Kymm Lowery (Beach Park, IL), John McKoy (Monroe, NC) & Melinda Watts (Fair
Oaks, CA) Are the Final Three in American Idol(R) Gospel/Christian Style TV
Series Gospel Dream 2008 on Gospel Music Channel
Season Finale Airs Sunday Night, June 29 at 9:00 P.M. ET
ATLANTA, June 25 -- The dream of a musical career is
closer than ever for three aspiring Gospel/Christian music singers who have
made it to the finals of the Gospel Music Channel television network's
American Idol(R)-inspired talent search series Gospel Dream 2008.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080625/CLW083 )
After months of passionate music performances and intense competition,
the destiny of Kymm Lowery of Beach Park, Ill., John McKoy Jr. of Monroe,
N.C. and Melinda Watts of Fair Oaks, Calif. will be decided this Sunday,
June 29th when Gospel Music Channel crowns the winner of the third season
of Gospel Dream 2008 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
To make it to the finals, Lowery, McKoy and Watts were chosen from
among thousands of hopefuls from all Gospel/Christian styles, including
traditional, soul, rock, blues and country, who competed at auditions in
Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami and Atlanta; and then outlasted the 16
singers who were invited to Nashville to perform in four rounds of
televised competitions.
The new Gospel Dream winner will be chosen by Gospel/Christian music's
version of Simon, Paula and Randy: GRAMMY award-winning record
producer/songwriter Big Jim Wright, Dove and Stellar award-winning cross-
cultural worship music artist/songwriter Martha Munizzi and one of Gospel
music's most prolific talents and part of one of music's hottest production
companies (PJAM) J Moss, who have been offering their honest criticism and
praise in narrowing the competition to the final three. Fans and viewers
can vote for their favorites online to see if their choice aligns with the
judges at http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/shows/gospeldream
Lowery, who sang Donald Lawrence's classic "Say a Prayer" to make the
finals, auditioned in Chicago, just outside her hometown of Beach Park,
Ill. J Moss calls her an "amazing talent with star potential." This is
25-year-old Lowery's second shot at her Gospel Dream. She made the top 10
during the first season of the GMC series and recorded Munizzi's "Glorious"
for the Gospel Dream 2006 season soundtrack.
"My Gospel Dream 2008 experience has been a phenomenal experience --
life- changing and at the same time -- refreshing. During the competition,
I was very focused and I believe I went to a new dimension vocally because
of the experience alone," said Lowery.
McKoy impressed judge Munizzi with his performance of Smokie Norful's
version of "Run to You," because "he comes from a place of sincerity and we
can feel your heart," she told the 34-year-old who auditioned in Atlanta.
"I've always had dreams of singing to millions of people across the
world and have never participated in anything as big as Gospel Dream
before," McKoy says. "Gospel Dream has resurrected dreams that were deep
inside me from childhood and has made me realize that those dreams were not
dead and that God surely has a purpose and a plan for my life."
Producer Wright told 29-year-old Watts after her performance of
contemporary worship song "In Christ Alone" that "you look like you are
supposed to be an artist that people are running to arenas to see." The
mother of six-month old daughter Lyric, Watts traveled from their home in
the Sacramento area of Northern Calif. to begin her Gospel Dream 2008
journey at the auditions in Los Angeles.
Says Watts: "God's grace brought me here to Gospel Dream! A lot of
faith in God and remembering that it's okay to dream even when you feel you
can't."
The winner of Gospel Dream 2008 will receive a record & music video
deal and a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Gospel Dream 2008 is hosted by popular
artist/songwriter Matthew West with backstage reporting by GMC Insider's
Kelly Sutton. Celebrity musical mentors who coached the contestants
throughout the series include PAJAM, Myron Butler, Bernie Herms, Lesley
Moore and Darlene McCoy. The Gospel Dream series was created by Executive
Producer Elvin Ross who is also the series' executive producer and musical
director.
Gospel Music Channel ( http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com ) is the
nation's first and only 24/7 television network devoted to the uplifting,
inspiring and diverse music that is Gospel/Christian music. Gospel Music
Channel is the fastest-growing network in television today and can be seen
in nearly 40 million homes on various cable systems around the country and
on DIRECTV channel 338.
See Also
Friday 27 June 2008
Monday 23 June 2008
Lil Wayne, T-Pain talk collaboration
Worked together on single 'Got Money'
NEW YORK -- His new Cash Money/Universal album "Tha Carter III" is only a week old, but rapper Lil Wayne is already in talks about a collaborative project with T-Pain.
The two artists have already worked together on Lil Wayne's single "Got Money," which is No. 45 this week on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"They've been speaking on it," Cash Money head Ron "Slim" Williams said of the album, which has no release date just yet. "I wanted to get past "Tha Carter III." Now we can sit down and get to the business of different collaborations. I just want to make sure that we have a good record."
Several years ago, Lil Wayne and rapper Juelz Santana announced plans for a collaborative album, but it never materialized. However, Santana is featured on "Tha Carter III" track "You Ain't Got Nuthin on Me," alongside rapper Fabolous.
NEW YORK -- His new Cash Money/Universal album "Tha Carter III" is only a week old, but rapper Lil Wayne is already in talks about a collaborative project with T-Pain.
The two artists have already worked together on Lil Wayne's single "Got Money," which is No. 45 this week on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"They've been speaking on it," Cash Money head Ron "Slim" Williams said of the album, which has no release date just yet. "I wanted to get past "Tha Carter III." Now we can sit down and get to the business of different collaborations. I just want to make sure that we have a good record."
Several years ago, Lil Wayne and rapper Juelz Santana announced plans for a collaborative album, but it never materialized. However, Santana is featured on "Tha Carter III" track "You Ain't Got Nuthin on Me," alongside rapper Fabolous.
Monday 16 June 2008
The Happening
Improving on his last two duds, The Village and the dreadful aquatic nymph tale Lady In The Water, writer/producer/director M. Night Shyamalan gets back to the kind of eerie, paranoid thriller he so successfully mined in early efforts like The Sixth Sense and Signs. The results this time are mixed in this story of a mysterious environmental �happening� on the East Coast that is causing large groups of people to commit suicide. As he does in his most effective films, Shyamalan focuses on a core group of people who must find a way to survive these strange events. Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) is a Philadelphia science teacher already dealing with marital problems with his attractive but rather unstable wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), now thrust into full crisis mode as he, his wife, a fellow math teacher, Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian�s daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez) hit the road by train, then car to escape the unusual plague, first thought to be a terrorist attack. The group soon realizes it is more than that, perhaps a forceful message from Mother Nature cued by the growing winds and rustling of tree leaves. Joined eventually by two older boys, Jared (Robert Bailey Jr.) and Josh (Spencer Breslin), Elliot tries to be the voice of reason as each person begins to meet their own fates on a journey into a heartland of unexplainable terror.Unlike most contemporary horror films in which actors must battle butt-ugly creatures, most of the genuine frights in this flick are left to our imagination. Here Shyamalan wants us to experience what the characters are going through the abject fear on their faces. Wahlberg is particularly good at expressing a growing feeling that events are slipping out of his control. He�s amusing in a direct encounter with a house plant he fears may now have the upper hand and in the film�s best sequence where he must convince a batty, paranoid old woman (an intense Betty Buckley) to let the group stay in her remote farmhouse. Forced to utter lines like �just when you thought there couldn�t be any more evil invented,� the quirky Deschanel has her work cut out for her but is likeable enough in the end. As a math teacher Leguizamo spends much of his screen time calculating everyone�s odds for survival until his own becomes questionable. As his daughter, Sanchez is appealing and handles herself well.Shyamalan is the heir apparent to Alfred Hitchcock--in his own mind at least. Hitch�s The Birds seems to be the template, but that 1963 classic is light years ahead in every way. Unfortunately, Shyamalan is becoming something of a one-trick pony as The Happening is basically a retread of things we�ve seen him do before. There is no question he has superior skills. He clearly gets the horror genre; he just doesn�t seem to know how to make it fresh anymore and the answer isn�t by ratcheting up the body count. Reportedly, 20th Century Fox asked him deliberately to make an R rated film (his first) and its those gore-filled elements which seem superfluous here. Do we really need to see a guy commit suicide by willingly letting some zoo lions rip off his arms? It�s glaring and out of place with the subtler aspects of the director�s style. Plus, the use of overbearing and obvious music cues (score is by James Newton Howard) shamelessly telegraphs whatever scares the movie and only serves to emphasize the shortcomings of M. Night�s sketchy screenplay. Still, as a summertime time-waster, The Happening fills the bill, but as an eco-thriller with dire warnings for humankind, it drowns in its own promising potential.
See Also
See Also
Monday 2 June 2008
George Sampson's Dad Hits Back at Claims he Has Done Nothing to Support Him
Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson's dad, Brian, yesterday hit back at claims he has done nothing to support his son, who dances on the streets to raise money for dancing lessons.
According to his mum's side of the family, George has not spoken to his dad for two years. But the talented breakdancer paid a secret visit to Brian - in the hope that he will one day get his parents back together.
Speaking from his home in Warrington, Cheshire, window fitter Brian told Britain's Sunday People newspaper, "I've been denied access tomy kids for no reason whatsoever. That's just how it has been. I don't get a look in.
"I wanted to go down to London to watch George in the final.
"When he was on TV the other night it brought a tear to my eye. I know he'd love it if I was there but Lesley didn't want me to be.
"It's terrible only being able to see your son in the papers or on TV. None of my family has been able to enjoy the children for the past five years."
When George's parents first separated all five of their children stayed with Lesley, who lives in Birchwood, Warrington.
But Brian told how daughters Chelsea, 17, and Emily, 16, fell out with their mum and moved in with him. Now George, 14, lives with Lesley along with older brother Luke, 19, and little sister Rosie, 13.
Brian added, "We split because we weren't getting on together after 15 years of marriage. There was no-one else involved on either side.
"I still contributed financially towards looking after the children.
"I had nothing, no money for myself. I was sleeping on my parent's settee, but I still paid the mortgage."
Brian says he has been comforted by visits from his eldest son Luke and a secret visit from George two months ago.
He says, "Luke has been round. He came with George once too. I don't think his mum knew about it. All of this isn't really fair on George. He's a lovely talented lad. I know he loves his mum, but he loves his dad as well.
"I know George wants to come and see me more often.
"He's there in the middle with the other children. But I'll always be there for all of them."
After winning the ITV show, George will scoop a �100,000 prize and get to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Prince of Wales.
See Also
Disney - Jake Gyllenhaal Lined Up To Play Prince Of Persia
Jake Gyllenhaal has been signed to play the lead role in the Disney adaptation of hit videogame Prince of Persia.The Donnie Darko star will play sixth ...
Youtube Says Viacom Threatens The Web
Viacom's $1-billion lawsuit against YouTube threatens the very foundation of online sharing, Google, YouTube's owners, claimed in a court filing on Friday, reported by the Associated Press today (Tuesday). In court documents, Google said that the lawsuit "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression" over the Internet. Responding to Viacom's claim that the site has done "little or nothing" to stop copyright infringement, Google said that it actually "goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works" by removing clips at the request of content owners.
See Also
See Also
ELBOW
“The Seldom Seen Kid” (Fiction/Geffen): A-
Less wussy than Coldplay and more accessible than Radiohead, it’s hard to fathom how stardom has eluded this British quintet. Like 2005’s triumphant “Leader of the Free World,” this is literate pop
music at its finest. Frontman Guy Garvey writes clever, insightful songs that he sells with his Daltry-like vocals. Pulp’s Richard Hawley co-writes and duets on the jaunty “The Fix,” where two giddy horseplayers anticipate beating the odds. “Weather to Fly” and “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver” will break your heart. And for a guitar solo that will knock you off your feet, download “Grounds For Divorce.”
Less wussy than Coldplay and more accessible than Radiohead, it’s hard to fathom how stardom has eluded this British quintet. Like 2005’s triumphant “Leader of the Free World,” this is literate pop
music at its finest. Frontman Guy Garvey writes clever, insightful songs that he sells with his Daltry-like vocals. Pulp’s Richard Hawley co-writes and duets on the jaunty “The Fix,” where two giddy horseplayers anticipate beating the odds. “Weather to Fly” and “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver” will break your heart. And for a guitar solo that will knock you off your feet, download “Grounds For Divorce.”
Lindsay Lohan poses nude in tribute to Monroe
Actress Lindsay Lohan has posed nude in homage to Marilyn Monroe for the new spring fashion issue of New York magazine.
Lohan recreated the legendary actress' final 1962 photo shoot for Bert Stern with the veteran photographer himself.
According to People magazine, the 21-year-old star said she was comfortable being nude before the camera.
She said she was also aware of the parallels between Monroe's tragic fate - dead from an accidental overdose of prescription medicines - and that of Heath Ledger.
Referring to Ledger, Lohan said: "You know, it's also tragic what just recently happened to someone else. They are both prime examples of what this industry can do to someone."
Lohan recreated the legendary actress' final 1962 photo shoot for Bert Stern with the veteran photographer himself.
According to People magazine, the 21-year-old star said she was comfortable being nude before the camera.
She said she was also aware of the parallels between Monroe's tragic fate - dead from an accidental overdose of prescription medicines - and that of Heath Ledger.
Referring to Ledger, Lohan said: "You know, it's also tragic what just recently happened to someone else. They are both prime examples of what this industry can do to someone."
Pete Doherty admits cheating prison drug tests
Pete Doherty has admitted he cheated drug tests while in prison.The Babyshambles frontman, who recently left London's Wormwood Scrubs Prison, claims he only got his drug-free certificate because he used another inmate's urine.He said in an interview with NME magazine: "I was banging it. The only time I tested clean was when I used someone else's p**s."Pete also revealed how terrified he was during his incarceration at the tough jail after one prisoner threatened to stab him.He said: "It was quite hard work. Constant shouting, 'Pete, is Kate Moss a good s**g? Give us a song.'"I woke up to hear, 'You wait, I'm going to see you outside and stab you up.' "Despite his drug boasts, the 29-year-old rocker realised his substance abuse had spiralled out of control when he attacked one of his beloved cats.He added: "I got a shovel and was going to kill one of the cats. It was a bit of a crazy time."The hell-raising musician has also confirmed he will be working on a follow-up to Babyshambles' Shotters Nation album.
Pete added: "That will keep me busy and, hopefully, out of trouble."He also revealed singer and pal Amy Winehouse is working on new material with the band.Doherty confirmed the Rehab singer teamed up with guitarist Mick Whitnall in the studio while he was in London's Wormwood Scrubs Prison.He told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Mick and Amy have a great relationship. They have been working on material while I was in prison." The collaboration, first sounded out last year, is tipped to be released as a single and will appear on the next Babyshambles album.- BANG! SHOWBIZ
Pete added: "That will keep me busy and, hopefully, out of trouble."He also revealed singer and pal Amy Winehouse is working on new material with the band.Doherty confirmed the Rehab singer teamed up with guitarist Mick Whitnall in the studio while he was in London's Wormwood Scrubs Prison.He told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Mick and Amy have a great relationship. They have been working on material while I was in prison." The collaboration, first sounded out last year, is tipped to be released as a single and will appear on the next Babyshambles album.- BANG! SHOWBIZ
Westlife - Westlife Postpone Gigs Due To Illness
Irish boy band WESTLIFE have been forced to postpone two gigs on their U.K. tour - because bandmembers SHANE FILAN and NICKY BYRNE have fallen ill.
The Flying Without Wings hitmakers have postponed a show on Monday (19May08) evening in Nottingham, England, and the following night's show on Tuesday (20May08) in Cardiff, Wales, after a doctor advised the singers to rest in order to recover properly.
A statement from the band reads, "We are very sorry to have to postpone these shows at such short notice, we apologise to all our fans, and we can't wait to get back out there and put on a great show for you.
"Hold onto your tickets and we'll see you soon, Westlife."
The tour is set to continue on Thursday (22May08) in Birmingham, England. The rescheduled dates will be announced shortly, according to a spokesperson for Westlife.
See Also
Live: Kenny Chesney
There's cause to celebrate any time a musical juggernaut as meticulously planned and well-oiled as one of today's arena pop concert tours deviates from the script.
Even when, as was the case at Kenny Chesney's show Wednesday at Staples Center, the outcome isn't inspired musical spontaneity, but more like closing time at the karaoke bar.
One reason this 40-year-old from Luttrell, Tenn., keeps taking home entertainer of the year awards from the major country music trophy-giving bodies is that it's so abundantly clear how much of himself he invests in every performance. So when it appeared he had blown out his voice around the 90-minute mark during his first show in three years in L.A. proper, he trotted out some celebrity vocal power to help him make it through the rest of the night.
That happened to be rap-rocker Uncle Kracker, who had successfully collaborated with him on his 2004 single "When the Sun Goes Down," and who took the lead on a handful of songs as the show drew to its sputtering conclusion. Then, to the screaming delight of the near-capacity crowd, Chesney coaxed Cracker's boss, Kid Rock, from the wings onto the stage for some hand-waving neo-country/rock/hip-hop cheerleading.
They stumbled through good-natured stabs at Steve Goodman's country-cliché sendup "You Never Even Call Me by My Name" (as popularized by David Allan Coe) and dusted off the Allman Brothers' Southern-rock mainstay "Midnight Rider." All the while Chesney attempted to rest and water his overtaxed vocal cords, which still sounded fairly worse for wear when he took the reins back on "How Forever Feels."
Recently Chesney refused to derail a show despite breaking his foot in the middle of a performance. Audiences, country fans especially, love a trouper, and visible effort is typically handsomely rewarded on the concert trail. And so Chesney, year in and year out, sells more tickets than any other country act, and frequently more than any other touring musician, period.
He's more energetic than George Strait, cuddlier than Toby Keith, is less schizophrenic than Brooks & Dunn and rocks harder than Brad Paisley. His closest competitor is Keith Urban, another relentlessly pleasant, magazine-cover handsome country singer and songwriter whose songs rarely plumb emotional depths, but still allow listeners to feel good about him and themselves.
Indeed, shortly into Chesney's show he told the crowd, "I know everybody's got troubles, but we're going to forget them for the next 90 minutes!"
Chesney largely kept his promise, sticking to his upbeat, Jimmy Buffett-esque party- always themes and tuneful celebrations of tropical locales where the biggest dilemma is choosing beer or margaritas.
Even when he turned comparatively introspective midway through the show -- and he deserves credit for stringing together several ballads rather than merely sprinkling them throughout for tempo variation -- he kept fans at arm's length.
"Better as a Memory," from the current "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" album, could easily serve as a bittersweet epitaph to his brief marriage to Renée Zellweger. But there was no mention of any real-life specifics that would bring a sense of personal connection to such material, and he further distanced himself by prefacing it with a generalized remark that it was a love letter "I've had to write several times in my life."
For someone who also advises that his fans "Don't Blink" lest they miss all the richness that this all-too-short life has to offer, Chesney might try heeding his own hit's words.
LeAnn Rimes preceded him with a short set heavy on vocal power and Americana rock-leaning arrangements, demonstrating how far she's moved away from the Patsy Cline-like country of "Blue" that launched her career as a teenager.
When she offered up a snippet of that song, it was no longer the steel-guitar driven traditional country tune it started out as but a cabaret-lounge version with moody piano backing.
And the wonderful lunacy she's shown at times by covering such non-country material as Prince's "Purple Rain" was nowhere in sight -- replaced by undistinguished pop-rock.
randy.lewis@latimes.com
Even when, as was the case at Kenny Chesney's show Wednesday at Staples Center, the outcome isn't inspired musical spontaneity, but more like closing time at the karaoke bar.
One reason this 40-year-old from Luttrell, Tenn., keeps taking home entertainer of the year awards from the major country music trophy-giving bodies is that it's so abundantly clear how much of himself he invests in every performance. So when it appeared he had blown out his voice around the 90-minute mark during his first show in three years in L.A. proper, he trotted out some celebrity vocal power to help him make it through the rest of the night.
That happened to be rap-rocker Uncle Kracker, who had successfully collaborated with him on his 2004 single "When the Sun Goes Down," and who took the lead on a handful of songs as the show drew to its sputtering conclusion. Then, to the screaming delight of the near-capacity crowd, Chesney coaxed Cracker's boss, Kid Rock, from the wings onto the stage for some hand-waving neo-country/rock/hip-hop cheerleading.
They stumbled through good-natured stabs at Steve Goodman's country-cliché sendup "You Never Even Call Me by My Name" (as popularized by David Allan Coe) and dusted off the Allman Brothers' Southern-rock mainstay "Midnight Rider." All the while Chesney attempted to rest and water his overtaxed vocal cords, which still sounded fairly worse for wear when he took the reins back on "How Forever Feels."
Recently Chesney refused to derail a show despite breaking his foot in the middle of a performance. Audiences, country fans especially, love a trouper, and visible effort is typically handsomely rewarded on the concert trail. And so Chesney, year in and year out, sells more tickets than any other country act, and frequently more than any other touring musician, period.
He's more energetic than George Strait, cuddlier than Toby Keith, is less schizophrenic than Brooks & Dunn and rocks harder than Brad Paisley. His closest competitor is Keith Urban, another relentlessly pleasant, magazine-cover handsome country singer and songwriter whose songs rarely plumb emotional depths, but still allow listeners to feel good about him and themselves.
Indeed, shortly into Chesney's show he told the crowd, "I know everybody's got troubles, but we're going to forget them for the next 90 minutes!"
Chesney largely kept his promise, sticking to his upbeat, Jimmy Buffett-esque party- always themes and tuneful celebrations of tropical locales where the biggest dilemma is choosing beer or margaritas.
Even when he turned comparatively introspective midway through the show -- and he deserves credit for stringing together several ballads rather than merely sprinkling them throughout for tempo variation -- he kept fans at arm's length.
"Better as a Memory," from the current "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" album, could easily serve as a bittersweet epitaph to his brief marriage to Renée Zellweger. But there was no mention of any real-life specifics that would bring a sense of personal connection to such material, and he further distanced himself by prefacing it with a generalized remark that it was a love letter "I've had to write several times in my life."
For someone who also advises that his fans "Don't Blink" lest they miss all the richness that this all-too-short life has to offer, Chesney might try heeding his own hit's words.
LeAnn Rimes preceded him with a short set heavy on vocal power and Americana rock-leaning arrangements, demonstrating how far she's moved away from the Patsy Cline-like country of "Blue" that launched her career as a teenager.
When she offered up a snippet of that song, it was no longer the steel-guitar driven traditional country tune it started out as but a cabaret-lounge version with moody piano backing.
And the wonderful lunacy she's shown at times by covering such non-country material as Prince's "Purple Rain" was nowhere in sight -- replaced by undistinguished pop-rock.
randy.lewis@latimes.com
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