SHANIA TWAIN THE NEXT JUDGE ON AMERICAN IDOL? Now that Jennifer Lopez is out of the American Idol judging seat, People.com is reporting Shania Twain may be considered for the spot. In April, Shania guest-judged for the Chicago auditions and People.com says, “Everyone thought she was a great addition to the judges’ table. Shania’s a huge fan of the show and she had a great time as a mentor.” Others who have been thrown into the mix include Elton John, Chris Isaak, and Harry Connick Jr.  Shania’s rep and Fox would not release a statement confirming or denying the report.
2011 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL TICKETS TO GO ON SALE SOON. Ticket packages for the 2011 CMA Music Festival will go on sale August 23rd at 11AM Eastern. The event will be held in Nashville June 9th through June 11th.  Ticket prices are based on the level of seating at the LP Field for nightly concerts, and range from 115-dollars to 325-dollars. The 2010 CMA Music Festival tickets sold out in advance, so the CMA’s are encouraging fans to buy tickets in advance at ticketmaster.com.
LORETTA LYNN TO BE CELEBRATED IN TRIBUTE ALBUM. Country music legend Loretta Lynn will be honored in a tribute album titled Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn which will be released on November 9th. The names of the contributing artists so far have been kept secret. The album will follow the 50th anniversary of Loretta’s first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage. In October, The Recording Academy will host a Grammy Salute in Nashville where Loretta will receive The Recording Academy’s President’s Merit Award for her contributions to country music.
 
THIS AND THAT:
•    Lady Antebellum posted a short video on their website about their adventures around London as they prepared for Wednesday night’s show at the London Bush Empire. The group shows clips from radio interviews, and thanks Starbucks for the extra energy. Check out the video at ladyantebellum.com.
•    Original audio from Hank William Senior’s live radio shows from the 1950’s may be released soon. A former photographer found Hank’s recordings in a trash box outside the National Life offices one day, and was given permission to take the items.
 

Though Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher were married this weekend, many other couples in country music have stayed strong throughout the years. Dolly Parton and Carl Dean, are one of those couples…..

·         Dolly Parton & Carl Dean: 44 years

They were married in 1966. Dolly met Carl in 1964, when she first moved to Nashville. Dolly, then 18, had gone to her local laundromat called the Wishy-Washy Laundromat. Carl spoke to Dolly about getting a sunburn on that day. Dolly and Carl started talking and dated for two years before deciding to get married.

·         George Strait & Norma: 39 years

Eloped in Mexico in 1971; held ceremony afterwards in Pearsall, Texas

·         Reba McEntire & Narvel Blackstock: 21 years

Since 1989, Reba has been married to her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, who used to be in her band and became her manager several years ago.

·         Tim McGraw & Faith Hill: 14 years

Married on October 6, 1996 in Rayville, Louisiana.

·         Darius Rucker & Beth Leonard:  10 years

Married Since 2000

·         Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams: 7 years
Married on March 15, 2003.

·         Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood: 5 years
Garth proposed to Trisha on May 25, 2005 before 7,000 fans who were there to see the unveiling of a Garth Brooks bronze 8 foot tall statue at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. They were married on December 10, 2005 in a private ceremony at their own home in Oklahoma with family members with them.

·         Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman: 4 years

Married June 25, 2006

The chapel was decorated with white freesias, gardenias, and carnations.

Keith sang "Making Memories of Us" to Nicole at the reception.

Nicole and Keith asked for no gifts at their wedding. They asked their nearly 230 guests to donate money to the Sydney Children's Hospital.

 

·         Jewel & Ty Murray: 2 years
These two eloped to the Bahamas and exchanged vows in a private ceremony

The pair, who never announced an engagement, have been together for 10 years and share a 2,200-acre ranch in Stephenville, Texas.

·         David Nail & Catherine Werne: 1 year

June 6, 2009 in Franklin, Tennessee

·         Chris Janson & Kelly Lynn: 1 week

The wedding was held at Panorama Farms, site of Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Before you give away an old computer, or toss an unwanted hard drive, take care to wipe it clean of private information. A recent study found that many hard drives purchased second-hand, on sites like Craigslist and eBay, routinely contain sensitive or confidential data. In one instance a tech researcher was able to purchase an old ATM machine hard drive on eBay that contained 827 unique account PIN numbers. Another drive on eBay had previously been owned by a medical center and contained information on 31,000 credit card numbers.
Tech experts say that since the price for a new hard drive has gotten cheap it's not worth the risk to make a few bucks off a used one. You're best bet? Drill holes in the old drive and toss it.