Jackie Evancho’s Album Sales Top Charts – Singer Talks Next Steps - Video

Young Jackie Evancho is only 11-years old, but she has the top selling Album on Amazon.

This week, her “Dream with Me” album outsold every artist except Adele, selling more albums then Bon Iver, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga.

To be fair, Jackie’s album was just released June 14th and she has had tons of air time on the June PBS fund drive, so time will tell if her staying power is real.

We think it is.

Related: Video - Meet Jackie Evancho, She’ll Melt Your Heart and Make You Cry

All you have to do is hear her sing and you can see she has what it takes to be a strong contender on today’s music scene.

She considers herself a crossover opera singer, and knows she will not get by on just singing opera.

But boy can see sing opera.



Just over a year ago, Evancho was taking second place on America’s Got Talent and today she’s singing duets with Susan Boyle and Barbara Streisand.

One of our favorites is her version of Sarah McLachlan’s hit “Angel” that was released as a single, and as a track on “Dream With Me.”

Related: Watch Jackie Evancho Sing “Angel”

After meeting 17-time Grammy Award winner David Foster, the two worked on creating and producing her current album - and the results have been better than both of them expected.

When asked about the title for her new album Jackie says,

“Well, the last CD that I had done was called 'Prelude to a Dream' and that's the beginning of a dream. Prelude is usually the beginning of a song or beginning of something. With 'Dream With Me,' I've kind of already made it. So, that dream has become real life, so now it's the real thing.”

And her dream has come true, and the first stop was the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota Florida where she filmed her PBS special.



And we have to say, her PBS special was amazing.

But what's in store for the new super star now that her album has been released and the World has discovered her?

Evancho says with all that has happened, she has to attend school on-line and misses her friends she used to see every day,

“Cyber School is really, really hard. And it’s boring, you know? I’d rather do normal school than go to online school.”

When asked if she is able to understand the deep emotion in some of her songs she says,

“All of the songs are emotional to me. 'Angel' is really sad because it’s about suicide. It’s really emotional. It’s really easy for me to show my emotions but it’s hard to listen to because it’s so sad.”

Watch Jackie Evancho Sing “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan


She sure does know how to make your heart melt.

When asked where she wants to go from here, and what her next steps are she says,

“I want to continue with my music but I also want to be a normal kid. This whole thing has happened so fast my parents and I are still just trying to sort it all out. For now, I’m just going to keep singing and see what happens next.”

Jackie says opera is her first love but she also likes the music of Josh Groban and Lady Gaga. She has also started writing and would like to start creating her own songs from start to finish.

Evancho also likes to play with her many pets. In fact, she calls her pet collection her “pet menagerie” and it includes nine hermit crabs, two guinea pigs, three dogs, two cats, a lizard, three frogs and four ducks.

The young opera crossover singer is currently on a mini tour with upcoming shows in Sun Valley Idaho, Atlanta Georgia, Highland Park Illinois, Omaha Nebraska, and Dallas Texas.

Jackie has already appeared on the Jay Leno Show and can be seen on CNN’s Piers Morgan show June 30th.

Go get ‘em kiddo.

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Video – Meet Jackie Evancho – She Will Melt Your Heart and Make you Cry!

Move over Lady Gaga – there’s a new kid in town.

And we mean move over, as in get out of the way.

If you haven’t heard of Jackie Evancho you will soon.

Why?

Because Jackie just released her first feature length CD, “Dream With Me”, and it’s outselling every major artist on the pop music scene today.

Young Ms. Evancho is only 11-years-old and was born is Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She has several brothers and sisters and says she fell in love with music after seeing “The Phantom of the Opera” on television.

After hearing her sing, her mother, Lisa, entered her into a local talent contest where she came in second place – Jackie was only eight years old.

After narrowly missing out on winning several more talent contests, her parents allowed the ten-year-old prodigy to audition for the television show “America’s Got Talent.”

Jackie seemed to blow away the competition and seemed to be on track to win, but unfortunately came in second place.

Her performances were so flawless that there were accusations that she had lip synced her songs and it was all a scam by producers.

But the cat was out of the bag and America had heard, and seen, what was to become one of the youngest artists to skyrocket to Platinum sales status in over thirty years.

After “America’s Got Talent”, Jackie immediately released her first single “O Holy Night.” This was her first national exposure and won her a spot singing for President Barak Obama in Washington D.C. during the annual Christmas tree lighting.

Watch Jackie Evancho sing O Holy Night in Washington D.C.


The reaction to her “O Holy Night” single was amazing, and immediately shot to the top of the Billboard music charts and became a best seller on Amazon. It was certified as Platinum in 2010.

She also setup her own web site at JackieEvancho.com, and created her own YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

Jackie had hit it big and people wanted more.

After doing the rounds on the daytime and late night talk shows, she was approached by producer David Foster who worked with Jackie in the development of her first full length album “Dream With Me”.

Together, the two fashioned a collection of tracks, one which Jackie wrote herself, that combined both opera and crossover songs like “The Lord’s Prayer”, “When you Wish Upon a Star”, and “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan.

Watch Jackie Evancho and David Foster Interview


Jackie says,

“The title of my new album is ‘Dream With Me’ because it means I’m basically living the dream and there’s more to come.”

Jackie also plays violin and piano and has said she would like to collaborate with Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, and Andrea Bocelli.

Evancho's Sarasota Florida concert is currently being featured on most national PBS stations and showcases some of her best music and features several songs off her new album.

Theses PBS shows are the first time many viewers have seen Jackie and have caused quite an interest in the young singer.

She says she understands that in order to remain popular she has to do more than just sing opera songs, and realizes she will have to be a crossover singer in order to stay relevant.

On “Dream With Me” you will find her favorite opera pieces like “Nella Fantasia”, “Nessun Dorma”, “O Mio Babbino Caro”, and “Ombra Mai Fu”, along with incredible duets like “A Mother’s Prayer” with Susan Boyle and “Somewhere” featuring Barbra Streisand.

Watch Jackie Evancho sing Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” on PBS


Now you see why Jackie is going to be a star.

In fact, InfoStar has not really been able to find a bad review or other critical comment about her anywhere – and that says a lot in the world of the internet.

Composer Tim Janis says,

"Jackie's voice is so pure and natural, there's no flaw in it. People say 'I can hear her potential coming,' but no, it's here, it's now. She is truly an Angel and I can’t wait for the World to hear it and see it."

We agree.

And Jackie says the only thing she does to prepare for a big show is to “Say a prayer that God will be there on the stage with her and that He will sing along with her.”

Wow. Sniffle sniffle. Goose bumps…

So we set out to find the one performance piece that often separates the good from the bad in critical operatic singing – “Ave Marie”.

We figured if Evancho can pull off that tune with its massive complexity, then she really must be a true angel sent from Heaven.

Well - we found it. And it will make you cry.

So ladies and gentlemen, here is Jackie’s version of “Ave Maria” by Schubert accompanied by The Houston Chamber Choir and The Treble Choir of Houston.

Watch Jackie Evancho Sing Schubert’s “Ave Maria”


See. I told you.

I’ll say it again. Move over Lady Gaga - because I would love for my kids to learn, respect and look up to an artist like Jackie.

I know it won’t happen but I can dream can’t I?

If you only buy one CD this year... buy "Dream With Me."

You can sample each song and purchase Jackie’s new CD here at Amazon.

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Video - 11-Year-Old Jackie Evancho Takes the World by Storm with “Dream With Me”

If you you’ve never heard of Jackie Evancho don’t worry – you will.

This 11-year-old soprano prodigy has taken the word by storm with her first full length album “Dream With Me” and is outselling Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry combined.

Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho was first seen during season five of “America’s Got Talent” when she was just ten years old, and blew away viewers who couldn’t get enough of her exquisite singing.

In addition to singing, Jackie also plays the piano and violin and even co-wrote the title track on "Dream With Me" with producer David Foster.

Watch Jackie Evancho Interview with David Foster


Jackie was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to Michael and Lisa Evancho and says she became interested in singing after seeing “The Phantom of the Opera”. She has two brothers, one older and one younger, and a younger sister.

Jackie says she was amazed that her debut single “Oh Holy Night” was so well received, and couldn’t believe that it sold over a million copies and has since gone platinum.

Evancho has teamed with the famous David “Hit Maker” Foster to produce her first full length CD titled “Dream With Me”.

On the album, she features the duets “A Mother’s Prayer” with Susan Boyle and “Somewhere” with Barbara Streisand along with her favorites “O Mio Babbino Caro”, "Ombra Mai Fu", "The Lord’s Prayer" and “Dream with Me”.

But the song everybody seems to want to hear is Jackie’s version of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”.

Watch Jackie Evancho Sing Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”


One reviewer says,

“It may well become her signature song – the one everybody wants to hear. She is able to put so much emotion into it and you can tell by watching her perform she absolutely gets lost in the moment. I have rarely seen adults who can perform with such maturity. It made me cry.”

Indeed.

In fact, PBS has been running segments of Jackie’s performance of “Angel” from her show in Sarasota Florida - and PBS only brings out the big guns during their fundraising season.

That should tell you something about this incredible young singer.

Jackie even has her own website at Jackieevancho.com and YouTube channel.

It’s true – we have not been able to find one review that had anything negative to say. This young lady is destined to become one of the greatest talents we have ever seen.

You can purchase her new album on Amazon here.

Forget Lady Gaga, this is the type of music and personality I want my kids to learn to appreciate – but I’m not holding my breath.

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Shia LaBeouf – I’m Done, No More Transformer Movies For Me - Video

There comes a time in every actor’s career when they feel they need to take their last bow.

Shia LaBeouf feels that way about the Transformers franchise.

After three starring roles he says he has had enough.

He told MTV,

"I'm not coming back to do another one. I don't think director Michael Bay will either. It's still a hot property, I think, especially coming out of the third one. So I imagine they'll reboot it at some point with someone else."

After completing the third sequel, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, LaBeouf is distancing himself from the popular series.

But he thinks “Dark of the Moon”, where the Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets, is the best of all the films.



Shia was very vocal about the second sequel "Revenge of the Fallen" saying,

"When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did. There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone."

Ouch. Not good when your big star doesn’t like the way things turned out. And to add insult to injury superhot Megan Fox will not be in this latest sequel which LaBeouf seems to think is a good thing.

"Megan developed this Spice Girl strength, this woman-empowerment stuff that made her feel awkward about her involvement with Michael. He films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality. It’s summer. It’s Michael’s style. And I think Megan Fox never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it.”

But don’t feel bad for LaBeouf – he is doing plenty well for himself these days.

The actor has had a string of smash hits since his awkward teen years on the television show “Even Stevens” including roles in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Battle of Shaker Heights, I, Robot, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Between his role in Indiana Jones and Wall Street he has been able to inject himself into two of the largest movie concepts of all time – and there is plenty of room for sequels for both of those franchises.

Shia also just completed work alongside Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy in “The Wettest County in the World” - a crime-drama centered on a family of Depression-era bootleggers in the American South.

“Wettest” is due to hit theaters sometime in 2012.

And on top of all that, there is rumor that a new “Indiana Jones” is in the works. Shia could take on the legacy of that franchise and milk it for the next twenty years if he wanted to.

So all is good, and the Transformers probably need to come to end anyway.

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Videos - Haley Reinhart Voted Off American Idol – Two Finalists Remain

Poor Haley Reinhart.

She tried so hard, and even had her dad on stage to rock out a little Led Zeppelin.

Last night on American Idol Singer Haley Reinhart was eliminated leaving Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina to take home the gold during next week’s finale.

This is where things are going to get hard, and we are torn between Scotty and Lauren and could see either of them going all the way.



InfoStar had a feeling that out of the three remaining contestants Haley had the best chance of going home. This is the first year that the top three finalists all had terrific talent.



Last night’s show was also full of firsts.

It was the first time we got to see McCreery cry as he journeyed home to Garner North Carolina and visited his fans and old High School. It was one of the sweetest moments we have ever seen.

We found out that there were over 95 million votes – a new American Idol record.

And we got to see the first ever Italian boy band singing “O sole mio” – we’re still not really sure why we had to see that.

So this is it. It comes down to Scotty and Lauren.

Who do you think will win?

Related: Idol's Jacob Lusk Arrested in L.A. – Mug Shot
Related: Idol's James Durbin Arrested – NO. It’s a hoax

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Famous Physicist Stephen Hawking Says There is No Heaven and no God

You would think that smart scientists would at some point have to defer to God for their answers, even if it’s out of respect, awe, or hallowed wonderment.

But not theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

Hawking, 69 who suffers from degenerative motor neuron disease, told the Guardian newspaper,

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

He says there is nothing left for a man after the last flicker of life leaves the body, heart, and brain.

His remarks draw a line in the sand between the use of God as a metaphor, and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the universe.

His 2010 book "The Grand Design" provoked a backlash among religious leaders for arguing there was no need for a divine force to explain the creation of the universe saying,

“You don’t need a God to explain the universe and the creation of man.”

When asked what the value of knowing why we are here he said,

“The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract. We need to use the effective theory of Darwinian natural selection of those societies most likely to survive. We assign them higher value.”

Hawking has had lots of health scares during his life due to his illness, but none as serious as the one he had in 2009.

Related: Hawking Rushed To Hospital – Very Very Ill

The famous theoretical physicist is best known for his theories on black holes, his best-selling book “A Brief History of Time”, and his 2010 best seller “The Grand Design”.

Personal Note:

It fascinates me when I see individuals with enough brain power to solve the theory of relativity, comprehend the infinite space of our universe, decipher the complexity of space and time, but not have the ability to put their faith or belief in a higher power simply because no one has proven it exists to them yet.

I don’t know if it is due to pride, ego, or a combination of both, but I think it would be depressing to understand all these wonderful elements of science and not be able to give the ultimate credit to God.

It’s as if God is standing right in front of them yet they are unable to see Him. They have brilliant eyes, but cannot see.

So sad. As much as I admire Mr. Hawking, I can’t help but feel terribly sorry for him at the same time.

Tonight, after dark, I will walk outside and stare off into the night sky, and there, I will see God.

And I’m not even a theoretical physicist.

Can I get an Amen?

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Charlie Sheen 20/20 Interview – Video

We’ve seen old Uncle Charlie all over the place since last Friday – ABC, NBC, TMZ, CNN, and various radio shows, so it was only fitting that he ramped it up a bit Tuesday night with a special one hour rant on 20/20.

We have to say, we have watched all his interviews and heard all his answers and talking points, but we’re still not sure if we really understand why Sheen feels like he has to blanket the world in Charlie Sheen media – including his new Twitter account.

That’s right – Twitter. After only tweeting three words Sheen had over half a million followers.

For all of Charlie’s epic tiger blood, Adonis DNA, combined with his excessive “winning” and art at dodging “Vatican assassins”, and dying is for losers, we clearly see a man in some type of delusional denial.

When talk turned to his live-in porn star girlfriends, Natalie Kenly and Rachel Oberlin, also known by porn name Bree Olsen, Sheen told 20/20,

"These are my girlfriends, these are the women that I love, that have competed the three parts of my heart."

Unfortunately, by the time the interview was over we really didn’t feel like we had heard anything new from Charlie. You can decide.

Watch Charlie Sheen 20/20 Video
Part 1


Part 2 - Charlie talks about his drug use


Part 3 - Inside the Sheen mansion


Part 4 - Sheen talking about suing CBS


Part 5 - Experts talk about Charlie's addiction


Part 6 - Can Charlie stay clean?


And I thought my life was exciting.

Charlie Sheen interview on GMA - plans to sue CBS - VIDEO

It was not enough for Charlie Sheen to rant on the Today show, but he also paid a visit to ABC’s Good Morning America this morning to talk about his drug addiction, love of porn stars, and his plans to sue CBS.

All we can say is this is vintage Charlie. Enjoy!

Watch Charlie on ABC Good Morning America

Video - Charlie Sheen on Bizarre Today Show Interview

Charlie Sheen made his first television appearance since all of his recent problems erupted, and it was the most bizarre thing we have ever seen.

Sheen sat down with NBC’s Jeff Rossen on the Today Show and what followed was the most embarrassing thing Sheen has ever done. His handlers should have done whatever they had to do to keep him of the tube – but alas, Charlie will be Charlie.

Sheen talked about his show being cancelled, his drug use, his kids, violence against women, depression, and his war with CBS and the executives he claims are trying to destroy his family. It was an epic fail for Uncle Charley.

First off, Sheen looked like he has been rode hard and put away wet. He rambles on in a manic way that tells us that he is not 100% on his game even though he thinks he is.

The big shockers?

Sheen thinks Chuck Lorre and staff owe him a huge public apology and that they should be licking his feet. He feels he just wants to be this “amazing rock star” that he knows he is, and that people just need to accept his incredible worldly talent and crazy adult lifestyle.

On Alcoholics Anonymous he says it is a silly book written by a broken down fool who plagiarized.

Charlie also says he would only return to “Two and a Half Men” if he got a raise – because he believes he is just that good and thinks he is underpaid.
Sheen said he has never been drunk or high on the set but admits that several times he was hung-over.

He admits he’s tired of pretending he is not special, like a bitch’n rock star from Mars, and that people can’t process his greatness with their “normal brains.”

When asked if he was angry about what has happened he told Rossen,

"Well I'm not angry, I'm passionate. It's like everybody thinks I should be begging for my job back and I'm just gonna forewarn them that it's everybody else that's going to be begging me for their job back."

Rossen then asked Charley what he would say to Chuck Lorre if he was watching, and Sheen produced index cards with some very loaded, and strange, questions.

When asked how he will keep from slipping back to drugs and addictions he said,

“I just won’t do it. I will not believe that if I do something then I have to follow it with a certain path because it was written for normal people, people that aren’t special, that don’t have tiger blood and Adonis DNA.”

Wow. Really?

Watch Charlie Sheen Today Show Interview



You can hear is radio outbursts that started all this, and cost him his show last week in our story here.

Uncle Leo Len Lesser from Seinfeld Dies

Say it aint so - Poor Uncle Leo.

Long time actor and funnyman Len Lesser died on Thursday after being hospitalized with phenomena. He was 88 years old.

The actor was well known for his role as Uncle Leo from the hit series Seinfeld. Both Seinfeld and Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on the show, expressed their condolences using their Twitter accounts this morning saying.

"Len was a tremendous guy. He was a smart actor/comedian who knew exactly what he was doing in the creation of Uncle Leo. I enjoyed many wonderful conversations with Len who was so openly grateful to be part of our show and so humble about his stunning contribution to it. I am so happy to have known him and my sympathies go to his family. But his was a fun life and he leaves many fans behind and many who will be enjoying his work for years to come."

Lesser was a seasoned professional and Hollywood staple for decades and appeared in successful projects as ER, Everybody Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me, Mad About You, Falcon Crest, Quincy, Kojak, Bonanza, All in the Family, The Cosby Show, and countless others.

Good night Uncle Leo.

Kate & Wills' First Interview

As all the engagement hoopla starts to die down we've had a moment to stop and reflect. You know what we realized lovelies? We've never actually heard Kate Middleton speak. Until now. Directly after the official engagement announcement press conference Prince William and Kate sat down together for the first time to be interviewed. You can watch the entire interview here.

Our feeling is that they both came across quite well, even if soft spoken Kate seemed a tad nervous. They appear to be natural with a real, normal relationship. There was some teasing and, especially when their infamous breakup was mentioned, the same kind of knowing reactions that many couples have when discussing issues that will never really be 100% put to rest between them.

There are quite a few unique aspects to this duo. They're a royal couple who has dated for nearly a decade and even lived together and Kate is said to be the first commoner in more than 400 years to marry the future King of England. In the interview William describes Kate as having a "naughty sense of humor" and discussing his desire to prepare her for life in the royal fishbowl and shield her from some of the things that hurt his own mother. Kate describes the proposal as a "total shock" and practically squeals with glee when describing her excitement over the betrothal.

Kate & Wills' First Interview

As all the engagement hoopla starts to die down we've had a moment to stop and reflect. You know what we realized lovelies? We've never actually heard Kate Middleton speak. Until now. Directly after the official engagement announcement press conference Prince William and Kate sat down together for the first time to be interviewed. You can watch the entire interview here.

Our feeling is that they both came across quite well, even if soft spoken Kate seemed a tad nervous. They appear to be natural with a real, normal relationship. There was some teasing and, especially when their infamous breakup was mentioned, the same kind of knowing reactions that many couples have when discussing issues that will never really be 100% put to rest between them.

There are quite a few unique aspects to this duo. They're a royal couple who has dated for nearly a decade and even lived together and Kate is said to be the first commoner in more than 400 years to marry the future King of England. In the interview William describes Kate as having a "naughty sense of humor" and discussing his desire to prepare her for life in the royal fishbowl and shield her from some of the things that hurt his own mother. Kate describes the proposal as a "total shock" and practically squeals with glee when describing her excitement over the betrothal.

Jon Stewart Does Bill O'Reilly - Video

It was another match made in heaven for Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" this week. He visited with long time nemesis Bill O'Reilly at FOX.

Stewart has never been a big fan of Fox, frequently jabbing the network for its loose interpretation of the "news", and heavy focus on "opinion".

Last night was no exception. John Stewart accused FOX (and O'Reilly) of causing fear and panic with his coverage of President Barack Obama, and inciting chaos and confusion with the "Tea Parties", and general dislike for anything Democrat.

There was a lot of subtle jabbing during the interview, but a full-blown, knock down drag out never materialized. But it is clear that the two celebrities have little respect for each other, or for what they do.

Our general opinion after watching the interview was simple: Jon Stewart is a cool voice of reason, and Bill O'Reilly is a jerk.

Watch Part One Of The Jon Stewart Bill O'Reilly Interview



Watch Part Two Of The John Stewart Bill O'Reilly Interview


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