Home

TTR News Center

“Jerks on Dierks?” “Biebs on Reebs?” Country stars get silly with Elf on the Shelf memes

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAYou’ve heard of “Elf on the shelf?” Now get ready for — country stars on country stars!

As the holidays near, country stars are getting in on this viral trend, which is inspired by the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon. The premise of the meme is simple: A celebrity finds another star whose name rhymes with theirs, then photoshops a tiny image of that person on top of a picture of themselves.

Reba McEntire joined the fun with a tiny image of pop star Justin Bieber perched atop her shoulder, writing “Biebs on Reebs” in the caption. Jake Owen took things a step further, photoshopping himself onto an image of rapper Drake in a boat on the water, for “Jake on Drake on a lake.”

Dierks Bentley had to get really creative for the challenge, but wound up making things even more festive in the process. The singer’s submission to the viral meme featured Harry and Marv, aka the two lowlife burglars from iconic 1990 Christmas film Home Alone.

“Jerks on Dierks…” Dierks proclaimed on Twitter, with tiny versions of the bad guys peeking out from behind his shoulder. “Rhyming is tough over here, guys.”

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Matthew Morrison gets green and mean as star of NBC's 'Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical!'

• No Comments • Entertainment News

NBC(LONDON) — Given the way 2020 has been, many of us might be feeling a little Grinch-like this holiday season. But Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! is hoping to bring some cheer back.

The NBC musical, filmed at the Troubadour Theatre in London, stars Glee actor Matthew Morrison as the anti-Christmas curmudgeon who eventually lets some love into his life with help from the people of Whoville.

Morrison tells ABC Audio he tried to set his Grinch portrayal apart from the others that came before him.

“First of all, this is a musical, so this Grinch sings and dances, but, you know, I didn’t want him to be a great dancer,” he says. “Actually, I pulled a lot from the Joker, just that kind of raw[ness], just someone who’s just misunderstood.”

Though the cast had to rehearse under strict COVID-19 guidelines — with masks and social distancing — Morrison is excited to return to the stage and bring people a theater experience from the comfort and safety of their homes.

“I miss being up on stage or being in front of the camera so much and I feel like I really just put all that energy…just wanting to express myself in the most positive way into this character,” Morrison says. “And I really just went for it. It was dangerous, it was liberating, it just…I took some really big swings in this, and I feel like I left it all out there, so I’m excited to see what the final product is.” 

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dolly Parton says it’s “very possible” that she’d consider selling her catalogue

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LALegendary hitmakers like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks have recently made headlines for selling their massive back catalogues of songs. Now, Dolly Parton is contemplating making the same move, the crossover country superstar tells Music Week in a new interview.

“I’ve owned my own publishing company for years and years, and I still write all the time,” Dolly explains. “It’s very possible that, for business reasons, estate planning and family things, I might sell the catalogue I have now.”

At the age of 74, the singer-songwriter is still at the top of her game in 2020: She’s released hit songs this year, even putting out a holiday album called A Holly Dolly Christmas. But Dolly is nothing if not practical, and she knows how important it is to make a plan for what will happen to her legacy after she dies.

“That’s taken several years to do, and it is a really hard thing to do and put it all in order,” the singer recounts of the time she’s spent organizing her affairs. “But you have to do it. You don’t want to be simply leaving a mess behind.”

Still, even if Dolly did sell her catalogue, the singer says she wouldn’t stop writing songs.

“I’m sure that I could get a lot of money for it. But then I would just start a brand new one, continue writing songs, and when I build that up again, sell it,” she adds.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Brett Young will ring out the holiday spirit with a new rendition of “Silver Bells”

• No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of BMLG RecordsAs the holidays near, Brett Young’s got a musical gift up his sleeve for fans.

The singer is planning to release his take on holiday classic “Silver Bells” this Friday. In a statement, he hints that his version will put a jazzier spin on this time-honored Christmas standard, while still honoring its festive message.

“Aside from ‘Silver Bells’ being one of the most well-known classic Christmas songs, it’s specifically always been one of my favorites,” the singer explains. “I think a song that’s able to lend itself to so many different versions is a special thing, and this one seems to be extremely versatile. Also, it just makes me happy when it comes on, and that’s what Christmas is all about.”

The new version of “Silver Bells” isn’t out just yet, but it is available to pre-save now. The singer also shared a snippet of it on social media.

Brett’s never put out a full Christmas album, though he’s said he’d like to someday. In 2017, however, he shared his take on “O Holy Night,” and he also delivered his R&B-infused version of “This Christmas” on the CMA Country Christmas stage in 2019.

This year, Brett also helped kick off the holiday season with a performance during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After fan's tweet, Charlize Theron is all in for an LGBTQ take on 'Die Hard'

• No Comments • Entertainment News

AIMEE SPINKS/NETFLIX(LOS ANGELES) — For all its drawbacks, social media has spawned a couple of solid casting coups.  For example, there was that one fashion show photo of besties Rihanna and Academy Award-winner Lupita N’Yongo that led to a heist movie project backed by Ava Duvernay and Issa Rae. Also, a since-deleted fan tweet years ago recently led to Rosario Dawson being cast as Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian.

Now Charlize Theron is getting into the mix. On Saturday, a fan posted, “Lesbian Christmas rom coms are all well and good but what I REALLY want is a Die Hard where Charlize Theron goes on a rampage to save her wife.”

The tweet got 13,000 likes — including one from the Oscar-winner herself, who replied: “Where do I sign.”

Whether it becomes a reality is another thing, but with Theron’s proven action-movie chops in hit movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Netflix’s The Old Guard — and the recent success of Hulu’s LGBTQ rom-com Happiest Season — it’s not inconceivable.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.