Manuel Turizo to Perform During 91st Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center

Manuel Turizo is helping celebrate another holiday in the United States…

Following his debut appearance at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 23-year-old Colombian singer will helping light the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City.

Manuel TurizoThe popular Manhattan landmark will be hosting its 91st annual lighting ceremony on Wednesday, November 29 at 8:00 pm ET. The 2023 Christmas tree lighting ceremony is bound to get you in the holiday spirit with the help of a slew of guests and musical performances.

This year, Kelly Clarkson will be hosting the tree lighting ceremony and performing on the show that will feature appearances from Today’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin.

In addition to Turizo, you can also expect musical performances from Chloe Bailey, Adam Blackstone, Cher, David Foster, Liz Gillies, Darlene Love, Seth MacFarlane, Barry Manilow, Katharine McPhee, Keke Palmer, Carly Pearce, Radio City Rockettes and more.

The ceremony will air on NBC and Peacock.

Jhené Aiko to Perform at CNN’s “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” Concert

Jhené Aiko is helping celebrate Juneteenth

The 34-year-old part-Spanish and Dominican American Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter will perform as part of CNN’s first-ever Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom programming, featuring a Hollywood Bowl concert with a lineup of artists.

Jhene AikoThe goal of the program: to inform and educate viewers on the meaning of the new federal holiday.

CNN obtained the rights to the event, from Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment, and the lineup includes Chaka Khan, Khalid, Yolanda Adams, Anthony Hamilton, Billy Porter, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Earth, Wind & Fire, Killer Mike, Lucky Daye, Mary Mary, Aiko, Ne-Yo, Michelle Williams, Mickey Guyton, Robert Glasper and The Roots, among others.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver taped remarks.

Johnita P. Due, senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for CNN Worldwide, said in an interview this week that event  “is really one of the most meaningful things that I have been involved in” at the network.

“The thing that makes it special, of course, is that it was only a year ago that the federal government made Juneteenth a national holiday,” she said. “So how many times in history will we have that opportunity to really shape for the country, and for the world, how a holiday is celebrated, and the meaning of a holiday and the importance of a holiday.”

This is the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. June 19, 1865 was the date that federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX and informed citizens that slavery had been abolished in the state. The anniversary was commemorated the following year with prayers and singing, and it endured as an annual tradition.

“We really feel that with this event, we are able to not only commemorate the holiday, but we’re able to educate people around the meaning behind it, and also to uplift and inspire people to continue to make a difference and continue in the pursuit if freedom for all,” Due said.

The event also will include The Re-Collective Orchestra, a 68-piece all Black symphony orchestra that will be the first time that an all-Black symphony has performed at the bowl. Adam Blackstone and Questlove will serve as the evening’s musical directors.

Earlier in the evening, Don Lemon will anchor a pre-show highlighting African American advocates and creators.

On Thursday, CNN Business hosted a streamed conversation on advancing Black leadership, with correspondent Stephanie Elam sitting down with Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer. Also appearing were Operations Hope Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant and Collab Capital co-founder Barry Givens.

Due said that CNN staff had been brainstorming ideas for coverage of Juneteenth, and went on a tour with curators at the National Museum of African American History and Culture before they connected with Live Nation Urban. She said that artists will give music and spoken word performances that share their experiences of Black America. Interstitial packages will be woven in with the live performances.

The goal also was to have a diversity of music genres, including rap, R&B, country, soul, hip hop and gospel. Viewers also will be directed to ways they can get engaged in organizations and volunteer activities.

Due said that they “want people to be uplifted and we want people to be motivated.”

“We want people to walk away with a renewed commitment to make a difference in society as it relates to racial and social justice and equity,” she said.

Sheila E. to Be Part of “All-Star Band” for This Year’s Oscars Telecast

Sheila E. is bringing her talents to the Academy Awards…

The 64-year-old half-Mexican American percussionist, singer, author and actress is among the musicians who’ll perform on the live ABC ceremony on Sunday, March 27 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Sheila E

In addition to Sheila E., Oscarcast producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan say an “all-star band” will feature the show’s music director Adam Blackstone, blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and pianist Robert Glasper. Organizers said an orchestra will also return to the telecast.

DJ D-Nice has also been set to perform during the show, and has been tapped to perform at the Academy’s post-Oscar Governors Ball gala. The Samples, a vocal group led by Jason White, also will appear on the Oscarcast.

There have been no announcements yet from producers about what songs may be performed during the telecast; organizers have been quiet about who might participate from an A-list roster of Original Song nominees that include big names BeyoncéLin-Manuel MirandaVan Morrison and Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell and a Diane Warren song performed by Reba McEntire.

The producers said Friday that they will “continue to announce musical guests and performances in the lead-up to the show.”