LeAnn Rimes Cancels Shows - AGAIN!

LeAnn Rimes has been struck with another bout of tonsillitis and had to cancel last night's tour appearance with Kenny Chesney as well as tonight's performance. Luckily for Kenny's fans, Miranda Lambert was happy to fill in for the two shows. No word yet on whether or not LeAnn will make the tour's final show this weekend in Indianapolis, IN...but no worries, even if LeAnn's not there, WE WILL BE and that's what's REALLY important! Just kidding...sort of...but we do wish LeAnn a speedy recovery and hope she's able to be at the show on Saturday!

Blake & Miranda Tour Dates

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert recently announced their plans to tour together this fall and they've just released their schedule. The show will open with Miranda performing a full set with her band, then Miranda & Blake performing an acoustic set together, then Blake's full band performance, and they will end the show by doing some more songs together. There are only a hand full of dates and the show will definitely be worth attending if they're in your area.

• October 3 - Richmond, VA ~ Virginia State Fair
• October 10 - Cape Girardeau, MO ~ Show Me Center
• October 11 - Pikeville, KY ~ Eastern KY Expo Center
• October 17 - Phoenix, AZ ~ Arizona State Fair
• October 18 - Primm, NV ~ Star of the Valley Resort
• October 23 - Waterloo, IA ~ McElroy Auditorium
• October 24 - Lacrosse, WI ~ Lacrosse Center
• November 8 - Dallas, TX ~ American Airlines Center
  

Nashville Going A Little Bit Hollywood?!

Have you guys noticed that country music stars are getting more and more publicity on the Hollywood magazine sites lately? Both OK! Magazine and People Magazine have had a lot of coverage in recent weeks...both online and in print. Maybe Hollywood is catching on that Nashville really is the place to be!

-Here's a video from Kellie, Taylor, & Julianne from People.com.

-Here's a new Taylor article (but not really anything we didn't already know!)

-Taylor, Kellie, & Julianne have a small photo on this week's cover of People.

And just today, People had these two pics on their website...the 1st one of Keith Urban (w/ Natasha Bedingfield and Usher in conjunction with the NFL Football Kickoff) and the 2nd one of LeAnn Rimes and her husband, Dean Sheremet.
Over at OK! Magazine's website, you can find these country articles on their home page right now...

-Carrie calls Jessica fat (according to THEM - we're plugging our ears and screaming LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA so we don't have to listen to it - enough already!)

-They caught up with Miranda Lambert and chatted all about her ever growing farm and all of her animals in this article.

-And then they had this piece about Carrie being involved in the "Stand Up For Cancer" benefit.

So, it's exciting for country stars to be getting the recognition they deserve...as long as we don't have the paparazzi showing up all over Nashville!!

Miranda Lambert: True Bad Ass

After seeing Miranda Lambert in concert this past weekend I totally feel the need to write about her today. I was excited to see her with Kenny Chesney on the Florida tour stops since I had already seen LeAnn Rimes with him earlier in the tour (I like to mix things up a bit).

Miranda totally blew me away 2 nights in a row! I have decided that she is one bad ass chick! She says exactly how she feels and works the stage like a complete rockstar! Another thing I noticed about Miranda is that she is very comfortable in her skin. I appreciate the fact that the girl has some meat on her bones. She looks like a true all American girl and I really like that about her.

Anyway, if you get the chance to see Miranda on tour, her ticket is definitely worth your money! She is actually going to be touring with her boyfriend, Blake Shelton! That sounds like one great show!

~Lauren

Kenny Chesney Review Jacksonville

Hey everyone, it’s Lauren. I’m back home in Orlando after an awesome Kenny Chesney road trip weekend. Altogether my trip was nearly 500 miles- and even with gas at over $3.50 a gallon (plus the cost of tickets), my trip was worth every single cent I spent. I thought to myself, as I drove to Jacksonville, how could it get any better than last night’s show in Tampa? Erin kept you updated on my adventures at the Tampa show- it was amazing- everything about the show was great and I totally thought that there was no way Kenny could top what he and the guys (plus Miranda) did in Tampa. I was wrong, so WRONG.

I guess you could say I’m a Kenny Chesney “expert.” I have seen him many times in many different types of venues- everything from a small bar that can hold about 2,000 people to a stadium of over 60,000. Last night was my 15^th Kenny show- over the years things have changed about the show- the video, the lighting, the stage set up, the set list has changed little by little, but typically, each show is very similar with a few small exceptions. I mean, how can you change it that much, it’s the same performer with the same hit songs… I don’t expect it to change a lot from year to year because there is only so much he can do.

Of all the shows I have been to, (except for Chesney’s Keg in the Closet Tour- where he plays in small college bars), Jacksonville by far was the BEST show EVER. He really set last night apart from any show I have ever seen. Not only did he do all of the songs we know and love from his albums, he played tons of covers and had so much fun doing it.
He told the crowd that there was no curfew so he could play as long as he wanted. He wasn’t kidding- a crew member brought out a 2^nd set list about half way through and I couldn’t believe my eyes. He played for nearly 3 hours! Like in Tampa, Uncle Kracker and Miranda Lambert joined Kenny on stage again to sing a few songs including “You Never Even Called Me By My Name,” “The Joker,” and “Three Little Birds.” Uncle Kracker stuck around to sing “Follow Me” and “Drift Away” with KC too.
He also brought out Tim Tebow- the Florida Gators quarterback. I must say, I am partial to my own school, the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!), but it's pretty awesome that Kenny has made a bond with Tebow over the past two years or so.
It was clear to see that Kenny was having a blast up there. He even busted out one of my ALL TIME favorite songs, “Lay You Down.” He said that it was his first time singing in 2008, but I think he sang it during this tour at least once already- but no complaints from this girl. When Kenny sings that Conway Twitty hit my heart just melts. I LOVE IT!!
From the moment Kenny took the stage, all 20,000 people were there to party. I found myself just trying to take the crowd in at many different points. I love to just turn around and watch everyone dance, sing, and scream. It’s just amazing to me to think that one man can bring so much joy to people’s lives. We all come from different facets of life- and people of all ages- but we were all united for nearly 3 hours JAMMING out at one big Chesney PARTY. It’s clear to see why Kenny is the reining Entertainer of the Year. He loves what he does and truly has his heart in it. It seems weird how music can affect my life so much, but it does. I can’t imagine a summer without seeing Kenny Chesney. It just wouldn’t be right.

Thank you so much Kenny and the crew for an amazing weekend. I am still in awe of what he did last night. Simply amazing.

Kenny Chesney Takes The Stage!

Kenny Chesney just took the stage - the place is ROCKIN'! Lauren says Kenny's looking good in his jeans, cowboy boots, tan/straw cowboy hat and grey "Hawaii" t-shirt (sleeveless of course!)

Miranda Lambert opened the show and got the crowd on their feet. Lauren said she was great - her only wish is that country radio would play more of Miranda's songs so that the crowd could be more in tune with every song.

Lauren's Chasin' Chesney

Hey everyone, it's Lauren, I just wanted to give y'all a heads up- I will be hitting up 2 of Kenny Chesney's tour stops in the Sunshine State this weekend. I'm heading to Tampa today and Jacksonville tomorrow. I promise to keep Erin updated so she can let everyone know what's going down. I am bringing along my camera and a new FLIP video camera to document all of the fun, so I will post pics and video on Sunday. I'm excited because Miranda Lambert will be at these stops with him instead of LeAnn Rimes, don't get me wrong, LeAnn is great, but I like to mix it up a bit! Have a great weekend!

Blake Shelton Announces Tour With Miranda Lambert

Blake Shelton appeared at a No. 1 party for his song, "Home," on Monday in Nashville...and although the party was aimed to celebrate the success of the single, there was also some more exciting news in the room.

Blake told the crowd that he and girlfriend, Miranda Lambert, will tour arenas together this fall. Blake told the crowd "It's exciting and it's really scary for me at the same time...I'm not opening for Rascal Flatts anymore or Toby (Keith.) You've got to hope that I'm enough and she's enough, and I finally feel like we're there. It's that much more exciting that she's taking that step with me."

Dates, locations, and ticket details of the tour will be announced soon!

Let's Talk About Jessica Simpson

All right readers, we're about to lay down on your couch and let you become our therapist...we need to vent! Let's talk about Jessica Simpson...again.

Let's see...we started off by being REALLY excited when Jessica showed up at the CMA Fest. We both liked her...but then she showed up in Nashville and pissed us off. She was rude, cold, and so NOT interested in her fans. Sure, she showed up at various spots through out the festival...her body was there, but it was clear that her heart wasn't. So that really blew it for us...we left Nashville thinking Jessica should go back to LA and stay there.

Well then we heard songs from the new album and we thought they were good...really good. So we're like, you know what, it comes down to the music and that's what matters, so maybe Jessica is ok after all. Although she hadn't fully redeemed herself, things were looking up for team Jessica in our eyes.

Well now we're all annoyed with Jessica once again. And this stinks. You know, either you like someone or you don't...and this whole going back and forth thing is exhausting! Now we find out that Jessica's song "Come On Over" is being featured in ads for the upcoming CMA Fest special, Country's Night To Rock on ABC. We won't lie, this totally annoys us. We guess ABC is trying to gain more of an audience by pulling some pop fans, maybe? We don't know...but we do know this...this special is to showcase COUNTRY MUSIC. There are plenty of talented, well established, female country singers that would have loved to have their songs featured in the ads. Faith Hill, Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert...they were all at the CMA Fest, they all performed (and Jessica did NOT!,) they were all gracious to their fans, and they all have respect for Nashville and the country artists who have made this such a great genre. Those girls aren't here just for a publicity stunt...this is their life and they're proud of it. Jessica just doesn't seem to care about any of that and that really bothers us.

And another thing Jessica...just an FYI...in Nashville, country singers are just people. That's one of the great things about Music City...it's where the stars live and it's their home...they're just like any other member of society. When it's their birthday, they throw a party at a local bar and invite their fans, when they want to go to a sporting event they grab their friends and go, and when they go shopping, they walk into a boutique without an entourage...so you know what, leave your LA lifestyle in LA, and take your reserved VIP section and shove it!

6 Questions With Blake Shelton

People.com is featuring Blake Shelton in their newest webisode...have we mentioned how freakin' funny that man is?! Click here to listen to Blake chat about his favorite alcoholic drink, his girlfriend Miranda Lambert, and his current ringtone!

Another People Country Issue & TV Special

People released another country edition of it's magazine yesterday, August 8th...the magazine is available for a limited time only and will be pulled from shelves in 4 weeks. Just like the last time they ran a country issue, People is teaming up with CMT to make the pages come to life in a TV special. Airing TODAY on CMT at 10:30am, the special features exclusive, behind the scenes visits with Tim McGraw, Sara Evans and her husband, Jay Barker, Trace Adkins, Sheryl Crow, Randy Travis, Kix Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Jimmy Wayne and Craig Morgan. If you're not able to catch the show this morning, they'll be showing it again tomorrow at 2:00pm and again on Monday at 10:00pm.

Miranda's 1st Top 10

Miranda Lambert is celebrating her very FIRST top 10 single! After 28 weeks on the charts, Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead" reached #9 this week on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Miranda was said to be shocked that of all the singles she has released, this one, the edgiest, most controversial song she has cut this far, has climbed so far up the charts.

We love Miranda's rough & tough take no crap from anyone side, but she told Reuter's that her next single is going to show her softer side with her next single, "More Like Her."

"I don't want it always to be about the in-your-face, tough-chick songs, because that's not all of me," she says. "I also have a different, softer side, and I want for people to hear that."

Anyone In Need Of A Concert Fix??

The Country Thunder music festival being held in Twin Lakes, WI this week, July 16 - 19, will offer Country Music fans an opportunity to catch their favorite stars perform via an iClips webcast. Artists currently scheduled to appear include Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swfit, Joe Nichols, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Keith Anderson, Sugarland, Jason Michael Carroll, Jessica Simpson, Luke Bryan, Kellie Pickler, Sara Evans and many more. Check out iClips for a full line-up, including performance times as well as online viewing information.

What Do You Think?

Nashville Star is on tonight at 9pm on NBC. Does anyone watch the show? We haven't really gotten into it at all. I think mostly because after we saw Bill Ray Cyrus at the CMA Fest, we decided that we can't take too much of him. He seems like a really arrogant man who likes to wear his sunglass (not just sunglasses, but aviators) at night and seems to pimp out his daughter constantly. If he mentioned Miley's name on stage at LP Field one more time, we were going to freak! (Just our thoughts- oh and we LOVE us some Achy Breaky Heart just so you know!)

Anyway, what are your thoughts on the show? Carrie Underwood, Josh Gracin, Phil Stacey, Reba's tourmate Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert and Chris Young all got their ticket to fame this way (through either Nashville Star or American Idol), is it legit? Or do you think these country hopefuls should pay their dues like everyone else has before making it to the top?

Blake Goes to #1

(photo courtesy of BlakeShelton.com)

Congratulations to Blake Shelton!!!! His latest effort, a remake of Michael Buble's "Home" has reached #1 on the R&R Singles Chart and MediaBase Singles Chart. We hear that Blake's girlfriend, Miranda Lambert, was actually the one that suggested to Blake that he record this song...which just goes to prove that behind every great man is a great woman!;) Cheers to the entire Blake Shelton team and community...no doubt today is a day of great celebration!