Our Country
  • Taylor Swift has announced the opening act for the North American leg of her 2011 world tour--and, while we're willing to bet it's not a name you'd come up with off the top of your head, you're sure going to know more about them in a few months.

    The lucky band to score the slot is South Carolina-based Needtobreathe, an outfit that actually established itself in the Christian music world before crossing over to pop success. They've won several Dove awards (which are the Christian equivalent of Grammy awards), including one for 2010's group of the year. You may have heard their music on TV or at the movies--their songs have been featured on a variety of shows including the film P.S. I Love You and MTV's hit The Hills.

    [Photos: See Taylor Swift's red carpet style]

    If you've never heard of Needtobreathe, the band has a warm, guitar-oriented, southern-rock feel to its tunes; and cites U2, Wilco, Tom Petty, and Pearl Jam as influences. Frontman Bear Rinehart's vocal style reminds me a

    Read More »from Taylor Swift Chooses Christian/Pop Band As Openers For Tour
  • Kanye West, we get it: You are sorry for what you did to Taylor Swift.

    He even said it plain as day on Twitter this weekend: I'm sorry Taylor.

    That is fine and well. However, over the past 24 hours, West has been tweeting a long, self-dubbed "stream-of-consciousness" diatribe about how he has been suffering over the past year--ever since he jumped on the 2009 VMAs stage, grabbed Taylor Swift's mic, and announced that Beyonce should have won in her place.

    "I've hurt, I've bled, I've learned. I only want to do good. I am passionate I am human I am real," he pleaded on Twitter. "I wish I could talk to every hater face to face and change there a opinion of me one conversation at a time."

    Again, fine and well. But. He didn't stop at explaining his personal development over the past year. West went on to point fingers at the media ("Who benefitted off of the moment? MTV? JAY LENO? BEYONCE? ALL FORMS OF MEDIA? TAYLOR? KANYE WEST? Who gained? Who lost?"), ponder why the incident was

    Read More »from Kanye West, We Get It–You’re Sorry For What You Did To Taylor
  • The fact that Keith Urban's brand-new album, Get Closer, hit the streets on Tuesday may have been a bit overshadowed by the news that the Beatles are joining the iTunes catalog. However, Urban managed to find a fun way to make his new music top-of-mind--at least for a crowd of lucky east-coast commuters.

    It all started with a tweet early in the morning: "Hey New York City, if you're in the Penn Station area right now, come by and see me for a bit..." accompanied by a shot of a mike, guitar, and amp set-up.

    Morning commuters passing through Penn Station were then thoroughly surprised to experience an impromptu set from a sort-of-familiar looking busker...Hey, wait a minute! That really is Keith Urban!

    "Thank you for missing your train today!" the singer joked with the crowd, which pressed in close enough to almost touch Urban. The intimate mini-concert included the first single from his new album, "Put You In A Song"; as well as the perennial fan favorite "Days Go By."

    After the set,

    Read More »from Keith Urban Surprises East Coast Commuters With Train-Station Sets
  • The new country awards show on the block, the American Country Awards--which will make its debut in Las Vegas December 6--seems to be setting off on the right foot (or would that be boot?). The first round of performers for the program has been announced, and sounds nearly as packed full of A-listers as any established ceremony on the block.

    First off, the performance list includes steaming-hot commodity Blake Shelton, fresh off his Opry induction and a very triumphant CMA Awards 2010 with fiancee Miranda Lambert. Considering how "it" Blake is considered these days, that alone would be enough of a teaser; however, the ACAs have also confirmed Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, and Josh Turner as well. And there's more to be announced in the coming days. Sounds like a pretty good start to me--especially considering this is a brand-new awards ceremony. 

    The show also is parading an impressive list of artists who will be making "appearances"--with names including Lady Antebellum

    Read More »from Inaugural American Country Awards Announces First Round Of Performers
  • Was the big story of the CMA Awards Brad Paisley's first win in the top category, Entertainer of the Year? Or was it Miranda Lambert finally getting her first three wins all in one night, including the prestigious Album of the Year contest? The nation's headline writers couldn't quite agree which of these was the real news flash.

    It was both, of course. Long live Braranda! (With apologies to Kimberly and Blake.)

    Yahoo! Music and Ram Country's cameras were on the scene backstage at the CMAs to get Lambert's and Paisley's immediate reactions from their respective triumphs. Click on the video to see and hear what these two had to say:

     
    Given how credible the CMAs have become, maybe we should all join Miranda in church, too. 
     
    So, were 2010's CMAs the least controversial ever? Seems like you have to look long and hard to find someone who's not mad about Brad or crazy as hell about Ms. L. They've got country traditionalists wrapped around their fingers; witness the mutual lovefest that
    Read More »from Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert Discuss Their CMA Coups
  • Leave it to Willie Nelson--he sure knows how to take a hit.

    The 77-year-old legend was arrested and charged with marijuana possession on Friday while driving through Texas on his way to his ranch in Austin--but he's using this incident to spark a bit of activism dear to his heart.

    Nelson, a longtime advocate of marijuana legalization, took action just two days after his arrest by creating a Facebook page devoted to this cause.

    The page, titled "Willie Nelson's Teapot Party"--which is, of course, a humorous wordplay riffing off the famous conservative movement--is apparently a call to band together legalization supporters everywhere.

    "Our motto: We lean a little to the left," it states. "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it."

    Longtime fans of Nelson know these views are nothing new. Nelson has spoken openly about his views on marijuana to many mainstream outlets over the years. "Legalize weed. It's 50% of what's causing the problems along the border with the drug cartels," he told

    Read More »from Willie Nelson Forms The ‘Teapot Party’
  • While many of Nashville's finest have been spending the past few days in Las Vegas gearing for Sunday night's Academy Of Country Music Awards, Alan Jackson's been cooling his boots in Los Angeles instead. For a very important purpose, however--the country icon received his very own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk Of Fame Friday morning.

    Jackson was joined by his wife and daughters for the ceremony at 11:30 a.m. to unveil his star, which is located at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Hard Rock Hollywood. A crowd of fans and spectators attended.

    Jackson, who despite having sold more than 50 million records over the course of his career, remained true to his unassuming, low-key personality upon receiving one of Hollywood's greatest honors.

    "Everybody, whatever you do, likes to be appreciated and acknowledged by the industry and fans, but this is a whole different category," he told the Los Angeles Times. I can't hardly put myself in the same line with some of them great

    Read More »from Alan Jackson Gets Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame
  • Just a few short months ago, Nashville's heart of country music--the historic Grand Ole Opry--was submerged under several feet of water as a result of record flooding in the area.

    Music City mourned, then in true-grit style rolled up its sleeves and got to work. The building was cleaned; damaged areas were restored. The famed circle of wood from the Opry's original Ryman Auditorium home was placed back in the middle of the stage.

    Then, on Tuesday night, the doors were opened, and a major celebration commenced--a blowout, star-studded party honoring both the past and future of the American landmark.

    For the past, country legends such as Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson, and many other long-loved names arrived to join modern-day stars performing at the venue.

    And for the future? Well, that was the big surprise of the night: In a fun twist for an organization seeped in history and tradition, the Opry took a decidedly modern turn near the end of the evening.

    After performing his hit

    Read More »from Grand Ole Opry Celebrates Triumphant Reopening With Blowout Concert, Surprise
  • The 2010 American Music Awards, which took place on November 21, were ostensibly all about musical talent. However, even several days later, it seems that all everyone can talk about is hair.

    And, that would be Taylor Swift's hair, to be exact. The country megastar showed up at the awards program with a stunning, straight new style that couldn't be further away from her trademark tousled curls, sparking news items about her mane worldwide.

    Swift's experimented here and there with straightened hair in the past, but on Sunday night the addition of striking statement bangs to an extreme blowout actually made her difficult to recognize. (And I don't have to tell you that Taylor Swift is generally not hard to identify. In fact, in terms of recognizability, I'd put her up there with President Obama.)

    Oh yeah--she also won an AMA award for favorite country female artist. But pshaw, another award for Taylor? It was the hair that made news, folks!

    Given this, it comes as no surprise that

    Read More »from Taylor Swift Explains Her Much-Discussed AMAs Hairstyle
  • Backstage at the CMA Awards, as you might expect, there were a lot of jokes about how much power couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton might be celebrating their mutual wins in the hours—or days, or decades—to come.  

    Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were talking to the press when they looked over at a monitor saw Blake Shelton's name announced as Best Male Vocalist, the biggest surprise of the night. "Shake it up, CMAs!" said Nettles. "Ooh, it's gonna be fun at their house tonight!" chortled Bush.

    But the wins seemed to have a different effect than expected on Lambert herself. "I don't know what's going on," Lambert told the assembled, picking up one of her three trophies shortly after her fiancee got his. "I just told Blake, I think we need to go to church."

    The couple's friends in Lady Antebellum saw more than just a night of partying or day in the pews ahead for Lambert and Shelton. "It's time for them to get married and have a kid," said Lady A's Charles Kelley,

    Read More »from Brad, Miranda, Blake, and Lady A Discuss Their Wins Backstage at CMAs

Pagination

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News for You

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that New York Police Department officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

  • Museum starts night tours of signs from Vegas past

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The junked signs that attracted throngs to old Las Vegas have for years gathered dust in a neon boneyard just a few miles from the sleek mega-casinos on the Strip.

  • A controversial victory lap for Lewis at Cannes

    CANNES, France (AP) — Jerry Lewis, so beloved in France, isn't quite overcome with emotion now that he's back at the Cannes Film Festival.

  • Latest 'Bachelorette' won't say if she's engaged

    NEW YORK (AP) — ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends.

  • Actress Bynes accused of bong toss out NYC window

    NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Amanda Bynes appeared disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats Friday in a criminal court where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she heaved a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

  • Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

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