KEITH URBAN COVERS ‘COUNTRY WEEKLY’… CHATS WITH ‘PARADE’

August 23rd, 2010 by John Cruz

Keith Urban covers the new issue of Country Weekly.

And in the 2nd part of a 4-part series on Country Stars Giving Back, Keith spoke to the magazine about the charities close to his heart, why he got involved, and how it makes him feel. He says, “I came from nothing, basically. Our family-very, very working class-really had nothing. [We had] a pretty rubbishy car and a pretty rubbishy house attached onto the back of the corner store my parents ran. My brother and I slept on little horsehair mattresses on the floor”.

Keith adds, “To come from that and to be in the strange, rarified air I find myself in these days, I can certainly feel a strong pull to want to give back. I’m immensely blessed with what I’ve been given in my life.”

Keith also has joined forces with his wife, Nicole Kidman, to bring awareness to causes. Nicole is the Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) where she often talks about and against violence against women. The two have also shared support for flood victims in Nashville and wildfire victims in Australia.

You can read more about how Keith Urban gives back in next week’s Country Weekly magazine.

ALSO: Keith in Parade… the Magazine

Keith Urban is also interviewed in Parade magazine. Some excerpts:

Combining two American loves — BBQ and country music.
“I always seem to be the guy providing the entertainment more than cooking. Grilling out and country music does seem to go hand-in-hand, and there’s certainly no shortage of tailgaters before our concerts. At home, I do a little bit of cooking. My wife and I share the cooking duties a little bit.”

How he balances home life while on tour.
“I don’t know if there’s any secret to it. Everybody sort of finds their own way to keep their life balanced. I know for me, family is first and I just make sure that I spread my time amongst the things that I love to do as well. Balance is never achieved, it’s just maintained. And so far I’ve been able to maintain it.”

Nicole is the perfect partner in crime.
“I’m fortunate to have a wife who understands about career as well. We’re very blessed to have each other, and you recognize the importance of all the facets of our lives. But family is very, very strong in our lives.”

What the future holds for country music.
“Right now, it’s just as strong as it’s ever been. What’s great about country is it’s quite a broad genre. If you say you’re country, you almost have to say what kind of country because it seems to encompass a lot. It’s got a great, rich history of always embracing current styles and trends within it in order to keep it relevant and keep moving forward.”

STAR MAG MAKING TROUBLE FOR KENNY C?

August 19th, 2010 by John Cruz

Star mag claims to have photos of Kenny Chesney enjoying ‘a steamy Mexican getaway’ with ESPN sportscaster Jenn Brown.

The tabloid claims to have photos of them on the beach together, including one in which she slides her hands under his shirt and around his waist and another in which she strikes sexy poses for him.

And sources claim Kenny’s girlfriend of two years, Amy, was livid when she found out the trip. READ MORE HERE!

Our very own Pershing Wells is one of 5 finalists in USA today.com Gulf oil tragedy song contest…

August 18th, 2010 by John Cruz

VOTE FOR PERSHING WELL’S GULF OIL TRAGEDY SONG HERE! “LOOSIANA’S DROWNING, AGAIN!”

AMERICA’S BEST MUSIC CITIES, ARE….

August 16th, 2010 by John Cruz

According to Travel + Leisure readers, Nashville may be known as ‘Music City’, but New Orleans has it beat.

The birthplace of jazz wins the AFC survey for its legendary music scene, which includes blues, reggae, zydeco, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. You’ll find music everywhere: on Bourbon Street, of course, as well as nontouristed areas such as Riverbend or Frenchman Street. Music also goes great with the other things that AFC readers love about the Crescent City: it ranks No. 1 for its singles scene, cafés, wild weekend potential, and people-watching.

(Travel + Leisure readers rated 30 cities on a wide variety of qualities: luxury hotels, coffee bars, cool neighborhoods, and even how intelligent the locals seem.)

When it came to live music, voters ranked Austin at No. 3, right behind Nashville.

The Top 10 Music Cities:

#1 New Orleans
#2 Nashville
#3 Austin
#4 New York
#5 Las Vegas
#6 Chicago
#7 Los Angeles
#8 Minneapolis/St. Paul
#9 Miami
#10 Cleveland

NFL Football Hazing for the rookies begins!

August 12th, 2010 by John Cruz

Well, NFL football season is here and for rookies it is ‘Hazeville” LSU fans will be happy to know that Tim Tebow got it good! Check out what happened to him and other professional athletes here. Tim Tebow’s new Friar Tuck-inspired haircut is just another example of the long-standing tradition of rookie hazing in professional sports. Here are the 20 worst (or best) cases of all-time.

Pony up the Dough, Rook
Larry English was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2009. How did his new teammates help him celebrate? By letting him foot the bill on a $14,508.67 dinner.

Don’t Buc The Vets
Former Buccaneers running back Mike Alstott didn’t like that then-rookie Chris Colmer refused to fetch him a cup of Gatorade. Alstott’s retaliation?

He went to Colmer’s residence, removed the wheels from his car, put the car on blocks, and left a map for the rookie to find the missing pieces.

PB Britches
David Ortiz got an uncomfortable welcome to Minnesota when he was a rookie.

A former Twins catcher loaded up Ortiz’ underwear with peanut butter so that when the freshly showered Ortiz got dressed he got a nice crotch full of the sticky stuff—extra chunky, too.

Penguin Man
As a rookie for the Texas Rangers in 2006, John Rheinecker made the mistake of forgetting his passport on a road trip from San Francisco to Toronto.

So his teammates made Rheinecker ride the San Francisco BART system dressed as a penguin, and tailed him to ensure that he completed his punishment.

TIM MC GRAW IS A PRANKSTER!

August 11th, 2010 by John Cruz

Tim McGraw is quite the prankster! Check he and his crew out on stage crashing the performance of Lady A’s “Love don’t live here anymore.” Click here.

1 million pounds of ground beef recalled.

August 10th, 2010 by John Cruz

Consumers are being warned to check their freezers for recalled beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. The Modesto California-based meat processor Valley Meat Company is voluntarily recalling approximately one million pounds of ground beef. The beef may contain a rare strain of the bacterium E. coli O157:H7.

The Valley Meat Company says the ground beef patties and bulk products were produced between October 2nd, 2009 through January 12th, 2010 and were distributed to retail outlets and institutional foodservice providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and overseas. A list of retailers has not yet been released, but a complete list of products has been published on the company’s website.

So far seven people are believed to have been sickened between February and June according to a USDA press release. Consumers are urged to throw away any of this beef, if they still have it in their freezers.

E. coli can cause serious illness including death in the most severe cases. Consumers can avoid getting sick if they properly cook their meat to at least 160° F, which kills the bacteria.