Swift On Tour

Can Taylor Swift’s star rise any higher?

Rumors are flying this week that she landed the role of Eponine in
Les Miserable This is another huge breakthrough for Taylor Swift’s acting career.  However this is not the first rumor of Taylor Swift film and movie roles.

Some say She beat out Scarlett Johannson, Evan Rachel Wood, and fan favorite Lea Michele for the role of Eponine in the newest film adaptation of Les Miserables!

A big film like that (set to be released in December of 2012) needs BIG stars like Taylor and there will also be live singing involved in the role.

Word is Amanda Seyfried will star as Cosette.

No official word from Taylor Swift’s camp on this… but expect the first word to come from the Hollywood studios.

Taylor has been quietly dabbling in acting including parts in CSI on TV and major movies like Valentines Day and the upcoming Lorax (animated Dr Suisse) film.

Taylor Swift

By Brandon Jonson

When a genre of music becomes popular it seems that it is distorted in every way possible so that everyone can fit into the genre and market it to the masses. This is what is happening now with country music as you had the success of Taylor Swift who is a mix of country, pop, and folk but she was definitely not the first country act to use a pop edge to make her point and gain new fans.

As country music came into the forefront in the early 90′s it had always before been seen as only something that those who lived in rural America could listen to and was seen as corny to many of the so called mainstream music fans. The early 90′s country music brought artists such as Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, and of course the funny but catchy Billy Ray Cyrus song “Achy Breaky Heart.” It only continued throughout the 90′s with over twenty pop influenced artists logging top ten hits.

There have been many artists who have started their careers before the country music pop revolution and still maintain relevancy. You could argue that these are the real artists of country music as they have not followed trends but instead stood up to the test of time and still create music that is as popular as ever. You cannot start mentioning these types of artists without talking about artists such as George Strait, Alan Jackson, and more. You also have newer country artists who are more traditional such as Brad Paisley who is selling out tour dates all over the country and has been for years now. To call Brad Paisley newer is a stretch as he has been in the music industry for almost two decades now but if you compare him to George Strait and others he is fairly young.

There are many new country music artists who have been popping up for a year or so and then fade into oblivion where you do not ever hear a mention of their names. There have been a few country artists as of late who seem to be in it for the long run such as Blake Shelton, Ashton Shepherd, Miranda Lambert, and others. It is tough in the music industry today to stay relevant and have a successful career. This is why Taylor Swift’s story is so intriguing because even though she is not completely country she still has many country values and a slight twang in some of her songs but yet still appeals to a massive fan base of mostly younger listeners. The lyrical content of country has not changed over the years as it is still about love, hard times, and family but that is something that will probably never change in country music.

Brandon Jonson is a writer for BusinessRaid.com a business and product review site that has an Instyler Review [http://businessraid.com/instyler-rotating-hair-iron-review], Ally Bank Review [http://businessraid.com/ally-bank-review], and more.

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See Who Wins 11/10 8pm

CountryMusic’s Biggest night lived up to the hype with a CMA Awards telecast that seemed to continue the evolutionof modern country.    The Band Perry has exploded onto the scene thanks to a young appeal and a cutting edge Single and Song of the year in “If I Die Young.”   There was a moving tribute to Glen Campbell, who revealed in June that he has Alzheimer’s disease. Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Vince Gill will all saluted the famed guitarist and Country Music Hall of Fame member.

Other notable performances came from Scotty McCreery, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Martina McBride, Zac Brown Band, Faith Hill, and co-hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.

Major winners include:

Entertainer of the Year:  Taylor Swift

Female Vocalist of the Year:  Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton

New Artist of the Year: The Band Perry

Vocal Group of the Year:  Lady Antebellum

Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland

Single of the Year: “If I Die Young” – The Band Perry.

Album of the Year: “My Kinda Party” – Jason Aldean,

Music Video of the Year:  “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney f/ Grace Potter.

There is a clear evolution taking place… surprising that Kenny, Keith, Flatts and others seem to have been passed by with a new crew.

sf from Taylor Swift on Vimeo.

Big news from a MAJOR TOUR.  Taylor Swift is postponing 3 more concert stops on her Speak Now Tour including Charlotte and Atlanta.  Last

Swift On Tour

weekend it was Louisville.  Here’s the information direct from Swift Mmanagement.

 

With regret, the Taylor Swift concert dates scheduled for this weekend in Charlotte and Atlanta have been rescheduled due to illness. Taylor has bronchitis, and has been advised by her doctor that she is not well enough to perform this week.

Taylor plans to resume the tour on July 14^th in Montreal.

 

The new dates are as follows:

Charlotte

July 8 rescheduled for November 16

Atlanta

July 9 & 10 rescheduled for October 1 & 2

“It breaks my heart to miss out on this weekend’s shows with my friends in Charlotte and Atlanta,” Taylor says. “I would never cancel if I thought I was physically able to perform these shows. I am so sorry to the fans, but I look forward to seeing you when we come back through your towns, which we will do.”

Taylor is on tour in support of her multi-platinum SPEAK NOW album, and is currently slated to play 98 shows in 17 countries in 2011.

For updated tour information, please log on to: www.taylorswift.com

 

Taylor Swift

By Jason Greiner

There are some artists out there who are better suited to working in the studio. And, when it comes to live performances, they leave much to be desired. Taylor Swift is definitely not one of them.

June 18, Taylor took her “Speak Now” Tour to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and performed in front of a crowd of an estimated 52,000 fans. And all in all, the show was fantastic and worth every penny.

There were three opening acts including Danny Gokey of American Idol fame, Randy Montana and South Carolina Country/Rock band Need to Breathe. Swift took the stage at about 8:45 to the resounding screams of adoring fans.

Swift started the show with her hit “Sparks Fly” and from the very beginning it was obvious that this was going to be a big, theatrical production.

In addition to belting out most of the titles featured on the “Speak Now” album, the country superstar delighted her audience with a few hits from the past including “Our Song,” “Love Story” and “Fearless.”

Swift went through a number of wardrobe changes but didn’t leave the crowd with the irritating downtime that sometimes comes with them. During wardrobe changes and changes to the set, fans were treated to instrumental renditions of her songs, a tap dancing chimney sweep reminiscent of an old Hollywood musical and the dance stylings of a classic ballerina.

Overall, the drama and artistry of the entire production came across almost as if it were a play with a fantastic storyline. But then again, I guess that shouldn’t be surprising when the concert headliner actually writes her own songs.

Possibly the most memorable parts came during the performances of her hits “Haunted” and the aforementioned “Fearless.”

While Swift had shown her mastery of various other instruments at different points during the show, she used “Fearless” as an opportunity to showcase her skills with a ukulele while sitting under a gigantic white and purple glowing tree. And, with the scene set to compliment the tone of “Haunted,” she forcefully pounded a large bell ringing out in accord with the song’s powerful violin intro.

Swift sang the fun and inspirational “Long Live” as her pre-encore show closer giving a shout out to the city of Pittsburgh.

When all was said and done, the show was nothing short of amazing. While the operators of the venue itself could have been better prepared in terms of organization, every aspect of the show itself went off without a hitch. Never before have I seen such a wonderfully creative live performance.

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Haywood, Scott and Kelley

Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum wan the Country album and Country Song awards at last night’s Billboard Music Awards. Eminem won the night’s biggest award the “Top Artist” trophy. The Billboard Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in partnership with Chevrolet and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

This is the first year that ABC aired the event and marks the first Billboard Music Awards show since 2007.

2011 Billboard Music Awards Winners:

ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist:
Eminem

Top New Artist:
Justin Bieber

Top Male Artist:
Eminem

Top Female Artist:
Rihanna

Top Duo/Group:
The Black Eyed Peas

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Taylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist:
Katy Perry

Top Digital Songs Artist:
Katy Perry

Top Radio Songs Artist:
Rihanna

Top Touring Artist:
U2

Top Social Artist:
Justin Bieber

Top Streaming Artist:
Justin Bieber

Top Digital Media Artist:
Justin Bieber

Top Pop Artist:
Lady Gaga

Top R&B Artist:
Usher

Top Rap Artist:
Eminem

Top Country Artist:
Taylor Swift

Top Rock Artist:
Train

Top Alternative Artist:
Mumford & Sons

Top Latin Artist:
Shakira

Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
Lady Gaga

Top Christian Artist:
Chris Tomlin

SPECIAL AWARDS:
Millennium Award:
Beyonce

Touring Award:
U2

Icon Award:

Neil Diamond

ALBUMS AWARDS:
Top Billboard 200 Album:
Eminem — “Recovery”

Top Pop Album:
Justin Bieber — “My World 2.0″
Katy Perry — “Teenage Dream”

Top R&B Album:
Usher — “Raymond v. Raymond”

Top Rap Album:
Eminem — “Revovery”

Top Country Album:
Taylor Swift — “Speak Now”

Top Rock Album:
Mumford & Sons — “Sigh No More”

Top Alternative Album:
Mumford & Sons — “Sigh No More”

Top Latin Album:
Enrique Iglesias — “Euphoria”

Top Dance/Electronic Album:
Lady Gaga — “The Fame”

Top Christian Album:
Skillet — “Awake”

SONG AWARDS:
Top Hot 100 Song:
Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”

Top Digital Song:
Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”

Top Radio Song:
Bruno Mars — “Just The Way You Are”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Nelly — “Just A Dream”

Top Streaming Song (Video):
Justin Bieber Feat. Ludacris — “Baby”

Top Pop Song:
Taio Cruz — “Dynamite”

Top R&B Song:
Usher Feat. will.i.am — “OMG”

Top Rap Song:
Eminem Feat. Rihanna — “Love The Way You Lie”

Top Country Song:
Lady Antebellum — “Need You Now”

Top Rock Song:
Train — “Hey, Soul Sister”

Top Alternative Song:
Neon Trees — “Animal”

Top Latin Song:
Shakira Feat. Freshleyground — “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”

Top Dance Song:
Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina — “Stereo Love”

Top Christian Song:
Chris Tomlin — “Our God”

Taylor Swift announced today via Twitter that she will expand her fundraising efforts for tornado victims by streaming two performances during Saturday’s “Speak Now … Help Now” benefit event.

“I’ll be streaming 2 of the songs from the Speak Now/Help Now rehearsal performance worldwide- Saturday at 9pm central on taylorswift.com ,”  Taylor tweeted from @TaylorSwift13.

The stream will give fans around the world a first look at Taylor’s new stage and her show for the North American leg of the Speak Now World Tour. Information on how to donate to help tornado victims will be posted during the stream.

“Speak Now … Help Now”, the final dress rehearsal for Taylor’s Speak Now Tour, will be held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, May 21^st, and is open to the public as a benefit event for tornado victims.

100% of ticket sales will go directly to help tornado victims via the Speak Now … Help Now Fund established through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

STREAM DETAILS:

TIME: 9:00 p.m. CDT – Saturday, May 21^st

PLACE:

www.Taylorswift.com, Ustream.tv/taylorswift, Facebook.com/TaylorSwift,  MySpace.com/TaylorSwift

The North American portion of the Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour 2011 kicks off on May 27^th in Omaha, Nebraska.