Tauren Wells To Open for Lionel Richie's All The Hits Tour with Mariah Carey

Tauren Wells is the opening act for Lionel Richie's upcoming tour, All The Hits, with very special guest Mariah Carey. Hitting the biggest arenas in 22 markets across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will kick off July 21 and run through September 5 wrapping in Seattle, WA. 

Wells could not be more excited for this momentous opportunity to be part of Lionel Richie's tour and share his music with thousands of concertgoers. "I'm ecstatic to be added to a tour with such music icons," he exclaims. "It's an amazing opportunity God has provided for me to share some of my new music, and I'm grateful to my team for working so hard on my behalf to make dreams like this a reality."

2017 has already been off to a great start for Tauren Wells. Along with the release of his debut EP Undefeated, he also performed at a special fundraising event in support of the 21Strong Foundation held during Super Bowl week with numerous current and former NFL players in attendance. This spring Wells will appear on the B413 No Filter Live Tour and is slated to perform at the KLOVE Fan Awards, and in June he will join the lineup of artists set to perform at KTIS Radio's Joyful Noise 2017 festival.

Natalie Grant, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond To Headline Super Bowl Gospel Celebration

The 16th Annual NFL Sanctioned Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will kick-off Super Bowl XLIX weekend on February 1, 2015 in Phoenix, AZ. American Family Insurance, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will bring together Grammy and Dove Award-winning artists, inspirational leaders and special guests to create an unforgettable evening celebrating faith and football.

Headlining the night will be Natalie Grant, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin and Fred Hammond. Also appearing will be Phoenix-native singer-songwriter Mali Music. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Annually, both active and former NFL players gather to share a mutual love of performing off the field, using their musical gifts to celebrate their faith through song. These athlete and musicians come together inspired to create an extraordinary experience unique to football's biggest weekend.

Over the past sixteen years, Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has brought together amazing performances and special guests including Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Yolanda Adams, Tamela Mann, Mary Mary, Kelly Price, The Clark Sisters, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, and many more.

Since its inception in 1999, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has donated a portion of its proceeds to local and national charities. For the second year, the event will be benefiting the incredible work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"Jesus Is Better than the Super Bowl" Top TV Event of the Year Again Showcases Christian Athletes

The Super Bowl has long been an arena in which Christian athletes have shined ranging from Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Shaun Alexander to Reggie White and Kurt Warner.

This year TV's big event will showcase Denver Broncos's Peyton Manning and Seattle Seahawks' quarterback, Russell Wilson.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning doesn't publicly discuss his faith as frequently as some other Christian athletes, but he has said that he wants his actions to speak louder than his words.

The future Hall-of-Famer Manning led his team to a Super Bowl berth by throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns in last Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. The four-time league MVP has been stellar throughout the season, setting NFL regular season records in both passing yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55).

But while many people focus primarily on Manning's performance on the field, the part of his life that he has said is most important – his Christian faith – is rarely discussed.

In Manning, the book published in 2001 that he co-wrote with his father, the quarterback shares how he came to faith in Christ in a New Orleans church as a 13-year-old boy, according to an excerpt of the book posted to the Young Conservatives site. His priorities in life, he wrote, have been faith, family, friends and football – in that order.

Russell Wilson will be facing off with Manning in the Super Bowl. Wilson and several of his teammates recently sat down with Mark Driscoll, the preaching and vision pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, to discuss their faith in an interview that was posted to the Resurgence website.

Director of UP's movie Jimmy Talks About Working With Michael Bay and The Emergence of Filmmaking on the East Coast

Jimmy tells the remarkable and believable tale of a developmentally disabled teenager with a phobia about water... and an honest streak that gets him into trouble when he overhears troubling conversations. Mark Freiburger pulls a noteworthy performance out of Ian Coletti in the title role of the film based on a Robert Whitlow novel. .

Christiancinema.com recently interviewed Freiburger. He talks about his love for underdog stories, especially stories about individuals who are overlooked by society, yet end up becoming heroes to those same people who had once written them off.

Some highlights include:

On his success he's had as a young filmmaker looks like the track record you’d expect from a UCLA grad than an alum of North Carolina School of the Arts’ film program.

"The UNCSA Film program is considered to be on the same level as UCLA’s program. The Hollywood Reporter recently ranked UNCSA the #12 Film School in the entire world... up there with AFI, Beijing Film Academy, USC, and the national French film academy, Le Femis."

 UNCSA’s alumni have been making major waves in Hollywood over the past few years, not to mention the fact that one of our alum, Jeff Nichols, had back-to-back films in feature competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year and last—a feat that I don’t think any other American film school alum has reached in recent years. Just need to spread a little love for my Alma mater.

On interning with Michael Bay thanks to his win in the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ad contest.

"Winning the Super Bowl ad contest with Doritos, combined with the release of Jimmy and the production of the current film I’m directing have created a perfect storm of open doors in my career this year. I’ve met with production companies all over Hollywood that I used to only dream about meeting with, and new films are being developed out of that process. I am very, very thankful for these opportunities. And I’m very much looking forward to learning from Michael Bay later this summer and fall. He’s doing a wonderful thing by taking on a mentee and allowing me access to his world."

Read full interview

Christian Filmmaker Makes Short List for Superbowl Commercial Competition

The director of one of five commercials short listed for this year’s “Crash the Super Bowl” contest hosted by Doritos hopes the Christian community will support his family-friendly TV ad by voting for it on Facebook.

Mark Freiburger made the 30-second “Fashionista Daddy” video in Los Angeles with the help of some friends and is vying for a $1 million prize and the chance to work with Hollywood filmmaker Michael Bay.

The commercial opens with a girl asking her daddy if he’ll play Princess fashion show with her. He’s about to go play some touch football with his pals but when she offers a bag of Doritos, he ditches the football and instead dresses up in a gown and makeup and dances with his daughter. When his friends coming looking for him, they, too, are lured to play dress up by the promise of Doritos.

“The piece is about a father’s love for his daughter and for Doritos and how far he’ll go to show that love,” said Freiburger. “We wanted to do something that was family friendly and they’ve never had a father-daughter theme before.”

The top vote getter in the "Crash the Super Bowl" contest will air during Super Bowl 47 on Feb. 3. along with a second spot selected by Doritos. Freiburger will find out along with the rest of the world if "Fashionista Daddy" makes the cut.

“They’re taking all five finalists to the Super Bowl and we’ll be in the skybox with Michael Bay and we’ll only know when it’s broadcast,” he said.

If one of the two Doritos commercials ranks the highest of any other commercial aired during the Super Bowl according to the USA Today Ad Meter, its creator will receive a $1 million prize.

The creator of the highest ranked of the two Doritos commercials will also get to work with Bay on the next “Transformers” movie.

Freiburger, 29, is originally from North Carolina and now lives in Los Angeles. A committed Christian, he has worked on a number of faith-based films. His latest feature film “Jimmy,” which he directed, is due to be released on DVD in June.

He says entering the “Crash the Super Bowl” challenge is part of his efforts to transition into the Hollywood mainstream and says it would be a dream come true to work with Bay. He also says that if he should win the $1 million prize, he will donate $100,000 of it to various charities.

Natalie Grant to Perform at Super Bowl Gospel Celebration

Natalie Grant will make her football debut at the 13th Annual National Football League's Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The show will tape before a live audience at 7:30pm EST on Friday, February 3, 2012  in Indianapolis, IN.

The celebration is hosted by Wayne Brady, current host of CBS' "Let's Make A Deal," and CeCe Winans. Grant will be performing alongside American Idol winner Fantasia, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and "Players Choice" Wess Morgan, and Verizon's How Sweet the Sound 2011 Overall Winning Choir, Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir.

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has become legendary for its performances from artists including Patti LaBelle, BeBe Winans, Mary Mary, Israel Houghton & New Breed, Yolanda Adams, Jaci Velasquez, Fred Hammond and many more. NFL Players that have made appearances include Cris Carter, John Elway, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Tim Brown and Darrell Green, Raheem Morris and many more.

Tickets for the 2012 Super Bowl Gospel Celebration are on sale at superbowlgospel.com. Since its inception in 1999, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has partnered with a charity in each Super Bowl host city. This year, Gary Brackett's IMPACT Foundation has been selected as the event's charitable partner.

Focus on the Family Benefits from Super Bowl Buy

Focus on the Family has generated a ton of earned media from their Super Bowl buy. It was a brilliant move on their part and dramatically increase their awareness.

Two ad agencies monitored the Twittersphere to determine which brands won consumers' hearts and minds. After all, brands aren't just what the ad makers say. Brands are also what the public thinks. FOTF faired well, finishing in third place.

In contrast, according to the USA Today Ad Meter, it finished toward the bottom of the pack.

Tebow Super Bowl ad strikes light-hearted tone

Even the long-awaited Super Bowl ad from Focus on the Family came with a punchline.

The 30-second "Celebrate family, celebrate life" ad starring Heisman winner Tim Tebow ended with a surprise -- Tim Tebow tackling his mother after she says she nearly lost him during her pregnancy. The pair jokes that they have to be "tough" with all the family has been through.

The commercial sparked debate before it was even broadcast, and some groups called for CBS not to air it. The ad is the first such advocacy ad to appear in television's most-watched broadcast, which draws about 100 million viewers. It aired early in the first quarter.

The subtle and humorous ad made some wonder what all the fuss was about.

The commercial, which shows just Tebow and his mother, Pam, against a white backdrop, does not contain an overt antiabortion message. Instead it sends people to Focus on the Family's Web site, which tells more of the Tebows' story and offers a more straightforward message.

The devout quarterback's mother gave birth to him in the Philippines in 1987 after spurning a doctor's advice to have an abortion for medical reasons.

"I can remember so many times when I almost lost him," Pam Tebow said in describing her pregnancy.

The ad was "very gentle", which was surprising considering how much talk it generated before it even aired, said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He said the use of humor helped make the ad more accessible -- and not off-putting to most people -- although the ad's message was hidden, which made it confusing to people who weren't familiar with it.

"I think they took a very interesting strategy. It's clearly an effort to steer away from controversy," he said. "I suspect the people they were going after understood the message, but ... for most people, I don't think the ad really did a lot for them."

Because the ad was so subtle and had so much mystery to it, it will get people whose minds are not made up about the abortion debate to evaluate the group's agenda, said Charles R. Taylor, professor of marketing at Villanova School of Business.

"To the extent that there are people that they can influence, this probably does a good job of driving them to the Web site and getting them to check it out. I think it's much more effective than something more explicit would have been," he said.

The Women's Media Center, which had objected to Focus on the Family advertising in the Super Bowl, said it was expecting a "benign" ad but not the humor. But the group's president, Jehmu Greene, said the tackle showed an undercurrent of violence against women.

"I think they're attempting to use humor as another tactic of hiding their message and fooling the American people," she said.

The ad didn't draw much attention at the Underground Lounge in New York, where the game was on. Sarah Cashin, 39, a business manager, said she didn't see why the ad was controversial.

"I didn't find it offensive. I don't quite understand why everyone was so up in arms about it," she said.

Tebow’s Super Bowl ad isn’t intolerant; its critics are

Sally Jenkins thinks the government has no right to tell a woman whether she can have an abortion or not. But this pro-choice sports columnist also thinks that the group NOW is not right in trying to pull the pro-life Tim Tebow ad from airing during the Super Bowl.

"I’ll spit this out quick, before the armies of feminism try to gag me and strap electrodes to my forehead: Tim Tebow is one of the better things to happen to young women in some time," quips Sally Jenkins in a Washington Post column entitled, "Tebow’s Super Bowl ad isn’t intolerant; its critics are."

Jenkins pointed out that the public is always calling on athletes to be more responsible and to care about social issues, but when star college quarterback Tebow and his mother Pam try to tell their “genuine pro-choice story,” the group National Organization for Women goes on the attack. NOW’s criticism, Jenkins says, reveals that the group is not pro-choice but rather pro-abortion.

"Apparently NOW feels this commercial (featuring Tebow) is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one," Jenkins writes.

Rest of the article here.

CBS Considering Airing Gay Dating Site Ad During Super Bowl

After days of deliberations on whether to run a controversial Super Bowl ad from gay dating site ManCrunch, CBS has not yet reached a decision.

Some conservatives have been concerned that CBS' acceptance of the Focus on the Family spot would open the door to other advocacy ads like this one.

Liberal Women's Groups Want CBS to Drop Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad

College football phenom Tim Tebow is about to become one of the biggest stars of Super Bowl XLIV — and he's not even playing in the game.

Tebow and his mother Pam will appear in a pro-life commercial that tells the story of his risky birth 22 years ago -- an ad that liberal critics suggest could lead to anti-abortion violence, even though none of them have seen it.

It's a happy story with an inspirational ending, but pro-abortion critics say Focus on the Family should not be allowed to air the commercial because it advocates on behalf of a divisive issue and threatens to "throw women under the bus."

"This organization is extremely intolerant and divisive and pushing an un-American agenda," said Jehmu Greene, director of the Women's Media Center, which is coordinating a campaign to force CBS to pull the ad before it airs on Feb. 7.

Focus on the Family buys Super Bowl Ad

Focus on the Family will air its first Super Bowl spot during the upcoming Super Bowl game. The 30-second ad will feature Tim Tebow, a former quarterback with the University of Florida's Gators and 2007 winner of the Heisman Trophy, along with his mother Pam.

"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive," Jim Daly, president of Focus of the Family, said in a written statement on Jan. 15.

Focus on the Family spokeswoman Lisa Anderson would not reveal how much her organization paid for the ad or provide further details about it. But she told CNNMoney.com that the funds were donated specifically for this purpose by unnamed individuals. She said the money did not come from the group's general fund.

CBS, broadcaster of the 2010 Super Bowl game, is charging about $3 million for 30-second spots, according to spokesman Dana McClintock. But CBS would not reveal how much it charged Focus on the Family for their ad.