Five Degrees of Christian Music

Christian artists are well integrated into the fabric of popular music ranging from songwriting, producing, session players, touring musicians or even new personas.  Katy Perry's transition is well documented as are the Jonas Brothers and The Civil Wars' Joy Williams.

The Sound Opinion has a nice article summarizing the connection of 5 disparate artists including new info on each.

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan: God is The Future of Rock

Billy Corgan recently did an interview with CNN’s Talk Asia and shared his feelings on the unexplored territory of rock and roll, and his answers were insightful and interesting.

When asked what he was exploring now, he replied:

"God. I once did a big American magazine feature called The Future of Rock, (and) my answer was God. They say, ‘Social security is the third rail of politics in America,” well God is the third rail in rock and roll. You’re not supposed to talk about God. Even though most of the world believes in God, it’s sort of like, ‘Don’t go there.’ I think God is the great unexplored territory in rock and roll music.”

Naturally, he was then asked what he thought of Christian rockers to which he replied:

"Make better music. Personally, my opinion is that I think Jesus would like better bands. And now I’m going to get a bunch of christian rock hate mail."

 

H/T HM Magazine

Aaron Gillespie To Drum for Paramore

Aaron Gillespie, who was a member of Underoath and currently fronts The Almost, is having to cancel some of his September solo shows in order to drum and tour with Paramore.

More info here.

‘Breaking Bad’ Star Aaron Paul Joins Christian Bale in Moses Biblical Drama ‘Exodus’

Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro and “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul have been tapped to join the cast of Fox’s Moses pic “Exodus,” starring Christian Bale.

Ridley Scott, who previously called religion a source of evil, is directing the epic drama with Peter Chernin producing.

Paul will play the Hebrew slave Joshua who goes on to lead the people onto the promised land after Moses.

Weaver and Turturro will portray the parents of the pharaoh Ramses, which will be played by Joel Edgerton.

Zaillian (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) is penning the script. The plan is for a September start date, with production traveling to England, Spain and Morocco.

Paul can currently be seen on the last season of “Breaking Bad” and can be seen in theaters next in DreamWorks’ “Need For Speed.”  Weaver was last seen on USA’s “Political Animals.” Turturro recently wrapped production on “Fading Gigolo,” which he wrote, directed and stars in along with Woody Allen.

Good Morning America to Welcome Mandisa with Exclusive Performance of Her No. 1 Single "Overcomer"

Mandisa will perform her new release "Overcomer's" title track on Good Morning America (GMA) this Thursday, August 29th. The song is Top 5 on the National Christian Audience chart with over 7.2 million in audience, further solidifying The Hollywood Reporter's christening of Mandisa as one of the Top 5 Idols with the most Billboard chart-toppers.

Mandisa's third appearance on GMA, the nation's highest rated morning program, follows a week long promo tour with a multi-city radio promo tour including Governor Mike Huckabee's national program and the KLOVE Network. Following this, Mandisa embarks on a New York press run including stops at ABC Radio, Ladies Home Journal, Fox News, WOR Radio and more. Last week USA Today premiered a track from Overcomer along with a Q&A while Keep the Faith radio's 1.7 million listeners heard Mandisa share her heart behind Overcomer.

This fall, Mandisa will once again embark on six-time GRAMMY® winner TobyMac's acclaimed "Hits Deep Tour." Joining Mandisa on the tour, which kicks off Nov. 7, are Brandon Heath, Jamie Grace, Colton Dixon, Chris August and Capital Kings.

Natalie Grant To Perform at Let Freedom Ring Event Today

Natalie Grant will perform at the 50th Anniversary "Let Freedom Ring" Commemoration and Call to Action event at the Lincoln Memorial today. LeAnn Rimes, BeBe Winans and others, are also scheduled to perform at the event to commemorate the historic speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963.

Congressman John Lewis, who spoke at the March on Washington in 1963, will be speaking at the event, along with broadcast journalist and actress Oprah Winfrey and Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx, actor Forest Whitaker, among others.

Additionally, President Barack Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter will deliver remarks and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call to "Let freedom ring" by ringing bells at 3:00 p.m. ET, a half-century to the very minute after Dr. King delivered his historic address.

Soledad O'Brien and Hill Harper with emcee the Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action event that will place from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET at the Lincoln Memorial.

Lolo Jones and 'The Blind Side' Star Quinton Aaron Join Nicolas Cage in 'Left Behind'

Track star and U.S. bobsledder Lolo Jones is the latest addition to the growing cast of the new "Left Behind" movie adapted from the fictional end times series by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

The disaster movie, much like the original film starring Kirk Cameron as Buck Williams, focuses on a band of survivors who find themselves left behind after the occurrence of the Rapture, or the spiriting away of Christians to heaven. The plot is based on the first book of the same title in LaHaye's and Jenkins' 16-part series.

Jones tweeted a photo of herself on the set and shared with fans how she nearly lost it when she sat next to Nicolas Cage, who plays Rayford Steele in the upcoming apocalyptic flick.

"Nicolas Cage sat next to me during makeup and my head bout spun round like Ghost Rider BUT I 'ACTED' cool. Learning this craft fast #LeftBehind," Jones tweeted.

The former Olympian shared that her role was that of a gate attendant named Lola who speaks 10 words — "Really 8. I counted 'Mr. Williams' as (two) words to increase Oscar chances," wrote Jones.

Paul Lalonde, the producer and writer of "Left Behind" (along with John Patus), said that he added Jones to the production upon learning that the bobsledder was training in Baton Rouge, La., where his team had been filming since the beginning of August with director Vic Armstrong.

"Obviously everybody knows who she is," Lalonde told NBC News. "I'm a huge fan of her. I love her never-say-die attitude about everything. … She's a beautiful woman, too, which never hurts when you're casting for a movie."

Actress Cassi Thomson ("Switched at Birth," "Big Love"), who has replaced Ashley Tindsale as Chloe Steele, shared a photo on Intagram of Jones during filming on the "Left Behind" set. The film also stars Chad Michael Murray as Buck Williams and Nicky Whelan as Hattie Durham.

Montell Jordan to Star in Duck Dynasty Commercial

Montell Jordan is the guest star in a promotional video for the upcoming season of Duck Dynasty on the A&E Network. The video shows Jase Robertson playing Jordan's classic hit single, "This Is How We Do It," on his duck call, with the rest of the Robertson brothers joining in vocally on the song. The camera angle widens to show Jordan sitting in a chair and not very enthused with the impromptu performance to deliver a fun, humorous promo video.

Jordan's current single with Chris August, "You Are," is gaining momentum at Christian Contemporary radio and is from Jordan's debut project in the Christian market, Shake Heaven. The album received a Dove nomination for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year. The 44th Annual GMA Dove Awards show is October 15, and will broadcast exclusively on UP on Monday, October 21, at 8:00 pm ET.

Film Grace Unplugged and Its Companion Book Want You to Own Your Faith

A new Christian film "Grace Unplugged" is headed to theaters this fall, but Christians can enjoy its companion book "Own It" even sooner.

"Grace Unplugged" will follow a talented young singer whose Christian faith and family ties are tested when she pursues a music career in Hollywood despite her worship-leader father.

The drama captures real-life issues with faith in today's society and explores the true meaning of success.

Michael Di Marco wrote its spin-off book, "Own It," and The Christian Post was able to speak to the author about the upcoming book, which hits shelves on Sept. 1.

In addition to writing over 40 books aimed at teens and young adults, the best-selling author is also a publisher and creative director at Hungry Planet. Di Marco also serves as a youth director at his church in Nashville, Tenn.

With the help of his wife Hayley, Di Marco channeled the message of "Grace Unplugged" into text after the producers of the film sought him for the task.  In "Own It," the author offers readers pointers on coming to terms with and strengthening their faith.

"Everyone has trouble owning their faith," Di Marco started. "We all come into faith differently; our journeys are all different, but there are two common paths to faith- you're either raised in it or it occurs after the deep realization of emptiness."

"Owning" your faith is when Christians accept that they do not have all of the answers to every question,

"Once that wears off, what parts of your faith are still your parents, or what parts are rooted in needing to be emptied," the author asked. "That's where we own our faith- when we own not only the things we believe, but the things we don't believe. Own your doubts, own the mystery of the gospel, own that that God is in control of things you know and things you don't know."

Di Marco also offered insight on not only deepening your walk with God, but advice for how to spread God's word with grace.

"When someone truly owns their faith, they walk, sleep, eat and sweat the gospel, and the gospel is not only spoken in word but seen in deed."

"The Bible says Christians will be known by their love and by their fruit. I always encourage people to pray to God, not that they would be a more compelling apologetic debater for the gospel, but that they would pray for more fruit of the spirit in their life," the author added.

"That what truly shows that you own your faith, but more importantly, that the spirit owns you."

As for "Grace Unplugged," the poignant film hits theaters on October 4.

"It sets a new standard for faith based movies that aren't biographical or historical, and it feels like a Hollywood movie, which is a compliment," said Di Marco. "I guarantee you're going to love it," he added.

Watch the trailer for the film here.

'So You Think You Can Dance' Uses Christian Rap Song From Tedashii, Lecrae

Latin dancing star Paul Karmiryan hip hopped out of his comfort zone on "So You Think You Can Dance" Tuesday night, rocking out to Christian rapper Tedashii's "Dum Dum," a song featuring Lecrae and the line "Life in Christ got me finished like I crossed the line."

Tedashii gave his life to Christ in college, roomed with Lecrae, and decided to use his freestyle rap talent to glorify God. "I wanted to do college ministry…being a part of Christian Hip hop was never the plan," he said.

"Everything happens in life for a reason, and I thank God that I met him," Karmiryan's dance coach, Gregory, said. He and Karmiryan look so alike, their own mothers said they look like twins. The ballroom star first started dancing at the age of 9, focusing in on ballroom training at 17.

Hip hop proved a real challenge for the Latin dancer, but Comfort Fedoke, former street dancer and graduate of the Booker T. Washington School of the Performing Arts in Dallas, Texas, taught him how to loosen up and groove.

In Fedoke's '90s-style spray-paint, trash-can choreography, the two rocked out to the song's first verse, which includes a quick reference to the Holy Spirit. "No gimmicks/Spirit in my lyrics./Know when people hear it/they gon' love/or they gon' fear it."

"Dum Dum" also mentions how the secular culture views Christians as mentally disconnected and dumb. "But some others say we preachin', some close-minded teachin'/Like we ain't heard of Marx life, and Nietsche, Believe me," it runs, quick to add "Eh, They Don't know about us."

Fedoke, known for appearances in "Glee" (2011), "Footloose" (2011), and the upcoming film "East Side Story" (2013), posted on Twitter, "Anywhere GOD takes me," as her location. She also retweeted a tweet thanking her for her choice of Christian rap – "@ComfortFedoke you are my hero for repping Jesus on the show last night! Thanks for your stance for Him!!!"

It wasn't the Christian theme, however, but Karmiryan's surprise success with hip hop that impressed the judges. "Not in a million years did I ever think I would see you doing this…it's so impressive!" Guest judge actress Jenna Elfman told Karmiryan. "I don't know how easy it was to choreograph Paul…he's accustomed to standing straight up, on the balls of his feet – you wanted him to get down and dirty, and he did," said Nigel Lythgoe, the only constant judge for all ten seasons of "So You Think You Can Dance."

"Paul, Comfort must have made you feel uncomfortable at times, but you didn't look it at all," Lythgoe joked, causing great laughter from the audience. Mary Murphy, another judge, called him "one of the most versatile dancers on this show," to massive applause.

With over 3.5 million viewers, Tuesday's "So You Think You Can Dance" was the most watched television show in the U.S. that night.

In a tweet with 246 retweets and 506 favorites, Lecrae thanked Fedoke and the show for using his music and spelling his name right – "Thanks to @DANCEonFOX and @ComfortFedoke for not only using our music, but spelling me & @Tedashii name right!"

Korn announces upcoming tour with Love and Death

Brian “Head” Welch hasn't been on a Korn album since 2003, but has returned to the band for the upcoming 'The Paradigm Shift.' It’ll put Welch doing double-duty, but Welch’s new band, Love and Death will be opening for Korn.

It’s only for nine shows, and while only five shows have locations, the cities are confirmed.

44th Annual GMA Dove Awards' Nominations Announced

Top Nominees Include Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Matt Redman, Tamela Mann and Wayne Haun

Artist of the Year Nominees are Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann and TobyMac

New Artist of the Year Nominees are Capital Kings, Colton Dixon, for King & Country, Rhett Walker Band and Tasha Cobbs

Awards to broadcast on UP 

Top Nominees Include Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Matt Redman, Tamela Mann and Wayne Haun

Artist of the Year Nominees are Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann and TobyMac

New Artist of the Year Nominees are Capital Kings, Colton Dixon, for King & Country, Rhett Walker Band and Tasha Cobbs

Awards to broadcast on the UP television network

- See more at: http://www.uptv.com/news/2013/44th-annual-gma-dove-awards-nominations-announced#sthash.EqoobqNr.dpuf

Trailer Released for Controversial "God's Not Dead"

New trailer for God's Not Dead film starring Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain and the Newsboys.

‘Duck Dynasty’ Season Premiere Shatters Cable Records

Variety is reporting that A&E reality smash “Duck Dynasty” kicked off its new season with a whopping 11.8 million viewers — the largest audience ever for a non-fiction cable series.

The show about a Louisiana family also set an A&E record as the biggest telecast in the network’s history in all key demos.

In adults 18-49, “Duck Dynasty” did a huge 5.0 rating (roughly 6.3 million viewers in the age group), up 26% from last year and a higher same-night rating than any series telecast on television since an April 15 episode of NBC’s “The Voice.”

The only cable reality show to ever draw more adults 18-49 was TLC’s “Jon & Kate” in June 2009 (6.5 million).

Among adults 25-54, “Duck Dynasty” drew 6.3 million viewers to top the previous cable reality record set by “Trading Spaces” nearly 10 years ago.

A&E is certainly striking while the iron is hot, as this is the fourth season of “Duck Dynasty” even though the show first premiered less than 18 months ago.

When it bowed in March 2012, it drew 1.81 million viewers, but that increased with its second season in October of last year (3.94 million) and then more than doubled when it opened season three in February of this year (8.62 million).

The third season of “Duck Dynasty” averaged 8.4 million total viewers, up 95% compared to season two. It is cable’s top reality program this year, and the No. 2 original series overall, behind only AMC juggernaut “The Walking Dead.”

Thanks in large part to “Duck Dynasty,” A&E ranked among the top five cable networks in both adults 18-49 and 25-54 for the second quarter of this year — rising 17% in both categories — while placing sixth in total viewers (up 19%).

“Duck Dynasty” was far and away the No. 1 program in all categories, including adults 18-49 (7.51 million or 5.9 rating) and total viewers (13 million), according to live-plus 7 Nielsen data.

Frustrated Mom Posts Scathing Blog Post Excoriating Hollywood’s Immorality

A mother is fed up with Hollywood’s exploitation of sex. Rather than remain silent, she recently penned an epic blog post lampooning the entertainment industry and calling for Tinseltown and society, alike, to come to its moral senses.

It all started last week as Rebeca Seitz of Naples, Florida, was enjoying some morning television. While she was watching “Good Morning America,” an advertisement for the ABC show “Betrayal” came on, featuring a male and female in the midst of a steamy sex scene. The commercial for the show was apparently graphic, exposing her 8-year-old son to extremely unpalatable content.

Seitz, a Christian, reacted to the scene by sending her son away, rewinding to be sure her eyes didn’t deceive her and snapping a picture on her phone. She then uploaded the image to Facebook, where it was ironically taken down for violating the social network’s standards (someone reported it and it was deemed “inappropriate due to nudity”).

The frustrated mother, who works in media and is the president of a public relations firm, posted the picture in an effort to spark a conversation about morality and standards — and to voice her frustration and disbelief. When the Facebook post was removed, a friend suggested she take to her blog to document what unfolded, so she did.

In a post entitled, “Morning Sex,” Seitz recounted her morning hanging out with her young son and daughter and the image that suddenly appeared on her television — one she deemed completely inappropriate and troubling.

“I understand we’ve ceded the idea of morality in primetime. A moronic move, but one we (and by “we” I mean Jesus-following folk) have to own. But this wasn’t primetime. This was a commercial about a primetime show airing while we all enjoy cornflakes and coffee and wish our kiddos a good morning,” she wrote.

Seitz continued, noting that her child saw something that was way too advanced to be on television at 8 a.m. ET because of bad decisions that were made by Hollywood executives, not by her as a parent. The mother took the opportunity to make a compelling case surrounding the sexual nature of media content and her frustration over what her son simply cannot un-see.

Read full article

Is ‘Porter Ridge’ the next ‘Duck Dynasty’?

The producers of “Duck Dynasty” are dishing out another family show, this time for Discovery Channel.

“Porter Ridge” looks at a tight-knit community whose code is simple: “respect the Lord, love your family and watch each other's backs.”

But will the new cable series attract as much attention—and as loyal a fan base—as “Duck Dynasty?”

Scott Gurney, who is the executive producer for both “Duck Dynasty” and “Porter Ridge,” said he expects new show will appeal to a similar demographic.

“This is great show for families to watch,” Gurney told Fox News. “It’s a great show for all ages and for males and females. That’s one of the things that’s great about ‘Duck Dynasty,’ it has such a broad audience, and I think this show will do the same thing.”

Fans of the A&E series about a family who work together to produce duck calls have often praised the show for its good, clean message and family-friendly plot lines. “Duck Dynasty” ends each episode with a prayer.

“I think that one of the big things that people love about ‘Duck Dynasty’ is that it’s a positive takeaway, and I think the same thing is going to exist with this series. “

But the similarities likely end there, he declared.

“This is a different show. It’s not ‘Duck Dynasty’… It’s not so much family based and more friendship based.”

The series follows a group of friends—and rivals—living in Southern Indiana, in an area with no rules, no leaders and no streetlights. And yet, somehow everyone manages to get along.

“Cameras follow this interesting culture that if you didn’t see it on TV, you’d honestly think it doesn’t exist,” Gurney said.

But it does. Gurney insisted that the series is unscripted—even though it seems implausible that one of the show’s stars shares his home with eight grizzly bears.

Jeff Watson, 48, appears on “Porter Ridge” and spends his days with his neighbors and with his domesticated bears.

“They’ve been in my house, but they don’t stay in here all the time,” Watson said of the bears.

It is elements like his pets that make the series so dissimilar to anything else that’s on TV, Watson said.

“I’m sure there are people out there who would like to see a show that’s less cussing, more family values, camaraderie, rapport, relationship between the characters, not a lot of fighting between everybody… I think people are getting a little tired of too much drama and they want to see people getting along, and we get along around here.”

Read full article

Left Behind Film Has Major Casting News

Filming for the reboot of the first “Left Behind” feature film has begun in Baton Rouge, La., amid some casting changes. Nicolas Cage (Rayford Steele), Chad Michael Murray (Buck Williams) and Ashley Tisdale (Chloe Steele) were signed to star in the movie, however there have been two major alterations to the cast.

Tisdale had a scheduling conflict and dropped out of the film. On Friday, producers took to the movie’s Facebook page to announce her departure, while wishing her the best as she prepares for a television opportunity. The other announcement, though, will likely excite some reality television fans and music enthusiasts.

Grammy-nominated singer Jordin Sparks has joined on as a character named “Shasta.” For now, the details surrounding her role are under wraps, but producer and scriptwriter Paul Lalonde shared a small tidbit of information about the character.

“She will be a passenger on a plane that the film’s main character Captain Rayford Steele (Nicolas Cage) is piloting,” he said on the film’s Facebook page.

As her fans know, Sparks has had a successful career in both music and films following her 2007 “American Idol” victory. She is the latest addition to a film that has Christian and secular media, alike, buzzing.

Superchick Officially Retires

From the band's Facebook page:

Superchick is closing a chapter. The people you've seen on stage are taking a curtain bow. It's time to go exploring again. Everyone has new stories to write: Tricia has another solo record coming out, Dave is touring with Audio Adrenaline, Melissa started Rosebuds East, Matt is busy being a realtor/songwriter/daddy daycare and I've got plenty of projects to finish up, including a ThumpMonks record years in the making.
There are 5 brand new Superchick songs we will release into the wild soon. When he first started chemo, our drummer Chase called me to say, "Don't finish the record without me; I'm coming back in the fall." We managed to get a couple studio sessions with him and some of Chase's rhythmic creativity lives on in these songs. They are the last words in a sentence that was brought to a full stop by Chase's passing. These new songs are dedicated to his fighting optimism. They are some of the best we've done and I hope they honor his memory.

Read full letter here.