Tonight, two of my favorite talents united for one glorious performance as Grammy nominated international pop star Mika was joined on stage by Emmy and Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth. The two performed his great single “Popular Song” from his brilliant third album, The Origin of Love, which heavily relies on the chorus of the song “Popular” from the musical Wicked for which Chenoweth grabbed her second Tony nomination (after winning for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown). Check out the wonderful performance below and head here for more on Mika’s music and his current tour.
Grammy Award winner Ricky Martin has always been labeled a sexy superstar, and now he’s declaring it on national TV. You see he’s about to guest star on Gleeas a new Spanish teacher and his introductory number to the glee club kids is LMFAO‘s recent # 1 smash “Sexy and I Know It”. The clip for the song just hit the web and Ricky turns it out! It looks like another great episode for the show and if Ricky follows the lead of other wonderful Glee guest stars like Kristin Chenoweth and Gwyneth Paltrow, he could grab an Emmy nomination… Speaking of entertainment awards, Ricky may find himself up for a Tony Award for the much-anticipated revival of Evita that is set to hit Broadway on March 12th. Martin will play Che alongside Olivier Award nominee Elena Roger as Evita and Tony winner Michael Cerveris(Assassins) as Peron. This will be Ricky’s second stint on the Great White Way after performing in Les Miserables in the 90′s. For more on that show, head here and watch Ricky Martin bring some Latin flavor to Glee this Tuesday 2/7 on Fox.
Last year, Fox jumped on the country music award show bandwagon with the first annual American Country Awards. They were a success and somewhat of a bridge between the ACM’s and the CMA’s. Last year, Carrie Underwood was a big winner and this year was no different. Carrie landed 3 guitar awards including Best Female Artist. She wasn’t the only American Idol winner either. Kelly Clarkson landed two awards for her duet with Jason Aldean and this year’s Idol victor Scotty McCreery picked up the New Artist award. Wow, that was quick! … Speaking of big winners, Aldean lead the pack with 6 wins followed by Underwood and Thompson Square with 3 each. Check out all the winners below and for more on the show hosted by Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenowith and videos of the performers, head here.
2nd Annual American Country Award Winners:
Artist of the Year – Jason Aldean
Artist of the Year: Male – Brad Paisley
Artist of the Year: Female – Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Group – Lady Antebellum
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist – Chris Young
Artist of the Year: New Artist – Scotty McCreery
Album of the Year – Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Single of the Year – Chris Young, “Voices”
Single of the Year: Male – Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Single of the Year: Female – Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”
Single of the Year: Group – Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Single of the Year: New Artist- Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
Touring Artist of the Year- Jason Aldean
Music Video of the Year – Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
Music Video: Male – Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
Music Video: Female – Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”
Music Video: Group or Collaboration – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
Music Video: New Artist – Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
GREATEST HITS AWARD – Alabama
ARTIST OF THE DECADE AWARD – Toby Keith
Last night on Dancing with the Stars, the psuedo-lebrities took to the stage “dancing” to Broadway numbers. However, aside from Ricki Lake and JR Martinez, most of the performances wouldn’t belong off off off off off Broadway. Luckily, Tony and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth hit the floor to show them how it’s done. Check out her great performance of “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret and “I Could Have Danced All Night” from The King and I. Now, that’s a real star! And keep an eye out for her awesome new series, G.C.B., which is hilarious (and I auditioned for it a few weeks ago, so I really know) and premieres at midseason on ABC.
(On a side note, props to Chaz Bono for growing each week and hanging on for so long! … And on another side note, props to Max for arguing with the judges last night~ hiarious!)
Last year, Grammy Award winner and one of my faves, Carrie Underwood ruled the inaugural American Country Awards winning 6 trophies and she’s up for four again this year. However, she doesn’t come close to Jason Aldean and the Zac Brown Band who lead this morning’s nominations with 8 apiece for the second ACA’s. Next up were Thompson Square with 7 and Taylor Swift and the Band Perry with 6 apiece. The show will be live on Fox on Dec. 5th hosted by Emmy and Tony winner turned country crooner Kristin Chenowith and country star Trace Adkins. To vote for these awards (and I highly recommend voting for Carrie and my Kelly Clarkson whose duet with Aldean “Don’t You Wanna Stay” is up for two awards), head to the ACA website here and check out all the nominees below.
2011 American Country Award Nominees~
Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Eric Church
Eli Young Band
Chris Young
Justin Moore
Jake Owen
Artist of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry
Scotty McCreery
Jerrod Niemann
The Pistol Annies
Thompson Square
Albums
Album of the Year
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party
Kenny Chesney, “Hemingway’s Whiskey”
Brad Paisley, “This Is Country Music”
Taylor Swift, “Speak Now”
Keith Urban, “Get Closer”
Zac Brown Band, “You Get What You Give”
SINGLES
Single of the Year
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Chris Young, “Voices”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Chris Young, “Voices”
Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Taylor Swift, “Mean”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”
Single of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait?”
Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”
Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”
Single of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
The Jane Dear Girls, “Wildflower”
Jerrod Neimann, “What Do You Want?”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay?”
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”
Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”
Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
TOURING
Touring Headline Package of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want?”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking?”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
Music Video: Male
Jason Aldean “My Kinda Party”
Jerrod Niemann “What Do You Want?”
Blake Shelton “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking?”
Josh Turner “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
Keith Urban “Put You In A Song”
Music Video: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”
Taylor Swift, “Back To December”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”
Music Video: Duo, Group or Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson “Don’t You Wanna Stay?”
The Band Perry “You Lie”
Lady Antebellum “Hello World”
Thompson Square “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson “As She’s Walking Away”
Music Video: New Artist
The Band Perry “You Lie”
Craig Campbell “Family Man”
Brett Eldredge “Raymond”
Jerrod Niemann “What Do You Want?”
Thompson Square “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?”
And here’s the new video from three-time ACA nominees this year Lady Antebellum with “We Owned the Night”
Sorry about the delay for this post. It’s been a busy week. But enough about my issues, let’s just get down to it. Here are my rankings for week three (our first without the beloved Nick, awwww)… And what a great week it was~ a huge return to form over last week.
~ So You Think You Can Dance Performance Rankings 6/29/11 1. Melanie & Marko (lyrical hip hop): hello, that was FANTASTIC. It was gorgeous, emotional, flawlessly executed and beautifully acted. The power couple of the season have the best chemistry and they were on fire in this tremendous piece by NappyTabs. Just brilliant. I was crying, hooting and hollering on the edge of my seat. Loved it! 2. Caitlyn & Mitchel (samba): um, who knew Mitchell could channel Beyonce, but that he did with his awesome booty shaking. In fact, he and Caitlyn had a ton of booty boom goin’ on throughout this awesome and technically precise number. Fabulous! 3. Sasha & Alexander (contemporary): based on the sheer force of power that is Sasha, this number squeezes into third over Ricky and Ryan. Sasha has become one of my faves and was perfection here. Alexander is also rising to her level and this piece was brilliant. 4. Ricky & Ryan (contemporary): if it weren’t for Ricky, Ryan would be in serious trouble tonight because his incredibly fierce performance on this number was amazing. His lines and athleticism were unparalleled and the emotion was right on. Ryan was good, but needs to come up to his level asap. 5. Jordan & Tadd (hip hop): I wanted to rank this higher, but honestly, it was just too slight of a number. The concept was fun and they performed it very well (especially Tadd), but it fell a tad bit short compared to the outstanding top four dances. 6. Clarice & Jess (fox trot): I don’t know what the judges were smoking because yes, this dance was good, but not the second coming like they proclaimed. Jess just seems to awkward and small for any partnering and Clarice is still pretty boring. That said, it was well executed and lovely. 7. Miranda & Robert (Broadway): well, Miranda was tremendous as usual. Robert was, um, just fine. The number was cool but became quite forgettable as the night wore on which will leave them in serious danger. 8. Chris & Ashley (jazz): these poor kids got screwed with bad music, a bad concept and a really weird number. They performed it admirably and I admire choreographer Sonya for pushing the envelope. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come together for me and I doubt it did for America.
Predictions~ Bottom 3 Couples: Ashley & Chris, Miranda & Robert, Clarice & Jess (but Ricky and Ryan could be a surprise here too) Going Home: Clarice & Robert
And there ya go. My seriously quick SYTYCD wrap up from last night. It was a great fun show and even Nigel made me giggle. And how incredibly brilliant, incisive and hilarious was Emmy and Tony winning guest judge Kristin Chenowith. I loooooooooooooove her! … But who did you love last night? And who do you think is going home? Tell me about it below.
And here’s Marko & Melanie’s amazeballs number from last night set to Leona Lewis’s wonderful song “I Got You”
Emmy nominated actress Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live) is about to make her Broadway debut in the hilarious hit musical Promises Promises. She will be playing the drunken amorous barfly Marge MacDougall, a role which netted Katie Finneran a Tony award earlier this year. Having seen this great show, an adaptation of the 1960′s film The Apartment, I can say with certainty Shannon will be brilliant in this bawdy role. She is also set to be reunited with Emmy winner Sean Hayes who stars in Promises (which also netted him a much deserved Tony nomination). They previously worked together when Molly did several guest appearances on his hit show Will & Grace. She’ll also be working with a fellow Glee guest star, Emmy and Tony winner Kristin Chenowith. Shannon will finish out the run of the show through January 2, 2011 on the Great White Way. I wish I could make it out to see her because Molly is a wonderful performer and a very gracious woman. I had the pleasure of appearing on her show Kath & Kim last year and she was a delight. For your very own chance to see Molly Shannon on Broadway, head to Promises Promises website here.
Kathy Griffin took to her twitter on Saturday night to protest her shame, anger, and grief about losing Best Reality Program to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and her nemesis Ryan Seacrest (who produces the show). She also posted this picture which shows just how upset she was (along with her friend, Kristin Chenoweth who was also an Emmy loser on Saturday for her guest turn on Glee). Take a look at the funny ladies below. At least we know they were joking and they can take comfort in the fact that they are previous Emmy winners. Kathy has two for her Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List while Chenoweth won last year for Pushing Daisies.
Tony (You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown) and Emmy (Pushing Daisies) winning actress Kristin Chenowith has had enough and just won’t take it anymore. Upon reading a recent homophobic, ignorant and ridiculous article in Newsweek, she just had to respond, and she did so eloquently and beautifully. The report declared that gay actors were just not believable in straight roles citing her Promises, Promises co-star Sean Hayes and Glee star Jonathan Groff as examples. What a bunch of horse pucky! Hello, Sean just got a Tony nomination for his straight role! And another big hello, they’re actors, they can and should play any role! It was just an insanely ignorant article and I love how Kristin responded. Check out more on the story, here on Broadway.com and here’s Kristin’s full response from Newsweek.com:
As a longtime fan of Newsweek and as the actress currently starring opposite the incredibly talented (and sexy!) Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises, I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh’s horrendously homophobic “Straight Jacket,” which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight. From where I stand, on stage, with Hayes, every night — I’ve observed nothing “wooden” or “weird” in his performance, nor have I noticed the seemingly unwieldy presence of a “pink elephant” in the Broadway Theater. (The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Tony members must have also missed that large animal when nominating Hayes’ performance for its highest honors this year.)
I’d normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too “queeny” to play “straight.”)
This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile. Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that “as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.” Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That’s so sad, Newsweek! The examples he provides (what scientists call “selection bias”) to prove his “gays can’t play straight” hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now!
Openly gay Groff is too “queeny” to play Lea Michele’s boyfriend in Glee, but is a “heartthrob” when he does it in Spring Awakening? Cynthia Nixon only “got away with it” ’cause she peaked before coming out? I don’t know if you’ve missed the giant Sex and the City movie posters, but it seems most of America is “buying it.” I could go on, but I assume these will be taken care of in your “Corrections” this week.
Similarly, thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to enjoy Hayes’ performance and don’t seem to have one single issue with his sexuality! They have no problem buying him as a love-torn heterosexual man. Audiences aren’t giving a darn about who a person is sleeping with or his personal life. Give me a break! We’re actors first, whether we’re playing prostitutes, baseball players, or the Lion King. Audiences come to theater to go on a journey. It’s a character and it’s called acting, and I’d put Hayes and his brilliance up there with some of the greatest actors period.
Lastly, as someone who’s been proudly advocating for equal rights and supporting GLBT causes for as long as I can remember, I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can’t be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams. I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all! –Kristin Chenoweth
In case you missed the big announcement from The Advocate magazine yesterday, Sean Hayes, the Emmy winning star of “Will & Grace” finally comes out in their latest issue. However, he was actually never really IN. He talks about living openly in Hollywood for years and not succumbing to pressures of what he should and shouldn’t say about his personal life. Bravo Sean! Anywho, it really isn’t any of our business! Now, not only is Sean a wonderful actor (hello 4 SAG Awards, 6 Golden Globe nods and & 7 Emmy nominations. Oh and dont forget his SAG Nominated dramatic performance in “Martin & Lewis”), but he’s a great guy. He’s also headed to Broadway this spring in the revival of “Promises Promises” with the amazing Tony and Emmy winning Kristin Chenowith. Check out Sean’s interview with the Advocate at the link below.
