Farm Aid 2012 Goes Down This September 22nd

In case you hadn't heard, FARM AID 2012 goes down Saturday, September 22nd in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  The lineup includes all four main Farm Aid Board Members: WILLIE NELSON, NEIL YOUNG, JOHN MELLENCAMP, and DAVE MATTHEWS. The newcomers are JACK JOHNSON, ALO, Pegi Young & The Survivors, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
Farm Aid is the longest-running benefit-concert in the country . . . it's been held almost every year since 1985 . . . so we forgive you for wondering if the project has gotten a little bit stale over the years.
But Dave Matthews has a pretty good argument for why it's still vital.  And he owns a farm in Virginia, so he has a little experience when it comes to the topic of food quality and industrial agriculture. He says, quote, "When you're talking about the milk that your kids drink, or the food that they eat, or the land that it's grown on, when you think about those things, then the cheapest way to do something is the most short-sighted way to do something. "If the cheapest way to do something is to produce the worst food for our children, that's obviously not the right thing to do. "The way it's run now is unhealthy, unsustainable, and that's what's destroying the small farmers, the mid-sized farmers. That's the part that is heartbreaking." Farm Aid doesn't just raise awareness . . . they run grant programs and provide resources to struggling farmers. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Jake Owen Doesn't Know Anything About Girls . . . And He's Getting Some Fatherhood Lessons From Tim McGraw.

JAKE OWEN and his wife Lacey Buchanan found out last week that they're going to have a baby in November. And how does Jake feel now that he knows he's going to have a daughter? He told CMT News over the weekend, quote, "I was scared at first, because I don't know anything about girls." They also asked him about how he and Lacey decided to learn whether it was a boy or a girl. But Jake said it was no big deal. Quote, "I wasn't into the surprise of it. I was already surprised when I found out she was PREGNANT." And as far as getting ready to be a dad, Jake says he has some good role models: His dad, his tour manager, his crew, and TIM MCGRAW, who he's been opening for on the 'Brothers of the Sun' tour. He said, quote, "Even doing what we do, guys out here show that it's possible to be a good dad. Tim was just outside working out, and he has his daughters right there with him. "I just have to maintain my focus. I don't want people thinking this will deter my perseverance."

Little Big Town Did the Theme for ABC's "Good Afternoon America"

Did you catch the theme for ABC's new show "Good Afternoon America" yesterday?  Me neither.  But I plan to now . . . because it was written by none other than LITTLE BIG TOWN. The show is basically an afternoon spin-off of "Good Morning America", so as you can imagine, that's a pretty sweet gig for them. According to Little Big Town's KAREN FAIRCHILD, quote, "Sometimes you get unexpected opportunities as an artist. We loved getting the chance to write and record a song for such a cool show."
You can catch the show every day at 2:00 PM Eastern, or better yet, check it out on Thursday, August 2nd, when Little Big Town is going to perform the song "Good Afternoon" live, along with their current single "Pontoon".

Ernest Borgnine is Dead at 95.

Legendary Oscar-winning actor ERNEST BORGNINE died yesterday at the age of 95.  There's no word yet on the cause of death. Borgnine has several iconic roles on his resume. He beat FRANK SINATRA to death in "From Here to Eternity". He was one of the survivors of "The Poseidon Adventure". And he was the title character on the '60s sitcom "McHale's Navy".

(--Ernest was actually in the Navy for 10 years before becoming an actor.)

TIM CONWAY was one of Borgnine's co-stars on the show.  Decades later they would team up again to provide the voices for superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy on "SpongeBob SquarePants".
Borgnine was Mermaid Man.  Conway was Barnacle Boy. 

In 1955, Borgnine won an Oscar for his role as a lonely butcher who finds love in "Marty". His other classic films include "The Wild Bunch", "Bad Day at Black Rock", "The Dirty Dozen" and "Escape from New York". He also had two other significant TV gigs: He co-starred with Jan-Michael Vincent on the '80s action-adventure show "Airwolf", and played a doorman on the '90s sitcom "The Single Guy". -Horror fans would know Ernest from a couple "classic" low-budget flicks he did in the '70s. He was done in by an army of vengeful rats in the original version of "Willard" in 1971 . . . and turned into a goat-headed demon thingy in the 1975 flick "The Devil's Rain", co-starring WILLIAM SHATNER and JOHN TRAVOLTA in his first film role.

Tim McGraw Only Gets Nervous in Front of Small Crowds, and He's Still Putting Off His Political Aspirations . . . For Now.

TIM MCGRAW is still churning through that 22-city 'Brothers in the Sun' tour with KENNY CHESNEY. It's stadiums only . . . and that's just how he likes it. He says, quote, "The bigger the crowd, the better for me. You get more nervous the smaller the crowd is. The intimate things are fun but it's more nerve-racking when you can see everybody. "When there's 50,000 people, you sort of can just play to the back of the audience and have a great time." And remember back when he threatened to run for office as a Democratic senator or governor in Tennessee? Well, those days are over . . . for now. Tim was in Minneapolis on Sunday, and the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" asked him about that. Probably because it's an election year, and Tim's never been shy when it comes to politics. Here's what we said.  Quote:  "That was back in my drinking days. Who knows? I feel like I've been very fortunate. "If one of these days I'm in a position where I can give back, and feel like I'm smart enough to help and not just doing it for the hell of doing it, then it would be something I'd consider. But certainly it would be after my kids are grown. "I pay attention. I'm not sure anyone wants to hear my opinion . . . or that I should give my opinions."

Miranda Lambert Is on Vocal Rest.

MIRANDA LAMBERT had to cancel an appearance at a festival in western New York on Friday night, and she postponed another one scheduled for Saturday night in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It's because she overextended her voice. According to her publicist, quote, "She's been placed on vocal rest, she's under the care of her doctor, and she hopes to return to the road next weekend." So she should be able to make her shows this weekend in Alabama and Georgia.

Did Taylor Swift Spend a Romantic Fourth of July With Patrick Schwarzenegger?

TAYLOR SWIFT spent three days over the Fourth of July holiday with the Kennedy family in Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. Including 18-year-old PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER.  (--Taylor's 22.)
They were seen taking a private walk together on the beach, and there's a photo of them hugging, so naturally people started suggesting they might be a couple. But in the photo it's more like two friends saying hi . . . Patrick looks pretty casual, Taylor's doing the one-arm hug thing, and there are a bunch of other Kennedys around. Taylor got in with the Kennedys last year: A couple of kids in the extended family are huge fans, met her backstage, and invited her to the family compound. It probably helped that Taylor said she admired Ethel Kennedy . . . RFK's widow. Supposedly Taylor spent most of her time this week playing with the smaller kids and hanging out with friends, including DIANNA AGRON . . . the girl who plays Quinn on "Glee". The whole thing sounds pretty all-American: Sailing, capture the flag, bonfires.  Afterwards, Patrick Tweeted, quote, "Had such an amazing day.  Best 4th of July I could ask for. Hope everyone had a great day!"

Note:  Nobody knows who the kid in the center of the picture is. Patrick and Taylor are in the background.