Today's Country Tidbits

A judge in Tennessee has ordered Rodney Atkins to do 30 hours of community service and stay out of trouble for 11 months and 29 days, and if he does, the domestic assault charge his wife filed against him will be expunged from the record. Tammy Atkins claimed that he tried to smother her with a pillow and threw her down the hallway on November 21st. Rodney got to cool his heels in jail that night and filed for divorce shortly after getting out the next day. He and Tammy are sharing custody of their son Elijah and are working out the details of a permanent custody arrangement.

Jason Aldean watched the Super Bowl, but made a point to watch Kelly Clarkson sing the National Anthem, and he was nervous for his "Don't You Wanna Stay" duet partner. How did he think she did? “I was blown away. You rarely ever hear anybody do it justice. I mean, everybody tries to put their spin on it, and more times than not—it doesn’t work. With me, I’ve done it a couple of times, but it’s not something, you know—I’m always scared I’m gonna mess it up. I was watching her and I thought she, I texted her right away and said ‘You just killed it! That was one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard.’”

Trace Adkins has partnered with the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. He's performing the audio version of the book "Owney: Tales from the Rails." It's a childrens book and is the story of a dog that rides the rails, visiting post offices across the country. Check out the project on the Owney website.

The Grammy Awards are getting more and more country - word came out yesterday Reba will present an award. Already planning to be there are Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Glen Campbell and Kelly Clarkson.

"Act of Valor" had it's Nashville premier on Tuesday night and Keith Urban and Jake Owen were on hand to soak it in. Keith contributed an original song, "For You," to the soundtrack, which also includes Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Sugarland, Josh Kelley and Hunter Hayes. The movie opens for the rest of us February 24th.

Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" keeps getting bigger. It's sold nearly a million and a half downloads so far, and Toby's surprised - and not surprised. “I knew it was gonna be successful and I knew that it was gonna be big in my show. I didn’t know it was gonna be a...like a household drinking vessel.”

Tim McGraw's "Emotional Traffic" is the top-selling country cd for the second week in a row. About his success, Tim says, “You know any chance you get—and what I’ve been lucky with throughout my career, in music, movies, songwriting, and books, everything—is working with fantastic people whom you learn something from every time you do a project.”

Ever wonder how Faith Hill stays so trim? In an article in Self magazine, she says she watches what she eats, but splurges on sweet tea. And she doesn't skip her daily workout, which she says gives her more energy throughout the day and has a positive impact on her life.

Watch for Clay Walker on the AT&T Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament from Pebble Beach today.

Happy birthday to Travis Tritt, who turns 49 today.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "Ahhhh!! Thanks to @nbcsvu I got to check something off my bucket list. Acting on my favorite show! I can't stop screaming like a 3 year old!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Taylor Swift is in the Guinness Book of World Records. No, she's not swallowing goldfish or leaping over river gorges on a motorcycle. She holds the record in two categories: fastest selling digital album by a woman in the US for "Speak Now" and the most songs on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, with 11 singles charting in the same week.

The three members of Lady Antebellum have been together as a band for four years, and Charles Kelley admits that the first two years weren't always easy. He, Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott got along great until a difference of opinion cropped up. According to Hillary, “We figured out how to argue and work through things, but argue respectfully. Because we agree on a lot of things — on most things — but on the things that we didn't, it was figuring out how to work through those things.” The trio worked with a mediator to learn how to respect their differences and move forward peacefully.

Alan Jackson and Ozzie Osbourne helped save a missing autistic boy this week. Eight-year-old Joshua Robb slipped away from school, and when teachers tried to catch him, he ran into the woods and became lost. His father suggested that the searchers play Joshua's two favorite songs over a loudspeaker, in the hopes that he would come out. It worked. Authorities alternated "Good Time" by Alan Jackson and "No More Tears" by Ozzie Osbourne, and Joshua walked to his rescuers, telling them, "Thank you. You saved me." Neihher Ozzie nor Alan has commented on the incident.

Jewel and Ty Murray introduced their nine-week-old baby boy, Kase Townes, to the world via People magazine. Ty and Jewel had a list of baby names even before they got married, but in the end, their son was named for Ty's best friend Kase and Jewel's favorite singer-songwriter, Townes Van Zandt.

Martina McBride is planning a whistle stop tour this fall, to celebrate the release of her "Eleven" album. The four-day trip will take her from Los Angeles to New York, making 11 stops along the way, performing intimate concerts for fans in Albuquerque, NM, Chicago and New York. The event is called "Eleven Across America Powered by Amtrak," and Martina is excited about the trip, saying a cross-country railroad excursion is something she's always wanted to do. Her next cd, "Eleven," comes out October 11th.

Jason Aldean's "Here for the Party" has just been certified double-platinum for sales of over two million copies. That makes it the best-selling country album of 2011. He's having a good year - he's up for five CMA awards, and is sure to bring home at least a couple of those.

Congratulations to George Strait, who's 39th studio album is actually #24. It's his 24th #1 album on the Billboard Country Album chart, debuting on top this week. "Here For A Good Time" sold 91,000 copies. He admits he wanted to hang up his songwriting hat until son Bubba and songwriter Dean Dillon called with an idea: “’Here for a Good Time was an idea that my son had had, and Dean, he’s going like, ‘Well, Bubba what have you got today?’ And he goes, ‘Well, I got this ‘I’m not here for a long time, but I’m here for a good time idea. Should we write it as a ballad? Or is it serious?’ We decided it was a more fun idea than a more serious, so we wrote it that way.” And it turned out seriously fun, didn't it?

Find Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum between the covers of Ladies Home Journal, on newsstands now.

Clay Walker is on Fox & Friends this morning.

The tweet of the day is from Chris Young: "The real two-step... Step 1. Drunk late text Step 2. Hungover apology text"

Today's Country Tidbits

The BAMA Rising concert was last night in Birmingham, Alabama. Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Alabama, Brad Paisley and Kellie Pickler all took the stage to raise money for tornado victims and their towns. According to Kellie, “Somehow or another we always end up coming together! And the people of country music, not just the artists, but the fans come together too. And we just gotta, we gotta take care of each other, we gotta look out for one another.”

If you read the media reports immediately following Trace and Rhonda Atkins' house fire, you know that Rhonda said she'd do everything she could to keep Trace from flying back from Alaska, where he had a planned fishing trip and concerts. You'll also remember that she didn't succeed...he got on the next flight back to Nashville as soon as he heard. How did he win the argument? "We were getting to Alaska Saturday to fish and Rhonda calls, 'There's nothing you can do here. Just stay up there and fish.' And she's a former publicist! I said, 'Honey, I need you to put on your publicist hat for a second and see that headline: 'Trace Adkins' house burns down, his family's homeless and he goes fishin' in Alaska.' So I came home. And she was right. There was nothing I could do but hug them all." By the way, their 9-year-old daughter Brianna was the one who saved the family's two Australian Shepherd puppies. Daisy and Bella, 10 months old, didn't get out with the girls and their baby-sitter, and Brianna headed back in to get them. A neighbor tried to stop her, but she wouldn't be deterred, and got them out safely. Trace told his daughter he was proud of her bravery.

If you think only the fans look forward to and enjoy the CMA Music Festival, check out these quotes from artist this year:

"You're asking me to do math, which is dangerous. My first Fan Fair was in 1992." — Martina McBride

"It's such an amazing experience being surrounded by 50,000 people who are all singing the same thing. You look out and it's this never ending sea of people for as far as you can see." — Taylor Swift

"Can you sign this for me?" — Clay Walker to Dierks Bentley, who signed a notebook for Walker's daughter.

"My house burned down. I've felt like Rain Man for the last few days every time someone asks me a question, 'Trace, what do you want to eat?' 'My house burned down.'" — Trace Adkins

"I have a little video of my daughter's reaction when I sent Jay the picture of me with Justin Bieber. I made a complete fool of myself going up to meet him, but it was so worth it." — Sara Evans who showed press cell phone video of her daughter's reaction.

"The thing that really amazes me is not only the loyalty of the fan but the loyalty of country music back to the fan. You couldn't pull this together in rock n' roll, not so much because of the bands, but the egos of their managers. They'd go, 'Oh, my guy's too big to play that.' But you don't have that here." — Darius Rucker

"These die-hard country fans come from all over the world. It's not just here in the US. It's the least we could do. We love going and signing and seeing familiar faces and being able to look them in the eyes and say thank you." — Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott

Yesterday I showed you video of Keith Urban and Jake Owen duetting on stage at LP Field for the CMA Music Festival. How did Jake get the invite from Keith? "I missed a call from a random number and when I listened to the voicemail, it was Keith asking me to come out and do a song with him at LP Field. I was so blown away because first of all, he didn't have to do that, and secondly I don't know how he got my number. I felt like a super-fan."

Sunday in Nashville, Little Big Town hosted the Fifth Annual Ride for a Cure and raised $70,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation, which supports research into life-threatening diseases. More than 450 riders "hogged" Nashville's streets and a huge crowd showed up for the afternoon concert following the ride.

Speaking of Little Big Town, have you seen their cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep?"

For the first time since 1985, a concert was held in Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Kenny Chesney took his "Goin' Coastal" show there Saturday night, and the team's coach even brought their Superbowl trophy up on stage just before Kenny Chesney sang "The Boys of Fall." What was that like for the die-hard football fan? “It was one of the most special nights that we’ve ever had. Just to be able to sing “Boys of Fall” in a place that is so historical, that means so much to the world of football—to have the coach of the Packers come up and bring the Superbowl trophy onstage before we sang that song—I didn’t know what to expect coming here to play at Lambeau Field. But it exceeded everything that we expected.” Trivia question - who performed the show in 1985? The pop-rock band, Survivor.

You know Taylor Swift has a lot of fans, but did you know she has some big, famous ones? Here's Shaquille O'Neal's video proof of his love for The Golden One:

Congratulations to The Band Perry - their "If I Die Young" has now been certified double-platinum for two million in sales.

Clay Walker is on the Today show this morning, and Blake Shelton and Scotty McCreery are on the Tonight Show.

Happy birthday to Michael Britt of Lonestar, who is 45 today, and to the late Waylon Jennings, who would have been 74.

The tweet of the day is from Kellie Pickler: "Two things I want to mark off my bucket list this year are flying with the @BlueAngels and jumping with the @ArmyGK"

Today's Country Tidbits

Miranda Lambert is flying high, but there's not a chance that all this success will go to her head. She says her family and friends keep her grounded, adding, “my mom would kill me if I got diva on her.” Miranda's Grammy performance of "The House That Built Me" is available for download on iTunes.

Road trip alert - and you've gotta be quick about it! Today in Nashville at the Center Stage Theatre, a TV special is being taped. No word on which network is filming, nor what the show will be called, but the show includes Luke Bryan, Kid Rock, Gretchen Wilson and Sheryl Crow in concert. Filming begins at 12:30 Central time with Luke on stage first. This is a free show, first come, first seated, but you have to be wearing summer clothes. Space is limited, so if this sounds like fun to you, get moving and good luck!

Gloriana has been invited to be part of a concert at the White House in celebration of Black History Month and Motown Records' legacy. The concert, "The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House" will be filmed, is set to air March 1 on PBS, and also features Smokey Robinson, Sheryl Crow, Natasha Bedingfield, Jamie Foxx and John Legend.

Have you seen the new GE commercial where people are line-dancing around the world to Alan Jackson's "Good Time?" Well, here's your chance to organize a dance to it, too, and win a big prize. There's a $10,000 home appliance makeover being offered up by GE, along with 20 years of drinking water to developing countries through "Charity: Water." Get your friends dancing and upload the video to the special YouTube page to be entered to win. Good luck, and happy dancing!

Jewel and hubby Ty Murray are working on a name for their little cowboy, due in early July. It's the couple's first child, and they've been trying for a few years, so have a baby name list a mile long. When asked who she hopes her son will take after most, Jewel replied, "My husband's a bull rider and I'm a musician ... hopefully he'll take after me because I don't want him riding bulls! It's just so dangerous.”

Did you miss Darius Rucker on Good Morning America? Here he is, performing "This."

Congrats to Jason Aldean, who is at the top of the Billboard Country Album Chart again this week with "My Kinda Party."

And congrats to talented newcomer Randy Montana, who will be part of the pre-race festivities at the Daytona 500 on Sunday. He'll play a concert in the midway outside the track, so the show is free and open to the public.

Keith Urban is on Good Morning America this morning, and Clay Walker is on HGTV's "Selling New York" tonight, looking for a slick city condo, but shocked at the huge price tags,

Happy birthday to Bryan White and Larry the Cable Guy today.

The tweet of the day comes from Josh Thompson: "Aaaaand were Florida bound. Well, we gotta get the bus started first but then were out of here"

Today's Country Tidbits

Gentlemen, start your Fenders? That might be the call at Daytona, where Brad Paisley will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver before the 53rd Annual Daytona 500 this Sunday. He'll also be performing a three-song set leading up to the start of the Great American Race. Watch the fun on Fox starting at noon Eastern.

And in more sports/country news, congratulations to Clay Walker who won $19,000 for his MS charity at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am celebrity golf tournament last weekend.

Congratulations to Luke Bryan, who scores his third #1 song in a row this week with "Someone Else Calling You Baby."

And congratulations, too, to Gary Allan, who performed last night for the first time since he had surgery on his vocal chords to remove a polyp in November. He's rarin' to hit the road and tour, and has even gotten a new bus for the occasion. “We’ve got birds-eye maple on the walls. The whole top is done in like a cream leather. The seats are a dark brown leather. The tables are black and then they’re lit from the sides so there’s green and black stripes through them. There’s neon lights all through the top. It’s got a slide out so there’s more room to dance. We have a great time!”

Lady Antebellum is still basking in the glow of winning five Grammy awards on Sunday night, but they feel some pressure to follow up the success of "Need You Now." According to Charles Kelley, “It was one of those moments we were kind of had this surreal moment. We looked over at each other and we said, ‘we got a lot of work to do’. It made us really, it really did, it kind of inspired us and … and, and did put a little pressure in a good way of like, OK, I mean, this is, this is our moment to really take this thing and make a great record.” They're back in the studio, working on the project, which is about half finished.

Best quotes from backstage at the Grammys Sunday night:

"Oh my gosh, we were so stunned we started walking the wrong direction." — Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum as they accepted the group's third Grammy

"Right before it went to No. 1, he asked if he could have it back, but it was a little too late." — Miranda Lambert on "The House That Built Me," which was originally pitched to fiancé Blake Shelton

"I ate a lot of fried chicken over the holidays. So, I'm cutting back on that a little bit, but man, it's going to be hard to curb the drinking. There's too much celebrating. So, I won't be backing down on that at all." — Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley

"Blake doesn't listen to prompters or me or anybody else. He goes with the flow, so they were brave to let him present me." — Miranda Lambert on Shelton introducing her performance

"I was real honored when Zac asked me to be on this record. You know, it's pretty cool when a few of us Georgia boys can end up winning a Grammy out in L.A." — Alan Jackson on winning Country Collaboration with ZBB for "As She's Walking Away"

People.com asked musicians what their rap name would be. Check out Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and more funny replies.

Owl City frontman Adam Young was apparently quite taken by Taylor Swift. It's rumored that her song "Enchanted" is about him, and he has returned the favor, on Valentine's Day no less, with his reply song to her.

Since it was Valentine's Day, you might have had other plans and missed Tim McGraw tracing his family tree on "Who Do You Think You Are" last night. Here you go...you're welcome!

Want Thompson Square to play a private party for you and your Valentine? They're offering it up on Facebook...go get it!

Gretchen Wilson is on the Tonight Show tonight and Keith Urban is on Good Morning America Thursday morning.

The tweet of the day is from Terri Clark: "People who can make you " belly laugh" are absolutely priceless..hang on to them"

Today's Country Tidbits

There seems to be a baby boom in Nashville, with country star babies cropping up everywhere. Keith Urban, Clay Walker, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Jay DeMarcus and Zac Brown have all welcomed babies into their lives in the last few months, and there are more on the way. Blake Shelton, of course, has an explanation for the phenomenon: “Uh, people having sex.” He goes on to explain why Luke Bryan now has two kids and is talking about more: “He married over his head. And he probably figures he’s got a hot wife and she’s funny and cool… The only way he can really keep her is to try to get her pregnant. That’s what’s going on with Luke.” After thinking a bit, he thinks there could be a climate-related explanation, too: “There’s been several ice storms in Nashville lately. And the cable goes out and there’s nothing else to do. I mean, you’re sitting there with your wife or husband. You know if there’s nothing else to do you’re probably gonna end up hookin’ up. Next thing you know Jay DeMarcus actually has a kid. You know, it’s weird.” Blake and Miranda Lambert are set to be wed in May. Bet there's a bookie in Las Vegas who's got action on when they'll have their first child. At least Blake will have an entertaining explanation for it!

Martina McBride will be part of a salute to Aretha Franklin Sunday night at the Grammy Awards. And if she can get out of snowy Texas, Jewel is scheduled to be a presenter, so we get to see her growing baby-bump. She's expecting her first child in early July. The Grammys will air live from LA Sunday night at 8 eastern.

What are you doing on March 16th? If you're a Josh Turner fan, you might want to be in Nashville, as he and his wife Jennifer headline the third annual "Stars Go Blue" benefit concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Theatre. They'll be joined by Linda Davis and her husband Lang Scott, along with Charlie Kelley and his wife, GAC personality Nan Kelley. Charlie is a colon cancer surviver, and this show is a benefit for colon cancer research. Tickets are $100 per person and include not just the concert, but a VIP coctail reception and an auction.

And speaking of benefit concerts, Clay Walker's second annual "Chords of Hope" show will be at the Wildhorse Saloon on March second. It raises money and awareness for Multiple Schlerosis, which Clay suffers from. Call 615-902-8211 for tickets.

Here's how they received Taylor Swift in Singapore for her opening concert in the "Speak Now World Tour 2011." Ten thousand fans camped out for 24 hours outside the Singapore Indoor Stadium to be sure of getting in. The 90-minute show included two stages, huge video screens and lots of set and costume changes. After the show, Taylor tweeted, "That show ruled! Thank you, Singapore. My band and I love you. And your dancing and jumping and singing and screaming! Good times." Tennessean.com has a photo gallery of the show.

Little Big Town was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and performed a song exclusively for the web. Check out "Shut Up Train."

Andy Griggs is performing as part of the Daytona 500, the first time he's ever been to that race. He has a new song he'll be singing...check it out...

Yes, that IS Lee Brice singing "Love Like Crazy" in your local McDonald's. He's part of the chain's new video entertainment screens, and his music is also about to be featured on all Continental Airline flights. Between March 1 and April 30, several songs from his debut album will play for passengers with headphones.

Congrats to Jason Aldean, who has the #1 country album this week. His "My Kinda Party" knocks Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" out of the spot it has held since being released late last year.

Happy birthday to Lionel Cartwright, who turns 51 today.

The tweet of the day is from Terri Clark: "I did not leave the door open when I left Canada. It was not me. Nashville is a snowy disaster...stay home everyone."

Today's Country Tidbits

Carrie Underwood and hubby Mike Fisher are in Bora Bora and Tahiti for their honeymoon, arriving by private jet early Monday. If you're hoping to see some wedding photos, you only have to wait until tomorrow, when People.com is supposed to be sharing them.

Think you know your country music? Prove it, and you could win an Brad Paisley autographed Gibson guitar, cash or a trip to Nashville and VIP Opry tickets. The Grand Ole Opry and Humana have teamed up to present the Country Music Video Challenge for Flood Relief. Sign up and play, compete with friends and test your knowledge of country music trivia. Humana pays $1 each time someone plays, with proceeds benefitting The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Congratulations to Luke Bryan, who has his second consecutive number one song with "Rain Is a Good Thing." "Do I" went to number one earlier this year, and Luke says it's a dream come true, courtesy of the fans. “You know it’s just an amazing experience, just to travel the country and watch the fans grow and grow. And then put a song out and watch them support it through radio and through buying your album.”

Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan have been having so much fun touring together that they're staying out on the road through the fall. According to Jason, "There are a few things to count on: the music will be loud, the beer will be cold and college football will be on every TV backstage and in the parking lot." Uncle Kracker will open four shows because of schedule conflicts with Luke.

Jack Ingram prides himself on not missing a show. Over the weekend, storms in Houston plus a delayed flight equaled no way for him to get to a show in South Dakota. Well, there was one way - he chartered a plane for $17,000, drove through the storm to the airport where the plane was waiting and flew in style to his South Dakota gig. He said he arrived in sunny South Dakota just in time to hit the stage.

Concert revenue is down from this time last year, but two of the top 5 revenue-producing tours in the past 12 months have been by country artists. Taylor Swift is at the #3 spot on MSN.com's list with $34.2 million and the George Strait/Reba tour is at #5 with $29.8 million in revenue.

Jimmy Wayne is walking 18 miles a day and should reach Phoenix by the end of this month. When he started in January, he thought this trek might take "a couple of months." On arrival, he'll have been out in the weather almost every day since January first, meaning seven full months on the road. But as stories of people adopting teens to keep them from being homeless at 18 continue to roll in, Jimmy knows that the seven months have been worth it, as he has opened our eyes to the problem of homeless teens in the foster care system.

David Nail was part of the MLB All-Star and Celebrity game at Angels Stadium on Sunday and scored a lot of tv time on ESPN when they aired the game last night. Before becoming a country music singer/songwriter, David had intended to play in the major leagues, but was injured the first year of college ball. For the record, he hit a home run, got to high-five supermodel team-mate Marissa Miller and got to hang out with some of his baseball heroes. So what if his team lost?

In semi-related baseball/music news. John Fogerty's baseball bat-shaped guitar has been restored and will go on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum this month. The guitar was underwater for five days when Nashville flooded.

New on iTunes today is Darius Rucker's "Come Back Song."

New music in stores today - Jerrod Niemann's "Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury," whose 20 tracks include 8 comedy skits and 12 songs.

Catch Clay Walker on Lopez Tonight and Jaron and The Long Road To Love on Extra this evening.

The tweet of the day is from Uncle Kracker: "Tossin an turn in nashvegas. Recording an acoustic set with CMT in the am."

Today's Country Tidbits

Congrats to Carrie Underwood, who can now lay claim to having the most-played song of any American Idol alum last week. Adam Lambert did wear that crown with his "Whataya Want From Me," but Carrie has clinched the top spot with "Undo It." On the Carrie wedding watch, all eyes are on Georgia this Saturday, with 248 guests in attendence. Craig Morgan was invited but has shows this weekend so had to decline. Kellie Pickler will be there, but her lips are sealed otherwise. “I, um, cannot disclose all the information on their personal lives, but I am invited…I will say that. But no dates.”

Dierks Bentley is the feature of a CNN online article and interview. He caught some grief from newswoman Denise Quan about the tape that holds his boots together.

By the way, catch a re-air of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show featuring Dierks Bentley tonight.

Congrats to Clay Walker, whose third annual Clay Walker Charity Classic Gala at Pebble Beach Resorts raised more than $100,000 to fund research and education about multiple sclerosis.

Condolences to Craig Morgan, who lost his Mom over the July 4th weekend. She had been fighting pancreatic cancer and lost her battle on the third of July. Craig recorded the song, "Tough," about his Mom, Betty Sue Crockett, who everyone called Mammy. Her funeral service is today in Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Center for Pancreatic Cancer or to Billy's Place c/o Taylor Funeral Home, 214 N. Main St. Dickson, TN 37055.

Tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert, who's part of the Lilith Fair shows: "Well the reviewer of Lilith Fair hated us and made fun of House That Built Me. I guess it does suck...enough to be a 4 week #1. I win!!"

Today's Country Tidbits

It's the week country fans descend on Nashville, and country artists, too. Last night at the Grand Ole Opry, Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Trisha Yearwood and The Band Perry all performed. At Darius Rucker's inaugural guitar pull for St. Jude's, Jake Owen, Radney Foster and Jamey Johnson joined Darius for a show, and then Kid Rock surprised them all when he decided to join the fun for the encore song, "Family Tradition." At the Wildhorse, there was a celebrity-filled fashion show and concert, with Pam Tillis singing "Don't Tell Me What to Wear," and Luke Bryan doing a serious version of "Do I." Clay Walker was part of the Musicians On Call fashion show, and displayed (but didn't model) women's undergarments emblazoned with the name of his new cd, "She Won't Be Lonely Long." Bet that got a huge laugh! The fund-raising continues online for Musicians on Call, with some of country's biggest stars donating concert tickets & backstage passes or autographed guitars.

Tennesseean.com has a photo gallery from the City of Hope celebrity softball game, held Monday.

Even though it's been an action-packed week already, the CMA Music Festival officially kicks off today with the parade. Brenda Lee is the Grand Marshall, and Gloriana, Rodney Atkins, Chuck Wicks and many more artists will be part of it. At the end of the parade there's a free concert outside Bridgestone Arena, featuring Joe Nichols and Randy Houser.

Like a good yard sale? Head for Nashville's Bridgestone Arena this Saturday, as MusiCares and SOLID team up to throw a big one. Artist memorabilia is expected among all of the regular flea market finds, and all the proceeds benefit Nashville flood relief.

Tomorrow, Lady Antebellum's sold-out fan club party will be a flood relief benefit, too. Not only that, but Office Max will match donations up to $50,000. Can't be at the party but love Lady A? For a minimum donation of $5, you can watch the performance live online.

If you want to pretend you're at the CMA Music Festival, check out their social hub, where there are live video streams, photo boards, Twitter streams and much more.

The CMT awards haven't been handed out yet, but once they are, much of Nashville will head over to the Limelight for Dierks Bentley's album release party, expected to start at about 10:30 central time tonight and go until the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

Don't miss the CMT Music Awards red carpet show and award show tonight. Here's a complete list of nominees - come back tomorrow for a complete list of the winners.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director.　 Final 5 nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.
• Jason Aldean – “The Truth”
• Kenny Chesney – “Out Last Night”
• Toby Keith – “American Ride”
• Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
• Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”
• Brad Paisley – “Welcome to the Future”
• Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”
• Carrie Underwood – “Cowboy Casanova”
• Keith Urban – “‘Til Summer Comes Around”
• Zac Brown Band – “Toes”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
• Jason Aldean – “The Truth”
• Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
• Toby Keith – “American Ride”
• Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice”
• Keith Urban – “‘Til Summer Comes Around”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
• Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”
• Reba McEntire – “Consider Me Gone”
• Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”
• Carrie Underwood – “Cowboy Casanova”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
• Gloriana – “How Far Do You Wanna Go?”
• Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
• Rascal Flatts – “Here Comes Goodbye”
• Zac Brown Band – “Toes”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
• Brooks & Dunn – “Indian Summer”
• Steel Magnolia – “Keep On Lovin’ You”
• Sugarland – “Keep You”
• Sugarland – “Nightswimming/Joey”

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo)
• Luke Bryan – “Do I”
• Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up”
• Easton Corbin – “A Little More Country Than That”
• Steel Magnolia – “Keep On Lovin’ You”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
• Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams – “Heaven” from CMT CROSSROADS: BRYAN ADAMS AND JASON ALDEAN
• Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews – “I’m Alive”
• Kellie Pickler featuring Taylor Swift – “Best Days of Your Life”
• Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins – “Hillbilly Bone”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
• Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time” from the 2009 CMT MUSIC AWARDS
• Reba McEntire – “Consider Me Gone” from INVITATION ONLY: REBA
• Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice” from INVITATION ONLY: TIM McGRAW
• Brad Paisley – “Then” from the 2009 CMT MUSIC AWARDS
• Carrie Underwood – “Temporary Home” from INVITATION ONLY: CARRIE UNDERWOOD

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Best video director of the year; awarded to the director for his or her body of work from the past year
• Deaton Flanigen (award eligible videos include: Jason Aldean’s “The Truth” and Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home”)
• Chris Hicky (award eligible videos include: Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” and Justin Moore’s “Small Town USA”)
• Shaun Silva (award eligible videos include: Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night” and Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights”)
• Roman White (award eligible videos include: Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and Kellie Pickler’s “Best Days of Your Life”)

THE NATIONWIDE INSURANCE ON YOUR SIDE AWARD

• Ryan Bingham
• Randy Houser
• Justin Moore
• Chris Young

So first, it was going to be two albums, but now Dierks Bentley has decided to release one album - "Up on the Ridge" on June 8th. “I originally said it was going to be a blue grass record, I said I was going to make two records this year. It took it from being that to that being like this is going to be the record and it is going to encompass everything I love. When you say album of the year I am not even sure what category it would be in, I am not sure where it fits anymore.” Guests on the project include Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Alison Kraus, Kris Kristofferson, Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien and the Punch Brothers, Chris Stapleton and Chris Thile.

Shania Twain has been tapped by the Oprah Winfrey Network to star in her own tv series, "Why Not? With Shania Twain." The show will follow Shania as she begins her climb back to the top of the country music charts. That must mean there'll be new music coming along sometime.

With a hit song climbing the charts, look for a new cd from Clay Walker. Out June 8th, it's "She Won't Be Lonely Long." This is his first album in over three years, and features a duet with Randy Owen on "Feels So Right," the classic Alabama song.

Zac Brown Band will be headed overseas later this month for their second USO tour of the Persian Gulf. For security reasons, we won't know when they're there until they get back, but the guys are really looking forward to entertaining the troops again.

Chris Young is psyched for tonight, because it's opening night for the Alan Jackson "Freight Train" tour, and he's the opening act. “‘Who’re you on tour with?’ is always a big question, especially when you’re a new artist. You know, people are always like, ‘Ah, what are you doin’ this summer? You on tour with anybody?’ To be able to look at ‘em and go, ‘Yeah, I’m out with Alan Jackson.’ It’s just a lot different than last year: ‘Hey, I’m gonna go do a fair.’”

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman just got the royal treatment overseas - really! They joined Rupert Murdock in Jordan for the baptism of Rupert's two daughters in the River Jordan. Nicole is the Godmother of the two girls, and after the baptism, Queen Rania of Jordan invited the group for a three-day tour of the country.

Always wanted to ride a country star's tour bus from show to show? Luke Bryan wants you to be his guest, on his bus and at the "Country Thunder" festival.

Rascal Flatts will be on an upcoming episode of "American Idol."

Miranda Lambert has added a new love interest to her life: a tiny Chihuahua that was found in a dumpster. She says she and Blake Shelton's Mom will share her, and have decided to name her Cher.


Looks like April 13th is the day that those two guys trying to get a hug from Taylor Swift will deliver the results of her second challenge to them.

As Terri Clark's family prepares for her Mom's funeral services this Saturday, word is out about another country star who suffered a loss Easter weekend. Collin Raye's nine year old granddaughter, Haley Bell, passed away. She had suffered from a neurological disorder and was Collins' inspiration for the song "She's With Me." The family is setting up a foundation in her memory.

Today's Country Tidbits

What an honor - Carrie Underwood has been tapped to sing the National Anthem at the Superbowl on February 7th in Miami.

The George Strait / Reba shows in Knoxville and Charlottesville this weekend have been cancelled...snow and ice are expected, so if you've got tickets, hold on to them. The shows will happen in April and your tickets are still good. The Friday Knoxville show is now scheduled for April 2nd, and the Saturday Charlottesville show is set for April 3rd.

Jimmy Wayne's Meet Me Halfway walk had to take the RV into Little Rock last night because of the snow and ice storm. He slept in the parking lot at the Capitol Hotel in the RV and says he'll backtrack 30K today and walk the part he rode yesterday. Hope the weather allows that...this is a bad storm sweeping across the midwest and through Arkansas and Tennessee to the Carolinas.

From the early returns, it looks like Lady Antebellum is poised to sell a lot of "Need You Now" in it's release week. A #1 debut is all but a lock, and if the pace continues as it has been for the first three days, selling 400,000 units isn't out of the question. With their performance on the Grammys on Sunday night, that should set them up nicely for a great second week of sales, too.

Zac Brown Band is joining Tim McGraw at the Daytona 500 weekend. They'll perform three times in one day - February 6th. They'll sing three songs before the Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shoot-Out, then sing the National Anthem just before the race, then afterwards, they'll play for an hour or so (knowing Zac Brown, probably more "or so") after the race.

A CraigsList Nashville posting could be an opportunity for you to be famous - or at least be an extra on a country music video. Eric Church is shooting the "Hell on the Heart" video next Friday near Nashville. You need to be willing to be on the set for 4 hours, and you need to send a current photo of yourself, along with your contact information to revocasting@gmail.com Good luck!

Taylor Swift will be on the CBS Early Show this morning, talking about the Grammys and her upcoming movie role in "Valentine's Day."

Clay Walker is on Fox & Friends today.

Catch Wynonna and Wyclef Jean on CBS's The Early Show on February 6th. That's the morning before the Superbowl, and the two good friends will be in Miami, raising money and awareness for relief efforts in Haiti.

Going into the Grammy's, here's a country recap:

Performing are Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, Jennifer Nettles and Carrie
Underwood. Taylor will perform "Today Was a Fairytale" and "You Belong With Me," Lady A will perform "Need You Now," Jennifer Nettles is performing with Elton John, Carrie Underwood will be
part of the tribute to Michael Jackson, and Zac Brown Band won't say what they're performing, only
that it'll be rockin'. Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert will be award presenters.

Taylor Swift has 8 nominations.
Keith Urban has 4
Zac Brown Band has 3
George Strait has 3
Lee Ann Womack has 3
Jamey Johnson has 2
Lady Antebellum has 2.
Willie Nelson has 2
Trace Adkins has 1
Billy Currington has 1
Miranda Lambert has 1
Martina McBride has 1
Brooks & Dunn have 1
Rascal Flatts has 1
Sugarland has 1
Dierks Bentley has 1
Kenny Chesney has 1
Brad Paisley has 1
Carrie Underwood has 1
Randy Travis has 1
Mac MacAnally has 1
Patty Griffin has 1
Steve Wariner has 1
Rosanne Cash has 1

Good luck to all of the nominees! We'll recap the winners here on Monday morning.

Today's Country Tidbits

More industry props for the Zac Brown Band - they've been invited to perform on the Grammy Awards show on January 31st on CBS.

On the Jimmy Wayne trail, he woke up yesterday morning with ice on his sleeping bag, and ice on the inside and outside of his tent. In order to give them time to dry out, he spent last night in a motel, and tweeted, "I'm more thankful tonight than I have been in a long time! Gosh this cheap motel feels like a 5 star presidential suite ." A Nashville news team did an interview with Jimmy Wayne, spreading his story even further. Donations are coming in from all over, including other artists. Dierks Bentley donated to HomeBase in support of MMH. If you'd like to help, here's the page to do it on.

A lot of people are inspired by country artists, but who do they find inspiration from? Martina McBride finds in in Meryl Streep. "I hesitate to use the word "idol" and have never really used it, but Meryl Streep is my idol. She rocks. Period. I find her so inspiring."

Clay Walker's "Band Against MS" website has been totally re-vamped, and Clay's really excited about it, saying “The new BAMS site creates a friendlier atmosphere, one that is less clinical for visitors in need of information on dealing with multiple sclerosis.”

How's this for a hunt camp trio - Eddie Montgomery, Blake Shelton and Craig Morgan. They're hunting together in Mississippi this week.

Justin Moore spills the beans on how "Backwoods" came to life as a song. He grew up in the country in Arkansas, but his guitar player grew up in a place called Greasy Creek, Kentucky. They played a couple of shows there, and Justin told his producer, "Dude, I grew up out in the woods, but you wouldn't believe how backwoods this place is!" The song wrote itself in about 20 minutes, and he was pleased with how it turned out, but when they all went into the studio to cut it, he was blown away by how it sounded with a full band. He knew that day it would be on the album, and hoped it would be a single. It was, and is his fastest-rising song so far in his short career.

Randy Houser is nearly finished with his new cd...been working overtime in the studio before hitting the road again. Expect the still-untitled cd to be out in April.

Josh Gracin is in the studio, recording like a madman. He says there'll be new stuff for us to hear soon.

Country Crossing, near Dothon, Alabama, is getting ready for their grand opening, and they've decided to do a three-day music festival. Before you roll your eyes and say, "who can afford that?" hear this: you can. It's all free. Three days of country concerts, featuring Tracy Lawrence, Joe Nichols, John Anderson, and many many more, are all free and open to the public. The shows are on January 15th, 16th and 17th and run from about 3:30 to past midnight each day.