Category: Music

After weeks of anticipation, Dancing With the Stars is officially back in the ballroom, and Season 35 kicked off with an emotional two-night premiere. Among this season’s new celebrity dancers is actress Julia Stiles, who officially made her debut on Wednesday night alongside her professional partner, Ezra Sosa. For her first performance of the season, Stiles took on one of Dolly Parton’s most iconic songs, “9 To 5.”

For premiere week, the show gave each celebrity the challenge of choosing a chart-topping hit from the year they were born and Stiles opted for the 1980 tune from the country music icon’s catalog.

Prior to taking the stage, the 10 Things I Hate About You actress revealed that this felt like an especially meaningful way to kick off the season, considering the fact that Parton herself approved the show to use her original recording of “9 To 5” before she died in August.

“Tonight I am dancing to “9 To 5” by Dolly Parton. It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me. We got to make this theatrical. I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy and I want to make her proud,” Stiles stated.

She also noted that she us “truly obsessed” with the competition show and always secretly dreamed about being a part of it one day. However, Stiles clarified that she is not a professional dancer, and only played an aspiring ballerina turned hip-hop dancer in the 2001 film, Save the Last Dance.

The pair hit the dance floor with a vibrant quickstep, surrounded by a stage glowing in shades of pink. Stiles and Sosa also brought the glamour with sleek, champagne-colored costumes that matched the energy of the upbeat performance.

Stiles fulfilled her mission of embracing her theatrical side as she effortlessly shined with every step and kept a smile on her face through it all. She appeared to break out of her comfort zone as she matched the energy of Parton’s tune and delivered a performance that had both the crowd and judges on their feet.

When the performance came to an end, the audience gave the dancers a standing ovation while several people even wiped away tears as they became overcome with emotion over hearing Parton’s iconic voice fill the room.

Derek Hough was up first to share his thoughts from the judging panel.

“First of all, Julia, that was beautiful, graceful. You are absolutely beaming. I love to see it. I love to see it. For me, you have all that. The quick step, I just want you to take off the handbrake and move across this floor with a little more energy. It felt a little careful, a bit more gusto in the dances. So moving forward in those types of dances, the energy, I want a little bit more attack, a little more energy, but what a beautiful, fantastic dance. I love it,” he stated.

Next up, Bruno Tonioli praised Stiles for her effort in the “character-driven light comedy dance,” stating that she stayed in character and was “spot on all the way through.”

“You were playing a part and dancing beautifully, but…there is a drive that comes with a quick step. They say you should be like running on hot colds. It is that kind of feeling that flies across the floor. But I tell you, you’re a great actor and a great dancer,” he added.

Last but not least, Carrie Ann Inaba gave a rave review along with some constructive criticism.

“It was really clean and you’re very rating,” she admitted. “You’re very expansive when you perform and I like that. Your arm out of hold, sometimes just a little small. And sometimes I think you were trying to lean as opposed to extend…try thinking about extending, okay? And I think that will help you with that part.”

Just before hearing their scores, Julia Stiles once again shared how honored she was to get to perform to a song that Parton personally gave her blessing on, especially knowing what a legacy that the songstress left behind in the world.

“It was the first song we talked about. I wanted it so badly. We didn’t know that what was going to happen. She cleared it and I just feel so honored to honor Dolly. She’s such a powerhouse and the song is so great. It’s such an anthem and yeah, what a legend. She was great.”

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The pair earned three sixes from the judges, bringing their total to 18 out of 30 and placing them at the top of the leaderboard at the time of their performance. Fans then had the chance to vote for their favorite celebrities throughout the night and ultimately helped Stiles and Sosa advance to the next round of the competition.

Next week, they will return to the ballroom alongside their competitors who will perform once again with hopes of earning enough votes to move on in the competition and get one step closer to earning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy at the finale.

Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars will air new episodes weekly on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET/PT  live on ABC or streamed on Disney+.

The post Julia Stiles Dances To Dolly Parton’s ‘9 To 5’ On ‘Dancing With The Stars’ After Country Icon’s Approval appeared first on Country Now.

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Maddie Marlow Font has a lot to be excited for in this new chapter of her life. The singer announced on Wednesday, September 16, that she and her husband, Jonah Font, are expecting their second child, a baby girl. This news means that their 3-year-old son, Forrest, will take on the role of big brother early next year.  

The pregnancy comes just months after Font stepped away from the platinum-selling country music duo, Maddie & Tae, to begin pursuing music as a solo artist. She’s now preparing to release her first solo record and to welcome another baby into the world.

“I’m going to be popping out a baby and popping out my first solo record,” Font told PEOPLE. “I guess I’m just trying to do all the things.”

The happy news also came after an incredibly difficult few months for Font and her family as she revealed that she experienced an early miscarriage in March.

“It just really made me trust God’s timing and His ways and what He had in store for us.”

Not surprisingly, the loss proved difficult for the otherwise upbeat Font. “It took me a while to snap out of that sadness, because you’re just so excited and you’re dreaming up all the things,” she says. 

Font gave herself the space to grieve but ultimately knew she had to keep moving forward. At the same time, she was navigating the emotional experience of beginning to establish herself as a solo artist for the first time in years. She turned to her faith and her music as a way to get through the hard chapter.

“My faith has been strengthened to a different level. I’m in this new chapter of my life where I’m really having to trust my gut for the first time in my career and really fight for what I want and not settle, even if it’s going to take longer or make some people mad.”

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In May, she and Jonah learned they were expecting again and this time, it was a girl.

“We did like a little cake and cut into it, and it was a girl, and I swear my husband’s life flashed before his eyes,” Font joked. “He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have a daughter,’ which is so exciting, but just, like, different.”

One of the first people Font told about her pregnancy was her longtime friend and former Maddie & Tae bandmate, Tae Dye Kerr. The two happened to be together for a playdate with their kids on the same day Font found out she was pregnant, and Font says Kerr somehow knew before she even said a word.

“I just gave her this look, and she looked at me, and she’s like, ‘You’re pregnant.’ I was like, ‘Huh? I didn’t even say anything,’ and she was like, ‘I just know.’ It’s that soul sister connection, I guess,” Font recalled.

Amid all the excitement of the pregnancy, she released her debut solo single, “Drive Me Around,” and even filmed the music video while dealing with morning sickness and trying to keep her growing baby bump hidden.

Luckily, the Texas native says she has had incredible support from Kerr and her “rock solid” husband, who have both helped her navigate the ups and downs that she has faced this past year. The pair of artists might not be sharing the stage anymore, but Kerr still plays a big role in Font’s career as she has co-written a handful of songs on the upcoming solo record. 

“I have so many of Leighton’s clothes in my baby girl’s closet,” Font said of Kerr’s daughter. “I remember holding Leighton in so many of these outfits on tour. And now my baby girl’s going to be wearing [them]. It’s just such a magical, sweet time.”

Now that she is finally able to be open with the world about this next chapter, Font hopes her experience will encourage other female artists who want to pursue their careers while also building a family.

“I feel like in this business, especially with women, there’s this misconception that you can’t have a family and do this,” she admits. “I think there’s sacrifices on both ends, but I would just hope that newer artists or younger artists or just any female artist that has that dream of being a mom and doing this would just feel encouraged by my story in some way.”

The post Maddie Marlow Font And Husband Jonah Expecting Baby No. 2 appeared first on Country Now.

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Emily Ann Roberts and her husband, Chris Sasser, are opening up about one of the most commonly asked fan questions: When will they have kids?

The couple recently sat down for a new video on their Sasser House YouTube channel, where they answered “literally everything” fans wanted to know. From marriage advice and updates on their garden to their future plans, they didn’t shy away from getting honest with their viewers.

With their sixth wedding anniversary coming up on November 8, Emily and Chris explained that having children is something they’ve talked and prayed about for years. However, with Roberts’ career continuing to grow, they are still figuring out what that next chapter could look like for them.

The songstress, 27, is currently experiencing a major moment in her career. After earning her first ACM Awards nomination earlier this year, she recently landed her first CMA Awards nomination and is currently on the road supporting Thomas Rhett on his The Soundtrack To Life Tour. She is also set to join Cody Johnson for his UK tour later this year.

As more fans discover her music, Roberts is finally building significant momentum after more than a decade of hard work, and she credits much of that growth to the time and dedication she is able to pour into her career. With so much happening professionally, she admitted that now doesn’t feel like the right time to start a family.

“We knew we wanted to wait at least three years…well three years flew by. And now this November we will have been married six years. And we are having so much fun. We’re just having so much fun. And it’s not that kids wouldn’t make that even more fun because I know they would and we want them. But transparently, I have worked to get to the place that I’m at right now for, this is my 11th year pursuing music full-time. And God has started to bless us in ways that we always dreamed of.”

This year, Roberts and her team made the jump from touring in a van to traveling by tour bus, something the couple had always seen as a potential turning point for starting a family. However it didn’t take long for the bus to fill up with bandmates and crew members, meaning bringing a baby on the road could now require two buses instead of one.

“The thing is, I don’t want to stop. I don’t feel led to stop doing this for a living, but even more so as a calling, I feel like God has given me a message to share and a voice to use and it’s more than just a career to me. It’s something that I really feel called to do and so I don’t want to stop doing that,” she explained.

Roberts also shared that having kids right now could mean spending more time apart from them and Chris if she’s unable to bring her family on the road. When the time comes, she said it’s important to her to be a present mother and not miss out on those moments. The bottom line is, “it’s a lot to think about.”

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“Also, right now we’re able to treat our careers, and I say that plural, because Sasser House is a full-time job for Chris, like our children, and we give all of our time and attention to that. And when we have kids, we will need to give way more time and attention to them.”

Chris added, “We’ve Talked about it a bunch and prayed about it. I know that we want kids. We’re both on the same page about that…We do know that we want kids, but everyone says this, there’s never a right time, never a good time. And we know that.”

In an ideal world, the “Whipped” singer would like to have kids before she’s 40 years old and if they are so lucky, she would love to have a set of twins.

“Please pray that God blesses us with a two for one special… I would love a two for one special and I want to have multiple kids. I only have one sister, which she is my best friend. Chris grew up in a bigger family and I have best friends who grew up in bigger families and I would love to have lots of kiddos, built in best friends. I mean, I would just love to have that,” she admitted.

Luckily, the couple agrees that they are on the same page about the fact that they might not be ready right now, but the definitely want to grow their family in the future, “lord willing.” Until that day comes, they will continue to pour their focus into each other, growing their careers together, and tending to their flourishing garden back home.

The post Emily Ann Roberts Opens Up About When She and Husband Chris Sasser Want to Start a Family appeared first on Country Now.

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