Congratulations to Kenny Chesney, who is celebrating several milestones with one song. For the third week in a row, "Somewhere With You" sits atop the Billboard Country Singles chart. It's his 21st #1 song, and according to Billboard, it marks the 53rd week he's sat at the top of their chart since 2000. That's more weeks at number one than any artist this millennium. "Somewhere With You" and "The Boys of Fall" were also the fastest gold certifications that Kenny's ever had. In other Kenny news, there's a new app from Qello for users of iPhones and Droids that want to see his movie, "Summer in 3D" on their phones. You won't get the 3D effect, but you can watch in 2D HD.
Now this is funny - Tuesday morning, Jason Aldean was sleeping. His phone started blowing up and he feared someone had been in a car wreck or some other bad news. Nope - it was family and friends calling to congratulate him on his ACM Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominations. He thought people were playing a joke on him. Jason's Dad sent him a text message congratulating him, and Jason still didn't believe it was true, so he went online and looked up the news. How did he celebrate? He took his daughters to school, then stopped by Wal-Mart to have his oil changed.
Here are some of the best artist quotes after the ACM nominations were announced:
"I wasn't even expecting any ... seven is unbelievable, especially Entertainer of the Year. It's hard for me to grasp that I'm in that category because I haven't done some of the numbers and some of the amazing things that other artists have. I'm just thankful that I have my foot in that door as a nominee." — Miranda Lambert
"In making Hemingway's Whiskey, it was important for me to push myself and my audience while at the same time staying true to who I am as an artist. That's why I'm so proud of this album and even more proud of the nomination for ACM Album of the Year." — Kenny Chesney
"This is something I've wanted all my life. To be able to do this for a living and have people like it, I couldn't ask for anything better. I am so blessed." — Easton Corbin
"I never dreamed I would get a nomination for anything. I just wanted to make a good song with my friend Jamey [Johnson]. I am so humbled to even be mentioned with the amazing artists in this category. I promise no one is more grateful than me!" — Colt Ford on his first ACM nomination for Vocal Event for "Cold Beer" with Johnson.
"It means the world to the band and crew. We take this seriously, obviously, and it's our livelihood, so being included in a category that is recognized nationally like that is validating for us, for sure. I am proud to represent all of the hard-working touring bands who are in the trenches playing 200 shows a year that have strong fan bases." — Randy Rogers Band's Randy Rogers on the Vocal Group nod.
"I am speechless. I can't believe we have been nominated for Top Vocal Duo of the Year! I remember playing out acoustically with Susie in backyards and colleges, living on taco soup, like it was yesterday. This doesn’t seem real.' — the JaneDear girls' Danelle Leverett
"What a way to start the day! I'm out on the West Coast deep in dreamland, and my hotel phone starts ringing at 5:30am and it's my manager screaming, 'Wake Up! We got three ACM nominations!' I grinned from ear to ear."— Lee Brice
"The triumph ... is shared by my family, my friends, bandmates, producers, my staff, my label, my booking agents, my publishers, my management, my publicists, my handlers, my wranglers, my fans, my dog, Willie's braids and that beautiful brunette in Toledo. Thanks all for the hard work and dedication. You all deserve each accolade. And thanks to the Academy voters for the recognition." — Jamey Johnson
"I hold my breath hoping for a nomination every year. It was nice to wake up this morning and hear the great news." — Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman on their Vocal Group nod.
North of the border, the Canadian Juno Award nominees were announced, and Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum are up for International Album of the Year, along with Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Eminem. Canadians love country music...don't be surprised if that award goes home to Nashville. The Juno Awards will be handed out March 27th in Toronto.
Martina McBride showed off her kitchen to People.com. The kitchen is her favorite spot in her home because it's where she connects with her family. Martina says, “Maybe 5 nights a week we sit down and I cook or…sometimes we order in pizza but you know I try to cook a meal and we sit down and we just…that’s when we really connect because with kids those ages they are going a million directions and so we just sit and talk and sometimes we’ll sit around the dinner table for 30 minutes after we get finished eating just talking and it’s just great.” She must be doing something right - yesterday she tweeted, “Just got home from Parent-Teacher conferences. All good reports!”
Yes, that's Miranda Lambert staring at you from the cover of Ladies' Home Journal. In the accompanying story, she talks about being a small town girl, life with Blake Shelton and her recent weight loss.
Reba is the guest-star on CMT's "Working Class" tonight.
Country Music and the Super Bowl collide this weekend, with Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Keith Urban all in Dallas to take part in the festivities. Garth and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten host tomorrow's "SuperCamp II" for kids aged 7-14, "CMT Crossroads: The Pretenders and Faith Hill Live from Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam" airs tomorrow night at 10 Eastern on CMT, Keith Urban will perform during Fox Super Bowl Sunday before the kickoff, and Martina is in town to play a private event. During the Super Bowl, watch for the Teleflora commercial, which features Faith Hill and her new lne of flower arrangements.
After the Super Bowl Sunday night, a special, extended episode of "Glee" will air, featuring their version of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." If you're setting your DVR, allow an hour and 15 minutes, to be sure you get the entire show. You can download the gleeked-out version of "Need You Now" now on iTunes. Here's a sneak-peek...
Happy birthday to Clint Black, who turns 49 today, Sara Evans celebrates 40 tomorrow and Garth Brooks will be 48 on Monday.
The tweet of the day is from Joe Nichols: "Just started Yoga. Great workout... Now I need therapy and chiropractor. Ha!"
