Lovett’s Large Band, Randy Newman on "Sound Stage"

Ch. 11 stages will jump Dec. 18 when HD Ready captures its third “Sound Stage” show with Lyle Lovett’s 20-piece Large Band and songwriter Randy Newman.

The show is based around “Smile,” Lovett’s new MCA Records album of movie songs. “Smile,” from “Hope Floats,” will be one of the movie songs. Randy Newman will perform his signature “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”

The two-hour performance will be like any concert, notes HD Ready associate producer Christine Davies, and edited down to an hour for the series bowing next June. The Lovett- Newman show will be HD Ready’s third, preceded by Chris Isaak and Dennis DeYoung.

“Sound Stage” is a co-production between Joe Thomas and Steve Dahl’s HD Ready and Ch. 11. Thomas produces and directs, Dahl co-produces. HDR’s Frank Pappalardo is audio engineer and Skip Masters edits. On the station side, VP/programming Randy King is executive producer, Nicolette Ferri line producer.