By now, everyone (finally) should be up to speed on the devastation wreaked upon Nashville as a result of record floods in the area early this month. If you're a country music fan, or a Music City fan--or, hey, just a cool kinda person overall--here's a fun way to aid flood relief efforts and show your support publically.

Susannah Parrish, a graphic designer based in the Nashville area who's put together CD packaging for a variety of country and Christian artists, had the idea to create a t-shirt with a "Flood 2010" logo in order to raise money for relief efforts. Teaming up with a few like-minded folks to start production, she initially planned to just sell a few shirts to friends. However, after posting the stylish designs on Facebook, things exploded and sales went through the roof.

Even stars got in on the action: Brad Paisley and Kellie Pickler were spotted wearing the shirts to rehearse and perform at GAC's flood relief telethon held Sunday night in Nashville. 

You can order

So--was it just a couple months ago I was discussing Faith Hill's mercurial sense of fashion (in regards to the mixed reviews she received for her 2010 Oscar gown)? How timely, because she may actually be moving into the world of design as a second career.

This week (April 22), Faith appeared as a guest judge for the finale of this season's Project Runway, helping to determine (the oddly coiffed) Seth Aaron Henderson as the top winner of the popular fashion design reality show. She told the Associated Press that her judging stint felt "actually quite natural," citing her appreciation for fine detail and hard work as an asset for the job.

I can buy that. I can also buy that Faith knows her way around haute couture and was by no means a poor choice for the judging slot--in fact, quite a good one. Faith has always been one of Nashville's rarer birds willing to take some serious hits in the name of fashion experimentation, and I'd rather have her judging my theoretical design work than,

By the way Brooks & Dunn keep going, and going, and going this year...you'd never guess the pair are about to hang up their mics soon. From hopping around the country on their Last Rodeo tour, to cementing an appearance in June's Nashville Rising all-star flood relief benefit--who needs retirement?

And now, the latest bit of fun for B&D fans: An appearance on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman May 21.

However, this isn't just any late-night-show visitation. Kix and Ronnie will be joined by none other than the utterly fab Reba McEntire, to perform their hit collaboration "Cowgirls Don't Cry."

Could it be for the last time? (With Reba, anyway.) Sob, sob...I'm getting sad just thinking about it. Set your DVRs, at any rate. Don't want to miss a piece of history!

This special little treat is airing just a couple of days before CBS's broadcast of the Brooks & Dunn tribute show, ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn--The Last Rodeo, which was taped the day after this year's Academy of Country

Blake Shelton is no stranger to making pretty outrageous statements on Twitter. However, this week he's fairly outdone himself. He's "throat punched a whooping crane," "wiped with poison ivy," "tea bagged a meat grinder," and "golf clubbed a panda bear."

What's the occasion for all this activity? Ah, he's just excited. After all, he proposed to longtime girlfriend and fellow star musician Miranda Lambert, and apparently the gal accepted!

Reps for the artists confirmed that the pair--who have been dating for five years--are indeed officially engaged as of May 9. No wedding date is set yet.

As for Miranda, her tweet on the matter was simply, "Well...Ol' Blake finally got a brain!" accompanied by a twitpic of the giddy-looking couple showing off the engagement ring. (Good work, Blake--that appears to be one seriously gorgeous diamond!)

She did elaborate further to People.com, explaining that the proposal took place outside near her Oklahoma home, and was celebrated with Diet Sprite and

Let it be known: Nobody can accuse the country music community of being disloyal. Or, for that matter, pessimistic. Facing a daunting billion-dollar-plus cleanup of Music City as a result of deadly flooding in the Nashville area, the country folks are wasting no time crying. Instead, they're simply rolling up their sleeves and getting down to business.

They're donating money (most notably, Taylor Swift's pledge of $500,000 at a telethon organized by Vince Gill last week), spreading the word, giving their time. And, most recently, putting together extraordinary benefits at record speed. Country power couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw announced today they will host a star-studded show next month which will aid flood victims.

The concert, Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery, will take place June 22 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The list of confirmed performers is A-list all the way: Swift, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Miley Cyrus, Martina McBride, Lynyrd Skynyrd,

What started out as a heavy weekend storm in the Southeast ended up as record flooding in Tennessee this week--killing at least 19 people, destroying roads and property, and driving President Obama to declare parts of the state major disaster areas.

The rain, of course, didn't spare Nashville or its music community. Most notably, the legendary country landmark the Grand Ole Opry House is currently under six feet of water, with as-yet-unknown damage to its historic collections. The overall cost of damages to the city is estimated to exceed $1 billion, according to Nashville mayor Karl Dean.

But country artists themselves have been affected sorely as well. While giving fervent thanks for being safe and sound, many artists still lamented the loss of musical equipment, damage to their homes, and shows canceled due to the disaster.

Kenny Chesney was working in another state when the storms hit. He returned to Nashville midweek to find his home engulfed in water, rising past the first

Kenny Chesney's flash-in-the-pan marriage to actress Renee Zellweger ended nearly five whole years ago--which seems like an eternity in terms of today's media pace--but fans undoubtedly have always been wondering what exactly happened between the pair. Zellweger cited the legal but vague cause of "fraud" as grounds for annulment of the four-month union, sparking waves of gossip as to what really caused the breakup.

Friday afternoon, Chesney spoke frankly on the Oprah Winfrey Show about the real reasons behind the failure of his relationship with Zellweger. Stating several times that he "panicked" after entering marriage, he elaborated further to Oprah:

"I look at my life as a box. So everything that I put in--learn how to play guitar, put that in the box. The friends I made. I put that in the box, and my career grew. Everything around me--all of the awards and all of the songs I wrote and all the success and everything--I put in that box. That box built grew into this wonderful house.

The dust has barely settled from last weekend's Coachella Festival, and now it's the country fans' turn to descend on the California desert for a weekend of music and fun.

This year's annual Stagecoach Festival, now in its fourth season, has a pretty fantastic lineup--the big headliners include Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn (my personal prediction for the highlight of the weekend), and Sugarland, plus a diversely mixed bag of more than 25 other acts. And, it looks like it's going to have a pretty danged good turnout as well. Coachella 2010, held in the same location and put on by the same folks, reported record numbers (more than 200,000 tickets sold). Stagecoach 2010 will likely surpass its own record numbers, which topped 100,000 last year.

A single-day general admission pass to Stagecoach will run you close to a hundred bucks, or you can spring for a weekend pass starting at $137. Given that, all I can say is: Recession? Well, sure, there's a recession, but it doesn't