Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all of you a very MERRY Christmas. I am off for the holidays and back on January 5th.

God bless you,
Kat

Garth Says Touring Has no Guilt Now + Scotty McCreery Performs on Fox & Friends Christmas Special Tonight

With his three daughters in college now, Garth admits touring has no guilt and says, “now it's like nothing’s being held back. It’s like you get to eat mashed potatoes with both hands instead of one.” Because of his daughters, Garth says he’s back on the road to pay for tuition!

Tonight Scotty McCreery performs on the Fox & Friends Christmas Special.

December 30, Miranda Lambert plays a free show at the Belk Bowl’s FanFest in Charlotte, NC.

New Year’s Eve, Blake Shelton will perform on Carson Daly’s special on NBC. The Band Perry sing on Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution on Fox and FGL, Brantley Gilbert and Lady A are on ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, performing from Nashville on Broadway.

Keith Urban celebrates New Years Eve with a free show at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls.

Finally - Lady Antebellum will sing the national anthem at the CFB National Championship game New Year’s Day on ESPN!

Miranda and Blake Give $5 Concert + Music Wasn't Tim McGraw's First Career Choice

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton had an impromptu concert at her bed and breakfast, The Ladysmith in Tishomingo, OK on Friday. The show was announced on the B & B’s Facebook page a few hours before it started. Tickets were only five dollars and 80 people made it there.

Tim McGraw says music was not his first career choice. After high school he had scholarship offers for baseball, football and basketball but he decided to go to Northeast Louisiana University and sing with a group called The Electones. A few months later tho they kicked him out after he failed his music theory class because he couldn’t learn how to read music.

Years ago, Garth signed a minor league contract with the Padres and the Mets and he also did a guest stint with the Royals and said, “half the people in the baseball park are for you and the rest hate you and people yelled things at me like, ‘and I hate your music too.”

Finally - Thomas Rhett’s first concert was the Rolling Stones and one time when he saw them he snuck a camera in and secretly filmed Mick Jagger during sound-check.

Garth Donates $200,000 + Dierks Bentley Turns Into Clark Griswold

Friday night in Nashville, Garth stopped by Justin Timberlake’s concert to sing ‘Friends in Low Places’ with him. Justin says Garth’s always been his hero.

Saturday night Garth performed at Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas benefit for four Nashville charities. At the end of the show, someone told Kelly they’d raised $200,000. Then Trisha Yearwood whispered in her ear and made her bawl; she and Garth were gonna match the $200,000.

Sugarland, the concert promoter and 16 others have to pay $39 million dollars to the families and victims of that stage collapse in 2011 at the Indiana State Fair where 7 were killed and 100 hurt.

Dierks Bentley says now that he’s a father of three, he’s turned into Clark Griswold with decorating the tree and putting lights up around the house.

Finally - Kimberly from Little Big Town says on Christmas Eve they all get together in the living room of her sister's house and open one gift at the same time and it’s always matching pajamas.

Kenny Chesney Gets Picked by Rolling Stone + Hunter Hayes and Darius Rucker Are on Christmas in Washington Tonight

Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Dierks Bentley are part of a pre-Super Bowl concert in Phoenix January 3 and tickets go on sale today thru Ticketmaster. 

Garth says when he started out in music, he and his band’s first bus smelled so bad of diesel that all their clothes wreaked. If you wanted to go in reverse, you had to put the bus in neutral and get out and push because it didn’t even have reverse. Garth says, “it’s those days that make you love these days.”

Trisha Yearwood performs on The Talk today.

Tonight Hunter Hayes and Darius Rucker sing on Christmas in Washington on TNT

Dan and Shay are on CBS’s adoption special, Home for the Holidays.

Finally - Kenny Chesney’s ‘American Kids’ is Rolling Stone’s #1 Country Song of the Year.

Kenny says he knew the second he heard the song that he was going to record it.

Eric Church is Country’s Top Selling Artist of 2014 + Little Big Town Play Taste of the NFL January 31

Eric Church is country’s top selling artist of 2014. His album, The Outsiders, had the highest debut and sales of any record this year, it sold over a million copies and was certified Platinum. 

Little Big Town will play Taste of the NFL Jan 31; a Super Bowl Eve party and tickets are $700.

Carrie Underwood says her Christmas tree is fake and her decorations include big, wooden reindeer and lots of pillows that say stuff. Carrie also puts up stockings for her two dogs.

The only thing on Garth’s Christmas list this year is time with family. He says, “trying to get 3 girls and Miss Yearwood at a table for 20 minutes is all I want but the older they get, the harder that is.”

Trace Adkins has been cast in ‘Roadrunner,’ a big screen action comedy about racing starring Clint Eastwood’s son Scott.

Finally – happy 39^th birthday to Randy Houser today.

Blake Shelton Wins The Voice Again + The Band Perry's Working on a New Album

Blake Shelton had his 4^th win as a coach on The Voice last night when his guy, Craig Wayne Boyd won the season finale. Craig’s single, ‘My Baby’s Got a Smile on Her Face,’ will be released to country radio.

Luke Bryan’s main holiday tradition is chili dogs on Christmas Eve. 

Yesterday Tim McGraw was in the kitchen prepping his red sauce that he serves over pasta every Christmas Eve.

The Band Perry is working on their third album right now and I’m not sure if they’ll have any collaborations but their short list includes Eminem, Jay-Z, Keith Richards and Ringo Starr.

Florida Georgia Line join WWE superstars for tonight’s Tribute to the Troops on the USA Network. It was taped a few weeks ago for military personnel and their families stationed at Fort Benning.

Finally - Brett Eldredge ‏tweets, “to chefs that wear beard nets...thanks! Not only am I pumped not to have to eat whatever fell out of your beard, they also look glorious!”

Jason Aldean is Artist of the Year + Tim McGraw's Oldest Graduates Next Year so he's Taking Some Time Off

The American Country Countdown Awards were last night. The Artist of the Year was Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan & Miranda Lambert won Male and Female Vocalist. FGL won two – Duo and Collaboration of the Year with Luke. The highlight for me was Miranda and Kelly Clarkson paying tribute to Reba; their voices sounded amazing together. Not sure if she was tired but every time they panned to Carrie Underwood she wasn’t smiling & looked totally bored.

Miranda Lambert’s on the cover of Marie Claire’s January issue out today. Among the things she talks about is her marriage to Blake Shelton.

Keith Urban's calendar for St. Jude's is on sale for $15 at keithurbanfans.com

Tim McGraw’s daughter Gracie graduates from high school next year, so he’ll take some time off in 2015 to be more available for her as she wants to visit several colleges. Tim says he should get back to touring sometime in June.

Finally – Garth stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.

American Country Countdown Awards are Tonight + Luke Bryan Tops Billboard's End-of-Year Charts

The first-ever American Country Countdown Awards are live from Nashville tonight on FOX hosted by Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler and Brian. Awards are based on album sales and radio play except the Breakthrough Artist is fan-voted. Carrie Underwood will kick it off and other performers include Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Lady A and Brett Eldredge. 

Presenters include Sara Evans, Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Chase Rice and Cole Swindell.

Kenny Chesney will receive the Groundbreaker Award tonight after he performs his latest single, ‘Til It’s Gone.’ The award will be given to Kenny by actor Vince Vaughn.

Reba will receive the first-ever Nash Icon Award tonight and Miranda Lambert and Kelly Clarkson will honor her by performing some of her hits.

Finally - Luke Bryan’s not just Billboard’s top male artist of the year, he’s also the top overall country artist and the top country albums artist of 2014.

Toby Keith is Country's Highest Earner + Keith Urban's on HSN Sunday

Forbes’s Highest Earning Musicians of 2014 list is out and Toby Keith was the country leader at #10 making $65 million, Kenny Chesney’s $44 million put him at #20. Also in the Top 25; Jason Aldean at #22 and Luke Bryan #24.

When Jake Owen isn’t touring, he practically lives on the water. His boating essentials include wakeboarding shorts, a boat flag, sunscreen and good music. Jake says, “there’s nothing better than floating down the water, drinking a cold beverage and hanging with your friends.”

Carrie Underwood’s on the Rachael Ray show today.

Tim and Faith will be given the Harmony Award by the Nashville Symphony tomorrow night.

Tomorrow, Shania’s run at Caesars in Vegas ends. Reba and Brooks & Dunn start there next June.

Finally - Sunday, Keith Urban’s on HSN for the debut of his Deluxe Player 50 piece Guitar collection, a $1,400 value for just under $300.

Get Your Luke Bryan Fathead + Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe Perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Luke Bryan’s been declared the most played artist on jukeboxes across North America. Also in the Top 5; Eric Church and Jason Aldean.

For the Luke Bryan fan on your Christmas list, he’s selling a FatHead wall decal of his life-size image holding a guitar for just under $100. It stays up with adhesive that won’t damage your walls, so you can easily remove it.

Tonight Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe perform ‘Lonely Tonight’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

I hear Jake Owen tests out every new song he’s considering on the water in his boat before he ever records it.

Finally - the last thing Eric Church does before he gets onstage is put his sunglasses on. He says, “then you’re not the normal guy anymore and you’re not the daddy; you’re the guy that’s there to play the show.”

Carrie Underwood's on The Talk Today + Jennifer Nettles Stars on Broadway Next Year

Jake Owen says the weirdest thing about recently cutting his hair is seeing the back of his neck for the first time in years. It wasn’t his wife who gave him the idea, Jake’s mom was bugging him to cut it so that’s when he decided to do something drastic.

Carrie Underwood gives her unborn baby private concerts and says, "If I’m in my car, I feel like I have to make it good because he’s listening." You can see Carrie on The Talk today.

Jennifer Nettles big news yesterday is she’ll play Roxie Hart on Broadway in ‘Chicago the Musical’ February 2 thru March 29 and tickets are at chicagothemusical.com.

Eric Church’s first date with his wife was a Merle Haggard concert at the Ryman. He said Merle wore sunglasses and when he walked out, he just stood there, the crowd went crazy and it was three minutes before he even sang. Eric thought it was one of the coolest things he’d ever seen.

Finally - Randy Houser’s recorded 6 songs for a new album but between being a single dad with a young son and touring, it’s been hard to find studio time. Randy’s pretty sure tho the new record will be out sometime next year.

Carrie Underwood's ‘Greatest Hits: Decade #1’ is Out and Jason Aldean Goes Platinum

Carrie Underwood's ‘Greatest Hits: Decade #1’ is out with two-discs and 25 tracks that include her #1’s, two new songs and previously unreleased versions of four others. It also includes duets with Brad Paisley, Randy Travis and Vince Gill. It was 10 years ago that Carrie won American Idol.

Jason Aldean’s ‘Old Boots, New Dirt’ has only been out 8-weeks and now we hear it’s the only country album released in 2014 to sell over a million copies and be certified Platinum.

Blake Shelton says the song he sings in the shower is the theme to the TV show The Love Boat.

Miranda Lambert says Blake’s the happiest person on the planet and he pulls her out of her darkness like anxiousness and worry. Miranda says she’s learned everything doesn't have to be perfect and that things may even be better flawed.

Jennifer Nettles is going to announce quote “big news” on the Today Show!

Finally – Sara Evans stops by Live with Kelly and Michael today.

Miranda Lambert and Eric Church Lead the GRAMMY Nods + Blake Shelton Performs on The Voice Tonight

The Grammy Awards are February 8 and the nominations are in. Miranda Lambert and Eric Church lead with 4 each. Also getting nods Dierks, Carrie, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, The Band Perry and Little Big Town.

Here's a look at all the country categories:

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Dierks Bentley - Riser

Eric Church - The Outsiders

Brandy Clark - 12 Stories

Miranda Lambert - Platinum

Lee Ann Womack - The Way I'm Livin'

 

BEST COUNTRY SONG

(The award goes to the songwriter)

"I'm Not Going to Miss You" - Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell)

"American Kids" - Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally (Kenny Chesney)

“Automatic” – Miranda Lambert, Nicolle Galyon and Natalie Hemby (Miranda Lambert)

“Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” – Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston and Jeffrey Steele (Tim McGraw /Faith Hill)

“Give Me Back My Home Town” – Eric Church and Luke Laird (Eric Church)

 

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

Eric Church – “Give Me Back My Hometown”

Hunter Hayes  – “Invisible”

Miranda Lambert – “Automatic”

Carrie Underwood – “Something in the Water”

Keith Urban – “Cop Car”

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

The Band Perry  -  "Gentle on My Mind"

Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood– “Somethin' Bad”

Little Big Town -"Day Drinking"

Tim McGraw /Faith Hill– "Meanwhile Back at Mama's"

Keith Urban / Eric Church– "Raise 'Em Up"

Trisha Yearwood will co-host The Rachael Ray Show today.   

Tonight on The Voice, Blake Shelton will perform ‘Lonely Tonight’ with Ashley Monroe. 

Carrie Underwood’s on The Tonight Show and tomorrow she’ll be on the Today Show’s fourth hour as she has a new record out then.

Finally - Jason Aldean says as far as acting goes, he’d like to do more if he can find the time but between planning a wedding, touring and filming hunts for his Buck Commander TV show, he’s just too busy right now.

Jake Owen Cuts His Hair Off + Lady A Say Fake is Better When it Comes to Christmas Trees

Jake Owen shocked everyone yesterday when he cut off his long hair; something he hasn’t done for 8-years. His 18-year old nephew texted him that he doesn’t even remember Jake with short hair. 

Tim McGraw’s among the artists sharing memories and performing tonight on, A Very Grammy Christmas on CBS. 

Lady A perform during tonight’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards in Vegas on FOX Sports.

Speaking of Lady Antebellum, when it comes to Christmas trees, they all agree fake is better. Charles and Dave are both allergic to real and Hillary thinks they’re messy plus she doesn’t want to accidentally burn her house down.

The new video for Eric Church's latest single, ‘Talladega,’ premieres today on Vevo.com.

Tonight on CMT Canada, Artists of the Year airs honoring Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan. 

Finally - Sunday night Trisha Yearwood will perform on CNN Heroes. They’ll honor 10 everyday people who are changing the world.

Jason Aldean Says His Wedding will "be Sooner Than Later" + Carrie Underwood Launches Clothing Line

Jason Aldean says as for his upcoming wedding to Brittany Kerr, “with the holidays, we'll have time off. I can't tell you when, but it’ll definitely be sooner than later."

DICK’S Sporting Goods and Carrie Underwood just launched Calia, her new fitness clothing line and it’ll be at their stores and online in March.

Brooks & Dunn and Reba will take Shania’s spot and team up for a Vegas residency that starts June 24 at The Colosseum at Caesars and tickets go on sale this morning.

When Dierks Bentley met George Strait back in 04, they were touring together. George was walking down the hall when Dierks got up the nerve to say hi but George was ready to go onstage and couldn’t hear a word Dierks said cause he had ear plugs in.

Next time you want to see Tim McGraw in Nashville, he’s a regular at Ensworth High’s football games where his daughter Maggie’s a cheerleader.

Finally – Gary Allan ‏tweeted yesterday, “in the studio cutting a song, new music coming soon!”

Keith Urban Has a Free Show New Years Eve + Tim McGraw Inducted Into Headwear Hall of Fame

Keith Urban will celebrate New Years Eve with a free concert at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls. The show costs 3 million dollars to produce and will be on TV but only in Canada.

Miranda Lambert's Platinum and Eric Church's The Outsiders made Rolling Stone's list of the all-genre 50 Best Albums of 2014. Miranda came in at #5 and Eric was #21.

Tim McGraw will be inducted into the Headwear Hall of Fame next year and says, "I've never been comfortable with how I looked without a hat because I always felt that I had a really big head. I don't have a forehead; I have a 'fivehead.”

Brad Paisley thinks the best thing about his career is Nashville doesn’t make him conform and says because of that he feels like a new artist every time he puts something out.

Finally - Trisha Yearwood will perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today and tonight she, Darius Rucker, LeAnn Rimes and more will perform on NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center.

The CMT Artists of the Year Airs Tonight + Luke Bryan Suffers Family Loss Last Weekend

The CMT Artists of the Year hosted by Larry the Cable Guy airs tonight on CMT & VH1. Stars like Eric Church and Lady A will honor Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan but he’s had to cancel due to the loss of his brother-in-law Ben Saturday. Ben was married to Luke’s sister who died 7 years ago.

Keith Urban says he’d still be playing music even if he never achieved commercial success. When he started playing at age 6, his parents were incredibly supportive and drove him to numerous talent competitions. He wasn’t even old enough to drive when he joined his first band.

Carrie Underwood always wears makeup, even on her day off and says, “I just feel better when I have a little on.” Of course the few times she’s made a late night run to the grocery store without any are when fans see her and want to take a photo.

Finally - Tim McGraw says as a child he had an Elvis record he wore out and when he met Faith he was so happy to find out she too was a huge Elvis fan.

Miranda Lambert Saves a Town + CMA Country Christmas Airs Tonight

Over the weekend, Miranda Lambert opened the Platinum Ballroom at her Oklahoma bed and breakfast with a concert from The Sideshow Drifters. She’s also been credited with saving Tishomingo, the tiny town where she and Blake live. In 2012, when she opened her retail store, the Pink Pistol, others started doing the same and now Main Street that was nearly empty has only two storefronts empty right now. The Pink Pistol carries everything from clothes to guitar-shaped spatulas to a tray that makes bullet-shaped ice. I also found out the lobby of her B & B has a confessional slash kissing booth and a sofa made from an old Tilt-A-Whirl car.

The CMA Country Christmas airs tonight on ABC hosted by Jennifer Nettles. Performers include Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Brett Eldredge, Sara Evans, Hunter Hayes plus Brad Paisley will play guitar while Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler sings.

When asked if she’ll do any online shopping today, Carrie Underwood says she’s definitely a “Cyber Monday kinda girl.”

Finally - newcomer Chase Rice will make his debut appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.