Friday may be Black Friday for most of America, but in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, it’s Pink Friday. That’s the day Miranda Lambert opens her new store, The Pink Pistol, and the grand opening celebration includes Pink-aoke singing and the first annual Pink Pistol Princess Pageant. Judges will be looking for costume creativity, spunk and sass. Miranda says this event will be an annual one at her new store: “Pink Friday will be country fun with some glitz!”

Fans of Jake Owen have a lot to be thankful for. He is good to his fans, because he truly cares about them and what they think. No, really! “I just like talking to people. I like to learn about folks, I like to make new friends and I like to hear what they think. If they think I should put a song out that’s better than this one or that one – people are going to tell you the truth. I just like connecting with people.” A four-year old fan, Ava Schipke, even got a birthday call from Jake because her Mom tweeted that she wanted to talk to him on her birthday.

Little Big Town already has their stuffing taken care of – they stuffed backpacks for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, helping ensure that no child would go hungry tomorrow. The band’s Phillip Sweet explained why it’s important to all of them to help this cause: “It’s important all year long, but even more so this time of year. And I think one good thing is to bring awareness to people’s minds about it, because we’re all thinking about being with our family and being together and feasting and eating turkey and all these things, and to think that there are others that won’t have that beautiful gift, it’s not right! We’ve got to do something about that.”

Carrie Underwood is counting her blessings again this year, with a great career, a great hubby and quite a few awards under her belt. She says her favorite part of award shows are the acceptance speeches: “I love the chance to thank people! You know, if I’m blessed enough to win an award to get up there and thank the fans ‘cause they really are our employers.”
Craig Morgan is thankful to be able to support groups like The Wounded Warrior Project – he did a benefit concert for them in Florida this past weekend – and knows that gives meaning to his life: “There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back. It makes you feel good. Those military shows and all that kind of stuff we get to do – it is very rewarding and also very humbling.” 
What happens when a song takes on a life of its own? Florida Georgia Line is learning about that, as “Cruise” continues to sail up the charts. The platinum-selling song is the first hit for the band, and member Brian Kelley is in awe of it’s success so far: “It’s crazy to see where the songs come from. From the day we wrote it, to the day we started recording it, and then waited a couple of months, then finished it up and then released it. To now, it’s definitely a dream come true. It’s crazy.” It gets even crazier – a Nashville Chevy dealer just presented the duo with “a brand new Chevy with a lift kit” each for Mike and bandmate Tyler Hubbard. 
The American Country Awards will air December 10th on FOX-TV, and performers are lining up to be part of the fun. Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan and Kip Moore have all been chosen to perform, and more will be announced before the awards are handed out. 
Country music will be well-represented on the People’s Choice Awards in January. Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are both nominated for Favorite Female Artist, Blake Shelton s up for Favorite Male Artist, and the three of them are joined by Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw for Favorite Country Artist. Taylor Swift is up for Favorite Song for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and Carrie Underwood is nominated for Favorite Album for “Blown Away.” You can vote for your favorites now. 
Martina McBride and her family will be spending Thanksgiving in New York City. She’ll be performing during The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS tomorrow. 

While we’re all getting ready to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends, Trace Adkins is getting ready to ring in the Christmas season at the annual lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center. He’ll perform during the TV special, along with Mariah Carey, Cee Lo Green and Rod Stewart. The show airs live a week from tonight at 8 on NBC.

As Tim McGraw wraps up the Brothers of the Sun tour with Kenny Chesney, he’s looking forward to his stint in Vegas with wife Faith Hill. Sort of. After playing huge arenas all summer, the 1,800 seat Venetian Theatre is a little bit intimidating to Tim: “Makes me nervous to be that intimate. I mean, I’ve only done it a few times, early in my career of course when I played clubs, but only a few times have I played small rooms.”

Brad Paisley knows how to show his fans a good time, and apparently knows how to show his tourmates the same good time. “Why Ya Wanna” singer Jana Kramer is on the Virtual Opry stage, which is near The Escape plaza, filled with games, water slides and more fun things to bring out the kid in everyone. Apparently Jana is hooked: “Can I please like go now and after I perform. Yes, yes and yes. I’m such a kid, like in the jumpy house – oh, there’s a jumpy house! So, [laughs.]”

Taylor Swift has gone from being an anonymous songwriter in Nashville to being a record-breaking phenomenon whose face is on the cover of magazines all over the world in just 6 years. But according to Taylor, her day-to-day life hasn’t changed that much: “A lot of things have changed, but in a way I just feel like a lot of things have stayed the same – a lot of basic ways of going about your life. It’s not like I can’t go and do things that I used to do. Everywhere I go it’s more of a social situation now, but once you adjust your brain to that, it just seems normal.” Her 4th album, “Red,” comes out October 22nd, and she and Tim McGraw are lending their voices to the 3rd Annual Stand Up To Cancer telethon, which airs September 7th on several networks simultaneously.

Craig Morgan heads to Fort Hood Texas on August 28th to help stuff 7,500 care packages for soldiers serving in the Middle East. After a day of packing bags, he’ll perform a free concert for military ID card holders and their families. Jack Daniels is picking up the staging costs.

If you were hoping to see Thomas Rhett open for Toby Keith this weekend, sorry to disappoint you – he’s been diagnosed with tonsillitis and mono and has to sit out the weekend. He’s hoping to schedule something for his Atlanta and Charlotte fans later this fall.

If a hurricane doesn’t interrupt the event, Jake Owen, Rodney Atkins, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Oak Ridge Boys are all scheduled to perform in Tampa this weekend as part of the Republican National Convention. Willie Nelson and Randy Travis were both supposed to perform, too, but Willie’s been sick and Randy’s been in trouble with the law, so they’ll both miss out.

Wall bling for Trace Atkins – his “American Man, Greatest Hits Vol. 2” earned platinum status. Luke Bryan has two new certifications: double platinum for “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and platinum for “Rain Is A Good Thing.” Jana Kramer’s “Why Ya Wanna” has gone gold.

LeAnn Rimes is on The Talk today – it’s a rerun.

Craig Morgan and a few of his country music friends teamed up with some of his motocross friends and raised money during Craig’s 6th Annual Charity Weekend in Vanleer and Nashville, Tennessee. The event, which included a celebrity motocross ride, concert, banquet, silent a live auction and skeet shoot raises money for Billy’s Place, an organization near and dear to Craig’s heart: “It’s something my wife and I started. We seen the need early on in our community as foster parents. We were foster parents at one point. We seen the need for a place where the children could go during the transition of being removed from the home and being placed in a foster family.” They’re still counting the cash, but it’s sure to be a big pile!

Rascal Flatts latest song, “Come Wake Me Up,” is racing up the charts. The video features Tiffany Fallon, Joe Don’s wife, with motorcycle freestyle world champion Dena Sodano as her motorcycle-riding stunt double. Jay knows why the song is doing so well on the charts: “Everybody’s had their heartbroken – obviously. Everybody can identify with those kinds of emotions that come out in our music.” Check out the video…CMT.com feeds a commercial first…



What happens when a superstar is a fan of yours? Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney found out when Brad Paisley called him up to come over and write. Mat says the call was “a little nerve-wracking at first,” but Brad was “super humble” and described Brad as a workaholic and an awesome musician. Can’t wait to hear what they come up with – both are amazing songwriters.

Lovelovelove Miranda Lambert? There’s an app for that. Whether you use iPhone or Driod, hit your app store for the free Miranda app that includes a news feed, tour schedule, videos, music, pictures and access to exclusive content about Miranda.

Kip Moore is watching his latest single, “Beer Money,” take on a life of its own, and by the time he hits the road with Eric Church this fall, the whole audience will be singing it back to him. According to Kip, “It’s an infectious song and it’s one of those things that every night when we play it, the whole crowd’s singing it.”

Heavy metal of the gold variety was handed out to Dierks Bentley, Love and Theft and Chris Young. Each has sold over half a million digital downloads of their songs – “5-1-5-0” for Dierks, “Angel Eyes” for Love and Theft and “The Man I Want to Be” for Chris Young.

Tim McGraw had some details to share about the Soul2Soul shows he and wife Faith Hill will do in Las Vegas. The eighteen-hundred seat Venetian Theater will be home to them for ten weekends, starting December 7th, and Tim says, “We’re in the process of building the show now, and we can say that the production’s gonna be very cutting edge. We wanna do really cool stuff...things that certainly we haven’t done before and probably some things that haven’t been done before in a lot of ways. Um, we don’t wanna give away too much of what the show’s gonna be, but it’s certainly gonna be a lot of us. I mean, it’s gonna be us together.” Just what do their daughters think of spending two and a half months in Vegas? “[Tim] They’re excited! They’re very excited ‘cause they love going to the shows, so they probably won’t see ours [laughs]. [Faith] They’ve been to most of the shows here over the years when we’ve been coming in and out, so they’re thrilled!” Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday at the theatre box office and online at Ticketmaster.

Taylor Swift is planning an interactive webcast this Monday night, and she’s got some news to share. Is it new music news? Tour news? Boyfriend news? She’s being pretty coy: “You can ask questions! I wanna share some news with you. Some really cool news—not gonna go into it too much—but it’s cool!” The webcast starts Monday at 7pm Eastern time on TaylorSwift.com.

Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus and wife Allison are enjoying their new son, Dylan Jay, even though Daddy Jay is on tour right now. When asked how being on the road with his dad’s band might affect little Dylan, Jay replied, “All of his bad habits, I’m sure he will learn from Uncle Gary and Uncle Joe Don. I hope that Gary teaches him how to sing like he does and hopefully Joe Don will teach him to play guitar like he does and then I’ll have the best of both worlds… Then I can go out on the road with my son and leave these two yahoos.” The tour hits Raleigh, NC tomorrow night.

Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour scored a major hit Monday night – he broke the attendance record at Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. Over 27,000 people showed up for the concert, and Jason remarked, “It’s been a pretty crazy year as far as the tour goes. I mean, it’s kind of exceeded any expectations we could have had for ourselves.”

Craig Morgan’s 6th annual charity weekend is this weekend in Tennessee. Saturday, motocross stars lead a trail ride in Vanleer and Saturday night, Craig, Darryl Worley, Robin Meade and Nan Kelley of GAC team up for a concert to support the Craig Morgan Charity Fund. Sunday features the Celebrity Sporting Clay Event at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex in Nashville, led by “The Ultimate Shooter,” Tim Bradley. If you’d like to be on the trail ride but you don’t have the right wheels, fear not – there’s anauction on eBay that runs through tomorrow. The Husqvarna For a Day experience puts you on a great ride and up front with the celebrities!

Jason Aldean was proud to be part of the show Opening Act last night, giving 16-year-old Kylie Morgan a chance to open for him on one of his My Kinda Party tour stops. Jason had help from Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins and Keith Urban when he was a baby act, and knows what that kind of support can mean: “For a new artist, it’s so important and such a big deal for your career and to help get your career of the ground, so it’s a big deal.” He goes on to say, “To be able to kinda pay it forward and do that for another new act, it’s cool. I mean, that’s the way it should be...helping other artists, other acts reach their goal of becoming a country music star.”

Taylor Swift now has a collection of 20 surfboards. What will she do with them all? She’s not telling yet, but it’s a safe bet that they’re not all hanging on her condo walls. With the five surfboards she won at the Teen Choice Awards Sunday night, she’s now the most-awarded female ever in the Teen Choice Awards’ 13-year history.

Keith Urban finds inspiration in a lot of places. He’s working on his next studio album and says this about where he is in country music right now: “There really is something particular that’s in—of all things—a Waylon Jennings song. There’s a song he wrote called, ‘Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.’ And that song for me has always been like the perfect summation of what I love about playing country music.”

Phil Vassar’s Canadian fans got way more than they bargained for at the Craven Country Jamboree in Saskatchewan. He played his scheduled 90 minute set on stage, went backstage to the VIP tent, which was filled with people who wanted more. He sat down at a piano and played for another two hours, then he and his band went back to the main stage and played another 45 minutes for those who were camping at the festival. At 3am!! His manager finally dragged him off-stage so they could make it to the airport for their 6:40am flight to Nashville.

Love & Theft’s new cd is out today, and here’s what they have to say about the sound of it: “I think it sounds more organic and raw than our first album. The vibe we were looking for is better suited for a live tracking session in a room where you’re singing live and going back and fixing vocals as opposed to trying to make it sound polished and perfect.”

Red Solo Cup is on fire! Toby Keith now has his first double-platinum single ever. The song went platinum for a million paid downloads in January and has now been certified double-platinum. Congrats to Toby, who was such a natural in the video.



Craig Morgan is on the “Road Warriors” segment of Morning Express With Robin Meade on HLN.

The first female country music superstar has passed away. Kitty Wells, who rose to fame in the 1950’s, was the first woman ever to top the country charts. She did it in 1952 with “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” a controversial song that was banned by many country stations and from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry for a time. She was the first female country singer to be given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and received many other honors, earning her the nickname, “The Queen of Country Music.” Kitty Wells was 92 and passed away from complications following a stroke.

Told you yesterday that Taylor Swift is atop the Forbes Magazine list of top earners under 30. We know what she does in her professional life, but what does someone so wealthy do in her down time? According to Taylor, “I go home and I like, either have dinner with my friends, or by myself. Then, I’ll watch Friends until I go to sleep.”

Miranda Lambert is still being quiet – hopefully she can play her shows this coming weekend. Meanwhile, the video for Pistol Annie’s new song, “Takin’ Pills,” is raising Cain – and eyebrows! “We love that song. It’s fun. We wrote it on the bus. It’s how we just describe…we would describe ourselves if we had put this band together at 18, right out of high school. And it’s exaggerated, of course, but we would have probably been bums on the street at this point because I don’t know that we could have made it through all that, but that’s a fun one to do, live, too. People love that.” See what all the fuss is about…



Garth Brooks says he’s still two years away from going back out on tour, because he’s still raising his girls. About his daughter Allie, Garth says, “My youngest has got it. She’s got the bug, but she’s got the goods, too.” She wants to pursue music and he’s not going to try to talk her out of it.

With seven kids in the house, Sara Evans spends a lot of time playing referee – especially during the summer time: “Our kids are very competitive...to a negative sometimes. We try to rein that in all the time like, ‘Right now what we’re doing is just for fun. This is not the NBA. This is not the NFL. This is for fun. So, chill out!’ So, we really try to teach them...be competitive, but don’t be ridiculous [laughs]. Have fun!”

Congratulations to Eli Young Band. “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” is the #1 country song this week, meaning that they now have back-to-back #1’s. “Crazy Girl” was their first #1 song.

Craig Morgan is on Rizzoli and Isles tonight and Kip Moore is on Conan O’Brien, performing “Beer Money.”

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

The CMA Music Festival is history for 2012, and lots of fans will make their hotel reservations for 2013 before they leave Nashville today. The event is a fan favorite, but it’s also an artist favorite. Here are thoughts from just a few who performed at the CMA Music Festival this year:

Brad Paisley on the craziest thing done by a fan: “Tattoo of your face...on a leg. The woman that did that is very sane, from what I can tell. Truthfully, she’s the nicest person you’d ever want to meet, but she walks around with my face...luckily the artist was really good. I mean it did...it looked just like an eight-by-ten of me.”

Carrie Underwood, on the weird things she gets asked to sign: “I signed a diaper once. It was not used. I’ve signed body parts but mostly any body parts was intoxicated people...it was just easier to sign instead of argue with them. Don’t you have anything else? Like a piece of paper?”

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley on who they’d wait in line to see: “[Charles] I mean, as a fan right now I think it’s hard to beat a Luke Bryan or a Jason Aldean show. They’re such a fun...you know, they’re such fun, high energy shows. So, as a fan I would sit in line to go watch those shows, that’s for sure. [Hillary] Reba, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood...I’d love that.”

Jason Aldean on what he loves about the CMA Music Festival: “A week like this where we can show our appreciation and kind of tell them thank you in person and do some extra stuff just so they can come out and be a part of it to me is...that’s easy stuff, you know, and it’s definitely worth it. So, it’s a cool thing that the CMA does every year.”

Blake Shelton on being back in Nashville: “This is the first time I’ve been to Nashville in I don’t know when. In fact, Miranda and I combined #1 parties last week to get that celebration in we wanted to do. I’m working on the next studio album and I’ve been in the studio all this week workin’ on a Christmas record.”

Zac Brown on his plans for Nashville: “We just opened a big studio here in Nashville this last week and we’re coming to Nashville, we’re infiltrating. We’re gonna have a restaurant here and a bar here eventually.”

The Band Perry’s Kimberly and Reid on sharing news with fans last week: “[Kimberly] We revealed the name of our brand new fan club, which is called The Fans Perry. So, you’ve got The Band Perry and The Fans Perry...[Reid] Kind of a play on words there, you see that?”

Kip Moore, on meeting Willie Nelson: “I’m a massive Willie Nelson. I grew up on, ‘Red Headed Stranger’ being play nine million times in my house. My mom loved Willie, and I think my mom was so cool that all of a sudden I fell in love with Willie Nelson.”

Craig Morgan is on “Hotel Impossible” on the Travel Channel today.

Today's Country Tidbits

Country stars spent yesterday honoring fallen soldiers – here are their thoughts on Memorial Day…

Luke Bryan: “My dad served in Vietnam and it’s so cool that he can always walk around for the rest of his life and say, ‘I went to Vietnam, and I served.’ I hate that I’ll never be able to say that, but I guess kinda my way of serving is getting down here and trying to play for the troops.”

Craig Morgan: “There’s two things that are important in my life and that’s security of my nation, and the security of my family. And the security of my nation comes first. Most people would not appreciate or understand that, but without the security of this nation I can’t take care of my family.”

Kip Moore: “Both of my grandparents, on my mom and my dad’s side, were both in the war and protected this country. So I’ve always had a patriotic side to me, and I don’t think sometimes we grasp how lucky we are.”

Kiefer Thompson of Thompson Square: “We’ve always been big supporters of the military. My dad was in the Army. Shawna’s daddy was a Vietnam vet. Her cousin’s been in Afghanistan and Iraq both – two tours. It’s just...we love our country you know? Every time, if something comes up, if we can do it, we do it!”

And here are some thoughts from country stars on performing for the military…

Toby Keith: “They mean everything to me. They show up at my show every night. Their families show up. I represent a piece of American pie for them. It’s way more special than I ever intended or thought it ever could be.”

Craig Morgan: “I remember being in Korea and having Sawyer Brown and Charlie Daniels. It was very impacting; it takes away a little bit of aggravation and tension for a few minutes. You get a taste of home, and there’s nothing like that.”

Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry: “I just love it more and more every time I go. Me and T we talk about it all the time, every time we go we wanna do more and stay longer. We just don’t thank them enough. When you see our America heroes man, they’re totally awesome.”

George Strait has been named one of the 21 sexiest men over 50 by AARP. Ya think??

Well, they’ve been married a week now – hope all is still well in the newleyweds’ world. Angaleena Presley of Pistol Annies married her boyfriend Jordan Powell one week ago today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The tweet of the day is from Rodney Atkins: “Grateful to the men & women past & present & their families for their courage & many sacrifices not just today but everyday God Bless y'all”

Today's Country Tidbits

Rascal Flatts' new cd, "Changed," debuted at the top of the Billboard Country chart this week, and the trio thinks they know why: “It’s probably the album we feel best about from top to bottom. You know, when you listen back to your previous works when you get through with them, there’s always something about each project that you wished you’d done differently or a different song you wished you’d cut, you know? But, this record we feel like we finally got it dialed in to the point to where we’re proud of every single thing on this project.”

Three quarters of a million. That's how many fans Lady Antebellum has played in front of so far on their Own The Night 2012 World Tour, and they're only halfway through. What keeps them going onstage each night? Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott weigh in: “[Charles] Red Bull... [Hillary] That’s what I was gonna say! [Charles] Alcohol...no...I mean, honestly, their response is what drives you, you know, when they’re freaking out. And it just keeps you comin’ back for more.” The summer leg of the tour kicks off May 3rd at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Carrie Underwood spends a lot of time in the spotlight, and that can really change a person. She's working to stay grounded, saying, “So much happens when you’re on the road and when you’re making albums and when you’re doing TV shows and awards shows and stuff like that, you forget I think! You’re in your celebrity bubble, and I don’t want to be in that bubble. It’s fun sometimes, but for your heart and for you as a person, you just kinda need to step away and just be real.” This Sunday in Parade Magazine, Carrie gets exposed. It's the What People Earn, Then and Now" issue, comparing what people earned before they were big stars with what they earn now. Carrie rakes in about $20 million a year now, but just eight years ago she was making just $16,000 as a waitress.

Craig Morgan's song "What Matters Most" is making money for an organization that really matters. The Folds of Honor Foundation supports families of service men and women killed in the line of duty, and Craig is donating all of the proceeds from the song to that cause. You can only buy the song at one place on the internet, to ensure the maximum donation to Folds of Honor.

Set the DVR - Blake Shelton and his four team members will perform on The Voice Monday night at 8 on NBC.

Happy birthday to Vince Gill, who turns 55 today.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Welcome home to the Opry, Keith. You're rooming with Little Jimmy for the first month."

Today's Country Tidbits

Carrie Underwood will perform her new song, "Good Girl," at the ACM Awards on April first, and she's psyched: “Being in Vegas is always a lot of fun and I’m glad to finally get to perform ‘Good Girl’ in a big situation. It’s gonna be really good. We’re having something made for the performance and it’ll be pretty rockin’.” Also added to the lineup are Keith Urban and Sara Evans.

The night before the ACM Awards, stars line up to put on a free show for military families at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Craig Morgan is part of this annual event and says, “It is going to be awesome! There will be vendors – all kinds of stuff. Saturday night there will be a concert featuring lots of artists and myself. It will be a bit of a military tribute show.”

The artist "please vote for me" videos wars have begun, with Blake Shelton taking a straight-ahead road looking for your votes for Entertainer of the Year.

Kix Brooks is having to take two weeks off the road for what he describes as "banged up vocal chords." Shows in Jacksonville and Las Vegas will be re-scheduled.

The guys from Rascal Flatts are in the studio, working on the soundtrack to Saving Santa.

Martina McBride is a real hands-on mom, in addition to being a very successful country star. What if her daughters wanted to follow in her footsteps? Martina feels that they've got a good understanding of the whole music business: “It can be a great life, obviously. And I think having grown up around it they understand the awesome parts of it and then there’s parts of it, you know, it’s hard work and there’s a lot of rejection and I think that they would have a realistic expectation of what it takes.”

Billy Currington's first headlining tour kicks off tonight in Dothon, Alabama, and he's taking David Nail and singer/songwriter Kip Moore on the road with him. Kip's excited about the opportunity: “There will be some wild times to be had, I can promise you that, and it’s gonna be a blast to play for packed houses every night, and the chance to really get in front of an audience that’s itching to hear some good music.”

Time Magazine has declared Dolly Parton has one of the 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2012. The article says, “When a legacy this great tweets, we listen. Because she’s Dolly, but mostly, because she’s usually right.” Follow Dolly on Twitter - @Dolly_Parton.

The tweet of the day is from Jerrod Niemann: "Well, I just sat up, that's a step in the right direction."

Today's Country Tidbits

Montgomery Gentry's new song, "Where I Come From," has cracked the top 10 on the country charts and is still climbing. Eddie Montgomery says their video take on the song was inspired by friends in their hometowns: “I’m very, very proud, and when you see a couple ‘ol boys that you went to high school with or watched playing football in high school and the next thing you know they’ve signed up for the military and they’re off to Iraq...you go like, ‘Man,’ you know it really hits you at home then.”

Luke Bryan is in Panama City Beach for spring break. He's the entertainment now that he's a grown up, but he remembers the shenanigans from when he was a teen: “One of my buddies...I’ll leave all the names out of it, but he got us banned from all of Thomas Drive down in Panama City. He threw a couple of TVs out of the hotel room...we had a great time though, it was all a part of being a kid, all a part of growing up.”

How does Carrie Underwood keep that killer body? She says she's 95% vegan, pays attention to where food comes from and would rather eat at home so she's in total control. Hubby Mike Fisher would rather go out to restaurants, which Carrie tolerates and manages with the LiveStrong.com phone app. Did you miss her new video when it was posted here Monday? Here it is again, so you can see how she's doing on her diet...

Billy Currington kicks off his first headlining tour this month, taking David Nail and Kip Moore on the road with him. He toured with Kenny Chesney last year and paid attention to how he kept his fans enthralled: “Yeah, he gets out there and talks to ‘em. I was like, ‘Dang! Do I gotta do that?!’ I thought you just come and here and sing! But he’ll carry on for a while!” If you're female and like to sing, you could be in luck- Billy will bring someone up on stage at each tour stop to sing Shania's part on "Party for Two."

Craig Morgan is looking forward to this Sunday night, when he makes his acting debut. He's part of the Lifetime series, "Army Wives." What was his role? “That was cool because I got to perform as myself. I did have a few talking lines I can’t tell you a whole lot about the show I’ll get in trouble, I’m not supposed to talk about it but I can tell you I’m in it and that’s pretty cool.” The show airs Sunday night at 9 Eastern on Lifetime.

Happy birthday to Kristian Bush of Sugarland who is 42 today, and to Michael Martin Murphey, who is 67.

The tweet of the day is from Rhonda Adkins, wife of Trace: "RhondaAdkins: If I could only tweet the jokes Trace is telling about sausage and beavers.. I'll let Trace do that"

Today's Country Tidbits

Country stars work hard, but play hard, too. Saturday March 31st is the 2nd Annual NRA Country ACM Celebrity Shoot, and Blake Shelton is hosting the avent this year. Twenty celebrity teams vie for top team and top shooter, with proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project, The Folds of Honor Foundation and the Nellis Air Force Base Youth Programs. In addition to Blake, Craig Morgan, Jake Owen, Edens Edge, Lee Brice, Craig Campbell, Ira Dean and Thomas Rhett will be competing.

It's Luke Bryan's Spring Break week in Panama City, Florida this week. He'll head down to do some beach concerts and celebrate the release of his "Suntan City" EP. Luke loves putting out the four-song compilation each year: “That’s the fun thing about getting to do the Spring Break album is me getting down there. You know what, this whole Spring Break album I just started from writing music without parameters. Spring Break, you know if we want to drop a little cuss word in there or something we don’t sweat it. That makes it – that frees us up more creatively to where we don’t get too bound by what’s going on when we’re in the writing room.”

Martina McBride hits Panama City next month to kick off her small-room tour. The follow-up to "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" is "Marry Me," a duet with Pat Monahan of Train. His group originally did the song and then the two did it on their episode of CMT Crossroads. When Martina went into the studio to record last year, she invited Pat to join her. “When we’d finished rehearsing it, we both looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, that really works. That’s really cool as a duet.’ So, when I went in to make the album, I asked if he would come and...if I record that song and he would come and sing on it. So, he came to Atlanta where we were recording, and we sang it in the same room.”

More stars have been added to the performance lineup for the ACM Awards Show on April first. The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Chris Young and Blake Shelton will all grace the stage with a live song.

The video for Carrie Underwood's "Good Girl" is out, and it's a fashion show for Carrie. Must have taken forever with all the costume changes, but it look like it was fun to make.

Congratulations to Dierks Bentley - he's notched his ninth #1 single with "Home." He's pretty humble about the success of it: “It’s about now but it’s a little history lesson too about what we’ve been through and at the end of the day I think it’s inspiring and hopeful. It’s been a real blessing of a song and one that none of us really can take too much credit for it; just inspiration hit and, you write that many songs over the course of the year you might get one of those moments and we got one with this song.” He's wrapping up a tour in Australia, so his #1 party will have to wait til he gets back state-side.

Zac Brown Band is in the studio, working on new music. No word on when we can expect to hear it.

Brad Paisley - cigar aficianado? Yep, and he's on the cover of the Cigar Aficianado magazine, looking classy in a tux jacket and cowboy hat.

Shooter Jennings is on the Tonight Show.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "So I'm on the west coast right now so don't be giving away what happens tonight on The Voice everybody!!! I can't wait to see who I pick!!"

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

The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo has been going on for 62 years, and has seen a lot of top country acts grace the stage. Reba, Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Brooks & Dunn - they've all sold out shows during the event. But there's sold out and then there's record-breaking sold out - Keith Urban just broke the record for concert attendance, playing to 16,799 fans in San Antonio this past Saturday night.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party, where they met Tom Hanks and his wife Rita. Apparently the two couples really hit it off, with Rita tweeting that she hoped to spend more time with Miranda and Blake. In true Blake fashion, he replied, “We love you Rita!!! And that weird Tom guy that was with you." Rita replied, “That weird Tom guy is now in my house!" Easy to see that there's a friendship blossoming there!

A California woman was busted for trespass at Kenny Chesney's home south of Nashville. Melissa Mansfield was arrested in the wee hours yesterday morning, caught in a bathroom in the pool house on the property. Not surprisingly, she was also charged with public intoxication. Kenny Chesney wasn't home at the time.

Chris Young is on tour with Miranda Lambert, and is wowing audiences with his limber bass voice. He didn't always sing like that, though, he remembers his voice before it changed: “I was a...like an alto slash soprano when I was getting started singing. I remember my voice changed and I thought my life was over because I couldn’t sing Vince Gill’s songs anymore. And I was like, ‘Man now I like I have to switch to falsetto to get up there and hit those notes.’ And then I realized that when you can sing really low people are ok with that too so I was like, ‘sweet!’” His songs "You" and "Voices" have gone gold, so the voice change seems to have served him well.

Dierks Bentley's new cd, "Home," debuted at the top of the Billboard Country chart. It's the 4th of his albums to do that, and Dierks thinks this one is the best one yet: “What’s cool about this record, and one thing I try to capture on it is a diversity of the music, but it all falls within the confines of who I am as a country singer as far as loving the country sounds, the bluegrass sounds, loving some of the rock sounds and energy and mixing it all together on a record. I think it’s all there, so I think there’s a diversity of subject matter and sounds but in a way that it all kind of gels together pretty well.” Dierks was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday, performed "Home" and donated $50,000 to a struggling military family. Watch the segment now.

Taylor Swift was on the Today show, talking life, love and Lorax...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Eric Church has a very young roadie - his 4-month-old son, Boone. About the experience of fatherhood, Eric says, “We went through the first couple months and just like, it was like combat. You know there’s no rhyme or reason he sleeps, it’s his own schedule. So, um, it’s, it’s been, it’s been a total life changing experience. It’s been wonderful. We are all exhausted but it’s a good exhaustion.” About his loss in the Country Album of the Year category at the Grammys Sunday, Eric has a philosophical outlook: “I think win or lose though, I’m proud of the record and I wouldn’t have made a different record. If you would have told me, ‘If you do this you’ll win the Grammy.’ I still wouldn’t have done it because I am proud of the way the record is.”

Craig Morgan is ready to release his sixth studio album, and the first album of new music in three years. Drop date for "This Ole Boy" is February 28th.

The tweet of the day is from Dierks Bentely: "just touched down in Vancouver & saw all the @theellenshow tweets. how strong/amazing is that military couple! honored to be able to help."

Today's Country Tidbits

Taylor Swift has been working on her 4th studio album, and apparently she's always writing. Her plan is to write for two years, and then “At the end of the two years, I collect the best songs that say exactly what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it, and then, that’s the album. It’s sort of a natural process and you hope for evolution along the way.” The new project should be released some time in 2012.

There's still room on the "Blake Shelton & Friends Cruise" happening October 14-21, 2012. Who are the friends, you might ask? Trace Adkins, Randy Houser, Justin Moore, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Easton Corbin and Neal McCoy. Jerrod got added to the line-up, probably for the fun factor. According to Blake, “Man, there is nothing more exciting than when I meet another artist that is just willing to go there with me. And, Jerrod is that other guy that I’ve met. I mean, he is not afraid to make an a** of himself, and neither am I. I love him, I really do. I think a lot of that guy, and I think he knows it.” You'll cruise the Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines "Pearl." Sure would make a great Christmas gift for the Blake fan on your list!

Update on Blake Shelton's dad - Blake tweeted his thanks for everyone's prayers and said that maybe he'll get out of the hospital tomorrow. Richard Shelton was hospitalized for pneumonia earlier this week.

The all-girl Pistol Annies, comprised of Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, have been on a west-coast tour and having a blast. According to Ashley, there's a special chemistry that comes from the three of them writing and playing together. “We all three have our own style of writing and our own experiences, but somehow or another they all, when they blend together, it really does create Pistol Annies music.” Pistol Annies and Miranda Lambert are the only country acts to make Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2011 list. Pistol Annies' are at #29 and Miranda's "Four the Record" is #31.

There's a party in Norfolk, VA on December 15th. Craig Morgan and about 150 volunteers will stuff care packages for troops as part of the 15th Annual Jack Daniel's USO Toast to the Troops. The day of work will be followed by a concert by Craig. This is his 6th time to participate, and he says it's one of his favorite events every year.

This weekend, Sugarland is performing in Oslo, Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

Blake Shelton is on the Tonight Show tonight.

Happy birthday to Marty Raybon, lead singer of Shenandoah. Marty is 52 today.

The tweet of the day is a quote tweeted by Big Kenny of Big & Rich: "'America is a tune. It must be sung together.' - Gerald Stanley Lee"

Today's Country Tidbits

Today is Veterans Day, and it's a day when we should take a minute to thank our military heroes who are willing to walk through fire for us. Country music artists know what we owe our veterans:

Dierks Bentley: “I think Veteran’s Day is something that happens once a year, but I think in the country community it really is something we are and need to be thinking about 365 days a year because those folks need us.”

Eric Church: “What I respect and admire is the sacrifice that those guys and girls go through for us to live the way they want to live too. And, again, I’m very thankful for the sacrifice that those guys endure. It’s something that’s always been very important to me and always will be.”

Craig Morgan: “There’s two things that are important in my life and that’s the security of my nation and the security of my family. The security of my nation comes first. Most people would not appreciate or understand that. But, without the security of this nation, I don’t have the security of my family...I can’t take care of my family. If it weren’t for those men and women there...stationed there and standing ready there, then we would be fighting terrorism at home on a much greater front.”

Kellie Pickler: “I get asked all the time, ‘Well, I don’t know how to...I can’t go to Afghanistan. What can I do?’ And it’s small things like saying thank you that make the biggest difference because it shows appreciation and it shows that you respect what they’re doing, regardless if you agree or disagree with what’s going on.”

It was Christmas in Nashville last night, as country's biggest stars lined up for the taping of the "CMA Country Christmas" special that will air December 1st on ABC. Some of the highlights of the show Jennifer Nettles hosts again this year include:

Sugarland performing a bi-lingual version of “Silent Night.”

Darius Rucker crooning “Winter Wonderland.”

Lauren Alaina sings “Grown Up Christmas List."

Vince Gill and Miss Piggy duet on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Scotty McCreery takes on “The First Noel”

Little Big Town belts out a bluesy version of “Santa Claus is Back in Town” with Keith Urban on guitar.

Rascal Flatts performed “White Christmas”

The show will close with all the stars back on stage, singing a medly of Christmas songs.

Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland was very frank with reporters backstage at the CMA Awards when asked about their next album. She replied, "We're in the writing – actually, we're in the resting process, let me be real frank. We just got off tour two weeks ago after two years of being on the Incredible Machine tour and after obviously quite a tumultuous year. We're taking a few months off just to chill, relax and sleep in our own beds and contemplate on how we want to approach what's next."

The ratings for this year's CMA Award show were bigger than last year's - the 35 million viewers topped last year's telecast by nearly 3 million viewers.

Did you miss Thompson Square on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the CMA Awards? Here you go...

Lady Antebellum kicks off their "Own the Night" tour tonight in Knoxville.

Steve Martin and the Lonesome River Band wll be on the Late Show with David Letterman and Billy Currington is part of the UNC vs. Michigan State game tonight on ESPN.

The tweet of the day is from Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry: "Well we didn't win and that sucks. me and t will just work harder for next year"

Today's Country Tidbits

Toby Keith tops Forbes Magazine's "Country Music's Highest-Paid Stars" list, raking in $50 million in the past year. His money comes not just from his music and tour dates, but also his "I Love This Bar & Grill" restaurants, his "Wild Shot Mezcal" and a sponsor relationship with Ford. Taylor Swift is second with $45 million, Brad Paisley is third at $40 million, Tim McGraw comes in fourth with $35 million and Rascal Flatts is a close 5th at $34 million.

Fun news about the CMA Awards - all five of the Entertainer of the Year nominees - Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban - will perform during the show. Tickets for the show go on sale to the public this Saturday at Ticketmaster.

Luke Bryan kicks off his third annual "Farm Tour" next week in South Carolina. Luke loves these little-town shows, saying “We just wanna have a little fun in the fall. And these things are a big event for these towns. I just love the fact that people can come out and have a big time, listen to some music, and…it’s just a fun experience.” He's on the road now, and wraps up his show with a little Lady Gaga. Don't believe me? Check out Luke's rendition of "Bad Romance"...

Last night in New York, Vince Gill and Sting shared the stage for a taping of CMT Crossroads. The two have known each other for 14 years and are great friends, and both had been looking for a way to work together. During the invitation-only concert, they swapped licks on Vince's "Whenever You Come Around," "These Days" and "Liza Jane." From Sting's catalog, they chose "Fields of Gold, "Shape of My Heart" and "Every Breath You Take." They also both whipped out guitars and had fun with a guitar jam. "CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill" will air in November. On October first, Vince will be part of Sting's 60th birthday concert, along with Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga.

Randy Travis celebrates 25 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on October 4th. Carrie Underwood and Josh Turner are just two of the stars turning out to fete Randy. Parts of the show will air on GAC's "Opry Live" on October 15th, and there are still tickets available if you're up for a road trip.

Montgomery Gentry's new cd, "Rebels on the Run," won't be out until October 18th. The release date was pushed back because the guys decided to give away a motorcycle in conjunction with the release. One of the cd cases will include a "golden ticket" that the winner will exchange for a custom-made chopper from Demented Cycles.

There's fantasy baseball, fantasy football and now...fantasy hunting? Yep, and Craig Morgan is the first country artist to sign on as a player. There's over $60,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, so you might want to pick a team!

Happy birthday to Faith Hill, who turns 44 today. She wants to share her gifts with her daughters - “I guess the greatest gift that I could give my girls is a sense of self worth and just…to be happy, learn to be happy, try to be happy.” By the way, Faith is working on a new album, though there's no word on a potential release date.

The tweet of the day is from Jo Dee Messina: "Love is ... carrying leftover mac and cheese 1/2 way across country, through secuity, on plane, for a 2 year old"

Today's Country Tidbits

Trace Adkins is putting his money where his mouth is. His second greatest hits collection is "American Man" and he's decided to use American vendors from now on for his merch. He was on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight and said, “I don’t know that it’s the American way, but it’s my way and it’s me doing at least a little something to make me feel like I’m helping somehow, that I’m doing something. If it maybe just gives one more American a job, you know, I’m trying to do something.”

Want to win an Alan Jackson concert in your town? You can - the town, city or metropolis that casts the most votes wins the free concert. Remember that it's easier to organize a small town than a big city, and go for it!

So yesterday the photo of Luke Bryan's latest boo-boo was shared here, but at the time of posting, there were no details about how he hurt himself so badly he needed stitches in his forehead. Now the tale can be told, and it has to do with a two-wheeled skateboard. Luke was trying out his new RipStik, purchased in New York shortly after he appeared on the Today show, and took a bad fall. The diagonal injury is right above and between his eyes, and will probably give him even more babe-appeal.

Also yesterday, this blog featured video of a Brad Paisley retaliatory prank where he lit an Arkansas Razorback doormat on fire. He's taking some serious heat for that from Razorback fans, who are threatening to burn their Brad Paisley cds. Brad's reply, via Twitter: "Also if you still want to burn an album, I'm okay with that,but I insist you burn the new one"ThisIsCountryMusic." On sale now at WalMart."

Martina McBride is releasing her next album, "Eleven," on 10/11/11. Why not 11/11/11? As she explained via Twitter, "It's not a Tues. All cds come out on Tues. Plus, I can't wait any longer! Too excited!" Discussing the album with a reporter, Martina said, “I just felt when I went in I just wanted to find the best songs. I wrote a lot for this album which I think brought out a lot of different sides of me and so we have songs that have a little bit of an R&B feel, songs that are the big ballads that you maybe have come to expect from me. I have some…just songs that are just plain fun.”

Taylor Swift is ready to take her "Speak Now" tour down under. Six dates are scheduled for March of 2012, and it's probable that more shows will be added.

A little closer to home, Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Eric Paslay and Jon Pardi will be the performers at a free concert in Nashville on September 21st. The fun starts at 7pm on Demonbren Street. Be prepared to make new friends - last year, this event drew over 10,000 revelers.

Lady Antebellum has been invited to be part of Saturday Night Live's 37th season. They're the musical guest on the second show this season and actress Melissa McCarthy is the show host. Air date is October first.

There's not much here, but enough to tell you that, even though the song isn't country, it's still going to be awesome. Here are Carrie Underwood and Tony Bennett duetting on "It Had to be You," part of his all-star duet cd coming out September 20th. Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill and Willie Nelson are the other country artists on the project, which also includes the late Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga and more big-name singing stars.

The numbers have been crunched from last weekend's charity ride, skeet shoot and concert, hosted by Craig Morgan. The two-day event raised over $95,000 for Billy's Place, a haven for temporarily homeless children.

Sunday night, watch the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" on ABC. The show features your favorite artists' concert performances, plus behind-the-scenes fun from this summer's CMA Music Festival.

Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery are on Good Morning America today, the Zac Brown Band is on the Today show and Blake Shelton is on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight.

Happy birthday to Danny Shirley of Confederate Railroad, who turns 55 today. Tomorrow, Andy Griggs turns 38 and Mike Melacon of Emerson Drive hits 33. Sunday, Connie Smith turns 70.

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "Dear iPhone... No I'm not trying to spell shut!!!!! Or shot!!!! Or duck!!!!!!! Or fudge!!!!!!! You piece of shut..... Damn it!!!!!!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Sunday night after Taylor Swift raked in more Teen Choice Awards than anyone ever has before, she was asked to share a piece of wisdom with America's teens. Her answer? “I think the best advice I ever got as a teenager is to try to think of your actions as if your eighty years-old looking back. You know? Your dad calls you at eight in the morning and wants to go to breakfast? As a teenager, you’re like, ‘no I want to sleep.’ But as an eighty year-old looking back, you’ll go to breakfast with your dad. It’s just little decisions like that. And it’s kind of helped me ever since I was teenager, in making the choices you won’t regret later.” Good stuff!

In more Taylor news, she's about to be the feature of school books for middle- and high-schoolers. Well, "books" might not be the right way to say it - it'll actually be comic books, or graphic novels, as they're now called. The Graphic Classroom series promises to help teach language, historical perspective, conceptual thinking and decision making. The series will also include other stars like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.

Seen Craig Morgan lately? He's sporting a "high and tight" haircut, thanks to a $1,200 donation at his charity auction last weekend. Former NFL player Robb Nelson was the high bidder and gave Craig the military-style 'do. The weenend fund-raiser for Billy's Place, a home for displaced children in Dickson, TN included a motorcycle ride, concert and sporting clay shoot.

Earlier this year, it was Australia, and now it's Scandanavia. Alan Jackson is giving his passport a workout, taking his tour to Sweden and Norway this week. His current single is "Long Way to Go" and he's trying to live up to it, apparently.

Jake Owen lives to be near the water, so much so that he considers "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" his life's story.

The Footloose soundtrack album will be chock-full of country artsts. Blake Shelton has cut the title track, Zac Brown recorded "Where the River Goes," Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson contributed "Fake I.D." and the project also includes Whitney Duncan, Jana Kramer and Hunter Hayes. The remake of the 1984 classic movie will be in theatres October 14th.

Good news for Lady Antebellum, who have been awarded platinum certification for "Just a Kiss." Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's "Remind Me" has been certified gold.

More good news for Lady A, as they score their 5th #1 single with "Just a Kiss." It's #1 on the Billboard chart, and Zac Brown Band has the #1 song in America again on the Country Aircheck chart this week with "Knee Deep."

Watch Luke Bryan on Live! with Regis and Kelly today and on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.

Today's fun tidbit - Dolly Parton's bucket list includes performing with Lady Gaga, to whom Dolly says she can relate.

The tweet of the day is from Taylor Swift: "So happy about the teen choice awards. Thanks to you guys, I now have 13 tca's total! Lucky number much? Thank you!!"