Today's Country Tidbits

Proof positive that performing on awards shows helps an artist's career: Miranda Lambert's album sales were up 105%, Brooks & Dunn's were up 84%, Carrie Underwood's rose 54%, Luke Bryan's spiked 49%, Lady Antebellum's increased about 35%, and Zac Brown Band's sales were up 26%.

While in Vegas, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum tried his luck at roulette. “One time I put 25 dollars on zero and it hit. Then I turned around and lost it the next hour, but that was the greatest moment in my life in Vegas.” Wow...wonder if he means even greater than winning those ACM awards?

Luke Bryan is still celebrating his ACM award for Top New Artist, apparently. “Coming back from Vegas, and I went to Talladega and all this. Its like, at some point me and the old liver are going to have to get together and chill out for a second so we have been having a good time. You know, you never want to come down from the clouds after something like last weekend. So were still having a good time.”

George Strait breaks records all the time, and this time, he's broken his own. The old record for seats sold at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio dates back to 1997 - it was 47,000 seats. The new record is 51,000 tickets sold for this Saturday night's concert, featuring George Strait, Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack. A limited number of tickets will be released for sale today, so the record will be pushed even higher.

Toby Keith is about to head overseas for the 8th time to entertain the troops in the Persian Gulf, Korea and Germany for two weeks. Does he give the same shows there as he does here? “My songs for the troops are a little different, they are a little humorous. I’ve got my own little group of songs. She didn’t say no, she said hell no, I try to entertain the troops with a smile.”

Do you like to see how things are made? Have a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me."



Joe Nichols has a number one song with "Gimme That Girl" and a new endorsement contract with Roper Apparel and Footwear. Starting Saturday, watch for him in commercials and on posters at Roper retailers nationwide.

Josh Turner is in Country Weekly, where he's giving guys marital advice. He says, “If you don’t want to do the weekly chores just buy your wife really nice appliances.” Josh's wife Jennifer likes her new washer and drier so much that she won't let him touch them. Score...he's gotten out of having to do laundry!!

Speaking of Country Weekly, here's the list of country music's hottest bachelors, according to the magazine's readers:
1.Gary Allan
2.Chris Young
3.Josh Thompson
4.Chuck Wicks
5.Keith Anderson
6.Danny Gokey
7.Jake Owen
8.Bucky Covington
9.Phil Vassar
10.Stephen Barker Liles

Laura Bell Bundy will be on the Tonight show with Jay Leno, and Trisha Yearwood is on the Bonnie Hunt show tomorrow.