Ryan Tedder News

When a big Broadway star like Bernadette Peters makes her way onto a national TV program, Broadway babies await it with abated breath. Yet, when a big Broadway star like Bernadette Peters appears on an actual musical TV series like SMASH, Broadway babies have reason to throw an all-out bacchanal - and, last night, they most certainly had a reason cause celebre. While GLEE has spoiled us with a plethora of guest stars from Broadway and Hollywood over the course of its three seasons - Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Carol Burnett and Patti LuPone among them - the presence of two-time Tony Award-winner Peters - to say nothing of the forthcoming appearances by Norbert Leo Butz and Marc Kudisch - is a gift from the theatrical gods that instantly makes SMASH must-see-TV for the theatrically attuned among us (which, let's be honest, is most of us). Playing Ivy Lynn's blithely selfish and calculating former star of a mother, Leigh, Peters wrought every last ounce of bravado out of her bravura performance recreation of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from GYPSY - a show she famously starred in under the direction of Sam Mendes earlier this century - and made her thorny scenes with Megan Hilty blossom; her overall star turn giving the entire affair a cold, brusque but all-too-believable bloom - ice in veins all too tangibly real to feel. The tension was certainly thick for the first workshop performance of the show-within-the-show on SMASH, as well, but Hilty still managed to set fire to her scenes and songs - and McPhee shows considerable promise with her burgeoning pop music career (and next week's Ryan Tedder-composed "Touch Me" sequence seems certain to deliver on the sultry, sexy siren of song front as McPhee comes closer to getting the role of Marilyn). And, speaking of songs knocked out of the park for the umpteenth time by this all-star musical team responsible for SMASH, besides the slowed down grand slam ballad version of "Let Me Be Your Star" - given a bluesy Broadway belt only the very best, like Hilty, could possibly provide - we were also treated to a striking and wholly stylistically unique new Marilyn Monroe/Joe DiMaggio song in the form of the arresting "On Lexington & 52nd Street", another homerun to tick off on the perfect scorecard for songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman on SMASH so far; Will Chase's best (and, apparently, last) showcase. Film noir with a pulsating, almost atonal, steely and terse tinge, this is the sort of character number that seamlessly presents plot development and character exposition simultaneously in a purely, thrillingly theatrical manner and the type of dramatic and musical merging of storytelling SMASH excels at most of all, time after time after time after time. While "Everything's Coming Up Roses" was a strong cover of a classic Broadway barn-burner on account of Peters, "On Lexington & 52nd Street" expertly showcased the type of entertainment entity SMASH can ultimately be at its very best, firing on all axels - and how utterly enthralling in its layers of meta-narratives the real-life/showbiz soap saga that make it all come together it can fascinatingly be. Additionally, the workshop musical montage was the best example yet of how excitingly combustible and hot SMASH can really be when the boiler at its core is at full blast as it was sporadically last night in the appropriately titled "The Workshop" episode - almost always fueled by the simply spectacular songs for the show-within-the-show.

West End star Ramin Karimloo, who was just seen as the title character in the 25th Anniversary concert of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and currently starring as Jean Valjean in the London production of LES MISERABLES, will tour the US this fall.

Singer-songwriter and actress Demi Lovato will appear LIVE in MTV's Time Square studio on Tuesday, March 6th at 11pm ET/PT, immediately following the premiere of 'Demi Lovato: Stay Strong' on the network at 10pm ET/PT.

The B.B. King Blues Club and Grill will present Ramin Karimloo, best known for his roles in Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and Love Never Dies. Karmloo will sing at the club September 13 at 8 p.m.

Premiering on Tuesday, March 6th at 10PM ET/PT on MTV, DEMI LOVATO: STAY STRONG reveals an intimate portrait of a resilient young woman confronting her issues, heading back on the road to face her fears, and endeavoring to finish what she started in 2010 on tour.

West End star Ramin Karimloo, who was just seen as the title character in the 25th Anniversary concert of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and currently starring as Jean Valjean in the London production of LES MISERABLES, will soon release a new album titled Ramin. According to the star's twitter page, the release has been moved to April 9, 2012.

According to the Huffington Post, musician Gavin DeGraw has reportedly signed on to be a contestant on the upcoming Season 14 of ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS.

Two-timeGRAMMY® winner Kenny Loggins; GRAMMY- nominated band OneRepublic fronted by lead singer Ryan Tedder,who is currently nominated for two GRAMMY Awards; and DJ Michelle Pesce are scheduled to perform at the 2012 GRAMMYCelebration

During the Sunday, January 29 season finale of The Hub Television Network's music reality series MAJORS & MINORS, 13-year-old Philadelphia native Michael Woodard sang his way to the top and won a recording contract with Boardwalk Records and RCA Records.

West End star Ramin Karimloo, who was just seen as the title character in the 25th Anniversary concert of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and will soon star as Jean Valjean in the London production of LES MISERABLES, will soon release a new album titled Ramin. According to the star's Twitter page, the release has been moved to February 6, 2012.

In the span of just a few years, Tim Mosley transformed from a struggling teenager sleeping on an air mattress to a Grammy- winning artist known worldwide as Timbaland. Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Madonna, Timbaland's music is as infectious as it is successful.

Platinum-selling recording artist Demi Lovato will perform during the live broadcast of PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS 2012 from the Nokia Theater, L.A. Live, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

In the span of just a few years, Tim Mosley transformed from a struggling teenager sleeping on an air mattress to a Grammy- winning artist known worldwide as Timbaland. Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Madonna, Timbaland's music is as infectious as it is successful. However, his life has often been far from glamorous.

In the span of just a few years, Tim Mosley transformed from a struggling teenager sleeping on an air mattress to a Grammy- winning artist known worldwide as Timbaland. Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Madonna, Timbaland's music is as infectious as it is successful.