All posts tagged "American Idol"

Danny Gokey photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Danny Gokey spent his lunch hour on Thursday playing for influential broadcasters at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. You can find him Friday night on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown, hosted by Nan Kelley.

It’s a key period for Danny. Having built an audience last year on “American Idol,” his debut album comes out Tuesday, buoyed by his current single, “My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me.” The video is currently at No. 3 on the Top 20, and Danny also hopes its positive message is a predictor for his future. He went through a huge struggle when his wife died, leaving him angry and depressed about his life. He found new meaning when the world responded to him on “Idol.”

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Danny Gokey photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Danny Gokey’s a new country artist — but if you’re one of the millions of American Idol watchers, you already know him from Season 8. Danny — whose debut single, “My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me,” is prophetically climbing the charts — is coming to the GAC studios very soon! We need your help interviewing him, so please send us your questions for Danny.

What to ask? Be creative with your questions! Don’t ask when he’s coming to your city because those questions won’t be chosen (you can check his official website for that info). We’ll take the most unique questions to Danny and then feature his answers on GACTV.com very soon in our Fan Q&A section.

Hurry, our deadline for Danny Gokey questions is Saturday, February 20 at 5 p.m. Central – so click here to send us your question for Danny!

One more thing — and this is very important: Please don’t leave your question as a comment below; you MUST click on the link above for your question to be considered.

Thanks so much — we can’t wait to read your questions!

Photo courtesy of Tracy Byrd.

At least three years after shooting began, the independent movie that gave Lee Ann Womack and Tracy Byrd their first significant acting roles debuts this weekend in a limited number of public theaters.

It premieres Friday , KBMT-TV reported, in Beaumont, Texas, where much of the film was shot. It was featured earlier this year in the Nashville Film Festival and has also screened at the Austin Film Festival.

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Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood is country music’s reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, and she got her big break on the pop TV show “American Idol.” But her latest single gives her a bit of a relationship to rap music.

Carrie co-wrote “Cowboy Casanova” with “Jesus, Take The Wheel” author Brett James and Mike Elizondo, whose resume includes work as a musician and/or songwriter for such acts as Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. On the surface, it sounds like a weird mix, and that apparently worked in the three writers’ favor, since they felt no pressure.

“We basically didn’t take ourselves too seriously and wrote this song,” Carrie says. Continue Reading

Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood has been well received in Nashville ever since she won “American Idol” and moved to Music City in 2005, and now she’s being embraced by the city’s orchestra.

Carrie will receive the Harmony Award during the Symphony Ball at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Dec. 12, according to The Tennessean. The honor, presented by the Nashville Symphony, recognizes her contribution to the community’s continued development as a music capital.

It places Carrie in good company. Previous winners of the Harmony Award include LeAnn Rimes, the Judds, Steve Winwood, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts. Continue Reading

Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Paula Abdul’s departure from “American Idol” changes the texture of the judges on the FOX-TV show, and the emergence of Ellen DeGeneres as her replacement was one of the top entertainment subjects of the last month. Former “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood has a view of the show that only a few people possess, and she believes Ellen was a smart addition.

“I think Paula will be missed just because she was such a fixture for the past million seasons of ‘American Idol,’” Carrie told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. Continue Reading

Shania Twain photo courtesy of Mercury Nashville.

Looks like Shania Twain is going to help fill the shoes left empty by Paula Abdul on American Idol. Well at least for a couple days anyway. People.com is reporting that Shania has committed to sit in as a celebrity guest judge during the auditions being held in Chicago on August 30 and 31. Other celebrities signed on to guest judge include R&B superstar Mary J. Blige, former Spice Girl Victoria “Posh” Beckham and pop star Katy Perry. Continue Reading

Brad Paisley photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Since its debut in 2002, “American Idol” has become a cultural institution. Its longevity is impressive but nowhere near the continuity of the Grand Ole Opry, which has held sway on Nashville radio since 1925.

Next week, the two all-American titles will join forces as “Idol” uses an Opry theme, requiring contestants to sing a song made famous by an Opry member. Tying it all together, current Opry stars Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis will perform on the show from Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre on Wednesday. Continue Reading

Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Thanks to its theme nights, “American Idol” requires its contestants to ricochet between a variety of styles, from Motown to alternative rock. And “Idol” graduate Carrie Underwood is definitely working a stylistic range as she introduces a new farewell song for the year on Wednesday’s competition.

Carrie’s already in country’s Top 15 with her remake of Randy Travis’ stone-cold country ballad “I Told You So.” Now she’s serving up a new version of hard-rock band Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home.” Just as Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” and Daughtry’s “Home” were used in seasons past to bid adieu to the participants that get voted off “Idol,” Carrie’s track will also be a send-off to vocalists as the show’s roster gets trimmed. Continue Reading