Exclusive Lance Smith Article only for viewers of the "Lance Smith Exclusive" fan site. In A Video World Kristin Persing He's young. He's talented. He's attractive, and he's tearing up the country music world. Amazingly enough, he isn't musical at all. "My own mother tried to make me sing, and my ADD just won't let me." Lance Smith is winning the hearts of country music fans everywhere from his place on Country Music Television (CMT) where he hosts the Top 20 Countdown and CMT Got Me in With the Band, along with Flameworthy Videos. Indeed, Lance Smith is a busy man. This 23-year-old Tennessean's life has always moved at a different speed. As a child, his father spent much time traveling and changing jobs, moving his family from Hawaii to Tennessee to North Carolina and all points in between, although Smith claims Franklin, Tennessee as home. Upon graduation from high school, Smith decided he wanted to be an actor, a somewhat surprising turn of events for his family, "I wanted to become an actor and my parents, they didn't quite get it, because I didn't really do it in high school. And being from the Nashville area.. . they shoot a lot of videos out here, so I thought I'll try to get in some videos. I took acting classes, got head shots and an agent and all that. And yeah, I did do some videos." Smith appeared in the Wilkinsons' "Fly: the Angel Song," as well as Meredith Edwards' "A Rose is a Rose" before heading off to Los Angeles. While he was there, his agent in Nashville secured an audition for him with the Dixie Chicks for their 2000 "Fly" tour. "I called my friends and said, 'Maybe this will get me a job as a v.j. on CMT,' and they said, 'Man, that doesn't exist. They donât have v.j.'s' and I said, 'I know, but who knows?' " Smith laughs at the memory. The audition went well, and soon, he found himself entertaining the huge crowds between acts, "It was crazy. For 92 shows, I was in front of 15,000 people a night. It was nuts." A solid tour that left him with plenty of audition material and good experience behind him, Smith prepared for a move back to Los Angeles. However, the same agent that had landed him the position with the Chicks called him and told him that CMT was looking for on-air talent. Some at CMT had seen Smith performing on stage and apparently, liked what they saw. "They knew I had a lot of energy and that I connect with the fans. That's my favorite thing. I do love music, but what I love most is the fans," said Smith. He started on the network last year, hosting the brand-new show, Most Wanted Live. "I remember my first day. I had a death grip on the mic. My shoulders were all tight," Lance remembers. CMT proved to be a perfect fit for this country music fan, who describes himself as traditional and claims Dwight Yoakam's Guitars and Cadillacs CD as his favorite. Not that he's about to get into the debate between traditional and contemporary country music, "The way I see it if you take away the labels, you take away the argument. Don't call it anything. Just call it music and you can still keep your fans." "It's sad to say, but some people, maybe some of the newer artists, just want to make music. And maybe the labels realize that people will buy the music. It's sad that maybe the almighty dollar plays a part in the decision. It's up to the fans to make the choice." At the beginning of 2002, CMT started doing some changing. Smith was moved from MWL to the host of Top 20 Countdown. Considering the variety of locations that the Countdown utilizes, Smith doesn't mind the change so much, "I love the road. You have to work with your environment. We try to get on the road at least once a month, if not more. The one in Colorado was my favorite -- I got to ski and all sorts of stuff." He also gets to hang out with all sorts of famous co-hosts, "I do love the fans the most, but there are some artists you just pal around with and that really comes across on camera." He lists Cledus T. Judd, Jo Dee Messina and Nickel Creek as his favorites, adding, "Nickel Creek -- they're a lot of fun. . . They don't even know the camera's on them." Slowly, but surely, Smith adds more credits to his name, including hosting special events like the Red Carpet specials for the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards, all of which garner him more media attention and, much to his surprise, even more fans. The uncommonly humble Smith says of the fans. "I'm reading them (fan dedication web sites), and my face is getting red. I'm the biggest dork. I'm 23. When I'm not working, I go to the movies by myself. I pretty much do everything by myself. I didn't get into this business to be famous. I love acting. This is just like a cool job. As far as the attention goes, it's kind of shocking. I'm a little overwhelmed." The extent of his fame has not completely sunk in either, "I'll be out somewhere and someone will go 'Hey, Lance!' And my mind frame is -- oh, this is someone I went to school with; I know them. And they'll say, 'I watch you all the time,' and then I realize --oh, I don't know them." The future may be even more overwhelming for Smith as his fan base continues to grow, along with his fame. But he takes that position rather seriously for a multitude of reasons. One of them can be found on his CMT profile, where, as his quote, he chose the Bible verse, John 3:16, "It's very significant to me. I am a Christian, and it is hard in the entertainment industry. I have a lot of faith, and sometimes, it's hard. Sometimes, I slip. I hesitated to put that up, because some might look up to me, and I mess up. I am a public figure. And I don't want to let anyone down." He explains further, "That would be the worst thing. But maybe someday, if they can see Him through my eyes than I've been successful." Success isn't something eluding Smith currently. Possible career moves may include motion pictures in the near future. But for right now, country music television is his world. And maybe, with a few more years, he'll settle down enough for his mom to teach him how to sing. Rink is unique backdrop for traveling CMT show The Tennessean FRANKLIN -- In keeping with the Olympic spirit, Country Music Television producer Robert Wimbish picked a fitting location to shoot this week's Top Twenty Countdown. The show's host Lance Smith partnered with local skater Molly Quigley at Southern Ice Arena here and taped the entire two-hour show yesterday on the ice. Wimbish has taped at other Williamson County locations such as the Viking Culinary Arts Center in The Factory at Franklin, and said he wanted to tape a show at Happy Tales Humane, also at The Factory, but the space was just too small for the camera and 10-person crew. Show tapings have taken the crew as far away as Colorado and to random spots such as a Nashville chocolate factory and a local dog pound. When choosing locations, Wimbish wants something that not only gives Smith something to work with, but also is timely. He said an upcoming shoot will be at Tower Records in Nashville in conjunction with The Grammy Awards. And last week's show in Colorado was taped during the Country in the Rockies benefit. ''A location has to have enough elements and action for us to be able to do all 25 intros and outros,'' Wimbish said. ''It has to be aesthetically pleasing, depending on what we are shooting. Shooting on location gives us something different every week to show. There is more for Lance to do, and it just makes the show more exciting.'' Beyond that criteria, he is open to locations as long as there is enough action. Events the show plans to utilize as backdrops in the future are the circus, spring break, a rodeo and the Country Music Marathon April 27 in Nashville. Although the event or location does receive some publicity, the show refrains from mentioning actual locations by name to prevent conflicts with advertisers, Wimbish said. The locations do, however, get their name and Web site address, if they have one, in the show's closing credits. ''We shoot every week, 52 weeks a year,'' Wimbish said. ''So we are always open to location ideas. We don't pay people for the use of their space, but people seem to love having us here, and it gives them something to talk about.'' Wimbish said Southern Ice not only provided him with a perfect location, but the rink's manager Bill Fauver also provided him with the perfect co-host in Quigley. ''We came here and wanted to have a young skater who was pretty and talented, and Bill said, 'I've got the perfect person,''' Wimbish said. ''People always say that to us, but he was right. She is perfect for what we wanted for the show.'' For yesterday's shoot, Smith, who doesn't ice skate very often, had to practice to stay on his feet. ''I sent him down here the night before the taping so he could practice,'' Wimbish said. Between takes Smith and Quigley, who actually got to show some of her skating skills during the taping, chatted about the Olympics. Smith was impressed with Quigley's ability as a skater and with her ease. ''I can hardly stand here, and she is flying all over the place like it's nothing,'' Smith said. Country Music Television's Top Twenty Countdown airs here on CMT at 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. Saturdays, 9 p.m. Sundays and 5 p.m. Mondays. (The Tennessean.com) 'Most Wanted,' and only 22 By BONNIE BURCH Staff Writer (Tennessean.com) NASHVILLE At 22, Lance Smith already has meet his share of celebrities. He's hung out with the Dixie Chicks for six months, shaken hands with Dolly Parton and chatted up Toby Keith. And the Franklin resident is likely to meet plenty more country music stars one each weekday as host of Country Music Television's new show, Most Wanted Live. ''I'm never really star struck. But as artists, I always have the greatest of respect for them. They do a very hard job,'' Smith said. The Franklin High School graduate seems to have fallen into the perfect opportunity at a young age. From 5-6 p.m. on CMT, Smith counts down the top 10 country videos and welcomes popular entertainers to the country news show. The program premiered two weeks ago. Most Wanted Live viewers select which videos they want to see Smith play on the interactive program either by a click of the computer mouse, by phone or by mail. ''It's a viewer-controlled vote. If you get 1,000 of your friends to vote for one particular song, then that's what we'll play,'' he said. And some of the celebrity is rubbing off on Smith as he, too, is recognized in a crowd. ''I was at Dancin' in the District recently and these two teen-age girls came up to me and said, 'Excuse me, are you on TV?' I'm really not used to that. It's a very strange thing to be happening to me,'' he said. More than once, the whispering and pointing begins as soon he enters the room. He hears, ''Hey, it's that guy!'' He has even signed a few autographs. But Smith grew up as a down-to-earth Williamson County kid. Born in Huntsville, Ala., he moved to Franklin with his parents, Jim and Leona Smith, to attend third grade at Johnson Elementary. But the family didn't stay long. He spent his fourth-grade year in Hawaii. In all, he would move in and out of Franklin four times following his father's job transfers. Currently, the Smiths are calling Franklin home again, although Lance plans to move closer into Nashville soon to shorten the commute to the studios at the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Even beginning life as a Southern boy didn't jump-start Smith as a country music fan at first. ''Growing up, I used to hate country music. That was the music of my parents,'' he admitted. But now his life has taken him to closer to the Nashville sound, all because Smith was bitten by the acting bug. He landed a role in the popular Grassland Heights Baptist Church Easter passion play, but had never had any other work on stage beyond church programs. Still, while his friends headed off to college, his parents didn't fuss when he told them that he wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting. ''I quickly knew that going to college wasn't a good idea for me. And my parents were supportive of that. So I gave myself two years to get something going,'' Smith said. But he didn't grab the first bus out to California. He took acting lessons, talked with talent agents and auditioned for videos before heading out to L.A. in 1999. He arrived in town with talent, personality and natural good looks. It wasn't long before the Dixie Chicks took notice and hired him to help open for the trio while on tour. Soon, Smith and Nathan Blackburn of MTV's The Real World Seattle fame were warming up the crowds for 30 minutes before the Chicks took the stage on their 90-city Fly Tour. ''It's really a different life being on tour. But I was young so it was just fun for me. It gave me an opportunity to do things I never thought I would do, like meet the president in the Oval Office,'' he said. Coming off the Dixie Chicks tour, his agent heard that Country Music Television was looking for a host for an upcoming television show. After an audition and a callback, Smith had the gig. ''When you're the host of a show, it's your face that's out there. But there are so many more people involved that viewers don't see. It's really amazing to see everything come together. It's a team effort all the way,'' he said. One of the biggest fans of Most Wanted Live is Smith's own younger brother, Taylor, who was born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare, genetic, neurological disorder that is often mistaken for cerebral palsy or autism. ''He can't talk, but every time the program comes on, he's right there in front of the TV. My parents have a hard time seeing through him because he sits right in front of the TV. ''He knows when his big brother's show is on,'' Smith said. ''Taylor and I are very close. He's very special to me. Since there is an 11-year age difference, I had more of an opportunity to help raise him than if we were closer in age.'' Smith hopes to continue entertaining Taylor along with a national television audience today by welcoming on the show Montgomery Gentry, and Billy Ray Cyrus, who is scheduled for a special musical performance, tomorrow. And as always, viewers can vote for their favorite country songs to be played on the show by clicking on CMT's Web site at www.country.com. Country Interview Online: Cook, Martin Named New Hosts of MWL Countdown Show Also Gets New Place, Time Michael Gray -- CMT.com 01/03/2002 CMT personalities Katie Cook and Greg Martin will assume hosting duties on CMT Most Wanted Live beginning Saturday (Jan. 5). They replace Lance Smith and news anchor Amber Mogg who were with the live daily show from its premiere in May. Smith will replace Cook as host of CMT's Top Twenty Countdown and will be part of other CMT special presentations. The reshuffling is part of a larger overhaul of CMT Most Wanted Live that will give the show a slightly different look, feel and time slot. The show will air Tuesday to Saturday from 7-8 p.m. ET/PT. The Saturday edition will feature live reports from Cook backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and will lead into CMT's weekly Opry telecast, also hosted by Cook. "The great thing about having Katie and Greg host the show is their long love and knowledge of country music," says Kaye Zusmann, CMT's vice president, program development and production. "Much like Lance, they're huge fans, not only of where country is today but where it has come from. "Lance has been so phenomenal for us on Most Wanted Live that he's literally become the ambassador for the network. We have needed to take him out and use him around the country at different events, and because of the schedule of Most Wanted Live we haven't been able to. To be able to have Greg and Katie step in makes perfect sense. The artists know and respect them, and they love this music." MWL is an hour-long video countdown show in which viewers request their favorite music clips via country.com or a toll-free phone number. The show includes a mix of country music news, artist appearances and video debuts. Brad Paisley will perform acoustically Saturday (Jan. 5), and Alan Jackson will make a guest appearance Jan. 12. Following a long run at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the show moves Saturday to its new home at The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase at Opry Mills. Located across from the Grand Ole Opry House, The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase is a concert venue, instrument outlet and manufacturing facility where visitors can experience the craftsmanship and tradition that goes into Gibson's instruments. "The most exciting element for us, and the impetus for the move, is that The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase allows us to feel like we are inside the music," Zusmann says. "We're inside a place where this great sound that helps define country music is being made. Since we're a show about having artists come on and talk about their music and perform their music and show their new music, the location is a perfect fit for us." Also new, MWL and Grand Ole Opry Live will launch on CMT Canada for a combined North American viewership of 63 million households. Cook, who turns 31 on Tuesday (Jan. 8), was born in London but has lived in Nashville most of her life. Her father is singer-songwriter Roger Cook, whose credits include Don Williams' "I Believe in You," Crystal Gayle's "Talking in Your Sleep," The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)," The Fortunes' "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" and the theme song for the long-running Coca-Cola commercial, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Following in her father's footsteps, Cook is a singer and songwriter. She landed a publishing deal with EMI and was a member of vocal group Reno, who released two singles on Curb Records before breaking up. Cook joined CMT in 2001, hosting Top Twenty Countdown and network specials on Farm Aid and the Country Freedom Concert. Martin, 32, is a native of Ruston, La. He earned a bachelor's degree in hospital administration from Auburn University in 1992. Before moving to Nashville, he lived in Southern California and gained experience in front of the camera taking various acting roles. Like Cook, Martin began hosting duties at CMT in 2001. Tara McNamara, new to the network, replaces Martin as host of CMT's weekly video show, Big Ticket. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and recently worked as a radio and TV personality in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (CMT.com) CMT Most Wanted Live Captures Fan Excitement Shannon Wayne Turner 06/15/2001 For country music fans, Nashville's Fan Fair is the place to be this week. But for those fans who can't make their way to Music City, CMT Most Wanted Live brings the music, fun, excitement and stars of Fan Fair to CMT's audience. Host Lance Smith welcomed the likes of Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack, Dolly Parton, Montgomery Gentry and Billy Ray Cyrus to the MWL set. MWL is turning into the place to see CMT's newest videos. Monday's show saw the debut of Lonestar's "I'm Already There," and Country Music Hall of Fame member Parton appeared on Wednesday to premiere her new video, "Shine." By Thursday, both clips were on MWL's Top 10 list of most-requested videos. In order to accommodate as many fans as possible, MWL moved the whole shootin' match outside on Thursday and Friday, airing their show from the steps of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Scores of country and CMT devotees gathered around the stage and across the street Thursday in withering heat, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Montgomery Gentry, who played a two-song set featuring their break-out tune, "Hillbilly Shoes" and their current hit, "She Couldn't Change Me." The fun-loving pair, fresh from the high jinx of the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, cooled the crowd by dashing buckets of cold water onto fans and passing out popsicles. In the audience was Krista Hamby, a 2-time Fan Fair attendee from Evansville, Ind., who introduced a video on-air with Smith. A Montgomery Gentry fan who has seen the duo twice in concert, she happened onto the MWL set accidentally. "I was just walking by and when we saw all the excitement, we asked what was going on," she told country.com. "When they told us that CMT Most Wanted Live was doing their show here today, we stayed! I actually saw the first show, and I've watched it every day." On Friday, Cyrus appeared on MWL to play "Burn Down the Trailer Park" and the title cut from his Southern Rain album. Artist appearances will be an ongoing highlight of MWL, including Lila McCann next Monday (June 18) and Chely Wright on Thursday (June 21). Brooks & Dunn are scheduled to appear later in the month. See our MWL flipbooks for Lee Ann Womack, Dolly Parton and Montgomery Gentry. (CMT.com) Wanted: Dead or 'Live' CMT plucks home-grown talent for new countdown show The standard story goes something like this: Plucky, talented youngster leaves hometown to seek fame and fortune in Music City. Lance Smith's story goes more like this: Grow up in Music City, leave home for the bright lights of L.A., struggle, come back to Nashville, and get your own show on CMT. Don't try this at home, kids. Smith hosts CMT's new afternoon countdown show Most Wanted Live, which emanates from lobby of the new Country Music Hall of Fame. MWL, which is organized around an Internet-based poll of the day's top 10 videos, launched on May 28. In the intervening month of shows, Smith has learned to roll with the punches that live television presents. "We'll put the fans on to introduce videos and they'll seem real energetic," Smith tells The Rage. "Then they realize that it's live and they'll freeze. Which makes me feel good, 'cause it's like, 'Hey, I do this every day.' I don't freeze much - not since the first show." One of Smith's biggest challenges is gauging the energy level each day's show will require. "Thursday and Friday of Fan Fair, we had these huge, enormous outdoor shows with Billy Ray Cyrus and Montgomery Gentry. That next Monday," Smith imitates crickets chirping, "so we kinda had to tone it down." Smith had several small film, television and theater credits on his resume before getting his first prolonged exposure to the rigors of the country music world. He spent half of 2000 on the road with the Dixie Chicks, serving as a de facto cheerleader during the changeover between the opening acts and the Chicks set. Smith would help keep the audience's energy level high, running various contests among the crowd, a la intermissions during Nashville Predators games. Those six months with the Chicks gave Smith the tools he needed to deal with both audiences and artists who appear on Most Wanted Live. "The fans, you kinda have to take control of where the conversation goes," Smith explains. "The artists, you want to let them talk." Smith has played host to a number of high-profile artists on MWL already, including a Fan Fair week appearance by Dolly Parton, who premiered the video for her new single, Shine. Smith says he's learned when to take a back seat when talking to artists. "I don't like to do interviews," he confesses. "I don't even like to call them that. I just want the audience to be entertained by our conversation. With the artists, I tend not to say too much, 'cause I can tend to be long-winded." Naturally, comparisons are going to be made between MWL and sister network MTV's Total Request Live, which has made a mainstream star out of host Carson Daly. Smith knows where the two shows compare and where they differ. "I made the joke (in an MTV Networks internal publication" that I'm the Carson Daly of country and he's the Lance Smith of pop," Smith says, laughing. "There are differences, obviously, and we don't want our show to be as nuts and as wild as TRL. I don't think we want it to morph into that." For now, Smith just wants MWL's audience, both live and over the airwaves, to keep growing. He also wants to deal with his newfound exposure in a mature manner. "I never went into this business for the fame," he says. "All my friends know that, my family knows that. But when you start to get recognized, it's a little weird. To go from the guy who's in the background of a scene for a couple seconds to the guy who's hosting the show, it's a little strange, but it's fun." - Lucas Hendrickson (NashvilleRage.com) |
Lance Articles & Interviews |
Exclusive Lance Smith Article only for viewers of the "Lance Smith Exclusive" fan site. In A Video World Kristin Persing He's young. He's talented. He's attractive, and he's tearing up the country music world. Amazingly enough, he isn't musical at all. "My own mother tried to make me sing, and my ADD just won't let me." Lance Smith is winning the hearts of country music fans everywhere from his place on Country Music Television (CMT) where he hosts the Top 20 Countdown and CMT Got Me in With the Band, along with Flameworthy Videos. Indeed, Lance Smith is a busy man. This 23-year-old Tennessean's life has always moved at a different speed. As a child, his father spent much time traveling and changing jobs, moving his family from Hawaii to Tennessee to North Carolina and all points in between, although Smith claims Franklin, Tennessee as home. Upon graduation from high school, Smith decided he wanted to be an actor, a somewhat surprising turn of events for his family, "I wanted to become an actor and my parents, they didn't quite get it, because I didn't really do it in high school. And being from the Nashville area.. . they shoot a lot of videos out here, so I thought I'll try to get in some videos. I took acting classes, got head shots and an agent and all that. And yeah, I did do some videos." Smith appeared in the Wilkinsons' "Fly: the Angel Song," as well as Meredith Edwards' "A Rose is a Rose" before heading off to Los Angeles. While he was there, his agent in Nashville secured an audition for him with the Dixie Chicks for their 2000 "Fly" tour. "I called my friends and said, 'Maybe this will get me a job as a v.j. on CMT,' and they said, 'Man, that doesn't exist. They donât have v.j.'s' and I said, 'I know, but who knows?' " Smith laughs at the memory. The audition went well, and soon, he found himself entertaining the huge crowds between acts, "It was crazy. For 92 shows, I was in front of 15,000 people a night. It was nuts." A solid tour that left him with plenty of audition material and good experience behind him, Smith prepared for a move back to Los Angeles. However, the same agent that had landed him the position with the Chicks called him and told him that CMT was looking for on-air talent. Some at CMT had seen Smith performing on stage and apparently, liked what they saw. "They knew I had a lot of energy and that I connect with the fans. That's my favorite thing. I do love music, but what I love most is the fans," said Smith. He started on the network last year, hosting the brand-new show, Most Wanted Live. "I remember my first day. I had a death grip on the mic. My shoulders were all tight," Lance remembers. CMT proved to be a perfect fit for this country music fan, who describes himself as traditional and claims Dwight Yoakam's Guitars and Cadillacs CD as his favorite. Not that he's about to get into the debate between traditional and contemporary country music, "The way I see it if you take away the labels, you take away the argument. Don't call it anything. Just call it music and you can still keep your fans." "It's sad to say, but some people, maybe some of the newer artists, just want to make music. And maybe the labels realize that people will buy the music. It's sad that maybe the almighty dollar plays a part in the decision. It's up to the fans to make the choice." At the beginning of 2002, CMT started doing some changing. Smith was moved from MWL to the host of Top 20 Countdown. Considering the variety of locations that the Countdown utilizes, Smith doesn't mind the change so much, "I love the road. You have to work with your environment. We try to get on the road at least once a month, if not more. The one in Colorado was my favorite -- I got to ski and all sorts of stuff." He also gets to hang out with all sorts of famous co-hosts, "I do love the fans the most, but there are some artists you just pal around with and that really comes across on camera." He lists Cledus T. Judd, Jo Dee Messina and Nickel Creek as his favorites, adding, "Nickel Creek -- they're a lot of fun. . . They don't even know the camera's on them." Slowly, but surely, Smith adds more credits to his name, including hosting special events like the Red Carpet specials for the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards, all of which garner him more media attention and, much to his surprise, even more fans. The uncommonly humble Smith says of the fans. "I'm reading them (fan dedication web sites), and my face is getting red. I'm the biggest dork. I'm 23. When I'm not working, I go to the movies by myself. I pretty much do everything by myself. I didn't get into this business to be famous. I love acting. This is just like a cool job. As far as the attention goes, it's kind of shocking. I'm a little overwhelmed." The extent of his fame has not completely sunk in either, "I'll be out somewhere and someone will go 'Hey, Lance!' And my mind frame is -- oh, this is someone I went to school with; I know them. And they'll say, 'I watch you all the time,' and then I realize --oh, I don't know them." The future may be even more overwhelming for Smith as his fan base continues to grow, along with his fame. But he takes that position rather seriously for a multitude of reasons. One of them can be found on his CMT profile, where, as his quote, he chose the Bible verse, John 3:16, "It's very significant to me. I am a Christian, and it is hard in the entertainment industry. I have a lot of faith, and sometimes, it's hard. Sometimes, I slip. I hesitated to put that up, because some might look up to me, and I mess up. I am a public figure. And I don't want to let anyone down." He explains further, "That would be the worst thing. But maybe someday, if they can see Him through my eyes than I've been successful." Success isn't something eluding Smith currently. Possible career moves may include motion pictures in the near future. But for right now, country music television is his world. And maybe, with a few more years, he'll settle down enough for his mom to teach him how to sing. Rink is unique backdrop for traveling CMT show The Tennessean FRANKLIN -- In keeping with the Olympic spirit, Country Music Television producer Robert Wimbish picked a fitting location to shoot this week's Top Twenty Countdown. The show's host Lance Smith partnered with local skater Molly Quigley at Southern Ice Arena here and taped the entire two-hour show yesterday on the ice. Wimbish has taped at other Williamson County locations such as the Viking Culinary Arts Center in The Factory at Franklin, and said he wanted to tape a show at Happy Tales Humane, also at The Factory, but the space was just too small for the camera and 10-person crew. Show tapings have taken the crew as far away as Colorado and to random spots such as a Nashville chocolate factory and a local dog pound. When choosing locations, Wimbish wants something that not only gives Smith something to work with, but also is timely. He said an upcoming shoot will be at Tower Records in Nashville in conjunction with The Grammy Awards. And last week's show in Colorado was taped during the Country in the Rockies benefit. ''A location has to have enough elements and action for us to be able to do all 25 intros and outros,'' Wimbish said. ''It has to be aesthetically pleasing, depending on what we are shooting. Shooting on location gives us something different every week to show. There is more for Lance to do, and it just makes the show more exciting.'' Beyond that criteria, he is open to locations as long as there is enough action. Events the show plans to utilize as backdrops in the future are the circus, spring break, a rodeo and the Country Music Marathon April 27 in Nashville. Although the event or location does receive some publicity, the show refrains from mentioning actual locations by name to prevent conflicts with advertisers, Wimbish said. The locations do, however, get their name and Web site address, if they have one, in the show's closing credits. ''We shoot every week, 52 weeks a year,'' Wimbish said. ''So we are always open to location ideas. We don't pay people for the use of their space, but people seem to love having us here, and it gives them something to talk about.'' Wimbish said Southern Ice not only provided him with a perfect location, but the rink's manager Bill Fauver also provided him with the perfect co-host in Quigley. ''We came here and wanted to have a young skater who was pretty and talented, and Bill said, 'I've got the perfect person,''' Wimbish said. ''People always say that to us, but he was right. She is perfect for what we wanted for the show.'' For yesterday's shoot, Smith, who doesn't ice skate very often, had to practice to stay on his feet. ''I sent him down here the night before the taping so he could practice,'' Wimbish said. Between takes Smith and Quigley, who actually got to show some of her skating skills during the taping, chatted about the Olympics. Smith was impressed with Quigley's ability as a skater and with her ease. ''I can hardly stand here, and she is flying all over the place like it's nothing,'' Smith said. Country Music Television's Top Twenty Countdown airs here on CMT at 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. Saturdays, 9 p.m. Sundays and 5 p.m. Mondays. (The Tennessean.com) 'Most Wanted,' and only 22 By BONNIE BURCH Staff Writer (Tennessean.com) NASHVILLE At 22, Lance Smith already has meet his share of celebrities. He's hung out with the Dixie Chicks for six months, shaken hands with Dolly Parton and chatted up Toby Keith. And the Franklin resident is likely to meet plenty more country music stars one each weekday as host of Country Music Television's new show, Most Wanted Live. ''I'm never really star struck. But as artists, I always have the greatest of respect for them. They do a very hard job,'' Smith said. The Franklin High School graduate seems to have fallen into the perfect opportunity at a young age. From 5-6 p.m. on CMT, Smith counts down the top 10 country videos and welcomes popular entertainers to the country news show. The program premiered two weeks ago. Most Wanted Live viewers select which videos they want to see Smith play on the interactive program either by a click of the computer mouse, by phone or by mail. ''It's a viewer-controlled vote. If you get 1,000 of your friends to vote for one particular song, then that's what we'll play,'' he said. And some of the celebrity is rubbing off on Smith as he, too, is recognized in a crowd. ''I was at Dancin' in the District recently and these two teen-age girls came up to me and said, 'Excuse me, are you on TV?' I'm really not used to that. It's a very strange thing to be happening to me,'' he said. More than once, the whispering and pointing begins as soon he enters the room. He hears, ''Hey, it's that guy!'' He has even signed a few autographs. But Smith grew up as a down-to-earth Williamson County kid. Born in Huntsville, Ala., he moved to Franklin with his parents, Jim and Leona Smith, to attend third grade at Johnson Elementary. But the family didn't stay long. He spent his fourth-grade year in Hawaii. In all, he would move in and out of Franklin four times following his father's job transfers. Currently, the Smiths are calling Franklin home again, although Lance plans to move closer into Nashville soon to shorten the commute to the studios at the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Even beginning life as a Southern boy didn't jump-start Smith as a country music fan at first. ''Growing up, I used to hate country music. That was the music of my parents,'' he admitted. But now his life has taken him to closer to the Nashville sound, all because Smith was bitten by the acting bug. He landed a role in the popular Grassland Heights Baptist Church Easter passion play, but had never had any other work on stage beyond church programs. Still, while his friends headed off to college, his parents didn't fuss when he told them that he wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting. ''I quickly knew that going to college wasn't a good idea for me. And my parents were supportive of that. So I gave myself two years to get something going,'' Smith said. But he didn't grab the first bus out to California. He took acting lessons, talked with talent agents and auditioned for videos before heading out to L.A. in 1999. He arrived in town with talent, personality and natural good looks. It wasn't long before the Dixie Chicks took notice and hired him to help open for the trio while on tour. Soon, Smith and Nathan Blackburn of MTV's The Real World Seattle fame were warming up the crowds for 30 minutes before the Chicks took the stage on their 90-city Fly Tour. ''It's really a different life being on tour. But I was young so it was just fun for me. It gave me an opportunity to do things I never thought I would do, like meet the president in the Oval Office,'' he said. Coming off the Dixie Chicks tour, his agent heard that Country Music Television was looking for a host for an upcoming television show. After an audition and a callback, Smith had the gig. ''When you're the host of a show, it's your face that's out there. But there are so many more people involved that viewers don't see. It's really amazing to see everything come together. It's a team effort all the way,'' he said. One of the biggest fans of Most Wanted Live is Smith's own younger brother, Taylor, who was born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare, genetic, neurological disorder that is often mistaken for cerebral palsy or autism. ''He can't talk, but every time the program comes on, he's right there in front of the TV. My parents have a hard time seeing through him because he sits right in front of the TV. ''He knows when his big brother's show is on,'' Smith said. ''Taylor and I are very close. He's very special to me. Since there is an 11-year age difference, I had more of an opportunity to help raise him than if we were closer in age.'' Smith hopes to continue entertaining Taylor along with a national television audience today by welcoming on the show Montgomery Gentry, and Billy Ray Cyrus, who is scheduled for a special musical performance, tomorrow. And as always, viewers can vote for their favorite country songs to be played on the show by clicking on CMT's Web site at www.country.com. Country Interview Online: Cook, Martin Named New Hosts of MWL Countdown Show Also Gets New Place, Time Michael Gray -- CMT.com 01/03/2002 CMT personalities Katie Cook and Greg Martin will assume hosting duties on CMT Most Wanted Live beginning Saturday (Jan. 5). They replace Lance Smith and news anchor Amber Mogg who were with the live daily show from its premiere in May. Smith will replace Cook as host of CMT's Top Twenty Countdown and will be part of other CMT special presentations. The reshuffling is part of a larger overhaul of CMT Most Wanted Live that will give the show a slightly different look, feel and time slot. The show will air Tuesday to Saturday from 7-8 p.m. ET/PT. The Saturday edition will feature live reports from Cook backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and will lead into CMT's weekly Opry telecast, also hosted by Cook. "The great thing about having Katie and Greg host the show is their long love and knowledge of country music," says Kaye Zusmann, CMT's vice president, program development and production. "Much like Lance, they're huge fans, not only of where country is today but where it has come from. "Lance has been so phenomenal for us on Most Wanted Live that he's literally become the ambassador for the network. We have needed to take him out and use him around the country at different events, and because of the schedule of Most Wanted Live we haven't been able to. To be able to have Greg and Katie step in makes perfect sense. The artists know and respect them, and they love this music." MWL is an hour-long video countdown show in which viewers request their favorite music clips via country.com or a toll-free phone number. The show includes a mix of country music news, artist appearances and video debuts. Brad Paisley will perform acoustically Saturday (Jan. 5), and Alan Jackson will make a guest appearance Jan. 12. Following a long run at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the show moves Saturday to its new home at The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase at Opry Mills. Located across from the Grand Ole Opry House, The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase is a concert venue, instrument outlet and manufacturing facility where visitors can experience the craftsmanship and tradition that goes into Gibson's instruments. "The most exciting element for us, and the impetus for the move, is that The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase allows us to feel like we are inside the music," Zusmann says. "We're inside a place where this great sound that helps define country music is being made. Since we're a show about having artists come on and talk about their music and perform their music and show their new music, the location is a perfect fit for us." Also new, MWL and Grand Ole Opry Live will launch on CMT Canada for a combined North American viewership of 63 million households. Cook, who turns 31 on Tuesday (Jan. 8), was born in London but has lived in Nashville most of her life. Her father is singer-songwriter Roger Cook, whose credits include Don Williams' "I Believe in You," Crystal Gayle's "Talking in Your Sleep," The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)," The Fortunes' "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" and the theme song for the long-running Coca-Cola commercial, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Following in her father's footsteps, Cook is a singer and songwriter. She landed a publishing deal with EMI and was a member of vocal group Reno, who released two singles on Curb Records before breaking up. Cook joined CMT in 2001, hosting Top Twenty Countdown and network specials on Farm Aid and the Country Freedom Concert. Martin, 32, is a native of Ruston, La. He earned a bachelor's degree in hospital administration from Auburn University in 1992. Before moving to Nashville, he lived in Southern California and gained experience in front of the camera taking various acting roles. Like Cook, Martin began hosting duties at CMT in 2001. Tara McNamara, new to the network, replaces Martin as host of CMT's weekly video show, Big Ticket. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and recently worked as a radio and TV personality in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (CMT.com) CMT Most Wanted Live Captures Fan Excitement Shannon Wayne Turner 06/15/2001 For country music fans, Nashville's Fan Fair is the place to be this week. But for those fans who can't make their way to Music City, CMT Most Wanted Live brings the music, fun, excitement and stars of Fan Fair to CMT's audience. Host Lance Smith welcomed the likes of Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack, Dolly Parton, Montgomery Gentry and Billy Ray Cyrus to the MWL set. MWL is turning into the place to see CMT's newest videos. Monday's show saw the debut of Lonestar's "I'm Already There," and Country Music Hall of Fame member Parton appeared on Wednesday to premiere her new video, "Shine." By Thursday, both clips were on MWL's Top 10 list of most-requested videos. In order to accommodate as many fans as possible, MWL moved the whole shootin' match outside on Thursday and Friday, airing their show from the steps of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Scores of country and CMT devotees gathered around the stage and across the street Thursday in withering heat, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Montgomery Gentry, who played a two-song set featuring their break-out tune, "Hillbilly Shoes" and their current hit, "She Couldn't Change Me." The fun-loving pair, fresh from the high jinx of the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, cooled the crowd by dashing buckets of cold water onto fans and passing out popsicles. In the audience was Krista Hamby, a 2-time Fan Fair attendee from Evansville, Ind., who introduced a video on-air with Smith. A Montgomery Gentry fan who has seen the duo twice in concert, she happened onto the MWL set accidentally. "I was just walking by and when we saw all the excitement, we asked what was going on," she told country.com. "When they told us that CMT Most Wanted Live was doing their show here today, we stayed! I actually saw the first show, and I've watched it every day." On Friday, Cyrus appeared on MWL to play "Burn Down the Trailer Park" and the title cut from his Southern Rain album. Artist appearances will be an ongoing highlight of MWL, including Lila McCann next Monday (June 18) and Chely Wright on Thursday (June 21). Brooks & Dunn are scheduled to appear later in the month. See our MWL flipbooks for Lee Ann Womack, Dolly Parton and Montgomery Gentry. (CMT.com) Wanted: Dead or 'Live' CMT plucks home-grown talent for new countdown show The standard story goes something like this: Plucky, talented youngster leaves hometown to seek fame and fortune in Music City. Lance Smith's story goes more like this: Grow up in Music City, leave home for the bright lights of L.A., struggle, come back to Nashville, and get your own show on CMT. Don't try this at home, kids. Smith hosts CMT's new afternoon countdown show Most Wanted Live, which emanates from lobby of the new Country Music Hall of Fame. MWL, which is organized around an Internet-based poll of the day's top 10 videos, launched on May 28. In the intervening month of shows, Smith has learned to roll with the punches that live television presents. "We'll put the fans on to introduce videos and they'll seem real energetic," Smith tells The Rage. "Then they realize that it's live and they'll freeze. Which makes me feel good, 'cause it's like, 'Hey, I do this every day.' I don't freeze much - not since the first show." One of Smith's biggest challenges is gauging the energy level each day's show will require. "Thursday and Friday of Fan Fair, we had these huge, enormous outdoor shows with Billy Ray Cyrus and Montgomery Gentry. That next Monday," Smith imitates crickets chirping, "so we kinda had to tone it down." Smith had several small film, television and theater credits on his resume before getting his first prolonged exposure to the rigors of the country music world. He spent half of 2000 on the road with the Dixie Chicks, serving as a de facto cheerleader during the changeover between the opening acts and the Chicks set. Smith would help keep the audience's energy level high, running various contests among the crowd, a la intermissions during Nashville Predators games. Those six months with the Chicks gave Smith the tools he needed to deal with both audiences and artists who appear on Most Wanted Live. "The fans, you kinda have to take control of where the conversation goes," Smith explains. "The artists, you want to let them talk." Smith has played host to a number of high-profile artists on MWL already, including a Fan Fair week appearance by Dolly Parton, who premiered the video for her new single, Shine. Smith says he's learned when to take a back seat when talking to artists. "I don't like to do interviews," he confesses. "I don't even like to call them that. I just want the audience to be entertained by our conversation. With the artists, I tend not to say too much, 'cause I can tend to be long-winded." Naturally, comparisons are going to be made between MWL and sister network MTV's Total Request Live, which has made a mainstream star out of host Carson Daly. Smith knows where the two shows compare and where they differ. "I made the joke (in an MTV Networks internal publication" that I'm the Carson Daly of country and he's the Lance Smith of pop," Smith says, laughing. "There are differences, obviously, and we don't want our show to be as nuts and as wild as TRL. I don't think we want it to morph into that." For now, Smith just wants MWL's audience, both live and over the airwaves, to keep growing. He also wants to deal with his newfound exposure in a mature manner. "I never went into this business for the fame," he says. "All my friends know that, my family knows that. But when you start to get recognized, it's a little weird. To go from the guy who's in the background of a scene for a couple seconds to the guy who's hosting the show, it's a little strange, but it's fun." - Lucas Hendrickson (NashvilleRage.com) |
This page was last updated on: May 18, 2003
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