Last week, American Idol said farewell to powerhouse singer, Hollie Cavanagh.

The 18-year-old singer, who first came to America’s attention when she auditioned for season 10 of Idol, but was cut just before the top 24, was praised by the judges for her powerful voice, but suffered throughout the competition to connect emotionally to her song choices. She began to improve in recent weeks, but lack of consistency became a problem.

She was sent home last week after she failed to impress the judges with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt‘s "I Can’t Make You Love Me."

Cavanagh talked to reporters about her elimination, her close friendship with fellow contestant Joshua Ledet, and who will take home the title.

On predicting her Idol sendoff.
"There was definitely something different about that day. I’m not sure what it was, but I guess it was just my gut just telling me. I was just preparing myself for it, but at the same time staying hopeful because you never know what could happen. But I’m not quite sure what the feeling was, but it was just different than every other Thursday."

Top 10 Most Successful Idol Contestants

On being referred to as the dark horse of the competition.
"I would take it as a compliment. I never really looked into what everyone was saying. I really was focusing week by week and making sure that my songs were right and my songs were good enough. I just went out there and I wanted to improve each week. I think that people were seeing an improvement in me each week. I definitely feel like I’ve grown so much. I’m just really proud of that."

On her favorite moments of the season.
"I think probably when I sang ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and ‘Son of a Preacher Man.’ That was definitely my turning point on the show, but definitely also ‘The Climb’ because that was my first standing ovation on the show."

On who will be the next American Idol.
"I honestly have no idea. I’m definitely with America and the judges on this one. The show can go either way. They’re all amazing, so it’s definitely going to be a fight to the finish line."

Who deserves to go home this week on American Idol? Vote!

On the top 3: Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, and Phillip Phillips.
"Phillip is very unique. You don’t see a lot of people perform like that. He has his very own style and his voice is amazing. Josh, I mean, he takes you to a whole other place when he sings. He amazes everybody each week. And, of course, Jessica is only 16 and the way she sings—she sounds like she’s in her 20s. She’s amazing as well as the other two, so it’s definitely going to be tough. The finale is going to be a big one."

On her bestie, Joshua Ledet.
"We started to get really close in Hollywood week and then we were just attached at the hip from there. When he would rehearse, I would be in there watching him rehearse and when we could ever go out to dinner, we’d go out together. We just kind of hung out and relaxed and kept each other sane."

On her favorite Idol judge.
"I’ve definitely always felt loyal to [Jennifer [Lopez] because she’s always been rooting for me and always had my back since last year and always believed in me. I think she’s definitely been a big inspiration for me since last year and this year. In my mentor sessions, I would definitely say that Stevie Nicks was a big one for me because we kind of had a moment and it got really personal and beyond the lines of me in a singing competition. She really just cared about us at that moment and wanted to help."

Skylar Laine on Her ‘Idol’ Elimination: ‘Maybe It Was My Time to Go’

On her British beginnings: Hollie and her family moved from Liverpool to Texas ten years ago.
"It’s a dramatic change, but it was a good change. My dad moved us out here to follow our dreams and make a better lifestyle for us. There is so much more to do [in America]. I can go out and achieve something like this."

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the musical revue that takes audiences through the life cycle of love, has had staying power, the second-longest running off-Broadway musical in history at nearly 12 years.

Actors’ Summit, which produced the regional premiere a decade ago, is reprising the light-hearted revue in a polished production whose four actors have excellent senses of comedic timing and play skillfully off each other.

This show, with vignettes that present plenty of stereotypes about male-female relationships, is dominated by ultra-light fare. Most of it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, and this ensemble sets just the right tone.

The vignettes, written by Joe DiPietro, share the evolution of love from the first date through marriage, the child-bearing years, divorce and old age. No matter where audience members may be in their own relationships, everyone is bound to find a kernel of truth in these capsules of love.

Comically truthful moments include an over-the-top scene in which a young woman celebrates a guy actually calling her back when he said he would. Her elated mom shows up to rejoice and the young woman (Actors’ Summit newcomer Abigail Allwein) wins a trophy, followed by her wacky acceptance speech.

My personal favorite is a hilarious scene between Aubrey Caldwell and Stephen Brockway, who play exhausted parents trying to create some “alone’’ time with each other. After checking off the day’s chores list and presumably tucking the kids in, this couple does an increasingly desperate song and dance with sexy underthings comically worn on the outside of their boring sweats.

The show features enjoyable yet largely unmemorable tunes by Jimmy Roberts. One exception is the yearning honesty of I Will Be Loved Tonight, sung beautifully by Allwein, who brings a sparkling dimension to the stage through her lyrics about the anticipation of intimacy.

Kudos also go to Caldwell, who’s cutely sarcastic in her lamentation about always being a bridesmaid (never a bride) and later transforms herself for a scene as a geriatric widow who finds an unexpected spark with a man at a funeral, played by Keith Stevens.

Actors’ Summit’s show does not feature a live piano accompaniment but instead one recorded by composer/performer Eric Baumgartner of Cincinnati, son of theater board member Barbara Baumgartner. Early in the show, the piano sounded muffled at times but that didn’t appear to be an issue for cast members, who are total pros.

Director Neil Thackaberry said the recording was made primarily to cut back on production costs as well as to ensure sound balance and tempo consistency with each performance. Although the cast created beautiful harmonies and Caldwell, especially, is a fabulous singer, nothing beats live accompaniment in a professional theatrical performance.

The show is for mature audiences only, due to some sexually suggestive lyrics, dialogue and situations, including partially unclothed cast members behind a couch.

All of the actors are quick-change artists, assuming more than 60 different characters collectively. On Saturday night, there were a couple of too-long lulls during costume changes, with Stevens getting caught once onstage with the lights up as he was still trying to get a prisoner’s jumpsuit off and move a chair for the following wedding scene.

The show’s scenes range from a crazy fantasy about sexual litigation to more heartfelt, true-to-life moments. Brockway creates one of the most understated, beautiful vignettes when his middle-aged character questions the status of his 30-year marriage.

“Shouldn’t I be less in love with you?’’ he asks himself as he sits across from his wife at the breakfast table. “No,’’ he concludes with a loving smile.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the musical revue that takes audiences through the life cycle of love, has had staying power, the second-longest running off-Broadway musical in history at nearly 12 years.

Actors’ Summit, which produced the regional premiere a decade ago, is reprising the light-hearted revue in a polished production whose four actors have excellent senses of comedic timing and play skillfully off each other.

This show, with vignettes that present plenty of stereotypes about male-female relationships, is dominated by ultra-light fare. Most of it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, and this ensemble sets just the right tone.

The vignettes, written by Joe DiPietro, share the evolution of love from the first date through marriage, the child-bearing years, divorce and old age. No matter where audience members may be in their own relationships, everyone is bound to find a kernel of truth in these capsules of love.

Comically truthful moments include an over-the-top scene in which a young woman celebrates a guy actually calling her back when he said he would. Her elated mom shows up to rejoice and the young woman (Actors’ Summit newcomer Abigail Allwein) wins a trophy, followed by her wacky acceptance speech.

My personal favorite is a hilarious scene between Aubrey Caldwell and Stephen Brockway, who play exhausted parents trying to create some “alone’’ time with each other. After checking off the day’s chores list and presumably tucking the kids in, this couple does an increasingly desperate song and dance with sexy underthings comically worn on the outside of their boring sweats.

The show features enjoyable yet largely unmemorable tunes by Jimmy Roberts. One exception is the yearning honesty of I Will Be Loved Tonight, sung beautifully by Allwein, who brings a sparkling dimension to the stage through her lyrics about the anticipation of intimacy.

Kudos also go to Caldwell, who’s cutely sarcastic in her lamentation about always being a bridesmaid (never a bride) and later transforms herself for a scene as a geriatric widow who finds an unexpected spark with a man at a funeral, played by Keith Stevens.

Actors’ Summit’s show does not feature a live piano accompaniment but instead one recorded by composer/performer Eric Baumgartner of Cincinnati, son of theater board member Barbara Baumgartner. Early in the show, the piano sounded muffled at times but that didn’t appear to be an issue for cast members, who are total pros.

Director Neil Thackaberry said the recording was made primarily to cut back on production costs as well as to ensure sound balance and tempo consistency with each performance. Although the cast created beautiful harmonies and Caldwell, especially, is a fabulous singer, nothing beats live accompaniment in a professional theatrical performance.

The show is for mature audiences only, due to some sexually suggestive lyrics, dialogue and situations, including partially unclothed cast members behind a couch.

All of the actors are quick-change artists, assuming more than 60 different characters collectively. On Saturday night, there were a couple of too-long lulls during costume changes, with Stevens getting caught once onstage with the lights up as he was still trying to get a prisoner’s jumpsuit off and move a chair for the following wedding scene.

The show’s scenes range from a crazy fantasy about sexual litigation to more heartfelt, true-to-life moments. Brockway creates one of the most understated, beautiful vignettes when his middle-aged character questions the status of his 30-year marriage.

“Shouldn’t I be less in love with you?’’ he asks himself as he sits across from his wife at the breakfast table. “No,’’ he concludes with a loving smile.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Musical revue: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

When: Continuing through June 3, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Where: Actors’ Summit, Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron

Onstage: Abigail Allwein, Stephen Brockway, Aubrey Caldwell, Keith Stevens

Offstage: Joe DiPietro, book and lyrics; Jimmy Roberts, music; Neil Thackaberry, director; Lauren Fowkes, stage manager; Rory Wohl, set design; Eric Baumgartner, sound; MaryJo Alexander, costumes/props; Kevin Rutan, lighting

Tickets: $28-$30; senior citizens $25 Thursdays and Sundays; students, $9

Information: 330-374-7568 or www.actorssummit.org

Details

Musical revue: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

When: Continuing through June 3, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Where: Actors’ Summit, Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron

Onstage: Abigail Allwein, Stephen Brockway, Aubrey Caldwell, Keith Stevens

Offstage: Joe DiPietro, book and lyrics; Jimmy Roberts, music; Neil Thackaberry, director; Lauren Fowkes, stage manager; Rory Wohl, set design; Eric Baumgartner, sound; MaryJo Alexander, costumes/props; Kevin Rutan, lighting

Tickets: $28-$30; senior citizens $25 Thursdays and Sundays; students, $9

Information: 330-374-7568 or www.actorssummit.org

Great Lakes Theater is celebrating its 50th anniversary in grand style with a first-time collaboration with PlayhouseSquare to produce Sondheim on Sondheim, which opened Wednesday at the Hanna Theatre.

The project represents more than one milestone: It’s the first time the musical revue celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s 56-year Broadway legacy has been performed outside New York City. Cleveland’s American regional premiere is also director Victoria Bussert’s 25th production of a Sondheim musical.

Bussert, director of Music Theatre for Baldwin-Wallace College, is the area’s leading authority on Sondheim, having begun her career with the Chicago premieres of Pacific Overtures, The Frogs (set in an Olympic-size swimming pool) and Assassins, as well as directing the second national tour of Into the Woods.

Bussert, who has directed for Great Lakes Theatre for 26 years, said the only two Sondheim shows she hasn’t directed yet are Sunday in the Park with George and Road Show.

“This definitely has a different feel from a revue,” she said. “It’s actually a very personal journey. They group the songs in terms of themes” from different shows.

That includes a section on childhood (Sondheim’s was very difficult) and another on neurotics, which are Sondheim’s favorite kind of people to write about. The multimedia experience mixes live performances of his songs with exclusive interview footage of the composer, who talks about his life and artistic process.

The videos include archival footage as well as interviews with Sondheim on Sondheim creator James Lapine, a Mansfield native and longtime Sondheim collaborator. Those interviews were conducted over three days.

The intimate video segments include moments where Sondheim, now 82, explains Sweeney Todd and even sings a section of a song. The video is so personal, viewers see Sondheim in his house.

The effect, Bussert said, is as if the legend himself is really present having a personal talk with the audience.

“We think of him as a thing as opposed to a human being, and it makes him so human and it becomes very touching,” Bussert said of the video component.

“What makes this so moving to me when I first saw it is was to hear him talk, and explain not only … why he wrote something or what the motivation was to write something, but how his very personal and intimate life experiences impacted what he wrote,” she said.

In the show, Sondheim says he wrote Passion at age 60 because that was the first time he had fallen in love. Sondheim is a genius who revolutionized musical theater by introducing the beauty of human imperfection, Bussert said.

“I actually find his work very human and very emotional in a way that hadn’t been written about before,” she said.

On Broadway, the 2010 Sondheim on Sondheim featured Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat, as well as five supporting actors. At PlayhouseSquare, Bussert has retracked the show as an ensemble piece, with changes approved by Lapine and Sondheim.

Leading the cast in institutional Sondheim knowledge is Pamela Myers, a Hamilton, Ohio, native who graduated from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and had her professional breakthrough 42 years ago as the original Marta in Sondheim’s Company, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award.

Performing along with five other cast members with extensive Broadway credits will be incoming Baldwin-Wallace seniors James Penca and Ciara Renee, whom Bussert said are both extraordinary.

When Bussert talks to her students about their idols, she shares that hers is Sondheim.

“My rock star is Sondheim. Every time I’m around him, I can’t speak. I’m like an idiot,” said Bussert, who has met the composer over the years and conversed with him about Cleveland’s regional premiere of Sondheim on Sondheim.

The show runs through July 8, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Cost is $10-$60. Call 216-241-6000 or see www.playhousesquare.org.

Annual Big Show

It’s that time of year when hundreds of Miller South vocal students take to the Akron Civic Theatre stage for their much-anticipated annual Big Show, which will run at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme is “Tunes Through Time,’’ with numerous songs, dances and costume changes representing music from the Baroque era through today. Director Sarah Kaufman will lead choruses from fourth through eighth grades.

Tickets are $10, $5 for students and senior citizens. Call 330-535-3179 or see www.akroncivic.com.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Great Lakes Theater is celebrating its 50th anniversary in grand style with a first-time collaboration with PlayhouseSquare to produce Sondheim on Sondheim, which opened Wednesday at the Hanna Theatre.

The project represents more than one milestone: It’s the first time the musical revue celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s 56-year Broadway legacy has been performed outside New York City. Cleveland’s American regional premiere is also director Victoria Bussert’s 25th production of a Sondheim musical.

Bussert, director of Music Theatre for Baldwin-Wallace College, is the area’s leading authority on Sondheim, having begun her career with the Chicago premieres of Pacific Overtures, The Frogs (set in an Olympic-size swimming pool) and Assassins, as well as directing the second national tour of Into the Woods.

Bussert, who has directed for Great Lakes Theatre for 26 years, said the only two Sondheim shows she hasn’t directed yet are Sunday in the Park with George and Road Show.

“This definitely has a different feel from a revue,” she said. “It’s actually a very personal journey. They group the songs in terms of themes” from different shows.

That includes a section on childhood (Sondheim’s was very difficult) and another on neurotics, which are Sondheim’s favorite kind of people to write about. The multimedia experience mixes live performances of his songs with exclusive interview footage of the composer, who talks about his life and artistic process.

The videos include archival footage as well as interviews with Sondheim on Sondheim creator James Lapine, a Mansfield native and longtime Sondheim collaborator. Those interviews were conducted over three days.

The intimate video segments include moments where Sondheim, now 82, explains Sweeney Todd and even sings a section of a song. The video is so personal, viewers see Sondheim in his house.

The effect, Bussert said, is as if the legend himself is really present having a personal talk with the audience.

“We think of him as a thing as opposed to a human being, and it makes him so human and it becomes very touching,” Bussert said of the video component.

“What makes this so moving to me when I first saw it is was to hear him talk, and explain not only … why he wrote something or what the motivation was to write something, but how his very personal and intimate life experiences impacted what he wrote,” she said.

In the show, Sondheim says he wrote Passion at age 60 because that was the first time he had fallen in love. Sondheim is a genius who revolutionized musical theater by introducing the beauty of human imperfection, Bussert said.

“I actually find his work very human and very emotional in a way that hadn’t been written about before,” she said.

On Broadway, the 2010 Sondheim on Sondheim featured Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat, as well as five supporting actors. At PlayhouseSquare, Bussert has retracked the show as an ensemble piece, with changes approved by Lapine and Sondheim.

Leading the cast in institutional Sondheim knowledge is Pamela Myers, a Hamilton, Ohio, native who graduated from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and had her professional breakthrough 42 years ago as the original Marta in Sondheim’s Company, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award.

Performing along with five other cast members with extensive Broadway credits will be incoming Baldwin-Wallace seniors James Penca and Ciara Renee, whom Bussert said are both extraordinary.

When Bussert talks to her students about their idols, she shares that hers is Sondheim.

“My rock star is Sondheim. Every time I’m around him, I can’t speak. I’m like an idiot,” said Bussert, who has met the composer over the years and conversed with him about Cleveland’s regional premiere of Sondheim on Sondheim.

The show runs through July 8, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Cost is $10-$60. Call 216-241-6000 or see www.playhousesquare.org.

Annual Big Show

It’s that time of year when hundreds of Miller South vocal students take to the Akron Civic Theatre stage for their much-anticipated annual Big Show, which will run at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme is “Tunes Through Time,’’ with numerous songs, dances and costume changes representing music from the Baroque era through today. Director Sarah Kaufman will lead choruses from fourth through eighth grades.

Tickets are $10, $5 for students and senior citizens. Call 330-535-3179 or see www.akroncivic.com.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

If it’s Thursday, this must be the mailbag.

Q: I would like to know if you know anything about a movie starring Robert De Niro as Vince Lombardi. I have found only a small amount of nondefinitive information on the Internet.

A: There was a film, and then there wasn’t.

With more than a little fanfare, ESPN announced plans to make the film in 2010. Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Insider) was set to write the script. According to ESPN at the time, “The story’s narrative arc spans from 1959 when Lombardi was given his first opportunity to be an NFL head coach, taking over the small-town [Green Bay] Packers, then the worst team in the NFL, and runs through his transformation of a group of young, talented but undisciplined losers into five-time NFL champions. Also, the story highlights the long-standing rivalry that existed between Lombardi and legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, both of whom were assistants on the New York Giants team that lost the 1958 NFL Championship game.”

But even with such a seemingly firm plan, the network later decided not to go ahead with the film; an ESPN rep offered no further explanation. “This happens a lot with scripted projects,” the rep said. Indeed, every year seems to bring projects that are announced but then stall.

Q: Could you please tell me if “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” is on DVD. It stars Leslie Nielsen, Ricardo Montalban, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley. I hope you can find it; it’s a crazy movie.

A: And one with an interesting history. In 1982, the makers of the big-screen comedy Airplane! came to television with Police Squad, a parody of crime shows. Leslie Nielsen, who had also starred in Airplane!, played police detective Frank Drebin in the series. It was not a hit, but the idea did not die. In 1988, Nielsen again played Drebin in The Naked Gun. It proved a top 10 box-office hit for the year, Sequels followed in 1991 (Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). According to The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, CBS even replayed the TV show, which originally aired on ABC, in 1991.

Now, to what you really want to know: All the movies are on DVD, individually and in a modestly priced collection of all three. The first film is also on Blu-ray, and Police Squad is on DVD, too.

Q: Unless I’m mistaken, the actor in the Time Warner Cable commercials who runs away from danger after a grenade lands looks just like the actor and comedian Ricky Gervais.

A: That is indeed Gervais helping promote the company’s “Enjoy Better” campaign.

Q: Several months ago, I saw a movie on TCM called “Roughly Speaking” with Rosalind Russell and Jack Carson. I caught the last half and found it interesting. Are they going to feature it again, and if so when?

A: I have not seen a telecast scheduled on TCM. But the movie is available on DVD through the TCM online shop (see www.tcm.com) and the online Warner Archive (www.wbshop.com).

Q: I thought I heard at the end of a “Harry’s Law” that it was the show’s final few episodes. Has the show been canceled? Also, at the end of the last “Fringe” they said it was the season finale but I thought this was the last season. Could you please let me know what’s really going on with these two shows?

A: This time of year, ads for TV shows will sometimes amp up viewer interest with bold declarations of a few remaining episodes and a more soft-spoken acknowledgment that those are the last episodes of a season, not a series. But, unfortunately for its many fans, Harry’s Law has indeed been dropped by NBC. The show was somewhat popular, especially by struggling NBC’s standards, but it did not do well with viewers under 50 years old, the audience most networks use to woo advertisers.

As for Fringe, it will return on Fox in the fall, for a 13-episode final season that can wrap up at least some of its complicated story lines.

•

Do you have a question or comment for the mailbag? Write to the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com. Please mark the email or envelope with “mailbag.” Letters may be edited for publication. Please do not phone in questions. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

A relatively new venue in downtown/East Akron, Old Haunts Tavern, which held its grand opening in February, will welcome a band with a very new album tonight.

The evening’s stars are The Royalty, a quintet from El Paso, Texas, which formed in 2005 but whose “debut” (they self-released an album last year that’s still available on Bandcamp.com) album, Lovers, was released just last week. Singer Nicole Boudreau, drummer Joel Quintana, keyboardist Daniel Marin, bassist Will Daugherty and groovy-named guitarist Jesus Apodaca have done some cool stuff outside of the band. Quintana used to test rockets and rocket launchers, is getting a doctorate in engineering and was apparently part of a very popular band in Mexico (though I guess not popular enough to mention by name in the PR goop); Marin was an El Paso news anchor; Apodaca (it’s just fun to say) and Daugherty were teachers; and vocalist Boudreau is classically trained.

Most importantly Lovers is a good, catchy indie pop record. The aforementioned PR goop culls quotes from MTV touting the band as “like Amy Winehouse went on holiday with Vampire Weekend.” It also mentions Adele, who is apparently the new zenith for soulful-singing Caucasian women, and then inexplicably throws in hip, distortion-loving indie duo Sleigh Bells. I think a few of those comparisons — on which most of us music- writing types rely — do the record a bit of a disservice, and not just because Sleigh Bells kind of sucks.

Much of the taut 38-minute/12-track record is steeped in an updated 1960s girl-group sound with Apodaca’s tasty melodic guitar licks drenched in reverb, a peppy rhythm section and Boudreau’s powerful alto. Boudreau delivers the tunes either with sass, such as in the girl-loves-bad-boys How I Like ’Em, a touch of vulnerability, as on the midtempo Please Lie, and heartbreak, as in the pretty ballad Witchcraft.

If I had to take the comparison shortcut (and it is in the Rock Journalist Magna Carta), I’d say Lovers reminds me more of a bigger-voiced (Swedish indie chanteuse) Lykke Li hanging out with Vampire Weekend (minus the African influence) and then jumping into the nearest studio after a couple of days of listening to old Phil Spector records. Also there’s a lightly funky tune called Saint Bowie about making the “Starman” proud, which is just inherently cool.

Also on the bill are Go Home and Daniel.

The Royalty show will be my first experience at the self-described “east side dive” bar, which has had a pretty eclectic list of bands and DJs from metal to reggae to punkabilly. I’m looking forward to it because any bar that aspires to dive-dom is OK with me.

Random acts of live music

• Tonight, Canton club the Auricle welcomes singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale Jr. He is the son of Eagles/Joe Walsh/Crosby, Stills & Nash drummer Joe Vitale Sr., who is hilarious, the kind of guy you want to have a beer with while listening to some of his road stories (or you could just buy his book Backstage Pass).

And just like daddy, Joe Jr., who spent a lot of time on the road as a kid, also played percussion with CSN, Joe Walsh and the Stephen Stills Blues Band. Unlike Dad, Vitale is also a sound engineer and his band favors industrial-flavored rock. He recently released an album called The Virulent Strain, and successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign to fund Encryption, a “sci-fi psychological thriller” he is directing.

Also on the bill are Decade of Disaster and Scarlet & The Harlots.

• On Friday night the May edition of the Jazz and Wine Total Experience, with music from Total Package featuring Riley Richard, will happen from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Ballroom in Fairlawn. The monthly gathering/party for grown folks recently celebrated its first anniversary and has built up a strong following among people who enjoy smooth jazz, good wine and doing the Electric Slide after a few glasses, while DJ Ellery spins after the band’s set.

• Also on Friday night, downtown venue Musica welcomes Japanese weirdos Peelander-Z. The group is difficult to describe, so I’ll let their PR goop speak for itself: “The Japanese Action Comic Punk Band, based in NYC, was originally formed in 1998 by Peelander-Yellow, Peelander-Red, and Peelander-Blue, after meeting in New York City (although they’ll tell you they’re all from the Z area on the planet Peelander).” Peelander-Green joined in July 2008 after Blue left the band.

And yes, each member’s costume is in the applicable color. I saw them at the Lime Spider a bunch of years ago and it was ridiculous, slightly surreal and a lot of fun, with their goofy punk songs (Taco Taco Tacos is a good one, as is E-I-E-I-O, their ska-doom metal version of Old McDonald) sung in heavily accented English with a lot of energy. If you can’t smile at their onstage shenanigans and between-song banter, you could probably use a sense-of-absurdist-humor injection.

• Apropos of absolutely nothing, is anybody else ready for some frickin’ football? In (most likely) Weeden and Richardson we (pretty much have to) trust!

Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758. Read his blog, Sound Check Online, at www.ohio.com/blogs/sound-check, or follow him on Twitter @malcolmxabram.

Read Soundcheck, the blog by Malcolm X Abram.

1) Come Fly Away, 7:30 tonight-Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Palace Theatre at PlayhouseSquare, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; $10-$77.50, 216-241-6000, www.playhousesquare.org.

The final performances of the Twyla Tharp dance musical about love, featuring the music of Frank Sinatra.

2) Spark! Family Film Fest, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium at the Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron. Free. 330-376-9185, www.akronartmuseum.org.

An afternoon of family-friendly films, featuring the European animated film “The Secret of Kells” and the documentary “Girls Rock!,” about a group of young women attending rock ’n’ roll camp.

3) Leinenkugel Family Road Trip, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, 812 Huron Road, Cleveland. Free. www.facebook.com/Leinenkugels.

Beer magnates Jake, John and Dick Leinenkugel will bring their Airstream trailer featuring a full bar to tailgate outside of the Indians game to celebrate the family brewery’s 145th anniversary. Jake will throw out the first pitch at the game!

4) Trailer Park Boys Live!, 7:30 to midnight tonight, Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare, 1515 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. $32-$42.50. 216-241-6000, www.playhousesquare.org.

The misadventures continue for the trio of rednecks and denizens of the Sunnyvale trailer park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Julian (John Paul Tremblay) Ricky (Robb Wells) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) bring to Cleveland a live version of their popular underground(ish) comedy mockumentary series that ran for seven seasons and spawned two feature-length films.

5) Reggie Watts, 8:30 tonight, the Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, $25. 216-321-5588, www.grogshop.gs.

Former lead singer of Seattle soul-rock group Maktub has transformed into an improvisational comic/musician/ “disinformationist,” as seen in big-time rock magazines and on Conan O’Brien. Mixing skewed observations, comedy and music via loop pedals with his powerful voice, the dude is simply funny.

Read Soundcheck, the blog by Malcolm X Abram.

Bonnie Raitt is back.

The 62-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist/rock hall of famer has returned to active duty as one of pop music’s most respected veteran artists.

Raitt returns with a new studio album, Slipstream, her 19th overall and first since 2005 Souls Alike, and a new tour, her first since living her dream and touring with buddy/mentor/blues legend Taj Mahal in 2009. The tour will make a stop in Akron on Wednesday at the Civic Theatre.

In the years between albums, Raitt experienced more than her fair share of the blues. She lost both parents, close friend and Texas musician Stephen Bruton and her older brother, Steve, who lost an 11-year battle with cancer — all of which forced her to take some much-needed time off from the job she’s loved for four decades.

“I was surprisingly tired and overwhelmed. It’s amazing how the scaffolding of your everyday life and your job hold you together,” Raitt told USA Today last month.

“Grief therapy brought up other things that needed to be addressed, childhood stuff. At first I thought, maybe I’ll buy an easel and get my watercolors out or go to some exotic place. But I realized you can’t run away from things you’re feeling. I’m lucky. A lot of people don’t have the luxury of unplugging from a job.”

While she was away, some current hot artists paid tribute to her with Adele covering I Can’t Make You Love Me and alt-folkie Bon Iver hailing Raitt as one of his favorite artists and performing a medley of I Can’t Make You Love Me/Nick of Time. Those tributes plus the folk hipness injection of bands such as Mumford & Sons have Raitt, who favors classic blues, jazz and Americana, feeling good about her work and the state of music.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored,” she said of the Adele and Bon Iver covers in a label-distributed Q&A. “There’s so much great music out there now, especially in the Americana format I tend to listen to. I’m really happy with the success of the Black Keys and some others that show real artistry and innovation. It’s great to hear so many young artists influenced by the same classic soul, blues, jazz and rock that means so much to me.”

During her “unplugged” respite, Raitt got to do something she hadn’t done in a while. She attended concerts purely as a fan.

“I got to go to gigs — just be a fan, no pressure whatsoever,” Raitt told the Los Angeles Times, in April.

“I got to see a lot of jazz, African world music and the symphony, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass [Festival in San Francisco] — I got to go two years in a row. That’ll fire you up to get back into music.”

After a particularly inspiring Jackson Browne concert, Raitt decided she was ready to get back to work, but her record deal with EMI/Capitol Records expired in 2005. Raitt, who has experienced both being dropped by a label (Warner Bros. in 1986) and then being championed (Capitol/EMI) during her late 1980s/early ’90s chart-topping heyday, concluded that despite being courted by EMI and others, rather than jump back on the major label hamster wheel, she chose to start her own label, Redwing Records.

“It wasn’t an ego thing. It was more practical,” she said to USA Today.

“Once we break even, it’s better math. With the new ways of getting music out, you don’t need a label if you’re a legacy artist.”

The label’s first offering is Slipstream, which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, her highest debut in 18 years. The album also topped the independent album chart, the Internet album chart and has sat atop the blues album charts since its mid-April release.

If the single digit chart position wasn’t encouraging enough, the album has been critically hailed as her best collection in years. And, its dozen tracks manage to satisfy her blues-loving cult following, which has listened since the 1970s, and the adult-contemporary crowd she acquired during her string of hit singles and Grammy-winning albums beginning with Nick of Time (1989), Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994), all of which sold multiplatinum and contained hit singles such as Have a Heart, Something to Talk About, I Can’t Make You Love Me, Not the Only One and Love Sneakin’ Up on You.

The trio of hit albums also garnered Raitt a total of eight Grammys including album of the year for Nick of Time.

Slipstream may not match that trio’s multiplatinum status, but a few Grammy nominations are likely. Four of the album’s tracks were produced by singer/songwriter Joe Henry, who has become the “it” producer for veteran artists looking for a creative boost and a natural sound, having worked in recent years with Aaron Neville, Meshell Ndegeocello, Mose Allison, Allen Toussaint (who suggested Henry to Raitt) and others. The pair actually recorded nine songs, the rest of which will be used later after Raitt’s world tour.

“I just kept going,” Raitt told the Associated Press about the L.A. sessions with Henry and his phalanx of musicians.

“I just felt so … ‘inspired’ is the word I’d use. It was so comfortable, inspirational, especially coming out of not being in capital letters, BONNIE RAITT. It was a great re-entry. It was just like someone put the paddles on your heart and said, `Welcome back.’ ”

Those songs, recorded in just three days, provide much of the quieter side of the album with elegiac ballads such as the bluesy cover of Bob Dylan’s recent tune, Standing in the Doorway, the delicate Henry-written, album-closing piano ballad God Only Knows and another newish Dylan song Million Miles.

The rest of the album was produced by Raitt and recorded with her longtime band (guitarist George Marinelli, drummer Ricky Fataar, keyboardist Mike Finnigan and bassist James Hutchinson) with help from buddy and NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, who contributes plenty of tasty guitar licks.

There’s the blues and a dash of funk on the toe-tapping opener Used to Rule the World, a bona fide blues rave-up on the Anderson/Bonnie Bramlett tune Split Decision and the traditional easy swinging ode to a good man (which Raitt says she’s had for the past seven years though she won’t divulge his identity) Ain’t Gonna Let You Go.

The lead single, a reggae-flavored cover of the late Gerry Rafferty’s Right Down the Line, shows a different side. Throughout the self-produced tracks, Raitt, always underrated as a slide guitarist, allows herself some space to stretch out a bit in the aforementioned Ain’t Gonna Let You Go, engages in a playful guitar duel on Split Decision and gets all Mississippi Delta dirty on Million Miles.

“I’m not going to turn into a guitar hero, but I wanted to let go and indulge myself,” she told USA Today.

For fans of the big pop tunes, Raitt offers the R&B infused Take My Love With You, the light, shuffling, cautionary tale Marriage Made in Hollywood and the sad acoustic weeper, Not Cause I Wanted To.

Rejuvenated, Raitt will spend much of the year on the road around the globe, in her second home, the back of the tour bus playing a batch of new songs chosen in part with the road in mind.

“I’m as excited about playing these songs on the road as I was in the studio,” Raitt said to the AP.

“And to have the jewels of these Dylan songs and the Joe Henry songs, and to know that I’ll have that other project come out is just a thrill for me, and reignited the passion I’ve always had for music and reinforced that connection I have with my band and how much I was born to do this. I’m as excited about this tour as I was the time I had my first album.”

Malcolm Abram can be reached at 330-996-3758 or by email at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com. He is also on Facebook and Twitter and he will soon be available as a fully functioning hologram.

Read Soundcheck, the blog by Malcolm X Abram.

The official word: CBS announced today its new 2012-2013 primetime schedule, ordering four new series and making four key time period moves to further enhance television’s top-rated schedule. CBS will finish the season as America’s most-watched network for the ninth time in the past 10 years, leading in viewers by the widest margin of any network in 23 years.

The new series include ELEMENTARY, a contemporary take on the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in New York City, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu; VEGAS, a drama inspired by a real-life sheriff and his battle with a powerful mobster for control of Las Vegas in the 1960s, starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis; MADE IN JERSEY, starring Janet Montgomery as a smart first-year lawyer with working-class roots practicing at a prestigious Manhattan law firm; and PARTNERS, a comedy about two very different life-long best friends and business partners and their significant others, starring David Krumholtz and Michael Urie.

“These new series feature a great range of bold concepts, rich characters, big stars and fresh faces,” said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. “From a new take on Sherlock Holmes to an epic battle for control of 1960s Las Vegas to a working-class point of view in a prestigious law firm, the dramas each have a unique style and sensibility. And, our new comedy PARTNERS fits perfectly with the CBS Monday night tradition of relationship comedies with a lot of heart and humor.”

The freshman series will be joined by 19 returning shows, including the season’s #1 drama/scripted program – NCIS; the #1 scripted series in adults 18-49 and #1 comedy – THE BIG BANG THEORY; #1 new series – PERSON OF INTEREST; #1 new series/comedy in adults 18-49/25-54 – 2 BROKE GIRLS; #1 news program – 60 MINUTES; and the eight-time Emmy Award winner THE AMAZING RACE.

The other returning series include HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, MIKE & MOLLY, HAWAII FIVE-0, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, SURVIVOR, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, TWO AND A HALF MEN, CSI: NY, BLUE BLOODS, 48 HOURS MYSTERY, THE MENTALIST and THE GOOD WIFE.

For midseason, the Emmy Award-nominated UNDERCOVER BOSS returns, plus the new reality series THE JOB from executive producers Michael Davies and Mark Burnett. Also for midseason are the new drama GOLDEN BOY and the new comedy FRIEND ME.

The new 2012-2013 schedule is as follows:

On Monday, CBS makes a bold scheduling move and adds a new half-hour series to TV’s top comedy night. The veteran HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER returns at 8:00 PM and provides a strong lead-in for the new comedy PARTNERS at 8:30 PM. The #1 new comedy of the season, 2 BROKE GIRLS, moves to 9:00 PM to anchor the night, followed by the sophomore hits MIKE & MOLLY at 9:30 PM and HAWAII FIVE-0 at 10:00 PM, the top-rated 10:00 PM series on television in adults 18-49.

On Tuesday, CBS uses television’s top-rated dramas as lead-ins for a new one-hour series. The #1 drama/scripted series NCIS remains at 8:00 PM, followed by the #2 drama/scripted series NCIS: LOS ANGELES at 9:00 PM, which will provide a powerful and compatible lead-in for the star-studded new series VEGAS at 10:00 PM.

On Wednesday, a successful night remains intact with potent lead-off hitter SURVIVOR at 8:00 PM, popular thriller CRIMINAL MINDS at 9:00 PM, and the resurgent time period-winning CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION at 10:00 PM, where it improved the time period by 23% in adults 18-49.

On Thursday, CBS creates a powerful comedy block and adds a provocative new drama. The #1 comedy THE BIG BANG THEORY at 8:00 PM is now paired with the #2 comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN at 8:30 PM, creating a formidable comedy duo as a lead-in for the #1 new drama PERSON OF INTEREST at 9:00 PM, which flows seamlessly into the smart new drama ELEMENTARY at 10:00 PM.

On Friday, CBS moves a veteran series to kick off the night and launches a new drama in a protected time period. CSI: NY, which consistently wins its time period, moves to 8:00 PM, providing an established lead-in for the new legal drama MADE IN JERSEY at 9:00 PM. BLUE BLOODS, the night’s most-watched series, remains a solid anchor at 10:00 PM.

Saturday will feature CBS’s CRIMETIME programming from 8:00-10:00 PM, followed by the popular true crime series 48 HOURS MYSTERY at 10:00 PM.

On Sunday, CBS adds a hit drama to a prestigious, award-winning lineup. The acclaimed news magazine 60 MINUTES returns for its 45th season to open at 7:00 PM, followed by the eight-time Emmy Award-winning THE AMAZING RACE at 8:00 PM and the critically lauded and award-winning drama THE GOOD WIFE at 9:00 PM. A proven ratings winner at 10:00 PM, THE MENTALIST moves to Sunday to close out the night.

The New Dramas:

ELEMENTARY stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he’s devised his own post-rehab regimen – resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock’s police contact, Capt. Tobias “Toby” Gregson (Aidan Quinn), knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson. Rob Doherty, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Michael Cuesta, who directed the pilot, are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis star in VEGAS, a drama inspired by the true story of former Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher tasked with bringing order to Las Vegas in the 1960s, a gambling and entertainment mecca emerging from the tumbleweeds. Ralph Lamb (Quaid) wants to be left in peace to run his ranch, but Las Vegas is now swelling with outsiders and corruption which are intruding on his simple life. Recalling Lamb’s command as a military police officer during World War II, the Mayor appeals to his sense of duty to look into a murder of a casino worker – and so begins Lamb’s clash with Vincent Savino (Chiklis), a ruthless Chicago gangster who plans to make Vegas his own. Assisting Lamb in keeping law and order are his two deputies: his diplomatic, even-keeled brother Jack (Jason O’Mara) and his charming but impulsive son, Dixon (Taylor Handley). Ambitious Assistant District Attorney Katherine O’Connell (Carrie-Anne Moss), who grew up on the ranch next to the Lambs, also lends a hand in preserving justice. In Vegas, two powerful men – Lamb and Savino – are engaged in a fierce battle for control of the budding oasis, and for both of them, folding is not an option. Nicholas Pileggi, Greg Walker, Cathy Konrad, Arthur Sarkissian and James Mangold, who also directed the pilot, are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

MADE IN JERSEY is a drama about a young working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete among her pedigreed Manhattan colleagues at a prestigious New York law firm. Martina Garretti (Janet Montgomery) finds her firm’s cutthroat landscape challenging, but what she lacks in an Ivy League education she more than makes up for with tenacity and blue-collar insight. After just a few weeks, firm founder Donovan Stark (Kyle MacLachlan), takes note of Martina’s ingenuity and resourcefulness, as does her sassy secretary Cyndi Vega (Toni Trucks). With the support of her big Italian family, including her sexy older sister Bonnie (Erin Cummings), Martina is able to stay true to her roots as a bold, passionate lawyer on the rise in a new intimidating environment. Jamie Tarses, Kevin Falls, Julia Franz and Mark Waters, who also directed the pilot, are the executive producers for Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Television Studios. Pilot was written by creator and co-executive producer Dana Calvo.

The New Comedy:

PARTNERS is a comedy based on the lives of creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, about two life-long best friends and business partners whose “bromance” is tested when one of them is engaged to be married. Joe (David Krumholtz) is an accomplished architect who leads with his head and not his heart, especially in his love life. That’s in stark contrast to his gay co-worker, Louis (Michael Urie), who is spontaneous, emotional and prone to exaggeration. Both have found joy in their love lives: Joe is newly engaged to Ali (Sophia Bush), a beautiful and sophisticated jewelry designer, while Louis is dating Wyatt (Brandon Routh), a vegan nurse who Louis insists is just a promotion away from becoming a doctor. As news of Joe’s engagement settles, time will tell if their business and personal bond can adapt to the addition of two other important relationships. Emmy Award winners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television. Emmy Award winner James Burrows directed the pilot.

The New Midseason Series:

GOLDEN BOY is a drama about the meteoric rise of an ambitious cop who becomes the youngest police commissioner in the history of New York City, and the high personal and professional cost he pays to achieve it. As he’s interviewed for a story about his career, Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) flashes back on his hard-fought journey from street kid to the most powerful man in law enforcement. After only three years as a beat cop, Clark’s heroics on the job make him bold enough to ask for and receive the unheard – of promotion to Homicide Detective, angering the members of his new department who are eager to see him fail. Clark’s disappointed to be partnered with veteran Detective Don Owen (Chi McBride), a gruff lifer just two years shy of retirement. He would rather team with First Grade Detective Christian Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro), the alpha dog in the squad who’s just as ambitious as Clark, but without a moral center. Arroyo’s partner is Detective Deborah McKenzie (Bonnie Somerville), a tough third-generation cop and the only female detective in the unit. Also on the team is Detective Joe Diaco (Holt McCallany), well-connected with tremendous resources which Clark might find useful. Though laser-focused on moving up the ladder, Clark’s soft spot is serving as the sole caregiver and supporter of his sister, Agnes (Stella Maeve), a teenager demonstrating increasingly dangerous behavior. Keenly observant and politically savvy, the Golden Boy bases his career decisions solely on his need to succeed as quickly as possible, and he’ll find that his epic journey will be filled with consequences. Greg Berlanti, Emmy Award winner Nicholas Wootton and Richard Shepard, who directed the pilot, are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.

FRIEND ME is a comedy about two 20-something best friends who just moved from Indiana to Los Angeles to start cool new jobs, but can’t agree on how to socially engage in their new city. Rob (Nicholas Braun) is eager to embrace the L.A. scene and meet new people who aren’t looking down at their smart phones or laptops. Evan (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), however, prefers to socialize online at home in his underwear, web-chatting and playing poker with his Hoosier buddies Mike (Parveesh Cheena), Sully (Tim Robinson) and Farhad (Dan Ahdoot) just a keystroke away. Meanwhile, Rob’s had enough of iChatting, and naively posts a flyer seeking new friends on the coffee house bulletin board, despite Evan’s warning that no good can come from meeting strangers in person. Soon the calls start rolling in, some with potential, some just disturbing, and Rob and a reluctant Evan embark on what will be a series of the most epic adventures – and disasters – of their lives. Alan Kirschenbaum and Ajay Sahgal, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, are executive producers for CBS Television Studios, in association with The Tannenbaum Company. The pilot was directed by Pamela Fryman.

From reality show masters Michael Davies (“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” “Watch What Happens Live”) and Mark Burnett (“Survivor,” “The Voice”) comes a new reality series, THE JOB, where every week talented candidates are chosen from across the country for a chance to win their dream job at one of America’s most prestigious companies. Host Lisa Ling guides participants through several rounds of the most intense interviews of their lives, including challenges ranging from an on-the-spot quiz to assess their knowledge of the company to deadline-driven tasks while spending a day on the job. But the candidates aren’t the only ones in the hot seat. Adding to the pressure, a rival company is also present and waiting for an opportunity to swoop in and steal any of the contenders by making a competing offer. The participant must then decide immediately whether they will take the rival’s offer or stay in the competition in the hope that they are the last one standing for this once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity. Produced by Sony Pictures Television and Embassy Row.

CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

2012-2013 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(N=New, NT=New Time, all times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

8:30-9:00 PM PARTNERS (N)

9:00-9:30 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS (NT)

9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & MOLLY

10:00-11:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES

10:00-11:00 PM VEGAS (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

THURSDAY

8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY

8:30-9:00 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN (NT)

9:00-10:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST

10:00-11:00 PM ELEMENTARY (N)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CSI: NY (NT)

9:00-10:00 PM MADE IN JERSEY (N)

10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES

8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE

9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE

10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (NT)

Follow on Social Media:

#Elementary

Twitter: @Elementary_CBS https://twitter.com/#!/Elementary_CBS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElementaryCBS

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114661016436006638906/posts

#Vegas

Twitter: @Vegas_CBS https://twitter.com/#!/Vegas_CBS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VegasCBS

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100116199784797638011/posts

#MadeInJersey

Twitter: @MadeInJersey_CBS https://twitter.com/#!/MadeInJerseyCBS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadeinJerseyCBS

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/102728364621024910480/posts

#Partners

Twitter: @Partners_ CBS https://twitter.com/#!/Partners_CBS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PartnersCBS

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113332002724495478974/posts

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

The official word: Two of cable’s most successful brands are once again paving the way to the future with a bold, industry-leading strategy. According to the vision laid out by executives during the annual Upfront presentation today in New York, TBS and TNT will undertake a major transformation over the next two years, evolving from linear television networks into branded video destinations.

"Our strategy is designed to confront the challenges of an ever-growing media universe by focusing on the strength of our brands, the power of our programming and the ability to deliver branded video content that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere and on any device," said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. "To reach our destination, we will focus on leading with the strength of the TBS and TNT brands; cementing each network’s foundation with popular, high-profile acquisitions; expanding our lineup of scripted and unscripted original series to a year-round model; and maximizing multi-screen opportunities."

"Turner continues to make investments in programming that has broad appeal with viewers, and our commitment to producing originals throughout the year and content for all screens will provide tremendous opportunities for our clients and their brands," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. "As viewer habits progress and we evolve into a One Media World, advertisers continue to look for opportunities to engage with consumers on multiple screens and platforms. Turner’s leading portfolio of linear and digital brands, with enhanced original content, provides our advertising partners with greater reach for their messages, across multiple screens, genres and demographics."

In addition to detailing the strategy for success and growth in the future, TNT and TBS unveiled their extensive original series lineups for 2012-13. TNT and TBS also announced a diverse range of new projects in development from such high-profile creative partners as David Baldacci, Michael Bay, Steven Bochco, Tom Clancy, James Duff, Howard Gordon, Norm MacDonald, Matthew McConaughey, Conan O’Brien, Michael Ovitz, Robert Port, Michael M. Robin, Ron Shelton, Greer Shephard, Don Todd and Dick Wolf.

"At TNT, we’re expanding our programming horizons with new forms and new genres – like we did last year with Falling Skies – and we’re reaching out to new audiences," explained Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "Whatever the form or genre, we’re using what we call the ‘popcorn mindset’ as the guiding principle behind all our development. From a storytelling perspective, that simply means that TNT’s dramas are meant to entertain and excite viewers, take them on a ride and land them safely at the end."

TNT has nine original series on tap this summer, more than any other time in the network’s history. Among the new series joining the network are the eagerly anticipated Dallas and TNT’s first-ever reality-competition show, The Great Escape. TNT is also building its originals slate with the recently greenlit medical drama Monday Mornings and the unscripted series Boston Blue (working title) and 72 Hours (working title).

TBS’s slate of original programming is being developed with two types of comedy lovers in mind. "The Big Bang Theory gives us an ideal foundation from which to launch original series that target our audience of ‘comedy relatables,’ who like comedy that reminds them of their own lives, while Family Guy is one of our anchors for ‘comedy rebels,’ who enjoy more irreverent, provocative comedy," Wright said.

For the comedy relatables, TBS is premiering two new sitcoms this summer, each of which will be paired in the lineup with The Big Bang Theory. Next week, TBS will premiere Men at Work, followed in July by the launch of Sullivan & Son. Later this year, TBS will also debut the scripted comedy series Wedding Band, followed in early 2013 by the premiere of Cougar Town, now a TBS original series. For the comedy rebels, TBS’s slate includes shows like the competition series King of the Nerds (working title) and the newly greenlit Deon Cole’s Black Box and Who Gets the Last Laugh? (working title).

The following is a rundown of new and returning series on the slate for TNT and TBS, as well as descriptions of scripted and unscripted series being developed for the networks.

Current and New Series

Rizzoli & Isles – Season 3 premiere: Tuesday, June 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Franklin & Bash – Season 2 premiere: Tuesday, June 5, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Dallas – Two-hour series premiere: Wednesday, June 13, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Falling Skies – Two-hour season 2 premiere: Sunday, June 17, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

The Great Escape – Series premiere: Sunday, June 24, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

The Closer – Final six episodes premiere: Monday, July 9, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Perception – Series premiere: Monday, July 9, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Leverage – Season 5 premiere: Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

Major Crimes – Series premiere: Monday, Aug. 13, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), then moves to 9 p.m.

Southland – Season 5 coming in February 2013

Monday Mornings – New series coming in early 2013

Boston Blue (working title) – New series coming in 2013

72 Hours (working title) – New series coming in 2013

TNT Scripted Series in Development

King and Maxwell – Bestselling author David Baldacci’s popular characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell aren’t your typical pair of private investigators. Both are former secret service agents, and their unique skill set (not to mention their razor-sharp chemistry) often gives them a leg up on both suspects and conventional law enforcement. Baldacci serves as a consultant on the project. Executive Producer: Shane Brennan. Producer: Karen Spiegel and Grant Anderson. Studio: CBS Television Studios.

The Last Ship – In this exciting action/adventure project based on the popular novel by William Brinkley, the crew of a naval destroyer is forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic decimates most of the earth’s population. Michael Bay (Transformers) intends to direct the pilot if it is green lit. Executive Producers: Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Hank Steinberg (showrunner and writer) and Steve Kane (writer). Production Company: Platinum Dunes.

Legends – This suspenseful, action-packed drama is being developed by Howard Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Mark Bomback from the novel Legends by Robert Littell. The story follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum, who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is. Executive Producers: Howard Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Alexander Cary and Jonathan Levin. Studio: Fox Television Studios.

Lew Archer – Based on the title character from Ross McDonald’s popular novels, this project from The Closer creator James Duff and Close to Home creator Jim Leonard follows the sleuth many consider to be "the original P.I." Executive Producers: James Duff, Jim Leonard (writer) and Steve N. White. Studio: Warner Horizon Television.

Tom Clancy’s Homeland Security – This event-based procedural written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and set in Tom Clancy’s world of espionage pits a select team of domestic intelligence operatives against enemies within and without, from narco-traffickers and nuclear terrorists to cyber-criminals and human smugglers. Executive Producers: Tom Clancy, Michael Ovitz, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Chris George.

Untitled Steven Bochco Murder Mystery project – This suspenseful and intriguing crime drama will intimately dissect a single murder case over an entire season, from the commitment of the crime through the investigation, arrest and trial. Executive Producer: Steven Bochco (writer). Co-Executive Producer: Eric Lodal (writer).

Untitled Ron Shelton family drama – A disgraced football coach loses his high-profile job in Los Angeles and winds up moving his three kids and 70-year-old father to Louisiana. But this might just be the fresh start they need in this insightful drama from the writer/director of Bull Durham. Executive Producers: Ron Shelton (writer), Michele Weisler and Andrea Buchanan.

TNT Unscripted Series in Development

American Troubadours –From one of the executive producers of American Idol and film star Matthew McConaughey, this new reality competition series is on a mission to discover the best unsigned bar band in America, singer/songwriter bands that represent the greatest tradition of rock and roll. Executive Producers: Nigel Lythgoe, Matthew McConaughey and Anastasia Brown. Production Companies: Nigel Lythgoe Productions and J.K. Livin Foundation.

Cold Justice – This docu-drama, produced by EmmyÒ winners for such series as Law & Order, Project Runway and Top Chef, will follow former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary as they crack cold cases. Executive Producers: Dick Wolf, Tom Thayer, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz. Production Companies: Wolf Films and Magical Elves.

Rivals – From the producers of Laguna Beach and Jockeys comes this riveting series set in the glamorous world of thoroughbred horse racing. Executive Producers: Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun; Gary Ravet for Promark Productions; and Gary Auerbach and Tina Gazzero for Go Go Luckey.

24/7: Los Angeles – OscarÒ-winning documentary filmmaker Robert Port crafted this gripping, all-access look at the men and women who protect the streets of Los Angeles. Executive Producers: Robert Port, Michael Goldstein and Michael Larkin. Production Company: Port Films.

New Series

Men at Work – Series premiere: Thursday, May 24, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Sullivan & Son – Series premiere: Thursday, July 19, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Wedding Band – New series coming in December

Cougar Town – Joins TBS original series lineup in early 2013

King of the Nerds (working title) – New series coming soon

Deon Cole’s Black Box – New series coming in 2013

Who Gets the Last Laugh? (working title) – New series coming in 2013

TBS Scripted Series in Development

The Kid – To try and get his game back, a young and socially naïve golf prodigy named Quinn teams up with Joey, an unconventional new caddy. But much to the dismay of his father, Quinn learns more than just golf, as this new duo makes its way into the high-rolling, fast-moving big-time world of professional golf. The Kid is written by Donald Todd from a story by Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Bamberger and writer Jay Hass, along with David Morse (Tremé) and professional golfer Phil Mickelson’s longtime caddy, Jim "Bones" Mackay. Executive Producers: Donald Todd, Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin. Production Company: The Shephard/Robin Company. Studio: Warner Horizon Television.

Most Likely – It has been ten years since high school, and the former “most likely to succeed” star student returns to his hometown after losing his job. He winds up working for the former (and still) “most popular” jock in this mismatched buddy comedy penned by Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine). Executive Producers: Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger. Co-Executive Producer/Writer: Josh Heald. Production Company: Conaco LLC. Studio: Warner Horizon Television.

Zone Lord – Conan O’Brien serves as executive producer on this sitcom with an intergalactic twist. Three roommates awake one morning to discover an evil but very hip alien has moved into their building, along with his diminutive navigator. Executive Producers: Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger. Co-Executive Producer/Writer: Ross Venokur. Production Company: Conaco LLC. Studio: Warner Horizon Television.

TBS Unscripted Series in Development

Norm MacDonald is Trending – TBS has ordered a pilot presentation of this talk show from some of the executive producers behind Sports Show with Norm MacDonald and Real Time with Bill Maher. SNL alumnus and former "Weekend Update" anchor Norm MacDonald hosts as he and his team of correspondents sort through the churning mass of pop culture and social media to pull out the funniest, most bizarre and entertaining events so you don’t have to. Executive Producers: Norm MacDonald, Marc Gurvitz and Lori Jo Hoekstra.

Untitled Competition Game Show – This big, unique and physically challenging competition series is being developed by Jared Hoffman and produced by Alloy Digital’s Generate Studios, which was co-founded by Jordan Levin and Pete Aronson. Executive Producer: Jared Hoffman. Production Company: Generate Studios.

Read The Heldenfiles, the blog by Rich Heldenfels

CBS will add four new series to its lineup in the fall and will move a couple of hits to new nights.

The Mentalist will shift to 10 p.m. Sunday, filling the time period vacated by the canceled CSI: Miami. And Two and a Half Men will head to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, paired with The Big Bang Theory.

The new shows include one comedy, Partners, in the network’s Monday comedy block, and three dramas: Vegas, Elementary and Made in Jersey.

Other series returning in the fall include 2 Broke Girls, 48 Hours Mystery, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, Blue Bloods, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest and Survivor. Undercover Boss will be back later in the season; Rules of Engagement was not in CBS’s new-schedule announcement but may yet get picked up for later use.

Summer series Big Brother will begin July 12. Reality series Dogs in the City, about pet-ownership issues, begins May 30.

Series that are now done include CSI: Miami, A Gifted Man, How To Be a Gentleman, NYC 22, Rob and Unforgettable.

Here’s a rundown of CBS’s plan for prime time (8 to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday):

Monday will begin with How I Met Your Mother, followed by new series Partners, about two male best friends, one gay and one not; it’s based on the lives of series creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the team behind Will & Grace. The lineup continues with 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly and Hawaii Five-O.

Tuesday has NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles followed by Vegas, with Dennis Quaid as Ralph Lamb, the real-life sheriff of Las Vegas in the ‘60s; Michael Chiklis plays a gangster at odds with Lamb. Crime chronicler Nicholas Pileggi is an executive producer.

Wednesday remains Survivor, Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Thursday has Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Person of Interest and the new Elementary, with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as a modern, New York City-based Holmes and Watson.

Friday moves CSI: NY to 8 p.m., followed by Made in Jersey, with a working-class woman practicing law in a high-toned New York firm. Blue Bloods completes the night.

Saturday remains two hours of “crimetime” repeats followed by 48 Hours Mystery. Sunday includes 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist.

CBS also announced three unscheduled shows for midseason: Golden Boy is a drama about a New York police officer’s rise to commissioner. Friend Me is a comedy about two best friends who move from Indiana to Los Angeles, with Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Reality show The Job is a weekly competition among candidates for a dream job.

CBS’s schedule continues a week of broadcast network announcements. NBC, Fox and ABC have also announced, with The CW coming Thursday. You can read detailed recaps of their plans as well as other program news in the HeldenFiles Online, www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

This Friday, Chace Crawford will hit the big screen in a role he has yet to play: a baby daddy. In What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the 26-year-old actor and his co-star Anna Kendrick find themselves in it for the long haul when their one night stand turns them into expectant parents.

Parade.com sat down with Crawford on a recent sunny afternoon in Beverly Hills to discuss babies (his sister Candice recently welcomed a son with her husband Tony Romo), weddings, and his plans post-Gossip Girl.

While one would think anyone would jump at the chance to shimmy alongside Cameron Diaz, Crawford was relieved that it was Matthew Morrison playing the role of the pro dance instructor who romances the actress.

"It spared everyone the atrocity of my dance moves," he said, laughing.

Read on for more from Crawford, including the dream show he’d love to be on and how he rates as a new uncle.

On working with Anna.
"The chemistry was instant. I knew her work and she’s outstandingly talented. It was fun. When she was cast, I knew right away what it was going to be. In some of those scenes, it’s like a verbal tennis match. Some of our scenes are improvised. She’s really great with that stuff. In the moment, she’s super witty."

On settling down.
"I met up with some friends recently that I hadn’t seen in awhile and two of them were married. Being from Texas, there is a little more pressure to get it done but I’m not really on that spectrum. I’m on a different train. I’ve learned I need a couple of decades of maturity."

A couple decades?
"Maybe less than a couple of decades. It’s about finding the right person. I’m not the kind of guy that needs to have a girlfriend or needs to have attention from a girlfriend. If it happens, it happens. I’m always open to that. Not marriage yet, but I’ll figure it out."

On how he would end Gossip Girl.
"If I got to write the show, it would be a very different thing. I would make Chuck Gossip Girl and I would turn my character into Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. That would be a wierd twist of events."

On ending the show.
"I tend to throw something for the crew at the end of every season. What will we do? For me, it’s going to probably be more bittersweet and tough to leave New York City. And it’s definitely an end of an era. It was college for everyone really. We’ll do something for sure."

His baby handling skills.
"They are top notch [laughs]. I haven’t changed a diaper yet and that’s the part of being the cool uncle. I didn’t realize that babies can’t hold their heads up right away so that was a lesson of a sister yelling. It’s always the handoff that’s a little awkward. He sleeps all day and just sits there and you watch him. It’s a beautiful thing. He’s a big baby. He’s a strong baby.

Is his nephew destined for the turf?
"He came out with a football in his hand. It was a very weird thing. And a Giants hat. I was like, ‘What is that? Get that off!’ My sister was very athletic as well so I’m sure he’ll be fine."

His future.
"Unless Games of Thrones comes knocking at my door, I’m going to try to make a run at film for awhile. Their are pros and cons to both. With TV, you’re locked in. It’s great because you have conistency though while film is like camp."