Fourth of July Music on TV: Mariah Carey and Much More - East Idaho News
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Fourth of July Music on TV: Mariah Carey and Much More

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Getty 041213 FourthOfJuly?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1372943101320Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — If you’re planning to avoid sunburn and mosquito bites and spend your Fourth of July inside this year, TV will provide you with a great soundtrack to your celebrations. Here’s a rundown of who will be performing on what channel this Independence Day:

Mariah Carey, Selena Gomez, Pitbull, Taylor Swift and ageless icon Cher will all perform on the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, airing on NBC from 8 to 10 p.m. ET, with an encore one-hour fireworks special airing at 10 p.m. Usher is curating the overall design of the show, whose theme is “It Begins with a Spark.” It’s not clear if he’ll be performing as well.

John Mayer and Demi Lovato will be performing on the third annual Philly 4th of July Jam, which airs on VH1 and Palladia on Thursday from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. It’s the perfect place for Demi to bust out her new single, “Made in the U.S.A.,” and for John to give fans a preview of his summer tour, which kicks off a few days later. Kevin Hart hosts the event, The Roots will be the musical curators, and other performers include Grace Potter, Jill Scott and J. Cole. Viewers will also see a fireworks display over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Over on PBS, the annual special A Capitol Fourth will feature American Idol season 12 winner Candice Glover, ex-Idol champ Scotty McCreery, Glee star Darren Criss, young classical singer Jackie Evancho, Smash star Megan Hilty, the cast of Motown: The Musical, and legendary crooners Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. Tom Bergeron hosts the festivities, which air live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. at 8 p.m. ET. Fireworks are included, and so is live cannon fire, provided by the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery.

Bergeron says the show is a sight to behold in person: “It’s louder. Much louder. But it’s amazing. It really is. It’s a big finish to a big party.”

Most unusually, MTV and VH1 have announced that on the Fourth of July, they plan to “let music ring” by — gasp — bringing back music videos.  From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET/PT, both networks, as well as CMT, will provide “the ultimate party playlist” by spinning music videos in a variety of musical genres.

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