Blog Posts by Wendy Geller

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 &

They say good things always happen in threes, right? It's been a happy period for country girls' love lives of late. First, Carrie Underwood announced her engagement to Mike Fisher right before Christmas 2009. Then Miranda Lambert followed suit in May, flashing a ring from longtime boyfriend Blake Shelton. Now, another Nashville gal is officially off the market.

The newest bride-to-be is American Idol alum Kellie Pickler, who said "yes" to songwriter Kyle Jacobs on June 15. The date holds particular significance for Pickler, as it is the birthday of her late grandmother, who raised her.

As Pickler tells PEOPLE, the day traditionally was "sad and hard." However, "It turned out to be the most amazing day of my life," she explains. "My whole world changed. We both feel like we got my grandmother's blessing."

Jacobs, who's written hits for such greats as Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw, chose a romantic sunset walk on a Florida beach as the perfect setting to pop the question. Afterwards, the

Taylor Swift was a few minutes late entering her much-anticipated webchat with fans on Tuesday afternoon, leaving more than 40,000 viewers waiting and anxiously tweeting "Where's Taylor?!"

She more than made up for her tardiness, however, by revealing right off the bat all the most important details of her upcoming third album, which is the follow-up to 2009's bestselling Fearless.

The new record, Speak Now, will hit stores October 25, Swift excitedly informed fans. She noted that the album's title is a theme for the entire project: "Track by track, each song is a different confession to a different person."

The first single, "Mine," will be released mid-August. Swift explained that the song is about her tendency to run from love, as well as her hopes of finding someone to make her believe in love. "I'm never going to go past hoping that love will work out. Even if it seems really hard," she told her fans.

She confirmed rumors that a video was shot in Maine two weeks ago for the

Well, the whirlwind of Carrie Underwood's wedding is over. We aren't getting a whole lot of news about Miranda Lambert's upcoming nuptials. But never fear, country music fans--bride-to-be Kellie Pickler is starting to spill the details about her big day. And it sounds like it's going to be quite untraditional!

For starters, Pickler, who's a big supporter of animal rights, says she and fiance Kyle Jacobs hope to include their menagerie of non-human friends in their church ceremony. And, we're not just talking about having a dog dressed up in a mini-tuxedo, as Underwood did at her wedding. Pickler is talking about having her reptile buddies in the mix. "I'm thinking of having the python be the ringbearer," she told PEOPLE this week.

Of course, the furry pets won't be left out, either. "We've been talking about incorporating the dogs--they're like our kids. But we wouldn't want an accident to happen down the aisle," she quipped.

Another uncommon move Pickler's chosen for her wedding: A

The superstar Cyrus clan has been undergoing some drastic changes over the course of this year. First, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus wrapped production on the final season of Disney's fantastically successful Hannah Montana TV series. Second, Miley decided to make over her cute teen-girl image into a racier new persona. Third, Billy Ray changed a bit, himself--he took a turn away from his established country music career to record a more rock-oriented album (under the name Brother Clyde).

And now, sadly, another family institution is crumbling: Namely, Billy Ray and wife Tish Cyrus's 17-year marriage. According to People, the couple filed divorce documents on Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences.

"As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family," the pair said in a joint statement. "We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers."

The Cyruses have been married for 17 years, have five children (the eldest two of which