Tag Archives: NBC

How Team Gwen’s Ben Allen Gives Back

Ben Allen, a Top 9 contestant on season 19 of “The Voice”, reveals how he gives back to veterans.

By Heather Newgen

Fans know Ben Allen from touring Southwest Florida with the Ben Allen Band, as well as season 19 of “The Voice”. The country singer was first on Team Blake, however, was let go during the Knockout Rounds after his coach chose the family trio Worth the Wait instead. But he was given a second chance by Gwen when she saved him from going home and viewers moved him forward to the semi-finals.

Ben Allen quickly became a fan favorite and every week has showcased his talents, which has advanced him far in the competition. While the 42-year-old keeps a busy schedule, he consistently dedicates time for volunteering at Miles Ranch in Florida.

“It’s an organization that works with veterans that come home and have PTSD. It incorporates horses in their therapy. They can go and have time with these animals and it saves the animals at the same time, so it’s kind of dual purpose,” he told The Voluntourist.

“This organization gives these animals purpose. In Florida, there’s a lot of horses that slip through the cracks. I’m not necessarily a big horse guy. I don’t know how to ride a horse, but I do know there’s a lot of horses that fall through the crack. A horse can be an expensive animal to have, so this gives these horses a purpose and a use. It works very well with these veterans to go out and get some peaceful time. [They]  go out and have some peace, change their mindset and get them away from the things that they’re carrying around with them inside. They’ve done things for our country that they have to carry. If I can benefit them in some way then I’m happy to do that,” he added.

For now, Allen is in Los Angeles fighting for a spot in the finals, which his coach thinks he has. After his performance of “All About Tonight,” a Blake Shelton hit, Gwen gushed, “I think it’s funny that I’m gonna win The Voice with you doing Blake..America is gonna be all over that.”

“That was music to my ears. It was exactly what I wanted to hear in that position,” he laughed.

“Wouldn’t it just be the icing on the cake for her to win the show with the artist that Blake passes on and in his own genre as well. I think it all fits together really, really well. I don’t know if we get there but maybe we do. I’m really hoping it’s something I can have a laugh about with them in the future.”

Fans can vote for Ben Allen to advance to the next round by visiting the official The Voice voting website, casting a vote via The Voice‘s official app or voting from their Google Assistant. There is a limit of 10 votes per artist per method.

“This is Us” star Chrissy Metz talks giving back and what’s happening with Toby and Kate

Chrissy Metz talks about the personal reason behind supporting St. Jude and dishes on what’s happening with her character Kate Pearson on “This is Us.”

By Heather Newgen

Fan-favorite Chrissy Metz has been making headlines since her breakout role on NBC’s hit show “This is Us” for her incredible talents, natural ability to be totally relatable to viewers and her braveness to incorporate real-life experiences to portray her character Kate Pearson’s struggles.

While the show has launched her into superstardom and she enjoys the perks of her new status, the Emmy-nominated actress has remained gracious, humble and uses her platform to help others.

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“I think you can only keep what you give away. I think if everybody felt that way we would all be taken care of.  I’ve been gifted and blessed with so much that I’m like, ‘how can I help? How can I give back? So anyway I can I try.” Metz said at the NBC Television Critics Association panel.

And one of the ways she gives back is supporting St. Jude Children’s Hospital where no child is denied treatment regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

“I came from a family where there were times we didn’t have health insurance. Medical expenses are something you can be in debt with forever. It’s just heart-wrenching,” she told The Voluntourist.

“St. Jude is something that’s always been important to me. I used to represent [when I was an agent] a little boy who was born with a heart condition. People don’t realize how expensive medical bills add up to. I just felt so bad for the family. There was just so much red tape and hoops to jump through,” Metz added.

Chrissy Metz THIS IS US — “The Pool: Part Two” Episode 402 — Pictured: (l-r) Chrissy Metz as Kate, Baby Jack, Chris Sullivan as Toby — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

While chatting with The Voluntourist, Metz also gave her perspective on what’s happening with Toby and Kate.

“It has nothing to do with the weight. Weight has never been the issue. It’s about keeping secrets and being dishonest,” Metz explained. “Real intimacy is honesty and when that is fractured in a relationship, where do you go? How do you ever regain someone’s trust? Now that they have a child together, there’s things that have to be fixed and tried to sort out, but it’s not going to be easy.”

She added, “I think there’s so much guilt and I think there’s shame when he’s pursing a weight loss. Whether it comes from a place of insecurity… a lot of people experience relationships where the child takes the first place and is the front runner. We talked about last season how Toby really was like, ‘I don’t know how to handle this. We have a kid who has special needs.’ First of all having a child is complicated, having a child with special needs really plays into how do I do this? Am I enough of a father. Am I enough of a human? What can I control in my life? And I think for Toby what he could control was his weight.”

In addition, Metz chatted about her upcoming album.

“Music was always my first love, much like Kate [Pearson]. It wasn’t ever supported or encouraged. It was something that I’ve always wanted to pursue, so to do it in such a grand scale with Diane Warren, who I’ve been listening to since I could even hear, it’s like a dream come true. All of this is beyond exciting.”

The two originally teamed up on the film Breakthrough and are now recording Metz’s first album.

“The single will be coming out in February, but we are working on an album. The single is called ‘Talking to God.’ I did not write the single, but many of the writers I’ve been co-writing with. So other tracks will be co-written,” she said.

“This is Us,” returns Tuesday, January 14th on NBC.