BRAD PAISLEY’S AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT TOUR ROLLS ON WEST

Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night Tour continued its hot streak with three sold-out shows this past weekend and Billboard listing the tour as #1 country tour for 2010 so far.  The tour took a break this weekend and picks back up with shows in Fresno, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Reno next week, Feb. 18 – 21.  Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore are special guests on the tour.

While on the West Coast Paisley will make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with an interview and performance on the Bud Light Golden Wheat Outdoor Stage Wednesday, February 17.  The late-night show airs on  ABC 12:05am ET/PT..



TRACE ADKINS' BAND BUS INVOLVED IN FATAL CRASH

Early Saturday day in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana , Trace Adkins suffered a traveling musician's worst nightmare, a deadly bus crash. It happened when a pickup truck crossed the center line and crashed head-on into the tour bus carrying Trace's band. Both men in the truck were killed upon impact. None of Adkins' band received serious injuries, however, five were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries and observation.
Adkins, who was not on the bus, had already arrived at the venue when he heard the news. He went to the scene in a van where he picked up the uninjured band members, then went to the hospital to check on the others.

"This is a real tragedy," says Adkins. "Two people have been killed and I don't even know their names. So out of respect for their families, I prefer not to comment too much at this time."





FAITH HILL CELEB FASHION JUDGE

Friday Faith Hill was in Bryant Park, New York City where she served as celebrity judge for Project Runway where 10 designers showed their creations. Joining Faith in the judging were Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors.



SUGARLAND and GLORIANA GO FOR OLYMPIC GOLD

To commemorate the 2010 Winter Olympics AT&T teamed up with acts like Mariah Carey, Three Doors Down, All-American Rejects, SUGARLAND and GLORIANA for the Team USA Soundtrack, a collection of never-before-released songs.


KEITH URBAN WRITING WHEN HE CAN FOR NEXT ALBUM

Keith Urban was in Los Angeles last week for a round of phone interviews and he says what he’s been doing for the last two months is writing songs every day.  Top Radio and TV personality, Becca Walls, asked him if there were plans for him to release a new album later this year and he said, "I'd like to at some point but I know we've got another single, probably, to come off of Defying Gravity, and there's a few up for consideration.  But certainly right now “'Til Summer Comes Around" is doing great, so I think it's just not wanting to be too far behind schedule, and with so much touring coming up this year I can never have too many songs stockpiled, that's for sure."


RASCAL FATTS FEEL DUES PAYING IS BETTER THAN INSTANT "IDOL" SUCCESS

The new season of American Idol is in full swing, and while Rascal Flatts has nothing against the show, they feel like the contestants may be missing out on something by having a chance at instant stardom.  Talking about their early days of playing at the Fiddle & Steel bar in Nashville, Jay DeMarcus says, “That's how we found ourselves, I mean literally, we spent night after night down there learning the art of entertaining a crowd.  And I think if there's a criticism I have of this sort of microwave, instant stardom that some of these kids are experiencing nowadays with American Idol and things like that – it is a great forum to discover new talent that otherwise wouldn't be discovered – however, you don't get to put the time in learning how to be an entertainer.  Because when you have to starve for your craft, it's more beloved to you when you have success.”


TAYLOR IN JAPAN

Taylor Swift arrived in Tokyo, Japan over the weekend on her first trip to the country.  Taylor was swamped by fans upon her arrival at Narita International Airport. She'll be doing press in advance of her concert February 17th at Zepp.

FANS PROMOTE CHESNEY FOR NEXT SUPER BOWL HALF TIME SHOW

Kenny Chesney has said he would love to play the halftime show for Super Bowl XLV (45), which will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Texas, but then we also told you that a representative from NFL programming said it probably wouldn’t happen because they prefer artists who have mass appeal but aren’t over exposed for the halftime shows.  Well it now looks like Kenny’s fans are rallying behind him and a Facebook support page called “Kenny Chesney for Super Bowl 2011” has been started.  They’re hoping to get enough supporters to petition the NFL to let Kenny do the halftime show. You can click here to join the group and show your support.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=301888388224

McGRAW'S SOUTHERN VOICE TOUR ON THE ROAD

Tim McGraw launched his Southern Voice tour Thursday night in Omaha and he says for the first couple of months it’s going to be a very busy time in his life.  Tim tells the Omaha World-Herald, “In January, I started a new album, a movie and getting ready for this tour, so it's going to be a pretty busy couple of months.”  For the beginning of the tour he’ll mostly only tour on weekends, but once school is out he plans to hit it hard and he says his 3 daughters are excited to join him on the road this summer.  As for what fans can expect if they go to his show, Tim says, “Every time we make up a set list, we feel like we're leaving something out. And we are. You just don't have enough time to get No. 1 records, Top 5 records, Top 10 records, our favorite records, album cuts. There's not enough time, so we finally have to put together something that we have fun playing.” Each night will include a little of all of those things plus a few new things off of a new album he’s working on.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD PROMOTES ANIMAL ADOPTION

Carrie Underwood and her dog, Ace, have teamed up with Pedigree dog food to film a public service announcement to promote the company’s adoption drive.  During filming Carrie said, "I can't imagine life without my dog.  Dogs are just beautiful souls that don't want a thing from you."  As for her own dog, Ace, she says, “[He’s] just so special because he loves me for no reason other than I love him back.  He's smart and he's fun, and makes me really appreciate all the little things in life because he is a little thing."  You can visit dogsrule.com to learn more about adopting a dog or to make a donation.  Pedigree will match every donation up to $500,000.



SHANIA MAKES CONTACT THROUGH HER WEBSITE

Shania Twain has checked back in on her web site with a new letter to her fans and a couple of videos showing us what she’s been up to.  She wrote her letter from the Caribbean where she says she’s warming up after a cold stretch in Canada during the holidays.  The good news is Shania says she’s in writing mode, and the tropics are where she wrote a lot of the songs for her Come On Over and The Woman in Me CD’s, so this trip could hopefully be pretty productive.  She didn’t offer any specifics about when we might get some new music, but she did say she’d back in touch with more news on what’s happening on her end.  So stay tuned.  To read her entire letter and to watch her home movies visit www.shaniatwain.com

JUSTIN MOORE IS A DADDY

Justin Moore’s wife, Kate, gave birth to their first child, daughter Ella Kole, on Thursday (Feb. 11).  Little Ella came into the world at 12:29 PM, measuring 18 inches long and weighing in at 6 lbs. 8 oz.  "She and my wife are perfect," Justin tells The Boot.  "Both are doing great.  All I can say is, ‘wow!’  It's the most unbelievable thing I've ever been through. [I’m] so thankful."  Justin and Kate decided to plan Ella's birth via C-Section, due to the fact that Justin is in the midst of Brad Paisley’s American Saturday Night Tour, and he didn't want to risk missing the birth of their first child.  "I'm so busy that we just had to pick a day,” continues Justin.  “We picked the 11th, because that's the earliest they would let us do it. What's horrible was that I had to leave on the 12th, so it was rough.”

REBA SAYS NO MORE CHAINSAW'S FOR HUSBAND ON VALENTINE'S DAY

Newlywed Narvel Blackstock knew it was a gift she'd treasure forever when he gave wife Reba a diamond tennis bracelet for their first Valentine's Day. But no one knows where Narvel's Valentine from Reba is rusting now. "We had just bought our place in Gallatin and we were trying to clear it," Reba tells Country Aircheck Consumer News. "So I got him a chainsaw for Valentine's Day.  Now that went over like a lead balloon because the chain was on backwards.  He worked all day long trying to trim up some of the low branches.  His shoulders, arm and neck were just killing him.  The next day, he hired professional people to come in and clear the property.  I don't know where that chainsaw is today, but I still got my tennis bracelet."



TYLER DICKERSON'S, “TELL YOUR SISTER I’M SINGLE” DEBUTS TUES.

After more than seven years playing country music’s most storied fairs and festivals before picking up a regular weekly gig at the legendary Tootsie’s on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, Tyler Dickerson’s debut single, “Tell Your Sister I’m Single,” impacts country radio on Feb 16th.

“Tell Your Sister I’m Single” reveals the story the story of a jilted man who, after giving his partner everything she wanted and more, is ready to celebrate singledom and find someone who will appreciate everything he has to offer.



KELLIE PICKLER TO APPEAR ON ELLEN DEGENERES MARDI GRAS SPECIAL

Kellie Pickler will be spending Fat Tuesday with one of her favorite people, Ellen DeGeneres, during Ellen’s upcoming Mardi Gras special episode next week.  Ellen, who’s hometown is New Orleans, will chat with Kellie about her current single, “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” her recent USO tour, and her current album Kellie Pickler.  The episode will air Tuesday, February 16th.

Kellie’s current hit single, “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” continues to climb the country singles chart, following in the wake of her Top 10 single, “Best Days Of Your Life,” both from her current self-titled album.



NURSE DESIGNS JIMMY WAYNE’S ‘MEET ME HALFWAY’ T-SHIRT

Cynthia Sparks, a travel nurse specializing in critical care and currently living in Jabez, KY, conceptualized the design for the new Meet Me Halfway t-shirt, which will be available in the next few weeks on Jimmy Wayne’s Meet Me Halfway website.  Proceeds from sales of the t-shirt, as well as other merchandise designed especially for Wayne‘s walk across America, will benefit the Meet Me Halfway project.



JEWEL’S RECENT RETURN TO ALASKA BROUGHT BACK FOND MEMORIES

Last year Jewel returned to Homer and Anchorage in Alaska, where the superstar was born and raised, for her first performances there in nearly ten years.  We asked Jewel what it was like to be in her home state again.  “I'm so proud to be from Alaska,” exclaims the singer-songwriter.  “I had such a great time on my trip. Ty and his parents were able to come with me this time and it really made it special to share the experience with them.  I did a show in my hometown of Homer to benefit the local arts program as well as performances in Anchorage.  It is still one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  I don't get back to enough but I treasure every moment I'm there.  I went to visit my family's homestead that my father keeps up and we had a big dinner with Alaska family members and my touring crew.”



ERIC CHURCH COMES THROUGH FOR FANS AFTER
BLIZZARD CANCELLED SHOWS

Eric Church hit the road this week headlining the “Jagermeister Country Tour” despite extraordinary weather conditions in the northeast. The shows in Baltimore and Philadelphia were postponed due to the record breaking snowfall. Miraculously, Eric, his band and crew made it to the Fillmore Irving Plaza in New York for the show Wednesday despite blizzard conditions.  Church hated to disappoint fans who couldn’t make it to the show due to the treacherous weather. Eric is honoring tickets to the rescheduled Philadelphia and Baltimore shows, as well as, personally refunding any unused tickets for the New York City show.

“My fans are the best and I never want to let them down” explains Church.

The Philadelphia show was rescheduled for Sunday, February 14 and the Baltimore show is rescheduled for February 22. For those ticket holders who can’t make the new show dates, please go to the point of purchase for refunds.



STEEL MAGNOLIA’S JOSH & MEGHAN RECALL ROMANTIC MEMORIES

As Valentine’s Day approached last week, Steel Magnolia were asked to recall memories of the romantic day.  “Up until very recently, Josh and I have been struggling musicians,” notes Steel Magnolia’s Meghan Linsey.  “Last year we were completely broke and I wasn't expecting anything [for Valentine’s Day].  I was just glad we were together. Then, Josh gave me an old classical guitar.  He had painted flowers on it and on the back he wrote my initials and C.B.Y.D.T.Y. When I asked him what it stood for he said, ‘Can't Buy You Diamonds This Year.’  It was priceless!”  Ever the romantic, Josh chimes in, letting us know what, he feels, is the most romantic song to share with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.  “’Wonderful Tonight’ by Eric Clapton is one of the most romantic songs I've ever heard.  It's just so honest.  To me, the most romantic songs are just simple.  They say, ‘I love you because you're you’.”



JARON EXPLAINS HIS LONG ROAD TO LOVE AND HOW IT LED TO WRITING HIS NEW SINGLE

Be sure to catch Jaron's video for "Pray For You." A lot of dumped-on guys are going to find it supremely cathartic as the character in the song fantasizes on what he'd like to see happen to his ex.  “I’ve had a lot of great experiences, and I’ve dated awesome girls,” exclaims Jaron, of Jaron And The Long Road To Love, whose new tongue-in-cheek single “Pray For You” is impacting now.  “And unfortunately, sometimes, and by the way, this is to no blame to anybody else, [it’s] my own experience, I’ve had some not so great experiences.  Love is amazing, but it can sting, and it can hurt.  I try to tackle both sides of it honestly.  When love is beautiful and amazing, I’m gonna write about it.  I’m gonna capture that. And when it’s miserable and sad and heartbreaking, I’m gonna give that to ‘em too.”  That thought process led the singer-songwriter to pen his sarcastic new single.  “I think it’s one of those private conversations that we’ve all had with ourselves that has now been brought out into the public, and people are just shocked by the honesty,” Jaron continues.  “I don’t condone that people should go out and pray that negative things, bad things happen to people, I’m just saying that we’ve all done it before.  It’s intellectually dishonest to say that people don’t feel this way sometimes.  I’ve felt that way and if I felt that way, that means other people have.”