Re-Cap of the AMA

Taylor Swift won Artist of the Year at the 2011 American Music Awards last night. This is Taylor’s 10th career AMA and the second time she has won the Artist of the Year trophy. Taylor also won Favorite Country Album for Speak Now and Favorite Female Country Artist. Blake Shelton picked up the Favorite Male Country Artist award at the AMAs. Lady Antebellum won Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group. The Band Perry performed “If I Die Young,” and was nominated for the Sprint New Artist of the Year, but did not win.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have been pretty open when it comes to their relationship, however, the couple has stayed pretty quiet about how Blake popped the question. Miranda did divulge a few details last week on Chelsea Lately, though, revealing that it took place at their ranch and that she was wearing a camo jacket, which she joked, “tells you everything you need to know.” Also during the interview Miranda admitted she was so nervous about the release of her album, Four the Record, that she had fever blisters the week before it came out. Granted, she had nothing to worry about, because it – like her previous three albums – debuted at #1.

Alabama will reunite for more than a dozen concerts in 2012, band members Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry confirmed. The first scheduled date takes place February 28th at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. "Alabama's agreed to do 15-20 shows next year, and possibly if that works out, we will do an overseas tour in 2013," Cook said. The three founding members are also planning to record a new album.

What? No Video?

MIRANDA LAMBERT explains why fans everywhere are asking, “Will there be a music video for Miranda Lambert’s ‘Baggage Claim?’” Miranda says they’re skipping it and explains why, “We didn’t do a video for ‘Baggage Claim,’ umm, because the song is actually, was going so fast. It’s rising so fast, we really didn’t have time, by the time we got the video out the song would’ve been already in the Top 5. So, we just opted to skip it and do a video for the next single.” However, Miranda is coming to a television near you today as she performs “Baggage Claim” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

THE BAND PERRY, Justin Bieber, Cee Lo Green, Jennifer Hudson and more are set to come together in the nation’s capital for TNT’s annual Christmas in Washington special. The show will be hosted by Conan O’Brien and airs on Friday, December 16th at 8PM Eastern on TNT. Christmas in Washington is a holiday tradition benefiting the Children’s National Medical Center. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, which is attended each year by the President and First Lady and other Washington VIPs. The show will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, December 11th.

Miranda On TV Tonight

Last week may have been monumental for Miranda Lambert, who not only celebrated her 28th birthday, but she was also crowned the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. How do you top that? Why make the TV rounds, of course. Miranda will perform “Baggage Claim” on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening. The tune appears on her Four the Record album, which also made history last week when it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Miranda said, “It’s kinda crazy, you know, you, you hope when you get into this business that you can make history, and to actually see it happening is, it’s a dream come true. And, I’m, I’ve worked my butt off and it’s like, ‘Thank you, God. It’s payin’ off.’” Wednesday, Miranda will perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, before heading to Hollywood for ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! that night.

Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift were among the winners at the Billboard Touring Awards in New York City on Thursday night. Kenny was honored for top touring package for his Goin’ Coastal Tour with the Zac Brown Band, Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington, which sold 1.3-million-tickets this year. Jason claimed the Breakthrough category, and Taylor’s Speak Now World Tour earned the award for Concert Marketing and Promotion.

Is It Monday Already?

Tonight on NBC's Dateline, watch for a two-part interview featuring Miranda Lambert. TV host Hoda Kotb sits down with Miranda, her husband Blake Shelton and the members of Miranda’s all-girl trio, Pistol Annies for the episode.

Carrie Underwood has a date with Tony Bennett. And no, Mike does not have to be jealous. Because Carrie can be heard singing “It Had to Be You,” with Tony on his new album, Duets II, as well as on the season two premiere of CBS’ Blue Bloods, she has been invited to join Tony live in concert on September 24th in Los Angeles. The performance will double as Tony’s 85th birthday celebration.

And finally, did you know that Jamaicans love country music? Get this. John Rich has co-produced an album that blends reggae music with country. The album, Reggae’s Gone Country, features reggae artists performing country music classics by artists such as Patsy Cline, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, George Jones and others. Look for the album beginning August 30th.

Country Expands Its Influence On TV

Miranda Lambert is reported to be serving as executive producer of a TV show based largely on her childhood in East Texas. The scripted drama will tell the story of a family whose parents are private investigators and the children assist in solving crimes. Miranda was raised in Lindale, Texas, where her parents, Rick and Beverly Lambert, operated a detective agency. Miranda’s mother will also be an executive producer of the program. It is said to be a production of the ABC Family network.

A new memoir by Ashley Judd will reveal the details of growing up in the Judd house. Excerpts from All That Is Bitter and Sweet are showing up online and are said to include horrific stories about her childhood. "I loved my mother," Ashley writes about Naomi Judd, “But at the same time I dreaded the mayhem and uncertainty that followed her everywhere.” You may also want to catch Ashley’s search into her family history when she is featured on the TV series Who Do You Think You Are? this Friday on NBC. Ashley’s not the only one giving a behind-the-scenes look at the family. A new reality series follows Naomi and Wynonna Judd as they tour for the last time. The Judds premieres this Sunday on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network. The Judds have released a new album, I Will Stand By You: The Essential Collection. It features 12 Judds hits and two new songs.

Also premiering on Friday is the new reality series CMT’s Next Superstar. The first episode showcases move-in day as the 10 contestants take up home in the Music Mansion. For their first task, they’re responsible for turning a smash hit in another genre outside of country into a country song. At the end of the episode, one will be eliminated. Las Cruces’ favorite contestant, Bri Bagwell, is on the show because she heard about the auditions from Miranda Lambert’s mom. Bri said, “Well it was really weird because I’m the biggest Miranda Lambert fan there is and um, her mom called me. She said that they’re having auditions in Texas at their winery. And the next thing I knew I was on the show!”

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.

Tuesday Newsday

March is Women's History Month. And what a way to open things on the first of the month than with a young lady who has been making history her whole career. Taylor Swift has yet another number one smash on her hands as her song “Back To December” sits at the top of the country charts this week. This is the second consecutive number one single released from her multi-platinum album, Speak Now. Taylor will continue her highly-successful Speak Now World Tour in Europe this month, playing Belgium this weekend before traveling to Norway, Germany, Spain, Italy, Paris, and London.

Miranda Lambert was looking forward to traveling to Australia this week to open for Alan Jackson. Now we’ve learned that she has had to cancel those six shows due to illness with a respiratory infection. The tour was to start in Melbourne this Friday and run through the following weekend. Well known Australian artists, Jasmine Rae and McAlister Kemp, will fill those opening slots. Look for more from them. Jasmine will release her latest album, Listen Here, on March 4th. Joe Nichols is featured on the song, “I’ll Try Anything.” The two toured Australia together in 2009. McAlister Kemp is the duo of Drew McAlister and Troy Kemp. Both are from Australia and released their first album, All Kinds of Tough, in January 2010.

And finally, if you’ve ever wanted to direct your own music video, Rascal Flatts could be making your dreams come true. The guys have just released a new Facebook application that will let fans design their own video for the song, “I Won’t Let Go”. By uploading your own photos and videos, you can create your own mash-up that you can share with friends and post to the Rascal Flatts page. The best submission will even have a chance to win a trip to the set of Rascal Flatts’ next music video shoot.

Feel Good Friday

Rascal Flatts and George Strait kick off their 2011 tours today, in Sioux Falls and Austin respectively. With $41.6 million cited in Pollstar, George had the highest-grossing concert tour in 2010. This year, George has teamed up with RedShirtFridays.org to show support for US military servicemen and women. He personally began participating in Red Shirt Friday during the holidays and will continue that tradition tonight, wearing a red shirt for opening night. He's encouraging fans to wear red shirts to all of his Friday shows and says, "I want to see a building full of red shirts if possible."

Billboard has released its list of the hottest TV theme songs, selected from the Hot 100 charts of the last 30 years and ranked according to where each song peaked on the chart between 1980 and 2011. Waylon Jennings put the only country song on the list.

BILLBOARD’S TOP 10 TV THEME SONGS 1980-2011

1) “How Do You Talk To An Angel”, The Heights – The Heights
2) “Miami Vice Theme”, Jan Hammer – Miami Vice
3) “Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)”, Joey Scarbury – Greatest American Hero
4) “The Theme From Hill Street Blues”, Mike Post feat. Larry Carlton – Hill Street Blues
5) “I’ll Be There For You”, The Rembrants – Friends
6) “Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good ‘Ol Boys)”, Waylon Jennings – The Dukes of Hazzard
7) “Moonlighting (Theme)”, Al Jarreau – Moonlighting
8) “Theme From Magnum P.I.”, Mike Post – Magnum P.I.
9) “Theme From Dynasty”, Bill Conti – Dynasty
10) “WKRP In Cincinnati”, Steve Carlisle – WKRP In Cincinnati

News From Around The Country
The first group of performers for the 53rd Grammy Awards has been announced, and the Miranda Lambert will represent country music. This will be her first time performing at the Grammys, which will take place live on CBS from Los Angeles on February 13th. ….. Jerrod Neimann will have his day in his hometown of Liberal, Kansas. Mayor Tim Long has declared tomorrow, January 15th as “Jerrod Niemann Day”. Jerrod graduated from Liberal High School in 1997, attended college in Texas, and eventually moved to Nashville. The proclamation made by the mayor mentions Jerrod’s success with his first single, “Lover, Lover,” and his album Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury. …… Reba McEntire has revealed her new Spring collection of clothes for Dillard's. Check here to see it. ……. And finally, Johnny Cash will be inducted in to the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on January 24th in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Busy Thursday

Kellie Pickler and her husband, Kyle Jacobs, have shared their wedding photo from the beach. The two called-off the large Nashville affair they were planning when they realized that the point of a wedding - the bride and groom and God - were getting lost among the details.

News From Around The Country
Blake Shelton will be co-hosting the ACM Awards alongside Reba McEntire and co-parenting new pups with Miranda Lambert. The 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcasts live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3rd on CBS. The two new puppies were rescued from the side of the road. They've named them Virginia Bluebell and Black Betty. According to Miranda, Black Betty is a spaz and Virginia is sweet and shy. The couple now has a total of seven dogs.….. Alan Jackson’s song “Good Time” is featured in a new ad for GE and its ecomagination technology initiative. In the ad, people of various professions are seen participating in a massive around-the-world line dance which begins as the song is heard on a radio. ….. Gwyneth Paltrow is adding to her resume with a new cookbook, My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness, dedicated to her late father, producer Bruce Paltrow. The book includes 150 recipes and pictures of Gwyneth at home with her family and friends. ….. Shania Twain will be honored by her home country when she’s inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 2011 Juno Awards on March 27th. Shania has won 12 Juno Awards throughout her career in addition to 5 Grammys, 4 ACM Awards, and 2 CMA Awards. …… Sara Evans has released a newnovel, Softly & Tenderly. This is the second of a three-part series, Sweet By and By. The third part promises a lot more drama; Sara has been working on it since September.

And finally, be looking for the new game Country Dance for Wii to be released sometime in the spring. In the game, players use the Wii remote to dance along to more than 25 hit country songs and earn points based on how well you’ve danced. Some of the songs included are:
Carrie Underwood, “Cowboy Casanova”
Brad Paisley, “Water”
Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”
Trace Akins, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”
Tim McGraw, “Just to See You Smile”
Zac Brown Band, “Chicken Fried”
Rascal Flatts, “Life is A Highway”
Blake Shelton, “All About Tonight”
Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire”

What Was Up Over The Weekend?

News From Around The Country
Brad Paisley is known as an entertainer, singer, and humanitarian, and now he’s adding one more title to that list - author. Brad is getting ready to release his first book, The Diary of a Player, which will pay tribute to the guitar gods of country, blues, and rock n’ roll. …. Dierks Bentley raised over $250,000 for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital yesterday at his 5th annual Miles and Music for Kids motorcycle ride and concert in Nashville. Dierks wrapped up his afternoon with a star studded concert featuring Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Jerrod Niemann, Laura Bell Bundy, and more. Highlights included Dierks and Luke collaborating on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin In The Dark” and Miranda, Jerrod and Dierks performing “Bad Angel” from Dierks’ latest album, Up on The Ridge. ….. Miranda Lambert’s Revolution album has been certified Platinum, which means the 2010 ACM Album of the Year has sold over one-million copies. Revolution features Miranda’s two back-to-back number one singles “White Liar,” and “The House That Built Me.” …… Montgomery Gentry will join volunteers to build a playground at Booker T. Washington Academy in Lexington, Kentucky this Wednesday. This is the park that is part of the honors that come with the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award that the duo won in April. The site was chosen by an online fan poll and Eddie Montgomery is happy fans chose his home state. ….. The 16th annual Inspirational Country Music Awards took place last week in Nashville, and Carrie Underwood’s music video for “Temporary Home” received praise for Inspirational Video of the Year. Craig Morgan was also honored by the ICM’s as Mainstream Country Artist of the Year, and Mainstream Inspirational Song for “This Ain’t Nothin.”

And finally, Taylor Swift graces the October 24th issue of Parade Magazine, and inside she reveals how she stalked a fan in Nashville. Taylor was driving near her local mall one day when she spotted an 11-year-old girl wearing her Fearless tour T-shirt. She made a quick u-turn, followed her to a video-game store, and walked up and said, “Oh, hi. I wanted to meet you.” Apparently the fan didn’t know what to say for three minutes. Taylor said, “Then her mom walked over, burst into tears, and proceeded to tell me that they’d driven all the way from Austin, Texas, just to see where I was discovered.”

Fresh From The Horse's Mouth

You may recall, (or can scroll down to see) that on Wednesday reported rumors were flying around the internet that Bucky Covington was engaged. This news has now been confirmed, as Midday personality, Sheila, had the chance to talk to Bucky prior to his show at the New Mexico State Fair, Expo NM, in Albuquerque. Congratulations are in order for Bucky and his fiance, Katherine Cook.

Thursday night crowds were light at the self-proclaimed “Biggest Show in New Mexico.” No radio presence was apparent in the local market; but The Country Station had a representative in attendance to share the story of the evening with the Southern New Mexico radio audience! Bucky Covington rocked the house! The only time the show slowed was for his charted #1 hit, “I’ll Walk,” and a new song, “Hold A Woman,” that will be on the upcoming album, and that Bucky proclaims as his “sexy song.” He’s not too far off. Standing above the stage’s cooling fan to let his long, wavy locks blow in the breeze proved to be too much to handle for one young lady who jumped on stage to be the woman he held. She was quickly escorted off. After the catch-your-breath moments, the show picked back up to rock-star speed and never slowed down, despite the lessening crowd. Throughout the show, several new songs were featured along with format favorites, “A Different World,” “It’s Good To Be Us,” and the most recent chart-climber, “A Father’s Love.” The closure of Lyric Street records earlier in the year has forced Bucky to be looking at new labels, but deals are reportedly close, which could see the release of the highly-anticipated second album, I’m Alright, in coming months. Bucky and the band played several of the new songs for the State Fair audience. It’s debatable, but live performances are not always a fair platform to judge reactions to unfamiliar songs. Judging by Bucky’s energetic vocals and the upbeat melodies that the band was rockin’, new songs such as “Lamppost,” “Giants,” “Mexicoma” and “Mama Must Be Prayin’” are sure to delight with a studio recording. Your humble scribe has already had the chance to preview several new studio recordings, and one song in particular, “Evil Knievel,” lives up to the standard heard recently in other ‘country-folk-rockin’-a-good-time-in-a-small-town’ hits from artists like Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, and Josh Thompson. It’s just a matter of time until the new project is released from the high-energy country boy that the droves of country fans residing in Albuquerque should be disappointed that they didn’t bother to come see.

News From Around The Country
Taylor Swift’s former high school, Henderson High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, will name its auditorium in her honor. Taylor studied at the school during her freshman and sophomore years. She donated 75-thousand dollars to the school in 2009 to update the sound and lighting systems in the auditorium. School board chairman Don Long said Taylor did not request changing the auditorium's name. In other Taylor news, she will be part of Scholastic’s Global Literacy Campaign with a live webcast on October 27th. Designed exclusively for schools, Taylor will take questions from students in an online-chat format. ….. And finally, the RIAA has issued Digital Triple-Platinum (download) status to Carrie Underwood for her hit, “Before He Cheats.” Carrie also received a Gold award for “Undo It” which has sold more than 500-thousand downloads. Joe Nichols and Miranda Lambert also received Gold download recognition for “Gimmie That Girl” and “The House That Built Me,” respectively.

Thursday Briefing

News From Around The Country
Hitting the ground with a respectable 62,000 copies out-the-door, Jamey Johnson’s latest album, The Guitar Song, has debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Albums chart. ….. Shania Twain has signed an agreement with Atria Books to publish an authorized autobiography to detail her well-publicized challenges and upbringing in Ontario, Canada, the tragic death of her mother and stepfather, her rise to fame, and the recent struggles in her personal life. …. Taylor Swift has been spotted on set of the upcoming film, Todd vs. High School. The film tells the story of a genius student who is kicked-out of several schools before returning to high school to get his diploma. This is Taylor’s second movie role; no release date yet. …. And finally, Miranda Lambert recently made a surprise appearance at her alma mater, Lindale High School in Texas. She was there to hand out framed “Thank You’s” to several Lindale ISD campuses in response to student’s efforts to raise money to support recovery efforts in Nashville after the flood in May.

Don't Mess With Pretty Girls

Miranda Lambert was not happy with a couple of guys in the audience at her show this weekend after she had to stop her set to break up their fight. She said, “Y’all gonna get in a fight? Cuz we gotta stop because these guys are getting on my nerves.” Later she informed her Twitter followers about the situation saying, “Tonight some idiots got in a fight on the front row at my show. I had to stop and call them out. Funny part…it was during ‘Only Prettier.’” Miranda has stopped her set before after a crowd became rowdy. It’s safe to say that it’s best not to get out of line at her concerts.

Zac Brown Band is featured on this month’s cover of American Songwriter magazine, and inside is a six-page spread discussing the bands road to stardom and insight on their music. Zac Brown is known for his southern hospitality and wouldn’t label the band’s music in just one genre. He says, “The songs that I write are Southern, but I wouldn’t necessarily call them country. We’re Southern. My roots are Southern.” Fiddler De Martini agrees saying, “As far our approach, musically and professionally, we’re a long way away from how Nashville does it.”

It's Country Music "Today"

Five country artists will serve as co-hosts with Hoda Kotb during the fourth hour of the Today show this week. This morning, it’s Blake Shelton in for Kathy Lee Gifford (who offered her Spanx and dressing room to Blake as a “thank you” for taking her place). Martina McBride will co-host tomorrow, John Rich takes the seat Wednesday, followed by Trisha Yearwood on Thursday, and Josh Turner on Friday.

Country music fans can now find all of their favorite artists at their fingertips with the launch of CMT’s new iPhone app, CMT Insider. The app kicks off today with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swift’s new video, “Mine.” Throughout the week, the app will update with the latest news, photos and information about Friday’s global world premiere video.

Miranda Lambert will release her first performance DVD, Revolution: Live By Candlelight on October 12th. The six-song DVD features rare, acoustic performances of five songs, including her back-to-back #1 singles, “White Liar,” and “The House That Built Me.” As an added bonus, the DVD also features one of her favorite songs, “Love Is Looking For You,” from her Kerosene album. The upcoming DVD will also include exclusive, never-before-seen footage of the stories behind the songs. The DVD was filmed in an intimate setting – a dimly lit stage surrounded with candles – which actually set off the fire alarm while recording!

Each Day Brings New News

Keep your eyes open for new videos debuting on CMT today. The 8-minute long version of Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” will be seen, as well as Miranda Lambert’s new video for “Only Prettier.” Miranda’s video features guest appearances by Kelly Pickler, Hillary Scott, and Laura Bell Bundy who just so happened to come up with the idea for the video. The theme of the video mimics the film Grease, which Miranda watched quite often as a child.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has acquired a portrait of Taylor Swift which is made from pink and white Good N’ Plenty candies. The picture will be on display in the Spring of 2011, at Ripley’s Hollywood Odditorium. Taylor’s portrait is accompanied by other famous faces including portraits of President Obama and Michael Jackson made from gumballs, Eminem and Elvis made from M&M’s, Beyonce and Marilyn Monroe made from licorice and gummy bears, and Lady Gaga created from 60-thousand Airsoft BB gun bullets.

And finally, following his 1700-mile trek across the country, Jimmy Wayne arrived at the Nashville airport on Wednesday. He expected to only see his drummer there to pick him up. Instead, Jimmy was greeted by over 60 people, half of which were foster kids. Jimmy said, “When I turned the corner and saw everybody … I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ I didn’t expect this. I’ve been gone seven months walking, and to come home to this is the best feeling.” The group cheered him on and held up homemade signs near the baggage claim area. Jimmy was in a wheelchair due to his broken foot.

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.

Wedding Bells Will Be Ringing

More wedding gossip from the lovely ladies of country. Carrie Underwood was spotted at the Palazzo hotel and casino in Las Vegas Friday night dancing the night away with several girl friends. Many think this was Carrie’s bachelorette party considering fiancé Mike Fisher had his bachelor party in Miami last weekend. No official wedding date has been announced; however, there are rumors that claim Carrie and Mike will tie-the-knot at the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia – halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, on July 10th. Sources claim she has rented out the entire hotel for friends and family. Rooms are currently unavailable at the hotel that weekend, though it may just be a coincidence. ….. And how about that ring that Kellie Pickler received? It’s a round brilliant center diamond in a pave setting; it’s a similar shape to Carrie’s ring. Kellie has said that she doesn’t care what it looks like; it could be from a Cracker Jack box and she’d still be happy to be engaged to Kyle. …… Meanwhile, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert held their engagement party on June 23rd. Guest Martina McBride tweeted, “Good Lord! This Blake and Miranda engagement party is out in the freaking boonies!” She later states the party was great and worth the trip. She even sang karaoke including “Does He Love You,” with Miranda, and “I Love Rock and Roll,” with Blake.

And speaking of Miranda Lambert, she recently honored two of her favorite Texas teachers for the "Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher" campaign. Miranda chose teachers who she felt helped her the most as a youngster, by helping her get over stage fright and helping insure that she graduated. High school teachers Janice Caldwell and April Coker were flown to Nashville last week for a photo shoot. Then Miranda made sure the ladies got tickets to the sold-out Nashville Rising concert and a personal invitation to her engagement party. "I was so excited," said Mrs. Caldwell about when she found out she was being honored. Meeting Reba McEntire was one of the highlights for Mrs. Caldwell, "When you are standing there and Reba McEntire hugs your neck, I said, 'Oh my goodness'". "But, this is the neat thing. I am putting it all on Facebook and so many of my former students said, 'Reba McEntire should have been excited to have been hugged by Mrs. Caldwell.'"

Free Concert in Cruces

Happy Feel Good Friday. Just a bit more than a week until the annual free 4th of July concert. The Country Station is very happy to welcome Clay Walker. Tune in regularly for more.

Last night, Rascal Flatts kicked off their Nothing Like This tour in Raleigh, North Carolina. The trio has been touring for ten years and plan to take fans down memory lane as they play as many songs from the past decade as they can during the show. Jay DeMarcus jokes it could take them a while to get through all their songs, “It’s gonna be four hours and forty minutes probably and Gary’s not going to be able to breathe by the time we get to the last song. But we’re really looking forward to it because it’s going to be a lot of music and very little talking. We’re going to try to get to as many of their favorites as we possibly can.” Kellie Pickler and Chris Young are opening for Rascal Flatts during the tour.

Brad Paisley has been touring overseas, and he made a few stops at some media outlets while performing in London. On Tuesday he was a special guest on BBC Breakfast on BBC One TV, the UK’s highest rated morning show. He and the hosts chatted about why he wears a hat, how he met his wife and why he loves country music. Meanwhile, back at home, one online bidder is going to get an authentic water-logged ticket to Brad Paisley’s H20 Tour on September 26th. A resident of Billings, Montana has decided to clean up the aftermath of a tornado that occurred there on Sunday by auctioning off his tornado debris on eBay. One of the items is a slightly rain-and-hail damaged Brad Paisley ticket. The auction price stands at 65 cents, so far.

Miranda Lambert has released "Only Prettier" as the next single from her album, Revolution. You’ll hear it on The Country Station. She recently filmed the video in Joelton, Tenn., with guests Kellie Pickler, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum and Laura Bell Bundy. The video features the artists dressed up as rival "socials" and "greasers" at a high school sock hop. "To me, 'Only Prettier' is an anthem," said Miranda. "It's my own anthem, and I want girls to have their fists in the air singing 'Only Prettier.' It's antagonistic, in a fun way, and I loved the attitude behind it. It kind of fools you, because it's got this really country, laid-back intro, but then it's balls to the wall the rest of the way."

And finally, Loretta Lynn's memoir, Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter, will be reissued in trade paperback on Sept. 21 by Vintage Books. The book has been out of print for nearly a decade. The publication coincides with the 50th anniversary of Lynn's first single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl," and the 30th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning film, Coal Miner's Daughter. Loretta will contribute a new foreword to the memoir, which will be released simultaneously as an e-book and as an audio book narrated by Sissy Spacek.

The Haircut Heard Around The World

“You’re 77 now, son. It’s about time to cut your hair ….” How many guys have heard that before? It’s been a long time for Willie Nelson. But recently Willie chose to change his style and cut his trademark braids. A spokesperson said that he didn’t make a big deal out of it and that it was time for a change because long hair required “a lot of maintenance.” If we ever hear that Crystal Gayle followed suit, country music traditionalists may just have to turn in their membership cards.

On Tuesday, former oil platform worker, Trace Adkins, and Diamond Rio participated in a memorial for the 11 lost crew members of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. In a video message to the families, Trace voiced his compassion for their tragic losses, saying “Nobody…expects it to end like this. People all over the world share your grief and your despair.” Diamond Rio sang “I Believe,” “One More Day,” and “In God We still Trust.” The group then met with each family after the completion of the memorial service.

Big Kenny, half of the duo Big and Rich, has partnered with Rock Band Relief to help benefit the America Red Cross. His songs “Happy People” and “One More Time” will be released to the Rock Band Network store, where a portion of the proceeds from all downloads are donated to the American Red Cross to assist victims of the recent flooding in Nashville, Tennessee.

Miranda Lambert’s 3rd Annual Cause for Paws was held last weekend in Tyler, Texas. The event is part of Miranda’s MuttNation Foundation. $91-thousand was raised through ticket sales, sponsorships, and auction items. Miranda performed with her band and attendees were surprised with a guest appearance by Blake Shelton, who performed his song “Hillbilly Bone.”

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.