Prepping For The ACM Awards

Not that CBS executives are nervous about Blake Shelton’s mouth or anything, or they wouldn’t have asked him to co-host the ACM Awards with Reba. But in making the media rounds to promote this Sunday’s show, a network executive let Blake know that they’re not taking any chances. Blake said, “He called and I said, ‘I take this serious. It’s a big deal to me and, and I definitely wouldn’t bring Reba down with me you know, but…makin’ fun of…you know, Craig Morgan’s toupee or whatever.’ He goes, ‘Well the reason I was calling you was to tell you that they’re goin’ to implement a 5-second delay for the ACM’s.’ This is a true story!” While on the West Coast, Blake has shot the music video for his next single which he will premiere on the ACM’s. He’s also dropping by E!’s Chelsea Lately today, CBS’s The Talk on Thursday and The Early Show on Friday. The ACM Awards airs live from Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3rd. Also on the show, look for Darius Rucker and 25 participants from last year's ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp program performing a special song. The music camp is one of the ACM's charitable endeavors for young people with developmental disabilities. The campers wrote "Music From the Heart" last summer with songwriters Brett James and Chris Young. ….. Julianne Hough will introduce the segment supporting Nashville's Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and its efforts to help make positive differences in the lives of families dealing with developmental disabilities. The segment will provide phone and text numbers to make donations to the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Prior to the show, Miranda Lambert is giving away a free download of “Dead Flowers,” first heard on her award-winning album, Revolution. The freebie is a special live version of the song that was recorded at the historic Ryman Auditorium. ….. And if you watch the red carpet show, keep your eyes open for John Rich’s date. John says he wants to bring Celebrity Apprentice teammate Gary Busey along with him. “I did invite him,” John said. “I don’t know if he’s gonna be able to make it but I know he wants to make it. I can’t imagine a bigger spectacle than Gary Busey walking down the red carpet at the ACM’s. Gary’s one of a kind, man. I think I’ll put him in a country music video one of these days.” If you still can’t get enough of the ACM Awards, The Academy has joined forces with ‘ZinePak to create a magazine and music combo to celebrate this year’s awards. The package features 24 songs on two CD’s from all six Entertainer of the Year nominees and tracks from some of country’s hottest up-and-coming artists. A 100-page magazine of artist profiles and interviews is also included. The ‘ZinePak is available exclusively at the biggest box retailer. News From Around The Country Taylor Swift has partnered with the cosmetic experts at Elizabeth Arden to launch her own line of perfume. Taylor has her hands in almost every aspect of the project, from the smells to the packaging. The new fragrance will be available this fall. …… Keep your eyes open for Reba Barbie dolls that are now being sold at big box retailers. She’s a red-headed doll wearing a long sparkling gown. You can’t miss her. And finally, look for Dierks Bentley to sing his new song, “Am I The Only One,” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight and tomorrow on CBS’ The Talk. He’ll also sing it Sunday on the ACM Awards.

Movies and Charitable Efforts

Julianne Hough started filming her role as “Ariel Moore” in the remake of Footloose earlier this week. Although the film is known for its dancing and Julianne is known for her dance moves, she’s actually not doing a lot of footwork in the film. Julianne says, “I think a lot of people are expecting to see me sing and dance and everything. And I really don’t sing at all, and I only dance the very last dance, which is at the prom scene so this is going to be fun. It’s like a pure performance acting piece for me so I’m really excited.” Julianne posted a tweet that she was looking forward to putting on the infamous red boots her character Ariel wears. Julianne’s father in the film, “Reverend Shaw Moore,” will be played by Dennis Quaid.

News From Around The Country
Jimmy Wayne has nearly completed his Meet Me Halfway walk from Nashville to Phoenix. Along the way, he’s not just been walking for the cause – he’s been collecting coins for a cause as well. Jimmy calls his side project, “Make A Change.” No word on where the found funds will be donated. …. Miranda Lambert took time out of her tour schedule last weekend to help raise awareness for animals in shelters. An animal rescue house in Wisconsin sold tickets for a meet-and-greet with Miranda before her concert in the area. Thousands of dollars were raised to support the shelter, and Miranda felt the promotion was another chance to raise awareness for animal adoption. Miranda’s own Mutt Nation Foundation works with shelters across the country to help raise money for stray animals. …. Randy Houser was part of a USO Tour earlier this year and after performing 30 shows in 11 days, Randy was inspired to finish his song “Here With Me” which he originally started writing while in the states. He performed the original song for soldiers, but felt like something was missing. Randy said, "I was almost done when I realized there was still something that needed to be sung. This time I knew just the words: 'But I know God can hear me way up there, sending up an old familiar prayer.” Due to the impact of the song on the soldiers, Randy made sure “Here With Me” made it in each playlist at every concert. The song will be on Randy’s upcoming album.

LeDoux Honored and ZBB Honors Soldiers

As a celebration of his life and legacy in American music and rodeo, Chris LeDoux is being honored in Kaycee, Wyoming with his own park and bronze statue called “Good Ride Cowboy.” Chris sits atop Stormy Weather in the statue, the horse that earned him a World Championship. The park features a unique walkway with Chris’s boot prints fading as you near the sculpture. The dedication of the park will take place on June 19th.

Inspired by the latest single, Little Big Town gave weddings to two couples in their “Little White Church” tent last weekend as part of the Country Throwdown tour. The ceremonies happened in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The members of Little Big Town attended both ceremonies and signed the marriage licenses as official witnesses.

More than 70,000 people have participated in the “Letters For Lyrics” campaign, a partnership between the Zac Brown Band and Ram Trucks. Fans who write a letter to a U.S. soldier are rewarded with a CD that features three new songs from the Zac Brown Band. As part of the campaign, RamTrucks has video installments of Zac Brown Band’s visit to soldiers stationed in the Persian Gulf.

If you can’t make it to Lady Antebellum’s fan club party, the performance will be streamed live on their website on June 10th. 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Nashville flood relief. It will be a $5 minimum donation to watch.

And finally, Julianne Hough wants her fans to help her pick out a dress to wear on the red carpet for the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Click here to check out the gallery and cast your vote.

Dancing With The Country Stars

With only five couple left on Dancing With The Stars, the competition for the finals is getting tighter. Nicole & Derek have been front-runners all season, but last week Evan & Anna nipped at their heels by grabbing the first perfect 30 of the season by way of the first 10 from Len. Chad & Cheryl have been stepping up their game the past couple of weeks, as have Niecy & Louie. Perhaps Niecy has been holding back to prepare for a sprint to the end with her jiggly parts? And then there’s Erin & Maks’ shocking drop to the bottom two last week, despite the season’s favorably judged dancing.

After last night’s double-dances, anything can happen with tonight’s results, as often does on this popularly rated TV show. As an example of how just anything can happen, it’s fun to read that two-time champion Julianne Hough will return to the show this fall for Season 11. She’s taken the last couple of seasons off to pursue movies and music, and she says that she’s not giving up either. As a matter of fact, Julianne just wrapped up her sophomore album saying, “I’m so excited we just finished it. It’s in the mixing and mastering stages right now. I’m so so proud of it. I co-wrote a lot of the songs so to me, this is like the real coming out party for Julianne. This is what I’ve wanted to do since the beginning.”

No release date has been announced for the album, but sometime during the period when she’s in front of one of the largest TV audiences each week would probably be a safe guess. Perhaps we’ll see another country hunk dancing with Julianne next season? You’re right. Too predictable. Julianne should be put with any one of next season’s yet-to-be-announced celebrities. But they should still bring on a country hunk and place him with one of the other female professionals in order to make for some interesting competition! Any suggestions who you’d like to see?

Oh, and one other TV Note. Luke Bryan will be making his first appearance on The Tonight Show tonight to sing "Rain Is A Good Thing." "I have watched The Tonight Show since I was a kid growing up in Leesburg, Ga.," Luke said. "I can't believe I have been invited to perform on one of television's most iconic shows."

Country Joins All-Genre Events

As was predicted, country music artists will be a part of the re-recording of “We Are The World” for its 25th anniversary. Zac Brown, Julianne Hough and Sugarland were among the 81 artists from a wide range of musical genres contributing to Monday's recording session. Sales of the recording will benefit earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The song is an updated version of the 1985 recording of "We Are the World" written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. During a press conference prior to the recording session in Los Angeles, Quincy Jones, who produced the original record, said he and Richie had resisted calling attention to the 25th anniversary of the all-star recording but changed his mind when the magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12. "We got a text message saying, 'Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous,'" Jones said. Others participating in the session included Miley Cyrus, Jeff Bridges Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, the Jonas Brothers, Pink, Brian Wilson, Jamie Foxx, Carlos Santana, T-Pain, Jason Mraz, Gladys Knight, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. And if you’re wondering why Taylor Swift is not on the list, she had a previous engagement in Australia that she had to fly to immediately after the Grammy awards.

Speaking of all-genre projects, mark your calendars for October 10th, 2010. A very special live musical event will take place, highlighting the top artists of the decade as selected by the viewers of MTV, Vh1 and CMT. For the first time ever, these powerful music brands will come together to celebrate the decade in music on one big night, across all three networks. Further details will be announced in the future.

Haiti Tops the Charts

As expected, the digital download album of music from the Hope for Haiti Now all-star benefit for Haitian earthquake victims has debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 all-genre albums chart. This is the first time an all-digital album has achieved that feat. It features performances by Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. To date, the telethon has raised over $66 million.

In the wake of the disaster, other celebrities are joining relief efforts. Martina McBride and Tim McGraw are working with the Red Cross. Martina blogged on her website, “Donating to the Red Cross couldn't be easier. Just text the word 'Haiti' to 90999 and a ten dollar donation will be added to your cell phone bill.” Tim set aside his work on the film, Love Don’t Let Me Down, to create public service announcements encouraging donations for relief efforts. Meanwhile, Julianne Hough is helping victims via Plane to Haiti, an organization preparing to send a airplane full of medical supplies and staff to the island nation.

One more relief effort is coming in the way of a re-recording of "We Are The World." The cast is still being assembled for a recording session next week. We can be pretty sure that big-name crossover country artists will be invited. Producer Quincy Jones says that on the 25th anniversary year of the song, the timing is right to help Haiti. The original 1985 single raised money for famine relief in Africa.

ACM Nominations are starting to roll in. Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson and Chris Young received early nominations from the Academy of Country Music yesterday. The three are nominated as the Top New Solo Vocalist, a category that replaced the separate male and female vocalist categories of previous years. In addition, the Top New Vocal Duo nominees are Bomshel, Joey & Rory and Steel Magnolia. The Top New Vocal Group nominees are Eli Young Band, Gloriana and The Lost Trailers. Interactive fan voting begins on February 26th to determine the winners. The winners in each category will compete for the Top New Artist honor, which will be decided by online voting starting April 1st and awarded in Las Vegas on April 18th.

Half Off Donuts

It's another Half Off Wednesday at The Country Station. Today, you can save half at Bosa Donuts and Burritos on Ave de Mesilla. Just click the Half Off Wednesday link on the main website to purchase $50 in scrumptious fried treats for Half Off!

Taylor Swift's world domination continues with a new line of greeting cards, gift packaging, stationery, online photo personalization products, and online greetings for American Greetings. Taylor will get to write and create the cards which are expected in stores next Spring.

News From Around The Country
Sugarland will be performing for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The Christmas in Washington TV special will be taped on December 13th for airing on December 20th on TNT. ... Julianne Hough will not be back on Dancing With the Stars any time soon. While attending the premiere of New Moon this week in Hollywood, she said that she will not be a part of the Spring '10 season. ... And finally, how about a double dose of Dierks in '10? Dierks Bentley will be releasing two records next year - one country, and one bluegrass. He will spend the early part of the year completing work on the bluegrass album, and then work on the country music.

Happy Monday

Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova” dancers were quite the talk of the CMA Awards. Don’t plan on seeing that kind of choreography on tour next year. Carrie says, “I’m not really like a choreographed type act I don’t think. I just remember watching Faith Hill and Reba growing up and I don’t know what I would have done if they would have marched out on stage with dancers behind them. So, I try to think about that and I don’t think that’s my style. Never say never, but on tour – I don’t know.” Carrie hasn’t announced her official tour plans for 2010, but she will be hitting the road as a headliner once again.

News From Around The Country
Julianne Hough has begun shooting the new movie Burlesque with Christina Aguilera. In addition to that, she has a work out DVD hitting store shelves on December 15th and is also co-authoring a book The Goddess Guide to Getting Closer, which provides tips to girls to help them feel better about themselves. … Wynonna was talking quite a bit around the CMA Awards last week. With the passing of the 25th anniversary of The Judds, Wynonna says talks are in the works to un-retire. .... Gretchen Wilson's new single, “Work Hard, Play Harder,” will be included in a feature called "The Art of the Burnout" during the NASCAR Ford 400 season finale Sprint Cup race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22nd. … And finally, Brad Paisley, record executive? Along with singer/songwriter Chris Dubois, and songwriter/producer Frank Rogers, Brad is partnering with Sony Music Nashville umbrella to found a record label called Sea Gayle Music. The first artist signed to the label is Jerrod Neiman.

Free Randy Houser Show Tonight

Randy Houser plays tonight. Head out to the NMSU Homecoming bonfire to check out Randy’s style of rockin’, gritty country. You know “Anything Goes” and “Boots On” from The Country Station; but remember that Randy also co-wrote “Honkytonk Badonkadonk” (Trace Adkins) and “Back That Thing Up” (Justin Moore). Even though Randy doesn’t perform his hit co-writes, now you know what kind of music you’re in for tonight. Don’t miss it. The show is FREE! Pep Rally activities start at 7; The Jennies open the music part of the show; Randy Houser will take the stage to headline!

The People will speak. The first round of the People’s Choice Awards nominees have been announced and there’s plenty of country to vote for. You can log on and vote until November 8th. Final nominees with be announced November 10th.
Favorite Breakout Artist
Lady Antebellum
Zac Brown Band
(up against Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert)

Favorite Country Artist
Brad Paisley
Carrie Underwood
Jason Aldean
Keith Urban
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Rascal Flatts
Reba
Sugarland
Taylor Swift
Toby Keith

Favortie Female Artist
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Swift
(up against Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, P!nk, Katy Perry)

Favorite Male Artist
Keith Urban
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
(up against Kanye West, Jay-Z)

Favorite Pop Artist
Taylor Swift
(up against Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson)


News From Around The County
Country artists seem to be spending a lot of time at the salon lately to prepare for the CMA Awards next month. Julianne Hough has been tweeting that she has had her hair taken to a darker shade of blond; Kellie Pickler has made good on her recent threats to go red. She’s now looking for a whole new wardrobe to match. We’ll have to be on the lookout for pictures. …. Kenny Chesney is not taking the entire year of 2010 off. He wanted to take a break from the workload of planning and executing his own major tour, but he will be appearing for isolated concerts at the Bayou Country Superfest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 30th, and then he will appear at 2010 BamaJam taking place June 3rd through 5th near Enterprise, Alabama. …. Keith Urban left his final U-S concert of the year by way of taxi. While playing the last few bars of “Better Life,” Keith took to the audience floor, walked through the halls of Buffalo’s HSBC Arena and out into the street where he donned a jacket, turned in his guitar and left the arena in of all things, a taxi. Fans didn’t know whether the images they saw on the video screens were real or not. But when the band stopped playing and the confetti flew, they knew that what had happened was in fact real. Keith wanted to incorporate the most popular form of NY transportation into his show. And he beat the rush for taxis after the show! …. And finally, congratulations to John Rich and his wife, Joan. They are expecting their first baby, reportedly a boy.

Wednesday Wrap Up

Carrie Underwood will star in her own TV variety special this holiday season. The reigning CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year will perform new music from her upcoming album, Play On, as well as previous hits and holiday classics. Special musical guests include Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and David Cook. Set your DVRs for FOX channel on December 7th.

Could Garth Brooks be coming out of retirement? Rumors have been swirling for awhile that Garth would be taking over as a resident headliner at a Las Vegas hotel. Tomorrow, Garth is flying members of the Nashville media to an unknown destination for an exclusive press conference. Stay tuned for the big announcement.

Julianne Hough will be co-starring with Christina Aguilera in the new musical Burlesque. Christina makes her big screen debut as a young small-town singer who becomes a star at a Hollywood burlesque club owned by a character played by Cher. Julianne will play a fellow dancer. Filming starts next month and the movie is due to hit theaters next Thanksgiving.

Feel Good Friday!

Live Event TODAY!
It's a Feel Good Friday and The Country Station will be out on the town! Stop by and join us this afternoon for the open house at the newest Citizen's Bank in Las Cruces. The 5th full service location is located on University! Stop by to pick up some free gifts from Citizen's Bank and enter to win a Weber propane grill! See you there.

News From Around The Country
Rascal Flatts play Wrigley Field tomorrow night. The Flatts are only the third act to ever play the historic field. Vince Gill will join the trio. The boys have been working on special surprises for the occasion, and Joe Don Rooney teases, “I think there’ll be a National Anthem at some point by somebody. I’m just going to throw that out.” Julianne Hough and her brother, Derek Hough, have been nominated in the Outstanding Choreography category in the Primetime Emmy Awards. The Jive piece to “Great Balls of Fire” from Dancing With The Stars is what earned the nomination. The Rock Band Country Track Pack is out. Featuring “Good Time” from Alan Jackson, “I Told You So” from Keith Urban, “She’s Country” from Jason Aldean, and “Any Man of Mine” from Shania Twain, you can now rock out to country tracks on Rock Band or Guitar Hero. And finally, if you’re a fan a Wrangler and Jason Aldean, your pleasure is now doubled. Jason just signed an exclusive endorsement deal with Wrangler’s new retro line. Also look for Jason on The Tonight Show on the 23rd, and Chelsea Lately on the 28th.

The Tradition Continues...

The first time Eddie and Troy played the on the hallowed stage was October 3,2000. Last night, they became members, as Marty Stuart and Little Jimmy Dickens inducted Montgomery Gentry into the Grand Ole Opry. Troy Gentry was nearly speechless when he said“All day I’ve been trying to conjure up the words to say what this means, but there aren’t enough words to describe what this night means to us. Thank you all so much.” Eddie Mongomery choked up when it was his turn to speak, “I remember sittin’ in an old junky station wagon listening to the Grand Ole Opry with my dad. He’d say, ‘It don’t matter what you do in country music; if you don’t become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, you ain’t got there yet,’” he finished by lifting his statuette toward the sky saying, “Dad, we made it!”

News From Aroun The Country
It’s finally been decided. Julianne Hough will star with Chace Crawford in the upcoming remake of Footloose. Even though she has experience playing “Arial”, she says she will be playing a character named “Sarah.” The movie should be out in ’10. Willie Nelson has been honored at the 2009 Maui Film Festival with the Maverick Award for being a constitutional supporter and for being politically outspoken. Toby Keith will be joining the ranks of those touring Europe this fall. Most of his November schedule has dates in Scotland, Ireland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, made a surprise appearance in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl last Friday. They were there to help Star Wars conductor John Williams open the summer season. And finally, Taylor Swift has announced the official charitable partner of her Fearless Tour as Best Buy’s @15 organization.

Feel Good Friday!

Julianne Hough will host the 2009 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Special which showcases the 10 finalists in the running for the award. The one-hour special premieres June 13th, and the awards show airs live June 16th on CMT. This year's video of the year nominees are: Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This”; Kenny Chesney featuring the Wailers’ “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven”; Toby Keith’s “God Love Her”; Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long”; Lady Antebellum’s “Lookin’ for a Good Time”; Brad Paisley’s “Waitin’ on a Woman”; Rascal Flatts’ “Every Day”; Sugarland’s “All I Want to Do”; Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream.” Voting for the CMT Music Awards continues through June 14th at CMT.com. The final four nominees for video of the year will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans in the Eastern and Central time zones can vote at CMT.com and via text on their Verizon Wireless phones throughout the live broadcast to determine the winner in that category.

Rascal Flatts made a video from fan-cam footage. Now Lady Antebellum is following in their footsteps. At various concert locations on Kenny Chesney’s Sun City Carnival tour, a lucky Lady A fan will be asked to film their concert experience. Fans will be selected at random or from entries on Lady A’s website. The Fan Cam winner will get to meet Lady Antebellum and possibly have their recorded material included on the group’s website as part of their Webisode Wednesdays program.

Forbes has released a list of the Most Powerful Celebrities and five country artists have made the list. Kenny Chesney lands at number 31, Rascal Flatts at 42, Toby Keith at 59, Taylor Swift takes the number 69 spot and Carrie Underwood lands at number 75.

The Shock of Premature Ejection

Chulianne? How can they eliminate Chulianne? Chuck Wicks was workin’ it like he needed a mirror ball trophy to sustain existence! Yet Chulianne is eliminated in 6th place? Ok, maybe Chuck wasn’t destined to win the whole thing over the obvious favorites; Chulianne has always been middle of the pack material. But 6th place does seem a bit premature. It was a sad night for country music on Dancing With The Stars. At least Chulianne got to show different aspects of their personalities throughout the season, including their kooky side. We'll let the tights fall into that category, Chuck, but last night's variety episode included a skit with Chuck and Julianne playing a matched couple in a spoof of online dating ads called "Dance Match." Appearing later on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Chulianne didn’t seem too upset about being kicked off. Each plans to continue work on their respective sophomore albums and fall back on their country music career. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, especially for Len Goodman, Ty Murray lasts longer than Chuck. Maybe going shirtless was the trick. Either that, or there are a whole lot of cowboys that need to admit to watching ballroom dancing! These are probably the same cowboys who wear pink. It’s ok, fellas. The man leading the dance is a very masculine role. Anyway, the Top 5 move on to next week which includes even more dances that will inch them closer to the final. Injured Melissa returned to hear her fate and will be attempting to continue on.

No farewell video blogs yet, so check out Julianne Hough’s behind the scenes tour:


News From Around The Country
Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams are the next opposite-genre artists to meet at the CMT Crossroads. The show will be taped in early May and air in late June. Kenny Chesney will tape his first appearance on Austin City Limits on May 12th. No word on the PBS air date. Zac Brown from the Zac Brown Band is working on his first cookbook. He wants to put some of his favorite recipes in there, including his recipe for fried chicken … or is that said, chicken fried. He hopes the interactive cookbook will be out sometime in the summer. Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts helped deliver a new piano to a Nashville high school on behalf of the Country Music Association and the Nashville Alliance. The two organizations have raised more than 2.2 million dollars for music programs in Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Save A Horse, Save A Cowboy

Chulianne is smokin’. There’s a late season injury. The cowboy’s gone sexy. And Len Goodman made rude remarks. It’s just another night in the ballroom. Ok, maybe Ty & Chelsie have been bringing up the rear, and compared to the caliber of competition, it’s likely that they’re nearing the 8-second buzzer. But it’s pretty rude of head judge Len Goodman to tell them to their face that they need to go home. It’s to the point of competition where it will be sad to see each couple leave, as none of the remaining Top 6 are painful to watch. There are weaknesses, but there has also been quite a bit of improvement among a couple of the couples. And just when you think you have them ranked to be picked off, injury rears its ugly head. So last night’s Dancing With The Stars has got to be the toughest one to predict yet. Melissa & Tony could be out by injury. That would move everyone else up a notch higher than they may have been. The judges love her, but Shawn & Mark were showing a few weaknesses. Chuck Wicks must have gotten a look at one of Julianne Hough’s trophy balls, because the last couple of weeks Chulianne is dancing like they aim to get another one. Julianne has had the ability to play the dance card at her concerts all along, if she chose to do so; but if Chuck plays his new found sexiness up at his concerts, he could be a kind of artist the likes of which country music has never seen before. Just leave the leotards at home, Chuck. Country music is not ready for that kind of show! Sorry, the tighty-whities in the Team Mambo number did not one-up Gilles’ shirtlessness. Matter-of-fact, it may have already been “done,” but Team Tango one-uped themselves by bringing both Gilles and Ty Murray out shirtless. And it never hurts a cowgirl’s feelings to see a shirtless cowboy running around the dance floor. However many cowgirls were watching last night will determine tonight’s results. All couples were suitably good last night. It’s come down to fan base. Do Melissa & Tony have enough fans to save them from the perils of rehearsal tape? Can the rodeo community rally larger than the gymnastics community? Does DWTS tend to draw more of the country music audience or more of the rap music audience? And then there’s Gilles – who went shirtless again – so he’s locked a few votes. Unless it’s a default exit by injury, likely in the bottom two Ty & Chelsie and Shawn & Mark.

News From Around The Country
The sixth and final season of Reba McEntire’s hit T-V series Reba goes on sale June 23rd. Jewel is working with FTD to bring you something special for Mother’s Day. The special bouquet is a combination of pastel pink European tulips, Peruvian lilies, deep pink petite spray roses and traditional white and lavender daises. Each bouquet will also come with an autographed copy of Jewel’s album, Lullaby. And additional performers are being added to the line-up for the CMT Music Awards. Check the banner link at the top to vote for your favorites and see all the news on the awards.

Speedy News on Speedway Day

Today you get the chance to grab the dirt track for dirt cheap! The SNM Speedway season passes are on sale half price for Half Off Wednesday, while supplies last. Hurry, there are only 20 of them available!

As predicted, Lawence & Edyta had their last dance and said their goodbyes to their castmates last night on Dancing With The Stars. The musical director, Harold Wheeler, and his band should have struck up “Celebration.” No celebrity has ever been as happy to get back to the golf course! Now it’s down to the Top 6 and our country connections are still alive. Chulianne was quickly saved; Ty & Chelsie had to sweat it out until the end of the show again. It’s still announced that they are not necessarily the bottom two. But now that it’s down to the Top 6, and rankings have been predicted, it’s time for a few upsets in the equation.

Check out this week's video blogs from Chulianne and meet the people who make them look so pretty...



News From Around The Country
Brad Paisley will be appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Friday night (4/24). He’ll sing, “Then,” and sit down with Jay for a chat. This past Monday night, a fire broke out at the Virginia home of 80-year-old Jimmy Dean and his wife, Donna. The fire burnt through three floors of the couple’s home; three firefighters were injured trying to stop the blaze. Jimmy and his wife escaped the home in time. The cause of the fire is unknown. The Zac Brown Band has expanded. Zac has been trying to get Clay Cook into the band for years; it finally worked. Clay is now onboard for background vocals, keyboard, and steel guitar.

More Rise and Fall Than a Bride's Nightie

Len Goodman has rattled off some doozies before, but “more rise and fall than a bride’s nightie” has to take the cake! That’s the analogy he used last night on Dancing With The Stars to describe Ty Murray’s waltz. All the judges were pleased, so Ty & Chelsie were rewarded with a 24 for their respectful waltz. Chulianne was smokin’! Dressed in red silk, Chuck Wicks was shakin’ it with a few moves that looked alarmingly similar to Julianne Hough’s brother, dancing champ Derek. The judges were mostly speechless after Chulianne’s routine, muttering not much more than it was their best routine yet - an observation that was obvious by watching the professionalism in their Samba number. Bruno did comment about Chuck’s butt and hips. Most in the audience noticed that, too, judging by the massive standing ovation. In the rehearsal package, Chuck declared that he wanted a 9. He got three, for a best-ever score of 27. It seems that not long ago, Chuck asked for the 8 he got. Next he needs to try for the 10. The wig? Well, it was a mod 60’s group number, but seriously Chuck, it’s got to go. During the routine, each couple gets a brief solo stunt. The Chuckwheel was cute, but what was Ty thinking? Riding Chelsie? That will perhaps go down as the second most absurd move of the show – right behind Cloris & Corky humping across the floor! Likely to go this week: Lawrence and Edyta. Their time has been coming for awhile, and with the mistakes that were made in week 7, they clearly had the weakest routine.

News From Around The Country
Baby Paisley’s got a name – Jasper Warren Paisley. Taylor Swift’s Fearless CD has been declared seven times platinum. She was given the honors during this week’s rehearsals for the upcoming tour. Zac Brown Band’s The Foundation has made Gold. Martina McBride has started her own line of wines, called Martina McBride Signature Series Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine. Fans will be able to purchase some of the inaugural Signature Series wine first, the public will have to wait. Josh Turner and Marty Stuart are among the latest inductees on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville. Their stars will be on the sidewalk for fans to walk all over.

Plus Baby Makes 4; Minus Two Makes 6

Huck’s a big brother. Baby Paisley finally showed up on Friday. Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley welcomed their second son to the world. His name and stats have not been announced as of press time.

Clint Black is moving right along on Celebrity Apprentice. After two boardroom firings last night, Clint continues on to the Top 6. And it’s a good thing he and Joan Rivers made up, because they are the only two left on KOTU. Natalie was fired because she made the bad jewelry selections for the dual-episode auction, and no sooner was that challenge over did The Donald throw another challenge into last night’s episode. This time, the teams had to create a healthy meal for a mobile frozen food distributor. Hershel Walker led Clint’s team in the test kitchen, where paper cowboy hats were not provided, forcing Clint to part with his trademark Stetson. The team ultimately settled on an Orange Asian Soy Chicken dish with a yogurt parfait for dessert. Athena created a turkey meatball dish with appleberry crisp dessert and won the challenge, so team leader Hershel took the fall. Coming down to the wire of strong personalities, Clint is doing well, yet like Trace Adkins last season, he has yet to win any money for his charity.

Just when things were moving along injury-free the last few weeks on Dancing With The Stars, Ty Murray took a blow during rehearsals. The cast was practicing the group dance for tonight, and when Ty threw is partner, Chelsie, into the air, her mic pack fell off and struck Ty in the eye. It bled for a while and turned slightly black and blue, but all involved say that Ty shook it off, saying that this sort of thing and worse happens in bullriding all the time.

News From Around The Country
Kenny Chesney kicked off his Sun City Carnival Tour over the weekend. This year he is entering by being lowered on a seat from the ceiling while singing “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” This year’s touring band includes one of The Wailers. Julianne Hough is in talks for a couple of films. She could possibly play a pregnant showgirl in a film called Burlesque, or she could be taking a role in the upcoming remake of Footloose. Since Trace Adkins’ ACM performance of “’Till The Last Shot’s Fired” with the West Point Glee Club, the Wounded Warrior Project has received more than 20-thousand dollars in donations. Money collected from the song’s downloads went to the organization. Reba McEntire has been added as a presenter on the TV LAND Awards, airing Sunday, April 26th. Reba will introduce a special tribute to the classic nighttime soap Knots Landing. Also on TV, if you haven’t seen Ray Price in a while, he will be the guest of Mike Huckabee on Fox Saturday night. The show airs twice on Sunday as well. Ray is currently on tour with his legendary best friend Willie Nelson. Rumor has it that Ray is bringing a "surprise guest" along with him to the Mike Huckabee show.

The Country Loved The Country on the Dancefloor

Happy Half Off Wednesday! Today you can take a family 4-pack of tickets for "Gods of War II" for only $3o. The fights are May 2nd at the Pan Am Center. Hurry, Half Off Wednesday offers are only good while supplies last.

Whatever happened to the little Paisley? It was well over a week ago that Brad Paisley said he was waitin’ on a woman. Kimberly’s due date was the night of the ACM Awards. The poor girl is 10 days overdue! Brad jokes that their 2-year-old son, Huck, doesn’t even believe this big brother business anymore! Word has got to be coming soon. Fastest news is on the CMT News Feed in the sidebar.

Last night on Dancing With The Stars…
They made them sweat it out until the end, but as expected, Chulianne is safe. They didn’t formally announce a “bottom two,” so reading between the lines, even though Ty & Chelsie were left standing there at the end, the country folk and the rodeo community are rallying to keep Ty Murray dancing. With the lowest paddle ever in the sixth week, Steve-O & Lacey were given their walking papers. Likely the second lowest was Lawrence & Edyta, but 2nd from the bottom is enough to stay, so they were announced safe early on, just to give the “no particular order” a little variety as to who sweats it out until the end. It’s coming down to the wire for our country folk, though. Ty & Chelsie and Chulianne really need to step it up the next couple of weeks to get out of those mid-level scores. Rascal Flatts performed two songs, “Here Comes Goodbye,” and “Revolution,” the former accompanied by a high-flying number from Julianne Hough and Tony Dovoloni. Tony was throwing her around like a ragdoll! Teach Chuck Wicks to do that, and Chulianne would win the competition for sure! No fresh Video Blogs this week. Next week is the group number and the celebrities get to design their partners costumes. Ty wants Chelsie in denim, and Chuck said "less is more" for Julianne. Maybe Edyta will wear all of Julianne's excess fabric, because Lawrence said that since his mama will be watching, he'd like to see Edyta a bit more covered since she is usally "allergic to clothing."

News From Around The Country
Tim McGraw has signed on for another movie role, this time opposite Sandra Bullock in the flick The Blind Side, based on the Michael Lewis novel of the same name. Tim will play patriarch “Sean Touhy”, husband of Sandra’s character “Leigh Anne”. The story is the true tale of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American teen who is taken in by an affluent family. Oher’s real life success will be highlighted next month when he is expected to be a first round pick for the NFL Draft. Shooting begins next month in Atlanta. No word on a release date.

Toby Keith will be heading out on his seventh USO Tour soon. This trip is 17 shows in 11 days. Toby’s expected to play for troops on more than 11 small, remote forward operating bases around the Persian Gulf. And finally, look for Steve Wariner to throw a new job-title acronym at you – C.G.P. – certified guitar player. Steve will be releasing an 11-song collection, Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins, on June 23rd.

Yee-Haw! The Ballroom's Gone Country!

Last night on Dancing With The Stars…

Ty & Chelsie did a countrified jive and Chulianne were in matching lace. It was all so adorable, but it’s sad to say that Ty may be losing some steam. Last week’s Paso should have been a perfectly suited dance for Ty Murray, yet he was constructively criticized for being too stiff. This week Ty & Chelsie looked like they were dressed for a night out at any all-American country bar, and it provided such hope that Ty would finally let loose and dance in his comfort zone. Yet despite his best efforts to loosen up for the jive, the judges still saw the “Girls Gone Wild” number as more line dancing than jive. Ty could be inching toward the bottom two, although Lawrence & Edyta and Steve-O & Lacey are still fighting for those spots as well. Obviously the judges have a different vantage point than what the viewers see on TV, but their comments seemed opposite to what was aired. Lawrence was praised for his jive that left Edyta to do all the work around his gentle kicks, yet Steve-O was again told that he’s just not good after watching him swirl Lacey around with the most movement he’s displayed since injuring in his back early on in the competition. In the end, whichever of those three couples has the least number of fans is likely to go. Chulianne, however, is not going anywhere. Appearing as lovebirds in matching lace outfits – Julianne Hough wore the front of the outfit, and Chuck Wicks took a cue from Tony and Gilles to show off his pecs by wearing the back of the outfit - it was a rumba right out of a honeymoon suite! Head Judge Len Goodman, who was wearing his cranky pants all night anyway, saw it as too much raunch for the ballroom. That’s the point of the rumba! Chulianne seemed to convince the studio audience that they were ready to finish the dance behind closed doors. But their scores kept them right in the middle of the pack. Continuing this week’s country theme, Rascal Flatts will be on tonight when they eliminate the next couple.

Elsewhere around the country, voting began yesterday for the CMT Music Awards. Sugarland leads the first round of finalists with six mentions; Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift received four a piece. This is the only fan-voted awards show, so you can vote for your favorites to determine the final ballot. First round voting runs until May 11th, then the final voting will pick up May 19 – June 15 to pick the winners which will be announced on the next live awards show, Wednesday, June 17th. Click here to vote.

News From Around The Country
Brooks & Dunn are in new print advertisements for M&M’s candy. Kix Brooks will be a blue M&M, and Ronnie Dunn will be a green one. Leann Rimes’ new book is out. She co-wrote What I Cannot Change as a compliment to one of her songs. Middle Tennessee State University presented Charlie Daniels with the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award, presented to a person who has demonstrated the spirit of America through contributions in government, education, and/or civic and charity work.