2 Minnesota natives on NBC's 'Nashville Star' talent show tonight
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (Original Article)
Two country songbirds from northwestern Minnesota embark on network television’s newest reality talent show tonight: "Nashville Star."
Among the contestants on the NBC show, which debuts at 8 p.m., are Alyson Gilbert, a native of Crookston, and Ashlee Hewitt, who grew up near Lancaster.
They are among 12 remaining from the 45,000 who auditioned nationwide.
"Stunningly beautiful, Alyson has a passion for music and animals," Gilbert’s network bio reads. "A former Miss St. Paul, her husband quit his job so Alyson could pursue her dream of music."
Along with pursuing her musical dreams, Gilbert, 29, is studying veterinary science at the University of Tennessee, Martin, her bio says.
And along those lines, her bio Q&A asks, "What is a surprising fact most don’t know about you, yet?"
Her response: "That I have palpated cows," a rather invasive process associated with the animal’s reproductive organs.
Hewitt, 20, grew up on a 2,500-acre horse ranch in Minnesota "and is a true country girl — comfortable driving tractors, catching fish or riding one of her family’s 70 horses," her show bio reads. She now lives in Nashville to pursue her career ambitions, the bio adds.
Tonight’s show runs two Hours, with 90-minute live weekly episodes to follow. "Nashville Star" spent it first five years on cable. Billy Ray Cyrus is the host.
Contestants are competing for a major recording contract and a live performance at the prison break dvd Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482