Country music is filled with some beautiful people, and even though People Magazine recognized Channing Tatum as tops in their People’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 list, Blake Shelton made the list, too. He’ll be featured in the issue that comes out today. Earlier this year, wife Miranda Lambert made People’s 2012 World’s Most Beautiful Women list. Another country artist is now in the running for Sexiest Man Alive for 2013, since Chris Young is featured as the Sexiest Man of the Week in the current issue of People Magazine. He says he doesn’t see himself as sexy, but admits the ladies go wild when he performs: “Someone threw neon underwear on stage last week, which I just laughed. I’ve gotten bras before. You know, shoot a thong on stage is one thing. If they start going through the process of like, ‘not only underwear, I’m gonna make sure it ties in with the album.’ That’s a lot of thought. That’s a lot of premeditation to throwing underwear on stage.” He’s currently touring behind his album, entitled “Neon.”

Fan reaction to the announcement of Keith Urban’s first headlining tour since 2011 has been very gratifying for Keith, and he’s stoked to hit the road and do what he does best – play live for a crowd, sharing the energy and the love. According to Keith, “I really love, love what I do. It’s really important; it’s just that lessons in gratitude that’s a daily thing. And I think if you really love it, it’s something people pick up on.”

Taylor Swift was on X Factor’s live results show last night, performing “State of Grace” off of her new album, Red. If you looked carefully, you saw a new addition to her band: “We actually have four extra backup singers now, who are amazing! They’re these girls who I love so much, and they’re so good at singing and they move all pretty – they’re adorable. They’ve performed with us on the VMA’s and the TV performances we’ve done.” Taylor was also part of MTV’s Restore the Shore campaign special last night. Growing up in Pennsylvania meant that her family often went to the Jersey shore for summer vacation. She, along with many other country stars, are pitching in to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Jason Aldean was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, and, remembering the days of dive bars and half-empty halls, he’s grateful for where his career has gone: “To be able to stand there with the guys that have seen it go from that, to what it is now – I think really those guys are probably the only ones that really understand – that really get it. Family a lot of times doesn’t see the everyday stuff, they just kind of all of sudden notice you’re getting bigger.” 
Lee Brice is in love with his next single, “I Drive Your Truck,” a song about a man who loses his brother, presumably in the Middle East. “It really changed my life when I heard it. I couldn’t believe I got my hands on it – I didn’t write this song. I’m still floored by it to this stay – so we’re really pumped about that one. It is really amazing - the songwriter was straight up touched by God that day.” 
Kristian Bush of Sugarland bought his bandmate Jennifer Nettles what he describes as the perfect baby gift. Dubbed “the Miracle Blanket,” it is supposed to help new babies sleep deeper and longer, allowing their parents to get more rest, too. Jennifer is expecting her first child sometime this month. 
Martina McBride and her family will be spending Thanksgiving in New York City. She’ll be performing during The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS Thanksgiving day.

Jake Owen is dreaming of being a father, which will happen some time this month, but he’s a bit worried about how his bulldog, Merle, will handle the new addition: “Yeah, I’m a little…I’m worried that, you know, Merle’s (sighs)…Merle’s gonna get his feelings hurt a little bit. He already looks sad enough ’cause he’s a bulldog, but he also really likes kids. He’s fascinated with kids, and he loves playin’ with ‘em, and so it could be cool. I can’t wait. I really can’t wait ’til she’s big enough where she can sit on the couch, and he can sleep right next to her, and the two of them, the same size, can lay there together, and I can take photos.”

Keith Urban announced his tour plans for next year, and he’s also in the studio, working on an album he’ll release before hitting the road. He’s taking along Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch as tourmates, kicking things off July 18th in Cincinnati, Ohio, and wrapping up October 5th in West Palm Beach Florida. The complete list of tour dates is on his website, and check out how psyched they all are about this tour…
 
If you’re a Rascal Flatts fan, you might want to call in sick next Tuesday – “Rascal Flatts: All Access & Uncovered” comes out Monday, and they’ll be haunting the airwaves all night Monday night. Joe Don says their fans learn a lot more about each of them: “It’s really a little deeper glimpse into the heart, souls and minds of Rascal Flatts. And the three of us individually – how we grew up, where we grew up, before we came to Nashville and met each other. Also parts of how we met each other and how we became Rascal Flatts, and all the emotions that’s built up to where we’re at in life.” The trio will be on The Voice and Chelsea Lately on Monday night. 
Luke Bryan is at the top of the charts again this week with “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” It’s his second week at #1, and instead of basking in the glow, Luke is planning the album that will follow up the platinum “Tailgates & Tanlines.” According to Luke, “I’m super excited about what I’ve got written and what songs I’ve found—even more than Tailgates and Tanlines—I’m more excited. There’s one or two little things I kinda want on the record that I don’t have yet—but it’s certainly great being on this side and getting great songs from the Nashville community.” 
What do writers do? They write, and husband/wife duo Thompson Square is no exception. But they’re not limiting themselves to songs this time – they’re writing a book called “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?,” due out in June of next year. It’s a novel, and they’ll co-write with Travis Thrasher. 
The ABC show, “Nashville,” is such a hit that it’s been picked up for the entire season. Hayden Panettiere, who plays Juliette Barnes, knows why people are drawn to the show: “Both characters, and as are all the characters in the show, going through their own hard times, their own troubles, turmoil and everyone has their own issues to overcome and I think that’s something that people bond over, is hurt or pain or … just things like that in motion that people really find common ground with.” The music is great, too, and a soundtrack will be out on December 11th. 
Taylor Swift is on The X Factor on FOX tonight, and Jason Aldean is on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Brad Paisley and The Band Perry are making waves across the Atlantic, selling out shows in Norway, Sweden, and they wowed ‘em in Ireland last night. While Trace Adkins and John Rich are filming “The Celebrity Apprentice” for it’s 2013 season, Kimberly Perry says there’s someone else who should be on the show: “I would have to say Brad Paisley because I feel like even though he’s like a super-creative guy, he’s always thinking...that guy. So, I’d have to go ‘BP’ on that one!” The new season of the show airs early next year, but Donald Trump won’t have a chance to fire Brad Paisley – he won’t be on it.

Keith Urban is a hit with Nicki Minaj on American Idol. The rapper and fellow AI judge described Keith as “the perfect man,” saying he “is very respectful of his wife” and that “he’s very sweet.” Really – did we expect anything less from Keith? The new season starts January 16th.

Taylor Swift and celebrity photographer Nigel Barker have teamed up for a limited edition book, “8 Hours/Taylor Swift.” It’ll be sold only in Sony stores, and ten autographed copies will be auctioned off on eBay. About photo shoots, Taylor says, “I love getting glammed up for photo shoots, because I love just the relaxed feeling of, ‘You guys are good at what you do – do whatever you want.’ The hair and make-up people, they always do a different look on me than I’m used to, and I always just go with it. At this point you do so many magazine shoots that you’re just like, ‘I can’t wait to see what you guys turn me in to!”

Carrie Underwood’s tour stopped in hurricane-ravaged Atlantic City, and she donated all the ticket money coming to her to hurricane relief. While singing “Do You Think of Me” she witnessed a marriage proposal in the audience, and in the middle of the song, urged the woman to “say yes, say yes!!” Apparently it worked!

Eric Gunderson and his wife of nearly 3 years, Emily, are expecting their first child. The baby is due in May of next year, so Love and Theft will hit the road hard between now and then, so Eric can have a little time off when the baby is born. They’re on the CMT On Tour circuit with Jake Owen right now.
Apparently, Jason Aldean thinks having hit records is pretty easy: “To me, making records is going and finding the best group of songs you can find, and making them sound like you, and putting them out there.” Jason made his debut on The Voice last night, singing “The Only Way I Know” with a little help from Blake Shelton. Tomorrow he’ll be on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing and also announcing the nominees in a few categories of the People’s Choice Awards. Friday, catch him on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Kenny Chesney is psyched about his 20th anniversary tour – 20 years of touring and he vows to make it the best tour yet for his fans because of the mutual admiration they have: “I’m glad there’s anticipation I’m glad there’s a certain energy there. To be honest with you, the idea of that energy drives me to be even better. I think any entertainer will tell you this, because I do wear my feelings out on my sleeve a lot. So that being said, the more love we get, the more we throw back at them.” Tourmate Eric Church is thrilled to be part of the fun, so he can build a relationship with new fans: “We got this night, I’m not going to see you for a while and you’re not going to see me for a while, you know? And I love being able to capitalize on that moment and trying to live in that moment and get as much energy exchanged between myself and the crowd as we can. I love that! That’s my favorite part of what we do. I love being around people…I’m very passionate about my music and I love people who are passionate about the music too, and I love playing a show for that type of crowd.” He’ll join the tour on select stadium shows, as will Zac Brown Band. Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves are the regular tourmates, signed up for at least 17 stadium shows with Kenny next year.
Jake Owen has set a record for the most consecutive sold-out shows for the CMT on Tour effort. He knows why people keep coming back to see him – he’ll all about giving value for that ticket price: “That’s all you ever try to do - is try to please the people that were there. Make sure they go home and tell their friends who weren’t there about it. The next time around they bring them back – and your crowd progressively gets bigger.” 

Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean spent the weekend hunting in Kansas with the crew of Buck Commander. Also on the hunt are baseball stars Adam LaRoche, Ryan Langerhans and Tombo Martin. Luke admits that the deer could be safe from him and Jason: “Who knows – we’re both pretty awful. I haven’t killed anything on this past trip. I got a deer down in Texas – but I’m still waitin’.” The show will air this fall or winter on the Outdoor Channel.
Miranda Lambert spent her birthday weekend at home in Oklahoma, working on her new boutique, The Pink Pistol. It’ll open the day after Thanksgiving. Since she’s busy with that, plus her tour, plus her work with Pistol Annies, and Blake’s busy with The Voice, the subject of children doesn’t come up between them – they’re too busy, and Miranda says her dogs are like children to her. 
Martina McBride just shot a video for “Please Come Home For Christmas” in Franklin, Tennessee. Her crew spent a week decorating the town, including adding snow, so it would be in the holiday spirit. The song will be part of “A Very Special Christmas” benefit cd this year, and the video featured 12 Special Olympians. 
There’ll be a Hurricane Sandy benefit concert in New York at Madison Square Garden on 12/12/12. The performers are still being lined up, but there should be a country artist or two in the mix.

If you’ve been inside a Walgreens store lately, you probably noticed a Taylor Swift display, selling her new album, “Red.” How did that happen? Taylor’s dad had the idea: “He comes in and he’s like, ‘Walgreens has like 8,000 stores. That’s more than anything out there. Do you think they would sell music?’ And we’ve been working on it ever since. We’ve been working on it for ages partnering with Walgreens and we are finally opening the doors to the stores inside Walgreens where they’re gonna sell my music now and it’s amazing to me that that was just something, an idea out of thin air that my dad had.”

Jason Aldean has announced the first leg of his Night Train tour. It’ll kick off February 21st in Louisiana and visit 23 cities through May. Jason says his fans are in for a treat: “We’ve kind of made it a point to go out and make our shows, you know, as good as we can possibly make ‘em. You know, when people come out to our show, that’s what they’re gonna get.” Meanwhile, former tourmate Luke Bryan and Jason are making plans for right now: “[Jason] It’s huntin’ season. [Luke] Go deer hunt a little bit! [Jason] ...huntin’ season and just kinda gives us some time to take a couple months off and get ready for next year.”

Eric Church’s family was with him in Nashville when he accepted the CMA Album of the Year award for “Chief.” Eric’s dad and brother went back home after the show, but his mom hit the road with him for shows on the West Coast. He’s working on songs for his next album, but doesn’t really know when that one will be out, as he’s in no hurry: “I think there’s a lot of reasons to make records. The one thing I won’t do is I won’t make records for an economic reason. It won’t be because a label needs to make a quarterly number or we need to promote a tour.” If you need an Eric Church fix, a live album recorded last month in Chattanooga will be out in early 2013.
Miranda Lambert is getting into the retail spirit on Black Friday this year – she’s opening her new store, The Pink Pistol, in the small Oklahoma town where she and Blake Shelton live. The new boutique will sell, according to Miranda, “antiques, gifts, boots, jeans and pretty much everything you can imagine.” She says she wants to turn Black Friday, the huge shopping day after Thanksgiving, into Pink Friday. 
Kenny Chesney fans, heads-up! He’ll announce details of 2013’s tour, including dates, opening acts and the tour’s name, on Thursday.
Chris Young is People Magazine’s Sexy Man of the Week, meaning he’s up for the annual Sexiest Man Alive award. Miranda and Blake are on the cover of the current issue.

Jason Aldean sold out two more stadium shows on Friday, after selling out Fenway Park in Boston in a record 7 minutes. The second Fenway Park show and the show at Athens, GA’s Sanford Stadium were both sell-outs in under an hour on Friday. Jason says it’s a testament to how hard his band and crew work, plus the loyalty and passion of country music fans.

The post-CMA parties in Nashville have ended, and the winners are probably still staring at their trophies in amazement. Here’s what a few of them had to say about their wins:

Blake Shelton, on winning Entertainer of the Year: “I didn’t think about that tonight. I was thinking well...there’s Taylor Swift right there. I mean, really? This is pretty dumb that there’s anybody else even nominated, you know? So, I didn’t even really think about it.”

Miranda Lambert, on being named Female Vocalist of the Year: “You know, I’m one of those girls right now that’s on top and I’m so thankful to be able to be the reigning vocalist three times in a row and be standing here but I know it’s gonna be time to pass that trophy on to the next and I hope there’s enough females to put into that category and there’s some great talent out there and we’re gonna accept it. I kicked the door open and I’m gonna hold my leg in there! I’m gonna keep the door open for all these amazing female singer-songwriters.”

Eric Church, on “Chief” after winning Album of the Year: “We didn’t plan it. We didn’t talk about it. There’s as much unrehearsed magic on the record as we’ve ever had.”

Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, after winning Vocal Group of the Year and Single of the Year: “We just really always kept showing up and believing and dreaming and working really hard and it happened! It’s happened for us. You never know what’s around the corner.”
Country music won big last Thursday night, as the CMA Awards show was the most-watched show during it’s time slot. Nearly 14 million viewers watched, making it ABC’s best ratings of any show this season. 
Tim McGraw releases his new album, “Two Lanes of Freedom,” on February 5th. It includes the song he performed at the CMA’s, “One Of Those Nights.” 

You’ll soon see Miranda Lambert sporting a milk mustache in the latest flight of the “Got Milk?” ad campaign. How does she manage to look sulky and sultry at the same time?
Blake Shelton is on The Voice tonight and Jerrod Niemann is on Marie! on the Hallmark Channel.

As you try to keep your hands out of the Halloween candy stash from last night, country stars share some of their favorite Halloween memories. Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood remembers his best costume as a kid – half of a pair of dice: “I was a die for Halloween. I had a big cardboard box that I had painted white and had the polka dots and stuff. And I remember I was walking up this hill to go to this hill and literally fell back down the entire hill, rolling in this giant cardboard box that I couldn’t do anything about, because I rolled down about 50-feet.” Luke Bryan says Halloween is great for researching your neighbors: “You can find out a lot about your neighbors by what kind of candy they put out. So, well, like full bars of Snickers bars, that’s what, and Reese’s cups, but the old chocolate popcorn ball of stuff, that’s no good either, like Dots – you get Dots one time of year and they pull your teeth.” And Taylor Swift has a different kind of Halloween memory: “All I remember about Halloween last year is that it’s when I bought my cat. She’s a Halloween cat. I didn’t really dress up for anything last year - I just went out and bought a kitten.”

Last week was the biggest sales week for any album in over a decade. Taylor Swift’s “Red” sold 1.2 million copies last week, meaning it is platinum after just seven days in release. It’s her second straight album to sell more than a million copies in its first week – “Speak Now” accomplished that feat in 2010. The last artist to sell over a million was Eminem in 2002, with the release of “The Eminem Show.”

What you’ll see tonight on the CMA Awards show: the show-opener will be Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Eric Church singing Jason’s new song, “The Only Way I Know How,” Tim McGraw performing his new single, “One of Those Nights,” Faith Hill performing “American Heart,” then Tim and Faith will be part of a tribute to Willie Nelson which will also include Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood performing separately, Taylor Swift doing her new single, “Begin Again,” Kelly Clarkson singing her new country song, “Don’t Rush,” backed by Vince Gill, and John Rich with the biggest smile on his face ever, because he and Big Kenny are nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year. “To see our name back in the lineup is pretty cool. It is like, ‘Alright there it is!’ It’s just a manifestation of what we’ve been doing for the last couple of years. You know, hookin’ the cables back together between Big Kenny and myself. It’s been quite a ride to do that, because you wonder if the fans are still there and you wonder if anyone gives a damn about your music anymore.”

The cash has finally all been counted, and Jason Aldean’s breast cancer benefit concert last weekend raised $509,125. Wanna bet he rounds the check up to $510,000?
Taylor Swift is the magazine cover queen right now – she’s on December’s Cosmopolitan magazine, plus the United Kingdom’s “You” and Australia’s “Sunday” publications.

The CMA Awards happen Thursday night, and Nashville is already making preparations for the event at Bridgestone Arena. Streets started closing Saturday, so if you’re planning to be there, be prepared for some traffic troubles. Just added as presenters are Reba and Tim Allen. Reba’s new TV show, Malibu Country, premiers Friday night. 

Rascal Flatts is about to release a new DVD – Rascal Flatts: All Access & Uncovered features an intimate look at the relationship between the trio, their families and some hot performance video. Joe Don says of the project and of their latest album: “Its complete heart, 100% heart and soul in this album and you know, we cut it at Jay’s house and...everything feels so great right now in our career.” The DVD drops November 19th. 

Keith Urban is traveling the country with the American Idol crew, going from city to city for the audition phase of the show. It’s a far cry from his life in Australia, and Keith is very appreciative: “I come from nothing, you know? Very, very working class family, and I’ve been blessed with this extraordinary life. And it’s the fans and the audiences that like the music and come to the concerts, and that’s—it’s just changed my life.” He’ll perform this week on the CMA Awards show.

The Jason Aldean/Miranda Lambert concert at Boston’s Fenway Park sold out in seven minutes Friday morning, so they decided to add a second show. July 12th and 13th are the dates that the Green Monster goes country in a big way. Jason’s already working on the experience for his fans: “You know, it’s just kind of a thing where you sit down and you kind of figure out what you want to do and how you want to change it up from this year. You sit down and you start drawing it out on paper what you want your stage to look like.” Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett will also be part of those two shows.
Miranda Lambert will be sporting a new hairdo for the CMAs – she tweeted a photo of herself with a long shag, complete with bangs. Cute! 

The video for Taylor Swift’s new song, “Begin Again,” was shot in Paris. Really? For a country song? Taylor explains: “You know when you’re going through a break up and you need to just reflect, be alone and walk around – and see a beautiful place? I think it’s like that. It’s wondering around exploring a new city and kind of trying to find yourself again – and meeting a hot guy in a café.” Here it is… 
 
Apparently the Taylor Swift – Conor Kennedy romance is kaput. According to a close friend of Taylor’s, “they quietly parted ways a while ago.” No hard feelings, just a crazy schedule right now for Taylor, as she’s working the release of “Red” and has no time off until Christmas. 
New music out tomorrow from Toby Keith – “Hope On The Rocks” is the title. 
Reba is on Live With Kelly & Michael today, and Blake Shelton is on The Voice tonight.

They like and respect each other as artists, so Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert released a video on Twitter. Here’s what the video had to say: “[Miranda] What are you doing here? Good to see you! It’s been a while. [Dierks] I know we should go on tour or something to kinda catch up. [Miranda] That’d be awesome. [Dierks] That’d be pretty cool. It’d be epic. [Miranda] Let’s do it, like, in January. [Dierks] This January? [Miranda] Yeah! [Dierks] Alright...Locked & Reloaded? [Miranda] Yeah! [Dierks] Alright. Let’s do it!” They’ll tour together starting January 17th, and of the tour, Miranda says, “This will be a tour of epic badassery.” Just what does that mean? Dierks wants to provide memories like the one he has of a Garth Brooks concert: “I remember seeing him when I was 17 at American West Arena in Phoenix. I was at the very top row. I actually touched the top of the arena building with my brother who was seven. You know no videos...no video walls or anything. I really felt like he was singing directly at me. It was a huge...had a huge influence on me.” Here’s the Twitter video, in case you missed it…



Lady Antebellum’s new holiday album is out, and “On This Winter’s Night” is not just the title track, it’s the only original song on an album full of classics. Why did they make that decision? “We wanted to try our hand in writing one song for this. We didn’t want the record to be a lot of original. At least for us, for the holiday season, we just want to have Christmas songs that we love and that we know. We thought our fans would feel the same way. But this one – we tried to incorporate the emotions and feelings around Christmas. All the fun stuff but all the serious stuff as well.”
Taylor Swift will vote by absentee ballot this year, as she’ll be out of the country promoting her new album, “Red.” It doesn’t seem to need much promotion – it’s #1 in 32 countries already and will sell over a million units this week. What does Taylor do with all the money she’s making? She told ET that she was “raised by a financial advisor,” so she knows it’s important to save and invest her money. According to Taylor, her dad told her, “Save your money! Don’t be stupid about it!” 
She said “no” to American Idol and The X Factor, but Dolly Parton would say “yes” to The Voice if she was invited to be part of it. She says the difference is that there’s not as much judging on The Voice as there is on the other two shows, and according to Dolly, “I hesitate to judge people.” 
Yes, Sara Evans was in a car accident this past week, but it wasn’t that Sara Evans. It was an Ohio teenager named Sarah Evans with an “h” who wrecked her car, causing Sara Evans without an “h” to take to her Twitter account to stop the confusion and rumors. The Ohio teen was cited for failure to yield to a stop sign and wasn’t hurt. The woman in the car she hit was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries. 

The Peoples Choice Awards won’t be handed out until January, but you can start voting for your favorites right now.
For this week, anyway, Jason Aldean holds down the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart as well as the top spot on the Billboard Country Album chart. In his debut week last week, he sold 409,000 copies of “Night Train.” He’ll need to enjoy that chart position this week, because when next week’s charts are released, Taylor Swift will top them both, since she sold over half a million copies just on Monday of this week.
Taylor Swift is on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Martina McBride is on Anderson Live today. 

Jason Aldean has released the first three tour dates for 2013. He'll play Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA in April with supporting artists Luke Bryan, Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett, be the first country artist to play Fenway Park in Boston, adding Miranda Lambert, and will also play Wrigley Field in Chicago, taking Kelly Clarkson with him for that show. About his lifestyle, Jason says “In this business, we obviously travel a lot. You know, you turn into sort of a journeyman. You kind of have that lifestyle, so I think in my case I’ve always been drawn to songs that I could relate to and things that kind of describe what it is that I do.” Keep an eye on his website for more concert dates.

When Jason Aldean jet-setted around the country last Thursday, announcing concerts in Boston, Chicago and Athens, he saved the Athens stop for last. He had some help in making that concert announcement – Georgia Bulldog coach Mark Richt.



Want to see some of the show Jason played? Here’s that video…



Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are working with writers, putting together the script for the 46th Annual CMA Awards show on November 3rd. Where do they get ideas for material? According to Carrie, “Well there’s always new songs, new artists up for nominations, new things that they have done...new political issues and this is an election year and we’re right before the election, so I’m sure we’ll be touching on that.”
Miranda Lambert is up for the CMA Album of the Year award again this year, and she's excited for the recognition her "baby" is getting. She knew she wanted to do something different for her 4th studio album, but wasn't quite sure what that was: “I mean, honestly, we had a list of songs in the studio that kind of just picked what we want as we went, because I didn’t want to say, ‘Okay, these are the, you know, 12 songs we’re recording or 15 songs we’re recording, and that’s that.’ Whatever the mood was that day, I wanted to be able to be open-minded and fluid, and I definitely think it sounds like that.” 
Reba's new show, "Malibu Country," debuts on November 2nd and she's rounding up some country pals to be part of it with her. Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson have both already said they'll guest-star, and yes, there will be lots of music on the show. 
Taylor Swift's new album, "Red," is out today and she's playing "VJ for a Day" on CMT, playing her favorite music videos. Don't be surprised if she plays other artists' videos, but one she'll definitely play is "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" because she had such fun making that one. “It’s very quirky. My band is the quirkiest part of it. When I showed them the costumes they had to wear, they were so mad —but then they owned it and they got really into it and excited, but at first it was just like—utter horror.” Check out the horror here... 
 
Taylor Swift is on Good Morning America, Hunter Hayes is on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Blake Shelton is on The Voice tonight.

Jason Aldean released a new album, "Night Train," this week, but his thoughts are all about Saturdays and Georgia football. Specifically, the party before the game: “Every SEC school that I’ve ever been to—you know tailgating is a religion. We’re in the South! But, Georgia is fun, I mean it is fun, and the fans are rabid, man. They love to show up early and have a good time.” He'll have to be in Kentucky tomorrow night if he wants to hit the tailgate - Georgia's on the road this weekend.

Lee Brice's song, "Hard to Love," is a tip of the hat to his fiance and their son: “This career can be hard to love from Sarah’s point of view – and Takoda. They’re proud and they support me, but it’s just hard being away so much and stuff so that’s kind of where that came from. But yeah, it’s stepping up and owning up to that.”

Little Big Town's new single, "Tornado," is whipping up a storm on the country charts, and they love playing it live: “[Karen] We like it so much, it’s so much fun to play live and there’s just smoke and craziness, scariness. [Kimberly] Wind and smoke! [Phillip] Storms on stage! [Jimi] Karen scaring men throughout the audience—and her husband on stage. [Laughs] I’m just sending a warning… [Laughs] it’s a warning shot.” Little Big Town is on the road with Rascal Flatts, and "Tornado" the album sits atop the country music Billboard chart for the 5th week.

Josh Turner reveals how to pick a hit song: “When you hear a song that takes your mind away from all of the crazy distractions in life, that normally is a hit song.” His new single, "Find Me A Baby," is just such a song for Josh. It's from his "Punching Bag" album.

She first appeared in the media at 11 months of age in a Playskool commercial, grew up listening to country music, dabbled in a singing career and is now the bad-girl Juliette Barnes on the new show, "Nashville." Hayden Panettiere and the show have released a single, "Telescope," written by Cary Barlowe and Hillary Lindsay. About it, Hayden says “It’s one of those songs that you hope girls and boys are going to dance to in their cars and sing out loud. That’s the great thing about my character is that you get those two different sides of her. You get the side of her that is the mainstream crossover – fun songs like ‘Telescope.’ Then you get the more understated songs that have that heart behind it.”
Country stars populate a Katie Couric tv special - "20/20 All Access Nashville With Katie Couric" a week from tonight and features Taylor Swift, Reba, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert & Pistol Annies, Martina McBride, Luke Byran and Jason Aldean all give a glimps into their private lives and talk about their favorite female country singers on the show.

Darius Rucker is walking around with an extra-big smile on his face this week after becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. “It meant so much to me because I knew if I could ever be a member, there’s no more conversation about being accepted or anything, you know. I’m in. And you look at the names of the people that have been inducted and...they’re legends!” And what do his kids think about it? “The two oldest ones get it, I think. You know, we talked to them about it...especially my oldest, she thinks it’s just awesome. But, my younger son, he knew for a while and I came home the next day – you know we drove back afterwards – and he says to me, ‘Daddy, congratulations on whatever just happened today.’ It was pretty cute.”

Keith Urban rates country music fans as pretty consistent, and he knows what he’s talking about because he’s played for them all over the world: “I grew up playing in all these country music festivals all over Australia. The culture, I guess if you will, of country music and the people, the fans and artists – I find basically the same in Australia, here – when we’ve traveled over to Europe. There’s just a certain way of being, that really is what the music is about.” He’s nominated for GQ Australia’s Man of the Year. To vote, visit www.gq.com.au – the winner will be announced November 13th.

Carrie Underwood is celebrating her 13th #1 song this week with “Blown Away,” the title track to her latest album. How did the song catch Carrie’s ear? “The first time I heard ‘Blown Away’ I just loved it so much because it was different than anything I’ve heard before. That was really attractive to me because no matter what, however how many albums I make, I want them all to sound different. I want them to be different and have different kind of songs of them. That one was just so dramatic – it was juicy.”

Fall is deer season, and Luke Bryan has teamed up with Cabela’s so country fans can get the right deer gear. Meanwhile, who does Luke like to hunt with? To hear Jason Aldean tell it, they are pretty tight at deer camp: “Luke just bought a farm about ten minutes from my house – and I got a farm here. So he and I hunt together quite a bit. A couple times a year all of us get together and we have two or three big hunts a year for about a week. Those are coming up, so that should be fun.”
Blake Shelton will appear on the song “Just a Fool” on Christina Aguilera’s new album, “Lotus.” Blake’s fellow “The Voice” coach will release the album November 13th. 
Once again, Jennifer Nettles has been tapped to host the CMA Country Christmas show. It’s the third annual event, happening this year on November 3rd at Bridgestone Arena. Also part of the show will be Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, John Legend and Colbie Caillat. If you’re going to the show, please take a new, unwrapped to be given to families in need this holiday season. 
Martina McBride has said in the past that if she wasn’t a singer, she’d be a party planner – she loves to throw parties. Soon, you can have her help planning your soirees, as she’s working on a book about entertaining. No word on when it will be out – she hasn’t even pitched it to an agent yet.

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

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

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

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

Today is finally the day Jason Aldean’s new album, “Night Train,” comes out. Just what is a night train? Jason explains: “Thinking back to the days where it was me and 12 of us on a bus, pulling a trailer. Me and my band and crew, all of us on one bus pulling a trailer. Now here we are a couple years later and there’s eight or nine semis – eight or nine buses. We all file out of the venue every night and it looks like a freight train going down the interstate. It kind of puts it in perspective for me of how far things have come over the past few years.”

Trace Adkins doesn’t back down from a showdown, so when he was invited to be part of the All-Star Celebrity Apprentice season, he did it, in spite of some misgivings: “I’ve been uncomfortable being myself in certain situations because I’m a realist and I think I’m a fairly intelligent person, so I’ve realized from time to time that I’ve been in places and situations that I had no business being in...such as The Apprentice.” The show premieres in the spring of next year and features only past contestants, trying again to not get fired.

Lots of disappointed people in Nashville on Sunday, as Dierks Bentley had to cancel his Miles & Music for Kids event due to high wind and the chance of severe weather. In a statement, Dierks said, “It's the last thing we wanted to do but safety is the priority. HUGE thanks to all the fans, riders, sponsors & artists who always come out to support us & Vandy Childrens Hospital.” There’ll be an announcement on his website when the charity ride and concert are rescheduled. Kix Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Brantley Gilbert and Chris Young were on tap for this past Sunday – they’re all hoping to be part of the event when it finally happens.

Gary Allan’s new song parallels his life. He co-wrote “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” with Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren, and says about the experience, “We really go in a roll for about a week there. I think it’s a perfect single just because of what it says. I think I have been through a ton – and every storm runs out of rain. I think it’s like a coming above the water song – finally.” He’s sharing his private life on the song, but he'll kick off 2013 in a very public way – playing the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale now.

Rascal Flatts is having so much fun on the road that they’re extending the “Changed” tour into the winter months. The Band Perry will open for them on the 20-show stint beginning January 10th.

Florida Georgia Line has a top 20 hit on their hands, and “Cruise” has just gone gold. Newcomers Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have been friends since college and have seen their star rise quickly this year. According to Tyler, “It’s insane! I remember when we released our first little EP out on iTunes together…we were so excited to sell like – [Brian] 500… [Tyler] Yeah like, 500! So yeah, it’s pretty amazing, and it’s wild. I mean, there’s really not a whole to say about it other than it’s pretty surreal!” They’re on tour with Jake Owen and got the gold plaque while on stage during the opening night of the tour.
Scotty McCreery is in his first semester of college and aced his first math test, earning a 98. He doesn’t love math, but does love his 8am golf class, because it’s honing his game: “It’s gotten a lot better. It’s come a long ways in a year. On the road now, with time in the morning, I’ve been playing a lot more than usual. So, it’s coming along.” 
New music out today includes Jason Aldean’s “Night Train,” Jamey Johnson’s “Livin’ For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran,” and Scotty McCreery’s “Christmas With Scotty McCreery.”

You’re not on it either? The Blake Shelton and Friends Cruise set sail yesterday, and Blake says there’ll be shenanigans, and someone might have to go overboard: “Well it won’t be Trace—although he may put us over the weight limit. I don’t know, I’d say—Easton’s gonna be there. I don’t think any of us would miss him if we through him over.” Also along for the ride are Jerrod Niemann, Neal McCoy, Lee Brice, Brett Eldredge, Randy Houser and Jana Kramer. Jana’s got mixed feelings about going on a cruise: “I’ve never done a cruise before because I’m really claustrophobic and I’m afraid – or if I get motion sickness. I was like, ‘You know what I’m getting over a fear, and hanging with some of my buddies on a boat. I get to bring my mom – it’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to play and then meet people and hang out – go swimming and tan!”

In the wake of video showing an admittedly drunk Jason Aldean flirting with American Idol contestant Brittany Kerr in Hollywood, Jason Aldean says that the situation, though tough, is taken care of: “You can handle it two ways, you can go hide and run from it or you can get up and face it and deal with it and that’s kinda what we tried to do and just kinda move on, you know? And the main thing is that me and my family are OK.” He talked with CMT Insider and that segment aired this past weekend.

Jason Aldean is planning to hit a few more stadiums during his 2013 tour, saying that the sellout at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio was pretty awesome. According to Jason, “This next year we’ll probably dabble in it a little more, try a couple places and really just try to build on that. There’s not a lot of people that can do that [consistently], and that’s where we’re trying to figure it out —can we do that in certain markets? Or can we do that on a consistent basis? That’ll be a little bit of a learning pro­cess for us over the next year.”
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul show in Las Vegas kicks off in December, but preparations are in high gear now, and Tim says it’s pretty cool: “It’s different to think somebody offers you a ton of money to come do three years in Vegas or something, and they say ‘Here’s your theater and you can build it like you want it...’ For all we’ve done in our career past, and all we hope to do in the future with our careers, to have this sort of moment to do this thing for these ten weekends and then to turn the theatre over to us and build what you want is sort of rare.” 
Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss performed on the David Letterman Show Friday night. They collaborated on a song on his “Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran” album which comes out tomorrow. He’ll announce tour plans later this week. 
Luke Bryan announced some tour plans – he’ll kick off his first headlining tour on January 17th in Evansville, Indiana, with shows running through at least March. Thompson Square and Florida Georgia Line will open on the first leg of the tour. 
Taylor Swift’s new album, “Red,” doesn’t come out until the 22nd, but she’s working the publicity angle hard. She’s on the cover of the October 24th issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, presumably dishing some details of her love life, and has partnered with Keds to release a new, limited-edition line of “Red” footwear. But wait, there’s more – she’s also partnered with Walgreens, where you’ll find a Taylor Swift Store, with t-shirs, tour books, backpacks, journals and lots more. And of course, “Red” will be on sale one minute after midnight on October 22nd at all Walgreens stores. 
Keith Urban will receive the Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony in a gala later this year. The award honors him for his work to help the Country Music Hall of Fame, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Habitat for Humanity. 
Trishia Yearwood is on The View and Josh Turner is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.

The American Music Awards nominations have been announced, and Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan both have two nods – Carrie is nominated for Favorite Female Country Album and Favorite Country Album, and Luke’s nods are for Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite Country Album. The third album in the Country category is Lionel Richie’s “Tuskeegee.” Jason Aldean and Eric Church are the other nominees in the male country category, Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert round out the female country category, and in the Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group category, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts are nominated. The American Music Awards will be handed out live on ABC November 18th.

Big congrats to Little Big Town, who hold down the #1 spot for the 4th week in a row on the Billboard Country Album chart with “Tornado.” Karen Fairchild says that the album is well-named: “We’ve had an amazing journey as a band, but this has felt like a new day and it’s been akin to a storm, in a really cool way.”

They might just have to settle for 4 weeks – Jason Aldean’s “Night Train” comes out this Tuesday and is expected to blow away the competition and take over the #1 spot on the Billboard Country Album chart. You can stream it on iTunes now, and make sure you listen to “The Only Way I Know,” a collaboration between Jason, Luke Bryan and Eric Church. Jason explains how that came together: “I just thought, ‘Man, with those two guys having the types of years they’re having and our thing doing what it’s doing, it just—what a cool kind of thing that could be on the record. And so I talked to those guys and sent them the song, and both of them dug the song. It’s another thing on the album that’s completely different.”

Jake Owen, Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line are on the road together with the CMT The Summer Never Ends Tour. What’s it like, traveling around the country with a bunch of guys? According to Jake, “That’s the cool thing about it—is traveling around with your friends and singing songs and making people happy and then moving on to the next town and doing the same thing again. I mean, we’ll do everything from hang out and maybe play some golf, or try to find a boat somewhere and go out on a boat, or do some fishing. You know just what guys do, but the cool thing about it is every night we get to have a get-together with a bunch of friends and pick some guitars and sing songs.” The guys from Florida Georgia Line have some thoughts, too: “I know we are going to be playing a lot of ping pong – for sure. We like to find a gym and time to work out or do something. We’ve talked to Jake, we’re gonna have a whole bunch of random things. We’re gonna get all the stuff out at every stop and have a little mobile gym. It’ll be a good time getting a little workout in.” 

Speaking of working out, Miranda Lambert shares some workout secrets and her workout playlist in a WebMD interview: she’s put bad snacks on the “must miss” list and now snacks on almonds and low-fat string cheese, though will occasionally splurge on a cheeseburger or Dairy Queen Blizzard. As for her workout playlist, here you go… "Stronger" - Kelly Clarkson 
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood 
"Hell on Heels" - Pistol Annies 
"Run the World (Girls)" - Beyoncé 
"Love in an Elevator" - Aerosmith 
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" - Shania Twain 
"Smokin' the Boys" - Audra Mae and The Almighty Sound 
"You and I" - Lady Gaga 


Greg Bates is working his way up the charts with his debut, “I Did It For The Girl.” The singer-songwriter has a dream that he hopes comes true one day: “I would love to write a song with Alan Jackson. I think...you know, he was a huge influence on me as a writer and I’ve always wanted to sit down with that guy and if anything just learn anything else that I can from him as a writer.”

Jason Aldean’s new album, “Night Train,” comes out this Tuesday, and it’s been approved by nine year old Keeley and five year old Kendyl. Jason says his daughters know how to pick hits: “They’re pretty good! They’ve got a good ear for music, especially my oldest one she’s pretty sharp when it comes to pickin’ songs, so I don’t know if that’s trouble or not. I don’t know if she’s gonna wanna be in the music business or how this is gonna work, but yeah I typically run it by ‘em.”

From the “gosh, what a big surprise” department, it’s just been announced that Carrie Underwood will perform on the CMA Awards show. She’s also co-hosting the show with Brad Paisley again this year, and she’s getting used to the juggling act: “There’s so much going on and like hosting takes over everything else, so you really don’t even think about your performance, you’re more concerned about keeping the show running and no matter what happens after any of it it’s like, ‘Well, OK, gotta get back out there and introduce so-an-so.’” Gotta wait until November first to see how she handles it all again this year.

Taylor Swift released “I Knew You Were Trouble” yesterday morning, two weeks before her new album, “Red,” comes out. When talking about how the song came to be, she includes a “shame on me” for getting into the relationship in the first place, but doesn’t tell us who “Trouble” is. Oh, well…

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Keith Urban’s latest Urban Chat includes Ryan Seacrest, and Keith shows just how much he’ll do for guacamole… 
 
Congrats to Edens Edge singer Hanna Blaylock on her marriage to Justin Wakefield. All of the band attended the small, quiet ceremony in their home state of Arkansas. 
Tonight is the premier of ABC’s “Nashville.” The plot features conflict between a waning country superstar and a newcomer who’s star is on the rise. Yes, there’s country music, but not in a Glee sort of way, according to the producers. They say the music is seamlessly integrated into the show. Also tonight, Dwight Yoakam is on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean have a few things in common: they’re both from Georgia, they both put on great country music shows, and they’re both die-hard Georgia Bulldog fans. They’re on record as saying that the team has a shot at playing for the National title, or at least for the SEC Championship. While on the road, the satellite dish on the bus is always tuned to college football for those two, so you know what they’ll both be watching tomorrow!

Speaking of the home of the Bulldogs, Dierks Bentley shot his “Tip It On Back” video in Athens, GA and really wanted a college-town party feel to it. “It turned out great. The fans are great! We just put a little word out on the street that we were shooting a video and people came down in the middle of the day and filled the place up…had some beer onstage, like props… pretty soon the props starting getting drunk [Laughs], and the crowd got into it, too. It was a long day, it was really like doing two shows in one day. You know, we did a show basically for that video.” Dierks even does a bit of crowd-surfing in the video – catch it on CMT.

Easton Corbin is enjoying a top 10 single with “Lovin’ You Is Fun” off of his just-released album, “All Over the Road.” How did Easton and his band pick the songs that would be on the album? “We found songs that I love and I relate to, and that spoke to me. I feel like that translates to the audience out there.” I guess that’s one way to do it!

Justin Moore is working hard to find the right songs for his next album: “I have been writing a ton and I’ve been listening to a lot of songs. I listened to more songs this go around than I ever have. But we are in the very early stages of discussing things. But I am very excited to get new music out to fans.” He’s on the road with Eric Church right now, and his latest single, “Til My Last Day,” is speeding up the charts.
Brad Paisley has a new album coming out, but we’ll have to wait until April 9th to get it. But in addition to his newly-released single, he’ll also be part of Colbie Caillat’s upcoming Christmas album. He sings and strums on “Merry Christmas Baby” – the album comes out October 23rd. 
Hanson has covered Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” How does she like it? Really, really well – she tweeted that she loveloveloved it! 
 
Willie Nelson is releasing a memoir entitled “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” the same title as his current song release. In the book, he’ll share his greatest musical and life influences, his thoughts on poker and Texas and will offer up some rare family pictures. His son Micah created the book’s cover art, and the book comes out November 13th, just in time for your holiday shopping. 

Luke Bryan kicks off his 2012 Farm Tour tonight, after touring with Jason Aldean this summer. The Farm Tour is near and dear to his heart, but he’s planning his own headlining tour for 2013 and is excited about the plans so far: “Oh it’s happening, it’s happening. We’re starting to plan that up. It’s gonna be interesting—lotta pop. Lotta—not pop, like a lotta fireworks, I meant! I don’t wanna scare anybody. No pop there--I can’t go pop if I’ve got a load of roman candles!”

Lady Antebellum is enjoying their second tour in Australia, this time as headliners. Dave Haywood explains, “We were lucky enough to get to open up for Keith Urban last year in Australia, and we kind of found this whole little new world of fans over there for us. Everybody was super nice, and we love their accents, so it’s a beautiful place to be. But, it’s very interesting, very high energy.” The tour wraps up tonight in Sydney, and once they get back to the US, they’ll head into the studio to work on their 4th studio album.

A week from today, Jake Owen kicks off his first headlining tour, taking along Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line. He’s excited to be the top of the ticket, but also knows he’s got some work to do: “When I get out there I want the people that are on tour with me – Love & Theft and Florida Georgia Line – and their crew guys, the guys in the band everyone – I want them to feel very taken care of. Like the way I feel when I go on tour with artists that are headlining. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with that, but I love the challenge of that.”

Dustin Lynch is well-known now for his song, “Cowboys and Angels,” but back in the day, when he promised his parents he’d go to college before getting into country music, he was known for – frogs?? “I love to hunt and fish and I like to, uh...weirdly enough I used to like to dissect things, so you know it kinda got me in that arena and it was easy. Biology came easy to me, so I just wanted something I could do and was good at.”
American Idol is taping, and Keith Urban is having a blast as one of the judges: “We had two days in New York and I had a blast! I can’t wait ‘til the next couple days and I’m really, really glad to be doing it!.” Season 13 premiers in January of 2013. 
Want to party for a cure with Jason Aldean? Mark your calendar – his “Concert for the Cure” happens the last night of his “My Kinda Party” tour – October 27th in Dallas. The money raised goes to Susan G. Komen For The Cure. This is the 7th year that Jason Aldean has put on this benefit, in memory of his late friend, Melissa, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 29 years old. Twenty thousand tickets sold out in less than four minutes when the show went on sale earlier this year, and Jason says it’s always his favorite concert of the year. 

Randy Houser and his wife Jessa welcomed their first child earlier this year and Randy says that fatherhood is changing him as a man, as a songwriter and as a performer: “I’m not gonna be a sippy cup country kinda guy, but there’s things I won’t say—I mean, I’m not out writing songs about ‘I’m going to pick up 15 women and we’re gonna get naked in the hot tub’ you know—it’s not gonna be any of that crap anymore!” Uh –huh – and you know that somewhere, someone’s got a bet down on when Randy Houser will include the words “sippy cup” in a song!

The names are being released, though we know it’s going to be a stellar line-up. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are hosting the CMA Awards on November first, and the first batch of performers announced are Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson and Little Big Town. Tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster outlets Saturday at 11am Eastern time.

Here’s something else we know – Reba won’t be co-hosting the ACM Awards in 2013. She’s bowed out of the role she’s had for 13 years, officially passing the torch to Blake Shelton, her co-host for the past two years. How does Blake feel about hosting for as many years as Reba has? “I can’t imagine doing it as long as Reba—the two I’ve done have taken years off my life!” He does also say, “I’ll be honest with you, I have as much fun hosting that thing as I do sittin’ in the audience and watching it and laughing along with whoever’s doing it, but it is fun!”

Lady Antebellum is touring Australia right now and have added a TV appearance to their itinerary: they’ll appear on the hit show, “X-Factor” for the top 10 finalist episode, set to air next week. They’ll be playing shows through Wednesday, when they wrap up the tour at the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Little Big Town tops the Billboard Country album chart with their new release, “Tornado.” That’s two weeks running that their sales have dominated country music, and they’re pleased with the success their unconventional recording method is reaping. Usually artists use session musicians, not their road band, when they record an album, but not this time. Phillip Sweet explains, “We would come in at night and record – and kind of like a live show with our band. We would be a little loose, having a good time – maybe have eaten a little dinner together. And just go in there and make music, hit record and that’s what happened.” Apparently magic happened, as they scored their first #1 song with the album’s first single, “Pontoon.”
Happy birthday to Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town.