Today's country tidbits...

If you missed the Oprah show yesterday, you missed some great Christmas music sung by amazing singers. Tim McGraw and Alicia Keys did a version of "Happy Christmas" and tore it up. Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson took on "Silent Night," giving it an acoustic treatment with a twangy and soulful twist. Then the stars talked about their holiday traditions: Tim makes pasta each Christmas eve and gives gifts of money so he doesn't have to go shopping. Jennifer Nettles throws soup parties with her girlfriends, and Kristian Bush records Christmas songs for his Mom. Back when Sugarland was a baby act and hadn't had a hit song yet, Kristian remembers being so broke that the only gift he could give family and friends was cds of Christmas music he had recorded. It's still his Mom's favorite gift.

Well, it is called the Escape Together WORLD Tour, and Keith Urban's adding another continent - the entire show has been transported to Australia, where the Oz part of the tour launches on December 11th. Wonder how many boats it took to get all the staging, lighting and video screens across the Pacific Ocean?

Kenny Chesney has added another date to his itinerary as he headlines the HullabaLOU Music Fest at Louisville's Churchill Downs racetrack next July. He joins Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews Band as a headliner, and other performers include Gloriana, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band, Loretta Lynn and Dwight Yoakam.

It's now three weeks for Lady Antebellum, as "Need You Now" is still at the top of the country chart, and it still has a bullet. Could it go 4 weeks, or will "Do I" take over the top spot?

Little Big Town is in the studio working on a new cd.

Catch Carrie Underwood on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight, and set your dvrs...Taylor Swift will be a guest on the Jay Leno show this Friday night.

There's a new product line on the horizon for Taylor Swift - so far, she's got LEI Jeans, sundresses sold only at WalMart, greeting cards and coming soon, perfume. Taylor says that when she commits to something, she wants it to be 100%, so it may be a while before you can drape yourself in eau de Taylor.

It's a bad time of the year for a kid to be hospitalized, so the guys from Love and Theft, Sawyer Brown, along with Bucky Covington, did an impromptu guitar pull for the kids at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. The songs were a mix of hits and Christmas carols. The kids sang and played along on toy drums, tambourines and maracas.

Condolences to Justin Moore, who lost his grandfather Tom "Grandpa" Moore last Wednesday and his aunt Glenda Sunday. He worshiped his Grandpa and his Aunt Glenda was like a second Mom to him. He has cancelled tour dates for at least a week in order to be home with the family.