or


[01/06/05 - 12:00 AM]
Hit Country Singer/Songwriter Phil Vassar Joins Show Host Leann Rimes on the Third Season of USA Networks Nashville Star

[via press release from USA]

HIT COUNTRY SINGER/SONGWRITER PHIL VASSAR JOINS SHOW HOST LEANN RIMES ON THE THIRD SEASON OF USA NETWORK'S NASHVILLE STAR

Nashville Star Partners with Universal South Records

Cledus T. Judd Named Show Correspondent and Anastasia Brown Named Judge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- January 6, 2005 -- The producers of Nashville Star, USA Network's grassroots talent search series to find the next country music superstar, have named country music singer/songwriter Phil Vassar as a celebrity judge to join show host LeAnn Rimes for the third season, which will premiere on Tuesday, March 1, 2005, from 10:00 - 11:00 PM (ET/PT) on USA Network. The announcement was made today by Libby Hansen, vice president, alternative series & specials, USA Network.

LeAnn Rimes said, "I'm so honored to have my friend Phil Vassar join Nashville Star with me. Phil is an amazing talent who will inspire these country hopefuls tremendously. "

"We wanted to put together a panel of judges with their fingers on the pulse of what's hot and exciting in country music today," said Hansen. "Phil Vassar is one of the hottest names in country music and knows what it takes to make it in this business and specifically what to look for in the next Nashville Star."

The grand prizewinner of the third season of Nashville Star will be awarded a recording contract from Universal South Records. A joint venture between highly respected music executives Tim DuBois and Tony Brown and Universal Motown Records Group in New York, Universal South Records is part of the Universal Music Group.

"Since we arrived in Nashville three years ago, we've been looking for a way to collaborate with Tim [DuBois] and Tony [Brown] and their amazing team at Universal South," said Nashville Star executive producer H. T. Owens. "They are hands-on record executives and as our new partners, view Nashville Star as the ideal vehicle to find new talent and to market that talent aggressively."

Country music comedian Cledus T. Judd has been named correspondent for the show and will support show host LeAnn Rimes with color commentary. Country music talent manager Anastasia Brown has also been named to the panel of judges.

Singer-songwriter Phil Vassar began his career performing his growing repertoire of original songs at his Nashville club-restaurant. Before embarking on his solo career, which has produced more than half a dozen Top 10 hits (including his breakout #1 single "Just Another Day In Paradise"), Vassar penned hits for a number of top artists including Tim McGraw ("My Next Thirty Years"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), and Jo Dee Messina ("Bye Bye"). He has earned numerous songwriting awards as well as new artist distinctions from ACM and CMA.

His current album, "Shaken Not Stirred," boasts the single "In A Real Love," which spent two weeks atop the country music charts. The steamy music video for his next single, "I'll Take That As A Yes (The Hot Tub Song)" is in rotation on CMT and GAC. Vassar's tour schedule keeps him out on the road presenting his energetic performances that have earned fan support and widespread critical acclaim.

Cledus T. Judd is one of the most beloved and popular comedians in the country music industry. His current CD on Koch Records Nashville, "Bipolar And Proud," debuted at #1 on the Soundscan Comedy chart and #15 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. His latest single, "I Love NASCAR," (which is a parody of Toby Keith's hit "I Love This Bar") was embraced by country and NASCAR fans alike and received airplay on country radio, CMT, GAC, and Totally NASCAR. Judd's second single from the album, "Paycheck Woman," is a take-off of Gretchen Wilson's breakout single, "Redneck Woman." Judd has sold over 1.6 million units in his career, performed with some of the biggest names in Country music (Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain), has won two CMT Video Awards, and most recently co-hosted the CMT series, "Most Wanted Live."

Anastasia Brown heads up 821 Music Group and partners with Eric Geadlemann in the 821 Entertainment Group. Brown started her music career as legendary music mogul Miles Copeland's partner and director of operations for Firstars Nashville, where she proceeded to discover, develop and secure record deals for the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum selling current CMA Male Vocalist Keith Urban. She also worked with artists ranging from Sting to Peter Frampton to John Berry. As vice president of A&R for Ark 21 Nashville, Brown served as executive producer for Waylon Jennings' "Closing In On The Fire," securing guest artists Sting, Sheryl Crow and Mark Knopfler as well as Leon Russell's "Legend In My Time" with guest artists Willie Nelson, Marty Stuart and The Oak Ridge Boys. As A&R coordinator she also worked on compilation records such as the Christmas album, "Mother & Child" and the tribute record to Hank Marvin and The Shadows, "Twang." After making her mark in the Nashville music industry, Brown went on to serve as music supervisor, and secured the soundtrack record deal, on Steven Spielberg's Emmy? Award-winning and Golden Globe nominated miniseries for SCI FI, "Taken." She is currently serving as co-music supervisor on the Quentin Tarantino feature "Daltry Calhoun" for Miramax.

About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is the world's largest music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 71 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, DreamWorks Records, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technologies division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.

REVEILLE, a joint venture between Ben Silverman and NBC Universal Television Studio, develops, produces and distributes new and non-traditional programming formats for television and motion pictures across a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, game, and reality for American and international markets. In addition to selling television formats for independent producers such as NBC Universal Television Studios (USA Network, Sci Fi Channel), BBC Worldwide, Renegade and Princess Productions, Reveille sells its own produced program formats such as "The Restaurant" (NBC), "Blow Out" (Bravo) and "30 Days" (FX). Reveille also distributed the internationally renowned, award-winning "911" documentary and is a world leader in creating integrated marketing opportunities for leading advertisers, developing alternative financing paradigms and selling and distributing television formats in markets worldwide.

Reveille has produced projects such as, "Coupling," "The Restaurant", "The Biggest Loser" and coming in 2005 "The Office: An American Workplace" for NBC. Cable projects include "Blow Out" for Bravo, "The Club" on Spike, USA Network's "Nashville Star" and the Morgan Spurlock project "30 Days" for FX Networks.

USA NETWORK
USA Network is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. USA Network is seen in over 88 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.





  [january 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 30 DAYS (FX)
· 9/11 (CBS)
· BIGGEST LOSER, THE (USA)
· BLOW OUT (BRAVO)
· CLUB, THE (SPIKE TV)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· NASHVILLE STAR (NBC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· RESTAURANT, THE (NBC)





[03/28/24 - 11:07 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion" Debuts April 9
The film uncovers the toxic culture of the teen brand Brandy Melville and the global ramifications of mass-produced clothing known as fast fashion.

[03/28/24 - 11:02 AM]
FX's "Welcome to Wrexham" Shifts Season Three Premiere Date
The May 2 premiere will include the first two episodes of the eight-episode season, with a new episode available each following Thursday.

[03/28/24 - 10:36 AM]
Claire Danes Will Reunite with "Homeland" Showrunner & Executive Producer Howard Gordon on the Netflix Limited Series "The Beast in Me"
A grieving author finds a new subject in a real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Her investigation spirals into a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.

[03/28/24 - 10:32 AM]
Roku Originals Reunites "The Real Bros of Simi Valley" for New Movie; Directed by Jimmy Tatro
"The Real Bros of Simi Valley: High School Reunion" is a continuation of the beloved original series, co-created by Jimmy Tatro and Christian Pierce, which became a social media phenomenon generating over a billion views across video platforms.

[03/28/24 - 10:04 AM]
Bravo Reveals Returning Cast for "The Real Housewives of New York City" Season 15
After a successful first bite out of the Big Apple, all six ladies of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City" will return for season 15, including Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield.

[03/28/24 - 10:03 AM]
Matt Barnes and Anansa Sims Give a Close-Up Look at Navigating Love, Co-Parenting, Fame and More in New Series, "The Barnes Bunch," Premiering Friday, April 19 at 10PM ET on WE tv
This endearing new series follows NBA champion and successful Podcaster, Matt Barnes, alongside his fiancée, model and reality personality, Anansa Sims, as they navigate love, forgiveness, and personal growth while reconciling their past.

[03/28/24 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Dan Da Dan" - Official Trailer - Netflix Anime
This is the story of Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak.

[03/28/24 - 10:01 AM]
"Karamo" Renewed for Third Season in National Syndication
"Karamo" is hosted by reality television personality, author, actor, producer and activist Karamo.

[03/28/24 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Neal Brennan: Crazy Good" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Comedian Neal Brennan riffs in this stand-up special on crypto, social media flexes, sex compliments and the link between greatness and mental health.

[03/28/24 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN+ Unveils Major League Baseball Game Schedule for March and April
ESPN+ will stream a game every day in April, featuring all thirty Major League Baseball Clubs.

[03/28/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" - Teaser Trailer - Netflix After School
Set six years after the events at Camp Cretaceous, members of "The Nublar Six" are struggling to find their footing off the islands, navigating a world now filled with dinosaurs and people who want to hurt them.

[03/28/24 - 09:01 AM]
WWE on A&E Continues with Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias Joining "WWE Rivals" & More "WWE's Most Wanted Treasures" & "Biography: WWE Legends"
Kicking off on Sunday, April 14, "WWE's Most Wanted Treasures" will feature WWE Hall of Famers Booker T, Mick Foley, and Lita as they hunt for iconic memorabilia and share the history behind some of the most famous items in WWE history.

[03/28/24 - 09:00 AM]
"The Omen" Complete Franchise, Streaming Now on Hulu
To celebrate the new theatrical release, catch up on the supernatural saga with all five films available to stream on Hulu!

[03/28/24 - 08:29 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases the Official Trailer for Horror Anthology Series "THEM: THE SCARE" Starring Deborah Ayorinde, Luke James, Pam Grier, and More!
This second installment will consist of eight episodes and premieres on Thursday, April 25, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[03/28/24 - 08:16 AM]
Netflix Lights Up the Sky with 1,000 Drones to Reveal May 1 Launch Date for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Epic Saga, "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar"
In the series, arch nemeses Mallikajaan and Fareedan are locked in a battle for succession of Heeramandi, where courtesans reign as queens.