Busy Tuesday; Lots Coming Up On TV

Sad to start the day with more tragic updates from the Indiana State Fair stage collapse, but it looks like the death toll is up to 7. Meagan Toothman, the 24-year-old Cincinnati cheerleading coach, showed signs to her family that she was no longer with them by Sunday night. She was put on life-support Monday morning, and was expected to undergo surgery in order to fulfill her wish of being an organ donor. Sugarland is planning a memorial for the victims at a point in the future after the families have had time to grieve.

News From Around The Country
Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks are going to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this fall. Alan, who has written or co-written 24 of his 35 #1 singles, says song ideas can come to him from anywhere! Alan said, “I’ve heard ‘em in dialogue in movies or in a magazine ad or billboard, and then, some of them just come clean out of thin air. Just, all the sudden you’re hummin’ this melody and this hook just pops up there. It’s pretty strange.” Alan and Garth join hit songwriters John Bettis ("Heartland" and the theme to the TV show Growing Pains), Thom Schuyler (hits for Randy Travis, Clint Black, and LeAnn Rimes), and Allen Shamblin ("Don't Laugh At Me," "The House That Built Me") as this year’s inductees.

Also in Alan's fall future, he will perform at a commemoration event for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On September 11th, Alan will perform at the Washington National Cathedral as part of A Concert for Hope. Portions of the weekend commemoration will be broadcast to military men and women worldwide on the Pentagon Channel and on numerous ABC affiliates around the country. Events will also be streamed live at calltocompassion.com.

Wouldn't you say that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are a doll of a couple? Well beginning September 1st, you can own your very own Tim and Faith dolls. With Tim and Faith's help, “The Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Doll Gift Set” was created by Barbie Collector to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary this October. The set is available online at BarbieCollector.com.

The cast for the upcoming season of Survivor has been announced, and this year an already-famous face will be on the island. Whitney Duncan ("Skinny Dippin'") will appear to pursue the $1,000,000 prize and the title of Sole Survivor. This is Whitney's second run at reality television; although pursuing her musical aspirations by singing on Nashville Star is a lot different than this social game. Survivor: South Pacific begins September 14th on CBS.

And finally, on October 28th, Lady Antebellum will return to Charles' and Dave's hometown of Augusta, Georgia for the dedication of Columbia County’s new Evans Town Center Park. According to the Augusta Chronicle, the facility’s 5,000 seat amphitheater is being named for the trio, while the stage is taking its name from Charles’ brother pop-turned-country-singer Josh Kelley. Josh isn’t expected to be in attendance, but tickets to see the trio go on sale October 1st.

Party At The Opry

It was a star-studded salute to Vince Gill at the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend. The celebration was in honor of Vince's 20th anniversary as an Opry member. Opry legends Little Jimmy Dickens, “Whisperin’ Bill” Anderson and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Jean Shepard all stepped out to honor Vince. Emmylou Harris took the stage with Vince to sing her hit “Two More Bottles of Wine” and “If I Needed You.” The night also included a special video montage of Vince’s great moments with his Opry family and a special performance by his daughter, Jenny Gill, who made her dad proud and earned a standing ovation with his song “If You Ever Have Forever In Mind.” Vince said, “Having my daughter Jenny here is perfect, because the first time I was ever invited to play here—I’d waited my whole life to get that invitation—I turned down because she had a talent show that Saturday night, and I promised I’d play guitar for her. I said, ‘I can’t believe I’m saying no, but I promised my kid I’d do that. I’m gonna do that.’” Vince’s wife, Amy Grant sang “Better Than A Hallelujah” and “True Love,” which she wrote for her hubby. A touched Vince closed out the show with his hits, “Look At Us” and the song he says landed him his first appearance on the Opry, “When I Call Your Name.”

When George Strait’s 39th studio album, Here for a Good Time, drops on September 6th, look for Faith Hill to join George on “A Showman’s Life,” which laments the not-so-publicized side of a musician’s life. The song also appeared on Gary Allan’s 2003 record See if I Care, as a duet with Willie Nelson.

Six Nashville Metro Police officers were suspended after taking an off-duty job escorting Taylor Swift and her security team around Music City. The Tennessean reports that the officers had received approval from their superiors to take the job, which paid more than $30 an hour, but then top brass rejected it. It was then that the officers decided to go ahead and do it anyway, hoping that their superiors wouldn’t find out. According to the article, Taylor was “unaware” of the approval problems, as was Firefly Entertainment, the company that hired them for her. “As soon as Firefly was made aware that there was a problem, they stopped using these officers immediately,” Taylor’s spokeswoman assured.

Kellie Pickler will make her TV acting debut on the CW’s show, 90210, this fall. Kellie will play “Sally,” the country-singing cousin of “Austin” in one episode of the upcoming season, as well as sing her latest single, “Tough.” 90210’s 4th season begins September 13th on the CW.

Word From The Wednesday Wires

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are getting ready to release four different DVD/fragrance sets next month. Faith’s two fragrances will be packaged for an exclusive retailer with a live performance of “Stronger.” Tim’s bonus will be a performance of “Southern Voice.” The DVD features new concert footage of the couple performing together as well as a behind-the-scenes look into their lives. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for ongoing flood relieve in Nashville.

Brad Paisley has set an attendance record for country performers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. At his concert there on Saturday night, Brad drew a paid attendance of 73,825, placing him third in the event’s history (behind Go Tejano Day concerts in 2010 and 2009 with 74,222 and 74,147 respectively). In addition, Brad broke his own attendance record, set last year with 72,977 people attending. Meanwhile, Miranda Lambert’s March 16th concert puts her in second place for country music performers and fourth in the event’s overall history with paid attendance of 73,811.

Willie Nelson and his children Paula, Lukas, Amy, Micah and Susie Nelson, along with several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, have recorded a version of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses,” with proceeds designated to protecting wild and domestic horses. The track is available on the Animal Welfare Institute website, as well as iTunes.

And finally, the Kennedy Center was star-studded on Monday night as three living Presidents and numerous celebrities came together to honor President George H.W. Bush for his role in promoting volunteerism. Speeches were curtailed by a superstar lineup of performances by Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, and Kid Rock among others. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush were all in attendance. President Barrack Obama sent a video tribute from Chile. The gala will be broadcast next Monday on NBC.

Prepping for The Super Bowl

Tomorrow, The Country Station will be annoucing the winner of "The Big Game" prize package so you can throw the ultimate party for 20 of your friends this Sunday. Today is your last day to send entries through the main website.

If you can’t watch Super Bowl XLV on TV this Sunday, your next option is to listen to it on the radio. Our sister station, AM 570, will be airing the game; therefore, you’ll hear Lady Antebellum’s “Stars Tonight” remixed just for the pre-game radio coverage. The new version, which includes highlights from the Packers’ and Steelers’ winning seasons, will air on more than 640 stations in the Westwood One network, including KSNM.

Elsewhere in Super Bowl entertainment, the cast of Glee will perform Lady Antebellum's “Need You Now” in a new episode premiering on Fox immediately after the football game. ..... Dierks Bentley and Jack Ingram will be in Dallas, Texas during the Super Bowl this weekend to join a host of other performers for what’s being called “Texas’ Largest Tailgate.” The concert will be streamed live online at the sponsor’s website. ….. CMT Crossroads will go live with Faith Hill and The Pretenders during The Super Bowl Fan Jam on Saturday on CMT. … And look for Keith Urban to be a part of a Super Bowl pre-game concert broadcast on FOX.

Sugarland's latest album, The Incredible Machine, has been certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of more than one-million units. It's the fourth album from Sugarland to be certified platinum or better, bringing their career album sales to 9 million. ….. Brad Paisley’s been calling on several stars of country and Hollywood for his upcoming album, This Is Country Music. It was recently revealed that Alabama was in the studio with Brad recording tracks for the new album. Now, Clint Eastwood is offering up his talents on an instrumental track titled, “Eastwood”. Referring to Clint’s whistling, Brad tweeted, “Seriously. I think he has potential, this kid. Or should I say punk.” Other stars slated to be included on the CD are Sheryl Crow, Marty Stuart, and Don Henley of the Eagles.

End of The Month

Faith Hill is getting ready for the first ever live CMT Crossroads with The Prentenders, airing this weekend during the Super Bowl Fan Jam. Despite her busy schedule, Faith still found time to indulge her feminine side and release True, the second fragrance in her collection. Faith admits that though she knows how to pick the right notes for her music, picking the right notes for her new scent was not as simple and required a little gut instinct. “I’m pretty sensitive in that regard,” said Faith, “So I’m able to pick up on things that I like or dislike pretty quickly easily. It is a process, and it’s tedious, and it’s not that glamorous of a process!”

Last Friday night, Taylor Swift gathered with family, friends, bandmates and music industry executives to celebrate her career successes before she launches her 90-date world tour next month in Singapore. The party was held at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Nashville. Several awards presented were for the No. 1 success of her "Mine" single and video, and a plaque from the Recording Industry Association of America commemorating total shipments of more than 13 million records. The party was billed as "Heavy Metal at the Hard Rock."

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were recently surprised by Nicole’s adopted children with gifts to celebrate their new baby, Faith Margaret. Nic’s elder children, 18 year-old Isabella and 16 year-old Connor, live with ex-husband Tom Cruise, but sent their mom a hamper filled with designer gifts, including gourmet cupcakes, a mobile from Pottery Barn, and a certificate for American Girl Place made out to the couple’s first child, Sunday Rose. Faith was born on this past December 28th through a surrogate.

Former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey is stepping out to defend one of this season’s contestants. You may remember Danny’s story: his wife passed away due to complications during heart surgery just weeks before his Idol audition. This season, a similar story emerged as Chris Medina auditioned and shared that his fiancée had been in an accident that left her with brain damage. After seeing that people were already bashing Chris on the internet, Danny took to Twitter saying, “People hated me 4 sharing my story on idol & now Im already seeing their starting 2 bash Chris Medina for his. His story will help many!!” Danny added that you should never be ashamed to share your story, that it “makes you who you are”. Chris is one of the many who made it to Hollywood and will move on to the next round on the show.

Faith Hill is teaming up with The Pretenders for a special live edition of CMT Crossroads from the NFL’s Super Bowl Fan Jam. This is Faith’s first CMT Crossroads appearance and her second link to football. Faith is the current voice of the NFL’s Sunday Night Football. The special episode of CMT Crossroads will air February 5th.

Meanwhile, Faith’s other half has a few business ventures of his own. Tim McGraw's third fragrance, McGraw Silver, and a Tim-inspired limited edition belt buckle. The buckle features a black guitar pick set in a silver buckle that features clear stones and a rope-pattern along the edge. Tim is running an online contest to win the buckle and a bottle of his newest cologne. For every entry on the site, one dollar will be donated to Neighbor’s Keeper, a charity started by Tim and wife, Faith Hill.

News From Around The Country
Rascal Flatts will tape their concert this Friday in Minnesota for an upcoming special, Rascal Flatts: Nothing Like This Presented by JCPenney. The special is scheduled to air Saturday, March 12th on ABC. ….. Taylor Swift’s appearance in the comic book series, Fame, will take a life of its own this spring as a graphic novel. The books will be based on the original comic with some new content and artwork added in. Fame: Taylor Swift will be available in May. ….. Craig Morgan is preparing to make his ninth visit to entertain U.S. troops stationed overseas with the Stars For Stripes organization. From January 27th through February 3rd, he'll perform for service members stationed in Iraq and Kuwait, as well as special acoustic sets at remote Forward Operating Bases for troops who seldom receive celebrity entertainment. As an Army veteran, Craig is very passionate about giving his time to the military and is always thankful for all the work they do. ….. And finally, it’s Dolly Parton’s 65th birthday today. What’s she up to these days? Well, she’s writing music for a new children’s musical about her Tennessee upbringing, and she’s still talking about doing a country version of Hello, Dolly!

Country Strong In The Top 10

The weekend movie money numbers are in. Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie, Country Strong, opened in sixth place. Here’s a look at the Top 10 box office rankings (title, last weekend $; overall $):

1. True Grit, $15 million; $110.4 million
2. Little Fockers, $13.8 million; $124 million
3. Season of the Witch, $10.7 million; $10.7 million
4. Tron: Legacy, $9.8 million; $147.9 million
5. Black Swan, $8.4 million; $61.5 million
6. Country Strong, $7.3 million; $7.4 million
7. The Fighter, $7 million; $57.8 million
8. The King's Speech, $6.8 million; $33.3 million
9. Yogi Bear, $6.8 million; $75.6 million
10. Tangled, $5.2 million; $175.9 million

News From Around The Country
Kenny Chesney will be producing another football special for ESPN’s Year of The Quarterback promotion, The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story. Kenny actually wore Holloway’s jersey number when he played high school football, idolized the University of Tennessee quarterback, and was thrilled when he was asked to produce the documentary which is set to air February 20th on ESPN. ….. Faith Hill has partnered with the flower delivery company Teleflora to create ‘The Collection by Faith Hill.” A commercial revealing some of the designs will debut during Super Bowl XLV February 6th. ….. Tickets for Garth Brooks' next round of Las Vegas concerts will go on sale this Saturday. The shows, which Garth has been performing since December 2009, feature Garth performing solo, accompanying himself on guitar. Tickets are $225 plus service charge and tax. Tickets are available exclusively at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-877-65-GARTH.

The End of The Year Is Near

Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t the only one spending a lot of time with her Country Strong co-star Tim McGraw and wife, Faith Hill. Her 4-year old son, Moses, and Tim and Faith’s 9-year old daughter, Audrey, seem to have taken to each other pretty well. “Moses…we might really become family when he marries Audrey,” Gwyneth said to Faith in an interview she did with her for InStyle Magazine. “My son is in love with your daughter!” Later, Tim was asked by People about Gwyneth’s hopes for his daughter and her son. He repiled, “Well, he better make a lot of money!" Tim and Faith were both on hand for Gwyneth’s recent Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. Country Strong will be released on January 7th.

The 100 Biggest Americana Albums of 2010 have been announced by the Americana Music Association, putting the spotlight on some of the greatest Americana songs and artists of the year. The soundtrack to Crazy Heart tops the list, an album that features the Academy-Award winning song, “The Weary Kind,” by Ryan Bingham. Rosanne Cash’s The List came in at #2.

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.

Tuesday Newsday

Marty Stuart is getting ready to bring country music into homes across America with a new season of his television show, The Marty Stuart Show. Marty handpicks his guests for the show, which have included in the past Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Dierks Bentley, Emmylous Harris, Vince Gill, and many more. The show highlights what’s happening in traditional country music, and Marty said, “We get to work with old friends and some real music legends and also help introduce our audience to some new singers in the new wave coming up now!”

Over the weekend, Trisha Yearwood attended the New York Wine & Food Festival where she gave fans a taste of her homemade carrot cake. Her secret to making the delicious dessert – puree the carrots. She said, “You don’t want to taste chunks.” Trisha has released two cookbooks so far, but she admits she’s not an expert. “I’m very quick to say I’m not a chef. I’m a cook,” Trisha said. She is reportedly working on a new album and says that she and her husband Garth Brooks would love to make an album together, they just have to figure out when the timing is right.

And if you missed Saturday Night Live over the weekend, check out this clip of Glee star Jane Lynch taking a stab at Faith Hill’s Sunday Night Football song.

Country Makes Plans

Blake Shelton has indicated that he plans to marry Miranda Lambert next May in the Texas hill country. Details about the wedding are beginning to emerge. Blake has always said the one thing he and Miranda don’t agree on is their taste in music. Obviously they both like country music, but it’s the other types of music they listen to that differ. For that reason, Blake says that he is insistent on having a say-so in the music at their wedding, “The only thing, because I don’t care if it’s all pink flowers and completely girled out. I really don’t. That would be great to me. The only thing I’m wanting some input on is music.” Blake and Miranda are planning on a short ceremony so they can celebrate, and that’s when Blake’s musical preferences will come into play. “I’m going to have my music picked out and she’ll have her music. And we’re going to have live music, D-J, everything. It’s going to be music everywhere,” Blake says of the ceremony.

This weekend, Craig Morgan will be holding his Charity Ride in his hometown in Tennessee. This year he’s extended the event to two days - the first day for moto-cross events and the second for music. Proceeds from the event go towards a facility for kids who have been displaced from their families, being built in honor of Craig’s father-in-law. Craig’s oldest daughter is studying child psychiatry and would one day like to run the program at Billy’s Place.

Faith Hill is the new ambassador for the Tide Loads of Hope program. The campaign is a mobile laundry service which provides clean clothes to families affected by a disaster. Faith is a Mississippi native, and has witnessed the damage from Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. As the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina draws closer, the detergent maker will host a live concert featuring Faith on August 24th. The concert will be free for residents of New Orleans and the surrounding area to celebrate how far the community has come in its rebuilding efforts since Katrina.

Kenny Chesney is featured on the cover of this week’s Parade magazine, and inside he discusses how making his football documentary inspired him. He also mentions how even though he has been one of the biggest stars in country music, he still feels alone. “You’d think I’d have been happiest in my life playing music in front of 50,000 people at Gillette Stadium. But let me tell you, it’s an odd feeling to feel alone in the spotlight. I was standing onstage last year and I felt like I wanted to be somewhere else. No matter how many people were out there, it all just felt like a blank sheet of paper,” he said. Kenny’s also found it difficult to balance his personal life. He explains, “The world is a different place now. I mean, if I go out with a girl, there’s a possibility that she’s going to get up from the dinner table and go to the bathroom and use Twitter to tell everybody what she’s doing. And the next thing you know, everybody’s got a play-by-play of what you’re having for dinner. That would make anybody uncomfortable.” Kenny’s documentary, The Boys of Fall, will air on ESPN this fall.

Chat With Taylor This Afternoon

This afternoon, Taylor Swift will host a live webcast with fans around the world to talk about the details surrounding her highly-anticipated third album. You can log on to your Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace account to submit questions to Taylor live in the Ustream chat window. Click Here for the link.

Faith Hill has created a new perfume fragrance called “True,” which is a mixture of Japanese yuzus, white lilies, and sensual musk. The photographer of her campaign said Faith insisted on representing confidence in her new ad, as well as strength and inner beauty. The new scent accompanies her debut fragrance "Parfum", and can be purchased at various stores.

Vince Gill will join many legendary guitarists on the big screen, Tuesday July 27th as NCM Fathom and Rhino Entertainment present Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010. The all-day concert took place in Chicago on June 26th and features Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, and John Mayer among others. The theater audience will also enjoy behind-the-scenes footage as well as candid interviews in the 2-hour concert film. It will be shown in over 475 theatres across the country, the closest in El Paso.

American Idol held their first round of auditions for season ten last week in Nashville, and many hopefuls including Joe Diffie’s children auditioned to become the next star. Joe brags on 28-year-old Parker and 25-year-old Kara, "They both are really good singers and good people. It's pretty gratifying to see their interest in music. I've recorded both of them here at the house, and people rave about how good they sound." Though Joe has all the faith in his children, he is unsure about the audition process of American Idol. He says, “I just don't know how in the world you can glean talent from the thousands of folks who try out, not to mention the one's who are just there to get their mugs on TV." Joe’s rep wouldn’t confirm or deny if his children passed the first round of auditions. Our guess is (at least) one of them did, or why would they be publicizing it? No one talks about the thousands of hopefuls who are rejected. But more information is gathered from those who move on, and it seems likely that it was in that process that the producers learned that he or she was Joe Diffie's kid. It's an angle to publicize.

Pre-Nup Friday

Feel Good Friday news is rather slow, but tomorrow could be an entirely different story. If rumors are correct, we will be hearing about Carrie Underwood’s wedding tomorrow. Those that are watching have reportedly spied Carrie and Mike’s wedding party starting to show up at The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia yesterday. The entire resort is off limits to media and any outsiders, and a pass is needed to get through the front doors Friday through Sunday. Another hot spot that is being closely watched is Greene County regional airport. Most guests are said to be landing there on private planes from Augusta or Atlanta. Georgia is anticipating a high-heat index this weekend, which hints the wedding ceremony and post-wedding party will be held indoors.

For the fourth year in a row, Faith Hill will be the voice of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, performing the opening theme song, “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.” Faith recently shot a video clip for NBC, which will feature key NFL players Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Ray Lewis, and DeSean Jackson. Faith admits she has become quite the football fan over the years, and has learned when to ask questions while watching a game with husband, Tim McGraw. “Something's happened on the field, and I don't quite understand what's going on, you never ask during a replay. You never ask a question during a replay!" said Faith.

It’s sad to hear that a Wish didn’t turn out like it was planned. Make-A-Wish Foundation made the dream of a 10-year-old brain cancer patient come true after she received backstage passes to Josh Turner’s July 17th show in Georgia. Unfortunately on June 30th, Elizabeth’s health condition was rapidly failing and July 17th seemed too far away. Josh called her to sing to her the following day, and hours after Elizabeth hung up the phone, she passed away.

And finally, set the DVRs because Lady Antebellum will sing “Our Kind of Love” on Live With Regis & Kelly, Monday.

A Mid Week Look Around The Country

Last night, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill held their Nashville Rising benefit concert to help victims of the recent flooding. Sandra Bullock was the big surprise guest of the night! Sandra introduced Faith before she sang and tried to play a few chords on a guitar before letting the professionals take over. The final amount of money raised isn’t tallied yet, but it’s expected to be around two to three million dollars. All of the money will go to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Performances included:
Carrie Underwood – “Undo It,” “Jesus Take The Wheel”
Blake Shelton – “Some Beach,” “Hillbilly Bone,” featuring Trace Adkins
Lynyrd Skynyrd – “What’s Your Name,” “Sweet Home Alabama”
Montgomery Gentry – “Something To Be Proud Of,” “My Town”
Taylor Swift – “Love Story,” “You Belong”
Luke Bryan – “Country Man,” “Do I”
LeAnn Rimes – “Swingin’,” “What I Cannot Change”
Martina McBride – “Anyway,” “Love’s The Only House/ Blessed”
ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Le Grange/Tush”
Miranda Lambert – “House That Built Me,” “White Liar”
Jason Aldean – “Big Green Tractor,” “She’s Country”
Billy Ray Cyrus – “Could’ve Been Me”
Miley Cyrus – “The Climb”
Toby Keith – “I Love This Bar,” “As Good As I Once Was”
Faith Hill – “Stronger,” “Piece of My Heart”
Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice,” “Live Like You Were Dying”

Dierks Bentley was scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night, but things went wrong. About an hour before the taping, the power went out, closing down the control room, broadcast transmission center and tape operations. Reportedly, the guests and audience had to sit around waiting while the power problem was worked on. During this wait time, Kimmel grabbed his laptop and recorded the entire show with his computer’s webcam. Dierks soon tweeted some hints about the show: “Who knew you could shoot a late night show with a mac?” Look for Dierks tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

And finally, if you make it to Nashville before the end of the year, you can check out a photo exhibit commemorating the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid. It opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville on Friday and will be displayed through the end of 2010. Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young organized the first Farm Aid concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to help keep farm families on their land. The first show took place Sept. 22, 1985, in Champaign, Ill. The exhibit features photos of numerous country artists, including Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Martina McBride and Keith Urban.

Tuesday Newsday

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will be holding their Nashville Rising benefit concert tonight in Nashville. Tim and Faith invited guests Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Julie Roberts, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, ZZ Top, Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Amy Grant, and LeAnn Rimes to perform during the event. Tim’s band – The Dance Hall Doctors – are serving as the house band for the night which has kept them quite busy. Tim said, “My band’s working their butts off. But they look at it as this is their contribution to it. They’re having fun—they get to work with artists—I mean, they’re tired of me. They get to work with somebody else for a change.” Proceeds from the concert will benefit flood relief efforts of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Faith Hill has hand-picked teen TV star and Nashville newcomer Jennette McCurdy as her opening act at a couple of California concert dates in July. Jennette, one of the stars of the Nickelodeon hit, iCarly, scored her first acting job by way of Faith, when she was in Faith's music video for “The Way You Love Me.” Jennette’s debut album, The Story of My Life is due at the end of June.

And finally, from the album release section, Jaron and The Long Road To Love releases his debut album Getting Dressed In the Dark today. The first song from the project, “Pray For You,” is a timely hit on the radio and in video. Jaron explains why he wrote the song, “A true story. You know—I was in a relationship with a girl, and then I found out that ‘We should maybe take some time off’ meant ‘I’m cheating on you.’ And so I got the revenge the best way I know how to. I just went to my piano and started writing. It’s like, you know—don’t mess with the guy with the mic.”

Feel Good Friday Findings

News From Around The Country
Starting on the west coast, Rascal Flatts and Oprah Winfrey are getting stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. …… Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have sold their home in Beverly Hills for $9.5 million. You may remember this as the house that was robbed in 2007. It’s been on the market since 2008, asking $14.8 million for 10,500 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 7 ½ bathrooms, and a gym on 5 acres. While it’s a steal from the asking price, the McGraws still made a profit, since they bought the home back in 2003 for $6.2 million. ….. On July 3rd, Craig Morgan will begin hosting All Access Outdoors, a new Saturday show on the Outdoor Channel. Each week Craig will be traveling across the country in pursuit of two of his passions, hunting and riding motorcycles. He will also have guests including motocross celebs, athletes, and other country singers. ….. Here’s an interesting pairing to look forward to. Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter are planning a duet for Kenny’s next album. Grace confirmed the musical partnership to ABC's Good Morning America, saying, “(Kenny) somehow heard about me while floating on his boat down in the Virgin Islands, so we're gong to do a duet together." ….. And finally, good news on a Feel Good Friday. Yesterday, reports were circling that Tracy Lawrence’s dog had been stolen from his truck while he went inside a drugstore the other night. Well, he has been found. It's not clear if he really was stolen, or if he just jumped out of the truck. Regardless, Tracy’s beloved Tank is home safe and sound.

Ladies Day

Carrie Underwood returns to American Idol to perform “Undo It” for the season finale tonight. Carrie, who won the show in 2005, sang on the series earlier this year during the "Idol Gives Back" special. The final two contestants are Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox.

Faith Hill and Emmylou Harris will be part of a special concert at the White House June 2nd that will pay tribute to Paul McCartney. Hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, the evening will honor McCartney as this year’s recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for popular song, the highest honor for pop music. Faith and Emmylou will join Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, the Jonas Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Jack White and comedian Jerry Seinfeld at the event. The concert will broadcast on PBS on July 28th.

Miranda Lambert has designed a special sterling silver necklace for the company Pennyroyal Silver. The pendant has a little heart-shaped paw print etched into it and Miranda’s autograph is on the back. Proceeds from the 75-dollar pendant will go to her charity, the MuttNation Foundation. On a related note, have you heard about the farm Miranda keeps at home in Tishomingo, Oklahoma? Miranda recently revealed the names and extent of her menagerie. Here is the breakdown:

- 4 horses - Miss Emily, Sunny Jim, Zeus Troubadour and Lucky Star
- 3 miniature horses - Sugar Pie, Annie and Adriana
- 2 pot-belly pigs - Amos and Gideon
- 6 dogs - Jessie, Waylon, Delilah, Delta, Steve and Cher
- lots of chickens - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens (she doesn’t name each one)
- Miranda had two donkeys but they got on her nerves so she found them a better home. She claims she’s done rescuing animals for now.

Happy Thursday

News From Around The Country
If there’s any room left on your DVR, you may want to set it to catch Faith Hill on the season finale of Project Runway on Lifetime tonight. Faith will act as one of the guest judges. …… Remember the footage of Zac Brown Band’s USO Tour on the ACM awards? More of the same is supposed to be made into a documentary about the overseas trip. “It’s not front page news anymore, a lot of people don’t think about it anymore, outta sight outta mind. But to the people who are actually living there, and the families that are missing their folks, it’s very real. We are excited to go over and help to give them a little relief from the monotony that’s going on,” said Zac. No word on when the documentary will be released. ….. Taylor Swift will be the next superstar turned into a comic book character. The 32-page biographical series will feature the journey she has traveled so far, including writing music at the age of ten. The first edition should be released in July. ….. And finally, Blake Shelton was talking backstage at the ACM Awards that his next Six Pak album should be coming out in late summer. The smaller album concept is supposed to allow fans more new music more often.

Honoring POTUS

It’s President’s Day! Another holiday marked by the tremendous retail sales it creates. Yet the day was originally designed to honor George Washington’s Birthday. Later, a separate day honored Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. But because those two days were so close together, legislation was enacted to combine the two days and shift it to the third Monday in February. In the process, the annual federal holiday allows employees a three-day weekend and now honors all 44 men who have served as Presidents of the United States of America:

George Washington (1789-1797)
John Adams (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
James Madison (1809-1817)
James Monroe (1817-1825)
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
William Henry Harrison (1841)
John Tyler (1841-1845)
James K. Polk (1845-1849)
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
James Buchanan (1857-1861)
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
James A. Garfield (1881)
Chester Arthur (1881-1885)
Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
William McKinley (1897-1901)
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Harry S Truman (1945-1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961))
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George Bush (1989-1993)
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Barack Obama (2009-present)

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
Trace Adkins’ band bus was involved in a fatal crash on Saturday in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana. A pickup truck crossed the center line and crashed head-on into the tour bus. Both men in the truck were killed upon impact while none of Trace’s band received any serious injuries. Trace was already at the venue and upon hearing the news, he traveled by van to pickup the uninjured band members, then went to the hospital to check on five members of his crew who were being treated for minor injuries. "This is a real tragedy," says Trace. "Two people have been killed and I don't even know their names. So out of respect for their families, I prefer not to comment too much at this time." Trace performed a scaled down acoustic set during his co-headlining show with Martina McBride.

On TV This Week
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s dog, Emmett, will be making his first appearance at the 134th Annual Westminster Kennel Club show. The prize-winning greyhound will appear in episodes airing today and tomorrow on Animal Planet. ….. Faith Hill will be a guest judge on this week’s new episode of Project Runway. Faith will give advice to aspiring fashion designers with the rest of the celebrity panel of judges, including Heidi Klum. The show will air Thursday on Lifetime.

The Big Men of Country Team Up

Toby has signed Trace! During a press conference yesterday about the merging of Toby Keith’s label, Show Dog, with Universal South, Toby announced the label’s new act – Trace Adkins. Trace has been with Capitol records for 15 years and said they were in the middle of renegotiating his contract when he heard about Toby’s new label Show Dog Universal. Having toured with Toby over the summer, Trace decided this was the perfect way for him to achieve what Toby has in his career. Trace said of Toby, “He’s like a twelve-year-old when he’s on stage. That joy that I’ve seen from him is real. He ain’t that good of actor! And I said, ‘I want me some of that.’” It just so happened that yesterday was Trace’s 48th birthday so everyone at the press conference sang happy birthday to him and the label presented him with a cake. Trace has been in the studio working on a new album and has eight songs recorded already.

A new year means new music, and the list of pending releases lengthens daily. Alan Jackson fans have March 30th circled on their calendars, as that is the day Freight Train pulls into the station, er, store. The new CD will include 12 songs, including the current single "It's Just That Way." He wrote or co-wrote eight of the songs. As a tribute to the late Vern Gosdin, Alan and guest singer Lee Ann Womack will duet on Vern's "Till the End." This is Alan's 18th album and was produced by Keith Stegall. His last album, Good Time, was released in March 2008.

Johnny Cash’s American VI will be released February 26th, concluding the American Recordings album series. The release date coincides with the 78th anniversary of Johnny’s birth. The collection includes songs written by Sheryl Crow (“Redemption Day”) and Kris Kristofferson (“For the Good Times”), as well as a Cash original, “I Corinthians: 15:55,” written over the last three years of his life.

Ever wonder how much income you’d be declaring on your taxes had you married well?
Forbes magazine has revealed the top power couples in entertainment. It’s neat that two country couples have made the list! Check it out:
1. Beyonce and Jay-z - $122 million (beyonce - $87m / jay-z - $35m)
2. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart - $69 million
3. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - $55 million
4. Will Smith and Jada pinkett smith - $48 million
5. David and Victoria Beckham - $46 million
6. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi - $36 million
7. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson - $35.5 million
8. Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy - $34 million
9. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes - $33.5 million
10. Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow - $33 million
11. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick - $29 million
12. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - $28 million
13. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker - $22 million
14. Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley - $20
15. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban - $17 million