American Idol's Roll Into Branson - Gene Hartley

Story Published: Jun 25, 2008 at 8:41 AM CDT Story Updated: Jun 25, 2008 at 8:48 AM CDT By Gene Hartley Video The Idols are in Branson this year... top 12 contestants from the first six seasons of American Idol are performing at The Grand Palace. R-J Helton finished as a top five finalist in the show's first season. He performed on Ozarks Today this morning. Here's more information on the show from The Grand Palace: Six of your favorite performers from the #1 smash-hit television show "American Idol" will be featured in 2 to 4 week runs with different performers rotating in and out every 4 weeks. The show runs through October 26. From June 20 to July 20, "America's Favorite Finalists" will feature Season 6's Haley Scarnato and Brandon Rogers, Season 4's Scott Savol and Vonzell Solomon, Season 2's Carmen Rasmusen and Season 1's RJ Helton. In addition to the opening cast, "America's Favorite Finalists" has performance commitments from over 20 other Idol contestants who will be performing for 2 to 4 week runs at various times throughout the production. Tickets on sale now at the Grand Palace, 800-884-4536. Or for more information visit our website www.thegrandpalace.com. RJ Helton- A native of Cumming's GA, RJ Helton was thrust into the TV and music stardom via the breakout hit TV series American Idol, where he quickly rose to fame with his captivating performance as a Top 5 Finalist in the first season. RJ was one of the featured performers on the American Idol cast album which went Gold and reached #1 status on the Billboard charts in the Soundtrack category. He also participated in the national radio and media promotional tour which became a nationwide phenomenon. With a passion for positive, uplifting music and finding comfort in faith, RJ found a natural home at B-Rite Music/Zomba Records, the pop music imprint of the music industry powerhouse Gospo Centric Records by Tommy Sims. RJ released his debut album Christian-oriented REAL LIFE which made the Billboard Christian Top 20. During that time, the Latin crooner was managed by Matthew Knowles, father of pop diva Beyonce. The silky-voiced tenor has since appeared on numerous television talk shows including MTV's Total Request Live, Good Morning America and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno plus many other major television outlets. Having co-written much of his own material on REAL LIFE, RJ is currently back in the studio working on his sophomore album with producers from Atlanta, Houston, New York and other major cities. With renewed faith and passion for music, RJ intends to break all boundaries and showcase his music as it has never been heard before -- http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com