Adele's "21" jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week (rising 2-1). With Adele's rise back to the top this week, she blocks Casting Crowns from earning its first No. 1. The latter's "Come to the Well" settles for the runner-up slot, selling 99,000 in its first week. It was initially projected that there was going to be a battle between Casting Crowns and Adele for the top slot, but Adele was able to ultimately hold on and beat out the Christian group.
"21" sold 106,000 copies last week according to Nielsen SoundScan -- the eighth week in a row the album has moved more than 100,000. Further, "21's" total sales now stand at 4.1 million -- it just surpassed the 4 million threshold this week. It's by far the year's biggest selling album -- as it's more than 2 million copies ahead of the No. 2 set: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" (1.9 million).
"Come to the Well" is the fourth top 10 set for Casting Crowns, and their second to reach No. 2, following "The Altar and the Door" in 2007. The band's last album, "Until the Whole World Hears," debuted and peaked at No. 4 in 2009 with 167,000 sold in its first week.
Scotty McCreery's former No. 1, "Clear As Day," rises 4-3 (57,000; down 36%), while Lauren Alaina's "Wildflower" rounds out the Top 10.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and Taylor Swift Sing "Meant to Live"
“One of my favorite bands happens to be in town, and before their show the lead singer was kind enough to come pay us a visit. Jon Foreman from Switchfoot is here ladies and gentlemen!” – Taylor Swift
You can also catch Switchfoot on “Conan” tomorrow singing its Modern Rock hit, “Dark Horses,” from Vice Verses, which debuted at No.8 on The Billboard 200
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Albert Pujol Says Listen Locally and Listen to Jesus
Albert Pujols's 2011 walk up song is "Five Seconds" by Canton Jones, a Christian hip-hop artist. You can often hear it during this year's World Series.
Albert Pujols, of course, doesn't mess around when it comes to his at-bat appearances, or his faith. So how does the greatest baseball player of our generation choose a song to inspire him?
Pujols takes a divine approach.
Albert Pujols's 2011 walk up song is "Five Seconds" by Canton Jones, a Christian hip-hop artist
"Albert is very serious about his faith and wants to provide a positive message with his bat music," Oliver says. (Damon Oliver currently assists the PA announcer with music.)
In fact, Oliver has been called down to the clubhouse to discuss music decisions with Pujols in person. The music in question is usually Christian rap ― St. Louis-based Christian rap, to be more precise.
"It's his preference and, within the past few years, he's been trying to support the local guys," Oliver says.
Albert Pujols, of course, doesn't mess around when it comes to his at-bat appearances, or his faith. So how does the greatest baseball player of our generation choose a song to inspire him?
Pujols takes a divine approach.
Albert Pujols's 2011 walk up song is "Five Seconds" by Canton Jones, a Christian hip-hop artist
"Albert is very serious about his faith and wants to provide a positive message with his bat music," Oliver says. (Damon Oliver currently assists the PA announcer with music.)
In fact, Oliver has been called down to the clubhouse to discuss music decisions with Pujols in person. The music in question is usually Christian rap ― St. Louis-based Christian rap, to be more precise.
"It's his preference and, within the past few years, he's been trying to support the local guys," Oliver says.
Josh Hamilton's Showstopper Music
Josh Hamilton, outfielders for the Texas Rangers and 2010 ALCS MVP and 2010 AL MVP, has rotated between "This Life" (Mercy Me)," I Used To Do It" (LeCrae), "Sing A Song" (Third Day) and "Showstopper" (Toby Mac) for his at bat music. This can often be heard on-air during the Playoffs.
Hamilton says he likes for his songs "to have a little message in them about faith." He admits to not being very tech-savvy, so his wife helps him pick the best 10-second clip and send it to the team.
"If I can get just Jesus' name in there," Hamilton said, "that's the important thing."
Early last year he used a Casting Crowns song called "Until the Whole World Hears" and picked these lyrics from the chorus:
Ready yourselves
Ready yourselves
Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night
Oh, Ready yourselves
Oh, ready yourselves
At other times he used Toby Mac's "Showstopper" with its line of
It's automatic
Don't mind the static
Jesus fanatic
And Toby Mac's "Get Back Up."
In 2009, he used "Saved the Day" by Phillips, Craig & Dean sharing that "The part I (have asked to be) played says, 'You saved the day/ the day you rolled the stone away/ the empty grave was there to say you reign.' I got on our PA announcer a little bit because he'd cut in and say my name right in the middle of it. I told him that I'm not one of these guys that are playing the song for myself. I'm playing it so everybody else can hear it. I said, 'I'm not telling you how to do your job, but if you could, just announce my name, and then play it.' That's just the way I feel about the whole situation."
When Corey Hart's Milwaukee Brewers were still in the Play-offs that was at least 3 opportunities to hear Christian music (albeit short and soft) during the Playoffs.
Hamilton says he likes for his songs "to have a little message in them about faith." He admits to not being very tech-savvy, so his wife helps him pick the best 10-second clip and send it to the team.
"If I can get just Jesus' name in there," Hamilton said, "that's the important thing."
Early last year he used a Casting Crowns song called "Until the Whole World Hears" and picked these lyrics from the chorus:
Ready yourselves
Ready yourselves
Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night
Oh, Ready yourselves
Oh, ready yourselves
At other times he used Toby Mac's "Showstopper" with its line of
It's automatic
Don't mind the static
Jesus fanatic
And Toby Mac's "Get Back Up."
In 2009, he used "Saved the Day" by Phillips, Craig & Dean sharing that "The part I (have asked to be) played says, 'You saved the day/ the day you rolled the stone away/ the empty grave was there to say you reign.' I got on our PA announcer a little bit because he'd cut in and say my name right in the middle of it. I told him that I'm not one of these guys that are playing the song for myself. I'm playing it so everybody else can hear it. I said, 'I'm not telling you how to do your job, but if you could, just announce my name, and then play it.' That's just the way I feel about the whole situation."
When Corey Hart's Milwaukee Brewers were still in the Play-offs that was at least 3 opportunities to hear Christian music (albeit short and soft) during the Playoffs.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Two Idols in the Top 10
Last week's No. 1 album, "Clear As Day" from 2011 "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery, falls to No. 4 with 88,000 (down 55%). Adele's "21" holds at No. 2 with 111,000 (down 1%).
A second 2011 "Idol" alum joins McCreery in the top five, as the woman he beat, runner-up Lauren Alaina, debuts at No. 5 with "Wildflower." She sold 69,000 her first week.
This is the first time since 2008 where both the winner and second-place finisher of "Idol" posted top five-charting albums (or top 10, for that matter). The last Nos. 1 and 2 placers to do so were '08 victor David Cook and runner-up David Archuleta. Their debut albums respectively bowed and peaked at Nos. 3 and 2, respectively.
A second 2011 "Idol" alum joins McCreery in the top five, as the woman he beat, runner-up Lauren Alaina, debuts at No. 5 with "Wildflower." She sold 69,000 her first week.
This is the first time since 2008 where both the winner and second-place finisher of "Idol" posted top five-charting albums (or top 10, for that matter). The last Nos. 1 and 2 placers to do so were '08 victor David Cook and runner-up David Archuleta. Their debut albums respectively bowed and peaked at Nos. 3 and 2, respectively.
Scotty McCreery Hopes to Follow in Carrie Underwood's Footsteps
Life after the post-show American Idol Tour has continued to be a whirlwind for American Idol season 10 winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina.
The talented teens have each been promoting their debut albums, which release a week apart. Scotty’s Clear As Day bowed October 4 and Lauren’s Wildflower hit stores October 11.
Produced by former head of Christian label Word Records, Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), the impressive collection suits Scotty’s values and showcases his considerable vocal gift.
Songs like “That Old King James” about a grandfather’s Bible handed down from generation to generation and “Water Tower Town,” a reflection of Scotty’s small-town roots growing up in Garner, NC, an ode to the water tower across from where Scotty played baseball in his youth.
When he heard the song “Dirty Dishes,” he kicked another song off the album to make room for it. “Mama heard it and she sat down crying,” he shares. Scotty says the song about a mother’s prayer as her family sits down to dinner “struck a nerve... It brought back a lot of good memories.”
Scotty says Bright was a perfect choice as producer.
“It was a really cool thing that Mark and I got together because he’d worked with Carrie Underwood and had been through my exact situation,” Scotty says of Bright working with Underwood after her American Idol win. “Also he’s had a background in Christian music, so he knew exactly where I was coming from in the country format as well as my background in church and the Christian aspect in my life.”
The talented teens have each been promoting their debut albums, which release a week apart. Scotty’s Clear As Day bowed October 4 and Lauren’s Wildflower hit stores October 11.
Produced by former head of Christian label Word Records, Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), the impressive collection suits Scotty’s values and showcases his considerable vocal gift.
Songs like “That Old King James” about a grandfather’s Bible handed down from generation to generation and “Water Tower Town,” a reflection of Scotty’s small-town roots growing up in Garner, NC, an ode to the water tower across from where Scotty played baseball in his youth.
When he heard the song “Dirty Dishes,” he kicked another song off the album to make room for it. “Mama heard it and she sat down crying,” he shares. Scotty says the song about a mother’s prayer as her family sits down to dinner “struck a nerve... It brought back a lot of good memories.”
Scotty says Bright was a perfect choice as producer.
“It was a really cool thing that Mark and I got together because he’d worked with Carrie Underwood and had been through my exact situation,” Scotty says of Bright working with Underwood after her American Idol win. “Also he’s had a background in Christian music, so he knew exactly where I was coming from in the country format as well as my background in church and the Christian aspect in my life.”
Full article at GMC.
American Idol Runner-Up Is Aware She Is a Role Model
Season 10 American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina is cognizant of her status as a role model for young people and wanted the songs on her debut album to reflect her values.
“I represent all the young girls. My mom and my managers have made that very clear to me,” the 16-year-old Georgia native says. “I can’t sing songs that are inappropriate for young girls to listen to. I have adult fans too, but I feel like the adults would respect me more singing songs that are appropriate for my age than singing grown-up songs. I wouldn’t want to do that anyway because I’m a Christian and I feel I represent a different lifestyle. That was the biggest thing I was worried about – finding songs that were appropriate for me – but my label is awesome and they did a really good job helping me out with that.”
Lauren’s debut single, “Like My Mother Does,” showcases her impressive voice and the emotion she brings to a well-crafted lyric. “It’s a beautiful song. As soon as I heard it, I fell in love with it because my mom and I are best friends,” she says. “We do pretty much everything together, especially over the past year because we packed up and moved to California. I tell her everything and we talk about everything, but being on American Idol, I feel like it brought us even closer.”
Lauren began writing songs at age nine. “One of my aunts had a car wreck and I wrote a song for her called ‘Miracle’ that made my whole family cry. When that happened, it made me realize that was something I needed to be doing. I became addicted to it,” she says. Her debut album includes “Funny Thing About Love,” which she co-wrote with Brett James (“Jesus Take the Wheel”) and Luke Laird (“Mama’s Song”).
Lauren recorded the album during downtime on the American Idol tour, working with veteran producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill). One of her favorite songs on the album, “Eighteen Inches,” was written by one of her heroes.
“When they were sending me songs, someone gave me a heads up that one of them was written by Carrie Underwood and I got really excited,” Lauren says of the tune. “I liked the song before I even heard it because I knew she wrote it and I’m such a huge fan of hers. Then I heard it and it has such a beautiful message. I have a friend that that entire story happened to her. It reminds me of her so much.”
The title track, “Wildflower,” hits even closer to home. “In elementary school I was a tomboy,” she reveals. “I know that’s hard to believe ’cause I’m not a big tomboy now. I played softball. I didn’t ever fix my hair and I didn’t care about matching my clothes. I was like that until my grandmother passed away. She wasn’t like that at all and when she passed away, I wanted to be like her so I started fixing my hair and wearing nice clothes, which my mom was really thankful for. The song talks about young girl like that. I can relate to that ’cause that was me before.”
Lauren hopes her music will speak to other young girls and help build their self-esteem.
“When you talk to me, you wouldn’t know I’m insecure ’cause I hide it very well, but I really am,” she admits. “I get insecure and the people closest to me know that. I tried not to show that on [American Idol], but it showed a little bit. It’s normal for a teenage girl. I learned a lot over the past year being on American Idol. I am who I am. People voted me as runner-up. I’m not perfect. No one is, but people still love me the way I am. If other people can love me, if strangers can love me, I need to know to love myself. I feel like that song represents that completely and that’s the biggest thing I want to share with young girls.”
“I represent all the young girls. My mom and my managers have made that very clear to me,” the 16-year-old Georgia native says. “I can’t sing songs that are inappropriate for young girls to listen to. I have adult fans too, but I feel like the adults would respect me more singing songs that are appropriate for my age than singing grown-up songs. I wouldn’t want to do that anyway because I’m a Christian and I feel I represent a different lifestyle. That was the biggest thing I was worried about – finding songs that were appropriate for me – but my label is awesome and they did a really good job helping me out with that.”
Lauren’s debut single, “Like My Mother Does,” showcases her impressive voice and the emotion she brings to a well-crafted lyric. “It’s a beautiful song. As soon as I heard it, I fell in love with it because my mom and I are best friends,” she says. “We do pretty much everything together, especially over the past year because we packed up and moved to California. I tell her everything and we talk about everything, but being on American Idol, I feel like it brought us even closer.”
Lauren began writing songs at age nine. “One of my aunts had a car wreck and I wrote a song for her called ‘Miracle’ that made my whole family cry. When that happened, it made me realize that was something I needed to be doing. I became addicted to it,” she says. Her debut album includes “Funny Thing About Love,” which she co-wrote with Brett James (“Jesus Take the Wheel”) and Luke Laird (“Mama’s Song”).
Lauren recorded the album during downtime on the American Idol tour, working with veteran producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill). One of her favorite songs on the album, “Eighteen Inches,” was written by one of her heroes.
“When they were sending me songs, someone gave me a heads up that one of them was written by Carrie Underwood and I got really excited,” Lauren says of the tune. “I liked the song before I even heard it because I knew she wrote it and I’m such a huge fan of hers. Then I heard it and it has such a beautiful message. I have a friend that that entire story happened to her. It reminds me of her so much.”
The title track, “Wildflower,” hits even closer to home. “In elementary school I was a tomboy,” she reveals. “I know that’s hard to believe ’cause I’m not a big tomboy now. I played softball. I didn’t ever fix my hair and I didn’t care about matching my clothes. I was like that until my grandmother passed away. She wasn’t like that at all and when she passed away, I wanted to be like her so I started fixing my hair and wearing nice clothes, which my mom was really thankful for. The song talks about young girl like that. I can relate to that ’cause that was me before.”
Lauren hopes her music will speak to other young girls and help build their self-esteem.
“When you talk to me, you wouldn’t know I’m insecure ’cause I hide it very well, but I really am,” she admits. “I get insecure and the people closest to me know that. I tried not to show that on [American Idol], but it showed a little bit. It’s normal for a teenage girl. I learned a lot over the past year being on American Idol. I am who I am. People voted me as runner-up. I’m not perfect. No one is, but people still love me the way I am. If other people can love me, if strangers can love me, I need to know to love myself. I feel like that song represents that completely and that’s the biggest thing I want to share with young girls.”
full article here
Barnes Tops the Country Charts
Dave Barnes celebrates a career first with his song “God Gave Me You” performed by country superstar Blake Shelton as it jumps to the #1 spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Barnes wrote the song for his last studio album, "What We Want, What We Get" released in 2010. “God Gave Me You” is on Blake Shelton’s eighth studio album, "Red River Blue," and is his fastest rising single to date.
Barnes’ version of “God Gave Me You” had a great run at Adult Contemporary radio in 2010, peaking at #21. The song also peaked at #3 at Christian CHR. Barnes’ and Shelton’s versions of “God Gave Me You” have sold close to 600,000 individual tracks combined. Dave Barnes' “God Gave Me You” video here: http://bit.ly/cFA8Hb
Blake Shelton selected the song after hearing it one day on the radio, he tells AOL’s The Boot: "It's no secret, Miranda and I have had our ups and downs over the years and this was definitely at a low point at our relationship. I was flipping through stations and landed on a contemporary Christian station, and that song came on and I almost had to pull the truck over. I felt like I was hearing that song at that moment for a reason."
Dave told AOL’s The Boot: “When I heard that it was making [Blake's] record, I was so excited! Especially in how it got there: it wasn't pitched, it was found. That's the best because the artist has such a different attachment that way. The fact that he heard it on the radio and wanted to record it because it meant something to him and Miranda blows my mind. It's still hard to believe it's on the radio. Writing so much on Music Row and knowing the process of how songs get cut and picked for radio, it's amazing to me that “God Gave Me You” made it through the whole process.”
Barnes is no stranger to having his music plucked by country singers as Billy Currington re-recorded Barnes’ radio hit “Until You” for Currington’s 2010 release. Barnes has been recognized by the industry as a rising songwriter. Billboard Magazine touted “Many of the best pop songwriters come out of Nashville, and Dave Barnes is one such singer/scribe now building momentum."
Barnes adds, “I have been writing a lot on Music Row in the last couple of years. I'm trying to get more songs recorded by country artists, both songs from my previous albums and songs that I'm writing with other Nashville writers. It's a really fun challenge and new discipline.”
Dave Barnes last album "What We Want, What We Get" debuted at #59 on the Billboard top 200 album chart in 2010 and #15 on the digital albums chart. Barnes has sold over 150,000 albums to date and over 510,000 individual song downloads. He is currently on tour and will tour in 2012 as well. Barnes has previously toured with notable acts including John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Bonnie Raitt, and One Republic.
Barnes’ version of “God Gave Me You” had a great run at Adult Contemporary radio in 2010, peaking at #21. The song also peaked at #3 at Christian CHR. Barnes’ and Shelton’s versions of “God Gave Me You” have sold close to 600,000 individual tracks combined. Dave Barnes' “God Gave Me You” video here: http://bit.ly/cFA8Hb
Blake Shelton selected the song after hearing it one day on the radio, he tells AOL’s The Boot: "It's no secret, Miranda and I have had our ups and downs over the years and this was definitely at a low point at our relationship. I was flipping through stations and landed on a contemporary Christian station, and that song came on and I almost had to pull the truck over. I felt like I was hearing that song at that moment for a reason."
Dave told AOL’s The Boot: “When I heard that it was making [Blake's] record, I was so excited! Especially in how it got there: it wasn't pitched, it was found. That's the best because the artist has such a different attachment that way. The fact that he heard it on the radio and wanted to record it because it meant something to him and Miranda blows my mind. It's still hard to believe it's on the radio. Writing so much on Music Row and knowing the process of how songs get cut and picked for radio, it's amazing to me that “God Gave Me You” made it through the whole process.”
Barnes is no stranger to having his music plucked by country singers as Billy Currington re-recorded Barnes’ radio hit “Until You” for Currington’s 2010 release. Barnes has been recognized by the industry as a rising songwriter. Billboard Magazine touted “Many of the best pop songwriters come out of Nashville, and Dave Barnes is one such singer/scribe now building momentum."
Barnes adds, “I have been writing a lot on Music Row in the last couple of years. I'm trying to get more songs recorded by country artists, both songs from my previous albums and songs that I'm writing with other Nashville writers. It's a really fun challenge and new discipline.”
Dave Barnes last album "What We Want, What We Get" debuted at #59 on the Billboard top 200 album chart in 2010 and #15 on the digital albums chart. Barnes has sold over 150,000 albums to date and over 510,000 individual song downloads. He is currently on tour and will tour in 2012 as well. Barnes has previously toured with notable acts including John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Bonnie Raitt, and One Republic.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Two Tales of Courage Remain in Top 10
Dolphin Tale came in 5th at the box office this week taking in $6.2M bringing its total to $58.6M. And the film it's been running neck and neck with since their openings last month came in close behind in sixth as Moneyball took in $5.5M.
Two tales of courage took seventh and eighth this weekend. The cancer dramedy 50/50 came in at 7th while Courageous held on well in its third weekend, falling 32% to $3.3M, bringing its total to $21.3M.
Two tales of courage took seventh and eighth this weekend. The cancer dramedy 50/50 came in at 7th while Courageous held on well in its third weekend, falling 32% to $3.3M, bringing its total to $21.3M.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Casting Crowns Heard Throughout MLB Playoffs
Viewers of the National League Playoffs may have recognized the at bat song for Milwaukee Brewers' Corey Hart. Hart has chosen Casting Crowns' "Until the Whole World Hears."
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Chynna Phillips Voted off Dancing with The Stars
Chynna Phillips was voted off "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday night, and Phillips says she would not call the show a dancing competition.
"It's supposed to be a dance competition, but it's actually a popularity contest, which makes me kind of sad. You know, you have to have a little bit of faith that there are people out there who are truly voting for their favorite dance, not their favorite person, because it is a dance competition and people are working really hard."
Her partner, Tony Dovolani, agreed. "I've been on the show for 12 seasons, and Chynna has been a breath of fresh air for me. As much pull we have as teachers, in the end, it's all about the celebrity."
"It's supposed to be a dance competition, but it's actually a popularity contest, which makes me kind of sad. You know, you have to have a little bit of faith that there are people out there who are truly voting for their favorite dance, not their favorite person, because it is a dance competition and people are working really hard."
Her partner, Tony Dovolani, agreed. "I've been on the show for 12 seasons, and Chynna has been a breath of fresh air for me. As much pull we have as teachers, in the end, it's all about the celebrity."
Thursday, October 13, 2011
American Idol's Scotty McCreery Makes History at No. 1 on Billboard 200
"American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery makes history as his debut album, "Clear as Day," bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 197,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
McCreery is the first country act to debut at No. 1 with their first studio album, and at 18-years old, the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with their debut release.
Previously, the youngest male to bow at No. 1 with their premiere album was Omarion, who was 20 when "O" started at No. 1 in 2005.
Surprisingly, McCreery, who turned 18 on Sunday (Oct. 9), is also the first "Idol" winner since 2003 to hit No. 1 with their first studio set.
Ruben Studdard was the last "Idol" champ to start their career with a No. 1 album, when his "Soulful" entered the tally dated Dec. 27, 2003, with 417,000 sold. Kelly Clarkson, the original "Idol" champ, also bowed at No. 1, with "Thankful" on May 3, 2003 (297,000).
"Clear as Day" also marks the biggest debut sales week of any "Idol" winner's first album since 2008, when David Cook's self-titled set started with 280,000 at No. 3. Kris Allen saw his eponymous 2009 debut launch with 80,000 (No. 11) and in 2010, Lee DeWyze's "Live It Up" arrived with 39,000 (No. 19).
Next week, watch for 2011 "Idol" second-place finisher, Lauren Alaina, to arrive on the Billboard 200 with her debut, "Wildflower."
McCreery is the first country act to debut at No. 1 with their first studio album, and at 18-years old, the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with their debut release.
Previously, the youngest male to bow at No. 1 with their premiere album was Omarion, who was 20 when "O" started at No. 1 in 2005.
Surprisingly, McCreery, who turned 18 on Sunday (Oct. 9), is also the first "Idol" winner since 2003 to hit No. 1 with their first studio set.
Ruben Studdard was the last "Idol" champ to start their career with a No. 1 album, when his "Soulful" entered the tally dated Dec. 27, 2003, with 417,000 sold. Kelly Clarkson, the original "Idol" champ, also bowed at No. 1, with "Thankful" on May 3, 2003 (297,000).
"Clear as Day" also marks the biggest debut sales week of any "Idol" winner's first album since 2008, when David Cook's self-titled set started with 280,000 at No. 3. Kris Allen saw his eponymous 2009 debut launch with 80,000 (No. 11) and in 2010, Lee DeWyze's "Live It Up" arrived with 39,000 (No. 19).
Next week, watch for 2011 "Idol" second-place finisher, Lauren Alaina, to arrive on the Billboard 200 with her debut, "Wildflower."
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Courageous and Dolphin Tales Still Heard at the Box Office
Dolphin Tale dropped from first to third with an estimated $9.2M, off 34%, for a $49.1M cume. It looks to end up grossing around $70M. Fatherhood pic Courageous lost 49% of its crowd and took in an estimated $4.6M for a total of $15.9M. The low-budget $2M drama is headed for an estimated $25M. Courageous continued to have one of the highest averages per theater - this time coming in third.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Ellen Labels Marc Martel a Hunky YouTube Sensation
From the Ellen Show web site:
"The hunky YouTube sensation, Marc Martel, performed a cover of the Queen song, "Somebody to Love." He sounds so much like Freddie Mercury, it will knock your socks off. Check out the impressive performance here."
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Switchfoot Sees the Virtue of Being in the Top 10
Switchfoot's newest release "Vice Verses" lands at #8 on Nielsen Top 200 Albums narrowly topping 'all-star band' Chickenfoot's new CD.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Courageous Opens in Fourth Place
"Courageous" was the only one of this week's new movie releases to improve from estimates to actuals, and it passed "50/50" in the process to take fourth place. The movie debuted to $9.1 million from just 1,161 theaters for a strong per-theater average of $7,806. That's up from the studio's last movie Fireproof ($6.8 million), though the average was off just a bit. The opening ranks fifth all-time for a Christian movie, and only trails "The Passion of the Christ" and the three "Narnia" movies. "Courageous" scored a rare "A+" CinemaScore, and the audience was 53 percent female and 77 percent over the age of 25.
Made outside of Hollywood without any major stars, "Courageous" managed to fly under most radars until very recently. It will be interesting to see if "Courageous" can hold as well as "Fireproof" did when it went on to earn $33.46 million, or nearly five times its opening weekend, in 2008.
Made outside of Hollywood without any major stars, "Courageous" managed to fly under most radars until very recently. It will be interesting to see if "Courageous" can hold as well as "Fireproof" did when it went on to earn $33.46 million, or nearly five times its opening weekend, in 2008.
Dancing With Chynna Phillips
Actress and singer Chynna Phillips has proven to also be a skilled dancer on “Dancing with the Stars” as she has openly expressed her faith live on air.
Appearing on season 13 of “Dancing with the Stars” Phillips has impressed the judges with her graceful dancing as well as positive attitude. Frequently mentioning her Christian faith and love for Jesus on the show, Phillips also took to her Twitter account ahead of her third performance on “Dancing with the Stars” Sunday to thank fans as well as Jesus.
Speaking about her pro partner Tony Dovolani:
Appearing on season 13 of “Dancing with the Stars” Phillips has impressed the judges with her graceful dancing as well as positive attitude. Frequently mentioning her Christian faith and love for Jesus on the show, Phillips also took to her Twitter account ahead of her third performance on “Dancing with the Stars” Sunday to thank fans as well as Jesus.
Speaking about her pro partner Tony Dovolani:
He's got a lot of integrity, and a lot of values and you can tell that he lives his life in such a way that he does not compromise himself in any way, shape or form. So he's been a really great role model for me in terms of keeping boundaries and really walking the walk. He's super hard on me, and when I say hard, I mean that he just has super-high expectations of me because he knows I can do it. Sometimes his expectations of me are higher than my own expectations of myself, so he pushes me outside of my comfort zone. But I love that. At the end of the dance lesson, which is usually about four to four and a half hours, I literally feel like I would benefit from an IV and a stretcher, to be quite honest. But I know that he's pushed me beyond my limitations and so I know I've given it 100 per cent. So he makes me feel proud.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Dolphin Tale Rises to #1 Spot
Despite four new movies in release, the top three films from last weekend remained unchanged, although their order certainly saw some shuffling. Dolphin Tale rose from third to first place, Moneyball stayed in second and two-time champ The Lion King 3D fell to third. New releases saw mostly mild results although the inspirational drama Courageous delivered a potent debut in fifth and was the only wide release to average more than $5,000 over the weekend.
Terrific word-of-mouth helped Dolphin Tale capture the top spot with an estimated $14.2M in its second weekend as its decline of 26% was quite low. The Warner Bros. release has grossed $37.5M in ten days and could be headed for $70-80M total. It follows films like The Help and The Blind Side as uplifting stories that never opened at number one, but climbed into the top spot later due to strong buzz from audiences. Dolphin Tale is the second true and touching tale of overcoming adversity from the producers of The Blind Side.
Generating the only impressive opening among the quartet of new titles, Sony's fatherhood cop drama Courageous premiered a hair behind in fifth with an estimated $8.8M while playing in only 1,161 theaters which was less than half as many playdates as any other film in the top ten. The strong $7,580 per-theater average was by far the best for any film in wide release and some distributors project that it will gross more than 50/50 when final numbers are tallied on Monday. Courageous was produced for a mere $2M by Sherwood Pictures.
The PG-13 film successfully entertained its target audience and scored a sparkling A+ from CinemaScore. The studio went after faith-based audiences with its marketing campaign and drew large crowds at its moderate number of locations. Big cities were not very relevant with Manhattan having only one theater showing the film. Females made up 53% of the crowd while the older-skewing pic drew 77% that were over 25. The debuted improved upon the $6.8M bow of the producer's Fireproof from 2008 which went on to gross a solid $33.5M - five times its opening. Courageous will become a big money maker by giving its audience the entertainment it wants while keeping production and marketing costs low.
Terrific word-of-mouth helped Dolphin Tale capture the top spot with an estimated $14.2M in its second weekend as its decline of 26% was quite low. The Warner Bros. release has grossed $37.5M in ten days and could be headed for $70-80M total. It follows films like The Help and The Blind Side as uplifting stories that never opened at number one, but climbed into the top spot later due to strong buzz from audiences. Dolphin Tale is the second true and touching tale of overcoming adversity from the producers of The Blind Side.
Generating the only impressive opening among the quartet of new titles, Sony's fatherhood cop drama Courageous premiered a hair behind in fifth with an estimated $8.8M while playing in only 1,161 theaters which was less than half as many playdates as any other film in the top ten. The strong $7,580 per-theater average was by far the best for any film in wide release and some distributors project that it will gross more than 50/50 when final numbers are tallied on Monday. Courageous was produced for a mere $2M by Sherwood Pictures.
The PG-13 film successfully entertained its target audience and scored a sparkling A+ from CinemaScore. The studio went after faith-based audiences with its marketing campaign and drew large crowds at its moderate number of locations. Big cities were not very relevant with Manhattan having only one theater showing the film. Females made up 53% of the crowd while the older-skewing pic drew 77% that were over 25. The debuted improved upon the $6.8M bow of the producer's Fireproof from 2008 which went on to gross a solid $33.5M - five times its opening. Courageous will become a big money maker by giving its audience the entertainment it wants while keeping production and marketing costs low.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Downhere's Marc Martel To Perform on The Ellen Show October 3
Downhere's lead singer, Marc Martel, has become a YouTube sensation. Martel entered the Queen Extravaganza contest with his rendition of Queen's hit, "Somebody To Love," which can be viewed here. His recording was the top video in the Queen Extravaganza auditions already garnering 3.3 million views since last Thursday. The winner of the contest will tour with Queen Extravaganza in honor of the band's 40th anniversary. Due to the huge popularity of the video it came to the attention of The Ellen Show, who invited Marc to be interviewed and perform live on the show.
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