Brooks & Dunn ended a 19-year run last night at the Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN. So good luck to you guys for sure! Most people expected a big deal with other stars turning up on stage and so on, although that just didn’t happen. Tyler Dickerson and Reba McEntire where the only ones, who both kicked into gear for the last chorus of “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” a little more than half-way into B&D’s two-hour farewell.

It’s not going to be called iTV, it’s staying as Apple TV.

And the price is set at just $99.

And it will will have access to Netflix, which is a GREAT move by both companies for sure! You’ll be able to stream movies and all you need is a single cable to set it up. Rent thousands of HD movies starting at $3.99. Stream from the huge Netflix catalog and even be able you control Apple TV with a free Remote app or stream content from your iPod, iPad or iPhone. Very cool!

]]> http://honkytonktv.com/apple-tv/feed/ 0 http://honkytonktv.com/cma-awards-announce-nominees/ http://honkytonktv.com/cma-awards-announce-nominees/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:45:18 +0000 admin http://honkytonktv.com/?p=5416

Miranda Lambert is the recipient of nine Country Music Association nominations, the most ever for a female artist in the 43-year history of the awards show.

“I didn’t even think I was eligible for nine categories,” Lambert said, who racked up nods that include Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Video of the Year, Single of the Year and Song of the Year.

Lambert and Dierks Bentley, who received three nominations, announced the final five categories Wednesday morning on Good Morning America.

“I’ve been sipping the excitement like a fine whiskey,” Bentley said on the show. “I’m so excited.”

Other top nominees include Lady Antebellum, who picked up nominations in the Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year categories in addition to the handful the band received yesterday. Zac Brown Band also fared well with additional nominations in the Entertainer of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year categories.

The Nashville-based Country Music Association Awards will air Nov. 10 on ABC. The Los Angeles-based Academy of Country Music has its awards ceremony in April.

Entertainer of the Year

Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band

Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist
Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

Album of the Year (Award goes to artist and producer.)
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
Play On- Carrie Underwood
Revolution – Miranda Lambert
Twang – George Strait
Up on the Ridge – Dierks Bentley

Musical Event (Award goes to each artist.)
Bad Angel – Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
Can’t You See – Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
I’m Alive -Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
Till the End – Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack

Check more of the nominees HERE.

When Howard Cohen of The Miami Herald called Little Big Town’s new album The Reason Why, “country’s album of the year for 2010,” he sensed a landmark release in the making. According to Soundscan’s album sales chart, there’s no doubt his inkling was right.  The band is celebrating their fourth studio album’s, The Reason Why, debut this week at #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart and #5 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart across all genres with 41,940 albums sold– making The Reason Why the highest debuting album of the country band’s career.  In addition, the band is celebrating a 2010 CMA Awards nomination in the Vocal Group of the Year category–marking Little Big Town’s eighth nomination and fifth in that category from the prestigious organization.

“This will be a week we never forget,” says Karen Fairchild, “and we owe that to the incredible fans, country radio, and our new label Capitol Records.”  “We are so blessed to have our album debut at the top of the charts, and to have news of this nomination in the same week is just amazing,” adds Kimberly Schlapman.

Praise continues to follow Little Big Town.  “The Reason Why feels like an album of growth for the band; lyrically, musically, and perhaps emotionally,” said All Voices’ Rustyn Rose. “This is arguably the band’s best and most infectious album to date—both a progression and extension of their previous works. On the whole, this record seems most representative of who Little Big Town is.”

The group, which consists of Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook, co-produced the The Reason Why alongside Wayne Kirkpatrick and co-wrote eight of the 12 tracks.

The band launched their new album in Chicago with a sold-out album release party at Joe’s Bar and then in New York City with performances on ABC’s Good Morning America and FOX News Channel’s Fox and Friends “All American Concert Series,” with additional appearances throughout the week.  With no intention to slow down, the band will continue to make appearances in support of the new album with a performance at the New York State Fair on Sept. 2 before rejoining Sugarland on The Incredible Machine Tour on Sept. 3 at State College, PA’s Bryce Jordan Center.

For additional information and appearances, please visit LittleBigTown.com.

Easton Corbin and his #1 debut single “I’m A Little More Country Than That” from his self-titled debut album, picked up three Country Music Association award nominations today in the categories of “New Artist”, “Single of the Year” and “Song of the Year”. The single is penned by Rory Feek, Don Pothyress and Wynn Varble.

Reacting to his first-ever and multiple CMA nominations, Corbin said “It’s such a privilege to be acknowledged alongside all of these talented artists in the ‘New Artist’ category and an honor that ‘A Little More Country Than That’ was my first single and #1 song and is being given this kind of recognition. Rory, Don and Wynn are great writers and did an excellent job putting this one together.”
 
When asked where he was when he received the news and how he reacted, Corbin continued, “I was driving to a writing appointment today when I got the news. My phone was ringing off the hook from my management and label and I thought ‘Oh no! Is this good or bad?’. I didn’t know the nominations were coming out today so I was a little scared,” Corbin said with a laugh. “But it all ended up better than I could’ve imagined.”

Catch Easton on the H20 Tour with Brad Paisley thru the end of September, with stops in Spokane, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Boise, Salt Lake City and Denver.

Check out eastoncorbin.com.

Curb Records recording artist Ashley Gearing has released her new single, “What You Think About Us,” to Country radio, debuting this week on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Co-written by Gearing with Brian Davis and Ben Glover, “What You Think About Us” is the first single off the young singer’s much-anticipated debut for Curb Records.  Gearing has been working on the upcoming album with renowned music producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina) since signing with the label.  The as-yet-untitled album is scheduled for release in the coming months.

Respected Nashville music critic Robert K. Oermann praised Gearing’s “What You Think About Us” in Music Row, saying, “This rumbling rocker has enough ‘bottom’ to kick you right out of your seat and send you twirling around the room.  It’s a big, big sound, but [Gearing] manages to ride atop the whole thing with plenty of vocal authority.  Sing it, sister.”

Since July, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter has been on a multi-leg radio tour in support of the single, visiting nearly 40 stations from coast to coast in just over a month. Gearing has continued to play festivals and concerts during the tour, including an Aug. 20 performance of the national anthem at Boston Red Sox game.

“To say that Chuck and I both were very impressed with this young lady would certainly be an understatement for sure,” said Linda Lee, of Detroit’s 99.5 WYCD duo, Edwards & Lee.  “Nineteen-year-old singer/songwriter Ashley Gearing visited us in studio to chat and blew us away with her vocal stylings!  We both think she has definite ‘Star Quality,’ and think you will agree!”

At 12 years old, Ashley Gearing became the youngest Country artist ever to appear on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart after releasing “Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You.”  Since then, Gearing has received ASCAP’s Uncut Diamond Award and has performed numerous times on the Grand Ole Opry.

For more information, and to hear the new single, “What You Think About Us,” visit her official website at AshleyGearing.com.

Reigning NBC hit show America’s Got Talent winner Kevin Skinner is gearing up to release his debut album, “Long Ride.”

Skinner saddled up for the ride of his life when the NBC reality series held auditions at Harrah’s in Metropolis, Illinois, just across the river from Kevin’s old Kentucky home.

In 2009, Kevin Skinner went from unemployed farmer to overnight sensation.  After he sang his first song on America’s Got Talent (a cover of Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes”), Piers Morgan said, “That was one of the most emotional, powerful performances I’ve seen in a long time.”  Suddenly Kevin Skinner was everyone’s favorite “Chicken Catcher” and he brought audiences to their feet.

Kevin went on to win the competition and $1-million.

America’s latest reality-series success story couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy—or one who had invested more blood, sweat, and tears in his music. The talented singer/songwriter was born and raised in rural Graves County, Kentucky, where Mayfield is the county seat.  He picked up the guitar at age 12 and has never put it down. Kevin so loved singing and playing acoustic and electric guitar that he refused to give up on his dream of making a living with his music. So while he worked on farms, mowed lawns and caught chickens as day jobs, he worked nights, too. He formed a band, Skinner and Friends, and sang and played at Hill’s Bar-B-Que in Mayfield and Wrangler’s Campground at Land between the Lakes. He drove the two hours to Nashville to sing at open mic nights, hoping to get more jobs.

All the while, Kevin had the support, and often the participation, of his family.

From the initial America’s Got Talent audition at Harrah’s and later in Las Vegas and Hollywood, he made a lasting impression. Judges and audiences saw the plain man in the hat and jeans, heard the down-home dialect of western Kentucky, and might have been prepared to dismiss Kevin. But that was before he sang and played. Unpretentious and open, Kevin displayed a remarkable ability to move an audience with his songs. In the end, that quality garnered him millions of votes from viewers and the first prize.

Fans took him to their hearts and their Facebook pages, even raising money to buy him an early 2009 Christmas gift: a $5,500 guitar.

Fans wanted more of Kevin even after the show was over. He had no other choice but to share his musical gift with the fans that stuck by his side and believed in him from his first performance to present. Through it all, Kevin Skinner remains humble, still unaffected, still serious about his music, still hoping to share his talent with audiences all over the world.  He’s starting a new chapter in his life and definitely the most exciting chapter of his career with the much-anticipated worldwide download release of his debut album “Long Ride.” It’s a sweet journey.

Check out more on Kevin @
kevinskinnertheofficialsite.com.