Blake Shelton and NBC are putting together a benefit for Oklahoma tornado victims. Shelton told reporters about the fundraising effort after Tuesday night’s episode of “The Voice.It’s a girl for Grammy-nominated Christian singer Francesca Battistelli.
The 27-year-old and her husband, Matthew Goodwin, welcomed their second child, Audrey Jane Goodwin, at their Atlanta-area home early Tuesday morning. The family then went to a hospital.
The couple have a son, Matthew Elijah, who was born in September 2010.
Battistelli says she’s been “so incredibly blessed with a beautiful baby girl” and adds that big brother Eli is “so excited to have a little sister.”
Battistelli was the first female vocalist in nearly 20 years to be named artist of the year at the 2011 Dove Awards.
Play draws stars
Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce are teaming up to play siblings this fall as both make a return to the stage in a Chekhov-inspired play.
The pair will star in Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”
The play will start life at the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey before jumping to Lincoln Center Theater in New York in October.
Series orders
•HBO on Monday renewed three series. Vampire drama “True Blood” will return for a sixth season and Aaron Sorkin’s media drama “The Newsroom” will get a second season, according to a news release from the network.
Also renewed is the comedy “Eastbound & Down,” according to trade publication Variety. It will return for a fourth season.
No return dates were set for the three series.
•A&E ordered 10 episodes of a series inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”
“Bates Motel” is a present-day look at Norman Bates’ formative years, according to a network news release Monday. No stars have been announced for the series, which is slated to debut next year.
•The Poppy Montgomery procedural “Unforgettable” has been revived at CBS after being left off the network’s list of renewals in the spring. Entertainment news website Deadline.com reported Friday that the series will return with 13 episodes next summer.
Happy birthday
Among celebrity birthdays today: Actress Katherine Helmond is 83. Actress Shirley Knight is 76. Musician Robbie Robertson is 69. Singer Huey Lewis is 62. Singer Marc Cohn is 53. Actress Edie Falco is 49. Actress Kathryn Erbe is 47. Rapper RZA is 43. Singer Joe is 39. Rapper Bizarre is 36. Singer Jason Wade is 32. Musician Dave Haywood is 30.
