Carrie Underwood surprises young fan with CMA Festival news
Carrie Underwood, who will perform during the pre-game show at the Super Bowl, answers questions during a press conference at the Super Bowl XLIV media center on Thursday, in Ft. Lauderdale , Fla. The performance and game will air on Sunday on CBS. (Associated Press photo)
A trembling 15-year-old fan was the first to find out: Checotah native Carrie Underwood will be among the stars performing at this year’s CMA Music Festival June 10-13 in Nashville, Tenn.
Underwood took time out of her packed Super Bowl rehearsal schedule, where she is singing the National Anthem on Sunday, to call 15-year-old Riley Ahlstrand with the news. Ahlstrand, an ardent fan of the festival, was being interviewed by a news crew from the Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN when reporter Brad Schmitt’s phone rang and he handed it to the wide-eyed teen.
On the line was Underwood to tell the nearly speechless girl that she would be performing at the festival this year – and Ahlstrand heard it first.
“I always look forward to the excitement of CMA Music Festival,” said Underwood after the call, according to a CMA report. “Its fans like Riley that make the week so much fun.”
“This is the best thing that has ever happened, said Ahlstrand, with tears still streaming down her face. “I couldn’t have dreamed anything cooler than this!”
Ahlstrand came to WKRN’s attention after she sent an e-mail to CMA: “My dream is to meet Carrie Underwood, and the CMA Music Festival is my absolute favorite thing. I want more than anything for Carrie Underwood to appear at CMA Music Festival this year. Thank you so much for everything that you do, and for putting on such a spectacular week June 10-13! This truly is the ultimate fan experience.”
“CMA Music Festival is about the fans and this was a terrific way to kick off what is sure to be a star-packed roster of artists performing this year,” said Steve Moore, chairman of the CMA Board of Directors in the news release. “We have a long history of surprising our fans and creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and this is only the beginning.”
Nashville’s signature music event, the CMA Music Festival features concerts, autograph signings, family activities and more. This unparalleled celebration of America’s music draws thousands of fans and media from all corners of the globe to Nashville. CMA Music Festival was dubbed the “crown jewel of Country Music Festivals” by USA Today and winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s 2004, 2006, and 2008 LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year.
Tickets are available now. Four-day ticket prices range from $110 to $185. To purchase tickets, call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or go to www.CMAfest.com.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood, Queen Latifah talk about singing at the Super Bowl
Entertainer Queen Latifah points at Oklahoma country music superstar Carrie Underwood during a press conference at the Super Bowl XLIV media center Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both entertainers will perform during the pre-game show before Sunday’s Super Bowl. (Associated Press photo)
Country music superstar and Checotah native Carrie Underwood and multi-talented diva Queen Latifah talked about their upcoming pre-Super Bowl performances in a press conference Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will face off Sunday night in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Fla. But as usual, the hoopla surrounding the game will begin early Sunday afternoon.
The “Super Bowl Today” live show will begin at 1 p.m. on CBS. The kick-off show will get started at 5 p.m. The game is set to kick off at about 5:20 p.m.
In Thursday’s press conference, Underwood, who will sing the National Anthem prior to kick-off, and Latifah, who will sing “America the Beautiful” before the game, fielded questions about their performances:
Q: On behalf of the NFL, and the 140 million Americans around the country who will be watching you perform on Super Bowl Sunday, any pressure?
Latifah: No pressure.
Q: Looking ahead to Super Bowl Sunday, how difficult is performing a song such as “America the Beautiful” and then also the National Anthem?
Latifah: I think if anything I don’t know if is about a difficulty, but just a responsibility. You feel like when you sing “America the Beautiful” or the National Anthem you feel like you are representing America, so you just want to show up. You want to show up, and want to do a great job because you also know that everyone in that crowd is passionate about our country.
Especially since we are at wartime right now, so you think about everyone who is representing us around the world and you just want to do a great job and there is nothing like the Super Bowl, football, America’s sport. You know what I mean? You just want to be there, show up and make it happen. Yeah so, no pressure. Just the whole world looking at you.
Underwood: Yeah I think it is definitely everybody’s sentiment when they get up to sing a song that is so patriotic.
I think for me, my biggest fear is words. Of course, you sang these songs a million times and everybody knows the words and of course you know the words, but if you’re going to mess up, that would be the one time you would do it. So more than anything, I know I am excited, I know you (pointing to Latifah) are excited and like you (referring to Latifah) said, just want to do a good job. Represent.
Q: F0r Latifah: What is your background on football as a fan, a New York Jets fan?
Latifah: I live in Jersey, let’s get it straight. No, just playing. I am a fan of my local teams, definitely a Giants fan, a fan of my local teams, but I love football. It is actually my favorite sport to watch, used to be basketball, but football is such a short season and they go so hard every week and the wild cards, the playoffs. So I am always excited when football season comes around, it is the end of the summer and you are looking forward for something to go into and it is like a new season.
So I am not just a fan of the Jets and the Giants. I am a fan of the true athletes. These guys work really hard to get to where they are going. You look at Brett Favre and Peyton Manning and some of the young and up-and-coming players and you know they had to cut through a big field to get to where they are today. So I just love watching sports period. So I can appreciate different teams. I am not that diehard of a fan that I can’t appreciate athletes on another team – outside of Jersey!
Q: For Underwood: Last year Jennifer Hudson, another former “American Idol” contestant sang the National Anthem. Did you get a chance to ask her for any advice?
Underwood: Well I watched a few key performances from the past few years just to see how different people did things. I didn’t really get to discuss it that much with her as far as details and things like that.
I know people handle stress in different ways and nerves in different ways, but I got to talk to Harry Connick Jr. (whom she performed with Saturday at the pre-Grammy gala) about it, who has done things like this often in his career. And did have some really great advice, he was just like, ‘oh girl, you know what you are doing, just get out there and do it.’ Just very positive and very excited for me. So yeah, just get out there and do it.
Also at the press conference, Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of corporate communications, talked about Sunday’s pre-game festivities. Entertainers Daughtry and Steve Winwood will perform, and the NFL will make a special presentation to the Walter Payton, Man of the Award winner.
Halftime entertainment will be provided by British rock legends The Who.
-BAM
From Grammy win to Super Bowl performance, Carrie Underwood having a big week
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press file photo)
After winning her fifth Grammy Award last weekend, superstar Carrie Underwood is headed toward another amazing weekend, as she will be performing the national anthem at Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV, airing on CBS.
But she has another touchdown of her own to celebrate in between: The Oklahoma native scored Wednesday the No. 1 video on iTunes with “Temporary Home.”
The powerful video debuted in a two-day exclusive Tuesday on iTunes, and “Temporary Home” makes its television debut today in Hot Shot rotation on CMT and in Turbo rotation on GAC.
Fans can also be looking for the Checotah-bred star on the cover of the March issue of Cosmopolitan, on stands early this month, with an Allure cover feature hitting stands for their April issue.
Looking ahead, Underwood will make her first appearance at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 2, with a concert performance that will involve the renowned Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Tickets for the performance go on sale Sunday, Feb. 14. For more information, go to www.hollywoodbowl.com.
And congratulations to Carrie on her big week.
-BAM
Tulsa artist Judi Grove making unique contribution to breast cancer fight
Judi Grove poses with casts of women’s chests Jan. 16 during a roller derby match in Oklahoma City between the Tornado Alley Roller Girls and Northwest Arkansas’ Backwoods Betties. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
My colleague Carrie Coppernoll recently spoke to Tulsa artist Judi Grove about her unique efforts in the battle against breast cancer. Read Carrie’s terrific story by clicking here.
Through her nonprofit Breast Impressions, Grove travels the country making plaster casts of women’s breasts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.
Breast cancer runs in the Tulsan’s family. Before having a tumor – which turned out to be benign – removed in December 2006, she decided to make an impression of her breasts. She used a plaster cast kit designed for pregnant women to preserve their baby bellies; her husband made a cast of her breasts three days before her surgery.
An artist friend of Grove’s turned the plaster cast into a work of art by decorating it with stained glass.
She talked with her husband about making more of such works of art and selling them. She could give breast cancer patients cast sets for free to remember their own breasts. And she could give the leftover money to breast cancer causes.
The local roller derby team, the Green Country Roller Girls, soon contacted her to have casts made of their breasts. The team auctioned the adorned casts at a charity event, and since, roller derby squads nationwide have asked her to do similar projects.
For the past 2½ years, she has attended roller derby charity bouts across the country. Grove does the casts for the club. Then, local artists decorate the casts, and the club sells them. Profits support local breast cancer groups. Last month, she partnered with Oklahoma City’s Tornado Alley Rollergirls for their second annual Busting Out Breast Cancer Awareness Bout.
Along the way, Grove has earned the roller derby pseudonym Mamie O’Gram.
Grove has teamed up with Sen. Judy McIntyre, D-Tulsa, to host the second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m April 26 at the state Capitol.
My mother-in-law is friends with Grove and had the artist cast her breast a few years ago. The plaster “bust” was turned into a work of art by Oklahoma City artist Gayle Curry for a charity auction. The final piece was absolutely beautiful and an incredibly effective message about the beauty of a woman’s body and importance of breast cancer research.
For more information on Grove’s efforts, go to www.breastimpressions.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 2, 2010
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks (Photo by Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman Archives)
Today’s featured event:
Watch the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno.
For more information, call (800) 745-3000 or go to www.thunder.nba.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup for Jan. 29-31, 2010
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman Archives)
Here is a list of events happening around Oklahoma this weekend (Jan. 29-31). Due to the winter weather in the state, please call ahead or check the venue’s Web site before heading out to any of these events. Some may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather and road conditions.
For more activities, go to www.wimgo.com. And above all, please have a safe weekend!
- Watch the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Denver Nuggets tonight at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno. Or see the Thunder play the Golden State Warriors at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Ford Center. Information: www.thunder.nba.com.
- NORMAN — Listen to Grammy-nominated folk singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Santa Fe Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. The show is part of the Performing Arts Studio’s Winter Wind concert series. Information: 307-9320 or www.thepas.org. (Gilkyson’s show set for tonight at Tulsa’s All Souls Acoustic Coffeehouse has been canceled due to bad weather; the venue is trying to reschedule the show for a later date and encourages ticketholders to keep their tickets. Information: www.allsoulcoffeehouse.com.)
- Hear pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin perform with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. And the philharmonic’s Discovery Family Series continues with “Music in Motion” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
Estelle Parsons in “August: Osage County”
- TULSA — See the national touring production of Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “August: Osage County,” written by Tulsa-born playwright Tracy Letts, at 7:30 p.m. today and 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Third and Cincinnati. Information: (800) 364-7111 or www.tulsapac.com.
- Listen to Oklahoma indie singer-songwriters Jacob Abello and Sherree Chamberlain at 10 tonight at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51. Information: 463-0470 or www.myspace.com/51speakeasy.
- Check out the 17th Annual Cafe City Arts celebration and arts sale at 7:30 tonight at City Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. at State Fair Park. The fundraising event featuring works from national, regional and emerging artists, a chance to meet many of the artists and refreshments from some of the metro’s finest eateries is still on for tonight. Information or tickets: www.cityartscenter.org.
Eli Young Band
-TULSA – Hear Eli Young Band and Sean McConnell at 8:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main. Doors open at 7 p.m. Reckless Kelly will join the lineup for the Sunday show. Information: www.cainsballroom.com.
- TULSA – Listen to Oklahoma band the Red Dirt Rangers at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Williams Theater, Third and Cincinnati. Information: www.tulsapac.com.
- Take part in the Raising Haiti Benefit featuring Sugar Free Allstars, Aliens vs. Robots, Dustin Prinz, The Buckners and Kyle Kubiak at 8 tonight at VZDs, 4200 N Western. Information: www.vzds.com.
BradChad Porter
- Laugh along at the OKC Improv showcase at 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday at Ghostlight Theatre Club, 3110 N Walker in the Paseo Arts District. The 8 p.m. show will include Crayons Improv, Tulsa’s top short-form troupe that specializes in creating innovative family-friendly comedy, followed by the jazzy relationship-driven comedy of Oklahoma City troupe The Ones Your Mother Warned You. The 10 ap.m. show will feature OKC stand-up comic BradChad Porter, followed by The Closers, an OKC troupe that specializes in creating 45-minute improvised plays in the style of writer David Mamet (”Glengarry Glen Ross,” “The Untouchables”). Information: www.okcimprov.com.
- See the new exhibit “Jason Peters: Anti.Gravity.Material.Light” this weekend at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Information: www.okcmoa.com.
- TULSA – Mark the release The Non’s new CD at a show also featuring Dead Sea Choir and Scales of Motion at 7 tonight at The Marquee, 222 N Main. Information: www.myspace.com/themarqueetulsa.
-BAM
UPDATED: Parachute and Safetysuit show among events postponed tonight due to winter weather
Parachute
The winter weather has caused some venues around the state to postpone or cancel tonight’s events.
In other cases, venues are holding off on confirming or rescheduling events until later today, after the status of the weather and roads becomes more certain.
Here are a few of tonight’s events that I’ve heard have been postponed or canceled, as well as some that seem to be going on as planned.
My advice: Before you go anywhere tonight, call ahead or check the venue’s and/or performer’s Web site before hitting the road. Also, check NewsOK.com or other sites to get an idea of road conditions in your area. Having a good time on a Friday night is one thing, but remember, safety first.
Postponed/canceled for tonight:
- Tonight’s Parachute and Safetysuit show, which also was to feature Oklahoma City’s own Graham Colton, at the Diamond Ballroom has been postponed. According to www.diamondballroom.net, the concert has NOT been canceled, just put off to a later (hopefully more weather-friendly) date. Ticketholders are instructed to hold onto their tickets since they will be honored for the rescheduled date. Ticketholders are urged to monitor www.dcfconcerts.com or www.diamondballroom.net for updates on the new show date.
- Red Dirt Improv has delayed tonight’s Very Vrazel Farewell show, according to the troupe’s Facebook page. The show will instead take place at 9 p.m. next Friday, Feb. 5 at IAO Gallery, 706 W Sheridan.
- TULSA – Eliza Gilkyson’s concert tonight at All Soul’s Acoustic Coffeehouse has been canceled, according to www.allsoulcoffeehouse.com. The venue is working to reschedule the date. Ticketholders should keep their tickets and check the venue’s Web site for updates on a new show date.
Gilkyson also is scheduled to perform Sunday night at Norman’s Santa Fe Depot as part of the Performing Arts Studio’s Winter Wind concert series. As of now, that show is apparently still on; neither www.thepas.org nor www.elizagilkyson.com/Calendar.htm has Sunday’s show listed as canceled or delayed.
- The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, has canceled tonight’s screenings of the films “Half-Life” and “Red Cliff.” According to www.okcmoa.com/film, the “Half-Life” screenings set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, as well as the 8 p.m. Saturday showing of “Red Cliff” are still on for now.
Still on for tonight:
- TULSA – Eli Young Band is set to perform at 8:30 tonight at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main. As of Thursday, www.cainsballroom.com was reporting the show was still on, and the band members just posted on Twitter (www.twitter.com/EliYoungBand) a few minutes ago that they have made it to Tulsa from Arkansas. So, it’s a pretty good bet this show will happen as scheduled.
Also, Eli Young Band is set to play Cain’s again at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder will be taking on the Denver Nuggets at 7 tonight at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno. According to www.okfordcenter.com, the venue’s box office for the game won’t open until 2 p.m. today due to the weather. On Twitter, Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison (www.twitter.com/rumblethebison) reported this morning: “Yes, the game is on tonight! The Nuggets are here, the refs are here, and the 1st 10,000 fans get a Thunder/MidFirst beanie. Perfect timing!”-
- The 17th Annual Cafe City Arts celebration and arts sale will take place at 7:30 tonight at City Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. at State Fair Park. I received an e-mail from City Arts Center this morning that the fundraising event, featuring works from national, regional and emerging artists, a chance to meet many of the artists and refreshments from some of the metro’s finest eateries, is still on for tonight. For information or to buy tickets, go to www.cityartscenter.org.
- TULSA — The national touring production of Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “August: Osage County,” written by Tulsa-born playwright Tracy Letts, will be staged at 7:30 p.m. today at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center as planned, according to www.tulsapac.com.
Additional performances are set for 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Tulsa PAC, Third and Cincinnati. For more information, call (800) 364-7111 or go to www.tulsapac.com.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood to sing National Anthem at Super Bowl
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press file photo)
Big-voiced country music superstar Carrie Underwood is going to Super Bowl XLIV – to sing the national anthem.
The Feb. 7 Super Bowl in Miami pits the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints. It will air live on CBS.
According to a news release, the Checotah native joins the ranks of many big names who have sung the anthem at the big game, including her idol and fellow Oklahoma native Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick Jr., Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and many more.
A four-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the 2009 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, and three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner, Underwood has amassed more than 11 million in U.S. album sales since her debut CD in 2005, more than any other “American Idol” winner. Along the way, she became the first country artist in history to notch 11 consecutive No. 1 singles. Underwood’s North American 2010 headline tour, “Play On Tour,” will launch in March.
Underwood won’t be the only star performing during the Super Bowl pregame festivities at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. Queen Latifah also will sing “America the Beautiful.”
Queen Latifah joins Vicki Carr (Super Bowl XI), Ray Charles (Super Bowl XXXV), Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony (Super Bowl XXXVI), Alicia Keys (Super Bowl XXXIX) and Faith Hill (Super Bowl XLIII) as the only artists to perform the patriotic song at the Super Bowl.
A musician, actress, label president, author and entrepreneur, Queen Latifah is a Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning recording artist as well as an Emmy and Academy Award nominee.
The NFL previously announced that legendary British rockers The Who will play this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
The Super Bowl will provide a huge stage, even for stars the likes of The Who, Queen Latifah and Carrie: More than 151 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s Super Bowl, making it the most-watched television program in history. The pregame show and Super Bowl XLIV will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.
- BAM
Harlem Globetrotters to return to Oklahoma City in April
Hi Rise Brown teases the referee during the basketball game between the Washington Generals and the Harlem Globetrotters Sunday at the Ford Center. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
With tickets in high demand for their Sunday afternoon performance at the Ford Center, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters have announced they will bring their 2010 “Magical Memories” World Tour back to Oklahoma City on Thursday, April 8.
“We had so many enthusiastic fans demanding tickets and another opportunity to see this great show, we just had to come back as soon as possible,” said Michael Kenney, the Globetrotters’ senior vice president of live event marketing, in a news release.
The Globetrotters will take the court at the Ford Center at 7 p.m. April 8. The show will be sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Spalding, Howard Johnson and America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses.
Tickets start at $17 and are available by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Individual ticket information can also be found on the Harlem Globetrotters’ official Web site, www.harlemglobetrotters.com.
Now in their 84th consecutive season of touring the world, the Harlem Globetrotters exhibit a captivating assortment of trick shots, high-flying dunks, and incredible ball-handling wizardry – with a side-splitting array of comedy – all presented by some of the world’s greatest athletes and entertainers.
The Original Harlem Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining more than 130 million fans and crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life. The Globetrotters are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Jan. 24, 2010
Today’s featured event:
Watch the antics of the Harlem Globetrotters at 3 p.m. today at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno. The team will donate a portion of gate proceeds from the game to UNICEF’s Earthquake Relief efforts for Haiti.
For more information, call (800) 745-3000 or go to www.okfordcenter.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
