Big Country Notes for Jan 16

BRAD PAISLEY SAYS HE TREATS OPENING ACT LIKE HE WAS TREATED

Brad Paisley can’t relate to Mary Chapin Carpenter’s hit single “Opening Act.” Paisley says when he was the artist nobody knew on tours with Alan Jackson and George Strait, the superstars treated him very well. Brad intends to do the same for his opening acts this year on his “Bonfires and Amplifiers” tour -- Kellie Pickler, Jack Ingram and Taylor Swift. He says, quote, “It’s great to be the guy that tries to make them feel loved and appreciated.” The tour kicks off April 26th in Chattanooga, TN. If Brad fans can’t wait until then to see the singer, they can catch him March 21st-22nd at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, or March 31st in Gainesville, FL. He’ll play the latter show, a benefit for Shands Children’s Hospitals, with Sugarland, Josh Turner and Phil Vassar.

GEORGE STRAIT ANNOUNCES 25TH ANNUAL TEAM ROPING CLASSIC

When George Strait isn’t on the concert stage he’s probably out on his ranch in Texas, doing one of his other favorite things – roping. Strait is in the midst of getting ready for his 25th Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic, scheduled for March 23rd and 24th 2007 at the San Antonio Rose Palace in Texas. George and his brother, Buddy, put on the event, which has grown into one of the most prestigious open Team Roping competition in the country. Contestants compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Strait says, quote, "My goal is, and has always been, to make the event the best roping out there. I won't be satisfied until I know it is.” Contestant Kinney Harrell says, quote, “In my opinion, this is the best roping in the world for the money and the prizes. If you win 'The Strait,' it can set you up for the rest of the year."

CARRIE UNDERWOOD WILL SOON BE BUSY ON NEXT ALBUM

Carrie Underwood is not ready to rest on sales of five million for her album “Some Hearts.” Underwood plans to get busy with her next album after the GRAMMY awards on February 11th. She told “Billboard” magazine, quote, "We're getting songs together and writing stuff in the next couple of weeks, because I didn't really want to jump into anything until we knew what direction we were going in.” She also told “Billboard” she would like to have a more active role in writing for the new disc. Underwood says, quote, “I’m very realistic about the whole situation. I know that some [artists] think they are really awesome writers and they are not -- I'm the opposite.” She adds, quote, “I just want to go in and try, and if nothing more, I go in with the writers and they get a sense of what I would like to sing about. I'm looking forward to being more involved, but I'm very realistic that I might not be any good." Even though she plans to be in the studio this summer, Underwood says she hopes to find a few good dates to play to, quote, “keep everybody busy and to keep me fresh in people's minds."

DIERKS BENTLEY SETTING OUT ON “HIGH TIMES AND HANGOVERS” TOUR

Dierks Bentley goes from touring in Canada to touring with Cross Canadian Ragweed when he begins his “High Times and Hangovers” tour February 1st. The nine-city tour will take the two groups to a series of bars and clubs with seating capacity of 500 to 900. Bentley says, quote, “It’s about the music and good times. Our set will be stacked with mostly old country cover songs and a few of our hits.” Dierks adds, quote, “I’m sure we’ll be playing old [Johnny] Cash and Waylon [Jennings] songs well into the early morning.” Following the mini-tour, Bently and his band will go to Daytona, FL, for NASCAR’s annual Budweiser Shootout, which will be broadcast over the Fox Network on February 10th. Bentley’s first live concert DVD, “Live and Loud at the Fillmore,” releases on March 20th.
Dates for the “High Times and Hangovers” tour:
February1 Chicago, IL
2 South Bend, IN
3 Carbondale, IL
5 Athens, GA
6 Auburn AL
7 Albany, GA
8 Milledgeville
9 Statesboro, GA

JOE NICHOLS HAPPY TO BE A PART OF NASHVILLE’S SPEED & SOUND EVENT

Joe Nichols has a special reason to have participated in this past weekend’s Sprint Speed and Sound event benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with serious illnesses. Nichols says, quote, “I’ve been blessed with 19-year old little sister who has Downs syndrome, and who just graduated high school last year. People and places like the United Way and Special Olympics and the [Richard] Petty family understand that she and other challenged kids have to adapt to society at their own pace.” Nichols got to meet Richard Petty and he admits he was a little nervous. He says, quote, “When I called my daughter to tell her I’d met the King, she knew exactly who I was talking about. She may not know who Elvis is, but she definitely knows who The King is!” Petty, in turn, loves country music. He says, quote, “The racing crowd and the country music fans come from the same background and seem to be middle-of-the-road people, very conservative."

Other country performers who participated in the weekend of country music and NASCAR included Martina McBride, Josh Turner, Craig Morgan, Mel Tillis, Bill Anderson, Erika Jo, Sawyer Brown’s Mark Miller and Lonestar.
Big Kenny of Big & Rich was the auctioneer for the Friday night dinner and auction at the Wildhorse Saloon, which featured memorabilia from NASCAR and country celebrities. According to “The Tennessean,” Big Kenny was an excellent auctioneer – his wife left with a 47-thousand dollar Triumph motorcycle. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman paid nearly 40-thousand dollars for a George Jones-autographed guitar.

LINDSEY HAUN TAPPED SECOND TIME AS OPENER FOR TOBY KEITH

Lindsey Haun will be on familiar ground when she heads out with Toby Keith for his “Hookin’ Up & Hangin’ Out” tour on January 25th in Albany, NY. Haun toured with Keith last year. She and Keith co-starred in the movie “Broken Bridges,” which is now available on DVD. She portrayed his 16-year-old daughter, with whom he’d had no contact. Her single “Broken” from the movie is nominated for Number One Streamed Video from a New Artist for the cmt.com Loaded Awards, which will be announced on January 23rd. Another song, “Broken Bridges,” which is a duet with Toby, is an Oscar-contender for Song of the Year. Both it and “Broken” are on the soundtrack for the movie’s soundtrack album, which was released on Keith’s Show Dog Records Nashville.

TRICK PONY HAS NEW LEAD SINGER

According to Brad Schmidt of WKRN-TV in Nashville, Trick Pony has a new lead singer. Ira Dean and Keith Burns have tapped Aubrey Collins of Colorado to replace Heidi Newfield, who left the trio to become a solo artist. Aubrey, who is 19, made the rounds in Nashville and drew attention and interest from the industry. Instead of taking any of the offers made to her, Collins chose to make a rock album, “World Without Me,” with songs for the album penned by pop singer Richard Marx, Nashville’s Trey Bruce, and Peter Amato of Ricky Martin fame. No immediate word on when the trio will be in the studio to work on a new album. Apparently Aubrey has already begun rehearsals with the trio. There is video available on the WKRN website of Aubrey performing with Ira and Keith.

QUICK BITES

Martina McBride was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame Saturday night. She was unable to attend the ceremony because she was performing at the Nashville Speed and Sound event.

Willie Nelson is adding more dates to his tour itinerary including the first day of the Stagecoach country music fest in Indio, CA on May 5th.

Keni Thomas will be part of National Geographic’s "The Final Report: Blackhawk Down." Thomas was interviewed in Nashville about the U.S. military mission, in which he was a participant. The special will air Monday on the National Geographic Channel.

Jack Ingram’s “Ava Adele,” a track from his upcoming album “This Is It,” has been chosen as one of three tracks for pre-load inclusion on more than three-point-six-million Sony Walkman devices this year. Jack will be the only country artist featured and the only artist featured on packaging as the product launches in the coming months.

Taylor Swift’s self-titled release will hit stores in Canada today.

Brad Cotter, season two winner of “Nashville Star,” has signed on as the flagship artist for Adobe Road Records in Nashville.

Doyle Holly, the bass player for Buck Owens’ Buckaroos, died this past Saturday in Nashville. He was 70. He became bassist in Owens' band, the Buckaroos, in 1963 and left in 1971 to pursue a solo career.

The memorial service for Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It is open to the public.

Kellie Pickler has been invited back to “The View,” where she will sub for Barbara Walters on Thursday and Friday.

Billy Currington is in the studio working on his third album to be released later this year.

Grand Ole Opry veteran Porter Wagoner will tour this year with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives. Stuart has been in the studio with Wagoner, producing his new album.

Elvis Presley tops a new British poll naming the most iconic hairstyle of all time. He beat out Marilyn Monroe, who is in second place.

HEADLINES FROM HOLLYWOOD

"DREAMGIRLS," "UGLY BETTY," "ELIZABETH THE FIRST" FARE WELL AT GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

It's not a dream -- "Dreamgirls" is among the big winners at the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards. The film took three trophies at the event, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, while breakout star Jennifer Hudson and actor-comedian Eddie Murphy got trophies for their work in supporting roles. Royalty was recognized on both the big and small screen. The movie "The Queen" earned awards for its screenplay and for its star, Helen Mirren, while the HBO miniseries "Elizabeth the First" captured three categories. Meanwhile, pop superstar Prince's "The Song of the Heart," from the movie "Happy Feet," is the Best Original Song - Motion Picture. "Cars" has become the first winner in the new Golden Globes category, Best Animated Feature Film. "Babel," starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, is the Best Motion Picture - Drama.

The new TV series "Ugly Betty" is sitting pretty with two awards. The show was named Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and actress America Ferrera was honored for her portrayal of the title character. "Grey's Anatomy" took Best Television Series - Drama to give ABC a total of three trophies. Other movie winners include Meryl Streep for "The Devil Wears Prada," Sacha Baron Cohen for "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," and Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland," along with directors Clint Eastwood for "Letters from Iwo Jima" and Martin Scorsese for "The Departed." On the TV side, "House" star Hugh Laurie, "30 Rock's" Alec Baldwin and "The Closer" star Kyra Sedgwick brought home awards. In addition, Warren Beatty was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association presented the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards in a ceremony in Beverly Hills, California Monday night. (Metro Source)

Winners at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards:

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA Babel
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA Helen Mirren -- The Queen
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA Forest Whitaker -- The Last King of Scotland
BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY Dreamgirls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY Meryl Streep -- The Devil Wears Prada
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY Sacha Baron Cohen -- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE Martin Scorsese -- The Departed
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Cars
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Letters From Iwo Jima (USA/Japan)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE Jennifer Hudson -- Dreamgirls
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE Eddie Murphy -- Dreamgirls
BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE The Queen -- Peter Morgan
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE The Painted Veil -- Alexandre Desplat
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE "The Song Of The Heart" -- Happy Feet
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA Kyra Sedgwick -- The Closer (TNT)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA Hugh Laurie -- House (Fox)
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY Ugly Betty (ABC)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY America Ferrera -- Ugly Betty (ABC)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY Alec Baldwin -- 30 Rock (NBC)
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Elizabeth I (HBO) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Helen Mirren -- Elizabeth I (HBO)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Bill Nighy -- Gideon's Daughter (BBC America)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Emily Blunt -- Gideon's Daughter (BBC America)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Jeremy Irons -- Elizabeth I (HBO)
CECIL B. DEMILLE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Warren Beatty