Julianne Hough Web

Julianne Hough has a lot on her plate. In addition to possibly returning to “Dancing with the Stars” next season (she’s playing coy on that one), she is putting the finishing touches on her second solo album and working on two films.

Hitfix went to a listening party for her new album yesterday at the Mercury Nashville offices. We’ll get to the music in a second, but she also filled in folks on the latest with the ever-moving status of the “Footloose” remake.

She remains attached to the project as the female lead and said a new draft has brought back some of the “edge” of the original as opposed to making it into a full blown musical. “Hustle & Flow” director Craig Brewer is now helming the project after Kenny Ortega left the movie. She said shooting begins this summer, despite the absence of a confirmed male lead for the part originally played by Kevin Bacon. After Zac Efron and Chace Crawford both dropped out, Paramount has now been conducting an on-line video search.

Hough also appears in “Burlesque,” which stars Cher and Christina Aguilera. She plays against type in the movie, playing someone “red head and pregnant.”

But the focus on the event was music, with Hough introducing four new tracks including first single “Is That So Wrong,” which is about not wanting to be alone “when a friend is not enough.” Hough co-wrote the mid-tempo ballad with Sarah Buxton and Blair Daly.

Hough also played another mid-tempo tune about heartbreak, “That’s What the Night is For.” “This one is moody and I see all kinds of visual things, like at awards shows, hanging from the ceiling,” she said, leading her record company executives blanched as they had a visual of their own: The amount of money it would take to make such a performance happen.

She also previewed the up-tempo, spunky “Too Good to Be True,” a song that, as Hough puts it, makes you want to “dance your butt off,” as well as “Wildfire,” about a girl who gets scared and always burns the man she’s with (not literally, of course.” This song is about me to a T,” she said. “I wish I’d written this song.” Is Chuck Wicks, her former beau, listening?

The album, produced by Dann Huff, best known for his work with artists like Faith Hill and Keith Urban, finds Hough displaying a confidence missing from her 2008 self-titled debut. That set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, but failed to produce any significant singles beyond “That Song in My Head,” which stalled at No. 18. No release date for the new set has been announced.

Source:  http://www.hitfix.com

“Dancing With The Stars” darling Julianne Hough recently spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the upcoming film remake of Footloose. The country singer shares that she is, “really excited” about ‘Footloose,’ adding, “we’re still working out the nitty gritty details of scheduling and stuff, but I’m super excited. I feel like we have the best people working on it — Paramount, and Kenny Ortega, and the producers. So I’m getting really excited.”

It had been reported earlier that Julianne Hough had been ordered to take acting classes to secure her role in the upcoming Footloose remake. IMDB has posted news that Hough is set to take some acting lessons in hopes that they improve her acting abilities.

Sources revealed that she will need to show some advancement in that area in order to land the Footloose role. To read the report click here.

Variety reported earlier this month that “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer and country singer Julianne Hough is set to star opposite Chace Crawford on Paramount’s upcoming remake of “Footloose,” contingent on working out scheduling.

It’s Hough’s first major film role. Crawford signed on a month ago to star after Zac Efron decided in March against taking on another song and dance flick after doing those duties on “High School Musical 3″ and “Hairspray.”

Paramount Pictures officially announced that the “Gossip Girl” star will play the lead role of Ren McCormack in the film “Footloose,” which will be directed by Kenny Ortega. The film will be produced by the highly successful team of Craig Zadan (a producer of the original “Footloose” in 1984) and Neil Meron.

Production on the movie is set to begin shooting in March 2010.

We guess these screen tests went well, as “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer and country singer Julianne Hough has now landed the lead female role in Paramount’s remake of Footloose. The casting is contingent on the studio and Hough working out scheduling, but she would star opposite Chace Crawford.

Filming is set to begin in March with plans for a “more mature version” than the original, says Variety. Dylan Sellers is producing alongside Ortega, Craig Zadan — a producer of the original film — and Neil Meron. Kenny Ortega, helmer of all three “High School Musical” films, will direct.

Source: Variety

Chace Crawford is pretty darn close to having one hot country gal by his side.

Sources tell me that Dancing With the Stars hoofer and rising country music singer Julianne Hough is finally in negotiations to star opposite People magazine’s Hottest Bachelor in the upcoming remake of Footloose…

A source says talks have gotten down to the nitty-gritty issue of timing. If schedules could be worked out, the movie will mark Hough’s first major film project. She actually had an uncredited role as a “Hogwarts schoolgirl” in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone back in 2001.

Paramount has announced a June 2010 release date for the remake, which will be a musical similar to the hit Broadway adaptation of the movie.

Hough’s casting wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone following the making of the new Footloose. Director Kenny Ortega gushed about her to me earlier this month at the MTV Movie Awards.

“I love her,” he said. “I adore her. I’m a big fan of hers. Not only how beautiful but how deep her talent goes.”

He’s not kidding, folks. I’ve met the blond bombshell. She truly is one of the most beautiful young women I’ve ever encountered in Hollywood.

P.S.: Don’t believe tabloid reports that Hough is engaged to fellow country crooner Chuck Wicks because she was sportin’ a new diamond ring during a recent concert. Her rep insists no wedding is in the works.

Source: E! Online