JANUARY 2010 (26th - 1st Feb)

Hope For Haiti Now Telethon

Taylor Swift pulled double-duty at last Friday's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. She sang and then, joined the phone bank. And, like Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Steven Spielberg, Swift was spotlighted while on the phone with someone who had just donated for earthquake relief. The telethon's Web site, www.HopeForHaitiNow.org, will stay up for the next six months.

It was Country Covers at Friday's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. All three country-related performances were covers of other people's material. Taylor Swift did Better Than Ezra's "Breathless." The trio of Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban did Bill Withers' song, "Lean on Me." And, Dave Matthews and Neil Young joined together on the Hank Williams Senior song, "Alone and Forsaken." All performances from the telethon are available on iTunes with proceeds going to help the people of Haiti.

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 Jason Aldean Glad Success Came Later In Life

Jason Aldean is glad he didn't become successful when he was he was young and just starting out. He tells the The Telegraph of Macon, Georgia, that he began playing music when he was 14 and moved to Nashville at 21. But, his first single didn't come out until he was 28. Now, Aldean says "life has definitely changed for sure." He says he's "kind of glad it happened a little later for" him. And, he says honestly, he thinks it helped him "prepare for it a little better and learn to kind of appreciate it once it did finally happen." Jason Aldean's next stop on his "Wide Open" tour is this Thursday in Cedar Park, Texas.

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Jack Ingram - A Song A Week

Don't know if Jack Ingram has broken his big New Year's resolution yet or if he's sticking with it. He's promised to write one song a week. When he came up with the resolution he admitted: "Not saying they'll be good, just done." And, Ingram says "the only way to get this done will be less TV and more reading." Jack Ingram's getting ready for a solo acoustic tour. He says he spent a lot of years on the road by himself. And a lot of his favorite songs have been written sitting on the edge of a motel bed. So, he says he's "going to totally recreate that vibe for this tour." Ingram says "there's even a set that looks like an old dingy motel room." The first of those dates is February 13 in Chicago.

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Kellie Pickler - Pixie Cut

If you're keeping track, Kellie Pickler is changing her hair style again. She's cut it short, pixie-style. Pickler tells People magazine her hair had gotten so damaged by switching from blonde to red and back to blonde, that it started falling out. She says it started happening when she was on her USO tour to Iraq and Kuwait a few weeks ago. She says she "had two choices: look like a scarecrow or cut it." Pickler says having short hair makes her feel like she's set herself apart from the other women in country music. She says she remembers "being in love with Lorrie Morgan's hair styles growing up," and how she "always thought she was beautiful and confident."

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Bo Dice - A Dad Again

There's a new voice in Bo Bice's house. His wife has given birth to their third baby. Like their first two kids, it's a boy. Ean Jacob Bice was born Friday. Papa Bo posted a photo on his Web site of him smiling and holding his new son. And, he's written: "Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Son. The Bice Brothers Band has a new bass player." Ean's older brothers are one and four.

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JANUARY 2010 (19th - 26th)

Telethon For Haiti Could Air On CMT And Other Stations

MTV Networks, which includes CMT, confirms it's working with George Clooney to put on a telethon to help the people of Haiti after that devastating earthquake. MTV's spokesman says details are still being worked out. There's no word yet what other stars would be involved. But Clooney's spokesman says Clooney is in the process of helping organize the telethon, which probably would air Friday, January 22. It would be on all MTV Networks, which include VH1, Comedy Central and CMT. ABC, NBC, HBO and CNN also would run the telethon.

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 Golden Globes and Critics Choice Movie Awards "Crazy Heart"

Tonight and Sunday night could be big for country music. The movie, "Crazy Heart," starring Jeff Bridges, is up for honors. He plays a country singer whose life has been lived too hard. Bridges is up for best actor at tonight's Critics' Choice Movie Awards on VH1 and at Sunday's Golden Globes on NBC. A song from the movie, "The Weary Kind," is nominated at both awards shows, as well.

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Grammy Awards First Presenters

The first few presenters for the Grammy Awards have been announced. They include Miley Cyrus and Jeff Bridges. Bridges: because he sings and plays a country singer in the movie, "Crazy Heart." The Grammys will be Sunday, January 31 in Los Angeles.

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Reba McEntire CMT Special Coming To DVD

A DVD of that TV special, "CMT Invitation Only: Reba," will go on sale next month. This one-hour special was taped in front of a live studio audience at the Grand Ole Opry. Reba McEntire performed songs from her current album, "Keep On Loving You" and she dug into her bag of previous hits. The special includes a Q-and-A with the audience. The DVD will be available February 9.

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"See You Later Alligator" Songwriter Dies

Bobby Charles, the singer-songwriter who wrote hits like "See You Later Alligator" by Bill Haley and the Comets, and Fats Domino's "Walking to New Orleans," has died. He was 71. He was a longtime friend and musical collaborator with Dr. John. Kris Kristofferson and Gatemouth Brown covered Charles' "Tennessee Blues." In 2003, Bobby Charles and his manager, Jim Bateman, gathered recordings spanning 20 years for the double-CD "Last Train to Memphis." Guest musicians included Domino, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and Maria Muldaur.

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Taylor Swift Recording New Album

Taylor Swift is back in the studio. She's recording a new album. It's expected to be available later this year. Swift tweets she's recording "with all the same boys who played on 'Fearless."' She says she brought "home-made cupcakes" to the studio as they got started earlier this week. And, she says "awkward fist-pumps happened. Onward!"

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Jimmy Wayne's Walk

It was back to the tent for Jimmy Wayne last night as he continues his walk from Nashville to Phoenix. Just before going to sleep, he wrote he's in his sleeping bag, reading tweets. And, he says "thanks for such amazing support! It's been a great day!" Wayne says yesterday, a soldier drove through the night from Richmond, Virginia to walk with him. Two women drove 6 hours to bring him supplies for the walk. And, a mom and her two kids, ages 10 and 6, stopped by with hand-warmers. Jimmy Wayne is walking to raise awareness about kids, teens and young adults who are on the streets.

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Top Earning Celebrity Couples

Forbes magazine calls Tim McGraw and Faith Hill "the Jay-Z and Beyonce of country music." While Jay-Z and Beyonce are Forbes' top-earning celebrity couple, McGraw and Hill are 12th on the magazine's list. Forbes estimates that between them, McGraw and Hill earned $28 million between June 2008 and June of last year. On top of their other projects, the magazine notes that "every time NBC plays the Sunday Night Football theme, Hill picks up a check." Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are 15th on Forbes' list of top-earning celebrity couples. Forbes puts their joint income at $17 million from June 2008 and June 2009.

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JANUARY 2010 (12th - 19th)

Hannah Montana - Is The End Near?

Miley Cyrus might soon put that straight, blonde "Hannah Montana" wig into storage. This upcoming fourth season could be the last. An executive with the Disney Channel tells the New York Post "you never know in this business" but he says they're "scheduled to wrap after shooting this new batch of episodes." Production on the fourth season of "Hannah Montana" is set to begin later this month. The Post reports the fourth season will mirror Cyrus' real-life struggle about saying goodbye to the character that made her famous. But, before the fourth season makes it the air, the third season needs to end. The current third season is set to conclude in March with "a big one-hour event where we find out what Miley Stewart's decision is going to be.

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 Jimmy Wayne Webcast From The Road

More than a week after Jimmy Wayne started his walk from Nashville to Phoenix, he's holding his first live Webcast today. Wayne wants to talk about the reason for his 1,660 mile walk: raising awareness about homeless kids, teens and young adults. Wayne was on the streets for a while when he was a teenager. The Webcast is set for the "Meet Me Halfway" portion of his Web site, assuming it's working, starting at 9 in the morning Central time.

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Garth Brooks Teams With Bull Riders

That "damned old rodeo," as Garth Brooks calls it in his mega-hit song, could help raise $1 million for Brooks' kids charity. The Professional Bull Riders organization is challenging its members and fans to help raise the million this year for Teammates for Kids. Brooks says he's "grateful for their decision to use their gifts to benefit the kids." Teammates for Kids was co-founded by Brooks 11 years ago with 67 major league baseball players. As of this year, 2,400 pro-athletes from many sports make donations every year to the Foundation. The rule for dispersing the money is that all of it is distributed to certain nonprofit organizations that serve help kids worldwide.

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Musicares Concert - Lady Antebellum, Sheryl Crow...

One star after the other is signing up to perform at the upcoming MusiCares concert honoring Neil Young. Stars like Lady Antebellum, k.d. lang, Lucinda Williams, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Elton John and many more. The concert is January 29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Along with honoring Neil Young, the MusiCares concert is a fundraiser for emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery programs for those in the music industry.

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Kellie Pickler Extreme Makeover To Air Again

We can watch Kellie Pickler be a volunteer again on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Her episode that originally aired in November is being rerun this coming Sunday night. Pickler went to Beavercreek, Ohio, to tell James Terpenning that he and his family will have a newly-rebuilt home for them in seven days. Terpenning is a wheelchair sports champion and mentor to disabled Iraqi War veterans. He had polio as an infant.

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More Big Numbers For Taylor Swift

More big numbers for Taylor Swift. A company that keeps track of downloads, Nielsen SoundScan, says Swift has become the top-selling digital artist in music history. She's sold more than 24.3 million digital tracks.

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Rosanne Cash Makes The Rounds

Rosanne Cash is crisscrossing the U.S. in support of her album, "The List." She's doing a Q&A and performance in New York tonight. Tomorrow she's performing in Park City, Utah. The tour continues through the beginning of May. And, she's squeezing in some more television appearances, too. Tuesday, she's on "The Tonight Show with Conan OBrien" and Thursday, she's interviewed by Tavis Smiley. She'll also perform. On Thursday, January 21, Cash is doing a free, online concert live from The Foundry in Long Island City, New York. It's on BillboardLive.com. And, it starts at 9 p.m. Eastern.

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JANUARY 2010 (5th - 12th)

Jimmy Wayne Is On His Way

Jimmy Wayne was able to joke as he came to the end of the first day of his walk from Nashville to Phoenix. He's staying in touch by Twitter. And, one of his final tweets Friday was "I thought a steak," S-T-E-A-K, "came with this tent! Hmmm; maybe they meant stake," S-T-A-K-E. He's carrying a pack and sleeping in a tent, although he says if it gets really cold or rainy, he'll find a hotel for the night. Jimmy Wayne is walking to raise awareness about homelessness, especially for at-risk kids and young adults. Wayne was homeless for a time as a teenager.

...And What He Learned From Brad Paisley

Before Jimmy Wayne set out on his charity walk, he took a look back at 2009. He was one of the opening acts for Brad Paisley's "American Saturday Night" tour. Wayne says he watched Paisley interact with fans and others after the show. He says he "knew he had to be tired, but he would stand there to the bitter end, and he would talk and he would give someone his undivided attention." Wayne says that wasn't all. Paisley "would turn and he wouldn't even get half of a step and someone else would stop him." Wayne says he'll remember that, not that he's "ignoring people, but that's something you don't forget. You see someone bigger than you still doing those things."

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Miley Cyrus - What A Year

Miley Cyrus had a year for the history books, or at least for her diary. It started and ended with major world figures. She performed at the kids concert the night before President Obama's inauguration. That was in January, of course. Then, a few weeks ago, she was one of the dozens of entertainers at the Royal Variety Performance in England. Afterwards, she met Queen Elizabeth II. Cyrus says she knows she's "had an like amazing opportunity" and has "definitely been part of a lot of things that will be big in history." Cyrus, by the way, gives the queen props for taking time to speak with every performer after the concert. In her case, she says the queen asked her about her visit to Britain. Cyrus says that "made you feel like you really knew her and it just was not just meeting the Queen but it was actually spending time with her."

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Taylor Swift - Visions Of Her New Kitchen

Taylor Swift hasn't moved into her new condo yet. But, she has her kitchen already figured out in her head. She says she'll have glass cabinets. And, since she's a baker, she says she wants to have all of her "baking essentials, like the flour and the sugar and things like that, all the loose kind of ingredients in really amazing, adorable, antique glass Mason jars."

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Faith Hill's Hopes For 2010

As a parent, Faith Hill says "the first thought of wishing, praying, hoping for anything" for this new year is the health of her children and family. She says she also has the cares of others on her mind. Hill says there is "so much burden" on her heart for everyone who's "going through a really difficult time right now. It is affecting everybody." And, she says she's thinking "about our servicemen and women, and their families." As for her own life, Hill says she's "just very grateful" and never takes anything for granted.

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Shania Twain - Olympic Torch

Shania Twain spent part of New Year's Day in the bitter cold of her hometown: Timmins, in northern Ontario. She was carrying the Olympic torch. Twain was cheered on by thousands of fans bundled in their parkas who turned out in arctic conditions to see her in person in a city park. After making her final turn toward the stage, Twain paused, held the torch up in one hand and waved to the crowd with the other. She then bounded the final few yards where she lit the Olympic cauldron. Twain told the crowd she felt "proud, very proud" and said "it's a highlight" of her life "to be able to carry the flame, to light the cauldron." The Olympics start February 12 in Vancouver.

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Phil Vassar's New Years Resolution

Phil Vassar is too experienced and has had too many birthdays to deal with New Year's resolutions. He says those resolutions "never work." And, he says, quote, "at this point, if Im not doing it right, then I just might as well quit."

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Tim McGraw Looks Ahead

Tim McGraw's wish for 2010 is "just happiness," and keeping his family happy. And, he says he wants his daughters "to continue to thrive and to grow and experience life in a way that keeps them growing as people."

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Gloriana's New Years Expectations

The members of Gloriana had a great 2009. They expect it will be great this year, too, because they're doing more of the same. They opened for Taylor Swift on her "Fearless" tour. Part two begins next month in Australia. Tom Gossin says touring with Taylor Swift "was an unbelievable experience." And, he says "everything has been kind of mind-blowing. We all havent had it sink in yet."

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Eric Church Plays On Into The New Year

2009 is blending right into 2010 for Eric Church. He says he's "playing all the time." He says shortly after the new year he goes back on tour. So, he says he has to "keep the crutches handy." He broke his foot last fall keeping the beat it on a concrete stage. Before his original dates begin, he's doing some make-goods for when he had to be out because of his foot.

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