When ABC’s new reality television singing competition “Duets” debuts this summer, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke and Jennifer Nettles will be sitting behind the judges table – and also appearing onstage alongside contestants.

The reality series has the judges select two unknown singers from a talent pool as their protégés. After extensive coaching by the judges, the contestants will eventually take the stage to sing – you guessed it – duets with their mentors. The singing will take place in front of a live studio audience, and the winner will receive a recording contract.

John Legend was a late addition to the lineup, as the formerly announced judge, Lionel Richie, had to pull out of the show due to scheduling conflicts. Legend says he had to work a little faster to catch up during the initial selection process, which is going on now, but that he is now having a good time on the show.

One thing that all of the judges stress is that the show is not just another run of the mill show that will get lost among other established singing competitions like “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “The X Factor.”

“Everybody says like, ‘Oh musicians are coming out of TV programs.’ And people are bashing it,” Clarkson told CNN recently. “But the reason why I love it, most of the time, is because there is no A&R anymore in the entertainment world. If you don’t make it right off the bat, like if you’re a band that just goes through a label and you don’t make it right off the bat, you get dropped.”

Of course, it’s possible that Clarkson may be slightly biased, as she herself became known after she won the first season of “American Idol,” but Thicke also said the hard work of the judges is what sets the show apart.

“It’s a little bit more involved [for us] than, I think, the other judges on those other shows,” Thicke said. “Like, we’re working our butts off! I didn’t realize how much work this was going to be! But we’re having a great time doing it.”

John Legend has lived up to his big last name.  The Roots & Legend have been nominated for five Grammy Awards for “Wake Up!,” their collaborative album.  Soulful music is featured on the CD from the 1960′s and 1970′s.  The Roots and Legend effectively tell the listeners of the album to “Wake Up!”  After listening to the album I definitely was woken up!

The Roots, a hip-hop band, and John Legend, an R&B singer, were inspired by the 2008 historic Presidential election campaign.  They felt they needed to get in on the action.  Their initial plan was for a single.  However that developed quickly into an album that is passionate and represents activism, hope and change, not in referencing just one particular time in history, but on a longer and larger time scale which holds true in all political climates.  Their initial idea blossomed into a full album that has recently been decorated with Grammy nominations.

The album features eleven evocative and profound songs that are infused with the sounds of hip-hop, reggae, rock and gospel.  Highlights of the album are familiar tracks such as Marvin Gaye’s “Wholly Holy” and Donny Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy,” which are mixed in with selections that are more obscure like “Hard Times” by Baby Huey & the Baby Sitters and Mike James Kirkland’s “Hang on in There.”

“Wake Up!” has received the following five nominations.  “Shine” has been nominated as Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals and Best R& B Song.  “Hang On In There” has been nominated as Best Traditional R&B vocal. “Wake Up! Everybody” has been nominated as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.  Finally the album “Wake Up!” has been nominated as Best R&B Album.

One original composition is featured on the album, “Shine” by John Legend.  The song is featured on “Waiting for Superman, the film from Davis Guggenheim, the Academy Award-winning director.  The song is a gospel meets Stevie Wonder stunner and demonstrates clearly the strength this particular group of musicians has.  “Wake Up!” blends the thoughtful, expressive vocal interpretations of Legend’s with the funky element that only can be provided by the Roots.

Will “Wake Up!” win one Grammy Award at least?  We’ll find out on February 13.

“Wake Up!” is the title of John Legend’s fourth album and he’ll be backing up the release of the said record – which is in a week – with a short tour with scattered dates from coast to coast.

Kicking off his widely spaced tour is a show in NYC’s Terminal 5 on September 23 along with R&B band The Roots, with whom Legend collaborated for his forthcoming record.  The concert will be directed by Academy Award nominee Spike Lee and will be broadcasted live via the YouTube music channel Vevo.  Viewers can watch the live feed from different camera angles.

Next in Legend’s itinerary is a pair of shows in California on October 1 and 2, followed by a show back in the east coast in New Haven, CT on October 28.  Come November, the singer/songwriter will swing back to the west coast for another pair of shows in California, and wrapping up the tour is Legend’s lone Midwest stop in Hammond, IN on December 17.

“Wake Up!” is slated for a September 21 release and features mostly covers of politically themed songs springing from three to four decades back, except for one original track entitled “Shine”.

Meanwhile, Legend along with another acclaimed singer/songwriter John Mayer will be the guests of honor at the annual Save the Music Foundation gala by music channel VH1 which will take place in November.  Both artists will be honored for their artistic and musical charitable efforts which are geared towards the youth all across the US.

Musicians with Lousiana ties will be extending a hand in this weekend’s Gulf Aid benefit concert in New Orleans. Some of these musicians include John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Ani DiFranco, and Mos Def.

The concert is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 16, at the Mardi Gras World River City in New Orleans. The Gulf Coast fishermen and others affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be the beneficiaries of this fund-raising event.

Two stages will be set up and both will overlook the Mississippi river. Other artists who will join the event include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Allen Toussaint, Zachary Richard and The Voice of the Wetlands All-stars. There will also be a star-studded impromptu group which will include Tad Benoit, Dr. John, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Waylon Thibodeaux, and various others.

The tickets are available through Elevate Tickets for $50. For more information, visit the events’ ticketing website.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage station WWOZ-FM (90.7) will be broadcasting the show live.

John Legend, Sting, Bob Weir and The Roots are among artists that have been confirmed will be  performing at Climate Rally on April 25 at Washington DC’s The National Mall.  According to a recent press release, the Earth Day 40th Anniversary rally will also be featuring Booker T, Q-Tip, Passion Pit, Mavis Staples and Patrick Stump among others.

Non-musical participants and environmental supporters that will be in attendance include writer Margaret Atwood, producer Trudie Styler, Olympian Billy Demong, director James Cameron and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

The event at The National Mall with cap off nine days worth of exhibits, performance arts, advocacy events and services projects on April 17-25 coordinated by the Earth Day Network.

Forty years ago The National Mall was the inaugural Earth Day’s focal point, help to inspire and unify millions of citizens in their mission for cleaning up and protecting the environment.

Earth Day’s website provides more information on daily events and the Climate Rally.

Pianist and singer John Legend is continuing to add shows to his headlining fall tour, which will kick off on Friday, October 21.

Over a dozen dates have been added to Legend’s itinerary, including visits to Newark NJ, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Atlantic City and New York City.  The additional concerts have extended Legend’s run to early December.

Some of the additions to Legend’s schedule include a Columbus, OH visit on November 16 to PromoWest Pavilion, replacing a previously scheduled date on November 20 at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.

The Ann Arbor, MI show scheduled for November 23 has been canceled.

Earlier this year Legend was the opener on Alicia Keys’ North American tour.  He continues to back “Get Lifted,” his debut album, which was released last December.  His set debuted in the No. 7 spot on Billboard’s 200 album chart.  During the second week the album was out it climbed to the No. 4 spot.  Kayne West was the producer of the set.  “Ordinary People” and “Used to Love U” are two featured singles on “Get Lifted.”

Legend last weeks received four VIBE Award nominations, including one for Artist of the Year.  On November 12 the ceremony will be airing on UPN.

Legend was also nominated as Favorite Male R&B Artist by the American Music Awards.  Their ceremony will be airing on ABC on November 22.

According to a recent press release, John Legend, R&B singer, along with Journey, the classic rock band, have been selected to help kick Super Bowl XLIII off during pre-game festivities to be held in Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium on February 1.

T-Pain, Grammy-nominated rapper, will be joining Legend to perform the current single of Legend’s, “Green Light.”

The appearance on Sunday will be the second appearance at the Super Bowl for Legend.  He also appeared in the Detroit pregame show for Super Bowl XL, as a Salute to Motown participant.

Last year Arnel Pineda debuted as Journey’s new singer.  The vocalist from the Philippines was discovered when Neal Schon Journey, guitarist, saw The Zoo, Pineda’s group, on YouTube singing Journey covers.

John Legend, neo-soul and R&B singer, has added an additional leg onto his forthcoming tour of North America.

Recently the fist leg was announced by the Grammy award winner.  It will kick off in Minneapolis on November 19 and travel over the eastern part of the US through the middle of December.  The run will feature Raphael Saadiq as a special guest and include stands of two nights in Montclair, NJ and Chicago as well as a visit to Toronto.

The second leg of the tour will kick off in Oakland, CA on January 12.  Estelle, rapper/singer from London, will open.  Legend will then travel across the United States through February 7, before heading for a two week jaunt of Europe.  Legend’s overseas schedule can be found on his website.

The new trek will be the first major series of concerts for Legend since his world tour of 2007.  That tour was captured on the CD/DVD set “Live from Philadelphia” that was released in April.

Legend is supporting “Evolver,” his third studio album released last month.  The set debuted in the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart and at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.  “Green Light,” the lead single featuring Andre 3000 from OutKast, has been climbing the dance, pop and R&B/hip-hop charts.  The song is also streaming on the MySpace page of Legend’s.

Legend’s success with “Once Again,” his Grammy-winning, platinum selling set from 2006, didn’t stop him from changing the formula on his new album.

In his bio Legend explains, I continue to evolve as an artist and person.  What you have done before, you still have that legacy.  People will always remember that.  However with each new album, there’s a chance of questioning that and playing with it or even rebelling against it.  With this album I did that.

In addition to featuring Andre 3000, other guest stars featured on the album include Estelle, Brandy and Kayne West, who was a producer as well for the set, along with The Neptunes and Will.I.Am.

According to Legend’s biography, he has sold over 5 million worldwide albums and won five Grammy awards.  Several organizations have also honored him for his efforts as a humanitarian.

The upcoming summer tour for John Legend continues to expand.  The soul man has added several new dates to his trek backing “Evolver,” Legend’s new studio album.

The trek will kick off in Muskegon, MI on June 27.  Most of the outing’s new dates are at the end of the trek’s current itinerary, with several new West Coast shows including appearances in Las Vegas on June 18 and San Diego on September 16, as well as shows in Texas and the Midwest.  The new additions have increased the number of cities to be visited by Legend on the outing to over fifty.

“Evolver,” the third studio album from the Grammy winner, debuted in the No. 1 spot last October on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Album chart.  The first single from the album, “Green Light,” features Andre 3000 as a special guest.  The song was performed by Legend with T-Pain at Super Bowl XLIII this year.

Earlier this year Legend was name as one of 2009′s 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

Quincy Jones, legendary producer wrote in Time, Legend is a genius.  We have only seen the tip on the iceberg.  He has achieved so much in his career already.  It will be fun to watch where he takes it from here.

Recently Legend and Jones collaborated on “Tomorrow,” a single that will be on the upcoming tribute album of Jones.’

Later this year John Legend, the R&B singer, will be unleashing new material while out on the road when he takes his upcoming studio album “Evolver” out on a theater show run.

The soul singer from Ohio will be kicking off his run in Minneapolis on November 19 and visit a total of 14 cities through the middle of December.  Raphael Saadiq, the singer’s label mate from Columbia Records, will be providing opening support for all of the dates.

“Evolver” is set to be released on October 28.  The set features special guests Andre 3000 from OutKast, Estelle, soul/hip-hop singer, Brandy, pop singer, and Kayne West, who also helped to produce the set along with The Neptunes and Will.I.Am.

“Green Light,” the first single from the album, was released to radio in late July.  Recently in an interview with MTV News Legend said, we wanted to have a mixture of modern, current feel with classic, old-school Hollywood feel.  The song kind of has a big-band quality along with a dance song, or more modern quality.  We wanted a mixture of those two different aspects.

The previous release from Legend, “Once Again” from 2006, sold over 231,000 copies during the first week it was released to stores.  According to the publicist for Legend, it debuted on Billboard’s 200 album chart in the No. 3 spot.

“Once Again” peaked on R&B album chart at No. 1.  For “Heaven” Legend won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy award.  Legend and Joss Stones also won the Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals Grammy for their “Family Affair” cover, the hit song from Sly & The Family Stones.