Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Kellie Pickler and Brett Eldredge show off photos from their tropical vacations, Scotty McCreery shares a picture from his trip to the Dominican Republic as part of Operation Christmas Child, Brad Paisley hopes the Mayans aren’t right, and Lee Brice celebrates his engagement to Sara Reeveley! Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/kelliepickler.

Kellie Pickler – KelliePickler: Fishing in St. Lucia!

Brad Paisley – BradPaisley: Happy 2012. Here’s hoping the Mayans are full of sh:@+

Lee Brice – LeeBrice: She said YES! I’m one lucky man!!

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/thompsonsquare.

Thompson Square – ThompsonSquare: all celtic’d out and yes we won! Continue Reading

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Trace Adkins & Kristin Chenoweth

Trace Adkins will return as host of the second annual American Country Awards, this time joined by Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth. The ACAs will air live from Las Vegas on Monday, December 5 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and are the only country music awards show that is fan voted in both traditional categories and previously unrecognized areas such as touring.

Last year’s inaugural ACAs last year featured performances by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Easton Corbin, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Blake Shelton, Steel Magnolia, Josh Turner, The Band Perry and Uncle Kracker. Laura Bell Bundy, Rodney Carrington, Jeff Dunham, Travis Pastrana, Jaron and The Long Road to Love, Jewel, Lady Antebellum, Jennette McCurdy, Bret Michaels, Ty Murray, Jerrod Niemann, Michael Waltrip and Lee Ann Womack also appeared.

Nominees, performers and presenters for this year’s show will be announced at a later date. Browse photos from last  year’s show >>

Trace just released his latest album, Proud to Be Here. Read our review >>

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GAC host Suzanne Alexander & Alan Jackson on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown. Photo by Christopher Coward.

This week, GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown headed west for Frontier Days in Cheynne, Wyoming. Host Nan Kelley met up with CBR cowboys Luke Kelley and Chandler Bownds to talk bulls and rodeoing. Meanwhile, back in Nashville, superstar Alan Jackson also stopped by our studio to reveal his new video, “A Long, Long Way To Go.” If you missed the premiere, check the schedule to catch one of the re-airs throughout the weekend!

On the charts, Margaret Durante and Katie Armiger remain in spots 1 & 2 as Jaron and The Long Road To Love, Chris Young and Blake Shelton switch around the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots this week to round out the Top 5. New videos from Jake Owen and Billy Currington both debut on the countdown this week at No. 16 and 17, respectively.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Margaret Durante – “Maybe Tonight”
2. Katie Armiger – “I Do But Do I”
3. Jaron and The Long Road To Love – “Beautiful Lies”
4. Chris Young – “Tomorrow”
5. Blake Shelton — “Honey Bee”
6. Trace Adkins – “Just Fishin’”
7. Lady Antebellum – “Just A Kiss”
8. Jason Aldean – “Dirt Road Anthem”
9. Taylor Swift – “Mean”
10. Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” Continue Reading

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Nan Kelley and Margaret Durante on the set of GAC's Top 20. Photo credit Chris Coward.

Margaret Durante got a big surprise a few weeks ago when her video for “Maybe Tonight” debuted atop the Top 20 Country Countdown charts. The video has remained a hit on the charts and this week, Margaret dropped by Top 20 to talk with host Nan Kelley about her video and thank her fans. If you missed the premiere, check the schedule to catch one of the re-airs throughout the weekend!

Watch Margaret Durante’s video for “Maybe Tonight” right now »

On the charts, Margaret’s “Maybe Tonight” remains at No. 1 again this week while Katie Armiger’s “I Do But Do I” jumps up to No. 2. Jaron and The Long Road To Love’s “Beautiful Lies” makes its countdown debut at No. 4 and Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide” returns to the countdown this week, clocking in at No. 20.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Margaret Durante; – “Maybe Tonight”
2. Katie Armiger – “I Do But Do I”
3. Blake Shelton — “Honey Bee”
4. Jaron and The Long Road To Love – “Beautiful Lies”
5. Chris Young – “Tomorrow”
6. Trace Adkins – “Just Fishin”
7. Jason Aldean – “Dirt Road Anthem”
8. Lady Antebellum – “Just A Kiss”
9. Taylor Swift – “Mean”
10. Luke Bryan – “Country Girl Shake It For Me”
11. Brad Paisley – “Old Alabama”
12. Shania Twain – “Today Is Your Day”
13. Kenny Chesney w/ Grace Potter – “You and Tequila”
14. Eric Church – “Homeboy”
15. Reba McEntire – “When Love Gets A Hold Of You”
16. Justin Moore – “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”
17. Martina McBride – “Teenage Daughters”
18. Ronnie Dunn – “Bleed Red”
19. Dierks Bentley – “Am I The Only One”
20. Brantley Gilbert – “Country Must Be Country Wide”

GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown premieres every Friday night at 8/7c with re-airs throughout the weekend. Click here for a complete schedule.

Vote daily for GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown »

Browse GAC’s All-Star Top 20 Photo Gallery »

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Jake Owen at the 21st annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at Greer Stadium in Nashville. Photo by Sara Kauss Photography.

Country stars stepped up to the batter’s box on Saturday, June 11 for the 21st Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge. Pitting the Grand Ole Opry team against the AfterMidnite With Blair Garner team, the game has become a staple of the CMA Music Festival. This year, more than 5,000 fans were on hand to see the AfterMidnite team win 9-5. More than $100,000 was raised for City of Hope, one of the nation’s leading research, treatment and education centers for cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Team AfterMidnite was comprised of Chuck Wicks, David Nail, Jake Owen, James Wesley, Jaron and the Long Road to Love, Joe Nichols, Julie Roberts, Lauren Alaina, Nick Spaling, Preston Burst of the LoCash Cowboys, Rob Bironas, Shane Tallant and GAC’s own Suzanne Alexander.

The Grand Ole Opry team roster included Blake Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. This week, Gloriana‘s Mike Gossin has a little fun in baggage claim, Jimmy Wayne hikes with his dog and Montgomery Gentry‘s Eddie Montgomery dreams of steak while on a diet. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Gloriana's Mike Gossin, photo courtesy of Twitter.com/glorianatheband.

Gloriana:  @glorianatheband    Just landed in seattle. For ole time sake! GTV “Mike at airport”-Mike

Jack Ingram:  @JackIngram    Givin my mornin viewing away but just saw Adele on Today show and that song is Killer! Wow! Sounds great!

Taylor Swift:  @taylorswift13    I love Tokyo, I love Tokyo, I love Tokyo! Thank you for two magical nights at the Budokan. Unforgettable.

Kellie Pickler:  @kelliepickler  rolling down the highway in my tour bus. gonna hop in the shower and attempt shaving my legs, hope we don’t hit a pot hole.

LeAnn Rimes:  @leannrimes    Only in Texas would you see horses tied up at the gas station Continue Reading

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! Here at GAC, we follow them too. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week!

Keith Urban photo courtesy of twitter.com/KeithUrban.

Keith Urban:  @KeithUrban    On my way to Philadelphia. See you soon!

Martina McBride:  @martinamcbride    Why is it so early? John’s turn to take the girls to school. My turn to go back to sleep. This is how you make a marriage work, folks.

Jaron And The Long Road To Love:  @JaronATLRTL    How is possible that cell phone carriers cover 98% of the country and miraculously I spend most of my life in that 2% they don’t.

LeAnn Rimes' shows off a photo of the Christmas tree in her home. Photo courtesy of twitter.com/leannrimes.

LeAnn Rimes:  @leannrimes    It’s Christmas at our house!!

Jimmy Wayne:  @JimmyWayne    Slept on my phone last night & dialed 27 people.. sorry Fedex guy in Showlow AZ ..bet your wife is wondering who kept callN & hangN up 8Xs! Continue Reading

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Jerrod Niemann photo by Jeremy Cowart, courtesy of myspace.com/jerrodniemann.

When Jerrod Niemann went over and over the vocal parts for “Lover, Lover” — literally singing all eight or nine harmony lines himself — he had no idea what the song’s future held.

At the time, Jerrod was an unsigned singer-songwriter who had decided to put some of his friends to work and build an album that may, or may not, find a label home. Not only did it eventually land somewhere, the single rose all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart this week. It hit that spot as Jerrod is observing a personal anniversary.

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Jaron and the Long Road to Love photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

One of the songs that’s truly generated a response among country fans in 2010 is “Pray For You” by Jaron And The Long Road To Love, which sounds like a band but really is just a solo artist: Jaron Lowenstein.

Part of Jaron’s history is membership in a duo, Evan & Jaron, that made waves in pop about 10 years ago. So “Pray For You” makes him just the latest in a line of artists who’ve made the shift from pop and rock into country. He’s happy to be in the new genre, but if you’re upset with him because you think traditional country is getting short shrift these days, well, Jaron maintains he’s not at fault.

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Jaron and the Long Road to Love photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Jaron And The Long Road To Love. Yeah, you’ve heard the single, “Pray For You.” As of today, you can now own an entire album, Getting Dressed In The Dark.

The Long Road is not the name of a backing group. Instead, it’s a statement about Jaron Lowenstein’s struggles with romance. And struggle is definitely the word, based on “Pray For You,” in which a vengeful guy prays his ex encounters a whole series of gotcha events, including a head injury and a blowout on the interstate.

When you first hear it, the song sounds kind of mean-spirited. But it also gets a laugh, which is pretty much the point.

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