Erik Estrada to Guest Star on This Week’s 80s Night-Themed Episode of “The Masked Singer”

Erik Estrada is masking up…

The 74-year-old Puerto Rican actor will appear on this week’s episode of The Masked Singer.

Erik Estrada, Young MC, Charlene Tilton, The Masked SingerEstrada won’t actually compete on the Fox series, but he will appear to hand out special clues that provide hints to the identities of each player.

Estrada’s appearance is part of the show’s “80’s Night.” He is best known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn “Ponch” Poncherello in the police drama television series CHiPs, which ran from 1977 to 1983.

Estrada, Dallas star Charlene Tilton and Young MC will all deliver clues that evening, with Young MC opening the show with a performance of his hit single “Bust a Move.”

The Masked Singer enters Season 9 with 21 contestants include “Mustang,” “Axolotl,” “California Roll,” “Dandelion,” “Moose,” “Gargoyle,” “Jackalope,” “Doll,” Polar Bear,” “Night Owl,” “Rock Lobster,” “Gnome” and more to be announced. Tim Chappel is this season’s costume designer.

Celebrities unmasked so far in Season 9 include Lele Pons as Jackalope, Malin Akerman as Squirrel, Michael Bolton as the Wolf, Grandmaster Flash as Polar Bear, Debbie Gibson as Night Owl, Howie Mandel as Rock Lobster, Sara Evans as Mustang and Dick Van Dyke as Gnome.

The Season 9 contestants “boast a combined 28 Emmy nominations, six Grammy wins, 10 gold albums, four Golden Globe nominations, five medals, 26 books, two Tony Award nominations, five Lifetime Achievement Awards, four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a combined 95,231,000 records sold.”

Season nine will introduce all-new themed episodes, including “ABBA,” “New York,” “DC Superheroes,” “Sesame Street,” “80s Night,” “Movie Night” and more.

McCreery to be a Presenter at the American Country Countdown Awards

Scotty McCreery is ready for his countdown close-up…

The 21-year-old part-Puerto Rican country crooner and American Idol champion is among the presenters announced for the first ever American Country Countdown Awards, joining hosts Florida Georgia Line at the December 15 event.

Scotty McCreery

McCreery joins a roster that includes Sara Evans, Hunter Hayes, Maddie & Tae and Kip Moore.

Musicians Thomas Rhett, Chase Rice, Cole Swindell and Chris Young, as well as NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and 2014 National League MVP Clayton Kershaw, actors Terry Crews of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Emily Kinney of The Walking Dead, and Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev will also present.

The show will air live on FOX at 8:00 pm EST and PST with a tape-delay.

The American Country Countdown Awards is based on country music’s longest-running radio countdown show of 41 years, “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks,” and will honor country artists based on album sales and radio airplay.

Kenny Chesney will be on hand to accept The Groundbreaker Award and Reba McEntire will accept the NASH Icon Award. Performers will include Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.

Tickets to the American Country Countdown Awards, are available for purchase here.

The American Country Countdown Awards is produced by dick clark productions.

McCreery Claims His First ACM Award…

He may have less than a year of professional experience under his belt (buckle), but Scotty McCreery continues to pick up some serious hardware.

The 18-year-old part-Puerto Rican country crooner, who catapulted to stardom after winning American Idol last season, claimed the New Artist of the Year prize at the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The fan-voted honor marks McCreery’s first ACM trophy.

Scotty McCreery at the ACM Awards
Asked backstage about his dedicated followers, McCreery replied, “They never cease to amaze me. They’re wild on Twitter, and they’re insane, man. They’ve been by my side since American Idol, and they keep on coming out. I appreciate them.”

McCreery—who won his first award last December at the American Country Awards—sang a portion of his new single, “Water Tower Town,” during the awards telecast.

He told reporters, “To me, that’s the most Scotty McCreery song on the album. That talks about where I came from. That talks about my values and my beliefs. So I’m proud to sing that onstage every night. It comes from the heart.”

Held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the ACM telecast was hosted by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton and featured performances by Carrie Underwood, Chris Young and Sara Evans.