Stay Tuned

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 31, 2015 2 By Jacqui Wiens TV Media N ashville has certainly earned its nickname of "Music City" over the years, producing a breathtak- ing number of (primarily coun- try music) artists and hosting numerous festivals and con- ventions throughout the year. At the start of June, Nashville residents were treated to a jam-packed few days of music, including the CMT Awards on June 10, the Concert for Love and Acceptance — organized by gay singer Ty Herndon and GLAAD — on June 12 and, serving as the backdrop to it all, the CMA Music Festival which ran from June 11 to 14. The CMA Music Festival had an unprecedented level of suc- cess this year, setting atten- dance records with more than 87,000 fans attending both paid and free shows each day across the festival's 11 stages. Tickets to the event sold out seven months ahead of time, but country music fans who weren't able to score a seat will have a chance to experi- ence the excitement from their own living rooms when the condensed "CMA Music Festi- val: Country's Night to Rock" special airs Tuesday, Aug. 4, on ABC. Launched as Fan Fair in 1972, the first event attracted just 5,000 people, but saw in- creased success at the second annual Fan Fair when it dou- bled attendance numbers. A decade later, the fair relocated to the Tennessee State Fair- grounds, and, in 2001, it changed from having a single location to several stages throughout downtown Nash- ville. The festival was rebrand- ed three years later, dropping the familiar Fan Fair in favor of a more brand-friendly title. With approximately 500 acts performing over the course of four days, capturing the entire festival experience would have been impossible, but producers have gathered and edited the footage down to bring the best of the best acts to the small screen. Among the featured artists are Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line and hosts Little Big Town. This year marks the third time that Little Big Town has hosted the "CMA Music Festi- val" TV special. Band members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet have gotten pretty adept at handling what is definitely a challenging task for people who don't host a special on a regular basis. "It's so different from what we normally do," Schlapman said in an interview with "Peo- ple" magazine. "We can sing and put on a show all day long, but when we have to in- terview someone, that's a dif- ferent skill set. It really gives you an appreciation for that job!" The band — which has a Grammy to its name, is the reigning CMA Award Vocal Group of the Year and holds a lot of other accolades — puts in a lot of work to get ready for the gig, but as Sweet admitted to "People," sometimes all the prep work in the world can be for naught when you get right down to it. "We prepare as much as we can, but it's different every year," he said. "You never know what's going to happen, but that's what makes it fun. We love the spontaneity of it. We just roll with it and try not to mess up." As well as hosting and per- forming, Little Big Town also had a lot of other duties to jug- gle during the event, taking part in a bit of community out- reach. During the band's sound check, young students in the Notes for Notes pro- gram dropped in to watch and meet the group. Robynwood Home 2 x 2 coverstory Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town perform at the 2015 CMA Music Festival A little bit country Little Big Town returns to host annual CMA Music Festival special By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: When is the new season opener of "Gotham" going to start? Also, when do we get to see new episodes of "Empire"? A: The answer is the same for both shows, and it's a good news/bad news situation for impatient fans. The two Fox dramas, both going into their second seasons, won't return until the fall. That may feel like a long way away, but both (technically) premiere earlier than they did in their first seasons. It's only a technicality for "Gotham," which premieres on Sept. 21 this year, a day earlier than last year's debut. It still airs on Mondays, though, so the advance in date is really just due to the imperfection of our solar calendar, with its messy leap- day system, rather than an actual scheduling shift. It's a significant change for "Empire," though, which de- buted as a winter replacement show on Fox's schedule. Its promotion to the fall schedule is a reflection of its huge success. It nearly doubled its ratings from its first episode, which drew 9.9 million viewers, to its most recent, which drew 17.6 million. Q: Is Crocodile Dundee based on a real person? A: Paul Hogan's loveably unpolished Crocodile Dundee character, the centerpiece of the Oscar-nominated 1986 film of the same name, and its somewhat disappointing 1988 sequel (not to mention its totally forgotten third installment, 2001's "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles"), is indeed based on a real guy. His story is a lot less comedic, though. Rodney Ansell's story is more like a tragedy, and not only for him. He was a hero in 1977, when he survived for nearly two months on a deserted, crocodile-infested island, after his boat capsized nearby. He ceased to be a hero when, in 1999, he died in a shootout with police, after going on a gun rampage that left one officer dead. The official reports after his death said that he'd long been addicted to various drugs, which drove him to the para- noia that led to his violent spree on Aug. 2, 1999. This, of course, was more than a decade after "Crocodile Dundee" became a worldwide hit. Hogan, who starred in the film and wrote the script, was inspired by Ansell's autobiogra- phy, "To Fight the Wild," in which he said that the isolation of his ordeal on the island didn't bother him, except that he missed the company of women. Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Fly Creek General Store 1 x 6 Brandon's Feed & Seed 2 x 2 299793 Hours: Mon-Sat6am-9pm;Sun7am-7pm 607-547-7274 ROASTBEEF HORSEY MELT $ 7. 69 300213 ETHANOLFREE BUFFALOCHICKEN $ 6. 79 WRAP GAS Freshfrom theBrewery 4119StateHighway7 Oneonta,NY13820 Phone:607-432-3884 www.brandowsfeedandpet.com Monday-Friday:8am-6pm Saturday:8am-5pm Sunday:9am-4pm Triump Peanut Butter 3.5 oz Dog Treat Birds•Equine•Home&Garden•Pets 302855 until August 14th! FREE with any purchase

• Cover