Are you planning to attend one of the BIG 12 tournament games?
wolf news
Another Flatts Baby
Rascal Flatts member Joe Don Rooney and wife Tiffany Fallon are expecting their second child. Joe Don tells People, "We're a little more prepared but the same excitement is there. There's such fulfillment in being a father, and it's going to be two-fold now, which is so cool." The couple are already parents to 21-month-old son, Jagger Donovan. Tiffany, who is due in September, told Joe Don that she was pregnant when they were staying in the same Los Angeles hotel where he learned they were expecting Jagger. Joe Don explains, "It was late January, and we were out by the pool chilling, and she said, 'I have something to show you,' and she opened her purse and pulled out the stick with the positive sign. I was like 'Wow! We're going to have to stop coming to this hotel. We'll have 16 of these things before long!' But life just couldn't get better." He adds, "We are so excited to bring another child into our lives. Our son Jagger has been the biggest blessing!"
Joe Don hints that they will want to find out the baby's gender, noting, "Tiff's all about decorating rooms, so she's got to know. She's got to prepare the nest." He is also preparing to be present to greet his new son or daughter. Rooney shares, "I'll be on tour this September and the Rascal Flatts machine is not stopping for anybody. But I have to be there. I'll rent a jet or something if I have to!"
Taylor Among Most Glamorous Women
Taylor Swift has landed on Glamour's list of the "50 Most Glamorous Women in the World" for 2010, coming in at #6. The magazine notes, "She's awesome... she writes her own music, plays and sings it and is a great entertainer. She always looks beautiful and is so ladylike all the time. She is definitely a woman to respect in the music industry!"
Leighton Meester tops the list, which also includes Nicole Kidman, Katie Perry, Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez, among others.
Speaking of Taylor's fashion sense, the country princess has donated a pair of her shoes to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's "Hero in Heels" fundraiser. The annual fashion show, which benefits women with cancer, is held every spring and auctions off footwear provided by various celebs. RTT News reports that Taylor's donation will be auctioned off at the fashion show along with shoes from other celebs including Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Scarlett Johansson, Colbie Caillat and Maria Sharapova.
Freight Train To Be Alan's Last For Label
Alan Jackson tells Billboard that his upcoming 18th album, Freight Train, will be his last for Arista Records. He explains, "My contract is up after this, so I guess I'll be doing something for somebody or on my own. I don't know yet. I haven't really thought about it that much. I guess it's time to start thinking about it now."
Alan also discussed possibly retiring from music, but it doesn't seem likely. He shares, "I've always said there's not much to retire from. It's not really hard work. This is a business. This is a job. You have to work, commit and be dedicated. It's also fun and rewarding, and it's not near as hard work as most of my fans have to do for a living. It's hard to complain."
Freight Train is due in stores March 30; however, an exclusive iTunes Countdown pre-release began this week with the album track "Hard Hat and a Hammer." Each pre-release will count toward the purchase of the full album through iTunes Complete My Album feature. The subsequent tracks include "Every Now and Then" (available March 16) and "Where I Belong" (available March 23).
The Birthday Girl Plans A Big Show
Carrie Underwood's "Play On Tour," kicks off Thursday in Reading, Pennsylvania at the Sovereign Center, with special guests Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia. The tour is directed by Raj Kapoor who brought in top name collaborators including Michael Jackson's "This Is It" production designer, Michael Cotton.
Carrie, who celebrates her 27th birthday Wednesday, says that all of her ideas and plans for the show have come to life, and the tour is going to be huge: "It's gonna be a good year. We're gonna pull out all the tricks and really up the touring, like really make it a big, big show." The "Play On Tour" is currently slated to run through June 20 in Saskatoon. Underwood's previous trek, 2008's highly successful "Carnival Ride Tour," wrapped after 137 shows with over 1.2 million fans in attendance. All of Carrie's new tour dates can be found on her website.
Country At The OSCARS
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were excited to attend The Academy Awards and walk the red carpet. Tim had mentioned on ABC's Good Morning America last week that the Oscars would be a new experience for him, and it was "nice" that his movie The Blind Side was nominated for Best Motion Picture. (It lost to The Hurt Locker.) Of course, McGraw and Hill were also rooting for his co-star, Sandra Bullock, to capture Best Actress in a Leading Role, and indeed, she won her first Oscar!
For a list of OSCAR WINNERS, click here and scroll down!
Country music as a whole also got a vote of confidence from The Academy with Crazy Heart. Jeff Bridges, who stars as faded country music star Bad Blake in the flick, won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His co-star, Maggie Gyllenhaal, was nominated for her work in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role; however, she lost to Mo'Nique who starred in Precious. Also of note, Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart.
Cheetos And Style
Miranda Lambert tells OK! Magazine that when she and Blake Shelton have a fight, he knows just what to bring her to make up. She says, "I love Cheetos, but I try not to eat those, so I usually go with a 100-calorie pack of Cheetos, which aren't near as good. Every time if I've ever had a fight with a boyfriend or anything they always bring me Cheetos to make up... It's just the way to my heart."
Miranda also talks about style and what she likes to see her boyfriend wear. She shares, "Well, I learned I'd better like plaid, because that's what he's gonna wear... plaid shirts, Wranglers and boots. That's what I like him in. You always know it's him. He's definitely who he is in his style, and doesn't care if people like it."
Trisha's Second Cookbook Is Set
Trisha Yearwood will release her second cookbook, Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood: Stories And Recipes To Share With Family And Friends, on Tuesday, April 6 from publisher Clarkson Potter. It's the follow-up to her best-selling 2008 collection of recipes, Georgia Cooking In An Oklahoma Kitchen.
Once again, Trisha teamed with her mother, Gwen Yearwood, and sister, Beth Yearwood Bernard, for her latest project, and husband Garth Brooks wrote the forward this time as well. Trisha will embark on a book tour on April 7 in Princeton, New Jersey that is slated to hit 14 cities before wrapping up April 25 at the L.A. Times Book Festival.
Danny Lands Eyewear Deal
Country newcomer and former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey is known for his eyewear and has signed his first long- term endorsement deal: a two-year marketing agreement with Wisconsin Vision. Under the agreement, Gokey will wear up to 60 pairs of Wisconsin Vision glasses, be featured in Wisconsin Vision Milwaukee-area marketing campaigns including television and outdoor advertising and social media, and make personal in-store appearances. Danny shares, "Milwaukee will always be home, and supporting area-based businesses is important to me."
Dierks Gives Bluegrass Album Details
Dierks Bentley has a new CD due out this summer, titled Up On The Ridge. He's said many times that if he hadn't discovered bluegrass, he never would have become a country singer or landed a record deal. His love for country was kindled by the energy and artistry of bluegrass, and he's never lost his passion for it. Dierks shares, "This album won't come as a surprise to my hard core fans. They've asked me, 'When are you going to make a bluegrass record?' And I was just waiting for the right time." With a grueling tour behind him, Bentley felt liberated to pursue this project of the heart. He explains, "I didn't want this to be 'Dierks Bentley and friends' or a 'Dierks does bluegrass' kind of album. I wanted each song to have something special about it, and in the end I think each song really does have its own thing going on."
Up On The Ridge features Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world, including long-time collaborators the Del McCoury Band and a magical new musical partnership with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The album also features a number of vocal and instrumental contributions ranging from Alison Krauss and Miranda Lambert to Tim O'Brien and Sam Bush, among many others. Dierks wrote some of the songs, but there are unexpected sources, such as Bob Dylan. Bentley elaborates, "It's my version of bluegrass music. It's not just banjos cranked up to eleven. It throws out a big net."
T I D B I T S
-- Congratulations to Billy Currington, whose single "That's How Country Boys Roll" snags him his third consecutive #1 and fifth chart-topper overall. The feat ends the multiple-week run at the top for Josh Turner's "Why Don't We Just Dance" on both the Mediabase and the Billboard Country Singles charts. It also marks the first time Billy has been a writer on a #1 hit.
-- Taylor Swift's "Fearless 2010 Tour" began its run through U.S. arenas last weekend, wowing Florida crowds with sold-out shows in Tampa, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale/Sunrise. Taylor plays seven different instruments over the course of the two-hour show, which features three acts and eight costume changes. The 39-date tour is visiting arenas and stadiums in 31 cities in 25 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada over the next three months.
-- Carrie Underwood is headlining this year's Stadium of Fire on July 3rd in Provo, Utah. It's a huge Independence Day celebration broadcast to U.S. military men and women in over 100 countries!
-- John Rich's home has apparently been the victim of a vandal. He recently posted on Twitter that he would give anyone one thousand dollars if they gave him information on who vandalized his gate.
-- Reba McEntire will host The 45th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards. The special will take place Sunday, April 18, in Las Vegas and will air live on CBS at 8 PM, ET. For the FULL LIST of nominees, click here and scroll down!
