Fresh out of Nashville

Newlyweds Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher plan to live in Canada. Mike tells CTV that they both love Ottawa and would like to stay there for the duration of his hockey career. He says, "We're both comfortable here. Home is where we are, so let's make this home." With their busy travel schedules Mike jokes that the airport will probably be their main residence.

The couple is in no rush to have babies. Mike tells the Ottawa Sun, "We obviously want kids, but that's down the road. Now is not the time, especially with our busy schedules, everything we've got going on. We don't know exactly when, but definitely we will." --Rosemary Young and Tammy Ragusa

An abbreviated video for Kenny Chesney's new single, "Boys of Fall," will make its world premiere on ESPN's Sports Center on Monday just before noon [ET] and again at 2:00 p.m. [ET]. The edited version is four minutes long, but a full-length eight-minute video will be released to video outlets on Tuesday. -- Tammy Ragusa

Rascal Flatts are now labelmates with Taylor Swift. After ten years with Lyric Street Records, the guys have moved to Big Machine, which just released the single "Why Wait." The group's next album, Nothing Like This, will be out November 16th. -- Rosemary Young

RELATED: It's a GIRL!

Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus is going to have a baby girl.

Jay and wife, CMT personality Allison DeMarcus, "found out this week it’s gonna be a girl"

Jay said. “We’re very excited about that", but joked,  “Just what I need, another girl in the house."
Source

Martina McBride, who's 44 today, knows how to throw a great gathering. She says, "I did a Mexican-themed party -- just a dinner party for some friends... I cooked all the food. It's a fun theme because it's very colorful." Martina says that if she wasn't a singer, she'd become a party planner or caterer. -- Rosemary Young

Josh Gracin is saying thank you to his loyal fans who have supported him since his American Idol days by giving them an opportunity to download three new songs for free. Josh, who is in the middle of recording a new album, writes on his MySpace page, "Having a new single, 'Cover Girl,' on the radio and a new album in the works wouldn't be possible if you hadn't stuck with me." The new songs are available by registering on his MySpace page. --Rosemary Young

LeAnn Rimes' boyfriend Eddie Cibrian and his two kids are moving into her Calabasas, California home. A source for E! Online says that Eddie is moving in to save money since losing his gig on CSI. People.com's source says that Eddie's lease was up at his previous home and LeAnn's house was close to his kids' school. Eddie and his ex share custody of the boys. -- Rosemary Young

Gwyneth Paltrow had a top-notch consultant for her role as "Kelly Canter" in Country Strong -- co-star Tim McGraw's wife, Faith Hill. Because of their similar builds, Gwyneth studied Faith's performances to adapt stage movement in the movie. --Tammy Ragusa

Justin Moore admits it would be easy to let success go to his head. He says, "It's real easy to get those mixed up out there.  Everything is right there for you. Even with me already -- people are trying to do stuff for you, and you can't even go get your own cup of coffee.  Ridiculous stuff like that." So, how does he stay grounded? He reminds himself, "It can be gone as quickly as it came." --Tammy Ragusa

Gwyneth Paltrow did more than shoot a movie with Tim McGraw last fall, she recorded a few songs, and one of them, "Country Strong," is now a single. With background vocals from Vince Gill and Patty Griffin, the song is featured prominently in the movie of the same title, which comes out in December. The soundtrack will be available October

Jimmy Wayne is entering the last leg of his Meet Me Halfway walk to raise awareness of teenagers who face homelessness as they age out of the foster care system. A free concert is being planned for Saturday at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Mesa, Arizona. In addition, fans and supporters are invited to finish the last mile of the walk with Jimmy on August 1st which leads to the final destination -- Home Base Youth Services in Phoenix. -- Tammy Ragusa

Kellie Pickler was watching a re-airing of the CMT Music Awards recently and was shocked to see that she'd gained some weight. She blames drinking beer, munching on fries, eating too late at night and not always exercising. Kellie tells OK magazine, "I'm not an avid gym person. I mean, you can tell. I go through stages -- like I'll be good for a short time, and then I let myself go. Then, I try and pick up where I left off and get back in the gym. It's just a lose-lose situation for me." -- Rosemary Young

Craig Morgan is the newest item on the menu at Cracker Barrel. His That's Why: Collectors Edition album is available exclusively at the restaurant's Old Country Store. It includes his latest hits, "Bonfire" and "That Ain't Nothin'," as well as two previously unreleased songs. --Rosemary Young

Tim McGraw has sung his share of fun songs over the years, but he's become much more comfortable with more serious material. He tells the Charlotte Observer, "If you're 22, they won't quite resonate. I'm 43 now, and my wife would probably tell you I've finally hit puberty. Mentally I'm around 16, according to her."

Tim plays in Nampa, Idaho on Thursday. -- Rosemary Young

Josh Turner and his wife Jennifer are expecting baby number-three early next year. Josh says he knew Jennifer was pregnant even before she did -- and pushed her to take a pregnancy test. He tells People.com, "She did and it was negative, but I refused to believe it. So when she took another and told me she's pregnant, all I could say was, 'I told you!' and she was floored."

The Turners have two sons -- three-and-a-half-year-old Hampton and one-year-old Colby. -- Rosemary Young

He says, "For me personally, it's something I needed to do for myself and for my hardcore fans that have been asking me to do this for a while. So now that it's out there, and people are hearing it and getting that feedback, it feels good, really good."

"Up on the Ridge" includes five songs Bentley co-wrote, with the others chosen from Bob Dylan, Buddy and Julie Miller and Kris Kristofferson, among others. On the album, Kristofferson also joins vocalists including Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Sonya Isaacs and the SteelDrivers' Chris Stapleton.

(The instrumentalists include a who's who of bluegrass and acoustic music, including Sam Bush, Rob Ickes, Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan and Ronnie McCoury.)
FULL INTERVIEW

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have announced that they will once again sponsor teams for the 2010 Light the Night Walk benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Blake has teams in Tennessee, Ohio, New York, Washington and Idaho, and Ran has one team focused on Nashville.

Walks will take place this fall around the country. To join a team or to donate, go to LightTheNight.org. -- Tammy Ragusa

Keith Urban was joined onstage Friday by a half dozen young musicians from the recently completed 2010 Grammy Camp. A fiddler, guitarist, drummer and three backing vocalists helped him perform "Days Go By," with each taking a brief solo. The show -- at the L.A. Tennis Center on the UCLA campus -- was the Starry Night Benefit, an annual fundraiser for the Grammy Foundation, which puts on Grammy Camp each year. Urban lent his name as "honorary dean" of this summer's camp.

Urban had the crowd singing along to a rare cover version of Bob Marley's "Is This Love," the opening number of his two-song encore. --Dave Schulps

The video for Miranda Lambert's "Only Prettier" is set to premiere on online video provider VEVO on August 3rd. The clip is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on mean-girl cattiness and features Miranda's friends Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott portraying two rival girl cliques in high school. -- Rosemary Young

Martina McBride combats the urge to dine on unhealthy fare and festival goodies by bringing her own food with her when she tours. Now that doesn't mean she's packing a cooler full of carrot sticks -- she has a catering crew. She tells CNN that it takes the guesswork out of mealtime. -- Tammy Ragusa

Ever wonder why country stars compromise their comfort and risk their safety to entertain soldiers in remote military installations around the world? Kellie Pickler, Trace Adkins and Randy Houser tell the Better Homes and Garden that the experience has changed their lives and encourage you to get involved too. Go to USO.org to donate, participate or volunteer. --Tammy Ragusa

Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy are expecting their second child in December. The couple's oldest child, 21 month-old Evie [pr: Eh-Vee], is especially looking forward to the blessed event. Dierks tells People.com, "She's pretty obsessed with a baby doll she carries around now ... We'll see how she does with the real thing!" -- Rosemary Young

The Zac Brown Band will release it's new studio album, "You Get What You Give," on Sept. 21, and Brown said it's "going to be amazing."

Zac says ,"Every step of it's done the right way and I expect people are really going to love this record and see the depth of our musicianship.

"We're always growing. Not that we've arrived at any grand finale or anything, but the progress from this last record to this one, it's tremendous and I'm proud of it."

The band's previous release, "The Foundation", remains at No. 2 on the Billboard country albums chart 86 weeks into its release. The group won the Grammy for best new artist this year.

Brown promised "You Get What You Give" will take that rep to a new level. He said there's a helping of country radio-friendly tunes among the album's 15 tracks. But the band also explores its other influences. There's a little Texas swing, some jam-band jams and lots of harmony along the lines of Crosby, Stills Nash and Young and The Eagles. The Allman Brothers Band was an influence as well.

Zac said the album is marked by maturity.

He says, "We write all the time and there's no way that we could record everything that we write, so this is the cream of the crop of the last three or four years."

And while expectations are high for the album, he believes the six-piece has reached them.

Zac says,  "Very simply stated this record is going to reap the reward of all the love we put into this music. It's a defining record."

Story

Jennifer Nettles shares her secrets for staying fit in Self magazine.She does yoga and interval training in which she alternates running and walking.Surprisingly, she doesn't weigh herself often. She says, "I'm not a freak about it anyway, but it helps me stay in a healthy zone because I don't always trust my eyes in the mirror. I try to think, 'How do I feel about how I look?'" --Rosemary Young

He adds, "I enjoy [acting] if I have time to do it. This is an easy thing to do. It takes literally three days out of my schedule. It's something that I can do and have fun doing."

Other actors attached to the film (out next year) are Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, John Leguizamo and William H. Macy.

The film tells the story of a lawyer who conducts business from the back of his Lincoln Town Car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.

Taylor Swift has a new boyfriend!
According to reports, Taylor has hooked up with a guy named Toby Hemingway.
They apparently met on the set of her music video for "A Rose to the Fallen" and instantly connected.
They both don't want to rush into anything too serious, so they're are taking it slow.

No comment from Taylor her camp.

SOURCE

Blake Shelton shares his pre-show rituals in this week's Take Six webisode. Most fans will guess that a pre-concert cocktail of Bacardi and Sprite Zero makes the list, but you might be surprised to learn that it's all the way down at number-six. -- Tammy Ragusa

Darius Rucker isn't afraid to shoot for the stars when he reveals who he'd like to duet with -- Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. He admits that matching up to Carrie's vocal prowessis daunting, but he's willing to give it a whirl. He tells us, "There's not a lot of us guys...that could hold our own." -- Tammy Ragusa

Tim McGraw will make a guest appearance on Jerry Lee Lewis's album Mean Old Man, due out on September 7th. Tim will join Jerry Lee on "Middle Aged Crazy" a song The Killer originally released in 1977. Also on the album are Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Sheryl Crow, John Fogerty, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, John Mayer, Solomon Burke, Kid Rock, Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson and Shelby Lynne. --Rosemary Young

Lady Antebellum will be heading across the pond for their first European show at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on August 11th.-- Rosemary Young

CMT posted a cute story: the real names of our fave country artists; past and present.

Patsy Cline was born with the name Virginia Patterson Hensley. And despite the countless references to "Hank" in country music lyrics, Hank Williams' actual name is Hiram King Williams.

Kitty Wells is often considered the Queen of Country Music. It's probably an easier name to remember than her real one, Ellen Muriel Deason.

And Roy Rogers' real name?  .. Leonard Franklin Slye.

Conway Twitty borrowed his first and last names from Conway, Ark., and Twitty, Texas. Before that, he was known as Harold Lloyd Jenkins.

John Denver wisely dropped his real name -- John Henry Deutschendorf. Johnny Paycheck once signed his name as Donald Eugene Lytle.  

Virginia Wynette Pugh is better known as ... Tammy Wynette. And Crystal Gayle changed her name from Brenda Gail Webb on the advice of her older sister, Loretta Lynn, noting that Brenda liked that Southern staple, Krystal hamburgers.

One of the biggest country stars of the 1980s kept his real first name but slightly adjusted his surname, transforming from Randy Traywick to Randy Travis. Back then, he shared the country charts with the mother-daughter duo, Diana and Christina Ciminella, a.k.a., the Judds. Naomi Judd used her maiden name for the famous moniker, while Wynonna eventually dropped it altogether.

Speaking of famous couples, how about Samuel Smith and Audrey Perry? Oh, you might know them by their middle names -- Timothy and Faith.  Tim McGraw adopted his last name when he found out his real father was Tug McGraw, while Faith Hill kept her last name from her first marriage before she became a superstar.

Dropping the first name and using the middle name is a common practice in country music. There's Troyal Garth Brooks, Valerie June Carter, Morna Anne Murray, Margaret LeAnn Rimes, Ernest Clay Walker and Jessie Keith Whitley.

Meanwhile, some artists chop their last names, like Gary Allan Herzberg, Toby Keith Covel and Jimmy Wayne Barber.

You can swap out your old name with the French term for "The Voice," thus evolving from Gary Wayne Vernon Jr. to Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts.

Finally, do you know the artist with the best-selling country album in history? That would be Eileen Regina Edwards. When her mother married a man in the Ojibwa Indian tribe, Eileen took his last name. To honor him, she also changed her first name to the Ojibwa word for "on my way." Indeed she was. The world knows her now as Shania Twain.

Source

Julianne Hough celebrates her 22nd birthday today! The singing, acting and dancing triple-threat has quite a schedule with a new album in the works, a second movie in the works and the possibility of rejoining the cast of Dancing With the Stars. She may joke that her age helps her manage it all, but she admits that she really just loves what she does. --Tammy Ragusa

The Country Music Hall of Fame's 2011 calendar is set to come out on August 9th, and it will feature Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Also included are some rare photos from the museum's archives. -- Rosemary Young

Sara Evans could credit tennis for her shapely figure, but she actually plays to maintain her sanity. She took up the sport just a couple of years ago and has become quite accomplished. She hits the court between tour dates, kid's ball games and writing appointments to finish up the final book in her trilogy that started with last year's Sweet By and By. -- Tammy Ragusa

Faith Hill has a new perfume available called True. The fragrance has hints of citrus and flowers with a woody base. When Faith was asked by the perfume makers what qualities she wanted the scent to portray, she said "confidence." --Rosemary Young

The popularity of buttermilk pie has risen since the pastry was rumored to be one of the goodies served at Carrie Underwood's July 10th wedding to Mike Fisher. Chris Bragg, the owner of Greensboro, Georgia's Yesterday Cafe will neither confirm not deny that he baked pies for the event, but according to Canada's National Post, he has been filling requests for the confections from "all over North America." --Tammy Ragusa

LANITA FRANKLIN'S BUTTERMILK PIE

(chef at Yesterday Cafe)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- Unbaked nine-inch (23-centimetre) pie shell
1. Combine sugar and flour and whisk until flour is completely mixed into the sugar. Add vanilla and whisk until evenly mixed in with sugar and flour.
2. Beat the eggs well, then add them. Whisk well. Whisk in the melted butter and then add buttermilk and whip well before pouring into the unbaked pie shell.
3. Bake in a commercial convection oven for 45 minutes at about 350 F (170 C). (The temperature could be as low as 325 F (160 C) or as high as 400 F (200 C), depending on your oven.) Shake the pie a little to make sure it is not undercooked. It should barely shake in the middle. Crust should be golden brown and slightly flaky.
4. When you cut the pie, make sure you do not have a separation with a cakey layer near the top. The pie should have a custard consistency throughout. Buttermilk pies should be refrigerated after cooling, but remain fresh-tasting for at least a week.

Keith Urban is recording a version of Roger Miller's "England Swings" with Australian kiddie supergroup The Wiggles. He tells the Los Angeles Daily News, "Having a two-year-old, I'm not going to turn down the Wiggles."

Keith tells us that little Sunday Rose loves music and does a killer version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." He says, "She sings that song all day." -- Rosemary Young

Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott loves music. All kinds of music. So she was thrilled she recorded with rockers Maroon 5.

But more than that, she was all about producer Robert "Mutt" Lange who put the album together.  The song is called "Out of Goodbyes" and will be on Maroon 5's next album, Hands All Over.

Hillary also has a song, co-written with Miranda Lambert, called "Suffocating" on Blake Shelton's upcoming release.  Co-writing with Lambert was beneficial for Scott, too, because she said Lambert's a dear friend but one who pushes her to be better.

Taylor Swift will unveil details about her much-anticipated third studio album TOMORROW by talking directly to her legion of worldwide fans live on the web.

In thinking up different ways of getting the news out about her forthcoming album, Taylor wanted to give the information to her fans first, so she came up with the idea of doing a live web chat.

Fans can submit questions about the new music during the live Ustream chat on the following sites: Taylorswift.com, MySpace.com/TaylorSwift, Facebook.com/TaylorSwift and Ustream.tv/taylorswift beginning at 4:00 PM CT/5:00 PM ET on Tuesday, July 20.

The superstar has really utilized social networking sites to expand her fan base and get the word out about her music. Her presence on the web continues to grow, even as she counts more than seven million Facebook friends and 3.6 million followers on Twitter, and she has had more than 273.6 million plays of her music on MySpace.

Taylor, who was dressed as a bride for a new music video being filmed in Maine recently, is putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to her multi-platinum 'Fearless' album. The new album is expected to be released sometime this fall.

On Thursday, July 15, more than 10,000 people stood in line in the scorching downtown Music City heat to receive a wristband, which will allow them into the Saturday auditions for Season 10 of the show.

And two of the possible Season 10 contestants have some country music in their blod.  Joe Diffie's children, 28-year-old Parker and 25-year-old Kara, were hoping to catch the judges' attention.

Their father thinks they have what it takes to make it. Joe says, "They both are really good singers and good people. It's pretty gratifying to see their interest in music. I've recorded both of them here at the house, and people rave about how good they sound."

NOTE:  'American Idol' supervising producer Patrick Lynn says that it takes more than talent. He suggests contestants, "Pick a good song and have personality. I cannot stress that enough. Personality plays a huge role in it."

You can see video of the group performing HERE.

Watch some behind the scenes action HERE.

While golfer John Daly is up to his putter ar the British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland, he's releasing a country album in the U.S. I Only Know One Way features the title track with Darius Rucker, who co-wrote the song with John. The album also includes a cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."

The digital project is available at GMVNashville.com. -- Tammy Ragusa

Just when you thought Kellie Pickler couldn't fit one more animal into her crowded menagerie, she's opened her home to her sister's dog, a 10-month-old Weimaraner named Tucker. Kellie Tweets, "This is one big pup." --- Rosemary Young

Taylor Swift may be joining up with pop star Owl City -- otherwise known as Adam Young -- for a song on his sophomore album. Adam tells HitFix.com, "I have talked to her. She's so busy, but she said if there's time, she said it'd be lot of fun." The two Twitter friends have been corresponding for some time now. Adam is a big fan of Taylor's song "Love Story," calling it the best love song he's known. --Rosemary Young

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher are doing a lot more than cuddling and canoodling on their honeymoon in Tahiti. According to People.com, a source says the newlyweds are taking in the sights by sea and by air. The two have been spotted swimming and snorkeling with reef sharks as well as touring the island by helicopter. --Rosemary Young

Taylor Swift is up for another honor -- she's on the celebrity ballot for the Bowling Hall of Fame. In recent months, Taylor has been spotted at the lanes, most notably in Los Angeles with her pal, Glee's Cory Monteith. Also on the ballot are Justin Beiber, Bill Murray, Jimmy Fallon and Kim Kardashian. -- Rosemary Young

Source: GoBowling.com

Lady Antebellum didn't let a lot of rain prevent them from performing to an enthusiastic crowd in Canada's Prince Edward Island. In this week's webisode, the band appears on Regis and Kelly while on location, but the highlight was their soggy concert. Charles said he wasn't sure if their mics would hold up in the rain, but it wasn't going to stop them from taking the stage. --Tammy Ragusa

Jewel teamed up with comedy website Funny Or Die to pull a prank on some karaoke bar customers to give them the performance of a lifetime.

The catch was that nobody at the bar knew it was Jewel! She wore a pair of glasses, a prosthetic nose, a brown wig, and a business suit.

When Jewel acts shy, people keep urging her to sing. That's when "Who Will Save Your Soul" comes on.

Jewel finally revealed her true identity and the people at the bar lost it!

SOURCE AND VIDEO

Miranda Lambert will hit 28 cities on CMT on Tour: Miranda Lambert Revolution 2010. She'll kick things off on September 29th in New York City with opening acts Eric Church and Josh Kelley. Dates and venues haven't been announced yet.

Miranda says, "Having that Texas club-circuit experience at an early age and also touring with some of the best in the business for several years, I know what it takes to bring it every night and give fans more than their money's worth." -- Rosemary Young

You're going to need a visual to appreciate Blake Shelton's Top Six Country Hairstyles from this week's Take Six webisode. Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney come in at one and two respectively. He also puts Bucky Covington and himself, post-mullet, on the list. --Tammy Ragusa

The Internet is bubbling over with pictures of newlyweds Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher enjoying their tropical honeymoon in Tahiti -- quite of few of them featuring Carrie in a pretty skimpy bikini. The destination was a surprise to Carrie, who left all of the post-wedding planning to her new hubby. --Tammy Ragusa

(photos courtesy FlyNetOnline.com/ radaronline.com)

Lee Crites is a Tim McGraw impersonator - and is currently training to run the New York City Marathon to raise money for Tim's dad's charity, the Tug McGraw Foundation, through Team McGraw.

Lee was approached by Jeff McMahon, Tim McGraw's keyboardist, who is also the director of Team McGraw, and asked if he would like to be a part of the team. Lee jumped at the chance and now just needs to raise $3,000 in order to run in the marathon, which takes place in November.
MORE HERE
VIDEO of Lee Performing Tim

• Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher married in a private ceremony at Reynolds Plantation in Georgia in front of 250 guests.
• The newlyweds are said to be honeymooning in French Polynesia.
• Guests are said to have included the three original judges of American Idol, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and GarthBrooks.
• The couple read their favorite Bible verses during the ceremony.
• Carrie wore a Chantilly lace dress designed by Monigue L'Hullier.

The numbers are in, and the June 22nd Nashville Rising concert spearheaded by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill raised more than $2.2 million for flood victims in Middle Tennessee. According to USA Today, the total represents ticket sales, donations, merchandise sales and sponsorships. The money is being distributed by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. -- Rosemary Young

More free concerts like the one Jimmy Buffet put on last weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama may be in the works -- possibly starring Faith Hill and The Zac Brown Band. The BP-funded show brought thousands of tourists to an area that has been devastated by the oil spill, and according to the Associated Press, the oil company could pay for more shows at various coastal cities affected by the spill. -- Rosemary Young

Josh Turner granted a dying girl's wish to meet him right before she passed away. According to TheBoot.com, Josh had planned on meeting 10-year-old cancer patient Elizabeth Pitts when his tour passed through her hometown of Valdosta, Georgia on July 17th. But when he found out that the girl might not make it that long, he called her and sang to her over the phone. Elizabeth died later that day. -- Rosemary Young

'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest was snapped aboard his yacht in Italy with singer/dancer Julianne Hough.
Source/PICS

Or HERE

Seacrest Leaves a $10,000 Tip
 
Ryan Seacrest spent more than $50,000 on a dinner in Sardinia with some business pals-- with a $10,000 tip!
 
Yes!  Julianne Hough attended the dinner at the famous Billionaire Club

TMZ reports the total came out to just over $41,000 ... plus the $10k tip.
 

It was delayed by 10 days, but a even hurricane couldn't stop Jimmy Buffett from throwing a beach party. Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live from the Gulf, a free concert yesterday at Orange Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama -- which aired live on CMT -- was designed to support the people and businesses of the Gulf Coast who have been negatively affected by the BP oil spill. Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown, who were scheduled to appear at the show before it was delayed by Hurricane Alex, were unable to make the new date, but singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester and New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint appeared as special guests. During the show, Buffett revised "Margaritaville" to include the lyrics, "It's all BP's fault." He also retooled 1986's "When the Coast is Clear" to reflect what's happened in the Gulf. --Craig Rosen

Darius Rucker, who recently sang the national anthem at the Daytona International Speedway, is a huge NASCAR fan. He tells NASCAR News, "I've got my drivers. Michael [Waltrip] was my driver for a long time... Everyone with Waltrip Racing. Michael's my guy, and we're real good buddies, so I pull for his camp." -- Rosemary Young

Billy Currington new video, "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer," looks like it was cast from the movie Dazed and Confused. To get the 1970s feel, the actors had to don period attire and wigs. But is Billy one of the characters? See for yourself at CMT.com. -- Tammy Ragusa

As expected, Carrie Underwood married hockey player Mike Fisher Saturday in an elaborate ceremony at the secluded Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia. In a statement to People.com, Mike and Carrie wrote, "We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!"

Various sources report that Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were among the 250 guests attending the festivities. Reporters from the Ottowa Citizen, who live-blogged from Greensboro and visited the resort on Saturday, interviewed some guests who said, that Carrie, who wore a Chantilly lace Monique L'Huillier dress, looked so beautiful it was "impossible to describe." --Rosemary Young

Martina McBride is one of many country music divas who has traded the big hair, poufy gowns and cowboys boots of former stars for sassy dos, mini dresses and sky-high heels. In much the same way that country is expanding musically, she says that stylistically, "there's no limits," but advises fellow fashionistas to not try to be someone they aren't. --Tammy Ragusa

Darius Rucker is confident that pal Tiger Woods' game will return to the legendary status it held prior to personal issues, which forced him to take a break from golf. He tells the Sporting News, "There's no doubt in my mind that it's going to be back to the level it was, and he'll be winning again, and he'll be the dominant player that we know." Tiger is expected to play in the British Open July 15th. --Tammy Ragusa

And don't forget, you can get a free download of "All About Tonight" by calling in your favorite pick-up line to 615-942-0746. This week's favorite -- "Hey baby, can you write your number in Braille, because I'm blinded by your beauty." --Tammy Ragusa

If you aren't able to see Keith Urban on the road this summer, his current Urban Development webisode gives you front row seats, minus the rain, mud and chilly temperatures in Manhattan, Kansas and Greeley, Colorado. He also shares that he and wife Nicole Kidman celebrated their anniversary with a motorcycle ride through Greeley. --Tammy Ragusa

Julianne Hough is keeping coy about her rumored relationship with Ryan Seacrest. She tells Entertainment Tonight, "If you want to know anything about boys or relationships, you'll just have to listen to the album, because it's all on there."

Ryan may want to listen to "Wildfire" from the upcoming album. She tells us, "The opening line is, 'I'm sitting here wondering when I'll break your heart,' and I'm like, 'That's me! That's me!" -- Tammy Ragusa

Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood have each gotten another three Teen Choice Awards nominations as the result of the recent addition of some new categories to the August 8th ceremony. Both picked up Country Song and Country Album nods. Taylor's also up with former beau Taylor Lautner in a category called Chemistry for their scenes together in Valentine's Day, while Carrie goes up against four other American Idol Alums in a new category.

Lady Antebellum was also nominated in both new country categories. Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley nabbed the other two Country Song slots, while Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band are the other nominees for Country Album. Other than Taylor -- who previously had two, for a total of five -- all the artists named above had one nomination before the new categories were added. --Dave Schulps

Faith Hill shot the new promo for NBC's Sunday Night Football recently in Hollywood. According to the L.A. Times, more than a dozen NFL players joined her in the shoot including Peyton and Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Drew Brees. The regular season of Sunday Night Football kicks off September 12th with Dallas taking on Washington. --Tammy Ragusa

Keith Urban's little girl Sunday, who turns two tomorrow, could do sign language before she could talk. Keith tells us experts say that learning to sign helps kids' communication skills and keeps them from getting frustrated.He says, "She started signed quickly and [she had] a lot less frustration." -- Rosemary Young

Reba McEntire will christen the Epic -- the newest ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet today in New York City. The ship, which will feature top name entertainment, is so large, that lifeboats temporarily had to be removed in order for the boat to fit into the berth for the inaugural festivities. --Rosemary Young

Taylor Swift has her second go-around wearing a milk mustache for the Body by Milk campaign. Taylor's ad says, "Drinking three glasses a day gives you protein that encourages lean muscles and calcium which makes strong bones. So milk is definitely something that is a priority for me." Taylor first appeared in the ads in 2008. --Rosemary Young

The dance mix of the country trio's hit "Need You Now" is available on iTunes and Amazon.
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Dolly Parton appeared on Fox and Friends Tuesday morning to talk about the 25th anniversary of the Dollywood theme park, and was quick to come to the defense of Miley Cyrus during the interview. She told the morning hosts, "She's got everything it takes and she's trying to make the transition now. And I hate it now when people criticize and condemn her...she's trying to grow up." --Tammy Ragusa

Miranda Lambert gets pumped up for her shows by watching live-performance DVDs of her favorite artists like Tina Turner and especially Beyonce. Miranda tells us, "I think she's justthe ultimate diva rock star. Her charisma on stage is so amazing. She's just so confident." -- Rosemary Young

Kenny Chesney will not be performing on the rescheduled Gulf Shores Concert, hosted by Jimmy Buffett on July 11th. Kenny writes on Twitter, "[I] had something with a lot of people l scheduled for months. Can't back out. No one is sadder than me." --Rosemary Young

Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison are expecting their first child in January. Jay says, "Allison and I are thrilled about becoming parents.  I am confident Ali will be a wonderful mother because she has done an incredible job raising me over the past six years." --Rosemary Young