People who have too much time on their hands and are too easily offended are on Trace Adkins’ case. When he performed at the Christmas At Rockefeller Center tv special on NBC, his “stars and bars” earpiece was visible. A Twitter storm erupted and now online media is fanning the flames. Trace himself hasn’t commented, but in his autobiography, A Personal Stand, he does state that he’s a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Alan Jackson fans, heads up – there’s a limited-edition photo book called Seasons of Sweetbriar – A Photographic Collection of Home available, and it’s all shots of the home Alan and his wife Denise lived for nearly 14 years. Alan collected photographs to make a journal for his kids and is now sharing them with us, to benefit the Colon Cancer Alliance’s Blue Note Fund. Denise has battled colorectal cancer, and you can only get the book on Alan’s website.
Fans of Lee Brice’s song “I Drive Your Truck” will want to check out CMT today, because Lee plays VJ for a Day and share the video for the song. Lee is so pumped about this song: “We are looking forward to that day. We love that song. It really changed my life when I heard it. I couldn’t believe I got my hands on it. I didn’t write the song, I just—still floored by it to this day, so we’re really, really pumped about that one.” He’s also pumped about the video, which stars his real-life brother, Lewis. 

Love and Theft are racing up the charts with their new song, “Running Out of Air,” and Stephen Barker Liles says it’s a challenging but fun song to sing: “I get to sing in a lower, Barry White-like octave to Eric, so that’s kind of fun, get to use my deep voice. I’ve been waitin’ to do that — I just didn’t think I’d ever get a chance. [Eric] It’s good. He’s really like Barry White in so many ways. [Stephen] And you know, you know what he’s talking about. It’s weird that Eric actually knows that…but we’ve been spendin’ a lot of time on the road.” All kidding aside, the title could also describe trying to sing the song, as the pacing is pretty tough in some places. Sing along and see how you do…
 
Wednesday night, country music stars will be part of the Grammy Nominations Live tv special. Dierks Bentley and The Band Perry will pay tribute to the late Johnny Cash, Luke Bryan is performing, Taylor Swift and LL Cool J will host the special, and Hunter Hayes will perform – if his nerves allow it! “It is very nerve-wracking. You want them to like you, you know? I want them to like, I don’t want them to hate me. I want them to know that I love it, and that I—I’m grateful to be in the building with them basically. Yeah—it’s a balance of trying to be comfortable and trying to keep the nerves cause that’s what keeps it real.” 
Reba’s show, Malibu Country, has been picked up for additional episodes by ABC, and Reba’s delighted. Not just because she likes to be the star of a television show, but because she’s also trying to make a difference in peoples’ lives: “There are so many single moms in this country, that I hope the writers and I can give them options. Kind of like Andy Griffith did us – you know raising our kids. Hopefully we can give them some options and way of doing things, standing our ground and raising our kids – and we’ll do this together.” Catch Reba’s show Friday nights on ABC. 
Congrats to Scotty McCreery, who has a gold record for “Christmas With Scotty McCreery.” He says, “We’re really excited about it. Anytime you put a Christmas record out, you just hope people will get it and spread a little holiday cheer with them. So I’m excited that people are digging it and spending the holidays with us.” 

It’s her second time on the cover of Rolling Stone, and Taylor Swift and the art director at the magazine decided to go for something a little different: “The first one was me kinda with my guitar and hair, and the second one is kind of [laughs], kind of me like looking a little edgier and it’s a lot different than anything I’ve ever done before. And it was shot by Theo Wenner, who is like this ridiculously talented 25-year-old photographer who blows my mind he’s so talented and I felt really lucky to get to be a part of an edgy shoot like that, especially on the cover of Rolling Stone.” On the way to the interview, Taylor backed into her bass player’s car and put a pretty good dent in it. She told him, “I’m gonna pay for it, I promise! I’m good for it!” In other Taylor news, she’s partnered with Papa John’s Pizza – starting this coming Tuesday, you can order a large one-topping pizza and a copy of “Red” for $22.

So, have you listened to Jason Aldean’s “Night Train” all the way through yet? Jason wants to know what you think about the cut, “1994.” “This song is unlike anything we’ve ever cut. It really is different and very unique. It stands out from everything else on the album. It seems to be so far the one that people are talking about the most. I’m excited for people to hear it. We actually haven’t played it live yet – so I’m looking forward to throwing it in the show and kind of getting a reaction.”

George Strait has some pretty amazing fans – and they’ve proved it again, with a bunch of shows on his “The Cowboy Rides Away” tour already sold out. The first show, in Lubbock, Texas, sold out over 15,000 seats in less than 15 minutes. George knows he’s blessed with fabulous fans: “I’ve had great fans – they’ve been so loyal over the years. I’ll see fans sometimes that have come out during the ‘80s and they’re still coming out. That’s pretty special.”

Rascal Flatts on-stage set is pretty complex, with loads of screens, lights, risers and instrument changes. Now that they’ve decided to extend the Changed tour into 2013, Gary LeVox says that staging their show each night entails a lot: “A lot of communication, a lot of conversations, a lot of praying that everything that’s hanging above us will stay there [laughs].” Here are the 2013 tour dates… 1-10 Green Bay, WI Resch Center 
1-11 Moline, IL i wireless Center 
1-12 Springfield, MO JQH Arena 
1-17 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center 
1-18 Tulsa, OK BOK Center 
1-19 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena 
1-24 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena 
1-25 Missoula, MT Adams Event Center 
1-26 Billings, MT Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark 
2-7 Terre Haute, IN ISU Hulman Center 
2-8 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena 
2-9 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena 
2-14 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum 
2-15 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum 
2-16 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena 
2-23 Pikeville, KY Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center 
2-24 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre 
2-28 Topeka, KS Landon Arena 
3-1 Jonesboro, AR ASU Convocation Center 
3-2 Tupelo, MS BancorpSouth Arena 
Tonight at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels and Randy Owen will be honored at the 2012 Leadership Music Dale Franklin Awards for their charity work and for making a difference in people’s lives. There’s a special musical tribute as part of the evening’s fun. 
More performers have been added – surprise, surprise! – to the CMA Awards show on November first. Just announced are Eli Young Band, Brantley Gilbert, Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton. It is now officially easier to say who’s not performing than who is! 
It’ll be a while before Hunter Hayes has a new album out, but he’s working on it. Meanwhile, to tide fans over, he’s released a live EP – it’s on iTunes for $3.99. 
Congrats to Carrie Underwood, who has the #1 country song this week with “Blown Away.” 
Happy birthday to Alan Jackson, who turns 54 today.

Today's Country Tidbits

Alan Jackson played Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado last week, and decided to make the show into a benefit for everyone devastated by Colorado’s massive wildfires. He offered up front row tickets at a special, premium price, with proceeds going to the Denver Foundation for use by the Colorado Wildfire Relief Fund. Within hours after being announced on local radio, thousands of dollars was raised for the effort.

Miranda Lambert is shot the video for her new song, “Fastest Girl in Town” and there’s a surprise for fans – NASCAR driver Danica Patrick is part of the video. About the song, Miranda says, “We wrote ‘Fastest Girl in Town,’ and it’s definitely got her Kentucky raw-girl spin on it, and it’s got my bullets flyin’ around, and there’s crime to it. But it’s just…it kind of makes bein’ the fastest girl in town not a skanky thing, but a glamorous thing, and that’s what I like about it.”

The new Zac Brown Band album, Uncaged, will be out July 10th and Zac is so excited about the newest member of the band: “He’s one of the finest percussionists in the world, his name is Daniel de los Reyes, and it’s a privilege to have him in our band. He’s just as good as it gets. He’s all over the record, I mean—all over it, under it, you can hear him all over it!” Daniel has played with Billy Joel and other big non-country acts and is psyched to be part of one of country’s hottest bands.

A new Taylor Swift fragrance will be out in October – Wonderstruck Enchanted. About it, Taylor says, "Wonderstruck is about that moment when you instantly feel a connection to someone, but then there's that feeling of being completely enamored – enchanted – when you know a little more about that someone and still feel that strong connection."

Justin Moore is proud to be the first artist to partner with Cabela’s, who will be the official outfitter for Justin’s tour through the end of 2013. Justin says, "The lifestyle they promote and embrace is an exact reflection of how I grew up and how I intend to raise my family."

Craig Morgan All Access Outdoors season three kicked off last night, and one of the hunting trips will be to Hawaii. According to Craig, “I had no idea. They have an over population of axis deer, they have what they call the wild goat – the Spanish goat. So there’s a lot of activity – fishing. It’s just absolutely amazing. The site seeing alone in Hawaii would have been worth the TV show.” Craig will also be part of Fox & Friends All American Summer concert series on July 13th.

Carrie Underwood’s Australian excursion included being “kissed” by a kangaroo, and covering legendary pop band INXS during her show. Here’s the video of her singing “Never Tear Us Apart”…..



Luke Bryan will be going back to Central Park in New York this month, but hopefully he’ll have a better time this year than last. Remember that broken collar bone? “You know, I fell on a skateboard last year in Central Park, now I’m performing in Central Park...it’s pretty good!” He’ll be part of the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series on July 13th.

Josh Turner is part of the PBS show, “A Capitol Fourth,” on Wednesday night. He’ll represent country music. Other stars include Matthew Broderick, Phillip Phillips and Kool & the Gang. Tom Bergeron will emcee the show.

“Wanted” by Hunter Hayes has been certified gold.

Today's Country Tidbits

Jake Owen may be learning a lot about performing by being part of the Brothers of the Sun tour, but he’s learning something else, too: diet tricks of the big stars! According to Jake, “Kenny pretty much sticks to chicken, salmon and broccoli. And I have been trying to do the same – I’ll mix in an occasional brew here and there. But he’s really good with his diet, and Tim looks amazing. His body looks like he’s 22 years old. I’m just trying to keep up with those guys.”

It’s not the 4th of July yet, but don’t tell Alan Jackson, Easton Corbin and Gloriana. They’re starting early at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, celebrating with military families there. The show’s open to the public and will include a major fireworks display.

It’s lucky 13 for Toby Keith – his I Love This Bar and Grill added a Dallas, Texas location this week. They’re not just a bar and restaurant, they also provide a concert venue as part of the package, and according to Toby, they’re a hit! “They’re really doing well! They’re going like gangbusters.” Well, yeah…have you had the French fries?

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley have become great friends, and Carrie describes Brad as being like her big brother: “Kim and his kids are just absolutely amazing, and they’ve always been super sweet to me. And it’s just nice to have people that you work with that you really enjoy, and you enjoy being around. And he and Mike [Fisher] have hung out together, and it’s just nice to have that in your life.” Right now, Carrie and Mike are in Australia, where she’s taken her Blown Away tour.

Zac Brown Band has been added to the Road to Ram Jam sweepstakes, where Ram Trucks get a year-long lease to a 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn truck. At the end of the lease, the trucks will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the military charity of the artist’s choice. Other artists include Kellie Pickler, Brantley Gilbert and Easton Corbin.

Kellie Pickler has teamed up with ConAgra foods and Feeding America this summer to provide meals for hungry kids, and she’s very passionate about the project: “This is just a really great way to spread the word and awareness and get people involved in something so important. These are kids, they can’t fend for themselves – they need us. It’s our responsibility, whether they’re our kids or not, it is still our responsibility as human beings to help these children.” Did she have cake for her birthday yesterday? Not home-made – she had to hit the road early yesterday, headed for tonight’s show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Tim McGraw is busy and in-demand – he’s reading scripts for his next movie role, though he hasn’t found it yet, and just turned down an offer to appear on Broadway. Tim says he “can read fifty scripts and not find anything.” He’s had better luck with songs – he’s chomping at the bit to get his new album out to fans.

Congrats to Kenny Chesney – “Welcome to the Fishbowl” debuted atop the country album sales chart, selling nearly 200,000 copies. It was #2 on the all-genre chart. He says he put his heart and soul into the songs: “Bein’ in that driver’s seat to, you know, try to reach inside somebody’s heart live is a great seat to be in. And to figure out which songs of these that you think is gonna do it the most is a balancing act when you’re recording your record and when you’re done with it.”

Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton likes to surprise people, and he’s using his latest video to do just that. The video is for the song, “Over,” which uses fire as an analogy. But in the video, Blake and director Roman White decided to be a bit more literal: “There’s a house that burns down and all this stuff. You’re like, ‘Man I think he really just kind of meant that like not literally.’ But screw it lets burn some stuff down and look cool walking around the desert and stuff.” Yeah – not surprised by that, are you?

Eric Church is basking in the glow of his second #1 song with “Springsteen.” He was inspired by his own life – a date at a Springsteen concert when he was 16: “I still remember what the weather was like; I can still remember what the air smelled like, what the sky looked like. And I think the great thing about that song – you always try to write music and record music that sparks a memory, and there’s a line in the song – ‘Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.’ That’s exactly what ‘Springsteen’ is for me, and I hope that that’s what it’s for for everybody out there.” Eric’s first #1 song came in January of this year – “Drink in My Hand.”

Jason Aldean is getting a bit of a reputation on Twitter. Like Blake Shelton, he doesn’t take any guff from anyone, and he proved it Monday night when he had to defend his tweets about being fined for swimming in double-red-flag surf. Some fans also give him grief about what they think is “rap” in his music, and Jason takes it to them on Twitter: “I got on there and said, ‘Hey if you don’t like what I’m doing, turn the station. Ya know? It’s that easy.’ Anyway it was that quick. It was me reading a bunch of these comments, sitting on my bus bored and so I just decided to fire back – which I never do.” Uh…yeah, right!

Josh Turner is out with a new album. “Punching Bag” is the album title, and the title track is one that Josh feels very strongly about: “I wanted it to speak to those people who have those days where everything goes wrong and everything blows up in their face and nothing goes right, and your stress level is way up. And you just don’t feel like anybody’s there to help you. This song is for those people.” The album’s first single, “Time is Love,” is doing well on the charts as Josh gets ready to be part of the nation’s official 4th of July celebration in Washington, DC.

Jake Owen is joining Colt Ford on the song “Back” from Colt’s upcoming “Declaration of Independence” album. According to Colt, “Jake captured the emotion in this song.”

Taylor Swift was honored by Northwest Tennessee Disaster Services. They named her the 2012 Honorary Star of Compassion Award for her “uplifting works and music of encouragement.”

Congratulations to Alan Jackson, whose “Thirty Miles West” debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart this week.

Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney and his long-time record label, Sony, have come to an agreement that keeps that relationship going. Not only will they stay together, Kenny gets his own imprint – Blue Chair Records. According to Kenny, "I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, so to have my own label imprint feels like beyond a dream come true."

Tim McGraw has a new record label – Big Machine Music – and will be releasing a new album soon. Meanwhile, he gets to try out the songs that might be on the album on the Brothers of the Sun tour audiences. “That’s one of the highlights of me doing any tour is going out and playing new music. And I look forward to that every single night, I mean—I almost want to run to the new songs when I’m onstage!” Just how big is the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw entourage? Check it out - 283 crew members, 20 buses, and 80 tractor-trailers are needed to carry it all around, set it up and tear it down. The vehicles will travel about 20,000 miles by the time the tour ends at the end of summer.

Dierks Bentley says that his dad was the man who taught him about country music: “My dad's my biggest influence in country music, because my dad loved country radio, so we always drove around listening to country radio – George Strait and Hank Williams and Randy Travis and all those guys. So, without him, I wouldn't be doing this, for sure.”

Today in Nashville, Jake Owen, Vince Gill, Florida Georgia Line and stellar songwriter Dallas Davidson will sing their hearts out at the 8th annual Stars for Second Harvest benefit concert at the Ryman. Road trip alert – you can probably still get there in time!

Have you paid attention to the lyrics of Chris Young’s song, “Neon?” You should – Chris explains: “The rhymes in that are so smart, and I had nothing to do with writing that song, so I can totally say that. I love the way they wrote this song. It’s like just when you think they painted themselves into a corner where there’s not a good rhyme they find out a way either around it or a really, really funny one.” Tolerate the commercial and check out the video…



Alan Jackson’s “Thirty Miles West” is out today, and he’s quick to explain the slightly strange title: “Where I grew up was on Highway 34 there outside of Newnan, Georgia and it wasn’t actually the official Dixie Highway. That’s where we came up with thirty miles...I think I’m thirty miles west of the official highway that runs through Georgia that’s called the Dixie Highway, so that’s just kind of the title that came from looking at the map and figuring out where the Dixie Highway was and all that kind of stuff.” Celebrating the album’s release, he’s on the Today show and the Late Show with David Letterman today.

Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” is the #1 country song this week.

Today's Country Tidbits

Keith Urban’s song, “For You,” is soaring up the charts. It’s from the movie “Act of Valor,
and Keith says that meeting the service men and women who were part of the movie blew him away: “Lieutenant Roarke who was the lead guy in the film, when he was interviewed, he was talking about all the funerals that he’d been to and he says there isn’t really any of us there that isn’t just a little bit jealous of the guy who has died. I mean, I heard that and just went OK, that’s a particular way of being that I cannot relate to. I mean, that is unbelievable depth of commitment and conviction.” Meanwhile, Keith’s donated a guitar to the Fourth Annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction happening next Thursday in Nashville. The money raised by auctioning off a lot of stars’ guitars will benefit the Opry Trust Fund. Also donating guitars are Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Hunter Hayes, Merle Haggard, Casey James, Loretta Lynn, The Band Perry, Kellie Pickler, and Rascal Flatts. Well, no – Rascal Flatts donated a banjo in honor of their latest hit song.

Speaking of the song “Banjo,” Gary LeVox remembers the first time he heard the song: “Neil [Thrasher] and Wendell [Mobley] were actually at my ranch writing – the three of us were writing ‘Changed.’ Wendell just happened to get the rough copy of ‘Banjo,’ and was playing it for Neil to go, ‘Oh here’s the song they demoed for us.’ I heard it and I was like, ‘What is that?’ He was like, ‘Just some song,’ and Neil’s like, ‘Yeah I like it, it sounds good.’ I was like, ‘You gotta play it again!’” Hot on the heels of that song’s success, Rascal Flatts has released “Come Wake Me Up.” Prediction – number 1 on the country charts by the 4th of July!

What was Kenny Chesney up to while gearing up for the Brothers of the Sun tour this weekend? He was in the Bahamas – working! Not a tough job, though – he played a benefit concert at the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament. Proceeds are earmarked for Plan!t Now, an organization that provides scholarships to students affected by severe weather.

Alan Jackson’s 14th studio album is due out Tuesday, and the first single from it is drawing huge praise. “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” is being compared to “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” though Alan Jackson is a bit uncomfortable with the comparison, saying, “I wouldn’t want to put myself in that category with George Jones, but it is a great song.” Alan can say that, as he didn’t write it. He did write a song about wife Denise’s battle with cancer. “When I Saw You Leaving” is a song that “just came out,” according to Alan. Zac Brown shows up on the song, “Dixie Highway.” June 5th is the day we all get to hear the whole thing.

Darius Rucker gets to spend his summer as part of the 2012 Jim Beam Live Music Series. He’ll headline a Dallas House of Blues show on June 24th. As you might guess because Jim Beam is the sponsor, concert-goers must be 21 or older.

Kellie Pickler is on her 5th USO tour in the Middle East this week.

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.”

Today's Country Tidbits

Jake Owen is a married man. He and his new bride, Lacey, were wed in Vero Beach, Florida, barefoot in the sand by the ocean. Jake’s uncle officiated over the sunrise ceremony yesterday morning, and the happy couple will honeymoon before Jake hits the road on the Brothers of the Sun tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw next month.

Jason Aldean is enjoying touring with Luke Bryan, and has noticed that Luke’s adding some moves to his set: “He’s becoming a bit of a dancer lately. I think he’s started to realize that if he gets up there and swivels his hips around or whatever, you know, all the girls start screamin’ and so...he’s kind of incorporated that into his show! But, he’s awesome man...he’s one of my favorite people to be around and he and I are really good friends.” The “My Kinda Party” tour continues in Illinois and Indiana this week.

Toby Keith is prepping his “Live in Overdrive” tour, kicking off June 14th. He’ll take along Brantley Gilbert and will have more video & more pyrotechnics this time. About the extra glam, Toby says, “I’ve got the worst seat in the house ‘cause I never get to see any of it. My back’s to it...I’m out there workin’, I see the audience and it looks like it always did, so from my view...you know the old saying, if you’re not the lead horse in the wagon train, the view never changes. My view never changes, so the audience gets the bang off the video screen and the pyro and all the effects. I rarely see any of it.”

Carrie Underwood is taking her show to Australia and the United Kingdom this summer. It’s her first time headlining in either place, and she’s excited to “blow away” her fans across the ponds. The UK show on June 21st sold out in less than 90 minutes. The Australian dates aren’t on sale yet, but expect them to sell out quickly, too. By the way, Carrie’s on the cover of Glamour magazine, talking about her married life and what it was like to win American Idol.

Brad Paisley is sharing the love on his Virtual Reality World Tour, bringing along some Nashville newcomers. Kristen Kelly, Jana Kramer and Love and Theft will appear on the outdoor plaza “Escape” stage, in front of a virtual Grand Ole Opry backdrop. Nice opportunity for them all!

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton pull no punches on Twitter, making them fan favorites to follow. According to Miranda, she and Blake like having no secrets: “We are exactly who you would think we would be on and off stage. You know, there’s not really a difference. And we don’t have a lot to hide. Both of us are pretty open and honest and our fans pretty much know everything about us, and we like that about our relationship with our fans.” What do she and Blake do when not on the road? Ride four-wheelers, hunt and fish in Oklahoma.

Chris Young and his grandmother are teaming up to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Each month his Nanny is donating one of her hand-made quilts and Chris is putting it up for auction on his website. No word on how many quilts Nanny is willing to make, but as long as her fingers hold out, the auction will happen, with all of the money going to St. Jude.

Alan Jackson is on the Grand Ole Opry tonight.

The tweet of the day is from Jerrod Niemann: “Beautiful day in LA…screw this “map of the stars.” I want a map of the bars”

Jake Owen had a bit of a run-in with the law in his hometown of Vero Beach, Florida. Saturday night, after performing, he was celebrating Cinco de Mayo with some buddies and apparently the fun got out of hand. He tweeted a photo of himself and said, “I’m calling it a night. My mom cried. My dad was embarrassed. I lived out another day. Happy Cinco de Mayo!”

Brad Paisley could record anywhere he wanted to because he’s just that big a star. So where does he choose to record? In a studio he built on his own farm. He recorded “Remind Me” with Carrie Underwood there, and is working on his next album right there on the farm. According to Brad, “There’s something about this, in the place that you live, these really iconic things are happening. These people who are so cool are showing up on my farm, coming out here and putting down a piece of music that will live forever.” Check out Brad hard at work at home on this video…



Alan Jackson plays the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday night and will showcase music from his upcoming album, “Thirty Miles West.” He says fans don’t have too much to worry about – he stayed true to his style on this project: “My voice has gotten a little deeper sounding to me, I think, ‘cause I’ve gotten older. I don’t know that I’ve changed that much musically. I still have always recorded songs—I’ve tried to—that are just fun things like ‘Chattahoochee’ and then much later you have like ‘5 O’Clock Somewhere.’ And then I’ve had songs from heartache like ‘Wanted’ in my early career that are not dissimilar to this song that’s out now.” What he has out now is “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore,” and it continues to climb the charts. The new album comes out June 5th.

Jay and Allison DeMarcus are having a son, due to be born this summer, and his name will be Dylan Jay DeMarcus. According to the Rascal Flatts member, “You know I was hoping for a healthy child, whatever it was I was going to be okay with it. But, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I’m really thrilled that it’s a boy. In the back of mind I wanted one of each.” Big sister Madeline Leigh is excited about her baby brother and can’t wait for him to arrive.

Garth Brooks is doing Vegas shows at the Wynn Hotel. Shania Twain is about to start a two-year run of shows at Caesar’s Palace. Does Las Vegas have room for another country show? Apparently so – rumors are flying hot and heavy that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are in talks to perform weekend shows at a major venue in Las Vegas. Stay tuned…

Later this month, Trace Adkins will be part of a very special send-off. HonorFlight will send 33 World War II veterans on an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC for a VIP tour of our national treasures. Trace will be in Tyler, TX on May 31st to wish them well and sing the National Anthem.

Congrats to Miranda Lambert, who has the #1 country song this week with “Over You.”

The tweet of the day is from Jake Owen: “The sheriffs were doing their job and I made an immature decision to announce it to the world. This is me talkin, not some puppet reciting what he “should” say. I take full responsibility – I am truly sorry.”

Today's Country Tidbits

Carrie Underwood is getting ready to go out on her “Blown Away” tour, and she’s taking along new artist Hunter Hayes. Why? She’s blown away by him: “Hunter Hayes...I mean what a phenomenal talent – he can play – everything. He’s a prodigy. I don’t think people really quite know that about him yet, how absolutely amazing he is. Not just a singer and writer, but also as a musician.” Carrie will donate a dollar per ticket to American Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Tickets go on sale May 11th for these shows:

5/26 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
6/21 London, England
8/12 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
9/14 Manchester, New Hampshire
9/15 Bridgeport, Connecticut
9/17 Providence, Rhode Island
9/19 Worcester, Massachusetts
9/20 Reading, Pennsylvania
9/22 Louisville, Kentucky
9/23 Nashville, Tennessee
9/26 Green Bay, Wisconsin
9/27 Minneapolis, Minnesota
9/29 Fargo, North Dakota
10/1 Saskatoon, SK, Canada
10/2 Calgary, AB, Canada
10/4 Vancouver, B.C.
10/6 Seattle, Washington
10/7 Portland, Oregon
10/10 West Valley City, Utah
10/12 Reno, Nevada
10/13 Sacramento, California
10/14 San Jose, California
10/16 Los Angeles, California
10/18 Bakersfield, California
10/20 San Diego, California
10/21 Glendale, Arizona
10/24 Dallas, Texas
10/25 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
10/27 Wichita, Kansas
10/28 Springfield, Missouri
11/3 Charlotte, North Carolina
11/4 Greensboro, North Carolina
11/7 Baltimore, Maryland
11/9 Atlantic City, New Jersey
11/10 Hartford, Connecticut
11/13 University Park, Pennsylvania
11/15 Grand Rapids, Michigan
11/16 Moline, Illinois
11/20 St. Louis, Missouri
11/21 Tulsa, Oklahoma
11/24 Indianapolis, Indiana
11/25 Auburn Hills, Michigan
11/27 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
11/28 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11/30 Long Island, New York
12/1 Newark, New Jersey
12/4 Albany, New York
12/6 London, Ont.
12/8 Kanata, Ont.
12/11 Columbus, Ohio
12/12 Chicago, Illinois
12/14 Des Moines, Iowa
12/15 Kansas City, Missouri
12/18 Memphis, Tennessee
12/19 Duluth, Georgia
12/21 Orlando, Florida
12/22 Sunrise, Florida

This Tuesday night, Alan Jackson will perform on the Grand Ole Opry, and he’ll debut a few songs from his upcoming album, “Thirty Miles West.” The album will be out June 5th, and it’s his first new music from his own record label, Alan’s Country Records. Little Big Town, Thompson Square and Chris Young will be part of the Opry show that night, too.

Chris Young thought he was immune to the siren song of reality tv – until he watched an episode of “The Voice.” Then he was hooked! According to Chris, “I watched it and really loved it. I was like, ‘Man this is fun!’ It’s cool to watch and...just how they have everything set up and you know Blake’s funny as hell. So, it’s just cool to watch him get on there and be himself, ‘cause his personality is just so cool.” May 8th is the season finale of “The Voice,” and it will be star-studded. Lady Antebellum will be performing on the show, along with Hall & Oates, Justin Bieber and Flo Rida. Lady A will perform “Wanted You More” from their “Own the Night” cd.

Toby Keith is back in the States after his USO tour to the Middle East. It was his 10th time over there, and he said the shows were great and the troops were awesome.

Love country artists & their music? Want to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? There’s an auction on eBay that runs through May 7th – check it out!

If you’re looking for a special Mother’s Day card and your mom is a Taylor Swift fan, Taylor’s got the perfect card!

Roseanne Cash has written and recorded a song that will be used to promote US tourism. Check out “Land of Dreams”…
  

The tweet of the day is from Martina McBride: “I finally figured out which vegetable goes best with hummus. Pita bread.”

Today's Country Tidbits

Imagine being a married couple making a big splash at award shows - Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have some serious decorating problems since last Sunday night! “We’re really thankful, we’re humbled. We’re really excited to celebrate it together. But I think he feels the same way I do, you know? It’s like ‘thank you so much for letting us win male and female, but we are totally happy.’ And we look at our awards every day, don’t get me wrong! We have ‘em all combined on one shelf, which I guess now, we gotta get a bigger shelf!”

First it was "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," and now Jake Owen scores his second #1 song with "Alone With You." “I mean there’s been people come and go that have had number one songs, you know? But when you can back up a number one with another number one, it really is a validating feeling like you—like people are accepting what I am doing.” "Alone With You has been certified gold with 500,000 paid downloads.

Rascal Flatts is making the media rounds this week, celebrating the release of their latest album, "Changed." Jay DeMarcus says the title is very appropriate: “Anytime that you have life changing experiences, whether it’s personal or career wise, and we have had bunch of both – it affects your artistry. You can’t help but let your life experience be let out through the music, and that has certainly happened on Changed.” The trio willbe on the Ellen DeGeneres show Thursday and Good Morning America Friday.

Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood is planning his wedding to Kelli Cashiola, and plans to be part of the entertainment, too. According to Hillary Scott, the trio will crash the wedding band at some point during the night. No word on when this party will be happening.

Hot on the heels of the Lionel Richie country duets project, John Fogarty is working on one, featuring Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley. Set for release this fall, "Wrote a Song for Everyone" will include artists from both the rock and country worlds.

Miss Loretta is telling all - well, at least more than she has up til now. Loretta Lynn has released a book, "Honky Tonk Girl: My Life in Lyrics," which includes photos, song lyrics and the stories that inspired the songs. Get it at Amazon.com or a bookstore near you.

Good news for George Jones - he's out of the hospital after nearly a week of treatment for an upper respiratory infection. He'll rest at home until his next concert on April 20th in Minnesota.

Billy Currington is on Jimmy Kimmel tonight, dueting with Lionel Richie.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "I shall now begin to punish my liver by drinking my face off in a way that only @richardmarx could understand and appreciate."

Today's Country Tidbits

Reba and Blake love working together, especially on the ACM Awards Show. They’re getting ready to co-host the show again Sunday night on CBS, and Reba says Blake is a good influence on her: “For me, when I get around Blake it just seems to come out a little bit more. There’s not as many guarded gates that come up – it’s all what you see is what you get. And that’s what I’ve learned being around Blake. He is such a lovable creature – he’s adorable and everybody loves him.”

Taylor Swift is the only female nominee in the Entertainer of the Year category. She won that award last year, but knows that with Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney nominated with her, she’s not a shoe-in. Taylor’s keeping it in perspective, though: “To be recognized for that is such an amazing thing, because not only did you then get to go out and travel the world and play these giant shows, and get the love back from the fans, but then you get nominated for an award for it. It’s kind of wonderful!”

We’re hearing more about the performances we can expect Sunday night: Toby Keith will duet with a surprise guest on “Red Solo Cup,” Rascal Flatts and Steve Martin will shake up “Banjo,” and Blake Shelton, Lionel Richie, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will team up for “You Are.”

Jason Aldean is second only to Kenny Chesney in number of nominations at the ACMs. Kenny’s up for 9 awards and Jason’s up for 6. What does that feel like? “It’s a good feeling. It makes you excited, and makes you excited to want to go to the show – and look forward to it. It’s a completely different experience when you’re heading out to Vegas and you know you’re up for that many awards.”

Brad Paisley has endowed a scholarship at Belmont University. He says he wouldn’t be where he is now without Belmont, so is providing financial assistance for students in need. The Brad Paisley Endowed Scholarship offers help for students studying in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. When Brad was enrolled there, he was helped by a scholarship funded by Vince Gill.

Kenny Chesney is nearly finished with “Welcome to the Fishbowl,” his next cd. It’ll be out June 19th, and Kenny says the title came from a real-life experience at a beach bar in Florida. He was mobbed by fans wanting autographs, and when the frenzy finally settled down, a man said, “I didn’t realize your life was like this.” “Welcome to the fishbowl,” Kenny replied, and an album title was born.

Willie Nelson says he and Barbara Streisand are just looking for the right song to sing together. Will it be on his upcoming album? “Heroes” is due out May 15th, so he and Babs better get to singing!

Get well wishes to George Jones. The Possum was admitted to a Nashville hospital yesterday for an upper respiratory infection.

Alan Jackson will be on the Tonight Show tonight.

The tweet of the day is from Carrie Underwood: “Helloooooo Las Vegas! It's good to be back! Got my dresses and I'm ready to get my #ACM on!”

Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine have decided to raise money for charity in an innovative way - they've set up a curse jar on the set of "The Voice." Adam confesses to cursing a lot during taping of the show, so he set up the curse jar. Blake decided to play along, so any time either of them lets fly with a bad word, they put $100 in the jar. No word on which charity will get the windfall.

"Tuskeegee" is out today. It's the duets projet Lionel Richie has been working on for the last couple of years. He loved working with country acts, and they loved working with him. According to Blake Shelton, who sings with Lionel on "You Are," “He came over and introduced himself and thanked me 50 times for being there and I felt ridiculous, you know, with him thanking me!” About his country collaborators Lionel says, “I have never laughed that much since the days of recording with the Commodores in a recording studio. You would figure it would be a lot of pressure...not at all. I mean, Tim McGraw was hilarious, you know, along with Kenny Chesney...along with...all of them.”

Carrie Underwood's new album, "Blown Away," is out May first, and she's written or co-written half of the songs on it. Why not all of them? “My stuff is basically submitted like everybody else’s and I do my best to be objective. I mean, I’ll be the first one to listen to one of my songs and be like, ‘Nah! It’s not good. I don’t like it. Next!’ And I feel like I can be pretty hard on myself, as well as everybody else, because we just want the best stuff.”

In other Carrie news, she's performing at the Grand Ole Opry tonight. “The Opry is just a great place to go and be yourself and sing. Obviously since I have a new song, I’ll probably be doing that because it’s fun to have new material. I don’t get tired of the songs that I sing, but I just feel like I see so many familiar faces in the audience every single time and it’s really nice to have new stuff to do for them – as well as for me.”

Steel Magnolia, who broke up at the end of last year, are officially back together, at least where making music is concerned. Joshua Jones reveals, “We’ve been through a lot this year and we’re making a record right now, so we’re looking forward to the future and kind of showing a new side of us too and digging in deep on this next record.” They're up for Vocal Duo at Sunday night's ACM Awards.

Thursday night's American Idol results show will be a little bit country. Scotty McCreery will perform his new single, "Water Tower Town," and contestants will perform songs by their musical heroes. Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert are a couple of country artists who's songs could get the Idol treatment Thursday.

Martina fans, head up - she'll make an "important announcement" today.

There are two major country music charts: Billboard and Country Aircheck, and they usually agree about the #1 country song each week. Not this week. On Country Aircheck this week, Taylor Swift has the #1 country song in America with "Ours," while the Billboard chart lists Jake Owen's "Alone With You" at the top.

If you missed out on it the first time around, pick it up today - Alan Jackson has re-released "Precious Memories," a gospel album he originally produced for his mom. According to Alan, “We just had so many people still wanting it, it’s just amazing – that thing has sold and sold. I still want to do another one, my momma she’s getting pretty elderly now and doesn’t get out much, but I’d really like to do another version of that for her.” He has another album due out later this year which will include his new song, "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore" and another Zac Brown Band collaboration.

Lionel Richie and Little Big Town are on the Today show this morning. Sugarland performs twice on Dancing With the Stars tonight, and Lionel Richie and Jason Aldean visit with David Letterman.

The tweet of the day is from Joe Nichols: "A message to Tim Tebow..... The 'high road' is a lonely place..... But it's an awesome view..."

Today's Country Tidbits

A few of the ACM Awards were already announced. There are major awards that won't be televised, so the ACM lets the cat out of the bag a bit early. Vince Gill was given the Career Achievement Award, Kenny Chesney won the Crystal Milestone Award, and Alan Jackson was honored with the Jim Reeves International Award. Alan says that being true to his kind of country helped him earn the award: “I’m just lucky to still be here I think and be able to make the kind of music I like to make – still go out there and sell a few tickets and enjoy it. The music is still what I like and being able to create a song that affects people.” They'll all be feted on September 24th in Nashville at the 6th Annual ACM Honors.

Chris Young was bowled over by one of his ACM nominations. Single of the Year didn't shock him, but Male Vocalist of the Year sure did: “That one kind of surprised me. I wasn’t expecting that this year at least. You know, obviously you always hope to get nominated in all the categories, but that’s a really big one. To be nominated, to be in that category is huge.” He's up against Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney. The winner will be announced April first on CBS.

Carrie Underwood has discovered Twitter. Thanks to hubby Mike Fisher, who long ago realized it was a great way to connect with his fans, Carrie is now a convert, with over 140,000 followers already. She explains, “I’ve always I guess been intrigued by it but I’ve always been scared of it as well. I think it’s important that I – I don’t know you see people get themselves in trouble so. We definitely use it as a tool to let people be able to know what I’m up to.” Find her @carrieunderwood

Neal McCoy's new album, Twelve, is in stores. It was produced by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, but Neal says it was an uphill battle to get Blake to take on the project. According to Neal, “He cussed me out a couple of times on text when I asked him, ‘would you be interested in producing an album on me?’ Well, he just texted me back a bunch of cuss words. So I texted him back, and he texted me back a bunch of cuss words. So I finally called him and said, ‘I don’t know what kind of answer this is you’re giving me.’ And then he said, ‘You’re not serious…’ And I said, ‘No, I’m serious!’”

If you run into Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, don't ask them about their "bromance." Adam says he'd like to kill that term, and Blake jokes that he'd like to make out with Adam. It's no secret that all of The Voice coaches enjoy each other's company, hanging out in each other's LA houses when filming of the show ends each day.

BamaJam is getting bigger. Already announced are Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson and Kid Rock. Added to that list are Willie Nelson, Uncle Kracker and Needtobreathe, the group that opened for Taylor Swift last year. BamaJam 2012 is June 14-16 in Enterprise, Alabama, and tickets are available now.

Don Williams is readying a new album, the first new one in eight years. He's lined up some heavy hitters to help him on the project: Keith Urban, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss will pitch in on "And So It Goes" which will be out this summer.

Luke Bryan's "Tailgates and Tanlines" is back on top of the charts, due in part to his new single, "Drunk on You." About the song, Luke says, “It’s a deeper deal too than just a party. I mean, I think what’s important to be able to do those fun songs but then to hit fans with a big thought song that really gets ‘em.”

Road trip alert - Collin Raye is shooting a live concert DVD this Saturday night at the Marina Civic Center in Panama City, Florida.

One of Miranda Lambert's critters has gone missing from Miranda's Oklahoma property. Her name is Virginia, and Miranda says she misses her a lot. There's a reward for her return.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "Goodnight from me and the 3 dogs in my bed. And no, Blake isn't one of em. :)"

Today's Country Tidbits

Trace Adkins spent some time under anesthesia yesterday, having kidney stones pulverized. According to an afternoon tweet, Trace said "In recovery. They said that I required an unusually large stint and that it is freakishly long. Thank you Lord!"

Alan Jackson broke the all-time attendance record at the San Antonio Rodeo last week, playing to 17,000 fans. Alan understands that his fans are extra-special: “You just can’t say enough about country music fans. At least mine, for anyway I’ve had fans who have to have a walker to get to the show and some who have to have their momma carry them there. I’ve got this wide range of fans and they’ll be doctors and farmers, you know, it’s just amazing.”

Oh, to be in Texas when the stars go black. In Austin on April 20th, Nashville stars converge for "We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash." Kenny Chesney, Ronnie Dunn, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Shooter Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Amy Lee and Chris Cornell will honor the man in black in the Austin City Limits theatre. The show is a celebration of what would have been Johnny Cash's 80th birthday.

This week in Kentucky, Miranda Lambert was joined on stage by her friends from Pistol Annies, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe. They ripped into Hell on Heels, and the audience was right there with them, word for word.

Jake Owen says fans are really reacting to his new song, "Alone With You." “It’s this song that’s got this passion to it of uh, don’t put your lips up to my lips and tell me you can’t stay and, and don’t tease me, like don’t mess with my mind. I’ve had girls, girls totally try to pull that on me before.” He's in the hot seat tomorrow, for sure, as he visits the Chelsea Lately show.

Craig Morgan's new album, "This Ole Boy," is out this week. It's a different kind of title - what does it mean to Craig? “I felt like that title, ‘This Ole Boy,’ encompasses who I am and who we are as a people...country people. I tell people, you know, I’m not a redneck, I’m not a hillbilly, I’m not a cowboy. Sometimes, those titles can come with a negative feel. ‘This Ole Boy’ don’t. It feels good.”

Little Big Town will host a Livestream chat at 6:45 Eastern this evening, talking with fans about anything and everything. When the chat is over, the work begins: LBT is in the studio, recording their next album and fans can stay on the stream and see how it's done.

Taylor Swift - hip-hop? Sounds like she and hip-hop artist B.o.B. are collaborating on a song on his next album. No one will confirm or deny the rumors, but they're pretty persistent. The album is due out in May, so we'll know for sure before then.

It's a boy for Jay and Alison DeMarcus, who are expecing their second child in early August. According to Daddy Jay, "Whew!!! Gonna have a house full!"

Shania Twain swung by the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to see where she and her band would be hanging out for a couple of years. Starting this December, she's got a two-year run in the main theatre at Caesars and she wanted to check out the sound system and the dressing rooms. According to someone on her staff, she's delighted with the digs for the "Shania: Still the One" show.

If you're a David Nail fan and could use a little R & R, head to Florida - he plays Davie tomorrow night, Bradenton Friday and Ft. Walton Beach on Saturday.

The tweet of the day is a series of tweets from Brad Paisley, who was suggesting bad ideas for sequel songs: "Where the streets have new names." "Hot for Professor." "Captive Bird." "Extended-stay Hotel California."

Today's Country Tidbits

CMT staged a brand-new award show last night - The Teddys. The categories are a bit different, since these are awards for music videos, not the music itself. Miranda Lambert won for Best Break-Up Video with "Kerosene," and thinks it's a fitting win for her, saying, “I’m not a love song person. I always have one or two but you know because I am in love and I have been in love whether you know, whether my heart is broken at the time or not, um, I lean more towards the sad song and the cheating song and the revenge songs.” Here's the list of winners:

Best Kiss in a Video - Chris Young – “Tomorrow”

Best Cheating Video - Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”

Steamiest Video - Rascal Flatts – “I Melt”

Best Use of Lingerie - Carrie Underwood – “Cowboy Casanova”

Best Breakup Video - Miranda Lambert – “Kerosene”

Best Flirting Video - Lauren Alaina – “Georgia Peaches” and Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee” (tie)

Sweetest Video - Keith Urban – “Without You”

Tightest Jeans in a Video - Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”

Alan Jackson's latest single, "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore," is out on iTunes this week, and he's so proud of it: “The record just came out beautiful and everybody that heard it, first thing they said was ‘Man, that thing gave me goose bumps on my arms’ and it’s just a great song, great melody. You know I’m a song writer and I appreciate songs and so I definitely appreciate this song.”

The Eli Young Band is headed to Canada with Dierks Bentley and couldn't make it home to Nashville to be with their wives for Valentine's Day. According to Chris and Mike, it's not a big deal, though. “[Chris] We married women who, who have been around us for quiet awhile and who really understand what we do and everything we do was really nothing new to them when they said yes. [Mike] They have to be extremely understanding ladies to be able to be with us in the first place with how much we travel.”

Another country artist is suing his record label. Kenny Rogers is suing Capitol Records, saying they “deliberately misled Rogers and other artists about payments owed to them for online music sales.” Kenny says he's owed more than $400,000 by Capitol for digital sales of his music.

In true Judd style, Wynonna is planning a "barefoot and just fun" wedding. She say's it'll be in the fall, because that's "not a sweaty time for brides," and will take place on her farm. Wynonna and Cactus Moser got engaged Christmas Eve.

Spring break with Luke Bryan? Sure - why not! For the 4th year in a row, Luke will play shows in the panhandle of Florida during spring break, plus release a Spring Break EP. The shows are March 13th and 14th, and the album is Spring Break 4 - Suntan City, due out March 6th.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "Still awake. Listening to music. Hey @Jason_Aldean.... Fly Over States makes my heart swell. Thanks:)"

Today's Country Tidbits

The trial is over, and Garth Brooks won. A jury of his peers ruled that Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon, Oklahoma misled Garth, making him believe that they would build a women's health center and name it for his late mom, Colleen Brooks. Garth donated half a million dollars in 2005, and the hospital has to return that money, plus another half million for breach of contract.

Charles Kelley was first, then Hillary Scott, and soon Dave Haywood will tie the knot with his girlfriend, meaning all of the members of Lady Antebellum will be married. Because they're all three planners, they've been discussing what will happen when couples become triples: “[Charles] It’s nice to kind of, all kind of be going through the same things and, you know, we’re gonna figure out, probably the next step when kids come what that’s gonna be. Maybe we stick ‘em in the bottom bays of the bus, you know, so you can hear when they cry. [Hillary] Make a really wicked nursery under there. [Charles] Yeah. [Hillary] No, we’re just kidding.” Their tour buses roll Friday, when their tour starts up again in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Keith Urban is getting ready to resume his life as a singer after vocal fold surgery in November. His latest song, "You Gonna Fly," is racing up the charts, but has people scratching their heads - what's the deal with the whistle? “I remember on one of the Guns ‘N Roses records, I think it was ‘Welcome To The Jungle,’ maybe before they went into one of the crazy sections you hear this whistle and I always thought that was such a quirky, cool thing to do. And so, I went out and bought a whistle! And put it on this song!”

Alan Jackson has this career thing all figured out: “I’ve always just tried to remember what it’s like to be a fan, and try to figure out songs that they might like more than songs that would be nominated for a Grammy or something, cause I think that’s what will make your career last a little bit longer is making music for the real people.” He's nearly done with his next album of fan favorites, but has caused a stir with his mustache-less look...

Billy Currington released his first solo music in 2003, but really hit country fan consciousness in Shania Twain's song and video, "Party for Two," in 2004. Finally, all these years later, he's about to embark on his first headlining tour, and he takes stage performing very seriously: “Always, before I walk on stage, I talk to the band. Is there anything I can do better? Or is the set list going good for everybody? ‘Cause, you know, that’s a lot of people there. They’re either gonna walk away saying you were great or you sucked.” On the tour with him are David Nail and Kip Moore. Details and tour stops will be announced soon.

Lionel Ritchie's country duets cd, "Tuskeegee," will finally be released on March 27th. It features duets with Willie Nelson, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain.

Well, The Hag tried to get away from the Macon hospital where he spent much of last week, but on the ride home to California, realized he wasn't up to the trip, turned around and headed back. He's again hospitalized in Macon, where he's getting a more aggressive treatment for his pneumonia, plus they're working on a plan to treat the stomach ulcers, esophageal diverticulitis and colon polyps they've also found. His concert calender has now been cleared through February 28th, when he's scheduled to be in Tuscon, Arizona. Merle Haggard had part of a lung removed several years ago while fighting lung cancer.

Kellie Pickler is on Good Morning America this morning.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "Back to work tomorrow. Well today I guess. Thanks u all for being amazing this past week. Bringin' mama with me to rock this weekend:)"

Today's Country Tidbits

Zac Brown Band get back out tonight after their holiday break, and Zac is excited by what he has planned for fans this year: “We’ve got a great year coming up for touring. There’s a lot of big milestones we met this last year with a lot of collaborations that we’ve gotten to do and this year there’s a whole new slate—so there will be new collaborations in our live show playing this new record. You know we’re gonna start playing this new record out live and getting it dialed in.”

Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan hit the road tonight, too, and Luke is happy with where his career is now. “I am so excited that 95% of my show will be hits that I’ve done, and I don’t have to throw some cheesy cover that I’ve been doing for ten years in the set, I can go out there and hit ‘em with my music.”

Rascal Flatts' seventh studio album has a drop date - April third. The cd is called "Changed" and their first single, "Banjo," is roaring up the charts. Since their debut in 2000, the guys have sold over 46 million units and had 13 #1 songs.

Taylor Swift will be at the Sundance Film Festival today, but in her mind, there'll be a bigger star there - 83-year-old Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy. Taylor is attending the screening of the HBO documentary, Ethel. She spent an afternoon with the mother of 11 and came away star-struck.

Jerrod Niemann's song "Lover Lover" was certified platinum for over a million downloads. How did he feel about that? “To have a Platinum single is mind blowing, because you do realize that you’re just the vehicle for the song, and that that many people, you know, have thought, ‘Man, I care about this enough to own it.’”

Looking for a sweet little Florida retreat? Alan Jackson is selling his Jupiter Island home for only $14.9 million. It's 8700 square feet, and the Jacksons have had it for over 10 years. If you'd like to take a virtual tour, here you go. Plan to spend some time - there are 190 images!

Nashville is about to get a new theme park, courtesy of Dolly Parton. She's teaming up with Gaylord Entertainment to produce a park with a split personality - a water park in the warm months and a snow park in the colder months. It's the first park in the country to sport a split personality, depending on the season. The announcement came on Dolly's 66th birthday and the park is due to open in the summer of 2014.

Happy birthday to John Michael Montgomery, who is 47 today, and to Teddy Gentry of Alabama, who turns 60 on Sunday.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "There's one thing I've learned this week... The only thing that's stronger than a broken heart is opening your heart. I love you dad..."

Today's Country Tidbits

With Christmas only three days away, some country artists are reminiscing about their childhood holidays. Keith Urban's Christmas in Queensland, Australia came with sunscreen: “The four of us, my brother, and me, and mom and dad, would all go the beach and [there would] be families everywhere. And, we’d take lunch with us, and a lot of the times we’d take all our presents with us, and we’d open them up, either on the beach or the backseat of the car, you know...usually in the car because we couldn’t wait ‘til we got to the beach. That’s most of my fond memories of Christmas.” Carrie Underwood's presents may have been wrapped, but she was never surprised at what was inside: “One thing you learn in my family is that my mother is a blabbermouth, and ever since I was little I have known ever single Christmas present I have ever gotten…ever. I’m not one for surprises! [Laughs] And yeah, I’ve always known my presents before Christmas.” And Alan Jackson makes Christmas for his daughters very much like the Christmases he had growing up: “We always try to remember Jesus’ birthday and just the whole thing! And, [we] just have a wonderful big meal, almost like Thanksgiving four weeks later. We have the same, pretty much, turkey, dressing...all the same kinds of things. Sometimes we have family members in Tennessee and sometimes just us or friends, and we always go home to Georgia prior to that. So, you know, pretty standard, lovely Christmas.”

Josh Gracin had a rough day yesterday. His car was broken into in his driveway in the middle of the afternoon. The crook or crooks got away with his laptop, and police told Josh that two houses on his street were broken into and all the Christmas presents were stolen. Someone's getting coal in their stocking!

Blake Shelton will be part of NBC's "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly." About Blake, Carson quipped, “First thing about Blake Shelton, if you don’t know him, to see him is very intimidating, because he is nine-foot, two. And, he’s a real smart ass! I mean, he really is a smart ass! So, he makes for a great TV personality.”

Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker will be part of Super Bowl week January 27th through February 5th. They'll perform on the Verizon Stage in downtown Indianapolis. The schedule will be announced in January.

Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift have landed on Forbes magazine's “30 Under 30: The Youngest Stars in The Music Business.” Taylor made the list because she raked in $45 million over the past year, and Hillary's on the list because her songwriting and singing helped Lady A win 5 Grammy awards in 2011.

Congratulations to George Jones and Glen Campbell, who will be honored by the Recording Academy as two of the seven Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients. The ceremony will be on February 11th, and the Allman Brothers Band, Antonio Carlos Jorbin, the Memphis Horns, Diana Ross and Gil Scott-Heron are the other honorees.

Taylor Swift's "Jump Then Fall" has been certified gold.

Lady Antebellum is on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Glen Campbell is on Conan O'Brien, Frankie Ballard is on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and Craig Campbell will sing the National Anthem before the MAACO Bowl festivities. The game is between Boise State and Arizona State.

The tweet of the day is from Clay Walker: "Worked cutting horses the last three days and trail rode them afterwards. Sore legs never felt so good!"