Taylor Swift Named Most Charitable Celebrity of 2014
Taylor Swift has been named the most charitable celebrity of 2014 by DoSomething.org.
The 25-year-old superstar released her first-ever official pop album, ’1989,’ in October, and she donated all of the proceeds from one of the songs, ‘Welcome to New York,’ to the New York City Public Schools, landing her at the top of the list for the third consecutive year.
According to the organization’s website, “DoSomething.org makes the world suck less. The largest org for young people and social change, our 3 million members tackle campaigns that impact every cause, from poverty to violence to the environment to literally everything else. Any cause, anytime, anywhere.”
They determine their annual list of celebrity do-gooders through a three-part method that includes votes and nominations from the public, the celebrities’ STARmeter ranking on Internet Movie Database and input from the Celebs Gone Good Advisory Committee, which comprises movers and shakers from across the spectrum of celebrity journalism.
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George Strait, Luke Bryan Among Top Touring Acts of 2014
Country music has never been hotter in terms of mainstream visibility, and the year-end touring numbers for 2014 offer more proof.
StubHub have released their list of the biggest-selling concerts of the year, and two of country’s biggest stars placed near the very top. George Strait‘s farewell date of the Cowboy Rides Away Tour placed at No. 2, while Luke Bryan came in at No. 3.
Strait’s tour played enormous venues in every market, but the final night of the tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas drew such huge numbers to the online ticket vendor that it outsold the next two acts in line — concerts from Bryan and Justin Timberlake — combined, drawing $18 million in total ticket sales.
“I don’t think we realize how huge country music is,” StubHub lead rep Glen Lehrman tells Ad Week. “Traditionally, we think of pop music as the one that is going to drive the most interest in ticket sales — your Beyonce, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga. George Strait didn’t do that many dates, but his last concert ever was by far one of the biggest events we had in 2014.”
Farewell tours and reunion tours drew very well overall in 2014.
“There’s a nostalgia factor,” Lehrman observes. “If you look at Cher, the audience that goes to see her is the Baby Boomer audience. Her ticket prices are higher that many others, but her fans don’t mind because they have the most means. Backstreet Boys and New Edition are appealing to moms in their 30s and 40s. It’s an excuse for a night out.”
Lehrman is hopeful that 2015 will be an even bigger year for touring acts, with major tours from Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Bryan and many more.
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Krystal Keith to Star in Her Own TV Show?
Toby Keith‘s daughter Krystal may be coming to television.
The country superstar tells Country Countdown USA that Krystal — who released her first full-length solo album in 2013 — is in talks for a television show, and he has some strong ideas about how to film it.
“There are some TV production people taking her to LA. They’re trying to cast her in a television show,” he tells host Lon Helton. “They don’t know what they want to do, but I told them they should do her and her girlfriends, backstage, go to each concert, show people what it’s like in each city, then everybody come back to the dressing room, introduce a new song, keep it around music, but do young girls having fun, let’s rock!”
Krystal was on the road with her famous father last year, so he’s had a firsthand look at her professionalism.
“It was great!” he says. “She fits right in, she’s been on the road her whole life. She was walking out there on her own when she was three.”
Keith adds, “She’s had a mind of her own the whole way. That’s what they’re casting her on TV, everybody from CMT to wherever she’s been has said she needs to be in front of the camera. So they’re looking at all kinds of shows. There needs to be something to it when people say that. If you can break through those people, you can break through the critical mass.”
Read More: Krystal Keith to Star in Her Own TV Show? | http://tasteofcountry.com/krystal-keith-tv-show/?trackback=tsmclip
CMT All-Time Top 40: Artist’s Choice
http://www.cmt.com/music/top-40/