Tag Archive for: TV listings

Sugarland Set For Network Primetime Special

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slSugarland is getting its first network television special. Sugarland: Live on the Inside will air on ABC, Mon., Aug. 3 at 7 PM/CT, the night before the duo’s new Wal-Mart exclusive CD/DVD pack of the same name hits shelves.

Producer/director Shaun Silva taped the one-hour special at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky using 20 cameras. It features the reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year performing their  biggest hits such as “Settlin,’” “Stay,” “All I Want To Do” and “Something More.”

Sugarland: Live on the Inside is executive-produced by band members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, with UMGN Sr. VP Jason Owen. The special is a Tacklebox Films production.

The Grammy winning duo exploded onto the music scene in 2004 and are nearing the 7 million albums sold mark. They are headlining a U.S. tour that runs through the fall.

“Television music specials and performances become iconic. Who hasn’t seen replays of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan or Elvis’s TV special wearing his jump suit and giving away his scarf?” says Nettles. “Even performances that I can remember as a child, like ‘Live Aid’ for example, really made such an impact. We are so excited to have our show on ABC and hope that it will be a moment that people will enjoy and remember.”

“We have overheard fans for years say, ‘I brought my friend to see the show, this is their first Sugarland experience’ with so much pride and excitement on their faces. It’s as if they can’t wait to share what they have discovered,” Bush adds. “This special is their new ticket that they can give to a friend. That is the most exciting part of this, imagining how far it will reach.”

TV Time Pays Off

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ladyaTV time paid off for Lady Antebellum when the band’s weekly album sales doubled following their performance of “I Run To You” on April’s Academy of Country Music Awards. The increase also coincides with the single’s rising popularity on radio.

Dolly Parton is set to perform on Sunday night’s Tony Awards on CBS, where she is nominated for Best Original Score for 9 to 5: The Musical. Joining her on the show will be the cast of the musical.

Julianne Hough will host the 2009 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Special, premiering Saturday, June 13 at 1 PM/CT. Voting is going on now at CMT.com and the final four nominees in the Video of the Year category will be announced at the beginning of the live awards show so fans can vote online and via text on Verizon phones throughout the broadcast.

Dateline: On Tour With Taylor Swift, originally broadcast May 31 on NBC, is being re-broadcast Sunday, June 7, in the network’s All Night time period. The program’s original air time was disrupted in several markets due to NBC’s live telecast of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup.

Owen Launches Album On GMA

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Jake Owen is prepping for next week’s debut of his sophomore album, Easy Does It, on RCA Nashville. He will kick off release day, Feb. 24, with a return visit to ABC’s Good Morning America and perform the project’s lead single, “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You.” The song is climbing MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart and is currently at No. 15.

With co-writing credits on eight of the new album’s 10 songs, Owen says the disc is very much a reflection of his personality. “I’m pretty fortunate to be around a lot of people that I look up to, and I think the common consistent lesson that I learn from all of them is that it’s all about truth,” says the singer. “This is what I am … this is what I sing about … this is what I do. I love to hear where people come from. I like to hear what they’re all about, and that’s what makes music so different.”

Owen recently earned a pair of nominations for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, where he’s up for Vocal Event of the Year, as well as the fan-voted Top New Male Vocalist. Voting is currently underway through March 5 at www.gactv.com.

Nashville TV Ties

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Four singers with Nashville connections are among American Idol‘s 36 remaining contestants this season. The Tennessean reports Ann Marie Boskovich, Kristen McNamara, Brent Keith and Ricky Braddy are either mid-state natives or currently reside here. The show airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 PM/CT on Fox.

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Also at Fox: Nashville’s Fox 17 WZTV is going ahead with tonight’s digital TV transition, and will end its analog signal at midnight. Today was the transition date scheduled more than a year ago. Broadcasters can choose whether or not to ditch the signal now, or turn it off before the mandatory deadline of June 12. According to the latest Nielsen research, about 30,000 people in the Nashville area (3.5 percent of the media market) will be affected by the change.

TV Goes Country With Cable Guy Roast, New “Crossroads”

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Larry The Cable Guy will be the subject of much jeering on Comedy Central’s 2009 Roast. On hand to give Larry some good-natured ribbing will be Toby Keith, Jeff Foxworthy, Drew Carey, Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli, Dan Marino, Jeffrey Ross, and many others to be announced. The show tapes in Los Angeles at the Warner Bros. Studio lot on Sun., March 1 and will premiere Sun., March 15 at 9 PM/CT.

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Others getting tube time next month include Shooter Jennings and Jamey Johnson who are the latest pairing for CMT Crossroads. The show, where artists sing their own songs as well as each other’s, will tape before an invitation only audience in Nashville later this month and premiere Mon., March 23 at 9 PM/CT on CMT.

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Also at CMT, the network is planning season two of its original singing competition Can You Duet. An open casting call will be March 7 at the Wildhorse Saloon. Doors open at 8 AM. For up-to-date casting information and instructions for sending in a video tape submission, visit www.canyouduet.com.

“Legends and Lyrics” Show To Tape In Nashville

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Public Television show Legends and Lyrics will be taping its new season in Nashville on Feb. 20-23 with performers ranging from Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals) to Amy Lee (Evanescence). The show honors songwriters and recording artists, including acclaimed hitmakers and rising newcomers. On the diverse line-up for the in-the-round tapings are Mac Davis, Lamont Dozier (“Stop! In The Name of Love”), Peter Yarrow (Peter Paul & Mary), Guy Clark, Roger McQuinn (The Byrds), Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), Aaron Lewis (Staind), Melissa Manchester, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (“You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”), and David Pack (Ambrosia).

The performances, at 3 PM and 8 PM each day, are open to the public and will be taped at the historic hall in the Grand Masonic Lodge downtown. The show is produced in Nashville by Songwriters In The Round and shot in HD1080p with Surround Sound. Details at www.legendsandlyrics.com.

A total of eight shows were taped last year in Nashville and Shreveport, La. That spring season series, to begin airing in April on Public Television, includes sets by Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx and 3 Doors Down; Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin and Randy Owen; Charlie Daniels, Phil Vassar and Jimmy Webb; Michael Martin Murphey, Pam Tillis and Ron Sexsmith; Susan Tedeschi, Kip Winger and James Slater; Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Mindy Smith and Regie Hamm; and Ed Bruce, Gordon Kennedy and Angela Kaset.

Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin, and Randy Owen performing on season one.

Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin, and Randy Owen performing on season one.

Country Stars Dance, Design, and Drop Ticket Prices

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Chuck Wicks and Jewel are joining the cast of celebrity competitors on the popular ABC series, Dancing with the Stars. For the show’s eighth season Wicks will dance with fellow country artist, and two-time Dancing champion Julianne Hough, who also happens to be his girlfriend. Jewel and her husband, rodeo star Ty Murray, will be paired with professional dancers and compete against each other. The season premiere is Mon., March 9 at 7 PM/CT.

Keith Urban and the promoters behind his Escape Together World Tour have responded to the downward economy by offering $20 tickets with no additional fees. A select number of these cheap seats will be made available for all dates on the tour which opens in May. Urban’s sixth studio album, Defying Gravity, will be released March 31.

Toby Keith will debut his new clothing line, TK Steelman, with a Feb. 18 launch party at his I Love This Bar & Grill in Harrah’s Las Vegas. Developed with Royal Merchandising Group, which produces merchandise for his restaurants, the initial line is designed for the male 25-54 demographic with Keith-approved T-shirts, polos, jeans, cowboy hats, bandanas, belts, and more. The launch date coincides with the MAGIC Marketplace fashion trade convention going on Feb. 17-19 in Las Vegas.

Lady A Making National TV Rounds

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Lady Antebellum has scheduled several upcoming national television performances, including NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Jan. 22, and a two-song performance on The Early Show’s “GRAMMY Concert Series” on CBS, Sat., Feb. 7. Additionally, in anticipation of the Grammy nominated band’s opening slot on Kenny Chesney’s Sun City Carnival tour of arenas and stadiums, Lady A will be featured on DirectTV’s Concert Series through March 15. “I Run To You” is the third single from the trio’s hit debut album and is working its way up the Country Breakout chart.

Chesney Set For Grammy Performance, Adds Tourmates

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Kenny Chesney is among the first performers announced for the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards telecast, where he is nominated for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals, for “Shiftwork” with George Strait. Also performing on the Sun., Feb. 8 telecast from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles are Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, and Katy Perry. With eight nominations, Lil Wayne has the lead going into the night.

Today (1/14) Chesney also revealed that Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry will join him for stadium dates on the upcoming Sun City Carnival tour. Both have been on the road with him before. Though most of the stadium stops on the Corona Extra sponsored outing haven’t been announced, 2008 saw Chesney visiting 14 major stadiums. As previously announced, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum will join him for the entire 2009 tour.

Megastars Sign On To Celebrate Inauguration

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Garth Brooks and Jennifer Nettles will perform at Sunday’s (1/18) super star-powered concert “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.” The free, public event will also include Sheryl Crow, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Usher, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and numerous others. Most artists will perform cover songs with historical significance or tunes which fall under the “We Are One” theme. The Washington Post reports that Nettles will join Taylor and another yet-to-be-announced artist on “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” The concert will air as a 90-minute special that evening on HBO, which is offering a free broadcast even to non-subscribers.