Haim’s first full-length album, Days Are Gone, debuted in the #6 spot on Billboard’s 200 album chart and in the UK it pulled off an even bigger feat: snagging the #1 spot and beating the sales of Justin Timberlake’s new album. Sales of the album were spurred by positive advance reviews, with LA Times calling it irresistible and Rolling Stone going as far as to say it’s “the kind of microtriumph you sit up and root for.”
Haim, made up of sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, will be performing tracks off the album on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. The band will be wrapping up their US fall tour with a performance in Vegas on October 27th.
Miranda Lambert will perform on "The 47th Annual CMA Awards" live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 6 on the ABC Television Network. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sony Music Nashville)
Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban have officially been confirmed to perform on this year’s CMA Awards. Dubbed “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” the 47th annual awards show is set to air on November 6th on ABC. Once again, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will be serving as hosts of the show marking their sixth time handling the hosting job.
More than 7,000 members of the Country Music Association vote on the nominees and ultimately select the winners, with this year’s voting ending on Monday, October 28th. The CMA Awards have been airing on television since 1968 and have the distinction of being the “longest-running, annual music awards program on network television.”
Details on the 2013 CMA Awards Performers [Courtesy of CMA]:
Aldean is nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Bryan and Eric Church. Aldean is a two-time CMA Award winner with 13 career CMA Awards nominations.
Nominated this year for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year for “The Only Way I Know” with Aldean and Church, Bryan has seven career CMA Awards nominations. He was first nominated in 2010 for New Artist of the Year and has been a presence at the CMA Awards every year since. This marks his first nomination for the night’s highest honor, CMA Entertainer of the Year.
Lambert is among this year’s top nominees, with three individual nominations (Female Vocalist of the Year, and Single and Music Video of the Year for “Mama’s Broken Heart”) and two with Pistol Annies (Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Shelton). Lambert is a six-time CMA winner with 25 career CMA Awards nominations.
Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town is nominated in that category again, as well as for Album of the Year for Tornado, and Music Video of the Year for the album’s title track. In addition to their win last year for Vocal Group of the Year, their song “Pontoon” was named Single of the Year.
One of the top CMA Award winners of all time, McGraw has won 12 trophies throughout his career, including two for Male Vocalist of the Year and one for Entertainer of the Year. He is a three-time nominee this year, with nods for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Swift and Urban. He has 33 career CMA Awards nominations.
Shelton finds himself tied with Lambert this year with five nominations, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Based On A True Story, and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “Boys ‘Round Here” with Pistol Annies. Shelton has taken home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy for the past three years (2010-2012), and is a six-time CMA Award winner.
Swift, a seven-time CMA Award winner, is a top nominee this year with six nominations, including Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for RED, and Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Urban, bringing her total career CMA Awards nominations to 21.
Male Vocalist of the Year nominee Urban is also nominated for Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with McGraw and Swift. Urban has been named Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004-2006) and is a six-time CMA Award winner with 29 career CMA Awards nominations.
Kevin Hart and Nick Cannon in 'Wild N Out' (Photo Courtesy of MTV2)
MTV2’s coming off its most-watched year to date and that’s mostly thanks to Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out and Ain’t That America with Lil Duval, so it’s not exactly a shocker that both shows have been renewed. According to MTV2, Nick Cannon’s show is the highest-rated series in the network’s history.
Lil Duval’s series was MTV2’s second highest-rated show. Both shows will return in 2014.
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out Details:
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out season one was a remixed version of the first incarnation featuring lightning fast comedic improv, head-to head competition and cutting edge entertainment that’s more rap battle than comedic stage, along with a new fresh and raw intensity.
Ain’t That America with Lil Duval Details:
Ain’t That America with Lil Duval features comedian Lil Duval and friends as they explore America’s biggest cultural traditions and pastimes. From birthdays and barbeques to holidays, sports, food, fitness and more, the eight episode, half-hour series will feature the most outrageous viral videos spanning every social and geographic group in the country.
Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood in 'Charlie Countryman' (Photo Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment)Millennium Entertainment has unleashed the first trailer for dramatic movie Charlie Countryman directed by Fredrik Bond. Launching in theaters on November 15, 2013, Charlie Countryman stars Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Melissa Leo and Rupert Grint.
The Plot:
When his late mother appears in a vision and tells him to go to Bucharest, Charlie immediately boards a plane across the Atlantic. But when he meets a fellow passenger, Charlie finds himself with another promise to fulfill. Charlie does so – and falls head over heels in love with Gabi, a beautiful musician. However, a vicious gangster has already laid claim to Gabi, and has no intention of letting her go. Determined to protect her, Charlie enters into the hallucinatory, Romanian underworld filled with violence and, strangely enough, love.
A scene from 'Cold Justice' (Photo Courtesy of TNT)The unscripted crime series Cold Justice has been renewed for a second season, with TNT ordering up 10 all new episodes of the show from executive producers Dick Wolf, Dan Cutforth, Tom Thayer, and Jane Lipsitz. Cold Justice has been averaging 2.5 million viewers and was one of basic cable’s top five new unscripted shows in the third quarter of 2013.
“We’re very proud to be renewing Cold Justice, which has already delivered real-world results for several of the cases featured on the show,” said David Eilenberg, SVP, Unscripted Development at TNT and TBS. “Viewers have come to see Kelly and Yolanda as a real-life counterpart to such crime-drama duos as Cagney & Lacey and even our own Rizzoli & Isles.”
Cold Justice Details [Courtesy of TNT]:
Cold Justice centers on former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former crime-scene investigator Yolanda McClary, two women who have spent their lives putting killers behind bars. This real-life procedural drama follows them as they set out to solve small-town murder cases that have lingered for years without answers or closure.
Among the cases that have seen movement as a result of Kelly and Yolanda’s work is a Cuero, Texas, murder case from the show’s Sept. 3 series premiere. The case resulted in a guilty plea. The Morehouse Parrish, La., murder case from the Sept. 10 episode has resulted in three indictments for murder. And the Matagorda County district attorney in the Palacios, Texas, case featured on Sept. 17 is preparing to present evidence to a grand jury in hopes of obtaining an indictment.
10 aspiring creature creators will be given a chance to spotlight their work in the new unscripted series Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge (that title may change). Syfy has just greenlit an eight-episode season one in which contestants will compete for a $100,000 prize along with a job working at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
According to the announcement by Syfy President of Original Content Mark Stern, the series will feature artists creating all sorts of creatures, including mechanical characters. Jim Henson’s son, Brian – Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and an award-winning writer, director and producer – will be the series’ lead judge. Designer Peter Brooke, animatronics master John Criswell, and fabrication & artistic specialist Julie Zobel will serve as mentors.
“As Face Off does with SFX makeup application, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge showcases the incredible imagination and artistry of lifelike creature construction,” stated Stern. “We are honored to partner with The Jim Henson Company and Brian Henson on this series. The Creature Shop has set the bar for a caliber of work that is unmatched in quality, design and sheer imagination.”
The series will debut in early 2014 and is executive produced by Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Joseph Freed, and Rob Bagshaw.
Details on Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge:
The creative challenges in the series will showcase the fascinating process behind creature building, from conceptual design to sculpting, fabricating and mechanization. Each episode will end with on-set performances involving the elaborate and life-like creations. The creature creators will be tasked to create everything from hand puppets to large-scale theatrical creatures that can master the balance between realism and fantasy.
American Horror Story: Coven is premiering on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 10pm on FX and this new video walks viewers through New Orleans through the eyes of a witch. Creepy.
The Plot:
Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America. Over 300 years have passed since the turbulent days of the Salem witch trials and those who managed to escape are now facing extinction. Mysterious attacks have been escalating against their kind and young girls are being sent away to a special school in New Orleans to learn how to protect themselves. Wrapped up in the turmoil is new arrival, Zoe (Farmiga), who is harboring a terrifying secret of her own. Alarmed by the recent aggression, Fiona (Lange), the long-absent Supreme, sweeps back into town, determined to protect the Coven and hell-bent on decimating anyone who gets in her way.
Syfy says Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager, Body of Proof) has signed on for a multi-episode arc in the new series Helix starring Billy Campbell (The Killing) and Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine). Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), Steven Maeda, and Lynda Obst, Helix is set for a 13 episode season one run with Jeffrey Reiner directing episode one.
The cast also includes Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanimé, Jordan Hayes, Meegwun Fairbrother, Catherine Lemieux, and Neil Napier.
Details on the Helix Plot [Courtesy of Syfy]:
Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to the high-tech research facility Arctic Biosystems, to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that may hold the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation. However, the lethal threat is just the tip of the iceberg, and as the virus evolves, the chilling truth begins to unravel.
Campbell stars as Dr. Alan Farragut, leader of the Centers for Disease Control outbreak field team called upon to investigate and control a potential outbreak. Sanada also stars as Dr. Hiroshi Hatake, director of Arctic Biosystems and its mysterious viral research program.
Ryan will portray the beautiful and charismatic Constance Sutton, the Chief Operating Officer of Ilaria Corporation, owner of Arctic Biosystems, the research facility where the series takes place. Charming and savvy, Sutton is used to getting her way at any cost.
Details have been released on Straight No Chaser’s upcoming holiday album, Under the Influence: Holiday Edition. The a cappella group’s upcoming album will feature guest artists Paul McCartney, CeeLo Green, and Colbie Caillat and will arrive in stores on October 29, 2013.
Straight No Chaser also revealed the dates for their upcoming national tour which will feature The Voice‘s Caroline Glaser as an opening act. The tour kicks off on October 16, 2013 in Columbia, Missouri, and ends on New Year’s Eve in Mesa, Arizona.
“UNDER THE INFLUENCE: HOLIDAY EDITION” TRACK LIST
1. Every Day Is Christmas (Feat. Colbie Caillat)
2. White Christmas (Feat. CeeLo Green)
3. Merry Christmas Baby (Feat. Otis Redding)
4. Wonderful Christmastime (Feat. Paul McCartney)
5. Home By Christmas Day
6. Nutcracker
7. A Song For Santa
8. Amazing Grace
STRAIGHT NO CHASER ON TOUR 2013
* Denotes Matinee & Evening Performances On Listed Date
OCTOBER
16 Columbia, MO Missouri Theatre
17 Ames, IA Stephens Auditorium
18 Davenport, IA RiverCentre Adler Theatre
19 Omaha, NE Omaha Music Hall
20 Sioux City, IA Sioux City Orpheum
22 Billings, MT Alberta Bair Theater
23 Casper, WY Casper Events Center
24 Loveland, CO Budweiser Events Center
25 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
26 Denver, CO Ellie Caulkins Opera House
27 El Paso, TX Plaza Theatre
29 Midland, TX Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
30 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre
NOVEMBER
1 Houston, TX Bayou Theatre
2 Dallas, TX McFarlin Auditorium
3 Kansas City, MO AMC at Midland Theatre*
5 Conway, AR Reynolds Performance Hall- University of Central Arkansas
7 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
8 Dayton, OH Schuster Performing Arts Center
9 Normal, IL Braden Auditorium
10 Louisville, KY Kentucky Center
11 Bowling Green, KY Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center
13 Memphis, TN Cannon Center
14 Knoxville, TN Civic Auditorium
15 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Performing Arts Center
16 Chattanooga, TN Memorial Auditorium
17 Richmond, VA Carpenter Theatre
19 Pensacola, FL Saenger Theater
20 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater
21 Melbourne, FL King Center
22 Gainesville, FL University of Florida
23 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
24 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
29 Grand Rapids, MI Devos Performance Hall
30 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre *
DECEMBER
1 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
3 Buffalo, NY Shea’s Performing Arts Center
4 Providence, RI Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium
5 Montreal, QC Place des Arts – Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
6 Reading, PA Reading Eagle Theatre at the Sovereign Center
7 Hershey, PA Hershey Theatre *
8 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
10 Boston, MA Wang Theatre
11 Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Theatre
12 Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
13 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff Center for the Arts
14 Cleveland, OH Palace Theatre *
15 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
17 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Riverside Theater
18 Ft. Wayne, IN Embassy Theatre
19 South Bend, IN Morris Performing Arts Center
20 Evansville, IN The Centre
21 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre at Old National Centre *
22 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre at Old National Centre *
26 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater
27 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
28 Sacramento, CA Crest Theatre*
29 Fresno, CA Saroyan Theatre
30 Anaheim, CA The Grove
31 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center
Justin Moore is a man who listens to his gut … and his gut was telling him that Off the Beaten Path, his third studio album on The Valory Music Co. label, was complete. In fact, he was sure that these 16 tracks would tell the story he wanted to tell, as an artist and a person, more clearly than anything he had recorded previously.
There was just one problem.
“I had 16 songs that I was attached to and 16 songs I was determined for my fans to hear,” he recalled. “In my mind, I had a complete album.”
His label agreed. So why, then, is the track list shorter on the standard release of Off the Beaten Path?
ecause The Valory Music Co. decided that, with two Gold albums under his belt and a string of successful singles, Moore had a fan base that would support both that standard release as well as a deluxe version, which would feature all 16 songs.
It’s a situation confronted with increasing frequency by artists and labels. In an industry where the act of reinventing oneself is expected to some degree with each new album, deluxe editions have become more popular among fans as well as label executives. From exclusive content to additional tracks to different album covers, many artists now use deluxe versions of their album to go a bit … off the beaten path.
“Deluxe versions are created for the über fans who want more from their favorite artists,” explained Kelly Rich, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing, Big Machine Label Group. “Justin’s fans are very passionate, so this was an opportunity for him to give them more. His fan base continues to grow, and with that growth comes the opportunity to offer them additional content outside of the standard release.”
“I love the fact that if some folks can’t afford the $12.99 or $13.99, they can still get the majority of the 16 songs at a lower price,” said Moore. “It’s one of the best things about offering two versions of the album. I know how bad the economy is out there, and I know that I have fans out there that can’t afford to buy the entire album. They just can’t do it. It’s one of the biggest things that swayed us to do the two versions.
“I feel really blessed that I am at a point in my career to even do a deluxe album at all,” he continued. “The standard version is going to get the fans all the songs they will probably hear on the radio. The deluxe version has more of what I like to call my lifestyle songs, the songs that will ultimately give them a keen insight into who I really am. I’ve learned that it matters who people hear on the radio and see on the television, but it’s really more about what you are like as a person. These songs will give my diehard fans a keen insight into who I am.”
The titles alone of those five additional studio tracks on the deluxe version sound like the Justin Moore that his fans have grown to love, including “Beer” (written by Moore, Brandon Kinney and Jeremy Stover), “Big Ass Headache” (Moore, Kinney and Stover) and “Field Fulla Hillbillies” (Bobby Huff, Shane Minor and David Lee Murphy). But that wasn’t the only reason Moore chose them to save for his deluxe package.
“Putting an album together is like a puzzle,” he reflected. “You put in songs. You pull out songs. For me, the album I cut is the deluxe. The songs on the deluxe were chosen because of different reasons. With some choices, it was because of the fact that we already had similar songs chosen for the standard. In some cases, it was because of the song being a fan favorite already.”
Produced by Stover, the album comes as a welcome treat to Moore’s fans, who have waited for two years for some Moore music. “It’s crazy that this is my third album already,” said the young artist, who found his place on the map of a constantly changing Country genre with “Small Town USA” and “Til My Last Day” (both by Moore, Brian Maher and Stover) and “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” (Dallas Davidson, Robert Henry Hatch and Brett Jones).
It is also something of a change in direction, as Moore sees it. His first two albums, Justin Moore and Outlaws Like Me, were certified Gold, with Outlaws Like Me debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Even so, he knew full well that to remain current, he needed to be open to change. “With the business ever changing, it was my intention to also evolve as an artist and a songwriter and stretch my limits in order to grow my fan base to a point that it hasn’t been yet,” he said. “We’ve accomplished a lot and been very successful, but the end goal is to go out there and headline arenas. I felt like we needed to grow a bit on this album in order to do that.”
The effort is paying off. Moore’s most recent hit, “Point At You” (Ross Copperman, Rhett Akins, and Ben Hayslip), was the fastest-rising single of his career. And on Nov. 1, he’ll be in Springfield, Mo., to commence a headlining tour, joined by Randy Houser and Josh Thompson.
“We have been able to not only accomplish so much with the first two albums but also the singles and the shows,” Moore reflected. “It’s just been amazing. I’ve said for a long time that I was proud of both of them. It’s been one of the most humbling, rewarding, and exciting things to watch both albums go Gold. It just doesn’t happen these days.”
Haim’s first full-length album, Days Are Gone, debuted in the #6 spot on Billboard’s 200 album chart and in the UK it pulled off an even bigger feat: snagging the #1 spot and beating the sales of Justin Timberlake’s new album. Sales of the album were spurred by positive advance reviews, with LA Times calling it irresistible and Rolling Stone going as far as to say it’s “the kind of microtriumph you sit up and root for.”
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