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.

Brad Paisley is in the studio, working on his next album and worrying just a little bit about what the fans will make of it: “It’s kinda refreshing that I haven’t had a song on the radio for a couple months and in that sense it’s kinda nice to know that whatever is bubbling right now is the next thing I’ll hand them. And there’s both a pressure and a freedom in that. And so, I’m really more thinking about that. I’m thinking about things like what can I do that’s unique that I’ve never done musically.” 

Sure, you may think that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill live a glamorous life, but with back-to-school season upon us, you might be surprised to find that in at least one way, their life is a lot like yours. With three daughters, they spend a lot of time in the car, though oldest daughter Gracie has her learner’s permit. “Next year, she’ll have her full on license. The bad part is it’s a whole other set of nerves, but the good part is it cuts down on our taxi service a little bit. [Faith] Exactly! Being the taxi service isn’t glamorous at all. I’ve tried to make it, going to the studio… [Tim] How many days or hours do you spend in the car when you’re a parent? [Faith] Oh my goodness!”

Jennifer Nettles is pregnant with her first baby, due in November. She and Kristian Bush are on tour, and Jennifer’s first order of business in every new town is to find the best Mexican food. That’s what she’s craving – everything from salsa to black beans to fish tacos, as long as it’s Mexican. She normally watches her calorie intake but says that “it’s pretty much a free-for-all at this point.”
 

Another incident with autos, alcohol and authorities happened to Randy Travis this week. Tuesday night around midnight, officers responded to a report of a man lying in the middle of the road. They found Randy Travis, completely naked, intoxicated and with minor cuts and bruises, his car off the road nearby, wrecked in the midst of a construction zone. Thankfully, there was no construction going on at the time of the crash, so no one besides Randy was hurt in the incident. In addition to drunk and disorderly, public indecency and other charges, Randy has been charged with “retaliation,” because he threatened to shoot and kill the troopers after they placed him in the police vehicle. He bonded out of jail Wednesday morning, and had to have someone bring him clothes to wear home, because apparently he was naked when he started driving his car. He had to be given clothing to wear for his mug shot. In February of this year, Randy was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication in the parking lot of a church in Texas.

 

Curb Records is celebrating 50 years of success by putting 50 titles on sale for $5.99. C’mon, you know 50 cents would be too good to be true! Grab albums from LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Hank Williams, Jr., Clay Walker, Lee Greenwood and lots more. Search “Curb 50” on iTunes to see the whole list.

Zac Brown Band sits atop the country music album charts for the 4th week in a row with “Uncaged.” How does that make Zac feel? “It is dead center right down the middle for people who like our other music. I feel like it’s the best record we’ve made so far. I feel like we’re a better band now. I feel like we’ve just continued to improve and I feel like it’s – I really do feel like it’s the best record we’ve ever made.”

Miranda Lambert is on the Ellen DeGeneres Show – it’s a rerun.

Lady Antebellum is in Great Britain and on one of their tour stops, they opened for Bruce Springsteen. Of that experience, Charles Kelley says, “I’ve seen him several times, every time he comes to Nashville I see him. It is a huge honor...big influence and one of the best songwriters of all time.” Lady A got to complete their set, but Bruce Springsteen’s set was cut short because of a strict curfew at the Hyde Park location.

Eli Young Band is basking in another week at #1, and knew all along it would be a hit: “‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’ is kind of one of those songs we knew right away that we wanted to record it. For us and the road we have been on the last 10 years, it kind of felt like our story and it felt like we could have or should have written it...it felt right.” It’s looking like Dierks Bentley will take the #1 slot away from Eli Young Band, but I doubt it will break their hearts.

Chris Young likes to box, so when he posted a picture of himself with a black eye, fans assumed for a moment that he got it sparring with someone. No – he tells the real tale: “I actually hit myself in the eye with a guitar the other day. For a second, I wanted to get on Twitter and say ‘Ah, I got punched in the face’ but I didn’t. I just hit myself with my own guitar...not quite as cool, but it’s still funny.”

Going to be in Nashville on September 24th? Slide by the Ryman for some red-carpet fun. The non-televised award winners of ACM awards this spring will be honored at the 6th Annual ACM Honors. Award recipients include Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill and Bobby Braddock. They’ll receive special awards, plus the Industry, Musician, Bandleader and Instrumentalist award winners will be recognized.

Tracy Byrd and his wife Michelle were in a wreck in Texas and were both hospitalized. A woman pulled out in front of the car they were in, and she was also taken to the hospital. Michelle has undergone two surgeries on her left foot since the accident early Tuesday afternoon. The driver of the other car was ticketed for failure to yield the right of way. The extent of Tracy’s injuries hasn’t been disclosed, other to say that they’re “non-life-threatening.”

Glen Campbell’s US tour is going well, but he’s cancelled the Australia and New Zealand legs of the tour. Those six dates will be carried by Kenny Rogers and local country artists. Glen’s people feel that the long plane ride would be more than he could handle as his Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

Tonight is the finale of ABC’s Duets, and the odds favor Jennifer Nettles to have a winner, as her partners J Rome and John Glosson are both in the top three. Kelly Clarkson’s partner, Jason Farol, rounds out the contenders for tonight’s show.

Congratulations to the Zac Brown Band, whose new album “Uncaged” debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Chart and also at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200. Nearly a quarter of a million copies were sold in its first week of release.

Heavy metal alert – Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” has gone double-platinum and Billy Currington’s “Good Directions” was awarded platinum certification.

Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney is celebrating release week of “Welcome to the Fishbowl” with a free concert on the Jersey Shore today. The show will be webcast live from the beach in Wildwood, NJ at 8:30pm Eastern on VEVO. Then tomorrow he’ll be up late, guesting on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Friday morning he’ll be up early to be part of the Today Show. About the album, Kenny says fans will hear a new, more honest Kenny: “That’s the most important thing for me, is to be able to dig a little deeper than we’ve been, and take the audience on a little but different journey than we’ve been. And to be able to do that, I really feel like I gotta – as hard as it is – is to be incredibly honest. And to show what it took to record the song. I think they’re going to hear it in my voice in some of these songs.”

Luke Bryan is part of the 3rd annual ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp this week, visiting with musically talented but developmentally disabled kids in the studio. He’s really looking forward to one part: “I’m gonna stop by the studio and just pat ‘em on the back, get some hugs, get some pictures, and I’m looking forward to hearing the song. I’m sure it’ll be great, and cheer ‘em on, and I can’t wait to see their performance and see them get out there and do what they do so well. And that really feels special, and they have such a great way of brightening our day.”

The football team does it up right in Detroit. The Lions’ head coach, Jim Schwartz, is a big fan of Randy Houser and missed him the last time he played in Detroit. So Jim decided to create an event for Randy to headline. “Coach’s Kickoff” will be held at Ford Field in Detroit on August 5th and will feature an autograph session with the team, followed by an open team practice and Randy’s concert. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Keith Urban has decided to kick off his 2013 tour in Australia. Make plans for shows in Brisbane on January 25th and 26th. According to Keith, it’ll be “new music, new show – it’ll be a blast!”

Jennifer Nettles is on cloud 9 with the upcoming birth of her first child. She and Justin Miller were married in November of last year, and their baby is due in November of this year.

Pistol Annies have created a new online community called The Henhouse. There’s “dating advice you won’t get from your momma,” according to Miranda Lambert, as well as music, a video channel for fans to share their inspirations and more. The project got its start one night on the tour bus as the ladies were dishing out dating advice to a member of their crew. Perhaps alcohol was also involved…

Carrie Underwood graces the cover of the Canadian version of Elle Magazine.

Congrats to Eric Church, who has the #1 song again this week with “Springsteen.” “Springsteen’ is one of those songs that every night that I sing it, I can remember being 16 years old at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina – my first amphitheater experience up there on the lawn. And I can remember spreading that blanket down, and I can still see the faces of the people that were there with me.”

Lee Brice will be on the Today show tomorrow morning. In addition, he’s celebrating the platinum status of his #1 song, “A Woman Like You.”

Today's Country Tidbits

Jason Aldean decided to see if his concert is big enough to sell out a stadium yet, and the answer is a resounding “yes.” Tickets for the August 5th concert at Columbus Ohio’s Crew Stadium are already sold out, well in advance of the show. It’s the first concert to sell out this far in advance in Crew Stadium History. Says Jason, “Columbus, Ohio, hope you’re ready to throw down with us!”

Rumors are flying that Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler are going to do a duet for the next Aerosmith album. When asked about the truth to those rumors, Carrie is pretty coy: “I worked with him quite a bit in the past. We obviously have a great working friendship – working relationship. We look for opportunities to hang out together whenever we can. I’d never count anything out with us.”

The CMA Music Festival in Nashville is being blessed (so far, anyway!) with the best weather in recent memory. Bright blue skies, highs in the mid 80’s and not too much humidity are making for good times for the record crowd. Last night, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum performed at LP Field, and Brad Paisley explained the fans this way: “That’s what this festival is all about. These are the hardest core, of the hard core. They’re the people that come out – they’re the first to buy tickets to your concerts. They’re the first to buy your album. They don’t take any convincing. They love you sort of no matter what.” Lady A’s Charles Kelly says of the experience, “You’ll sit there and talk to them by name, give them a hug...I just can’t think of any other genre that has that kind of connection and people that come back the same time every year. You know where they’re gonna be. It’s really kind of a funny thing, you know? It’s really cool.” One of today’s highlights is a singing competition at the Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards booth in Fan Alley. The winner gets a trip to Las Vegas to see “Shania: Still the One.” Can’t be in Nashville today but still want a shot at the prize? You can enter online from June 18th through July 15th. Good luck!

Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more awards comes the 2012 Big Daddy Awards. Given out by a national prostate cancer awareness group, nominees include Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley. The winners will be chosen by your vote.

If you’re in or around Mobile, Alabama, be on the lookout for a movie set with a tall country star in the midst of it. Tracy Lawrence is in Mobile, filming L.A. Dirt, a move about a young man’s dream to become a champion dirt track racer. Tracy plays the role of the lad’s uncle. Filming starts Saturday and should run through the end of this month.

Jennifer Nettles is on “Duets” tonight on ABC.

Today's Country Tidbits

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw wrapped up rehearsals in Nashville this week and are chomping at the bit to hit the road on the Brothers of the Sun tour. June second is the first show, and Kenny says, “I think it’s going to be very special for us. But the people that are going to benefit the most are the people that have lived with our music for a while now. And see that we’re being all mixed into one stage, everything we’ve been through to get to that point in our lives and our career. That doesn’t happen in everybody’s life and career.” This tour reunites two really good friends on what is sure to be this summer’s hottest ticket.

Lady Antebellum played a show in Augusta, GA and were surprised by a high school marching band…check out the video!



In an interview with W magazine, Miranda Lambert gave props to Taylor Swift, saying, “When she hit, I was thinking, ‘Thank God Taylor’s out there to show people we’re not cheesy...I thought if they’re looking for Taylor’s videos or songs, they might see or hear other people they like. If her fans are watching for her, they might like me too.” There’s a pretty cool photo shoot, too.

Up and comer Hunter Hayes has caught the ear of Martin Guitars, and Hunter is now the official spokesperson for the brand. He’s doing small-venue shows, where he’s blowing people away with his musical talent, songwriting ability and charisma. About the little shows, Hunter says, “We’re doing a ton of Most Wanted tour dates and they’re kind of my headline show – my chance to get into small venues and kind of do my own show. It’s a blast, check out the website and check out what shows you can come to.” Hunter will be playing some larger venues with his Martin 42 this fall as he joins the Carrie Underwood Blown Away tour.

Speaking of guitars, Hank Williams Jr. had a valuable one stolen in 2010. It’s been missing since then, but the culprit may have been nabbed: Adam Braoch was arrested on Sunday (5/20), after allegedly giving a member of the Wayne Mills Band the 1968 Les Paul guitar as a gift. Adam has been charged with first-degree theft of property. Hopefully Bocephus will have his axe back soon.

Jerrod Niemann is touring with Miranda Lambert, and she likes the feeling to be “one big happy family” backstage. According to Jerrod, “She wants everybody to hang out, before and after the show – I mean religiously. If you’re not there, you get a text that says, ‘Hey get over here!” Don’t mess with Miranda…she can shoot!

Jennifer Nettles is on Duets tonight, and Montgomery Gentry will be on Fox & Friends tomorrow morning.

The tweet of the day is from Tim McGraw: "I'm just excited for the fans because we've got one hell of a show planned for them!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Got your tickets for the CMA Music Festival yet? More acts have been announced, including Brad Paisley, who loves playing the annual summer event: “These are the hardest core of the hardcore. They come out to shows when you play. They’re the first to buy tickets to your concerts. They’re the first to buy your album. They don’t take any convincing. They love you sort of no matter what. I really look forward to getting out there and looking at their faces.” Who else will be there? Carrie, Blake, Alan, Faith, Jason, Zac, TBP, Lady A and most of country music's royalty. June 7 through 10, Nashville is the center of the music world.

Also adding performers is the ACM Award show. Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean were just announced as musical talent on the show, and Jason is excited about performing and about his Entertainer of the Year nomination. What does it mean to him? “I’m sure everybody can make their case about what they think it is or what it should entail but to me I think it’s a pure live award. Based on your show, your live performance and being an entertainer.” Jason's up against Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley on the fan-voted award. You can vote for your favorite starting March 19th - there'll be a link to the voting page here. The show is April first on CBS.

Jennifer Nettles will join Kelly Clarkson, Lionel Richie and Robin Thicke on a summer replacement series, "Duets." The artists will travel around the country looking for singers to be their duet partners. They'll perform in front of a live audience, competing until only one person - the winner - remains.

Told you this time last year about the sunglasses that Kenny Chesney designed. He sold them at his Goin' Coastal tour stops, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Coastal Conservation Association. He just presented a check for $50,000 to them.

Jewel is on The Talk on CBS.

Happy birthday to Mickey Gilley, who is 76 today. Tomorrow, Carrie Underwood turns 29 and Sunday, Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers turns 57.

The tweet of the day is from Uncle Kracker: "Common sense is alot like deodorant. The people who need it most, don't use it. Goodnite twitter!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Yesterday, news of Reba's death spread like wildfire on the internet, even becoming the top searched topic on Google. Supposedly she died while filming a movie in Austria from a fall down the Hahnenkamm mountains. Reba herself is very much alive, in spite of the rumors, and is gearing up to host the ACM Awards on April Fools Day. Early hoax? Seems so - the web site that first reported her death has a mice-type disclaimer under the story, saying that it's for entertainment purposes only and is 100% false.

In the wake of losing two people close to her in the span of a week, yesterday Miranda Lambert shot the video for "Over You," a song Blake Shelton wrote about the loss of his brother. To say the set was emotional is an understatement - Miranda says that the video is extremely passionate and the tissue count while filming was high. It should be out by the middle of February.

Just before Keith Urban had surgery to remove polyps from his vocal folds, he was asked to write and produce a song for the upcoming movie, "Act of Valor." He was hesitant, but wife Nicole Kidman worked her magic: “I have to thank Nic for really saying to me, ‘you should do this, you really should. I think you’ll really be able to do this if you just commit to it. And she really kind of gently suggested that I do it. And I’m glad I did.” The soundtrack comes out February 21st and the movie hits theatres the following weekend.

Dierks Bentley is celebrating the release of his cd, "Home," with a concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday. The show will be extra-special, since the revered stage will be torn out two days later. “It’s my most favorite place to play. It’s the place I have the most respect for. I didn’t need any added pressure, and then you find out that they’re ripping up the stage that’s been on there for the last 60 years to put in a stronger stage to support more of the rock bands that come through and play it now. Hopefully, we leave a great last final mark on that stage.”

Trisha Yearwood is cooking up some tv fun with the Food Network. She's filming six episodes of a so-far-unnamed show that will feature family recipes, Sunday dinners and a peek at the kitchen she and Garth Brooks share in Oklahoma. The series will have a name by the time it airs in April.

Happy days for Chris Young, who's just scored his 5th #1 single in a row with "You." That song tops one of the two major country charts - Luke Bryan is at #1 on the other one with "I Don't Want This Night to End." About the song, Luke confesses, “It’s probably the furthest I’ve went from a country-sounding track ever. It’s really not a country track, but then you’ve got my ‘ol country voice on it. That’ll simmer down the most craziest of tracks.”

Jennifer Nettles will be part of the Super Bowl fun - she's the soundtrack for one of the Pepsi Max commercials. She sings the Hank Williams chestnut, "You're Cheatin' Heart." Check it out...

The tweet of the day is actually a series of tweets from Brad Paisley, who was busy correcting pop songs via Twitter last night.

"This land is your land? Sorry. My bad."

"I'm not walking on sunshine. I cast a shadow. It's impossible to walk on sunshine"

"Birds don't actually fly over most rainbows. And I can't fly at all.Therefore I can't fly over the rainbow. Duh."

"You're so vain. You probably think this song isn't about you."

"Billie Jean? Yes, she's my lover...the kid is mine."

"I did not shoot the sherriff. Sorry. But I did shoot the deputy."

"I actually do not have wings, nor are you the wind beneath them."

Today's Country Tidbits

Tim McGraw got the outcome he wanted in court yesterday - he's free to sign with and record for another record label. He's been with Curb Records for over two decades, but planned to leave them once his contractual obligations had been met. He feels they've been met, Curb feels he's in breach of their contract, and in the hearing yesterday, Davidson County Chancery Court Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled against Curb Records' request to keep Tim from recording for anyone but them. The full breach of contract trial will go forward in July of 2012, but in the meanwhile, Curb released a brand new single yesterday afternoon - "Better Than I Used to Be."

The Grammy nominations are out, and the country categories are stuffed with new talent. Here's the list - the awards will be handed out February 12th.

54th Annual Grammy Awards – Country Categories

Best Country Solo Performance

“Dirt Road Anthem” – Jason Aldean

“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” – Martina McBride

“Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton

“Mean” – Taylor Swift

“Mama’s Song” – Carrie Underwood

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

“Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson

“You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter

“Barton Hollow” – The Civil Wars

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

Best Country Song

“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” – Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy, songwriters (Thompson Square)

“God Gave Me You” – Dave Barnes, songwriter (Blake Shelton)

“Just Fishin’” – Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)

“Mean” – Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)

“Threaten Me With Heaven” – Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O’Brian, songwriters (Vince Gill)

“You and Tequila” – Matraca Berg & Deana Carter, songwriters (Kenny Chesney feat. Grace Potter)

Best Country Album

My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean

Chief – Eric Church

Own the Night – Lady Antebellum

Red River Blue – Blake Shelton

Here For A Good Time – George Strait

Speak Now – Taylor Swift

It was rumored, and now it's official - the man with no voice will be a mentor and judge on "The Voice - Australia." Keith Urban is on vocal rest for another two weeks, but his publicist announced the good news - the Australian version of the show that Blake Shelton is on here in the States will feature one of America's favorite Australians. Keith had no comment, of course, but he's no doubt thrilled.

Lee Brice's new song, "A Woman Like You," is racing up the charts. Check out his video for it...

Tags: A Woman Like You, Lee Brice, Lee Brice Videos

Lady Antebellum having too much fun backstage with Charles' brother Josh Kelley, and the guys making "bus music"...

Jo Dee Messina, about 7 months pregnant with her second child, decided to start a blog. Check out The Fumbling Mom to follow along.

The drama around troubled country one-hit-wonder Mindy McCreedy continues. Yesterday she announced she's pregnant with twins and won't return her son Zander to his legal guardian by 5pm today.

Congratulations to Lady Antebelum for double-platinum certification for the album "Need You Now" and triple-platinum certification for the single of the same name. Luke Bryan's "Tailgates and Tanlines" cd has achieved gold certification, and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's "Remind Me" is platinum.

Tonight, catch many of your favorite country stars on CMA Country Christmas on ABC. The show was taped the day after the CMA Awards, and Jennifer Nettles hosts it again this year. “To come back this year, I feel a little bit more relaxed, a little bit more excited and able to be in the moment, and it’s fun and I think it’s something that harkens to the old variety shows which were super special so I think it’s appropriate for the season as well.”

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "Just found that I'm the first EVER person laying in bed (drunk) in Tishomingo Oklahoma with 3 Grammy nominations!!!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Just once, wouldn't you love to see where Taylor Swift keeps all of her awards and trophies? She'll be honored tonight in Nashville at the CMT Artist of the Year event, taping tonight to air December 13th. Then later this week, she'll be honored at Billboard's annual Women In Music event, taking home the Woman of the Year award. Taylor decided to release a new single this week, too - the song she performed on the CMA Awards, "Ours," was released yesterday. What does the songwriter say about the song? “It’s about being in love with someone that, you know, people don’t necessarily think is a good idea, and everybody’s giving you a hard time about it, but you don’t really care. It says, ‘The stakes are high, the water’s rough, but this love is ours.’”

Darius Rucker will headline the Grammy Artist Revealed concert on December 13th in New York City.

It's a best-wishes, mazel-tov, happily ever after to Jennifer Nettles, who married her long-time boyfriend, Justin Miller, this past Saturday in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The two have been an item for over two years. If you want to see him, check out the "Want To" video - that sleeping man in the bed? Yep, that's Justin!

More congratulations are in order - George Strait and his wife Norma will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on December 4th.

Dierks Bentley hopes that his new single, "Home," will become a uniting force in our nation. “The song is written in a way that’s open ended as far as how people want to—what they want to walk away with. I mean, I think it’s obvious it’s a song about our country and about the ups and downs and about the scars we have in our past, but at the end of the day, no matter what side of the fence you’re on, we all live here. I mean, you have to walk through the front door of your house every day. This is our house. This is our one country.”

Little Big Town has a version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" available on iTunes, and they're thinking about recording a Christmas album. About choosing holiday classics to cover, LBT says, “[Karen] It was hard. [Kimberly] We went through a ton of Christmas songs ‘cause we’re thinkin’ about makin’ a Christmas record, so this is like another start of a Christmas record. It’s so much harder...you think, ‘Oh, I’ll just pull together all my favorites,’ but when you start looking at the great classics and how you want to cover them and you don’t want to mess them up.” They won't, not with those voices!

December 15th is National Bill of Rights Day, and stars and students across America will be celebrating with a Free to Tweet contest put on by the First Amendment Center. Blake Shelton, a very free spirit on Twitter, will be taking part, as will Joe Nichols, Mary Chapin Carpenter and a bunch of other artists who use Twitter to express themselves. Students will vie for $5,000 scholarships by tweeting their thoughts and using the #freetotweet hashtag. The contest lasts all day long.

And now it can be revealed - Darius Rucker and Kris Kristofferson behind the scenes at the White House last week...

Vince Gill donated $12,000 to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, to help fund the construction of a children's exhibit. The state's musical heritage will be the focus of the exhibit.

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum, who have the #1 song on the Billboard chart this week with "We Owned the Night." Jason Aldean tops the Country Aircheck Weekly chart this week with "Tattoos on this Town."

The tweet of the day is from Kellie Pickler: "That awkward moment when you bump into someone at a department store & say excuse me before realizing its actually a mannequin."

Today's Country Tidbits

Lady Antebellum is set for their album release, and it'll be a busy week. They started off by singing the National Anthem at the Sunday Night Football game last night, they'll be on the Today Show tomorrow morning, and later this week will show up on the Ellen DeGeneres show and the Tonight Show. Dave Haywood explains the trio's commitment to making a great project with "Own the Night." “You know, we don’t just pop in and out and sing some vocals and let somebody throw it together. I mean, there are our songs and our entire pieces of work and we want to make sure they sound exactly the way that we want them to sound. So, we’re there for the entire process and really don’t miss a beat of it. I mean, our producer will spend extra time here and there when we’re out on the road. But, we love crafting these.”

Blake Shelton hasn't really had time to take in his 5 CMA nominations, what with being a newlywed, launching "Red River Blue" and wrapping up Brad Paisley's H2O II tour. He's aware that he's up for Entertainer of the Year for the first time, and says it'll all sink in soon. "I’m gonna take a week off, and Miranda and I and some friends are going to Colorado for a week-long hunting trip up in the mountains. I can’t wait. And I think that’s when I’m gonna be sittin’ there one mornin’ and go ‘Gah! What the—Holy crap!’ You know? That’s a big deal!"

Reba's got a new tv show in the works. ABC-TV's "Malibu Country" features Reba as the single mom of three who moves to Malibu to relaunch her singing career. Shooting starts in April, and the show should start airing next fall. Reba isn't just the star, she's also the executive producer.

Kenny Chesney was on the Today show Friday morning to celebrate the beginning of NFL football. In case you missed it, here it is...

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Congratulations to Ashton Shepherd and her husband Roland Cunningham on the birth of their second child, Raden Delilah Cunningham. Her big brother, James, is delighted with his little sis. According to Mom, “The other night he was looking at me real serious, thinking. I said, ‘What are you thinking about?’ He said, ‘What I’m going to do if somebody messes with little sis.’ So, he’s already really in tune with it.”

And Eric Church and his wife Katherine are just a few weeks away from the arrival of their first child. According to the expectant daddy, “I feel like I should be doing more to prepare and there’s really just no way to get ready for it. You just kind of let it happen, you know, and it’s really, really a unique sensation to know that this person’s coming that you’re gonna be responsible for.”

For the Taylor Swift fan in your life, pick up a copy of Glamour magazine, where the Golden One shares her beauty tips & tricks.

Keith Urban likes body art, but which of his was his first tattoo? “I got an eagle, because I was in America,” he recalls. “The eagle just seemed perfect. It was like, American. I had my freedom and it was something that would be on this journey with me for my whole life.” Keith does suggest that kids who look up to him stick with the wash-off kind until they're adults. He got his first tat on his 24th birthday.

Kix Brooks will be part of "Stars for Second Harvest," a benefit concert happening October 18th at the Ryman Auditorium. Songwriter Craig Wiseman is the force behind this annual charity concert.

The Muzik Mafia and Operation Finally Home will pony up for a new home for Air Force veteran Shaun Meadows, who lost his legs during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Afghanistan three years ago. Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and WSMV-TV surprised the Meadows family mid-concert in Nashville, bringing them up on stage to tell them about their new home. Ground will be broken in November and the family should be able to move in Memorial Day, 2012.

Condolences to Gretchen Wilson, whose Uncle Vern passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack Friday morning. Uncle Vern was in Gretchen's debut video, "Redneck Woman," and was featured in the 60 Minutes profile of his famous niece. Vern Heuer was 44.

Happy birthday to Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, who turns 37 today, and to George Jones, who is 80.

Chris Young is on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight, performing his new song, "You." Glen Campbell is on the Tonight Show.

The tweet of the day is from Lady Antebellum: "Still shaking after singing the Anthem. Thank you @NFL & NYC for letting us show our deep appreciation for this amazing country!"

Today's Country Tidbits

When Kenny Chesney's "Goin' Coastal" tour stopped in Wichita, Kansas last week, something magical happened. 14-year-old Carrington Walker had tried to get tickets to the show, but wasn't able to find any. An anonymous donor sent her tickets, and went a step further. Carrington has been battling lymphoma for three years and when Kenny Chesney got ready to sing "Summertime" he called her up on stage with him and he serenaded her. Carrington called the experience "amazing" and said she went to sleep with a smile on her face that night.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs went country last night in Nashville, as Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and Jo Dee Messina all performed after the first period of the game. Carrie's husband, Mike Fisher, plays for the Nashville Predators, who lost to the Anaheim Ducks 6-3. Their series is tied, 2 to 2, with another game tomorrow night.

Miranda Lambert is on the cover of Health Magazine, which hits newsstands tomorrow. She talks about growing up on a farm, staying in shape on the road and knowing that the food on her dinner plate had been running around on the farm not long before she ate it. According to Miranda, her parents were pretty clear about animals: "They explained that not every animal was a pet — some were providing for our family. It sounds weird to other people, but I look at it like, there are some animals you feed and some animals that feed you."

Martina McBride's new single, "Teenage Daughters," talks about her experience of having them, but what was she like as a teenage daughter? “Well I was very rebellious and I was very ready to get out on my own. I didn’t understand why I had to have all these rules and people telling me what to do. And I was really into music and wanted to travel and sing with a rock band and you know. I wanted to be just out there on my own.” Which explains the line in the song, "At seventeen, she’s just like me when I was seventeen so I don’t blame her."

Jennifer Nettles has launched the "Jennifer Nettles Presents The Attic Community Playground Online Auction." You can bid on meet and greet experiences with Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Reba, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry and of course Sugarland through May 11th. Proceeds benefit the Playground, which gives music education opportunities to kids.

Country artists will add some sparkle to the Barnstable-Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala in Louisville, Kentucky on May 6th. Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Kix Brooks, Lee Ann Womack, Travis Tritt and Wynonna Judd are all expected to attend. No word on whether the women will be in hats, but I'll be on the lookout for pictures for you!

The free concerts on the 2011 CMA Music Festival Riverfront stage are going to be awesome - Gary Allan, Darryl Wroley, Phil Vassar, Billy Ray Cyrus and Terri Clark are among the performers scheduled. Gary Allan kicks off the daily concerts at 10am on Thursday, June 9th.

Next Wednesday, The Band Perry will be on the third hour of the Today show, announcing the nominees for the 2011 CMT Music Awards. Voting on the awards begins as soon as the nominees are announced, and the awards will be handed out on June 8th at Bridgestone Arena.

If you want to shop at the Grand Ole Opry's online store, today's your day. Use the code ONEDAYSALE at checkout to get 25% off of almost everything available. The sale is today only, so get shopping!

So yesterday it was reported that "Pray for You" by Jaron and the Long Road to Love had been certified gold for half a million units sold. Yesterday was also the day that the platinum plaque arrived at Jaron's agent's office. Looks like the RIAA is a little behind on their press release updating! Congrats to Jaron ATLRTL on his first platinum single!

Joe Nichols is headed to Australia next week for his third tour of the Land Down Under. He'll do some face time on TV while he's there.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers will be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight.

The tweet of the day is from David Nail: "Traumatic events have a way of never leaving you, last years flood has cause me to fear storms to the point that I slept two hrs last night!"

Today's Country Tidbits

Jimmy Buffet, occasional country collaborator and chief parrot-head, took a header off the stage in Australia during his final show down under. He was unconscious for several minutes and was taken to the hospital, where he was admitted and treated for lacerations on his head and arm, and for a concussion. His CAT scan was normal, so he's been released from the hospital, and according to his management, will still be able to kick off his North American tour in April, as scheduled.

The line-up for the ACM's "Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country" is being revealed, and it's as good as you would suspect. Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Reba, Miranda Lambert and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland will all take part in the party on April 4th in Las Vegas, the night after the ACM Awards are handed out. The show will be taped to air on CBS, and you can be there if you'd like. Tickets are $100, $150 adn $200 each, and proceeds go to the ACM's charity, Lifting Lives.

The first show sold out in 8 minutes, so a second Foxboro, Massachussetts stadium show has been added for Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band. The show will be August 28th and is the last show on his "Goin' Coastal" tour. Tickets go on sale February 5th.

Congrats to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. They've received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to expand the "Words and Music" program, which provides songwriting workshops to Nashville public school students.

Heard Trace Adkins new song, "Brown Chicken, Brown Cow?" If so, you know it's pretty suggestive. How to make a family-friendly video for it? Puppets! Says Trace of the puppet that sort of looks like him, “It’s kind of creepy.”

Tonight is the night American Idol airs it's Nashville auditions. It was the city with the biggest turn-out of show hopefuls, and apparently some major talent was found.

The Keith Urban/The Wiggles collaboration is due to be released this coming Tuesday. "England Swings" is a happy-sounding remake of the Roger Miller classic, and Keith hopes it will help him score some "cool dad" points with daughter Sunday Rose.

Catch Larry Gatlin on FOX News Red Eye, Wynonna on NBC Nonstop Moms in the City and Billy Currington on the Tonight Show.

Happy birthday to Cheryl White, who turns 56 today, and to Tracy Lawrence, who is 43.

The tweet of the day is from Terri Clark: " who to follow" on my twitter account just suggested "Weight watchers" AND "Paula Deen"...sounds counter productive."

Today's Country Tidbits

Oh, to have been in Mesa, Arizona on New Year's Eve, ringing in the New Year at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill. The restaurant and bar were at near-capacity and Toby showed up and played an impromptu half-hour set. Songs included "I Love This Bar," "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" and "Whiskey Girl."

Once again this year, the Academy of Country Music wants fans to decide who the Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group are. Voting begins on January 27th and goes until February 24th at voteacm.com. The winners of each category will then compete for Best New Artist. The awards will be handed out April 3rd on CBS. Meanwhile, here are the nominees for the two fan-voted categories:

Top New Solo Vocalist

Eric Church

Easton Corbin

Randy Houser

Top New Vocal Duo or Group

The Band Perry

The JaneDear Girls

Steel Magnolia

Jennifer Nettles will perform a benefit concert on January 15th in Denton, Texas. The acoustic set is something she doesn't do often, but this is for a cause near and dear to her heart - music. Attic Community Playground is a non-profit group which supports the performing arts. Says Jennifer, “Music, band, chorus, drama—each of them provided me with outlets of emotional exploration and self expression, and offered me an avenue to develop self confidence.” Jack Ingram will also perform.

Forbes Magazine is out with their list of Hollywood's top earners, and Taylor Swift has broken into the top 20 and edged out Judge Judy. How Taylor makes a "Hollywood" list, I'm not sure - guess it's because she's been in a movie. Then again, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears are also on the list. Guess they're using the term "Hollywood" loosely!

1) Oprah Winfrey - $315 million

2) James Cameron - $210 million

3) Tyler Perry - $125 million

4) Michael Bay - $120 million

5) Tiger Woods - $105 million

6) Jerry Bruckheimer - $100 million

7) Steven Spielberg - $100 million

8) George Lucas - $95 million

9) Beyonce Knowles - $87 million

10) Dr. Phil - $80 million

11) Simon Cowell - $80 million

12) Jerry Seinfeld - $75 million

13) Britney Spears - $64 million

14) Lady Gaga - $62 million

15) Madonna - $58 million

16) Sandra Bullock - $56 million

17) Ellen Degeneres - $55 million

18) Miley Cyrus - $48 million

19) Taylor Swift - $45 million

20) Judge Judy Sheindlin - $45 million

For fans of old-school country, here's some really good news: Merle Haggard has been told his cancer is gone, and he's rarin' to hit the road for some shows. Also apparently in the works: a collaboration between Merle, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. They've been talking about doing an album together, even coming up with the working title of "The Musketeers" because there are three of them. No word on when it might happen.

Old-school good news part two - previously unreleased demos, radio appearances, non-album singles and B-sides from Johnny Cash's early years as a country star will be released on February 22nd. "From Memphis to Hollywood" will showcase Johnny's music from his days with Sun Records in the 50's to his time with Columbia records in the 50's and 60's.

Congrats to Craig Morgan, whose hunting show on The Outdoor Channel is the #1 hunting show on the network. "Craig Morgan: All Access outdoors" airs Saturday mornings at 11 Eastern.

Tim McGraw is on the David Letterman show tonight, and up early to be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning.

Happy birthday to Patty Loveless, who turns 54 today, and Deana Carter, who is 44.

The tweet of the day is from Jaron and the Long Road to Love: "Congrats! We made it thru out first Monday of 2011. Better than last year so far?"

Today's country tidbits...

Keith Urban's 2010 benefit calendar for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital is available, and Keith thanks his fans for doing so much for the hospital over the last seven years. In addition, Keith Urban is a nominee for Tennessean of the Year, as he's recognized for the benefit he put together for the Country Music Hall of fame. Past winners include Dolly Parton and Al Gore, and you can weigh in on who should win. The recipient will be announced on December 27th.

Did you watch the Carrie Underwood Christmas special last night? How bout Dolly Parton and Carrie sitting together and singing? Wow...

Rascal Flatts has announced the last leg of their Unstoppable tour...it'll fire back up on January 15th in Connecticut and they'll pack in 23 shows before March 13th, where the fun stops in Oklahoma City.

Miranda Lambert, her Dad and Blake Shelton are in Kansas, hunting and apparently very very cold. Somebody get Blake some good Carharts for Christmas, would you? He's whining on Twitter. Miranda says she has on 20 layers, which makes it tough to pull her bow back. If she spots the right deer, bet she'll have no problems.

Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland was part of the Kennedy Center Honors concert on Sunday night. She was on hand to help with the tribute to Bruce Springsteen, and sang "Glory Days" and "I'm On Fire." The ceremony was taped and will air on December 29th on CBS.

The 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner was announced yesterday. Loretta Lynn is delighted with the honor, and plans to attend the awards ceremony on January 31st. She's celebrating her 50th year in country music.

On tv, catch Dierks Bentley and Patty Griffin on Lopez Tonight on TBS. They'll sing their Grammy-nominated song, "Beautiful World."

And musical superstar (??) Evan Taubenfeld has a new holiday song called "Merry Swiftmas." Taylor Swift was totally charmed by it, and you might be, too.

Danica Patrick is part of JR Motorsports...she'll race open-wheel and NASCAR events in 2010.