Would you like the opportunity to work with 14-Time Grammy Award winning composer/producer David Foster and perform on the same stage with stars of such caliber as Celine Dion, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Barbra Streisand? Do you have what it takes to win the Grand Slam to Stardom contest? This could be your moment!
For the first time, a talent search will choose one lucky and very talented individual to open one of the most anticipated events of the year in the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation is searching for the best undiscovered vocalist in Clark County, Nevada. The winner will take the stage before 8,000 people at the 2006 Grand Slam for Children held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on October 7th, 2006.
FOZZY frontman and former WWE star Chris Jericho will be taking part in “Celebrity Duets” — an unscripted series that pairs singing stars with celebrities outside the music industry to make “beautiful music” together. The show will follow the professional singers as they instruct their partners, choose songs and perform duets in front of a panel of judges and a live studio audience. After each episode, viewers will vote for their favorite duets. The winning pair will emerge from the competition in perfect harmony, while the losers definitely will have to change their tune. The competition will be judged by David Foster with Little Richard and Marie Osmond.
The show will premiere on a one-time-only special night with a two-hour episode tomorrow Tuesday, Aug. 29 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX (encoring Thursday, Aug. 31 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX). Beginning Thursday, Sept. 7 (9:00-10:00 PM ET Live/PT Tape-delayed), CELEBRITY DUETS will air LIVE in its regular Thursday night time slot.
The celebrity contestants are as follows:
Chris Jericho - Wrestler (WWE)
Lucy Lawless - Actress (”Xena”)
Cheech Marin - Actor (”Born In East LA”)
Carly Patterson - 2004 Olympic Gymnast
Alfonso Ribiero - Actor/Director (”The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air”)
Jai Rodriguez - Pop Culture Guru (”Queer Eye”)
Hal Sparks - Actor/Comedian (”Queer As Folk”)
Lea Thompson - Actress (”Back To The Future”)
The contestants remaining in the competition will be paired with a different music superstar each week. Those singers include Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Aaron Neville, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick and Lee Ann Womack, among others.
The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF) has assembled another superstar line-up of entertainers for an unforgettable evening of music and other entertainment to benefit Las Vegas at-risk youth. Counting Crows, Sarah McLachlan and legendary rocker Phil Collins are just a few of the stars who will take the stage Saturday, Oct. 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Grammy Award-winning producer, arranger and composer David Foster will return for his 11th year as musical director.
For the first time, this year’s concert will feature a performance by the winner of the “Grand Slam to Stardom” contest. The contest is open to residents of Clark County, Nevada who are 14 to 28 years old. The winner, chosen by David Foster, will open the show at the Grand Slam for Children.
Tickets priced at $90, $70 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are now on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Tickets also will be sold at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Tower Records/WOW!, select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Robinsons-May stores and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at http://www.mgmgrand.com/ or http://www.ticketmaster.com/.
Gamal Aziz, MGM Grand president and chief operating officer, said, “We look forward to a spectacular evening of music and celebration as Andre and his Foundation staff bring our guests the most exciting performers in the industry. We’d like to congratulate Andre on an extraordinary career and although he is retiring from tennis, we know his efforts in supporting the children of Las Vegas and the entire community will continue in the future.”
Since its inception in 1995, the Grand Slam for Children has been distinguished by its roster of cream-of-the-crop entertainers including Barbra Streisand, Sir Elton John, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Robin Williams, Carlos Santana, Don Henley, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Ray Romano, Jamie Foxx, Jay Leno, Stevie Nicks, Seal, Tim McGraw, India.Arie, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Dennis Miller, Brian McKnight, Tears for Fears, LeAnn Rimes, Josh Groban and others.
In 1994 David performed for the David Foster & Friends Gala at the Victoria Memorial Arena Centre with Celine Dion, Warren Wiebe, Kenny G, Paul Anka, John Parr, and the Victoria Symphony Orchesta, conducted by William Ross. David Foster’s band includes Brian Newcombe on bass, Bill Sample on keyboards, Morry Stearns on keyboards, Dane DeViller on guitar, Dave Boruff on sax, and Daryl Bennet on drums. The concert was also a TV show production entitled “For the Children”, a David Foster Foundation charity event.
This is the video clip of “Love lights the world” featuring Warren Wiebe and Celine Dion on vocals. Enjoy !
“JCPENNEY JAM - THE CONCERT FOR AMERICA’S KIDS”, the live music Mega event of the summer to raise awareness and support for afterschool programs through the JCPenney Afterschool Fund, will be broadcast today Aug. 22 on the CBS Television Network at 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT as a Primetime Special.
Produced and taped by EVI at Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium with 18 high-definition cameras in 30-frame progressive HD format, the concert and integrated marketing platform marks the largest project ever undertaken in America to raise awareness of the need for quality afterschool programs and provide funds so more working families have access to these programs.
The multi-genre line-up of music icons includes legendary vocal tenor Andrea Bocelli, country superstars Kenney Chesney, Martina McBride, and Sara Evans, rock icons Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, and rock super-group 3 Doors Down, Latin pop star Alejandro Sanz, multi-platinum artists Mary J. Blige and John Legend, American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee, gifted trumpeter Chris Botti, young vocalist Renee Olstead, and singer-pianist sensation Peter Cincotti.
Hosted by entertainment powerhouses Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw, the show was musically directed by David Foster, and backed by a celebrity rhythm section and a hand selected 60-piece symphony conducted by Bill Ross.
FOZZY frontman and former WWE star Chris Jericho will be taking part in “Celebrity Duets” — an unscripted series that pairs singing stars with celebrities outside the music industry to make “beautiful music” together. The show will follow the professional singers as they instruct their partners, choose songs and perform duets in front of a panel of judges and a live studio audience. After each episode, viewers will vote for their favorite duets. The winning pair will emerge from the competition in perfect harmony, while the losers definitely will have to change their tune. The competition, which will be judged by David Foster and Little Richard, kicks off August 29. The celebrity contestants are as follows:
Chris Jericho - Wrestler (WWE)
Lucy Lawless - Actress (”Xena”)
Cheech Marin - Actor (”Born In East LA”)
Carly Patterson - 2004 Olympic Gymnast
Alfonso Ribiero - Actor/Director (”The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air”)
Jai Rodriguez - Pop Culture Guru (”Queer Eye”)
Hal Sparks - Actor/Comedian (”Queer As Folk”)
Lea Thompson - Actress (”Back To The Future”)
The contestants remaining in the competition will be paired with a different music superstar each week. Those singers include Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Aaron Neville, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick and Lee Ann Womack, among others.
From left to right: Duris Maxwell, B.J.Cook, David Foster, Norm MacPherson, Donny Gerrard
Skylark was David Foster’s first band, based in Canada.
The band formed from one of Ronnie Hawkins’ backup groups and signed with Capitol Records, releasing a self-titled album in 1972 which spawned three singles. The group disbanded after the lukewarm reception of their second album, 2, and its members achieved mixed success in other projects.
Their biggest single, Wildflower (a number one hit in Canada, making Billboard’s top 10, and selling over a million copies) was written by guitarist Doug Edwards and Dave Richardson (then a Victoria police officer), and is an excellent early example of the soon-to-be ubiquitous power ballad, featuring a strong, emotional lead vocal, a blend of electric guitar, strings and harp, distinctive ’slow dance’ percussion, and almost gospel background vocals.
This is the “Wildflower” videoclip which shows a young, slim, in-love David walking on a beach !
BUENA PARK, Calif. — A 14-time GRAMMY® winner, Yamaha artist David Foster has also received seven Juno Awards and an Emmy,® and is a three-time Oscar® nominee. He has produced artists such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Josh Groban, Natalie Cole, Chicago, Madonna and *NSYNC. He’s a songwriter as well, with hits like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “After the Love Has Gone” and Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”
Foster is a longtime fan of Yamaha pianos. “I just can’t stress enough how much I love these pianos,” he says. “Wherever you go in the world, if you sit down at a Yamaha piano, it’s going to sound good. I’ve never owned anything but Yamahas. Every single piano in my studio for the last 20 years has been a Yamaha. I have a nine-foot grand, which sounds amazing. I also have a 7′4″ Disklavier, and a 6′2″ grand. And there’s a spinet that I bought when I was 17 years old! I bought it back when I couldn’t afford anything.”
Foster started out playing piano in Chuck Berry’s band at age 16. A few years later, in 1972, Foster and his band Skylark scored a top-ten hit with their song “Wildflower.”
When Skylark folded, Foster started playing piano on other artists’ records. He quickly became a first-call L.A. session musician, working with John Lennon, Diana Ross, George Harrison, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and many others. “It was so great,” he remembers. “I’d just fill up my datebook: jingles from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., then daytime sessions with the 5th Dimension or Dionne Warwick or Barry Manilow. Then at night, it was rock and roll, like George Harrison or Rod Stewart. Sometimes I was working from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.! But it didn’t seem like work. It was a great foundation.”
All the while Foster kept an eye to the future. “In the studio I’d think, wow, this is great, but I can’t imagine doing this in 20 years. I’d look at the other side of the glass and be envious of the producers. Sometimes they knew what they were doing, sometimes they didn’t – but I learned just as much from those who didn’t. If the producer was weak, or didn’t know how to make a decision, I always found myself jumping in. And after three or four years of session playing, I realized that I might be a good record producer.”
Foster’s producing career didn’t happen overnight. “I made no money on the first three albums I produced,” he notes. “They were not good, and they didn’t sell. I started to think, ‘Maybe I’m not cut out for this.’ But, then came Alice Cooper’s From the Inside, followed by Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Hall & Oates.”
Of all Foster’s many accomplishments, a few stand out for him: “I think Chicago 17 is probably my proudest album. And I’m proud of all the work I’ve done with Celine, and The Bodyguard soundtrack – I think I got Whitney at the height of her greatness. Finding Josh Groban and Michael Bublé has been exciting for me. And writing ‘After the Love Has Gone’ for Earth, Wind & Fire – it was my first GRAMMY. Although I’ll say that my 14th GRAMMY was just as exciting as my first, and I hope to win more, God willing!”
Renee Olstead left a comment on her MySpace profile:
we’re in the FINAL FINAL stretch of the new album (we can’t wait to get it on shelves, but not til its PERFECT!) i really hope its something that you’ll all love, its been so much fun to work on this project and i’ve learned a whole lot! you can expect to hear the same kind of classics that i love and a whole lot of new stuff you just might even like better!
Update Sept. 11th, 2006: The release date has been postponed again on February 2007.
Update March 1st, 2007: The album isn’t in stores yet. No release date available, anyway we know David and Renee are still in studio recording more songs to complete the tracklist.
International superstar Julio Iglesias was on hand today to lend his support to the David Foster & Friends Foundation. Iglesias, in Vancouver to perform at the River Rock Show Theatre, is among the 60 plus superstars who have signed a unique item up for auction: A one-of-a-kind Yamaha grand piano personally signed by artists, entertainers, and celebrities, including: Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Faith Hill, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Carole King, Reba McEntire, Sting, Usher, Garth Brooks, James Ingram, Glen Frey, Trisha Yearwood, Johnny Mathis, Tim McGraw, Dionne Warwick, Robin Williams, and Donald Trump, to name only a few.
It’s an auction item that is close to the heart of world-renowned music composer and 14 Grammy Award Winner, David Foster. “My favourite songs have been performed on this piano by the original artists. It has been with us for some truly great events at some spectacular venues. I am thrilled that its legacy will help improve the lives of families and children in need,” said Foster.
The idea to auction off David’s “touring piano” came from Foster’s piano technician Warren Huff, and the piano has been “center stage” for dozens of major events. It was recently featured in the “Andrea Bocelli: Amore Under the Desert Sky” show at Lake Las Vegas. The piano has also helped raise millions of dollars for worthy charities, including Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night to benefit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center; and Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children to benefit underprivileged and abused children. It was also at David’s home in Malibu recently for a special performance by the legendary Barbra Streisand.
“Every penny from the auction will help support families with children in need of life saving major organ transplants,” Ian Tostenson, Vice President of The David Foster Foundation said today. Last year’s gala raised $2.8M, part of which came from several exclusive auction items and trips. “This year we are aiming for six figures with this piano alone,” said Norm Kilarski, Chairman of David Foster and Friends. “As well, we are so pleased that Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will enable the autographed grand piano and the other auction items to be auctioned live at the event, and live to the world, over the internet.”
The piano will remain on display to the public, at the River Rock Casino Resort, until it is auctioned off at the David Foster and Friends Charity Gala on September 10, 2006.
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