEntire, who hails from Chockie, will visit “The Talk” and preview the awards show on Friday.
The ACM Awards will be broadcast live from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show will be hosted for the second consecutive year by Reba and Lambert’s wife and fellow Tishomingo denizen Blake Shelton.
ACM Awards Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, leading up to my live blog of the show Sunday night.
-BAM
Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes to raise awareness of child hunger during ACM Lifting Lives performance on ACM Awards
Little Big Town
Hunter Hayes
ACM Award winners Little Big Town will partner with ACM Lifting Lives to perform “Here’s Hope,” an original song co-written by singer-songwriter and ACM New Artist of the Year nominee Hunter Hayes, to shed light on child hunger in the United States. This special musical moment, presented by ConAgra Foods’ “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign, will be performed during the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday on the CBS Television Network.
Hayes will introduce the powerhouse quartet, who will be joined onstage by the Clark County Children’s Choir, to bring this powerful 2012 ACM Lifting Lives moment to viewers.
“When I first learned about ACM Lifting Lives a few years ago, I immediately asked to be part of this amazing organization,” said Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town in the announcement. “Lifting Lives seeks out needs and takes care of people. They work hard at giving both children and adults comfort, contentment and happiness. We are so honored and excited to be a part of the very special Lifting Lives moment to end child hunger on the ACM Awards. We can’t wait!”
After learning that more than one in five children in America do not know where their next meal is coming from, Hayes, along with industry-leading songwriters Luke Laird and Barry Dean, was inspired to pen “Here’s Hope.” By using the power of music to touch hearts, the song was written to inspire consumers to join the fight against child hunger.
“What I didn’t realize – and what most people may not know – is that child hunger is not a far away problem; it’s a problem right here in our own backyards,” said Hayes in the announcement. “The good news, though, is that this is a problem we can all help solve together. My hope is that through music, we can inspire people to get involved and finally put an end to child hunger in our country.”
ACM Lifting Lives, which works to improve lives through music, is spotlighting Hayes’ personal passion for ending child hunger and his work with the ConAgra Foods’ “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign, which will donate up to five million meals this school year to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
“Lifting Lives is dedicated to improving lives through the power of music,” said Lisa Huddleson, Executive Director, ACM Lifting Lives, in the announcement. “By partnering with ConAgra Foods, Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes and consumers, we want to use a song in the telecast to raise awareness about how we can all help eradicated child hunger in the United States.”
“ConAgra Foods is proud to partner with the Academy of Country Music, Hunter Hayes and Feeding America to help solve the issue of child hunger,” said Chris Sinta, Director of Consumer Promotions and Sponsorships for ConAgra Foods, in the announcement. “We believe this partnership, and the performance of ‘Here’s Hope’ by Little Big Town, will drive home the fact that more than one in five children don’t know where their next meal is coming from, raise awareness of our commitment to ending child hunger and reinforce how everyone can help.”
This year’s ACM Lifting Lives show moment with Little Big Town marks the fourth consecutive year of moving performances which have highlighted worthy causes and provided support on behalf of their beneficiaries during the live Awards telecast.
For more information on how to join the fight against child hunger and how to participate in the ConAgra Foods “Child Hunger Ends Here” program, go to www.childhungerendshere.com.
About ACM Lifting Lives
ACM Lifting Lives is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides grants to music therapy and music education programs. Other giving includes serving members of the country music community who face unexpected medical or financial hardship through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund and partnering with artists to improve lives through music. Since 2009, the ACM Lifting Lives on-stage moment has raised over $200,000 for designated charities. Downloads and direct donations of Norman resident Toby Keith’s performance on the 45th annual telecast, and Darius Rucker’s performance on the 46th annual telecast raised funds and awareness for Wounded Warrior Project and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center respectively. For more information, go to www.ACMLiftingLives.org.
ACM Awards Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, leading up to my live blog of the show Sunday night here on the blog.
-BAM
Thompson Square, Lee Brice to play ACM Experience military tribute Saturday in Las Vegas
Thompson Square
Lee Brice
Lee Brice and Thompson Square, which includes Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson, will take part in a tribute concert to the military Saturday during the ACM Experience in Las Vegas, according to CMT.com.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Brice is nominated in the ACM’s song of the year category for co-writing the Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl,” while husband-and-wife pair Thompson Square received a nomination in the vocal duo category.
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, JT Hodges, Kip Moore and Craig Morgan also will appear at the event hosted by singer and HLN news anchor Robin Meade. The ACM Experience will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
ACM Awards Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, leading up to my live blog of the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, airing live from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday from Las Vegas. The awards show will be broadcast on CBS.
-BAM
Rascal Flatts plays series of charity shows, including a May 28 Tulsa benefit
Rascal Flatts and Boyz II Men at Arnold Palmer’s “Music For Champions”
Rascal Flatts and Muhammad Ali at Ali's Celebrity Fight Night event
TULSA – Charitably minded trio Rascal Flatts is one of country music’s biggest bands, performing sold-out shows in arenas nationwide. On May 28, the vocal group will help raise money for Folds of Honor by performing a special concert at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Tickets are $125 and go on sale April 12. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Rascal Flatts are comprised of lead vocalist Gary LeVox, bassist/vocalist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist/vocalist Joe Don Rooney, who was raised in Pitcher.
Since their musical debut in 2000, Rascal Flatts have sold more than 21 million albums and 25 million digital downloads and delivered 13 No.1 singles to the top of the charts. They were the most played country group on radio in 2011 and are the most awarded country group of the past decade, earning more than 40 trophies from the American Country Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, People’s Choice Awards and more.
Their new album, “Changed,” due in stores Tuesday, is the second release for the band on Big Machine Records. The upcoming release follows “Nothing Like This,” which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Country albums sales chart.
Rascal Flatts are one of only a few country acts to debut seven consecutive studio albums at No.1. “Nothing Like This” went on to become a platinum-selling album, featuring two No.1 hits, including the certified platinum single “I Won’t Let Go” and “Why Wait,” and a top 5 hit with the gold-certified “Easy,” featuring pop sensation Natasha Bedingfield.
The band is known for its many charitable efforts. In 2007, the trio was honored with the ACM’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of their commitment to serve others, their generosity of spirit and dedication to helping build the dreams of those in need.
On March 19, Rascal Flatts was in Orlando, Fla., headlining a concert at Hard Rock Live as part of Arnold Palmer’s “Music For Champions” event, benefiting the TJ Martell Foundation. Palmer said, “It was a fantastic evening. Boyz II Men and Rascal Flatts were both wonderful. They put on a great show, very entertaining. I loved it.” At the end of the evening, Boyz II Men joined the members of Rascal Flatts on stage to perform “Live Is A Highway.”
Rascal Flatts performed also performed recently at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Ariz., for the “Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XVIII.” This annual black-tie event, which raised 9.1 million dollars this year, is put on by the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by Jimmy Walker. Monies raised at this event goes to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, as well as several other worthy charities. Each year dozens of celebrity guests attend the event, which has raised nearly $80 million dollars in 18 years.
Based in Owasso, the Folds of Honor Foundation provides post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving our great nation. To date, nearly 2,600 scholarships have been awarded through the Folds of Honor. There are currently more than one million dependents of military service men and women, 87 percent of whom do not qualify for educational assistance from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and other governmental programs. Folds of Honor seeks to honor military families by providing educational support and opportunities to ensure that no one is left behind.
For more information, go to www.foldsofhonor.org.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is located off of Interstate 44 at exit 240. Ticket prices and information on upcoming shows are available online in The Joint section of www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com. All guests must be 21 years of age or older.
-BAM
ACM Awards duets announced: Blake Shelton and Lionel Richie, Rascal Flatts and Steve Martin, Toby Keith and surprise guests, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton and Lionel Richie, Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, and Steve Martin, Norman resident Toby Keith with surprise Las Vegas guest performers, and Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are set to perform a variety of special duets and collaborations on the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, to be broadcast live from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on the CBS Television Network.
ACM Awards Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, leading up to my live blog of the show Sunday night here on the blog.
Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Pat Monahan, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts have previously been announced as performers on the broadcast.
Blake Shelton and Lionel Richie, “You Are”
Blake Shelton returns to co-host the ACM Awards broadcast alongside Reba for the second consecutive year. He is nominated for two awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, marking his first nomination in the Entertainer of the Year category. In 2009, Shelton won Vocal Event of the Year for “Hillbilly Bone,” his chart-topping duet with longtime friend Trace Adkins. Straight off five back-to-back No. 1 hits, his current single “Drink On It” is his fastest-rising single to date and featured on his Grammy-nominated album “Red River Blue.”
Music icon Lionel Richie has created an unforgettable body of work that speaks to the hearts of people of all races, faiths and ages around the world with his universal themes of life, love and loss presented with poetic simplicity and irresistible melodies. He has earned sales of more than 100 million albums, 22 Top 10 hits, five Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe and a host of other awards from virtually every other major entertainment organization. His catalog of timeless hits includes “Say You, Say Me,” “Easy,” “Still,” “Hello,” “Stuck On You,” You Are,” “My Love” and “Endless Love.”
Richie will collaborate with an all-star ensemble for “ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert,” the once-in-a-lifetime concert event taping Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Shelton and Richie’s performance of Richie’s classic hit “You Are,” a featured duet on Richie’s new album, “Tuskegee,” will air as part of this special concert, to be broadcast Friday, April 13 on the CBS Television Network.
Rascal Flatts and Steve Martin, “Banjo”
Rascal Flatts has won 10 ACM Awards. They are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year, an award they have previously won seven times. In 2007, they were honored with the academy’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of their commitment to serve others, their generosity of spirit and dedication to helping build the dreams of those in need. The group’s highly anticipated new studio album, “Changed,” is out Tuesday.
Steve Martin will be on tour this summer with The Steep Canyon Rangers, performing in some of the most prestigious venues and festivals across the country in support of their Grammy-nominated album, “Rare Bird Alert” (Rounder). The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart and at No. 43 on the Billboard Top 200. Martin is a four-time Grammy Award winner, the latest for “The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo,” which won Best Bluegrass Album (2009). He also won for his collaboration with the legendary Earl Scruggs, who died Wednesday, on “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” (2001) and two for the comedy albums “Wild and Crazy Guy” (1978) and “Let’s Get Small” (1977). Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers were named Entertainer of the Year at the 2011 International Bluegrass Association Awards.
In a unique collaboration with Rascal Flatts, Martin will showcase the banjo during a performance of the band’s new single, “Banjo.”
Toby Keith and special guests, “Red Solo Cup”
Toby Keith is nominated for three awards, including Video of the Year for “Red Solo Cup,” an award which he last won in 2003 for “Beer For My Horses.” He also received a double nomination as artist and producer for Single Record of the Year for “Red Solo Cup.” Keith has won 10 ACM Awards, including two wins for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year.
Keith and special surprise iconic Las Vegas performers will join him for an unforgettable performance of Keith’s chart-topping smash “Red Solo Cup.”
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw
Kenny Chesney is nominated for nine awards including Entertainer of the Year, a category he has won four times since 2004. He is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, a category he has been nominated in 10 times previously. He is twice nominated for Album of the Year for “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” as both artist and producer, and also earned double nominations for Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year as both artist and producer for “You and Tequila” with Grace Potter. Chesney is also nominated for Song of the Year for “You and Tequila” with Grace Potter. Chesney recently announced a new album which is due in June, a project following his platinum record, “Hemingway’s Whiskey.”
Tim McGraw has won 14 ACM Awards and has been honored by the Academy with a Career Achievement Award with Faith Hill in 2006. McGraw has sold more than 40 million units and dominated the charts with 32 No. 1 singles. With 7.8 million spins at radio, McGraw was deemed “Artist of the Decade” (2000-2010) by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. His 11th studio album, “Emotional Traffic,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making it his 13th career No. 1 debut. McGraw is also an accomplished actor, having starred in films such as the Academy Award-nominated blockbuster “The Blind Side” and the critically acclaimed “Friday Night Lights.” This June, McGraw will kick off what is anticipated to be the biggest stadium tour in country music history with old friend Kenny Chesney.
The “Brothers of the Sun” tourmates will take the ACM Awards stage Sunday night for a very special performance.
-BAM
Video: Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy announces “Anchorman” sequel plans on “Conan”
Will Ferrell appeared in character as Ron Burgundy Wednesday night on “Conan” to play a killer flute solo, make a few off-color jokes, insult host Conan O’Brien – and announce plans for a long-awaited sequel to his 2004 comedy “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”
“It’s official, there will be a sequel to ‘Anchorman,’” he said, declaring that he and Paramount Pictures have come to terms on a follow-up before playing himself offstage via another rocking flute solo.
Earlier, Paramount had declined a musical plan put forth by Ferrell and director Adam McKay that also included a proposed Broadway stage show, according to the Associated Press. No details on the project were immediately available but McKay, producer Judd Apatow, and co-stars Paul Rudd and Steve Carell are expected to return.
As Ron Burgundy might say, “Great story. Compelling, and rich.”
-BAM
Video: Kevin Durant on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant appeared in rather charming and stylish fashion Wednesday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He talked about his love for Oklahoma City (although I got the sense that KD was getting a bit tongue in cheek with his exaggerated claims of OKC as a sleepy hamlet), his now-famous flag football game in Stillwater and his backpack style statement last season.
The Thunder takes on the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at the Staples Center, with tip-off at 9:30 p.m. The game will air on TNT.
In other Thunder news, Serge Ibaka will be back in OKC and hosting a fashion show to benefit Allied Arts Friday. To read more (and get quite an eyeful of Serge in male model mode), click here.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on March 29, 2012: Watch “Real Genius” at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s Science on Screen
Today’s featured event:
Watch the movie “Real Genius” at 7:30 tonight at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, as part of the museum’s Science on Screen program.
The 1985 comedy stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret as teenage geniuses who develop a high-powered laser under the tutelage of an unscrupulous professor (William Atherton). To go with the film, Oklahoma City native Adam Mock, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Central Michigan University, will discuss the latest science of laser technology and its applications.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art and Tulsa’s Circle Cinema have joined forces for the Science on Screen series, which creatively couples feature films with presentations by scientific experts to advance public understanding of science and technology. To read my feature on the program, click here.
For more information, go to www.okcmoa.com. For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: RIP Earl Scruggs
Bluegrass legend and pioneering banjo player Earl Scruggs died this morning in Nashville, Tenn. He was 88.
Scruggs died of natural causes, but his passing leaves an unnaturally large hole in the fabric of American music, since his legacy is so tightly woven into the bluegrass, country and roots music we hear today.
“It’s not just bluegrass, it’s American music,” bluegrass fan turned country star Dierks Bentley told the Associated Press. “There’s 17- or 18-year-old kids turning on today’s country music and hearing that banjo and they have no idea where that came from. That sound has probably always been there for them and they don’t realize someone invented that three-finger roll style of playing. You hear it everywhere.”
Since I agree with the AP’s assessment that it’s impossible to overstate Scruggs’ importance and impact on our country’s music, I’ll let the music do the talking:
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Norman Music Festival 2012 bands Olivia Tremor Control, Woods, Horse Thief, Brother Bear and more
In the past couple of weeks, the organizers of the Norman Music Festival have been unveiling bits and pieces of the lineup for the fifth annual free event, set for April 26-28.
So far, the festival will include Main Stage headliner Portugal. The Man and Jack Daniels Stage headliner Hayes Carll.
Also, Tulsa’s funky Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and self-proclaimed American band Red Wanting Blue will be featured on this year’s Main Stage. Other bands scheduled to perform on this stage include Weekend Hustler, Rainbows are Free, Crown Imperial and Modern Rock Diaries. Stillwater art-pop band Other Lives, who have been touring this year with Radiohead, will appear on the Main Stage, too.
Along with Carll, the Jack Daniels Stage will include The Giving Tree, Parker Millsap, The Damn Quails, Alejandro Escovedo, Krystal Keith (yep, daughter of Toby), Possum Posse, and Camille Harp and John Calvin.
In the lead-up to NMF, I’m launching today a special edition of my Wednesday Video Spotlight in which I will showcase a selection of the performers from the festival here on my blog.
Since the NMF organizers announced today on Facebook the April 26 lineup for The Opolis stage – Eureeka, Horse Thief, Brother Bear, MMOSS, Shi++y Awesome, Woods and Olivia Tremor Control – let’s start there, shall we?
-BAM
