Eric Church Will Not Be Rushed Into Recording a New Album.

Nobody tells ERIC CHURCH what to do . . . not even the record company suits who sign the checks.  Eric was asked if winning the CMA Album of the Year award for "Chief" might inspire him to cash in by rushing out a follow-up record. Eric will have no part of that. He said, quote, "Hell no, I'm gonna wait longer. I think there [are] a lot of reasons to make records.  The one thing I won't do is I won't make records for an economic reason. "It won't be because a label needs to make a quarterly number or we need to promote a tour. The next record will come when creatively it's the right time." Eric pointed out that he took his time recording "Chief", and that worked out pretty well. He adds, quote, "I'm not gonna rush it and when it's time it'll be time."

The 2012 ACA Nominations Have Been Announced

The nominations are out for the "2012 American Country Awards" . . . and LUKE BRYAN is your top dog with seven nominations . . . mostly thanks to his song "I Don't Want this Night to End", which picked up four nods on its own. Right behind Luke with six nominations apiece are LADY ANTEBELLUM and the ZAC BROWN BAND . . . and then ERIC CHURCH and TAYLOR SWIFT each have five nominations. This is a fan-voted awards show, so they're asking you to pick the winners. You can vote once a day from now until November 12th . . . except in the Artist of the Year category. You can vote on that one until December 7th. You can cast your vote at theacas.com. You will have to give up your email.(--Check out the nominations here.) The very tall TRACE ADKINS and very tiny KRISTIN CHENOWETH are returning as your hosts. The show airs December 10th at 8:00 P.M. on Fox.

Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan Look Forward to Tonight's ACM Honors

Dierks Bentley steps into the role of emcee for tonight's ACM Honors at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.  He took the gig because some of his musical heroes, including Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakam are being recognized at the event. Says Dierks, "When I saw that, I was like, I'm in 'cause all of those people have had influences on me one way or the other." Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Vince Gill are among the other stars being recognized at the ACM Honors, so Dierks can count on a music industry-heavy audience."I don't know what I've gotten myself into, but we'll see," Dierks says with a laugh. "Hopefully I don't screw it up too bad." Don't expect Dierks to expand this hosting gig into other roles similar to Blake Shelton on The Voice or Keith Urban on American Idol though. Dierks was actually approached to compete on Dancing with the Stars a few years ago and turned it down. It isn't just his complete lack of dancing skills, Dierks simply doesn't have time to focus on anything but his music.
He says, "I love writing songs. I love being in a band and being on the road. I don't know where the time would come from. You'd have to create more time." Luke Bryan will perform at the ACM Honors with his pal Dallas Davidson, who is this year's ACM Songwriter of the Year. They've penned some of Luke's biggest hits together including "I Don't Want This Night to End," "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" and "Rain Is a Good Thing." Luke says, "The history between he and I is just so deep. It’s amazing, I mean, that I can have the opportunity to honor him on that night and do some of our songs." Luke and Dallas have written a few new songs that Luke is putting on his next studio album too. Hunter Hayes, Kellie Pickler, Jana Kramer, Randy Houser, Love and Theft, Big Kenny and Clint Black are among the other stars participating in ACM Honors as either performers or presenters. Catch itt tonight at 7 on ABC!

Dierks Bentley to Host 6th Annual ACM Honors September 24.

Dierks Bentley has signed on to host the 6th Annual ACM Honors coming up September 24 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill and Dwight Yoakam are among the stars being honored at this year's event along with Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and the late Roger Miller. Tickets are priced at $37 and go on sale to the public through Ticketmaster on Friday, August 17... should you wish to attend. If, so...take me too!! :)

The Pittsburgh Steelers Gave Kenny Chesney a Six-Foot Plaque.

KENNY CHESNEY got a huge honor before taking the stage Saturday night at Heinz field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Rooney family, who own the Pittsburgh Steelers, gave him a giant cast iron Six For Six plaque. It represents Kenny selling out his sixth show at the stadium and the Steelers winning six Super Bowl championships. Kenny's a football nut so he was beyond excited. He, said, quote, "I believe this might be the best gift I've ever gotten on the road. It epitomizes all the heart and energy and passion that this crowd has, that this town has." They also gave Kenny a Steelers helmet signed by former Super Bowl MVP and Hall Of Famer FRANCO HARRIS. Picuted with Kenny is Steeler QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER!

First Lady Michelle Obama to Present Award to Taylor Swift at Kids' Choice Awards.

First lady Michelle Obama will present Taylor Swift with this year's The Big Help Award at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards this Saturday night. The honor recognizes Taylor's charitable work on behalf of tornado and flood victims, including her 2011 Speak Now…Help Now concert that raised $750,000 for tornado relief in the southeast. Mrs. Obama received The Big Help Award in 2010 for her work championing kids' health through the Let's Move! campaign. Will Smith hosts the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, airing live from Los Angeles this Saturday night.

More Stars Added to ACM Awards Performers Lineup...

The 47th Annual ACM Awards has added some more star power to the performer lineup. The show's co-host Blake Shelton will now sing on the CBS broadcast. Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Chris Young and The Band Perry have also lined up performance slots. They join previously announced performers Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw on the bill. Blake and Reba host the ACM Awards.

Rascal Flatts Picks Up Humanitarian Honor.

Country music’s biggest radio convention kicked off Wednesday by honoring Rascal Flatts for their charitable work. Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney picked up the 2012 Artist Humanitarian Award at Nashville’s Country Radio Seminar. Admitting “It’s a little uncomfortable to be recognized for something we feel we should be doing,” Jay went on to say it seems only natural to pay the blessings forward. In the past, the country trio has often done work and raised money for the American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, and Nashville’s Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Rascal Flatts’ new CD “Changed” comes out April 3.

Grammy Quick Hits!

Last night's Grammys alternated between paying tribute to WHITNEY HOUSTON and celebrating ADELE, who had a HUGE year in 2011, before undergoing vocal cord surgery last November. Adele took home six awards. However, Country Music had it's time in the spotlight as well. From an outstanding tribute to Country Music Legend Glen Campbell. Paying musical tribute were The Band Perry, Blake Shelton and the man himself, Glen Campbell. Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson performing their monster hit Don't You Wanna Stay even though Jasons mic had some difficulty toward the end of the song. I would be remiss if I didn't mention NY Giants Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz on hand to present and give the audience a little bit of Salsa! Way to go! Here were last night's Country winners! Congratualtions to all!

Best Country Song: "Mean", Taylor Swift
Best Country Album: "Own the Night", Lady Antebellum
Best Country Solo Performance: "Mean", Taylor Swift
Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group: "Barton Hollow", The Civil Wars

Blake Shelton - Gold & Platinum!

Blake Shelton has racked up some heavy metal for his latest projects. Both his recent albums, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton and Red River Blue, have been certified gold. His single, "God Gave Me You," has also gone platinum. His record label staff surprised him with plaques to commemorate these milestones at his concert in Georgia on Friday. Blake's Well Lit & Amplified tour continues February 9 in Erie, PA.

Blake returns to TV with the season premiere of NBC's The Voice this Sunday following the Super Bowl. He's also expected to sing "America the Beautiful" with wife Miranda Lambert prior to kickoff.

ACM Awards Nominations Announced This Morning!

The nominees for the 47th Annual ACM Awards will be announced this morning. ACM Awards co-host Reba will take part in the announcement along with a few other surprise guests at 9:30 a.m. ET at facebook.com/AcademyofCountryMusic and Twitter.com/ACMAwards.

Real-life country fans will also announce the nominees for the ACM's top prize, Entertainer of the Year. The Academy of Country Music will launch its newly-designed website at ACMCountry.com today as well. Videos of artists reacting to their nominations will be posted on the site throughout the day. Blake Shelton and Reba will co-host the 47th Annual ACM Awards, live from Las Vegas on CBS Sunday, April 1. The show is staying put on CBS for the long run. The ACM announced a deal this week that will keep its awards shows on the network through 2021. That agreement includes the ACM's annual two-hour special broadcasts as well. It will tape on April 2 and air at a later date.

Keith Urban Celebrates #1 Hit and Renewed Friendship with Richard Marx.

Keith Urban celebrated his #1 hit "Long Hot Summer" with his co-writer, pop star Richard Marx, Wednesday in Nashville, but it wasn't your typical music industry event. After accepting their trophies from different organizations, Keith and Richard invited two young artists they found on YouTube to perform the song with them. Teenage guitarist Leslie Strong from Kentucky and singer Patrick Woolam of Kansas City had uploaded videos of themselves performing "Long Hot Summer" online, and Keith contacted them and brought them to Nashville for the event.
The inspiration didn't stop there. It turns out Keith and Richard had some kind of issue between them after writing Keith's hits "Better Life" and "Everybody" in the past few years. They wouldn't go into detail, but Keith said Richard really taught him a lot about friendship through this experience. "I wanted to really make it up to Richard and show him that our friendship really means something to me," Keith explains. That's when they arranged to get together again and write a song. Keith says of "Long Hot Summer," "It wasn't born of a quota to write a song. It was born of a want for us to reconnect. The song was just a byproduct of that desire."
For those of you wondering, Keith's voice sounded great Wednesday following his vocal cord surgery last month. Keith's first official performance after his surgery is coming up February 3 at the Grand Ole Opry.

The Volkswagen Darth Vader Ad Was Named Commercial of the Year.

Remember that Super Bowl commercial where the little kid dressed as Darth Vader thinks he can start the family Volkswagen with The Force. . . when really it's just his dad using the remote ignition? Well, "Adweek" just released their annual list of the ten best commercials that aired around the world and the Volkswagen Darth Vader commercial was number one! I laugh every time I see it.

Here it is! Enjoy!

Country Music is Hot!!! All Three Major Networks Are Battling For Rights to Air the "CMA Music Awards"!

Next time someone gives you a hard time about your love of country music, tell them to suck on this. All three major TV networks are negotiating their little Brooks Brothers suits off to win the rights to air the "CMA Music Awards"! The reasons are, as always, all about the numbers. The CMAs average around 17-million viewers. That's similar to the Golden Globes . . . but HIGHER than the "American Music Awards".
The CMAs also do well with the younger viewers, and that's the real prize. According to NewYorkMagazine.com, ABC, which has aired the show for the past five years, was all set to renew their commitment, but then CBS, who had the show for 34 years before that, decided they wanted it back. THEN both of them were blindsided when NBC came out of nowhere with an open checkbook. CMA officials are supposedly weighing all the offers and will sign a long-term deal, with someone, later this month. This year's CMAs are scheduled to air November 9th on ABC. I can't imagine the results of this deal will change that. BUT...I'll keep an eye on this one anyway! Lets see what goes down...

Taylor Swift and Shania Twain Taped a "Thelma & Louise" Parody for Tonight's "CMT Music Awards"

Tonight's "CMT Music Awards" will open with a "Thelma & Louise" video parody starring SHANIA TWAIN and TAYLOR SWIFT. I'm guessing Taylor is playing the GEENA DAVIS part, while Shania will try to fill out the SUSAN SARANDON role. There's also a special cameo from "Glee" stud CHORD OVERSTREET *(most likely revisiting BRAD PITT'S breakout role.) Side note: Chord is the son of country legend TOMMY OVERSTREET. But you already knew that. :) The video was shot Monday in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, which is near Nashville.

Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum Are Up for Seven Billboard Music Awards

The "2011 Billboard Music Awards" nominees have been announced. TAYLOR SWIFT and LADY ANTEBELLUM are both up for SEVEN awards. The other country nominees are: Keith Urban, Sugarland, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, and The Band Perry. Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum will also be performing. The show airs May 22nd on ABC.

Music Video Of The Day - Miranda Lambert "The House That Built Me"

Miranda Lambert CLEANED UP at the ACM's last night with this song! As well as winning the title of Female Vocalist Of The Year! Congrats Miranda!

"Twilight" Stud Robert Pattinson Will Be a Presenter at the ACMs!

This may keep your teenage daughter from rolling her eyes when you ask her to watch the ACMs with you. ROBERT PATTINSON, who plays the tortured but dreamy vampire Edward in the "Twilight" movies, will be one of the presenters. Robert and the often effervescent REESE WITHERSPOON will be presenting an award together and will surely sneak in a plug of their new movie, "Water for Elephants", which opens April 22nd.

(--The ACMs air April 3rd.)

Craig Morgan Was Formally Honored for Pulling Those Two Young Boys from a Burning House!

One of my favorite stories of the year happened last month when CRAIG MORGAN risked his life to rescue a couple of boys who were trapped inside a burning house. Craig didn't make a big deal out of it, because, as he said, "That's what you do." But it IS a big deal . . . so he was rightly honored for his efforts last Saturday night. Four members of the Tennessee City Volunteer Fire Department joined Craig backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. He was given an honorary lifetime membership to the Tennessee City Fire Department. That gives him full rights and privileges as a member, including his own helmet and department identification number, #565. Again, Craig tried to push the spotlight away from himself. He said, quote, "I'm humbled by this kind recognition from the Tennessee City Volunteer Fire Department and the National Volunteer Fire Council. They are the real hometown heroes."

Reba McEntire selected for Country Music Hall of Fame!

Reba McEntire heads the 2011 list of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The versatile singer-actress-all-around-likable-lady will be inducted into modern artist category

Look At The Full List Of Inductees Here!