Both Rayna and Juliette were nominated for CMA nominations, and they handled it very well. They’re both wrapped up in so much personal stuff that being angry or jealous of each other took more of  a back seat.

With the recent news that the season finale of Nashville will include two deaths, I couldn’t help but hope that we would get closer to Teddy taking a fall tonight. Coleman quit his position by his side after the allegations of impropriety from Tandy. Teddy went on to threaten Rayna and her resumed relationship with Deacon because he’s afraid she will reveal to him that he’s Maddie’s real father.

The funny thing was that with the way Maddie was feeling about Teddy, she might have considered it good news. Little girls don’t like their daddy’s hurting their mommy’s and by taking up with Peggy Kenter, that’s exactly what Teddy did in Maddie’s eyes. The father daughter dance did a lot to heal their relationship, and now it will be Rayna’s turn to be on the bad side of her eyes if she brings Deacon into their world.

But I don’t think it’s possible to stop the Rayna/Deacon train/ Even though Rayna was taking it slow and keeping motherhood in mind, Deacon had to break up with Stacey and he let her take Sue with her.  It was killer when mentioned to Rayna that they could have had their own family by now. There’s still a chance he’ll be left with a broken heart again, and if so, he could fall off the wagon.

Speaking of wagons, Juliette was traveling in her mother’s footsteps by tying on to celebrate her CMA nomination. Or so she said. She was really in pain over Dante and covering it first in mimosas and then in vodka, the one thing she told Jolene a true alcoholic drinks instead of mimosas.

Juliette managed to alienate Deacon and he quit, opening the door for Avery to take the stage with her. He’s been working his ass off and really deserved the opportunity. Will Juliette be too drunk to remember him again or will he be her new right hand man? Considering Juliette was completely tanked, she put on a great show. Avery taking care of Juliette was very sweet, and turning her down was even better. His character development has been incredible and life affirming.

I couldn’t tell who Deacon was more angry with at the end, Juliette or Rayna for supposedly pulling away. For being such a smart man, he really isn’t seeing the full picture of her life and taking the time to understand why she needs to take it slow. They just got together the night previous and he wanted to sing it to the rafters.

Deacon knew Rayna was hiding something, and facing her with it was shocking. He didn’t care if she told him or not, as long as they were together. Watching them kiss, I totally bought that they love each other more than either of them has loved anyone else. But taking it slow with the public until they get themselves accustomed to their new feelings would be highly advised.

I totally missed that Gunnar’s song that went down so well last week was one of his brother’s. No wonder he was so concerned about the recording session. He tried showing some of his own ballads to the producer, and they fell flat. Showing his brother’s work brought sparks. Who knew Will kissing him would be nothing in comparison to the realization that he couldn’t write a song that would get him a deal of his own. Scarlett found his brother’s song book. Will Gunnar be sent down another spiral because his secret is out? Will his new friend be able to keep him afloat?

The post Nashville: “Why Don’t You Love Me” 1.19 Review appeared first on TVHackr.

Reba McEntire. Dolly Parton. Loretta Lynn. All three of these women are country music royalty and have enjoyed successful careers, both critically and commercially, for decade upon decade, in addition to their ever-expanding empires and lucrative side ventures. When you ask a casual music fan to name female country singers, they’re usually some of the first names that pop up, due to the timelessness of their music, scope of their longevity, and influence on the country music industry as a whole. They all also happen to be CMA winners for Female Vocalist of the Year and on the next episode of Nashville, it looks like Juliette Barnes and Rayna James will be vying for the chance to have her name next to those of legendary performers like McEntire, Parton, and Lynn.

Already basking in the glow of her night with Deacon, Rayna completely forgot about the nominations and had to be reminded by Maddie, who called to break the news and try to get out of school to go dress shopping. Not even news that she’ll be competing once again with Juliette could bring Rayna down from the Cloud-9 she’s on right now, not when she’s finally able to be with the man she loves and has gotten recognized for excellency in her career field. Things haven’t been going well for Rayna lately, with Lamar’s heart attack, the divorce, and problems with Edgehill, but it’s all looking up for the country music superstar right now. Is it all too good to be true, though?

Elsewhere on Nashville, Teddy worries about his relationship with Maddie, Juliette copes with new challenges, and Scarlett is growing concerned about Gunnar, whose friendship with Will has gotten tenser following the attempted kiss.

Nashville airs tonight at 10:00 on ABC. You can check out a review of the most recent episode here, as well as spoilers for the next two episodes here.

Does Teddy have reason to worry about his ties to Maddie? How will Juliette handle herself following what happened with Dante? Will she or Rayna win the award for Female Vocalist of the Year?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWRQpHLQoxc

The post Nashville 1.19 Sneak Peek: Rayna Gets a CMA Nomination appeared first on TVHackr.

Listed below are dates, titles, and descriptions for the next two episodes of Nashville.

Wednesday, May 8th – “Why Don’t You Love Me”
Rayna and Juliette are both nominated for CMA Awards and Edgehill Records hosts a party in their honor. Meanwhile Teddy worries about his relationship with Maddie, Juliette copes with new challenges, Scarlett is concerned about Gunnar, and tension grows between him and Will.

Wednesday, May 15th – “A Picture from Life’s Other Side”
Rayna finds an unlikely ally in Lamar when he sides with her against Teddy about the girls. Jolene sees Juliette struggling and tries to find a way to help. Avery and Will, separately, both get a chance to shine with bigger stars — but will it translate to career gold? And Tandy takes her own agenda to the board of Wyatt Industries.

Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on ABC. You can check out a review of the most recent episode here.

Are Gunnar and Will going to be able to make it past the kissing incident? Will Juliette learn to ask for help now that her career and personal life have hit rough patches? Does Lamar have any ulterior motive in clinging so tightly to Rayna?

The post Nashville Spoilers: Scarlett Grows Even More Concerned Over Gunnar appeared first on TVHackr.

Scarlett talked to Rayna about being hesitant to sign with her label without Gunnar, but seeing Gunnar play on his own he was more alive than he has ever been with her. Apart they are far more exciting and fascinating than they are together. They may want us to buy them as the next Rayna and Deacon, but they don’t have the sizzle. As boyfriend and girlfriend, fine, stay together, but as musicians, try being apart. See what happens. Maybe they’ll be surprised. Gunnar already got a demo out of the deal, seems like a great start. Gunnar told Scarlett that he never felt as good on stage as he did singing his own song. That’s a big deal. It’s time for them to be truthful with each other. If they remain so, they’ll make it.

Dante the Lothario was a complete embarrassment and Juliette’s infatuation with him cost her Deacon. Juliette was on such a decent path until he came along, and he reminds me of a boyfriend I had. A smooth talker. He can say exactly what the situation calls for and Juliettte questions her gut. That’s a bad guy to be around. Really bad. She was on her was to repairing her relationship with her mother, which had been the root of almost all of her emotional issues throughout her life, and she let Dante derail her.

It turned out he wanted total total control of a woman who was worth millions. That seems a lot like the guy I knew, too, except I didn’t have millions. When Dante planted those drugs on Jolene my heart broke for her. Thank God Juliette knew her mother well enough to know what drugs would kill her. Dante took Juliette for a ride, she got lost in man land, lost her band manager, almost lost her mother and lost almost a million dollars. For what?

Am I the only one who really likes Liam and didn’t disapprove of Rayna having a fling with him? The way he treated her when she broke was so sweet, and he hasn’t pushed. The tickets to St. Lucia were a bit much, but when you have money, I would expect those types of things really do happen. People do fly off on a moments notice to exotic places and it doesn’t mean anything other than – hey, let’s have fun in St. Lucia and have a break.

Deacon noticed Rayna’s chemistry with Liam on stage and then messed things up with Stacey, which is a shame, because I really liked her. Whether Deacon’s confession to Rayna that he’s still pining for her would change things eventually….was played out when Rayna changed her mind about going to St. Lucia and showed up at Deacon’s. His reaction was perfect and seeing them kiss was worth all the longing looks we’ve suffered through all season. Damn, they are hot together.

We still had to suffer through Nashville politics and the Teddy mess, but I don’t care enough to talk about it. If you do, hit the comments and tell me to touch on it next week.

The post Nashville Review: “Take These Chains From My Heart” 1.18 appeared first on TVHackr.

Most interestingly, this could mean that the show is on much more secure ground regarding its renewal status. It’s been reported that the show, the only ABC fall freshman drama still standing, was firmly planted on the bubble, considering that its live ratings are fairly meager for the attention that it gets. However, with a big DVR bump, awards attention, two soundtrack albums, countless tie-ins, and positive critical response, the show seems to have everything else going for it, meaning that a second season is more likely than not.

Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on ABC.

Will you be picking up the second Nashville soundtrack? Is the music the main attraction that the show has right now? Does the inclusion of a second soundtrack make renewal a foregone conclusion?

TRACKLISTING:

1. Fade Into You
Performed by Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen
Written by Matt Jenkins, Shane McAnally, Trevor Rosen

2. Ho Hey
Performed by Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella
Written by Jeremy Fraites, Wesley Schultz

3. Gun for a Mouth
Performed by Sam Palladio
Written by David Poe

4. We Are Water
Performed by Hayden Panettiere
Written by Patty Griffin

5. Looking for a Place to Shine
Performed by Clare Bowen
Written by Natalie Hemby, Angela Lauer

6. Stronger Than Me
Performed by Connie Britton
Written by Sarah Buxton, Kate York

7. Bitter Memory
Performed by Connie Britton
Written by Lucinda Williams

8. Let There Be Lonely
Performed by Jonathan Jackson
Written by Laura Rogers, Lydia Rogers, Gordie Sampson

9. Hypnotizing
Performed by Hayden Panettiere
Written by Cary Barlowe, Steve Robson, Caitlyn Smith

10. I Will Fall (Studio Version)
Performed by Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio
Written by Tyler James, Kate York

11. Nothing in This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again
Performed by Hayden Panettiere
Written by Sarah Buxton, Kate York

The post Nashville: Second Soundtrack to Be Released May 7th appeared first on TVHackr.

Juliette hasn’t learned a damned thing. I wanted her show to fail, and at the very lest I want it to be the last show Deacon was on with Juliette Barnes. He’s too good to play with a tart like her.

Speaking of learning little, Gunnar is still pushing Scarlett away in his own special way by being, well, an idiot. The two of them go out on the town to celebrate Scarlett’s record deal with Rayna’s company and instead of getting up on stage and singing with her, he’s lets their new roommate Will take the honors. Pushing the hot new roomie into the arms of your girl isn’t the best idea no matter which way you look at it.

Will finally got Gunnar out of his funk by tempting death. It was a very Final Destination stunt – driving his truck right in front of a powering locomotive (Yes, I noticed there were not red and white guards down, how very convenient!). First, Gunnar wanted to kill him and then he realized what happened. “Wanna go again?!” He realized he couldn’t sit and act dead because he brother was gone, because he’s alive. Alive!

While at the hospital, Rayna learns who the musician was that was with her mother, Whitey, and she was a bit shocked. Just as she was ready to tell Tandy, Lamar had another heart attack. I know the man isn’t going to die, and I know Rayna doesn’t need the heartbreak, but if Lamar died it would give her even more room to push Teddy farther away from her except for her beautiful and talented daughters. He’d also lose the help he gets from Lamar, and lord knows he needs it with his past. Maybe he’d get his ass kicked out of politics and take his new re-used Peggy Kenter with him. I’m sure there are plenty of states where the likes of his lies and affairs would be welcome. Is it wrong how happy I was that Tandy got to tell Teddy about Peggy and Lamar and the leak about the divorce to the press? Too bad. I loved it.

I’m pretty proud of Avery as he steps into the Rayna/Juliette tour as a roadie. He happened to also step into a pile of it called Dante when he saw Rayna straddling him on the tour bus. Dante has lost all focus of his sober companionship with the stars in his eyes as being Juliette Barnes new boy toy and manager. I loved how Deacon took him down a peg, told him why he was there and to regain his focus and keep his hands on the roadies until he hears otherwise from the real boss, Juliette herself.

Deacon was never the biggest fan of Avery, but he can also admire someone who’s willing to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get himself back on his feet. It’s not easy to take a tumble from being the next big thing to being a roadie of the big things, but Avery was doing it, without any malice. That’s not something you can overlook. I’d love for Juliette to realize where she remembers Avery from and ask him to join the tour in the place of Deacon, and to tell Dante to hit the road. Or, maybe it would be rude to want Avery subjected to the likes of Juliette Barnes. I’m still shocked at the character turnaround they did for Avery. One minute I was wanting to pound him into the ground and the next I want him to be a huge success.  What’s the likelihood they can do that with Juliette?

It was a pathetic end to the story for Juliette to blame her mother for trying to get the guy, send her back to Nashville and hire her a new female sober companion and keep Dante as her manager. I hope he runs her into the ground. He’s a sober companion. What on earth is she thinking? Where is his knowledge of business and the music industry in particular? I think this will turn out to be a disaster, but should be a fun one to watch.

Deacon and Rayna had a great talk about what it was like to be in her head space after Lamar’s heart attack and learning about her mother’s affair with Whitey. She spent so much time blaming her mother and losing out on years of a good relationship with her father, probably because he wanted to protect her memory of her mother. I kind of makes me look at Lamar with a different light and one I won’t overlook at the season continues. Looking out for your girls can be tougher than it seems, apparently.

Here’s a little clip of the song Chris Carmack (From the OC!) playing Will sang with Scarlett. Actors and singers all, and the jealousy continues.

The post Nashville Review: “My Heart Would Know” appeared first on TVHackr.

On the next episode of Nashville, while in bed together, Dante brings up the conflict of interest in being Juliette’s boyfriend/friend with benefits and Jolene’s sobriety coach. He suggests that he step down from working with Jolene, but Juliette doesn’t want that; as much as she still carries anger and hurt feelings for the way her mother raised her, she knows that Dante has been good for Jolene, especially since the slip-up at the number one party. For now, the two agree to keep their business private, but if Jolene comes on the road with her daughter, it’s only a matter of time before she finds out about Juliette moving in on Dante. Given the close quarters that they’d be sharing, no secret would be able to stay under wraps for long, which potentially puts Jolene’s sobriety and her relationship with Juliette in jeopardy.

Elsewhere on Nashville, Rayna has to leave the tour due to a personal crisis, while Deacon confronts Juliette about her recent behavior, Gunnar and Scarlett celebrate her success, and Avery lands a roadie job – with Juliette.

Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on ABC. You can check out a review of the most recent episode here.

Will Jolene find out about Juliette and Dante’s relationship? What type of personal crisis will Rayna have to deal with? Is Will going to come between Gunnar and Scarlett?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFuL8pLF7a8

The post Nashville 1.17 Sneak Peek: What Will Juliette Do About Her Mother? appeared first on TVHackr.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who loved the rendition, and the ABCNetwork YouTube Channel already has the clip up under the guise of their ABC Music Lounge (and Nashville of course). As a huge fan of the song before the girls put their signature on it, I’m an even bigger fan now. Not only because they sang it so well, but because the Colorado band The Lumineers saw the wisdom of giving their permission for the song to be used by an 8 and a 14 year old to cover it. Well done, Lumineers!

Check out the video clip:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original pilot was filmed with daughters aged 6 and 8, and the Stella sisters didn’t come into the picture until later.

“When Maisy auditioned for us we were completely blown away. Then she told us she had a 13-year-old sister named Lennon and that the two of them often sang together. So we asked them both to come in and audition,” Cutler tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Even though the parts of Rayna and Teddy’s [Eric Close] daughters had been written for a 6- and an 8-year-old, we decided on the spot to change the roles to fit Maisy and Lennon’s ages. Listening to them sing literally brought tears to our eyes. I’m not just saying that. Their voices moved us to tears. We knew we had to cast them — and this was months and months before they decided to post a video to YouTube.”

Their YouTube Channel, LennonandMaisy, is on fire. They frequently put up covers of their favorite songs and I’m going to take a chance right now and say their futures are brighter than most kids flaunting their talents in Nashville right now, even without their acting talents to fall back on. Keep in mind, they’re only 8 and 13 years old. Below is a cover of  “I Won’t Give Up,” by Jason Mraz. If you didn’t think the actors on Nashville sang their own songs, think again. If something was keeping you from watching, are you ready to tune in now?

The post “Ho Hey” by Maddie and Daphne from Nashville “I Saw the Light” appeared first on TVHackr.

Maddie announced to Rayna she wanted to be a professional singer, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time in Rayna’s life. Traveling with a hot new act twice as young as her and with her marriage falling apart, there’s little doubt she’s blaming part of that on choosing her career over her life. Worthless character of the year (and most worthy of an unexpected death) Teddy is busy playing sex games with his newly appointed special something or other cabinet member Peggy Kenter and seeing Deacon with another woman even digs at her.

One of my favorite moments happened early in the hour when Juliette was attempting to reach her Zen spot with the coach and her mama with a giant billboard shining in through her hotel window. Juliette still doesn’t get how much work has gone into the many years that have created the success that is Rayna Jaymes. She’s trying, but not necessarily willing to put in the effort to get there. At least she’s trying with Dante to act a little more like an adult and keep herself under control. Let’s admit it. Part of it is because he’s hot. As much as I’d love to say it’s because of her desire to get closer to Jolene, Juliette isn’t that magnanimous.  After all, she is snaking him away from helping Jolene to use as a business coach. She has a long way to go before she gains the title of caring daughter. At least she got her crap together in time to dedicate a song to her mama at the concert.

It was so awkward how uncomfortable Stacy was once she realized Deacon had a past with both Rayna and Juliette. Knowing Susan Misner, who also plays opposite herself on Wednesdays on FX’s The Americans was upped to series regular over there, so I’m not certain how long she’ll be gracing Nashville with her presence. Which is a shame, because between the three women for whom Deacon is currently pining, only one returns the feeling without strings, and that’s Stacy. I’d love to see him in a regular relationship, turning his back on both of the women who want to use him for their own purposes instead of giving him what he needs.

Gunnar and Scarlett – I just don’t care. Bored to tears. The new guy who moved in…where is he from? He’s going to be trouble. Or, I sure as hell hope he is because he’s a hot number who could use a little air time.

Avery isn’t giving up despite being about as down as he can be from a few weeks ago. He’s totally blackballed due to his contract, but singing on street corners to keep from losing it all. Good for him. Then he got a tip on being a roadie in NYC. What’s our guess he’s heading out to be with Juliette and Rayna?

I’m going to pretend the political aspect of Nashville doesn’t exist in the hopes that if enough of us hope it goes away, it will. If the show gets a season two, that’s the part that needs to disappear like so many characters on shows that are there one year and gone the next. I don’t even care that Lamar had a heart attack. Either get on board with the musical portion of the show, or get the hell out of Nashville and head on over to  show called Washington, DC.

A personal note, I’m leaving the state of Colorado soon, but tonight the girls who play Maddie and Daphne, Lennon and Maisy Stella, did an absolutely fantastic rendition of Colorado band The Lumineers “Ho Hey” when Rayna let them perform during a soundcheck. Knowing that stopping their dreams would do more to fuel them than giving them the opportunity to live that dream with her support and backing. They really have the best voices and to hear them sing one of my favorite songs floored me. Thanks Nashville for that little something special for my night.

The post Nashville: “I Saw the Light” 1.16 Review ~ I Am Zen appeared first on TVHackr.

They’ve succeeded in making me feel sorry for Avery. That crap that Dominic played for Avery was….crap. It was pop and not pop I’d listen to any more than Avery thought he would, and I wasn’t expected to play it. The world of music seems even more difficult to adhere to than that of acting. When you sign a contract you’re basically the bitch of the record label. It would seem you could quit an acting job a lot easier than you can get out of a music contract. When Avery was fighting against the scowling eyes of Dominic for his very soul, I hoped that he might be the other act Rayna chose for her new label. I know, right? Wishing for something that good for Avery doesn’t seem quite right, does it? When you get right down to it he was just a kid looking for fame and fortune, let it overtake him in a bad way and his bad side (very easily) won out.

It was probably his best episode to date, a real character builder, because he wasn’t messing around. There’s nothing left from the older Avery to bank on – he burned it all. When he started out at the Bluebird again, singing a solo song in a completely different style, quite nice, as well – Avery Barksdale! – my mind came back to Rayna’s label.

As Juliette struggles to find herself, one of her biggest fights is within herself and accepting that she’s her mother’s daughter. That’s a fear we all have, but her especially given her mother’s alcoholism and Juliette’s rotten childhood. She felt the full weight of that past come crashing down upon her when the impromptu concert she put on fell apart, injuring many of her young fans including Rayna’s daughters. As she tried to distance herself from the incident, she realized how easy it would be for her to become her mother and take no responsibility for her actions at all. Embracing her mother, her past and her treatment of everything that came with it was a giant leap for Juliette, and going to the hospital to cover the medical bills for all of those injured would go a long way to show the public how seriously she’s taking her responsibility as an entertainer.

Gunnar had the expected meltdown, but it had unexpected consequences. At first I thought he was going to lose the girl. Scarlett was forgiving and understanding as is her way. Missing his appointment with the new Rayna Jaymes label, however, lost him an opportunity to join Scarlett as an act on the label. She was offered a solo spot. Which, again, had me wondering about Avery’s future.

Finally, Deacon was not only busy rescuing his niece’s friend from a world of regret, he was bonding with his new puppy, a dog named Sue, and confounding one of the newest residents of Nashville, a veterinarian who caught his eye and joined him in bed before they ever had the first date they were aiming toward.  He made plans to right that wrong before the episode was over, but previews for upcoming episodes show Deacon and Rayna getting reacquainted in a way that might make the vet feel a little less than welcome. With their history, I’m rooting for the vet. Much like the puppy, I didn’t catch her name, but I liked her and she was a good match for Deacon.

What did you think of the return of Nashville? Did it live up to expectations? Here’s hoping we see an uptick in the ratings instead of the steady downward trend we were experiencing before the hiatus.

The post Nashville Returns! “When You’re Tired of Breaking Other Hearts” Review appeared first on TVHackr.