SNL returns with a pair of live shows in March

SNL returns with a pair of live shows in March featuring Dwayne Johnson & Ray Lamontagne March 7 and Tracy Morgan & Kelly Clarkson March 14

Dwayne Johnson returns for his third time hosting March 7, and stars in Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain," which opens Friday, March 13. He also recently wrapped filming the comedy "Tooth Fairy," starring alongside Julie Andrews, Ashley Judd and Billy Crystal. Since his breakout role in the film, "The Mummy Returns" and box office powerhouse "The Scorpion King," Dwayne Johnson has firmly established himself as one of Hollywood's top leading men. Johnson excelled as a high school All-American and star defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes and led his team to win the National Championship in 1991. Johnson has numerous film credits under his belt including "Get Smart," "Southland Tales," "Gridiron Gang," "The Rundown," "Walking Tall" and "Be Cool".

Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne will join Johnson as the show's musical guest debut. His latest release "Gossip in the Grain," debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts during its first week and was the top selling album on iTunes. LaMontagne has won over music critics with a unique voice that Rolling Stone Magazine describes as "full of the warm yearning of a young Van Morrison." His debut release "Trouble" was a top 40 hit in the United Kingdom and the album peaked at number 5 in that country. It sold over 400,000 copies worldwide. LaMontagne's sophomore release "Till the Sun Turns Black" was a top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at #28 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 28,000 copies in its first week of release.

"30 Rock" star and SNL alum Tracy Morgan will host March 14. Morgan plays the wild and unpredictable movie star Tracy Jordan in NBC's two-time Emmy Award-winning comedy, "30 Rock." Morgan will appear in Disney's 2009 animated summer blockbuster "G-Force" and also in David O'Russell's feature film "Nailed," starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel. As a stand-up comic who headlined across the country, Morgan was first introduced to TV audiences in his role as "Hustleman" on the hit comedy series "Martin." Morgan joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1996, where he appeared for seven seasons and created such memorable characters as "Astronaut Jones" and "Brian Fellows." After leaving "Saturday Night Live," Morgan went on to star in his own comedy series "The Tracy Morgan Show" and as the voice of "Spoonie Luv" on "Crank Yankers." Morgan's feature-film credits include "The Longest Yard," "Little Man," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Head of State," "First Sunday" and "Superhero Movie". The "30 Rock" cast won the 2009 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Morgan received an individual nomination in both 2008 and 2009 for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Kelly Clarkson, whose fourth album "All I Ever Wanted" is due out on March 10, returns to the SNL stage as musical guest. Clarkson, who has sold over twenty million records worldwide, first appeared on the music scene during the first season of "American Idol" in 2002. Clarkson beat out more than 10,000 people to land the $1 million recording contract as the show's first winner. Her first single, "A Moment Like This" came out in late September of 2002 and sold nearly 250,000 copies in its first week. Her superstardom was secured with "Breakaway" in 2005, which sold over ten million copies, spun off five Top Ten hits, and stayed on the charts for two full years. The platinum-selling follow-up, "My December", arrived in 2007. Clarkson has had nine of her singles becoming Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, she joined VH1's list of 10 sexiest women of the new millennium at #8 and also hit #28 on Vh1's Top 30 Hottest Rock Front Women. As of 2008 she is one of the 10 most played artists on adult contemporary radio. Clarkson won over 60 awards and received over 100 nominations. She has won 2 Grammy Awards (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance "Since U Been Gone", Best Pop Vocal Album "Breakaway").

- http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/

#

Josh Hoge on "The Saturday Early Show" on CBS

"The Early Show" for Saturday, February 28 (7:00 - 9:00 AM, ET/PT, Check Local Listings) on CBS

Second Cup Café: Singer-songwriter Josh Hoge performs songs from his debut CD, "Everything She Was."

- http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/saturday/main3480.shtml

##

Jack Johnson Kicks Back in Hawaii for the HDNet Concert Series

The master of casual rock debuts on HDNet - Sunday, March 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET

WHAT: Multi-platinum recording artist Jack Johnson kicked off his world tour by headlining the Carbon Neutral/Zero Waste Kokua Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii on Earth Day Weekend, 2008. The singer-songwriter brings his unmistakable, carefree, lazy blues/folk to HDNet on a night filled with sandy summer sounds - from the steel drum, slide guitar driven "Flake" to the upbeat blues of "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" to the clever sing-along "If I Had Eyes."

WHEN: "Jack Johnson - Kokua Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii 2008" premieres Sunday, March 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.

- http://www.hd.net/

#

BET's "Rip The Runway" Premieres on Monday, March 2

Tune into BET on Monday, March 2 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) for the hottest fashions, entertainers and music -- all in one incredibly sexy fashion show, RIP THE RUNWAY. This year addressing the "State of the Union in Fashion" will be the beautiful, talented model-turned-actress Joy Bryant and today's most sought-after actor Derek Luke.

Featuring performances by T.I., Busta Rhymes, Bobby Valentino, Ron Brown, The Dream, Keri Hilson and more.

Featuring celebrity models Toccara, Neffie, Olympic Gold Medalists Shawn Crawford and LeShawn Merritt.

RIP THE RUNWAY is guaranteed to deliver the latest fashion trends to our viewers -- it's simply the best dressed hour of television. The show will re-air on Thursday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m. and Friday, March 6 at 10:00 p.m.

- http://www.bet.com/Specials/riptherunway09/

#

Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban set for George Strait Tribute

Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban will be among the performers on "George Strait - ACM Artist of the Decade." The new, all-star concert special will be broadcast on CBS later this year. The show, produced for television by dick clark productions, will pay tribute to "The King of Country," George Strait, and his legendary 25-year career.

Only four other acts have received the Artist of the Decade accolade, including Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988 and Garth Brooks in 1998. This marks the first time the honor will be presented as a separate television special.

The tribute special will be taped at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, April 6, the night following the 44TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, which will be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-11:00PM, live ET/delayed PT) on CBS.

#

Jonas Brothers to Perform at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards

Slate of Stars also Set for Live Telecast Includes Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams, George Lopez, Keke Palmer, Robert Pattinson, Queen Latifah, Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon, Miranda Cosgrove, Zac Efron and Nat and Alex Wolff

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award-nominated mega-star trio Jonas Brothers, who clinched a coveted Blimp trophy last year for Favorite Music Group, will perform at Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards. The platinum-selling singing siblings will rock the house live from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion -- Saturday, March 28 (8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT) -- and join a slate of luminaries newly set to participate in the glorious, slime-filled event, including Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams, George Lopez, Keke Palmer, Robert Pattinson, Queen Latifah, Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon Miranda Cosgrove, Zac Efron and Nat and Alex Wolff.

In addition, the "Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Jonas Jam Sweepstakes" will award two lucky Grand Prize Winners -- and up to three guests for each -- a fantastic four-day/three-night trip to the 2009 Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles including limo transportation to the event, $1,000 spending money – plus the piece de resistance: a walk down the Orange Carpet with the Jonas Brothers. Also, as a post-KCA bonus, Nickelodeon's sweepstakes will include four tickets to a Jonas Brothers concert nearest to the winners' hometown (roundtrip airfare and overnight hotel stay included). Rules for entering will be posted on nick.com/kca and telecast in Nick spots airing from 2/28 – 3/7. On March 7, an 800 number to call for a chance to win will be revealed on Nickelodeon between 8-9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Preceding the award telecast, Nickelodeon will kick off the big night with a unique pre-show hosted by Lily Collins and Pick Boy featuring celebrity interviews on the orange carpet and a musical performance by Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly). The Nick superstar will sing "About You Now," her smash hit single (from Nickelodeon and Columbia Records' iCarly soundtrack album) that has charted on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart and Hot Digital.

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards has emerged as one of the biggest events in Hollywood, boasting a massive popular vote and sweeping audience participation. It is the only award show that gives kids the power to vote for their favorites in movies, television, music, sports and much more – and honors their opinions with a live show filled with the stars they love.

Kids will be able to cast their vote online at http://www.nick.com/kca beginning Monday, March 2 in a total of 18 categories. Surprise awards also will be announced during the show. Kids also will be able to vote via the Nick mobile website (wap.nick.com).

- http://www.nick.com/kca/

#

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz guest star on "CSI: NY" - March 18 on CBS

Episode - "Point of No Return"

When a former medical examiner is found murdered, a white powder found at the scene provides the CSIs with a major lead in tracking the killer when it is discovered that the powder is heroin made from human bodies, on CSI: NY, Wednesday, March 18 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pop singer and actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) guest star as Bonnie and Clyde wannabes.

- http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_ny/

#