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Danni and the NKOTB Serenade
This week on Strictly Global, Danni channels her inner Ali G, and Bette Midler... yeah- I typed it 'cause it's true. Special guest Matt Olsen from wearelistening.org was in the house, and managed to serenade Danni to the point of tears... hilarious hilarious tears.  Oh boy, what an hour that's gonna be, with new music videos of musicians from Costa Rica, Scotland, those who are big in Japan, and more.
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Kate Miller-Heidke
We'll check out the latest from the classically trained Australian songstress Kate Miller-Heidke who paired up with her husband to be the winning team of 2009's International Songwriting Competition.  And though she swayed away from her classical background to pursue pop music, she still managed to make it onto the stage of the Sydney Opera House last year, where she gave a critically acclaimed performance as Baby Jane in Jerry Springer: The Opera.  Yeah- I typed it 'cause it's true.
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Taking a side-step from our usual line-up of international and underground artists, we'll touch base with some mainstreamers who've set out to help Haiti.  Various artists such as Lee Greenwood, Amy Grant, Wynonna Judd and more, teamed up to sing "Come Together Now." 100% of the proceeds raised by this song will be donated to Samaritan's Purse and the American Red Cross in order to bring more help to Haiti.  You can learn more about the relief effort on their site.
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NKOTB all Cartooned Out...
And finally, we'll rewind the clock back just a little and take a gander at what's going on in the world of boy-band-ism... New Kids on the Block style.  Why did we even dare to air this?  Because they are planning to re-dominate the world in 2011. And that's a global issue.  A strictly global issue.  What?!  Ok, that's not true, but they are planning on releasing a new album next year- and that my friend- I typed, 'cause it's true.
 
 
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Paste Mag
Today, Paste Magazine launches “Songs For Haiti” (http://songsforhaiti.org/), a music-centered relief effort to aid the struggling people of Haiti.  Featuring unreleased songs from a diverse array of artists including: Ludacris, Of Montreal, Andrew Bird, Hanson, Low Anthem, Umphrey’s McGee, Switchfoot, Derek Webb, and over 200 others, “Songs For Haiti” is one of the largest relief efforts yet to emerge from the entertainment world.
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Whether people donate through Paste or through another charity (just have to say where); all will have access to the vault of “Songs For Haiti” MP3s.  100% of the money contributed through the Paste site will be spread equally among three charities active in Haiti relief: Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross, and Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.  [Please note: donations submitted directly through “Songs For Haiti” are not tax deductible, since Paste is not a charitable organization.]

“We obviously don’t think people would need incentive to donate in this effort, but perhaps the campaign will inspire more music fans to get involved, or to encourage people who have already donated, to donate again,” said Josh Jackson, Paste Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief.  “Music has always been a force that brings people together, and to have so many fantastic artists drop everything to contribute to this effort was very touching,” Jackson added.
For more info: http://www.pastemagazine.com/songsforhaiti
Words courtesy of Mark Ballard