Video – New “Journey” Rocks the Today Show – Talks About New Album

Anybody who grew up during the 1970’s and 1980’s remembers the original band Journey.

Who can forget "Don't Stop Believin”, “Lights”, “Open Arms”, “Wheel in the Sky”, “Any Way You Want It”, and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin”?

And who could forget the unforgettable voice of Steve Perry?

Journey has been through a lot of transition since their inception when members from the original Santana left to create the new band.

Lead singer Steve Perry was hired in 1977 and became what most of us think about today when we think of the voice of Journey.

But today is a new day and Perry has left the group and been replaced by Pilipino lead singer Arnel Pineda.

Arnel is not the first replacement for Perry – but he is the latest.

We were excited when it was announced they would be performing on NBC’s “Today” Show - and if we close our eyes we can almost hear Perry – and remember the golden early days.

Watch the new “Journey” on the NBC Today Show

Okay, they aren’t bad – but it just doesn’t seem the same as it was in the old days.

But Journey has definitely left their mark on popular culture.

"Don't Stop Believin” was used on “The Sopranos”, and then adapted for the hit television show “Glee” and the “Family Guy”.

Watch Backstage with Journey Video on Today

The band's second album with Arnel Pineda, “Eclipse”, was released in May 2011 and debuted in the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.

We give the new group a B+

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Chord Overstreet May Not Be Leaving Glee After All – New Details

Last week the media world went into overdrive when it was announced that Chord Overstreet would not be returning to “Glee” next season.

Reports said that Chord’s contract was expiring and the network had decided to cut him loose.

There were even official sounding news releases from studio execs and producers that all but sealed Overstreet’s fate on the show.

Related: Chord Overstreet leaving Glee – was he fired?

But now the network is backtracking - saying Chord will always be welcome on “Glee”, and that even though his contract will expire they expect, and WANT, the actor to continue with the series.

Some say that fan backlash caused the producers to rethink their actions from last week.

The official word from TVLine is,

“Chord’s option to be a series regular was just not picked up at this time. If Chord wants to appear on Glee, the choice is his. The Glee writers like his Sam character, and have plans to write for him. He and his reps have been told that he is welcome back to Glee, and everyone hopes he will show up on August 10 when filming begins.

It took Chord two years to become a regular - If he has a great season, which we expect he will, then he will become a regular like Harry, possibly as early as January.”

Last week when Overstreet’s contract issue came to light, it was announced that Darren Criss, who plays Blaine, and Harry Shum, who plays the character Mike, will return next season in a fulltime role.

So it seems there is a definite feeling that the writers and producers very much want Overstreet to return for next season’s premier that kicks off September 20.

Gleeks around the country took to Facebook and Twitter to show their support for the character, and perhaps that outcry was heard by executives.

It looks like the new theme for Glee will be to keep McKinley High teachers Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, and Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, but rotate through new student cast members as they graduate and leave the show.

A variety of cast members will then take part in the summer Glee Tour each year.

Producers have also hired six new writers for next season in an effort to keep the dialog and stories fresh. They also want to develop new main stories and wrap up existing story-lines as cast members exit the show.

That could be a hard sell for dedicated fans as most like the series because of the particular cast of characters. If writers start bringing in new students each year it may be difficult for viewers to grow comfortable with all the change.

Time will tell.

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Chord Overstreet Leaving Glee – Sam Evans Not Returning to McKinley High – Oh No!

Things are changing at McKinley High next season!

US Magazine is reporting that Chord Overstreet, who plays Sam Evans on Glee, will not be returning to the series this fall for season 3.

It seems it’s not as much as Overstreet is leaving on his own, but rather the producers decided not to renew the 22-year-old actors contract.

Glee creator Ryan Murphy created suspense last week when he said MOST of the students would be returning saying,

“The show to me is about the way you express yourself as you start to move out into the world as a fresh, young person. Do we really want to have an eight-year high school senior? The only way somebody could stay on the show is if they flunk, and that is always a possibility. I think Brittany is pulling straight F’s.”

Speculation ran wild among fans as they tried to figure out who would not be returning. Clues came last week when Chord sent out a tweet saying,

“It’s been a good year. Too bad it’s over. Time for summer and starting fresh.”

Bummer.

But what is bad for one cast member may be good for others as we hear that season 3 will move two smaller roles into full time mode.

Related: Massive Cast Shakeup at “Glee” - Rachel, Sam, Finn and Kurt Are Out!

Darren Criss, who plays gay Blaine, Kurt Hummel’s (Chris Colfer) not so secret man crush, will move into a fulltime role.

And so will Harry Shum Jr., who plays Mike.

Related: Chris Colfer Writing Movies for Disney Now

Chord, who was born in Nashville Tennessee, will continue to make an occasional guest appearance, and is currently filming “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” - A concert documentary shot during the “Glee Live! In Concert!” summer 2011 tour.

But don’t feel bad for Overstreet. He has already appeared on several television shows including “Private”, “iCarly”, and “No Ordinary Family.”

He also appeared in the 2011 Norwegian movie “A Warriors Heart” about a star Lacrosse who starts acting out in self-destructive ways that has his mom at her wit's end.

We think he will do just fine and probably has a ton of job offers just waiting for his approval.

Watch Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Chord Overstreet


And how did he get the name Chord anyway?

“My dad is in the music business in Nashville. I was the third child born in my family, and there are three notes in a chord, so that's how they came up with my name.”

You know what they say – art imitates life!

Follow InfoStar on Twitter – The perfect chord

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‘Glee’ Cast Covers Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ – Video

Leave it to the cast of “Glee” to break social norms.

This Tuesday night will be no different.

In an episode titled “Prom Queen”, the cast of “Glee” will take on "Dancing Queen" from Abba, "Rolling in the Deep" from Adele, and "Isn't She Lovely" from Stevie Wonder.

But the big news is they will also be doing a revamped version of the now infamous Rebecca Black song “Friday”.

Black released her version of “Friday” last month and the world flat out laughed it into fame - not because it was good, but because it was bad. So very very bad.

It was so bad that Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert used it in a parody duet on Jimmy’s show after Colbert lost a bet.

Related: Stephen Colbert sings “Friday” on Jimmy Fallon

And the website FunnyorDie did a “Behind the Music” parody that is one of the funniest pieces I’ve ever seen.

Related: “Behind the Music” Rebecca Black on FunnyorDie

But the “Glee Cast” actually nailed the song with their revised up-tempo version. I can actually imagine driving down the road with the windows open singing along with the beat. Okay, not really.

Glee cast covers Rebecca Black’s “Friday”


Related: Rebecca Black sings “Friday” on Jay Leno

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Is Glee’s Chris Colfer’s New Career Writing for Disney and Starring in Movies?

Golden Globe winner and Glee favorite Chris Colfer may have a new career.

Colfer, 21, who plays Kurt Hummel on the smash hit TV musical series Glee, says he is working with Disney writing a new children’s series to premier on the Disney Channel.

Colfer met up with reporters at the White House Correspondents Dinner last week and, between the Donald Trump jokes, brought us up to date on the project saying,

“It’s called ‘The Little Leftover Witch’ and I’m in the process of developing the pilot with Disney right now. I’ve always wanted to write and I’ve always been kind of a secret closeted writer. I honestly never had any intentions of being a part of it and it just sort of fell into my lap. People asked me do you want to do this and I said, ‘Yes, absolutely, why not?’ It’s a great little side gig, a great hobby!”

The plot of the show will be based on the children’s book of the same name written by Florence Laughlin and Sheila Greenwald.

The “Little Leftover Witch” will tell the story of a young witch stranded for a year on the ground after crash landing her broom on Halloween night. She is taken in by the Doon family, a situation which causes problems for everybody (think bewitched), and lots of funny and happy times follow, but ultimately result in a big change for the little witch.

It sounds like a story tailor made for the Disney Channel.

If working on Glee and writing for Disney is not enough, Colfer is also acting as head writer and taking the starring role in a new high school coming of age movie directed by Brian Dannelly called “Struck by Lightning”.

According to IMDB, the movie will be shot this summer during Glee’s downtime with an expected release in 2012.

Colfer will also be busy this summer on the Glee concert tour before returning to the set in the fall to start production on the third season of Glee.

Colfer was recently named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world alongside Justin Bieber, Amy Poehler, Mark Zuckerberg, Colin Firth, Blake Lively, and Oprah Winfrey.

Both Colfer and Bieber are long time champions of the anti-bullying movement, as well as supporters of gay and lesbian youth awareness.

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Adam Lambert To Guest On "Glee"

American Idol runner-up, and popular winner Adam Lambert, will be making a guest appearance on the hit series "Glee".

Details are few and far between, but we do know that Lambert will appear as a big-brother mentor figure to openly gay Kurt Hummel played by Chris Colfer.

Lambert was courted by producers a while back about the appearance, and reports say Lambert was "thrilled" to be part of the smash hit show.

With the exception of the talk show circuit, (Ellen, Oprah, Leno, Letterman, The View, etc.), this will be Lambert's first real shot at comedy and drama.

While we can envision a crotch grab or gay kiss arc in the yet to be written script, we suspect things will be kept to a dull roar.

The episode is scheduled to air during April 2010.

"Glee" is an underdog story where a high-school Spanish teacher becomes the director of the school's Glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. "Glee" has already been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.

Lambert may have to be added to our Top Ten Openly Gay Male Hollywood list after his hit single and video, "For Your Entertainment" shot to the top of the charts.

Related: Adam Lambert Music Video "For Your Entertainment"
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