SMALL TOWN SATURDAY NIGHT (Items on Miranda Lambert, LeAnn Rimes, Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, Sawyer Brown,

Miranda Lambert has been cleared of an assault claimed levied against her...and the accuser is now the one in trouble (who is out- or not- on bond, according to this confusing l'il report).
And for no reason, here's the link to the marvelous musical stylings of Mr. Adam West and his ditty, "Miranda," from the Kofi's hat blog (via "Batmania - Songs Inspired By Batman").

Dovetailing...: Country took its chunk from this year's handout at the gospel Dove Awards, handed out Wednesday (4/23). Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year went to LeAnn Rimes' version of "Ready For A Miracle" from the "Evan Almighty" soundtrack, proving that someone was paying attention to the movie. Meanwhile, Ricky Skaggs and The Whites "Salt of the Earth" won as top Bluegrass Album. And let's hear it for Mark Miller! Sawyer Brown's lead mic swinger got an award for producing the Pop/Contemporary Album of the year, Casting Crowns’ "The Altar And The Door."

Kennel Rations: Turns out Snoop Dogg's appearance with Willie Nelson in Amsterdam will yield some recorded music, Country Hound sniffs out. BTW: Shouldn't each of these gentleman have keys to the city in Amsterdam (Or whatever the town hands out to dignitaries)?
Meanwhile, it's a few days early, but...HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY, WILLIE!

ANTE UP (Items on Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Dolly Parton)

The guys and lady that call themselves Lady Antebellum racked up the top Country Album of the week in Billboard with 43,000 copies of their debut crossing scanners. The disc opened in the #4 spot in the magazine's Top 200 Albums tally, right behind Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert" set, which takes a jumbo leap (from #31) after being freed from five-weeks as a Walmart-only release (Mariah Carey's new one was the 200 topper...and the year's best debut stanza with 463,000 copies moved).
Meanwhile, L.A. are in view (and sound) at the AT&T Blue Room chatting up the new album and their influences as well as performing a couple of of tunes from the album.
Here's pop quiz, sorta, on the trio, who, would you believe it, kind of came together because of MySpace.

"Miss" Thing: Speaking of the Billboard charts...Trace Adkins latest zenith resident, "You're Gonna Miss This," is at #1 on the mag's Hot Country Songs chart for a third week, his longest tenure on top.
BTW: The BSB were just "punking" Trace with their demands while he was riding herd on them on "The Celebrity Apprentice," Beverly Keel's Tennessean column reveals.

Dixieland Delight: Yahoo! Travel calls it a "Tourist Trap You'll Love." Whatever (helps them craft a feature). Ladies and Gentlemen...Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede!

A PLACE TO LAND (Items on Little Big Town, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Paul Davis)

Little Big Town is ready for the big city. The quartet inked a new deal with Capitol Records today, mere hours after waving bye-bye to Equity Music, where their career blossomed with two albums (Which Capitol also took along for the deal, CMT reports). Billboard says that's just one album making the trip to the Capitol (But then again, they think James Otto is also on the label).

...Or The Prince: Elvis and Strait may have to abdicate their throne to the new King of Country. It's Kenny Chesney, sez Columbia, S.C.'s FreeTimes.

...Or Diana Prince: You know who's in Nashville rehearsing a soon-to-tour cabaret act? Wonder Woman, that's who!

R.I.P.: Paul Davis, who paved a country career in the mid-'80's with collaborations with Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker, Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz after several mammoth pop hits, died of a heart attack Tuesday in Meridian, Mississippi. The singer's pop output included "I Go Crazy," which logged 40 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100, "Cool Night" and the superb "'65 Love Affair."

ALL WILLIE (Items on Willie Nelson)

At the urging of Willie Nelson, the Governor of Nevada's phone is ringing off the hook.
At the behest of pal Lacy J. Dalton, who lives in Nevada, Willie took to the satellite airwaves of his XM radio show last week asking folks help save a herd of wild horses roaming ranges around Virginia City.
The horses (about 1,200 of 'em) could be potentially rounded up and sold...or worse.
Meanwhile, everything is green this week, of course, and there's another Willie enterprise aimed at saving the planet...and quenching our thirst.
Willie is one of the musical guests from "Saturday Night Live's" third season, which lands on DVD May 13. Also sharing their talent of sound that season: Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Leon Redbone, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ashford & Simpson, Meat Loaf and The Blues Brothers.
I reckon Snoop Dogg was a little guy when that third season originally aired, but that doesn't mean he's not a Willie fan; he recently joined Willie onstage in Amsterdam.
One more Willie item: He'll be featured on the cover of the May issue of "Texas Monthly," an issue that subscribers will receive sans (cover) text (a first for the Lone Star mag). In the meantime, the magazine is constantly making this online request: "Show Us Your Willie!"

WELCOME BACK, BLOTTER (Items on Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Chris Cagle, Daron Norwood)

This is what happens when you're famous in a small town...allegedly.
A Texas woman is claiming that homegirl Miranda Lambert got nasty with her at a Tyler club where the songstress and guypal Blake Shelton were among the crowd on hand for a party for singer Adam Hood's CD. According to a report, the woman making the complaint says she approached Miranda for a friend who wanted a picture with Lambert, who told her, "Maybe later."
So then another member of the woman's party went over to Miranda and, she says, was treated "poorly."
At this point, the Tyler Morning Telegraph says in their report, the complainant said she "walked back over there to tell Miranda that she shouldn’t treat her fans like that, and she jumped up and started cussing me saying I was in the VIP section and needed to go back with the other trailer trash." The lady further claims that Miranda shoved her twice, as she said that Miranda "let the cuss words fly.”
The woman filed an assault report with the local sheriff's department who are bound to investigate the accusation.

In a non-legal brief from this post, Miranda, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry have been added to the performers list for this year's Academy of Country Music Awards show in May.

Not a Beautiful Day: September 23 for Chris Cagle, which is when he's set to stand trial in Arizona, stemming from a charge related to an alleged altercation last December. If memory serves, I believe one blogger said something about Chris allegedly autographing a guy's face with his fist.
Meanwhile, Daron Norwood, who had several nice hits in the 1990's, was arrested last week for allegedly battering his wife.

MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE (Items on George Strait, Garth Brooks, Steve Wariner, Hank, Jr., Holly Williams, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Julianne Hough)

King George is now King of the Singles Charts. "I Saw God Today" became his 56th topper as it became the summit-sitter on Billboard and Radio & Records' Country Singles charts. While Mariah Carey just passed the other musical King, Elvis Presley, (and is breathing down The Beatles' necks) in the #1 single tally, George's records stands as toppermost on a particular chart, in this case, of course, the Country Singles tally and the most one any of the charts of any genre.
Meanwhile, George's "Troubadour" album spends its sophomore week atop the Billboard Country Albums chart.

Jive Turkey: Garth Brooks' was there last week when pal Steve Wariner was cemented on the Music City Walk of Fame. But Hank, Jr. was turkey hunting while Hank, Sr. and Merle Kilgore (who mentored young Hank, Jr.) were immortalized. Daughter Holly was there in his stead, Music City TV reports. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were also among those honored in the ceremony.

Tootsie Rolls: Julianne Hough will be in the kitchen today...in a television studio. She'll be on QVC tonight doin' a little cooking and a little singing...Meanwhile, Julianne went on a shoe expedition with "Entertainment Tonight" recently. A pair of Julianne's shoes (worn on "Dancing with the stars") are currently being auctioned online to raise funds for the Clothes Off Our Back charity.

The Phantom (309) Menace: Actor Ewan McGregor resorted to ears plugs because his neighbour in a New York hotel insisted on playing "loud, depressing country songs" deep into the night. Perhaps she was listening to this Ferlin Huskey classic (Courtesy of April Winchell's site)?

JUST HAPPENED TWICE (Items on Kenny Chesney, Bobby Bare, Natalie Maines, Ryan Adams, Keith Urban, John Mellencamp, Lucinda Williams, Randy Travis)

Kenny Chesney's Poets & Pirates-travganza kicked off with a pair of shows in Connecticut that included...the man forgetting the lyrics to one of his hits, so it did it twice.
Meanwhile, KC warmed up, literally, last week in Baltimore, hanging with the Orioles at Camden Yards, taking batting practice and throwing out the first pitch before the Birds beat the White Sox.
KC will be back in Balmer May 10 across from the Birds perch at M&T Bank Stadium (The Baltimore Ravens' nest).
The power of Kenny extends to the real estate market as well. He has two properties on the market, one in California, another in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Don't check 'em out if you're faint of heart when it comes to sticker shock.

Laid Bare: Catching up and looking back with Bobby Bare here.

Diamond Neo: In addition to a duet with Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond's upcoming (May 12) album reunites him with producer Rick Rubin, the chap behind that magnificent music output in the last decade of Johnny Cash's life.

Cardinal Sin: You know who hates country music? Ryan Adams, that's who. "I hate HATE country music. I always have. I 'reference' it when I make music that sounds like that, the way a director would use water as a backdrop for a scene with a shark in it. But I cannot stand country music one bit. Unless The Grateful Dead are messin' round with it. Then it is tolerable." That from the U.K.'s New Musical Express, via Ryan's blog.

Nellyville: You know who loves country music? Nelly Furtado, who's proving it via a Keith Urban duet on her latest disc.

Mellencampsites: John Mellencamp will tour this summer behind a July-bound album with Lucinda Williams as his opening act.

Doppelganging: In their online thingie about NHL players resembling entertainers, Sports Illustrated notes that Nashville Predators captain Jason Arnott is a dead ringer for Randy Travis.
Which reminds me that anytime I see the New Orleans Saints play on TV, I'm thinking this:

STILL FEELS GOOD (Items on Rascal Flatts, ACM Awards, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, CMT Music Awards)

The Rascal Flatts dudes have been announced as the 2008 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award. The lads will receive the accolade for doing good at the awards show on CBS May 18. The Flatts have lended their celebrity and time to causes such as Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Red Cross.

OK!-Dokey: Miranda Lambert supplied a few A's for a few Q's from OK! Magazine. She dishes on fashion, diet, music, her farm and- warning to Blake Shelton- says, "Currently I’m not a crazy ex-girlfriend, but I can’t promise I won’t be one again."
Miranda, meanwhile, will be pouring wine in Texas Sunday, all to help some critters.
And Blake and Miranda will be gigging together, albeit with separate sets, in Michigan this summer.

CMTMA, Etc.: Over nine million sets of eyeballs caught the CMT Music Awards and its repeats this week....like that's any relief for Miranda.

GETCHA SOME (Items on Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, LeAnn Rimes)

First he works with The Dixie Chicks, now Toby Keith might be pulling a lever for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in November. But hang on, John McCain, you're in the mix, too. "I think we've got three great candidates running." Toby told People at the CMT Music Awards.
Meanwhile, Toby's "Beer for My Horses" movie is on track for release later this year (Check out clips and behind the scenes stuff here) but if Ted Nugent's character in the film is any indication, it could be a real stinker.

"Reflected" Reflected: Tim McGraw's two greatest hits albums are being wed into a single package that Walmart will sell for $11.98 starting April 29. "Greatest Hits" (from 2000) and ('06's) "Reflected: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" contain 21 #1 hits (out of 31 cuts) among them.
Meanwhile, Tim and Faith might not be expecting a new member of their brood, but they are one of the Top 11 Married Couples in Music.

The Clicker*: CMT is still in a tizzy over Monday night's Music Awards, but they remind us that "Can You Duet" is debuting this Friday night. Check out several audition videos here...Elsewhere on the Remote Patrol...Jason Aldean joins Craig Ferguson Thursday night and on Friday, Lady Antebellum stops by "Ellen."
L.A.'s debut album came out Tuesday and Dial-Global reports that the trio zipped from the CMT Music Awards to a local Walmart just after midnight to grab a copy, only to find that stockers hadn't put it out yet.

"Fetching," Dogg: From the CMT Music Awards "Etc." file...Snoop Dogg was in attendance was was quite taken with LeAnn Rimes, suggesting a collaboration, musical, I think.

*That's what my dad used to call the TV remote, back when they actually clicked.

HAVE FAITH (Items on Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, Sugarland, Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson)

Faith Hill, wearing a "flowing" top as Monday night's CMT Music Awards, had folks begging the pregnancy question. No way, her rep told Us Magazine....But Tim will give birth to a children's book, based on his "My Little Girl" ditty, later this year.
Faith can be found with a dizzying array of female singers on Annie Lennox's "Sing" single, which spotlights the effect of HIV/AIDS on children and women in South Africa.

Rhapsody in Blonde: Rhapsody says that Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" was the most-played country album on the service in 2007. The announcement was made during the Red Carpet prelude to the CMT Music Awards, which makes sense since MTV Networks (co) operates Rhapsody and CMT...Carrie, Dolly Parton and Rodney Atkins will perform at the ACM Awards on May 18. Don't forget Sugarland and Taylor Swift, CMT sez...Meanwhile, Carrie will be immortal/Idol-ized on a set of postage stamps.

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Eye: The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram is featuring a two-part excerpt of Nick Joe Patoski's "Willie Nelson: An Epic Life." Here's part one and here's part two...Here's the Village Voice's vox on the book and Willie's new box set that Joe Pat supplied liner notes for.

irsTunes: The taxman's fingers are creeping their way into digital downloads.

Well, He is Class of '89: Alan Jackson listens to music the old-fashioned way...on CD.

Etc.: US gives us the CMTMA's Best and Worst Dressed.

WITH APOLOGIES... (Items on CMT Music Awards)

Well, the taxes were due and I'm swamped at work and my internet provider did a little "maintenance" that destroyed my bookmarks (and I was drunk the day my mom got outta prison and I went to pick her up in the rain but before I could get to the station in my pickup truck she got runned over by a damned old train)...long story short, this blog/column is a one man effort and all of my excuses means that the CMT Music Awards post will have to come directly from the press release:

In a night filled with surprises, Trace Adkins (“I’ve Got My Game On”) and Kellie Pickler (“I Wonder”) emerged as the evening’s biggest winners at tonight’s 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, broadcast live from the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville. Adkins took home top honors for MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“I’ve Got My Game On”); Taylor Swift won FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Our Song”); Rascal Flatts won GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Take Me There”); Sugarland won DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Stay”); and Taylor Swift won VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Our Song”).

Pickler won the first awards of her professional career with three CMT buckles for USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH, PERFORMANCE and TEARJEARKER VIDEO OF THE YEAR for the video “I Wonder.” She accepted the accolades via satellite from Scottsdale, Ariz., where she had a concert this evening.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)”); Bon Jovi featuring LeAnn Rimes won COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore”); Brad Paisley won COMEDY VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“Online”); Michael Salomon won DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (Toby Keith’s “High Maintenance Woman” and Trace Adkins’ “I Got my Game On”); and Rodney Carrington won SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR (“I Got My Game On”).

Hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus, the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS kicked off with an opening sketch featuring a wide variety of luminaries desperately seeking tickets to the show. Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain each called a wide variety of friends hoping to score tickets, while Ryan Seacrest, Gretchen Wilson, Donald Trump, Trace Adkins and Larry the Cable Guy also went to great lengths to get to the show.

Keith Urban, joined by Brooks & Dunn, ignited the live show with Urban’s “Raise the Barn,” followed by a fantastic musical number by LeAnn Rimes in which she re-created the video for her nominated song “Nothin’ Better To Do.” Rascal Flatts performed their latest single, “Bob That Head,” which featured user-generated clips from fans who “sang along” during the chorus.

In addition, a number of powerful performances marked the evening, as Sugarland was joined by CMT ON TOUR mates Little Big Town and Jake Owen for their cover of “Life In A Northern Town”; Tim McGraw with wife Faith Hill sang their duet “I Need You”; Alan Jackson performed his newest single “Good Time”; hosts Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus performed the duet “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”; special guest Hank Williams Jr. joined Brad Paisley on the Paisley’s song “I’m Still A Guy”; Taylor Swift rocked her single “Picture to Burn”; Toby Keith performed his newest hit, “She’s a Hottie”; Kenny Chesney sang “Never Wanted Nothing More”; and Carrie Underwood closed the show with her hit, “All-American Girl.”

Joining Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus onstage were celebrity presenters Jason Aldean with Snoop Dogg, Paula Abdul, Jewel, Tom Arnold with Josh Turner, Julianne Hough, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, comedian Rodney Carrington, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift, The Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit and actor Tim Daly (ABC’s “Private Practice”). Additional presenters include CMT hosts Katie Cook and Lance Smith, Bobby Brown, Diana DeGarmo, John Rich, Maureen McCormick and Sisqo of the hit series GONE COUNTRY and Tom Arnold, host of CMT’s MY BIG REDNECK WEDDING, as well as judge Naomi Judd and host Rossi Morreale of the new CMT series CAN YOU DUET.

For the first time, the CMT MUSIC AWARDS featured a side stage sponsored by Nationwide that included such up-and-coming artists as Bucky Covington, James Otto, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Ashton Shepherd and Chuck Wicks.

CMT.com simulcast the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS live and featured live blogging for the first time in awards history. MHD: Music High Definition, MTV Networks’ high-definition channel, also simulcast the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS live in HD. Exclusive content can be found on CMT.com and CMT Mobile and CMT will later bow the awards on its digital all-music channel, CMT Pure Country.

The evening’s winners are as follows:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.

• Taylor Swift – “Our Song” (Director: Trey Fanjoy)

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

· Trace Adkins – “I Got My Game On”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

• Taylor Swift – “Our Song”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

• Rascal Flatts – “Take Me There”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

• Sugarland – “Stay”

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from an artist's major debut album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo)

• Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR*

Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)

• Bon Jovi feat. LeAnn Rimes – “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore”

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR*

Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on a broadcast or major cable network; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

• Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder” from the 41^st Annual CMA Awards (ABC)

SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR*

Best supporting character whose guest appearance enhances the video concept; awarded to the special guest

• Rodney Carrington for Trace Adkins’ “I Got My Game On”

WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from an artist outside the mainstream of country music; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration)

• Alison Krauss and Robert Plant – “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)”

TEARJERKER VIDEO OF THE YEAR*

Best video most likely to stir emotion, whether tears of joy or sadness; awarded to the artist

• Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder”

COMEDY VIDEO OF THE YEAR*

Best video to convey a song’s humor and wit; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

• Brad Paisley – “Online”

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Best video director of the year; awarded to the director for his or her body of work from the past year

• Michael Salomon (award eligible videos include: Toby Keith’s “High Maintenance Woman” and Trace Adkins’ “I Got My Game On”)

*indicates new category for 2008

The 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS will encore Monday, April 14 at 11:30 p.m.; Tuesday, April 15 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; Thursday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Saturday April 19 at 9:00 p.m., and Sunday, April 20 at 4:30 p.m. The 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS RED CARPET SPECIAL will re-air on Sunday, April 20 at 3:30 p.m. All times listed ET/PT.

LAND OF LINCOLN (Items on Willie Nelson, American Idol, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Suzy Bogguss)

Another Willie Nelson album will be among us this summer, as jazz imprint Blue Note issues “Two Men with the Blues” on July 8. The set is culled from performances Willie gave with Wynton Marsalis in January of '07 at Lincoln Center in NYC....Meanwhile, Willie, Hank Thompson and Buddy Holly were among the first (recent) inductees into the The Texas Musicians Museum Hall of Fame, the home of all-things-Willie, stillisstillmoving.com reports.

Down Under Down: When Australian Michael Johns got the hook, many were stunned, but fellow Aussies Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, more so, because they had been cheerleading the dude along on the show, this online tabloid sez. Meanwhile, said tab says Dolly Parton is aboard the MJ pity party and may duet with the dude.

Something Up My Sleeve: What's Suzy Bogguss up to these days? Recording, touring (including several months on "The Prairie Home Companion" tour later this year) and...keeping our sinuses clear.

KA-CHING! (Items on Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Wariner, Merle Kilgore, Hank Williams, Rissi Palmer)

Miley Cyrus earned $18.2 million (which I'm thinking made her the time 15 year old earner) in 2007, according to US Weekly via Parade. The same tote touts Carrie Underwood's take-home chunk of change at $7 million.
The whole Hannah Montana thingy raked in $87.4 million, meaning that after Miley's cut was taken out, Mickey and Pluto still had more that enough to spend at The Disney Store, Disney World, Uncle Walt's cryogenic storage, etc.
Meanwhile, the whole Miley Cyrus/Miley Ray Cyrus/Destiny Hope Cyrus/Hannah Montana thingy is laid bare for the layparent by this columnist.

See Minted: The Music City Walk of Fame on Nashville's Music Mile is about to get dirty. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Wariner, The late Merle Kilgore and Hank Williams, jazz master Kirk Whalum and Steven Curtis Chapman will be immortalized in pavement on April 20.
Steve will leave his imprint on the sidewalk and, for some reason, this ditty has been leaving an imprint on my brain all week...



Taster's Choice: Rissi Palmer is slated to appear on the CBS "Saturday Early Show's" Second Cup Café this morning and if you miss/missed it, they usually have second helpings available online....UPDATE: Yep, here it is...

A SONG ABOUT THE HEARTLAND (Items on George Strait, Martina McBride, Julianne Hough, Ricky Skaggs, Phil Stacey, Wynonna, Alan Jackson)

"Pure Country," the George Strait film vehicle, is now headed to Broadway. The dude behind "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," will direct the show. What's up in the air is which if any of George's soundtrack songs will hit the Great White Way (It's some strong music!) because Steve Dorff, the man best know for writing the theme to this show has been hired to write music for the stage.
Previews for the outing are expected to start a year from now.

Award Shuffle: Martina McBride and Julianne Hough have been added as presenters for Monday's CMT Music Awards...Ricky Skaggs, Phil Stacey and Wynonna have been added to the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards telecast from Nashville on the Gospel Music Channel April 23, joining the previously announced Charlie Daniels.

Detumescence (NOUN): Reduction or lessening of a swelling, especially the restoration of a swollen organ or part to normal size. detumescent: Alan Jackson didn't actually understand too much of the great review his latest album received in The Village Voice, he admits...Alan will perform his latest single (and title track to his VV-lauded disc), "Good Time" Monday night at the CMT Awards (He sez look for him in the first hour).

GAC YOURSELF (Items on GAC, The Eagles, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood)

GAC is finally jumping into the star-making series market. The cabler will debut "The Next GAC Star" in June with a winner announced in September. Meanwhile, though the summer, music hopefuls will compete via self-made music videos on the weekly series. GAC will start accepting videos next month.
Meanwhile, last season's "Nashville Star" host, Jewel, will be back, but not at the emcee; instead, she'll join John Rich as a mentor to the show's hopefuls.

Where The Eagles Fly: Country-Rock's money machine has added more dates to their domestic tour...A young American bald eagle was recently released from the grounds of Dollywood, with the lady herself, in heels, in attentence.

The Daily 10: GAC with a nice li'l look at Brad Paisley's career, ten years out.

Including that Archuleta Kid?: Carrie Underwood to "Idol" contestants when Simon bites: "Take it like a man."

I ALWAYS GET LUCKY WITH YOU (Items on George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Vince Gill, Clint Black, Jo Dee Messina, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood)

CMT reports that a collection of George Jones unreleased duets are headed to stores through an arrangement between George's Bandit Records home and the Vanguard label. The set is headlined by an unavailable duet with Tammy Wynette and also includes The Possum stewing with the likes of Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Tanya Tucker and...Keith Richards(!).
For a George and Tammy duet that creeps me out, click here.
Back to Vanguard for a minute, if you'll please indulge me.
The label, which boasts Deana Carter among its roster, will release a Billy Bob Thornton CD, make that double CD, in June. And that gives me the opportunity to direct you to a little-seen, but excellent BBT flick, "The Badge," that also features Deana in a supporting role.

Sulu Out: How bad were the ratings for last Tuesday's "Secret Talents of the Stars" show? This bad: CBS has canceled the show with just one round televised, meaning that Clint Black will not move on in the competition with his stand-up shtick and we won't even get to see Jo Dee Messina's "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" dance routine (and we already know that George Takei was killed playing "On the Road Again").
But is it really the end? Will be see the unaired episodes?; CBS shares a corporate blanket with a number of channels (VH1 or CMT being the most likely) that could burn off the series for The Eyeball.

You'll Think of We: The Baltimore Sun on Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood in Charm City: Donny & Marie or Donny Henley & Stevie Nicks?

ICING CALLS (Items on Dierks Bentley, Merle Haggard, George Jones)

As Music City's hockey team heads to the Motor City tonight to take on the Red Wings in game one of their NHL playoff series, Nashville Predators fan extraordinaire Dierks Bentley will be among the celebrities blogging about playoff activity at NHL.com. You can check out Dierks' Preds' rink wrap here.
Dierks, whose road slate will keep him busy through at least September (even though the price of gas is putting the hurt on), says his shows are like a hockey game. "Like a confidence thing, a fight to win something. I always feel like we walk on stage and we win ... whatever it is that we're trying to win."
Meanwhile, here's some ice action with Dierks and the Predators' Jordin Tootoo:



...and the Problem Is?...: Red Wing Chris Chelios on Nashville fans: "They're hillbillyish. ... I don't know what to say, hillbilly or country."

It's 3:00 a.m.: ...Campaign '08 with analyst Merle Haggard, whose Hillary Clinton song, "Let's Put a Woman in Charge," can be seen here:



Golden Sing: A George Jones show in Ontario, 30 songs in 90 minutes, reviewed here.

STRAIT TO THE TOP (Items on George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, CMT Music Awards, Trace Adkins, Julianne Hough)

George Strait's new album, "Troubadour," bows at the top of the Billboard 200 (besting the latest from R.E.M.) and Country Albums tally, selling about 170,000 copies. According to George's publicity machine, the album is his third to debut atop Billboard's 200 and 11th to enter the Country chart on the top floor. He has 32 platinum albums contributing to the over 67 million he's sold over his career.
Meanwhile, when there's a King George concert in Lubbock, Texas you know what you get? A crime spree!
Back to the Billboard charts: Ricky Skaggs' latest debuts atop the Bluegrass Albums chart, his fifth straight release to enter on the summit there.

Roster Postures: Artist rosters on Nashville record label have remained fairly stable in the past year. John Anderson, Sammy Kershaw, Neal McCoy, Travis Tritt and Darryl Worley are among the bigger names you can't put a label on right now as their record companies went belly up, CMT.com notes in an interesting piece.

Booty Call: CMT has unveiled the contents of the "talent" gift bags that'll be handed out at next week's CMT Music Awards. As always with these thingies, it's an orgy of excess (and hopefully, a few will be auctioned off for charitable purposes).

Every Klieg Light in the House is On: Trace Adkins is in L.A. today to shoot a guest appearance on "The Young & the Restless." Trace can be seen in Genoa City (the show's location) on May 2.

Go-lly!: Julianne Hough will sing The National Anthem and perform a ditty or two from her country debut prior to this year's Indianapolis 500 race (her "Dancing with the Stars" partner last year, of course, was Indy racer Helio Castroneves)....and Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Jim Nabors will also perform before the race (Which, I'm sure, comes as news to this website).

SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO (Items on Emmylou Harris, Charlie Daniels, Clint Black, Paul Brandt)

Emmylou Harris will release her first set of new music in five years on June 10, Billboard reports. "All I Intended to Be" will include the talents of Seldom Scene lead singer John Starling and Kate and Anna McGarrigle (They're Canadian, which is a thread in this post, kids).
Starling joins Emmylou on "Old Five and Dimers," a ditty Emmylou says she's finally ready to tackle. "I finally decided that I was old enough to cut that song, reaching the grand ole age of 60," she said.
Ahead of that (April 27), she'll join the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hickory Stump Speech: You know who can't stand a video game that features "The Devil Down to Georgia?" Charlie Daniels, that's who.

Circus of the Stars: After George Takei's version of "On the Road Again" on CBS' "Secret Talents of the Stars," ...um...underwhelmed...judges Brian McKnight and Debbie Reynolds were charitable, while Gavin Polone (The Simon Cowell/bad cop judge) called it a "Brokeback Mountain" version of the ditty and said George would have to work to "de-suck-ify" himself.
Clint Black, meanwhile, after being coached on yuks by Garry Shandling, got sweeps across the board from da judges, including Polone.
At the end of the show, George Takei was voted off and Clint and figure skater Sasha Cohen (wasn't she "Borat?") passed muster to live another week on the show.

"Risk" Taker: Paul Brandt's "Risk" was the Country winner at Sunday's Canadian Juno Awards.

Everything He Do: If you want to know where the songs that most "American Idol" hopefuls will audition with next year will come from, the answer is Walmart.

SULU ACTS (Items on Montgomery Gentry, Clint Black, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Trisha Yearwood, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban)

The Montgomery Gentry chaps recently coached George Takei in the art of twang as the "Star Trek" veteran attempts to succeed as a country singer on CBS' "Secret Talents of the Stars," which debuts on The Eyeball tonight.
The show will also feature Clint Black's stand-up comedy act this evening. Next week, Jo Dee Messina will perform a hip-hop dance thingy.
MG's Eddie Montgomery has otherwise been busy with his steakhouse project in Kentucky. Ground was broken for the development last week.
Meanwhile, the (br)other Montgomery gentry, John Michael, has a new single, "Mad Cowboy Disease," ready for radio and your ears now (at his MySpace page). JM has a decent road slate planned through most of the year.

How Do I Cook: By the time you get this, I hope you will have caught Trisha Yearwood on Tuesday's "Good Morning America" plugging her cookbook, which is out today. If not, GMA has some of Trisha's Southern Comfort Recipes online...

Not to Mention the Texting Charges: Carrie Underwood split from her boyfriend, some dude from some show called "Gossip Girl," last week via text message, People reports. Carrie says it was no biggie, but the dude's sister said, "He was upset about the breakup. It's always hard when you lose a relationship."

Be Here: From the L.A. Times Real Estate section, The Kidman-Urbans have just purchased a Brentwood area home for $7 million.

FEELING CHIPPER (Items on James Otto, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chensey, Tim Hensley)

James Otto has recorded a music video that will be used to promote this season's coverage of the Atlanta Braves on Peachtree TV. Here's a look at the spot...



Elsewhere on the Remote Patrol this week...Trisha Yearwood will stop by "The View" on Wednesday to promote her new cookbook...Donny & Marie Osmond will be on "The Tonight Show" later Wednesday.

Me & You: Kenny Chesney made a surprise appearance on The Grand Ole Opry stage Friday night to support former KC band member Tim Hensley, Dial-Global reports. The dudes performed "Workin' on a Building," a ditty from Tim's bluegrass CD (which Kenny co-produced).

SWIFT BUS CAPTAIN (Items on Taylor Swift, Chely Wright, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Norah Jones, James Otto, Willie)

How big is Taylor Swift? So jumbo that her tour bus includes a treadmill and...a fireplace. That among the four-wheeled revelations on the vehicle detailed in the new (April 14 issue/out today) issue of US Weekly. Here's a look at the cozy coach from yesterday's "Access Hollywood."
Taylor's eponymous debut CD, by the way, is logging week #18 atop Billboard's Country Albums chart and is approaching triple-platinum status, her label sez.
Meanwhile, some dudes will do anything to get a song written about them...and, oh yeah, get a date with Taylor; "You get guys who pass you their number in a meet-and-greet line, but that's harmless and I kind of respect it. I have a lot of guys ask me to prom, which is adorable." she tells the Fresno Bee in a Q&A.
If you're looking for the country songstress who will accept a prom date, you have to go way back in time.

So Large: Carrie Underwood's headlining tour just sprouted new dates...Ditto Toby Keith's trek...Krauss & Plant, too.

Dolly Jonesing: You know who loves Dolly Parton? Norah Jones, that's who. Norah's latest album, someone who counted tells us, is the 800th to top the U.K. chart...Elsewhere in pond-hopping, Dolly wants her "9 to 5" musical to play in London's West End.

Hometown News: James Otto's hometown paper to J.O.: Phone home....Meanwhile, this scribe in Austin, TX tracks Willie Nelson's 4th of July whereabouts through the years.

DELICIOUS SURPRISE (Items on Jo Dee Messina, Dierks Bentley, Sarah Buxton, Emerson Drive)

We hope that Jo Dee Messina's "give a damn" is the only thing busted after she performs "an urban dance, blending hip hop and step, with a supporting troupe" on CBS' upcoming "Secret Talents of the Stars" competition.
The carrot top has just been added to the show, with her routine set for the series second out on April 15. The series, which which will also featuring the comedy stylings of Clint Black, bows this coming Tuesday (4/8) on The Eyeball.
Meanwhile, former "Seinfeld" cut-up John O'Hurley has been tapped to host the show and the judges will include Debbie Reynolds and Brian McKnight.

"Mile" Logged: Dierks Bentley's DIY hits package is ready for its May unveiling, GAC reports. Fans supplied the package's title, "Greatest Hits//Every Mile A Memory 2003-2008" (Sounds like there were a couple of helpers on that one) and selected the live cuts ("So So Long," "Lot Of Leavin' Left To Do," "Wish It Would Break" and "Free & Easy (Down The Road I Go)") that will be onboard with DB's 10 top tenners. Two new tracks, including a collaboration with Sarah Buxton, will also be included.
Meanwhile, where did Dierks' curly locks go? I dunno, but let's talk about it.

Stretch Drive: Emerson Drive will perform The National Anthem and do some seventh inning stretching for the Chicago White sox and KAnsas City Royals' home openers next week.

PHIL VASSAR KEYED UP (Items on Phil Vassar, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Nashville Star, Elvis Costello, Carrie Underwood)

Phil Vassar is a busy hombre as the April 22 release of his "Prayer of a Common Man" looms (and just as the leadoff single "Love is a Beautiful Things" glides into the top ten). His road slate is booked into November and he'll play one of those shows at home...literally.
Phil will perform an acoustic show from his house on April 28 that will be broadcast on a number of radio stations to raise awareness of America's Second Harvest Food Bank Network.
Meanwhile, the piano man will give away a set of 88's in a new contest that you can enter daily through the drawing date of June 30.
Look for Phil on an upcoming GAC special (he's the cabler's Artist of the Month in May). In front of that, Phil will appear a CNN podcast.
And if you've ever wondered what Phil's favorite ditties are, the answer is coming.

You Save Me?: It's a good thing that Kenny Chesney is considering launching a line of jeans, because the company that'll probably make 'em has been cutting jobs...Reba McEntire's jeans are already out at Dillard's and she's involved in everything design-wise including "how it fits in the butt."

Remote Patrol: Dunno how well (though I think very) "Nashville Star" will do on NBC after making the jump from USA Network, but The Peacock has already renewed it for another edition in Summer, 2009...Elvis Costello will host his own music/talk show on The Sundance Channel and if we know Elvis, we know they'll be country in the mix along the way.

...So You're Telling Me There's Not a Chance?: Carrie Underwood's "Gossip Girl" boy is now an ex-.

READY TO MAKE NICE (Items on The Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, SheDaisy)

Al Gore has apparently brought The Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith together. The at-odds country stars will appear in a public service campaign for Alliance for Climate Protection, joining fellow odd couples Pat Roberston and Al Sharpton and Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich.
Here's more on the campaign from last Sunday's "60 Minutes" (The spot is discussed about 5:00 in...):



Meanwhile, The Chicks are slated to appear on "The Simpsons" April 13.

Little Goodnights: SheDaisy, also have a commercial on the way...look for this distaff trio relaxing on their respective Sleep Number beds...or just look here now.
Here's more on the spot.

I GOT MY FILM ON (Items on Trace Adkins, Patsy Cline, Jewel, Josh Turner, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift)

How does Trace Adkins follow up his high-profile "Celebrity Apprentice" appearance? Movies, baby!
Trace will appear as a mysterious stranger in the upcoming horror flick, "Trailer Park of Terror" (Think "The Hills have Mobile Homes"). The flick is directed by Steven Goldman, who, in addition to helming oodles and oodles of country music videos, also was the man behind the camera on Toby Keith's "Broken Bridges" movie.
Trace is also slated to be on screen in the eight-zillionth retelling of "A Christmas Carol." Our boy will stop by to scare the hell out of Ebeneezer Scrooge, played by Kelsey Grammer. The cast also include Dennis Hopper, Leslie Nielsen, Jon Voight...and impressionist Fred Travalena.
The flick, though, isn't Christmas-themed. Instead it will revolve around the Fourth of July and have skewer politicos from several eras. It's also the second time that Grammer has played Scrooge. (Update from initial posting notes non-Christmas theme)
These aren't Trace's first visits to the big dance though, because, if you look hard enough (Both in the video store and in the actual film), you'll find a young Trace in the late 1980's Winona Ryder/Rob Lowe starrer "Square Dance."
Meanwhile, here's the link to the "Trailer" trailer and a clip from the movie featuring Trace:



Back in Baby's Arms: Patsy Cline, a native of Winchester, will be the subject of a symposium Friday presented by the Virginia Historical Society.

Flameworthy: Jason Aldean, Jewel, Josh Turner, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift and a couple of Eagles have been announced as presenters for CMT's Music Awards show on April 14.

LA Ink: Taylor's big, real big, so she's upped with the William Morris Agency to handle all portions of her career.

STRAIGHT TALK (Items on Dolly Parton, Julianne Hough, Kristy Lee Cook, Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Jessica Simpson)

Tonight, it's all about Dolly Parton on "American Idol" as the singer's songbook is raided by the contestants she'll act as a mentor for. Wednesday night, Dolly steps up to the "AI" stage to perform her latest "Backwoods Barbie" single, "Jesus & Gravity."
Expect Dolly to soft-touch the singers during the tutelage. "To tell someone that they are good or they are bad or they stink or they suck, I couldn't handle that," she sez. If you want shoot-from-the-lip Dolly-isms, Entertainment Weekly has 'em.
Meanwhile, here's an Entertainment Tonight clip of Dolly chatting with Julianne Hough at last Friday's party for the "9 to 5" musical in Los Angeles.
Dateline: Dollywood...here's a story that's not too sweet.

Home "Cook"-in': While folks continue to be amazed that Kristy Lee Cook manages to hang on in the "Idol" competition, the credit for her survival might go to some "Country Folks" at home in Selma, Oregon....and The Oregonian keeps us up on all things Kristy Lee.

Pickin' Wildflowers: A number of catalog albums, including efforts from the catalogs of Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow and Lynyrd Skynyrd, are going green...literally. They're part of over 20 Universal Music discs that are available at Walmart during the retailer's "Earth Month" promotion in earth-friendly packaging that will actually grow into wildflowers.

Who You'd Wear Today: Is Kenny Chesney getting into the jeans business? And does his ex- really prefer the company of jerks?

A Public Afar: Jessica Simpson was hospitalized over the weekend with a kidney ailment...and her boyfriend, Tony Romo, had to stay away to tend to "prior commitments."