With less than two weeks to go before Election Day, country artists weigh in on the political season. Carrie Underwood is glad the debates are over: “The debates make me nervous. I can’t watch people argue, even when it is moderated and whatever. It’s like I can feel the tension and it just makes me nervous. So, it’s hard for me to watch. I try to watch as much as I can until I’m like; I feel too nervous right now. I have to change the channel and watch something stupid for a while then maybe I can come back to it. But, it gets me...gets me very anxious.” Meanwhile, Tim McGraw appreciates them: “I’m always interested. I grew up in Louisiana, so it’s like a sport in Louisiana. I mean, you grew up knowing about politics and hearing about it and it’s everywhere. And I’ve always been fascinated by it.” Will he ever run for office? Maybe… “If the time lines up with the cause and the reason in my life, then it would be something that I’d be interested in. But, it’s not something I’m gonna go pursue.”

Carrie Underwood is in the middle of her Blown Away tour, and hubby Mike Fisher is waiting out the current NHL lockout. Does that mean they have more couple time? Think again…he’s keeping close to his Nashville Predators teammates: “Well, he has to stay home, he can’t just come out on tour with us. He has to be able to work out and train and skate, and all that stuff. And keep himself ready. He’s a very dedicated person, and he wants to be ready for whenever they do start playing again.”

Want to sit in the front row when George Strait comes to your town? You can – he’ll auction off two pairs of front row seats and backstage passes at each of his “Cowboy Rides Away” tour stops and the money will go to the Jenifer Strait Foundation. Here’s what George has to say about the Foundation: "The Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation was formed to preserve the memory of our daughter. Even though she was just a child of thirteen years, her love for younger children was amazing. It is for this reason that we chose to help others who might be in need, in her honor."
Gary Allan has been known for his angst-ridden music, but his new song, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” is a song of hope. What other differences can we expect from his new album, due out early next year? “You can expect a lot of honesty and a lot of songs about life. It’s gonna roll you through a breakup and it’s gonna roll you through the anger and the healing and wind you up at good-as-new. So, I think what you can expect is something a little bit different musically out of this.” 
David Nail has been touring for over four years, and he had a first last weekend. He was in Milwaukee for a show and tweeted, “Voice in rough shape – needing a miracle.” The miracle didn’t happen – he was diagnosed with laryngitis and his doctor ordered him not to perform. He’s day to day for his upcoming shows in Illinois and Missouri this weekend. 
ABC’s TV show, Nashville,” is about to get a music star as a recurring character, but it’s not a country star. Reggae singer Wyclef Jean will play the head of a record label and will be on the show from time to time. 
This will happen, and it’s big – Taylor Swift will become the first female artist since 1991 to have two albums sell more than a million units in a single week. She sold over half a million copies of “Red” on Monday alone. 
Taylor Swift is on The View and Little Big Town is on Live With Kelly & Michael today.

How hot is Taylor Swift? Her new song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," is the #1 most downloaded song in 29 countries! Meanwhile, she gets set for the September release of her new perfume, Wonderstruck Enchanted, and the release of her new album, Red, in October with this new ad for the perfume. Note the clever use of the color red in it.

Dierks Bentley has had three #1 songs in a row from his Home cd, and he admits that his new song, “Tip It On Back,” nearly didn’t make it onto the album: “‘Tip It On Back’ was actually the last song that I really heard for the album. You kinda reach a place where you’re like, ‘I’ve listened to every song out there. There’s no more songs to listen to,’ and then you hear one like that, and you’re like, ‘Man, this is a great song.’” His college tour kicked off last night at the University of Georgia.

Luke Bryan’s 4th annual Farm Tour will kick off October 3rd in Claxton, Georgia and hit Clemson, SC, Valdosta, GA and Auburn, AL before it ends October 13th. Luke enjoys the small-town vibe and says, “I just love the fact that people can come out and have a big time, listen to some music and um...it’s just a fun experience all the way around and I wanna continue to do what I can to keep it rockin’.” This small-town tour raises money so kids from local farming families can go to college. Here’s the list of tour stops:

10/3 - Claxton (Statesboro), GA
10/4 - Clemson, SC
10/5 - Auburn, AL
10/6 - Valdosta, GA
10/10 - Villa Rica, GA
10/11 - Colbert (Athens), GA
10/12 - Tallahassee, FL
10/13 - Macon, GA

David Nail is also doing a series of smaller tour stops, focusing on small venues and featuring scaled-down shows. They’ll be special, though, because he understands the power of his fans: “You can’t help but not reference the people who came out to our shows when ‘Red Light’ was #36 – not even Top 20. Those people have kind of stayed with us, and it’s definitely helped our show a lot.” Here’s the list of his tour stops:

9/6 Cincinnati, OH
9/7 Marietta, OH
9/8 Cleveland, OH
9/9 Arcola, IL
9/13 Knoxville, TN
9/14 Richmond, VA
9/15 Philadelphia, PA
9/16 Baltimore, MD
9/18 New York, NY
9/26 Pittsburgh, PA
9/27 Ridgefield, CT
9/28 W. Springfield, MA
9/29 Boston, MA
10/1 Winston-Salem, NC
10/4 Southaven, MS
10/6 Houston, TX
10/10 Oklahoma City, OK
10/11 Dallas, TX
10/18 Minneapolis, MN
10/19 Milwaukee, WI
10/20 Chicago, IL
10/25 Carbondale, IL
10/26 Columbia, MO
11/2 Birmingham, AL
11/3 Biloxi, MS

Kix Brooks’ latest single, “New To This Town,” is climbing the charts. Wonder how he got Joe Walsh to be his guest on it? Wonder no more – according to Kix, “My manager and Joe’s manager Irving Azoff, who manages The Eagles, are partners. Actually an engineer from my radio show said ‘Man that’d sound great with some Joe Walsh-like guitar on it!’ And I go ‘Wow! I wonder if I could actually…maybe…’” And he found out the answer was “yes.” Kix releases his solo debut album on September 11th.

Singer/songwriter Dustin Lynch, who has his first single climbing the charts, loves to write. “Cowboys and Angels” is just one of the tons of songs he’s written lately: “Ahh, hundreds and hundreds. I’ve written hundreds of songs the past few years. It’s so funny, people are like, ‘Why did you write so many songs?!’ You know, when I woke up one morning and realized I was getting paid to write songs which is what I used to do for fun—you know I just love it! It’s so much fun for me to go into a room with nothing and come out with possibly something that could change my life or mean something to somebody else.”

Tim McGraw will answer fan questions on Pennzoil’s Facebook page this Friday. You can submit questions now, and if one of yours gets answered, you get autographed goodies from Tim.

Another country artist has been added to the Republican National Convention. Rodney Atkins will headline the official welcome party this Sunday in Petersburg Florida.

Dierks Bentley’s Country & Cold Cans EP is out today, as is the self-titled debut album by Dustin Lynch. The Dierks EP includes a special version of “Tip It On Back.”

Blake Shelton is busy filming season 3 of The Voice, and is enjoying the success of his new song, “Over,” from his Red River Blue album. He didn’t write it, but appreciates the vagueness and the vividness of the lyrics: “It’s one of those lyrics that when you listen to it, you know, ‘Wait a minute,’ ‘cause there’s lines in there about you know burnin’ the world down and sittin’ in the glow...it’s like so romantic and out there that you’re like, ‘Well, I guess that’s cool.’ You could have a different melody and it would be like a threat...that song [laughs] you know? But, that’s the cool thing about that song is just you kinda interpret it however you want to.”

Toby Keith is in the studio, working on his 17th studio album. He’s recorded more than two dozen songs so far and his current single, “Beers Ago,” will be the last from his Clancy’s Tavern album. Toby’s hinting that two tracks that’ll probably make the album and could be singles include “I Like Girls that Drink Beer” and a song that he says “puts everything into perspective for all the golf players of the world.”

Justin Moore lives the outdoor lifestyle he sings about in his hit songs, so much so that Cabela’s outdoor outfitter partnered with him to be his tour sponsor, the first time they’ve done that with any singer. While he spends his summers playing shows all across America, what he really loves is the triple-B: boats, bait and beer: “Summer is awesome...the best time of the year for me. My favorite way to spend a day in the summer is on the lake, whether I’m fishin’ or tubin’ or just kinda hanging out on the boat having a cold Bud Light.”

Forbes Magazine is out with their “Top-Paid Celebrities Under 20” list and Taylor Swift graces the #1 position. According to Forbes, she raked in $57 million between May 2011 and May 2012, grossing more than $65 million on her 65-stop tour.

That “vocal rest” prescription is contagious in Nashville – Gloriana’s Tom Gossin has been ordered to be quiet for a while, meaning that so far two of the band’s concerts have been rescheduled. According to Tom, he’ll be quiet for as long as the doctors tell him to – he’s trying to avoid having surgery.

Zac Brown Band will play Madison Square Garden on November 17th. Zac is hoping for a sellout, saying “When you can sell out the Garden, you’ve made it!”

David Nail got such a great reception to his rendition of Adele’s song, “Someone Like You,” that he’s decided to release it on his ep, “1979,” out tomorrow. About doing a cover of someone else’s hit he says, “I think anytime you do something like that, you’re scared to death. The last thing you want to do is get on your Twitter, and see Adele going, ‘Who in the hell is this redneck singing my song?’ But it hasn’t happened yet. So, either she likes it – or you know, she’s like, ‘Don’t bother me with this stuff!’” This video has been on this page before, but here it is again so you can see what all the fuss is about…

Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney’s “Welcome to the Fishbowl” is out today, and according to Kenny there’s a lot more of him on the album than in previous projects. He says he spent a lot of time on the songs, and “This album was unlike any other just for the emotional journey that I went on to make it. The songs on this album are very personal. There is a thread now of searching on this record in a lot of these songs. I didn’t realize it at the time. I was just recording and writing what I felt - and recording what I love and things that touched me and mattered to me.”

It’s official – the Virtual Reality World Tour’s first prank has been pulled, and Brad Paisley didn’t do it! Kristen Kelly, who is a Virtual Opry Stage performer, showed up alongside Brad, dressed as his twin! It’s actually a pretty good disguise – check it out!

Blake Shelton doesn’t fear getting older – yet! He’s still got it with the teens, picking up three nominations for the Teen Choice Awards. About his younger audience, Blake says, “You know, any time that I’m anywhere and somebody has a teenage kid that wants to meet me and have a picture it’s like, ‘Oh, thank God,’ because you know, you don’t want to be that point where they’re like, ‘No! I don’t want a picture with him...he’s old and creepy!’”

David Nail uses Adele’s song “Someone Like You” as a vocal warm-up before going on stage. According to David, “It brings so many things out of you as a vocalist.” People who heard him sing it persuaded him to set it to video, which he did, intending it just for friends. Well, we must be his friends, because here it is…

Taylor Swift spent last week working with rapper B.o.B. on a music video. She sings vocals on the track “Both of Us” on his Strange Clouds album, and they shot the video for the song in Nashville. The video won’t be out until the end of the month, but here’s the song…

If you’re a Lady Antebellum fan, mark your calendar for this Thursday at 3:30pm Eastern. Hit their Facebook page and join them for a live chat. They’re excited to talk with fans about their music, the Own the Night tour and their upcoming overseas trek, which Charles is already going on about: “You know, we did London last year and we had a few days there too. This year we’re actually going to Ireland and Scotland and all through Germany and Scandinavia as well. So, these are all places, you know, we really hadn’t ever been.” You can submit questions now on their Facebook page.

  

Easton Corbin’s next album, “All Over the Road,” will drop September 18^th.

Today's Country Tidbits

Brad Paisley is working on his next album between stops on his “Virtual Reality” tour. He’s recording in the studio he built on his property, and says that’s a major player in the increased creativity he’s feeling: “As of like this week, I’m busting at the seams for people to hear it. I finally am at that point. And I cannot believe what I’ve come up with already.” No word on a release date yet.

Looks like David Nail will be taking some time off from playing the guitar. During the City of Hope celebrity softball tournament last week, he fractured his right ring finger and detached a tendon trying to catch a low line drive. David tweeted, “This is a lesson to not play like you're 18 when you're 33.” He’ll see a specialist this week to see about getting that finger fixed up.

Blake Shelton was able to make it to Nashville last week, in spite of a crazybusy schedule. According to Blake, “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.”

Jake Owen is so busy that he hasn’t even had time to honeymoon with his new wife Lacey. When they were talking about getting married, he told her his schedule was crazy all through 2013, and she insisted they “just do it now.” They were married in May, but since Jake’s on the “Brothers of the Sun” tour with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, it doesn’t look like a honeymoon will happen any time soon.

Rascal Flatts is loving the crowd reaction to “Banjo:” “It’s one of those tunes that’s so infectious that when we do it live it’s an immediate crowd pleaser, so we’re really, really thrilled with its success.” They’re also loving working with Little Big Town, a group that both Joe Don Rooney and Gary LeVox were in, at separate times, before Rascal Flatts was born. Little Big Town is opening for them on tour and the two vocal groups got together to record a song. As Gary says, "We’re all splitting verses and there’s a lot of voices. We thought it was a great idea at the beginning until we got the catering bill!" The “Changed 2012 Tour” kicks off this weekend.

Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton is still basking in the glow of having the winner on The Voice. Jermaine Paul gets $100,000 and a record deal, and Blake gets bragging rights. He also gets something else – a warm glow from knowing he helped a new friend get a great start: “Maybe I should try to remove myself from being so attached, but it’s hard to, you know? Especially whenever you’ve been in the rehearsals with them and you’ve had all these conversations with them that are about, you know, why they want to do this and that and...next thing you know you’re friends with them and you’re talking to them all the time and see them and you want this for them as badly as they do.”

Lady Antebellum debuted their new song, “Wanted You More,” on The Voice this week and Charles Kelley says that the trio are getting more comfortable at opening up with each other: “What we usually write about revolves around love. We don’t know how to change the world. And, you know, we just write about love lost and love gained, and right now we’re all in a really great spot and...I don’t know, it just feels like we’re growing even closer as a band and becoming even more comfortable to talk about the things that...I don’t know, maybe on the first couple records, we wouldn’t talk about.” This is the 4th single from “Own the Night.”

Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” is blowing away all the competition and blowing up chart records. It easily lands in the #1 position on the Billboard Country Chart, selling more than any other country album in the first week so far this year. But look at the records she’s tied or broken: she’s only the second artist in Billboard’s 47-year Country Chart history to have their first four albums debut at #1. And she’s only the second country artist in history to have three consecutive albums debut at #1.

Tifton, Georgia native Kip Moore is having his life changed by the success of his first single, “Somethin’ Bout a Truck.” According to Kip, “As a teen, man, all you can think about is getting out ‘cause it’s just so slow paced and there’s nothing going on. You always try to look for fun and now my life is extremely fast paced and there’s always a good time around, so it’s a lot different for sure.”

Justin Moore and his daughter Ella were in their pool yesterday morning, enjoying a nice swim, when a critter surprised them. It was a critter with no shoulders and no legs – Justin says it was a copperhead he killed. Check out the picture he tweeted…yikes!

Carrie Underwood is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. 

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: “San Antonio Airport is like a freaking nursery this afternoon! Human birth control is what I like to call it!” 

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

Lady Antebellum wants to play your prom. Really! They're offering up a 45 minute set at a junior, senior or reunion prom as the prize in a contest they're running on their website. When the three of them were writing "Dancin' Away With My Heart," they shared details of their proms: “Sharing stories of our high school sweethearts or prom or whatever it may be, and it was fun to kind of go back and see that and know where you’ve been and you know, that all kind of led you where you are, and so yeah—it was an interesting journey. You know I think it helps you appreciate what this life is all about, and it is—it’s about all those experiences good and bad that make you who you are.”

Miranda Lambert joins hubby Blake Shelton on The Voice tonight. She'll serve as a mentor to Blake's team before the first "battle round." Is she a fan of the show? Oh, yeah...“I love the show, I’m a big fan. I liked being—semi being a part of it last year, but I also love to watch just as a fan. So, even though my husband is a coach, I don’t let him tell me any of the behind the scenes stuff, ‘cause I wanna watch and be surprised!” She's got a song climbing the charts that she and Blake co-wrote about the death of his big brother. "Over You" moved them both as they wrote it: “We started writin’ this song on the bus. I don’t even know why really. I think maybe we had been talkin’ about Richie and talkin’ about the wedding, you know, sayin’, ‘Wish Richie could be there at the wedding,’ and it just kinda came to us. He was playin’ this melody and kinda said (singing), ‘Weatherman says it’s gonna snow,’ and I was like, ‘That’s kinda cool,’ and then it just started kinda becoming about that subject, and I said, ‘You went away,’ and he said, ‘How dare you,’ for the line, and we both just broke down cryin’. And I’ve never cried writin’ a song before, and I don’t know that I ever will again.”

The Fremont Street Experience concerts in Las Vegas have been announced. The outdoor shows happen just before the ACM Awards, and this year will feature Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Eli Young Band, Scotty McCreery, Love & Theft Craig Campbell, Laura Bell Bundy and Jana Kramer. The shows take place March 30th and 31st, with the ACM Awards being handed out on April first.

The 11th Annual Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament takes place at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, and one of the celebrities will be playing music, not golf. Kenny Chesney will give a concert during the tournament on May 26th, then hit the road with Tim McGraw for their Brothers of the Sun tour.

Kellie Pickler will perform the pre-race concert before the Food City 500 NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 18th. She and hubby Kyle Jacobs just celebrated their 1-year anniversary in St. Lucia, where they went zip lining deep-sea fishing. According to Kellie, they didn't catch anything but a sunburn.

"Dr. Suess' The Lorax" dominated the box office over the weekend, raking in over $70 million. The movie, featuring the voice of Taylor Swift, had the 6th best debut of any animated film ever.

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Went ACM suit shopping with the wife, dinner and movie with the wife! Think she's already wishing I were back on the road! NOT!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Oh, to have been in the audience for this - Darius Rucker's annual benefit for the childrens hospital in his home state of South Carolina raised $260,000. The show wasn't a typical Darius country set - he did 90 minutes of Sinatra music, backed by an orchestra which was led by Sinatra's long-time conductor. Darius is proud of this event, saying “Giving back is what you’re supposed to do. I’m a blessed individual. God has blessed me with a great life, and great kids, great wife, and you know I like helping people if I can – and giving back is how I do it I guess.”

Taylor Swift had a sit-down with an MTV reporter, talking about her new album, which should come out late this year - IF she quits writing long enough to get into the studio. She says she's been writing like crazy for the past year and will continue writing until she has literally zero time left to work on lyrics. According to Taylor, “With my feelings and things that I discover through love and through loss—writing about that is the only way that I feel better about that. And the only way that I get past it is when I’m standing onstage and I’m singing the words to that song, and I look down and someone is singing them back to me. ‘Cause it makes me feel like I’m not alone.”

Montgomery Gentry's first single for their new record label, "Where I Come From," is running up the charts, and T-Roy is really proud of it: “Every time I hear that song, I think about back home, I think about my family, and where I lived. Those years of growing up with all the neighborhood kids and hanging out and just playing ball in the front yard, and not having a care in the world.”

Lady Antebellum's members are still shocked over winning a Grammy, and they chat about that and Hillary dishes about Miranda Lambert and Lady Gaga's budding friendship as they shared a row at the Grammy Awards:

Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Toby Keith are all nominated in the 25th Annual Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, which will be handed out March first.

David Nail has picked up two gold certifications, one each for "Red Light" and "Let it Rain." That's a great track record for him so far, and he says the reason is the songs: “I feel like with this record, a lot of it, you make your job as an artist so much easier if you pick great songs and you pick songs you’ve lived or experienced. I feel like that’s something I’ve done well with.”

Blake Shelton has already signed up for season 3 of The Voice. All four judges will return, with Christina Aguilara raking in $10 million and the rest of them having to settle for $6 million for the season.

Happy birthday to Bryan White, who turns 38 today, and to Larry the Cable Guy, who turns 49.

The tweet of the day is from Jake Owen: "One of my main goals again this year is to try a local brew in every city. Oxford, MS thanks for a good time and a good beer."

Today's Country Tidbits

Don't tick Garth Brooks off - he can afford the best attorneys! He's suing an Oklahoma hospital over a half-million dollar donation he made in 2005. According to Garth, they promised to name a building after his late mom, Colleen. According to the hospital, the donation was "anonymous and unconditional." The trial begins this week.

Rumors are floating around that maybe Kenny Chesney is looking to change record labels and become more of a mainstream artist. According to Kenny's manager, the rumors are totally inaccurate. Meanwhile, Kenny is in the islands, recording in a beach-side studio.

It's a good thing to be Brad Paisley's opening act, despite the pranks. The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery are on the road with him now, and previous tour openers include Taylor Swift, Rodney Atkins and Jake Owen. About his warm-up acts, Brad says, “We’ve gotten really lucky with picking some really wonderful people to be out there on the road. And one of the things I’m proudest of is having had some hand in the beginning of some of these careers that are now on fire.”

Blake Shelton hit the stage last week, and at a stop in Missouri, he started singing "Let It Rain." The crowd ate it up, because that's David Nail's home state. Blake said to the crowd, "Wouldn't it be cool if he walked out right now?" As the crowd cheered, David came out and he and Blake duetted on "Let It Rain."

Condolences to Blake Shelton and his family. His dad, Dick Shelton, passed away Tuesday night, surrounded by his family. Blake is postponing several tour dates as his family makes arrangements. In a statement, Blake said, "I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time and thank you for all your prayers. Your support means the world to me. I love you guys." The Well Lit and Amplified tour will resume January 26th in Columbus, GA.

Rescheduled Dates:

Bismarck, ND - March 20th

Rapid City, SD - March 21st

Bozeman, MT - March 22nd

Billings, MT - March 23rd

Eric Church kicks off his "Blood, Sweat & Beers" tour tomorrow in Arkansas, and he has the #1 country song in America this week. Nice timing, and Eric says the song came from his fans: “We just walked off stage and saw the crowd...saw our fans, and saw them put their beers up in the air, and you could just tell that they’d worked all week and this was their moment to let all that wash away. And that’s where the title was born from, really. And that just became a really good song, born from our fans.”

Brantley Gilbert celebrated his first #1 song in Nashville yesterday. Joined by "Country Must Be Countrywide's" co-writers, Colt Ford and Mike Dekle, the Georgia native talked about the truth behind the lyrics: “Oh, anytime we tour up north or northwest, it takes you by surprise, you know? Before we toured, I didn’t go much farther than the beach on vacation, you know? So, I always thought northerners were city folks. Not the case at all! They’re just like us, they’ve just got a different accent.”

Merle Haggard logged some time in a hospital bed instead of on stage this week. He had to cancel shows in South Carolina and Macon, and ended up in the hospital in Macon. His manager said the 74-year-old singer has been sick since leaving home last week. He is expected to perform tomorrow night in Paducah, Kentucky.

John Rich's time on "Celebrity Apprentice" has boosted St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital to new heights of awareness. John's charity was St. Jude, and he raised $1.4 million for them, but the giving has continued since then. According to John, “The folks at St. Jude have told me there’s been a huge spike in people online signing up to become Partners in Hope, which is where, you know, somebody can donate $20 a month or $10 a month. They said there’s been thousands of people...have come on since Apprentice. I just couldn’t ask for anything more.” John was just given the first "Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award" from St. Jude in recognition of his work for them.

The tweet of the day is from Sarah Buxton: "@jakeowen prayers for a speedy recovery for you!! Movies and ice cream in the meantime..."

Today's Country Tidbits

Lady Antebellum's three members are really close friends, so of course Charles Kelly, the first of the three to marry, gave Hillary Scott some pre-wedding advice: “[Charles] My only advice—and I’ve told her and told them—I think the first year was getting to know you—it was definitely a learning experience. [Hillary sings] ‘Getting to know you…’ [Charles sings] ‘Getting to know you…’ It was just learning to compromise. I feel like after that it got easy. So just be patient, and love each other, [sings] ‘as hard as you can love each other…’ [Hillary laughs] ‘Oh gosh!’ [Charles sings] ‘Cause it’s all about compromise…’ [Hillary laughs] ‘Oh boy!’”

David Nail's record label was very patient with "Let It Rain," waiting nearly a year as it climbed the charts to this week's #1 position. David co-wrote the song with Jonathan Singleton, who also co-wrote "Red Light," which hit the top 10 in 2009. About the experience of writing "Let it Rain, David says, “It was really easy to write. You know, Jonathan is great. The groove was very unique, and I think we...I know I was definitely excited and probably a little more focused than normal.” Meanwhile, he tweeted, "Starting to sink in right about here!" along with this picture.

That's a break-up song, and at the other end of the love spectrum is The Band Perry's "All Your Life." That song is being embraced by couples everywhere, and according to Neil and Kimberly, helping put rings on fingers: “[Neil] We’ve played ‘All Your Life’ a lot of times and two times while we were playing it, two guys proposed to their girlfriends. And two ‘Yes’s,’ so we’re two-for-two. [Kimberly] Yeah, we’re keeping count, so... [Neil] I think it’s a good luck charm for lovers. [Kimberly] And we’ve gotten so many invites to come play at people’s wedding as well, which is a huge honor for us, that folks even want us to be a part of that day.” Check out a special acoustic version of the song...

All Your Life (Live From Oceanway Studios, Nashville) - The Band Perry - The Band Perry Videos

At the end of February, a road trip might be in order. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo gets underway with Alabama, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band, Luke Bryan, Reba, Kid Rock, Chris Young and other artists. Ticketmaster has the tickets - have fun!

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "Take no s*** my friends.... Everything is right about being yourself."

Today's Country Tidbits

In a video announcement on the Lady Antebellum website, Chris Tyrell introduced the world to Hillary Scott Tyrell. They wed on Saturday at sunset in upstate New York in an intimate ceremony. The two met when Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft were touring with Tim McGraw. Chris was the drummer for Love and Theft. Hillary turned the details of the wedding over to a wedding planner, saying “That’s the beauty of getting a planner is you give them your ideas and you give them your vision and if it’s the right person, they can kind of take it and run with it and kinda turn it into what you want. And that’s what I said in the beginning, I was like, ‘This is your art, so I’m gonna let you do this because this is not my art. My art is to write songs and perform them and tour around, you know? So, I’m gonna let you do what you’re great at.’”

Miranda Lambert is making her acting debut on what she calls her favorite tv show ever - Law & Order: SVU. She'll play an actress who claims to have been sexually assaulted by a reality show producer. No air date has been set for Miranda's episode yet.

Miranda will appear on another show, too - hubby Blake Shelton's "The Voice." She'll mentor contestants, as will Kelly Clarkson, in upcoming episodes. Blake loves the process of doing the show, and loves the blind auditions best: "“That is so much fun, it’s ridiculous. I mean, to be given that kind of power, sitting in a chair like you’re the king of the world or whatever, and to be able to hit that button and ... and ... it really is a lot of fun. And as ego-y as it sounds, you feel like the king sittin’ there, you know what I mean? And you’re deciding ... ah, you know, who gets thrown into the alligator pit or not.”" The Voice premiers February 5th, right after the end of the Super Bowl.

Did you see Rascal Flatts sing the National Anthem before the Steelers/Broncos game yesterday afternoon? Turns out they did more than just sing while they were at the game - they played a little catch with Tim Tebow before the game. Tim said recently in an interview that Rascal Flatts is his favorite band. Might have helped his confidence a bit - after three losses in a row, Tim led the Broncos to a 29-23 win over the Steelers.

Turns out, country wildman Eric Church is a softie at heart. For Christmas, he bought his newborn son Boone McCoy Church a guitar. Why? “I wanted to buy a guitar that was from the year he was born. I mean as a guitar fan, you know, one of the things you always ask ... I mean, any guitar, you say, ‘What year is that?’ And I want it to be something I can put up and when the time came ... it’s a really nice guitar ... and when the time came, I wanted to tell him the significance of it.”

This year's Grammy Nominees album, an annual fund-raiser for the Grammy Foundation and MusicCares, will feature Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and The Band Perry. The album is due out January 24th and the Grammys will be held on February 12th.

Congratulations to David Nail, who has a #1 song with "Let It Rain."

Eli Young Band is on the Tonight Show tonight.

Happy birthday to Crystal Gayle, who turns 61 today.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "“Yall I'm so freaking excited to be on my favorite show ever !!!”"

Today's Country Tidbits

Country Weekly has a feature about country stars’ favorite Christmas presents. Here are some of the highlights.

• “The greatest gift I’ve ever received is a letter from my dad a few years back. He wrote about all of his memories of my life through my ups and downs. He told me he was proud and loved me through it all. His greatest words were in the last paragraph, ‘Be at peace with yourself, be at peace with everyone around you and, most important, be at peace with God.’” — Big & Rich’s Big Kenny

• “My favorite Christmas gift is definitely my first Honda 50 motorcycle that I got back in 1984. It was just an amazing gift to have under the tree, and I never will forget seeing that.” — Luke Bryan

• “My favorite Christmas present as a kid was a ukulele from my parents, and I loved to carry it with me everywhere!” — the JaneDear girls’ Danelle Leverett

• “My favorite Christmas gift was probably my very first guitar from my Grandpa about 15 years ago. And more recently, I got a red Gibson about 5 or 6 years ago. That red one we use onstage was given to me by my Dad for Christmas years ago.” — Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood

• “I really enjoyed the go-cart my mom and dad got me and my brother when we were probably 6 or 7 years old. We had more fun on that thing, for just hours and hours on end. It was good times. Just hanging with him was good.”- Billy Currington

• “When I was in the third grade, I wanted a puppy real bad. I wanted a miniature dachshund. My parents told me they couldn’t, so I asked for a dirt bike instead. Christmas morning, I heard all this yipping and whining…They had gotten me the puppy I wanted.” - Brantley Gilbert

• “I can remember when I was about 6 or 7, I got a Hutch football outfit. You got the helmet, the shoulder pads, the little jersey, and the pants. Randomly, it was the New York Jets…I grew up in Southeast Missouri, so the Jets must have been the only one my parents could afford or get in the JCPenny catalog! I can remember just freaking out. I was a huge sports fan even then. I can remember being way too big to even where the stuff and still trying to put it on. Back then the Jets were horrible, and that was probably the most uncool jersey to wear but I didn’t care. I would have probably tackled you if you made fun of me.” - David Nail

Rascal Flatts’ “I Won’t Let Go” has reached platinum status for 1-million downloads, while Justin Moore’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” is certified gold for 500,000 downloads. Also, Miranda Lambert’s Four the Record and Blake Shelton’s Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton earned gold album status this month.

Keith Urban posted a holiday greeting to his fans…good to hear his voice!

The tweet of the day is from Martina McBride: “Super fun, laid back day. Santa was good to the girls. Just us at home. Nice. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas. Xoxo”

Today's Country Tidbits

The countdown to the big day is on, and maybe you're having a little problem figuring out what to give your special someone this year. Check out what some country artists' fondest Christmas gift memories are:

Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum: “My favorite Christmas gift was probably my very first guitar from my grandpa about 15 years ago. More recently, I got a red Gibson about five or six years ago. That red one we use on stage was given to me from my dad for Christmas years ago. It was on our first album cover too.”

Gary and Jay of Rascal Flatts: “[Jay] Oh, it had to be the Death Star, the Star Wars Death Star, when I was a kid. ‘Cause it was huge, you know, and it had so many pieces to it, and it was like three-stories tall, you know? I mean, it was really cool. [Gary] When I was a toddler that crank up Evel Knievel... [Jay] Oh, it was great! That’s my answer, I want to switch mine!”

For a country music lover, Chris Young has some ideas: “The first Alan Jackson Christmas record. That record and the Beach Boys Christmas album, if I hear that, that means Christmas, as far as music goes. That was the two CDs or two tapes that were like, ‘Oh it’s Christmas time,’ ‘cause that’s what my mom would play in the car everywhere. I know both of those CDs front to back.”

Saturday night on Saturday Night Live, Michael Buble was the musical guest, and one of the skits had him doing duets with various artists. Taylor Swift and Scotty McCreery were spoofed...check out the video:

Lady Antebellum wrapped up their tour last night in West Virginia.

David Nail had a rough day Saturday - he thought he tore his ACL while bowling. Later on, he tweeted that maybe it's not torn, but just very sore. Guess he'll probably be headed for a doctor today.

Darius Rucker has been collecting songs for his third country cd, and about it he says, "I'm going to try to make the best record I've made yet ... With this record, I want country music to say, 'Hey, he can stay.'" He's planning to release a new single in February, but doesn't yet know if it will be a track from "Charleston, SC 1966" or a cut from the new project.

With success comes...dirt? It does for Brantley Gilbert, who just bought about 11.5 acres of land near Maysville, GA. “You know, I wanted that piece of land for a long time, and to get it was a real sense of accomplishment, you know? I really felt like I’d done something.”

Happy birthday to Little Jimmy Dickens, who turns 91 today.

The tweet of the day is from Thompson Square: "Use what talents you have; the woods would have little music if no birds sang their song except those who sang best."

Today's Country Tidbits

Jukeboxes are still going strong, and country music leads the list of the most-played songs on them in 2011. In the top 10, seven songs are country. Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem" was the most-played song on jukeboxes this year, and the other country songs people plunked down their cash for were Eric Church's "Smoke a Little Smoke," Kid Rock's "All Summer Long," Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road," Luke Bryan's "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" and Kenny Chesney's "Somewhere With You."

Jason Aldean spent some time with hip-hop artist Ludacris this week, working on another collaboration. They've hit the stage a few times, performing Jason's "Dirt Road Anthem," and Jason says people shouldn't be surprised: “I think it’s important just to...you know, even though I’m a country artist, and Luda’s a hip-hop artist, I think it’s important to have respect for other types of music. I mean, I grew up listening to everything from hip hop to blues to rock, southern rock, I mean a little bit of everything.”

Last night was the CMT Artists of the Year special, honoring Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum. According to Charles and Hillary of Lady A, the night was more than special: “[Hillary] Just knowing all of the hard work that CMT has put into this, and they really take time to make it so personal to each artist, which means a lot. [Charles] And, knowing you’re gonna go home with an award, it makes the whole night a little bit easier doesn’t it? ...a lot more fun.” If you missed it, you can watch the whole show online.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

Gavin DeGraw performed Kenny Chesney’s “Somewhere With You”

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa presented the award to Kenny Chesney.

Lady Antebellum sang “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” from their Own the Night album.

Sara Evans presented Lady Antebellum with their award.

Jason Aldean performed his single, “Tattoos On This Town.”

Lionel Richie presented Jason Aldean his award.

The Avett Brothers presented a romping live version of their song, “Laundry Room.”

The All-American Rejects performed a mash-up of Taylor Swift’s “Mean” with their hit, “Gives You Hell.”

Faith Hill presented Taylor Swift with her award.

Brad Paisley performed “Life’s Been Good to Me” and “Camouflage” with Joe Walsh.

William Shatner presented Brad Paisley with his award.

Keith Urban asked fans to make a commercial for his new fragrance, "Phoenix." The winner, Eric Noffsinger, has the honor of seeing his commercial on The View December 21st on ABC-TV, and wins a slew of other prizes. You can see his work, but be warned...it's just a little bit on the adult side!

The CMA has pledged to donate $10 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's "Working On A Building: Country Music Lives Here" fund. It will more than double the current size of the facility and include a new, 800-seat theatre. According to CMA head honcho Steve Moore, "We are proud to support the growth of the Hall and look forward to using the CMA Theater in a variety of ways that will shine a spotlight on the Country music industry and format."

Willie Nelson, politician? Probably not, though people ask him often: “It’s been thrown at me a couple times, and I’m not interested in that. I think, ‘Why should I split my audience,’ you know? Why should I start singing to the Democrats or the Republicans or anybody. Just one audience is all I need.”

There's a Christmas movie in the works, though it won't be out until next year. Kix Brooks is the executive producer and Trace Adkins and Jay DeMarcus have been on the set this week, working on "Saving Santa." Here's the plot line: a disgruntled politician tries to ban Christmas and the kids in the town work to save Santa. Actors Kevin Pollak and Joey Lauren Adams are part of the project, due out in November of 2012.

Got a child on your shopping list this season? Check out Zac Brown Band's online store for a new book, written by Coy Bowles of the band. The book is called "Amy Giggles" and will help kids understand that it's ok to be different.

Lady Antebellum is on Good Morning America today.

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Need money, I spent too much in New York! Anyone have a yard that needs mowing? Gutters cleaned? Oh wait, I have both, do I pay myself?"

Today's Country Tidbits

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are hard at work this week, writing and rehearsing for Wednesday night's CMA Awards. They'll duet on the show, co-host the show for the 4th year in a row, and according to Brad, kick a few chuckles out of us, too. “Everything’s pretty -- well no, it’s never just ready -- but we get out there and have a great time and uh, I hope, I hope we make you laugh. I think we have the last few years and, and hopefully we can do it again, uh, we aren’t pulling many punches, it ought to be fun.”

Miranda Lambert is the reigning CMA Female Vocalist, and is nominated again this year, along with Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans, Martina McBride and Taylor Swift. How does she feel about the competition? “Of course we want to win. You know, there’s the disappointment...for a while there I was getting beat out every year by Taylor and Carrie, and I was like, ‘OK, when’s my turn coming?’ You know? But, my turn has come and when it’s somebody else’s turn, I wanna be as gracious as...especially Carrie was to me when I won! You know? It’s not a competition. It’s a family.”

The husband/wife duo Thompson Square is up for New Artist and Vocal Duo. Kiefer and Shawna are pretty amazed to be nominated, saying “To us, it’s like, Ok, now these people take us seriously and accept us into their fold. And to be accepted into this country music family in Nashville is just...it’s a dream come true. It’s why we all move here and to be able to be in that fold is just unbelievable.” The show airs at 8pm Wednesday on ABC.

One of Billy Currington's neighbors needs a time-out. He showed up at Billy's door, inviting him to go fishing and telling him that he'd been watching Billy through binoculors and telescopes for six months! Billy's as calm about it as he can be, but probably won't go fishing with his neighbor any time soon.

Willie Nelson had to cancel a couple of shows last week because he got sick. The Washington DC show will be re-scheduled, but the Akron, Ohio show tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.

Kenny Rogers will kick off his annual Christmas tour the day after Thanksgiving in Columbus, Ohio. Joining him on the "Christmas and Hits Tour" is Grammy-winner Billy Dean.

Alan Jackson and Kix Brooks both got stars on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville yesterday...congrats!

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Can't sleep, changed bunks, it's bumpy and loud in the back bottom right! But it beats listening to people up front snore! G Nite take two"

Today's Country Tidbits

Jason Aldean's 6th annual benefit concert raised $315,000 for breast cancer charities. The show was in Roanoke, VA and Jason says, "This is one of my favorite things we do all year, and taking it on the road to other cities has been huge in helping us bring in more money for Komen. We'll pick a different spot next year and try to beat it, and I have to thank my fans for doing their part."

The Nashville premier of the movie "Footloose" is tomorrow night, and soundtrack contributors Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Hunter Hayes, Ella Mae Bowen and others are expected to be in the audience, as will be the movie's star, Julianne Hough. ET was behind the scenes when Blake Shelton filmed the music video for the title song, "Footloose."

Miranda Lambert's next cd, "Four the Record," comes out November 1st, and there's a song on it that's very close to her heart - and Blake's. It's "Over You," a song they wrote as Blake was telling Miranda about how he felt when his older brother was killed instantly in a car accident. Richie was 24 and Blake was 14, and as he was telling Miranda about the event, he was picking a melody on the guitar. "Over You" came out of that session, and Blake asked Miranda to record it instead of him, saying, “I don’t think I can get through singing it every night onstage, so what’s the point?”

More performers for the CMA Awards show on November 9th have been announced - Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry are all going to be part of the show.

Dierks Bentley is teaming up with the Wounded Warrior Project to host some pre-show parties during his Country and Cold Cans tour through Veterans Day. On tour stops, attendees can win ticket upgrades, merchandise and handwritten lyrics.

Rascal Flatts is hosting the Behind the Music benefit on November 2nd at a secluded Nashville venue. Only 100 tickets are for sale, and all proceeds benefit the Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt. There's an auction, passes to the groups rehearsal and a chance to win tickets & airfare to a Rascal Flatts show. If you want to go, get set to pony up - tickets are $500 each.

Hank Williams Jr. posted a note on his Facebook page yesterday, apologizing for his statements Monday morning on Fox Morning News. "The thought of the leaders of both parties jukin' and high fiven' on a golf course, while so many families are struggling to get by simply made me boil over and make a dumb statement," Williams said. "I am very sorry if it offended anyone." No word from the Monday Night Football people if all is forgiven and Bocephus will be back to opening the show next week.

Trace Adkins keeps an ear on what his daughters listen to, and doesn't always approve of the message in some of the music their friends like, and they can't have it in the house if Daddy doesn't approve. However, he's not just a strict dad - he's a pretty cool one. According to Trace, “Now I’ve been backstage at the Jonas Brothers, and the Cheetah Girls, and hell, everybody else. I’ve met all the rest—Jonas Brothers, did I say Jonas Brothers? Yeah. And Miley, of course, and they got to meet Taylor Swift, so I’m a hero in their world.” How about his music? “I don't let them listen to my music, either. But I don't make music for kids.”

Sunday night Brad Paisley and wife Kimberly Williams Paisley will be part of a special on PBS. "Growing Hope Against Hunger" features the Sesame Street Muppets and is a one-hour program shining the light on hunger, or as the show calls it, food insecurity. The program airs at 7pm Eastern.

Scotty McCreery is on the Tonight Show tonight.

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Nothing like your own shower, and nothing like washing clothes and putting them right back into a bag! Home for about 22 hours!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Blake Shelton's version of "Footloose" is a little bit countrified, but still a little bit too pop for some country music fans. Blake's reaction? Predictable: “And I expected it to be polarizing, ya know, whenever I signed up for it. But, that’s, I’m that guy, so who else to do that and piss people off than me? Ya know?” The movie comes out October 14th. The movie soundtrack is out today.

Justin Moore celebrated the success of his song, "If Heaven Wasn't so Far Away" yesterday at a #1 party in Nashville. Justin and his wife Kate have something else to celebrate, too. They are two months away from having their second baby daughter, and have revealed that her name will be Kennedy Faye Moore. Ella Kole is looking forward to being a big sister before she's two, and how does Justin feel about it? “We were nervous with our first one. I mean, it’s such a huge, you know, life changing thing, obviously, right at the point I was enjoying some success. So, I was gone a lot, and, and didn’t get to be as big a part of the whole process as I, I would like to have been. And, uh, I don’t think my wife and I really took the time to enjoy the whole process either. So, we’re trying to do so this time.”

Whazzup with Steel Magnolia? Something, because Meghan Linsey has been performing shows solo after cancelling last week's tour stops. A message posted on the duo's website reads, “Dear Fans, We are really sad we had to cancel several shows this week. We were very much looking forward to seeing each and every one of you…but at this time, Josh is unable to perform. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers.” For now, it looks like Meghan will play Steel Magnolia's shows solo, singing material off of their debut cd.

Dierks Bentley's next single, "Home," is just coming out, and the video hasn't been finalized yet. To tide you over, here's a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the song.

Have you seen the video for Rodney Atkins' new song, "Take a Back Road?" Here you go...

And how about Eric Church's video for "Drink in My Hand?"

Congratulations to Rodney Atkins, who has the #1 country song in America again this week with "Take a Back Road." It's his 6th #1 song - does the feeling get old? Not according to Rodney: “You really realize after, after, a while just how much work: how many people; how…the stars in alignment; divine intervention; luck; it just, the fact that you get the song when you get it at that certain point of time; and all the, all the folks. And I’m knocked out, I really can’t express the way it makes you feel and I’m more in awe than I’ve ever been.”

LeAnn Rimes has a new cd out today, "Lady and Gentlemen." It's a collection of classic country covers.

Glen Campbell is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Couldn't wait to have a back yard! Just watched my two dogs chase each other non stop for 10 minutes! Random things I enjoy while home!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Tickets for the Taylor Swift dress rehearsal/benefit concert "Speak Now...Help Now" go on sale Thursday morning at 11 Eastern. The show is May 21st at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena and is the final dress rehearsal before her "Speak Now" tour kicks off in North America. Each ticket is $50 and includes a commemorative t-shirt for those who go to the concert.

This Thursday night's benefit concert for tornado victims just got a few more stars. Joining Hank Williams Jr, Alabama, Ronnie Dunn, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Sara Evans and Alan Jackson are Trace Adkins and Little Big Town. The show, "Music Builds: CMT Disaster Relief Concert" airs at 9 Eastern on CMT and CMT.com. All money collected during the benefit concert goes to the American Red Cross. You can donate $10 now by texting REDCROSS to 90999.

David Nail is hosting a flood relief concert in Missouri on May 27th.

Dierks Bentley reveals some of his pre-show rituals...

Chris Young's next album, "Neon," streets July 12th. It includes his current hit song, "Tomorrow."

Tonight is the night that Reba joins Blake Shelton on "The Voice," adding another coach to his team.

The tweet of the day is from Trent Tomlinson: "I just found out that the building I live in has a restaurant that delivers food to your condo till 5 in the morning! #winning"

Today's Country Tidbits

Reba is just blown away by how far her Dad, Clark McEntire, has come since suffering a debilitating stroke in March. Doctors didn't expect him to make it, and according to Reba, “I’m not kidding, we had planned the funeral three times. We’ve selected songs, we’ve picked out where he’s going to be buried, and now he’s just done a complete turnaround.” She knew he was out of the woods when she called her Mom at the rehabilitation facility where her Dad is receiving treatment, to tell her about her son's Grand-Am race in Alabama. Reba's Mom told her to tell it to her Dad, and held the phone for him. “I talked and I talked and pretty soon I heard him clear his throat, and I stopped talking and he said, ‘Well, does it look like he’s got a chance?’ I almost dropped the phone. He’s lucid. He knows what he’s talking about, and he asked me a question. I said, ‘Well yeah, Daddy, he might have a chance.’ And he said, ‘Well alright, tell him to drive fast and safe.’” Reba's got her fingers crossed that he'll be able to make the trip to Nashville this October to see her inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Darius Rucker must be the neighborhood's most fun Dad. Not only do his kids get to go to his Monday After the Masters charity golf tournament if they want to, they just might get a trip to Disney World soon. “My kids have the deal, where if I get a number one, they get a trip to Disney. And I forgot that I told him that, and my son says to me the other day, ‘Daddy, where’s, how’s ‘This’ doing on the charts?’ And I’m like ‘Ahh, it’s doing good buddy, its number five.’ He’s like, ‘Yessss!’ I was like, ‘What?!’ He was like, ‘Disney World!’ I said, ‘Not yet, buddy!” The way "This" is racing up the charts, it could happen very soon!

Gary Busey was fired last night on The Celebrity Apprentice, after he led the men's Team Backbone to a loss in the Omaha Steak challenge. According to John Rich, who is one of three men left on the show, “The stuff that Gary Busey does off-camera is worse than what he does on camera. He tries to make you crazy and he does make you a little bit crazy.”

Rascal Flatts is being sued by their former mamagement team at Turner Nichols. The suit was filed early last week, seeking continued commission on income from deals negotiated while Turner Nichols was representing Rascal Flatts. A touring agreement which runs through 2013 was negotiated, and the managment company wants royalties from the ABC television special, DVD sales and proceeds from recording agreements and tour sponsorships. Publicist Jessie Schmidt had this two-sentence response from Rascal Flatts: "We are disappointed they have chosen to file, as we had hoped to address these issues privately. However, we hope that this can be resolved amicably."

Joe Nichols played a charity concert at Billy Bob's Texas on Saturday, raising money for the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. The $10 per ticket show was sold out, and additional donations poured in from attendees. The day before that show, he performed his latest single, "The Shape I'm In," at a USO show in Washington DC. He's pledged all of the profits from that song to the USO to help soldiers returning from the war with broken bodies and minds. The show in DC raised nearly $575,000 for the USO of Metropolitan Washington.

Joe's wasn't the only big show in Texas over the weekend. Jewel threw a free concert for her fans, who came from as far away as Australia, France and Great Britian. For the fans who couldn't be there, she streamed the show live on her website, and also will have cds of the show available on her site. She played for three and a half hours, pulling out album cuts, some of which she had never performed live before. TexFest, as the show was called, was her way of thanking her fans for their support, whether or not her songs land high on the charts.

David Nail was busy doing a show and Randy Owen showed up to sing along...

Danny Gokey, his brother Charles and sister Angie and friend Ruben Burgos had a little a capella fun with doo wop.

Colt Ford has a new tv show on the Outdoor Channel called Mud Slingers. They visit Trucks Gone Wild events across the country, filming the action and Colt busts out a song or two.

Toby Keith will play two songs tomorrow night on "Dancing With the Stars."

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Not sure about this new @NASCAR tandem racing at Talladega. I haven't seen this much adolescent bumping and grinding since prom."