Kimberly Perry co-hosted the “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” with Luke Bryan last night, and she had a blast. She enlisted her brothers in The Band Perry to help her prepare for her hosting duties: “Oh goodness, for me, I didn’t know what a co-host was supposed to do. You see the pro’s like Carrie and Brad on the CMA Awards, and it’s like well, ‘You have some big shoes to fill.’ I actually practiced for my interviews because I had never done an interview before. You guys have a really tough job! Reid, Neil and I, they played Brad 1 and Brad 2 in the bus before I went out and did that and kind of threw me some curve balls. That’s what I did to prepare.”

Tim McGraw understands the power of a song, and also that artists have to dish up different types of songs in order to stay relevant to their fans. What’s his secret? “The key is finding good ones. There’s always a place for ones that don’t say a whole lot that are just fun, too. I mean I’ve had a few of those and I have no problem with those. It’s like, I go to the movie, I like to have some chocolate covered peanuts, you know, but I also like a heavy movie. And there’s places for all of it.” His latest song, “Truck Yeah,” falls into the “chocolate covered peanuts” category – here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video…



Yes, that was Charlie Daniels being featured last night on Monday Night Football on ESPN. It’s not the first time he’s done that gig – every week during the 2006 football season, Charlie was part of an all-star band that opened the show.
All the Pistol Annies are now off the market. Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have been married a couple of years, Angaleena Presley married Jordan Powell in May and now Ashley Monroe is engaged to Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks. Here’s the photo she tweeted to announce the news… 

 

The ACM Honors stage just got hotter. Dierks Bentley is hosting the show, and Randy Houser, Luke Bryan, Jana Kramer, Kellie Pickler, Ashley Monroe, Rodney Crowell and Daily & Vincent will all be part of the entertainment next Monday night at the Ryman. The evening celebrates the winners of ACM awards given out before the televised portion of the show, as well as special honorees.

Lee Brice’s song, “Hard to Love,” has been certified gold for half a million copies sold. What’s the song about? Lee explains, “It’s a song about me. It’s a song about a lot of guys. So it’s a country strong and it’s really about every man in the world – not just country music men.”

Easton Corbin’s new album, “All Over The Road,” is out today, and he says the two years he spent living life have helped his sophomore project: “The more you grow, the older you get and obviously the more experiences you go through in life. I think it opens up some stuff, maybe some new territory to cover on a record, ya know.”

Dwight Yoakam is out with his first new music in seven years – “3 Pears” is out today, and Dwight produced the project. Why did a new album take so long? “I was continuing to hopefully evolve as a producer and learn. You know, you only have yourself to blame for whatever works or whatever doesn’t.”

Today's Country Tidbits

The second annual American Country Awards nominees were announced yesterday. Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band have eight nominations each, Thompson Square has seven and The Band Perry and Taylor Swift each have six. The awards will be handed out December 5th, and the show will air live from Las Vegas on FOX. Fans can vote for their favorites now, with voting ending for all categories except Artist of the Year, ending on November 11th. Fans have until December 2nd to vote for Artist of the Year. Here's the list of nominees:

Artist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Lady Antebellum

Taylor Swift

Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Male

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

Artist of the Year: Female

Sara Evans

Alison Krauss

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Duo or Group

The Band Perry

Lady Antebellum

Rascal Flatts

Sugarland

Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist

Eric Church

Eli Young Band

Justin Moore

Jake Owen

Chris Young

Artist of the Year: New Artist

The Band Perry

Scotty McCreery

Jerrod Niemann

Pistol Annies

Thompson Square

Album of the Year

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Kenny Chesney, “Hemingway’s Whiskey”

Brad Paisley, “This Is Country Music”

Taylor Swift, “Speak Now”

Keith Urban, “Get Closer”

Zac Brown Band, “You Get What You Give”

Single of the Year

Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”

Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Chris Young, “Voices”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Single of the Year: Male

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”

Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”

Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”

Chris Young, “Voices”

Single of the Year: Female

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”

Reba, “Turn On The Radio”

Taylor Swift, “Mean”

Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Single of the Year: Duo or Group

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait”

Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

Single of the Year: New Artist

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Craig Campbell, “Family Man”

The JaneDear Girls, “Wildflower”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”

Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”

Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Touring Headline Act of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Toby Keith

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

George Strait

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Keith Urban

Music Video of the Year

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Music Video: Male

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”

Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Keith Urban, “Put You In A Song”

Music Video: Female

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Reba, “Turn On The Radio”

Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”

Taylor Swift, “Back To December”

Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Music Video: Duo, Group or Collaboration

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Lady Antebellum, “Hello World”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Music Video: New Artist

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Craig Campbell, “Family Man”

Brett Eldredge, “Raymond”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Rascal Flatts is releasing a live cd on November 8th. "The Best of Rascal Flatts Live" will include ten tracks recorded at venues all over the US. Songs include "What Hurts the Most," "Life is a Highway" and "Bob that Head." The encore includes a cover of Edgar Winter's "Free Ride."

Taylor Swift wants to help struggling libraries and also to encourage kids to read, so she donated 6,000 books to the library system in Reading, Pennsylvania, a struggling little city about 50 miles outside of Philadelphia. Taylor didn't personally make the donation, but everyone will know when they check out one of the books she donated - they're marked with a white star on the spine and a sticker inside.

Don't know when she finds time to do it, but Taylor Swift has recorded 25 songs for her next album. Will it be a double-disc? No word on how many of those songs will make the cut, or when the project will be released. It'll probably be at least a year.

Taylor was on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday morning, and a 14-year-old version of her was featured in the segment. Enjoy!

Sad news in the Charlie Daniels Band - longtime member, musician and songwriter, Joel "Taz" DiGregorio was killed in a single-car crash outside of Nashville while on the way to a show in Georgia. Taz played keyboards and sang harmonies for over 40 years and was co-writer with Charlie Daniels on some of their biggest hits, including "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Concerts yesterday and tomorrow night have been canceled. Taz was 67.

Dierks Bentley's 6th Annual Miles & Music for Kids event hits Nashville this weekend, and Dierks might need to do a little shopping before the ride. “I have like, the ‘I’m too cool for a helmet’ helmet, like the kinda like fake helmet thing, you know? But, I think I’m gonna invest in the like the real, real deal, get the face…maybe not the face mask but just a little bit more protection.” The ride starts in Columbia, Tennessee tomorrow and ends with a concert featuring Dierks, Colt Ford, Josh Thompson and the Eli Young Band. Dierks has raised over a million and a half dollars for children's hospitals around the country with these day-long events.

Martina McBride is on Good Morning America this morning. Sara Evans sings the National Anthem at tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on ABC.

The tweet of the day is from Colt Ford: "Waffle House in Ala lord have mercy this Patty Melt is not Fat Free I don't think. Oh well don't wanna hurt cooks feelings so I will eat it!"

Today's Country Tidbits

People are buzzing about the Brad Paisley/Carrie Underwood video for "Remind Me." It's a hot video in more ways than one, and Carrie wanted to be very careful about the treatment for the song, saying, “We had to go very delicate in how we did it because, obviously, we’re both separately married to other people, and it would be weird with our friendship. Like being in this love-y, smushy, gushy, story.” Extra went behind the scenes of the filming, and you can see it here.

In August, tons of country artists will band together to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh. Jason Aldean, Kix Brooks, Jason Michael Carroll, Terri Clark, Ronnie Dunn, SAra Evans, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Steel Magnolia, Jewel, Whitney Duncan and Edens Edge will all support the Month of Giving.

Jerrod Niemann is on tour with Brad Paisley, a well-known prankster. Jerrod's trying hard to avoid the dreaded on-stage pranking, and has developed what he hopes is a fool-proof plan. He changes his set list every night, and according to Jerrod, “Part of it’s just to keep it fresh but, really, the main reason I change my set list every night is just in case Brad decides to prank me, and he says, ‘Hey, after this song is when we’re going to go out.’ There’s no telling if I’ll even play that song. So, it’s kind of a defense mechanism as well.”

The 10th annual Charlie Daniels Band & Friends benefit concert for Christmas 4 Kids will happen November 21 at the Ryman Auditoum. Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown will be part of the show.

Congrats to Randy Houser, who got engaged over the weekend. He and Jessa Lee Yantz, a singer-songwriter, will tie the knot in the Dominican Republic. According to Randy, "I finally found the person that I can’t be without. Jessa makes me a better person every day, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her.”

Miranda Lambert is busy building a music empire - too busy, it seems, to pursue a different dream. She's a huge fan of the show "Law and Order: SUV" and would love to make a guest appearance someday. But not today. According to Miranda, “I have a real strong drive to build an empire. That’s what I’m trying to do, so, to build an empire you don’t take off work.” Her girl-group debut cd, Pistol Annies' "Hell on Heels," is out August 23rd and Miranda's 4th studio album, "Four the Record," drops on November first.

According to the LA Times, Blake Shelton being compared to George Clooney is "not an entirely irresponsible comparison." I hope they mean that in a good way!

Loretta Lynn was well enough to return to the concert stage this weekend, gracing the Grand Ole Opry with her presence Saturday night.

Today is the one-year anniversary of Jimmy Wayne's "Meet Me Halfway" walk across America. He arrived at HomeBase Youth Services in Phoenix, Arizona, walking the last few miles on a broken foot.

The tweet of the day is from Justin Moore: "Had a blast at the brickyard today. Got to present Paul Menard with the trophy in victory lane alongside Reba. Be jealous!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Toby Keith's week went from Dancing to Dahaneh. He left the stage of Dancing With the Stars, hopped a jet and landed in the middle east, where he's on his ninth USO tour. When Toby says he's going "Somewhere Else" he means it!

Congratulations to Chris Young, who has topped all the competition and won Country Weekly's Hottest Bachelor competition. It's the second time in three years that the 25 year old has earned the reader-voted honor. “What can I say, country fans are the best!” Chris gushed. “It’s thrilling to get any type of recognition and this one is even more fun since it comes directly from the fans. And thank you Country Weekly readers!” The entire list is in the May 2 issue of the magazine, on newsstands now.

Do you like Little Big Town? Then go "like" their special Facebook page and you'll be helping kids get music lessons. For every person who "likes" the page, Little Big Town and Country Financial will donate to Drive 4 the Music, a program dedicated to music education for children. They've already delivered 2,000 music lessons to Nashville youth.

And speaking of Little Big Town, they've given a distinctive spin to Lady Gaga's song "Born This Way."

And perhaps inspired by their tour of Australia with Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum has covered Men At Work's "Land Down Under." By the way, their "Need You Now" album has just gone platinum in both Australia and New Zealand.

Last Friday, Charlie Daniels put a song on his website. The response has been so overwhelming that it's now available on iTunes, Amazon.com and Rhapsody.com. It's called "Let 'Em Win or Bring 'Em Home," and is a pointed, poignant song that's vintage Charlie Daniels.

Joey+Rory fans, here's your early warning - the 3rd Annual Bib and Buckle Fest will happen on

Saturday, June 4th at their farmhouse in Pottsville, Tennessee. The fun starts with a 5-mile canoe float down the Duck River, and if you need to rent a canoe, hurry, because there aren't a lot for rent. Food, games and live music fill out the day from 1pm until 8pm. "Each year we put on the festival, it grows and becomes even more fun than the last," said Joey. Rory adds, "we travel, play shows and meet fans all year long in their communities around the country. This is a chance for fans to come and be a part of ours." Take your lawn chairs, sunscreen and a big ol' grin. Tickets are available to purchase now, and if it's not sold out, you can also buy them at the gate the day of the festival.

Next Tuesday, "The Voice" debuts on NBC, featuring Blake Shelton as one of the coaches searching for America's next big singing star. Blake and the other coaches, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine, will also be performing on the show. Here's a sneak-peek at their work-up of Gnarls Barkley's hit, "Crazy."

Rumors are swirling that this is the weekend for LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian to tie the knot. They had been looking to rent a secluded ranch in the wild, wild west, but the rumors place the wedding in or near Los Angeles. Fill you in on Monday!

Don't forget to set your DVRs for the "Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country" special tonight at 9 Eastern on CBS. And Sunday night, John Rich continues on "Celebrity Apprentice," "The Judds" continues on OWN and GAC airs "Backstory: LeAnn Rimes."

Happy birthday to Glen Campbell, who turns 75 today.

The tweet of the day is from Big Kenny of Big & Rich: "Who's getting ready to paint some Easter Eggs ? ....Meeeee, ...gonna paint Camo!"

Today's Country Tidbits

If you love country music, love second-hand shopping and would love to own things previously worn and used by some of your favorite country stars, you're in luck: there's a shop about to open in Nashville that you need to know about. Estrella Celebrity Consignment is intended as a celebrity boutique, where clothing worn by artists like Miranda Lambert, Alison Krauss and Rascal Flatts will be available for purchase. Even better, all of the proceeds will benefit Noah's Ark Society, a non-profit animal rescue group. The store will open sometime this spring.

There's the pitter-patter of little feet in Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher's life. Four of them, as a matter of fact. No, not twins, a new Dachshund mix puppy named Penny.

Garth Brooks is helping Middle Tennessee again. Go online to purchase merchandise fro Garth's string of flood relief shows, called "Rescue Party," and all of the proceeds will to towards cleaning up and rebuilding flood-damaged areas.

In Georgia, a storm has cancelled the inauguration celebration for the new governor, Nathan Deal. Home-grown talent was on tap for tonight's party at Philips Arena, including Georgians Luke Bryan and Mark Wills, but the day's festivities have been scrapped. Ticket holders for the gala will have their money refunded, and Luke is said to be bummed not to be able to play for the new governor.

The Professional Bull Riders Association is so enamored of Gary Allan's song, "Get Off On The Pain," that they're adopting it for all of their broadcasts throughout 2011. You can catch the 2011 PBR season on Versus, NBC and CBS.

Nicole Kidman's latest movie, "Rabbit Hole," opens this Friday. She stars in it, and also produced the movie, which has earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She says now that had she been a mother at the time she took on this project, she would not have taken the role. Nicole goes on to say that she nearly backed out of finishing the movie on more than one occasion, but she did complete what she calls the "terrifying" role. The movie revolves around a couple who have lost their 4-year-old son in a car accident. Nicole and Keith are the parents of Sunday Rose, who's going on three.

The smoke in Middle Tennessee Friday night was from Charlie Daniels' barn. It caught fire while Charlie and his wife were on vacation in Colorado, and is a total loss. Thankfully no one was injured, but sadly, the fire destroyed nearly a dozen animals, farm equipment and a stove that was a gift from the late Roy Acuff.

Steel Magnolia's debut album finally comes out tomorrow.

The tweet of the day is from Charles Kelly of Lady Antebellum: "7 hr drive back home: heard hello world 3 times, georgia clay 2 times, a little bit stronger 2 times. big smile thanks country radio -ck"

Today's Country Tidbits

So it wasn't just sympathy pains that James Otto has been feeling. He was hospitalized yesterday to check out the abdominal troubles he's been having off and on for a few weeks. Shows this weekend have been canceled, and James reports, "I may have been a bit distracted by all the excitement of baby Ava's arrival! I'll be down for a few days, but hope to be back in action and on the road again soon."

The Lady Hazing continues...Lady Antebellum has decided to spoof Blake Shelton's song "All About Tonight" with "These Jeans are Mighty Tight." Enjoy the silliness.

Congratulations to Charlie Daniels, who'll get the Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award at the TJ Martell Foundation's 35th annual awards gala on October 27th in New York City. The event is a fund-raiser for cancer and AIDS research.

Carrie Underwood's skin is so beautiful that it was only a matter of time before she became the celebrity face of a product. That product is Olay Skin Care and Carrie's campaign will debut early next year. She remembers her Mom using Olay, and says “I love that Olay has managed to change with the times, yet stay in touch with women of all ages who want affordable skincare products that do what they promise. Olay’s inspiring campaign echoes my beliefs and feels deeply personal to me.”

Tim McGraw is playing shows in Texas this weekend, then he heads across the Pacific Ocean for shows in Australia.

Gloriana is performing at the private NASCAR Jimmy Jam in Richmond, VA tonight, celebrating Sprint Cup champion Jimmy Johnson.

Taylor Swift helps kick off the NFL's 2010 season tonight at 7:30 eastern on NBC, Blake Shelton performs on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Jamey Johnson performs on the Late Show with David Letterman. Early dvr alert - the Judds will help Oprah Winfrey kick off her farewell season next Tuesday, talking about their tour, giving Oprah a private tour of their Tennessee farm and also performing on the show. Speaking of performing, don't miss Sugarland on the Today show tomorrow morning.

The tweet of the day is from James Otto: "Twitters crazy. I've never had so many well wishes. Thank y'all for caring about me. I will be out of the hospital soon no worries."

Today's Country Tidbits

Yesterday in Nashville, Brad Paisley and Jimmy Dickens were part of history. They placed the circle of pine stage from the original Ryman stage into the Grand Ole Opry House stage, symbolizing the continuity of country music through the decades. Brad Paisley brought his guitar, and everyone joined in for a rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." The Grand Ole Opry House will be ready for a show on September 28th, and country music's biggest stars are lining up to celebrate. The work of cleaning and rebuilding after the flood is nearly done, and Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels Band, and more country stars will be on hand to perform in the circle. Tickets are on sale now for the Grand Ole Opry homecoming show.

Zac Brown Band has made it even easier for you to send a letter to a service member overseas. The Letters for Lyrics campaign has moved online, and it's easy for you to invite friends to participate, too. Write a letter, get the free ZBB compilation, Breaking Southern Ground, or you can have the cd sent to a soldier. More information, along with the 6th installment of the band's documentary, "For Those Who Serve," is online, too.

Blake Shelton's having a great week. Not only is he celebrating having the #1 album last week and the #1 song for two weeks in a row, he also had fiancée Miranda Lambert join him onstage for their duet, "Dragging the River." Look at the love on that man's face in this video!

Did you miss John Rich co-hosting the Today Show yesterday? Here he is now!

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Trisha Yearwood was today's co-host, and Josh Turner co-hosts the Today show tomorrow. Luke Bryan is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Little Big Town plays the Good Morning America summer concert series tomorrow morning, and here's a TiVO alert - Kenny Chesney's documentary, "The Boys of Fall," has been whittled down to a one-hour feature that will air on ESPN Sunday afternoon at 2 eastern. The full-length documentary is due out on DVD in November.

Blake Shelton will be the focus of a GAC special airing on September 8th. Called "Blake Shelton Live: It's All About Tonight," it will feature Blake onstage and behind the scenes. Knowing Blake, there'll be some outrageous stuff on that show!

Congrats to Trace Adkins, who's "Cowboy's Back in Town" is the number 1 country album this week. It's Trace's 4th #1 album and his first for Show Dog-Universal, Toby Keith's record label.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "The circle is back in place at the Opryhouse. And the world is right."

Today's Country Tidbits

Reba has some fat-wallet fans. This week at a Celebrity Fight Night fund-raiser for Parkinson's Disease research, three men bid nearly a million dollars to have lunch with Reba. Nice donation!

In the upcoming issue of Country Weekly, Charlie Daniels defends Taylor Swift, saying that "She is a very very decent young woman who is a much better role model than some of these that are held up to admiration. She’s always been very down to earth and very humble. I like people who can handle a certain degree of stardom without taking themselves too seriously." He goes on to say to those who complain about her singing that she's a singer/songwriter in the folk music vein, and that she's a great storyteller for her generation. And Charlie knows a little something about story-telling! He's recovering well after the stroke he suffered late last year, by the way.

Dierks Bentley won't be in the audience for the ACM Awards on April 18th. He'll be in Minneapolis, headlining the Dow Live Earth Run for Water concert. The 100-city, same-day worldwide 6k run/walk aims to raise money and awareness for the need for clean water.

Two weeks from today, Kenny Chesney will be on the Oprah show, giving fans a sneak peek of his "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D" movie. He says he's been surprised at himself the last three times he's visited with Oprah, opening up to her more than he thought he could, and even learning things about himself.

One of the films that Brad Paisley will screen at the Nashville Film Festival on April 22nd started out as a prank on his wife, Kimberly. She was traveling on business, and Brad bought a life-sized doll to appear as his two-year old son, Huck. In the short film, the doll rides a horse, goes careening down a hill in a runaway stroller, shoots a revolver at a target and does several other not-Mom-approved activities. Titled "When Mom's Away," Brad left it on the table for Kimberly to find. The note said, "Press play." According to Brad, the film is "horrifying, but hilarious."

Kellie Pickler has decided to abolish her fan club. Current members will get prorated refunds of their club dues, and fan club meet & greets will be honored through June. Starting next month, her website will have no special "fan club only" areas - all of the site will be open to everyone. She's excited that now everyone who's interested in her music will be able to afford to be part of it. Free is a great price!

Congrats to Emerson Drive's Brad Mates and his wife Jana. They're expecting their first child in the next few weeks. Brad wonders if it's too soon to take future son Tyler out on the golf course with him.

In the "well, who hasn't?" category, word is out via Us Weekly that Leann Rimes once dated Tiger Woods. Apparently this was eight years ago, before either was married.

Headed for Orlando for spring break next week? Rascal Flatts will be there, taping an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres show, so be on the lookout for them. The show will air a week from today.

Tomorrow night, Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards show airs, and Taylor Swift is up for two: Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Song, for "You Belong With Me."

Happy birthday today to Kenny Chesney, who turns 42, and also to Reba and Rodney Atkins...they both celebrate on Sunday.

Today's Country Tidbits

The star-studded Hope for Haiti telethon Friday night just picked up a bit of twang. Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock will all be part of the two-hour event airing on dozens of networks and media outlets simultaneously. Taylor Swift will be part of the Los Angeles segments, where Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock will perform together on the show. Los Angeles also includes Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder. Performing in New York are Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and Sting. The London lineup features Coldplay and a group performance by Bono, the Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna. Starting Saturday, each performance will be available for download from iTunes for 99 cents each, with all proceeds going to Hatian relief efforts.

The Grammy Award show is getting more country by the minute. Confirmed to appear are the Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert.

Taylor Swift has a new nomination in this new year...this one for Breakthrough International Artist at the Brit Awards, the UK equivalent of the Grammys. The awards will be handed out February 16th.

Kellie Pickler, Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser have returned from their USO tour of the middle east. All are glowing about the experience, and how proud they are to be Americans.

Kellie Pickler got a haircut yesterday, after she returned from her USO tour. She says she feels like a pixie, so we know two things: it must be a pretty short haircut, and it's probably as cute as her puppy, Pixie!

Gretchen Wilson released a greatest hits package yesterday and her new cd, "I Got Your Country Right Here" has a release date of March 30th. Her first single from it, "Work Hard, Play Harder," is working it's way up the country charts now.

Kenny Chesney has been sequestered in a movie studio in LA working on his "Summer in 3D" movie. The release date is April 21st. This year marks 15 years in country music for him, and he's the cover story in Country Weekly magazine this week.

How did Lady Antebellum land the plum gig as Tim McGraw's opening act on tour? Well, as Tim puts it, he's a fan of their music, so they were on his short list. Then his 12-year-old daughter Gracie started in on him - "come on, Dad...come on, Dad...come on, dad!" so he had no choice but to bow to the will of the even bigger Lady A fan in his life.

Jo Dee Messina is taking her Music Room show to New York City in March for a 5 night, seven show stint at the Regency Hotel, where there's a lovely theatre. According to Jo Dee, “This tour is whatever the audience wants. We do a couple songs then we flip it over to the audience and they make requests, so no two shows are the same. Sometimes the audience just wants to hear the hits; sometimes people want to hear stuff from the new record...It’s whatever they want. That’s the magic of this show, there’s no set list."

Charlie Daniels continues to recover from the mild stroke he suffered while on vacation in Colorado last Friday. He's home and doing well, and his tour, which kicks off next month, isn't expected to be affected.

Happy birthday today to John Michael Montgomery.

Today's Country Tidbits

Charlie Daniels has worn a lot of hats in his career, and now he can ad a "tv commercial star" hat to that collection. Geico is now introducing the "Rhetorical Question" campaign, a new line of commercials illustrating the "best of the best" concept, and Charlie Daniels is the star of one of them.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift wraps up 2009 as People Magazine's most Intriguing Person of the Year. She'll have to buy another condo to house all of the awards she earned this year!

Word is out that Carrie Underwood's diamond is a 5-carat stone, but she's not satisfied in the sparkle category. She's shopping for the costumes she'll wear onstage during her "Play On" tour, and wants to be like Reba and Loretta Lynn...sparkly, looking great and sounding great. She hints that there'll be more costume changes on this tour than on the last one, and that's saying something!

Phil Vassar is working on a Broadway play. Actually, the play is written, and he's in charge of writing the songs for it. He says it's a lot different than writing a 10 or 12 song album. He said, "I’m 10 or 12 songs into this thing. I never realized how many songs are in a Broadway show.” Might have to ask for a raise, there, Phil!

Josh Gracin is writing, writing, writing songs in preparation for being in the recording studio next week.

Justin Moore got up at 4 this morning, bundled up for the 20-degree weather and is hunting today. He says there's nothing better than watching the sun come up while sitting in a blind.

Big fan of the late Johnny Cash? Then you'll be delighted to learn that there's a new cd coming out by him in February. It's disc number 6 from recordings he made in 2003 while working with Rick Rubin. No word on a track list yet, but the title is "American VI: Ain't No Grave."

Tonight on CBS, catch the Kennedy Center Honors concert. Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland is part of the tribute to Bruce Springsteen, singing a medley of his songs.

Merry Christmas! Today's country tidbits...

What were your favorite stars up to on Christmas Eve?

James Otto got a new Benneli shotgun for Christmas. He tweeted, "All ducks beware-be fast or you will be dinner."

Justin Moore drove home to Arkansas for Christmas, and was happy to see all the mud from the storms. He drove his crew cab pickup and toted two four-wheelers. Can you say "muddin' on Christmas?"

Martina McBride's youngest, Ava, made Santa a cookie in her Easy Bake oven. I'm sure Santa loved it and probably left her some pretty good presents in exchange.

Randy Houser spent Christmas Eve trying to get on a flight to Hawaii. He got stuck in Chicago with three flights scrubbed before he was finally able to board last night. He's lost a day in paradise, and is threatening to write a song about the very bad customer service and post it on YouTube.

Why did Sugarland do a Christmas cd this year? Kristian Bush loves Christmas and Christmas music, and they felt this was the year to do it. Jennifer Bush says they picked out their favorite Christmas songs and then added a few originals, and hope that the cd is one that families will put on and just let play while they're opening presents or enjoying an after-dinner drink.

And what are your favorite stars' favorite Christmas memories?

Jennifer Nettles' favorite Christmas memory were the years when Santa came early to her house. Her family would go to a neighbor's house that was all lit up and festive. The neighborhood would gather there on Christmas eve for a party, and when she got home, miraculously, Santa had come. The explanation was that he was very busy and his night was very long, so some kids got early Santa visits. She was also told that if she looked for Santa and found him, he would throw pepper in her eyes.

Kristian Bush's favorite Christmas memory was the year he got his own guitar. He had been borrowing his Uncle's guitar to learn to play, and his parents decided it was time he had one of his own. Jennifer is very grateful for that gift! He also remembers the year he thought he figured out that Santa wasn't real, so used his home fingerprinting kit to try to capture Santa's fingerprints on the milk glass. He even left instructions for Santa to remove his gloves before drinking the milk. Santa left a note, saying he didn't want to lose those gloves so had to leave them on. Curses - Kristian's diabolical scheme was foiled!

Joe Nichols remembers a Christmas when his Mom had just become divorced and how poor they were. They went to a new church and that church family embraced them. His Mom had told him that there wasn't going to be much in the way of gifts so to just be thankful for what he had. The church delivered a big bag of presents and food for the family on Christmas eve. Joe says it wasn't about the gifts they brought, it was that someone remembered they were in need and took care of them. That was his greatest gift that year.

Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm, and remembers her cat climbing the tree, making the tree fall over...two years in a row. She also remembers the year that an owl took up residence in their living room on Christmas Eve, and it watched them open presents because they couldn't convince it to leave.

Blake Shelton remembers the year he got a Gilley suit, which is the ultimate camouflage. He says it's got stuff hanging off of it, and if you have it on and stand up in the woods, you blend right in. His uncle gave it to him, and he says he likes to put it on, wait by the highway for a car to come by, and then he runs across the road in front of the car. Then he watches local media for a few days to see if there's a Sasquatch report in his area. Now, this is Blake Shelton telling this story - no way to know if he's telling the truth or pulling our leg!

Darius Rucker remembers being about 12 and he asked for an electric guitar. His Mom struggled to make ends meet, but somehow managed to get a little guitar and amp for him. He still has the guitar to this day.

Kid Rock's favorite Christmas memory is a pretty recent one - the year he learned to deep-fry a turkey, took it to his family holiday dinner, and made his Mom cry. She had slaved all night cooking her turkey, he had spent 45 minutes cooking his, and everyone thought his was better. He consoled his Mom, telling her she was still the best cook - he was just a faster one.

Did Santa bring you Rock Band to play? Well, then, you'll want to know this - Rock Band Going Country Pack 02 will be available starting Tuesday, and it includes Alan Jackson's "Good Time," Jason Aldean's "She's Country," Keith Urban's "I Told You So," Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls," Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine," Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" and Cross Canadian Ragweed's "Cry Lonely." The track pack will hit the XBox Live Marketplace and the Nintendo Wii stores on December 29th. They won't be available at the Playstation Store until January 7th.

Shania Twain fans, mark your calendars for January 19th. That's the night her episode of American Idol airs. She was a guest judge for the Chicago auditions.

Today's country tidbits...

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton are sharing a romantic...hunting trip together. They're in Kansas this week, camping and hunting.

Couldn't make it to Nashville to see Keith Urban at the Verizon Wireless store? Part of the event ended up on YouTube.

What did Kellie Pickler do for Halloween? Watch here.

Wynonna is working on plans for a Christmas tour, and her 13-year-old daughter Grace is going to be part of the show. Wynonna is so excited to be singing with her daughter. Now she knows how her Momma, Naomi, felt.

And a reminder...loads of country music artists are on tv this week. Today, catch Charlie Daniels on The Early Show on CBS, Faith Hill on the Ellen Show, Jack Ingram on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Carrie Underwood on the Late Show with David Letterman.