Tuesday Newsday

He may not be as good as he once was, but he’s as good once as he ever was. Happy Birthday, Toby Keith! The Big Dog Daddy turns 47 today.

Catching up on the country calendars, set your DVR's for Rascal Flatts. Gary, Jay, and Joe Don are going to perform “Bob That Head” on the Today Show’s Summer Concert Series, this Friday, July 11th.

July 18th, Melissa Peterman begins her new gig on CMT. She’s going to be going around the country granting wishes to those who dare to “dream small.” One dreamer got his house cleaned so he could bring dates home. Another dreamed for her own motorcycle so she didn’t have to ride with her boyfriend anymore. These and other small, everyday dreams will be granted when Peterman hosts the new series Redneck Dreams.

In the CD department today, you’ll find new releases from Ricky Skaggs and Disney. The highly anticipated Country Sings Disney is out today, so you no longer have to rely on the clips in the preview widget. The fifteen song CD includes classic and contemporary Disney songs performed by your favorite country stars, including Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Bucky Covington, Little Big Town, Josh Gracin, Phil Stacey and SHeDAISY.

For the Disney project, Bucky Covington recorded the song "You'll Be In My Heart," originally from the animated feature Tarzan. Bucky says, “Well it’s just an awesome song. It’s not a song I would usually record, so one of the greatest things about being able to be a part of the Disney compilation is the fact that I got to record a song like this. And really, I have always been a fan of the song.”

George Strait's Classic Christmas CD has been added to the release listings on October 7th. Look for George to present such favorites as "We Three Kings," "Up on the Housetop," "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing," "Deck the Halls," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” "I wanted to put together a collection of my favorite traditional Christmas songs that I grew up listening to," Strait said. "It was hard to narrow it down to ten of them, but I think I've done it. I hope these songs bring back good memories for my fans like they have for me."

There’s also word that country music will be in the US Olympic Team’s CD rack. Lady Antebellum is among the acts to be featured on a special CD to motivate the team. Lady A joins Sheryl Crow, Nelly and 3 Doors Down, among others, on the AT&T Team USA Motivational Soundtrack. The collection will feature exclusive motivational songs for the athletes and will be available for download in August. The Olympics begin in China on August 8th.

What would you do to go to Western Playland?

The correct answer is get up really early! Happy Half-Off Wednesday. If you’re up and reading this blog first, it's very much appreciated. But don’t get too sidetracked or you’ll miss half price tickets at Western Playland. If you have to click back to the main page at 6 am, we’ll wait. Hurry back.

In all likelihood though, by the time you’re reading this, half price Western Playland tickets are sold out. Thank you for participating in Half Off Wednesday.

Let’s start right away with something new for you to play with. While scampering around the Internet, the Blog Mouse came across a widget that previews the tracks on the upcoming Country Sings Disney CD.



In other news from around the web, Taylor Swift has signed on for the next episode of CMT Crossroads – with Def Leppard! It’s Taylor’s dream pairing. The show will tape in October and should be on the air by November 8th. Other events to set into the DVR: Josh Gracin on Fox & Friends July 5th, and Sara Evans on HGTV Design Star July 6th. She will be the celebrity client. It’s also being reported that Keith Urban’s Greatest Hits album will be re-released on August 19th with an additional track. “You Look Good In My Shirt” originally appeared on the Golden Road CD, and it has been a live concert favorite ever since. But the song was never released as a single, so it never had chart numbers to justify it as a greatest hit until now. The re-recorded version has become one of the fastest rising singles in Keith’s career, so it will take its place among the hits on future pressings of the CD. And yes, if you’re counting, this will make 19 songs on the 18 Kids CD. So the name will be changed to Greatest Hits: 19 Kids. Keep your originals for posterity.

And if you haven’t yet had a chance to see the new Brad Paisley “Waitin’ On A Woman” video featuring Andy Griffith, here it is. Brad says working with Andy Griffith was truly a dream come true, “It’s one of the things I’ve had on my wish list of things to do. He has influenced my life more than most people that I grew up with — more than most people that I actually knew my whole life. I wrote Andy a letter telling him what he has meant to me over the years and asked him to be in the video.” Obviously, he accepted. Enjoy.

Anyone feeling for Italian?

Happy Half Off Wednesday. Today, while supplies last, you can save a little money at Savino’s Ristorante Italiano. Nothin’ like a sweet Italian dessert at half price, you know!

The only thing that isn't half off today is the country music news. More information is coming out as Disney is gearing up for the release of Country Sings Disney on July 8th. It’s a 15-track CD featuring classic and contemporary Disney songs performed by some of today’s hottest artists.

TRACK LISTING:

Billy Ray Cyrus featuring Miley Cyrus - "Ready, Set, Don't Go"

Rascal Flatts - "Life Is A Highway"

Tim McGraw - "Wherever The Trail May Lead"

Martina McBride - "Through Your Eyes"

Trisha Yearwood - "Blue Beyond"

Bucky Covington - "You'll Be In My Heart"

Phil Stacey - "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"

Bonnie Raitt - "Will The Sun Ever Shine Again"

Alison Krauss - "There Is Life"

Josh Gracin - "When I See An Elephant Fly"

SHeDAISY - "Baby Mine"

Little Big Town - "We Go Together"
Faith Hill - "Part Of Your World"
Brad Paisley - "Find Yourself"

Billy Ray Cyrus - "Real Gone"

You can bet your humble Blog Mouse will be grabbing a copy of this one. Anyone seen Clyde the Prize Guy lately?

Congratulations are also due to Lady Antebellum. Country’s hottest new trio was just voted Breakthrough Artist of the Year by the readers and reporters of Music Row Magazine. The rest of the Music Row Award winners will be announced soon.