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Country Music News: AP-AMPrep-Country
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r c AP-AMPrep-Country 04-02 1597
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! COUNTRY !
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``AMERICAN IDOL‘‘ - DOLLY PARTON MENTORED THE CONTESTANTS
HOLLYWOOD (AP) _ David Archuleta almost drove Dolly Parton to
tears last night on ``American Idol.‘‘ But it wasn‘t in a bad way.
Parton said she got choked up listening to Archuleta sing her song
``Smoky Mountain Memories.‘‘ She called him a ``great, great
singer.‘‘ The judges were full of praise for Archuleta‘s
performance, with Randy calling it the best of the night and Simon
saying the song choice was ``absolutely on the money.‘‘ Parton is
mentoring the contestants this week and they‘re performing her
songs. Meanwhile, Randy declared it ``Kristy Lee Week‘‘ on Idol.
That‘s because Cook is well suited for country songs. Randy and
Paula liked her performance of ``Coat of Many Colors.‘‘ Simon,
however, said it was ``pleasant but forgettable.‘‘ Brooke White
took on ``Jolene.‘‘ Randy thought it was ``all right,‘‘ while Simon
said she lacked emotion. All three judges loved David Cook‘s
rendition of ``Little Sparrow.‘‘ Simon congratulated him for making
a song about a sparrow sound good. Carly Smithson performed ``Here
You Come Again,‘‘ which all the judges liked, but she didn‘t leave
the stage unscathed. Simon took issue with her clothes. He said
``at this stage you‘ve got to start looking more like a star and
I‘m not seeing that progression.‘‘ Tonight, Parton performs on Idol
and also another contestant gets voted off.
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Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul runs out of things for which to praise Brooke White.
COURTESY: Fox ((mandatory on-air credit))
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Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell tells Ramiele Malubay (RAY‘-me-el mah-LOO‘-by) how
he felt about her performance of ``Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.‘‘
COURTESY: Fox ((mandatory on-air credit))
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``Travelin‘ Through‘‘
``Travelin‘ Through,‘‘ performed by Jason Castro. COURTESY: Fox
((mandatory on-air credit))
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``Here You Come Again‘‘
``Here You Come Again,‘‘ performed by Carly Smithson, during
broadcast. COURTESY: Fox ((mandatory on-air credit))
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Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell tells Carly Smithson she needs to work on more than
just her singing. COURTESY: Fox ((mandatory on-air credit))
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``I Will Always Love You‘‘
``I Will Always Love You,‘‘ performed by Syesha Mercado, during
broadcast. COURTESY: Fox ((mandatory on-air credit))
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CLINT BLACK IS HITTING THE COMEDY CLUBS AHEAD OF HIS CBS REALITY SHOW
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Clint Black recently hit the stage in
Nashville, but it was hardly things as usual. He had no guitar and
instead was telling jokes. Black‘s been performing stand-up comedy
in preparation for his role in a new CBS reality series called
``Secret Talents of the Stars.‘‘ Black says his first practice
comedy gig went surprisingly well. He says, ``I got enough laughs
to feel good about the performance.‘‘ Blacks admits though that he
did use a cheat sheet because he had eight minutes of material he
hadn‘t memorized. He says the performance boosted his confidence,
adding ``everything but about two of my jokes got laughs.‘‘ Black
says he‘s been working hard to transform himself into a comedian.
He says, ``I‘ve been writing like crazy trying to get enough
material to have all ‘A‘ material.‘‘ Clint Black will be among the
first stars to compete live on ``Secret Talents of the Stars‘‘ when
it premieres Tuesday on CBS. Viewer votes will determine which
performers move on.
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Myra Lopez, AP correspondent with Clint Black, singer
Clint Black recently hit the stage in Nashville, but it wasn‘t
his usual stage show. There was no guitar -- and he was telling
jokes. AP correspondent Myra Lopez explains.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says it‘s been a challenge transforming himself into
a standup comedian.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says he has taken his act to the public to help hone
his skills.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says after playing one comedy club in Nashville,
he‘s feeling pretty confident about what he‘s doing.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says he recently played a Nashville comedy club
which boosted his confidence.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says he recently played a Nashville club to
surprising positive results.
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Clint Black, singer
Clint Black says he‘s still figuring out what works and what
doesn‘t. ((cut used in wrap))
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TRACE ADKINS APPEARS IN NEW COMEDY FILM
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Fresh off his stint on ``Celebrity
Apprentice,‘‘ Trace Adkins is headed back in front of the cameras.
He‘s joining the cast of a comedy film currently shooting in Los
Angeles. The movie is called ``American Carol.‘‘ Adkins plays The
Spirit of Christmas Future -- the Grim Reaper -- who uses his
special musical abilities to bring insight to Scrooge in an effort
to help him avoid an inevitable and tragic end.
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``DANCING WITH THE STARS‘‘
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Priscilla Presley gets to keep her dancing
shoes at least another week. Last night, Steve Guttenberg was voted
off ABC‘s ``Dancing with the Stars.‘‘ Of course, it was April Fools
Day and the celebs got into the act. In a put-on segement about the
stars‘ hobbies, Preseley said she runs a psychic hotline on the
side. And Guttenberg did a ``mango‘‘ -- a tango with another man --
as part of the show.
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Tom Bergeron
``Dancing with the Stars‘‘ host Tom Bergeron announces who is
being voted off the show. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))
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Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg says he‘ll miss the people most on ``Dancing
with the Stars.‘‘ COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))
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Len Goodman, head judge
``Dancing with the Stars‘‘ shows a little April Fool‘s humor.
COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))
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Excerpt of theme
Archive audio of ``Dancing With the Stars‘‘ theme.
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REBA, JEWEL, MONTGOMERY GENTRY ADDED TO LIST OF PERFORMERS FOR CMT AWARDS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Win or lose, Reba McEntire will grace
the stage at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville later this month.
She‘s been booked as a presenter. McEntire and Kelly Clarkson are
nominated for Video of the Year and Collaborative Video of the
Year. CMT reports other musicians added to the list of presenters
include Jason Aldean, Jewel, Josh Turner, Miranda Lambert,
Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift and the Eagles‘ Joe
Walsh. John Rich and Naomi Judd have also been added as presenters.
The CMT Music Awards air live on CMT on April 14th. Billy Ray Cyrus
and Miley Cyrus are hosting the event.
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LEANN RIMES REVEALS HER MUST HAVE ITEMS ON TOUR
UNDATED (AP) _ When LeAnn Rimes kicks off her tour in a few
weeks, there are a few must-have items she takes with her. Rimes
says Brookstone‘s Tranquil Moments Sound Therapy System is a
lifesaver for her on the bus. She says ``When I am ready to go to
bed, I put on the sound of a rain storm or a summer night and
completely relax.‘‘ She also enjoys her morning coffee in a Life Is
Good Diner Mug. She says husband Dean loves the four-leaf clover on
the chocolate mug and she loves the word ``Smile‘‘ on a blue mug.
She says ``It makes me do just that every morning!‘‘ Rimes shares
other must-haves on her Web site.
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JOHN RICH OFFERS NASHVILLE MUSIC COMMUNITY AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET RICH
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ John Rich says he remembers when he was
17 and trying to break into the music scene in Nashville. So that‘s
prompted him to help other people get ``the start and the break
they need to do what they love.‘‘ Rich is now the host of a monthly
talent competition called the ``Get Rich Talent Search.‘‘ Monday
night, a packed crowd gathered to check out 10 Nashville musicians
that were hand-picked by Rich to perform for Music Row executives.
The ``Get Rich Talent Search‘‘ takes place on the final Monday of
each month. Contestants compete for a top prize of 300 dollars. For
future talent searches, artists can submit entries to
GetRichTalentSearch@gmail.com.
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KRISTY LEE COOK WOULD LOVE TO DUET WITH JASON ALDEAN
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Jason Aldean has an admirer in ``American
Idol‘‘ contestant Kristy Lee Cook. She tells People magazine Aldean
is her dream duet partner. She says ``I definitely would love to
sing with him!‘‘ She says she met him a long time ago and he‘s her
favorite male country singer.
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TODAY‘S BIRTHDAYS:
Emmylou Harris is 61.
Buddy Jewell is 47.
Billy Dean is 46.
Singer Jill King is 33.
By Myra Lopez
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(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-04-02-08 0326EDT<