Carrie Underwood: "Play On" Era, Part III

[fischbone]

WOW! Carrie and Miranda?! AND Bryan Adams....Why can't we see stuff like that?? *cries in the corner*

[vinman]

From Country Aircheck,

“Welcome to Alcatraz,” Brad Paisley joked during his show opening performance on the annual Sony/Nashville Dinner Cruise.

The only way off this rock is to swim.” The three-hour show capped an eventful CRS Thursday that is detailed below. Back on the General Jackson, Paisley performed his new single Water” and “She’s Her Own Woman” before announcing his upcoming H2O Tour, which will include Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Josh Thompson and Steel Magnolia. He was later joined by VP/Promotion Skip Bishop in announcing a water-themed video contest for stations, with winning entries to be included in the video for “Water.” Kellie Pickler honored hero Loretta Lynn with “You Ain’t Woman Enough” and sang her own “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again.” Following her set, Pickler was presented with a plaque marking 1 million downloads of her single “Best Days Of Your Life.” Josh Thompson was joined by Miranda Lambert on his song “Sinner.” Lambert took over with new single “The House That Built Me,” then told the crowd, “I’ve been waiting a long time to play this next song. Its only been in the last couple weeks I’ve been able play it as a No. 1 song.” A cheer went up as she spun into “White Liar.”

Carrie Underwood joined Lambert for a cover of CCR’s “Travelin’ band,” and before Lambert could leave the stage she received a gold album plaque for Revolution. Underwood opened with “Temporary Home” and turned the vocal power up for “Undo It.”

Bishop and Sony/Nashville Chairman Joe Galante then brought up plaque commemorating 20 million digital transactions. A break in the musical action came as Galante focused the spotlight on retired EVP/GM and his “partner in crime” Butch Waugh, who was feted with a video compilation of the many multi-genre hits to which he’d been party. Waugh and his wife were also given an all expense-paid trip to Italy in appreciation of his years of service to the company. “It comes down to the music and having it played on the radio,” Waugh said as he thanked the crowd. Brooks & Dunn cranked up their “Honky Tonk Stomp” and “Play Something Country” before surprise guest Bryan Adams joined them for “Summer Of ‘69.” In fine voice, Adams played a solo acoustic version of “Run To You,” brought Paisley up to shred on “Cuts Like A Knife” and was graced by Underwood in the role of Tina Turner for “It’s Only Love.” By the time the doors opened on the attendees’ watery “prison,” they were likely wishing they’d received more than a three-hour sentence.

[tsharky]

They need to post pictures and videos! lol Thanx Vinman!

[Typo]

Sony Music Nashville again made itself the talk of the Country Radio Seminar Thursday night (Feb. 25) with a damn-the-expense blowout on the General Jackson showboat that featured performances by Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Josh Thompson and surprise guest Bryan Adams.

Approximately 700 guests attended the floating bacchanal, most of them in town for the annual radio broadcasters' confab that closes Friday evening (Feb. 26) with the New Faces Show.

The "boat show," as it has come to be known, is the one event of the three-day gathering that no one can walk away from since the General Jackson cruises on Nashville's Cumberland River during the more than three hours it takes to stage the opulent dinner and concert.

"Welcome to Alcatraz," beamed Paisley as he strode onstage to get the music started. "We're all on this rock."

Appropriately, he opened with "Water," which just happens to be his new single.

He joked with the radio people about his relative inaccessibility since he's become a star: "I may not give interviews or talk to you anymore, but I haven't forgot you."

Paisley then closed his segment with "She's Her Own Woman." But he would be back.

Pickler was up next. Dressed in form-fitting black, her hair blond again and sporting a neckline that plunged into the front row, the singer told the crowd that one of her great delights was getting to meet and share a stage with Loretta Lynn.

"I'm a big sucker for the classics," Pickler asserted and straightaway proceeded to demonstrate that point by belting out Lynn's truculent "You Ain't Woman Enough." Her finale was her new single, "Makin' Me Fall in Love Again."

Newcomer Thompson sang "Sinner" and the title song from his debut album, Way Out Here, which was released this week. Lambert sang harmony for him on the latter number. The crowd awarded him some of the loudest applause of the evening.

Lambert eased into her set with the contemplative "The House That Built Me," her new single that debuted this week on the Billboard country chart. Then she moved into her familiar combative mode with "White Liar."

To wrap things up, she summoned Underwood to her side to help her rock the waters with a suitably frenetic version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band." It was just a hint of the vocal fireworks to come.

Paisley returned to the stage to announce he would soon be filming a music video for "Water" and to ask radio programmers to invite their listeners to send in their funniest home videos involving water, the best of which would be included in Paisley's clip.

Underwood's star power was evident as dozens of the normally blasé radio folk clustered near the stage to take photos and videos when she came out to sing. Her set consisted of the tearful "Temporary Home" and the finger-wagging "Undo It." During the event, Sony Music executives presented Underwood with a plaque commemorating 20 million digital transactions worldwide.

Brooks & Dunn, fresh from receiving a career achievement award Tuesday (Feb. 23) from Country Radio Broadcasters, had the audience up and cheering as soon as their name was announced.

The duo barreled through "Honky Tonk Stomp" and "Play Something Country" before Ronnie Dunn made what appeared to be a passing remark about some guy hanging around backstage. That guy, as it turned out, was Adams, who promptly trotted front and center to lead the duo in a spirited rendition of his 1985 hit, "Summer of '69." The much-awarded duo then retired from the stage to let Adams do a solo turn on "Run to You."

(Rock endings have become a trademark of Sony's boat shows. Last year's non-country guests were John Kay of Steppenwolf and Peter Frampton.)

Adams called Paisley out to provide some harmony and guitar dazzle on "Cuts Like a Knife." Upon Paisley's exit, Underwood came back to trade vocal lines and go attitude for attitude with Adams on "It's Only Love," his 1985 recording with Tina Turner.

Turner would have been proud of her stand-in.

The General Jackson nudged into the dock just as the last notes faded away.

www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1632797/sony-music-nashvilles-nautical-follies-add-rocker-bryan-adams-to-the-musical-mix.jhtml

[carrieidol1]

What exactly is a digital transaction? Are they digital downloads, itunes...etc? Or are they radio related?

[lyrichord]

Feb 26, 2010 22:24:27 GMT -5 carrieidol1 said:

What exactly is a digital transaction? Are they digital downloads, itunes...etc? Or are they radio related?

I'm guessing it's digital singles + digital albums + purchased music videos.

[realityBITES]

I saw this all over twitter. I'm not sure if it's old news or not.

www.freedomfestival.org/2010/02/carrie-underwood-to-headline-2010-stadium-of-fire/

[tsharky]

^ I think this is new! It says it will be broadcast to US military all over the world! Wow!

www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_edae2a08-23cd-11df-9afe-001cc4c03286.html

Related: Stadium of Fire
Fan voting has been very good for the career of Carrie Underwood.

The popular country crooner first shot to fame during the fourth season of "American Idol," the Fox TV ratings juggernaut that determines weekly winners and losers strictly by fan phone calls. Underwood obliterated the competition en route to the 2005 "American Idol" crown.

Five years later, fan voting played a major role in earning Underwood her latest title: Stadium of Fire headliner.

Underwood, a five-time Grammy winner and the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, was officially announced Saturday as the top performer of this year's Stadium of Fire extravaganza - scheduled for July 3 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The announcement was made during the BYU-New Mexico men's basketball game at the Marriott Center.

"I am really excited about being invited to Stadium of Fire's 30th anniversary celebration," said Underwood in a prepared statement. "Our country has a lot to celebrate this Independence Day, and I want to do my part to make it unforgettable."

Tickets for Stadium of Fire will go on sale to the general public on Friday at 5 p.m. and will be sold simultaneously online at www.stadiumoffire.com and www.byutickets.com, as well as at the Marriott Center Ticket Office. Details for advance ticket purchases are available at www.freedomfestival.org. Tickets will be sold at six different prices, ranging from $30 to $120.

For the first time, Stadium of Fire organizers solicited fan input on potential headliners through their social networking sites on Facebook and Twitter, with the stated goal of trying to sign one of the top vote-getters. A top five - that included Underwood - was announced in November, kicking off a new round of fan voting for the top three.

While there was never any guarantee of actually booking one of the fan poll favorites - considering the pesky out-of-their-control issues of artist availability, booking fees and fit with the show's family-themed ideals - event organizers said Underwood was among the favorites in voting every step of the way.

"We're working ahead of the game, too," said Carl Bacon, senior executive producer of Stadium of Fire, and a trustee for America's Freedom Festival at Provo, which oversees the event. "We know where the voting is coming from and pretty much what people are thinking, so we're making contacts in the meantime as well. If we waited at the very end, we'd be in trouble. But the fact is, it was really pleasant to see how people were voting, and Carrie was right up at the very top."

In Underwood, the Stadium of Fire landed a performer in the prime of her career. Since winning "American Idol," Underwood has been scorching the charts. She's released three studio albums, all reaching No. 1 on the country list, and amassed 11 million in record sales - the most of any "A.I." winner. She is the first country artist to notch 11 consecutive No. 1 singles, was selected a member of the Grand Ole Opry and is a three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner.

As a sign of her national appeal, Underwood is coming off a stellar rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on Feb. 7.

"Well, Carrie ... is extremely popular right now," Bacon said. "I consider her as the type of talent that we would like to have associated with a program such as us. We like to make certain that we have artists come in here that have similar values and are going to be respected by those who come.

"We want to bring the top talent we can and have this a family type of activity. And that's what our goal has always been - not just to go out there and have a major concert only. Our program brings in a variety of talent. Especially, we want to have a patriotic feel, a love of God, country and family, so that we can have a show that people come away from feeling inspired and uplifted. So our talent has to embrace some of that, and we feel that Carrie represents that."

For the sixth consecutive year, the show is being created, directed and produced by Wayne Baruch and Chuck Gayton. Baruch said the pair are "extremely pleased to work with the great caliber of talent - as is Carrie Underwood."

Other featured performers, as well as this year's host, will be announced at various times leading up to the Stadium of Fire, said Bacon. Traditional elements of the show, such as dancers, a military flyover and, of course, fireworks, will remain. A new addition, however, is a special feature celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America with a huge Court of Honor for Eagle Scouts. For the eighth straight year, the event will be televised to members of the U.S. military and their families in more than 100 countries around the world.

"We have so many spectacular surprises planned for the 2010 Stadium of Fire," said Brett Walker, this year's Freedom Festival president, in a press release. "We've worked diligently to make it the greatest Independence Day celebration in the country, and we're confident it will be the most outstanding show Utahns and our guests from around the nation and world have seen in years."

[vinman]

I remember posting about this fan voted event months back. I'm glad she was the top vote and that she may be able to partcipate in this.

[fischbone]

Thanks to bluejeanbaby at cf, here's a clip of the Miranda/Carrie duet!

1:30 mark!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgvCmbXkkEA

They need to tour together this fall!!

[EPG]

*faints*

Amazing!

[Typo]

That performance was

And, I would not be surprised if we get a Carrie/Miranda collaboration of some kind soon. Those 2 seem a lot closer than most people tend to think..

[tsharky]

Awesome! Thanx so much! They both did a great job! Now we just need the duet with Bryan Adams and Carrie! :)

[vinman]

More footage of Carrie solo and with Miranda.

[monroe (II)]

what are total album and singles sales of this era?

[leilamaurizia]

Video announcement of the Stadium of Fire headlining gig:

[vinman]

Guess they used that vid you posted Desi for the announcement during the game. Also, Carrie beat out Utah native David Archuleta!


www.deseretnews.com/article/700012699/Underwood-headlines-Stadium-of-Fire.html

PROVO — Carrie Underwood will be taking the wheel and heading to Provo on July 3 to headline this year's Stadium of Fire.

Underwood's performance was announced to the 22,644 in attendance during the second half of Saturday's Mountain West Conference basketball showdown between No. 13 BYU and No. 10 New Mexico at the Marriott Center.

Images of Underwood flashed on the JumboTron, followed by two quick clips of her performing the popular songs "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Last Name" at previous concerts. Those in attendance cheered loudly when her name flashed on the big screen, but their attention quickly turned back to the tense basketball game.

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Underwood has amassed more than 11 million in U.S. album sales since her debut CD in 2005, more than any other "American Idol" winner.

Another "Idol" alum was considered for the headlining role in an online poll organized by America's Freedom Festival at Provo. The poll asked the public whom they wanted to see perform. David Archuleta, an "Idol" runner-up, was in the top five, along with Underwood, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift and Eric Dodge.

Although organizers of the Freedom Festival did not reveal the final numbers in the poll, they were more than pleased to announce Underwood's participation.

"Can you ask for anything better than Carrie Underwood?" asked Carl Bacon, America's Freedom Foundation at Provo trustee and senior executive producer of the event. "Carrie is our number one choice."

"I am really excited about being invited to Stadium of Fire's 30th anniversary celebration," Underwood said in a statement. "Our country has a lot to celebrate this Independence Day, and I want to do my part to make it unforgettable."

Bacon said the event, which reaches far beyond the Utah borders, still has many surprises in the works that will be announced as the event nears.

"We will be recording to every military installation and ships at sea," Bacon said, announcing that this will be the eighth year straight streaming the evening live.

"We're sure that this year's Stadium of Fire will be seen by the biggest audience in our history, so we're working hard to make it the most memorable," Bacon said. "Carrie is a big part of that."

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Stadium of Fire in 2010, tickets will be available this year for as low as $30. Traditional elements of Stadium of Fire will continue and expand, including the spectacle of the Stadium of Fire dancers, a military flyover and the largest stadium fireworks show in America.

The concert, part of America's Freedom Festival at Provo, will be Saturday, July 3, at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"We have so many spectacular surprises planned for the 2010 Stadium of Fire," said Brett Walker, this year's Freedom Festival president. "We've worked diligently to make it the greatest Independence Day celebration in the country, and we're confident it will be the most outstanding show Utahns and our guests from around the nation and world have seen in years."

Past performers have included the Jonas Brothers (2009), Miley Cyrus (2008), Brooks & Dunn (2007), Taylor Hicks and LeeAnn Womack (2006) and Mandy Moore (2005). Others that have performed at the popular event include the Beach Boys and the Osmonds.

In addition to musical performers, Stadium of Fire has welcomed popular conservative talk show hosts such as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity.

Along with the performers, Stadium of Fire will host the largest Eagle Scout Court of Honor in the 100-year history of the Boy Scouts of America. More than 100 Boy Scouts will be honored with the Eagle Scout award, the highest rank in Boy Scouts. The participants will be chosen from applicants throughout the western United States.

"Stadium of Fire was never intended to be just a concert," Bacon said. "We want it to be a variety of things. We want this to always be a family activity."

Tickets for Stadium of Fire will go on sale to the general public at 5 p.m. Friday, March 5, online at stadiumoffire.com, byutickets.com and at the BYU Marriott Center ticket office. Members of the Freedom Festival's e-mail list will have the option to purchase tickets before the general public, so fans are encouraged to visit freedomfestival.org to sign up for advance ticket opportunities.

[realityBITES]

Brief mention in USA Today from Robert Bianco, TV critic. By the way, he did not like Carrie's special, so any positive feedback from him is worth noting.

In better news, Idol winner and singing star Carrie Underwood guests as Ted's latest love on How I Met Your Mother(CBS, 8 ET/PT). She acquits herself surprisingly well, particularly considering how stiff she can sometimes seem on TV. As Simon might say, good job.

www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/criticscorner/column2.htm?csp=34

[vinman]

Indepth article on HIMYM's episode with Carrie.

www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-14/1267424497223790.xml&coll=1

Underwood -- who plays a pharmaceutical sales rep who becomes the focus of Barney's babe-vision -- was a pleasant surprise.

"The big question mark (going into filming) was Carrie Underwood, because she had a pretty sizable part," Kang said. "Once you see the (guest) actor, you go, 'Oh, that color's not quite right on them. We should play to this strength more.'

"When Carrie came on Tuesday, she blew us all away. She was amazing.

"We actually worked really hard on the Tuesday rewrite to try to find a few more jokes and moments to get her, because we were all so impressed with her.

"If she wants to, I think she could be a huge sitcom star. She was fantastic."

Also, I've updated my site with audio of Carrie talking about her experience on filming tonight's HIMYM episode!

Turn your speakers up prior to going to the CARRIE SAYS page on my site.

[thescene]

I can't wait to see HIMYM. I was able to hear a short clip of the show last week and it was great.

[tsharky]

That is so cool that they added a few jokes/lines for Carrie once they saw how well she did! That is a good sign.

I hope they do that for her movie role too! :) Honestly, in the book Soul Surfer, the friend Sarah was not a big part of the story, only mentioned a few times. So it seems they gave Carrie alot more scenes then I expected her to get, based on the book. :)

[leilamaurizia]

Craig Morgan was interviewed by US magazine re: opening for Carrie. Here are the Carrie-related parts:

Singer Craig Morgan Prepares to Open Carrie Underwood Tour

Us: Have you spoken to Carrie yet about performing a duet together on tour?

CM: No, we haven't talked about it a lot. The day before the tour starts we're gonna meet up and go over the show a little bit. We may do a number -- there may be a surprise or two with the two of us. We'll see!

Us: Is Carrie ready for the tour?

CM: She's excited! I mean, this is her tour -- it's a big deal. We're both Grand Ole Opry members. She was the Opry member inducted prior to me. As she says, she is still the most recent female member [laughs].
...

Us: By the way, how did you get on this tour? Carrie invited you?

CM: Yeah, well what happened, you know when they started getting ready for the tour, obviously there’s obviously a lot of artists that are recommended to work with and her management and her booking [staff] had seen me somewhere. My name was in the pile and they felt strong about me being a part of it with her. So when they talked to her about it, she said, "Yes" and I got a phone call. I said, "Absolutely, I'd love to work with her."

Us: And what can we expect from her? What have you heard from her side of things?

CM: I know Carrie's team puts a lot into the stage set production. And Carrie's a great singer, she's the real deal. American Idol did a lot for her, but even that show in my opinion didn't do justice to her vocals and her talent. It's gonna be a fun show and a fun tour!

[vinman]

Here is a much larger pic of Carrie and her 20 mil digital downloads plaque. Thanks to Stephinthecity.com,

[tsharky]

CBS just tweeted a new extended preview of HIMYM tonight! Neil Patrick Harris called Carrie a "natural" actress! :)

RT @himym_CBS: EXTENDED PREVIEW! Go behind the scenes as Carrie Underwood guest stars 2NITE @ 8/7c on an all-new #HIMYM! bit.ly/9mIjdZ (expand)

[vinman]

I think that's old T. That was posted a week ago.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB6zl6HC40U

[Typo]

Carrie on HIMYM was

[tsharky]

Nice review of Carrie's acting ability from HIMYM tonight! I thought she did great! Especially for her first attempt!

tv.ign.com/articles/107/1073269p1.html

How I Met Your Mother: ''Hooked'' Review
Ain't no party like a pharma girl party.
by Brian Zoromski

March 1, 2010 - How I Met Your Mother excels at shining its spotlight on dating concepts that no other sitcom has covered before. It's a fairly impressive feat considering how long situation comedies have been on TV, and the fact that HIMYM itself is in its fifth season. This week's topic -- how someone can be hooked by a potential mate and strung along with the magic phrase "right now" -- is particularly well done, and the story is effectively shared by all of the main characters.

"Hooked" even works in a big name guest star, another consistent strength of the series. Guest star Carrie Underwood does a decent job as pharma girl Tiffany, so much so that it's a little surprising it's her first-ever acting credit. It helps immensely that she has great lines to work with (from "I've always been hot -- whaddaya gonna do?" to her excitement that Jack is "in a band!"), but regardless Underwood doesn't have the stiffness or blatant cue card-reading look that's common with many singers turned actors.

While the gang's story this week didn't focus on Barney (who it's probably safe to assume has never been "hooked" by anyone), we got just the right amount of Barney lines for him to steal a good chunk of the episode. His rundown of his previous attempts to find the "perfect bait" were very amusing (the slot machine was deemed "too fun," and the trampoline "too dangerous"), and it was Barney's teacup pig bait that brought the storylines for Lily & Marshall and Ted together. We even got another classic Barney history lesson, this time on the hottest jobs ever (gatherer, nurse, stewardess and pharmaceutical rep). Arguably Barney's best line of the evening was his rapid-fire listing of possible side effects to hooking up with a pharma girl: "loss of clothing, rug burn, shortness of breath, and sore abdominals the next morning."

- CBSOut of the three hooked storylines, Marshall and Lily's adventures with the teacup pig and Scooter (played by Neil Patrick Harris's real-life boyfriend, David Burtka) was the funniest. Marshall's revelation that Scooter actually works at Lily's school and "Lunchlady Scooter" isn't a "long overdue device that carries around those poor, underappreciated lunch ladies" was great. Lily's flashback as she remembered a previous "Lunchlady Scooter" conversation was even better, with Marshall asking, "Did you jump on that thing? Give it a ride? If it were me, I'd be riding that scooter all day long until I break that thing in half." The conversation and the practice with the teacup pig was all a great build-up to the final Lily & Marshall scene, with Lily attempting to break it off with Scooter and Marshall interjecting, "...right now!" and telling him, "Hang in there, Scoots, I'm not gonna live forever." It's great, character-based comedy with just the right amount of ridiculousness.

The Ted-Henrietta storyline was the weakest of the episode, but still resulted in a great line: "I seriously considering marrying her out of sheer awkwardness." Unfortunately we got there via a groan-worthy moment of Ted accidentally proposing to Henrietta, in a scenario straight out of Three's Company. Robin's "hooked" story was less a focus of the episode, but similarly resulted in one great line: "Our girl parts are like a spiderweb -- sometimes you're gonna catch stuff you don't want."

We didn't get any movement on the Mother storyline, but How I Met has proven that episodes can stand on their own when they're this well written and strongly tied-together. Consider us hooked.

[misterscribbs]

I thought Carrie did a great job!

[Stephen]

Carrie was great! She really does have a talent in comedic acting. I'm hoping if she keeps up this acting kick she sticks with comedies. Her scenes were the best (and I've been an avid fan of the show since its inception) and I wish she had more screen time!

[vinman]

LA Times Blog on the episode,

<Snip>

I had trepidation upon first hearing that Underwood would be making her acting debut on the show, but I have to admit I found her charming and funny -- “I've always been hot. What are you going to do?” was a highlight – even though she was playing an unlikable and selfish character in some ways.