|
4/22/07
Big & Rich Split Up, Keith’s Not Singing with
Reba and Wy’s Still On Top
 “They
may not exactly be small and poor, but they ain’t Big & Rich
anymore…”, according to my Nashville sources, that is. Could it be that Big
Kenny Alphin and John Rich are calling it quits on one of country
music’s most interesting musical partnerships of the decade?
It would be a darn shame given the
revolutionary effect their union has had on country music, and on music at
large. But if it’s true, I can’t say I’m surprised. Over the
past few months, rumors of the guys’ ongoing issues have been rampant. Separate
buses, separate agendas… At the CMT Awards last Monday, the duo were asked
point blank if they were getting along, and the pregnant pause they took
before responding told a different story than their resounding, overly
cheery “everything is great” response.
Personally, I hope Kenny and John continue to
make music together for decades to come. But if they don’t, Lonestar
just lost a lead singer, and doesn’t John know all the words?
 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were
#2 on Forbes list of music's biggest moneymakers for 2006 and Tim says
“touring is our main stream of revenue. Record sales just isn’t
something you can rely on.” When asked if he and Faith
will be on the road till they retire, Tim said, “No way. I'm gonna be fat
and fishin' like Elvis somewhere one day.”
Speaking of fat and fishin’ celebrities,
have you guys seen my favorite couch-jumping scientologist, lately? Tom
Cruise is looking rather old and bloated, to say the least, while his
wife, Katie Holmes, is beginning to look strangely like gal-pal Victoria
Beckham. I think Tom should take a cue from ex-wife Nicole
Kidman and give Botox and the Atkins diet a try. As for Katie, run! Run
away!
 Reba McEntire’s new duets album is
in stores September 18th, but Keith Urban will not be on it. Reba
had included Keith's name as a possible duet partner a few months back, but
Keith tells reporters he hasn't heard from her about it and he jokes she
didn't want him.
Speaking of Keith, he recently shot the video
for his next single “I Told You So” in Africa and Los Angeles and if you
live in the US you can see it at music.yahoo.com. The exciting thing about
this video is that we see his teeth for the first time. I’ve never
seen him smile so much before. Being in love really is good for the
soul.
 Wynonna Judd is performing at
Divas Nashvegas Saturday night with Patti LaBelle. All proceeds
benefit Nashville's Oasis Center. We know Wy’s in the midst of a divorce,
but I hear she’s doing well, despite tabloid reports about her
soon-to-be-ex-husband. According to mom, Naomi Judd, "She (Wynonna)
had supper last night in Honolulu with Dog the Bounty Hunter and
Beth. Wy's struggling...but you have to realize it's not what happens to us.
It's what we choose to do with it. Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.
We have choices.”
As for Naomi, these days she chooses to leave
blank spaces in her day timer. "You need to spend time in silence
and solitude,” she advises. “Instead of emotionally draining days, you
need 'hallelujah' days." She still occasionally appears with
Wynonna in concert but they're on different journeys and mom has no need to
climb old mountains.
A return to music full time? "Why?" Naomi asks. "I'm at a
different place in my life now."
OK, so who would win a steel-cage match between The Judds and Brooks and
Dunn? Naomi laughs at the question. "I can only tell you that I'm not
into competition. I'm into personal excellence."
Still, when Brooks & Dunn recently ran
into Wynonna at a Harley-Davidson dealership recently, Ronnie asked Wy,
"Before we plunk down money on Fatboys, “how's momma feeling?"
Somehow, it seems, The Judds are still on top.
 And finally, one last thing about the man who
is arguably one of country music’s sexiest stars. Tim McGraw
was recently asked about whether he ever stops to think about what it is
that those 18,000 people, many of them adoring women, see in him, when
he’s on stage.
Tim said, “It's a running joke with me and
my band all the time. I'll do something just to see if I can make somebody
yell or something, and I'll look over at Darren (Smith, the
guitarist), who'll be (shrugging) and going, ‘'I don't get it.’''
“Look, we're smart enough to know it's a
conducive environment. You set it up to be that way. You know, even the
ugliest guy in the band can get lucky, because he's in the band! It's
just something about being on stage and being famous, I guess. But you take
it with a grain of salt, because you know that the exact same people who act
like that at concerts, you could run across the street and say hi and they
probably wouldn't act that way.”
On that note, “it’s not what they say
about you, it’s what they whisper.”
~ Goldie
Goldie@CountryStarsOnline.com
Return
to Goldie's Main
Menu
www.myspace.com/countryfix
|
