The Music City Minute ...
Country music fans will be glued to the TV when Stevie Nicks and Lady Antebellum partner for a special taping of CMT Crossroads. The two acts will collaborate for the first time on the Crossroads stage in Los Angeles. CMT Crossroads: Stevie Nicks and Lady Antebellum will premiere later this year on CMT.
Photo: CMT
CMT has chosen ten female power voices to feature in its year long muliti-platform campaign called Next Women of Country. The initiative will showcase rising talent from signed and unsigned female artists, and will feature exclusive content such as video premieres and performances. See the list of handpicked females below.
Hand-picked by CMT, the ten Next Women of Country are Ashley Monroe, Holly Williams, Jana Kramer, Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Lauren Alaina, Sarah Darling, Rose Falcon, Rachel Farley and Kelleigh Bannen. Additional artists will join the ranks all year long.
Photo: Warner Music Nashville
Fans can't seem to get enough of Blake Shelton’s new single, “Sure Be Cool If You Did” - It was the #1 country song downloaded this week. After a year full of professional milestones – from winning The Voice twice to earning CMA Entertainer of the Year – Blake can now reflect on the longevity of his career. Blake said he's seen a lot of people come and go over the years. Many surpassed him with career success. He says he used to be the guy in the crowd wondering what it would take to see that kind of success. Now he IS!!!
Photo: Capitol Records
Luke Bryan has put everything he knows into the set of his Dirt Road Diaries Tour. After all…he’s spent a lot of time learning from other headlining acts that he’s opened up for over the years. The Dirt Road Diaries Tour kicks off tonight in Evansville, Indiana.
Photo: RCA Records Nashville
If there’s one person that is excited to hear Miranda Lambert’s new song “Mama’s Broken Heart” on the radio – it’s Kelly Clarkson! She's been begging her for months to release it!
CELEBRITY SCOOP ...
Shakira Celebrates Baby Shower – and Bares Her Bump
(Photos: Jaume Laiguana)
With their baby boy set to arrive any day now, Shakira and Gerard Piqué shared a sexy and shirtless black and white maternity portrait with fans — and asked for their help.
“We’d like to celebrate the imminent birth of our first child with all of you,” the singer and upcoming Voice judge, 35, writes on her social media accounts.
Working with UNICEF, a charity Shakira has been a global ambassador for since 2003, the couple requests donations from $5-110 rather than gifts for their son.
The minimum amount buys a mosquito net to protect a child from malaria, while the maximum purchases a peanut-based paste that can save a malnourished child.
CONRAD BAIN: Diff'rent Strokes Dad Dead at 89
(Photo: Gregg DeGuire/Wireimage)
Conrad Bain, best known as the kindly adoptive father Philip Drummond on the '80s sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died at his California home. He was 89. A native of Alberta, Canada, he attended acting school in New York with Charles Durning and Don Rickles after World War Two. That led to roles on Broadway, in the New York-produced soap opera Dark Shadows and such movies as Lovers and Other Strangers and Woody Allen's Bananas.
Bain's TV breakthrough came as Arthur Harmon, husband of Maude's best friend Vivian on Bea Arthur's hit sitcom. He left in 1978 for another Norman Lear production, Diff'rent Strokes -- which made stars out of young actors Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges and Dana Plato. Bridges is now the only surviving main cast member.
Katherine Webb will cover Super Bowl for “Inside Edition”
(Photo: USA Today Sports Images)
Katherine Webb, Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend and Miss Alabama, announced on Twitter that she will be covering the Super Bowl for "Inside Edition." Maybe she wants a television career. So Webb gets a pretty cool TV opportunity and a chance to be in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue out of her fame, which sprung to life after she was shown on ESPN's telecast.
WEIRD NEWS ...
Driver injured after broken-down car struck on I-17
The woman who was injured while working on her car in the carpool lane on Interstate 17 at Loop 101 on Tuesday remains in critical condition after a full-sized truck struck the stranded car, the Arizona Department of Public Safety reported.
The woman, who was standing toward the front of her car, was transported to a hospital with “life-threatening” injuries, said Carrick Cook, DPS spokesman.
Cook said DPS officers apprehended a woman and man, who fled the scene after hitting the stranded car. They were taken into custody at
Cook said both the man and woman suffered injuries from the crash and were taken to a hospital. The man broke his arm in the accident.
Cook said a second collision occurred as a result of the first crash. He said there were no reported injuries.
It was not immediately known who was driving the vehicle, but authorities said the driver is suspected of aggravated assault with a vehicle and fleeing the scene of an accident.
All southbound lanes of I-17 were blocked and traffic was taken off at
“It will be shut down for quite some time,” Cook said.
SEVEN HIGHLY ANNOYING TEXTING HABITS:
1) Using "Y" or "N" for "yes" or "no". I admit, I've done this, but it's freaking ridiculous. I mean, how hard is it to type "es" or "o"? I know we're all busy, but come on.
2) The ridiculously long text. Like I said, I'm all about texting, but if what you're writing goes into three long separate texts, just call. It'll probably be quicker.
3) The text that says, "Just left you a message." You're probably not answering your phone for a reason -- be it you're busy, or you just don't want to. You'll get around to calling back when you get around to calling back. And it's kind of a trick, because if you text back, the person knows you're there and dodged their call.
4) The million texts in a row before you get a chance to respond. Ever pick up your phone and realize you have, like, 10 texts -- from the same person? That's annoying!
5) The Emoji-obsessed texter. Emojis are cute emoticons, and sometimes, they can get a point across better than actual words can (which is really sad). But when you start sending messages that contain a pill, a girl dancing, a bunny, and a bowl of ramen-looking soup, you have a problem.
6) Using abbreviations to the point of making your text unreadable. There are the classics: "U" instead of "you"; "idk" instead of "I don't know"; "OMG" for -- what does that even stand for anymore? But then there are the texts that are literally nothing but abbrevs. Stp tht. See? You probably didn't even know what I said there! I said: Stop that!
7) Having texting be your only form of communication. Texting is convenient, but come on guys, let's not all turn into a bunch of voiceless drones with robo-fast thumbs.
WRANGLER LAUNCHES MOISTURIZING JEANS
Strange, but true -- and possibly useful? Wrangler has announced a new line of moisturizing jeans which will be soon available via
