Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney is planning to play four shows in Vegas, at the Hard Rock there. He'll do the shows on May 14th and 15th, and on July 2nd and 3rd. He loves to play The Joint at the Hard Rock because the farthest seat from the stage is only 155 feet, plus he can play whatever he wants to play for as long as he wants to play. Expect the shows to be upwards of 3 hours long and include not just his hits, but also cover songs he likes to play. A special guest or two is not out of the question, either. To book a table or sky box, email the Hard Rock in Vegas.

Ok…Blake Shelton asking all of his Twitter followers to help Miranda Lambert get her first #1 song is predictable…but James Otto, Dierks Bentley, Justin Moore, Lady Antebellum, Chris Young, Jack Ingram, David Nail and even more did, too. Guess what…looks like it worked, and "White Liar" will be #1 on the charts this week. Congrats, Miranda...a great song and great friends is a potent combination!

It's official...Keith Urban and John Mayer will hit the stage together for a taping of CMT's Crossroads on January 26th in Nashville. The show is by invitation only, and it should air in March or April. Will keep you posted when the exact date is released.

The Hope for Haiti Now! telethon on Friday night raised $58 million during the show, and the tally grew all weekend as people logged on to iTunes to buy the performances. It's the most any telethon has raised from the general public ever, which is especially significant because it comes during a global recession. Taylor Swift's performance was "Breathless." Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow sang "Lean On Me." "Hope for Haiti Now" will be accepting donations for the next six months via the following methods:

Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Phone: 877-99-HAITI
Text: Text "GIVE" to 50555 (US phone numbers only)
Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Meanwhile, Big Kenny is in Haiti, helping to search for a missing friend who was staying at the Hotel Montana. It's been several days since anyone was brought out of that wreckage alive, so the outlook is getting grim at this point.

In true Toby Keith style, he's donated seven tractor-trailers to collect and transport goods to Project Haiti. Items needed include medical supplies, soap, baby formula, work gloves, masks and more. You can follow Project Haiti's progress and also make donations on their website.

Zac Brown Band is trying to entice you to go sailing with them on Labor Day weekend. They've added a slew of great new bands to the Sailing Southern Ground cruise. Want more info?

Congrats to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who will be awarded the 2010 Courage Award at the 13th
Annual Unforgettable Evening benefit dinner on January 27th in Los Angeles. Faith has been a long-time supporter of the Unforgettable Evening foundation, and the two of them are very active in raising money for cancer research. Who will be the featured performer at this gala event? Taylor Swift.

Speaking of The Golden One, she's using her impressive imagination on her new condo in Nashville. Word is there'll be a moat around the living room fireplace, a stepping stone in the moat to access a spiral staircase to a rooftop observatory, koi swimming in the moat and her living room ceiling is painted like a night sky.

Jimmy Wayne's walk across America to help homeless teens has caught the imagination of the
Twitter world. His followers have increased nearly 30% since he started 3 and a half weeks ago. He's in Arkansas now, headed for Arizona. He left Nashville on New Year's Day, and has been sleeping outdoors on most of the cold winter nights since then. Yesterday's Ustream Q & a is posted for your viewing pleasure.