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‘Nashville’, Episode 19 – RECAP

Juliette and Rayna are both nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMA’s during this episode. For both it comes as a surprise; Juliette trying to pick up the pieces financially and emotionally after Dante’s betrayal and Rayna involved in post-coital bliss with Deacon. Juliette doesn’t want a scandal to get out about Dante’s fraud to further ruin her reputation so doesn’t involve the police, instead re-focusing herself on campaigning for the CMA award. As Marshall refuses to have the label back her more than Rayna (he wants equal backing), Juliette takes it on herself, planning every last detail of packages sent to the members and outfits for the nominations show that night.

Stressed out and devastated about Dante, she begins drinking quite early in the day and carries on constantly (from finding out he bought an engagement ring) until she is helped, wrecked, onto her sofa for bed by her bodyguard. At the nominations show, Deacon quits as bandleader on a drunken Juliette, who enlists Avery to aid her performance of ‘Used’, a different song to the one agreed with the label. She later tries to take him home after a heart-to-heart but he refuses. Jolene looks after her daughter late that night, until they get a call from Dante, who threatens the release of a ‘tape’.

Rayna is worried about her new relationship with Deacon, wanting to take it slow. Tandy warns her sister about the all-or-nothing aspect of their relationship, and Teddy yells at Rayna to break it off when he finds out she’s with him. Coleman advises Deacon to get back with Stacey, but Deacon instead breaks it off with her. She’s devastated and angry and takes Sue the dog with her (nooo!). However, now with the issue of paternity on her mind, Rayna freaks out meeting Deacon backstage at the nominations show, and, furious that’s she’s still keeping secrets from him, Deacon storms out on her. Later, when Rayna is getting into a taxi, he jumps in too out of the blue, and tells her that it doesn’t matter whether she tells him what’s on her mind or not, because they love each other and should be together. Rayna cries, cue cute scene. Later they sing an old song they wrote together, and Deacon professes his wish that they’d stayed together originally, because they could have had a family of their own. Rayna feels guilty.

Meanwhile Coleman rejects Tandy’s proposition of alliance and resigns from Deputy Mayor, knowing that Teddy, Tandy and Lamar’s in-fighting will bring them down, and then he can step up to the plate as Mayor. Teddy is trying to reconnect with his daughter, who resents him and doesn’t want to go to the father-daughter dance with him at her school. They end up going (she looks amazing!!), and eventually she enjoys it, breaking down some walls between the two of them.

Gunnar is being frosty towards Will, but won’t tell Scarlett why. He also won’t play Scarlett his new song ‘Gun For A Mouth’, as she knows she’ll be angry at him for stealing his brother’s song to record a demo. When he goes to record, the producer isn’t interested in any of his own ballads, instead preferring the dark Jason-penned lyrics that Gunnar passes off as his own. Scarlett gets an invite to the nominations party and Will goes with her, using the opportunity to introduce her to industry people and also push his music on Rayna! Later Scarlett hears Gunnar’s demo, but discovers it’s Jason’s song, and is shocked at her boyfriend.

‘Nashville’ episode 20 airs tonight on ABC at 10/9c. Next week is the season finale (and Nashville got renewed for a season 2!) so strap yourselves in folks!

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

‘Nashville’, Episode 18 – RECAP

So, after 3 weeks of waiting, last week’s episode was worth it, wasn’t it? Here’s a recap:

Juliette wants to go house hunting with Creepy Dante, because the owners are coming back to her current place. They go looking and find a house Juliette decides upon. Jolene continues to show up claiming that she saw Dante kissing another woman, but apparently he was just speaking to the woman handling the real estate. Juliette checks out her mother’s claims but still believes her boyfriend. When she finds drugs in Jolene’s bag she sends her back to rehab, but upon inspection realizes they’re the ones she’s allergic to and realizes Dante must have planted them. However, when Juliette tries to contact him, he’s fleeced her of $475,000 from her corporate account, and skipped town with the real estate woman. Juliette doesn’t want to call the cops on him because she doesn’t want another scandal.

Rayna decides to get together with Liam to work on their half-finished album, and they end up making out (there’s a lot of random uncalled for making out in this show). Liam asks her to go to St Lucia on a long weekend and she agrees. However, after seeing the two of them on stage Deacon gets jealous and Stacey asks him if he still has feelings for Rayna. He admits it and they have a fight. Deacon explains the situation to Rayna but she leaves with Liam, returning to Deacon’s house two hours later to tell him she loves him. They end up sleeping together.

Rayna is reconnecting with her father who decides that because Tandy told Teddy about Peggy she has betrayed him. Tandy forms an alliance with Coleman, advising him to look into Teddy’s past to bring him down. Teddy and Coleman are going forth with the Subway Field deal, but Lamar’s company will still get money from it with their metro contracts. Teddy decides to shut down all of them, and also breaks off his relationship with Peggy after finding out she leaked the information about the divorce. Deacon is also becoming increasingly frustrated with Juliette’s behaviour and decides to quit working for her after that leg of the tour.

Scarlett is worried about the increasing gap in her relationship with Gunnar, and in her meeting with Rayna asks her if Gunnar can join her in her music career. Rayna agrees, but when Scarlett tells him he refuses because he’s beginning to enjoy playing music by himself, after Will gives him some tips on working the crowd. He gets girls’ numbers and an offer from a producer to lay down a demo, on the back of a song his brother wrote. Chilling out after the show, Will and Gunnar have a heart-to-heart and Will misjudges the situation and kisses Gunnar (!!!), who tells him to leave. Scarlett and Avery reconnect backstage at a show, as he is attempting to go back to his old self.

Episode 19 airs tonight on ABC at 10/9c. Come back next Wednesday for my recap!

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

‘Nashville’, Episode 17 – RECAP

It’s been another 3 weeks without Nashville in our lives everyone. I am little less emotionally fulfilled for it, and I’m sure you are too. Luckily for us, it’s back tonight (tonight!!!) so to remind ourselves of what’s happened leading up to this point, let’s have a little recap, shall we?

Lamar has had a heart attack, and is in hospital. Rayna decides to cancel her sold-out show in New York to go back to Nashville and be with her family. Lamar hates being vulnerable and refuses to accept that he needs to rest and let Tandy handle things. Watty White drops by to lend support but when Lamar tries to escape the hospital he sees him and freaks out, shouting. Watty explains to Rayna that he was her mother’s musician ‘friend’, and that when her mother was killed in a car crash, she was leaving Lamar for him. Later Lamar has another heart attack while sleeping, and he remains unconscious for the rest of the episode. Rayna is left to watch him, and she calls Deacon and leaves a voicemail to let him know what’s going on. He decides to go visit her, prompting Rayna to mull over some things and speak some honest truths to her unconscious father, who opens his eyes before the episode ends. Managing the business, Tandy finds out from Lamar’s advisors that Peggy was the one who leaked the lies about the divorce to the press, and she tells Teddy.

Trace Adkins dresses up as a caveman for Celebrity Apprentice ... why am I not watching this show?

I've never watched a single episode of "Celebrity Apprentice," but I'm thinking I really should start ... like right this minute!

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the above picture tonight of Trace Adkins dressed up as someone who could totally fulfill my embarrassing Flintstones fantasy.

Jr. said, "Yes this just happened  @TraceAdkins with @LilJon#CowboyCaveman http://t.co/YpeO2lmMtn

Looks like fun!

I won't give you any spoilers, like who was safe and who was sent home, but you can read Popwatch's recap for all that and more here.

Like what we're sharing? Keep up with all the fun by following NashvilleGab on Twitter,Facebook, or subscribe to our feed. If you have something you'd like to share, drop me a line at Shannon@NashvilleGab.com. 

‘Nashville’, Episode 16 – RECAP

Deacon’s getting domestic, having spent a month in the pocket of his new girlfriend, and when it comes to leaving to go back on tour, he invites Stacey to come with (and brings Sue the dog! Aww). Things are really awkward between them and Rayna, and Stacey only finds out from other people that Deacon has romantic history with both the tour headliners, but Rayna gives Deacon her blessing as she begins to realise she must let him move on. With all this in mind Deacon decides that he might decide not to tour from now on, instead settling down with Stacey and only playing local shows, as she hates life on the road.

Juliette is really stressed with the upcoming launch of her new single, but Dante is trying to keep her calm. It doesn’t stop Juliette from freaking out about Rayna’s huge billboard in Times Square, however, and she sets her sights on securing an equally lucrative advertising deal to boost the sales of her new album. Upon persuasion, Dante helps her, at the cost of doing therapy sessions with Jolene, who keeps getting fobbed off as the two get closer. Juliette is successful in her bid for a smartphone advertising deal, and she again persuades Dante to give into what he wants (her, when she’s trying to kiss him), making him give into temptation, which could bring him back into addiction. Jolene is feeling lonely and noting the huge gap that remains between her and her daughter, and to apologise Juliette dedicates a song to her mom while she’s playing a show.

Rayna is struggling to keep a hold on her daughters, who after seeing her life as a superstar, want to follow their music instead of continue at school. Rayna initially says no because she doesn’t want the industry to ruin them, but Tandy compares Rayna to her father not believing in her dreams, which prompts her to allow her daughters to perform the Lumineers’ ‘Ho Hey’ at soundcheck. The performance is overwhelmingly awesome, and gets the whole crew watching and clapping along.

Meanwhile Teddy is back at home having Peggy sleep in the family home, and after he and Coleman continuously reject Lamar’s attempts to control them and their plans for the city, Lamar approaches Peggy, revealing that he knows she leaked the info about the divorce to the papers. Peggy co-operates, and tries to convince Teddy that Lamar’s desired place for the stadium is the best. The episode ends with Lamar talking on the phone, and then choking and seemingly dying or passing out or something similar (cue awesome new storyline!).

It’s domestic bliss between Gunnar and Scarlett, until Scarlett’s contract with Edge Hill arrives for her to sign and it transpires that she hasn’t told Gunnar, although she’s been desperately trying to convince the label that they should sign the two of them together. Gunnar is furious, and the arrival of a new neighbour probably doesn’t help matters, as they have him over and it prevents the two from talking it out, instead staying in cold silence. Gunnar and the new neighbour begin jamming together, and Gunnar explains the situation to him, admitting it was his own fault. He later tells Scarlett she should sign the contract, even though she doesn’t want to, as he isn’t Avery and will support her no matter what.

Avery is struggling, as he’s about to be dropped from his publishing contract if he can’t get a record deal, and his ex-manager Marilyn has a monopoly on almost all the clubs and bars to play in town, so he can’t get a gig to support himself. He refuses to go home defeated to an unsupportive father when JT finds him playing for money on the street, but JT hands him information on a roadie job, pitying his poor position. JT is going back to Ohio, so it looks like he’s being written out for now. Avery goes to NY to be a roadie, and I figure he may end up on the Rayna/Juliette tour, and that would be nice and convenient!

‘Nashville’ Episode 17 airs tonight (April 10), on ABC at 10/9c. Catch my recap next Wednesday!

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

‘Nashville’, Episode 15 – RECAP

It’s been a long time since I’ve written one of these, hasn’t it? Damn you Nashville and your long breaks.

Deacon is struggling to look after his new dog that Juliette gifted him for his birthday. He takes it to the vet (who is new in town and hates country music) and ends up taking her back to his and sleeping with her. After a talk with Coleman, Deacon decides to start from the beginning, and asks the vet to go out with him on a proper date. Rayna is struggling to keep a hold on Maddie, who calls her a bitch when she doesn’t allow her to go shopping after school. Rayna grounds her daughter, but Maddie slips past Teddy and goes with her friends to a gig of Juliette’s, which she has invited ‘the world’ to after being frustrated with the label’s marketing plan. Unfortunately, things don’t go to plan after crowd pushing means Maddie is hurt and Deacon rushes in to rescue her and take her to the hospital.

Rayna and Teddy go to the hospital and all Rayna’s fury is directed at her soon-to-be ex-husband, who in fairly assy fashion absolutely refuses to let Rayna see their wounded daughter after the hospital visit because it’s ‘his weekend’. Rayna screams at Juliette over the phone and then persuades Teddy to let her see Maddie, before she gives her daughter her first guitar, telling her to vent her frustrations in songwriting. Rayna also takes her wedding ring off in this episode.

Kellie Pickler splits on "Dancing With The Stars"

Is anyone else impressed by someone over the age of 25 who can do the splits?

Heck, I don't think I was able to do the splits when I was 5 let alone 25. Then again, maybe I'm just easily impressed. 

The contestants on last night's prom-themed "Dancing With The Stars" shimmy and shook in their best formal wear and Kellie Pickler impressed the judges once again with a lively jive.

You could tell Kellie was nervous about her dance, but ended up with the night's highest score with a 25. 

Unfortunately, Wynonna Judd's samba failed to impress and she scored the evening's low score with a 15.

Check out the two country ladies' prom-themed dances below. 

Kellie

Wynonna

Is The Star of TV’s ‘Nashville’ Autotuned?

Ever since ‘Nashville’ hit our screens back in October, and Connie Britton opened her mouth to sing as country music legend Rayna James, a question at the back of my mind has repeatedly nagged. Is she autotuned? Having studied popular music at college, I’ve heard many examples of autotune, and alarm bells ring for me everytime she ‘performs’. On a technical basis, no-one with an ounce of knowledge of how recordings are put together could deny that there are edits made to Connie’s vocals. They are shrouded in reverb and ethereal atmosphere, not a natural sound for someone who is supposed to represent the more ‘traditional’ wares of country. But the problem is with a sound like this is that it sounds worryingly close to autotune.

I also noticed that in interviews, when asked about a potential country music career, Connie tends to rigorously nod, but she seems unsure of it herself. Then there’s the fact that many of the actors from ‘Nashville’ have appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, almost as proof of their musical talent and a way for the show to be accepted by more of the anti-commercial purists among country fans. Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson, Hayden Panettiere and Lennon & Maisy Stella have all performed on the legendary stage since they acted and sung their way into the nations’ hearts on TV. But Connie? Not one appearance.

In addition, after rumors of a Nashville tour, instantly Connie and Hayden were ruled out, Hayden claiming stagefright for her reason for declining. So what does all this translate to? Hayden’s character Juliette is famously made a joke of among her character’s management for being autotuned when she doesn’t know it. However, she is regularly talked about by the cast of the show as being a great singer (including Connie, interestingly), and she sounds far less autotuned, although there could be a hint of it involved. It may be the production used, but all the other characters’ recordings tend to sound a lot more ‘live’ and ‘real’ than Connie’s or Hayden’s, which are covered and embraced by production effects. Having said that, as Hayen has performed live at the Opry, she can officially be ruled out of this equation. I trust they haven’t attempted to edit it live (which is perfectly possible and occurs regularly in pop music).

But even if Connie is autotuned, at least to some degree, on one level what does it matter? She is there to act and the musical parts are a bonus. Most shows would get real singers to dub over. But for me, and for a lot of other people, it ruins the premise of the show. The reason why the show works so well is that is has an element of believability, it feels like it could well be real. If the actors are truly singing and playing their performance recordings, it enhances the effect of the characters and blurs the line between fantasy and reality, thereby creating a larger false sense of disbelief that viewers enter into when they watch the show. If it were to become official that the big star of ‘Nashville’ couldn’t really sing, or at least not well enough to be recorded without help, I imagine some just wouldn’t be as interested. We want to feel like the show could almost be real, that it could almost be a reflection of the real country music industry, and these comparisons fascinate us. This is why the show is so successful. In addition, by choosing an actress who can’t sing, they are thereby undermining the music in favor of the drama, and this may not go down well with those within the industry or fans.

So why, if this is true, did the casting directors choose an actress that couldn’t sing? Well, she’s fairly well-known, and she puts across the character perfectly. What’s wrong with a little editing in the studio that nobody knows about? There’s already fakery involved in the construction of a false world and false characters who do not exist.

But, I still want Connie to be able to sing, just like everyone else. I want it so badly. I want to be proved wrong. But until I hear her sing live, I will continue to be proved right.

And that fundamentally bothers me.

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

‘Nashville’, Episode 14 – RECAP

This episode Juliette decides to plan a birthday party for Deacon, particularly after she hears that he prefers not to celebrate them, and instead sit at home and watch Old Yeller every year. Huge numbers of people in the industry decide to turn out for the event at the Bluebird, including Pam Tillis and Vince Gill, and Juliette enlists the help of Scarlett to get Deacon to the venue under false pretences. However, this isn’t all that’s on Juliette’s plate, as Jolene has moved in with her, and her recovery counsellor, Donate, is hanging around a lot and asking Juliette to get involved. Juliette is more interested in planning the party for Deacon.

Meanwhile Rayna is back at home for a month (Teddy seems to have moved out) and she hopes to have some time to get herself together before the press find out that Teddy has filed for divorce. However, it’s made its way into a trashy magazine and everyone knows, including the false information that Rayna has been having an affair with both Deacon and Liam. Maddie doesn’t quite believe her mom and neither do the press, photographers hounding Rayna and her family everywhere. Tandy redeems herself as a character in this episode, as soon as Rayna tells her of the divorce she comes with her sister everywhere she goes, and generally looks after her. She wants to hole up at home and write until everything passes over, but is furious when she finds out that Teddy has employed Peggy Kenter as his financial consultant, in order to mask their affair. Lamar tries to push his suggestions of Deputy Mayor on Teddy, who refuses them, and in a twist offers it to Coleman, who accepts.

‘Nashville’, Episode 13 – RECAP

Rayna falls apart a bit this week, after Teddy’s announcing that he wants a divorce. She is terrified of telling her daughters in the knowledge that it’ll ruin their childhoods. Struggling to keep going with the tour, it just so happens that Liam is staying in the same hotel, and during a post-show party he turns up to he shows his concern for Rayna. He offers to help her forget her troubles and so Rayna goes off to a bar with him to get drunk and dance. A few shots down the line she spills all the things that are going on in her life, and after being spotted by a couple of elderly fans they decide to go back to the hotel. Liam kisses her outside his hotel room and even though Rayna stops it and freaks out at her cheating, Liam persuades her it’s okay. She follows him inside his room, clearly under the knowledge they’ll sleep together and she appears very nervous at commiting adultery. Heading to the bathroom, she ends up crying, and when Liam goes looking for her they sit down and have a heart to heart. It doesn’t seem like they sleep together, but when the next morning comes and Rayna is hungover, Deacon spots them in the hotel lobby chatting and giggling together and, expecting the worst, he snaps at her getting into the tour bus, clearly feeling betrayed after his kiss with Rayna in the previous episode.