Miranda Lambert Talks About the Down-Side of The Voice

Miranda Lambert helped her hubby on The Voice last night…she sang with Dia Frampton…Blake’s golden girl representing Team Blake. The two ladies sang “The House that Built Me”…and afterwards, Blake looked a little choked up….and he told Dia that while he watched her up there singing with his wife, he realized that she’s like his family too. And it was a really sweet moment. In case you missed it, here's Miranda's duet with Dia on last night's finale of The Voice:

Well, Miranda opened up about Blake’s TV gig…she says she’s been super supportive of Blake and his entire team along the way…but THE Voice has had a down-side…it hasn’t been exactly easy on the newlyweds…

Sara Evans is Fit and Famous!

Sara Evans is Fit and Famous, according to Shape Magazine. Sara is being featured in the magazine’s "Fit and Famous" section next month. So if you’ve ever wondered how she manages to look so good, check it out…Sara reveals her fitness and beauty secrets. But Sara says it helps to have support at home….and her husband, former pro-football player Jay Barker, is her favorite exercise partner…

Blake Shelton Drank the Water

Brad Paisley gave Blake Shelton some GREAT advice last night…but it was a little too late for Blake. The two performed together on The Voice last night…they sang their duet called “Don’t Drink the Water”, a song off of Brad’s album that Blake lends his voice to....

Billy Ray Cyrus' New Album is a Tribute to Troops

Billy Ray Cyrus released a new album yesterday. The album called, I'm American, is packed with patriotic tunes, and its Billy Ray’s salute to our troops serving our country, just in time for the 4h of July. Billy Ray’s new album features a remade version of his hit from the 90’s, "Some Gave All", with special guest vocals from Jamey Johnson, Darryl Worley and Craig Morgan. A trip to play for the troops overseas inspired Billy Ray to re-record the song...

Blake Shelton Calls on Miranda for The Voice...

Blake Shelton’s coaching gig ends this week, after tomorrow night’s finale of the hit TV Show The Voice! And Blake really wants to win this deal!!! So he’s called on another big-time Country Star to help him….his wife! Miranda Lambert will sing a duet with Team Blake’s Dia Frampton on the finale tomorrow night!!!....

Dolly Parton's Still Got It!!!

Dolly Parton is releasing a brand new album TODAY! The album is called, Better Day, and with it Dolly proves she’s still still got it!. After DECADES of hits…somehow Dolly Parton manages to stay, not only relevant, but Dolly is up on all the latest technology out there to promote her career and get the music to Dolly fans around the world! You can friend her on Facebook, Tweet to her onTwitter, or you can read her blog…Dolly even delivers a video diary and takes her fans on the road in one of her webisode series online. So how does Dolly stay so hip? I’ll let her answer that one….

Vince Gill Hits Hollywood Walk of Fame!!!

Vince Gill is receiving top honors in Hollywood! Vince is getting a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Vince says he never dreamed that he’d ever get one of those. When he was 19 years, Vince moved to Los Angeles…and lived there for 7 years. He says, "When I lived out there, I was such a young person that I hadn't really accomplished much of anything. So even the thought of one day having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was preposterous.”....

Nicole Kidman Filming New Movie in NASHVILLE!!!

Rumor has it, KEITH URBAN’S WIFE, NICOLE KIDMAN, is bringing Hollywood A-lister’s to Nashville!!! This is BIG NEWS!!!

Word is, Nicole is bringing one of Hollywood’s most anticipated movie projects to Music City!! The movie, called “Stoker” will be filmed right here in Nashville. The project has been ‘greenlit’ and supposedly will be shot this summer. Nicole is starring in the film, along with another Academy Award winner…."The King’s Speech" actor, Colin Firth!! I've been told that the film’s producers were in town last week scouting for locations to shoot the film…and they were searching for a mansion or older home, not an antebellum-style home…in the Nashville area to be used as the main location in the movie!!...

Toby Keith Plays the Bluebird Cafe NEXT WEEK!

Toby Keith made Forbes list of the World’s Highest Paid Musicians…and he’s the highest paid Country Star…at the #11 spot…he even beat out Taylor Swift (who's at her lucky #13 spot).

But next week…Toby Keith won’t be paid a dime to perform a concert right here in Nashville. Instead…on Tuesday night, Toby is donating his services to perform for a cause. For the first time ever, Toby Keith will perform at the Bluebird Café, right here in Nashville on Tuesday night. It’ll be an acoustic performance, in the form of a writer’s round, as is the usual way at the Bluebird. All proceeds will help pay down the debt acquired by the Nashville Songwriters Association International when they purchased the Bluebird Café back in 2007.

Toby used to go to writers night a lot at the Bluebird, and he released a statement saying, “It’s a great place for songwriters to showcase their songs…Nashville needs to keep the Bluebird alive and thriving." Toby will be joined by songwriters Scotty Emerick and Bobby Pinson, who wrote many of Toby’s hits. Word is, Toby will autograph the guitar he plays during the show, and auction it off to raise money for the cause.

According to the Bluebird Cafe's website, the evening is sold out. Ticket prices were anywhere from $75 to $150 each. But it is the Bluebird…and it’s pretty normal for folks to watch the show through the windows to catch a glimpse of a Country Star.

-Ashley

Miranda Lambert's Favorite Place to Escape

Miranda Lambert was in Nashville this week…doing something very unexpected. Miranda normally tweets about going hunting or fishing…or shooting her gun…even posting pictures of her kill. But Miranda tweeted something unusual this week…and in doing so, she revealed that she can be a girly-girl, too. Miranda tweeted that she went to a local Spa, tweeting, “What a great place to ‘escape’! Loved it. My face is like new!” So Miranda likes to do girl-stuff too…

Miranda went to escape day spa + salon in Nashville’s upscale neighborhood of Bellemeade…and it seems to the spa of choice for many celebs. Word is, Gwyneth Paltrow went there a lot while she was filming "Country Strong"…Nicole Kidman goes there…plus, Ke$ha and actress Mary Steenburgen, who was in town for the CMT Awards show, went there.

So if you have the cash, it seems like THE place to go for Nashville Celeb sightings…and you’ll probably look like a star yourself once you leave…


-Ashley

Keith Urban's #1 Party for "Without You"

Keith Urban had his #1 party yesterday for his song, “Without You”…and I was there. Keith, as we know, didn’t write the hit song, but it describes his family’s life almost to a “T”…Keith described the moment he first heard the song…he played it for Nicole in their kitchen at home…and they were both blown away…it was as if he had written it about their life together. And in concert, he always adds in another line…after “along comes a baby girl”…he always adds Faith Margaret into the song...

Carrie Underwood and Gary LeVox "Hangin' Tough" at Nashville Concert!

The Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood were spotted together this week in Nashville…in an unexpected place. They were all caught "Hangin' Tough" backstage with the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys!

The New Kids On The Block & Backstreet Boys played at the Bridgestone Arena Tuesday night…and who knew that Carrie Underwood is a long-time fan? One of the Backstreet Boys called her a “BlockHead” on Twitter....

Blake Shelton Hits Hollywood Cover

Country’s newest TV star Blake Shelton made the COVER of the Hollywood Reporter! Blake and his fellow coaches from “The Voice”, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green are on the cover of the latest issue of the Hollywood Reporter. The issue gives us all the inside info on the hit TV show and even reveals the SALARIES of the superstar coaches...

Kids Leave Jason Aldean and Ludacris in their Dust!

Jason Aldean and rapper Ludacris have cause for some concern… because all over the web, Kids are covering Dirt Road Anthem and they’re leaving Jason and Ludacris in their dust!

The song has struck a chord with many wanna be singers out there…but the ones who are making waves on YouTube are the tots! Parents everywhere are recording their kids singing and rapping…some dressed up their kids in fancy outfits…some let the cameras roll as their little angel cuts loose in Sponge Bob PJ's....

Carrie Underwood Waits on Brad Paisley

Carrie Underwood says Brad Paisley’s song, “Waiting on a woman”…is all a lie! Carrie opened up to Billboard.com about what it’s like to work with Brad…and she said, you’ll be the one waitin on Brad!...

Vince Gill Set to Release New Music

Vince Gill is all set to release new music this summer! Finally! Vince has spent the last 4 years working hard…he’s been writing songs, touring and recording with other artists…but hasn’t released any of his OWN music. So this summer, Vince has announced he’ll break his silence with a song called, “Threaten Me With Heaven,” a tune he co-wrote with his wife, Amy Grant, and songwriters Dillon O’Brian and Will Owsley.

Vince says the song has had a “profound impact” on his own life now…because since the song was recorded, one of the co-writers, Will Owsley, committed suicide...

Montgomery Gentry Performs a FREE Concert for the Atlanta Braves

Montgomery Gentry performed a free concert after the Braves game in Atlanta yesterday, to celebrate Father's Day…And to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Troy Gentry said it was a special day planned for dads…some dads won the chance to go down on the field to participate the fun and festivities…

All the activities, along with Montgomery Gentry’s performance was all part of Major League Baseball’s initiative to promote prostate cancer awareness and prevention….and it’s a cause that hits close to home for Eddie and Troy...

Troy Gentry: “We have had a battle with that in Montgomery Gentry’s camp with Eddie not long ago. So, when we got the call in from the Braves to participate with them in this event on Father’s Day, Eddie and I jumped right on board.” 

Eddie Montgomery is living proof of early detection of prostate cancer. Eddie was diagnosed and treated for the disease last year. Then he was back on the road performing concerts with Troy just 3 weeks after his surgery.

-Ashley

Blake Shelton's Honeymoon Surprise

Blake Shelton got a little too personal when he revealed new details about his honeymoon with Miranda Lambert….and well, he didn’t hold ANYTHING back! So apparently, the entire trip to Mexico…and staying at Reba McEntire’s house…was all a big surprise for Miranda. Their plan was to just stay home instead of taking the usual honeymoon…because Miranda told Blake she understood he travelled a lot, so staying home would be good for both of them. But Blake wouldn’t have it….so he surprised her with a honeymoon in Cancun…Blake even said that they weren’t alone on their honeymoon…they took a couple of their close friends with them…and they flew to Mexico. Blake said he and Miranda experienced everything that comes to mind when you think of going to Mexico…and yes, he meant EVERYTHING! Blake gave a little too much info:

Blake Shelton: "We got drunk, we ate too much, we got seasick one day, we got sunburned, I did a couple of shots of salt water that I didn't mean to because the waves were hitting me so hard. We did everything you're supposed to do in Mexico, including I drank the water and had diarrhea." 

Blake says he doesn’t want to keep any secrets when it comes to his marriage to Miranda…he says he wants their picture everywhere on magazines and TV…because he wants the world to know he got Miranda Lambert!

Check out Blake's hilarious interview here:

-Ashley

Jason Aldean Gives Props to LUDACRIS

Well, ever since Jason Aldean hit the stage with Rapper Ludacris at the CMT Awards show last week…Jason’s album sales and song downloads have been soaring. Jason's album, My Kinda Party, is at the number-two spot on the Country Album chart this week…and Jason’s song, “Dirt Road Anthem”, took the #1 spot on the Country singles chart.

The awards show performance went so well, that Jason released a remixed version of Dirt Road Anthem that included Ludacris. That collaboration led to a 99 percent sales increase for the song. But before it all came together, Jason admitted he was nervous about involving a rapper in his country tune.

Jason Aldean: “It was one of those things I really didn't know what to think myself. I wanted him to write a verse to the song and go, "OK, let's see what we got then." He wrote a verse, and I heard that, and it was like, "OK, this is gonna be pretty cool." It was kind of weird the way it all went down, you know, but I thought it came off great. I had a blast performing with him, and so now we got each other's numbers. Keep in touch. I go to Atlanta, I'm definitely calling. He's like the mayor of that town I think."

Jason gave props to Ludacris saying, “Luda said it best …when he told the crowd 'History has been made.’ It really did feel like one of those once-in-a-lifetime television moments."


-Ashley

Ronnie Dunn Solo Album Debuts at #1!!

Well, Ronnie Dunn’s first solo project is officially a HIT. In it’s first week, Ronnie’s self-titled solo album is the #1 country album in the U.S, (according to Billboard’s Country Albums chart.) And It’s a great father’s day present for Ronnie’s dad, who Ronnie says inspired him to become a Country singer…and Ronnie says he wrote one of the songs on the album called, ‘Singer in a Cowboy Band” about his decision to follow in his dad’s footsteps. 

Ronnie Dunn:“I left home in high school and…after I graduated and went to Abilene, Texas…was in a religious college before I realized that that was probably not my deal. I always felt like I let my mother down. At the same time, I ended up, you know, living my dad’s dream which…he was an aspiring country singer.” 

Take a listen to "Singer in a Cowboy Band"...

Ronnie will spend father’s day weekend out on the road in Iowa and Wisconsin. Even though his record is at the #1 spot this week, Ronnie says he believes his journey as a solo artist will be a "marathon, not a sprint"….and he wrote to his fans on his blog quote, “I’m takin’ it one song, one show, one mile at a time.”

-Ashley

Alabama Debuts New Music at Bama Rising Concert!!!

Well, it appears that the Legendary Country Group, Alabama, is making a come-back. There’s been speculation about a new album and a tour for months. In a recent interview, band member Jeff Cook, even mentioned those things are on their radar.  

Their guest appearance on Brad Paisley's number one song, "Old Alabama" catapulted the band back into the spotlight.  So recently, we’ve seen Alabama perform on Music Awards shows…TV appearances…this year’s CMA Music fest…and then this week at Bama Rising, the benefit concert they organized for tornado relief in their home state of Alabama.

And it was at the Bama Rising concert that the country group debuted a brand new song..their first in nearly a decade…the song, called “Raising Alabama” was co-written by band member Teddy Gentry.  They are donating all sales of the song to the Bama-Rising fund to support tornado recovery in Alabama.  

The video below was captured on a cell phone, backstage at the Bama Rising concert. Here's Alabama performing their new Song, ”Raising Alabama”:

So…this new song from Alabama makes me wonder if maybe a new album is on the way?.? One thing is for sure, the country audience still loves them…word is, their Bama Rising concert sold out in 15 minutes!!

"Raising Alabama" is available for purchase on ITunes now....or go to bamarising.org for more ways to help with Alabama tornado relief.

Take a listen to Alabama's new single below....

Raising Alabama by Ashley Mann


-Ashley

Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee" Hits Number One!

Blake Shelton is celebrating a new number-one song this week with "Honey Bee." This makes Blake’s 4th number one song IN A ROW!!…And the fastest rising single of his whole career….”Honey Bee” buzzed up the charts in just 10 weeks!! So…How did Blake manage to pull this off?? Well, he says it wasn’t any ONE thing that he did…it was a combination of a lot of things.

Blake debuted the song on the ACM’s in front of millions of folks, so introducing Honey Bee to millions of viewers probably helped….then Blake’s high-profile wedding to Miranda Lambert sure didn’t hurt, slipping up and becoming a TV star now on the hit show, The Voice was certainly helpful…and his song,"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," got a whole lot of attention when it went to number one, in spite of the toenail line in the song….but more than anything, Blake says, blame it on the song.

Blake Shelton: “All these things create momentum, but I think more than anything it's just a really good song. I mean, it's that song that you hope to get once in your career that for whatever reason it's just a no-brainer and you don't have to think that hard about it. It's just fun and people like to hear it. But I think you put all that together and the thing just blew up." 

“Honey Bee” will be included on his next album, Red River Blue, due July 12th. Blake's new album will have more than his usual 6-pack of tunes…he’s doing a full album this time. To make room for more number one’s, I guess. 


Blake has just released the track listing for the album...so here are the 11 songs we can all look forward to:


1.   Honey Bee
2.   Ready to Roll
3.   God Gave Me You
4.   Get Some
5.   Drink On It
6.   Good Ol' Boys
7.   I'm Sorry
8.   Sunny in Seattle
9.   Over
10. Hey
11. Red River Blue

Congratulations, Blake!!!

-Ashley

Sara Evans Celebrates Her Wedding Anniversary at Bama Rising!

Last night, Country Stars joined forces and performed at Bama Rising, a benefit concert for Alabama Tornado relief. Sara Evans, who’s now a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the many country stars who volunteered to be a part of the fundraiser. Sara says after driving with her husband through the areas that were hit hard by the storms, she was deeply affected. And even though last night was a special day for Sara and her husband Jay Barker, Sara says she was proud to be a part of the benefit concert...

Sara Evans: “I am so proud of country music for coming together and doing this benefit concert because everybody’s donating their time and it’s just a busy time of year for everybody. It just warms my heart that this is taking place. It’s on our anniversary and Jay and I both saying, ‘We can’t think of a better way to spend our anniversary than to be helping."

Last night’s show had a huge line up of artists. Of course the country group Alabama, who organized the concert was there, along with Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan…plus many others donated their time and talent to help those affected by this year’s devastating storms.

See exclusive backstage interviews with the members of the legendary country group Alabama here: http://www.thealabamaband.com/news.html?n_id=135

-Ashley

Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Take Over CMA Music Fest 2011

It’s safe to say that American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner up Lauren Alaina invaded CMA Music fest last week. Those two were everywhere! I watched them make their Opry debuts on Friday night…the crowd went wild for both of them. Lauren performed first…but she had me a little worried.  Before she sang, Lauren told the crowd that she wasn’t feeling all that well…but then sang “Blue” without any problems. It was an emotional night for Lauren, as she explained afterwards…because it’s always been her family’s dream to perform at the Opry…

Lauren Alaina:“I have always dreamed of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. My daddy grew up playing the banjo, and he always wanted to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, and he never got the chance. So, when I started singing, he told me that he wanted me to do that. So, I was raised wanting to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. My daddy was actually there when I performed, and we both cried. (Laughs)”

As soon as young Scotty McCreery walked on the Opry stage, the audience began screaming. I understood then why Scotty’s been called Country Bieber…the Opry was filled with young girls going crazy over the boy! Well, Scotty thanked the audience for the warm welcome to the Opry stage before he began to sing, and then he said, "Gosh, three months ago I was bagging groceries!" 

Can you guess the song he was singing when I took this pic? 

-Ashley

Keith Urban Previews His Upcoming Tour for VIP's and a Few Fans!!!

Keith Urban opened up one of his final show rehearsals during CMA Music Fest last week...and gave a few fans (and the media) a sneak peek at his Get Closer tour. Keith only performed for about 200 or so folks total. He spoke to us before the rehearsal began...and explained that it was just a rehearsal, so they may mess up here or there. But, let me tell you, Keith was amazing!

Keith’s new stage back-drop was built to look kind of like a roller coaster…and cameras and lighting traveled along the railing. He had a pretty elaborate light show…and huge movie screens, where they projected both LIVE concert footage AND music video footage behind Keith and his band. So, if you’re going to see this tour, take my word for it…there won’t be a bad seat in the house! Catch a preview of his show here:

During the rehearsal, Keith moved through the audience and played on two separate stages….for a more intimate performance. Concert go-ers will literally be able to touch Keith as he performs! Keith explained, he wants to get even closer to his audience during his “Get Closer” tour…and he designed the new staging set with that goal in mind. 

The sneak preview performance was really laid back, and it was a TRUE rehearsal, so there were a few mistakes…which Keith joked about and laughed with the band. With so many technical elements to his show, a lot can go wrong…but Keith wanted us to know…the set is a means to present the music…and the MUSIC will not disappoint!! 


Keith Urban: "I'm trying to use production to connect in a bigger environment. I'm not trying to use it to compensate for anything, you know. So, I think that's the struggle with the early rehearsal -- which we're not in early rehearsal but we are still in rehearsal -- is we've got this big toy box, but we've gotta make sure we use it and it doesn't use us." 

Keith showed off a couple of video elements of the show, including a video of  Little Big Town's "Boondocks," that he incorporated into his album cut "Fly with Me." Keith also used a clip of his hero Waylon Jennings performing "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way"...which leads into Keith's performance of "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me."

Keith ended with "You Look Good in My Shirt," and I had the best seat in the house! I was right beside Keith when he performed the song on one of the b-stages…and when he was finished…he quickly took off his guitar, signed it…and handed it to the teenage fan who was standing right beside me!!! It was an incredible moment!!!…and luckily, I got it all on video! Check it out:

Keith said the sneak peek was about 25 percent of what the show will actually look like when it opens this Thursday in Mississippi. WOW! 

-Ashley


P.S. THANK YOU to Dave Parker for taking GREAT pics!!!

Shania Twain Survived "The Fall"

Shania Twain’s wipe out during the CMT Music Awards Wednesday night had everyone worried. No doubt, it was a nasty fall and it looked like she really hurt herself. Well, Shania wanted to personally address the issue, so she posted a video to talk about her tumble. Shania has a sense of humor about it all…and at the beginning of the video, she says she lived through one of life’s most embarrassing moments…but realized she doesn’t need a stunt double, because she did her own stunts on the Thelma and Louise video with Taylor Swift AND she didn’t need a stunt double to wipe out on the way to the steps to present the Male VIDEO of the year award. Apparently, her extremely high heel, strappy shoes were the culprit. Check out the video:

I’ve noticed that most of the videos of shania’s wipeout have been removed from the web….and CMT has removed it from the replay or rerun of the Awards Show…

I spoke to Shania last night at a get to know you party at Virago…and I’m happy to report, she IS doing great!  And she told me she's excited about going to Vegas and and singing again for the fans next year. Even more than singing, she said, she has missed talking to everyone.


-Ashley

2011 CMT Music Awards Show, LIVE from Nashville!!!

Last night’s CMT Awards show did NOT disappoint...but the buzz around the awards show isn’t about who took home the trophies. The show, of course, airs LIVE and anything can happen. So to sum up this year’s awards show….Shania Twain wiped out, Sheryl Crow flashed her undies, Justin Beiber won an award, Lady A sang a Prince song…and Jason Aldean sang with rapper, Ludacris!! Oh and behind the scenes…I don’t know if you guys caught this on camera, but Charles Kelly stood up while Colt Ford was singing and flipped him off… in a fun loving, guy kind of way. : )

So... Sheryl Crow flashed the crowd, or so she claims…apparently she found out from her fans' tweets that everyone could see her panties when she slid off of the chair after her duet with Kid Rock. So Sheryl addressed "the elephant in the room" and joked that she was at least glad she was wearing underwear at all. Lady A sang Prince’s song, “Kiss”…I was wondering why Charles Kelly took off running like that…(I thought maybe Colt Ford was chasing him down after Charles gave him the bird)…. then I saw Hillary changing clothes on stage…so their Prince cover was a fun moment in the show.

I’m still a little deaf from all the screaming when Justin Bieber accepted his award with the Flatts. That kid has some LOUD fans, that’s for sure!! And the Flatts encouraged it...Joe Don shouted, "WE have Bieber Fever!!!" and the crowd went WILD!

And Jason Aldean rocked his new song, "Dirt Road Anthem" (which was written by Colt Ford, by the way). Jason's a great rapper (who knew) and Ludacris was fantastic.

But the most shocking moment of the show last night was Shania Twain’s wipe out. It happened right before she announced that Blake Shelton had won the Male Video of the Year award. Now I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting, but folks watching at home saw her shocking fall…and within moments, I had the video clip on my phone, sent to me by text. But Shania went on to gracefully announce the winner…and unlike, Sheryl Crow, Shania did NOT address the “elephant in the room”…Blake did it for her. During the commercial break right after he received the award, Blake tweeted, “Wow, not only did I win, but Shania Twain is falling for me!” 

I hope Shania is OK that was a nasty fall. I’m gonna see her this afternoon at a private function…so I’ll see how she’s doing and report back…

-Ashley

Blake Shelton: Beverly Hillbilly

As of last night, The hit TV Show, The Voice is now airing LIVE…and Voice coach Blake Shelton is moving to L.A. for a month until the show wraps up. I caught up with Blake before he loaded up the truck and moved to Bev-er-ly…and I’m a little worried for his neighbors….

Blake Shelton: “We just rented a house out there and I’m gonna be living in L.A. for a month doing this show which should be…a lot of fun, interesting. Probably p**s some people off when I…when they catch me in the yard shooting pigeons and squirrels and stuff cause I know there’s a lot of tree huggers out there.” 

Yep, Blake is now the newest Beverly Hillbilly, and proud of it! He’s been tweeting like crazy since he got there…giving us a blow-by-blow of his LA take-over. He tweeted that he took Team Blake to a karaoke bar in Burbank and said they were about to blow the roof off of the place. And Blake tweeted about being homesick too…Tweeting,“This ain't no disco.. Ain't no club either.. This is LA.”

But Blake’s fellow coach, Adam Levine gave him a warm welcome on Twitter…Adam wrote, “welcome to my town, Big Country.”

If you saw the show last night, you might have noticed Blake showing off his wedding band. Blake invited his team over to his house in L.A...they were all sitting around the table eating...and in several shots, Blake was playing with his wedding band as he was giving advice to his team. He couldn't keep his hands off of that ring! : )

-Ashley

P.S. I think Blake's got a solid team...and he has a real good shot at winning.

Darius Rucker and Friends at the Wildhorse in Nashville

Last night, Darius Rucker hosted his 2nd annual Darius and Friends benefit concert at the Wildhorse Saloon…to help raise money for the kids at St. Jude….Darius called on his pals…Rodney Atkins, Easton Corbin, Justin Moore and Jerrod Niemann…to help him out.

Darius said the event was so successful last year, they wanted to keep the same theme this year…and that theme is artists coming together for a great cause…I caught up with Darius before the show…and Darius told me that a visit to the hospital sparked his desire to help…

Darius Rucker:  “Going to St. Jude a few years ago with... Dierks and I went to visit it. You know, its amazing when you talk to all the kids…and you see all the kids and you see all the things that they’re doing…and you just want to do something. I mean, all I can do is play music…that’s really all God gave me the gift to do! (laughs) And so we just figured it’s something that we can do here in Nashville and and it’s worked out well. And as a Dad, that’s probably the main reason that kids charities and kids things are most important to me, because I’m a dad.  And I can’t imagine, you know, what it would be like to not be able to help my kids." 

The Darius and Friends benefit is one of the first events that kicked off this week’s CMA Music Festival. Darius will be playing in Nashville a lot this week…he’ll be at the Opry tonight…and then he’ll perform for the CMA Fest on Sunday.

-Ashley

"Today is Your Day"...New Music from Shania Twain!!!

The Oprah Winfrey Network hosted the world premiere of Country superstar Shania Twain’s first new music in six years! Its a song titled, “Today Is Your Day” …and it’s the first song Shania has written on her own in 6 years! During last night’s episode of “Why Not? with Shania Twain”, we watched her record the tune with top producer, David Foster. It was the first time Shania had worked with another producer, other than her ex-husband, Mutt Lange, since the '90's.  


Throughout the docu-series, we watched Shania write, practice and record "Today is Your Day."  Shania said releasing new music wasn’t even on her radar, but writing and singing the tune helped her find her voice again….


Shania Twain: “That song was me living what I was preaching to myself. It’s very positive, very uplifting…and I needed it. And so I finished the song by the end of the series, totally against any of my intentions…and so I surprised myself” 
 
Check out a preview of Shania's new song here: 

In next week’s episode, which is the final episode, we get what I was hoping for!! Shania shares her wedding footage, when she married Frederic Thiebaud in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day. We will also get to see Shania recording a duet of “Endless Love” with superstar Lionel Richie!!


Correction: Shania's new single will be available exclusively on Itunes immediately following the final episode on Sunday, June 12th.

-Ashley

Naomi and Wynonna Judd's Life Story Used for a Fictional Novel?!

Naomi Judd's ex-publicist may have used the the Judd family's life story as the blueprint for his new novel, Twang! The former publicist and author of the book, John Schlimm, promises readers will find the fictional characters “strikingly familiar.”

So…the novel is about a famous Country Music Duo…two sisters, Salome and Willa, who have a volatile relationship. The older sister, Salome, has a son named…Ashley…who, go figure, wants to be a famous actor in "Hollywack" (that’s what Salome calls Hollywood...can't you hear Naomi Judd saying something like that?)…only the author says Ashley doesn’t have real acting talent. Could that be a dig at Ashley Judd?!?

In a home-made youtube video, the author says the characters "will leave you shocked, laughing and realizing that the real world of Country Music is far more compelling and scandal-ridden than you ever imagined!”

The Judds have been very public about their family issues…in interviews and on their docu-series on the Oprah Winfrey Network…And Ashley has written her own tell-all book. There's so much attention surrounding their family drama...and right in the middle of the Judds very last Farewell Tour.  One would think it would be too much to handle...but Wynonna and Naomi have a great sense of humor:

Wynonna: "You know, our therapist says it's okay that we go back out in public."
Naomi: "Unsupervised."  (laughing)
Wynonna: "Without supervised visits. We're in a really good place. I'm probably the healthiest that I've been in a long time. Mom is obviously healed. We're the American dream."

-Ashley

Taylor Swift's Inspiration...and New Man??

You’ve heard the old saying, "they saw the writing on the wall"? Well, Taylor Swift’s audience saw the writing on her arm!! Taylor kicked off her "Speak Now" tour in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday…armed with a hand written message that has sparked rumors that Taylor has a new man in her life.  

Taylor had written...from her shoulder to her wrist...these song lyrics on her arm: "but you gotta keep your head up, and you can let your hair down"...from a song called “Keep your Head Up."  The song is by an artist named Andy Grammer…a young, good-looking up-and-coming artist. Word is, Taylor uses Andy’s song for quote, "inspiration." Check it out: 

Taylor’s been giving Andy lots of attention; she even tweeted the lyrics to Andy’s song, too. But so far, there’s no official word about whether or not Taylor and Andy are an item. HOWEVER…Andy was recently asked about his ties to Taylor and he responded, “Isn’t she the coolest?”

All of this attention comes just a couple of weeks before Andy’s self-titled album is released on June 14^th. So whatever their relationship is…Taylor IS pretty cool to bring the boy into the spotlight…it won’t hurt his album sales, that’s for sure.


-Ashley

Brad Paisley's Pal...Dirty Harry!!!

Brad Paisley met one of his all-time favorite actors a few years ago….but he NEVER expected to strike up a close friendship with Dirty Harry!! Brad met Clint Eastwood at the Kennedy Center Honors several years ago…and he said they became great friends. 

Brad Paisley: "I got to know him really well in a way that I hadn't -- I never dreamed that I'd ever get to know him like that. I got to have many hour-long conversations with him about things, and our friendship was born, and I stay in touch pretty well with him." 

Brad pays tribute to Clint on his new album in a song Brad appropriately calls “Eastwood”. Clint makes a guest appearance on the song…he has a speaking line or too…but Clint Eastwood show’s off his hidden talent. Mr. Eastwood WHISTLES on the tune!!! Yeah there’s no singing…just Brad playing his guitar and Clint Whistling! Check it out:

Brad says he wrote the song to sound like a Western…and he says…”If you’re gonna have a Western have the coolest cowboy of all time whistle on the thing!!”

-Ashley