Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman Welcome Baby Girl!!!

Congratulations to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on the birth of their first child together! Nicole and Keith Urban the birth of a baby girl this morning in Nashville. Sunday Rose Kidman Urban weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces. Urban was by Nicole’s side. “Mother and baby are very well,” according to a press release. This is the couple’s first child. Kidman has two other children with her former husband Tom Cruise, Isabella, 15, and Connor, 13.Country Music Photo Gallery

Tim McGraw Almost Fist Fights Fan

Was Tim McGraw’s rescue effort staged or real? You decide. Tim McGraw fans and media hounds alike are in heaven as this juicy morsel of video was released showing Tim yanking a concert-goer out of the crowd and kicking him out of the show. Claims are that McGraw looked down from the stage and observed a man being abusive to a woman just below him. He didn’t think security was fast enough so he began pulling the man up himself to break up the fight. However, in watching the video I find it odd that the incident occurs and is over with in perfect time with the song. Call me a cynic but to me the entire ordeal seems more staged than Jessica Simpson’s foray into country music. Watch the video and leave your comments below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiAAIqFOrZE] This incident occurred on Tim McGraw’s Live Your Voice tour. Country Music Photo Gallery

Toby Keith Thanked for Supporting the Troops

Toby Keith gets recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives for his unwavering support of US Military Personnel. “Toby has done so much to show his commitment and appreciation to our nation’s armed forces,” Rep. Tom Cole said. “He has given his time and energy to put on performances for our troops overseas and at home. He has really gone out of his way to support our servicemen and women and their families.” “I appreciate Congressman Cole’s recognition in introducing this resolution,” Toby Keith said. “I have to say that the real glory belongs to those men and women I’ve met who leave their families and put it on the line for the rest of us. Getting to visit with them once a year is the biggest honor for me, and I will continue to encourage other artists and performers to make that USO trip.” Show your support for Toby Keith on the 2008 Big Dog Daddy tour!Country Music Photo Gallery

Faith Hill Finishes Christmas Album

Faith Hill will be singing “Joy to the World” this fall as her long-awaited holiday album hits store shelves this September. After 2 years in the making and a few minor setbacks (including knee surgery and a bronchial infection) Faith Hill has finally put the finishing touches on a christmas album that was two years in the making. The album, titled “Joy to the World”, will feature holiday classics like “O Holy Night” and “Winter Wonderland” as well as the original single “A Baby Changes Everything” written by Nashville’s own Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman, and K.K. Wiseman. A big factor in the albums lengthy production was Faith Hill’s determination to make this holiday hit everything she had imagined. This means including The Nashville Orchestra as well as the London-based choirs Metro Voices and The London Oratory School Boys Choir. “I had a very clear vision for the type of Christmas album that I wanted to make,” said Hill. “Indicative of the big band orchestras of the ’40s and ’50s, with a full compliment of horns, stings, woodwinds, percussion and chorales. David’s orchestrations were a gift. They embodied everything that I could have imaged; unique and beautiful, and yet they seem as though they were always intended for these songs.” Here she is referring to David Campbell who has also worked with such greats as Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones. “Joy to the World will release on September 16th 2008, and in the meantime Faith is spending her time with her children while husband Tim McGraw carries on with his “Live your Voice” tour. For Tim McGraw tour dates, as well as updates on upcoming Faith Hill concerts, please visit our partner site, Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Montgomer Gentry Releases New Album

Montgomery Gentry’s new album, “Back When I Knew it All” hits retail store shelves today! Montgomery Gentry‘s new album, “Back When I Knew it All,” the duo’s first release since 2006, and one of their most mature releases to date hits the stores and shops today. The album includes the fastest rising single in their history, “Back When I Knew it All,” and also packs a punch with “Roll With Me,” which could be the feel-good song of the summer. Other highlights are “I Pick My Parties” (with tour mate Toby Keith), “Long Line of Losers,” “One Trip,” and “It Ain’t About Easy.” For more Montgomery Gentry news or the Montgomery Gentry Tour Schedule, visit our partner site Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Love Nascar? Love M&M’s?

Are you the most colorful NASCAR fan? M&M’S® Racing and NASCAR® announced today the re-launch of the popular “The Most Colorful Fan™ of NASCAR” contest, which encourages NASCAR fans nationwide to showcase their passionate love for the sport by uploading their most eye-catching photos to NASCAR.com for a chance to win big. The contest will run from June 8, 2008, through October 2008 and will feature weekly winners who will receive an array of NASCAR-themed prizes. For details visit the NASCAR mechanic training blog.Country Music Photo Gallery

LeAnn Rimes Cancels Two Stops on the Kenny Chesney Tour

LeAnn Rimes takes a break from the Poets and Pirates tour. Much to the disappointment of fans, LeAnn Rimes was forced to cancel two stops on her tour with Kenny Chesney because of an inflamed vocal cord. The cancellations include Thursday’s (May 29) show in San Diego and Saturday’s (May 31) concert here at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona with Chesney, Keith Urban, Gary Allan and Sammy Hagar. Rimes plans to return to the road for a headlining date Monday (June 2) in Boise, Idaho, before rejoining Chesney’s tour Tuesday (June 3) in Portland, Ore. Hopefully she’ll hit these two locations on her headlining tour as she is in my top 5 favorite artist list! For more information about the Poets and Pirates tour, or LeAnn Rimes tour schedule, please visit our partner site Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Shania Twain on the Cover of People Magazine

Shania Twain makes the cover of People magazine for the first time in almost 10 years, but she’s not smiling. Shania Betrayed is the headline and the article tells the tale of Shania Twain’s split from husband Mutt Lang after rumors of adultery and deceit. Now I’m probably one of the biggest Shania Twain critics in the country music news scene, but even I believe that this media attention during what is obviously a tough time in her life is NOT the right move. How about a little sympathy folks? A little human decency? Why must you jump like vultures on prey to capitalize on the horrible experiences that we endure? Do any of these articles cite that Shania has partnered again with cosmetics company Coty to produce a new fragrance to add to her collection? Do they talk about how Shania Twain expects to release a new album September 23rd of this year? No. They focus ONLY on the negative which is why artists often mistrust media and hide from the public.Country Music Photo Gallery

Can You Duet – The Copollas

Sure the Coppola’s can sing… but can they sing to ME? One of the most frustrating things about watching singing competitions is the way some performers just don’t “get it”. Sadly, this seems to be the case with The Coppolas. The beautiful blond twins from Denver, CO can sing, and they can sing well, but they can’t seem to listen! Week after week they get brutal criticism from the judges on CMT’s show “Can You Duet”, especially from Naomi Judd, that visibly knocks them off their feet. Hopefully it’s shaking their pedastals a bit as well. Of course Naomi’s going to be the roughest on The Coppolas. She and her daughter battled against nearly every female stereotype to scratch and claw their way to success. They fought for fair billing, played in the smokey bars, slept in buses, beat down criticism over looks and weight and health and societal pressure, and came out on top. They didn’t bend and fold for their critics. They didn’t flash bare skin and flutter their eyes to get their way. They WORKED, and out of that work they built a legacy and a standard for female artists everywhere. What the Coppola twins can’t seem to really understand is the simple statement that you HAVE to be more than just a pretty voice and a pretty face to make fans fall in love with you. You have to open yourself up to your fans. Show them your softer side. Get up close and intimate with them through your music. Because right now all I’ve seen The Coppolas do is issue forth perfectly practiced notes and predictable but restrained spunk. They’re singing AT the audiences rather than TO us! What I’d like to see: I’d like to see Kate and Kacey find a song that makes their hearts bleed and share THAT with us. Otherwise they’ll remain “those cute twins from that singing contest” instead of having a real music career. A pretty face can get you the audience, but it’s TALENT that keeps it.Country Music Photo Gallery

Miranda Lambert Opts for the School of Rock

Miranda Lambert says music IS her education. “My college was gettin’ on a motor home that was like a 1985 model and going around the country,” she told Dial-Global. “That was my college. People always asked me, ‘Well, what’s your back-up plan?’ A lot of older people always go, ‘You need to go to college.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ I mean, ‘So I can fail and waste $60,000 of my parents’ money that they don’t have?’ I just knew that it wasn’t for me. I just figure now, if I keep doing this, I’ll have a retirement and my back-up plan is to go be a back-up singer for somebody or be a songwriter and get a mailbox check.” Find out how that education is getting put to good use by catching her live on Miranda Lambert’s 2008 Concert Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery