Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Hayden Panettiere

DVR Alert: Brantley Gilbert and Chris Young Head to Nashville

Jennifer Swirsky — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:43:17 +0000

ABC’s Nashville, that is. The two country music artists are slotted to make cameos on ABC’s newest smash hit musical drama as party goers at a celebratory bash thrown by fictional country music sensation, Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere). Brantley Gilbert and Chris Young, who will appear as themselves, attend the party, which is intended to celebrate the success of Barnes’ and Rayna James’ (played by Connie Britton) duet, “Wrong Song”.

The episode featuring Brantley and Chris will air on Wednesday, January 23rd a 10:00 p.m. on ABC.

Nashville Is On the Globe

Jennifer Swirsky — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:15:30 +0000

The Golden Globe, that is. This morning, the nominees for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards were announced, and Nashville certainly made a showing; and we mean both “Nashville” the television show and residents of Nashville whose names you might recognize from the world of country music.

In the category of Best Actress, Television Drama, ABC’s “Nashville” was represented by a nomination for Connie Britton (who plays Rayna James in the highly coveted television series). In the category of Best Supporting Actress, Television, ABC’s “Nashville” was again represented by a nomination for Hayden Panettiere (who plays Juliette Barnes). Also getting nods for their involvement in film projects are Keith Urban and Taylor Swift. Keith lent his vocals to the soundtrack for “Act of Valor” with his song “For You,” while Taylor’s “Safe & Sound” was included on “The Hunger Games” soundtrack.

Good luck to the Nashville noms! Tune in on January 13 to see if any of the Golden Globes make their way back to Music City!

REVIEW: Nashville – Looking Back and Moving Forward

Jennifer Swirsky — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 01:35:54 +0000

That seems to be theme of the week in Music City. Everyone is looking back; remembering, questioning, regretting, and reminiscing their pasts and doing everything in their power to push forward to a better future. How, you may ask?

The return of Juliette’s mother has resulted in Juliette thinking about her childhood, which was filled with painful memories. Clearly Juliette’s mother is not the healthiest of parental units, as she is struggling with addiction and the mood swings that accompany the dependency. However, seeing Juliette witness her mother’s continual downward spirals shows us a deeper, darker side of country music’s sassy starlet. Think Meredith Grey, pre-McDreamy marriage, back when she was dark, twisty, Tequila Mer. That is what we have with Juliette, sans the Patron. Juliette finally decides, after some urging from Deacon, to allow him to step in and talk to her mother — addict to addict. Once Juliette’s mother recognizes that she is not alone and that someone understands her struggles, she agrees to be admitted into rehab … but not before she bids Juliette farewell — with a slap right across the face. And that, therein, was the final straw for Juliette, as she decides to let go of her home and move someplace new … someplace free of her mother and all remnants of her. In Juliette’s words, “anything she touched, I hate.” I’m pretty sure that Juliette is not telling her mother to “keep coming back” like the people in rehab are likely preaching at the end of their group sessions.

Meanwhile, Rayna is hard at work on a commercial because she is desperate for money, and she is attempting to use a song that she and Deacon wrote by changing the lyrics to fit the commercial. However, Deacon will not release the rights to the song because the song’s lyrics mean something to him. Aside from the commercial, in her quest to bring in the bucks, Rayna’s management has an idea to produce a Greatest Hits album. Rayna is not on board with this idea, as she would rather go to the studio and record something new. Obviously Rayna lost her writing partner when she fired Deacon, so she has to begin writing on her own. It actually works out well for her, as her management boasts that they think she actually created something that could be a first single off a new album. Looks like Rayna won’t need that Greatest Hits album after all to bring in the money!

Speaking of money, we find out what Peggy and Teddy’s relationship actually is/was. Oh, by the way, while we are on the topic of Peggy, she was our trivia person from last week, and the actress playing her is Kimberly Williams Paisley — Brad Paisley’s wife! ADHD aside (hey look, something shiny!), Peggy and Teddy were involved in some scheme years ago where they somehow embezzled two million dollars. Peggy is getting nervous because there are auditors starting to sniff around, and she mentions turning themselves into the feds. Teddy asks her to hold off and goes to talk to Rayna’s father, Lamar, the political aficionado with a lot of connections in Nashville. Lamar tells Teddy not to worry about it and focus on the campaign. Fast forward to Lamar meeting up with Peggy and telling her to stay quiet and keep calm — in a most threatening manner.

Let’s quickly backtrack to Deacon, as this guy has barely had his own storyline/drama without the help of Juliette and/or Rayna yet. Until now. Deacon is certainly distraught about his professional break-up with Rayna and, as he performs their songs solo in a bar, a heckler yells out to him that he prefers Rayna’s vocals. When Deacon sees the heckler outside, he ignores the an attempt at an apology, and Deacon lashes out — most likely from pent up aggression with everything surrounding him — and goes Mike Tyson on the heckler in the parking lot, punching him in the face, yet sparing his ear of any bite marks. End scene. It should come as no surprise that when Rayna’s phone rings in the middle of the night, it’s a collect call from the jail asking her to accept charges from Deacon. Considering that Teddy interrogated her earlier in the night about whether she wanted to sleep with Deacon, Rayna hit “2″ to decline the call. Next phone call? You guessed it. Deacon calls Juliette and, in true “what goes around comes around” fashion, Juliette literally bails Deacon out like he figuratively bailed her out.

In other news, there is still that whole Avery, Scarlett, Gunnar thing going on that has absolutely zero correlation to the rest of the happenings in Nashville. Here is the gist in a nutshell: Scarlett and Gunnar get a song to Lady Antebellum; Avery helps out and plays guitar for them as they showcase the song to the record execs; Avery “hijacks” the performance when he gets jealous of the way Scarlett and Gunnar are making eyes at each other; Scarlett gets mad; Avery gets mad; Scarlett professes her undying devotion to Avery and Avery is bull-headed, as usual.

Next week, maybe we will see Juliette start moving forward again with her career and reputation after her mother showed up and set her back; maybe Rayna will move forward with recording a new album; maybe Deacon will move forward in his quest to heal after Rayna broke his heart; maybe Teddy will move forward with his campaign without fear of his shady past coming back to haunt him; maybe Scarlett will move forward with her personal and professional relationships; maybe Avery will move forward and gain some confidence in his relationship. Regardless of who starts moving in a positive direction, one thing holds true — everyone needs to get out of the past soon, because the past is the past for a reason and the future is wide open … especially for a bunch of talented musicians in Music City!

Make sure to check out these tunes from Nashville, Episode 105!

“American Beauty” – Performed by Rayna

“Loving You is the Only Way to Fly” – Performed by Scarlett/Gunnar/Avery

“Fairlane” – Dirty Guv’nahs

“Down in Tennessee” – The Cadillac Black

“Sideshow” – Performed by Deacon

“Yellin’ from the Rooftop” – Performed by Juliette

“Buried Under” – Performed by Rayna

Nashville Review: The Rise and the Fall

Jennifer Swirsky — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:56:31 +0000

Episode 4 started off with quite a bang…literally. We find Rayna and Deacon in bed together, only to find out Rayna was in a deep sleep, dreaming about her “duet partner.” Cinderella did say a dream is a wish your heart makes…looks like Rayna’s heart is speaking volumes to her head! In her recent state of perpetual guilt, Rayna agrees to sing at her husband, Teddy’s, political event to help bolster his chance to become an elected official like her father. The event is taking place at the country club, a place Rayna loathes, and who is playing alongside of her? Deacon, of course! As the day draws closer, we realize there is someone new in town and she seems slightly suspicious. And clearly there is a secret between her and Teddy, made evident by a conversation they had in private after the event. They call her Peggy, and this gorgeous gal looks familiar. ***Insert more Nashville cameo trivia!*** Can anyone name this country-music superstar’s wife who has joined the cast, for at least one episode, to raise our eyebrows about Teddy’s loyalty to Rayna? We will reveal the answer in next week’s Nashville Review! Oh, and who can forget the big coup d’etat between Teddy and Deacon, who are clearly fighting over Rayna’s affection without actually saying so? This marriage is becoming more and more rocky with each passing week, and with Peggy in the picture now, who knows what direction Rayna and Teddy will go? Rayna obviously sees the impact Deacon is having on her home life though because she has decided that letting Deacon go is the solution to her marital woes.

Alright, I know you all are just dying to know what happened with Juliette after she was caught stealing nail polish by some teenage fans with video cameras on their phones. (To answer last week’s trivia, the teenage vocalist is named Kennedy Noel. Check her out at @kennedy_noel on Twitter!) Well, the video that Kennedy’s character shot has gone viral and Juliette doesn’t seem fazed by this. Until she receives word that she has been removed from the list of CMA presenters (spiffy timing there, ABC and Nashville … way to promote the awards show that is airing 22 hours after Nashville!) and can only save face by agreeing to an interview on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts (another excellent ABC show plug). During the interview, Juliette defies orders by her management team to admit to her wrongdoing and fess up to gain sympathy for her mistake and, instead, lies and says that she accidentally took the nail polish. Next, in a shocking interview turn, Robin Roberts asks Juliette about her mother and her addiction. Juliette has all she can take and immediately leaves the set. As expected, the interview results in a downward spiral of sponsors pulling out from the tour and the tour, ultimately, being canceled. After her manager notifies her that he is quitting, Juliette explains herself and we learn a little bit more about the confident, sassy Ms. Barnes. It turns out Juliette has begun to self distruct and is losing grip on her life. Stealing made her feeling protected and like she was taking care of herself, just like she was forced to do as a child. It made her feel comfortable and safe…just like Deacon evidently does, because Juliette used a lifeline after everything hit the fan and decided to phone that friend with benefits. And, it seems that we are reaching a point where Rayna doesn’t only need Juliette, but Juliette will need Rayna as well. Perhaps these two ladies will team up and go on tour after all…

In other news, Scarlett and Gunnar deserve your congratulations, as they landed a deal and are now officially employed as songwriters! This is great for Gunnar’s love life, as he has already begun making music with an assistant, Haley; yet it seems to be causing a riff in Scarlett’s love life as Avery becomes increasingly envious of his girlfriend’s professional fate.

Oddly, even though plenty went on during those 42 minutes of blissful television, it seemed like a quiet week in Nashville. Perhaps after the last few weeks, where relationships were firing up and fizzling out, careers were rising and falling, crazy drunk parents were returning, and nail polish was being stolen, anything would have seemed quiet in comparison. If there is one thing I know, it’s that nothing stays quiet long in a city known for its musical prowess. Tune in next week to see what (and who) our favorite Nashville citizens have gotten themselves into again!

Check out these tunes from episode 104 of ABC’s Nashville:

“Murder of Crows” – Lindi Ortega

“This Can’t Be the Last Time” – Sugar & the Hi-Lows

“Ammunition” – Trent Dabbs

“By Your Hand” – Los Campesinos!

“Hit the Road” – Sherrie St. Germain

“Alright You Restless” – AgesandAges

“Changing Ground” – Performed by Rayna James

Nashville’s Hayden Panettiere Wants to Make Album

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:58:49 +0000

Looks like all the time spent in Music City for ABC’s new drama Nashville is rubbing off on one actress. Hayden Panettiere, who plays the role of singer Juliette Barnes, performed “Telescope” on last week’s episode. The track is now available digitally through iTunes, and has found airplay on some country radio stations in the United States this week. It’s not her first time trying her hand at the music scene: the actress recorded a pop album when she was younger, including a single release in 2008.

In an interview with US Weekly Hayden admits that she would love to record a country record someday. She said:

“I always said that if I was going to go back to music, I would do Country. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

There is no official confirmation from Hayden on if she really will be recording a country album. What do you think? After Jana Kramer has successfully transitioned from actress on One Tree Hill to a country music career, do you think Hayden can too?

Hayden Panettiere’s “Telescope” Released on iTunes

Jennifer Swirsky — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:33:02 +0000

ABC’s “Nashville” starlet, Hayden Panettiere, who portrays a young country music superstar, is making her fictional on-screen role a reality. During the second episode of “Nashville” (which aired last week on October 17), Hayden’s character, Juliette Barnes, performed a song entitled “Telescope.” ABC has released Hayden’s version of “Telescope” to iTunes as the first single from the new primetime drama.

To purchase your copy of “Telescope,” click here.

REVIEW: Nashville – Sometimes Good Intentions Don’t Come Across So Well

Jennifer Swirsky — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:22:05 +0000

This seemed to be the theme of the second episode of the show that has created quite a buzz, ABC’s Nashville. The second episode began with Hayden Panettiere‘s character, Juliette Barnes, taking over the streets of Nashville, literally, as she filmed a music video that has Laura Bell Bundy “Giddy On Up” style choreography, mixed with the naughtiness of Christina Aguilera back in her “Dirrty” days. And, of course, stuck in the traffic caused by Juliette is Rayna Jaymes, former country starlet who is trying to breathe new life back into a career that her record label believes is dwindling. Naturally, seeing the young vixen create such a stir is a point of contention for Rayna, as she still tries to work through the abominable idea her record label suggested — that she open for a songstress that, age-wise, she could have given birth to herself.

We all know that Rayna is highly opposed to opening for Juliette, and if we know it, so does her record label. So, instead, they have proposed that Rayna hit the road with Deacon, her former love of eleven years, in an attempt to sell-out small venues. Now, this sounds like a great idea, except the last time these two hot and talented stars were on tour, they were dating, a la Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Remember, Rayna is married (perhaps somewhat unhappily, as her husband is dabbling in her father’s profession, politics, which she loathes) and, ironically, Deacon has been seen galavanting around Nashville with Juliette Barnes herself. Rumor has it they are just writing music together, but other Nashvillians have spotted the two canoodling in the process. When Rayna agrees to tour with Deacon and attempt to get a bite of her previous success, Deacon turns into somewhat of a tug-of-war rope between Rayna and Juliette. Rayna is married; she shouldn’t care what Deacon does in his free time. However, when the two hit the stage of The Bluebird and sing the same song they sang in the same place twenty years ago, it is obvious there is still an undeniable chemistry between Rayna and Deacon. And Juliette, a member of the audience, clearly notices it as well. She is seen with tears streaming down her face and quickly exits the venue.

So, what good intentions didn’t come across so well? Juliette gifting a $50,000 guitar to Deacon…Is it a thank you for helping her write music? Is it a gift to reel him in on a personal level? Rayna appeared at her husband’s political event. Of course, it turns into a bitter battle between she and her father. And who can forget the “socialites” who, likely having good intentions, tried to schmooze with Rayna and compliment her career, only to make her realize how much she has gone adrift? I mean, her album ISN’T available at Starbucks?! *gasp* Also, in a whole other story line, Scarlett, girlfriend of small local band member, Avery, keeps “hush” about an offer she received to pen music for a big act with Gunnar. Scarlett kept it a secret from Avery, who has been trying to break into music for years, not wanting to hurt him, but we all know that keeping secrets causes more hurt once the lid is off the jar.

The mystery of the evening, as there is always something that cliff-hangs us and makes us want to tune into the show next week…Well, other than Rayna stating to Deacon that performing their old song was a bad idea (because obviously she felt something for him in the moment), Rayna’s husband, Teddy, was seen throwing papers into a fire at their Nashville home. Our prediction is that Teddy was going to serve Rayna with divorce papers because their lives are moving in such separate directions, but after Rayna made a cameo at the political gathering, Teddy reconsidered and disposed of those papers before anybody could figure out his intentions.

Make sure to tune in next week to see what goes on behind the scenes in the city that oozes music. We are sure it’s bound to be an hour of great songs, dramatic twists and turns, and confusion in the romance department.

Did you enjoy the music you heard in this episode of Nashville? If so, check out the list of songs below:

“Little Lie” (Performed by Lindi Ortega)

“I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)” (Performed by Gunnar)

“Matchbox Blues” (Performed by Deacon)

“No One Will Ever Love You” (Performed by Rayna and Deacon)

“Telescope” (Performed by Juliette)

“A Twist of Barbwire” (Performed by Avery)

“Undermine” (Performed by Deacon and Juliette)

“See It For Yourself” (Sugar & the Hi Lo’s)

“Baby We Were Young” (Dirty Guvnahs)

“Only the Lonely Talkin’” (Danielle Peck)

“Bad Thing” (King Tuff)

“If I Wanted Someone” (Dawes)

“Hail Hail” (Shovels & Rope)

VIDEO: Nashville on ABC

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:02 +0000

ABC has just announced that they’re adding a brand-new drama to its lineup this Fall. “Nashville” follows the story of country singer Rayna, played by Connie Britton, who is trying to save her declining career. She has been forced to open up the tour for new up-and-coming singer Juliett Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere, and the conflict begins. Take a look at the trailer for the new show, which was filmed right in Nashville, and let us know what you think about a drama being based around Music City:

“Nashville” is Coming to ABC

Nicole Piering — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:11:02 +0000

With ABC upfronts in full-swing today and country music stars like Reba & Jennifer Nettles invading the network, ABC has announced a new fall drama centered around the goings-on of a country music legend and an up-and-coming crossover artist.

Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”) plays Rayna James, an accomplished country legend whose popularity is on the decline, while Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”) plays Juliette Barnes, a new artist determined to take over the country charts. In an attempt to benefit both careers, Rayna’s record label pairs her with Juliette for a co-headlining tour, and from there, the drama ensues. Will Juliette be able to steal Rayna’s spotlight?

Look for Rayna’s wealthy, powerful and estranged father to add to the drama by helping Rayna’s husband, Teddy, seek a chance at the mayorship of Nashville against his wife’s wishes.

Produced by Callie Khouri (writer of “Thelma & Louise”), R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) & Steve Buchanan, look for “Nashville” to take viewers inside the world of country music and all of its entanglements, ranging from touring and romance to politics and familial drama.

Check out the trailer below and be sure to let us know what you think! Will you be tuning in to “Nashville”?