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Toby Keith to Co-Host the 2012 CMT Music Awards Alongside Kristen Bell
Toss back those red solo cups, as Toby Keith has signed on to host the 2012 CMT Music Awards, which will air Wednesday, June 6 at 8PM ET on CMT and at CMT.com. The country superstar will be joined by actress Kristen Bell, who will co-host alongside him. We’re beyond excited to see how well Keith and Bell play off one another.
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Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum + More Nominated for 2012 Teen Choice Awards
Congratulations are in order for Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton. All three country acts have been nominated for 2012 Teen Choice Awards outside of their genre. Swift was nominated in the Choice Female Artist category, where she is up against pop divas like Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Rihanna. Lady A received a nod in the Choice Music Group category, where they will do battle with the likes of LMFAO and the Wanted, among others.
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Jennifer Nettles and Kelly Clarkson ‘Duets’ Partners Revealed
‘Duets,’ the new reality singing competition series starring Sugarland vocalist Jennifer Nettles and semi-country singer Kelly Clarkson, debuts this coming Thursday (May 24) in a two-hour premiere. The premise of the show is that established vocalists will partner with neophytes for –you guessed it- a duet! Rather than be judges or mentors, the celebs are performing alongside the hopefuls. Ahead of the big bow at 8 PM ET, the singing partners of each mentor have been revealed by ABC.
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Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s Kids Will Be ‘Golden’ Thanks to Love of Animals
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, country’s first couple who celebrated their first wedding anniversary last Monday (May 14), are big animal lovers. They incorporated their pets into their wedding ceremony and according to Shelton in a recent chat and photo spread in In Touch, they’ve rescued “at least 20 dogs, as well as cats and horses.” The irony that the duo lives in a converted hunting lodge in Oklahoma, and the fact that they are avid hunters, is not lost on them, either. However, their dedication to domesticated critters does offer insight into how they will fare with kids.
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Justin Moore Crew Bus Involved in Accident
Life on the road has its ups and its downs, but lately, country stars have been dealing with accidents or acts of God involving their touring vehicles. A few days after singer Bucky Covington dealt with a crash, Justin Moore‘s crew had an incident with their bus.
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Scotty McCreery’s High School Baseball Career Ends
Garner High’s baseball team was eliminated from competition in the North Carolina state playoffs last night (May 11.) That means its most famous team member Scotty McCreery saw his high school baseball career end, as he is a graduating senior. Something tells us that he has a bright future ahead of him outside of baseball, being a Platinum-selling recording artist and all.
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Blake Shelton Finds Himself Missing Dad Amid Busy Year
Blake Shelton has had a few whirlwind, emotionally up and down few months. In 2012, he has dealt with the general commitment and chaos of ‘The Voice,’ with his team member Jermaine Paul winning the crown. On a sad note, his father passed away in January and his wife Miranda Lambert saw a close friend die. These events, combined with other professional pursuits involving releasing singles, hosting awards shows and appearing the cover of major magazines mean that he hasn’t had much time to catch a breath, much less reflect. Well, it seems like the singer found a few moments to let things sink in and to get a bit wistful. He even posted a heartfelt tweet about it.
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Reba McEntire Series ‘Malibu Country’ Picked Up by ABC
Congrats are in order for Reba McEntire. The singer’s new series ‘Malibu Country’ has been picked up by ABC. The pilot was given the greenlight earlier this year and now the series is a go. Reba shared the good news via Twitter and confirmed that she’ll be working with comedienne Lily Tomlin, too.
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Taylor Swift Drops New Line of Mother’s Day Cards
Taylor Swift is known for her confessional songs regarding her romantic relationships, but she is also able to celebrate other interpersonal connections through a different artform. The singer has released a new line of Mother’s Day cards via American Greetings, which feature her imagery of her tunes, like ‘Stay Beautiful’ and ‘The Best Day,’ the latter of which she penned for her own mom, Andrea.
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Jewel to Play June Carter Cash in Biopic
New mom is not the only role Jewel is tackling this year. The singer will be playing country music icon June Carter Cash, the wife of Johnny Cash, in a forthcoming Lifetime biopic about the late ‘Jukebox Blues’ songstress.
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Jake Owen Arrested in Florida
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Skylar Laine Had ‘Gut Feeling’ She Would Be Eliminated From ‘American Idol’
Country’s newest darling Skylar Laine was sent packing on Season 11 of ‘American Idol‘ on Thursday (May 3), effectively ending the hope that a country artist would take the baton from Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery and start a consecutive streak on the reality competition series. Laine wasn’t crushed by being voted off, instead claiming she had a “gut feeling” that the end was near.