The Oscar Nominations came out yesterday, and the Country Strong soundtrack got a nod, with a nomination for Best Original Song going to the Gwyneth Paltrow-performed "Coming Home." Written by Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas and Troy Verges, the song is Gwyenth's favorite on the soundtrack. The Academy Awards will be handed out February 27th, live on ABC. Nicole Kidman earned a Best Actress nomination for her work in "Rabbit HOle."
Dierks Bentley is headed to North Carolina to record his next cd. He'll be in Asheville for a week, recording his 6th studio cd, and on Sunday, he'll let his fans in on the fun. He's setting up a live feed from the studio for 24 hours, so you can see how his next cd gets made. Not sure exactly when the feed goes live, but when it does, it'll be live for 24 hours.
Told you a couple of months ago that Don Henley was working on a country album. Here are some more details - he's doing a cd full of his versions of great country songs, and he's inviting some Nashville A-listers to join him. It's not the first time Don has worked with Nashville artists before. He and Trisha Yearwood had a huge hit with "Walkaway Joe" and in 1993, country superstars did a cover album of Eagles songs. More detail as I get it!
Friday night in La Crosse Wisconsin, Blake Shelton re-ignites his "All About Tonight" tour. Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia, The Band Perry and Chris Young are going along for the wild ride.
Darius Rucker was on The Late Show with David Letterman, performing "This." In case you slept through it (guilty!) here it is...
Last night in Nashville, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held. The late Johnny Cash was inducted, and Trace Adkins sang "Wayfaring Stranger" as a tribute to the Man in Black. That performance earned him the longest standing ovation of the evening.
Luke Bryan is headed back to the Redneck Riviera for another notorious spring break party. March first, he'll release a four-song EP, "Spring Break 3...It's a Shore Thing," and March 8th & 9th, he'll be at Panama City, Florida's Spinnaker's Beach Club. The EP includes "If You Ain't Here to Party," "Faded Away," "Love In a College Town" and "It's a Shore Thing." Says Luke about his annual tradition, ”Are you kidding me? This is one of my favorite times of the year. I get to let loose, write new songs that are a little out of the box, play on the beach for 2 days and have fun with the fans during one of the best times of their lives!”
Carrie Underwood's hocky-playing hubby, Mike Fisher, could be trade fodder. His name has been bandied about in a trade rumor between the Ottowa Senators and the Nashville Predators. Publicly he's saying he hopes to remain with the Senators. Privately...who knows?
The Band Perry has partnered with Purina for a Double Dog Dare contest. Dare Purina Dog Chow, and you could win $5,000, a year's supply of dog food and a two-year supply of food for a shelter dog. Purina will start taking the dares on March 21st.
Ronnie Dunn's first solo single, "Bleed Red," will be at country radio this Sunday, and at digital retailers on February the 8th. He's working on an album for release later this year.
Condolences to the family of Charlie Louvin, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this morning. Charlie was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955, and as been known as the elder statesman for country music. He was 84.
The tweet of the day is from Martina McBride: "Came home from studio and had a Fat Tire, a yummy brownie, glass of milk, and some pistachios. Photo shoot in a month. Me..in total denial."
