Blog Posts by Wendy Geller

Who do you think is country music's hottest guy? Well, this year, PEOPLE Country has crowned Tim McGraw with the title. Newly sober and trim--he's recently lost almost 40 pounds--McGraw is looking better than ever, and the magazine claims he's won the honor "hands down."

However, the star musician and actor tells PEOPLE that his own wife, Faith Hill, would not agree with their choice. In fact, she'd pick a totally different guy!

And who would that lucky man be? "George Strait," McGraw admits. "She thinks he's gorgeous!"

Poor McGraw doesn't even get second place in his wife's book. He thinks Kris Kristofferson wins that slot. "When we're around him, she can barely speak."

We're sure McGraw is being a bit tongue-in-cheek about his wife's preferences, because he certainly is no slouch in the sexiness department by any standard. Among his revelations to PEOPLE: He prefers sleeping in the nude.

McGraw, who's the father of three children, claims "I still feel pretty young." Well, no

Are you a fan of traditional-sounding country? Lamenting that the genre has gotten just too poppy or rocky or outlaw-y or...whatever...for your personal taste?

You're far from alone. And, I'm sure by now that you've been clued into new artist Craig Campbell, who's been making news on the country charts this year with his single "Family Man," and just released his debut album on Tuesday. Campbell's back-to-basics style was honed the old-fashioned way--by practicing plenty of years on stage in Nashville honky-tonks to appreciative crowds.

Now that he's finally cracked the big time--his self-titled release is produced by Keith Stegall, who's worked with Alan Jackson and the Zac Brown Band--critics are uniformly praising his sound, which really does ring with the genuine groundedness true country fans are lamenting is missing in their favorite music today.

Campbell's introduction to the charts, "Family Man," also provided him with an unlikely crossover advantage--a hook to folks who may

It seems as if nearly every blog I write these days is something-or-other about a non-country artist venturing over into the country world. (What can I say? Country's hot, and cool.) However, most of these newly indoctrinated folks tend to come from the worlds of pop or rock, and usually do not have any professional country background before dipping their toes in the river.

Here's something a bit different, however. The artist I'm profiling today is rooted pretty firmly in the world of jazz--indeed, she is being called the "new Norah Jones" by some, and she topped the iTunes jazz chart last December with a collaboration featuring 2009 American Idol finalist Matt Giraud.

That said, Anna Wilson also has a definite and serious foothold in the country world. She moved to Nashville just days after graduating college, and has based herself there ever since. She's written or co-written songs for a number of country-music luminaries, with her catalog including "If I Knew Then" off of Lady

Although the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday evening boasted an unusually rich list of interesting moments/personalities/collaborations, there were two performances that took up the majority of preshow chatter. One of these was non-country superstar Rihanna dueting with Sugarland frontwoman Jennifer Nettles. The other, Carrie Underwood with a tantalizingly unnamed "surprise" partner on stage.

Needless to say, only one performance lived up to the considerable hype.

I won't keep you in suspense. It wasn't Rihanna's. Unfortunately, the pop diva's duet with Nettles--a rendition of Rihanna's ballad "California King Bed"--felt leaden at worst, overwrought at best, leading mostly to a sense of wondering who on earth thought this would be a good idea.

Nettles has dueted out of her home genre before (most recently with artists as diverse as MC Lyte and Keri Hilson) to good effect. There's no apparent reason the broadly appealing Rihanna would not be able to match wits with

It can be forgiven that many folks--even true-blue country fans--didn't get too excited at the news that Carrie Underwood would be performing at the 46th annual Academy Of Country Music Awards. Although she's a megastar, a performance from Underwood at a major country awards show is about as rare and unusual as communion served at a Catholic mass.

However, things did start to get a little juicier when word got out (probably first via a hint from American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's radio show) that Underwood would be performing with a top-secret duet partner. By Friday afternoon, the buzz was out: Who would Underwood be hitting the stage with on Sunday?

There were plenty of spoilers on the web. But for those who waited to enjoy the surprise, the Academy of Country Music mercifully didn't make us all wait too long to find out.

Barely a half-hour into the program, Underwood strode out in an uncharacteristically hard-edged outfit, with Avril Lavigne-ish hot pink streaks threaded through

Getting excited for the Academy of Country Music Awards which will be taking place this Sunday? Well, here's something a little different from the Academy, if you're getting a bit oversaturated with talk about Las Vegas.

As part of promotion for the ACM Awards, the Academy has released a series of duets between bona fide country stars and a select group of up-and-coming artists who've started to make names for themselves on YouTube. Each YouTube sensation is paired with an established artist to perform one of the star's hits. All I can say is--it's a great idea, and a lot of fun to watch!

The best part of these duets is observing the stars casually sneak in halfway through each performance to join the up-and-comers. Each time--even though you're expecting it--it seems like a fun surprise.

In addition, everyone is hanging pretty loose in these clips; so it's a chance to get a little glimpse into how your favorite artists relate with each other and fellow musicians on a personal

When you're a fairly young band that's--to put it mildly--knocked it out of the park with your debut album, fans and critics alike tend to wonder one thing: Can you do it again with your next record?

But despite having entered the Billboard all-genre albums chart at a startling No. 3, winning a 2009 American Music Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and generally having started out pretty much right at the top--Gloriana doesn't seem to be feeling any follow-up heat in terms of their upcoming sophomore effort, which they are putting the finishing touches on at the very moment.

In fact, the quartet--an approachable, down-to-earth bunch comprising friends Rachel Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball, plus brothers Tom and Mike Gossin--are cool as can be.

"We've gone through a lot of experiences together, and we've grown as a group, musically and as best friends," notes Mike Gossin of the band's general level-headedness. His main goal for the new record? It will be primarily an "awesome

It's official! Carrie Underwood is now a Mrs. After weeks of speculation about when exactly her wedding would take place, the singer tied the knot with hockey star Mike Fisher Saturday night at a luxury resort outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

"Yes, Mike and Carrie are married," Underwood's publicist confirmed to the Associated Press early this morning.

Many of the wedding details leaked on the web prior to the event panned out to be accurate. The date, July 10, was the most speculated-upon item. The location, the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, was another hotly discussed factor.

The pair married before 250 friends and family, including country-music luminaries Faith Hill and Garth Brooks--as well as American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul. The ceremony featured classical music and Bible verses. Underwood wore a chantilly lace gown created by Monique Lhuillier, who is noted for her lacy bridal designs.

In a statement to PEOPLE signed "Mike &