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MCE Weekly – Recaps & Reactions To Latest News In Country Music

Shania Twain adds more dates to her stay in Las Vegas, Rascal Flatts fight against hunger, and Martina McBride is the latest country start to take her turn in television.

Today is Wednesday, June 27, and this is the latest edition of MCE Weekly.

More Time In Vegas For Shania Twain

Apparently, Shania Twain likes the idea of staying in Las Vegas for awhile.  Amidst all the hoopla surrounding details of her stage show, the country superstar has announced 14 additional dates for the spring of 2013. 

The show is titled “Shania:  Still The One,” and will kick off on December 1, 2012.  It’s currently slated for a two year stay in Las Vegas, with specific dates, times and ticket information leaking regularly.

“My vision is to bring the atmosphere of each song alive through multi-dimension sensory experiences and share the journey of my life and career with the audience from a unique perspective,” Twain says.

Shania hasn’t toured regularly since her Up! World Tour in 2004.  What’s wrong with another world tour playing her favorite and greatest hits?  Oh well.  The Vegas gig should be extraordinary though, and the high-priced tickets are evidence of that.  And while this isn’t a traditional tour, it’s still a tremendous opportunity for fans to interact with Twain, and vice versa, as she explains.

“Being able to connect directly with the fans during the show has always been a pleasure, and that’s probably what I’m looking forward to the most, above and beyond the live show itself.”

If you’re willing to spend a little extra $$$ on tickets and accommodations, head to Sin City…the show promises to be incredible.  In the meantime, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for a new album/new tour in the coming years.  Too much to ask?

Big Machine Label Group Artists Lend Helping Hand

Rascal Flatts, Edens Edge, and Eli Young Band, who are all touring together on the Flatts’ Changed Tour, are partnering up with General Mills to fight against hunger.  The trek will stretch through the end of October, and at each stop along the way, Outnumber Hunger will donate $625 to Feeding America.  The donation will provide at least 5,000 meals at each city’s local food bank. 

The Outnumber Hunger initiative launched in March with several Big Machine Label Group artists, including the Flatts, as well as Martina McBride and Reba.  Outnumber Hunger Live aims to continue to raise awareness and help make a difference in the fight against hunger in local communities.  A troubling statistic…approximately one in six Americans struggles with hunger, according to the USDA. 

“People in every community across American – nearly 49 million individuals – are struggling with hunger,” Eli Young Band’s Mike Eli said.  “With Outnumber Hunger Live, we hope that we can help these local communities and continue to raise awareness of this issue in our country.”

To learn more about Outnumber Hunger or to see how you can help, log on to http://www.OutnumberHunger.com

Jay DeMarcus – Radio Host?

That’s right…just announced yesterday, Jay DeMarcus, bassist and background vocalist for Rascal Flatts, will host a radio program.

Titled “The Jay DeMarcus Show:  Live From Flatts Shack,” the show will premiere tomorrow (June 28) on Big Machine Radio on Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio. 

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to have my own radio show,” Jay said.  “It’s going to be fun to have the forum to discuss whatever I want to, without two other rascals constantly interrupting me!”

The 60-minute weekly show will feature special guests and stories from the road.  Tomorrow’s inaugural episode will feature Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and hit songwriter James Slater as guests.  Allison DeMarcus, CMT correspondent and Jay’s wife, will also be on the show each week delivering news reports.

Again, “The Jay DeMarcus Show:  Live From Flatts Shack” premieres tomorrow on Big Machine Radio on Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio at 5:00pm EST.

Martina McBride On “Opening Act”

Martina McBride will join a list of country stars turned TV stars that includes Blake Shelton and Jennifer Nettles, as she has been confirmed to appear on the new E! reality show, “Opening Act.”

In this singing competition, producers search the internet for talent, who will perform against one another to earn an opening slot for popular music stars.  In addition to McBride, other previously announced country stars include Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley.  The show is slated to premiere July 9 at 10:00pm EST on E!

We’re quite surprised by Martina’s willingness to partake in the show.  While these singing competitions continue to give up-and-coming artists and young talented people the opportunity to make a name for themselves and getting their feet wet in the industry, it seems as though there are just too many singing competitions at this point.  Still, it’ll be interesting to see Brad, Jason, and Martina on the show.

Rolling Stone’s “Women Who Rock” List

And as was announced last week, Rolling Stone revealed their “Women Who Rock” list, and a trio of country ladies made the cut.

According to the magazine, the list details 50 of the fiercest albums that female rock & rollers have given the world.  Patsy Cline was the highest country charter, hitting #15 on the list with her 1991 album, ‘The Patsy Cline Collection.’  Dolly Parton’s 1975 great hits collection came in at No. 32 on the list, while Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’ from 2010 rang her in at No. 45.

It’s always nice when country music is represented in these types of lists, publications, acknowledgements, etc.  Congratulations to Patsy, Dolly, and Taylor.

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