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The internationally renowned (and completely adorable) vocal group, BLAKE, gear up for their debut US release through Merovee Records. Get ready to heat up those iTunes!

For those of you not in the know… Blake are a classical vocal quartet, comprising Ollie Baines, Humphrey Berney, Jules Knight and Stephen Bowman. They are widely known as the group who formed on Facebook. (Why not, that is where I meet all my tricks!)

They released their debut album “Blake” in 2007, which won the Album of the Year Award at the Classical BRIT Awards in 2008.^[ The album contains covers of popular classical songs and themes from the movies, to create a more commercial classical-pop crossover sound.

They sang for Shirley Bassey at her 70th birthday party, and performed in front of 80,000 football fans at Wembley Stadium. In the summer of 2007 their version of the ‘Swing Low’ was chosen as the Official Anthem of the England rugby team for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

In 2009, baritone Dominic Tighe ditched the boys to return to acting. So, they once again used  social media to recruit, looking for a new member on Twitter! After two weeks, and 55,000 subscribing to their “tweets”, Humphrey Berney (better known as “Barney”) joined the gang. (Evidently, the fact that I couldn’t sing was not enough for them. )

Legendary songwriter, Diane Warren, penned the majority of the songs on their new record, lending to the band a new and captivating sound. Members of Michael Buble’s backing band were also on board, as well as veteran producers Marc Swersky and Steve Greenwell. To date, the boys of BLAKE have achieved acclaimed success overseas selling over one million records with 3 international releases; two were nominated for Album of the Year in the UK, one is a Classical Brit Award winner. The natural evolution and growth of the band can be heard on the album’s first single “Start Over“ (available via itunes now! Buy it you whore! )

The You Can Play project, with the backing of numerous National Hockey League (NHL) players and other supporters, is launching an aggressive advocacy program to change the sometimes homophobic culture of locker rooms with a message that athletes should be judged on athletic skill and ability, not sexual orientation.

A large number of high-profile – AND HOT – NHL dudes are filming public service announcements (PSAs) in support of You Can Play. The first PSA debuts during the first intermission of today’s NBC Sports broadcast of the game between the Rangers and  Bruins. Other videos will follow shortly, and all videos can be found at YouCanPlayproject.org, which also will serve as a resource for straight and gay athletes, coaches and fans.

“The goals for You Can Play are clear,” according to co-founder Patrick Burke. “We want to make locker rooms safe for all athletes, rather than places of fear, slurs and bullying. The casual homophobia in sports has to change, so all athletes know that what counts is whether you can play the game.”

Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, has been a straight ally in sports since his younger brother Brendan came out as gay while manager of the Miami University ice hockey team. Brendan’s story became national news because of his closeness to the NHL and took on deeper meaning when he was killed in a 2010 car accident. Burke’s father, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, has joined Patrick in filming a PSA in support of You Can Play.

“The hockey community united behind Brendan because he loved the game, and that’s what matters. The NHL players stepping forward to support You Can Play know that creating a homophobia-free environment will make their teams and the sport better,” Patrick Burke continued. “It’s important for straight athletes at all levels to step up and let gay athletes know they will be accepted, and to let other straight athletes know that homophobic language and attitudes are never appropriate. This project is a combined effort of gay and straight athletes and fans, but the message is largely for straight audiences.”

While more than 30 NHL players have already volunteered to support the program, You Can Play will extend beyond hockey, encompassing all sports, athletes and fans. The organization is in active discussions with officials and players in several other sports leagues.

“Casual homophobia doesn’t belong in any sports setting, whether in the locker room or in the stands. You Can Play will help to change the behavior and acceptance of fans,” according to co-founder Brian Kitts, who has spent more than ten years in the front offices of professional hockey, basketball, lacrosse and soccer teams. “Most fans care about exciting games, great performances and wins, not whether a player is gay or straight. Fans need to send the message to other fans that sexual orientation just doesn’t matter.”

You Can Play will launch with a series of videos from professional athletes but will quickly begin adding user-generated content. The organization welcomes video content from pro teams, university teams and athletes, club athletes and sports fans who value skill and healthy competition first. Over the next year, You Can Play will provide educational materials, workbooks, online coaching and other high school- and college-based programs aimed at letting coaches and players discuss sexual orientation.

“Familiarity and understanding is the best way to promote acceptance,” Witman said. “Athletes who work with us know that hurting your friends and teammates doesn’t get a win.”

Now, make sure to check out  You Can Play  on Facebook, Twitter (@YouCanPlayTeam) and YouTube (YouCanPlayProject). We know how you kids LOVE that social media stuff!

NBC Sports and HBO have joined the launch effort to support the creation and release of the PSA featuring NHL players. Initial funding for You Can Play was provided by the Gill Foundation, the Palette Fund and the Colin Higgins Foundation.

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We got some new tunes for your iPod!

With a HMMA  “Best Dance Remix” nomination already under Kady Z’s belt for single “Beautiful Disaster,” the queen of “dance music with a soul” is proudly releasing her debut album One Million Pieces - YESTERDAY!

One Million Pieces, co-written and produced by ToneDef (Green Day, Santana, Chris Isaak), is an electrifying mix of heartfelt pop songs with all the hallmarks of becoming classic club jams. You will be shaking your booty all across the dance-floor, gurl!

With heart-wrenching lyrics and lighthearted melodies, the album takes the listener through the different stages and landscapes of love. Standout tracks on the EP include “Fun,” a light hearted and wry spin on the phrase “he’s just not that into you,” (Never happened to me! Never! Okay, a few times…) Also, “Beautiful Disaster,” a song about the negotiation phases in love, and “One Million Pieces,” referring to having your heart break into one million pieces.

With views exploding over the 50,000 mark on just the trailer, ARTISTdirect.com will premiere the video for her single “Beautiful Disaster,” starring David Gallagher that  coincided with the EP’s release.

So enjoy, and get to jammin’!

Idina Menzel has a diverse career on the stage, in film and television, and in music.  The beloved Broadway star, best known for her work in the Rent, her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba in Wicked, and her recurring role in the hit TV series Glee, has spent much of the past two years crisscrossing the country, headlining concerts with world-renowned symphony orchestras. This past November, on Menzel’s 2011 tour itinerary, the star recorded her forthcoming PBS special Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony.  On March 6^th, Concord Music Group will release the DVD and accompanying album. 

The TV special, DVD, and the album, were captured in Toronto at Koerner Hall, a beautifully modernist, acoustically blessed space literally carved out of the city’s historic Royal Conservatory of Music headquarters. Menzel performs with the 52-piece Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, under the direction of legendary conductor Marvin Hamlisch and her equally accomplished music director and pianist, Rob Mounsey (who has worked with everyone from Paul Simon, Steely Dan to Madonna, Usher and Rihanna).

 Though Menzel’s symphony concerts have attracted sellout crowds and earned consistent critical praise, she was hesitant about the idea at first. “I’ve toured a lot in my life with different bands and different styles of music, but I stayed away from orchestras and symphonies for a long time, because I like to have a real intimacy with the audience, and I was afraid these big orchestras would usurp my ability to do that. But then I discovered that there’s a way to work with 80 musicians and make it feel like we’ve all known each other for years. I’m still able to explore my edgier side with songs like ‘Roxanne,’ but do it with an orchestra, which is really thrilling.”

Menzel opens the set with “Life of the Party,” written by Andrew Lippa for his 2000 off-Broadway musical The Wild Party, which costarred Menzel and her husband, Taye Diggs. It was Menzel who came up with the clever idea of combining Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” with Sting’s “Roxanne.” From Rent, the landmark musical that not only provided Menzel with her big professional break but also introduced her to Diggs, she chooses “No Day But Today.”  Other standouts include Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” which she performed with Lea Michele on Glee and charged Mounsey with the challengeof coming up with a big, orchestral arrangement for it.  Mounsey also came up with a playful rendition of Rodgers and Hart’s “Where or When,” featuring a special guest, husband Taye Diggs.   

With the PBS special and the album both completed, Menzel plans to go back on tour this summer.  In addition, Idina’s exemplary work continues with A BroaderWay, the foundation she established with Diggs in 2010 to help inner-city girls find outlets for self-expression through arts-related programs. 

Go HERE to watch Idina Menzel – “Poker Face” (from LIVE: Barefoot at the Symphony)