Blake Shelton Is “Gonna Miss Working With That Idiot” Adam Levine on “The Voice”

Blake Shelton Is “Gonna Miss Working With That Idiot” Adam Levine on “The Voice”

Count Blake Shelton among those who were shocked to learn that Adam Levine won’t return as a judge on Season 17 of The Voice.

The news was announced on Today on May 24 by the host of The Voice, Carson Daly.

Adam has served as a judge with Blake since the show’s inception in 2011. The pair’s often-contentious shtick continued to keep viewers tuning in for 16 seasons. After hearing the news, Blake didn’t miss the chance to hurl a final Twitter insult Adam’s way, noting that he was “gonna miss working with that idiot.”

Gwen Stefani will take over Adam’s chair for Season 17, joining boyfriend Blake, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson as judges.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Maren Morris to Release New 3-Song Acoustic EP, “Reimagined,” on May 31

Maren Morris to Release New 3-Song Acoustic EP, “Reimagined,” on May 31

Maren Morris will release a new EP, Maren Morris: Reimagined, via Apple Music on May 31. The three-song offering, which was produced by Dave Cobb, features acoustic versions of “Girl,” “The Bones” and “The Middle.”

As a companion to the EP, Apple Music will also release a short film that takes fans behind the scenes in the studio as Maren shares the meaning behind each song.

“I think the mark of a good song is you can rearrange it up and it still is a very defining song,” says Maren. “Dave [Cobb], his production is so rootsy and very soulful and Americana and he just understands that sound so intensely. I love the way it turned out.”

Maren Morris: Reimagined and the companion film will be available exclusively on Apple Music beginning on May 31.

Watch a sneak peek of the companion film below.

photo by JPA, AFF-USA.com

Thomas Rhett Says Kelsea Ballerini Turned a “Good Song Into Great” on New Collaboration, “Center Point Road” [Listen]

Thomas Rhett Says Kelsea Ballerini Turned a “Good Song Into Great” on New Collaboration, “Center Point Road” [Listen]

Thomas Rhett is gearing up for the release of his upcoming fourth studio album, Center Point Road, which will drop on May 31. The 16-song album takes its name from the street in TR’s Hendersonville, Tenn., hometown that shaped much of his life experiences.

TR co-penned every track on the album, which also features a number of collaborations, including Little Big Town (“Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”), Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”) and Kelsea Ballerini (“Center Point Road”).

One week before the album’s release, Thomas Rhett shared the nostalgic title track, which he penned with Jesse Frasure, Amy Wadge and Cleve Wilson.

“I though the song was good before Kelsea hopped on there, but when she got on there, it turned into great,” says TR to Nash Country Daily. “It’s cool because I grew up [in Hendersonville] and Kelsea grew up in Knoxville, so we kind of grew up in the same way, at the same time, same kind of small towns, so I knew Kelsea would relate to this song. She told me the other day, she said, ‘I felt like I wrote this song.’ I think if you’re going to be on a collaboration, you should feel that way about the song.”

Listen to “Center Point Road” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Morgan Wallen Is “Wobbling” Up the Charts With Current Single, “Whiskey Glasses”

Morgan Wallen Is “Wobbling” Up the Charts With Current Single, “Whiskey Glasses”

After 38 weeks at country radio, Morgan Wallen’s single, “Whiskey Glasses,” is wobbling up the charts. The tune, which was penned by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, is currently No. 3 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

“Lyrically, ‘Whiskey Glasses’ is a heartbreak song, but I didn’t want it to feel like that so we tried to get clever in the studio,” says Morgan to NCD. “I didn’t want it to feel sad, so I told [producer Joey Moi] that I wanted to make the song kind of feel more drunk as it went along. We kept adding little things here and there to make it almost wobble.”

Whatever Joey and Morgan did in the studio is working. “Whiskey Glasses” is mirroring the ascent of Morgan’s previous No. 1 single, “Up Down,” which topped the charts in June 2018 after 32 weeks.

“I’m just glad people are liking it,” adds Morgan.

Morgan is currently nominated for CMT’s Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Whiskey Glasses.” He will join Florida Georgia Line’s Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour in June.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Update: 6 Lady Vols on 2019 WNBA Opening Day Rosters

Update: 6 Lady Vols on 2019 WNBA Opening Day Rosters

By Dan Stark / ESPN Images
Newport Coast, CA – October 3, 2018 – The Resort at Pelican Hill: Candace Parker during the 2018 espnW: Women + Sports Summit (Photo by Dan Stark / ESPN Images)

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

Updated 5/24/19

With the WNBA season in 2019 beginning this Friday, May 24, I’ve gone through the opening day rosters for each team for Lady Vols For Life in my blog, Vince’s View.

Below is the list of those players in the league, at the moment, along with the teams without a UT player on it’s active roster. Seasons in the league, counting this one, listed to the right.

UT In The WNBA in 2019 (6)
Diamond DeShields (1) G – Chicago Sky (2nd)
Shekinna Stricklen (40) G-F – Connecticut Sun (8th)
Isabelle Harrison (20) F – Dallas Wings (4th)
Glory Johnson (25) F – Dallas Wings (7th)
Candace Parker (3) F-C – Los Angeles Sparks (12th)
Mercedes Russell (2) C – Seattle Storm (2nd)

*Jaime Nared was released today by Las Vegas. She was the 13th overall pick in the 2018 draft. As a rookie, she played in 31 games, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Teams Without A Lady Vols Player (7)
Atlanta Dream
Indiana Fever
Las Vegas Aces
Minnesota Lynx
New York Liberty
Phoenix Mercury
Washington Mystics


Find more of my broadcasting work at VinceSports.net.

 

Thomas Rhett Talks Inspiration Behind New Album, “Center Point Road,” Including Childhood Memories, Fatherhood, Collaborations & More

Thomas Rhett Talks Inspiration Behind New Album, “Center Point Road,” Including Childhood Memories, Fatherhood, Collaborations & More

Jim Casey talks with Thomas Rhett about:

  • the anticipation of releasing his new album, Center Point Road, on May 31
  • moving from Valdosta, Ga., to Hendersonville, Tenn., as a 5-year-old in 1995
  • his first memory of his house on Center Point Road
  • building the new 16-song album
  • finding the centerpiece for the album, “Remember You Young”
  • his nostalgic, old-soul nature
  • writing the majority of the record while on the road
  • his new song, “That Old Truck,” which was inspired by his first truck, “Fergie”
  • selecting “Look What God Gave Her” as the album’s lead single
  • collaborations on the new album, including Kelsea Ballerini, Jon Pardi and Little Big Town
  • the range of emotions created by sequencing the songs on the album
  • how being a father the last two-plus years influenced the album
  • his Very Hot Summer Tour with Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson and Rhett Akins
  • performing at Bridgestone Arena during CMA Fest on June 8

Show Participants: 

  • Thomas Rhett
  • Jim Casey, editor in chief of NCD

Watch Clare Bowen Let Go of Fear in Video for Cleansing New Single, “Let It Rain”

Watch Clare Bowen Let Go of Fear in Video for Cleansing New Single, “Let It Rain”

Clare Bowen’s character Scarlett O’Connor found herself in the middle of plenty of drama during her six seasons on TV’s Nashville. With the release of her self-titled debut album on July 12, Clare will ditch the drama in favor of harmony.

The 35-year-old Australian native is giving fans the first taste of the new album with the release of lead single, “Let It Rain,” a soulful anthem about surviving life’s hardships and letting go of fear.

“‘Let It Rain’ is about my gratitude for life’s lessons, no matter how hard. I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this without them,” says Clare. “I believe that everyone and everything we encounter in life, good and bad, leads us to the place and person we’re meant to be. Even when we bugger up real bad, because mistakes are how we learn to be better versions of ourselves.”

Directed by Clare and Tyler Barksdale, the video for “Let It Rain” is an exploration of finding the beauty in life’s scars. The new clip, which you can watch below co-stars the singer as well as her husband and a few of her close friends.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Jimmy’s blog: Fraschilla impressed by UT’s Bone

Jimmy’s blog: Fraschilla impressed by UT’s Bone

By Jimmy Hyams

Jordan Bone hasn’t shown up on many NBA mock drafts, but ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla thinks the 6-foot-3 point guard can find a home in the NBA.

Fraschilla, former head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico, projects the Tennessee floor leader as a second-round pick.

“I think he can make a team as a back-up point guard,’’ Fraschilla said in a recent interview on The Sports Animal, WNML.

That was before Bone turned heads at the NBA combine with his 42.5 vertical jump and speed in the ¾ court sprint and agility drill that exceeded what Russell Westbrook did at the combine years ago.

Fraschilla watched Tennessee practice in October and was “really impressed’’ by Bone.

“I was not surprised by the junior year he had,’’ Fraschilla said. “He really improved, I think, over the course of three years.’’

Jones improved his scoring average from 7.3 as a sophomore to 13.5 as a junior. His assists went from 3.5 per game to 5.8. He ranked among the SEC leaders in assists-to-turnover ratio.

Fraschilla described Grant Williams, the two-time SEC player of the year, and Admiral Schofield as “a little bit of an outlier’’ for the NBA.

Why Williams?

“Because he spent most of his career in the paint and he is just now trying to extend his range out to the 3-point line, where he can be a more effective player,’’ Fraschilla said.

Fraschilla said UT coach Rick Barnes compared Williams to a former star at Texas PJ Tucker, who has had an eight-year NBA career. Tucker became a decent 3-point shooter after not having taken a shoot beyond the arc in college.

Williams, who hit 82 percent of his free throws last year, projects to be a capable 3-point shooter because many basketball experts say if you can hit free throws, you can become a good marksman from distance.

Williams was 30 of 103 on 3-point tries during his UT career, 15 of 46 (32.6 percent) last year.

While the 6-foot-5 ¾ Williams has drawn comparisons to Golden State star Draymond Green, a 6-foot-7 former Michigan State product, Fraschilla doesn’t see it.

“I don’t think (Williams) is as mobile in the open court,’’ Fraschilla said. “I mean, Grant is certainly a tremendous player … an All-American. But I’m not sure he moves his feet as well as Draymond did at Michigan State, so that could be an issue.

Williams “is going to have to play some away from the basket because even though he was a dominant player in the SEC and in college basketball, watching him on tape, when he’s going up against players with NBA type length from 10 feet, it has been very difficult, in my opinion, for him to be the dominant player he is at other times.’’

While Williams lacks Green’s lateral defensive quickness, Fraschilla said, “he can certainly morph into a player that can be a useful NBA player.’’

Fraschilla said some mock drafts favor Kentucky’s PJ Washington over Williams because Washington took and made more 3-pointers than did Williams.

While is Schofield an outlier?

“Because he’s 6-5 and built like a linebacker,’’ Fraschilla said. “You have to figure out is he a two, is he a three? Can he move his feet well enough to guard the most dynamic position in the game, guys like Paul George and Kevin Durant?’’

Schofield’s strongest asset as an NBA player is his much-improved 3-point shooting.

Fraschilla said that while Schofield and Williams had terrific college careers, 6-11 center Kyle Alexander “has more of an NBA body when you look at his length and athleticism, and despite the frustration fans had with him at times at catching the ball.

“I saw tremendous progress over his career, especially under Rick Barnes, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if a year from now, he’s on a roster. … His ceiling would be a guy that can be in an NBA rotation someday.’’

Based on the coaching Alexander has had and how he’s been pushed, “he’s going to be a little more prepared than the average college kid, just like Jordan, Admiral and Grant.’’


Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Garth Brooks Adds Second Show in Boise After Initial Sell-Out

Garth Brooks Adds Second Show in Boise After Initial Sell-Out

Tickets for Garth Brooks’ upcoming show in Boise, Idaho, on July 20 sold out in under an hour. Fear not, Idahoans.

Due to popular demand, Garth is adding a second show in Boise on July 19 at Albertsons Stadium at Boise State University. This will be the first time Garth plays Boise in more than 20 years, and it’s the first major concert event at Albertsons Stadium.

Tickets for the new Boise date go on sale on May 31 at 10 a.m. MT for $94.95.

Garth’s Stadium Tour, which features in-the-round staging, has already visited St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis (x2) and Pittsburgh, with upcoming sold-out shows in Denver (June 8), Eugene (June 29) and Boise (July 20).

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Watch Pink & Chris Stapleton’s Live Debut of “Love Me Anyway” at Madison Square Garden

Watch Pink & Chris Stapleton’s Live Debut of “Love Me Anyway” at Madison Square Garden

During her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on May 21, P!nk invited Chris Stapleton onstage to perform the live debut of their new song, “Love Me Anyway.”

The duet is featured on Pink’s new album, Hurts 2B Human. Pink co-penned the tune with Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas, the songwriting tandem behind Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” The heavy-hearted piano ballad features Chris’ harmony vocals.

This isn’t Pink’s first foray working with a country artist—she collaborated with Kenny Chesney in 2016 for the duet, “Setting the World on Fire,” which hit the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart later that year.

Watch a clip of the Pink and Chris’ performance below.

photo by Kevin Mazur & Zachary Mazur/Getty Images; video courtesy RCA Digital Marketing Team

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