Former Anthem Lights' Alan Powell Joins Cast of New NBC Drama

Alan Powell formerly of pop band Anthem Lights will appear in a new NBC show. Powell was one of the band's founding members, but left in early 2016 to pursue another of his passions -- acting.

He made his acting debut by landing the lead role in the 2014 film, The Song, a love story and modern re-imagining of the life of king Solomon. Powell has since appeared in several movies including Out of Ashes, Caged No More, and Where Hope Grows.

Now Powell has landed his first TV role joining the cast of the new NBC drama "Redliners." According to Deadline.com the show "mixes humor, romance and espionage" and "follows a pair of former operatives who get reactivated and drawn into a larger conspiracy while attempting to maintain their undercover lives." Alan will play New York cop Wynn Rhymer.

Believers Make an Impact on The Voice

Season twelve of The Voice premiered on February 27 and again features believers.

- Anatalia Villaranda (@anatalia_v)
- Andrea Thomas (@andrearthomas)
- Brennley Brown (@BrennleyBrown)
- Chris Blue (@Chrisbluelive)
- Hunter Plake (@hunterplake)
- Jack Cassidy (@jackgcassidy)
- Micah Tryba (@MicahTryba)


To be confirmed:
- Nala Price (@nala_price33)
- Mark Isaiah (@Markisaiahmusic)
- RJ Collins (@RJCollinsMusic)
- Savannah Leighton (@thesavleighton)

Season 11 also had believers such as Christian Cuevas. 

Believers found themselves in the Top 40 of season 10 (most notably finalists Hannah Huston & Mary Sarah) though the list wasn't as long as season 9.

In season 9, we noted that Christianity made a comeback on the show culminating with Jordan Smith  as the winner.

Skillet Song Featured in Marvel Comic Video

Skillet appears to be building a relationship with Marvel Comics lately, first appearing on their podcast This Week in Marvel a few weeks ago, and now teaming up by lending one of their songs to a comic trailer.

Marvel released a video trailer for the new five-part Monsters Unleashed! series. The video plays out like an emergency news broadcast and features Skillet's "Back From the Dead" as an appropriate backdrop throughout.

The series of crossover comics features a storyline where an army of classic Marvel heroes, including the X-Men and the Avengers, are forced to unite so they can battle a slew of Marvel monsters that are attacking Earth. The first issue, published Jan. 18, pits the heroes against an invasion of creatures called Leviathons. Four issues in the series are currently available.

Lead singer and Marvel fan John Cooper told Billboard that the band's involvement with Marvel is "truly one of the best moments of Skillet's career."

Nation's Largest Christian Retailer is Shutting Down: Family Christian Stores Announces Closure

“Despite improvements in product assortment and the store experience, sales continued to decline," said Chuck Bengochea, the company's president.  "We have prayerfully looked at all possible options, trusting God’s plan for our organization, and the difficult decision to liquidate is our only recourse.”

At its height, Family Christian Stores represented over 30% of physical sales for many Christian music releases. The retail chain's dominance in the Christian book and music market began to steadily decline with major retailers like Wal-Mart adding key Christian releases to their shelves, along with the launch of iTunes in 2001 and the growing presence of online retail led by Amazon.

NewReleaseToday's roots are closely tied with Family Christian Stores. Its founder, Kevin McNeese, started the site in 2002 while managing music marketing at FamilyChristian.com. "It was such an incredible time," recalls Kevin. "But I could certainly see the beginnings of the shift. Between Napster's quick rise and fall, Apple launching the iPod and iTunes and major retailers beginning to latch onto our biggest products, the writing was on the wall."

The nation's largest Christian retailer, Family Christian, is closing after 85 years.

The non-profit company, employing more than 3,000 people in 240 stores in 36 states, said in a brief statement that the retailer had been facing declining sales since filing for bankruptcy protection in 2015 and had no choice but to shut down.

Needtobreathe To Open For Faith Hill and Tim McGraw On Spring Tour

Needtobreathe announced that they will be opening for country stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw on a few dates of their Soul2Soul Tour this spring.

They are set to open for Tim and Faith on April 20 in North Charleston, April 21 in Birmingham and April 22 in Atlanta. Openers for the rest of the tour include Ben Rector, Rachel Platten, Cam and many more.