Thursday Newsy News

American Idol will go country again this year. The theme will be to select and perform songs popularized by Opry members. To mark the occasion, Opry members Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis will appear to duet the classic "I Told You So." The same night, Brad Paisley will make the television debut of his new single, "Then," off his forthcoming summer album, American Saturday Night.

Jamie O’Neal will be putting her talents to good use. On Saturday, Jamie will join former President Jimmy Carter to honor the life and legacy of Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing in Atlanta. On Sunday, she will perform for the Los Angeles County Affilliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. More than 13,000 people will participate in the Race for the Cure to raise funds and generate awareness of the organization and its core goals.

Exile has picked up a citation from The Kentucky General Assembly. Exile was noted for its extraordinary achievements spanning more than three decades. The honor was presented to the band March 2 following a brief performance on the floor of the House chamber for members of the state legislature. Exile formed in Richmond, Ky., and have recently reunited to tour the country with a program of new songs and hits that include such hit singles as "Kiss You All Over," "Woke Up In Love," "Give Me One More Chance," "She's A Miracle" and "I Can't Get Close Enough." Exile consists of J. P. Pennington, Sonny Lemaire, Les Taylor, Marlon Hargis and Steve Goetzman.

Ricochet bassist Greg Cook was injured last week when he took a hard fall. He was working on a home improvement project with drummer Troy Nelson. Greg was standing on a sixteen-foot ladder, pulling a nail out of a plank, when he lost his balance and fell. He was taken to the hospital and he was treated for injuries including a broken left foot, a cut under his left eye which required four stitches and painful bruises on his face and hip. He’ll be wearing his protective medical boot for the next 4-6 weeks, but has assured the group's fans that all of Ricochet's upcoming tour dates will go on as scheduled. Ironically, one of the songs on Ricochet’s recent release Ricochet Reloaded: Hits Plus, is a song called “Feel Like Fallin’."

And if you really must see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill cruisin in the ol' family sedan, here you go:It's only a $270,000 Aston Martin. Tim says it's a rental.

1 day and counting...

Tomorrow’s the big day when Lyric Street recording artist and former American Idol Josh Gracin takes the stage at the Southern New Mexico State Fair. The show is tomorrow night, October 3rd, 10pm. The concert is included in fair admission. Here's a preview:



News from Around The Country:
Kellie Pickler has found a new way to entice fans with a national texting campaign. Fans have until October 13th at midnight to text the word PICKLER to the number 66937. One lucky winner will be randomly selected to get an exclusive acoustic performance from Kellie to share with up to one hundred friends in their very own town. “This is going to be so much fun,” Kellie says about the new contest. She adds, “It is great for the fans because it doesn’t cost the winner anything,” Kellie says. “All we ask is that you feed us!”

Word is out that 70’s and 80’s hit makers Exile will reunite to record and tour again. Five original members, J. P. Pennington, Sonny LeMaire, Les Taylor, Steve Goetzman and Marlon Hargis are back onboard. “We still have a lot to offer as a group,” says LeMaire. “The new songs we’ve cut are what I imagine we’d be doing had we never stopped recording.”

Rumor mills are buzzing about next year’s Celebrity Apprentice. After Trace Adkins’ success last year, it seems only logical that The Donald would hire another country artist. The name that’s being thrown around is Clint Black. Other names that have been mentioned for the upcoming season include comedienne Joan Rivers, reality star Khloe Kardashian, basketball bad boy Dennis Rodman, football great Herschel Walker and R&B singer Brian McKnight. NBC should make a formal announcement of the actual cast soon.

The fair is in town, tomorrow is all about Josh Gracin, let's get Friday started early with this offering from Steve Cook, bass player for Bucky Covington (last year's fair entertainment.) What's that you say? You know it's a Feel Good Friday when Bucky takes you to Ol' Kentucky!


PS: Did you see the cameos from Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan?