FREE DOWNLOAD: Jeff Timmons Album; Plus, Find Out Why StarShine Loves Him!

SOURCE

StarShine’s good friend Jeff Timmons called me recently to tell me about a new development in his career.

A free album!

Yes, we mean completely free! Sign-up to receive this wonderful gift of music here: http://www.jefftimmons.com/signup.html.

And in the season of giving, make sure you pass on the link to your friends.

So why did Jeff Timmons, a man who is not having trouble obtaining a record deal, decide to release his music on his own, and for free? With the industry going the way it is–free downloading sites like Lime Wire, music stores closing down, and record labels shelving most of their artists’ music for years–Jeff figured, why not?

“People can get the music anyway,” he says. “I thought the record business needed something different.” With his free album, Jeff hopes to achieve 1 million downloads and bringing change to the industry. He’s already halfway to his goal!

Jeff’s free album campaign has taken the film industry’s inspiration by subsidizing costs through sponsors and product placement. Most importantly, Jeff is hoping word of mouth, the oldest promotional tool in history, will be his best bet. With the relationships he’s built within the industry over the years from 98 Degrees to his solo career, Jeff Timmons is just the man to accomplish this feat!

He’s humble, talented and innovative–not to mention a real artist. Personally, I always specify that in my articles since oddly enough–real artists are hard to find nowadays. Like many other people, I discovered Jeff Timmons and 98 Degrees in the ’90s–and musicially, he has remained a constant in my library–from disc mans to i-Pods! In fact, I just whipped out my 98 Degrees Christmas album the other day, which I have done every year since its release in 1999. The purity and natural ability of Jeff’s voice always makes me smile.

With that said, I look forward to hearing what he’ll come up with on his new solo album–especially some of the new dance tracks!

Now as StarShine Magazine’s editor-in-chief, I can say with confidence that Jeff Timmons will remain a constant on our website–and not just my personal library. It’s always an honor to get to know an artist I’m a fan of.

So what are you waiting for? Go to: http://www.jefftimmons.com/signup.html right now to receive Jeff’s FREE album! What do you have to lose?

Winnit.com featured on Kurt the CyberGuy

Vanessa Minnillo Lunches With The Lachey Brothers And Federline

SOURCE

Now this is an interesting Combo dont'cha think?

Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, and Vanessa Minnillo were seen having lunch at Casa Vega with Kevin Federline and his girlfriend, Victoria Prince, in Sherman Oaks, California.

What?

It seems that everyone is Hollywood is friends with one another. I would have never thought this group would dine together.

Photos by INF

Nick and Drew Lachey with a couple of Neuro Drinks

SOURCE

Taking The Stage Returns In Late January

SOURCE
Posted by jkiesewetter December 1st, 2009, 5:13 pm
So says Nick Lachey. In a NBC conference call this afternoon for “The Sing-Off,” the a cappella competition he’s hosting starting Dec. 14, Lachey was asked when “Taking the Stage” would be back on MTV. His reply: “It’s coming back in late January.”

Of course, there’s no confirmation from MTV….. just as there hasn’t been any official word from MTV acknowledging the network has been shooting a second season of the musical reality show at the School for Creative & Performing Arts since May 7, when the first 8-week season ended. They continued to shoot Mia, Malik, Jasmine and Shaakira before they graduated. Filming resumed in early August before school started, Lachey announced at the time. And MTV cameras have been visible around town shooting Mia at the MidPoint Music Festival on Fountain Square in September, and the SCPA kids doing a number from “Fame” on Fountain Square in October.

If MTV is going to air new episodes next month, the network should finally make a ”Taking the Stage” announcement soon.

As for “The Sing-Off,” it will be mostly taped, unlike NBC’s live “Clash of the Choir” competition with Lachey and Team Cincinnati two years ago. Eight a cappella groups will perform in a two-hour taped shows (8-10 p.m.) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 14-16. By the end of Wednesday’s show, only three groups will remain. Then viewers will select the winner, which will be revealed in a live 8-10 p.m. show on Monday, Dec. 21. Lachey will host and “support” the singers; he will not be a judge.

Rachael Ray to do follow up on Wilmington

SOURCE


BRANDY CHANDLER
Assistant Editor

November was a whirlwind of a month at Sugartree Ministries. After serving the citizens of the Clinton County area for years, the food pantry and soup kitchen received national attention last week when an episode of the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Rachael Ray Show, titled Thanksgiving on Main Street, focused an hour on Wilmington and its residents, particularly those who volunteer and utilize Sugartree Ministries.

In the preceding weeks the show gave the facility a makeover, complete with a stocked food pantry courtesy of Sara Lee, and hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for more than 2,000 Wilmington residents at the Roberts Centre.

This week, the whirlwind continues as the show is flying three area residents to New York City for a taping of the show.

Lori Holcomb, circulation director at the Wilmington News Journal and Sugartree Ministries board member, said a show producer called her late last week asking if she would be willing to fly to New York for a taping. Sugartree Ministries director Allen Willoughby and Wilmington High School student and photographer Zach McCune have also been invited to go. McCune took photographs of the city of Wilmington for the show, which were distributed in a photo book collection to the attendees of the community Thanksgiving dinner.

McCune’s photos can be viewed at Snapfish.com, or by following http://opti.snapfish.com/db/USA/RachaelRay/offer.html.

During her time in Wilmington Ray personally took photos, which can also be viewed at the above link.

Holcomb said she has no idea what to expect during the follow-up taping.

“We got the travel itinerary (Monday),” Holcomb said. We’re flying out Wednesday and we are going to the studio on Thursday.”

Holcomb said a film crew was at Sugartree Ministries the day the show aired, Nov. 25, and presented a DVD that was played during the food service.

“It was nice to get a chance to sit back and see what they had done,” Holcomb said. “I enjoyed every part of it, but to see it all put together was kind of overwhelming. I cried a lot.”

Holcomb said that even though she is well aware of the difficulties Wilmington is facing, it was hard to watch on the screen exactly what her friends, neighbors and fellow residents are going through.

“The hardest part of watching it was when the families talk about losing their incomes,” Holcomb said. “That was the hardest part to take in. It’s still hard to hear about, no many how many times you watch it. You really get the overall perspective, from the farmers to the people who worked at DHL, the store owners … you get the entire picture.”

When it comes to volunteering in the newly renovated kitchen, Holcomb said it is really a different experience.

“It’s really nice to have what you need,” Holcomb said. “It’s nice to welcome people in, who utilize Sugartree, into a homey, warm environment. It’s nice to have a facility where you have everything you need to cook properly. I like it all, but for me the kitchen is the biggest thing. There are now two stoves, two refrigerators, two microwaves. You don’t have the scrape things together to cook or piece things together to make it work. Everything is exactly what you need.”

Holcomb said that even though so much has been done to help sustain Sugartree Ministries and Your Father’s Kitchen, local support is always essential.

“We would like for people to understand that while Sara Lee is providing (certain types of food) the need is very great for canned goods and nonperishables, especially this time of year.”

On Ray’s Web site, www.rachaelrayshow.com, entertainer Nick Lachey, who grew up in the Cincinnati area, wrote a blog about the time he spent volunteering in Wilmington with the show.

Lachey wrote, “Wilmington is like a storybook town with a quaint main street, old style movie theater, and mom and pop storefronts through the center of town. But the recent misfortune that has plagued the town is definitely not out of a storybook. When the biggest employer had to close their operations, thousands of people lost their jobs at DHL simultaneously. New jobs were few and far between, and the town was sent into a tailspin as families struggled to put food on the table. I was heartbroken to hear about the community going through such a rough time, especially since I know the area well, so I jumped at the opportunity when Rachael asked me to join her team’s trip to create a Thanksgiving celebration they’d never forget.”

The Sing Off: Conference Call with Nick Lachey

SOURCE

Posted on 12/01/2009 by Gina

by Gina Scarpa

Starting Monday, December 14, Nick Lachey will host NBC’s The Sing Off, an a capella singing contest where the best group will walk away with a $100,000 prize and a recording contract with Epic Records/Sony. Helping decide who will win that prize are judges Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman (of Boyz II Men), and a slew of celebrity guests. Today, Nick and executive producer Joel Gallen spoke to reporters in a conference call about The Sing Off and what viewers can expect!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do Ben and Shawn bring to the table as judges?
A. Nick: Clearly, both are incredibly respected and talented musicians who have been in the business for a long time. They’re both familiar with what it means to be an a cepella performer. I can’t think of two better people suited for this.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It seems that just about every college has an a capella group. What sets a group apart from the pack as being outstanding?
A. Nick: A capella can cover so many different styles and I think we’re going to see lots of different styles represented. Aside from the stylistic differences, what really sets a group apart is their preparation. How much you put into and how much you prepare and practice will be one of the most telling things.


Q. How did you come up with the schedule for the show?
A. Joel: It was a network decision, based on their scheduling needs. They thought this was a great way to launch a new series like this, where they could really slam the promotion and get people keyed up over four days within a week’s time. We originally presented it as eight 1 hour shows but we ended up condensing the show into four 2 hour shows.

Q. How did you select the groups for The Sing Off?
A. Joel: We went through an intensive casting process. We searched across the country, by going on location, looking at clips on YouTube, and asking people to submit videos. We definitely got 2500-3000 groups that we looked at. We went through a very meticulous process to weed it down and find the 8 that we have. You have to go through background checks and scheduling. There were groups that couldn’t work it. If you’re a college group, you might have final exams. If you have jobs and families… that’s the thing about this show that’s interesting. None of these groups do this for a living. This is just a labor or love, a passion. No one really makes a living singing a capella, at least on our show. I think that’s what makes our show even more compelling.

Q. What will your duties be as host?
A. Nick: Obviously, it’s all about a capella music, which is exciting to me because it hasn’t really been explored on tv before. It’s a passion for me and 98 Degrees always took a lot of pride in being able to sing a capella. My responsibility is to move the show along and secondly, to be kind of a support system to these groups. I’m excited to be a part of it and hear what these guys have to offer.

Q. Would you have been a judge?
A. Nick: I wouldn’t have been opposed to being a judge. That being said, I enjoy the opportunity to not have to play that role and be a friend to the group. Having been in the music business for about 13 years, you learn what’s good and what sounds good so that puts you in the position to be an effective judge.

Q. Are you a fan of American Idol?
A. Nick: To be honest, I’ve not been the most avid watcher of American Idol. I’ve always been a fan of a capella music and that’s what so intriguing about this show. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s all about the performance.

Q. Who is your favorite group right now?
A. Nick: Now? Kings of Leon.

Q. Who are you hoping tunes in for The Sing Off? What kind of audience are you trying to reach?
A. Joel: That’s a very good question. We’re trying to reach as many people as possible. We’re not zeroing in on a specific age group or demographic. We’re trying to get as wide a range as possible. Based on the type of music we’re going to showcase, I think we have a very wide range of representation which I hope will translate into a wide representation of the audience. To answer that question, we want to reach as many people as possible.

Q. How did you first get involved with a capella singing? Did you sing around the house, perhaps with your family around the holidays?
A. Nick: I wish I had a great family holiday a capella story for you but I actually went to performing arts school. I was in a 6 part male group that I used to meet with before school. It was really intricate and challenging stuff. I was also in a barbershop quartet. That was my summer gig in high school. I sang my share of “Lida Rose” back in the day and had a lot of fun.

Q. What advice do you have for singers in order to keep their stamina in the competition?
A. Nick: The best remedy is to practice and keep your voice in shape. Tea, honey, all that stuff… warming up and really preparing are all good ways to go about performing.

Q. Do you have a favorite a capella performance that you’ve done?
A. Nick: When I was with 98 Degrees, and we got to do Christmas At The White House when Clinton was president. We got to sing Ave Maria and that stands out as one of the most exciting.

Q. Which aspect of the entertainment industry has been your favorite: acting, singing, or hosting?
A. Nick: Singing is always been my passion and the way I broke into this business. It’s why I’m excited about this show.

Q. Do you have any other aspects of the industry you’d like to pursue?
A. Nick: One day, I’d like to host a sports/talk radio show! That’s my other passion. I could talk about that for hours on end.



The Sing Off premieres Monday, December 14, at 8pm ET on NBC.