As if it wasn't enough that Ed Harris co-wrote, directed, and stars in the new western Appaloosa (see my three-part Oscar Watch interview with him here), he's also co-written a country ditty called "You'll Never Leave My Heart" with composer Jeff Beal that he sings over the film's closing credits. Listen for yourself to see how he sounds, then read on to learn how the four-time Oscar nominee became a crooner.
EW.com: It's kind of shocking how much you sound like Johnny Cash. What's that about? Ed Harris:[laughs] I don't know, I was in a low frame of mind that day, I guess. I've always liked the Cashman. I was going to sing it an octave higher, but it just felt appropriate, you know. I actually was going to try to sing it an octave lower, but I couldn't get that low.
What kind of reactions have you gotten from friends and family when you've played it for them? It's hysterical. When I first played it for my wife [Amy Madigan], 'cause she's a pretty big music fan, I started playing it and the first couple lines came out and she had this face on her. I looked over and she goes, "Ed, you know I hate this kind of music." I said, "Thanks a lot."
As I'm sure you know, with the new Academy rules, a song has a better chance of getting nominated if it's actually part of the film, not just over the closing credits. Did you ever consider putting it in the movie? No, I didn't write it until we were near the end of post [production]. I wrote this thing, and I played it on the mixing stage, and the mixer and one of the producers were there and they went, "Ed, Ed, you gotta put this in the film." So it was by popular demand on the mixing stage.
You've never sung on film before, have you? I don't think I ever have. When I first started acting, I did a bunch of musicals. I enjoy singing but I never do it publicly.
So is singing now a secret second career for you? Not at all. I just was up late one night and thought I'd write this tune out. It was just really for fun.
Here's the thing: There's always a little part of me that is sad when I see a new artist go from a simple, earnest music video to an expensive shiny one. It's not that the latter isn't usually more visually interesting — it is. It's just that I feel like I've seen the star-making machine turn on, and the sudden polish makes me nervous: What else besides the artist's appearance (and budget) has been altered?
Worry though I might, I can't resist Taylor Swift's evolution from "Tim McGraw" to her latest, "Love Story" (below). Just look at her doing her best Keira Knightley impersonation and at Nashville Star reject/model Justin Gaston being all adorable and silent as her Mr. Darcy Romeo. (It also helps that at 18, Taylor's still singing songs with the word daddy in it.) How much do you love the video?
Brooks & Dunn have a nifty hit single out now called “Put a Girl in it,” and I only wish the country music industry would take that advice more often. I thought about it as the nominees for the 42nd annual CMA Awards were announced today. Country insiders often bemoan the fact that female artists seem to generally have a tougher time of it at radio than male artists do, or that they at least seem to have fewer slots open to them. That is perennially reflected in the nominations for the CMAs’ highly coveted Entertainer of the Year prize. How long has it been since a woman was even nominated in the category? Here’s a clue: The last female nominee was the then-superstar/now-pariah Dixie Chicks! (You can find a historical list of nominees dating back to 1967 here.) So I was stunned and amazed today when into this reliably vagina-free zone walked Sugarland, who would initially seem, on the face of it, to be half-ineligible. It is no secret by now that the duo are an EW-Approved ™ Country Act (their biggest fan, Whitney Pastorek, found new ways to advocate Sugarland in this very space just yesterday), and thus no surprise that we would endorse this encouraging development on all sorts of levels. Go, “Stay"...etc.
Yet you know I wouldn’t be posting if I hadn’t found some reason to carp, and so here we go: Where is Taylor Swift? If you are an average reader or fan, you are echoing me at this moment and saying, “Yeah, where is Taylor Swift?” If you are in any way connected with the country music industry, you are saying, “Willman, we knew you were an imbecile, but must you so flagrantly trumpet your complete and utter ignorance of the way the world works?” So let me assure you that I had every understanding going in that Swift’s chances of picking up an Entertainer of the Year nomination were roughly less than zero. The category really doesn’t have anything to do with who had a particularly artistic year; it’s largely an ongoing Career Achievement award for performers who are still active superstars. You have to “earn” your way into the category through years of headlining amphitheaters and arenas — I get that, even if I don’t agree with it. And yet, year after year, when Kenny Chesney wins the award (as he will again this time), he comes back to the press room afterward and talks about how good it feels to get the trophy that the industry bestows upon the guy who has been the best or most visible ambassador of country music to the outside world. If that’s really the standard, then, with all due respect to Chesney’s unparalleled live drawing power, wasn’t Swift undeniably country’s Ambassador of the Year in 2008?
Willman's case for Taylor Swift as Entertainer of the Year, after the jump...
Okay, so the Kennedy Center probably doesn't need our help to cast the annual tribute show — this year honoring Barbra Streisand, George Jones, Morgan Freeman, choreographer Twyla Tharp and The Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. But then again, after that Jessica Simpson-does-Dolly debacle a couple of years ago, you can't be certain.... So, who do you want to see honoring these artists come December? I'm particularly concerned about who's going to sing the greatest country song ever, George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (below).
If you've got favorite Kennedy Center Honors moments, list 'em. (If you've never seen Mikhail Baryshnikov dance, I suggest you watch his tribute, introduced by the late, great Gregory Hines.)
Maybe it's because the feature I wrote on them earlier this summer brainwashed me, but I can't get enough of Sugarland these days, PopWatchers-- and if the strong sales for Love on the Inside are any indication, you can't, either. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have been traversing the country and blanketing the airwaves in support of the new music -- they do their own stunts (see above); did you catch them in their Flaming Lips-style hamster balls on last night's CMA Fest special? -- and they've got a steamy new video out for "Already Gone" (embedded after the jump) that's so drenched in fall colors it'll make you sweat AND put on a sweater. Plus, they played the L.A. County Fair last Saturday, where we got a little preview of what the fall tour is gonna sound like -- get ready to talk about the gorgeous "Nightswimming" into "Joey" transition...
Anyway, because of the brainwashing, I was not at all surprised to wake up this morning and find them on my city's spazziest AM chat show, Good Day L.A., where they kept up just fine with the lunatics who host that thing, plus did a little web extra on the side where they confessed to a secret dream: hosting a talk show of their own. OMG. PopWatchers.
You know I'm right. That show uses celebrity guest hosts all the time (Neil Patrick Harris, my poor dear David Duchovny)-- they've just never had two at once. But I don't see why this band couldn't handle it: J.Net and K.Bush have the chemistry, they've got the people skills, they're easy on the eyes, and they could take us into commercial breaks with a song. Where's the downside here? So help me in the comments, folks: We the undersigned demand that ABC give the Country Music Association's reigning Duo of the Year a shot! Shout it out if you believe! Raise your voices as one! We shall prevail!
Jerry Reed, who died Monday at 71, will probably be most commonly remembered for his comic roles in movies like Smokey and the Bandit and The Waterboy, but he was also one of the greatest guitar pickers in country music history. Before Reed became Burt Reynolds' truck-driving sidekick, and before he became an early '70s country hitmaker ("When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Lord, Mr. Ford"), he was in demand as a session player, songwriter, and sometimes both. (When Elvis Presley recorded Reed's "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man" and couldn't find a session player who could duplicate Reed's licks, he simply hired Reed to play them.) Building on the work of virtuoso pickers Chet Atkins (with whom Reed would eventually duet in a Grammy-winning collaboration) and banjoist Earl Scruggs, Reed developed a style called "The Claw," named for the gnarled position of his hand and the complicated, polyrhythmic use of all five of its fingers at once. (You can see it up close in the clip below.)
Once Reed began to find chart success as a solo artist, Hollywood came calling. What Reed's songs had in common with his acting was a laid-back, wry, comic sensibility. (Classic Reed song title: "She Got the Goldmine [I Got the Shaft.]") Whether on screen or seated with his guitar, Reed was a showman who aimed only to please, and who made it look easy.
Last night, Barack Obama’s exit music at the close of his historic Democratic convention acceptance speech was “Only in America,” a song by country’s foremost multiplatinum duo. Meanwhile, rival John McCain has been traveling the country blasting another stirring hit by the same act, “That’s What It’s All About.” At last, it’s become clear what this election is really about: a battle for the hearts and souls of Brooks & Dunn!
Forget the audacity of hope, for a moment. How about the audacity of the Democrats stealing the Republicans’ favorite song? If you’re not aware of the history of the GOP using “Only in America,” a refresher is in order: Brooks & Dunn played it at the Bush inauguration in 2000. At the 2004 GOP convention, Dick Cheney used it as his exit music after his speech. And President Bush frequently used it on the campaign trail four years ago, even asking Brooks & Dunn to come out and play it live at rallies in the final week of the race. So you have to think its sudden repurposing served two purposes for the Democrats. Number one, it told millions of Americans that Obama is heartland-friendly enough to use a country smash rather than a Will.i.am ditty to cap off perhaps the most critical moment of his career to date. And number two, for anyone aware of the tune’s political history, it was also a subtle, funny, knowing tweak — too benign to really count as an old-school dirty trick, but almost in that risible spirit. Click through past the jump for the full analysis:
CMT's Gone Country 2, the John Rich-hosted reality show that gives performers a crash course in country music, premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET. You'll want to tape it.
The new contestants include: Sean Young (pictured, with Rich, later in the season entertaining at a prison!!), Sebastian Bach, Lorenzo Lamas, Jermaine Jackson, 'N Sync's Chris Kirkpatrick, Irena Cara, and American Idol season 4 contestant Mikalah Gordon (who is far more entertaining than you'd expect, thanks in part to her crush on Lamas).
Sean Young quickly emerges the star of the show — never let her drive, never ask her to sing "Hey Good Lookin'" — and according to Bach, more good times are ahead: "I had quite a lot of conflict with Sean Young," he says. "It actually centered
around alcohol. Like Supergroup, this TV show has lots of
moments of drunken mayhem, fighting, debauchery and craziness — only
not from me this time.''
For more of my chat with the always candid Bach, click here. We covered everything from Gilmore Girlsand his friendship with Axl Rose, to his ill-fated turn in Jesus Christ Superstar ("I think you got the wrong Jesus, dude. I think you got the wrong Jesus")and his current tour with Poison ("The crew motto, which I thought was most appropriate, is, 'Nice t--s. Get off my cables.'")
We also talked about his hair care. PopWatch exclusive: He uses Nexxus.
E! Online recently wondered whether Carrie Underwood's performance as the war widow in her video "Just a Dream" (watch it here) actually distracts from the moving song. I say yes.
Slezak says he likes it when singers at least try to act in their videos, and normally, I'd agree. But when you're going for this much emotion, you need to deliver (like LeAnn Rimes did in "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way" — you forget it's her). In short, there's a reason Juliette Lewis is playing crazy in "Come to My Window" and not Melissa Etheridge.
What's your position on music-video acting? And which artists are best — and worst — at it? (Arguments with links are strongly encouraged.)
On Monday night, Melissa Lawson, a 32-year-old mother of five from Arlington, Texas, triumphed over fellow Lone Star Stater Gabe Garcia to win NBC's country music talent competition Nashville Star. Her first single, "What If It All Goes Right," is already at the top of the iTunes country chart; next, she'll record an album with show judge John "Big &" Rich, head out on tour with her fellow Nashville Star finalists, and travel to Beijing, China, to sing at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. We grabbed her at dinnertime on the day after her big win, and hassled her with all our burning questions about the finale, the kind of album she'd like to make, and why she thinks she'll be the first Nashville Star to actually, like, succeed.
EW: Did you swallow enough confetti last night? Lawson: [laughs] Yes, I did. I’ve had enough confetti for a lifetime.
Let’s talk about the finale a little bit. Whose crazy idea was the “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” duet? [Laughs.] Well, the duet idea, I have to take credit for. I’d been asking the whole season if we could do a duet night, 'cause I think it would be really neat and kind of challenging. The actual song selection...the network was involved in that one.
Ah, the network. Yeeees.
Next burning question: Was the plan always to have those Jessica Simpson-lookin’ backup dancers out there for just Gabe’s part of “Achy Breaky Heart”— [Lawson starts giggling.]
-- or were you and Shawn like, "We are NOT singing with that going on behind us?" It’s kind of funny. Actually, the original version of the song that they arranged because of the time constraints of the show, we had the dancers out with just Billy [Ray Cyrus] alone. And then the dancers left, and it was Gabe singing, and then Shawn, and then me. But ultimately Billy said, "This is my song, this is the way I’ve been singing it for 15 years, and I feel like the fans will be confused if we change it up." So they rearranged it back to the way it should have been in the first place. Because of that change, the dancers had to come out at a different time. Gabe would say that he got to benefit from that. [Laughs.]
A surprise to, well, no one, Melissa Lawson is our new Nashville Star. (Click here to read Whitney Pastorek's no-holds-barred Q&A with the champ.) In the end, it came down to the mother of five vs. Gabe Garcia, the Hispanic-American former electrician who finally learned how to "turn his Texas on." The evening's high and low notes:
• Breakout performance: Cohost Katie Cook's breasts. They're the only thing that I'm 100 percent certain I'll remember a year from now.
• Performance we'd most like to forget: Tie between the awkward "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" duet Melissa and Gabe were forced to suffer through, and the finalists' group number with host Billy Ray Cyrus. Was the plan always to use the backup dancers (clones from Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" video) just for Gabe's portion of "Achy Breaky Heart," or did Melissa and third-place finisher Shawn Mayer kindly ask producers to get them the hell off the stage? I wonder...
• Reason Melissa deserved to win: Aside from her pitch-perfect performances of Rascal Flatts' "My Wish" and Sugarland's "Something More," the fact that she managed to belt what will be her first single, the inspirational but not-at-all-Idol-schlocky "What if It All Goes Right," while pulling confetti from her mouth and hugging her husband and five boys. That is a pro.
• Reason we'd have been okay if Gabe had won: He finally started showing some personality, singing Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" (about the inane perks that come with being a reality TV star). He also sounded great on Alan Jackson's "Gone Country."
• Reason we're okay that Shawn didn't win: We love her, but she didn't do to Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder & Lead" what she'd done to Gretchen Wilson's "Here for the Party." We want Shawn to write songs, hang out with George Jones some more, then give Music Row another go.
So, will you go see the final four (hey, Coffey!) on tour? And will you buy Melissa Lawson's album, which, like her single, will be produced by John Rich?
Just a quick note to let you know that you made me smile this morning when I finally saw you in Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman" video (below). Also, you totally deserved an Oscar nomination for your work in Waitress.
Best, Mandi
As I watched Sugarland's latest video, "All I Want To Do" (below), followed by Jessica Simpson's country debut, "Come On Over" (even lower), I realized that they are prime examples of "Good Sexy" vs. "Bad Sexy."
In the Sugarland cut, Jennifer Nettles' sex appeal is rooted in the fact that she's having a blast in that bikini. And that she's the best dancer country music has ever seen (sorry, LeAnn). I've got a total girl crush on her.
Jessica Simpson, on the other hand, looks like she's trying too hard — again. Those well-lit shots of her in the bed of a pickup truck could be straight out of a Playboy video. I'd love to see her try to sell her vocals and not her legs. But, then again, I'm not a man.
Which video do you find sexier? And how do you define "good sexy" vs. "bad sexy?" Tell it!
Last night's Nashville Star saw the final four return to their hometowns to put on a concert, be treated like a rock star, and if you're Coffey, to meet fans Patricia Heaton and Sinbad. Heaton said she's been watching him every week; Sinbad insisted that he's been voting. (How hard did NBC have to work to find out that Sinbad was a Coffey fan?) Our thoughts go out to those celebs this morning because their pick got the boot. Let's break the performances down. Shawn Mayer At the risk of appearing as transparent as John Rich, who once again gave Melissa Lawson a standing ovation, I totally voted for Shawn last night. Twice. But for once, John and I agreed on Shawn: At the beginning of the competition, we never would have told her to do a Gretchen Wilson song. But she made "Here for the Party" her own. She sounded great. She worked the stage like a pro. She peaked at the right time. The Top 3 got to perform a second song, and she did Garth Brooks' "The Dance." It wasn't her best vocal — Jeffrey Steele made sure we knew she was dealing with a bad wisdom tooth — but it was another ballsy choice. You might think of Shawn as mini-Gretchen, but she'll keep you on your toes. (She's taken on George Jones and Randy Travis this season as well.) I want to see what a producer can do with her when he gets her in the studio and she has her own songs to sing.
After the jump, Gabe Garcia, Coffey, and Melissa Lawson.
Saturday night, I caught Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney on Chesney's Poets and Pirates Tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. It was the day I'd been waiting for since February, when, after seeing Urban rock Madison Square Garden, I found myself wondering how, year after year, Chesney could manage to win Entertainer of the Year. I understand it now, but I still don't agree with it...
My sister, a longtime Chesney fan, had always raved about Kenny's crowd control, and it's true: the people love him. They sing every word to every song, pausing only to say that they love him (my sister) or to curse when they spill their beer or fruity beverages (the people seated behind us). Chesney works the stage so hard, in fact, that he starts sweating through his T-shirt during the opening song — which you've got to respect. And he clearly wants you to feel as though he's partying with you (I'm sure the people who joined him in multiple renditions of the Eagles' fight song believed that he was).
I sang along to "Living in Fast Forward" and "Anything But Mine" as loudly as the next person, but if you told me that I could only see one of them, Kenny or Keith, in concert again, I'd choose Keith. Not all of the songs I listen to have to mention sand and some kind of fruit wine. (Okay, only three-quarters of Kenny's songs do that.) And I love watching Keith play the guitar. He actually picked up a gift from a fan with his teeth so that he didn't miss a note. (You've got to respect that as much, or more.)
Luckily, country fans don't have to choose between the two. But if you did, who would it be?
Like judge and Grammy-nominated songwriter Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most"), I was dreading original song night on Nashville Star. So much, in fact, that when I remembered it was original song night at the end of the workday yesterday, I let Slezak someone convince me to "prepare" for the impending heinoustry with a mojito, which eventually led to me watching the show on my DVR at a painfully late hour. Imagine my surprise then, when the remaining five contestants' songs didn't suck. At all. Let's break it down, in reverse order.
Shawn Mayer (pictured): Had I gotten home in time to vote, I would've dialed in for her. All the contestants had their best performances of the season last night, but Shawn blew me away. I actually applauded when she ended her Faith Hill-style power ballad, "I'm Not Lookin' Back," written about the love of her life that she left behind to chase her dream in Nashville. It made Jeffrey, who doubles as her mentor, say, "John Rich is a fool... You know, I'm a publisher." It made me wish she had performed her own material every week. She sounded great, she looked hot, and she was strong and dangerous (yet still vulnerable and approachable). I think she may have just sung her way into the finals.
After the jump, we review the four remaining performances, and the crazy lyric I'm really hoping I misunderstood.
When I talked to Dolly Parton in the fall of 2005 (click here to read the interview and here to check out my rundown of her sauciest sound bites), she was busy penning songs for a planned 2007 Broadway production of 9 to 5. Well, she was only two years off. The musical will finally hit New York in April 2009, after a six-week warmup in Los Angeles this fall, Reuters reports. I'm in. Especially after reading that The West Wing's Allison Janney will take on Lily Tomlin's role. Perfect!I haven't been this excited since, well, Equus' Broadway run was confirmed. (Who's already got their tickets for that?) And who's excited about the 9 to 5 musical?
Normally, we break it down for you in the order the contestants performed. But this week, we're starting with the bottom two because seriously...
Laura & Sophie Thanks goodness the teen duo got gone. John Rich and Jewel would have thrown (bigger) fits had they not gotten the boot. The girls did Taylor Swift's "Picture to Burn," which, while age appropriate, was still an odd choice considering every week they've been told that Taylor Swift would wipe the stage with them. Of course, the sparks really flew after the lackluster performance, when John ambushed 16-year-old Sophie for her obvious frustration on last week's show with Jewel telling America, repeatedly, that they should've gone home instead of Pearl Heart: "Why do you think it's okay to roll your eyes and disrespect Jewel on national television? I just want an answer to that." Sophie said she didn't even realize she did it, until people told her afterward. Jewel made some crack about Sophie needing to have a seizure — complete with flickering eye gesture — to get it out of her system. (That's mature.) Then Jewel dismissively said the girls looked better than they have, but their harmonies continue to get worse. Jeffrey Steele, who doubles as the girls' mentor, sounded like he was trying to say something almost nice about them looking grownup, but I was too busy watching to see whether Sophie was going to cry. She fought back tears, and, it looked like, got some off-camera comfort from host Billy Ray Cyrus — you saw her turn to him and say, "I know. Thank you." (Even I wanted to hug Billy Ray at that moment, dangling earring and all.) Here's the thing: John made it clear last night, while praising Gabe Garcia's performance, that NBC had the final say on this year's contestants. That's something I suppose we all should have suspected, even though the season premiere showed the judges narrowing down the finalists and inviting them onto the show. John flat-out said that NBC made some "very questionable choices," which no doubt included Laura & Sophie, whom all the judges thought too young, too soft, and too underdeveloped for the music biz. I think the judges took out their frustration with the network and America on the girls last week. They can't help that they're still in the competition. Yes, Sophie rolled her eyes, which was a bratty, 16-year-old thing to do. But it wasn't like she did it in Jewel's face. She was standing in the balcony; Jewel was talking to someone else who was onstage. And for the record, I did the exact same eye roll on my couch because I was tired of hearing that should've been you refrain, even though I agreed with it. Bottom line: If any of these judges return next season, I hope they demand full control of casting. (NBC may think this "drama" is fun to watch, but it's painful.) Also, I'm going to give Sophie a pass on her snippy post-elimination "thanks" to the judges for the criticism that "maybe" helped the duo. Bratty again, but the judges (meaning John and Jewel) had clearly given up on them.
I loved this episode of Nashville Star for many reasons. First and foremost, it was only an hour long. Secondly, host Billy Ray Cyrus showed a little bit of personality and I didn't want to slap him (except for that hanging chad joke). Thirdly, the contestants started to bite back at the judges, who, let's face it, had it coming. Let's get right into it.
Melissa Lawson This week was a double elimination, and Billy Ray opened the show by calling Melissa and Tommy Stanley forward. One had gotten the most votes; one was being sent home without even getting to perform his or her song. Bye bye, Tommy. Melissa sang "Danny's Song," and even though the beginning low notes weren't perfect, this was my favorite performance from her. She was soft and not as showy as she usually is, so I could just focus on her voice. John Rich still wants her to work on her nerves, and Jewel wants to make sure that Melissa, her husband, and her five boys are ready for the sacrifices that they'll be making for the music business. Bring it on, Melissa said. (Okay, I'm paraphrasing.)
Laura & Sophie (pictured) My favorite moment of the night involved Sophie, but it didn't happen during their predictable performance of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight." It happened at the end of the show, when Jewel was rambling on about how it killed her that Pearl Heart was in the bottom two with Ashlee Hewitt instead of Laura & Sophie: Sophie rolled her eyes. You go, girl! If the judges, who put you on the show, keep telling you that you need to go home because you're too young, ACT IT. I'm not saying that the girls, ages 18 and 16, didn't deserve the boot — and that they shouldn't go next week after that awkward bluesy burlesque ending they attempted. But I think the girls might've been set up. The pre-performance footage showed them fighting and crying, which just fueled Rich's rant. (Kudos to Sophie, again, for explaining to him that just because she cried over fighting with her best friend doesn't mean that she'd cry over an unfriendly crowd.) We weren't shown whether judge/mentor Jeffrey Steele chose their song for them again this week, but regardless, he should have known that they wouldn't pull off the "Walkin'" choreography. Those girls need to sit on a stool for a week and concentrate on their harmonies. At least the makeup artist was on their side this week.
After the jump, Shawn fires John, and John takes aim at Coffey (again).
This just in and making me giddy and slightly uncomfortable: CMT's cross-genre concert series Crossroads is set to pair Taylor Swift and her favorite rock band, Def Leppard. I'll give you a moment to process the idea of them singing each other's songs...
And, you're back. The concert will tape in Nashville in October and premiere on CMT in November.
Taylor is clearly psyched. "Every time I've seen Crossroads on CMT I've always thought, 'If I ever get to do one of those, it HAS to be with Def Leppard!,' so this is really a dream come true for me," she said in a press release. "I have been screaming the words to Def Leppard songs for years... so it's amazing that I'm going to get to share a stage with them this year!" So, too, is Def Leppard's Joe Elliot (pictured), who said, "How cool is this?! Country's hottest young star wanting to work with us!!"
Before we break down last night's performances, we need to discuss next week's double elimination: It couldn't come at a better time. Despite what NBC seems to think, it's not fun to watch the judges rip into contestants for not being "country." It actually undermines the judges, who had a say in choosing the finalists. If you think Coffey (pictured) is faking it, that means he fooled you, John Rich — assuming you put him on the show because you thought he'd actually be a great country artist and not because he'd be good TV. Just like I hope y'all weren't so desperate to cast someone from the USS Kitty Hawk that you welcomed likable Tommy Stanley to the show, even though you could tell from Day One he had to work too hard to sound country.
Ashlee Hewitt: Mini-Jewel opened the show on family night so we could see her tearful reunion with her mega-clan, including her father who returned from Iraq for the occasion. Ashlee chose Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and did a decent job countryfying it (though that's not hard with her accent and the phrase small town girl in the lyrics). She was worried about playing the piano to start the song, and I'm not sure why. Those notes are pretty repetitive, no? I thought the judges were too kind when critiquing her vocals. She made me cringe on the long notes because you could see in her face that she was praying she'd hit them. John acknowledged that she needs to start a song as well she finishes it, while Jeffrey Steele told her that she needs to stay focused and not let boys distract her (what does he know that we don't?). Her second song, more like a snippet, really, was the Kris Kristofferson-penned ballad "Help Me Make it Through the Night." John said she sounded like a modern-day Tammy Wynette. Hmmm. I don't think there's anything extraordinary about Ashlee's voice, but I do think it's commercial. I can see why she'd excite him as a producer.
Coffey:Am I the only one who thinks there's a place for this Texan's smooth runs in country music? I know some of you remembered him auditioning for American Idol — and I guess someone finally told John about that, because after Coffey's performance of Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'," John told him that's the show he should be on. A cowboy hat doesn't make you country, he said. You can't fake it. It's not entirely fair to criticize Coffey for doing pop song after pop song in previous weeks, especially when one of those weeks was branded "Pop Goes Country" night. But yes, it is suspicious that he chose "Hey Good Lookin'" and John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," when those are two songs that 9 out of 10 non-country fans could hum. Coffey defended himself, saying the population of his hometown is 1,100 including sheep, that he cleaned rabbits with his dad, and that he knows hurt (having lost his mother and being a single dad). Jewel was right: We need to hear him sing a ballad that makes us feel that. I actually thought "Country Roads" had some conviction and rewound to hear it again. It took guts to sing that song right after being told you weren't country. (It also took cojones for poor Katie Cook to talk to Coffey's family in the audience after hearing the judges' initial comments. Awkward!) Again, I wonder what the judges see during the week that doesn't make it into the pre-performance montages.
Confession country buffs: If I had to whip out my iPod right now and construct Lisa's Country Playlist, it would contain little more than the obligatory Gretchen, Carrie, and Shania. (Would it be too much of a stretch to include "Sweet Home Alabama," too?) But even though I'm no country connoisseur, the more I've read about Nashville Star through Mandi Bierly's weekly posts and your astute PopWatch comments — sexual harassment allegations? excessive butt shots of a talentless pretty boy contestant? Billy Ray Cyrus' facial hair? — the more I've contemplated adding it to my DVR lineup. And with Mandi on vacation this week (and a pop-goes-country theme in effect), I decided it was the perfect time to test the waters.
Although John Rich kicked off the show with a physical threat to the contestants, he generally kept the sleaze factor at a respectable "cross the street when you see that guy walking toward you" level. Now let's get right to the lowdown on this week's performers:
Gabe Garcia: To be fair, I lost power for a very frantic minute and missed the first part of Gabe's song, but when I did tune back in, I was unimpressed by the contestant with the most votes. He lacked the same quality as most of the top 10: stage presence. Maybe Gabe does need to "turn the Texas on" or flirt with the lay-dees, but I didn't hear enough passion in his take on Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca," which is already a pretty corny song. And no amount of extension-enhanced hair-flips could make me vote for him.
Pearl Heart: I really really wanted the young, sisterly trio to kill with the B-52's "Love Shack." Yet while their voices and harmonies were beautiful, they needed to practice what they sang and "knock a little louder,
baby!" For such a fun song, I felt way too nervous for them throughout the performance, a feeling
that didn't go away with John Rich creeping all over them and their
Limited Too garb.
Alyson Gilbert: I'm with Mandi on this one: It's not that I love or hate her, I'm just bored. Alyson's rendition of "I Think We're Alone Now" would've worked better if she's sped up or slowed down the tempo, but as it was, her performances ended up sounding like karaoke. Even worse, Jewel dropped the critical adjective made famous on that other musical talent competition: "pitchy."
From: Fonseca, Nicholas - Entertainment Weekly
Sent: Thu 6/19/2008 10:14 AM
To: EW-NEWS_AND_NOTES
Subject: Mama caught by the paps
I know I'm pretty much the only person at EW who likes Mama's Family
(and none of you have ever let me forget it), but this skit aired
during the TV Land Awards on Sunday night and I thought it was pretty
inspired:
EW senior editor Nicholas Fonseca is currently on vacation. A source close to him* says he watched this with his best friend Matt at their inn in Provincetown, Mass., and laughed so hard they couldn't breathe.
An unnamed source at EW** tells PopWatch that she knows for a fact that Fonseca is not the only Mama's Family fan at the magazine, though she admits their numbers are few.
I like me some John Rich, but our relationship is becoming love/hate thanks to Nashville Star. Let's get right into last night's show...
Laura & Sophie Much to judge Jeffrey Steele's chagrin, he'll be mentoring the groups for the remainder of the season. (Sucker.) The teen duo opened the show with the Judds' "Rockin' With the Rhythm of the Rain."I didn't find them nearly as charming as last week, but their harmonies still sounded decent. Perhaps because, as Jewel noted, they've been doing this song for years. She wants to see how they deal with learning new vocals. John wants to see them do a song that reflects their ages, 18 and 16. Steele wants them to work more on their stage presence, because he still feels like he's at a slumber party. Noting that Steele was their mentor, John asked, "What did you tell them? Did you tell them to take their pajamas off the night of that slumber party?" That was either highly inappropriate or just not funny. Wait, both. Strike one, John. Ashlee Hewitt John, who's had success writing and producing for Gretchen Wilson and now Jewel, wanted to mentor the women, and he got them. Ashlee did her country-baby take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," and while all three judges dug it (Jeffrey's requisite hollow pun: "There was a lot of fire on that ring"), it didn't move me. I was, however, happy to see someone (John) finally acknowledge that Ashlee is Jewel-lite ... until he took the opportunity to plug the latest album from the "reigning queen of folk-country." Let's not make it about the judges. Strike two.
Justin Gaston (pictured) Jewel has the pleasure of mentoring the men, which includes this sweet, hopeless, 19-year-old part-time model. I almost had to mute the TV during his rehearsal of Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah" — he kept screwing up because he was intimidated by Jewel. Commenting on last week's recap, at least one reader argued that Justin was "hired" for the show. And heck, maybe John agrees with you. Following Justin's performance — which was most notable for a couple of butt shots, that moment when he licked his lips, and an ill-timed cutaway to the girls of Pearl Heart clapping like they meant it not at all — John said, "You come off very, very, very sweet. [Girls in audience scream] Not in a good way. Jewel, I don't know if you mentored this kid or made out with him for 30 minutes, but something went on. What happened? That was terrible." Jewel tried to defend Justin by saying he opens doors for everyone (not helpful, Jewel) and that he just needs to have better control of his singing. John snapped, "I think you shouldn't be on this show. I think you snuck in through the back door." True, John, but it's not his fault that someone wanted his hotness on the show — or that you judges decided yourselves to keep him around when he made the weakest debut last week. Strike three! Maybe the producers are hoping John's blunt criticism will earn Justin pity votes. (For his self-esteem, I hope Justin leaves next week, but gets some acting work.)
After the jump, Jewel gives sound advice, Jeffrey calls Coffey "Charley," and John says something that makes a sailor blush.
I'm teetering on Taylor Swift overload (she'll co-host TRL June 16 through June 19) but I'll admit that I'm pysched for her MTV special, Once Upon a Prom, premiering June 21 at 3 p.m ET. The 18-year-old country singer missed her own prom, so she's going on the arm of one lucky senior at Hillcrest High in Tuscaloosa, AL. The hour-long special will follow Swift as she selects her stag (from among 40 dateless teens), finds her dress, and experiences all the awkward and awesome moments generally associated with the night. Throughout the day on June 21, she'll be on MTV introducing segments covering over-the-top prom fashions and shocking moments. (Celebs and viewers alike will also dish on their wild nights.)
Let's open up the Confessional in the meantime, and share our prom songs. If I'm remembering correctly, 10,000 Maniacs' "These are Days" was the theme for my senior prom in 1993, which would've been cool had someone bothered to tell the DJ so he could've brought it. Boo.
EW's Whitney Pastorek recently pronounced Nashville Star better than American Idol. Assuming the show's shine -- seemingly buffed by Nashville's move to NBC from USA for its sixth season -- doesn't wear off next week, I might just agree with her. Before we break down the Top 12 contestants (pictured, from left to right, Coffey Anderson, Gabe Garcia, and Justin Gaston), let's examine what the show did right in last night's two-hour premiere:
1. Limited the bad auditions to one montage: Because really, if you've seen one delusional wannabe say, "That's fine, because you know what? I'm a star in my own mind," you've seen 'em all. Also, judge John Rich, of Big & Rich, telling a Weezer-lookin' guy that "There is a very good chance that someone would beat the crap out of you on the Grand Ole Opry" is funny — once.
2. Made you believe that the judges actually care: Forget, for a moment, the ridiculous pyrotechnics used in the judges' entrance on the main stage, and think back to the clip of Jewel, Rich, and songwriter Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts' smash "What Hurts the Most") weeding the 50 semifinalists down to the Top 12. Jewel stopped contestant Charley Jenkins mid-song: "Your voice is really tight, and I can't tell if it's 'cause you can't sing or 'cause you're choking yourself." Rich pulled out his guitar and suggested Jenkins change his tune. He made the cut. Also, starting next week, each judge will serve as a mentor to one group of contestants (solo artists, duos, and trios). That's awesome.
3. Didn't cut to commercial once the elimination process had begun. Granted, host Billy Ray Cyrus spent more than a few seconds in silence to build the suspense, and Jewel, who had the deciding vote in which of the bottom two would be the first to go home, took more time to make her choice than Sophie, but no cruel commercial break. (After that first cut, eliminations will now be determined by viewers' votes.)
4. Casting. This is Nashville Star's most diverse group of contestants, on many levels.
How much do we love this? Gone Country castmates Maureen McCormick, Bobby Brown, and Carnie Wilson are reuniting for another CMT reality show, Outsider's Inn. Apparently, McCormick has decided to operate a bed & breakfast in rural Newport, Tenn., and calls in Brown and Wilson for reinforcements. According to the press release, "McCormick takes over management of the
Inn and property; Brown becomes entertainment director; and Wilson
assumes the role of master chef." Shooting has already begun, and the first of eight episodes will premiere August 15. Sounds like the perfect companion for Gone Country 2, which will feature Sean Young, Sebastian Bach, Irene Cara, Lorenzo Lamas, Jermaine Jackson, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Mikalah Gordon, competing for a shot at country radio.
Now for the inane question that ends this post: If there was room at both the Outsider's Inn and Tori and Dean's Inn of Love, where would you book?
I was trying to pretend that Jessica Simpson's country album wasn't happening, but Slezak just made me listen to the single, "Come On Over" (below), because he wasn't man enough to do it himself.
If Simpson's people try to market her — suddenly all brunette and fond of form-fitting flannel — as the next Shania Twain, I will be forced to hurt someone. Shania has a voice, soul, and love for exclamation points that is pure country. (She also has a better song titled "Come On Over.") If this track is any indication, Simpson's country album will be as unnecessary as we thought it might be.
Well, we weren't successful in helping Keith Urban score Entertainer of the Year at last night's Academy of Country Music Awards. Kenny Chesney took the title for the fourth year in a row (then complained backstage that the award's integrity had been compromised because it was now a "sweepstakes" voted on by the fans). Check out all the grateful winners here. Below, some of my favorite moments, with links where available (until Viacom has them yanked off of YouTube).
2. Sugarland's "All I Wanna Do": Is there a more joyful act in country music than Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush? Kudos to J. Net for sporting a black jumpsuit with controversial fringe from the kneecaps down. (I liked it better than Carrie's.) Also, she gets props for later thanking their record label for having "big ones enough" to release their tearjerker "Stay" to radio when it had no drums.
3. Miranda Lambert's performance of "Gunpowder & Lead": The only thing that would have made that better is if those flags had been burnt by the pyrotechnics and fallen to the floor when the gun shot went off. Next time! (Bonus points to her for mouthing "Holy s---" on her way to the stage to accept her award for Album of the Year.)
4. Taylor Swift's "Should've Said No":Like it or not, the girl went for it. I know it's a far cry from Britney working the pole, but seeing 17-year-old Swift (pictured) soaked on stage, with a Flashdance-style back light illuminating the water hitting her shoulders and flying from her tousled hair made me a little uncomfortable. Then again, so did her hoodied Avril Lavigne-esque anger. George Strait seemed to dig it. As did Kix Brooks, who said, "Dang, I was wantin' to get out there in that water. Taylor gets to have all the fun." (Ronnie Dunn was speechless.)
5. Ten-time host Reba McEntire expounding on the differences between now and the first time she emceed, in 1986: "Back then, Roger Clemens wasn't even interested in country music." Uncomfortable laughter from the crowd. "Hey, I don't care who you are, that's funny." She continued: "Back then, neither an African-American nor a woman were considered for President of the United States. Of course, they're still not nominated for Entertainer of the Year either." You go, Miss Reba! She also had an irreverent take on Nicole Kidman's pregnancy: "We all know, by now, that Keith is going to be a dad. Congratulations. I don't want to go into all the details of how that all happened, but Nicole Kidman is definitely calling him Entertainer of the Year."
7. George Strait's smile during his "Shiftwork" duet with Kenny Chesney:
Watching George smile makes me smile. Speaking of George, another note from Willman: "The funniest thing to me was that he never touched the strings on his guitar once during his 'I Saw God' song. Does he just have to have the guitar as a prop because he refuses to sing without it? Or was this one of those pre-recorded backing tracks that filled the night and he refused to strum-synch in protest?"
After the jump, three of my least favorite moments:
When I was a kid, there was no country music in our household — except for one song, Eddy Arnold's truly immortal 1955 smash, "Cattle Call," which somehow got a pass. Like a lot of children of the second half of the 20th century, I grew up with parents who had made the transition from farming to suburbia and who probably rejected country, consciously or unconsciously, as an unnecessary reminder of the rural lifestyle they'd worked so hard to get away from. But my father had an inordinate love for "Cattle Call," which featured Arnold breaking into a falsetto yodel between verses about howling coyotes, wide open prairies, and a cowboy who's "lonesome" but also has a "heart (that's) a feather in all kinds of weather." For somebody who'd actually grown up among the cattle, that had to have been a nice, wistful tonic at the end of a hard day of being a CPA, and we nearly wore the grooves off that record. After Eddy Arnold died Thursday, just days short of his 90th birthday, I had "Cattle Call" running through my head all day — but, as I half-joked to friends, there was nothing unusual about that; I often have "Cattle Call" running through my head.
The funny thing is, "Cattle Call" was completely unemblematic of Arnold's career — at least the second, more successful part of his career, when he set aside anything resembling an agrarian image, was seen almost exclusively in tuxedos, and established himself as more of a pop crooner. He was the original king of country crossover. My dad would buy Arnold's later records but always be confounded by how little these cosmopolitan-sounding songs resembled the Western-themed hit he loved; never mind that Arnold's transition from hillbilly icon to formally dressed gentleman roughly mirrored the farm-to-city transition our family had made. Not very many fans considered Arnold's switch to a slicker style selling out, though. Though he had his first No. 1 country hit in 1947, he had his biggest run of hits in the 1960s, after he'd adopted the smooth "Nashville sound," which involved strings and background chorales — crossing over to pop success and becoming the Rascal Flatts or Shania Twain of his day. In the end, many consider him the most successful country singer of all time, if you combine record sales (85 million sold) with radio successes (145 chart hits, including 28 No. 1s).
How much do you love the cast of CMT's Gone Country 2 (shooting now in Nashville, for an August premiere)? This time, Big & Rich's John Rich will attempt to make country artists out of:
• Sean Young (pictured, left): Actress and heckler! • Sebastian Bach (pictured, right): Already a genre-bender, many times over. (Eternal bonus points for his highly entertaining Cribs episode.) • Irene Cara: If this "Fame" performance is any indication, she'll embrace the flamboyant side of country stage style. • Jermaine Jackson: I used to love his song "Dynamite," I'll admit it. • Lorenzo Lamas: Most recently seen accusing his daughter Shayne of going on The Bachelor just for screen time. (Did we know he sings cabaret?) • Chris Kirkpatrick: Formerly of 'N Sync and VH1's Mission: Man Band. Rascal Flatts fans should like him! • Mikalah Gordon: From American Idol's fourth season. The token reality star that no one remembers. Every show needs one.
Who's your early money on? I'll tune in for Sean Young, but I'll bet on Sebastian Bach.
Once more unto the breach, dear PopWatchers, once more did I go, and thus did I witness the final day of Stagecoach 2008, a.k.a. the final plastic cup-and-cigarette butt atrocity to be visited upon the Empire Polo Fields of Indio, Calif., for another year. Backpack slung tight upon my back, flip-flops protesting under my filthy feet, I strode the dusty grass one last time, feeling none of the reservation and/or maudlin need to reminisce that one might associate with, say, the end of summer camp. Instead, I mostly looked for ways to pass the time between sets so I could hear me some music and get the hell home.
This is not to say the second-annual Stagecoach wasn't a success -- in fact, for a sophomore effort (of any sort) it was damn near a triumph. The bands were good, the people were well-behaved, and by this morning the security team seemed to have finally worked out proper methods of lawn-chair corralling, which left those of us on the move with plenty of room to roam. A wide cross-section of country music was represented, if perhaps not as many of the alt- acts I found here last year. And if you like hearing bands play covers of the songs of other bands, there was no place you'd rather be than in the field with me on this ominously cloudy Sunday afternoon. How cloudy was it? There was a point at which I legitimately thought it might rain. Apocalypse... or apocalypse?
After the jump, Trace Adkins, Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich (sort of), Jack Ingram, George Jones, Ralph Stanley, Carrie Underwood (pictured), and Tim McGraw close things out with -- well, if not quite a "bang" (dammit, that pig has ruined it for everyone), then at least a very respectable set of performances. Slap your daddy and feed the kids a bone, we're off to the races! Yee-haw!
I stayed for all of Rascal Flatts last night, PopWatchers, and I blame the Judds (pictured). Reuniting at Stagecoach-- for the first time in my gosh, has it been 17 years?-- the mother/daughter team doused the field in a healthy dose of love and affirmation, transforming all us beer-and-sun-soaked wretches into a blubbering wad of earthy sensitivity and putting me so in touch with my inner nice person that I actually felt guilty for sitting out two mid-set Flatts songs in order to say goodbye to some friends who were leaving early. Granted, I'd also built last night's RF show up for myself as a little mental Stagecoach obstacle to overcome, a personal challenge rooted in a foundation of critical dedication, genuine curiosity, and the suspicion that, no matter what they did, I could not possibly give them a worse review than I did last time.
And hey, guess what? I don't even have to try. Perhaps this is a sign that the desert is winning, or that all the dust has finally traveled the short distance from my lungs to my brain, but holy hair product, PopWatchers, I thought Rascal Flatts put on a relatively watchable show (for Rascal Flatts) last night. It was hardly the best set of a day that encompassed the true width and breadth of what country music has to offer, but it didn't send me screaming down the streets of Palm Springs, either. So let's save those sparkly men for the end (where they belong, chronologically), and talk about the rest: Luke Bryan, Riders in the Sky, Ryan Bingham, Bucky Covington, Taylor Swift, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Dierks Bentley, The Judds, and Earl Scruggs, after the jump. Come on along! It'll be more fun than a junkyard dog in a prom dress!
I'm gonna try to keep the folksy Dan Ratherisms to a minimum this weekend, PopWatchers, but yee-haw, it's Stagecoach! Coachella's country music cousin kicked off Friday by filling the polo fields with more straw hats than a barn full of upside-down camels, and once again, the transformation from youth-of-the-nation cesspool into family-friendly hootenanny took me a while to get used to. No more Outdoor Stage-- hello, barbecue cookoff! No more pup tents-- hello, NASCAR fans! The beer has switched to Bud, the Burgerito stand has moved inside VIP, the cops I spoke to actually called this weekend "enjoyable." And yes, the trance forest is now deserted, nothing more than a slightly ominous circle of pod structures inside which, I noticed, few dared to tread.
Then again, at Stagecoach, few tread much of anywhere, instead choosing to take advantage of the fact that lawn chairs are permitted and beer can go anywhere to plop themselves in front of the mainstage and never move. Me, I keep getting lost in the field because they rearranged the tents. I was also not prepared for the massive crush of traffic at the gates, which caused me to miss Shooter Jennings' entire set as I inched along a dirt road behind an RV; once I finally parked, I rushed into the festival as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played "Fishin' in the Dark," took a couple pictures of a strong-voiced if somewhat somnambulant Trisha Yearwood during "Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love," then realized I forgot my glasses. Since I am not Shooter Jennings and therefore cannot get away with wearing prescription Ray-Bans after dark, I dashed back out to my vehicle during "How Do I Live" and "She's in Love with the Boy," then dashed in while Mike Ness (of Social Distortion fame) put a thick drawl on "Ball and Chain." All three of these songs sounded excellent at a distance. Possibly because I have them memorized and was hearing the radio versions in my head?
After the jump, the rest of the extraordinarily temperate and almost chilly Stagecoach Day 1, including and in fact rather limited to John Fogerty, Glen Campbell, and the Eagles (pictured, left). But Glen Campbell did cover U2, so that's something.
This is going out to all those posters on my February concert review of Keith Urban at Madison Square Garden: If you want to see him walk away ACM's Entertainer of the Year on May 18 (CBS, 8 p.m. ET/PT), vote for him now. For the first time, fans will decide who wins the night's most coveted award. The other nominees are Kenny Chesney (who's taken it the last three years running), Brad Paisley, George Strait, and Rascal Flatts. So, I guess, if you're a fan of those gentlemen, get to steppin' as well... but first watch this. (Give it 20 seconds.)
Does anyone work an audience better than Dolly Parton? (Seriously, name someone. Go ahead. Try it.)
The Backwoods Barbie played a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall last night, and as EW's Michele Romero so eloquently put it, "The woman is amazing. She does not need to wear jewelry; she is jewelry. She makes glitter sparkle." From the moment she opened the show with "Two Doors Down," it was a party. And the thing damn near got out of control when, later in the evening, she followed "Here You Come Again," with "Islands in the Stream" and "9 to 5." During "Islands," which already had the entire crowd on its feet, I told my friend and colleague Nisha Gopalan that Dolly justhad to do "9 to 5" next, and when she did, we turned to each other and jumped up and down in unison five times. I've never done that at a concert. Or, well, ever. But Dolly brings that kind of joy out of you. The woman's voice is still flawless — delicate and powerful, often in the same song, which is what makes "I Will Always Love You" and "Eagle When She Flies" (which Parton wrote as the theme song for Steel Magnolias, but wasn't used) so moving. She's so talented that she can play just about any instrument you put in front of her, as long as it's bedazzled. "I never leave a rhinestone unturned," she said, heading to her studded white piano. And, as the headline states, she's got the best stage banter in the business. She's sufficiently quippy, but also shares her life story. After the jump, some of her greatest hits.
Home
Brooks & Dunn have a nifty hit single out now called “Put a Girl in it,” and I only wish the country music industry would take that advice more often. I thought about it as the 
Last night, Barack Obama’s exit music at the close of his historic Democratic convention acceptance speech was 
We love 
On Monday night, Melissa Lawson, a 32-year-old mother of five from Arlington, Texas, triumphed over fellow Lone Star Stater Gabe Garcia to win NBC's country music talent competition Nashville Star. Her first single, "
A surprise to, well, no one, Melissa Lawson is our new Nashville Star. (
Last night's Nashville Star saw the final four return to their hometowns to put on a concert, be treated like a rock star, and if you're Coffey, to meet fans Patricia Heaton and Sinbad. Heaton said she's been watching him every week; Sinbad insisted that he's been voting. (How hard did NBC have to work to find out that Sinbad was a Coffey fan?) Our thoughts go out to those celebs this morning because their pick got the boot. Let's break the performances down.
Saturday night, I caught Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney on Chesney's Poets and Pirates Tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. It was the day I'd been waiting for since February, when, after seeing 
Like judge and Grammy-nominated songwriter Jeffrey Steele (
When I talked to Dolly Parton in the fall of 2005 (
Normally, we break it down for you in the order the contestants performed. But this week, we're starting with the bottom two because seriously...
I loved this episode of Nashville Star for many reasons. First and foremost, it was only an hour long. Secondly, host Billy Ray Cyrus showed a little bit of personality and I didn't want to slap him (except for that hanging chad joke). Thirdly, the contestants started to bite back at the judges, who, let's face it, had it coming. Let's get right into it. 
This just in and making me giddy 
Before we break down last night's performances, we need to discuss next week's double elimination: It couldn't come at a better time. Despite what NBC seems to think, it's not fun to watch the judges rip into contestants for not being "country." It actually undermines the judges, who had a say in choosing the finalists. If you think Coffey (pictured) is faking it, that means he fooled you, John Rich — assuming you put him on the show because you thought he'd actually be a great country artist and not because he'd be good TV. Just like I hope y'all weren't so desperate to cast someone from the USS Kitty Hawk that you welcomed likable Tommy Stanley to the show, even though you could tell from Day One he had to work too hard to sound country.
Confession country buffs: If I had to whip out my iPod right now and construct Lisa's Country Playlist, it would contain little more than the obligatory Gretchen, Carrie, and Shania. (Would it be too much of a stretch to include "Sweet Home Alabama," too?) But even though I'm no country connoisseur, the more I've read about Nashville Star through Mandi Bierly's weekly posts and your astute PopWatch comments — sexual harassment allegations? excessive butt shots of a talentless pretty boy contestant? Billy Ray Cyrus' facial hair? — the more I've contemplated adding it to my DVR lineup. And with Mandi on vacation this week (and a pop-goes-country theme in effect), I decided it was the perfect time to test the waters.
I like me some John Rich, but our relationship is becoming love/hate thanks to Nashville Star. Let's get right into last night's show...
I'm teetering on Taylor Swift overload (she'll co-host TRL June 16 through June 19) but I'll admit that I'm pysched for her MTV special, Once Upon a Prom, premiering June 21 at 3 p.m ET. The 18-year-old country singer missed her own prom, so she's going on the arm of one lucky senior at Hillcrest High in Tuscaloosa, AL. The hour-long special will follow Swift as she selects her stag (from among 40 dateless teens), finds her dress, and experiences all the awkward and awesome moments generally associated with the night. Throughout the day on June 21, she'll be on MTV introducing segments covering over-the-top prom fashions and shocking moments. (Celebs and viewers alike will also dish on their wild nights.) 
EW's Whitney Pastorek recently pronounced 
How much do we love this? Gone Country castmates 
Well, 
When I was a kid, there was no country music in our household — except for one song, Eddy Arnold's truly immortal 1955 smash, 
How much do you love the cast of CMT's Gone Country 2 (shooting now in Nashville, for an August premiere)? This time, Big & Rich's John Rich will attempt to make country artists out of:
Once more unto the breach, dear PopWatchers, once more did I go, and thus did I witness the final day of Stagecoach 2008, a.k.a. the final plastic cup-and-cigarette butt atrocity to be visited upon the Empire Polo Fields of Indio, Calif., for another year. Backpack slung tight upon my back, flip-flops protesting under my filthy feet, I strode the dusty grass one last time, feeling none of the reservation and/or maudlin need to reminisce that one might associate with, say, the end of summer camp. Instead, I mostly looked for ways to pass the time between sets so I could hear me some music and get the hell home. 
This is going out to all those posters on my February concert review of 
Does anyone work an audience better than