Michael Loccisano / Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Fans got a peek at Reba McEntire‘s new sitcom today. The country great shared a trailer of ‘Malibu Country,’ a show that stars the redhead as an aging, aspiring country star who’s trying to begin a career after a divorce from a country legend. She isn’t the only superstar to appear on the small screen, however. Carrie Underwood was on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and Taylor Swift‘s ‘Mean’ got the ‘Glee’ treatment yesterday. Find video of both in the Daily Roundup.

Also included in this recap of the hottest music news stories are a few from outside of country, like Justin Bieber‘s thoughts on beer and a review of ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting.’

Today on Taste of Country:

‘Malibu Country’ Trailer Gives First Look at Reba McEntire’s New Comedy Series
Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ Gets the ‘Glee’ Treatment in New Video
Kenny Chesney Expands His Band Prior to Brothers of the Sun Tour Kickoff
Miranda Lambert Picks Up Yet Another Stray Puppy
Before They Were Famous: Clint Black
Lady Antebellum Head to Indiana to Rebuild Henryville High School
Josh Kelley, Katherine Heigl Reveal Details About New Adopted Daughter
Best Hump Day Song – Readers Poll
Carrie Underwood Brings ‘Good Girl’ to the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Stage
Taylor Swift Teams Up With Ed Sheeran for New Album
New Country Music Releases – June 2012
Discover America Commercial – What’s the Song?
Toby Keith’s Annual Golf Classic Event Set for May 19 in Oklahoma

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Justin Bieber GQ Profile Reveals He’s Tried Beer, Likes Metallica + is ‘Flaky’
‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ Review
Jay-Z: ‘Jack White Is Insane’
‘Anchorman 2′ Poster Debuts, Teaser to Play Before ‘The Dictator’
Bill Ward Officially Out of Black Sabbath Reunion After ‘Final Effort’ Fails

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Kenny Chesney is gearing up to head back out on the road on his first major stadium run since last summer’s Goin’ Coastal Tour. Not only is he sharing the stage with his fellow country music superstar Tim McGraw, but also famed Nashville musician Kenny Greenberg.

Greenberg is the Academy of Country Music’s 2012 Guitarist of the Year and a veteran session musician in Music City who has previously collaborated with Bob Seger, Willie Nelson and Etta James. The legendary guitarist has frequently worked with Chesney on past musical projects, including the singer’s forthcoming new album ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl’ (in stores June 19) and his previous album, ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey.’

“Kenny is one of the best guitarists out there today, period,” Chesney says of his fellow Kenny, Greenberg. “He’s been a great friend and collaborator over the years, right through ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl,’ and it’s going to be amazing to have him at the party each night this summer.”

Greenberg will join Chesney’s already solid band of musicians, which includes Wyatt Beard (keyboards), Sean Paddock (drums), Steve Marshall (bass), Clayton Mitchell (guitar), Jim Bob Gairrett (steel guitar) and Jon Conley (guitar/fiddle).

The highly-anticipated Brothers of the Sun Tour, also featuring Jake Owen and Grace Potter, is set to kick off on June 2 in Tampa, Fla.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/kenny-chesney-tim-mcgraw-2012-co-headline-tour-dates/" title="See Kenny Chesney Tour Dates" align="center"]

Jason Merritt, Getty Images/Twitter

If it’s possible to become addicted to adopting animals, Miranda Lambert definitely has an addiction — and she might need rehab for the kind-hearted. According to the sassy songstress’ Twitter feed, she has welcomed yet another stray pup into the Shelton household.

Apparently, the furry black and white pup she rescued from the streets just a month ago wasn’t enough to fill the ‘Over You’ singer’s heart. On Tuesday, the singer shared the photo of this adorable black dog that she found, which she appropriately named after one of country music’s most legendary females.

“New puppy I found last week. Loretta! She will go to a new good home soon I hope. : ) or maybe she is already. Hehe,” Lambert tweeted. Although dozens of her 953,280 Twitter followers replied that they would take the sweet girl off of the country star’s hands, Lambert hasn’t mentioned finding a home (other than her own) for the latest canine addition.

Of course, people are starting to wonder how Lambert ends up with all of these strays. She answered the question that’s been burning up all of our minds when she conversed with Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe. Apparently, it’s because she’s magnetic — pups just come to her.

“@ashleymonroe said I have “dogdar”. They find me,” Lambert told Monroe. “And I hope I never see the people that dump them. For [their] sake. It won’t be pretty,” she added.

Let that be a lesson to any of you who have been tempted to abandon an animal: If you’re near Miranda Lambert, she’ll probably make the castoff her newest furry friend. And if she finds you, you better watch out!

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/hillary-scott-cute-pets/" title="See the Cutest Pets in Country Music" align="center"]

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Clint Black wasn’t afraid of a hard day’s work prior to making it big in country music. His first hit single was ‘A Better Man’ in 1989, but by then he was already a big star in his home stage of Texas. Prior to taking the stage full time, Black took jobs as a fishing guide, bait cutter and construction worker.

One of his first jobs was selling newspapers door-to-door. He took that gig when he was just 14-years-old. By then, however, his family had recognized his gift to sing, and he soon began playing with his three older brothers at backyard get-togethers. It was 13 years of traveling and playing empty bar rooms for the singer, who had dropped out of high school to chase his dream. It’s doubtful he’d recommend that to up-and-comers — after all, if it hadn’t worked it’d be life as a bait cutter.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/clay-walker-before-they-were-famous/" title="Next: Clay Walker" align="center"]

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

In March, Lady Antebellum announced the tornado-ravaged Henryville High School in Henryville, Ind. as the lucky winners in the band’s Own the Night Prom Contest. Holding true to their word, the superstar trio heads to the Midwest today (May 16) to play a private concert for the students who are still trying to piece together a somewhat normal high school experience.

“Helping rebuild this community is our biggest priority right now,” says Lady A leading lady Hillary Scott. “We were so moved by the stories from Henryville High School, but also from the students at their rival schools who raised their hands and said they wanted to help. There has been so much national media attention and so many sponsors and volunteers are stepping forward to help. It’s going to be an amazing day!”

Outreach for the disaster relief has reached a fever pitch, with major media outlets covering the event, and ultimately getting #RebuildingHenryville trending on Twitter. The trio took to their official account too in hopes of garnering support for their goodwill effort.

“@Ladyantebellum is #RebuildingHenryville today! Help out here http://bit.ly/ladyaprom and RT to show your support!” the ‘Wanted You More’ singers tweeted.

“The whole community, especially the students, is excited about Lady Antebellum coming and performing for Henryville,” says the superintendent of the West Clark Community Schools, Monty Schneider. “They missed so much with the school being destroyed that things like this help them feel whole again. They will be talking about the tornadoes for the rest of their lives, but this event will give them something positive to reflect on about that time. It’s going to be a special moment for the entire community.”

The trio will perform a private 45-minute set for the juniors and seniors at the KFC YUM! Center as part of the school’s prom night, which will be followed by a full-fledged post-party concert that will be open to the general public in order to help raise funds to rebuild the town. Lipton Tea’s team has also come on board to help with the event in the spirit of their Drink Positive and Live Positive message, a campaign that Lady A already supports.

The band is on track to reach their donation goal of $250,000. All proceeds raised from the concert portion of Rebuilding Henryville will remain local through the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the benefit of the disaster relief fund. Fans who are unable to attend Rebuilding Henryville can still get involved by making donations in any amount here.

Watch the Winning Submission to Lady Antebellum’s ‘Own the Night’ Prom Contest

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Ever since we first reported about Josh Kelley‘s and Katherine Heigl‘s new baby, we’ve been dying to get more details. We’re happy to announce today that the wait is over! Mr. and Mrs. Kelley revealed more information about their new little family member to People, including her name: Adalaide Marie Hope.

“Her full name is Adalaide Marie Hope Kelley,” Heigl explains. “Adalaide because of my great-grandmother, Marie after my middle name, and Hope because that is what the process became.”

Before Kelley got engaged to his superstar wife, actress Katherine Heigl, both agreed that they wanted a family. And although the couple wants to have biological children one day, they started their family by adopting Naleigh — their now 3-1/2-year-old first daughter — from South Korea in 2009.

The tiny family was happy enough as a threesome, but earlier this year, both the country music singer and his wife hinted in interviews that they might have plans to expand their family unit. A few weeks ago, Heigl’s PR rep confirmed that the happy couple had added to their family by adopting a new baby.

Now, Naleigh has a new baby sister! The newborn baby was christened Adalaide Marie Hope, and she was adopted domestically.

With a new baby at home, the big-hearted couple spent a quiet Mother’s Day at their house. But the singer — whose brother is Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum — still took the time to update Twitter followers about the family, writing, “HAPPY MOTHERS DAY !!!! Hope you dudes out there take care of your ladies. No skimping…” He even shared a photo of the breakfast spread he made for the mother of his children.

Although the Kelleys have just expanded their brood, the country crooner still plans to hit the road this summer. Surely, he’ll be belting out ‘Naleigh Moon,’ a song about his oldest daughter and the first single from his 2011 ‘George Clay’ album, at most of his upcoming shows.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/category/baby-news/" title="Get More Country Babies News" align="center"]

Paul Kane, Getty Images

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Taylor Swift‘s ‘Mean’ performed from a male prospective? Thanks to a gender-bending performance of the No. 1 country song on last night’s (May 15) episode of ‘Glee,’ fans are now truly able to appreciate the tune from both sides of the spectrum.

McKinley High’s resident heartthrob Puck (Mark Salling) tackled an acoustic arrangement of Swift’s tune with a little help from Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) in the most recent episode, which also featured celebrity cameo appearances by actress Lindsay Lohan and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

‘Mean’ seems a likely candidate for recognizable cover tunes — and we’re surprised ‘Glee’ didn’t take it on earlier, considering the series recurring themes of self-acceptance and teenage angst in a high school setting. In the past, the show has tackled country covers in Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene‘ and Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup,’ among others.

How does the new version measure up to Swift’s original recording? Watch below and voice your opinions!

Watch Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ as Performed on ‘Glee’

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

Following a successful television run with her self-titled sitcom ‘Reba,’ Reba McEntire is getting another crack at the small screen. The singer-turned-actress’ new series, ‘Malibu Country,’ has been picked up by ABC, after a pilot episode was given the greenlight earlier this year. Now, the first official trailer for the series has been released.

In the clip below, McEntire tells the dramatic story of how she and her kids found their way out to Malibu. Following a divorce from her cheating husband, the fiery redhead packs up the car and heads west with her brood — mom (Lily Tomlin) included — in tow. But like any good comedy show, you know things aren’t going to be as smooth as the singer had originally planned.

ABC’s official synopsis of ‘Malibu Country’ reads:

When Reba Gallagher (Reba) discovers that her husband, Bobby, (Jeffrey Nordling) a country music legend, has a cheatin’ heart, her world is turned upside down. Reba dreamt of becoming a country star herself, but put her career on hold to raise a family. Now she’s questioning all of that, big-time. With the ink on her divorce barely dry, Reba packs up her sharp-tongued mother, Lillie May (Lily Tomlin), her two kids and the U-Haul and heads for sunny California to begin a new chapter. Leaving Nashville in the rear view, they start over at their Malibu residence — the last remaining asset they have. Reba gets to know her new open and loving neighbor Kim (Sara Rue) and her son, Sage, but also discovers that relocation to Southern California is going to be quite an adjustment for a traditional southern belle: the West Coast seems like the polar opposite of Music City, and Reba feels like an outsider. Still, with the support of her family she sets about finding her voice, jump-starting her music career with the help of her new music agent, Geoffrey (Jai Rodriguez), and embracing this chance to begin again.

‘Malibu Country’ will air Fridays starting this November on ABC.

Watch the ‘Malibu Country’ Trailer Starring Reba McEntire

Ethan Miller (2) / Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images

It isn’t only high school seniors who begin to feel something akin to senioritis this time of year. As the days grow longer and the sun shines brighter, getting through a work week can become more and more challenging. There should be a soundtrack for Wednesdays — one full of songs to get you through those final work days. Or maybe there is? What is your favorite song to hear on Hump Day?

It could be the uptempo, happy beats of Dolly Parton‘s ’9 to 5,’ or the anger in Johnny Paycheck’s voice as he belts out the words to ‘Take This Job and Shove It.’ Motivation comes in different ways to different people. Some may prefer the dedication and loyalty Kenny Chesney and George Strait sing of in their 2008 duet ‘Shiftwork.’ Choose from one of the five songs below or pick one of your own and drop it in the comments section.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/front-row-backstage-readers-poll/" title="Front Row vs. Backstage" align="center"]

YouTube

Carrie Underwood has really been making her rounds to promote ‘Blown Away,’ her newest album release. And while the entire album has received critical acclaim from the media, ‘Good Girl’ — the first single from the record — is her most performed song nowadays. On Tuesday night (May 15), Underwood took the soulful anthem to the stage on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ where she was accompanied by four dancers who tore up the rug.

Underwood’s rocking performance took the ballroom stage by storm during the semi-final competition. With a full band including back-up singers, Underwood took her post by the microphone wearing a short and lacy purple and blue dress. If her vocals weren’t so powerful, her gorgeous getup and signature shoulder-length curly blonde hair would have stolen the show.

During the second verse, the ‘Good Girl’ hitmaker and her backup band were joined by four professional dancers, who twirled and displayed impressive footwork. The two duos flexed their dancing muscles by adding dips and swing moves into the mix.

After an intense round of dancing, one more contestant was eliminated from the 14th season of the show. Julianne Hough also performed with her ‘Rock of Ages’ co-stars.

Underwood has heard her smash hit single performed all over the country since its release in February. In April, the country superstar sang along with the 5th grade choir at PS22 in Staten Island, as they performed their own rendition of ‘Good Girl.’ Last week, a video surfaced of a toddler rocking out to the No. 1 single in her car seat.

Given the mega-popular status of ‘Good Girl,’ it’s not surprising that Underwood made history with her most recent album. ‘Blown Away’ landed Underwood in the books by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. This makes her only the second country artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at No. 1.

Currently, Underwood has five CMT award nominations under her belt, including Female Video of the Year, two for Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, and CMT Performance of the Year. Talk about being blown away!

Watch Underwood’s performance on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to catch a glimpse of why this lovely lady is getting so much critical acclaim.

Watch Carrie Underwood Perform ‘Good Girl’ on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Jason Merritt/Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images

It certainly looks as though Taylor Swift‘s next studio album will be full of surprises! In what seems like an unlikely pairing, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran took to his official Twitter account yesterday to tells fans he is indeed working with the country starlet on her highly-anticipated fourth album.

“Writing songs with a very cool artist today ,” The BRIT Award winner tweeted. Sheeran quickly clarified his mysterious tweet by adding, ”In and out burger, defacing guitars and writing music with @taylorswift13.”

The cross-genre collaboration isn’t Swift’s first in recent months. In addition to being the featured artist on rapper B.o.B’s song ‘Both of Us,’ the country superstar has also teamed up with pop phenomenon Justin Bieber to pen a track for the young heartthrob’s next album.

“It’s crazy, I mean I even wrote a song with Taylor Swift, so the whole album ranges differently,” Bieber tells U.K. radio station Capital FM. “Everything doesn’t sound the same, everything’s different and [after] each song you won’t expect the next song to happen.”

No word yet on a release date for Swift’s follow-up to her multi-platinum album, ‘Speak Now,’ but the singer does offer an insight on the lyrical direction of the project. In an interview with the New Yorker this past fall, Swift revealed that the songs she’s penned thus far for her 2012 album are “sad.”

“Being so busy, there’s not a lot of time to stop in the middle of the day and just kind of think about this feeling that you just realized about a relationship you had a year ago,” says Swift. “The ones I love the most end up happening very quickly.”

The new album is expected to be released this fall.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/taylor-swift-songs/" title="Top 10 Taylor Swift Songs" align="center"]

Rick Diamond (2) / Royce DeGrie, Getty Images

The first month of summer is the biggest month of music yet. Country superstars like Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney will be releasing new projects in the list of new country music releases for June 2012, in addition to 10 other hit makers like Josh Turner, Gloriana and Edens Edge. Start saving now so you’re not left out on the new music on the list below.

Jackson and newbie Jana Kramer kick things off on June 5, while Turner, Edens Edge and Darryl Worley have music the next week. June 19 is crowded. Not only is Chesney’s new ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl’ album in stores in June, but so are new projects from Colt Ford, Chris Cagle and the legendary Don Williams.

Take a look at the entire month worth of new country music releases for June 2012 below and plan accordingly.

New Country Music Releases for June 2012:

June 5
Alan Jackson, ‘Thirty Miles West’
Jana Kramer, ‘Jana Kramer’

June 12
Darryl Worley, ‘One Time Around’
Edens Edge, ‘Edens Edge’
Josh Turner, ‘Punching Bag’

June 19
Chris Cagle, ‘Back in the Saddle’
Colt Ford, ‘Declaration of Independence’
Don Williams, ‘And So It Goes’
Kenny Chesney, ‘Welcome to the Fishbowl’
Marlee Scott, ‘Beautiful Maybe’

June 26
Aaron Lewis, ‘The Road’
Gloriana, ‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind’

[button href="http://popcrush.com/new-music-releases-june-2012/" title="New Pop Music Releases - June 2012" align="center"]

Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

In a move that will inspire the wanderlust in everyone, Discover America released a global tourism campaign for the U.S. The 60-second commercial displays scenes of some of the most beautiful places in America, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the French Quarter to the Big Apple. But what kind of song is the perfect addition to such an inspirational vignette?

Discover America made the obvious choice — ‘Land of Dreams’ performed for the ad by Rosanne Cash and written by Cash and John Leventhal. The daughter of the Man in Black is prominently featured, as she strums her guitar with a backing band that includes lap drums and an upright bass played by Los Lobos, Bebel and Treme.

Of course, the ad campaign isn’t all about U.S. cities. The camerawork also features oceansides, fields of flowers, mountains and rivers, sunsets and palm trees. In addition to the beautiful spaces, the commercial shows dozens of people partaking in different adventures, including everything from dancing, to para-sailing, to rowing through the swamplands.

Randy Newman originally wrote ‘Land of Dreams’ as a representation of his childhood in New Orleans. Having the member of one of America’s most iconic families sing it is the perfect way to represent all that the U.S. has to offer.

Watch the 2012 Discover America Commercial Featuring Roseanne Cash

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Later this week, Toby Keith is gearing up for his 9th-annual Toby Keith and Friends Golf Classic event — but this year’s will be extra special. To kick the whole thing off, Keith will be present for the groundbreaking of the OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma City — a home-away-from-home for children and families being treated at the Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center and other nearby facilities.

The ceremony is set for 10AM local time on Friday (May 18). Later in the evening, Keith will host the annual dinner and auction to help continue the tradition of raising funds for the important cause.

Among those items up for auction include a trip to Africa with Pros for Africa, a Brush Creek getaway, a Dallas Cowboys VIP package, having a menu item named for you at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, concerts and golf packages, as well as exclusive memorabilia from artists such as Coldplay, Carrie Underwood, the Rolling Stones, the Three Stooges and, of course, Toby Keith himself.

Other auction items on the table include A Day in the Life of Toby on Tour, LA Talk Show Package, ESPYs Package with Adrian Peterson, Houston Astros Suite Package and memorabilia from Bob Griese, Derek Jeter, Drew Brees, Cal Ripken Jr., Tim McGraw, Aaron Rogers, Elvis, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Wayne Gretzky.

The main event — Keith’s Golf Classic — is set for the following day, Saturday, May 19. The celebrities will hit the links in hopes of getting a hole-in-one. Those who do accomplish the victory have a chance at winning a Ford truck from local dealership Seth Wadley Ford.

Monies raised from the event will benefit the Toby Keith Foundation, which was set up to give sick children and their families a helping hand. For more information on the event or the charity, visit its official website by clicking here.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/top-toby-keith-songs/" title="Top 10 Toby Keith Songs" align="center"]

Ethan Miller / Jason Merritt, Getty Images

New music from Willie Nelson hit stores today, and a new song from Rascal Flatts hit radio. Find the Taste of Country reviews on both projects in the Daily Roundup below, as well as which country star wound up on Oprah’s new show with her famous husband.

Each day we publish a list of the top country music news stories, alongside a few others from around the web. Today, find an adorable remake of the Beastie Boys‘ ‘Sabotage’ video.

Today on Taste of Country:

Willie Nelson, ‘Heroes’ – Album Review
Rascal Flatts, ‘Come Wake Me Up’ – Song Review
Jake Owen Insists Arrest Was a ‘Huge Misunderstanding’
Miranda Lambert Opens Up About her Body, Admits She Likes Her ‘Big Butt’
Florida Georgia Line ‘Cruise’ Into the Spotlight With Release of New EP
Can You Guess the Artist in This Yearbook Photo?
Willie Nelson Talks ‘Heroes,’ Performs on ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’
Has Brantley Gilbert Influenced the Most Popular Baby Names?
Front Row vs. Backstage – Readers Poll
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher to Appear Together on ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’
Jason Aldean Scores Fifth Consecutive No. 1 Single With ‘Fly Over States’
Sugarland Fan Critically Injured at Indiana State Fair Returns Home
Tim McGraw to Hold Celebrity Shootout in Honor of Late Father Tug McGraw

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How Motherhood Saved ‘Toy Story 2′
John Mayer Tells Ellen About Growing Up, Getting Botox
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Bosses Talk Finale, Bride and Season 8
Beastie Boys ‘Sabotage’ Video Reenacted by Kids
Green Day Singer Almost Joined Guns N’ Roses for Hall of Fame Show

Frederick Breedon, Getty Images

It’s been quite the month for Jake Owen! Just two days before getting married beachside in his hometown of Vero Beach, Fla., the ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ singer found himself in some serious hot water after entering a local Steak ‘n Shake restaurant wearing a mask over his face. Although the night ended with Owen in handcuffs, the singer adamantly denies doing anything wrong.

“It was a huge misunderstanding,” Owen says in a radio interview with US 99.5 on Monday. “I did nothing, actually. I had a good time. That’s all the really matters. I’m a lover, dude. I do like to have a damn good time. That’s how I roll.”

Despite his strikingly candid chat about the incident over the airwaves, the singer did issue an official apology to his fans and hometown supporters following the incident, though he was mostly apologizing for his negative comments about the police who cuffed him.

“Y’all I apologize,” Owen wrote to his 180,000-plus followers on Twitter. “The [Indian River County] Sheriff was doing their job. I love hometown [sic]. I had too good of a time on Cinco de Mayo. I want to publicly apologize again for bringing to light a situation that I overreacted to.”

While some question the validity of the Owen’s detainment, Florida law Section 876.13 stipulates that “No person or persons shall in this state, while wearing any mask, hood, or device whereby any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter upon, or be, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality or county of the state.”

“I thought it was funny,” says Owen, referring to his decision to to wear the mask into the fast food restaurant, where he was eating with his entire family — nieces and nephews included — when police gave him the metal bracelets. Owen explains, “Unbeknownst to me, I didn’t know there was a law you weren’t allowed to go into a public establishment with a mask on.”

Despite his brief run-in with the law, the singer is remains focused on his touring duties. According his official website, Owen will resume touring at the end of May, with a rigorous itinerary through the end of July. Click here for tour dates and ticket information.

SELF

If you aren’t a fan of Miranda Lambert, try reading her latest interview in Self Magazine. The bold country songstress lets loose with her interviewer, dishing about her body issues (or lack therof), her marriage to Blake Shelton and what it’s like to live on the road. This one is a must-read not just for country music fans, but for anyone who has struggled with their self image in the past.

Lambert is on the cover of the issue, and inside, dishes on everything from healthy eating, to exercise, to her ideal body size in a list dubbed 15 Things I’ll Never Apologize For.

“I don’t care about being stick-thin. I don’t want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry,” Lambert admits. “I see them and think, Honey, you need to eat! I’m lucky I don’t have to live like that. I feel my best when I’m a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, ‘You’re beautiful and confident,’ and that makes me feel I can be, too.”

Of course, the ‘White Liar’ hitmaker isn’t only getting an ego boost from her fans. In the past, Lambert has been at the mercy of media scrutiny involving her sometimes fluctuating weight. When looking at old pictures of herself, Lambert probed her husband for answers about her body. “I asked Blake, ‘Dude, why didn’t you tell me I got fat?’” she spills. “He said, ‘That would go over like a lead balloon. It’s not my job to tell you you’re fat. It’s my job to tell you’re beautiful.’”

Like many people, Lambert says she “absolutely hates exercise,” but that she does it anyway to appease her trainer. “I love it afterward, of course,” she reveals. “But my trainer is so nice, I want to do push-ups to please him!”

Because she’s on stage night after night, she does get a pretty good workout rocking her guitar and prancing around the arena — but Mrs. Shelton watches what she eats, too, and has a chicken salad waiting for her after her action-packed shows. All that rocking out is bound to make a body tired, but the country songstress doesn’t give into the temptation to eat a greasy burger and fries.

“I always scarf down food after a show. But now, instead of eating a burger, I’ll have a grilled-chicken salad waiting for me,” she says. “And except for almonds and bananas, I don’t keep snacks on the bus. I don’t want Cheetos anywhere around me.”

But while the singer does what she can to stay fit, she’s not about to give up the things she truly loves in life. “I won’t give up what I enjoy to look perfect. I want to find a happy medium between feeling good about my body and still having a beer and some barbecue.”

She adds, “I drink Bacardi. My trainer, Bill, approves. I mean, he’d rather me not drink, but that’s not an option.”

So what’s Lambert’s favorite part of her body? Her butt. “I don’t mind having a big butt,” she says. “I actually like that about myself.” We can’t help but wonder if Blake agrees!

The new issue of Self is on newsstands now.

Courtesy of Sweet Talk Publicity

On Tuesday (May 15), up-and-coming country duo Florida Georgia Line released their brand new five-song EP titled ‘It’z Just What We Do.’ Their debut single ‘Cruise’ has already become a fan favorite live, as it sets the bar for a fun, summertime anthem for years to come.

Their good looks aside, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard are making quite an impression in country music with their tight musicianship and exceptional talent for writing catchy songs. The two not only co-wrote all of the tracks on ‘It’z Just What We Do,’ but they also have a song on the forthcoming Jason Aldean album, due out this fall.

But the new music is just the start of the exciting things in store for Florida Georgia Line this year. Just three days after the album’s release, the pair will pack their bags for the summer as they head out on the 2012 Country Throwdown Tour, also featuring headliner Gary Allan, as well as Josh Thompson, Sunny Sweeney, Justin Moore, Rodney Atkins, Eric Paslay and more.

Taste of Country snagged a few minutes with the hot (and we mean hot!) duo to talk about the formation of their effort, their new tunes and what we can expect in the coming months from these two talented guys.

Tell us about the formation of Florida Georgia Line and how the two of you first met.
Brian Kelley: Tyler and I met through a mutual friend at Belmont [University in Nashville]. I transferred in, and he’d been there all four years. I think our senior year we started hanging out and sung a little bit. Once we both graduated it freed up a lot of time to focus on music. We started doing a couple of writers rounds, and just playing out songs that we’d written. We had a couple of friends encourage us. More people started showing up, and it was just one of those things that happened organically. We weren’t really sure what to do or where to go with it. We were like, “Let’s just do it!” We were in a McDonalds parking lot, and we were like, “Do you just want to try music and travel around and do it together?” We just put our heads down and worked hard … worked any kind of job we could to free up time to write and travel a little bit to do some shows.
Tyler Hubbard: We didn’t know how the industry worked at that point at all! We were just going to get our guitars and get in our cars and travel around and whenever anybody would listen to us, we would play our songs.
Kelley: It’s still like that. We’ll go play anywhere for free [laughs]!

You’ll get plenty of time to play live this summer when you head out on the Country Throwdown Tour. How does that make you feel to be included on such a high-profile tour right off the bat?
Hubbard: It’s funny because last year we heard about this Throwdown Tour. We were like oh that would be so awesome to get on there. It’s pretty wild that a year later we are getting the opportunity to do that. We’re super excited about this whole summer and developing relationships with other artists … developing our show and just meeting a lot of fans. It’s going to be a pretty epic summer, I believe. We’re just stoked about it. It’s going to be cool because we’re used to being on the road Thursday, Friday, Saturday, coming home Sunday, and writing throughout the week. There are a couple of weeks throughout the summer that are going to be challenging, but it will be really cool, because we’ll be out for almost a full month without coming home. Another time it will be two weeks. We might end up killing each other, but it’s going to be fun.
Kelley: We’re in a van, and we have a great group of guys. We know each other really well from being on the road so much. We joke that we’re going to know everything we could possibly want to know about each other by the end of the summer.

Fans are just now getting their hands on the new EP, ‘It’z Just What We Do.’ Take us inside the studio with you guys … was it a pretty comfortable environment?
Hubbard: It was comfortable, but it was very long. When we were in town, we were literally at the studio. We weren’t at home sleeping. It was cool to be part of every step of the process and working with [producer] Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Nickelback) and just being in the studio the whole time. It was good, but it was exhausting. Some nights we would go home and it felt like we had been pouring concrete all day. A lot of sitting will really wear you out. We’re just not used to sitting that long. It was a great experience. It was like having a dream come true.
Kelley: Joey is just so talented. We’d learn something ever day, whether it was about songwriting or singing or how to sing a certain way or about the business. I don’t think he even realizes it, but he was just throwing out advice constantly and we were soaking it all up. We just wanted to listen to him talk. We’d take a break from a song and he would turn around and talk about a documentary he was watching. It’s like, “I didn’t know that!” [laughs] You can learn so much from him. It was an amazing experience.

Talk about the current single, ‘Cruise,’ and how that came about.
Kelley: That song came out of another writing session in the middle of another song. I think we kind of have to thank the Songwriting Gods for that one. We knew there was something cool about it. I remember we just kind of tweaked it a little bit. Joey did an awesome job on the track, and it sounds huge. It’s just a fun, summer song. We love back-roading and rolling down our windows and listening to music. I don’t think there’s anything better than that. We’re just really proud of the song.

What strengths do the two of you bring to the table to complete Florida Georgia Line so perfectly?
Kelley: I don’t think I could do it by myself. I wouldn’t want to just be a solo artist. I have my best friend on stage with me, and there are certain things that I don’t want to do that he doesn’t mind doing.
Hubbard: My weaknesses are his strengths and vice versa. It’s pretty cool. It definitely completes the puzzle if you will, because I’m the same way. I don’t know if I could physically pull off a solo thing. It would be so exhausting. It’s cool to have both of us working toward the same goal.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?
Hubbard: I would say for me, and probably for Brian, too, is when we graduated college and decided that we wanted to pursue music as a career. The two and a half years that we searched for a publishing company or searched for what direction to go in or what to do, we were having to figure out how to pay the bills on top of that. Obviously music wasn’t doing that at the time, so we were building bathroom stalls and building golf carts and cutting grass and washing cars – whatever we could do to still have time to have a couple of days to write. Managing that and staying true to what we believed in and what we wanted to do, instead of just going and getting a “real job” that would take up all our time, that was really challenging for us at the start of our career. Finally the doors opened.
Kelley: You really have to love what you do when you’re doing something you don’t want to do. When you’re putting up bathroom stalls and you don’t feel like writing after work or whatever. I feel like we are both so driven and know what we want to do, and there is nothing else that we would possibly do. There was no Plan B. We knew we were going to find a way to do music. There were some days where it’s like, “Man, I’ve got $50 left in my bank account,” but you keep pushing.
Hubbard: I remember right out of college, mom asked me, “What are you going to do? What’s your plan?” I told her my plan, and she goes, “Well, what is Plan B?” I said, “Well there is no Plan B. That’s the plan.”

When will that moment be that you will feel like you’ve “made it” in country music?
Hubbard: I love that question. It depends on what your definition of “made it” is. At this point, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said I had made it right now at this point, because we’ve had a dream come true – a publishing deal with a dream company with a great team behind us and our music is paying our bills. Some people will say that we’ve made it, but in our opinions, I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to say that we’ve made it because we have pretty big dreams and goals. We want to be a legend eventually [laughs]! So I don’t know if there will be a “made it” for us.

What are some of those immediate goals?
Kelley: As an artist or songwriter, you want to hear your song on the radio. That’s just awesome. It’s a huge payoff. I think success on country radio would just be huge. And continue to build a strong, loyal fan base. Country music has the best fans. It’s something that is so amazing. You see other artists talk about it, and now we’re finding out every weekend and every day we’re finding that out. We have amazing fans. Awards are great, but we don’t do music for awards. If we get awards, that’s great. It will be awesome because that would mean people are really liking what we are doing. I think a life full of music on any level is probably the best life. If you get to make music for a living, sign me up.

This early ’70s yearbook photo is from one of country music’s all-time greatest female vocalists. One could make a strong argument that her music and career is as important as those of legends like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. This singer is still very active today and still making new fans in members of the younger generation.

Can you guess whose yearbook photo this is? She recently had a pilot picked up by ABC, meaning her focus will once again be on acting instead of singing for a few years. However, she never leaves her true fans freezing for new music for very long. Click the orange button below to find out whose famous smile this is, and to see more yearbook photos from country music’s biggest stars.

[button href="http://tasteofcountry.com/reba-mcentire-yearbook-photo" title="Find Out Whose Yearbook Photo This Is" align="center"]

NBC

Last night (May 14), progressive country star Willie Nelson stopped by ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’ to talk about his new ‘Heroes‘ album, guitars and touring America in his legendary Honeysuckle Rose biodiesel bus. After the interview, the legendary singer performed ‘Texas Flood’ alongside his son, Lukas Nelson.

Fallon started out the interview by complimenting the legendary star, telling him that growing up in Brooklyn, the only country albums his parents played were by Willie Nelson or Hank Williams. Shotgun Willie nodded his head (done up with his signature pigtail braids) and said, “Well, I’m in good company then.”

Fallon and Nelson chatted about the country singer’s former songwriting career, cluing in viewers that Nelson was the hand behind Patsy Cline’s now-famous rendition of ‘Crazy.’ The ‘Red Headed Stranger’ told the story of meeting Cline’s husband at legendary Nashville bar Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, and how the song came to be from that single interaction.

Of course, Fallon asked to see ‘Trigger,’ Nelson’s beat-up acoustic guitar that never leaves his sight — or his stage. Fallon pointed out the giant hole in Nelson’s signature guitar, and Willie responded, “Well, I think it sounds better [that way],” drawing many laughs from the audience.

It’s clear that Willie Nelson has nobody to impress: He walked onto the popular late-night show wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and a dirty pair of New Balance sneakers. Still, the host was in awe.

Near the end of the five-minute interview, Nelson spoke to the hilarious talk show host about his tour bus, Honeysuckle Rose, which runs off of bio fuel. Nelson wasn’t shy about his political leanings (is he ever shy about politics?), and talked about the problem with America’s dependence on oil. Before the interview closed, the ‘Always on My Mind’ singer invited Fallon onto the tour bus.

“I don’t think I’ll get off it if I get on,” joked Fallon. Of course, Nelson didn’t disagree.

Every interview with Willie Nelson is entertaining, thanks to his straightforward demeanor, but the star really shined in his bluesy rendition of ‘Texas Flood’ with his son. Check it out!

Watch Willie Nelson’s Interview on ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’

Watch Willie Nelson Perform ‘Texas Flood’ on ‘Jimmy Fallon’