Adam Levine Surprises Fan with Down Syndrome

from J Space News:
Adam Levine surprised a fan with Down syndrome by joining him for a meet-and-greet session backstage at a gig this week.
Christopher Warner, a 10 year old from Maryland, came to the attention of the Maroon 5′s management team after a teacher posted a video on YouTube.com showing the youngster singing a compilation of the group’s tracks.
Bosses at local radio station HOT 99.5 contacted the band’s record label, and Warner was offered tickets to Maroon 5′s concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
He was also offered a meet-and-greet session with the musicians, and he became so excited backstage that he had to lie down, prompting Levine and his bandmates to lie on the floor alongside to soothe him.
Warner’s teacher, Avery Stanert says, “He has just been fascinated with Maroon 5 and especially Adam Levine… They (radio station bosses) arranged for backstage passes and tickets. They immediately called the record label and worked it all out.”

Tim McGraw Serenades Young Fan at Atlanta Concert

by Kay West from People:
Country music superstar Tim McGraw puts on a really big show, but it was an intimate one-on-one serenade to an enchanted young girl that brought the packed house down at Aaron’s Amphitheater in Atlanta Sunday night.
While performing "You Are So Beautiful" for wife Faith and his three daughters, he spotted the enraptured fan in the front of the crowd, mouthing the words to the classic love song, and invited her to join him on stage.
As cameras captured the moment, they sat side by side and finished the tune together. After sharing a big hug, the singer, who clearly knows the way to a woman’s heart, signed his guitar and presented it to the girl – much to the delight of the entire audience.

Man With Down Syndrome Fulfills Life Goal, Sings National Anthem At Red Sox Game

by Ryan Grenoble from The Huffington Post:

Many people dream of singing the national anthem at a major sports event, but few can do it with a spirit rivaling Michael Mullins.
Mullins, a 38-year-old die-hard Red Sox fan, has Down syndrome. Last week, he realized a dream he's had for nearly a decade: Singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Fenway Park, capacity 37,400, to open for the Red Sox.
According to the Metro West Daily News, Mullins has spent the last 10 years singing the national anthem for a minor league team, and four years lobbying the Red Sox for a chance to sing at Fenway. He's been helped along by the Michael Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton, Mass., where he lives.
"Nope, I'm not nervous," he told Boston's WCVB in an interview before the big day. "Piece of cake."
"He is so excited. This is the biggest day of his life," added center director Sharon Lisnow.
A video of the performance, uploaded May 3, features Mullins proudly belting out the national anthem, even throwing in some vibrato here and there. He's flanked by Dan Cloutier and Arva Ferguson, who regularly sing with him at the Respite Center. The video description reads:

This video literally captures a dream coming true as Mike raises awareness for adults with disabilities while showcasing his amazing singing ability. Please share this video to raise more awareness and promote an amazing dream coming true.

Fittingly, reports Metro West, Mullins' favorite part of the national anthem is the song's last line, a word he stretches out, hanging it proudly in the air. That word? "Brave."

10-year-old girl has dream come true, meets Justin Bieber

from ABC 10 News:
A 10-year-old girl from Hemet had her dream come true: meeting Justin Bieber.
Marisa Cox met Bieber backstage before his concert at the Valley View Casino Center on Saturday.
On Sunday, the singer posted a photo of himself, Marisa and her mother on Twitter with the message, "One of the best parts of the job. Nice meeting you Marisa. Stay strong for me!"
10News caught up with Marisa on Saturday afternoon at the Thairapy Hair Salon in Point Loma as she got all dolled up before the concert.
"She just keeps saying, 'Oh my gosh, so excited,'" said Adele Cox, Marisa's mother. "She doesn't know how to process it all. It's overwhelming."
Marisa was born with Down syndrome and suffers a life-threatening kidney disease following a kidney transplant. Her family told 10News the one thing that kept her spirits up during those long hospital stays was Bieber's music videos.
"I don't know what it is, but there's something about him that makes her feel better and happy, and when she's really, really sick in the hospital, I put this stuff up… it perks her up," said Adele.

Woman with Down Syndrome and breast cancer meets Bieber

from WFMY News 2:
28-year-old Jessica Hickman, who has both Down syndrome and breast cancer, had her wish come true when she got to meet Justin Bieber before his concert in Minneapolis

One Direction's Niall Horan Sends Message to Fan With Down Syndrome

from Gather.com Celebs:
One Direction's Niall Horan made the day of a 15-year-old girl with Down Syndrome when he sent a special video message her way. Melena Butera loves all the One Direction guys--Niall along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik--but Niall is certainly her favorite, and even moreso now.
According to a report from Nine MSN, Melena's older sister Julianna, who is 20, started a YouTube film campaign to catch the attention of the One Direction singers. Since Melena's birthday is close to the date of their Madison Square Garden concert on December 3rd, she thought why not try to surprise Melena with something wonderful.
Niall made a reciprocal film for Melena.
"[Your film was] absolutely incredible ... You're a massive fan we know,
he One Direction singers. Since Melena's birthday is close to the date of their Madison Square Garden concert on December 3rd, she thought why not try to surprise Melena with something wonderful.
Niall made a reciprocal film for Melena.
"[Your film was] absolutely incredible ... You're a massive fan we know," Niall says to Melena. "All the love from the boys."
So will Melena Butera get to meet Niall Horan and One Direction? That hasn't been confirmed, but it sounds likely because of the way Niall signed off on his video .
"See you soon," he says at the end of the clip.
Do you think Melena will be treated to a meet and greet and concert on behalf of One Direction? Just the film alone made her day--just imagine how excited she'll be if she gets to meet the "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Live While We're Young" singers in person!

Train lead singer Pat Monahan surprises fan with Down syndrome

from Today.com:
Pat Monahan, lead singer of the band Train, gave one of the group's fans quite a surprise by taking off his shirt, autographing it and handing it to her after singing  "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" on the plaza.

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Social media effort to help a Justin Bieber fan with a dream

by Haley Frances from AZCentral.com:
Like millions of other kids, Samantha Basile idolizes teen singing sensation Justin Bieber.

With posters plastered on the walls of her bedroom in her family's Phoenix area home, and a big box of Bieber knickknacks including hats, T-shirts, and concert DVD's, it's clear Basile has "Bieber Fever."

But unlike most Bieber fans, the 16 year-old senior at Pinnacle High School also has Down syndrome. And each and every day when Samantha gets home from school she sings and dances along to her favorite Justin Bieber songs.

12 News staffers learned about a video that Samantha and her sister, 15 year-old Kasey Basile, posted on YouTube.

Kasey and her friends posted a 3 1/2-minute video hoping to catch the superstar's attention, and let him know that Samantha, who has never even been to a Justin Bieber concert, is a devoted fan.

"She said if she saw him she would pass out", Kasey explained.

The girls' mom, Linda Calleja, teared up while explaining how important this is to her daughter. Calleja says that Samantha is selfless, and never asks for anything unless it's something with a logo or picture of her favorite superstar.

In the video the girls created, Samantha holds up note cards for Bieber to read, and describes her two wishes, to be a normal teenager and to meet Justin Bieber.

Bieber's North American Tour rolls into Glendale's Jobing.com Arena on Saturday, Sept. 29. The family is hoping that Sam's second wish can come true.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/nephoenix/articles/20120816justin-bieber-fan-down-syndrome-phoenix.html#ixzz23oTH4dW1