After career success, Chenoweth is ready for love (AP)

NEW YORK – Broadway? Check. TV? Check. Films? Check. Music? Books? Check those, too.

Professionally speaking, Kristin Chenoweth is at the top of her game. This year alone, in one week, she sang for President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and Oprah Winfrey, she said in an interview last week with The Associated Press.

Recently added to that list was a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, which Chenoweth said tickled her Southern relatives.

"If I leave my mark on this world, hopefully people will say, `Wow, she did a lot of different things,'" Chenoweth said.

But the one thing the 43-year-old Chenoweth says is missing from her list of accomplishments is finding Mr. Right and settling down.

"I want to be married. I feel finally ready for that," she said. "Possibly (becoming) a mom someday, even if it's to animals. My goals might be different than doing all these amazing career things. I think the next chapter will be focusing more on my personal life."

On that note, Chenoweth said she can relate to a song by Dolly Parton called "Sacrifice."

"She talks about how much she's given up. She's given up relationships, being home with her family, missing out with her husband, not having a child, all of that I can relate to," Chenoweth said. "So, maybe this second chapter in my life will be different in that way. But, I'll always sing. Whoever that man is, He's got to accept that music is like my arms. I can't live without (them)."

Chenoweth's latest music endeavor is a country music album called "Some Lessons Learned," released last week.

She moved to Nashville for a couple of months to record the album. Chenoweth, who won a Tony in 1999 for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," said there are similarities between country music and theater.

"They're both story and character driven," she said. "So of course I like both."

Up next for Chenoweth is the TV show "Good Christian Belles." Think: "Desperate Housewives" but in the Bible Belt.

The ABC show, which doesn't yet have a premiere date, is about five Christian women living in Texas.

Chenoweth, a Christian, said there's a misconception about Christianity: "that we don't have any problems, we really judge people harshly." But she said her character is actually the villain on the show.

"She's a very judgmental woman. She stirs it up and then prays for everybody," Chenoweth said. "So these are the characters I grew up with."

Chenoweth also made waves as April Rhodes, a boozy former glee club star on the hit Fox show "Glee." The role earned her two Emmy nominations. If she's invited back and her schedule allows, she said she'd like to reprise the role.

"(The character) is a very fun train wreck. Couldn't be more dissimilar to myself," she said. "And she likes her box of wine. Who can't relate to that?"

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Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her at _http://www.twitter.com/aliciar.

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Brad Pitt is ready to go "Gray" for New Regency (Reuters)

By Joshual L. Weinstein Joshual L. Weinstein – Tue Aug 16, 1:50 am ET

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Brad Pitt is negotiating to become "The Gray Man" for New Regency, TheWrap has confirmed.

He'd play Court Gentry, a CIA agent-turned-assassin who's famous in the shadowy world of covert operations but is now targeted by mysterious forces. As he tries to dodge the forces who are out to get him, he has to save the lives of daughters he didn't know existed.

The movie is based on Mark Greaney's novel.

James Gray is set to direct. Adam Cozad wrote the script. Plan B and Dede Gardner are producing with Stephen Garrett of Shine.

Pitt's "World War Z" is filming now.

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Kid ready to Rock Detroit baseball park in August (AP)

DETROIT – Kid Rock stormed a Detroit riverfront beach with friends by paddleboard Thursday to announce a hometown concert at the city's baseball park this summer.

Rock, Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom and retired Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios used paddleboards to cross the Detroit River to Belle Isle. A bare-footed Rock then strolled to a beachfront microphone and lectern and said during a news conference that he'd be playing Comerica Park Aug. 12 with opening act Sammy Hagar and the Wabos.

The hit-making rocker said he decided to combine both activities after Chelios called him a day earlier and asked if he wanted to go paddleboarding

"I thought it was just a good way to showcase Detroit, Belle Isle," Rock said of his water-based arrival plan on the island park in the river that separates Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. "Come out with some friends. Let everybody know that Comerica Park's coming with Sammy Hagar. Everybody wins, right?

"I brought some beers for everybody here."

Rock, who was born Robert Ritchie and grew up in and lives in suburban Detroit, is known for dabbling in a variety of musical styles, from hip-hop and hard rock to country and Southern rock. He counts as his biggest hits "Picture," "All Summer Long," "Bawitdaba" and "Born Free."

Thursday's news came on the heels of an announcement that Rock will be going out on the second leg of his "Born Free" tour, which kicks off July 2 in Cincinnati.

He last played Comerica two years ago and performed a special birthday show at Ford Field, Detroit's NFL stadium, in January when he turned 40. He also recently accepted an award from the Detroit branch of the NAACP and held a news conference with Mayor Dave Bing at which he donated a total of $50,000 to five area charities.

Rock, during his beach press conference, worried his profile may be getting a bit too high in the Motor City.

"I should probably go away for a while," he said. "Sometimes you feel a little overexposed. People are getting sick of me."

Still, Rock said he's been in discussions to be the subject of a Comedy Central roast — if it's filmed in Detroit.

"I'm not going to go to L.A. or Las Vegas and get teased," he said. "If they come to Detroit and create some commerce here ... bring it on. I don't care."

Rock said Hagar signed on when the Red Rocker was told he would get the chance to take the stage alongside his friend from Detroit for at least a song or two.

"It's going to be one hell of a party," Hagar said via a statement sent to The Associated Press. "Detroit will never be the same."

Hagar is a longtime solo artist and has been a member of Montrose and Chickenfoot, but is best known as the former frontman for Van Halen. His best-selling memoir, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock," was released in March.

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Jewel ready to be a first-time, multi-tasking mom (AP)

By CAITLIN R. KING, Associated Press Caitlin R. King, Associated Press – Sun May 29, 1:04 pm ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jewel is gearing up for motherhood, and she's already learned to multi-task.

At age 37, the singer-songwriter expecting her first child — a boy — in July. She's hosting and judging the new Bravo TV show, "Platinum Hit," which premieres Monday, and she's releasing a new children's album in the fall.

Jewel married world champion bull rider Ty Murray in August 2008 after dating for about 10 years. The couple initially said they wanted to start a family right away, but ended up waiting a while.

"We were both real careful and kind of cautious about it. I think it sort of scared both of us," Jewel told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Jewel said they also wanted to make sure they both were at a point in their careers where they could step back and dedicate time to raising a child.

"We feel like it's great timing, even though we're a little older," said Jewel, who wrote and recorded a soothing album called "Lullaby" at her Stephenville, Texas, home while trying to get pregnant.

Her pregnancy in turn has inspired her to produce another children's album, "The Merry Goes `Round," due out in the fall.

"I wanted it to work on a lot of levels where infants would like it, and they could just bounce to the rhythm of a song, and then as they get older they could get into the storytelling aspect, and hopefully have them be well-crafted pop songs that a parent would like," she said.

Jewel knows how to create musical gems; she shot to fame in 1996 with her self-penned breakout hit, "Who Will Save Your Soul," and has had success in both the pop and country genres.

Jewel will now impart her knowledge to budding songwriters with Bravo's "Platinum Hit" along with head judge Kara DioGuardi.

The show features 12 diverse up-and-comers who are forced to compose everything from dance tracks to love ballads in high-pressure challenges. The winner gets $100,000, a publishing deal and a major-label contract.

"They're hit makers," said Jewel. "It's a very competitive field. One day they might be writing for Ke$ha. The next day they might be writing for Carrie Underwood. So you have to be able to be really versatile and really competitive on the radio format."

Jewel said the show, and its intensity, mimics real life, where writers often pair up to create songs for other artists.

"You have an A&R agent that comes to you and says you have until tomorrow to write a song for Britney Spears, and they tell 20 of the top writers that. So you have about two hours with your co-writer to try and get that done," she said.

Jewel, who is also partnering with canned food brand Libby's in a contest to help fans rewrite its jingle, actually wishes "Platinum Hit" had been around when she was starting out.

"I would've loved to compete on this show when I was young. Had I known you could be just a songwriter, didn't have to be a celebrity, I might have really thought about it," she said.

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Country's 'royal couple' ready to get hitched (AP)

By CAITLIN R. KING, Associated Press Caitlin R. King, Associated Press – Fri May 13, 5:26 pm ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The most anticipated wedding in the country music world this year doesn't involve a prince or a Middleton.

Country's royal couple, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, are tying the knot Saturday in Texas.

"I'm excited to get married," Lambert told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "It's been a year almost that we've been engaged. So I'm just sort of ready for it to get here."

Lambert has been getting in shape for the big day since before the Country Music Association Awards in November to avoid doing a crash diet.

"I've sort of been gradually working down, losing some weight and working out," Lambert said. "I definitely want to be a fit bride. So I'm just trying to keep myself in a good routine, a healthy routine."

Apparently, her cardio includes hunting. Lambert recently posted a picture of a deer meat package on Twitter, writing: "Last thing loaded for the wedding!!! Harvested by....me!!!!!" The couple plans to serve venison at the reception.

Lambert also tweeted that she was getting her nails done and making a final trip to Walmart — all reassuring Shelton she won't get cold feet.

"My hopes for the wedding is that she doesn't back out, because not only would it break my heart, but it's going to be a very expensive party to not have at least gotten married there," he told the AP. "But the music is going to be a lot of fun."

Neal McCoy will be performing, he said.

Lambert promised the wedding won't end like her music video for "White Liar," in which the bride confronts her cheating husband-to-be during the ceremony and leaves with the best man.

"No, I told him, if he wants to dump me at the altar, call me to decide, and we'll just have a party instead. Like don't do it at the altar, that's really bad," she said, laughing.

The only part of the video that will ring true is when her dad walks her down the aisle. Shelton called to ask his permission before he proposed last May near Lambert's home in Oklahoma.

"I don't think it was a shock to Rick," Shelton said. "It was just more of an emotional moment for he and I both."

Days later, Shelton was getting ready to celebrate his No. 1 song "Hillbilly Bone" at a party in Nashville when someone delivered a gift basket to his dressing room. The card read: "Congratulations! Happy for you" from another country music power couple: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

As their relationship blossomed over the past year, so did their careers. Shelton and Lambert are the reigning CMA male and female vocalists of the year. Lambert won a Grammy and multiple trophies at the Academy of Country Music Awards last month in Las Vegas. Shelton hosted the ACMs and was tapped to be a judge on NBC's high-profile singing competition "The Voice."

Lambert called their success a blessing but said they keep each other grounded.

"We're a really normal couple. We like to back road and hunt and fish. When we're home, we're not in that mode. We're not in work mode, but it's so great to have success together," she said.

"We're best friends, and I can't see myself with anybody else."

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Depp ready to keep sailing as 'Pirates' Captain Jack (AFP)

CANNES, France (AFP) – Johnny Depp said Saturday there was still plenty of life in Captain Jack Sparrow and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise for future sequels after its fourth instalment premiered at Cannes.

Depp said as long as the screenplays keep coming and his kids keep laughing at his rock-and-roll swashbuckler, he has no plans to lay down his sword.

"With Captain Jack I feel like there's much more to be had, much more fun to be had," the 47-year-old US actor said.

"As long as the stories, the scripts are great and you have directors like Rob Marshall we'll be in good shape," referring to the man at the helm of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".

"If you're surrounded by such a creative force, I think the possibilities are endless," he said. "As long as the people want to see it, I'm there."

Depp said Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who has a cameo role as Sparrow's father in the film, and the amorous French skunk of Loony Tunes cartoons Pepe Le Pew continued to provide the inspiration for Jack.

"I started out secretly testing characters on (my kids) to see how their reactions would be," he said.

"With my daughter we'd be playing Barbies and I'd try out these voices on her and she just say 'stop'," he joked. "They came to see the movie and I can tell by their reaction if I did alright. I haven't been fired by my kids."

He said that although the four "Pirates" movies had been a global box office juggernaut with $2.6 billion (1.8 billion euros) in ticket sales, studio executives had found Depp's jaunty take on the part strange at the start.

"In terms of what I was bringing to the table character-wise, let's say there wasn't a group of Disney upper echelon people who had any enthusiasm for it -- they almost subtitled me," he said.

Asked whether he was nervous about critical reaction, Depp gave a rakish smile.

"I've always feared the critics," he deadpanned. "They really scare me."

He said the cast, which includes for the first time Spanish Oscar winner Penelope Cruz, had worked hard not to lose the spark of the early films.

"We went out of our way to deliver something fresh. We sculpted it for the people with them in mind," he said. "So if they don't like it its their own fault," he joked.

Depp also revealed that he shared a trailer with rocker Richards during filming, an experience he described as "amazing".

"I may write a book about that myself one day," he said.

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Google Music finally ready to take on iTunes (Appolicious)

It finally happened -- Google officially announced its music service, Google Music, at its Google I/O conference in San Francisco today.

The Google Music Beta is cloud-based and is currently in an invite-only stage, and will be “free for a limited time,” according to Google’s announcement. The service runs on all Android devices and is basically a lot like iTunes, but based on the Internet, or like Amazon’s Cloud Player service.

From what we’ve learned so far, Google Music will allow users to upload their music to an online “digital locker” directory, where they can stream it to just about any device they own, including PCs and Android-running tablets and phones. Like Amazon’s services and those like it, it’ll mean users can stream music without taking up hard drive space on their devices, should they choose.

But Google Music isn’t cloud-exclusive, meaning it’ll operate offline as well. It works by allowing users to pick and choose what songs, artists or albums they’ll want available in offline mode, which basically tells the cloud to download those songs to your device so they’re physically stored on-hand. Music will also support user-created playlists, which will keep chosen songs ready for offline mode, and will sync with the cloud so they’re persistent across all your devices.

Music also features an iTunes-like feature called Instant Mix, which sounds a little like Apple’s Genius feature. Clicking on a song and telling Google to build an Instant Mix around it will make a playlist of similar tracks to match the listener’s mood, without a lot of management. It sounds a lot like the way Pandora works with its Internet radio stations, grouping like songs together and bringing them to the listener without a lot of input. One wonders how robust Instant Mix is likely to be -- for example, if it will support mixes built using multiple songs or artists, the way Pandora does.

The big questions now surround how Google will price and roll out the service for users. Amazon’s cloud service is technically free right now, to a point -- it dishes out 5GB of space to users without charging them anything, and users who purchase songs through Amazon get a gratis bump up to 20GB for the first year. Similar services, like mSpot, run on a model that’s a lot like that, charging subscription fees per month or year the way Amazon will after the Cloud Player has cooled off a little.

It sounds like Google’s setup will be similar, although being as big as it is, it’s in a great position to really undercut the competition. And while Amazon was able to get out ahead of Google on music in the cloud, Google is still beating Apple to the punch, which is a pretty big deal considering the steady forward progress Google has been making in the smartphone and tablet markets. Any advantage Google can make its own is good for the company, considering that it’s still playing catch-up with Apple in many respects. With Google Music, at least until Apple rolls out its own cloud service, Google gets to be on the offensive.

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