As If, Dolly Parton Is #1!

Left to right: Danny Nozell, CEO, CTK Management; Dolly Parton; and, Kirt Webster, President/CEO, Webster Public Relations

Because she can, can, can...

World-renowned singer/songwriter/entertainer Dolly Parton has a worldwide #1 album to celebrate this week. The superstar’s new release Pure & Simple debuts at #1 not only in the U.S., but, also on the national country charts in Canada, U.K. and Australia.

Dolly’s 43rd studio recording and the first release of her recently-announced joint venture between Dolly Records and Sony Music Nashville, achieves #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with first-week sales of 20,000 units! This marks the first time Dolly has topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in the 25-year history of SoundScan.

The new album which released August 19th on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville lands the #11 slot on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart with a first-week total consumption of 21,000. On Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, the disc debuts at #1. In the UK, Pure & Simple enters the all-genre album sales chart at #2, behind Frank Ocean’s Blonde.

Upon hearing the news, Dolly Parton, who co-produced and wrote every song on Pure & Simple, enthused, "Boy, it's a good day for me. I am a happy girl!" She continued, "It feels great to be #1 as it's been a long time and it feels so good to still be in the game after all this time."

Remarked Doug Morris, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment, “Congratulations, Dolly, for your stunning debut with Pure & Simple.You put your heart and soul in this album, and we join you in celebrating a long-overdue #1 on the country album chart.”

“I thought it was a magical time back in 1981, when I first started working with Dolly as we set up her Best Little Whorehouse album on RCA, right after her huge hit, ‘9 To 5,’” reflected Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville. “I spent a week with her on the RCA jet visiting radio and retail all over the country.” Goodman continued, “But, to be reunited with Dolly and have a #1 debut is wonderful. Thank you, Doug Morris for bringing Dolly back to RCA.”

CTK Management CEO Danny Nozell said, "There is nobody more deserving of this tremendous success. Having worked with Dolly for the past 13 years, I have never met any person that works harder than her.” Nozell added, “She is a businesswoman that understands her brand and knows exactly what to do and when to do it, and once again, she proves it with a #1 album."

Last week, Dolly Parton made appearances on NBC’s Today and Tonight Show, among other TV shows.

Fans can link to purchase Pure & Simple and the various versions available by exclusive partners below:

Cracker Barrel: smarturl.it/dollycbps
Walmart: smarturl.it/walmartdolly
Amazon Music: smarturl.it/amzmusicdolly
Amazon Physical: smarturl.it/amazondolly
Apple Music: smarturl.it/dollypartonps
Google: smarturl.it/gpdolly
Spotify: smarturl.it/spotifydolly  

Welcome Back, Durbin!

James Durbin left a lasting impression placing fourth on season ten of American Idol. Not only because he was one of the few contestants who performed rock to perfection, he was the only contestant ever on the show to have autism.

His debut album the rock oriented Memories of a Beautiful Disaster was a hit, which was followed up with the pop flavored album Celebrate, which was a departure from what Durbinators were hungry to hear from their idol. 

Well James is back and ready to rock with his first new music in over two years Riot On Sunset. 

In my opinion this is James best work as an artist to date mainly because the music is 100% pure Durbin. Durbinators rejoice, here's James!

JD: Hey Michael, how's it going?

MS: Fine, I love your latest Riot On Sunset, after Celebrate it's great to hear you rocking out again!

JD: Not to take anything away from Celebrate it's a great album. But it's more of a studio album and it's not something that I like to play live too much. It still holds up, it's just not a James Durbin album necessarily.

MS: I was going to ask how you felt about it, and you beat me to it. (laughs) Are you still going to experiment with different types of music in the future?

Ready To Riot
James Durbin
Photo: Heidi Durbin

JD: Yes. I am influenced by a wide array of music genres and artists. Everything from James Brown, Maroon 5 to Judas Priest. You might even find a Bieber track on my iTunes. (laughs) It's different songs for different reasons. The Bieber song in question has incredible production. As far as the kind of music I am making now, I am definitely back in my comfort zone. 

MS: My favorite song off of Riot On Sunset is the title track. Was that inspired by your performing at the The Viper Room?

JD: You know I actually wrote that song when I was twenty. Probably a good year and a half before all the "Idol" stuff happened. I had started a band with some friends called Hollywood Scars and I was looking up different things about the Sunset Strip I wanted to embody that in a song. That ended up being Riot On Sunset which was an actual event that happened in the 1960's basically it was about kids wanting to have freedom of expression, to be yourself whether "the man" has anything to say about it or not. I kept pushing for the song to be on my other two albums and the label kept saying it's not good, we don't like it, it's not going on your album. When I was in Nashville working on my second album with James Michael, we had a talk about it, he said to me: "This is one of those songs that you write once in your lifetime, it's on of those songs that comes from somewhere else." That message spoke to me to open myself up to letting songs pass through me. 

MS: Seriously?! I can't believe the label said those things to you about that song.

JD: There ended up being a struggle with it actually, after I left the label. They were going to keep it and not give it back to me. It fell in with my publishing deal with them. The fact that somebody can say they own a song that they don't think is good enough to go on a record is just stupid. We fought really hard and that's the one thing I got out of my termination deal with the label. This incident falls right in line with the story and vibe of the song, standing up for what you believe in, regardless of the fact that somebody tells you "No."

Photo: Heidi Durbin

MS: Your single Smackdown is doing really well, congratulations!

JD: Yeah, yeah it's doing pretty good right now on the Loudwire Battle Royale. It's gone up to number one, it's still in the top five on the liter board. That's all thanks to my awesome adoring fans, they're truly something else. 

MS: They sure are! Every time I tweet about you, whoever runs J.D's Outcast Army is on it! They re-tweet me within five minutes usually.

JD: When I was in Florida on a layover I went to Walmart at one in the morning and tweeted something about it. Immediately after I did it there were like four or five responses to it. It's a blessing to have such devoted fans.

MS: Here's a somewhat off the cuff thing that I've always wanted to ask you. Have you ever been skydiving?

JD: I have not. They were trying to get me to skydive to promote my single Parachute off of the Celebrate album, yeah, that wasn't going to happen. Now I would have totally done the indoor skydiving at Universal City Walk. 

MS: Does skydiving scare you?

JD: It depends on what mood I'm in. (laughs)

James  Performing
@ Universal City Walk
Photo: Michael Shinafelt

MS: Speaking of City Walk the last time I saw you was there performing for the organization Autism Rocks. It was a great show, you are always good live, how did you feel about that night?

JD: It felt great! The idea of the organization is to bring awareness to autism. That it is not something to be feared. All we want is to be loved and accepted just like everyone else.

MS: Personally, I accept people as they are, things like that don't scare me.

JD: Good. People may look at us and think we act funny, but we could be looking at you thinking the same thing. (both laugh)

MS: Thanks Buddy!

JD: Thank You Michael!

Riot On Sunset is out...now!

Follow James at:

Official website: http://www.jamesdurbinofficial.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/durbinrock

Facebook: http://facebook.com/durbinrock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/durbinrock/

Get Riot On Sunset at: 

CD Baby

http://cdbaby.com/cd/jamesdurbin3

Riot on Sunset by James Durbin

https://itun.es/us/CPpFdb

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I629H70/ref=dm_aw_dp_sp_bb_sfa  

What?! LeAnn Rimes Still Sings?!

Who knew Ms. Rimes was still a singer? All most of us have known her for the past few years was the Bitch who took Eddie Cibrian from Brandi Glanville...not my words, Brandi's, paraphrasing and artistic license apply.

And boy did Brandi never let us forget it, it was her claim to fame and made her one of the "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".

Rimes other claim to fame of late has been about her weight. "Is She or Isn't She Anorectic" - when she is seen out in her bikini.

OK, well LeAnn it's time you reminded peeps why you are famous in the first place, you are a gifted singer and songwriter, looking forward to "Spitfire" putting you in the press for something other than malicious gossip!

LeAnn Rimes announces release of new album SPITFIRE

Physical CD Available Only at Walmart

14 song collection available June 4th, 2013 featuring Special Appearances
by Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Rob Thomas and Jeff Beck

Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter LeAnn Rimes is releasing her new album, SPITFIRE, on June 4, 2013. Rimes, who co-wrote nine of the songs on her newest offering, says “This album is a peek into my world; who I am, what I’ve gone through, what my emotions are.  It’s an intimate conversation between me and whoever’s listening.  I hope I’m saying things that are hard for others to express.  It certainly took me a lot of work to get to this point. And it’s still easier to sing these thoughts than it is to say them out loud.  The intimacy in my music is just beginning.” “Curb Records is receiving global reviews for LeAnn’s brilliant album, Spitfire.  Her performances with Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), Jeff Beck, Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski are amazing and a great representation of LeAnn’s ability as an artist and songwriter, says Curb Records Chairman, Mike Curb.  “LeAnn and producer Darrell Brown have created a very special musical adventure that is delivered straight from LeAnn’s heart.  We’ve always known she is a great singer.  This album simply proves outright that LeAnn is a great, multi-faceted artist.” SPITFIRE is co-produced by Darrell Brown, LeAnn’s longtime friend, whom she calls her “writing soul mate”. Rimes speaks of this album as a “journey” and says there were several memorable moments along the way from having multi-Grammy award-winning engineer, Al Schmitt (Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Norah Jones) mix several songs to having Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminsky sing background vocals on “What Have I Done?”.  After ten years of trying to write or record with Rob Thomas, the planets aligned as Rob added an undeniable groove to “Gasoline and Matches”, which also features the legendary signature guitar styling's of Jeff Beck, whom LeAnn previously worked with on a Barbra Streisand tribute at the Grammys to benefit MusiCares. “SPITFIRE covers a range of emotions that I’ve experienced in my lifetime, from anger to love, from frustrations to letting go”, says Rimes.  “Darrell and I talked about telling that story in chronological order, but that didn’t work sonically, so he said, ‘It’s the truth…in no particular order.’ And isn’t that what life is about?” The physical CD will launch exclusively at Walmart and is currently available for pre-order at:  http://bit.ly/Spitfire1 For more information on LeAnn Rimes, visit www.leannrimesworld.com

WebTV: Heeee's Baaack, "Mr. Meatballs" Season 2



"Mr. Meatballs" Jonathan Brett

 Mr. Meatballs (Jonathan Brett) is back for season 2 of humor, commentary, and all around silliness, hey he and Life (Peter Corrigan) are here for your entertainment people...!

I must say I did have a blast last season when I was a guest star on not one, but two episodes:

"My Musical Meatballs" & "Masterpeace Theatre Part III" can I get a "Hey now" ?!

With more pop culture references than TMZ and off the wall humor than a Walmart, that's the place where they sell wall jokes...

Get yourself a pair, and take a bite of Mr. Meatballs ! Be carfeul though he might bite back...!

Season 2 Premiere Episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoBfbCZ0sOs&feature=youtu.be

Get your fill of "Meatballs"with all the episodes at:

 http://www.youtube.com/user/MeatballsAreFunny