Category: Entertainment

Music Spotlight: Storme Warren

Bethany Bowman

I often ask artists who influenced their careers. Well for me, not being a musician, the person who has most influenced me is the television and radio broadcaster, Storme Warren. Although I have little desire to become a television personality, I have learned so much about interviewing artists by listening to Storme nearly every day for 16 years on Sirius XM’s The Highway.

Besides having attended events in person where I saw Storme in action, I have heard how he interacts with the artists on his shows, especially on his fascinating podcast, Exit 209 (named after the actual exit you take to get to Music Row and downtown Nashville) where he delves into the very beginning of an artist’s life and career.

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Music Spotlight: Adam Hood

Bethany Bowman

When I was sent the artist Adam Hood to consider, I listened to one of his songs, “22 Days Too Long.” I wondered, “How in the world has he not crossed my radar until now?”

Hood has labeled his music as “southern soul” and has collaborated with artists like Brent Cobb, Josh Abbott, Jason Eady, and Miranda Lambert (to name a few). He is known to the music world as a songwriter’s songwriter as he effortlessly tells stories of everyday life in a meaningful way.

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The John Fredericks Media Network Launches Iconic WENO AM 760 ‘The Flame’

Admin

The John Fredericks Media Network (JFMN), now the third largest independent News/Talk Radio Network in America, launched its newest radio affiliate, iconic WENO AM 760 in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.

Rebranded as News/Talk AM 760 The Flame, WENO will be operated by the Fredericks Media Network while the final sale of the station and its license application is reviewed by the FCC, a process that normally takes about 90 days.

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Governors Ask NCAA to Reconsider Transgender Athlete Policy

The Center Square

Nine governors are asking the National Collegiate Athletics Association to rewrite its policy on transgender participation in sports, saying it is unfair to female athletes.

The NCAA updated a 2010 policy last year that requires transgender females to show they have undergone a year of testosterone suppression treatment. Testosterone levels are also checked before competitions.

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Music Spotlight: William Michael Morgan

Bethany Bowman

William Michael Morgan has been in Nashville since he was 19. Many country music fans will remember his gold-certified hit “I Met a Girl” from 2016, which continues to be a favorite at engagement parties and weddings.

Morgan hails from Vicksburg, Mississippi, which is the heart of the Delta Blues and a seven-minute drive from the Louisiana state line. His dad introduced him to country music by covering Marty Robbins and George Jones tunes on his guitar. Then, when he was 12, he got his own guitar, locked himself inside, and learned to play by watching YouTube videos.

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Music Spotlight: Alexandra Kay

Bethany Bowman

Alexandra Kay hails from the small town of Waterloo, Illinois, right outside of St. Louis. Like most people I’ve interviewed, Kay grew up singing in church. At a young age, she discovered she had a gift for creative writing/poetry. Her work was entered into contests for young writers. She got some national recognition from her short stories, and her parents were like, “Okay, She ‘s a pretty creative kid.”

Like many her age, Kay was greatly influenced by Taylor Swift. She wrote down her feelings in a journal, and many of these poems eventually turned into songs.

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Music Spotlight: Orlando Mendez

Bethany Bowman

 I’ll admit that I don’t watch music competition shows like I did when I was younger. When I watch TV, it’s usually a mind-numbing procedural or mystery.

But thankfully, a lot of the people I interview got their start on a show and if they are country, they often find their way into my email inbox. Because the competition is so fierce, most of the artists pitched to me are outstanding performers. Orlando Mendez is one such artist and I feel privileged to tell his story.

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‘The Chosen’ Season Four to Debut in Theaters This February

Admin

“I know it’s hard,” Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) says in a voiceover for “The Chosen’s” Season 4 teaser. “Man makes it much harder when he leans on his own understanding.” 

The smash hit’s fourth season premieres in theaters on Feb. 1, 2024, producers announced Monday. The rollout will begin in the U.S. and Canada with a two-week run of episodes 1-3 on Feb. 1, followed by episodes 4-6 beginning Feb. 15, and Episodes 7-8 beginning Feb. 29, according to a news release. 

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Music Spotlight: Stoned Cold Country

Bethany Bowman

Several years ago, when we were listening to the Rolling Stones on the radio, my husband remarked, “Listen to that. That’s country music.”

Evidently, others agree.

Long fascinated by the Rolling Stones, and specifically their country roots, CMA producer, Robert Deaton spent the past several years on a specific mission: namely, to shine a light on the Stones’ influence not only on country music at large but more specifically on some of its most convention-busting contemporary artists.

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Iconic ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Stars Set to Reunite at 2023 Gallatin Comic Con

Tennessee Star Staff

Prepare to take a nostalgic trip down to Hazzard County as the beloved stars of the iconic TV series, Dukes of Hazzard, are reuniting at the 2023 Gallatin Comic Con. Tom Wopat, known to fans as Luke Duke, will be joined by his former co-stars John Schneider (Bo Duke) and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) for a weekend filled with old fashion Southern charm and entertainment. The event is set to kick off on November 11th and continue through the 12th, starting at 10 am CT at the Gallatin Civic Center.

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Music Spotlight: Annie Bosko

Bethany Bowman

A California farmer’s daughter, Annie Bosko’s soulful, honey-soaked vocals and neo-traditional country sound has been perfected throughout her 10,000 + hours in the music industry. And while she doesn’t quite have that southern twang, her voice is exquisite. Even more importantly, she was raised on traditional country music.

She recalled, “My dad was a farmer. We would drive around in his truck and go look at the crops and he would play me country music. The first person I remember hearing is Patsy Cline. I remember this voice jumping at me through the speakers of his truck and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, what is this?’”

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Virginia Women’s College Swim Team Calls for Policies That ‘Protect Women’

The Center Square

Virginia’s Roanoke College women’s swimming team held a press conference on Thursday to call upon the NCAA, USA Swimming and state lawmakers to develop policies that organize competitive sports according to biological sex, after a transgender student temporarily joined the swim team this season.

Ten team members spoke at the conference, along with women’s sports activists, former college swimmers Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan, several women’s organizations and the girls’ parents.

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Circle TV Announces New Season of ‘Talking in Circles With Clint Black’

Bethany Bowman

Circle Network, the official TV and media home of the Grand Ole Opry, announced Tuesday the return of one of the network’s hit programs, “Talking in Circles with Clint Black,” for a highly-anticipated fifth season, premiering on Saturday at 10/9c. Hosted by Country Music icon Clint Black, the sit-down interview-style talk show brings intimate, exclusive conversations to Circle’s viewers, bringing fans closer to their favorite entertainers. This season’s roster of guests includes legendary singers/songwriters, TV personalities, and athletes, including Bret Michaels, Elle King, Jimmie Vaughan, John Oates, Marcus King, Paula Abdul, and more.

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Jenny Tolman Releases New Music

Bethany Bowman

In March of 2022, I featured Jenny Tolman in my column as she was releasing her sophomore album and was on the cusp of getting married to GRAMMY-nominated producer Dave Brainard in Jackson, Wyoming, in a beautiful snow-covered ceremony. We did not expect that nine months later, Tolman would give birth to a bouncing baby boy, “Bear” Brainard.

Her songs, “Married in a Honky Tonk” and “I Know Some Cowboys” will always be two of my favorites.

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‘Playin’ Possum’: Nancy Jones Remembers George Jones

Bethany Bowman

FRANKLIN, Tennessee-Many have been fascinated by George Jones’ storied life. He is possibly the greatest male vocalist in county music history with 79 top ten hits and 10 number ones including “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” a song often considered as the greatest country song of all time. But his addiction to drugs and alcohol nearly destroyed his career.

This addiction affected his relationships with women, including his volatile marriage to Tammy Wynette. However, when he met Nancy Sepulvado in 1981, his entire world changed.

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Music Spotlight: Whey Jennings

Bethany Bowman

Whey Jennings is as great a performer as you would expect him to be, but his path to stardom has not been an easy one.

When the singer was around six years old, he picked up a microphone that Jessi Colter left on a chair backstage at his grandpa’s show. Young Whey Jennings pranced out onto the stage and began singing “Mamma’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” Jennings’s grandpa Waylon Jennings shouted out, “Hey hold up there Hoss…wait for me!” Waylon went to pickin’ and when the song was finished, the crowd went nuts.

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Music Spotlight: Erin Kirby

Bethany Bowman

Erin Kirby is a country music singer from the small town of Jasper, Georgia, just north of Atlanta. She got her start in music by being in pageants, the kinds that have talent as part of the criterion. She did community service-based, natural pageants that don’t allow makeup for ages nine and under. Erin completed in pageants singing pop tunes until she was about 12 years old. Pageants gave her a place to sing and showcase her talent.

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Music Spotlight: Heartland

Bethany Bowman

Heartland is back and better than ever says People Magazine and I couldn’t agree more. The ACM, CMA nominated, and platinum-selling group returns for the first single in over a decade with “No Tomorrow.” The “live-for-today anthem” (MusicRow), is available now from Yellowhammer Music Group.

When I sat down and spoke with the band, comprised of Craig Anderson, Todd Anderson, Mike Myerson, and new lead vocalist Lance Horton,  I remembered meeting Craig and Lance at CRS 2022 when they were promoting new music for Madison Station.

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Mark Levin’s ‘The Democrat Party Hates America’ Tops Amazon’s Best-Seller List

Admin

Television host Mark Levin’s new book has topped the Amazon best-seller list, according to the website on Saturday.

Levin is an attorney and the host of “The Mark Levin Show,” a syndicated radio show, “Life, Liberty, and Levin” on Fox News as well as editor-in-chief of The Conservative Review. His book “The Democrat Party Party Hates America” (Threshold Editions, $30) has topped the Amazon list of Best Sellers in Books, according to the website’s rankings Saturday.

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Travis Tritt Releases Country Chapel

Bethany Bowman

Travis Tritt released his first-ever gospel project, Country Chapel, on Friday, a record that was more than three decades in the making. Comprised of original songs informed by his childhood roots along with several favorite gospel covers, Tritt brings new life to these touching tunes which are sure to please the country and gospel fans alike.

The album was produced by Dave Cobb and released by the Gaither Music Group. Tritt filmed a segment at the Lovelace Barn with the talented Gaither band, where he shared the sentiments behind several of the songs.

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Commentary: Parents Must Teach Their Kids Discernment

Admin

Entertainment today is extremely accessible. We can watch videos and read articles whenever we want. Each of these pieces of media, however, has its own ideology. But often, we do not even notice this ideology that is being presented to us, or the underlying assumptions of the creators.

As Frances Schaeffer explained: “The results of [people’s] thought world flow through their fingers or from their tongues into the external world. This is true of Michelangelo’s chisel, and it is true of the dictator’s sword.” Everything people create is the product of their worldview, so being able to recognize the underlying beliefs in media and entertainment is an important skill.

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Trump to Attend Iowa-Iowa State Rivalry Game, While Rivals Ramaswamy and Hutchinson Rally

M.D. Kittle

Saturday’s Cy-Hawk showdown will feature an added layer of competition, the kind the first-in-the-nation caucus state has grown accustomed to.

Former President Donald Trump and GOP presidential rivals Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson will be in attendance at annual intrastate battle between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

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Music Spotlight: Tyler Reese Tritt

Bethany Bowman

When I received information about Tyler Reese Tritt, I knew she belonged to someone famous (Travis Tritt is her dad). But what mattered to me was whether she could sing.

The answer is a resounding “yes.” Tyler Reese Tritt sings as naturally as many of us breathe. She said that her dad got her the Disney Princess videos when she was a tot, and her mother added that she would run around the house in her diaper singing “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid.

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Music Spotlight: NEEDTOBREATHE

Bethany Bowman

When I saw the rock band NEEDTOBREATHE had new music coming, a bell went off. Weren’t they a band that my kids used to listen to? Indeed, they are.

NEEDTOBREATHE is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass), Josh Lovelace (backing vocals, keys), Randall Harris (drums, percussion), and Tyler Burkum (guitar). I interviewed Lovelace to get more information on their band and their upcoming 9th album, CAVES.

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John Rich Roasts the Major Labels for Trying to Sign Oliver Anthony: ‘Their Greed Is Overriding Their Wokeness’

Admin

Viral sensation Oliver Anthony has taken the music world by storm with his hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The catchy tune has captivated listeners across the nation, skyrocketing Anthony to instant stardom. As one can imagine, every major label and other various interested parties are desperately trying to contact Oliver Anthony to partner with him on his music.

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Music Spotlight: Laine Lonero

Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Laine Lonero is from Louisiana, where she studied opera and musical theater as a child. No one in her immediate family sings at all. The classically trained artist started lessons at age six and where she learned the basics of how to sing properly.

She said, “At that age, I wasn’t sure if I was going to do this full-time, but my parents wanted to make sure that I did it right.” She continued, “I think that lessons are important for any singer, no matter how old you are or good you think you are, it’s always good to have lessons under your belt.” 

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Wisconsin Parents Report Daughters’ Bruises, Injuries After Practices with Trans Athlete

Admin

In Wisconsin, a group of parents are expressing outrage over what they believe to be injuries caused to their daughters due to a “transgender” athlete participating in their sports practice.

According to Fox News, the parents said that their daughters have begun coming home from practice with bruises and welts that they had never seen before. Due to confidentiality concerns, the parents have not yet revealed which school their daughters attend, nor which sport they play. All that is known for now is that they are located somewhere in the Green Bay Area Public School District.

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‘Jesus Revolution’ Immediately Lands in Netflix’s Top Ten

Susan Berry, PhD

The faith-based film Jesus Revolution soared to popularity on the big screen in early 2023, and now has become an immediate hit on Netflix, landing in the streaming service’s Top 10 in the United States.

The film, which first hit theaters February 24, debuted on Netflix on July 31 and, by the next morning, was ranked in the number 8 spot of the top 10 movies viewed in the United States, reported What to Watch.

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Music Spotlight: Johnny Dailey

Bethany Bowman

Johnny Dailey discovered his love for country music as a kid riding around in his cousin’s truck listening to songs in the rural town of Argo, Alabama, just north of Birmingham.

“I had two sisters, so my cousin became more like a brother. He would always have the latest and greatest country albums to come out like Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, and even some Texas songwriters like Jack Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker,” he said.

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