We Don’t Know Nuthin’ From Country Music, But Randy Travis Will Perform And Launch His New CD On HSN May 27

Country artist (is that a contradiction in terms?) Randy Travis will celebrate 25 years of “chart-topping hits,” HSN told us Wednesday, with the exclusive world launch of his latest CD May 27.

The country music icon will perform live on HSN a special one-hour primetime show at 9 p.m. as part of HSN’s first-ever 24-hour Americana Event featuring unique American-themed experiences, brands and products.

“Offering our customers a shopping experience that is both entertaining and relevant is at the core of what we do,” Sandy Conrad, HSN’s senior vice president of merchandising, said in a canned statement. “We’re excited to have Randy Travis kick off Memorial Day weekend and be a part of HSN’s first-ever Americana event.”

HSN junkies can be the first to order a special 2-disc bundle ($14.95) that includes Randy’s new “Anniversary Celebration” release and his best-selling Top 10 greatest-hits CD.

“Anniversary Celebration” includes new songs and remakes such as “Forever and Ever Amen,” featuring the Zac Brown Band; “He Walked On Water,” in partnership with Kenny Chesney; “Can’t Hurt A Man,” featuring Tim McGraw; and “Is it Still Over?,” accompanied by Carrie Underwood.

Canned bio:

Randy Travis is one the most recognizable voices in music with more than 20 million records sold and eighteen No. 1 singles. Other acclaimed artists joining Travis on his first-ever duets CD include Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Jamey Johnson, Alan Jackson, Don Henley and Kristin Chenoweth.

The special CD bundle will be available at HSN, hsn.com and via HSN Mobile for $14.95. Travis fans can go to http://www.hsn.com, keyword: Randy Travis, beginning Friday to purchase the CD set, and even send well wishes to Randy for his May 27 HSN debut.

In addition to this special anniversary CD bundle, HSN will also offer an exclusive, limited-edition, Gibson Epiphone guitar with a commemorative 25th anniversary, hand-signed Randy Travis plaque…”a perfect gift for Father’s Day,” according to HSN.

Not for our dad. He got thrown out of the Grand Ol’ Opry when he was down South in the service. We think he was heckling a “country artist” after one too many cocktails.

Anyway, Travis fans can get a taste for what life is like on tour with Randy and his band with “Cooking Memories On the Road,” a cookbook written by Randy and Elizabeth Travis. The book will be available on hsn.com and feature tidbits and personal photos from Travis’ numerous tours, as well as more than 100 recipes the country star gathered during his travels.

HSN Says Bon Appetit, With Bon Appetit, With Celebrity Chef Spring Weekend

We wish we could get excited about big cooking events, but we just can’t. But here goes.

HSN will be featuring more than 24-hours of celeb chefs and more than 75 kitchen products during its HSN Cooks Spring Weekend Event presented by Bon Appétit on March 26 and 27, the home shopping network said Thursday.

“The epicurean event will feature extraordinary chefs including Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck and Padma Lakshmi preparing mouth-watering springtime dishes alongside an unprecedented lineup of top kitchen and food brands,” or so we were told by HSN’s press release.

HSN Cooks Spring Weekend Event presented by Bon Appétit will mark the HSN debut of several culinary experts:

• Southern-food enthusiasts Matt and Ted Lee will introduce an exclusive new line of beautiful Graniteware.

• Chinese-American chef and author Ken Hom. Known for making wok cooking an art form across the globe, Hom will be presenting his signature wok collection and healthy stir-fry cooking guide.

• Jacques “Mr. Chocolate” Torres. French pastry chef and chocolatier Torres will launch his collection of chocolate treats to HSN customers.

“HSN is thrilled to add highly respected figures such as Ken Hom and Matt and Ted Lee to our council of culinary experts,” Sandy Conrad, senior vice president of merchandising – electronics and household said in a canned statement. “HSN has long been a culinary destination for our customers and we look forward to hosting our biggest HSN Cooks event yet.”

Here’s Hom’s canned ham:

“I’ve been an admirer of HSN for some time and am impressed with the company’s ever-expanding culinary category,” Hom said. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to join such legendary chefs as Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck for my U.S. return and look forward to bringing my 51 years of wok-cooking experience to life while showing the HSN customer how to use my products to cook easy, delicious and healthy meals.”

And Matt and Ted Lee remarkedly responded in unison about their love of HSN.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing a Southern accent to this exciting HSN Cooks weekend, and so honored to be in the company of food experts — chefs and cookbook authors alike — who have literally inspired us to become better home cooks,” they both said, according to HSN’s opress release. “That’s really the greatest hope we have for our own product line: that our high-performing classics (along with a little Southern know-how!) will enable viewers nationwide to enjoy their kitchen more often, preparing scrumptious meals from scratch.”

Additional brands participating in the HSN Cooks Spring Weekend Event presented by Bon Appétit include: David’s Cookies; Debbie Meyer; The Beverly Hills Kitchen; Kent Island Crab Cakes; Leonetti’s; and Aunt Ida’s Baked Goods, among others.

Bon Appétit editor, Dede Wilson, will be on-air providing cooking tips exclusively for HSN customers.

The event will begin at 6 a.m. during a special HSN Today show March 26 and continue throughout the weekend with “Top Chef” star Padma Lakshmi hosting the finale at 11 p.m. March 27, featuring new additions to her line of tea pots, teas and spices.

‘Homemade Millionaire’ Winner Sells Out Her Edible ‘Bake Huggers’ On HSN Debut

You ever get a yen to eat a cupcake along with its wrapper? Then Debra Lee’s Bake Huggers are for you. That is, if you were up at 7 a.m. Saturday to order them for $20.

Lee, the winner of Friday’s episode of TLC’s “Homemade Millionaire,” sold out her invention, the Bake Huggers, during her premiere on HSN.

The entrepreneur made a live appearance on HSN Friday night at 11 p.m., immediately after being announced the winner of the second of six episodes of the hour-long reality show. Then she made her official debut with her product Saturday morning.

The sold-out Bake Huggers, eat your heart out

In case you’ve been living under a rock, “Homemade Millionaire” offers aspiring female entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase and sell their products on HSN. The show is produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ production company Milojo Productions for TLC.

Here’s the poop on Lee, courtesy of HSN’s PR department.

“As a mother of three, Lee found herself baking and decorating cupcakes often. Frustrated by the time it took to get the results she wanted, she knew there had to be a better way. Lee created a wrapper for cupcakes that was not only decorative, but also edible. Her time-saving solution was fun, creative, and best of all, eliminated the mess of traditional paper cupcake liners.”

Lee’s newly popular Bake Huggers sold out in less than five minutes during her HSN premiere at 7 a.m. Saturday.

“I am thrilled that Bake Huggers sold out on its first HSN run,” Lee said in a canned statemement. “Perseverance and believing in your product is the key to the American dream.”

One of the judge’s on Friday’s episode was celebrity chef and Cajun cooker Emeril Lagasse.

Here is the canned quote attributed to both Ripa and Consuelos, who apparently have been married so long that they now speak in unison.

“In the words of our guest judge Emeril Lagasse ‘why didn’t I think of that?!’ We’re so proud of Debra and are thrilled to hear she sold out of her products,” said Ripa and Consuelos. “This is exactly what we set out to do with this show … give women the chance to take these incredible inventions and become a success story.”

And here is HSN’s piece.

“Debra’s product nicely illustrates the premise of ‘Homemade Millionaire’ — there are millions of great product ideas, but few people with the passion, confidence, great story and drive to transform their idea into a successful product,” said Sandy Conrad, HSN’s senior vice president of merchandising. “We are thrilled with the response of our viewers to Debra’s great idea and look forward to having her back on HSN again in early 2011.”

Each hour-long episode of the TLC reality show follows three women vying for a chance to sell their inventions on HSN. Open calls were held throughout the U.S., and thousands of women showed up with their products, aspiring to become the next successful entrepreneur.

HSN Shoppers, Rod Stewart Says He’s Eager To See You Saturday

Finally, the official announcement about Rod Stewart coming to HSN Saturday.

Here it is:

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and Grammy Award Winning International Superstar, Rod Stewart Performing Live on HSN Saturday, October 9 for World Launch of Latest Album ‘FLY ME TO THE MOON…THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: VOLUME V’

HSN Customers Will Be Able to Pre-Order Latest Volume from Chart-Topping, Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-Winning The Great American Songbook Series Before the Album’s Official Debut In Stores October 19th

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct 07, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — International superstar, rock icon and J Records recording artist Rod Stewart will debut his latest album, Fly Me to The Moon…The Great American Songbook: Volume V, exclusively with interactive, multichannel retailer HSN when he performs live during a one-hour primetime special titled “Rod Stewart Live in Concert Presented by Sprint and HTC” this Saturday, October 9 at 8 p.m. (ET).

During the live special, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy(TM) Living Legend recipient will croon iconic songs from the Great American Songbook.

Rod looks pretty good for an old dude, doesn't he? I wouldn't kick him out of ... Photo by Mark Seligar, Courtesy of J Records

Rod Stewart adds, “I am absolutely in love with these incredible songs on my new album and cannot wait to get out there and perform them live. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.”

“Rod Stewart’s distinct vocals and tremendous abilities as an entertainer are unique, and HSN is honored to be able to introduce his latest album,” said Sandy Conrad, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for HSN. “His Great American Songbook series includes some of the greatest songs of our time and is sure to resonate with our millions of customers.”

Stewart fans will have the opportunity to pre-order a special two-disc Great American Songbook CD bundle which includes:

Fly Me to The Moon…The Great American Songbook: Volume V – The album was produced by Richard Perry and co-produced by longtime collaborator Clive Davis, along with Lauren Wild and Rod Stewart, and this 12-song CD features classics written by the great Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini, and many others, including “That Old Black Magic”, “Beyond The Sea”, “What A Difference A Day Makes”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” among others.

“The Great American Songbook: Live” – this special eight-track CD includes iconic songs from Songbook series Volumes I through IV, including favorites such as “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, “Every Time We Say Goodbye”, “For All We Know,” and more.

The special two-disc bundle (item # 101-380) is currently available for pre-order at HSN, hsn.com and via HSN Mobile for $14.95. Stewart fans can go to http://www.hsn.com, keyword: Rod Stewart, to listen to excerpts from the CD, purchase the two-disc set, and even submit questions for Rod that may be answered live during the special on October 9.

ABOUT ROD STEWART

Rod Stewart has one of the greatest and most distinctive voices in rock history. With an estimated 250 million in album and single sales, Rod Stewart is indisputably one of the most successful musical performers of all time. FLY ME TO THE MOON…Volume V in stores October 19th (J Records), marks Rod Stewart’s return to his Grammy-award winning The Great American Songbook album series which has enjoyed unprecedented success as the biggest selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history, with over seventeen million copies worldwide.

Polaroid Launching LCD TVs On HSN July Fourth

HSN is partnering with Polaroid “to further strengthen Polaroid’s retail presence” and sell some TV sets, or so the press release said Friday.

As part of that deal, on-air personality and tech expert Katie Linendoll will come on board HSN as Polaroid’s product spokesperson for the “Polaroid Hour.”

On July Fourth Linendoll with will make her debut representing Polaroid, showcasing part of its latest product line on HSN.

Products in the hour-long segment will include the Polaroid 300 instant camera, as well as the exclusive launches of a 32-inch LCD TV with built-in DVD player in black and white, a 22-in LCD TV with built-in DVD player in black, and a 14 mega-pixel with 5x optical zoom digital camera in multiple colors.

“We’re thrilled to introduce HSN’s vast audiences to Polaroid’s modern classics and digital portfolio,” Polaroid chief marketing officer Jon Pollock said in a canned statement. “Katie Linendoll embodies the technology made easy persona that the Polaroid brand evokes, making our partnership a natural fit.”

Linendoll is an Emmy-nominated technology host working on several networks, the HSN press release says. We’ve never seen her.

As part of the partnership, Polaroid will launch a Polaroid store online at http://www.hsn.com, where Polaroid products can be bought.

“HSN constantly strives to provide our customers with great products, great brands and great shopping experiences and Polaroid’s newest product offerings personify the simplicity, innovation and fun our customers are looking for,” said Sandy Conrad, HSN’s senior vice president of merchandising. “Through the partnership we’ve developed, we look forward to re-introducing Polaroid into millions of homes across America as part of HSN’s 33rd birthday celebration taking place throughout the month of July.”

HSN PR Folks, Please Post Press Releases On Events Before They Happen

Is HSN’s PR department taking tips now from the sleepy “communications directors” over at QVC?

We check the press releases on QVC, HSN and ShopNBC’s website several times a day, and this morning we saw that HSN had posted a new release.

It was about Jewel performing live on HSN and debuting her new CD, “Sweet and Wild,” on the No. 2 home shopping channel.

We started to write it up, but ran into a problem: Jewel already performed on HSN, on May 25.

While the press release is dated May 24 (see below), it was not posted until June 1.

Here’s a PR tip for the folks in St. Petersburg: Post press releases before, not after, an event has happened.

Grammy Award Nominated Singer Jewel Performs Live On HSN To Debut New CD “Sweet And Wild”
Exclusive Bundle Set Featuring Bonus CD Selections From ‘Sweet and Mild’ Launches May 25 and 26

(St. Petersburg, FL – May 24, 2010) Award-winning American singer/songwriter Jewel will debut her latest country album “Sweet and Wild,” as part of an exclusive bundle set available at HSN and hsn.com that also includes bonus CD “Sweet and Mild,” during her premiere on May 25 at 6 p.m. EST and May 26 at 12 p.m. EST. She will also perform songs from her new CD live on HSN.

“We are excited to give our customers an exclusive sneak preview of Jewel’s latest CD ‘Sweet and Wild’ before its official launch on June 8,” stated Sandy Conrad, SVP of Merchandising for HSN. “Jewel is a terrific entertainer, and we look forward to the live performance of her beautiful new songs.”

HSN customers will be among the first to hear Jewel perform songs from her new CD and be able to purchase the new two CD set for $17.95. ‘Sweet and Wild’ features eleven new tracks written and produced by the prolific artist, with the exclusive bonus CD “Sweet and Mild” offering five never-before-heard acoustic versions of some of her latest work.

“I am excited to join HSN and share my latest music with millions of fans who have long supported my music and career,” said Jewel. “‘Sweet and Wild’ was a work of love for me, and I’m thrilled to share the story behind my music with HSN’s customers.”

An American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress and poet, Jewel has received three Grammy Award nominations and has sold twenty-seven million albums worldwide, and almost twenty million in the United States alone. She began her music career in 1995, with her first album which became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, going platinum twelve times.