Photo of the Day: A Leafy Green Jesus Has Appeared on a Telephone Pole in Colorado.

According to a man in Colorado, a leafy green JESUS has grown on a telephone pole by his house. Don Taylor of Littleton, Colorado says he's, quote, "a nonreligious individual" . . . but he was shocked when he saw that vines and branches had grown in the shape of Jesus on the cross . . . on the pole! Local authorities have warned people that if they come to see the leafy Jesus, they shouldn't climb up to it . . . because there'd be a serious risk of them getting hit with 765,000 volts of divine intervention.

What do you think?

Toby Keith's New Album Will Be Out in October.

Toby Keith's next album is titled "Clancy's Tavern" and it's going to drop October 15th. The video for the album's first single, "Made in America", came out yesterday. You should watch it. It WILL make you salute the nearest flag. God Bless Country Music, God Bless America!

Blake Shelton Loves That "The Voice" Helped Him Win Over New Fans.

There's no doubt that "The Voice" has given BLAKE SHELTON'S career a huge boost. It may even end up making him a household name. It's certainly getting him recognized. He explains, quote, "It actually blows me away. It's definitely obvious. "Just walking down the streets of New York City with MIRANDA (LAMBERT), people are stopping me and wanting to say hi and take a picture or something, and it's always about that show. "I've been going to New York City and Los Angeles for 10 years and you can count on one hand how many times someone has recognized me in New York City." What Blake loves even more than the recognition, has been the opportunity to show people what he's all about. He continues, quote, "There's no better feeling than that feeling like you won somebody over. "And it's the same feeling I had the very first time I got on stage and held a microphone when I was seven or eight years old. "It's that same rush of I'm starting from zero, you know, and I want to make these people like me and like my music and what I stand for and who I am as a person. "So when you have that opportunity like I do with 'The Voice', there's that whole new group of people again."

Jason Aldean Doesn't Care If People Hate His "Dirt Road Anthem" Raps

JASON ALDEAN knew he was going to offend at least a few country purists by inserting some hip-hop rhymes into his song "Dirt Road Anthem". But his message to those people is: It's STILL country. He says, quote, "The song is a country song, I don't care how you slice it. The basis of the song is the exact same thing I talk about in a lot of my songs, it's just a different way of delivering it. "For a one time deal for me, it's different, cool and unlike anything we've put out." Jason's instincts are pretty solid because "Dirt Road Anthem" is currently Number One on the "Billboard" Top Country Songs chart. Jason's bigger point is that he's doing things his way, regardless of what other people say. He continues, quote, "I think from day one I brought my flair to what I do and my version is what I think country music is. "What I think country music is may not be what everyone else thinks it is."

Taylor Swift Does Not Feel "Entitled" to Her Success

TAYLOR SWIFT has been famous for around five years now so surely it's time to drop the sweet and humble routine,right? NOPE! Taylor said in a recent interview that she still LOVES it when people compliment her. She said, quote, "For me, there is a reset button when someone says something nice to me. Every time someone says something nice to you, it's a new thing. It's something to really appreciate, I'm never going to feel entitled to success." Taking compliments is the easy part, so how does Taylor deal with the haters? Well, she simply remembers where she came from. She said, quote, "A great deal of it is how you're raised and how your family encourages you to be. "Another big part of it is keeping your priorities in the right place. And why you got here in the first place and why you wanted to be here, to make music. It's all keeping a healthy prospective of what your life is and what normal is."

This is exactly why I like Taylor Swift. It always nice to see when an artis appreciates her fans so much. Way too go Taylor!

Too Early For Christmas?

There's a new Xbox coming out that will be bundled with the "Star Wars: Kinect" game. It has blue and white colors like R2D2 and comes with a golden controller like C3P0. It also beeps and whistles like Artoo when it powers up or the disc tray opens. Very Cool!

Read The Full Story Here!

Trace Adkins Can't Believe How Long It's Taking to "Start" Rebuilding His Burned Down House.

When TRACE ADKINS' house burned to the ground last month, he knew it would be a long time before he could rebuild it. What he didn't know was how long it would take to START rebuilding it. He told CMT.com, quote, "The insurance company declared it a total loss, and now they have to figure out what that means and assign a value to it. It takes ridiculously long. I just want to get what's left of that house torn down. "It looks sad. It's the eyesore of the neighborhood. We all want to get it gone." Trace and his family are currently living on the farm they own near Nashville.

A Fan Once Left a Live Baby at Dolly Parton's Doorstep.

There's been a rumor out there for a while that a fan once left a baby on DOLLY PARTON'S doorstep. I've always thought it was an urban legend until now. Because Dolly recently confirmed it. She said, quote, "There are all kinds of things that people ask me to do but I tell this story and it's a true story but freaky. Years ago when I first started being a big star I had fans that were fanatical. It was when 'Jolene' was a big hit. "We came home one day and there was a baby in a box at our gate with a note in it. The note said, 'My name is Jolene, my momma has left me here and she wants you to have me.' Of course, we all freaked out!" Because Dolly is SANE, she did the right thing. She continues, quote, "We immediately called Human Services and took care of the baby until they got there. We never did know or hear anything about it. I knew nothing else. "There are some loony people in this world! Can you imagine yourself in that situation? It wasn't like it was a kitten or a puppy. It was a baby named Jolene!"

Reba McEntire Believes Most Kids Need to Get a Job At An Earlier Age.

REBA MCENTIRE thinks America would be better off if your kids were employed. She tells GAC.com, quote, "Kids have a hard time finding part-time jobs. You have to be a certain age before you can work. When we were out in the country we had lots of jobs. "(We'd) take care of animals, livestock and other work. When you're in the city it's hard to find a job for the kids, so I wish there were more (jobs) for kids at an earlier age. I understand the child labor laws, but also, it has hurt our country in a way."

Jacks "All New" Traveling Lawn Sprinkler!

Okay. Here's the deal. I'm a gadget guy and if there's something cool out there that's gonna make my life easier somehow, I'm goin' for it. This is no different. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a ton of property. But I do have enough that causes me to keep going outside moving sprinklers so that the whole lawn gets watered. Well, thanks to my wife and inlaws we now have the John Deere Travling Sprinkler! They told me the story of how they had this "walking" sprinkler and I was interested. Hell! I had to have one! So, it arrived last night and it works great! I'm not lazy, not by any stretch. But I do believe in "Work Smarter. Not Harder"!

Have A Great Weekend Gang!

Jack

Cast Your Vote for CMT's Top 20 Male Artists of the Past Two Decades.

CMT.com is going to air a show called "What's Your 20? 20 Greatest Men, 20 Years". It'll rank the Top 20 male country artists of the past two decades. They've already chosen the 20 artists, but they're counting on YOU to select the order in which they'll finish. The show airs August 10th on CMT, obviously. It features interviews from several of the finalists like Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean and Keith Urban. Plus a few females, like Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Taylor Swift.

Wanna Vote? Click Here!

Kimberly Perry Used to Go "Mud Ridin'" With Boys.

THE BAND PERRY is currently on the road opening for TIM MCGRAW. It's a pretty sweet gig especially for KIMBERLY PERRY who has some naughty teenage memories of listening to Tim's music. She explains, quote, "I grew up listening to Tim in Mobile, Alabama, going mud ridin'. It is when you go with your boyfriend. That's what we would do when it rained. We would all get in these jacked-up trucks and go ride through mud puddles. "And I remember listening to Tim when I was 15 or 16 years old, riding in these mud trucks." Kimberly says the song they would play over and over was "It's Your Love".

Tim McGraw Doesn't Know How He Broke His Foot.

Turns out TIM MCGRAW has no idea how he broke his foot. He tells CMT.com, quote, "I don't know if it happened running or in the part of the show where I jump off speakers. It could've happened any number of ways." As you know, Tim is a workout freak so when he first started experiencing pain he tried to "man up" and power through it. But that just made it worse. He explains, quote, "I kept running and kept working out and kept doing shows. "And for a couple weeks, it just kept getting worse and worse, and it finally got to where I couldn't walk, and it was really swollen." Tim's wife FAITH HILL eventually put her own foot down and insisted he go to the doctor. That's when he found out it was serious. Tim said, quote, "It started out as a stress fracture, and I kept pounding it, pounding it and pounding it, and it got worse and worse." Tim is supposed to wear a corrective boot for four more weeks, but that could stretch out longer if he doesn't STOP exercising like a mad man. He said, quote, "I think I'm not taking care of it as well as I should. "I still work out. I have a machine that's sort of like an elliptical, but it's a seated elliptical that I use a couple of times a day. Nothing replaces running, but at least it's something. And I can still lift."

A Guy Showed Off His Jet Pack on a Morning News Show and Promptly Crashed It!

The other day, Fox 5 news in San Diego started their morning show with a live shot of some guy using a water-powered jet pack. And when he tried to take off from the harbor, he got about six inches off the ground and splashed down in the ocean. Then when they cut away, it showed the two anchors laughing. The guy was fine though, and he got the jet pack working a few seconds later.

A Mother Posted Photos of Her Sick Son on Facebook and Got a Diagnosis that Saved His Life!

You hear a lot about how technology and social media are eroding our privacy and quality of life and let's not forget about cyberbullying, so it's time for another reminder: Facebook saves lives!
This past Mother's Day, 45-year-old writer Deborah Copaken Kogan updated her Facebook status and wrote, quote, "Nothing says Happy Mother's Day quite like a Sunday morning at the pediatrician's." Her four-year-old son Leo had woken up with a mysterious rash and a high fever, so she took him to the doctor. He got meds for strep throat, but his face kept swelling, and he looked worse the next day. Deborah kept posting about it, including photos of Leo's swollen face, and got ANOTHER diagnosis from a second doctor's visit scarlet fever. But Leo kept getting worse, she kept posting photos and comments about his puffy face, and eventually one of her Facebook friends actually picked up the phone and called her: She knew what Leo had, and he had to get to a hospital IMMEDIATELY. Her son had had the exact same symptoms, and ended up with something called Kawasaki disease: A rare auto-immune disorder that affects kids under the age of five, and attacks the coronary arteries surrounding the heart. And it can be fatal. Two of Deborah's pediatrician friends on Facebook posted the same diagnosis when they saw Leo's photos. Deborah rushed him to the hospital and he was diagnosed with the disorder. Another day, and it could have been too late. It affected both his heart and liver, and he was in and out of the hospital for weeks, but he's alive and recovering fine.

(Yahoo)

A Man Was Struck and Killed By Lightning . . . 48 Years After His Dad Died the Same Way!

In 1963, the father of five-year old Stephen Rooney went fishing in Fortescue, New Jersey. He was holding a metal fishing knife which served as a conductor when a bolt of lightning struck and killed him. Fast forward 48 years, to this past July 4th weekend. Now 54 years old, Stephen Rooney was at a family barbecue in Hammonton, New Jersey. There were thunderstorms in the area, but Stephen tried to calm everyone down. He said, quote, "Don't worry guys, you're with me. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same family." A short time later, Stephen left the table to smoke a cigar. A bolt of lightning struck the sycamore tree he was standing under, and Stephen was electrocuted. Paramedics tried to revive him, but he never regained consciousness and died five days later.

NBC Philadelphia

Pat Green Understands Why Record Company Suits Are So Annoying.

There's no shortage of stories about artists going to battle with their record company. And then there's PAT GREEN, who actually understands that it's all business and the suits are simply trying to protect their investment. Pat tells Mywesttexas.com, quote, "It's difficult to make music for a large company because they are spending millions to make you famous. "My humble opinion is that if someone is going to spend millions of dollars to make me money, then I'm going to listen to their opinion. You know, like it or not, I'm going to listen to it." It helps that Pat started selling tons of records once he signed with a major label. He explains, quote, "I experienced a great deal of success (in Nashville). "I totally understand why there are numerous people who come out of record labels and feel like they got spit out. At the same time there are a lot stories like mine where we had some huge hits." Pat and his buddy CODY MORROW are recording a follow-up to their album "Songs We Wish We'd Written". He's also working on a solo record that will be out on a "larger indie label". No word on a release date for either album.

Miranda Lambert Fell in Love with Blake Shelton While He Was Still Married.

MIRANDA LAMBERT'S "Behind the Music" special airs tonight on VH1. In addition to her musical career she talks pretty frankly about how quickly she fell in love with BLAKE SHELTON. She says, quote, "We had instant chemistry." As you may recall, Blake was married at the time, so they couldn't just jump into it. Blake explains what was going through his mind at the time. He says, quote, "I've never had that kind of experience with anybody. "I was a married guy, you know, standing up there going, 'Man, this shouldn't be happening.' Looking back on that, I was falling in love with her right there onstage."

Check your local listing for Miranda's "Behind The Music" special tonight on VH1.

Yankee Fan Who Caught Derek Jeter Ball May Be in Pickle With IRS!

The Yankee fan who caught Derek Jeter's historic home run ball this past weekend could have kept the ball and sold it to a collector for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Click Here For The Full Story!

Carrie and Brad to host CMA Awards a 4th time!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will be back together again in November. They've been picked to host the Country Music Association Awards for a fourth straight year. The 45th annual awards will be aired live Nov. 9 from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on ABC. Paisley is the reigning CMA entertainer of the year. Paisley and Underwood have won 19 CMA awards between them. As Paisley notes in a news release announcing their return, they've achieved a comic chemistry over the years with Underwood's class balancing "my non-class act. I'll try my best to not mess it up." The CMA Awards are the most-watched country awards show. More than 16 million viewers tuned in last year.

Associated Press

Check Out Time-Lapse Video of the Space Shuttle Being Prepped for Its Final Launch!

The final Space Shuttle launch is set for either today or Sunday, depending on the weather in Cape Canaveral. You've probably seen video of launches before, but MSNBC has a time-lapse video of the four days LEADING UP to the launch. This is VERY COOL!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Being Away From Miranda Lambert Actually Makes Blake Shelton Cry.

BLAKE SHELTON and MIRANDA LAMBERT have only been married a couple of months but Blake is already starting to freak out because he doesn't get to see her enough. It came to a head last month during a taping of "The Voice". Blake had been flying in and out of Los Angeles juggling concert dates and show tapings. He'd barely even seen Miranda, and it bothered him.
At one point he told his manager, quote, "I've got to spend some time with my wife." His manager then casually replied, quote, "It's probably only going to get worse from here." That's when Blake lost it. Here's what he told the "New York Times", quote, "It was like somebody shoved a knife through my chest. It just hit me so weird that I started crying. I had to be alone for a while." It was definitely a wakeup call for Blake. And he vowed not to put their relationship through that again. He said, quote, "The one thing we can't allow to happen is we get so busy that we lose each other. "Do I want to be the biggest star on earth? Yeah. Am I willing to do what it takes to be that? No."

Taylor Lautner and a Bunch of NFL Players Star in a "Field of Dreams" Parody About the NFL Lockout

According to insiders, the NFL lockout could end by next week. So before it's over, checkout out TAYLOR LAUTNER from "Twilight" in a new "Field of Dreams" parody about the whole thing.

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

LeAnn Rimes Is Putting Out a Fitness Video

LEANN RIMES loves to post photos of herself in skimpy bikinis. Some people think her body is TOO skinny and despite LeAnn's countless denials they keep saying she has an eating disorder. Well, LeAnn's fitness trainer, a dude named Michael Jackson, totally has her back. And to prove it, the two of them are putting out a fitness video. He says, quote, "We're in the process of putting a video together that (LeAnn) will post to her blog so that people will see what it is that we're doing to get her in shape. I know she's really anxious to show people that she takes (fitness) seriously."
Don't get too excited, though it's really the same old fitness stuff. She jumps rope, does lunges, strength training, stretching and boxing. As for LeAnn's diet. Again, you'll be riveted to know she dines on unprocessed foods, lean meats, vegetables and tons of fruit. Jackson expects the video to be ready sometime next month.

The Final U.S. Army Draftee Has Finally Retired

The U.S. military hasn't held a draft since the Vietnam War. But, believe it or not, until last week there was one draftee who was still serving. He's 58-year-old Command Sergeant Major Jeff Mellinger. He was drafted in 1972, during Vietnam, and was sent to an Army office in Germany. He liked working for the Army. So, he's been there ever since. And he hasn't just been behind a desk. He was recruited into the Army Rangers and did more than 3,700 parachute jumps. He even served in Iraq a few years ago, and survived 27 roadside bombings. Finally, last week, he retired after 39 years. That means there's not a single person who was drafted still serving in the military. Mellinger had been serving at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, working for the Army Material Command. His job was to encourage female troops to try out for Special Forces assignments.

(Yahoo News)

John Rich Was Clearly Annoyed by the Casey Anthony Verdict

A lot of celebrities were shocked and angry when they heard the Casey Anthony verdict, so they took to Twitter to vent. And JOHN RICH out-did them all. You knew he was going to be annoyed, because before the verdict was even read, he wrote, quote, "Verdict on Casey Anthony . . . thoughts? How do you 'party' for a month while your kid is missing? So sad for the little girl." Then, when the jury emerged with their half-assed conclusion, he wrote, quote, "WHAT?????????????" Yeah . . . that's 'what' in all-caps followed by 13 question marks.

Check out the rest of his reactions . . .
"NO JUSTICE for CAYLEE. I feel sick to my stomach. Dear Lord, what has our world become?" "I'm sitting with my 18-month-old son and can't FATHOM how [people] can 'celebrate' in court when a baby was killed. ANIMALS." "This is the last thing I'll say about it: Read MARK 9:42."

If you don't have a Bible handy, here's the verse, from the New International Verson: "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck."

Your Favorite Country Stars Celebrated the Fourth on Twitter...

Celebrities like using Twitter to connect with fans on the big holidays and country stars are no exception. Here's what a few of them had to say.

BRAD PAISLEY: "It's amazing the founding fathers had the foresight to give birth to our nation at the perfect time of year for grilling out."

MARTINA MCBRIDE: "Happy 4th of July! Thanks to all our armed forces, past and present, for protecting our freedom."

THE BAND PERRY: "Happy 4th of You Lie!!" (--That's a new one to me . . .)

SCOTTY MCCREERY: "Happy 4th of July! I'm here chilling with the rest of the idols rehearsing today. Think we could shoot some fireworks off in the arena?"

LEANN RIMES: "Much love to all the men and women who fight and have fought for our freedom and to keep us safe. Happy 4th! Who's wearing red today?!"

Eight Random Facts About July 4th...

#1.) Americans spend $111 MILLION on popsicles and charcoal for July 4th weekend.

#2.) Americans spend $203 MILLION just on CONDIMENTS for July 4th. That's more than the $193 MILLION we spend on hamburger patties.

#3.) No July 4th spending compares to FIREWORKS we spend at least $600 MILLION on 'em nationwide.

#4.) Over 80% of the American flags in the U.S. were made in China.

#5.) When America became an independent nation in 1776, it had a population of 2.5 million. Now the population is over 311 million.

#6.) Last year, New York City had the largest fireworks display in the U.S. It included 22 tons of fireworks about the same weight as six elephants.

#7.) Last year there were 11,000 firework-related injuries more than half of which were minor burns on the hands. There was only one death and that was a guy balancing a mortar shell in a tube on his head.

#8.) The 4th of July is the biggest holiday for beer sales, with approximately 68.3 MILLION cases of beer sold. The rest of the top five, in order are: Labor Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day (--awesome), and Christmas.

Taylor Swift's Guilty Pleasures Include "16 and Pregnant", '90s One-Hit Wonders, and YouTube Videos of Kittens.

TAYLOR SWIFT is on the cover of this month's "Teen Vogue", and in her interview she talks about her fashion icons, her guilty pleasures, and her obsession with MARISKA HARGITAY. Naturally they had to ask her about her fashion sense. She said, quote, "My personal style is very girly, and what I seem to be fascinated by is fashion throughout history, I love to play around with vintage throwback looks, and retro styles. "When I look back and I see fashion icons I see Jackie O and Grace Kelly. Then recently, I think I've always really loved Nicole Kidman, and Faith Hill, and Shania Twain always looks beautiful." It got weirder when they asked about guilty pleasures she can't live without. She said, quote, "'Teen Mom', '16 and Pregnant', '90s one-hit wonders, watching YouTube videos of kittens, the app CatPaint. I CatPaint all my pictures. It's weird."