Country artist Cam grapples with hard truths on 'Otherside'
Country singer Cam poses in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 to promote her second album The Otherside. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The five-year journey between albums for country singer Cam was an evolution in coming to grips with hard truths about a music industry that had left her a bit bruised but not broken. But two years ago, Cam decided to walk away from Sony Nashville’s imprint Arista citing different values, but remaining under Sony on the RCA Record label based in New York. The title track, a meticulously crafted country dance track, was co-written with acclaimed Swedish dance artist Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling. She knew what she was getting into when she heard Smith’s easily recognizable voice on the demo for “Happier For You,” a melancholic country song that fit well with Cam's aesthetic of moody and introspective country tunes.
'The West Wing' cast reunites again, this time for a book
NEW YORK – The stars of “The West Wing” are once again joining together, this time for a book about the award-winning White House television drama. On Monday, Dutton announced that it had acquired “What's Next: A Citizen's Guide to The West Wing,” organized by actors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with the participation of Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney and series creator Aaron Sorkin among others. “What's Next” will combine memories of the NBC program, which ran from 1999-2006, with “a powerful case for competent and empathetic leadership, and for hope and optimism in what lies ahead," according to Dutton, which has not set a release date. In a joint statement, Fitzgerald and McCormack said the book was "for the millions of fans who love the show, and also to show how that love, hope and optimism it has engendered has been channeled into real world service and action. The series won four consecutive best drama series Emmy Awards beginning in 2000.
New this week: Patty Smyth, 'The Right Stuff' and 'Time'
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. — AP Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSIC— Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company has curated an album focused on social justice to be released Friday. — It’s taken nearly three decades but Scandal rocker Patty Smyth is releasing her first album of original material on Friday. Fans of that show will find similar style, cars, clothes and alpha male energy in “The Right Stuff,” an eight-part series based on Tom Wolfe's book. The show, about demon-hunting brothers Dean and Sam Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki), debuted the same year as YouTube.