Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton is proud of wife Miranda Lambert’s #1 song, but especially proud because it’s their first co-written #1, and the first time he’s opened up in song about the loss of his brother. “She never knew my brother, so I’m constantly remembering a story about him or something...telling her. Anyway, we ended up writing that song that night and it’s the first time I’ve ever actually done something like that, you know...I say for him, but about him. It’s hard to explain how important something like that is.”

Season two of The Voice wrapped up last night and Blake Shelton says that the cast and crew have gelled into a family after two seasons. Gifts were exchanged after the show wrapped, and Blake says that one of the judges gives the very best gifts, hands down. “Oh, Christina...absolutely no comparison...probably because she’s the richest person on Earth, might be why.” Watch for duets by the judges to be coming soon, and Cee Lo thinks the four of them would make the best super-group ever.

Alan Jackson was very comfortable taking over the Grand Ole Opry last night, airing out some new music from his “Thirty Miles West” cd, due out next month. He wasn’t always comfy there, though: “I mean, it’s always tough in the early days to go out on the Opry, just because it’s intimidating, you know – the wood floor and all that greats like Hank and everybody stood on, and then just the whole atmosphere that goes along with the Opry.”

Details are coming out about the events surrounding CMA Music Festival week in Nashville. The 2012 City of Hope Softball Challenge will happen June 9th at Nashville’s Greer Stadium, and celebrities include Carrie Underwood, David Nail, Scotty McCreery, Chuck Wicks, Lauren Alaina, Brantley Gilbert, Bucky Covington, Two Foot Fred, Sarah Darling, Whitney Duncan, Billy Gilman and several more celebrities to be named later.

“Tuskegee,” Lionel Richie’s collection of country collaborations has been certified platinum, just five weeks after its release.

You heard it here first, and then Lady Antebellum sang it last night on The Voice. Their new single, “Wanted You More,” grew from a guitar lick their guitarist was laying down during a sound check. The trio loved the sound of it and everyone gathered around and started working on the song. Watch it soar to #1, as most Lady Antebellum songs seem to do.

Carrie Underwood is on the Ellen DeGeneres show today, Lady Antebellum is on Anderson on CNN and Martina McBride is on The Chew on ABC.

The tweet of the day is from Danny Gokey: “I heard when Jessica Simpson had her baby, Kanye busted into the delivery room and said Beyonce had the best baby ever.”