The Music City Minute ...
Photo: Arista Nashville
Brad Paisley spent the week in the studio putting the finishing touches on his next album, Wheelhouse. Wheelhouse hits stores April 9th.
Photo: Annie Leibovitz for Disney Parks
Taylor Swift sings about fairytales…and for a brief moment…she got to step into one. She recently posed as Rapunzel for a Disney Dream Portrait series. Check it out!!!
Photo: Tony Phipps
Carrie Underwood isn’t the only member of the family who’s excited about the upcoming live made-for-TV broadcast of The Sound of Music. Carrie is playing the coveted role of Maria von Trapp…but Carrie’s mom has her heart set another role. She wants to play one of the nuns! The three hour show, based on the Broadway version of The Sound of Music, is set to air sometime this year on NBC.
Photo: Stoney Creek Records
Randy Houser has charted his first EVER #1 hit this week with “How Country Feels”. It’s perfect timing for Randy because this just so happens to be the week he released his new album, also called How Country Feels. Pick up a copy – it’s in stores now.
Photo: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
Thomas Rhett may be 100% focused on his music, but the “Beer With Jesus” singer can’t help but wonder what it might be like to try his hand in acting. Thomas says his dream would be to star in a movie with Brad Pitt.
Photo: Taylor Swift / Twitter
Taylor Swift travels to a lot of desirable spots around the globe, but she’s rarely there on vacation. If fact, even when she can work an extended break into her busy schedule, her work ethic gets the best of her. Taylor says she feels guilty taking a vacation - because she's currently promoting an album.
Photo: Capitol Records Nashville
You’re hearing a new song from Lady Antebellum called “Downtown”. The group calls it a little quirky...and something unlike anything they've ever done. “Downtown” is the debut song from Lady Antebellum’s upcoming album, due out later this year. You can see them debut it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night.
Photo: Twitter Photo: Mercury Nashville
The debut album from country newcomer Kacey Musgraves will be in stores on March 19th. She’s calling it Same Trailer Different Park and it will include her current Top 15 hit, “Merry Go Round”. Kacey actually co-produced the CD, in addition to writing or co-writing every song on it.
Photo: dierks.com
Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert are headed to the Grammy stage! They’ll give a special performance together – makes sense given the two recently kicked off their Locked & Reloaded Tour.
CELEBRITY SCOOP...
VOICEMAILS FROM TE'O HOAX GIRLFRIEND PLAYED IN COURIC INTERVIEW
(Photo: Kelly Kline/Getty)
Voicemails from a person that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o says was pretending to be his online girlfriend were played during an interview he did with Katie Couric that aired on her syndicated show Thursday (January 24th). Three voicemails were played that Te'o said were left for him last year by someone he believed to be "Lennay Kekua," a woman he fell for online, but never met in person, and who he says he thought had died in September of leukemia. Deadspin.com exposed the hoax earlier this month, saying Kekua never existed. But Te'o has denied any involvement, saying he'd believed the whole story until he got a phone call on December 6th from the person he'd believed to be Kekua. Some had charged the Heisman Trophy runner-up might have been involved in the hoax for publicity.
The first voicemail was from what was supposed to be Kekua's first day of chemotherapy:
In the second, the person was apparently upset by someone else answering Te'o's phone:
And the third was left on the day he believed Kekua was released from the hospital, the day before she supposedly died:
Michael Buble, Baby: Luisana Lopilato, Singer's Wife, Pregnant With First Child
(Video: Youtube)
Michael Buble and his Argentine model wife are having a baby!
Buble announced he and Luisana Lopilato are expecting a baby, in a video message posted on Lopilato's official YouTube channel.
The adorable announcement included a view of the sonogram and photos of the cute couple, with Buble's hit "Haven't Met You Yet" playing in the background. "We're having a baby Buble!" announces the video, in both English and Spanish.
IS THERE A 'SAVED BY THE BELL
(Photo: NBC)
Two former cast members of the hit 90's show Saved By the Bell
Gosselaar, aka Zack Morris, referenced the Boy Meets World reboot saying, "We'll see how they do and maybe we'll do a reunion as well." Dennis, who played Mr. Belding, told TMZ, "I have always supported a reunion of any kind including all of us. Honestly, the fans still love us and our show so much; they deserve it!"
People magazine staged a reunion photo shoot with Mark-Paul, Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies back in 2009. Dustin Diamond, aka Screech, declined to participate.
WEIRD STUFF ...
Why Your Next iPhone Might Have A Fingerprint Scanner
On the upcoming iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S, depending on Apple's whims and fancies), your password might not be that familiar mixture of four numbers. It might not be a line pattern drawn on a square grid. It might not be a unique combination of numbers, capital letters, punctuation and wingdings.
It might be your pointer finger.
Yes, the hot new bit of speculation on the ever-active Apple rumorsphere is that the next iPhone will include a fingerprint sensor or scanner embedded in the device, perhaps underneath the home button. This technology, analysts and pundits say, will make the iPhone more secure, differentiate it from rival products, and perhaps open up a new frontier in paying at the cash register with your cell phone.
For now it's still speculation about a company that attracts rumors like ants to picnic lunches. But it's a bit of speculation that is gaining so much steam that it's worth investigating what an iFingerprint could mean, and how it could change the American smartphone.
Elected homecoming king gives crown to another student
Unionville Community High School in Bedford County
Junior Scotty Maloney was named homecoming king after three seniors nominated for the title decided to give him the honor.
Scotty has Williams Syndrome, a neurological disorder that inhibits learning and speech.
On Friday, three seniors nominated for homecoming king decided to give the crown to Scotty.
"I've been blessed with so many things," said Jesse Cooper, who won the popular vote for king. "I just wanted Scotty to experience something great in his high school days."
Cooper, along with Drew Gibbs and Zeke Grissom, were all nominated for the honor, but decided as a group they would give the crown to Scotty, regardless of who won.
"He's always happy, so he deserves some recognition for who he is," Gibbs explained.
After the official announcement Friday night, the school principal told the crowd what the seniors had decided to do.
As Scotty's name was called, the gymnasium, filled with students and people in the community, erupted. Scotty's standing ovation went on for 30 seconds.
"It was just a ton of emotion from everybody," Grissom recalled. "I think I saw Scotty shed a few tears. I know Jesse was pretty emotional. We were all emotional out there on the court."
Scotty was awarded the king's medal, which has hung around his neck since Friday.
He proudly wore the medal at school Tuesday.
Gibbs said while being nominated for king is an honor, seeing Scotty receive the title means more.
"We probably wouldn't even think about it at all but probably now we'll think about it when we all get together, we'll say, 'Hey remember when Scotty won homecoming king?'" he said.
Cooper added, "I wouldn't wear it to school every day. I would put it on my shelf and say thanks for voting for me and him, he's so passionate about it."
Next year, Scotty will crown the school's new homecoming king.
Waiter Puts Job on the Line for a Customer
A restaurant waiter in Houston, Texas
Michael Garcia refused service to a family after hearing their complaints about a boy named Milo
The eatery’s Facebook page blew up with comments supporting Michael for putting his job on the line for a stranger. Milo’s mom added her thanks online, posting on a friend’s page, “Yay for people like Michael … who not only love [my son] Milo for who he is – a customer and little boy with Down syndrome – but stand up for him no matter what.” (Yahoo)
