Taylor Swift is a "crafty" present-wrapper.
The 'Mean' hitmaker enjoys making her Christmas gifts hard to unwrap and she goes to great lengths to make them look attractive before her family and friends can open them.
She wrote on twitter: "I get sort of crafty when I wrap gifts. Like...I had to stop when I found myself hot-gluing Christmas figurines onto the presents."
The blonde stunner loves spending time with her family at Christmas and she enjoys using the festive period to look back on what she has achieved over the years.
The 22-year-old singer - who was named Artist of the Year at the 2011 American Music Awards - told Twist magazine: "I plan on spending as much time with my family as possible. It's amazing to have us all together. Also, a lot of my friends are always on tour.
"To have everyone back in Nashville for the holidays is one of my favorite things about this time of year. My family and I always decorate a big Christmas tree together and look at the ornaments [my brother] Austin and I made when we were kids.
"It's so nostalgic, looking back at all the Christmases past and comparing them to how different our lives are now."
Taylor recently gave her legion of fans an early Christmas present by tweeting a link to her latest song 'Safe and Sound,' which will feature on the soundtrack of action movie 'The Hunger Games.'
Country star Eric Church and wife Katherine welcomed a new baby boy, Boone McCoy Church, on October 3, and no, at 10-weeks-old, their son meets the world for the first time looking up from the casing of his daddy's 6-string guitar.
Born 7 lbs. and 11 oz., Boone is a very healthy and happy boy, and according to Eric, is the most amazing gift he's ever received.
"Everybody always tells you what an awesome and unique experience being a parent," says Eric. "But words can never do the feeling justice. The way our life changed in that 24-hour period alone after he was born - just by putting a little boy in the house - was awesome."
Having skyrocketed into the spotlight since the release of his GRAMMY-nominated album CHIEF that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart he adds, "It will be interesting to see how this new chapter in our life manifests itself musically. I've always made music that was representative of real life. Life doesn't get more real than having a newborn at home."
Church plans to celebrate his son's first Christmas at home with his wife and family. His headlining tour, The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, will commence in 2012 in Fort Smith, AR on January 19.
For more information on Eric Church, check out his official website.
Taylor Swift was treated to a decadent birthday cake by her record label.
The 'Ours' singer turned 22 on Wednesday and although she was in the studio recording her new album on her big day, a luncheon she hosted for the Big Machine label turned into a birthday celebration when they surprised her with a cake covered in vanilla butter cream.
Posting a picture of the cake, which had edible glitter and the words "Happy Birthday Taylor, love, The Machine" on it, Taylor tweeted: "Took a break from the studio to visit the label, where they gave me this!"
Taylor reportedly was so impressed with the treat from Nashville bakery Dulce Desserts that her mother later bought a smaller version to serve that night at a low-key party for Taylor and her friends.
Taylor tweeted yesterday: "Best. Birthday. Ever. Thank you for all the birthday wishes. You made me feel really special today :) :) :) (sic)."
For her 21st birthday last year, Taylor held a Christmas-themed party and revealed she loves celebrating during the festive season because it means there is less focus on her.
She explained: "I love having a Christmas-themed birthday party so people can give each other presents at my birthday party, so it's not so much a spotlight birthday thing - especially with a 21st birthday where people are like, 'Huh? Huh? What's she gonna do?'
"I didn't want it to be a crazy club thing, I just want it to be very me and the me thing to do would be to have a Christmas birthday party."
Be sure to check out Taylor's most recent video, "Ours," right here!
LeAnn Rimes thinks modern country singers need to write more from the heart.
The singer went back to her roots for 'Lady and Gentlemen' - which saw her cover country tracks originally voiced by men - and chose older songs, as she feels modern artists concentrate too hard on trying to catchy hits.
She told tasteofcountry.com: "I was at a very vulnerable time in my life, and even though they weren't my words, I could relate to all of them because all of these men wrote about what they were living and that doesn't really happen anymore because everyone is trying to focus on making a hit record and it can be very stale. I totally believe the reason why I did this record now is to see where I want to go in the future."
The 'Can't Fight the Moonlight' singer feels invigorated by her last project, and compares the way she is planning to make further albums on, to making films.
She added: "I'm kind of making movies now, not just albums, which is really fun. It's a complete vision, and I know where I want to go. That's the exciting part. It's a complete rebirth."
LeAnn is planning to release five new tracks at the beginning of next year, although she has yet to confirm what format they will appear in.
For the second consecutive year, RCA Nashville recording artist Chris Young is sponsoring a special holiday tree in the Gaylord Opryland Resort's fifth annual Hall of Trees to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other deadly childhood diseases.
Each tree in the Hall of Trees includes major gifts donated by sponsors and is tied to charity. Tree decorations, along with the gifts, will be auctioned off to benefit the sponsor's designated charity. Chris, a Country Cares for St. Jude Kids supporter, has chosen St. Jude to benefit from the proceeds of his NEON tree, which is currently on display at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Resort.
"During my visit to St. Jude I some incredible little kids who were fighting for their lives," said Young. "I hope my fans will enjoy the NEON tree and help me raise funds for St. Jude to support its lifesaving mission."
The NEON tree also comes with the following gifts:
-Chris Young autographed guitar
-$100 worth of iTunes gift cards
-Chris Young snow globe
-Autographed 4-pack of Chris Young CDs
-Country Strong hatch print poster autographed by Gwyneth Paltrow
-Autographed 8x10 of Miranda Lambert
-10 inch digital picture frame
-Hand smocked baby dress and little black dress tree ornament hand made by Chris's 83-year-old grandmother
-Autographed handwritten lyrics of Chris' current single "You"
-Neon tree ornaments
-Custom made Neon logo Chris Young sign
-Miscellaneous Sony music artist autographed CDs and 8x10s
Bids for Chris' NEON tree may be placed HERE or in person at the Hall of Trees in Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Hotel through January 3rd.
Eric Church celebrates new accolades this week as iTunes names him their 2011 Country Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and his latest album CHIEF is featured in iTunes' Best Of 2011 section.
In addition, NPR Music hails CHIEF as one of their Top 50 Albums of the Year noting, "On his third album, Church hits his stride, chronicling wild nights and epic hangovers with just the right amount of critical distance."
The album also landed an impressive spot at No. 19 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 50 Best Albums of 2011 and it sits at No. 9 on Amazon's Best Country Albums of 2011.
While Church's current Top 10 single "Drink In My Hand" climbs the Country Billboard chart, his song "Springsteen," from CHIEF was named No. 30 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 50 Best Singles of 2011.
These latest acknowledgements cap off a year full of impressive accomplishments for Church, including his first GRAMMY nomination in the Best Country Album category for his third studio album and chart-topping release, CHIEF. The album hit stores on July 26, 2011 and held the No. 1 position on both the Billboard Top 200 and the Country Albums Chart, selling over 145,000 in its first week and reaching RIAA Gold-certification in merely 10 weeks.
Church's most recent accolades are in addition to the 2011 ACM Award for New Solo Vocalist of the Year and combined, have laid the groundwork for his recently announced headlining tour, The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, which is scheduled to hit 50 markets in 2012 beginning in Fort Smith, Arkansas on Jan. 19.
"I am so grateful for the many ways CHIEF has changed my life," shares Church. "There is no cooler thing as a recording artist than when people tell you that your music matters to them. Every single day the momentum for this record gets bigger and stronger, and I can't wait for next year to share this music with the people who truly made this happen. It's gonna be one hell of a tour!"
Blackberry Smoke is releasing a live DVD just in time for the holidays, and YOU have a chance to WIN it!!
Yallwire and Blackberry Smoke are teaming up to give you the chance to win one of the best gifts for a country music fan (whether that is a loved one...or yourself!). By entering this contest, you can have an awesome t-shirt and DVD bundle!
The DVD features live performances and behind the scenes footage of the band from their amazing 15-song sold out show at Athens, Georgia's famous Georgia Theatre. The exclusive concert footage also features performances by fellow Georgia natives Zac Brown Band, Wet Willie's Jimmy Hall and Zac Brown's Clay Cook. It doesn't rock much harder than this!
"We're not [screwin'] around when it comes to music - that's what we eat, sleep and breathe," says lead vocals and guitarist Charlie Starr.
Atlanta-based Blackberry Smoke continues to grow into the premiere Southern Rock band of America, and this DVD proves their authentic beer stainin,' beer-growin,' cigarette burnin' Southern roots. Over the last 12 months, they have shared the stage with ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shooter Jennings, Cross Canadian Ragweed and countless others.
For the chance to win, simply visit Yallwire's Facebook Page and leave a comment on our post about the contest telling us "Where were you the first time you heard Blackberry Smoke?"
To learn more about Blackberry Smoke, check out their official website.
Be sure to check out this amazing trailer to see some clips from the "Blackberry Smoke: Live At The Georgia Theatre" DVD!
Singer, songwriter and entertainer Toby Keith was named "Artist of the Decade" on Monday night's American Country Awards, which aired live from Las Vegas on FOX.
The honor is based on Mediabase airplay data from 2001 to 2010, which shows Keith as the No. 1 artist at country radio during that span.
After receiving the honor, Toby closed the show with a performance of his unexpected new smash, "Red Solo Cup," which was only officially named a single last week after the video went viral on the Internet to the tune of more than five million views.
The song is the No. 1 iTunes country download and No. 10 (and climbing) in the all-genre iTunes Top Songs download, most added at country radio and already No. 22 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart.
So complete is the cup's cultural impact, it was covered by the cast of the FOX-TV hit Glee - perhaps the fastest release-to-Glee rendition of any song yet to be featured on the show.
"Red Solo Cup" is the second single from Keith's recently-released No. 1 album Clancy's Tavern following the No. 1 hit "Made In America." Keith recently completed the European leg of his Locked & Loaded tour, where international fans were quick to pick up the new custom of waving the iconic red Solo cups.
Check out the video here!:
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