Rimes is married and McGraw is mad

Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian got married this past Friday in California in a private ceremony.  They invited their closest family and friends to join them for an engagement party and when the guests got there, Leann & Eddie surprised everyone by getting married instead.  I would do the same thing if I were a celebrity.  Great way to keep the media and paparazzi out of your wedding.  Leann was also in the news recently for comments she made about the double standard she faced when the public learned she cheated on her husband.  She said "I mean, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and all of those guys, God knows that they did it back in the day.  If a woman did it, you were never accepted or forgiven, but if it was a guy, they could write a song about it, it'd be huge, and they'd move on. It's quite interesting to navigate those waters as a woman in this business."  I'll admit, she has a point.  But I have a really crazy, far-fetched idea on how to avoid that criticism for women and men.....don't cheat on your spouse.  Have enough respect for them, especially if you are in the public eye, to divorce them before you hop in bed with someone else.  Call me old fashioned, but that just seems like the right thing to do. 

Sounds like Tim McGraw is still upset with his record label, Curb Records, over the way they are handling his upcoming CD "Emotional Traffic".  Tim is only under contract for one more studio album with Curb, and he says that his upcoming project was finished and delivered to Curb last fall.  He feels that the label has stalled by releasing the compilation CD "Number One Hits" last November instead of the full album of new material.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Tim start his own label when (or if) his current contract with Curb runs out.  In the mean time, Tim is out on the "Emotional Traffic" tour with Luke Bryan and The Band Perry.  The closest they will be to our area will be May 28th in Baton Rouge.

Couple other quick notes:  Kenny Rogers is working on his autobiography which is set to be released this fall.  Kellie Pickler is working on getting songs together for a new CD.  No title or release date for that project yet.  Actor Jeff Bridges will release an album this summer.  Jeff won an academy award for Best Actor in 2009 for the movie Crazy Heart, where he portrayed a has-been country singer.  I highly recommend that movie if you haven't seen it.  And finally, the nominees for the 10th annual CMT Music Awards will be announced live on NBC's Today Show this Wednesday, the 27th.  The Band Perry will also be on the show to sing "You Lie".  Host and voting info should be coming soon.

We're still giving away Butler Bucks on WXBM!  Congrats to Crystal Saucier for winning $1,100 last week!  She cracked the last two digits in the code and won some serious cash from Butler U-Pull-It and WXBM.  For complete rules and info, visit http://www.wxbm.com/ 

Thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM and have a great week!

(** = new listing)

Upcoming CD's

May 24th
Brad Paisley - "This Is Country Music"

June 7th
Ronnie Dunn - "Ronnie Dunn"
Randy Travis - "Anniversary Celebration"

June 21st
Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"

July 12th
**Blake Shelton - (title tbd)
Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"

August
Dierks Bentley

Martina McBride

TBD

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Lady Antebellum

Eric Church (CD expected in late June)
Chris Young (Neon)
Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

Tim McGraw (Emotional Traffic)

CD's Now Available
Jane Dear Girls - "Jane Dear Girls"

Thompson Square - "Thompson Square"

Joe Nichols - "Greatest Hits"

Sara Evans - "Stronger"

Josh Kelly - "Georgia Clay"

Craig Campbell - "Family Man"

**Alison Krauss - "Paper Airplane"

Upcoming Concerts

May 21st

Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker - Wharf in Orange Beach
Travis Tritt - Wind Creek in Atmore

June 5th
Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and Craig Campbell - Wharf in Orange Beach

June 16th
Keith Urban and Jake Owen - Mississippi Coast Colisseum in Biloxi

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach

I Love Taylor Swift

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Taylor Swift?  When I say that, I don't mean that I want to go on a date with her or marry her.  I don't mean that I can relate to any of her music.  I mean I love her as a role model.  In a recent interview Taylor was asked if she would ever wear skimpy clothing for a video or photo shoot and said  “I like wearing pretty dresses and I like trying out new styles, but I don’t feel comfortable taking my clothes off. I wouldn’t wear tiny amounts of clothing in my real life, so I don’t think it’s necessary to wear that stuff in photo shoots".   When asked if producers and photographers ever ask her to show more skin, she said "not anymore".  She has also stated that she chooses not to do drugs or drink alcohol, and she doesn't seem to shy away from talking about it.  Good for her.  Taylor seems to be fully aware of her role model status and comes across as being very genuine in her effort to be a good example for her fans.  Safe to assume that most of her fans are between the ages of 11-25.....an age when kids are very impressionable and trying to figure out who they are and what they like.  Like it or not, kids are influenced by celebrities and by what they see on TV and the music that they listen to.  I used to hate it when I was a kid and some old person would say "When I was your age.....", but now I find myself saying that.  When I was a kid, we had four channels on TV. ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS.  That was it.  No internet.  No smart phones.  No xbox.  No Jersey Shore.  No Glee.  No Lady Gaga.  We played outside all day.  I'm not here to criticize or judge anyone's lifestyle choices, but I know for fact that there's A LOT of parents who don't want their kids to hear someone say that marijuana is not an addicting drug & that it's harmless.  Or have their kids hear foul language.  Or worry about turning on network TV and seeing a man kissing another man or woman kissing another woman.  I'm not saying that in the 80's there were NO negative influences and everybody spent all day in church.  I'm saying that broadcast standards for TV and radio were much higher, and kids didn't have the technology we have today that gives them access that stuff.  It was much easier for parents to protect their kids.  Again, the way people choose to live their lives is between them and the Lord, but like I said, there are people who don't want their kids to be influenced by that stuff, and it seems to be everywhere today.  I'm sure Taylor could sell more records and more concert tickets if she were to cave in and do the skimpy photo shoots and videos, but it sure is refreshing to see a young celebrity with solid morals and good judgement.  Good for you Taylor.  Thank you.

In other news, Tim McGraw has had to drop out of the movie "Safe House" because of a scheduling conflict.  His movie "Country Strong" with Gwyneth Paltrow just came out on DVD this past Tuesday, and you can see Tim on TV this week.  Catch him on ABC's The View on April 27th and on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on the 28th on NBC.  Look for Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban to be performers on the Billboard Music Awards, May 22nd in Las Vegas.  And CMT has announced that the CMT Music Awards will be June 8th, the day before the CMA Music Festival (aka Fan Fair) in Nashville.  CMT will announce the host, presenters, performers and fan voting info in the next couple weeks. 

If  you haven't heard, WXBM is giving you a chance to win "Butler Bucks"!  You have to crack the code to win the money.  For each number or letter you guess in the code, you'll get $100, and if you get the final number or letter, you'll get $1,000!!!  We play every weekday at 7:35am, 10:35am, 1:35pm and 3:35pm.  The code we are working on right now has seven digits.  Five of the seven have been guessed, so we're very close to giving out the $1,000 cash prize from Butler U-Pull-It and Your Country 102.7 WXBM! 

Upcoming CD's

May 24th
Brad Paisley - "This Is Country Music"

June 7th
Ronnie Dunn - "Ronnie Dunn"
Randy Travis - "Anniversary Celebration"

June 21st
Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"

July 12th
**Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"

August
Dierks Bentley

TBD

Martina McBride

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Lady Antebellum

Eric Church (CD expected in late June)
Chris Young (Neon)
Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

CD's Now Available
Jane Dear Girls - "Jane Dear Girls"

Thompson Square - "Thompson Square"

Joe Nichols - "Greatest Hits"

Sara Evans - "Stronger"

Josh Kelly - "Georgia Clay"

Craig Campbell - "Family Man"

**Alison Krauss - "Paper Airplane"

Upcoming Concerts

May 21st

Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker - Wharf in Orange Beach
Travis Tritt - Wind Creek in Atmore

June 5th
Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and Craig Campbell - Wharf in Orange Beach

June 16th
Keith Urban and Jake Owen - Mississippi Coast Colisseum in Biloxi

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach

Thanks to all who came out to Sam's Fun City last Sunday for the annual ACM party, and a big thanks to Butler U-Pull-It and Dan's Satellites in Pace for sponsoring the show again this time around.  If you didn't make it out there, I had a big announcement.  Kim & I have set a wedding date!  We're gonna ship out to Vegas on June 26th and make it official.  Thanks for all the well-wishes. 

A bunch of artists stayed an extra day in Vegas after the ACM award show last Sunday to film a TV special called "Girls Night Out".  The show will honor the top female performers in country music like Reba, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and the Judds.  Look for performances by Blake Shelton, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Sara Evans, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Little Big Town and a bunch more.  Girls Night Out will be a two hour special April 22nd on CBS

Miranda Lambert is working with Exec's from ABC Family on a TV show based on her childhood.  The show would be about a mom & dad who are private investigators and their children help them solve crimes.  Haven't heard if it will be a series or a one time special.

Look for Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson to perform their hit song "Don't You Want To Stay" on American Idol this week.

Some new music news this week too.  Lady Antebellum says their new album is over half done now and they should be releasing a new single within the next few weeks.  Still no release date on that one.  Tim McGraw just kicked off his "Emotional Traffic" tour with Luke Bryan and The Band Perry.  Tim is performing five brand new songs during his show from his brand new CD that has the same name as the tour.  No release date for Tim's new one either.  Justin Moore announced his new single "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" will be on his new album called "Outlaws Like Me" set for release June 21st.

And finally, Kenny Chesney is coming back to the Wharf in Orange Beach!!  Kenny, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker will play the Wharf on May 21st and WXBM is doing a "win 'em before you can buy 'em" ticket giveaway ALL WEEK!!  Be sure to tune in for more details.  Good luck winning those tickets and thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!  Have a great week.

(anything with a ** next to it means it's a new addition this week)

Upcoming CD's

April 12th

Alison Krauss - "Paper Airplane"

May 24th
Brad Paisley - "This Is Country Music"

June 7th
Ronnie Dunn - "Ronnie Dunn"
Randy Travis - "Anniversary Celebration"

June 21st
**Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"

July 12th
**Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"

August
Dierks Bentley

TBD

Martina McBride

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Lady Antebellum

Eric Church (cd expected in late June)
Chris Young (Neon)
Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

CD's Now Available
Jane Dear Girls - "Jane Dear Girls"

Thompson Square - "Thompson Square"

Joe Nichols - "Greatest Hits"

Sara Evans - "Stronger"

Josh Kelly - "Georgia Clay"

**Craig Campbell - "Family Man"

Upcoming Concerts

April 14th

Sugarland and Little Big Town - Pensacola Civic Center
White Sands Music Festival - Farmers Opry in Chumuckla http://www.farmersopry.com/

April 15th and 16th
White Sands Music Festival - Farmers Opry in Chumuckla

May 21st

**Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker - Wharf in Orange Beach
Travis Tritt - Wind Creek in Atmore

June 5th
Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and Craig Campbell - Wharf in Orange Beach

June 16th
Keith Urban and Jake Owen - Mississippi Coast Colisseum in Biloxi

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach

ACM Picks

The "News & Notes" blog has been up & running for almost 2 months now and I just wanted to say thanks again for taking time tor read it.  The website I use, Blogspot, gives its bloggers some pretty cool statistics about who is looking at their blog.  One thing that's fun to check out is the "audience" statistic, which shows which countries have viewed your writing.  Of course 99% of the views are from the U.S.  but I have seen Denmark, Vietnam, Barbados, Australia, Hungary, Germany, India, Germany, Russia, Italy and Iran.  Seriously....Iran.  I did a double-take when I saw that.  I'm guessing some of those overseas views come from members of the Armed Forces.  Thank you for serving our country.  And thanks for over 3,500 views since February. 

The annual ACM award show is tonight and I'm lousy at guessing the winners, but I'll give it a shot on some of the bigger awards.

Entertainer of the Year:  Tough call on this since it's fan voted, so I'll go with the artist who I would vote for and that's Brad Paisley.

Top Male Vocalist:  Seems like there's a curve ball every year at this award show, so it could be Jason Aldean, but I'll go with Paisley again.

Top Female Vocalist:  I feel good about Miranda Lambert here.

Top Vocal Duo:  I sure wish they could combine the "group" and "duo" awards.  Three of the five nominees in this category (Joey & Rory, Steel Magnolia and The Band Perry) are new artists who have had moderate success with one or two singles, and Montgomery Gentry hasn't charted in the top-30 since 2009 so the award goes to.....Sugarland.

Top Vocal Group:  Coin-flip between Zac Brown Band and Lady A.  It's heads.....Zac Brown Band.

Top New Artist:  I wrote about this a few weeks ago with the "And the winner is...." post.  It's between The Band Perry and Eric Church.  I'll pick Eric for the win since he has been on the road and the radio for waaaaay longer than TBP.  I think Eric's fans will give him enough votes.

Album of the Year:  I'll go Zac Brown Band on this one.

Got some cool stuff in the news this week.  Carrie Underwood makes her big screen debut in the movie "Soul Surfer".  A movie based on the life of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing in Hawaii.  Soul Surfer will be in theaters April 8th.  Randy Travis will release a duets CD in June.  Randy will be singing his biggest hits with special guests like Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, John Anderson, Willie Nelson and many more.  Look for that to be released on June 7th.  Zac Brown will co-host a new hunting show called "Fear No Evil" on the Outdoor Channel with Chris Brackett.  That show airs tonight (April 3rd) for the first time.  Toby Keith and Eric Church will hit the road together this summer.  They are tentatively scheduled to play Bayfest in Mobile in October.  Got some more new additions to the upcoming CD's and Concerts below.  Be sure to scroll through.

Want some FREE money???!!??  Sure you do.  Starting tomorrow, April 4th, listen for your chance to call in and win "Butler Bucks", aka CASH MONEY!!  We'll have a code for you to guess at.  Every correct guess gets $100 cash and a chance to play again.  If you get the last number or letter, you'll get $1000!!!  Be sure to tune in for details and chances to win!  Thanks again for checking out the News & Notes Blog and for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

(anything with a ** next to it means it's a new addition this week)

Upcoming CD's

April 5th

Craig Campbell - "Craig Campbell"

April 12th

Alison Krauss - "Paper Airplane"

May 24th
Brad Paisley - "This Is Country Music"

June 7th
Ronnie Dunn - "Ronnie Dunn"
**Randy Travis - "Anniversary Celebration"
**Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"

June 21st
**Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"

August
Dierks Bentley

TBD

Martina McBride

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Lady Antebellum

Eric Church (cd expected in late June)
Chris Young (Neon)
**Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

CD's Now Available
Jane Dear Girls - "Jane Dear Girls"

Thompson Square - "Thompson Square"

Joe Nichols - "Greatest Hits"

Sara Evans - "Stronger"

Josh Kelly - "Georgia Clay"

Upcoming Concerts

April 8th
Loretta Lynn - IP Casino in Biloxi

April 9th
Josh Turner - Hard Rock in Biloxi

April 14th

Sugarland and Little Big Town - Pensacola Civic Center
White Sands Music Festival - Farmers Opry in Chumuckla http://www.farmersopry.com/

April 15th and 16th
White Sands Music Festival - Farmers Opry in Chumuckla

May 21st
Travis Tritt - Wind Creek in Atmore

June 5th
Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and Craig Campbell - Wharf in Orange Beach

June 16th
Keith Urban and Jake Owen - Mississippi Coast Colisseum in Biloxi

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach