Month: May 2011

CMT Music Awards Adds Presenters

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CMT Music Awards Adds Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Others to Presenter Line-Up. As the date of the 2011 CMT Music Awards grows closer, the list of presenters keeps expanding! In a bit of a no-brainer, show officials have added both this year’s American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, and runner-up Lauren Alaina as presenters. Other additional presenters include actress Melissa Peterman, CMT original movie “To The Mat” stars Laura Bell Bundy and Ricky Schroder, Shania Twain, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan and Sheryl Crow. The new additions also include several non-country oriented stars like Kristin Chenoweth, Mary Steenburgen, Train, and Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews. Sheryl Crow will also be filling the shoes of this year’s CMT One Country spokesperson. The show premiers live out of Nashville on Wednesday, June 8th at 8pm ET on CMT and CMT.com. Fan voting is still open, so click here to weigh in!

Justin Moore Details on New Album

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Justin Moore Shares Details On His Album Due Out This Summer! Justin Moore sat down with Nashville Country Club to share the low down on his upcoming sophomore album, Outlaws Like Me which is due out Tuesday, June 21st. This album features his already popular single, “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” which debuted earlier this year. In a rather candid style Justin also dishes on little known facts about himself including his most embarrassing moment and his wife’s favorite food and tid bits on the ins and outs of the life of a musician! Check out the video of the interview now!

Sugarland Aids in Relief Efforts

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Sugarland Offers Helping Hand Through Special Video of “Stand Up”. Sugarland, with the help of Little Big Town, has taken a little time out of their 2011 The Incredible Machine Tour to lend a helping hand to those in need after the devastation of tornadoes and severe storms rocked Alabama and more recently Missouri. They are offering a special performance and video clip of “Stand Up” to fans in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the needs of victims still suffering from this Spring’s batch of severe weather. The special edition is titled “Stand Up (For Tornado Relief)“, features friends and tour mates Little Big Town, and premieres on iTunes Tuesday, May 31st. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross. Lending your support has never been so easy! Help Sugarland, and help the tornado victims by checking out this version of “Stand Up” on iTunes today!

Thompson Square Performs On FOX & Friends

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Thompson Square Performs on FOX & Friends on Their Way to CMA Fest. The popular husband and wife duo, Thompson Square, will be performing their most recent single, “I Got You” in a special performance on FOX & Friends “All American Concert Series” this Friday, June 3rd at 8am EST. “I Got You” is the follow up single to Thompson Square’s wildly popular “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not“. This performance marks the calm before the storm for the duo as they head to Nashville next week for a whirlwind of performances and appearances! They will be attending the 2011 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday, June 8th as they are nominated in the USA Weekend Breakthrough of the Year and Duo of the Year categories. Fan voting is still open! So, make your voice heard by clicking here. Additionally, they will be making an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry and signing at both the CMT and GAC booths during the CMA Music Festival. Thompson Square is gearing up for a summer as busy as next week since they will be opening on Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party tour with their first performance at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI July 8th. If you haven’t had a chance yet, go ahead and check out the video for “I Got You” now! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5yNYMp7DPQ]

LeAnn Rimes Supports Tornado Victims

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LeAnn Rimes Holds Benefit for Victims of Recent Tornadoes. With yet another bout of tornadoes and storms devastating parts of the U.S., country stars and country music fans continue to rally in support of the victims coping with the aftermath. LeAnn Rimes and husband Eddie Cibrian are no exception. Rimes has announced she will be co-hosting a special event with Cibrian, “An Evening with Leann Rimes” in an effort to raise funds and support those still reeling from the consequences of the storms. “We all need a hand sometimes and this is the time. Our heart goes out to Alabama and Missouri and all those affected by the recent tragedies there. I am happy Eddie and I can help out in some way.” -LeAnn Rimes The benefit will include an all acoustic set performed by Rimes as well as a silent auction before the show with signed memorabilia from Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, and the cast of Glee. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on a special auction for a private drink with Rimes and Cibrian after the show. The concert and auction will be held at Jacksonville’s Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Sunday, June 5th. Tickets run for $65.00 or $100.00 for VIP seating. VIP seating also includes an autographed photo from LeAnn Rimes and a private Q&A. All proceeds will go to benefit the victims of the recent storms.

East Texas Crawfish Boil Raises Money!

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Big Bird Boil Raises Money For St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! Last weekend I took the rainy journey to Linden, a little East Texas town, where I paticipated in a local effort. County Road 1617 takes you to a piece of land that hosts the “Birg Bird Boil” , an annual crawfish boil benefiting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The rain cleared just in time and the delicious affair went off with out a hitch for the 14th year in a row, raising over $15,000 for the cause! There was a live auction, raffle prizes, food (chicken quarters, hamburgers, hotdogs, and all the fixings were also served), entertainment, and happy faces all around! The day began bright and early preparing for the fast approaching long lines of mudbug, corn and potatoe lovers! The night ended with local entertainment, Roadside Saints, Stray Bullets and the Rodney Whatley Band. Don Henley, a former resident of the area and member of The Eagles, was very generous in donating many items to be auctioned off, including some autographed Eagles’ CDs (one went for over $400!). The Big Bird Boil was started in 1997 and to date has raised over $145,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Each year the event is dedicated to a community member who lost their life tragically. It is ran by some Texan families with big hearts who give their all in working towards success, beating their previous goal year after year! “I trully hope that we have helped the ones that need it the most.” Randy Webster, contributing member Almost every person you talk to these days, has known someone who is, or has battled with cancer. This is a terrible disease that needs as much attention and research as possible! For more information on St. Jude and their efforts click here. The Big Bird Boil is held on the third Saturday of May each year and has no end in sight. So if you like cajun crawdads and love supporting a good cause head on down May 19, 2012, they would love to have yall! I hope everyone has a fun-filled Memorial Day Weekend! Be safe and keep those who have been affected by the recent tornadoes in your thoughts and prayers!

Randy Travis Supports Troops

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Randy Travis and Cracker Barrel Team Up to Support U.S. Troops. Randy Travis has teamed up with Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores and GAC to release a collection of his hits in addition to 3 brand new songs on a 12 track album. The album is currently available exclusively at Cracker Barrel, and was released to honor U.S. service men and women. “After touring quite a number of our country’s military bases and performing repeatedly for our troops, I can tell you that there is nothing as rewarding as doing these shows for our service men and women.The love they have for this country is inspiring.” -Randy Travis Right in time for Memorial Day, it has been announced a portion of the album sales will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. Founded by a group of veterans and friends in Roankoke, VA, the Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization with offices in Jacksonville, FL., New York City and Washington D.C. It’s primary goals are to raise awareness among the public in regard to injured soldiers’ needs, and to provide aid to these soldiers through various programs. In an additional effort to honor U.S. troops for Memorial Day, Cracker Barrel Stores are urging Americans to get involved and write messages of appreciation to our service men and women. Those who participate will automatically be entered to win a grand prize including a Cracker Barrel Rocker, Randy Travis CD, & collection of Wounded Warrior merchandise. Submissions are due Monday, May 30th at 12pm ET. Click here for more details and contest rules.

Craig Morgan Hosts Benefit

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Craig Morgan Hosts 5th Annual Celebrity Dirtbike Ride and Concert! Country star Craig Morgan will once again host the 5th annual Celebrity Dirtbike Ride and Concert August 6 and 7. This charity event will take place in his hometown of Dickson, Tennessee and will benefit Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children. The foundation was thought up by Morgan while serving as an Assistant Sheriff’s Deputy in Dickson and later he made it a reality. Saturday morning will have a dirtbike exhibition and will be followed by a group trail ride and lunch. Sunday morning will be the first ever celebrity skeet shoot and later that evening Morgan and some fellow country artists will take the stage for an acoustic show. All events are family-friendly and tickets can soon be purchased here. Celebrity participants will be announced at a later time.

Scotty McCreery Wins American Idol

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Scotty McCreery Is America’s Next Idol. It is official. Scotty McCreery is the winner of American Idol‘s 10th Season. The live finale show aired Wednesday, May 25th from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and was quite the spectacle. Per tradition, the show paired the two finalists, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, with all-star performers. This year as country music dominated, Lauren was paired with Carrie Underwood singing “Before He Cheats“ and Scotty sang along with Tim McGraw on “Live Like You Were Dying“. I guess since Josh Turner already sang a duet with Scotty, he was out of the running. Also, it would just be unnecessary for the show’s producers to yet again bring attention to the fact that Scotty is a seventeen year old just trying to sound like Josh Turner. It absolutely amazes me that Scotty could win over Lauren. The two finale performances prove once again that Lauren is clearly not only the more talented of the two, but actually has depth and an amazing stage presence. It’s true that the start to Lauren’s performance is just a little bit rocky. However, I want to point out that Lauren began her duet with Carrie walking out on stage after she had already sung the intro. Tim sang for a solid 30-seconds before Scotty even arrived on the stage. In essence, Tim was a distraction from Scotty’s shallow talent while Carrie was a supplement to Lauren’s abundant talent. Also, there is the whole issue of stage presence. America is familiar enough with the concept of show-biz at this point to know it takes more than good vocal chords to make a star. At the end of the day, Lauren was born with what it takes, and I hope for Scotty’s sake that at same point he gets a clue. During Lauren’s performance she interacts with Carrie and really gets into the song making it truly fun to watch. Her nerves are obvious at the beginning, but she powers through and really draws in the audience. On the other hand, Scotty is painfully awkward on stage. The most we get out of him is a dramatic closing of his eyes when he hits a long note or the occasional kneeling mid-song to (I am assuming, it’s honestly hard to tell) flirt with the girls near the stage. The most frustrating quirk is that through the entire performance Scotty looks like he’s holding his stomach like he might be about to throw up. Sure, he should be nervous, its a big moment. Yet, he should work through that and put a little more effort into the performance for his fans’ sake. Despite Scotty’s win, I remain skeptical. I think what little energy is evident in his performance is fueled by his ego, which is no doubt swelling thanks to America’s votes. There is, perhaps, potential in Scotty, that Idol will no doubt take great pains to nurture seeing as he is now bound to them by a rock solid Continue reading Scotty McCreery Wins American Idol→

Taylor Swift’s Story of Us Video

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Taylor Swift’s Video for The Story of Us Premiered. Taylor Swift‘s latest video capturing her single “The Story of Us” was released Tuesday, May 24th on MTV. The video proves yet again that this country starlet has some depth. Maybe her lyrics are not dealing with ground breaking concepts or issues, but she definitely seems to consistently bring in a creative twist. The video context places Taylor in a library crowded with students, herself included complete with a pleated skirt, button-up shirt, tie get up and private school vibe, when she catches the eye of her ex. There are so many ways this video could go horribly wrong (may I bring your attention back to the pleated skirt ensemble?), but it doesn’t. It plays well depicting a realistic scenario with a subtly sarcastic and humorous tone. Admittedly, the video is a little all over the place, but that’s to be expected. My favorite thing about this video is the ending, but I suppose I won’t give it away. I will just say, it’s quite different from “Love Story“. Check the video out now! Tags: Taylor Swift, Music, More Music Videos