Tuesday Newsday

News From Around The Country
Idol is back tonight. It’s the 8th round of hopefuls with a new judge onboard. If history repeats itself, we should be able to pick out the next country act headed to Nashville by summertime. Fresh from Saturday Night Live skit, Taylor Swift will guest star in an upcoming episode of the CBS-TV series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She will act as a teenaged girl whose family runs a seedy motel in Las Vegas. Her CSI episode has not yet been shot, and an airdate has not been determined. Look for actor Steve Martin to release a banjo album, The Crow, featuring guests Dolly Parton and Vince Gill among others. Dolly’s other project, the musical 9 to 5, will finally open on Broadway April 7th at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. Dolly Parton wrote all of the music for the show. Loretta Lynn is re-recording many of her number one hits for an upcoming album produced by John Carter Cash. Loretta is also working on an album of new material that could be in stores by the spring. And sad to say that Hee Haw cast member Jon Hager, a member of the Hagers vocal duo, was found dead Friday morning in his Nashville apartment. Although an official cause of death has not been announced, the 67-year-old entertainer apparently died in his sleep. His twin brother Jim died suddenly of a heart attack on May 1, 2008.