With more top crust country superstars being added to the itinerary, it is of utmost importance to secure the best date and time. So who might be on the agenda? Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake  Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and some awesome combinations include Alan Jackson with Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley with Alabama and Jason  Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, Seems some last minute adds are in order like: Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town. Country’s Night to Rock is a three-hour special.

So why the big deal there are over 70 million television viewers that can be divided up. The real story is that “The Real Big Country Superstars”, would have to choose which show to be on. I won’t mention any names but when you take into account that Miss Swift reels in 6 nominations for herself plus Fox’s 2011 Teen Choice Awards has named many other country stars that are up for multiple awards as well.

Jewel got the news she was expecting on the very first day on the job of the reality show Platinum Hit. “I took a pregnancy test and it was positive!” she told PEOPLE. “It was so hard to keep it a secret.”

The happy couple spent the last nine months remodeling a room in their 2,200 acre ranch house into a nursery for Kase Townes Murray, future Rodeo riding country music singing superstar. Jewel’s new children’s album, The Merry Goes ‘Round, will be released in August.

The pictures show daddy to be Ty always holds the expectant moms belly.

36 year old Jewel had a difficult time conceiving, then she was in an auto accident at five months pregnant. When she left the hospital she was still pregnant but was concerned for the health and safety of her unborn child.

Shannon Stone a Brownwood, TX firefighter died July 7 after he fell from an upper railing at The Ballpark in Arlington while trying to catch a baseball for his six-year old son. In an effort to help the Stone’s family, the TDQOC felt they needed to do something to help.

“Like the rest of the country, we were extremely saddened by the accident that took Shannon Stone’s life and wanted to do what we could to help Mr. Stone’s family,” said TDQOC President Larry Newell. “Dairy Queen, like the game of baseball, is a family destination and both are part of virtually every community in Texas. When something like this happens, the family needs the help of their community more than ever. As a Brownwood firefighter, Mr. Stone spent 18 years selflessly serving his community and as part of that extended community, we want to give something back to his family.”

Source: TDOC Press Realease

The TDQOC will make the donation of $33,834 to the Shannon Stone Memorial fund set up by The Texas Rangers after Stone’s death last Thursday.

Grandpa Neal McCoy has some good news of his own to share as well. Neal has signed with Blaster Records and has announced, He and two new producers will go into the studio in mid August to start work on his 12th album. The producers names are being kept secret for the moment but will be released in early August. Look for the new album to be released in January 2012.

Great news, Neal McCoy is a Grandfather and a new album in the works. What’s next maybe Neal will be coming soon to a stage near you. I can only dream. Congratulations to the McCoys.
Photos courtesy of Webster & Associates Nashville TN.

Thousands gathered to watch the blast off, the final of the 30-year-old shuttle program, CNN reported.

NASA via Getty Images

The four-member crew is embarking on a 12-day mission in which they’ll deliver supplies to the International Space Station.

The space shuttle program was commissioned by President Richard Nixon in 1972, three years after a man was put on the moon in the Apollo program.

Columbia, the first shuttle, went into space in 1981, and in 134 missions, five shuttles have carried 355 astronauts into space.

[CNN]

photo by: Rudy F.

While I have only seen it done on TV, it was pretty cool watching it all happen. This got me thinking, there are a lot of people involved to make something like moving a “on-sight built house” happen.

I first saw a couple of police and sheriffs cars working the traffic.

Then there was the electric power company guys making sure all lines would clear. Two guys were carrying long poles with a “U” shaped thing on one end, used for lifting any low hanging utility lines.

The TX-DOT guys were making sure that all street signs and traffic lights were clear of the house and it’s roof top.

And of course the house moving guys and their pick-up trucks two in front and two behind, plus a host of guys checking the house as it moved slowly down the road.

Which brings me to my final thought, they were not in any hurry. The entire convoy was moving no faster than five to ten miles per hour. Now I know why moving can get expensive, just simple calculation of twenty-five guys making at least 10 dollars an hour that’s two-hundred-fifty dollars an hour, not including permits, equipment and whatever other charges there might be.

I think I’ll stay put right where I’m at. Just thinking of this moving thing makes tired.

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

The CMT Music Awards were handed out Wednesday night in Nashville. Taylor Swift continued her dominant run at awards shows by claiming the night’s biggest prize when her clip for ‘Mine’ took home Video of the Year.

Swift accepted the award via a live feed from Milwaukee during the latest stop on her current tour. She was her usual gracious self by saying, “I wish I could be there but I am hanging out with 15,000 of my closet friends in Milwaukee.”

The night’s other big moment came courtesy of Shania Twain, who fell while heading onto the stage to announce Male Video of the Year. Twain handled the episode like a champ, posting a message on her website later saying she avoided injury while “making a fool of herself.”

Here’s a look at the night’s winners:

Video of the Year

Taylor Swift – ‘Mine’

Male Video of the Year

Blake Shelton – ‘Who Are You When I’m Not Looking’

Female Video of the Year

Miranda Lambert – ‘The House That Built Me’

Group Video of the Year

Lady Antebellum – ‘Hello World’

Duo Video of the Year

Sugarland – ‘Stuck Like Glue’

Breakthrough Video of the Year

The Band Perry – ‘If I Die Young’

Collaborative Video of the Year

Justin Bieber feat. Rascal Flatts – ‘That Should Be Me’

CMT Performance of the Year

Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett – ‘Margaritaville’ from ‘CMT Crossroads: Jimmy Buffett and Zac Brown Band’

Best Web Video of the Year

Blake Shelton – ‘Kiss My Country Ass’

Video Director of the Year

Trey Fanjoy

Red Carpet Photos

Show Photos

[Taste of Country]

To protect yourself when temperatures are 90 degrees or higher, remember to keep cool and use common sense. Follow these common sense tips:

1. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Regardless of your activity level, increase your consumption of fluids.Waiting until you’re thirsty to drink something is too late. Drinking alcoholic beverages act as a reverse causing your body to dehydrate. If you’re doing exercises in a hot weather, drink at least two to four glasses of fluids every hour. you will need to increase your fluid intake by two to three times normal consumption.

2. Replace your minerals

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Replacing salt and minerals in your body is something we never seem toremember to do. Think for just a moment, when the Dallas Cowboys are playing football on a 100 degree day you see each player doing it”replacing important minerals”, and you should too. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. However, if you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor first. Sport drinks tend to be loaded with salt, minerals and sugars/sweeteners.

3. wear the right clothing

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

This means preparing for your day outdoors in the extreme heat. Put on theleast amount of clothing as possible when you are at home. Lightweight, light-colored and loose fitting cloths are what works best in high heat environments. Cover or shade your face by wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Cover other exposed areas because sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool itself. A sunburn will cause your body to lose fluids. It also causes pain and damages the skin. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun wear sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen the higher the SPF the better. Sunscreen needs to be applied 30 minutes prior to going outdoors. Continue to reapply in accordance with the SPF number on the package. Simple rule of thumb here, if it’s SPF 15, then reapply every 15 minutes and SPF 45 every 45 minutes. Please follow manufacturers directions or check with you family doctor.

4. Use the buddy system

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Use a Buddy System, never try to undertake the great outdoors during extreme heat conditions. This is when most heat related accidents occur. You will lose track of time, forget to reapply sunscreen, drink water/fluids and take breaks. A heat caused illness will make a person to become confused or lose consciousness. When you are working in the heat , monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Never try to take on hot weather conditions alone.

5. monitor children and elderly

Infants and children are more sensitive to high temperatures and need adults

Michelly Rall/Getty Images

to regulate their environments and provide lots of fluids. Children are in more need of sunscreen because their skin may be more sensitive to sunburning.

People 65 years of age or older need someone who will call and check on them two to three times a day minimum. The elderly may not compensate for heat stress efficiently and are not likely to sense and respond to change in temperature.

People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation, may be affected by extreme heat.

Those that are overweight may be prone to heat sickness because of their tendency to retain more body heat. And finally, people who overexert during work or exercise may become dehydrated and susceptible to heat sickness.

The Big Country has already seen several days where the temperatures have exceeded the 100 degree mark and summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st. It’s going to be a hot one so stay cool. For more information on hot weather safety information check out these web sites:

Centers For Disease Control web site

License Plates by Texas D.M.V. MyPlates.com

Here’s a list of the 15 new designs: Sports Teams: Texas Stars Hockey, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth Cats Baseball Club Colleges and High Schools: Brigham Young University, Purdue University, Texas Longhorns Orange, Coppell Cowboys Clubs and Associations: Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited, Texas Nurse Practitioners, 811 Texas Corporate plates: Freebirds World Burrito & Ignite by Stream Energy Non-sponsored plates: I’d Rather be Golfing, Large Star White/Pink, Deep in the Heart Flag

With this new group, My Plates now offers more than 100 license plate designs, with partners and themes as diverse as our state. Texans have bought more than 49,000 My Plates since November 2009, putting more than $4.5M in the state general revenue fund. source MyPlates.com

In honor of Memorial Day, and all the barbecuing that will take place during the three-day weekend, we’ve compiled a gallery of handmade aprons from craft site Etsy that are sure to let everyone know who’s boss of the grill.

- Contributed by Jeremy Taylor

See if you can spot you favorite country, pop, rock, rap, R&B, TV and movie stars. I knew who he was right off the bat, but I will have to admit that James Taylor had me staring at him wondering “what happened JT?”

She grew up in New York City where she became a teacher and later a lawyer. She was part of the Queens District Attorney’s Office, she headed the Special Victims Bureau on sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence. She was later elected to Congress in 1978, where she rose rapidly in the party she was focused on bringing equality for women in all areas. She was a catalyst for women & children and she set the standard for other women to further their careers in politics. This Great Nation grieves for her loss while giving thanks for all her outstanding accomplishments and advancements for peoples rights in America.

Here’s a gallery of the Great American Race, The Daytona 500

Here’s a great gallery of our favorite country stars as they walked the red carpet at the 53rd Grammy’s

Wanna walk down memory lane? Check out this gallery

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas draws tech geeks galore, who come to get a first look at the cutting-edge gadgets that will soon be on store shelves.

The beautiful people gathered for The People’s Choice Awards on January 5th, 2011

WOW! What an amazing game between Ohio State and Arkansas. Here are some visual highlights of one of the best bowl games of the 2010-11 season!