Copious Notes

Southern gospel star Jason Crabb just had a week when he received eight Dove Award nominations and sang the national anthem for his favorite team, the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Photo courtesy of Nelon PR.

You could say gospel music star Jason Crabb was living the dreams — plural — last week.

The night of Feb. 21, the Beaver Dam native and lifelong University of Kentucky ­Wildcats fan was in Starkville, Miss., to sing the ­national anthem and watch his Cats pull out an exciting win over ­Mississippi State. After the game, he got to meet Coach John Calipari, who tweeted a photo of the two of them.

Good night.

Jason Crabb and UK Coach John Calipari after the Wildcats' Feb. 21 game against Mississippi State in Starkville. Photo from @UKCoachCalipari on Twitter.

Then, on the way home the next morning, he got the news that he had been ­nominated for eight Dove Awards, ­including artist of the year and male ­vocalist of the year by the ­Gospel Music Association.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Crabb said.

Crabb’s surname is ­familiar to Southern gospel fans ­because of the chart-topping and award-­winning Crabb Family, which he led until the group retired in 2007. He then struck out on a solo career with his self-titled debut album in 2009. The Crabb Family has since reunited, toured and released a new album, Together Again, last month.

“Our solo ministries, solo careers are mainly what we do,” Crabb says. “But around ­November through January, that’s the holidays, and we ­decided we’re just going to travel together over the ­holidays. So we get on the bus and go out together.”

For Crabb though, the eight Dove nominations are tremendous affirmation that he’s on the right track with his solo career, especially after winning a Grammy Award for best Southern, country or Bluegrass gospel album for his debut effort.

He says his latest album, The Song Lives On, ­nominated for Southern gospel album of the year, came from music executive Bill Carter when Crabb sang for a benefit Carter was presenting in Arkansas.

“He said, ‘That record doesn’t do you justice,’” Crabb recalls, referring to the debut. “He said, ‘You need to do something live, you need to let people feel you live. You’re a live singer instead of a studio guy.’”

Read the rest of this entry »

Miranda Lambert performing at Rupp Arena in January 2010. © Herald-Leader photo by Mark Cornelison.

• See video from last year’s Barnstable Brown Gala.

Country star Miranda Lambert tops the lists of celebrities who will be attending the 2011 Barnstable-Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala in Louisville.

Lambert, whose star has been steadily rising the past few years, will be joined by Kentucky natives and fellow country stars Wynonna Judd and Montgomery Gentry at the May 6 party. Also coming in from Music City will be LeeAnn Womack; Kix Brooks, formerly of Brooks & Dunn and Travis Tritt.

As with every year, the list, released Tuesday morning by party co-host Patricia Barnstable-Brown, includes celebrities from music, film, sports and reality TV. And there are newcomers and perennial guests such as singer Taylor Dayne, hip hop pioneer DMC of Run DMC, former *N Sync member and TV regular Joey Fatone,  Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Winter Olympics star Bode Miller, chart-topping group Boyz II Men and Nick Lachey with his fiancee Vanessa Minnillo.

Former UK basketball star Patrick Patterson greeted fans at the 2010 Barnstable-Brown Gala. © Herald-Leader photo by Jonathan Palmer.

Barnstable-Brown is also bringing back University of Kentucky basketball stars DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson, along with Coach John Calipari.

Joining them will be numerous other human athletes including Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and and NFL quarterback legends Terry Bradshaw, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers and now at Fox Sports, and current New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and figure skater Johnny Weir – who made a big splash at last year’s Derby – will also be there. If there is any need to comment on all the sporting action, ESPN’s Erin Andrews will be in the house.

Twin sisters Priscilla Barnstable and Patricia Barnstable-Brown at their 2010 Derby eve gala. © Herald-Leader photo by Jonathan Palmer.

Making her first trip to the gala will be Kate Plus 8 star Kate Gosselin. Also making their BSB debut will be teen heartthrobs Kevin and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Sports Illustrated swimsuit and Victoria’s Secret model Marissa Miller and fellow supermodel Niki Taylor will also be on the red carpet.

Law & Order SVU star Christopher Meloni will be there along with original Law& Order star and former presidential candidate Fred Thompson.

Music is always a big part of the party, so in addition to Lambert, Judd and the others, party attendees and people standing around the gates are likely to hear Salt-n-Pepa and Freddie Jackson.

This will be the 23rd edition of the gala hosted by Barnstable-Brown and her sister Priscilla Barnstable. The gala is a fundraiser for the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Research Center at the University of Kentucky.  Last year’s edition raised $1 million.

• Check out Jonathan Palmer’s slide show from the party.

Paparazzi darlings Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson, shown at Rolling Stone's 40th anniversary party in 2007, will be marquee guests at this year's Barnstable-Brown Gala. AP Photo by Matt Sayles.

Several guests on the list for the 2010 Barnstable-Brown Gala are known for being able to cut a rug. But they all could get pointers on the John Wall Dance from the man himself when he and teammate Patrick Patterson and coach John Calipari turn the red carpet blue at the annual Derby Eve bash.

John Wall doing his dance at Big Blue Madness in October. Photo by Mark Cornelison | Herald-Leader staff.

The players will be enjoying one of their final Bluegrass throwdowns before the NBA draft along with some other sports luminaries, including flashy figure skater Johnny Weir and fellow Olympian Bode Miller. Representing the NFL will be Barnstable-Brown perennial Tom Brady and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, along with MLB slugger Barry Bonds.

Of course, if there is dancing to be done, there will need to be music. Last week, Patricia Barnstable-Brown, who co-hosts the gala with her sister Priscilla Barnstable, announced three members of the Jackson Five - Tito, Marlon and Jackie – will be coming. They’ll be joined in a tribute to their late brother Michael by R&B and Broadway star Jennifer Holliday.

There are plenty of other returning party regulars who know all about getting the party going by spending a few minutes on the stage, including country starts Travis Tritt, Rodney Crowell, Nicholasville’s John Michael Montgomery, and Little Big Town, who will be fresh off performing the National Anthem at the Kentucky Oaks.

Party regulars and boy-band veterans Joey Fatone and Nick Lachey will be back along with R&B stars Smokey Robinson, Taylor Dayne, Salt-n-Pepa and rap icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, whose band name, Run-DMC, was invoked by the Thoroughbred Daily News as the headline for the story announcing filly Devil May Care will be in the Derby.

Over the past decade, the Barnstable-Brown Gala has grown from a big local party movie stars attended to a national event for the celebrity media such as People magazine and Access Hollywood. No doubt, the paparazzi will have their zoom lenses trained on Ashlee Simpson and husband Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy, which is currently on hiatus.

There will probably also be plenty of questions for Terry O’Quinn as Lost heads into its final episodes, and if anyone wants to talk politics, Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer will be there to moderate.

Rounding out this year’s guest list, as reported in the Louisville Courier-Journal this morning, will be beautiful people Marisa Miller, Rebecca Romijn, Vanessa Minnillo and actor Jerry O’Connell.

Big Cuz and Coach Cal: who should play them in a movie. Photo by Ron Garrison | Herald-Leader staff.

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has had a great season, dare we say cinematic?

Seriously, think of the storylines that could play out on the big screen:

• John Calipari in Memphis, deciding whether to take the job.
• The comeback story of the Cats, after having to settle for an NIT bid in 2009-2010.
• Recruiting John Wall and Demarcus Cousins to join the team.
• Wall’s meteoric rise to superstar.
• Calipari struggling to tame Cousins’ temper, and combating the refs who’ve made up their minds about him.
• All the high points: The visits by LeBron, Magic and, of course, Ashley. ESPN Gameday and a march to the … the … Well, we don’t know where the story ends yet. But, at Weekender Central, we’ve been kicking around some ideas of how to cast a movie about UK’s magnificent season.

Alec Baldwin as Calipari? We’re kind of liking it, but there have to be other ideas. How about Wall and Cousins – who could step into their Nikes? And Ms. Judd – does she play herself? We’re thinking maybe newly ordained best actress Sandra Bullock. After all, sports movies have been very, very good to her, lately.

Well we want your ideas for the UK movie cast. Here are the roles we want to fill:

John Calipari

Ellen Calipari

Mitch Barnhart

John Wall

DeMarcus Cousins

Ashley Judd

Dick Vitale

Lee Todd

Tom Leach

A scalper

Mascot

Rick Pitino

Billy Gillispie

Are there other characters we should include? Either comment here or send me an e-mail at rcopley@herald-leader.com, and have fun with it.