American Idol will crown the Season 13 winner – either Jena Asciutto or Caleb Johnson will be named the winner during the two-hour series finale Wednesday (May 21st). There will be several star-filled performances on the show, including one possibly from the judges’ panel made up of Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr., and maybe even mentor Randy Jackson. Jennifer Nettles is set to perform with Jessica Meuse, who placed fourth in the competition, for a special duet. Lady Antebellum will make the television debut of their new single “Bartender” on the show on Wednesday, and Darius Rucker, KISS, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Jason Mraz and Paramore are scheduled to make appearances, as well.

Keith says contestants appearing on American Idol have something to build on with the audience who watch the show, but it takes much more than that to ensure you have a music career. “It’s a huge moment. There’s no question about it, but at this point of a career, you look back and you also know that work that really is involved now to make this thing really matter, because winning it doesn’t instantly send you off into the stratosphere,” says Keith. “There’s tremendous amounts of work to be done as soon as that happens. So, I always hope they have that sort of sense of work ethic and dedication to make the most of it.”

The show wraps up for the season on Wednesday (May 21st) at 8pm ET.

Keith Urban (American Idol opps) OC: …pretty enticing. :35
“Despite the audience you can get during that show, which is in the multi-millions of people get to see you week after week after week – that’s something you can really build on. I think that’s one of the great things about that show. On the other side, there’s a real record company involved, there’s real producers and songwriters and everybody’s in the team. So, if you’ve got something special as an artist, that’s an extraordinary place to be. It’s an extraordinary team and community to you find yourself in. And certainly the success we’ve seen with Carrie [Underwood] and the rest of what you can do with that show is pretty enticing.”

Keith Urban (American Idol finale) OC: …most of it. :30
“That moment is really, at that age, at that point in your career, it’s everything. It’s a huge moment. There’s no question about it, but at this point of a career, you look back and you also know that work that really is involved now to make this thing really matter, because winning it doesn’t instantly send you off into the stratosphere. There’s tremendous amounts of work to be done as soon as that happens. So, I always hope they have that sort of sense of work ethic and dedication to make the most of it.”

Nashville, TN – May 19, 2014 – Seven-time GRAMMY award-winning trio Lady Antebellum will make the television debut of their sultry new single “Bartender” this Wednesday (5/21) on the season finale of American Idol at 7:00P CT on FOX. The new track is now available for purchase on iTunes and is also officially going for adds at country radio this week.
 
To listen to “Bartender,” click here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/05/19/lady-antebellum-bartender-first-listen/9261145/
 
From Los Angeles, the trio will cross the country to perform on Good Morning America on Friday (5/23), where they’ll kick off the show’s Summer Concert Series live from Central Park. Fans outside of New York City will be able to catch the group on their headlining 2014 TAKE ME DOWNTOWN TOUR through the fall. For a full list of upcoming television appearances and tour dates, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions have announced additional information regarding the servicemen and women from the United States Armed Forces, who performed on stage with some of the biggest names in country music during ACM PRESENTS:  AN ALL-STAR SALUTE TO THE TROOPS, taped on Monday, April 7th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In honor of Armed Forces Day (May 17) observances, the two-hour concert event, co-hosted by LL COOL J and Chris O’Donnell, will air Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Luke Bryan, Merle Haggard, Hunter Hayes, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Kellie Pickler, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and The Band Perry all performed and paid tribute to our country’s remarkable all-volunteer military force.

Many of the artists were joined on stage by service members from the United States Armed Forces including:

• Marine Capts. John Ed Auer & Matt Smith (performance with Lady Antebellum)
• Army Sgt. Christiana Ball(performance with Lee Brice)
• Navy STG3 Destiny Mills Coates (performance with Keith Urban)
• Marine Lt. Col. Mike Corrado (performance with Toby Keith)
• Army Spc. Kelly A. Gregg (performance with The Band Perry)
• Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Katie Spira (performance with Hunter Hayes)
• Marine Staff Sgt. Brandon Valentine (performance with Rascal Flatts)
• Air Force Staff Sgt. Baily Zimmerman (performance with Kellie Pickler

The special also includes moments and stories of incredible bravery and integrity in addition to appearances and presentations by Marcus Luttrell (retired U.S. Navy SEAL), Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”), Craig Morgan (U. S. Army Veteran/Country Music Artist), Nancy O’Dell (“Entertainment Tonight”), and Sheryl Underwood (former Staff Sergeant in the Air Force Reserves/“The Talk” host). 

Proceeds from ticket sales for ACM PRESENTS: AN ALL-STAR SALUTE TO THE TROOPS benefitted ACM Lifting Lives. 

ACM PRESENTS: AN ALL-STAR SALUTE TO THE TROOPS was produced for television by dick clark productions and taped at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday April 7, 2014 and will air on Tuesday May 20, 2014 at 9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark and Barry Adelman are executive producers. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. 

About ACM Lifting Lives

ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music.  Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives develops and funds music-related therapy and education programs, and serves members of the community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. Through generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives is able to fund everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities, to supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors, while providing grants to help them ease back into life. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org. 

George Strait (ACM Salute to the Troops) OC: …doing it. :59
“We owe them a lot. Anytime we can give something back to them, I think it’s great and I’m all for it. Being able to do that on our tour this year, the giving away the homes thing, it’s an amazing feeling every night – it never grows old. It’s just every night; you get a little something different from it. It’s tough some nights but it’s so rewarding to see their faces and it’s a life-changing thing for them to get a house. I mean, my gosh, I’m just so happy to be able to have that platform to give the general to come up there and do that for them. I’m an ex-military guy myself. I served three years in the military and it was a great experience for me, it really was, I wouldn’t trade those days for anything. So just to be able to do my little thing with them is – it makes you feel good and I love doing it.”

Lady A (ACM Honors) OC: (HILLARY) …hung right in. 1:52
Charles: “One of the service men that was preforming with us gave me, when he was up there, a bracelet. Apparently, I guess when one of their brother’s falls as solider they give them a bracelet in his honor and he literally has name and all those things and numbers and stuff and that kind of technical stuff. But before he gave it to me, he said “man if he knew you were wearing it and being up on stage and doing this.” I was like I can’t take this; this is like your friend that died in battle. I was like I can’t do that. He was like “Trust me. This would mean so much to him.” So I got to wear it on the performance and I’ve been wearing it live about half the shows. I pop it on there.”

Hillary: “One of the women, we were taking the big group photo, and she gave me her bracelet in honor of her brother. She had lost her brother over in Afghanistan. And so it was awesome to connect to these men and women who just protect us on a daily basis. It just gives us the smallest taste of what they walk with and have to live with and the hurts and the highs and the lows in all of it every single day. It was awesome. Honestly going into it I didn’t know what to expect. You know playing the show. I knew it was going to be fun cause of all of the artists. But when we found that these guys were going to play with us and one of the guys had a break out line on Compass. You will hear him sing. It was like, it was awesome. It is just really really cool.”

Dave: “He was a good singer too. The fiddle player was really good. I mean they are up there with all of these A list session guys that are in the house band.” 

Charles: “They knew what they were doing.”

Dave: “The fiddle player was just playing all the parts. It was great.

Hilary: “They hung right in.”

When David Nail was growing up in Kennett, Missouri, he used to make a nearly daily trek to the local WalMart store to purchase albums. He said this is how he learned how important the packaging and title were in helping him to make choices.

“I didn’t know that records came out on Tuesday. I just assumed that when someone wanted to release a record, they’d just, if it was a Thursday, then it came out on Thursday. So, I would go to Wal-Mart every day waiting for new music, and I bought so many CDs – they were tapes at the time – just because there was nothing else to buy. It was like, ‘Hey, I don’t really know this person or their music, but it’s in the country aisle and the CD looks pretty cool,’” says David. “That’s where I kind of got the concept of a title became so important and the packaging of the album, because I bought so many records based on that.”

David is currently climbing the country charts with his latest single, “Kiss You Tonight.”

David Nail (buying music in Kennett MO)  OC: …based on that. :38
“We only had one record store, and that was Wal-Mart. That was the only place where you could get music where I grew up. I didn’t know that records came out on Tuesday. I just assumed that when someone wanted to release a record, they’d just, if it was a Thursday, then it came out on Thursday. So, I would go to Wal-Mart every day waiting for new music, and I bought so many CDs – they were tapes at the time – just because there was nothing else to buy. It was like, ‘Hey, I don’t really know this person or their music, but it’s in the country aisle and the CD looks pretty cool.’ That’s where I kind of got the concept of a title became so important and the packaging of the album, because I bought so many records based on that.”

Luke Bryan’s “Play It Again” vaulted to the top of the Billboard country charts this week, marking his 10th No. 1 single, and the latest hit from his album Crash My Party, is still going strong. The Georgia native says the song was a fan favorite from the very beginning.

“From the day we put Crash My Party out, ‘Play It Again’ was getting downloaded more than any non-single,” says Luke. “When we play it live on the road, it goes over bigger than most of my prior No. 1s.”

Luke just picked up two Billboard Music Awards for Top Country Artist and Top Country Album for Crash My Party.

Luke Bryan picked up two trophies at Sunday night’s (May 18^th) Billboard Music Awards, including Top Country Artist AND Top Country Album for Crash My Party. Luke also performed twice on the show. He sang his current Billboard No. 1 single, “Play It Again,” and he joined his pals Florida Georgia Line for a performance of their hit, “This is How We Roll,” which he also co-wrote with the duo.

Luke is in the midst of his That’s My Kind of Night Tour, which will make a stop May 29th in Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by a two-night stand (May 30th and 31st) in Bristow, Virginia.

Luke Bryan (what would make CMP a success) OC: …widely accepted. :58
“In my opinion what would define the success of this album is obviously to…gosh, I don’t know.  To sell three or four million albums certainly.  But my main thing is to continue to move the needle on the fans knowing that I’m upping my game constantly and coming with better songs and singing better than ever and fueling the live show in whatever is going to, the ability to grow into bigger and bigger and bigger venues constantly for as many years as I can.  And making sure this album continues that upper climb of upward movement to being an even more elite entertainer on a global scale to where my music is me, to where I didn’t change my music to make it global.  I make kind of a more of an audience come to what I’m saying and selling.  And if I can do that on this album it’s a success. So just telling my story and making my story that which is something that is widely accepted.”

Scotty McCreery was “Feelin’ It!” Watch as the Season 10 winner rocked the American Idol stage with his latest single from his album See You Tonight!

Nashville, TN – May 16, 2014 – Following film screenings across the country and overseas, award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley’s intimate documentary film Dierks Bentley: RISER is now available in its entirety on the video streaming giant Hulu.  This is the first time that Hulu has ever featured a modern country artist. Directed by Wes Edwards and produced by Ruckus Films, the full-length piece gives fans a glimpse into the country superstar’s life on the road, in the studio and at home with his family.   

The film documents the ups and downs following the death of his father through the birth of his first son – the story that inspired his No. one selling seventh studio album RISER that spawned mass critical acclaim.  Most recently, Billboard noted “From the birth of his son to the death of his father, Dierks Bentley has been through a lot lately, and his introspective new LP is proof. He sounds gritty and time-tested…questions life’s meaning with some of the strongest lyrics he’s ever recorded.”

Click here for a direct link to DIERKS BENTLEY: RISER: http://www.hulu.com/watch/636191

The album’s second single “Drunk On A Plane” is flying up the radio and sales charts and follows the album’s No. one lead single “I Hold On.” Bentley is currently out on the road headlining his 2014 RISER TOUR, which makes stops this weekend in Virginia Beach, VA; Bristow, VA and Holmdel, NJ. For more information on the film and a full list of tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.