Check the Ellen Degeneres show today to see Taylor Swift guesting along with actor, Zac Efron.  Tayor and Zac both play characters in the upcoming animated film “The Lorax.”  Taylor doesn’t sing but she teaches Zac a few guitar licks. Ellen makes several attempts at trying to find out if Taylor and Zac might be a couple. 

Nashville hosts the most important convention for country music each year. It’s a time for country radio programmers, managers and air talent to come together with country music industry record makers, and stars…all gathered for one purpose…make country music  the most successful recorded music radio format  in the U.S.A.

CRS(Country Radio Seminar) 2012 officially kicks off its three-day confab tomorrow,  Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Nashville Convention Center in downtown Nashville.

With overall attendance at CRS increasing each of the past two years, CRS 2012 looks to continue that trend with a cutting-edge agenda and a number of convenience upgrades and entertainment options available.  From an educational perspective, attendees can expect more than 30 panels and roundtable discussions, with dozens of industry-leading speakers and panelists, exhibits, in-depth research and endless networking opportunities with other Country radio professionals from around the country.

We recently mentioned that Kix Brooks will be releasing his solo single next month and when you hear it, you’ll bet on Kix succeeding on his own. The song is “New To This Town,” a powerful lament about a guy who’s broken up with his lover and envies a newly arrived stranger in town. Someone who hasn’t lost his lover there, and doesn’t know any folks in town who want to ask him about the breakup or how’s he doin’, etc.
Very soulful vocal from a very save and sensitive singer.

With the success of songs like “Let It Rain”, David says you can feel the difference in shows now. “You can feel it when you hit the stage. “There’s a real energy. People know the songs, especially the album cuts, and they sing it back to you like they’re singing you their life. When I started chasing this dream, that’s all I ever wanted – for my songs to make people feel something, to feel their lives.”

All kidding aside, Gary says, “Brittany and Brooklyn, they’re absolutely the joys of my life and they make everything in life just so much sweeter and there’s nothing like a daddy’s girl, there just isn’t. And I’m proud to be their father and they make me cry happy tears all the time.” Gary says one tough part about his daughters getting older is having to discipline them. “You know, just the scolding part and the time out part and the go to your room stuff and you’re taking things away, you know? Their punishments get tougher as they get older, you know? And … it’s heartbreaking, you know, because you hate to do anything. But that’s just the way it is … But they are truly the greatest gift that God’s ever given me.” Time with their kids is so precious these days because Rascal Flatts is busy with their Thaw Out 2012 tour, planning their summer The American Band Tour and promoting their latest single, “Banjo,” off their forthcoming CD, Changed, which will be out April 3rd.

Head man, Tim DuBois, encouraged them to co-write some songs. When they delivered the songs, Tim said he liked them and said, “We want to sign you to a record deal.” Kix and Ronnie said, “Which one of us?!” To which he responded “both of you as a duo.” And, the future greatest country duo in history was born. Now, of course, both Ronnie and Kix are releasing their own records as solo artists, finally realizing their individual careers. Ronnie’s is already established and now, Kix will release his first Arista Nashville solo single, “New To This Town” (featuring Joe Walsh), to radio on March 19.

“It’s a freedom of sorts,” shares Kix about Brooks & Dunn coming to an end. “It’s not a bitter freedom by any means, just sort of a ‘well that was fun, now what?’ Sort of like being at a theme park and looking around after riding the same roller coaster you finally say, ‘Ok I think I’ll try that one over there!’”

Kix’s ‘new ride’ begins with his first solo single on Arista Nashville, “New To This Town” (featuring Joe Walsh), co-written by Brooks and longtime friends Marv Green (Brooks & Dunn’s “Proud Of The House We Built”) and Terry McBride (Brooks & Dunn hits “If You See Him/If You See Her” and “Play Something Country”).

“It paints the powerful emotion we’ve all known, of lost love and the uncomfortable situation of running in to that person again.” Kix says that “after a couple phone calls, and the sending of a music file across the internet, the man himself put his stamp on ‘New To This Town’ like only Joe Walsh could!”

Justin Moore talks about his wife’s favorite song…

(Written by Brian Dean Maher, Justin Moore, Jeremy Stover) Justin explains, “Till My Last Day‟ is my wife’s favorite song on the album and probably the softest thing that I’ve ever done. It shows a little bit of a different side of me. I’m blessed to have a great wife that supports me, and my music and everything I do. I wasn’t always the best boyfriend or husband and this song kind of speaks to that. It’s one of the coolest tracks on the album and really features the slide guitar.”