Today's Country Tidbits

Forbes Magazine is out with their annual "Country Music's 10 Top-Earning Stars" list, and Kenny Chesney tops it, with an estimated $50 million raked in in 2009. Here's the rest of the Top 10:
Toby Keith - $48 million
Taylor Swift - $45 million
Rascal Flatts - $45 million
Tim McGraw - $30 million
Keith Urban - $28 million
George Strait - $25 million
Brad Paisley - $22 million
Alan Jackson - $15 million
Carrie Underwood - $13 million

Brad Paisley's "H2O" tour opens tonight in Virginia Beach, in spite of losing nearly all of his stage gear in the Nashville flood. The show is more than just a show - there's the "Water World Plaza" which includes a fishing simulator, a dunking booth and a "Hope Through Healing Hands" booth. After the gates open but before the main stage fires up with Justin Moore and Darius Rucker, there's a Plaza Stage, featuring Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia and Josh Thompson.

Carrie Underwood, as reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, gets to decide where donations to ACM's Lifting Lives initiative go this year. Together, they've launched the Temporary Home Fund to support Tennessee flood relief efforts. She's encouraging those who want to help to text ACM to 501501 to make a $10 donation.

Lady Antebellum was tapped to sing "Need You Now" in Simish for the new Sims3 game, available in June. Catch the performance, and the sims of Hillary, Charles and Dave.



Jimmy Wayne is still walking across America to raise awareness of the issues teens in foster care face when they age out of the system. His nephew joined him on the road a couple of days ago, and is making videos of their travels & travails.



The Bonaroo line-up is published by date and stage, so if you're going, you can be sure to see your favorite artists. Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson and the Zac Brown Band are just some of the country stars that'll be part of the festival June 10-13 in Manchester, TN.

Yesterday, Dierks Bentley found himself somewhere he's never been before - the Oval Office, meeting the President of the United States. He tweeted, "kind of making it hard to fall asleep" last night.

On tv today, catch Dolly Parton on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and tonight, Brooks & Dunn and Reba are on The Late Show with David Letterman. That same threesome shows up on the Today show Sunday morning, then Sunday night, it's "The ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo." The show taped the night after the ACM awards in Las Vegas, and the show is a star-studded, music-filled tribute to the duo who've given us 20 years of great music. There are also a lot of laughs in the show, including Ronnie Dunn doing an impersonation of Taylor Swift. Can't wait to see that!

Carrie Underwood will perform "Undo It" on American Idol next week.

Happy birthday to Jewel, who turns 36 on Sunday.