05/29 American Idol, Lee DeWyze, Alexis Henry, The Surfrider Foundation, Myron Mixon

American Idol Lee DeWyze & Alexis Henry Communications Manager for the Surfrider Foundation

Hitting the beach in the summer is an American ritual. Who doesn’t love the feeling of warm sand between their toes or taking a dip in the cool ocean? Unfortunately, these experiences are often clouded by litter and trash improperly discarded on our beaches. In fact, 98% of beachgoers said they see litter when visiting the beach and more than 30% said water pollution and debris keeps them out of the water. To help keep our beaches clean, Barefoot Wine and the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches, have partnered together again for the seventh year of the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project. Since 2007, the Project has traveled from coast-to-coast hosting more than 100 cleanup events and removing 12 tons of litter and debris in an effort to keep America’s beaches “barefoot friendly”. This year, Musician Lee DeWyze, who released his newest single Silver Lining, will kick off the Project to join volunteers on the beach in Chicago and will perform live at a special celebration afterwards.

Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had also released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and Slumberland in 2010, both on WuLi Records. His post-Idol albumLive It Up was released on November 16, 2010, through 19 Entertainment and RCA Records. WuLi Records, citing demand from DeWyze's fan base, released a third album of pre-Idol recordings, What Once Was, on February 14, 2012 DeWyze auditioned in Chicago at the United Center for the ninth season of American Idol on June 22, 2009, after encouragement from his friend Vincent Ferrara who was also trying out for the contest in Chicago. He auditioned with the song "Ain't No Sunshine". He was one of only 13 people from Chicago, the lowest number out of all 7 audition cities, to make it through to Hollywood week. During Hollywood week his group included Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox, all of whom made the Top 5. Crystal Bowersox and DeWyze made it to that top two, in which he won. His closest friend among the competitors is Andrew Garcia. Garcia was his roommate throughout the season until he was eliminated in the Top 9. Lee stated that he was generally close to all the Top 10 Idols, but he is also especially close to Siobhan Magnus, Katie Stevens, Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, and Alex Lambert and Lacey Brown from Top 16. Before every performance, DeWyze would call his family. DeWyze was one of two contestants in Season 9 to never land in the bottom three, the other being Crystal Bowersox. The judges praised him for shedding his shy persona throughout the season and showing, with confidence, that he was "in it to win it." On May 14, 2010, DeWyze performed at the Arlington Park Race Track in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with more than 41,000 people attending as part of his American IdolHomecoming day. Along with performing at the race track he had a parade in Mount Prospect, performed at a local AT&T store, and threw out the opening pitch at a Chicago Cubsbaseball game. On May 26, DeWyze was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 9. As a result of winning the season, DeWyze also won a recording contract.


Myron Mixon - World Champion Barbecuer

Learn the Tricks and Secrets to Grilling a Scrumptious Meal  from World Champion Barbecuer Myron Mixon. He is Widely Recognized as the Most Successful and Charismatic Man in Barbecue. You'll See Why When You Catch the New Season of His Mouth Watering Hit Show… "BBQ Pitmasters" And Learn How to Grill Like a Master with Nearly 150 Recipes from His Latest Cookbook "Everyday Barbecue!" From the Best Meat to buy to the Type of Grill that Works Best… Mixon will Share Cooking Tips that Will Make YOU the Grilling Master of YOUR Family. The hit series is back with the deeply competitive spirit of the American BBQ subculture all summer long! Destination America has doubled the number of competitors to shine the spotlight on the best BBQ festivals across the country -- from Austin, TX to New York City. Returning judges include the “winningest” man in BBQ, Myron Mixon, alongside Tuffy Stone, and each week will feature a new twist with a surprise guest judge. At the end of the season, only one will be crowned the ultimate BBQ Pitmaster.