Not Your Feel Good Movie

Coming June 26. Looks amazing!

See Trailer

A Man's Movie

If there is one movie this year that every man should see, it has to be this!

Where the Wild Things Are

Dead and Gone

I love TI's and Justin Timberlake's new song "Dead and Gone". Look at some of the lyrics.

Now I'm straight,
Now I get it now I take
Time to think,
Before I make mistakes
Just for my familys sake
That part of me left yesterday
The heart of me is strong today
No regrets I'm blessed to say
The old me dead and gone away.

Ooooooo
I've been travelin
On this road to long
Just trying to find
My way back home
The old me
Is dead and gone
Dead and gone

I turn my head to the east
I don't see nobody by my side
I turn my head to the west
Still nobody in sight
So I turn my head to the north,
Swallow that pill
That they call pride
The old me is dead and gone,
The new me will be alright

Mom Song

This is dedicated to my beautiful wife. I can't wait to hear her say all these things!

New Year, New TV, New Numbness

One of the coolest things about the new year is that TV shows return with full season to air through May. This includes my 2 favorites on TV now, Lost and 24. Jess is also glued to the return of American Idol which starts next Tuesday. It is an exciting time for fans of these shows and others that are starting back up. But why are we excited? Is it because of the full entertainment value that these shows offer? Possibly. Is it because we have been without good TV for so long? Maybe. Is it because it is a way for us to escape our daily pressures and stress? Probably. My thought is that it is probably a mixture of the three. I know that when I watch Lost, it is for entertainment value and also involves me figuring out a puzzle that I enjoy. But when I watch pretty much anything on E!, it is just numbing the pain of life. TV has provided the world with a way to ignore and numb whatever we don't want to deal with. Sure, there are other vices that do the exact same thing and pretty much anything done in excess takes on this characteristic. But TV is so prevalent in our lives and we don't even realize how much it affects us. So in this new year, I am going to try to not avoid the silence, push into the pain, and turn off the TV some. Sure I will continue to watch my favorite TV shows, but in the times when I just have the TV on because I am bored or because I don't want to think about things are the times when I will hopefully turn the TV off. December may roll around and I may not have been as good at this as I had hoped but if you don't try, you won't know. So I invite you to join me in this experiment and see what happens. Who knows, maybe the silence and pain turns out to be Love all along.

Christmas Thoughts

As I sit and listen to Mariah Carey's Christmas album (which is the best Christmas CD ever by the way), I am finishing work for the year. I love this time and am always excited about this time of the year as I get a nice break from work (save up vacation days) and also get to be around family and friends. This year, I am going to try not to eat as much and also not let it all pass by so fast. However, this year, I also have a new gift that is very special and I can't wait to see him grow up and hopefully love Christmas too. I am sad that we aren't traveling anywhere this year but very glad that we will still get to see everyone. I hope Brody will also enjoy his first Christmas....and I am sure as long as he gets to eat and sleep some, he will enjoy it. (Funny how babies aren't that different than the rest of us!) At any rate, I have new understanding this year as to how Mary and Joseph felt having a first born son and what a true gift He was. Being a parent puts a special twinkle in Christmas and there is a new excitement around our house that I hope only grows over the years to come. So while this post doesn't really have a theme and is pretty much just my rambling Christmas thoughts, its still pretty amazing to think of a baby that was once the size of Brody, came to the world to just save all mankind. So now that "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child" is almost over, let me just wish everyone the Merriest of Christmases and as my mom says about her Christmas tree every year, I hope this ones the best so far!

New Post SuperBowl "The Office" Additions

Exclusive: Cloris Leachman To Join Jack Black & Jessica Alba on 'The Office'
By Korbi Ghosh

If you fell in love with Cloris Leachman on the dance floor this Fall or when she grabbed Uncle Jesse's behind at the Bob Saget roast (or, like me, when she replaced Edna Garrett on The Facts of Life), you'll be happy to hear that sources tell me exclusively, Leachman is the latest big name star to sign on for The Office's post Super Bowl episode. EW's Michael Ausiello was the first to report that Jack Black and Jessica Alba are also on board.

My mole says Leachman, Black and Alba are shooting their guest spots right now. However, longtime fans should not fret about the stunt casting corrupting the usual Dunder-Mifflin fun. The stars will not actually appear in the office, but rather "on-screen" in a Hollywood film that our D-M friends are watching.

Though there have been reports that a fourth "name" will be added to the mix, word is, the deal for the actor in mind did not close, therefore it'll just be Cloris, Jack and Jess.

New Music Thursday: 6 Year Old Talent

We are going to start playing Brody classical music tonight!

Why Men Shouldn't Take Phone Messages

Thanks Grat!

State Quarters Finished

In honor of the 10 year State Quarter project being completed by the U.S. Treasury, I wanted to post some pictures of my favorite state quarters. The state slogans sure have changed over the years. (Warning: PG-13!!!)

New Music Thursday: Christmas Season

I know that this song has already been floating around radio and been circulating over the past few weeks but I still wanted to blog about it because I think it will quickly become a Christmas classic. Faith Hill has released her first full length Christmas album and the final song is called A Baby Changes Everything. This song written by the same team that brought you Live Like You Were Dying is phenomenal. Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols have found a way to take the meaning of a song and twist it again to mean something else during the song. It has a fantastic story and majestic underscore that will give you chills. If there is anything not perfect about this song it would be the mixing but that is overlooked because of the quality of song it is. Christmas songs never get recognized at award shows but this could be a first. See what you think.

Also, shout outs to Lady Antebellum for grabbing a Grammy nomination for New Artist of the Year! Only a few country artists in history have achieved this nomination and Lady A definitely deserves the nod.

This Dog is Not Going to Heaven

New Music Thursday: Best of Idol

Some of the best American Idol contestants have released new music...two of my favs specifically. David Cook's self titled debut album dropped recently and is reminiscent of Nickelback, Coldplay, and others. For that reason, he sometimes get lost in unoriginality but its still good music that is fun to listen to. Melinda Doolittle has also released a new single called It's Your Love. While this song will get virtually NO airplay on radio, it is articstically beautiful and Melinda has just the voice to do it justice.

The 42nd Annual CMA Awards

When you watch as many awards shows as I do, you start to get into predicting winners. So, not that anyone out there cares near as much about this stuff as I do, nevertheless, here are my predictions for tonight's big reveal.

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Sugarland
Keith Urban

Please let people be tired of giving this award to Kenny Chesney! He has won it 3 times already! Brad should be getting it tonight but when he wins in the Male Vocalist category, that could kill his chances at Entertainer which will make Kenny a 4 time winner.

Female Vocalist of the Year
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Carrie should be the 3 time winner here but with a humongous year, bright personality, and sophomore album released yesterday, Taylor Swift could surprise everyone!

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban

Brad will win and should win. No surprises here.

New Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Rodney Atkins
Lady Antebellum
James Otto
Kellie Pickler

Tough competition here but considering Pickler, Atkins, and Aldean have all been nominated for this award before, don't look for them to win. Look for Lady A to give an emotional acceptance speech.

Vocal Group of the Year
Eagles
Emerson Drive
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts

Duh.........RF.

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
The Wreckers

I am not even sure how The Wreckers got nominated here when they aren't even together anymore. Nevertheless, who would have ever thought that the toughest category of the year would come from Vocal Duo?!?!?! Sugarland is nominated for Entertainer (how'd that happen?) so I give them the edge here.

Single of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
"Don’t Blink" - Kenny Chesney
"Gunpowder & Lead" - Miranda Lambert
"I Saw God Today" - George Strait
"Stay" - Sugarland
"You’re Gonna Miss This" - Trace Adkins

"Stay" won this category at the ACMs so it definitely has some momentum. But the CMA loves to give this award to George Strait and "ISGT" is definitely one of his best over his 30+ year career. I say this awards goes "Strait" to George.

Album of the Year
Carnival Ride - Carrie Underwood
Cowboy Town - Brooks & Dunn
Good Time - Alan Jackson
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates - Kenny Chesney
Troubadour - George Strait

I am not real sure how Brad Paisley's album didn't get nominated here as it should have WON this category. Since it is out, look for Troubadour or Carnival Ride to win. It depends on whether voters go old school or not. The vote could be split and Chesney could take it, but that is unlikely. I could definitely miss this category but I'll give the edge to Troubadour.

Song of the Year
“Good Time” - Alan Jackson
“I Saw God Today” - George Strait
“Letter To Me” - Brad Paisley
“Stay” - Jennifer Nettles
“You’re Gonna Miss This” - Ashley Gorley/Lee Thomas Miller

"Letter to Me" is by far the best song here. But "ISGT" could be rewarded here instead of in the single category. But I have to believe that the single is better than the song composition and give the edge here to "LTM". I told Jess back in the spring that "LTM" should win this category. Let's see if my 6 month old prediction holds up.

Musical Event of the Year
Josh Turner featuring Trisha Yearwood - “Another Try”
Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney - “Every Other Weekend”
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - “Gone Gone Gone”
Sugarland featuring Little Big Town and Jake Owen - “Life In A Northern Town”
Kenny Chesney (duet with George Strait) - “Shiftwork”

This award is gone gone gone to Alison Kraus and Robert Plant. Who would have ever thought Robert Plant would win a CMA award????

Music Video of the Year
“Don’t Blink” Kenny Chesney Directed by Shaun Silva
“Good Time” Alan Jackson Directed by Trey Fanjoy
“Stay” Sugarland Directed by Shaun Silva
“Waitin’ On A Woman” Brad Paisley featuring Andy Griffith Directed by Jim Shea & Peter Tilden
“You’re Gonna Miss This” Trace Adkins Directed by Peter Zavadil

Stay should win here. The simplicity and raw emotion that this video invoked was visually stunning and redefined video production.

Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar

I have no idea. Maybe Dann Huff just out of respect for Keith Urban not winning anything tonight.

Tune in tonight at 8/7 CST on ABC to see who wins. If you don't care about the awards, the just tune in to see Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman presenting. That should definitely be a highlight of the evening!

Election Day: Hu are you going to Vote for?

New Music Thursday: Fun Music

Newcomer Eric Hutchinson has had a song out for a couple months that I did not know about until the other day. I know it isn't exactly "new music" as it has been out for a while, but I loved the song and wanted to make sure I blogged about it. Rock and Roll is fresh, light, and would be a great summer song (too bad its almost Halloween). Nevertheless, it is fun and very entertaining.

I love Jon McLaughlin. I think he is so amazingly talented and better than Jon Mayer any day. His first release, Indiana, was fantastic and it is still in our car and we listen to it all the time. Then he followed that up with an Oscar nominated song "So Close" from Enchanted. Now, his sophomoric release, OK Now, is equally fantastic and I am so glad to hear new stuff from him. You Can Never Go Back is 70s type disco feel song that ironically chants that we can never go back to the past. Its catchy, fun, and a foot-patting good time! Listen and see if you don't feel the same way.

Election 2008

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Dharmageddon!

Can't wait until February!


There are a couple things to point out here:
At :39, does anyone else see "Dharma Initiative" flash across the screen?
At :46, Locke is holding a compass. Remember when that compass was one of the things that Alpert asked 8 year old Locke if it was his? Spooky!
At :49, Hurley has a gun!!!! Yee haw!!!
At 1:00, Juliet and Sawyer have ended up becoming the leaders of the remaining survivors simply by accident. That should make for an interesting storyline.
At 1:07, Ben says "Thank God for second chances." What he really means is, "Thank God I have a second chance to get revenge on Widmore by killing his daughter." Look for Ben's and Penny's paths to ultimately cross in the season 5 finale.

February people. You might want to go ahead and turn off your phones now just so you aren't bothered during the episode!

Some Pics for the Weekend

New Music Thursday: Not for Long

I am dedicating today's new music to my beautiful wife Jess. Brody is now almost 5 weeks old and she is really persevering through this time of no sleep, constant crying, and continuous feedings. She is such a trooper and doing better than anyone would expect someone in her position to do. I am so proud of her. So for her today, I offer Darius Rucker's new single It Won't Be Like This For Long. Jess, I hope it encourages you and offers hope when the long nights seem to become a little too long. I love you!

A Fantastic Lady

I remember the summers I spent with my grandmother--how she would take us to this museum for kids. I remember how we would drag her to her pool everyday and spend hours there. I remember her and I watching and loving The Golden Girls every Saturday night. I remember spilling grape juice on my white pants in church and Mamaw getting the stain out. I remember playing cards and Mamaw always saying, "Take a chance, Columbus did." I remember stopping at Hardee's with just Mamaw and me on the way to Myrtle Beach when I was 18 and for the first time feeling grown-up. I remember Mamaw making the world's best chicken and dumplings. I remember taking my grandmother as a "Single Person Over 21" to be a checklist item on a Scavenger Hunt on the cruise she sent my family on. I remember laughing and dancing with her to "Tennessee Waltz" at my wedding. I remember crying with her and listening to her stories when her daughter passed away. I remember babysitting my cousin Collin with her which was the first time I had ever been around a baby. I remember her teaching crafts to people 20 years her junior. I remember Mamaw and Jess combing through photo albums for what seemed like hours. I remember her delighted reaction to hearing the news that we were pregnant and then hearing a more excited reaction of congratulations when Brody was born. I remember a lady that could hardly ever spell my name correctly. I remember playing in her walk-in closet as a kid and thinking that it was the most hidden place on earth. I remember how much my grandmother loved her family and only wanted the best for them. I remember a woman that loved and trusted God. I remember a fantastic lady!

It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times

Saturday was one of the best days. I went to my friend Angela's wedding and it was absolutely so much fun. I saw friends I hadn't seen in 4-6 years. It was like we never left college. We danced, drank, told stories, reminisced and most of all, laughed. It was fantastic. Here is a video of when Angela and her new husband Jamie came in to the reception.



So you can imagine the high I was on when the world around me seemed to collapse on Sunday night when my mom called and told me that my grandmother had passed away. She lived a long full life and I am grateful for the time I got to spend with her. I don't wish that she were still here with us. I am glad that she is home, in no pain, and with her daughter and husband who she hasn't seen in almost 40 years. The only thing I am sad about is that she didn't get to meet Brody. But that is a selfish desire and its not like they won't meet. They will meet one day. But instead of it being 3 months until they met, it will be more like 80 years. That will be a good day and I hope I am there to introduce them!

New Music Thursday: A Tale of Two Women

Today's new music comes from two inspiring women who are really at the top of their craft. Alcia Keys has a new duet with Jack White called Another Way to Die. It is the new theme song from the upcoming James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. It is very edgy and very fresh. I have never heard metal and rythm and blues mixed like this. It's definitely different, but in a good way. The second new song comes from country vocal powerhouse, Jamie O'Neal. Jess loves her and always tells people how she ran into her in the doctor's office. Nevertheless, she comes back on an independent label and proclaims her sultriness with Like A Woman. This song is a cry from the heart of every female and there is no one that can do cry-singing like Jamie can. (See God Don't Make Mistakes) It is a very good comeback and will hopefully do well in radio.

Cheers to two of the industry's best.

Rainy Day

It's raining in Nashville and it seems that life is just raining everywhere. My family is getting little sleepas Brody doesn't want to cooperate with us very much, my grandmother is in the hospital with a severe illness that will more than likely take her life hopefully later rather than sooner, the country has to choose a leader between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee in less than a month, and the rain today only symbolizes the cloudiness of life right now. However, on days like this, when things are blue, I am remember the two basic points that ignite my existence: Jesus is still in charge and I'm still saved. So things aren't going my way right now...it's still a good day!

Crazy Quizzes

I could survive for 60 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Why is Everybody Always Hatin' on me?

There are some things that have really gotten on my nerves this week. And I need to let it out. So here are some things that I've been hating this week.

1. Eye Infections - I have had this eye infection off and on for 5 months. I am done with it. We have got to figure out what is going on!

2. Cracker Barrel - yes, there pancakes are good but apparently this is the only restaurant that anyone knows to go to. I am so through with this place. I am not going back at least until next year! And that is only if someone drags me there. I would be fine to never go back in my life!

3. Post-Debate Analysis - Everyone always claims that their candidate won the debate and every media outlet in the world is seeking some professional's opinion when the professional's agenda is only to further their candidate's hopes for office. And while we're at it, please spare me the post-debate focus groups where the last 20 people who are too stupid to have made up their mind by this point are corralled together, have a microphone shoved in their face and asked "what do you think?" and then we get their answer back, "he was a little mean." Lah!

So instead of just ranting and raving, let me also give you some of the things that I am lovin' this week.

1. It's Friday!

2. The new season of Heroes. Finally this show has morphed into what it should have been all along!

3. Team Hoyt. I saw Dick speak at a conference yesterday and it is truly amazing what the human body and spirit will do ... amazing and inspiring!

New Music Thursday: Sara Buxton

Sara Buxton is seriously one of the best Nashville has to offer. Her debut album got crushed a couple years ago by Christmas songs a flurry on the radio. She wasn't given a fair shot with that album and my friend at Lyric Street says that the whole label is more behind her than any other artist they have. Here is Stupid Boy writer's latest single called Space. This is a love it or hate it song. So it will not surprise me at all when half of you out there listen to it and say, "What?!?! I don't get it!" But the other half will have it on their iPods before the end of the day! I hope you enjoy it!

TPC Live Album Recording

We Found Popeye's Mom!

New Music Thursday: 90s Favorites

This week, Darius Rucker became the first artist to reach #1 on the pop charts to then cross over and reach #1 on the country charts in more than 20 years. So in celebrating his success, I thought I would blog about some other 90s voices that are back in action. Randy Travis has released a new song called Dig Two Graves. As you can imagine, its a real feel-good song. Actually, its not bad and sort of sweet. But since the low-baritone-country-singer torch has been passed to Josh Turner, my thoughts are that this song probably won't go anywhere significant. 90s pop crooner Kenny Loggins thought he would follow in Rucker's footsteps and so he has released a country song. How About Now is a strong classic Loggins sound. But I don't know if he has enough umph to successfully catapult this song up the charts. Keith Urban could have a hit with this song. Kenny Loggins??? We'll see. The one 90s favorite that I am excited to see back in action and has the strongest chance to rocket up the charts is Brandy with Right Here (Departed). Brandy has really updated her sound for the new millennium and it is very consistent to the fresh music heard today. A strong message, a vibrant beat, and nice gal give this song the best shot at #1. Bu as always, time will tell.