Self magazine asked Miranda Lambert to list some things that she will never apologize for. They include her butt, her gun that she carries at all times, and her love of Bacardi. To read more, click here.
...I think you're going to like them, though. First of all, the show is coming back in the Fall, which is much sooner than originally planned. It's also going to run two nights a week (Monday and Tuesday) from the very beginning of the season. Also in the vein of giving the people what they want, the red turning chairs are going to play a bigger role on the show, not just at the beginning. Turns out the ratings start to slip when the coaches stop turning. So how will four busy superstar musicians keep up this gruelling reality TV shedule? Execs at NBC say that they will give the coaches a break in 2013 and maybe use subs for a season.
Jessica Stokes is a military wife who LOVES lady Antebellum. She and her family have been stationed in Germany for 3 years, and the closest they've gotten to the band was when they ended up sleeping on the floor of an airport terminal while trying (and failing) to get to a Lady A show in London.
So Anderson Cooper decided to surprise her, and her reaction is priceless!!!
Soooo, it seems that a LOT of people are asking stars to their proms these days. And most stars, like Justin Timberlake and so on, try to make a point to say yes, because otherwise they look like jerks, right? But what happens if a whole bunch of people start asking stars to go to their proms? They can't say yes to everyone. Just when I was starting to worry about this (yes, this is the kind of thing I worry about) I saw that another boy had asked Taylor Swift to his prom. (Remember Kevin Maguire, the kid with cancer who she invited to the ACMs because she couldn't go to his prom?) Anyway, I can't see how Taylor could ever say no to this guy. His name is Devon Whitney, and he has a very rare disease that makes him look different and restricts his speech and movement. His plea to Taylor is pretty much irresistible...you can watch it below. Will she say yes? Stay tuned!
Congratulations to Jermaine Paul, who won on The Voice, and to Blake Shelton, too, because he's Jermaine's coach! Jermaine has been supporting his family as a back-up singer for other famous people, but he's clearly ready for the spotlight himself. When we talked to him earlier in the season, I told him he was my pick to go all the way, but I have to admit what when it came down to the final four I didn't think he was going to take it all. So yay for him, and now Blake has bragging rights for next season.
Congratulations to our pal Jake Owen, who married his girlfriend Lacey Buchanan THIS MORNING at sunrise on the beach in his hometown of Vero Beach, FLA. Jake, who texted Mike right when the story broke (I hope his new wife doesn't mind him being on the phone just hours after the wedding!) celebrated with a very small group of immediate family members, with his twin brother as best man and Lacey's sister as maid of honor. Look how lovely!!!!!
All this hit the news just hours after another story about Jake, Cinco de Mayo, and handcuffs! On Saturday night, Jake was almost arrested in his hometown for some hijynx at a local restaurant. The whole thing wouldn't have been a big deal, but as drunk people sometimes do, Jake tweeted it all in real time, first tweeting out a picture of himself in handcuffs, then complaining about the cops. Of course when he woke up, he realized the error of his ways, deleted the tweets and apologized publicly and profusely to the local cops in his town.
How about seeing these two in Vegas at a show in a theater that only holds about 1,800 people? Cool, huh? Las Vegas papers are reporting that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are closing in on an agreement that would have them doing weekend shows there from November to April! So that makes three major acts doing regular Vegas shows: Garth, Shania, and now Tim and Faith. I'll let you know when it's official...
I can't help it: I get excited when a little tiff pops up between the country stars. In this case, it's Eric Church versus Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, oh and pretty much anyone who has ever had anything to do with a singing contest TV show. Here's what Eric Church said in a recent Rolling Stone interview: "It's become American Idol gone mad. Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green f--ing turn around in a red chair, you get a deal? That's crazy. I don't know what would make an artist do that. You're not an artist. If I was concerned about my legacy, there's no f--ing way I would ever sit there (and be a reality show judge). Once your career becomes something onther than the music, then that's what it is. I'll never make that mistake. I don't care if I f---ing starve."
So how do you REALLY feel, Eric? As you can imagine, Miranda (who got her start on Nashville Star and is married to Blake "the Voice" Shelton) isn't happy with Eric, who opened for her a few years back. Here's her tweet: "Thanks Eric Church for saying I'm not a real artist. Or Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood or Keith Urban. Your welcome for the tour in 2010." Ouch! (Keith is on the Voice in Australia right now, btw.) Blake took the high road and just tweeted "I hope I misunderstood this."
Eric has already issued an apology in which he basically says that he was not meaning to insult anyone specifically, but that "these shows tend to...make it seem like you can be ordained into stardom. I have a problem with those perceived shortcuts, not just in the music industry." (so why didn't he just say that instead of criticizing Blake?) He adds, "I have a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and my friend Miranda Lambert have gone on to accomplish. This piece was never intended to tear down any individual and I apologize to anybody I offended."
Hmmmm. I love Eric church but I think he messed up on this one. For one thing, what is his point exactly? That it's too easy to get famous these days? That everyone should have to go through some kind of hell before they get famous, no matter how talented they are? And what about the fact that a show like American Idol can take a sweet farm girl like Carrie who has never schmoozed her way through Nashville and turn her into a superstar, all because people just love her amazing voice so much? Is that such a bad thing? I don't think so.
And why shouldn't Blake be a judge on a show that is giving people a leg-up in the music business? It's all about music, and helping other people succeed the way he has. I don't get it.
Carrie Underwood's new CD comes out tomorrow, so as a result she will be EVERYWHERE in the next few weeks. Check it out: "Letterman" tonight, "Idol" on thursday night, Ellen's show on May 9th, Jimmy Kimmel on the 10th, and "Dancing with the Stars" on May 15th. She also stopped by a school in NYC that has become famous on Youtube. The PS 22 choir has videos with millions of hits, so Carrie was excited to stop by and sing her latest hit with them:
The latest rumor about Taylor Swift is that she has had breast implants. A few websites are using the two pictures on the right to make the case that she's been surgically enhanced. The reason this would be a big deal is that Taylor really does strive to be a great role model for younger girls, and body image is a big issue with young girls. However, my take on this rumor is that it's FALSE. For a few reasons. 1) A "source" close to her says it's not true, but more importantly, 2) look at the picture here...
on the left. The gossip sites are using these as proof that she's gotten enhanced because she's shopping at Victoria's Secret to buy a bunch of stuff to show off her new bod. But look at the pictures. She doesn't look "enhanced" at all. And the fact that she is shopping at Vicky's Secret, home of the Miracle push up bras, could very well explain everything, right?
It's official: Miranda Lambert is beautiful. In case youw ere ever wondering, it's true. Why? Because People magazine says so. She's one of the "most beautful women" in the world according to them, along with the totally expected people like Angelina, Sofia Vergara, and the one they call the Most Beautiful, Beyonce. Miranda has this to say about her beautiful-ness: ""I'm representing normal girls. It's OK to have a little bit of curve. I'm happy with my body. So many girls come up to me and say, 'Thank you for being normal,' and I'm proud of that."
You can't buy it or download it yet, but thanks to itunes you can actually listen to the whole thing today. Just click on this link, http://smarturl.it/blownawaystream, and if you don't have itunes it will make you download it. then listen away!
You might want to take a look at what Alan Jackson has to offer: A 3.6 acre estate on Center Hill Lake in Tennessee. It's on a private peninsula and it's got a 2 story boathouse and a helipad. All yours for just $4.9 million!!! Seriously, you should click here to see the pictures of this place. It is UNBELIEVABLE. And if the big house gets to be too much, there's even a little one bedroom cabin you can escape to, right there on the property.
Word in Hollywood is that Taylor Swift is up for the lead role in a movie about 70s folk singer Joni Mitchell. Taylor is not bad at acting, and she kind of looks the part if this picture us any indication:
Saturday night was a big night for Keith Urban. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and became the first person not from North America to be honored in this way. Here are a few videos so you can share his excitement:
The "Gimme That Girl" singer got a girl! Joe Nichols' wife Heather gave birth to a baby girl yesterday, Dylan River Nichols. This is especially exciting for the couple, who have struggled for many years with infertility. Many people don't go public with that type of information, so it was pretty brave of them to be so open about their issues, including a miscarraige that they suffered through a few years back. This is Joe's second daughter, as he has a teenage girl from a previous relationship.
Last night on "The Voice," Blake Shelton had to let go the only country singer on his team, RaeLynn. It came down to a sing-off between Erin, the one whose dad recently died (like Blake's) and RaeLynn, the one who I'm sure reminds Blake of a young Miranda Lambert. Honestly, as much as I loved her fiesty personality, I really didn't care for her voice. She might be good someday, but she didn't have the chops to be a star yet, and I think Blake kept her on longer because he just liked her. And I'll bet he'll do what he can to get her started in country music. Here's a video of her last chance song:
Blake Shelton is on fire...the "Voice" coach and country superstar has just scored his 6th #1 in a row, making him the only country star who currently has 6 #1s in a row. So you'd think that between that and his TV stardom he'd be extra full of himself, but Blake says the opposite. He says that seeing these singers on the "Voice" stage every week, wanting so much to make it in the music business, actually makes him more appreciative of what he has. After a surprise judge's elimination last night in which he had to boot Jordis, Blake has to say goodbye to another team member tonight at 9 on NBC (8).
Parts of Jennifer Nettles' deposition on the Indiana State Fair stage collapse have been made public, and we have a very serious case of she said/she said/they said. The woman in charge of the fair has testified that they went to Sugarland's manager and repeatedly asked to postpone the show, but that the manager said Sugarland would NOT postpone. But Jennifer Nettles says they were NEVER asked to postpone, and that if they were, they would have certainly considered it. So how will we ever know? Or will the band's manager--who may have been talking on behalf of the band without consulting with them--take the fall? We shall see. Meanwhile, let's not forget that the stage was not constructed properly, so I think we can all agree that the people in charge of that are largely to blame. Ugly and sad....
This kind of makes me mad: the lawyer for the victims in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse has accused Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of having no compassion when they answered questions in their official deposition about the events leading up to the tragedy. He says neither Jennifer nor Kristian broke down, or even needed a minute to compose themselves during their testimony. Now if you ask me, that's kind of an arrogant thing to do. Judging someone for how they respond to something like that? Based on how they presented themselves in an official video for a court case? Sugarland's lawyers say this guy is just trying to grab media attention. And here I am reporting it. But only because I think that's just an obnxious thing for a lawyer to say.
Dave Haywood has become the third member of Lady Antebellum to tie the knot in the past 3 years...he married his fiancee Kelli Cashiola over the weekend at a farm outside of Nashville. Bandmates Hillary and Dave were on hand for the event, and from what we can tell, everyone behaved themselves and had a lovely time.
Austin, Texas is honoring one of their favorite local boys, Willie Nelson, with a statue later this month. The statue will be unveiled on April 20th at 4:20 pm...that's right, 4/20 at 4:20. Fans of the marijuana know that for some reason 4/20 is considered sort of a pot holiday, so it's clearly not an accidetnal date choice. This means next time you go to Austin you can throw rocks at the statue so Willie gets stoned once again!
Congrats to Keith, who has just become the first-ever non-North American to be invited to join the Grand Ole Opry! Keith is a lifetime fan and student of country music history, so he doesn't take this lightly. It happened last night at his "All for the Hall" benefit show that he hosted and organized to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame. Vince Gill pulled out a duffel bag on stage and pulled out a replica of the famous Opry microphone, and of course Keith freaked out and accepted the invitation immediately. Saturday the 21st of April is his induction date.
Yes, it's true, and women all across the land are in mourning (guys, too, like Mike, who have been living vicariously through Jake's single-ness for many years). Jake proposed to his girlfriend Lacey Buchanan ON STAGE at his hometown benefit concert that he does every year, and according to what he told Mike, he didn't really plan it. As you can see when you watch this shaky video, he didn't even have a ring ready. Jake and Lacey have been seriously dating for a few years now, and she has appeared in two videos, which you can watch below:
This is a trip: There's a genealogy website called Geni.com that traces peoples' family trees, way, waaay back. When they searched Taylor Swift's family history, they found that she's related to quite a few country legends: she's 15th cousins once removed from Reba McEntire, 9th cousins once removed from Willie Nelson, 12th cousins once removed from Garth Brooks, and 14th from Loretta Lynn. How does this work, you are wondering? Well it's actually pretty legit: here's the rundown on her connection to Reba:
Tonight is the night that you can go to a movie theater and see a special Rascal Flatts movie. It's called "Rascal Flatts -- CHANGED" and it's for one night only. While you're there, you'llsee the boys kick off a new campaign they're involved in called "Outnumber Hunger." You'll be hearing more about this campaign I'm sure, since it's being kicked off by their record label, which is also home to Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, and Reba. click here to buy movie tickets, btw...
When Lionel Richie, pop superstar of the 80s, announced a while back that he was doing a country album, I was a little skeptical, since so many washed up pop stars try to do this to revive their careers. But Lionel did it right! He invited the biggest stars in country to duet with him, and since all of them were fans of his music, they jumped at the chance. So now Lionel's album, "Tuskegee," is in stores, and it's sellling like crazy! The only reason it's not #1 in the land is because Madonna, another 80s superstar, also released a new CD and it sold more. But congrats to Lionel for selling almost 200 copies of "Tuskegee," and for topping the country charts as well...Also don't forget to watch the all-star special on April 13th on CBS (6) when all those stars sing with Lionel live.
When Ashton Kutcher hit the stage at the ACMs on Sunday, did you like what he did? He wore an old-school country-star-style blazer and a cowboy hat, and then he broke into a bit of George Strait's "I Cross My Heart" as a serenade to all the ladies who didn't win the Female Vocalist award. Well after winning that award and then going home to watch the whole thing on TV, Miranda Lambert tweeted, "Was Ashton Kutcher making fun of country or was it just me? Watching it back now and I'm kinda wondering." Justin Moore was a little less on the fence: "Seen Ashton Kutcher at the acms tonight. What a d****e! I don't care for people making a mockery of the way country artists' dress." So what did you think? It seemed fine to me. Ashton is probably one of those people who thinks everything he does is cute and funny, so he probably just got all countrified for fun, not to mock. Here's what he tweeted back to Miranda: "@Miranda_Lambert I Am One Of The biggest country Music fans you've ever met. Wasn't making fun at all"
Have you heard the new song from Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw? They sang it together at the ACMs the other night, and it's going to be on Kenny's next album, which hits stores in May. This song, which has JUST been released as a single, may debut on the country charts at #1, which is a pretty huge deal! The last time that happened was when Garth Brooks stepped out of retirement for a second to release "More Than a Memory." Here's the song on Youtube...
"Changed," the new Rascal Flatts CD, hits stores today. To celebrate, the boys will be all over the place: On "Dancing With the Stars" tonight, on "Ellen" on Thursday, and on "Good Morning America" on Friday. But what's even cooler is that you can go see them on the big screen for one night only this week. On Thursday night, "Rascal Flatts - CHANGED: One Night Exclusive Theater Event" will play at several theaters in the area, including Lloyd Center and Clackamas Town Center. How many nights will this One Night Exclusive Theater Event run, you ask? ONE. So make sure to see it Thursday if you're a big Flatts fan. Click here for ticket and theater info.
Did you see all those unexpected celebs on the ACMs last night? There was Steve Martin, playing banjo with Rascal Flatts, Ashton Kutcher randomly singing George Strait, Bono on tape randomly introducing Dierks Bentley, and most random of all...KISS! You can imagine that every country star wanted their picture taken with them, and a few couldn't resist doing the trademark KISS rock and roll tongue face!
Here are a few more pics of the unusual combos from last night:
Miranda with Steve Martin and his banjo, which he played on "Banjo" with Rascal Flatts...and below: Kenny Jason and Jake hanging out with Ashton Kutcher, plus a photo-bomb appearance from Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts!
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR *(Off Camera Award)
• Thompson Square
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Lady Antebellum
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Scotty McCreery
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
• Four The Record – Miranda Lambert (RCA)
Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
• Don't You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)
Produced by: Michael Knox
SONG OF THE YEAR [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
• Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band
Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose
Publishers: Cake Taker Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Sweet Hysteria Music (BMI)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)
• Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith
Producer: Mark Kalbfeld
Director: Michael Salomon
VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] *(Off Camera Award)
• Don't You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)
According to People magazine, anyway. They've assembled their list of the hottest guys in country music, and they've put Blake Shelton right on the cover. Others on the list include Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Chris Young, Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban. I for one can't really argue with that list, though I know some people out there would include Trace Adkins or Luke Bryan.
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Soooo, it seems that a LOT of people are asking stars to their proms these days. And most stars, like Justin Timberlake and so on, try to make a point to say yes, because otherwise they look like jerks, right? But what happens if a whole bunch of people start asking stars to go to their proms? They can't say yes to everyone. Just when I was starting to worry about this (yes, this is the kind of thing I worry about) I saw that another boy had asked Taylor Swift to his prom. (Remember Kevin Maguire, the kid with cancer who she invited to the ACMs because she couldn't go to his prom?) Anyway, I can't see how Taylor could ever say no to this guy. His name is Devon Whitney, and he has a very rare disease that makes him look different and restricts his speech and movement. His plea to Taylor is pretty much irresistible...you can watch it below. Will she say yes? Stay tuned! 
How about seeing these two in Vegas at a show in a theater that only holds about 1,800 people? Cool, huh? Las Vegas papers are reporting that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are closing in on an agreement that would have them doing weekend shows there from November to April! So that makes three major acts doing regular Vegas shows: Garth, Shania, and now Tim and Faith. I'll let you know when it's official...
I can't help it: I get excited when a little tiff pops up between the country stars. In this case, it's Eric Church versus Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, oh and pretty much anyone who has ever had anything to do with a singing contest TV show. Here's what Eric Church said in a recent Rolling Stone interview: "It's become American Idol gone mad. Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green f--ing turn around in a red chair, you get a deal? That's crazy. I don't know what would make an artist do that. You're not an artist. If I was concerned about my legacy, there's no f--ing way I would ever sit there (and be a reality show judge). Once your career becomes something onther than the music, then that's what it is. I'll never make that mistake. I don't care if I f---ing starve."
Last night on "The Voice," Blake Shelton had to let go the only country singer on his team, RaeLynn. It came down to a sing-off between Erin, the one whose dad recently died (like Blake's) and RaeLynn, the one who I'm sure reminds Blake of a young Miranda Lambert. Honestly, as much as I loved her fiesty personality, I really didn't care for her voice. She might be good someday, but she didn't have the chops to be a star yet, and I think Blake kept her on longer because he just liked her. And I'll bet he'll do what he can to get her started in country music. Here's a video of her last chance song:
Tonight is the night that you can go to a movie theater and see a special Rascal Flatts movie. It's called "Rascal Flatts -- CHANGED" and it's for one night only. While you're there, you'llsee the boys kick off a new campaign they're involved in called "Outnumber Hunger." You'll be hearing more about this campaign I'm sure, since it's being kicked off by their record label, which is also home to Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, and Reba. click 
When Lionel Richie, pop superstar of the 80s, announced a while back that he was doing a country album, I was a little skeptical, since so many washed up pop stars try to do this to revive their careers. But Lionel did it right! He invited the biggest stars in country to duet with him, and since all of them were fans of his music, they jumped at the chance. So now Lionel's album, "Tuskegee," is in stores, and it's sellling like crazy! The only reason it's not #1 in the land is because Madonna, another 80s superstar, also released a new CD and it sold more. But congrats to Lionel for selling almost 200 copies of "Tuskegee," and for topping the country charts as well...Also don't forget to watch the all-star special on April 13th on CBS (6) when all those stars sing with Lionel live.
When Ashton Kutcher hit the stage at the ACMs on Sunday, did you like what he did? He wore an old-school country-star-style blazer and a cowboy hat, and then he broke into a bit of George Strait's "I Cross My Heart" as a serenade to all the ladies who didn't win the Female Vocalist award. Well after winning that award and then going home to watch the whole thing on TV, Miranda Lambert tweeted, "Was Ashton Kutcher making fun of country or was it just me? Watching it back now and I'm kinda wondering." Justin Moore was a little less on the fence: 
"Changed," the new Rascal Flatts CD, hits stores today. To celebrate, the boys will be all over the place: On "Dancing With the Stars" tonight, on "Ellen" on Thursday, and on "Good Morning America" on Friday. But what's even cooler is that you can go see them on the big screen for one night only this week. On Thursday night, "Rascal Flatts - CHANGED: One Night Exclusive Theater Event" will play at several theaters in the area, including Lloyd Center and Clackamas Town Center. How many nights will this One Night Exclusive Theater Event run, you ask? ONE. So make sure to see it Thursday if you're a big Flatts fan. Click 
Here are the winners from the show last night:
