It's October 25th. Do You Know Where Your CD Is?

Today’s the big moment that the world has been waiting for. Stores are finally stocked with plenty of copies of Taylor Swift’s third album, Speak Now. Life may now resume to a normal pace. Seriously, for all the media has wanted to know about Taylor’s relationships over the past couple of years, it will only take a listen to the new CD to get the inside scoop. The stories behind each song on the album are slowly being revealed. On the album’s lyric sheet, where Taylor always puts coded messages in capital letters, the letters for “The Story of Us” spell out, “CMT AWARDS.” The lyrics describe an awkward situation she had while running into an ex-boyfriend at the show. According to USA Today, “The Story of Us” and “Dear John” are written about the same person, which is rumored to be John Mayer. Taylor also describes “The Story of Us” as the last email you send that says it all. While recording the song she threw in a few unplanned lines. Taylor said, “There is this moment after the first chorus where I was recording the song and I just said ‘Next chapter.” My producer Nathan was like, ‘We should keep that. We should keep that’ At the end of the song I was like, ‘The End.’ (laughs) It just became part of the song after that.” Taylor will perform at Speak Now: Taylor Swift Live from New York City today where she will also be answering questions in front of a small group of fans that have come from all over the world. The international streaming event will be broadcasted live on CMT.com.

Blake Shelton became the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night. At a press conference prior to the ceremony, Blake said he was so amped up to receive the honor that it was impossible for him to get any sleep the night before his big day. Opry member Trace Adkins formally inducted Blake after joining him onstage to perform “Hillbilly Bone.” Trace told the crowd he was thrilled to be part of Blake’s special night and called him “one of the few friends” he had in the music business. The affection was mutual as Blake said Trace was easily his first choice as the one to do the honors. Blake accepted his membership, telling the audience, “To me, the Grand Ole Opry is an artist and I’m just so proud to be one of its songs, ya’ll.” Blake wrapped up his portion of the program by performing “Home,” and exclaiming “I’m a member of the Grand Ole Opry!”

Gwyneth Paltrow used many resources to research the role of country singer “Kelly Canter” in the upcoming film, Country Strong, including her co-star Tim McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill. Gwyneth said, “I went back and watched all of her DVDs, videos, and performances because we kind of have a similar height. You know if you sort of did a hybrid of Faith and Courtney Love that is kind of who I am in this movie.” Gwyneth said that Faith continues to give her supportive advice, which probably includes a few tips for her upcoming performance on the 44th annual CMA Awards. Country Strong will be in theaters on January 7th.

Don Williams has been diagnosed with bronchitis and was unable to attend his Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night in Nashville. Don was treated and released Friday at a Kentucky hospital. He's expected to resume touring tomorrow; he’s just disappointed that he missed the official medallion ceremony. Also being inducted yesterday was Jimmy Dean, who passed away on June 13. Ferlin Husky, and songwriter-record producer Billy Sherrill were inducted during ceremonies on May 23rd.

And finally, the CMA is joining the trend of sponsoring the celebrity carpet. At next month’s CMA Awards, stars will walk a black carpet in honor of this year’s sponsor, Jack Daniels. The black carpet will have Jack Daniel logos and statues of the whiskey maker placed throughout the carpet, and after the show, portions of the carpet will be auctioned off to benefit music educations. Artists will be signing the carpet as well. The 44th Annual CMA Awards will air November 10th from Nashville on ABC.