WELL-ROUNDED REBA
McEntire steps away from her sitcom to hit the road
By ALAN SCULLEY
From the mid-1980s and well into the 1990s, Reba McEntire was the undisputed queen of country music, the first woman in the genre to consistently sell out arenas as she reeled off one platinum album after another.
She hasn't lost much, if any, of the popularity that lifted her to that standing, although one could argue that other artists — such as Martina McBride or Shania Twain — now hold the pre-eminent place among women in country music.
But if McEntire has ceded some of her status in country music, she has more than made up for it by becoming a major presence in other fields.
Over the past decade and a half, she has made a major impact as an actress. This pursuit started in 1990 with roles in several television movies (including "The Gambler Returns: The Luck Of The Draw") and feature films ("The Little Rascals") before McEntire went to Broadway for an acclaimed run in "Annie Get Your Gun." She currently stars in the WB sitcom "Reba," now in its fourth season.
McEntire has little trouble explaining why acting became such a natural transition for her during a recent interview prior to the start of her current summer concert tour.
"Every song that I sing is like a mini-video in my mind," McEntire said. "And I'm acting out the words in my mind. I can see it. So the acting was really a natural thing.
"I've always loved to pretend and play like, and when you get in a situation where you get to be somebody else and act either silly, funny, goofy, happy or sad, that's just an extension of my music because you can express yourself in music, but when you get to act it out with other people, it's just so much fun," she said. "That's why I totally love to act, and especially doing "Annie Get Your Gun' for six months on Broadway — that was the greatest venue for me because I got to sing and act, and with very, very talented people that I learned so much from."
Flexible schedule
A weekly television series might seem like a project that would interfere with McEntire's music career, but she said the show actually is perfectly suited to her schedule.
"For me, it worked out perfect because I'm on the TV show from August to March, and we don't work on the weekends, so I can put my music in that (time)," McEntire said. "Then I'm through for all the summer months to be able to tour. So it's the perfect schedule for me to be able to have a television show and in the summer go tour, put the show together, record, whatever I need to do, and then I'll just go right back to the television show."
McEntire is using her summer off this year to tour, heading up a bill that also features Brad Paisley and Terri Clark. The concert dates, which include a stop this weekend at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, are in support of her 29th album, "Room to Breathe," which was released in 2003 but continues to garner sales behind the single, "My Sister."
McEntire's past concerts have been known for elaborate staging, numerous costume changes and production numbers. She hinted that this summer's tour won't skimp on the visual entertainment.
"It is a lot bigger of a show than it was last year when we were touring," McEntire said. "This year, we've got a lot more lights, and the staging is different."
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
By ALAN SCULLEY
From the mid-1980s and well into the 1990s, Reba McEntire was the undisputed queen of country music, the first woman in the genre to consistently sell out arenas as she reeled off one platinum album after another.
She hasn't lost much, if any, of the popularity that lifted her to that standing, although one could argue that other artists — such as Martina McBride or Shania Twain — now hold the pre-eminent place among women in country music.
But if McEntire has ceded some of her status in country music, she has more than made up for it by becoming a major presence in other fields.
Over the past decade and a half, she has made a major impact as an actress. This pursuit started in 1990 with roles in several television movies (including "The Gambler Returns: The Luck Of The Draw") and feature films ("The Little Rascals") before McEntire went to Broadway for an acclaimed run in "Annie Get Your Gun." She currently stars in the WB sitcom "Reba," now in its fourth season.
McEntire has little trouble explaining why acting became such a natural transition for her during a recent interview prior to the start of her current summer concert tour.
"Every song that I sing is like a mini-video in my mind," McEntire said. "And I'm acting out the words in my mind. I can see it. So the acting was really a natural thing.
"I've always loved to pretend and play like, and when you get in a situation where you get to be somebody else and act either silly, funny, goofy, happy or sad, that's just an extension of my music because you can express yourself in music, but when you get to act it out with other people, it's just so much fun," she said. "That's why I totally love to act, and especially doing "Annie Get Your Gun' for six months on Broadway — that was the greatest venue for me because I got to sing and act, and with very, very talented people that I learned so much from."
Flexible schedule
A weekly television series might seem like a project that would interfere with McEntire's music career, but she said the show actually is perfectly suited to her schedule.
"For me, it worked out perfect because I'm on the TV show from August to March, and we don't work on the weekends, so I can put my music in that (time)," McEntire said. "Then I'm through for all the summer months to be able to tour. So it's the perfect schedule for me to be able to have a television show and in the summer go tour, put the show together, record, whatever I need to do, and then I'll just go right back to the television show."
McEntire is using her summer off this year to tour, heading up a bill that also features Brad Paisley and Terri Clark. The concert dates, which include a stop this weekend at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, are in support of her 29th album, "Room to Breathe," which was released in 2003 but continues to garner sales behind the single, "My Sister."
McEntire's past concerts have been known for elaborate staging, numerous costume changes and production numbers. She hinted that this summer's tour won't skimp on the visual entertainment.
"It is a lot bigger of a show than it was last year when we were touring," McEntire said. "This year, we've got a lot more lights, and the staging is different."
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
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