Mandy Moore is quite the renaissance woman. From music to movies, commercials to cartoons, she can be seen or heard in everything from The Simpsons to motion picture films. So, when someone approaches Moore, what do they recognize her from?

“A lot of times, people will come up and say hi because of that TV show, Entourage,” said Moore. “And before that, it was that show Punk’d. That was sort of my claim to fame for a couple of years.”

Probably the only place Moore isn’t recognized from yet is sitting ringside at UFC fights. Yup, Moore is quite the mixed martial arts fan, although don’t expect to add “UFC Fighter” to her laundry list of titles.

“I’m a fan, I love to observe from the sidelines,” she revealed, adding that you won’t see her in the Octagon anytime soon.

Moore called up The Ralphie Radio Show because she’s returned to her roots: writing and recording. The singer just released Amanda Leigh, her first LP without a major label.
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Part 1: What people recognize her from, UFC, Twitter

Part 2: Amanda Leigh, “I Could Break Your Heart”

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“With this record, I guess it’s all about taking control and growing more comfortable in your own skin,” Moore said of the writing experience – she penned the entire record herself, without the input of label bigwigs and head honchos. “It’s nice to have the luxury of creative freedom now.”

The first single, “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week” showcases a sassier side to Moore that fans of her previous releases may not be accustomed to.

“I figured it was a fun opportunity to sort of, I don’t know, play out a little bit of this edge that I guess is really missing from my reality. It’s not a proclamation I could make in real life,” she admitted.

That isn’t too hard to believe, considering the only heart we’ve known Moore to break is that of the fictional Vincent Chase. But what makes the song more of a departure is that its singer is anything but single at the moment: Moore married country star Ryan Adams a few months ago. The Walk to Remember actress insists he’s a fan of the track.

“I’m very lucky, I have a very supportive spouse in my life,” she said. “He really liked it.”

Adams proposed to Moore last February, the couple exchanged vows about a month later. Moore described her marriage to NY Magazine as “lovely.” It seems she feels the same way now… the husband and wife even follow each on Twitter, Adams is only one of two people that Moore tracks (the other is record producer Jamie Candiloro). Although she is known to keep to herself and not open up on personal issues, Moore does “tweet” quite a bit. She even taught me about blood oranges – yes, I didn’t know about them, stop rolling your eyes.

“I’m kind of juice obsessed in the morning, and I found some fresh blood orange juice. I don’t know, I thought that’d be an appropriate twitter,” she said, after explaining that blood oranges are darker and more tart than the regular variety.

Music, movies, television, voice overs… and now produce expert. Mandy Moore really can do it all.

America is offering quite the introduction in to the music industry for Canadian recording artist Aubrey “Drake” Graham. The singer/actor already experienced first hand the influence of an A-list affiliation – regardless of the endorsement’s capacity.

Drake performed in support of Lil Wayne earlier in the year, and is set to trek out with Weezy again on this summer’s “America’s Most Wanted Music Festival.” The tour kicks off in Scranton on July 27 – so Drake called in to The Ralphie Radio Show, promoting the concert while speaking on a wide-array of topics, including his ties to the “Umbrella” singer.

“The most important thing in that situation is that, she’s actually a dope person,” said Drake of RiRi. “Whatever it did for me, I guess was just an additional blessing on top of the fact that she’s actually a great individual.”

Rumors have swirled about a romance between the two for well over a month. Paparazzi have caught both Drake and Rihanna out on the town, even kissing at times. Certainly it thrust the Toronto-born artist in to American pop culture. Now Drake can’t even hit an airport without being recognized.

“Some guy that was like working at Customs was like, ‘Yo, I know you, you’re Rihanna’s boyfriend.’ Which I’m not by the way, for the record,” Drake clarified.

Drake gave honest, almost inapprehensive answers when it came to his ties to the Bajan beauty – until I asked if he still keeps in touch with her.

Rihanna & Drake (CelebrityRadar)
Part 1: Toronto, Lil Wayne, Gaining Cred in the States

Part 2: Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, Rihanna

Info about the show here.
“(A few seconds of silence) Yeah, I see her from time to time,” Drake answered, his tone clearly down a notch.

But Drake didn’t hesitate to offer up props to his tour mates – a bill that generated a solid amount of buzz here in Northeastern PA with the likes of Wayne, Young Jeezy, and Jeremih. Specifically, Drake big-upped Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, anointing the rapper, “the smartest artist of our generation, period.”

“Whether it’s him, whether it’s his team around him, whoever has the thoughts to do the things he does, is genius.”

The two hip-hop artists met recently for the first time while playing the new Ultimate Fighting Championship game on XBOX 360. Drake took a light-hearted jab at the “Swag On” rapper, insisting that Soulja Boy, “can’t see” him when it comes to that game.

Hopefully Drake knows what he just got himself in to with that comment. After all, he’ll see a lot of Soulja this summer: the two will perform 21 dates throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Taylor Hanson will probably always be best known as one-third of “Hanson” – three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma that “MMMBop”-ed their way in to mainstream media.

But much has changed since Taylor and his brothers asked where the love went. The lead singer is the father of four. “Hanson” still records, but no longer receives the spins from pop radio. And now, Taylor is proving that he can play nice with musicians that aren’t blood relatives.

Hanson fronts a new band called Tinted Windows. The quartet is a conglomerate of sorts – with Taylor’s vocals backed by Adam Schlesinger’s bass (Fountains of Wayne) James Iha’s guitar (Smashing Pumpkins) and the drums of Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick).

“Adam and I had talked about doing some music together for a long time,” revealed Hanson. “About three years ago, he called me, and we started talking about putting a band together.”

According to Rolling Stone, Hanson joined forces with Schlessinger and Iha – and the three decided that the group needed a percussion-presence similar to Cheap Trick’s Carlos. Finally, the band decided to reach out to Carlos himself, and he obliged.

The three founding members stopped in Wilkes-Barre last week, en route to Philadelphia. Carlos isn’t making this round of radio promo with the band – he’s a bit preoccupied on Cheap Trick’s tour with Poison and Def Leppard.

While each member’s respective band accolades may be recognized, what is possibly unknown is some of the group’s accomplishments as individuals, namely Schlessinger. The bassist earns the distinction as the only musician of the four with Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations on his resume. Schlessinger wrote the title track to Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do.”

“There were some people I knew in the music business that said, ‘Hey we heard Tom Hanks is working on this movie, and it’s kind of about this band in the 60’s,’” recalled Schlessinger

The 41 year-old musician is a fan of that musical era. So, Schlessinger wrote the track, recorded the demo with a few friends, and mailed it in.

“That was a big, lucky break for me,” he said. Schlessinger eventually met Hanks, and even ended up on the receiving end of some film direction from the number one box-office star in the world. The musician stopped by Hanks’ office to say hi to a few people – but unbeknownst to Adam, a short was filming.

“He gave me some lines, and put me on this couch, and he was directing me,” recalled Schlessinger. “I was like, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t be directed by Tom Hanks. I’m not an actor.’”

06.10.09 : New Found Glory – Listen To Your Friends
Guitarist Chad Gilbert calls up The Ralphie Radio Show
On The Song:

On Working w/ Blink 182′s Mark Hoppus:

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Jesse McCartney chatted in his dressing room about All My Children, touring w/ NKOTB, & Departure: Recharged.

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You know him as pop superstar Jesse McCartney, the platinum-selling, world-touring artist that sings some of your favorite songs like “Leavin’” and “Beautiful Soul.” But my Mom will always identify him as “Adam Chamdler Jr.” from the ABC soap opera All My Children.

“I was nominated in ’99 and 2000,” McCartney recalled, as he received a nod in both years for a Daytime Emmy Award. “I can’t even believe how long ago that was.”

Certainly much changed for McCartney since. While he still acts, his current full-time job is singer/songwriter/performer. McCartney’s latest LP, Departure, sold over a quarter of a million copies. This past April, Hollywood Records re-released the record as Departure: Recharged, featuring four new songs, including the remix of “How Do You Sleep?” featuring Ludacris.

“It’s part two of the album, or just an extended version,” Jesse explained. “One of the songs is actually the next single, its called ‘Body Language’ and I just got official word today that we’re releasing it in a couple weeks with T-Pain.”

First he collaborated with producer Tricky Stewart, then Ludacris, and now T-Pain. McCartney certainly aimed for and achieved a much more rhythmic sound, similar to what New Kids On The Block went for with The Block. In addition to extending the run of Departure, McCartney extended his summer schedule at the last second, accepting an invitation from NKOTB to join them on tour.

“They called literally two weeks before the tour,” he revealed. “It’s gonna be another month and a half of touring.”

McCartney maintains such a busy schedule that he didn’t even meet the entire headlining act until about 4 dates in to the trek. Jesse’s mad dashing from the stage to prior commitments even prompted tour-mate Danny Wood of NKOTB to wonder what was up. But when I spoke with McCartney last Wednesday, he noted that during the upcoming off day, he looked forward to “kicking it” with the guys.

The former Dream Street singer will finish out the “Full Service” tour, then begin work on The Gonzo Files, which begins filming at the end of this month in Brooklyn. Bryan Goluboff, who wrote The Basketball Diaries, wrote and will direct the movie.

“I’m gonna do a lot more film stuff at the end of the album, at the end of this run,” McCartney noted – although with the release of another single imminent, the end may not arrive until the end of the year.

Regardless of whether he’s on camera or on stage, McCartney will be making money doing what he loves. He might even find sometime to live like the average 22 year old. While chatting in his dress room, McCartney recalled a time he partied at my alma mater, Syracuse University.

“I did go to a frat party in Syracuse at one point, like four years ago,” McCartney admitted. “It was fun.”

Adam Chandler Jr. has come a long way.

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Danny Wood didn’t think it would last this long.

“We thought we’d do like 20, 30 shows at best probably, and be home,” Wood confessed. “But we’re very happy it’s gone this long and we’re happy to now be doing the ‘Full Service’ tour.”

New Kids On The Block released The Block in September 2008. The LP marked the boy band’s first studio release in 14 years. After the CD debuted atop the Billboard Pop Charts, NKOTB embarked on a North American tour – then extended the trek to dates overseas. A “fan cruise” last month took the guys with supporters from Miami to the Bahamas. Now, New Kids find themselves on the “Full Service” tour – playing outdoor amphitheaters throughout the summer with opening act Jesse McCartney.

The Boston-born singers themselves didn’t expect this reunion to last in to the summer… but now some are wondering not when will it end, but if it will cease at all?

“We have some plans for next year. I think a new record will probably come in 2011, if we all agree to do that. But, we’re pretty much all on the same page right now. I don’t see this being the last time to see us.”

Wood joked that someone in the group “acting like an asshole,” could prevent the CD release. But, according to him, everyone in the band agreed on that plan for the time being. Still, Wood noted that family situations could play a factor.

“It’s different this time around, so you never know. I mean, I know I never thought my kids would get to see me back on stage. My daughters are with me so, it’s always perfect when they’re here.”

Also with the group is McCartney, a 22-year old pop star that wasn’t alive when NKOTB released its self-titled debut LP in 1986. But apparently, that doesn’t mean the former All My Children actor is seeking out Donnie Wahlberg or anyone in the group for advice.

“You want me to be honest?” Wood asked. “I haven’t seen the dude once. I don’t know… I don’t know. He does a mad dash or he’s hiding or I don’t know.”

Wood seemed a bit bothered, perhaps even offended, in his tone and body language, but insisted that is far from the case.

“I don’t give a shit. He can do whatever he wants, I don’t care,” Wood insisted. “We’re pretty accessible… if you walked around here you’d probably run in to all five of us.”

Give the man credit – I did in fact run in to all the guys at one point or another while backstage. Donnie chatted on his phone. Joey McIntyre walked his puppy. Jordan Knight snapped a photo with me before a Boston Herald phone interview. His brother, Jonathan, attempted to chat on his cell, but of course, coverage can be spotty up on the mountain.

And as for McCartney – Jesse told me later that earlier that day he finally met all five of the guys. The singer blamed a hectic schedule – which even forced him to jet back to Los Angeles at one point – as the reason for his notable absence backstage.

Singer/songwriter Keri Hilson reveals the true story behind her track with kanye West & Ne-Yo, “Knock You Down”. She also talks about traveling, making the transition to artist, and working with Britney Spears.

Part 1: Traveling, Story Behind “Knock You Down”

Part 2: Writing for Britney, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em “Collab”

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Keri Hilson’s most uncharacteristic moment may prove to me the most career shaping in her transition from songwriter to singer, yielding the biggest track from In A Perfect World… in the process.

While Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records prepared to press the final album cut in Los Angeles, Hilson found herself in New York – working with Kanye West on a viral commercial to promote the LP. “Miss Keri Baby” wanted ‘Ye on the album, but he didn’t make the version sent to L.A. Then West asked Hilson how the album was coming.

”I’m completely tongue-in-cheek at this point,” admits Hilson. “I said, ‘Well, the only thing missing on this album is you.’”

Hilson didn’t expect the spur-of-the-moment honesty, nor did she expect West’s response.

“He said, ‘Is there anything I can do tonight?’” Hilson recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, my, God. Let’s book the studio right now before he changes his mind!’”

With Kanye and herself now accounted for, Hilson needed the final piece of the puzzle: Ne-Yo.

“He was about to go film a movie in Prague. We called him, he wanted to do it but he was leaving the country the next day. He had literally an hour break in his schedule.”

Thankfully for Hilson, the R&B crooner can work quick, and on the spot. Keri’s manager flew to Miami, waited with a car service in tow at the studio as Ne-Yo wrote and recorded his verse, and jetted back to L.A. with the audio files on a hard drive.

”We had to push (the release date) back, and it cost us a bit,” revealed Hilson. “But it was worth it, and thank God the album is doing so well that (Interscope) don’t care anymore.”

It’s quite a change in pace for Hilson, prior to this LP worked mostly as a songwriter and back-up vocalist, penning tracks for the likes of Ludacris and Britney Spears – notably Spears’ “Gimme More” and “Break The Ice” off of Breakout.

“I love to see the 180 (degree) turn because when we worked, it was a tumultuous time in her life,” Hilson said. “She was pregnant with her second child, seven months pregnant mind you, so focused, in a booth. It just showed me how dedicated she was to her craft.”

Keri relates – the singer/songwriter is so married to music that she just invites herself on tracks – namely Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s “Turn My Swag On.” There were murmurs that Hilson’s impromptu cameo would be combined with Lil’ Wayne’s official remix for a “megamix” of sorts, but she believes that may not be in the cards.

“It was supposed to be the three of us, and we haven’t shot the video yet, so I guess it’s not going to happen,” Hilson noted, with a bit of disappointment in her tone.

But, it’s almost never to late in this business for anything to happen – and if anyone knows that, it’s Keri herself.

Actress-turned-singer? Not exactly, says Taylor Momsen.

“I’ve been singing longer than I’ve been acting,” Momsen reveals. The Gossip Girl star performed on Saturday with her band, The Pretty Reckless, at 97 BHT’s Summer Jam 2009. “I’ve been writing music my entire life. I know people aren’t going to know that instantly, but yunno, it all takes time.”

And time is on the side of the 15 year-old. Season 3 of Gossip Girl enters production in July. So for the next month, she’ll tour, opening up for The Veronicas. When Momsen returns to New York City and the set, she’ll also return to the studio, to finish production on The Pretty Reckless’ first LP. No timeline or dates are set, but Momsen already wrote the entire record.

Now she’s cutting her chops live, on stage. And it’s a learning process. 97 BHT’s event brought forth yet another lesson.

“Never again with no soundcheck!” said Momsen. “The entire first song, you couldn’t hear vocal at all.” The lead singer didn’t throw a fit nor storm off stage, instead rolling with the punches as sound techs worked out the issues.

The theater tour circuit certainly differs from the network sitcom set. It also seems that the average fan of The Pretty Reckless’ songs could differ from the average Gossip Girl enthusiast. So will fans of Jenny Humphrey buy in to Taylor’s music?

“I think it’s gonna take some getting used to,” she admits. “It might be a little bit of shell shock ‘cause, it’s rock man. It’s not lite, and it’s really real.”

But Gossip Girl viewers will probably see season 3 before they hear any studio material from Momsen. Now that “Little J” is the queen, the actress wouldn’t mind Humphrey become more active.

”It’s gonna be interesting to see what they do with her character as queen with all this power,” said Momsen. “I’d like to see her shake it up a little bit.”

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After The Ting Tings finished performing for 97 BHT listeners, Katie and Jules spoke with Ralphie inside the 97 BHT on-air studio about touring the states, Katy Perry, moaning with celebrities, and more…

Check out video of The Ting Tings performance here.
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Ever wonder what musicians say to each other when they meet? The Ting Tings’ Katie White shares a little insight:

“All bands like moaning. We love to moan,” said White. “We saw Katy Perry the other day, and she moaned – and we had a good moan together.”

Perry seems to be quite the confidant to her cohorts – the songstress and Rihanna have been known to hang out. White says the two talked about “just girl stuff really,” like their hair and skin.

“She’s funny really, she makes me laugh,” said White. “If she wants to do a cartwheel on stage, she does a cartwheel on stage.”

Of course, any type of acrobatics on a stage with Katie and Jules would be near impossible, let alone dangerous, given the amount of equipment the two uses to duplicate the vast array of sounds in their music.

“No, you’d have a guitar up your ass,” Katie joked – with Jules tongue-in-cheek challenging, “I bet Katy Perry couldn’t do that.”

The Ting Tings just wrapped up an American promo tour – and will run the Europe festival scene before returning to the States in the fall in support of Pink.

“I don’t know how many U.K.’s you can get in just a California,” said the other half of the group, Jules DeMartino. “You can do a two week tour in the U.K. or even a three week tour and that’s it, you’ve covered pretty much every corner.”

White also noted that in addition to the physical aspects, the media landscape is also vastly differently in the U.S., specifically involving radio airplay.

“If you get BBC Radio 1 and 2, you’re done really,” explained White. “It really is a shame in a way as well because if they don’t like your music, it’s really hard because they’re aren’t many other stations to get played on.”

BBC Radio’s reach is vast according to White, “literally every household.” Lucky for the pop-rock duo, BBC Radio loved their music, and the rest is history.

“We’ve got a map that we carry around with us, and we circle every town or city or state we go to,” DeMartino said.

White continued, “We never know where we are but we always know where we’ve been.”

And it won’t be too hard to figure out where The Ting Tings are going. First Europe – then the States with Pink – and then to Berlin – where Katie and Jules will write, record, and throw house parties in search of new tunes for the band’s second LP.