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What do Willie Nelson, Thomas Jefferson, John Deere and Isaac Newton all have in common? They’re all members of the Agricultural Hall of Fame. Willie will be inducted in a ceremony on the morning prior to his Farm Aid concert in Kansas City next month. Since 1985, the Farm Aid event has raised more than $39 million to assist family farmers.
On August 13 Vince Gill will celebrate his 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Vince will be honored with a concert at the Opry house. Martina McBride, John Anderson, his wife Amy Grant and his daughter Jenny Gill will perform during the show.
“American Idol” finalist Bucky Covington has been accused of masterminding the theft of $1,500 from a concert promoter. Police in Ormond Beach, Florida are investigating what happened during a June 30th concert. The promoter apparently suffered chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital. In his absence, he claims, and cites four others as witnesses that Rocky Covington, Bucky’s brother, and Terra Covington, his sister-in-law, not only sold tickets and took “gate money” at the entrance to the event, but also took money from a “money-box bag.” The promoter maintains that the two collected the money at Bucky’s direction. He says they took around $1,500. Bucky adamantly denies the allegations.
Dolly Parton recently shared a story with a Chicago newspaper about an unexpected encounter with one of her adoring fans. It happened back with her song “Jolene” was on the charts. She came home one day and found a baby in a box at her gate with a note. The note read, “My name is Jolene, my momma has left me here and she wants you to have me.” Dolly immediately called police who took custody of the baby. She said she never did hear anything else about the child.

Congratulations to Jewel and her bull riding husband Ty Murray….they are the proud parents of a baby boy. Kase Townes was born Monday night in Texas. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces.
Miranda Lambert is featured on VH1′s “Behind the Music” tonight at 10. During the show, they talk about how her relationship with Blake Shelton began during a simple duet while he was still a married man. Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Chesney and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott all give interviews during the show tonight.
Later this year John Michael Montgomery and his brother Eddie will team up to record a new album. They also plan to work together on a new book about their lives. Both projects should be out in 2012.
Clint Black will star in the upcoming movie “Flicka 3″. The film will be shot in British Columbia starting in September. It’ll be released next year.
Thanks to her ultra-thin frame, LeAnn Rimes has faced accusations of battling an eating disorder, but she may be having the final word. LeAnn insists she’s perfectly healthy and is creating her own fitness video to prove it. Her fitness trainer reveals she’ll post the video on her blog next month.

A Way to Find Enjoyment

At one time, Bangkok television aired the American situation comedy LaVerne and Shirley. For whatever reason, officials there believed that a disclaimer was necessary for the Thailand audience, so this subtitle was added to each show: “The two women depicted in the following episode are from an insane asylum.”

Personally, I’m thankful there is a little silliness in the world. And I don’t mind not acting like everybody else. Like the “irrepressible” educator and speaker Leo Buscaglia once said: “I don’t mind if people think I’m crazy. In fact, I think it’s great! It gives me tremendous latitude for behavior.”

Buscaglia knew how to laugh. And I think knowing how to laugh and have fun is an important part of living.

Someone asked me what I do for fun. I felt I should answer with something others enjoy, like golf or skiing. But my idea of fun is not usually associated with entertainment and recreation. It is more about squeezing as much enjoyment into every day as I can. Instead of looking for something fun to do, I try to make whatever I do a little more fun. And if I can’t always do things I enjoy, I can learn to enjoy more of the things I do.

I like the word “enjoyment” because it has “joy” inside of it. So does the word “rejoice.” And rejoicing is a way to find enjoyment of life.

Speaking of Leo Buscaglia, he used to tell a story about his mother and their “misery dinner.” It was the night after his father came home and said it looked as if he would have to go into bankruptcy because his partner had absconded with their firm’s funds. His mother’s response was to sell some of her jewelry to buy food enough for a grand feast. At first, other members of the family scolded her for it. But she told them that “the time for joy is now, when we need it most, not next week.” They learned to appreciate the hopeful attitude that lifted them out of fear and into joy.

I want to learn to be happy even in those difficult and trying times. I won’t be happy FOR them (who likes problems?), just IN them. I need the soothing medicine of laughter when it hurts. I want to learn that the time for joy is now, when I need it most.

Maybe it sounds silly, but I want to learn to rejoice in all things. And If I’m doing that well, it really doesn’t matter what I like to do for fun.

by Steve Goodier

I remember a young lady who went to work for a company immediately after graduating from college. She seemed extremely talented but unbelievably timid.

She was assigned to a division-level marketing department where she assisted in the production of advertising and collateral material. Her supervisor associated her shyness with a lack of technical and conceptual skills. As a result, she was never included in brainstorming or planning sessions. The supervisor thought she was best suited to simple graphics layout and paste-up.

Frustrated that her talents were squandered on simple tasks, she applied to the corporate marketing department. The vice-president reviewed her resume and transferred her without interviewing her at length. His concept of the young lady was positive and assigned her to a series of important, key projects. She performed magnificently.

A few months later, the original supervisor was in the vice-president’s office admiring the new corporate ad campaign. The project consisted of television and radio commercials, full-page ads for national publications and complete press kits. The supervisor asked, “What kind of a Madison Avenue rain-maker worked this kind of magic?” The VP replied, “This was all completed by that young lady you sent me. That was the best move I ever made!”

This is but one example of the dozens of cases I can document where individuals were literally hobbled by low or incorrect expectations. In many instances, the mind set of a co-worker or supervisor can restrict an employee’s ability to become an excellent performer.

This cause-and-effect model applies to all aspects of our lives. The neighbor’s young son asked if he could mow my yard. I told him I would talk to his dad first. The father said, “I don’t think he can handle a mower. I never let him near mine. Go ahead if you like.” I assured him I would watch his son closely and be certain he could handle the equipment safely.

The boy not only knew how to handle the mower, but did such a good job, I asked him to help each week. His dad was amazed. “I never would have guessed,” he said. “You should have given him a chance,” I suggested.

Picture in your mind the most incredible thing designed by mankind that you have ever seen. Perhaps the Empire State Building, the Shuttle built by the technicians at NASA, The Golden Gate Bridge or even the intricate detailing in a painting you’ve seen.
What name comes to mind when I say the words “creative genius?”
Who do you think of when I mention God-like compassion, caring and loving?
What author’s name do you think of when I mention “poetry,” “drama,” “mystery,” “fiction,” and “comedy?”
What do you see when I say “strength,” and “stamina?”
Finally “winner,” “successful,” or “role model?”
I’ll bet you a Kids Meal at McDonald’s you never saw yourself in any of those images. And yet…
Look at your hands. Are they not the same as the hands of the skillful artist, architect, mason, or technician?
If you were to x-ray your skull, would you not find the same brain matter that takes up the space between the ears of Einstein, Plato, and Disney?
Hold your hand to your chest. Can you feel the beat of a heart capable of paining for the homeless and starving? Have you not the same heart that beat in the chest of Jesus, Gandhi, Mohamed or the thousands of missionaries around the world?
Look at your fingers. Are they not like the fingers of Frost, Churchill, Stevens, Wilder and King that held tightly the pens that wrote the words that shaped the world?
Look at your feet. Show me the difference between yours and gold medalists of the Olympics or the rescuers who carried the people out of the rubble in a tragic earthquake.
Finally. Close your eyes as you stand in front of a mirror and picture in your mind that man or woman who you think of as a success, a winner and role model. Open your eyes and explain to me the difference between you and that person.
There is no difference…except in how you perceive yourself.
You have the mind, the hands, the feet, the fingers, the heart to be exactly what you want to be. The only thing that is stopping you is the person you see in the mirror.
You have all that it takes

Last night in Las Vegas they taped the ACM’s Girls Night Out special. Among the highlights…John Fogerty performed his version of the Judds’ Rockin with the Rhythm and Vince Gill sang How Great Thou Art with Carrie Underwood. The finale featured Reba, Martina, Carrie, Jennifer and Miranda on stage together singing Coal Miner’s Daughter. Unfortunately Loretta Lynn was unable to attend. She’s resting after undergoing knee surgery last month. We’ll get to see it April 22 when it airs on CBS.

Alison Krauss & Union Station will kick off a nationwide tour June 4 in Louisville, Kentucky. They’ll be at the Charlottesville Pavilion on July 30.

The new issue of People Country salutes Country’s Hottest Men , with Keith Urban gracing the cover as “Country’s Hottest Guy”. Other Nashville favorites making the cut are “Hottest Groom-to-Be” Blake Shelton , “Hottest Dad” Josh Turner and “Hottest Makeover” Chris Young.

Rascal Flatts will be celebrity waiters for this year’s Waiting For Wishes Dinner in Nashville. The April 12 th event will benefit the Kevin Carter Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Reservations for the evening are $500 per person.

Miranda Lambert’s win for Song and Single of the Year with ‘The House That Built Me’ at last night’s Academy of Country Music Awards must have been at least a tad bittersweet for her fiancé, Blake Shelton. After all, the song was pitched to Blake first. It was only after he played it for her and she started crying that he suggested maybe she should cut the song, written by Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas.

Luckily, security didn’t keep cell phones out of the ACM Awards last night. Country stars were tweeting up a storm during the show, as well as into the wee hours of the night and all day today — posting their favorite ACM moments. Here are some Twitter highlights straight from Las Vegas:

Brad Paisley (@bradpaisley): “Is there somethin’ I need to know? [re-tweeting a post from wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley] RT @Kimwilliamspais: Watching west coast ACMs, my youngest keeps looking at Toby Keith and shouting ‘Daddy!’”

Justin Moore will release his sophomore album on June 21. It’s called “Outlaws Like Me”.

Speaking of new music…Craig Campbell’s self-titled debut album is out today.

Taylor Swift visits with Jay Leno tonight on the Tonight Show.

Happy Birthday to Troy Gentry. He’s 44 today.

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor passed away yesterday morning of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being hospitalized for six weeks.

She was known for lots of things….her acting…her AIDS foundation…her love of diamonds….and of course her eight marriages. Comedians liked to call her Mrs. Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky.

In October, she told Us magazine some things we may not have known about her. Among them….

She was the first actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie role…it was for Cleopatra. She broke her back FIVE times. Her favorite tv show was “Law & Order”. She spoke Maggie Simpson’s first word on “The Simpsons”….the word was “Daddy”. And she hated being called Liz because she said it can sound like a hiss. Elizabeth Taylor was 79.

Lindsay Lohan has decided not to take the plea deal in connection with her alleged necklace theft. She’ll be back in court on April 22. At that time….if the judge believes she’s violated her probation…she’d be sent to jail immediately.

Despite Charlie Sheen’s best attempts, his lawsuit against CBS will go forward in arbitration. Charlie had filed an injunction to get the dispute settled in court, but a judge ruled that the case can continue in private arbitration as his contract with Warner Bros. stipulates

Singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who doesn’t share a close relationship with his actress daughter Miley, now wants to be friends with her.’I still want to be Miley’s friend. I want to be that person that she comes to talk to for good, bad, indifferent. I just want her to trust and know that I love her more than life itself and I’ll be by her side through the good and the bad,’ femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying.’I promise you, I’ll do my best to be a good dad,’ he added.

Dorothy Young, the last surviving stage assistant of illusionist Harry Houdini and an accomplished dancer, has died at 103.Young’s death was announced by Drew University, where she was a prominent donor and patron of the Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369471/Harry-Houdinis-assistant-Dorothy-Young-dies-103.html#ixzz1HWSqy9nf

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and Garth Brooks have teamed to host the Feb. 5 SuperCamp II football and cheerleading clinic for kids ages 7-14. An adult portion of the event, hosted in the Dallas area during Super Bowl week, includes a VIP experience with Brooks and Witten. Proceeds will benefit the Jason Witten SCORE Foundation, Garth Brooks Teammates For Kids Foundation, Kids 2 Camp and the Jason Taylor Foundation. Details here.

Garth Books ranked No. 1 with the highest-netting ‘tour’ of December 2010, a string of shows intended to benefit Nashville flood relief. The limited dates, held exclusively at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, brought in more than $4 million, with proceeds going to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Dates for Prince’s Welcome 2 America tour generated nearly $2 million during the same month, placing the ‘Purple Rain’ singer in second.

Jack Ingram and Dierks Bentley are getting into the Super Bowl XLV action with the help of Bud Light. The brewer is re-branding a Dallas, Texas hotel as the Bud Light Hotel from February 3-6 and hosting a slew of performances. The parking lot of the ‘Bud Light Hotel’ has been transformed into a venue capable of hosting 3,500-plus guests (ages 21 and over, of course). Jack and Dierks will perform at what’s being branded ‘Texas’ Largest Tailgate’ Sunday (February 6) afternoon, just prior to the Super Bowl. Fans who are unable to make it to Dallas will be able to watch it live online here.

Brad Paisley has recruited some famous friends to the recording studio this month, as he works on his eighth studio album, ‘This Is Country Music,’ due April 19.

Eagles’ singer Don Henley is slated to sing background vocals on a song titled ‘Love Her Like She’s Leaving.’In addition to Henley members of Alabama (who contribute to the song ‘Old Alabama’), Brad has also called in Marty Stuart, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jackson to contribute harmonies to the gospel classic, ‘Life’s Railway to Heaven’ — the very first song Brad ever sang, at the tender age of nine.

There is much speculation in the sports world that Mike Fisher, who plays center for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators , may be headed for a new job with the Nashville Predators.That would be good news for Carrie Underwood, who is married to the Senators’ associate captain. She is based in Nashville, but the couple also have a home in Ottawa. The reason for the possible move on Mike’s part is the Senators’ performance this year as a team. They have a season record of 17-35-8, the third worst in the Eastern Conference. Team owner Eugene Melnyk has said that general manager Bryan Murray and coach Cory Clouston will stay on for the rest of the year, so speculation is that some of the players will be traded. Mike is one of the players mentioned, with some sports writers hinting that he could be traded to Nashville’s Predators..

Craig Morgan spent more than ten years as a soldier with the United States Army before he traded the military life for a recording career. But the Tennessee native is still a staunch supporter of the service men and women stationed overseas, which is why he left this week for his ninth USO tour, this time heading to Iraq and Kuwait as part of his Not Alone tour.

David Schwimmer and photographer wife Zoe Buckman are expecting their first baby! The former Friends star’s rep tells the publication that the couple “couldn’t be more thrilled.”Schwimmer, 44, and Buckman met in London in 2007 and announced their engagement in March 2010. They wed thereafter in a private ceremony in June.

The Guardian reports that the legendary north-west London zebra crossing that was once crossed by the Beatles, making the cover of their Abbey Road album, has been preserved by being granted a Grade II listing.John Penrose, heritage minister, made the decision to protect the crossing after receiving advice from English Heritage.

Penrose said the iconic crossing was “no castle or cathedral”, but it had “just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage” because of the Beatles.

He added, “As such it merits the extra protection that Grade II listing provides.”Paul McCartney said after receiving the news, “It’s been a great year for me and a great year for the Beatles and hearing that the Abbey Road crossing is to be preserved is the icing on the cake.”

Hulk Hogan is recovering after basically having his spine rebuilt Tuesday in a surgery that lasted roughly 10 hours, E! News confirms.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is still in the hospital and is said to be doing well.

Aside from lugging around all that family baggage recently, the Suburban Commando star needed so much work on his back to repair wear and tear from injuries sustained over years in the ring.

He also had surgery in June for an old wrestling injury and was hospitalized in September after experiencing unrelated, yet “terrible,” back spasms. – E!

When Taylor Swift designs or approves a design for a Christmas card, you know her heart is in it. American Greetings knows she’s a December baby who grew up

on a Christmas tree farm. So, they’re putting out a line called Christmas by Taylor Swift. It’s 10 cards featuring winter scenes, holiday cookies, snow-covered Christmas trees and more. The cards are in stores and online.

Keith Urban gave fans in Edmonton, Alberta an early Christmas gift. He did a freebie mini-concert yesterday. The Canadian Press says about 3,000 screaming fans packed an indoor hockey rink at West Edmonton Mall for the event. Some fans even started lining up more than 12 hours before he was scheduled to perform. Urban did seven songs, including Johnny Cash and Steve Miller Band covers. And, he signed some autographs.

Tim McGraw and Keith Urban are the featured acts for next summer’s concerts the week of the PGA Greenbrier Classic. Luke Bryan will open for McGraw on July 28. And, Miranda Lambert will be the first act before Urban’s concert July 30. Concert tickets are included if you go to the golf tournament. The tournament is at The Greenbrier resort. The concerts will be held at the State Fair of West

Virginia’s amphitheater in Fairlea. The acts this past summer included Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire and Rascal Flatts.