Gwyneth Paltrow put a lot of work into researching and practicing her role as a Nashville superstar vocalist in the upcoming drama Country Strong. And, she seems to have nailed the part solidly. In fact, she's apparently even convinced her costar, Tim McGraw--who knows a thing or two about good country singers--that she should take her music out on tour.

"He keeps joking that I should go on the road as his opening act," Paltrow told Entertainment Weekly. "And I keep saying, 'Let's do it. Let's make it happen.' I don't know about a whole tour but maybe a string of nights could be fun."

However, the actress explained to EW that while she might take more roles that involve singing, she is isn't making any grand plans to switch over into the music industry. "I love my day job and we already have a musician in the family," she noted, referring to husband Chris Martin, frontman of the multiplatinum-selling rock group Coldplay.

Conversely, McGraw--who's played his share of critically

The Judds are no strangers to Oprah Winfrey's empire. The entertainment-industry-entrenched family has--counting appearances by actress Ashley Judd--appeared on Oprah's talk show a remarkable 18 times, most recently a couple months ago to discuss Wynonna Judd's remarkable weight loss and journey to emotional healing after marital betrayal.

Now, Naomi and Wynonna Judd have solidified their place in the Winfrey "family" by announcing their own reality show, which will debut on Oprah's new OWN Network in 2011. Titled simply The Judds, the one-hour program will follow Wy and Naomi as they prepare for the Last Encore tour--their first time hitting the road together in 10 years.

Longtime fans of the Judds know the duo has struggled with clashing personalities and a tumultuous dynamic over the years. (To wit: On their inaugural Oprah visit back in 1990, Wynonna quipped, "I have the solution for all the other mother-daughters out there who aren't getting along...I figure if you put them on a

Sugarland has already received flak from country radio regarding its single "Stuck Like Glue," most specifically for the distinctly non-country reggae-styled break in the tune.

Well, never ones to shy away from pushing the envelope (especially when already accused of doing so!)--the duo went even further and injected a bit of bona fide hip-hop into the song when performing it for the special VH1 Divas Salute The Troops, an all-star concert presented by and benefitting the USO, which aired Sunday night.

No, frontwoman Jennifer Nettles did not attempt this on her own (and bandmate Kristian Bush certainly did not either, although that would have been interesting to watch). She wisely left it up to an expert--namely the legendary MC Lyte, who joined the country pair on stage midway through their performance to drop some lines and generally shake things up a bit.

On their official website, Sugarland referred to their unexpected duet partner as "kick-ass," and I have to say, it really was

Well, folks, Thanksgiving is behind us, and it's officially time to gear up for the Christmas season. Before you start to groan--I know, I know, I'm not ready for it yet, either--here's a little something guaranteed to get country music fans in the holiday spirit and hopefully put a smile on their faces.

If you're planning on getting a Christmas tree anytime soon, the Grand Ole Opry store has a brand-new way to put a little twang on the usual old trimmings. New for 2010...it's the Brad Paisley commemorative Christmas ornament!

Okay, laugh all you want. But this little ornament is, honestly, just too cute for words--even if you aren't that big of a country fan. It commemorates Paisley's 2001 induction into the Grand Ole Opry as the youngest member ever; and as a special touch it plays Paisley's song "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" when the back button is pressed. I'm sorry, but only a Grinch could not be charmed by that.

Wonder if Brad, wife Kim, and their little sons Huck and

On Thanksgiving Day, everyone from average Joes to superstars finds some time in their busy schedules to count their blessings...oh, and eat. Country music's luminaries are no different--and, what's great, many of them are sharing their holidays online with fans.

Some, like Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, went so far as to detail their Thanksgiving recipes (find Jennifer's here--they sound like they'd work great for Christmas too) and post shots of the finished culinary works of art--that's a mighty nice-looking sweet potato pie Jen is holding!

LeAnn Rimes posted her greetings along with boyfriend Eddie Cibrian from Cowboys Stadium (where they'll be able to enjoy Keith Urban performing at halftime, lucky ducks!).

Most others, however, merely wished fans a happy holiday and gave thanks for their blessings. Here's a rundown of some "turkey tweets" from Nashville's finest. Happy Thanksgiving!

Chuck Wicks: In ATL tonight doing Macy's Xmas Tree Lighting. Should be fun! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Anyone who's a Kenny Chesney fan knows that the singer is nuts about sports--particularly football. In fact, the former high-school starting wide receiver has even gone on the record saying that he'd like to play the halftime show at Super Bowl 2011.

And, as he himself puts it: "Anyone who knows me knows how much I look to football--the lessons learned, the experiences, the feelings as a map for living life, having a music career, being the kind of man I want to be."

Chesney's latest project reflects this particular passion--in a seriously big way. He's just wrapped up work on a new documentary, The Boys Of Fall, which takes a look at the passion, drama, and power-plays involved in high school football.

Now, did I mention this was a big project? I certainly did. Reportedly, Chesney "drew upon his friendships" with several NFL megastars in order to create the film--including Hall-Of-Famers Troy Aikman and John Madden; as well as a couple of quarterbacks you may have heard of: Brett

How does Carrie Underwood throw a bachelorette party? Well, like everything else having to do with her wedding planning--she went with laid-back, fun, and traditional. In other words: Las Vegas girlfriends' weekend.

Various sources, including the Los Angeles Times, E! Online, and PEOPLE, confirmed that Underwood kept her celebration on the mild side (well, as far as Vegas goes). After arriving in town the weekend of June 26, she and a handful of buddies showed up at Lavo on Saturday night--which is Vegas's latest celebrity hotspot located at the Palazzo resort. There, the group donned feather boas, sipped cocktails, and "goofed around." Underwood reportedly wore a sash marking her as the bride-to-be, but by all accounts, she otherwise kept a fairly low profile.

Underwood's fiance, hockey star Mike Fisher, had what sounded like a much more wild time in Miami the previous weekend for his bachelor bash. Gossips reported Fisher's group of pals were tossing back shots and getting crunk in

Hmmm. I gotta say, I love the girl--but it looks as if Miranda Lambert might be a little behind the times when it comes to gauging the overall popularity of her chosen musical genre.

The country crossover success story, who scored multiple Grammy nominations this week along with one for her hit "The House That Built Me" in the all-genre song of the year category, enthused to MTV that she believes country music has finally become mainstream.

"I think we're finally out there," she noted. "We're finally where people are paying attention to country music, and we're part of the world of music now. We're not out by ourselves anymore."

Miranda--well, yes. Agreed. Lady Antebellum's impressive nominations haul also furthers the assertation that country is finally a serious force to be reckoned with. And, believe me, I'm just as happy as you are that so many country names are on the Grammy radar these days.

But, I gotta point out, this has been going on for a while now. (And to be fair, I