Big Country Notes for MAY 8

GRETCHEN WILSON ON SEVEN DAY COUNTDOWN TO ALBUM RELEASE

Gretchen Wilson will be seeing lots of the country over the next week. The singer will be on both coasts and in Las Vegas as she readies for her new album “One of the Boys” to be released next Tuesday. Her first stop will be Friday on NBC’s “The Today Show,” which she says helped launch her career when she first performed there on June 22nd, 2004. “Access Hollywood” will catch up with her following “The Today Show” for a feature that will air over the weekend. On Sunday, Gretchen will take over the famed Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas with a free concert as part of the Academy of Country Music celebration, where she’ll perform selections from the new album. Wednesday finds Gretchen singing “One of the Boys” on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Later in the month she guests on syndication’s “Live with Regis & Kelly” May 21st.
Friday afternoon Wilson will rehearse her part in the “VH-1 Rock Honors” which will tape at Mandalay Bay Events Center. The show pays homage to the legends who influenced the sound of rock. This time around, honorees include Genesis, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne and ZZ Top. Gretchen, who befriended Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson almost three years ago, will take the stage to sing the group’s famous hit “Barracuda.” The show tapes Saturday and airs on VH-1 May 24th.
Tuesday, Wilson will be on the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, where she has two nominations in the “Vocal Event of the Year” category. On one she joins with Merle Haggard on “Politically Uncorrect” and the other features her with Hank Williams, Jr., Van Zant and Big & Rich on “That’s How They Do It In Dixie.” The 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas May 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS.

GEORGE STRAIT AMAZED AT HIS ACM AWARDS NOMINATIONS

George Strait is amazed at his longevity. Strait, who leads the Academy of Country Music awards with eight nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist, says it just amazes him that after 25 years he is still such a viable part of the business. The Country Music Hall of Famer is also nominated for “Album of the Year” for “It Just Comes Natural” and “Single Record of the Year” for “Give It Away.” He also received nods as an artist and producer in those categories. His single “Give It Away” is up for “Song of the Year.” It was written by another Hall of Famer, Bill Anderson, along with Buddy Cannon. His last award nomination is for “Video of the Year” for “Seashores of Old Mexico.” Strait has previously won 15 Academy of Country Music Award honors. The 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas May 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS.

BRAD PAISLEY THE PRANKSTER GETS PRANKED

Kellie Pickler, Jack Ingram and Taylor Swift have a new motto – Get Brad First! The three artists, all opening acts for Brad Paisley’s “Bonfires & Amplifiers” tour, know what a prankster Brad is on the road. All have mentioned they probably would let Brad pull the first prank on the tour. Last week’s full moon must have changed their mind because Friday night Kellie and Taylor dressed up as ticks and came out to attack Brad with a dance while Paisley and his band sang his new hit single. Not to be left out, Jacked rushed out in his ‘Jack’s Exterminator Service’ costume and killed off the pesky ticks. So far Brad has not retaliated but there are many dates left for him to do so. This Thursday finds the entourage in Moline, Illinois. Friday they are in Bonner Springs, Kansas and Saturday they’ll perform in Dallas. Paisley’s fifth studio album, “5th Gear,” will be out on June 19th.

RANDY OWEN SAYS HIS WIFE LOVES THE NEW SONGS HE’S RECORDING

Randy Owen says his wife Kelly will be sending John Rich of Big & Rich cookies and flowers. Randy says, quote, “When she feels like someone is doing something special for her husband she puts a lot of love on them and sends them lots of things.” Rich is producing Randy’s upcoming solo album. Apparently Kelly listened to what they have recorded so far and proclaimed it the best of Randy’s career. He says, quote, “She can be rough sometimes, like telling me she doesn’t know why I cut a particular song.” When asked what John should expect, Randy says, quote, “The studio is gonna fill up with stuff like baked goods and flowers. He’s gonna have problems you know; he just doesn’t know it yet.”

TAYLOR SWIFT WILL HAVE NEW CUSTOM DRESS FOR ACM AWARDS NEXT WEEK

Taylor Swift says she loves to shop, so come Tuesday at the Academy of Country Music awards show she’ll be wearing a new custom dress. Taylor, who is up for “Top New Female Vocalist,” is keeping the description under wraps until the cameras zoom in on her at the show. The singer is creating a fashion trend with her dresses and boots combination she wears most of the time. She says, quote, “Dresses are where my comfort zone is. I love boots because they’re easy to walk and perform in.” She continues, quote, “I like to jump around onstage and high heels aren't really my thing to sing in because I'm petrified of falling onstage.” Swift says she thinks about what she will wear weeks in advance and adds, quote, “I’m such a girl, I love to get dressed up.” The 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas May 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS.
Taylor’s single, “Tim McGraw” was recently certified gold digitally. She joins an elite group of country artists including Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Big & Rich, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Dixie Chicks and Trace Adkins who share the same digital success.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA ANNOUNCES SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts are booked to be on “Good Morning America’s” summer concert series in Bryant Park. Rascal Flatts are there May 18th and Paisley performs June 15th. Sugarland is scheduled for July 27th. Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter, Miley, performs as “Hannah Montana” on June 22nd. All concerts are free and open to the public. They take place live during “Good Morning America” Fridays from 7:00 – 9:00a.m. Eastern.

MONTGOMERY GENTRY’S ROAD TO LAS VEGAS TAKES THEM TO NEW YORK

Montgomery Gentry is gearing up for their job as hosts of the fourth annual Academy of Country Music Motorcycle Ride on Sunday. Strange as it may sound, the duo will head east before they go west. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry will perform on “Fox & Friends” Friday before they jet to Los Angeles to perform “My Town” on CBS’ “The Late, late Show with Craig Ferguson” that night. Saturday finds them back in New York City for the “CBS Early Show.” Then it’s on to Las Vegas and the motorcycle ride on Sunday, when they will also perform at on the Fremont Experience free concert after the ride. Tuesday night Eddie and Troy are up for “Top Vocal Duo” along with Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland and The Wreckers. The 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas May 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS.
Montgomery Gentry can be seen in the 40th Anniversary issue of “Rolling Stone” as part of Orbit Gum’s double-page fold out, “Playing Dirty” and “Playing Clean.” They are the country act in the special section. Their song “Good Clean Fun” from their “My Town” album made the musical grade for “Top Clean Picks.”

TOBY KEITH WILL EMBARK ON FIFTH USO TOUR

Toby Keith will not only be singing “American Soldier,” he will be visiting them very soon. He’s set to do his fifth USO tour to the Persian Gulf and Germany. Keith does much more than sing his hits on these tours. He takes time to shake hands with the men and women in the Armed Forces and give them a break from their daily grind. Toby has previously traveled to Africa, Cuba, Belgium, Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Italy, Germany and numerous times to Iraq and Afghanistan for the USO. Other country artists who have done USO tours include Chely Wright, Carrie Underwood, Jo Dee Messina, Montgomery Gentry and Rascal Flatts.

JAMIE O’NEAL SAYS LOTS OF UNDISCOVERED TALENT OUT THERE

Jamie O’Neal is wearing a different hat these days. She’s helping judge Yahoo’s "The Road to Nashville" online talent contest. Jamie says, quote, “I was approached by Yahoo to be a judge for this online contest. I think it’s a great idea.” She adds, quote, “There is so much undiscovered talent out there. Obviously ‘American Idol’ has shown us what kind of great talent can come out of shows like that.” The contest is in phase one now, which allows singers to submit audio karaoke performances from a selection of more than 700 songs through auditions at http://bix.yahoo.com/TheRoadToNashville. Fifty semifinalists will move to the second round on July 10th. At that time they will be given free webcams and asked to submit one video karaoke performance. Ten people will advance to the final round, which begins August 21st. These folks will be flown to Nashville for their final audition in front of a panel of judges. The grand prize winner will receive 50-thousand dollars and the opportunity to record three songs in Nashville.

JACK INGRAM MEASURES UP FOR NEW VIDEO

Jack Ingram filmed the music video for his new single “Measure Of A Man” last week in Nashville. Jack says the song is the second part of a song he wrote a few years back. He explains, quote, “I wrote a song called ‘Biloxi’ a long time ago in response to the break-up of my parent’s marriage. It was ten years after the fact and I had a lot of unresolved issues and many unanswered questions about how it all went down.” He adds, quote, ‘Measure Of A Man’ is, to me, the second part of this story. It is the story about the next step in the relationship between a father and a son and I think a lot of people will feel the same way I did when they hear this song.”

QUICK BITES

Kimberly Roads of Little Big Town, Charlie Daniels and Carolyn Dawn Johnson will attend a luncheon today in Nashville honoring Tony Martell, music industry veteran and founder of the T.J. Martell Foundation. Also scheduled to attend are Brad Mates of Emerson Drive, Chely Wright, Blue County and Megan Mullins.

Keith Anderson says his new album will be another fun album. Anderson says, quote, “I wrote a bunch of new stuff all through the fall and I’m so excited. It’s going to be another fun album with plenty of party music and a few of those songs that’ll pull on the ol’ heart strings.”

A feature on Taylor Swift will run in the May 21st issue of “People” magazine. Taylor has been chosen by AOL Music as one of their Top 21 Artists Under 21.

Danielle Peck will skydive with the elite Screaming Eagles parachute team at Fort Campbell on May 17th.

Jimmy Wayne, Dusty Drake and Danielle Peck just returned from a promotional trip to Jamaica.

Big Country Notes for MAY 7

GEORGE STRAIT, SONNY JAMES, HAROLD BRADLEY RECEIVE HALL OF FAME MEDALLIONS

Three men who’ve made major contributions to country music were honored as the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame at a special Medallion Ceremony last night in Nashville. George Strait, Sonny James and musician Harold Bradley were officially welcomed into the hallowed institution by other Hall of Fame members. All three were emotional in their acceptance speeches and high in their praise for the people who helped them in their careers.
George Jones presented Strait with his medallion. Strait told the crowd gathered in the Henry Ford Theatre at the Hall of Fame, quote, “What an honor to be here with Harold Bradley and Sonny James.” He went on to say, quote, “It’s a dream come true because ever since I started signing country music I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame.” He thanked God for his talent and his family and friends for their support.
James accepted his medallion from Porter Wagoner, who told the crowd, quote, “Sonny and I have played many shows together and I am so proud to make this presentation to such a wonderful entertainer.” James responded, quote, “I accept this on behalf of the Good Lord and all of you [fans] across the country who have had a great deal to do with my success.”
Brenda Lee presented Bradley with his Hall of Fame medallion. She told the audience he had worked on her first session when she was just ten years old. Harold was very emotional when he spoke about his brother, producer Owen Bradley, who he credited with getting him to learn to play guitar.
Many of today’s biggest stars were on hand to honor the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Trace Adkins and Reba McEntire sang songs Bradley had played guitar on. Connie Smith, Randy Owens, Vince and Ray Stevens along with George “Goober” Lindsey performed several of Sonny’s biggest hits including “Young Love,” “You’re The Only World I Know” and “Running Bear.” Dean Dillon, Lee Ann Womack and Alan Jackson performed Strait’s “The Chair,” “The King of Broken Hearts” and “The Fireman,” respectively. Strait then performed his hit “Amarillo by Morning.”

CARRIE UNDERWOOD SETS ANOTHER RECORD

Carrie Underwood’s fans are standing by her and helping children around the world. Underwood’s recording of the Pretenders’ classic “I’ll Stand by You” is the first iTunes exclusive track to debut in the Top 10 of the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart. Carrie’s song will come in number six in this week’s “Billboard” tally. The song also becomes one of just six digital-only songs to debut in the Hot 100 Top 10. It’s the only track to do so without having been serviced to radio for airplay. “I’ll Stand by You” was recorded by Underwood to accompany footage of her two-day trip to Africa in April, undertaken for a video shown on the “American Idol” special “Idol Gives Back.” Based on SoundScan sales, the audio track of “I’ll Stand by You” will debut at number two on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart with downloads of over 124-thousand copies, based on sales from the night of the April 25th “Idol” episode through this past weekend.
The accomplishment is great for Carrie but it’s also a big win for the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), which has partnered with Idol to raise awareness and funds for relief organizations assisting children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.

TERRI CLARK WILL KICK OFF CMA MUSIC FEST JUNE 7TH

Terri Clark is hoping a few “dirty women” will join her when she kicks off the CMA Music Fest June 7th at 10 a.m. in Nashville. It’s not that she has friends in low places – she just says she sees women she sings about in her new single “Dirty Women” at her shows every night. Terry says, quote, “I think even the ones that aren’t like that have a side to them that are.” She adds, quote, “You know, I just feel like this is a song that speaks to those kind of women that aren’t afraid to get under the hood and get dirty and… go four-wheeling and all that fun stuff that isn’t so girly.” Terri is thrilled to be opening the downtown festival because she played on in that area of town when she first came to Nashville. She says, quote, “I remember playing for tips down on Lower Broadway, and seeing how excited the fans were - and that was just so contagious. “There were a couple years, I even got passes [to the festival] and got to stand in line and get my share of autographs.”
Terri has several special guests on her upcoming album “My Next Life,” due out in August. She’ll be joined by Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Sara Evans on a track titled “Nashville Girls.”

KELLIE PICKLER HAVING TROUBLE DECORATING HER NEW HOME

Kellie Pickler has a new home in Nashville and practically no furniture. She says her schedule keeps her busy and she’s not had much time to shop for furniture and other things she’d love to have for her home. That being the case, Kellie says it’s probably a good thing she’ll be out on the road with Brad Paisley’s “Bonfires & Amplifiers” tour this summer. She says, quote, “My house is not very warm and welcoming yet!” She also says she’s not the best person to pick out color schemes. Pickler says she picked out a couch, then found a painting she liked and realized the colors didn’t go together. One of her most important items is already installed, however – she bought a red washer and dryer!

VAN ZANT SAY THEY HAVE LIVED THE LYRICS TO NEW SONG

Johnny Van Zant says he and brother Donnie of the band Van Zant have lived their share of the lines in their new single, “That Scares Me.” Johnny admits, quote, “We’ve all had our pasts.” He adds, quote, “I was kind of worried about the line in the song that mentioned sex and drugs … wondering about what my kids would say. “… but the cool thing about my kids—my kids grew up around music and all of these things so they still going, ‘Wow, Dad—you get paid for doing that?’ That’s your job?’”

NEAL McCOY CLOSES HIS 903 MUSIC LABEL

Neal McCoy says his label, 903 Music, has run out of money. In a statement released Friday, McCoy says, quote, “"I am sad to announce the closing of 903 Music. After two years of great success, we flat ran out of money. End of story." McCoy added that he didn’t want to run a label that didn’t have the resources to promote its artists. The artist roster included Neal, Darryl Worley and The Drew Davis Band.

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC ADDS SECOND STAGE TO FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE

Trent Tomlinson, Keith Anderson and Trick Pony will headline the second stage at the Academy of Country Music’s Fremont Street experience in Las Vegas on May 12th and 13th. Joining them will be Little Texas, Poverty Neck Hillbillies, James Otto, Ray Scott and Halfway 2 Hazard. Performing the following date after the fourth annual Celebrity Motorcycle Ride will be Montgomery Gentry, Craig Morgan, Big Kenny, Emerson Drive and Gretchen Wilson with Special Guests. The concerts are free and open to the public.

QUICK BITES

Randy Owen of Alabama says he’s working with John Rich of Big & Rich as producer of his first-ever solo album. Randy says he is recording some outside songs and a few he's written with John. He says he’s recorded a few songs already and is very happy with them.

Joe Nichols will join the GRAMMY Foundatrion in honoring Hunters Lane High School students in Nashvlle for achieving GRAMMY Signature Schools Gibson Grant Award status. Nichols will be at the school tonight when a check for five thousand dollars is presented to the institution.

The Hunters Lane Choral Department Choirs will be performing, as well as students from the guitar program. A reception will be held before the concert. The GRAMMY Foundation Signature Schools program recognizes the top 22 public high schools across the country for outstanding commitment to their music education programs.

Blake Shelton will be on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” tomorrow night. Shelton is also featured in the current issue of “People” magazine.

Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd played the Nashville Arena Friday night and Hank got some extra perks. According to WKRN’s “bradon2,” Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher presented Hank with a Titans jersey with “Bocephus” on the back. Then Nashville vice-mayor Howard Gentry gave Williams a Tennessean of the Year plaque from the state Sports Hall of Fame for his support of Monday Night Football.

John Schneider's personal 1969 Dodge Charger sold for nearly ten million dollars Friday on eBay Motors' Web site. The car was painted to resemble the General Lee muscle car from “The Dukes of Hazzard” television series. The vehicle was one of many used in the original TV series “The Dukes of Hazard.” Scheider has had the car modified, including the installation of a 725-horsepower Hemi engine. The bid is believed to be the second-highest ever at an automobile auction.

Sawyer Brown and Bucky Covington will perform Thursday at the Wildhorse Saloon. The show is a benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee’s Kids Café. Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown is Bucky’s producer.


MOVIEGOERS CAUGHT UP IN "SPIDER-MAN" WEB

Movie rivals were no match for "Spider-Man 3" this weekend. As expected, the third installment of the blockbuster superhero adventure topped the weekend box office, shattering records in the process. According to new box office estimates, "Spider Man 3" netted an unprecedented 148-Million dollars in ticket sales in its opening weekend to eclipse the opening record set last year by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." The film, which reportedly cost 258-Million-dollars to produce, has earned a whopping 227-million-dollars at the foreign box office since May 1st, bringing its worldwide total to 375-million-dollars. It's the highest worldwide opening since the 2005 release of "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" which opened to 254-million-dollars. "Spider-Man 3" also set a single-day record on Friday with 59-point-three-million dollars in ticket sales, breaking the old 55-point-eight-million dollar record, also held by the "Pirates" sequel.
Elsewhere at the box office, three-week box office champ "Disturbia" logged a distant second place finish with five-point-seven-million dollars in box office receipts. The Anthony Hopkins-Ryan Gosling legal thriller "Fracture" was third with three-point-four-million, followed by "The Invisible" at number four with three-point-one-million. Rounding out the top five is the Nicolas Cage thriller "Next" in fifth place with two-point-eight-million. (Metro Source)
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. (final figures will be released today):
1. "Spider-Man 3," $148 million.
2. "Disturbia," $5.7 million.
3. "Fracture," $3.4 million.
4. "The Invisible," $3.1 million.
5. "Next," $2.8 million.
6. "Lucky You," $2.5 million.
7. "Meet the Robinsons," $2.46 million.
8. "Blades of Glory," $2.3 million.
9. "Hot Fuzz," $2.1 million.
10. "Are We Done Yet?", $1.7 million.