Oxygen has greenlighted a series and new project as part of an aggressive push to ramp up its original programming for 2009. "The Girls," a Nashville-based project that will feature three celebrity offspring -- Jennifer Wayne, granddaughter of John Wayne; Tayla Lynn, granddaughter of Loretta Lynn; and Caroline Cutbirth, great-great-great-great grandniece of Daniel Boone -- as they try to become country music stars. Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez exec produce.In an interview with Chris Welch, the girls gave some insight on what to expect:
"We've been together for about a year," Lynn, 26, said during a phone interview. "We're b---s to the wall, say anything.
"Jennifer originally had the idea to do a reality show. She and Caroline are good friends and took it to Creative Artists Agency. She contacted Anastasia Brown there and she thought they needed a third girl. They were searching granddaughters of legends and found me on my MySpace. At the time, I was a solo artist and out on the road with my grandmother.
"They thought I'd be the perfect third."
Lynn admits the idea of the girl band started out as a gimmick and she wasn't sure it would work because they all come from different walks of life. The result has been a nice surprise.
"I didn't share any similarities in life with the other two," Lynn said. "They were culturally different. Caroline is from Waco, Texas, and her dad is a dentist. Jennifer grew up in Beverly Hills. I grew up a hillbilly, redneck and barefoot. I lived in a white trailer next to a junkyard with a donkey called Donkeyote, who was the only friend I had.
"So, I really thought it would be a struggle to be part of the group. My music is left of center and theirs is more radio pop. Mine is alt country and my personality is different. Last year, I kind of fought with it, but they're just too hard to resist. I love them."
Lynn says she's a lot like her famous granny, Loretta.
"She said, 'We're cut from the same cloth. It's like your dad wasn't even there,' " Lynn said. "People say I'm a spitting image of her. She's wild as hell, feisty and can call you down in a heartbeat. But she's also one of the most tender grandmothers you could ever have."
