Blake Shelton & Luke Bryan Will Perform at 2018 CMT Awards as Kelly Clarkson Set to Make Debut

On Wednesday, CMT announced the six headliners who will take the stage during the 51st annual show on June 6 in Nashville.

Blake Shelton, who released his 11th studio album Texoma Shore in November 2017, is back for the fifth consecutive time as a performer after garnering two nominations this year.

Meanwhile, fellow Voice coach Kelly Clarkson will be making her CMT Awards debut and will premiere her new single “American Woman,” which is also the theme song of the upcoming Kyle Richards-created Paramount show of the same title. News of Clarkson’s upcoming performance comes one day after she was won her first-ever victory on The Voice as Brynn Cartelli, 15, was crowned as the youngest winner in series history.

RELATED: Throwback Photos from the CMT Music Awards You Have to See

Luke Bryan, who premiered his new track “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” during Monday’s American Idol finale, is set to return to the CMT Awards stage after performing a duet with Jason Derulo last year.

The rest of the performers announced include Chris Stapleton, who earned three nominations, Kelsea Ballerini, who’s up for two nods, and Sam Hunt, who won top country song at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards.

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Little Big Town‘s Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet are set to host the show this year.

For the first time ever, the night’s biggest award category of Video of the Year features artists from other popular genres.

From pop, Justin Timberlake earned his first nominations for his duet with Chris Stapleton and Bebe Rexha was named for her collaboration with Florida Georgia Line. Rapper Ludacris is also nominated for his duet with Carrie Underwood, who holds the title of most CMT Music Awards wins with 17.

Fan voting continues until 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday, June 4 at CMT.com.

The 2018 CMT Music Awards airs on June 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Check out the full list of this year’s nominations.

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Ms. Lauryn Hill announces new UK dates on ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ tour

Jon Stewart Crashed Stephen Colbert's Show With a Crucial Royal Wedding Update

but he had a surprise visitor in the form of comedian Jon Stewart hiding out under his desk. And Stewart, who was there to join a contest-winning Colbert fan who was also chilling under the desk, had plenty to say, especially on the subject of the recently-completed royal wedding of Meghan Markle to Prince Harry.

“Just telling her about the royal wedding, I was at the royal wedding,” Stewart insisted to Colbert from his snug spot beneath the desk, where he and the other guest were to be found sipping from fancy teacups and wearing elaborate fascinators. “So anyway, as soon as Meghan says ‘I do’ and they kiss, right, I turn to Elizabeth, I’m sitting next to Elizabeth, and I go, ‘Yaaasss, Queen,'” he continued to joke.

Of course, in reality Stewart did not quite make the cut for the Windsor Castle nuptials on May 19 — although fellow denizens of showbiz Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney and Priyanka Chopra did. And Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t sit next to just any old wedding attendee, even if he is a world-famous comedian; she was instead at the very front of the church accompanied in the second row by her husband, Prince Philip. Better luck next time, Stewart.

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Harrison Ford has given his verdict on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

 

Harrison Ford has given his verdict on Solo: A Star Wars Story, with the film’s director Ron Howard claiming that the actor was “raving about it” after seeing the finished version.

A younger version of Ford’s iconic Star Wars character will be brought to life in the new movie, with Alden Ehrenreich starring as Han Solo. Directed by Ron Howard, Solo: A Star Wars Story will be released in the UK on Friday (May 25). 

• Read more: Star Wars movie order – a definitive viewing chronology for the galaxy far, far away

While Ford hasn’t directly voiced his views on the new film, Howard and Ehrenreich have revealed what he told them about his verdict on the movie. As MovieWeb reports, Ford – who has apparently seen Solo “twice” – said that he “adores” the film.

“I had never heard Harrison [being] effusive about anything, and he was raving about it,” Howard recalled. “He said, ‘Alden nailed it. He made it his own.'”

Ford’s rave appraisal of Solo: A Star Wars Story follows other positive first reviews about the new film. 

While full reviews are still under embargo, those who have seen the film have been taking to Twitter to register their reactions – with one fan describing it as “a goddamn delight… it’s a non-stop adventure packed with way more emotion than your expecting.” 

The post Harrison Ford has given his verdict on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ appeared first on NME.

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Watch Florence + The Machine, Ryan Adams, Halsey, James Bay and more perform on ‘The Voice’ final

Brandon Flowers speaks out on what the future holds for The Killers

 

Brandon Flowers has revealed that The Killers are planning to start work on a new album next, while he still hopes to make a new solo album in the near future.

• Buy Killers tour tickets here

Flowers has made two solo albums to date, with ‘Flamingo’ in 2010 and 2015’s ‘The Desired Effect’. Now, the frontman has said that while he’d love to go it alone once again, the band are focussing on making another record as a group after they’ve figured out how to work around Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer – who both retired from touring duties with The Killers before the hit the road for last year’s acclaimed ‘Wonderful Wonderful‘. 

“The plan is for it to be a sixth Killers record, but damn, I love my last solo record!” Flowers told the Irish Independent. “We only toured it for a few months and then…”

He continued: “The plan is for it to be another Killers record and we have to figure out how to make it work [for Stoermer and Keuning]. Mark is all over this new record – some of his best bass lines and progressions are on this record and he brings a darkness to our music that doesn’t really exist without it.”

Speaking of their working relationship with Keuning and Stoermer, Flowers said: “At the end of [previous album] ‘Battle Born‘ we did a month in Asia without Mark so we sort of got a little bit of the feeling of what it would be like. And then we had to do the same thing without Dave for a little while.” 

Flowers added: “It’s not unsettling for me as you might think. My job is to sing. I’m trying to look at the things that are more familiar rather than dwell on the things that are not familiar.”

The Killers will return to the UK to headline Swansea’s Liberty Stadium on Saturday, June 23, Bolton Macron Stadium on Friday, July 13 and Latitude Festival on Saturday, July 14. Visit here for tickets and more information.

Meanwhile, The Killers are due to release a career-spanning vinyl box set of all of their albums.

‘The Killers Career Vinyl Box’ will be released in a 180-gram black vinyl configuration on June 15.

The post Brandon Flowers speaks out on what the future holds for The Killers appeared first on NME.

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Emilia Clarke Can't Stop Laughing Through Her Awful Chewbacca Impression

the First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons on Game of Thrones, but when it comes to the world of Star Wars, there’s apparently one role even she can’t master.

During a Monday appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote her new movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Clarke was tasked with attempting to translate some of Chewbacca’s dialogue into the Wookiee’s native language. The results were unfortunate to say the least.

“Oh my god! That’s worse than I thought it was in my head,” she exclaimed. “I was like it’s going to be bad, but that’s terrible.”

“I thought mine was bad but that is really up there,” the host added.

Watch the full clip below.

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Robyn debuts full version of ‘Honey’ during surprise New York appearance

Miley Cyrus Comes into Sleeping Jimmy Kimmel's Bedroom Like a Wrecking Ball — and Leaves a Mark

Jimmy Kimmel has been known to pull a prank or two — no one is immune, from kids who simply want their hard-earned Halloween candy to the stars of Scandal — but lately the tables have been turned. Cyrus followed in the footsteps of Rihanna and Britney Spears by teaming up with Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, for a surprise performance in his bedroom in the middle of the night.

“I guess this is a series now because the other night, another music superstar barged into my dreams,” Kimmel said while introducing the clip. “This time I was the victim of a very loud young woman named Miley Cyrus.”

The 25-year-old singer, armed with a hard hat and sledgehammer, geared up for the break-in outside the late night host’s home with a team of people dressed as construction workers. McNearney let them in, putting the plan into action.

“I’m coming in like a wrecking ball just for you, Jimmy,” she whispered to the camera from outside the bedroom.

The group then enters the bedroom, where the sleeping host stirs.

“Wakey, wakey! Guess who it is, Jimmy. Good morning!” Cyrus yelled before her hit “Wrecking Ball” started playing. Rubble fell on his sheets as she slammed her sledgehammer on the bed and jumped on the furniture. There was even a dancer dressed as construction equipment.

Kimmel, aware of what was happening, groggily asked, “How many times is this gonna happen?”

It was all good fun until Cyrus’ sledgehammer connected with Kimmel in a sensitive spot, causing him to writhe in pain.

“You hit me right in the balls,” Kimmel said when the performance was over.

Cyrus’ reply? “It is called ‘Wrecking Balls.'”

She clearly felt bad about the hit when she came downstairs, but the two hugged it out — even while Kimmel was still wearing his mouth guard.

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Why Chris Janson Wept When He Saw His New 'Drunk Girl' Music Video

Back in 2005, Chris Janson was scratching out a living playing four-hour shifts on Nashville’s Lower Broadway Street, the city’s famous locale for honky-tonks. Thirteen years later, the 32-year-old “Fix a Drink” singer returned to where it all began to play one more four-hour shift – except this time, he owned the entire four-block stretch.

The occasion: The filming of his new music video for “Drunk Girl,” debuting exclusively on PEOPLE.

“I shut down those bars, playing them my first year in town, and then to shut down the whole street … it was just very humbling,” Janson tells PEOPLE about the four-hour shoot in the cold, wee hours one morning in late March.

Videographer Jeff Venable obtained permission from the city, as well as cooperation from all of Lower Broadway’s businesses, to empty out the blocks so Janson could take his place in front of a baby grand piano set in the middle of the street. He estimates he sang the song about 25 times, from 2 a.m. to sunup, as cameras worked to capture every angle.

RELATED: Chris Janson’s Song ‘Drunk Girl’ Isn’t About What You Think: ‘We Wrote This from a Dad’s Perspective’

Those shots were then interspersed among the video’s gripping narrative, which depicts the backstory of a drunken young woman leaving a bar with her date. Viewers see flashbacks of her as a child in an abusive home and then, as a college student, being victimized in a setting that involves alcohol. Not until Janson sings his final notes do viewers find out how the young woman’s date will respond to her in her vulnerable state.

Janson says he wept when he saw the completed work for the first time. “I don’t cry very easily,” he says. “But man, this one broke me down quick.”

The video actually begins with a printed warning that the “content addresses sensitive topics that might be upsetting to some audiences,” but Janson hopes no one shies away from this difficult but important subject.

“Sometimes these things get swept under the rug,” he says. “Sometimes they get pushed so far back in the closet, nobody wants to look at it … Well guess what? It happens every day and it’s something to be thought about.”

RELATED: Chris Janson’s New Album Captures His Moods: ‘I Took the Time to Write for Me’

Since “Drunk Girl” was released as a single in December, Janson has been gratified to discover it has become a powerful tool for generating both thought and conversation. At meet-and-greets, he says, he’s heard from countless parents who’ve played the song for their high school- and college-age children. Last week, he says, a parent told him, “I played it for his whole fraternity.”

“We don’t ever want to offend anybody,” Janson says, “but man, it’s almost a disservice if you don’t just bring light to some subjects that are so important and that don’t get talked about nearly as much as they should.”

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