Today's Country Tidbits

Dierks Bentley is in Australia, taking his Country & Cold Cans tour down under. He loves to water ski, but in Australia, a different water sport is king: “I’ll try anything, I love just – I love being outside so put a surfboard in my hand and I’ll give it a go. You know, they love country music down there, country is everywhere. People love country music, doesn’t really matter where you are and a chance to go down there and tour with a friend of mine Lee Kernaghan who’s a huge Australian artist and has a lot of fans over here as well. It just sounded like a lot of fun.”

Oh, this was predictable! Carrie Underwood got married and it's the question on every reporter's lips. Ditto Miranda Lambert, so now that Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum is a wife, they're asking when she'll become a mother: “Not for a while. I mean, God knows the time better than any of us, but not for a while. I think we’re just excited to be settling in to being married and sharing life together and being able to travel together and so, I mean, I don’t think we’ll wait too terribly long, but definitely not anytime in the near future.”

Billboard is out with their "Top 40 Money Makers of 2012," though the list reflects how much different artists made last year. Taylor Swift made nearly $36 million, landing her squarely at the top of the list. Other country acts on the list:

#34 – Sugarland: $5.6-million

#28 – Zac Brown Band: $6.5-million

#27 – Keith Urban: $6.6-million

#26 – Lady Antebellum: $6.7-million

#21 – Brad Paisley: $8.6-million

#19 – Tim McGraw: $9.3-milllion

#18 – Rascal Flatts: $9.6-million

#15 – Toby Keith: $10.4-million

#9 – Jason Aldean: $13.4-million

#3 – Kenny Chesney: $29.8-million

#1 – Taylor Swift: $35.7-million

A little too much excitement at Garth Brooks' house last week. Someone abandoned a stolen car on Garth's property, setting it on fire. Police are searching for the culprit, who may or may not have known that a superstar's farm was where he committed a crime.

Luke Bryan doesn't have an ACM nomination this year, but he'll still have a big week in Vegas. He's performing on the show, and also on the Lionel Ritchie tribute show being filmed the day after the awards. According to Luke, “We got the news of my ACM performance, which was really, really rewarding and flattering news. To not have a nomination out there, and you know to get a performance slot, we were super-excited. And certainly very excited to be a part of the Lionel show.”

Randy Houser, Justin Moore, Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann have all had their tour buses catch fire in the last few months, and Josh Thompson isn't taking any chances: “And screw Lee Brice ever comin’ on my bus because he was on Jerrod’s bus, and he’s like, ‘I think your bus is on fire; it’s burning.’ And Jerrod just told me the story today, and I don’t know…somethin’ ’bout it, somethin’ ’bout it. I’m not pointin’ any fingers at Lee, but I’ll just be goin’ to Lee’s bus, if we’re gonna hang out. I’ll just be goin’ over there.”

A new compilation album will be in Starbucks, just in time for Mother's Day, and Faith Hill's "Wish For You" will be part of it. The song was originally on her 2005 "Fireflies" album.

The tweet of the day is from Lauren Alaina: “returned to idol & then went to the studio to record background vocals for the new Aerosmith record. #ISTHISREAL? Thank u Steven!”

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night, Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were two of the prettiest people at the Golden Globes Awards, where Nicole was a presenter. And he could be up for one himself next year, because he's co-written a song for the movie, "Act of Valor." Will we see Keith on the big screen any time soon? “I was actually in a theater group when I was a kid for about three years. We did quite a few stage productions, which was really my starting board for learning how to perform on stage. So, I’d love to do some of that down the track. I wouldn’t want it to interfere with my music.” So, maybe that's a "maybe, someday."

Tim McGraw has been a country star for two decades, and as he gets set to start his next 20 years with a new record label, he's reflecting on what's made his success possible. Is it his voice? His tenacity? His good looks? Nope - Tim says, “I’m very fortunate. I’ve been able to be around great people, great songwriters...great artists. I just...I’ve been able to put myself in a position to be surrounded by great people who have helped me guide my career in the direction I’ve always wanted it to go. That’s the beauty in anybody having a great career. It’s the people that are around you.”

Jake Owen is rough and tough, and ready to try anything. Which he did Friday, trying his hand at snow boarding in Colorado. He was doing great - right up to the point that he wiped out and broke his collar bone. He tweeted, after his visit to the hospital in Crested Butte, "Guess I charged this mountain a little too hard." It's not his first broken collar bone - he did it as a kid when he crashed a four-wheeler.

Hillary Scott has been named one of Cosmopolitan Magazine's "Fun Fearless Females" in the February issue, on newsstands now.

Make it three in a row for Jamey Johnson - he won his annual bet with Matthew McConaughey. The two wager $500 to the winner's favorite charity over the BCS Championship game. Jamey predicted Alabama would win, Matthew took LSU and Bama shut the Tigers out. Jamey donated his winnings to Gamblers Anonymous.

Congrats to Eric Church on "Drink in My Hand," the #1 country song in America this week.

Happy birthday to Ronnie Milsap, who is 69 today, Jim Stafford, who turns 68 and James Young of the Eli Young Band, who is 32.

The tweet of the day is from Jaron and the Long Road to Love, as he was watching the Golden Globes last night: "Is Jane Fonda recycled? How is she that hot?" If you want more where that came from, check out Jaron's Facebook page or Twitter feed. He was on a roll last night!

Today's Country Tidbits

In a video announcement on the Lady Antebellum website, Chris Tyrell introduced the world to Hillary Scott Tyrell. They wed on Saturday at sunset in upstate New York in an intimate ceremony. The two met when Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft were touring with Tim McGraw. Chris was the drummer for Love and Theft. Hillary turned the details of the wedding over to a wedding planner, saying “That’s the beauty of getting a planner is you give them your ideas and you give them your vision and if it’s the right person, they can kind of take it and run with it and kinda turn it into what you want. And that’s what I said in the beginning, I was like, ‘This is your art, so I’m gonna let you do this because this is not my art. My art is to write songs and perform them and tour around, you know? So, I’m gonna let you do what you’re great at.’”

Miranda Lambert is making her acting debut on what she calls her favorite tv show ever - Law & Order: SVU. She'll play an actress who claims to have been sexually assaulted by a reality show producer. No air date has been set for Miranda's episode yet.

Miranda will appear on another show, too - hubby Blake Shelton's "The Voice." She'll mentor contestants, as will Kelly Clarkson, in upcoming episodes. Blake loves the process of doing the show, and loves the blind auditions best: "“That is so much fun, it’s ridiculous. I mean, to be given that kind of power, sitting in a chair like you’re the king of the world or whatever, and to be able to hit that button and ... and ... it really is a lot of fun. And as ego-y as it sounds, you feel like the king sittin’ there, you know what I mean? And you’re deciding ... ah, you know, who gets thrown into the alligator pit or not.”" The Voice premiers February 5th, right after the end of the Super Bowl.

Did you see Rascal Flatts sing the National Anthem before the Steelers/Broncos game yesterday afternoon? Turns out they did more than just sing while they were at the game - they played a little catch with Tim Tebow before the game. Tim said recently in an interview that Rascal Flatts is his favorite band. Might have helped his confidence a bit - after three losses in a row, Tim led the Broncos to a 29-23 win over the Steelers.

Turns out, country wildman Eric Church is a softie at heart. For Christmas, he bought his newborn son Boone McCoy Church a guitar. Why? “I wanted to buy a guitar that was from the year he was born. I mean as a guitar fan, you know, one of the things you always ask ... I mean, any guitar, you say, ‘What year is that?’ And I want it to be something I can put up and when the time came ... it’s a really nice guitar ... and when the time came, I wanted to tell him the significance of it.”

This year's Grammy Nominees album, an annual fund-raiser for the Grammy Foundation and MusicCares, will feature Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and The Band Perry. The album is due out January 24th and the Grammys will be held on February 12th.

Congratulations to David Nail, who has a #1 song with "Let It Rain."

Eli Young Band is on the Tonight Show tonight.

Happy birthday to Crystal Gayle, who turns 61 today.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "“Yall I'm so freaking excited to be on my favorite show ever !!!”"

Today's Country Tidbits

With Christmas only three days away, some country artists are reminiscing about their childhood holidays. Keith Urban's Christmas in Queensland, Australia came with sunscreen: “The four of us, my brother, and me, and mom and dad, would all go the beach and [there would] be families everywhere. And, we’d take lunch with us, and a lot of the times we’d take all our presents with us, and we’d open them up, either on the beach or the backseat of the car, you know...usually in the car because we couldn’t wait ‘til we got to the beach. That’s most of my fond memories of Christmas.” Carrie Underwood's presents may have been wrapped, but she was never surprised at what was inside: “One thing you learn in my family is that my mother is a blabbermouth, and ever since I was little I have known ever single Christmas present I have ever gotten…ever. I’m not one for surprises! [Laughs] And yeah, I’ve always known my presents before Christmas.” And Alan Jackson makes Christmas for his daughters very much like the Christmases he had growing up: “We always try to remember Jesus’ birthday and just the whole thing! And, [we] just have a wonderful big meal, almost like Thanksgiving four weeks later. We have the same, pretty much, turkey, dressing...all the same kinds of things. Sometimes we have family members in Tennessee and sometimes just us or friends, and we always go home to Georgia prior to that. So, you know, pretty standard, lovely Christmas.”

Josh Gracin had a rough day yesterday. His car was broken into in his driveway in the middle of the afternoon. The crook or crooks got away with his laptop, and police told Josh that two houses on his street were broken into and all the Christmas presents were stolen. Someone's getting coal in their stocking!

Blake Shelton will be part of NBC's "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly." About Blake, Carson quipped, “First thing about Blake Shelton, if you don’t know him, to see him is very intimidating, because he is nine-foot, two. And, he’s a real smart ass! I mean, he really is a smart ass! So, he makes for a great TV personality.”

Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker will be part of Super Bowl week January 27th through February 5th. They'll perform on the Verizon Stage in downtown Indianapolis. The schedule will be announced in January.

Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift have landed on Forbes magazine's “30 Under 30: The Youngest Stars in The Music Business.” Taylor made the list because she raked in $45 million over the past year, and Hillary's on the list because her songwriting and singing helped Lady A win 5 Grammy awards in 2011.

Congratulations to George Jones and Glen Campbell, who will be honored by the Recording Academy as two of the seven Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients. The ceremony will be on February 11th, and the Allman Brothers Band, Antonio Carlos Jorbin, the Memphis Horns, Diana Ross and Gil Scott-Heron are the other honorees.

Taylor Swift's "Jump Then Fall" has been certified gold.

Lady Antebellum is on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Glen Campbell is on Conan O'Brien, Frankie Ballard is on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and Craig Campbell will sing the National Anthem before the MAACO Bowl festivities. The game is between Boise State and Arizona State.

The tweet of the day is from Clay Walker: "Worked cutting horses the last three days and trail rode them afterwards. Sore legs never felt so good!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Wow...just wow. Apparently Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will co-headline a tour next year, and they're recording a song together. Can't wait...for both!

Well now they've done it! Rascal Flatts' live cd is in stores today. "The Best of Rascal Flatts Live" is important to the trio because of their fans. “Our live show means the most to us and gettin’ in front of the fans and showing the fans how much we appreciate their support. It’s the utmost importance to us.”

Eric Church hits it hard on stage on a normal night, but he's planning a little something extra tomorrow night on the CMA show. Why? Peer pressure, apparently. “You know, at the ACMs, I was in front of the Fan Jam part, so this will be my first time on an awards show performing in front of the industry. So, I’m not real sure what to think about it, you know? It might be a little bit harder to get them up on their feet. Might not be like my crowd in Council Bluffs, Iowa.”

Carrie Underwood is looking forward to her fourth year co-hosting the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley tomorrow night. “I feel like each time we do it, we get better, and we get more comfortable. It’s already been fun! Like, sitting down and talking about what jokes we’re gonna make, and what we’re gonna do, and see who’s performing before everybody else knows who’s performing and what they are doing. It’s just a lot of fun, and I’m so honored that they’ve asked both of us back to do it again.”

Congratulations to the Eli Young Band, who have their first-ever #1 song with "Crazy Girl." Success hasn't gone to their heads yet, though. “It is kinda hard to take in the moment just ‘cause, you know, we started out just four friends from college just playin’ the bars and now, you know, hangin’ Platinum records on our walls and uh...movin’ up the charts, it’s just like...kinda feels like you’re talkin’ about somebody else right now, you know?” They're on tour with Dierks Bentley, and he surprised them onstage Sunday with a cake to celebrate their success.

Congrats to Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott for being named SESAC's Songwriter of the Year.

Brad Paisley is on Good Morning America today, performing outside Bridgestone Arena. Robin Roberts gets up close and personal with country music's biggest stars tonight. She also gets to play with Kenny Chesney's flying chair. "In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Lights, Big Stars, All Access Nashville" airs tonight at 10PM Eastern on ABC.

Lyle Lovett is on the Tonight show.

Happy birthday to Lauren Alaina, celebrating her 17th birthday, Bucky Covington, who turns 34, and Bonnie Raitt, who is 62 today.

The tweet of the day is from Corey Smith: "I just had a debate with my 5 yr old about whether or not songwriting counts as work. He won. "If you like it, it's not work."

Today's Country Tidbits

If you have tickets for "All for the Hall" January 18th in Nashville, make other plans. Keith Urban has a polyp on his vocal folds that will require surgery later this month, and the show is postponed to an undetermined date in 2012, as are the rest of his concerts. Keith will be on complete vocal rest for weeks after his outpatient procedure at the end of this month. While he could still talk, he dished about the reason guitar stars Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Keith will be performing a tribute to Glen Campbell on the CMA's next week. “I’ve always been a fan of what I like to call guitartists, you know, those guitar-artists like Glen Campbell -- who’s probably one of my biggest influences – those guys who knew a good song, had a great voice and played great, and just the all-around guys with a guitar, you know?”

Sugarland will perform "Run" with Matt Nathanson on the CMA show Wednesday night, and Jennifer says that tv makes them step up their game. “We definitely try to serve the, the song in its visual performance as well, and especially on television, because you, obviously, because people depend on that aspect of the performance a lot, in how it translates emotion.” Faith Hill will debut her new single on the show. "Come Home" will mark her first appearance on the show in five years.

New luminaries are being added to Wednesday night's CMA Award show. Presenters include Reba, Dierks Bentley, Billy Currington, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina and LeAnn Rimes. The show airs live at 8pm Eastern on ABC.

ABC always goes all-out to give country artists and country music it's due before the award show. Tuesday night, check out "In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville." Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina will all be part of that show. Wednesday morning, Good Morning America goes star-studded with Brad Paisley performing live in front of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Billboard Touring Awards will be handed out next Thursday, and Kenny Chesney vies for Top Package with Taylor Swift and Usher. Jason Aldean is nominated in the Breakthrough category and Zac Brown Band's Eat & Greets are up against Taylor Swift's Speak Now for the Concert Marketing and Promotion award.

If you're ever invited to Darius Rucker's house on the weekend, what can you expect? If you get into the man cave, expect a media room like no other: “For me, my man cave is all about sports. I got six TVs in there. I’ve got a 65, and on top of that, I have two 48s and then under that, I’ve got two 36s, I think, and then I’ve got another 65 [inch] on another wall. Football Sunday and Saturday is pretty huge for me. I watch every game.”

Reba was joined by her opening acts for an encore - she, The Band Perry, James Otto, Edens Edge and Steel Magnolia all collaborated on Adele's song "Rolling in the Deep." Magical!

Garth Brooks was on the Tonight show, and Jay Leno's staff dug up Garth's first-ever television appearance...

Catch Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott on the cover of the December issue of Redbook. In it, she talks about her life on the road with two guys and her upcoming marriage to another guy. Chris Tyrell and Hillary will be married some time in early 2012, but they're keeping the actual date to themselves.

Happy birthday to Delbert McClinton, who turns 61 today.

The tweet of the day is actually two tweets from Blake Shelton: "Just saw that "Over You" by Miranda is one of the top 5 most downloaded country songs right now... So proud. So unbelievably proud....Its odd.. Being this proud but at the same time wishing it never had to be written... I still miss my brother everyday. Every single day..."