Blog Posts by Wendy Geller

Music-talent competition shows have never exactly ignored country music ever since the reality phenomenon became popular quite a few years ago. The best-known one of all, American Idol, produced Carrie Underwood--in addition to a respectable roster of other artists who did or are doing just fine in the country world. 'Nuff said.

(And if that ain't 'nuff for ya, there's also the 5 seasons of Nashville Star that aired, first on USA Network, then on NBC.) 

However, those viewers who tuned into CMT's new competition program CMT's Next Superstar for its debut episode last Friday no doubt realized that there's something extra to this particular series. Although it's produced by American Idol's executive producer Nigel Lythgoe (along with his son Simon, also an Idol producer) and follows the familiar voting/elimination methodology, Superstar seeks to truly grill its contestants in all areas of the music biz.

The 10 finalists who were chosen to appear on the show are housed together in a

Last month's reaction from the country community to Lady Gaga's much-hyped "country road version" of "Born This Way" was, well, mixed (to say the least)--with the meter unfortunately dipping toward "negative." However, here's one true-blue country gal who is a fan of Gaga's heartland outreach...and with her on your side, who needs anyone else?

Yup, none other than the legendary Dolly Parton has admitted she loves Gaga's attempt at country. "I think it's great," she told E! entertainment reporter Marc Malkin backstage at the 2011 GLAAD Media Awards, which were held Sunday night. "It's just wonderful. I love her."

Parton, who was presenting an award that evening, went on to confide to Malkin that she wouldn't be averse at all to actually collaborating with Gaga. "Maybe we should do something together--GooGoo and Gaga!" she kidded. "I could be Lady GooGoo."

Don't get the joke? GooGoo Clusters are a candy bar sold in Nashville since 1912. Apparently Parton is as fond of the confection as

Country music continues to infiltrate the mainstream day by day...or has it become the mainstream? Today, I bring you all proof via an unexpected avenue.

If you are expecting a baby (or have gone through all that in the past five years), you're most likely familiar with the extremely popular baby-name guide Nameberry, a site that offers hundreds of lists of names for parents to peruse when coming up with the perfect moniker for Junior. Old-fashioned names, trendy names, historic names, celebrity names, names for people who like "Aiden" but think it's gotten too popular--you name it, they provide options.

Anyway, Nameberry even has a "Weekly Report" in which guest blogger Abby Sandel (who herself runs a blog about...you guessed it, names) fills everyone in about what's happenin' in the name-game world. This week? Well, you guessed it. It's all about country music as the new baby-naming source. Yup, if you are a pregnant country music fan--or even if you aren't--you need not look any

Chely Wright has done lots of important things in her career: Released seven albums, charted numerous hits (including 1999's No. 1 "Single White Female"), started a charitable foundation for music education, and written songs for other artists such as Brad Paisley and Clay Walker. 

However, her latest personal accomplishment just may be her most momentous to date. The 39-year-old singer revealed this morning that she is gay, making her the first major country star to come out publicly.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Wright explains why she was reluctant to discuss her sexual orientation for so long. "There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality," she said. "I wasn't going to be the first."

However, "Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out," she says.

Wright, a small-town girl who grew up in a musical family and released her debut album in 1994, says she's directed her whole life around

It goes without saying that the Judd family has quite a history. The roller-coaster mother-daughter relationship/career of Naomi and Wynonna Judd has long been fodder for tabloid gossip, as well as a near-record number of appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Both women (as well as youngest Judd Ashley, who released a negatively revealing biography this week) have brought their darkest moments to light many times over the past few decades.

And, true to form, the debut episode of Wynonna and Naomi's new reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) gives up plenty of the down-and-dirty stuff. The program, which debuts Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, provides a look at the star duo as they prepare to embark on their first tour together in more than 10 years.  

Although Wynonna is quick to state that she and her mother are totally opposite personalities, it becomes clear to anyone who's ever watched the pair on Oprah that they are--of course--actually too alike for comfort. Both are fiercely

Back in December 2010, we here at Our Country announced the news that Ram Trucks would be hosting its first-ever "Battle of the Bands" event--a competition designed to discover the next big thing in country music. The contest winnowed down dozens of amateur hopefuls to two very talented finalists, who went head-to-head live on stage at the 2011 Rodeo Austin. (You can read a recap of the whole event here.)

Picking a winner between these two stellar choices was hard, to say the least, but we decided on Detroit native Justine Blazer, a true show-woman extreme who blew away the crowd with her original song "New Country Beat." Now that the dust has settled and Blazer has walked away with her cool five-grand's worth of prize money, we sat down with her to get her thoughts on the contest, and find out what her next move will be in conquering the world of country.

Our Country: When you initially entered the Ram contest, did you have a feeling you were going to win? Did you feel confident, or

There is just no stopping Lady Antebellum these days. Not only did the trio's megahit "Need You Now" win three Grammys earlier this year (two of them in the all-genre Record and Song of the Year categories)--the ballad now can claim yet another massive accolade.

According to an announcement on the band's official site, "Need You Now" has just become the most downloaded country song of all time.

The song that previously held the title was no easy tune to topple--it was Taylor Swift's "Love Story."

Lady Antebellum are currently en route to their first-ever Australian tour with Keith Urban, which will start Friday. In the meantime, enjoy our exclusive performance of that extra-special tune!

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Move over, Miranda and LeAnn! Here's yet another gal joining the Great Wave of 2011 Country Brides who'll be sharing the spotlight with you.

Well, actually, make that "gals," not "gal." Because the bride-to-be is Chely Wright, who came out last May--and therefore will, of course, be marrying a woman.

Wright's fiancee is Lauren Blitzer, who, like Wright, is a gay rights activist and author. According to People, the pair met through their youth advocacy work, and the wedding will take place August 20 in Connecticut.

Wright, who is 40, reported mixed reactions to her coming-out announcement last year--noting in particular that her career has taken a hit as a result of her openess. Still, she tells People, "The freedom of being out and open about who I am allowed me to find and fall in love with Lauren, the most amazing woman I've ever known."

The singer and her wife-to-be often trade affectionate commments with each other on Twitter. Blitzer's account sports a relaxed, happy-looking