In case you missed it...
For fans of "The Voice" and "American idol," AppleTV+ has their own country singing competition coming up in less than two weeks and some big stars are behind it. Called "My Kind Of Country," the show - the brainchild of Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves - seeks to broaden the horizon of country music - and perhaps broaden the minds of fans who are used to the standard country music offerings radio and television have offered in the past. According to Witherspoon, "When we got together, a long time ago, we were talking about how country music should stop limiting people and start opening doors," with Musgraves adding, "It's music brought over from all over the world. The bluegrass, the folk, the gospel. There's so many threads woven through country music." The show definitely has an outside-the-mainstream vibe to it; talent scouts for the competition include Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck. Allen is one of the few Black country stars to achieve mainstream success; Guyton has struggled as a Black female artist trying for years to break through, and Peck is a gay country performer who has faced his own challenges in an industry that positions itself as almost 100% straight. The singing competition debuts on AppleTV+ March 24. Check out the first trailer below.
Kane Brown the singer, the awards-show host - the actor? He's already crushed it doing the first two - and now fans will get to see how he does as an actor. "Acting has been a life-long dream of mine, and to make my debut on a hit series like "Fire Country" is such an honor," Brown said in a statement. Obviously we've seen the young superstar rock the stage for years; he's co-hosted - and will again - the CMT Music Awards with Kelsea Ballerini on April 2. But five days later, we'll see how he does playing someone other than himself. On the April 7 episode of the CBS show "Fire Country", Brown plays the character of Robin, an "enigmatic, modern-day train hopper" who helps injured train patients at a crash scene. He adds that the character is someone who he is "excited for people to meet." Series creator and star Max Theriot says, "As soon as Kane stepped onto set, it felt like he had been a part of the "Fire Country" family from the beginning. I was really blown away by how natural and honest he is in each scene. To top it off, he's just a wonderful person - kind, excited to learn, and fun to be around… dude is the real deal!" So, career goal achieved. Whether it's a one-time deal like George Strait in "Pure Country," or a frequent side-hustle like it is for Tim McGraw remains to be seen.