It’s the year of the bus fire, apparently. Joe Diffie has joined Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice and Randy Houser on the list of artists whose buses have caught fire this year. Joe’s went up in flames in the early hours of the morning last Friday while they were traveling between shows. The driver safely stopped it, evacuated it and a nearby truck stop helped them get back on the road after the damage was repaired. No injuries – same as with all of the other bus fires.

Even superstars have guilty pleasures, and Lady Antebellum fessed up to theirs in their latest webisode – they’re enthralled by Honey Boo Boo. Charles Kelley says it’s his favorite show on tv, and Dave Haywood says sometimes they have to take a Honey Boo Boo break, even while recording their fourth studio album! No word on when the album will be out – if they keep watching trash tv, it could be a while!



Dierks Bentley just celebrated his 10th #1 song in Nashville at the Tin Roof. He showed up in his ’67 Camaro and told the crowd, “I can’t believe there’s 10 of them, but um...it’s just, I think you put ‘em all together they tell a nice story of my music, my sound and my career so far. But, um...it’s weird. I can’t believe it!”

Darius Rucker has five #1 country songs so far, and just released “True Believers,” the first single from his third country album, due out early next year. About the song, Darius says, “It’s such a defiant song for me. It’s just a song of, ‘I’m gonna make my life work no matter what you all say or think.’ And I’ve lived my life like that for 46 years now.”

Josh Turner’s summer was very busy, what with touring, putting out a new album, “Live Across America,” in partnership with Cracker Barrel, and trying to keep up with his three boys during their summer vacation. What sorts of things does a famous Dad do with his sons? “Sports things or basketball or baseball or just playing outside. You know, anytime we have good weather or even when we don’t we’re trying to get outside and go down to the creek or walking through the pasture or fishing in the pond or whatever it may be so a lot of different things we can do just at home.”

This morning, Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum announce the final nominees for the CMA Awards on Good Morning America.

Today's Country Tidbits

Congratulations to Kenny Chesney, who is celebrating several milestones with one song. For the third week in a row, "Somewhere With You" sits atop the Billboard Country Singles chart. It's his 21st #1 song, and according to Billboard, it marks the 53rd week he's sat at the top of their chart since 2000. That's more weeks at number one than any artist this millennium. "Somewhere With You" and "The Boys of Fall" were also the fastest gold certifications that Kenny's ever had. In other Kenny news, there's a new app from Qello for users of iPhones and Droids that want to see his movie, "Summer in 3D" on their phones. You won't get the 3D effect, but you can watch in 2D HD.

Now this is funny - Tuesday morning, Jason Aldean was sleeping. His phone started blowing up and he feared someone had been in a car wreck or some other bad news. Nope - it was family and friends calling to congratulate him on his ACM Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominations. He thought people were playing a joke on him. Jason's Dad sent him a text message congratulating him, and Jason still didn't believe it was true, so he went online and looked up the news. How did he celebrate? He took his daughters to school, then stopped by Wal-Mart to have his oil changed.

Here are some of the best artist quotes after the ACM nominations were announced:

"I wasn't even expecting any ... seven is unbelievable, especially Entertainer of the Year. It's hard for me to grasp that I'm in that category because I haven't done some of the numbers and some of the amazing things that other artists have. I'm just thankful that I have my foot in that door as a nominee." — Miranda Lambert

"In making Hemingway's Whiskey, it was important for me to push myself and my audience while at the same time staying true to who I am as an artist. That's why I'm so proud of this album and even more proud of the nomination for ACM Album of the Year." — Kenny Chesney

"This is something I've wanted all my life. To be able to do this for a living and have people like it, I couldn't ask for anything better. I am so blessed." — Easton Corbin

"I never dreamed I would get a nomination for anything. I just wanted to make a good song with my friend Jamey [Johnson]. I am so humbled to even be mentioned with the amazing artists in this category. I promise no one is more grateful than me!" — Colt Ford on his first ACM nomination for Vocal Event for "Cold Beer" with Johnson.

"It means the world to the band and crew. We take this seriously, obviously, and it's our livelihood, so being included in a category that is recognized nationally like that is validating for us, for sure. I am proud to represent all of the hard-working touring bands who are in the trenches playing 200 shows a year that have strong fan bases." — Randy Rogers Band's Randy Rogers on the Vocal Group nod.

"I am speechless. I can't believe we have been nominated for Top Vocal Duo of the Year! I remember playing out acoustically with Susie in backyards and colleges, living on taco soup, like it was yesterday. This doesn’t seem real.' — the JaneDear girls' Danelle Leverett

"What a way to start the day! I'm out on the West Coast deep in dreamland, and my hotel phone starts ringing at 5:30am and it's my manager screaming, 'Wake Up! We got three ACM nominations!' I grinned from ear to ear."— Lee Brice

"The triumph ... is shared by my family, my friends, bandmates, producers, my staff, my label, my booking agents, my publishers, my management, my publicists, my handlers, my wranglers, my fans, my dog, Willie's braids and that beautiful brunette in Toledo. Thanks all for the hard work and dedication. You all deserve each accolade. And thanks to the Academy voters for the recognition." — Jamey Johnson

"I hold my breath hoping for a nomination every year. It was nice to wake up this morning and hear the great news." — Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman on their Vocal Group nod.

North of the border, the Canadian Juno Award nominees were announced, and Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum are up for International Album of the Year, along with Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Eminem. Canadians love country music...don't be surprised if that award goes home to Nashville. The Juno Awards will be handed out March 27th in Toronto.

Martina McBride showed off her kitchen to People.com. The kitchen is her favorite spot in her home because it's where she connects with her family. Martina says, “Maybe 5 nights a week we sit down and I cook or…sometimes we order in pizza but you know I try to cook a meal and we sit down and we just…that’s when we really connect because with kids those ages they are going a million directions and so we just sit and talk and sometimes we’ll sit around the dinner table for 30 minutes after we get finished eating just talking and it’s just great.” She must be doing something right - yesterday she tweeted, “Just got home from Parent-Teacher conferences. All good reports!”

Yes, that's Miranda Lambert staring at you from the cover of Ladies' Home Journal. In the accompanying story, she talks about being a small town girl, life with Blake Shelton and her recent weight loss.

Reba is the guest-star on CMT's "Working Class" tonight.

Country Music and the Super Bowl collide this weekend, with Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Keith Urban all in Dallas to take part in the festivities. Garth and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten host tomorrow's "SuperCamp II" for kids aged 7-14, "CMT Crossroads: The Pretenders and Faith Hill Live from Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam" airs tomorrow night at 10 Eastern on CMT, Keith Urban will perform during Fox Super Bowl Sunday before the kickoff, and Martina is in town to play a private event. During the Super Bowl, watch for the Teleflora commercial, which features Faith Hill and her new lne of flower arrangements.

After the Super Bowl Sunday night, a special, extended episode of "Glee" will air, featuring their version of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now." If you're setting your DVR, allow an hour and 15 minutes, to be sure you get the entire show. You can download the gleeked-out version of "Need You Now" now on iTunes. Here's a sneak-peek...

Happy birthday to Clint Black, who turns 49 today, Sara Evans celebrates 40 tomorrow and Garth Brooks will be 48 on Monday.

The tweet of the day is from Joe Nichols: "Just started Yoga. Great workout... Now I need therapy and chiropractor. Ha!"

Today's Country Tidbits

What do you do on Christmas vacation if you're Taylor Swift? You and your family head to the islands. Specifically, the Turks and Caicos, near the Bahamas. They spent Christmas playing in the sun before boarding a private jet back to Nashville, where winter white is what they found. Taylor's "Speak Now" world tour begins February 9th in Singapore.

It's official - LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian are engaged. The rumors were flying around Thanksgiving, and yesterday LeAnn confirmed them via Twitter. No word on wedding details.

Two more lists from Billboard Magazine, capping the year in country music:

BILLBOARD’S TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS OF 2010

1) Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

2) Fearless – Taylor Swift

3) Speak Now – Taylor Swift

4) Play On – Carrie Underwood

5) The Foundation – Zac Brown Band

6) Lady Antebellum – Lady Antebellum

7) Revolution – Miranda Lambert

8) Wide Open – Jason Aldean

9) Southern Voice – Tim McGraw

10) The Incredible Machine – Sugarland

BILLBOARD’S HOT COUNTRY SONGS OF 2010

1) “Love Like Crazy” – Lee Brice

2) “Rain is a Good Thing” – Luke Bryan

3) “Why Don’t We Just Dance” – Josh Turner

4) “All Over Me” – Josh Turner

5) “The Man I Want to Be” – Chris Young

6) “Roll With It” – Easton Corbin

7) “Gimme That Girl” – Joe Nichols

8) “All About Tonight” – Blake Shelton

9) “Come Back Song” – Darius Rucker

10) “She Won’t Be Lonely Long” – Clay Walker

Happy birthday to Marty Roe of Diamond Rio, who turns 50 today, Mike McGuire of Shenandoah who is 52, and Joe Diffie, who turns 52.

The tweet of the day is from Chris Young: "Ok. Who wants to go to the gym for me. Not feeling it today. :)"

Today's Country Tidbits

Garth Brooks begins a 9-show run in Nashville this Thursday. Tickets sold out in just a few hours, raising millions for flood relief. Now Garth has partnered with Toys for Tots and the Marine Corps to be an official collection point for toy donations. If you're going to one of the shows, take a new, unwrapped toy or two and help make sure every child has a Christmas gift this year.

Good news for Willie Nelson, for a change. The city of Austin, TX will soon be sporting a larger-than-life sculpture of Willie, holding his well-worn guitar. A group called Capital Area Statues has commissioned a sculptor in Philadelphia to make the bronze statue, which will be presented to the city of Austin as a gift.

Universal Music Nashville has a holiday promotion going on called "Give Country, Get Country." If you buy one cd, you get 2 free holiday tracks, plus $2 off of purchases of $20 or more. Plus they've got 100 Christmas songs and are inviting you to make your own holiday mix. While you're there, check out the special bonuses they're throwing in when you purchase music from Jamey Johnson, Sugarland and more.

Don't forget to go to thisiscountrymusic.com and get Brad Paisley's new song of the same name. It's available for free all week long.

And a third shopping alert, this one for cooks who love Joe Diffie. He's out with a cookbook this holiday season called "Homecoming: The Diffie Family Cookbook." It's a collection of recipes handed down in his family, and it includes a copy of Joe's "Ultimate Collection" cd. Pick it up on Joe Diffie's website or on Amazon.com.

Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy are expecting their second child right around Christmas, and according to the new-daddy-to-be, the baby will either "be a girl or a very disappointed boy!" She joins her big sister Evie Bentley when she makes her debut.

This Saturday night, Trace Adkins teams up with World Wrestling Entertainment for a tv special. "NBC's Tribute to the Troops" will also feature Diddy-Dirty Money, Cedric the Entertainer and The View's Sherri Shepherd.

Gwyneth Paltrow gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today, and her "Country Strong" co-star, Tim McGraw, will be on hand to celebrate. He'll be a guest speaker during the event.

Larry Gatlin is on Hannity today.

Happy birthday to Randy Owen of Alabama fame, who is 61 today, John Anderson, who is 56 and Taylor Swift, who turns 21 today.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Alright I just got the song for free for myself at Thisiscountrymusic.com ...It worked. Try it for yourselves. Check it out."