Congrats to Keith Urban...

Mr. Urban won a bunch of awards at the CMAs and he genuinely seems like a nice guy who is surprised when he wins. Here's a concert review about his shows post winning the Ent. of the Year award: CONCERT REVIEW: Keith Urban
Country boy shows a lot of rock in his soul, notable crowd skills
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Saturday, November 19, 2005


Keith Urban will be in concert Friday night at the Richmond Coliseum. 
 
MUSIC REVIEW
KEITH URBAN
WHERE:
Richmond Coliseum WHEN:
Last night

At least one woman got to lie on the stage floor next to Keith Urban last night, and, despite persistent rumors of a sighting, it wasn't his "friend," Nicole Kidman.

Instead, a middle-aged fan from Roanoke received the type of loving attention (a cuddle and a song) most stars of Urban's stature don't bother with - perhaps one reason why this country hunk has escalated to Tim McGraw-level popularity.
RELATED
Nov. 16, 2005:
Urban development: Singer on the rise to superstardom
Urban's talent is monstrous - his electrifying guitar skills are even better than his singing - but his stubbled handsomeness and willingness to envelop his audience might also have something to do with his well-deserved success.

Then there's his modesty: "A couple of cool things happened this week, and I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance," he said with a flash of that Colgate smile, his humble manner of acknowledging being crowned Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards.

No doubt he's a country boy, but there's a lot of rock'n' roll in Urban's soul and he embraces it readily. The twangy banjo that introduced "Where the Blacktop Ends" signaled his allegiance to country, but by song's end, that banjo was replaced by a stinging electric guitar solo from Urban that indicated affection for Aerosmith's Joe Perry.

But it wasn't only Urban's wailing, scratching, blazing fretwork in "Ready to Fall" and "Raining On Sunday" that screamed rock star - it was his entire presence.

Casually sexy in a tight gray T-shirt and jeans, the 38-year-old New Zealander spent nearly two hours making all the right moves. He ripped out a solo under a white spotlight, his expertly highlighted hair blasted by a wind machine. He flew over the audience mid-set to play to the back of the house, offering an acoustic "Homespun Love" from his days with The Ranch.

He spent more time than expected reading hand-held signs, most of them begging for some type of physical collision with him ("This monkey's wish is your scruffy kiss," read one). He also made sure to acknowledge some of the younger fans in the crowd of more than 8,000, thus proving his male sensitivity.

Urban's mid-range voice is appealing enough, and his songs are perfectly acceptable country-crossover fodder.

But, much like Garth Brooks, his effortless ability to engage an audience - honed from stints opening for McGraw and mentor Kenny Chesney - is what separates his live set from some of the more manicured trappings of country shows.

He's surrounded himself with a taut five-piece band, including ace session guitarist Chris Rodriguez, that was capable of blasting an impassioned version of Aerosmith's "What It Takes" (with Urban on drums) as easily as capturing the quiet, wounded spirit of "You'll Think of Me."

Urban proved last night that he's an extraordinary performer and deserving of that Entertainer of the Year nod.

Let's hope his escalating celebrity doesn't muddle his musical future.

P.S. This posting was inspired by a fan who emailed saying:

You bet I'll email you! You and all that have anything to do with the news media. What? y'all can't get the news you want out of Keith Urban, so don't give him the pubicity that he deserves winning THREE awards for country music.It can't be that y'all are racist because he's from another country? No ,I think not. It's because you can't get the gossip you want on his personal life and what is really going on between him and Red. Y'all get a life of your own, he's trying to. And I'm really PO'D at all the media for not writing anything on this wonderful, talented artist other than trash! I go into any news site and there it is, ONE sentence on him winning one of the biggest awards in his life. And yes, if you go watch one of his performances, you'd know why he's a household name. Yes he has skeletons in his closet, but he didn't hide them. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they came out of his mouth. And what, he's the only one that has battled demons in this wonderful world we live in. You are not the only one that will be getting this letter, newspapers,aol,yahoo and any other idiot that feels the need to not write about the wonders of this man, other than the fact of some actress. It won't hurt his fame or the statis of his fans. WE ARE LOYAL to the one that give us faith again in God, family, love, life, and the power of his music. The media is a sorry batch!

Up for more Nashville Stars?

Here's a press release for those of us who care about Nashville Star:
TURN-OUT FOR NASHVILLE STAR AUDITIONS DOUBLED
FROM LAST YEAR AS THOUSANDS OF COUNTRY MUSIC
HOPEFULS SHOW UP TO SEE IF THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES
Nashville Star Producers Enlisted Esteemed Music Critics
To Help Find the Next Nashville Star

NASHVILLE, TN (November 9, 2005) — So far, twice the number of contestants are showing up in every audition market for NASHVILLE STAR, USA Network’s original grassroots talent search to find America’s next great country music star. With several major markets still to come, the nation’s top-rated country music program which gives one artist their big break, has already exceeded expectations to find the most talented and deserving cast when the show returns in March for its fourth season.

"So far this year, we have doubled the turn out in each market from previous years and the talent we are seeing is amazing," says Executive Producer Jeff Boggs. "With HUGE stops in Nashville , Washington D.C. , and Houston still to come, this will be the largest casting turnout in the history of our show by far! We look forward to seeing what the rest of the markets bring."

For the first time, this year Nashville Star Executive Producers enlisted some of the top music critics in the country to help in the judging process. From the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City to the St. Petersburg Times in Tampa , music critics have been raving about the talents of their hometown areas.

Stacy Petersonof the Fayetteville Observerhad this to say: "It really was a lot of fun and it gave me a new insight and respect to how well Nashville Star goes after talent just as much as image."

"I was absolutely blown away by the talent," says St. Petersburg Times Pop Music Critic Sean Daly. "By Sunday, many people had been weeded down, so I saw the very cream of the crop. Some of these kids were still in high school--but the original songs they performed could be hits today."

Sandi Davis, music critic for the Daily Oklahoman, helped judge day two of Oklahoma City and noted: “The caliber of talent who made it to the second round was amazing. I can’t imagine having to weed out from the first round. We even had a guy show up from Germany ! I truly believe the show found their next Nashville Star right here. I can’t wait to tune in and see the finals.”

Upcoming NASHVILLE STAR casting markets include Portland , D.C. , Pittsburgh , Atlanta , Nashville , Indianapolis , Houston and Las Vegas . Casting markets completed include Los Angeles , Chicago , Morgantown , Phoenix , Oklahoma City, Dallas , Lincoln , Raleigh and Tampa . Updated information on auditions including cities, locations and times, song lists and applications can be found on www.usanetwork.com/nashvillestar

The auditions are open to women and men, ages 18 and over (as of January 1, 2006), who think they have what it takes to become the next NASHVILLE STAR. Those auditioning will have one minute to perform a song off an approved song list. For the those invited back for the second day, they will be asked to sing two (2) songs from an approved song list or one (1) approved and one (1) original song. The top contestants then proceed to one of two regional competitions to again audition for a chance to appear on the show.
As in the past, the winner of this season’s NASHVILLE STARwill receive a major music recording contract with a top-level record label. The first three seasons of the series have launched the careers of promising artists including Jewell, Lambert and 2005’s Erika Jo.

NASHVILLE STAR is created by Reveille and executive produced by Ben Silverman ("The Biggest Loser," "The Office") and H.T. Owens ("The Restaurant," "30 Days"). Jeff Boggs will executive produce in association with Reveille. The show is produced by Jon Small ("Garth Brooks Live From Central Park," "Billy Joel Live at Yankee Stadium") and his production company, Picture Vision, alongside co-executive producer Mark Koops ("The Restaurant," "Blow Out").

REVEILLEdevelops 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 "The Office: An American Workplace" for NBC. Cable projects include "Blow Out" for Bravo, "The Club" on Spike , USA Network's "Nashville Star,” the Morgan Spurlock project "30 Days" for FX Networks and MTV’s “Date My Mom.”

USA NETWORKis 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 89 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.

Toby Keith movie star?

Billboard reports:
November 04, 2005, 3:55 PM ET




Shooting has begun in Atlanta on Toby Keith's first feature film, "Angel From Montgomery," which is being produced by Paramount and MTV Networks' new CMT Films division. Noted country music video director Steven Goldmann is directing the film, which also stars Burt Reynolds, Kelly Preston and Willie Nelson.

Keith plays a once-famous country-music singer who reunites with his true love and meets his 16-year-old daughter for the first time, according to CMT. "Angel" is the first in Keith's multi-film deal with Paramount, first reported by Billboard in September.


-- Phyllis Stark, Nashville

Overall, it reminds me of the John Mellencamp movie -- which wasn't half bad. Of course, Johnny Cougar directed his own movie...