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.

It's George and Reba Day in NM

Today is “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” in the State of New Mexico. Along with Lee Ann Womack, they perform tonight at the Pan Am Center. Here is the complete text of the proclamation made by Governor Susana Martinez.

In appreciation of their frequent and record-breaking appearances throughout the State of New Mexico, as well as all of their combined personal achievements in the music industry, Governor Susana Martinez has proclaimed March 25, 2011 to be George Strait and Reba McEntire Day in the State of New Mexico.

PROCLAMATION

Whereas: George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history with his first performance at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center in 1985; and,

Whereas: George Strait has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has sold the most RIAA platinum certificates in country music and the third in all music genres; and,

Whereas: George Strait has received more than 60 major entertainment industry awards and countless nominations, has been a nominee for the CMA Entertainer of the Year 17 times and a nominee for the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year 24 times, He was named the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade in 2010, nominated for 2011 ACM Entertainer of the Year for the 12th time, bringing his all-time record to 81 ACM nominations; and,

Whereas: He has performed over 20 times in the State Of New Mexico, 13 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone; and,

Whereas: Reba McEntire is one of the most successful female recording artists in history having sold over 55 million albums worldwide, earned 33 #1 singles, the winner
of 15 American Music Awards, 12 Academy of Country Awards, 9 People Choice Awards, 7 Country Music Awards and 2 Grammy Awards; and,

Whereas: She will be honored at the ACM’s Superstar Women of Country in April of 2011; and,

Whereas: She has performed since 1983 multiple times in the State of New Mexico, 6 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone; and,

Whereas: George Strait and Reba McEntire have supported with their appearances the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS) scholarship program thereby enabling college students within the State of New Mexico the opportunity to pursue degrees in higher education.


Now, therefore I, Susana Martinez, Governor of The State of New Mexico, recognize George Strait and Reba McEntire for their incredible success and support of the music industry and their history of performing for thousands of New Mexicans throughout the years, and do hereby proclaim the 25th day of March, 2011 as “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” throughout the State of New Mexico!

Friday Is George/Reba Day in NM

This just in ....

Governor Susana Martinez has declared Friday, March 25, 2011, "George Strait and Reba McEntire Day" in New Mexico. The Governor signed a proclamation to make the formal acknowledgement.

Among the career achievements, citations on the proclamation include:

- George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history with his first performance at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center in 1985.

- George has performed over 20 times in the State Of New Mexico, 13 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone.

- Reba has performed since 1983 multiple times in the State of New Mexico, 6 times at New Mexico State University’s Pan American Center alone.

- George Strait and Reba McEntire have supported with their appearances the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS) scholarship program thereby enabling college students within the State of New Mexico the opportunity to pursue degrees in higher education.

Now, therefore I, Susana Martinez, Governor of The State of New Mexico, recognize George Strait and Reba McEntire for their incredible success and support of the music industry and their history of performing for thousands of New Mexicans throughout the years, and do hereby proclaim the 25th day of March, 2011 as “George Strait and Reba McEntire Day” throughout the State of New Mexico!

Hall of Fame Inductees

The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees for 2011 were announced yesterday. In the Veterans Era Artist category, Jean Shepard was selected. In the non-performer / Songwriter category, Bobby Braddock gets the honors. And in the Modern Era Artist Category, Reba McEntire made the cut. Reba was unable to attend the press conference announcement held at the Country Music Hall of Fame. She’s in Oklahoma with her father who is in a coma after suffering a stroke. However, she was able to tell him the news two days before he went into a coma. Kix Brooks was on hand to announce Reba as one of the newest inductees and had a message from Reba. “She did send a uh…a note that she asked me to read today,” Kix said, “It says, ‘I’m so appreciative of being selected as one of the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Thank you so much. This is a wonderful honor during a very emotional time in my life. I really need to be with my mama and daddy right now. And I know that’s where I should be.’” The honorees will be celebrated later this year and recognized during the CMA Awards.

News From Around The Country
The annual gathering of country music artists, promoters, and radio programmers opens today in Nashville. Stay tuned for more information as it historically emerges from CRS – Country Radio Seminar. ….. Set your DVR’s, Rascal Flatts' ABC-TV special, Rascal Flatts: Nothing Like This Presented by JCPenney, airs on Saturday, March 12th.

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.

News From Around The Country

Jimmy Wayne will perform tonight on the CBS special Home For The Holidays, a holiday special featuring celebrity testimonials on adoption. This year, Jimmy completed an inspiring walk from Nashville to Phoenix to bring awareness to homeless teens, but now that he is back home for the holidays, he said, “Whenever I get a chance to get off of the road and go home, I go home. It’s a lot of work to get in a car and go somewhere. It’s like I travel constantly, that’s all I do. So when I’m at home, I stay home.” The holiday special will also feature performances by Melissa Etheridge, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin and rapper Nelly, and airs tonight on CBS.

Here’s something different to do for next year’s roster of birthdays in your circle. Have Reba McEntire wish them a happy birthday! Reba is teaming up with the website, StarGreetz, to give fans the chance to send out personalized greetings. The recipients will get a customized video message with pre-programmed names and words. The messages cost $2.99 each.

Carrie Underwood’s upcoming movie, Soul Surfer, won’t be in theaters until April 15th. But, some church leaders around the country will have a chance to see the movie first, for free. The film tells the story of Bethany Hamilton, a teen surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. Carrie plays a youth counselor in the movie. Movie promoters hope the pre-screenings will send some good word-of-mouth publicity their way before the movie hits the big screen.

Free DVDs for the First 10,000

Kenny Chesney will be giving away 10,000 DVD copies of his documentary, Boys of Fall, to high schools and high school football coaches across the country. Kenny hopes the gift will inspire young athletes both on and off the field and teach positive lessons about hard work, humility and trust that can be carried over into everyday life. Kenny traveled the country to interview football players and coaches for the documentary, which first aired on ESPN. Click here to find out how to get a copy.

Reba McEntire may not have taken home a CMA Award last week, but it was definitely a night she'll never forget. You see, Reba has a connection to Blake Shelton and seeing him take home the Male Vocalist of the Year award had her in tears. Reba has been a friend of Blake’s for many years. He’s a fellow Okie, and she’s watched his career blossom. Seeing him win the Male Vocalist of the Year Award, Reba felt like a proud mama. Beyond that, Blake’s management, i.e. Reba's husband, Narvel Blackstock, and stepson, Brandon Blackstock, were also proud. Brandon has been Blake's managers for almost five years. Reba will perform on the CMA Country Christmas special airing November 29th on ABC.

"Pure Country 2: The Gift" Trailer

Lady Antebellum received five nominations to tie with Eminem as the top nominees for the 2010 American Music Awards. In addition to their country nominations, Lady Antebellum is alongside Black Eyed Peas and Train in the all-genre category for favorite band, duo or group. They also share a favorite artist nomination in the adult contemporary category with Michael Buble and Train. They're also among a field of eight for breakthrough artist of the year. In the country division, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley are nominated for favorite male artist. Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are up for favorite female artist. Favorite band, duo or group nominations went to the Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. The favorite album nominees are Jason's Wide Open, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now and Carrie's Play On. No country acts were nominated for overall artist of the year. ABC will broadcast the fan-voted awards show live on November 21st.

Reba McEntire is giving fans a special treat when her 34th studio album All The Women I Am is released. The album will be available as a Limited Deluxe Edition with an interview and video performances of “Consider Me Gone,” “Strange,” “I Want a Cowboy,” and “Eight Crazy Hours (In The Story of Love).” The bonus DVD will also include Reba’s much buzzed-about performance of "If I Were A Boy" on CMT Unplugged. In addition, the Limited Deluxe Edition will include a dance remix of “I Want A Cowboy” and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the "Turn On The Radio" video as well as the "Turn On The Radio" music video itself. All The Women I Am will be available on Novembern 9th.

Yeeee-Haw! It's Friday!

There’s a new little rascal in town since Rascal Flatts member Joe Don Rooney and his wife, Tiffany Fallon, welcomed a baby girl, Raquel Blue, on Tuesday. Raquel Blue is the couple’s second child and will join two-year-old brother Jagger. Joe Don says, “Raquel Blue is so beautiful and we feel so grateful to have this sweet little angel round out our family. Jagger is already an excited big brother; yesterday he gave her kisses and tried to feed her cookies! We feel blessed and are ready for the sleepless nights ahead.” Joe Don and Tiffany were married on April 23rd, 2006; Jagger Donovan Rooney was born May 31st, 2008.

The DVD’s have been out for years; many people own the complete series and don’t have a “need” to watch it, but like Lucy, Duke boys on TV is always a good thing for the principal of the matter. That’s right, The Dukes of Hazzard is back on TV starting this weekend on CMT! John Schneider started playing “Bo Duke” 32 years ago, and he says there’s a reason he wore such tight pants on the show while sliding over the hood of the General Lee, “It’s less friction that way.” John continues, “Don’t slide over your car. Don’t slide over your parents car cuz if you’ve got jeans with rivets, it’s a bad idea.” The Dukes Ride Again, marathon weekend of The Dukes of Hazzard, starts tonight on CMT. It’s just like old times – The Dukes on Friday night!

Also on CMT, Katie Cook’s show, CMT Insider, will celebrate its 300th episode this weekend. The all-new episode will feature bloopers and outtakes from its 2004 launch until now. This fall, the weekly entertainment show will share exclusive interviews from country music’s biggest stars including Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and many more.

The album art has been released for Reba McEntire’s upcoming album, All The Women I Am. This is the 34th studio album from Reba, and it will feature her cover of Beyonce’s hit, “If I Were A Boy” which was first performed on CMT’s Unplugged. All The Women I Am is schedule for release on November 9th.

Monday Milestones

If you “like” Reba McEntire on Facebook, then you, friend, are one in a million! Reba has reached over one million “likers” on Facebook, thereby taking her place among only ten country artists who have achieved that milestone on the social networking site. The others are Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and the Zac Brown Band. Reba receives approximately 11-thousand new Facebook “likes” a day. You should join the crowd if you’d like to keep up on the latest happenings, such as the naming of her next album. All the Women I Am will be released November 9th. And while you’re at it, “like” The Country Station, too.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman have purchased a luxurious new penthouse in New York. The Manhattan suite is located in the west end area in a new building called the Sky Garage. The units were originally marked for 12.5-million dollars, but the couple received a “bargain” and bought the place for 10-million instead. The building features an elevator garage which allows Keith or Nicole to drive their car to their floor, and walk into their suite – quite a convenience when trying to avoid the paparazzi. The 32-thousand square-foot penthouse also overlooks the Hudson River.

And finally, Darius Rucker was in South Carolina recently to reunite with his old band mates from Hootie & The Blowfish for the group’s annual Homegrown Roundup. The event raised money for educational spending for low-income families in the state and collected school supplies which were distributed to schools in Charleston County, South Carolina.

Birthdays, Scoop, and Storms

James Otto is celebrating his 37th birthday today, and has much more to celebrate as his new album is getting ready to hit stores on September 14th. “Groovy Little Summer Song,” will be featured on the album, and the song also describes what you can expect from his new music. “With the soulful kind of thing that I do, the word ‘groovy’ kind of fit perfectly,” James said. “It’s one of those things that when I describe my music, I talk about groove … it makes you want to dance, and when something is danceable, it usually has a groove. And ‘groovy’ goes right along with that.” James wrote eleven out of the twelve songs on the album Shake What God Gave Ya.

Mike Fisher revealed exclusive wedding details to his hometown newspaper in Ottawa. Before the wedding to Carrie Underwood, Mike hosted a golf tournament with his close friends and family, but he didn’t complete the course. “I didn’t play 18 holes because I knew I’d be too tired. It was a long day. I needed to go relax a bit,” Mike said. When the wedding ceremony began, Mike confessed he didn’t have pre-wedding jitters, “I wasn’t really nervous, to be honest. I was excited to be married. I think more people were definitely watching her.” As far as their honeymoon, the couple relaxed in Bora Bora for eight days, followed by three days spent in Napa Valley. After his hockey career is over, the couple plans to settle in Nashville. Until then, the two will enjoy being happily married. Mike said, “I’m with my best friend and I love her to death. There’s nothing better, for sure.”

Reba McEntire and her team braved some intense weather while shooting the music video for her new single, “Turn on the Radio.” The heat index in Nashville reportedly reached 108 degrees while Reba and her crew struggled to keep from overheating. That evening, an electrical storm blew in with lightning so intense the shoot’s generator was shut off. Reba and her crew were rushed down into the basement of the warehouse while a tornado touched down only a few miles from the shoot location. Reba said, “This is only the second time one of my video shoots as been shut down because of a storm. The last time something like this happened was on the set of the “Does He Love You” video in Long Island. I hope that’s a good omen because “Does He Love You” ended up being a Grammy winning-song and a great music video!” “Turn on the Radio” is the lead single from Reba’s upcoming album which will be in stores on November 9th.

Tuesday Newsday

Weren’t we just talking about a rash of babies expected by the stars? There’s word of another one as Josh Turner and his wife, Jennifer, have announced the impending arrival of their third child. The new baby will join big brothers, Hampton who is three, and one-year-old Colby. Josh is actually responsible for the couple finding out that they were pregnant again. Josh says that Jennifer had been acting “a little different” so he encouraged her to take a pregnancy test. The test came back negative, but he refused to believe it. So Jennifer took another test that proved his theory right! Perhaps they’ll have another boy, which may set some sort of new precedent for having three boys in the family, as opposed to the set of three girls that so many artists are raising. Makes you wonder if Brad and Kimberly Paisley are paying attention to all these babies, and if they’d try for a third son. Mark Chesnutt is the first other artist to come to mind who has three sons versus daughters.

News From Around The Country
Cheyenne Kimball of Gloriana turns 20 today. She’s the youngest member of the group. ….. Jaron and The Long Road To Love is scheduled to perform his hit “Pray For You” tonight on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. ….. Reba McEntire is featured on the September cover of the Cowboys & Indians Magazine. …. And finally, Martina McBride has been speaking recently about her friendship with Kid Rock, as well as her view on cross-genre music. Martina helped Kid Rock kick-off the CMT Music Awards this year as they performed “Cowboy” with a handful of other country artists. And she’s featured on the track “Care” along with rapper T.I. on Kid Rock’s upcoming album, Born Free. Martina commented, “Everybody says to me, ‘well that’s a weird pairing, you and Kid Rock.’ But it doesn’t feel weird when we’re together and we’re performing. It’s just exciting to me that he has singled me out to be part of his project. I think that’s really cool. And it’s an honor.”

Reba Christens Ship

Reba McEntire, a godmother? Yes. She's the godmother to a cruise ship, the NCL Epic, christened today in New York Harbor. The Epic is the newest ship in the Norweigen cruise line's fleet. The 4100-passenger vessel weighs in at 153,ooo gross tons. The largest in the NCL fleet, Epic is hardly skimpy; but it's still not as large as the floating behemoth of passengers that Royal Caribbean cruise line sails at 225,000 gross tons, Oasis of the Seas. Nonetheless, Reba's ship, for ceremonial purposes, does tout some of industry innovations of its own: Vegas-style entertainment from the Blue Man Group, Legends In Concert impersonators, and the first ice-bar at sea. Inspired by the ice bars in Scandinavia, this innovative attraction will feature the bar, walls, tables, stools, glasses, and sculptures all made of ice. The room will be kept at 17 degrees. Brrrr... even when you want to escape the heat of Caribbean cruising. As godmother, Reba will no doubt be sailing this vessel as often as she can, as she is an admitted fan of NCL and has sailed its ships many times, most recently taking her family to the Mediterranean. Next up, she is supposed to be sailing to Alaska - on a smaller ship - as the Epic is entirely too large to navigate the Alaskan waterways. But now that it's been christened, it will be sailing out of Florida on its regular route to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. It should be fun if you ever get a chance to sail on Reba's ship.

Feel Good Friday

Reba McEntire recently cut the ribbon to a new Reba’s Ranch House at Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas. The facility provides housing for families of patients battling cancer. Reba opened her first Ranch House in 1992 and has housed over 24-thousand people since then. Reba is proud of the new house and says, "I just pray with all my heart that the folks that are going to be walking through these halls, going through these front doors receive exactly what has been represented in the past 20 years at the original Reba's Ranch House."

Taylor Swift has a new bus. It was a coach formerly owned by Cher, and it came with a very black and gothic interior. Taylor had it redecorated in chocolate brown and peacock blue to lighten it up. There’s a brown velvet couch, blonde laminate paneling, and champagne marble bathroom. Over the door to her bedroom hangs a modest, yet glittery sign that reads, "Never, Never, Never Give Up."

And finally, country music is abuzz about next week’s CMA Music Festival. The whole week is about music, parties, and fan interaction, and it will take place as scheduled despite last month’s devastating flooding in Nashville. For those who cannot be there, ABC will be filming it again. The Country Music Association has announced that Country's Night to Rock will air Sept. 1 on ABC. The show will emphasize performances from the evening concert series taking place June 10-13 at LP Field. In addition, this year's CMA Awards will take place on Nov. 10 from the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Final nominees will be announced in early September.

Monday's Musings

With only 3 weeks to go until Brooks & Dunn hit Las Cruces with The Last Rodeo Tour, it’s about time The Country Station gave away some more tickets – especially since the show is sold out. So this week, we want to hear about how your “Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothin’” – except to see Brooks & Dunn. Write us a short letter about why your Mom deserves to get dressed up and go to the concert. All the details are on the contest page on the main website. Daily runners-up will receive a pair of tickets to the show; the best story will be chosen on Friday to win front row ticket’s and a Mother’s Day package with dinner and flowers. Good luck.

News From Around The Country
So where’s Jimmy Wayne these days? If it seems as though it’s been a while since we’ve heard from him, it has. Jimmy too six days off from his Meet Me Halfway walk, and he jokes, “Taking six days off just reminds me that I'm not supposed to be doing this. I'm not supposed to be putting myself through this." Last Saturday, Jimmy picked up the walk where he left off in Clovis, NM. He completed 14.5 miles during his first day back on the road, and hopes to continue raising awareness for at-risk teens aging out of foster care systems. ….. If you want to see Martina McBride’s Badonkadonk prank on Trace Adkins during the last show of the Shine All Night Tour, check out this video. ….. Be watching for a future episode of CMT’s 330 Sessions featuring Reba McEntire covering Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy.” ….. And finally, here are a few things that you may not have known about Brad Paisley. The list was release by Gibson Guitars, who recently unveiled Brad Paisley’s own signature guitar.

· Paisley’s grandfather gave him his first guitar and lessons at age 8. It was a Sears Danelectro Silvertone.
· Paisley’s first major gig was opening for The Judds.
· Paisley majored in music business in college.
· Paisley met wife Kimberly after writing a song about one of her films.
· Paisley watches football with William Shatner.
· Mark Twain is a personal hero.
· Paisley wrote a tribute song to Les Paul on his mostly instrumental album Play.
· Paisley is creating a TV show based on Nashville.

Dancing With Reba

Set your DVRs! There are several places where you can catch country artists on TV this week. Friday, Kenny Chesney will be on Oprah’s show to talk about his latest music and his new movie. …… Thursday night, Trace Adkins will stop by The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson. …. Today, Trisha Yearwood will be sitting in with the ladies on The View to promote her new cookbook, Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood. ….. Reba McEntire will be singing two guest numbers tonight on Dancing With The Stars. While she’s there, she should get a chance to have a nice visit with country fan and pro dancer Tony Dovolani. Tony danced with Sara Evans in Season 3, and the two still stay in touch. During their time to dance together, Sara introduced Tony to Tim McGraw. Tony says, “He was creating a new song that he was showing Sara, and I got to see his creative process, which was really, cool. Just to see him be creative and do different things, for me, it was like, wow! I got to see the master at work!” Tony hopes to incorporate a Tim McGraw tune into a future dance with this season’s partner Kate Gosselin. That is, unless they are eliminated on tonight’s episode.

Voting began yesterday for the 2010 CMT Music Awards, country music’s only fan-voted award show. Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland lead the pack in first round nominations with four each, followed by Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band, who tallied three each. The first round of voting runs from today through Monday, May 3rd, only at CMT.com. On Tuesday, May 11, CMT will announce the four finalists in each of the categories, except Video of the Year. Fans can then vote through June 8th to determine the winners. The final nominees for Video of the Year are announced at the beginning of the live show and fans vote throughout the live broadcast.

Backside of Easter

Greetings and Salutations from the backside of Easter. The Country Station hopes that everyone had a healthy holiday and enjoyed the wonderful weekend weather we were afforded in the valley. This is a big week on the air. Are you ready? 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Brooks & Dunn tickets go on sale on Saturday! Keep listening all week for 3 Brooks & Dunn songs in a row! When you hear the triple-play, we’ll be looking for the lucky 7th caller to win 5th row, 4th row, 3rd row, 2nd row, and front row tickets before you can buy them! Good Luck. The show is May 23rd at the Pan Am Center.

So how are things going with the Auburn University guys who are trying to get a hug from Taylor Swift? Challenge number 2 is on! Taylor posted a video saying, "So I think it would be fun to possibly try some other challenges ... Since my lucky number is 13, and it's always a good thing when I see the No. 13, maybe it would be cool to incorporate the most creative [use] of 13, like bake 13 cookies for someone who doesn't expect it or plant 13 tulips in someones yard. But I know that you will probably think of something amazing, so I will give this one to you ... I love you guys, thank you so much!" The students have accepted the challenge. Stay tuned.

And finally, on TV this week ….. Reba McEntire will be performing two songs on tomorrow night’s results episode of Dancing With The Stars. Wouldn’t it be fun if this were an exploratory trip and Reba was scoping out the production so that she could maybe, just maybe join the cast in a future season? Or maybe that’s just too many Peeps talking. Performance slots have never gotten Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts or any of the other big-name guest performers on the show. But one can still hope for a big name.

Tuesday Newsday

You can meet Jimmy halfway in Amarillo. On Saturday, a rally for Jimmy Wayne will be held in Amarillo to celebrate the halfway point of his Meet Me Halfway Walk from Nashville to Phoenix. How’s he doing so far? Jimmy says, “I’ve felt my knees and my back get soar out here on the road, but the key for me has been stretching, wearing the right shoes, and drinking a lot of water.”

Clay Walker received the Robert M. Barg Memorial Achievement Award at the Fearless Caregiver Conference in Nashville. Clay was there to give a speech on his standpoint of a caregiver, but afterwards, he was surprised to be honored with the plaque. This is only the fourth time an individual has received this honor.

The American Red Cross has announced eight new members to its 2010 National Celebrity Cabinet- a group of celebrity supporters who promote Red Cross. Wynonna Judd and Reba McEntire will represent country music alongside Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley, on-air personality Giselle Blondet, Transformers Josh Duhmel. LL Cool J, Alyssa Milano, and David Spade.

Darryl Worley is heading back overseas for the eighth time to perform for U.S. Troops as part of the Stars for Stripes Tour. Darryl has dubbed his part the We've Not Forgotten Tour, and he’ll be doing full band shows as well as special acoustic sets for troops on outlying bases in Iraq.

Monday Music News

In today’s digital world, it’s interesting to see that country music fans continue to shell out greenbacks for physical CD product. Check out some of these numbers. Gary Allan’s ninth studio album, Get Off On The Pain, moved 65,000 units during its first sales week. Reba McEntire’s current album, Keep On Loving You, has been certified Gold for cumulative sales 500,000 copies. (Reba sets her own standard. With this certification, every studio album since 1984’s My Kind Of Country has been certified GOLD or better.) The rest of the recent RIAA certifications include:

Alan Jackson - Good time - Platinum (his 15th)
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now - 2X Platinum
Taylor Swift - Fearless - 6X Platinum
Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride - 3X Platinum
Carrie Underwood - Play On - Platinum
Miranda Lambert - Revolution - Gold
Tim McGraw - Southern Voice - Gold

Midweek News Brief

News From Around The Country
Jason Aldean has yet another number one under his belt. “The Truth” is his third chart topper in nine months. This good news is on the heels of a record breaking show in Greenville, South Carolina. At 12,000+, opening weekend of his 2010 Wide Open Tour broke the venue’s attendance record previously held for six years by Toby Keith. ….. Look for Wynonna to perform on The Early Show’s Saturday edition Super Bowl stage on February 6th. Broadcasting from South Beach, Florida, Wy will be making a special announcement while Wyclef Jean will talk about the recent earthquake in Haiti and the Nation’s recovery efforts. …… Photos of some of the American Greeting cards designed by Taylor Swift have surfaced online at Us Weekly’s website. You see one example. Click here to see the rest of the slideshow. ……. Reba McEntire has designed a new line of home products for Dillards, called Studs & Stitches. The line includes various serving dishes, serving utensils, containers, frames, other items. This merchandise will add to Reba’s other lines including clothing, shoes, and luggage. ……. And finally, Loretta Lynn will celebrate the 50th anniversary of her debut single with an all-star tribute album this fall. Also – later this year – look for the reissue of her 1976 autobiography, Coal Miner’s Daughter, as well as the 30th anniversary edition of the classic film of the same name.