Carrie Underwood photo by James White, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum have been added to the list of country stars who will be a part of the 54^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Carrie will join Tony Bennett for a performance while Lady A will serve as presenters. A tribute to the late Etta James by Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt has also been added. The GRAMMYs will air on CBS on Sunday, February 12th at 8/7 CT.

Other country artists scheduled to perform include Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Glen Campbell, with Blake Shelton and The Band Perry, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Gwyneth Paltrow will be among GRAMMY presenters.

Also in the lineup to perform are Katy Perry, Adele, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Nicki Minaj. LL Cool J will host the GRAMMYs for the first time.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift is known for spreading her good fortune around and this time, the Nashville Public Library system is the lucky recipient of her generosity. She has donated 14,000 Scholastic books, the largest donation ever received by NPL, to the library system.

The books will be available for checkout at each of the 21 branches. Some of the books will be donated to low-income children, pre-schools and daycare centers while still others will be used as prizes for completing the summer reading program.

Taylor’s donation will provide incentive to encourage children to read. Each book will have a donation plate on the inside cover that will read:  “A Gift to the Children of Nashville from Taylor Swift and Scholastic Inc.”    

In other Taylor Swift news, Taylor won’t be starring as Eponine in the movie version of Les Miserables after all, reports the LA Times. British actress Samantha Barks has been cast in the role.

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Miranda Lambert photo by Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Gwyneth Paltrow have been announced as presenters at the 54^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. They are just the latest country stars to be added to the awards. Lifetime Achievement Recipient Glen Campbell will perform with special guests Blake Shelton and The Band Perry. Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift are also slated to perform.

Other performers on the GRAMMYs include Katy Perry, Adele, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Nicki Minaj. LL Cool J will act as host of the GRAMMYs for the first time.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, February 12. The show will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS at 8/7 CT.

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Photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

When the Encyclopedia of Country Music was first published in 1998, it became an instant reference and definitive source on country music. Now, the second edition of the book has been released by Oxford University Press and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The new edition, compiled by museum staff, features new entries on artists who have profoundly influenced country music in recent years, including Kenny Chesney, Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and more.

More new entries in the book focus on the most important studio musicians, songwriters and music executives in the last decade. It also explores the latest and most critical industry trends, such as the digital revolution, the shifting politics of country music, and the impact of American Idol. The importance of Nashville to country music and even the stage costumes worn by country stars are also featured in the new edition.

“I’ve loved country music all my life, and it still amazes me how much more I can learn about it,” Reba McEntire said. “The Encyclopedia of Country Music will be a reference book for the next generation of country music lovers to learn about the folks I was blessed enough to get to know and work with. I will enjoy reading it and getting reacquainted with our history.”

“The Encyclopedia is not just a dry compendium of names and facts, but a rich archive of our shared history of the most American of art forms: country music,” Rosanne Cash said. “The second edition of the Encyclopedia of Country Music is also a point of great pride for me, as so many of my extended family members are included in these pages.”

Vince Gill wrote the foreword in the second edition. The book includes more than 1,200 entries and a vivid photographic insert featuring classic, provocative and recent country music album art. The Encyclopedia of Country Music is available for order at www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

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Glen Campbell photo courtesy of Big Hassle PR

Glen Campbell, who is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, will perform on the GRAMMY Awards with Blake Shelton and The Band Perry. Glen has won five GRAMMYs over his career and is currently on the road for his Goodbye Tour after announcing last year that he has Alzheimer’s.

Blake Shelton is nominated for two GRAMMYs, including Best Country Solo Performance for “Honey Bee” and Best Country Album for Red River Blue. The Band Perry is up for Best New Artist. The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, February 12. The show will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS at 8/7 CT.

Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Nicki Minaj. LL Cool J will be the evening’s host.

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Miranda Lambert thanks fans for their support after Blake Shelton’s father passed away, Jake Owen  keeps fans updated on his broken collarbone from the waiting room, Josh Kelley shares a photo of wife Katherine Heigl that may land him in the doghouse and Taylor Swift puts her TV remote in its place. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/ladyantebellum.

Lady Antebellum – LadyAntebellum: We are all ready and excited! #OwnTheNightWorldTour

Miranda Lambert – Miranda_Lambert: Thank you all for your kindness and prayer. Our family means everything to us. Blake and I appreciate the support so much.

Jake Owen – JakeOwen: In the Dr. waiting on my sentence.. You know it’s not good when he comes in and says “That break is worse than the football teams”. Damn.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/joshkelley.

Josh Kelley – JoshBKelley: My girl getting her hair done for ONE FOR THE MONEY movie press

Storme Warren – StormeWarren: Hard lesson learned. Wear ski pole straps PROPERLY! Lazy = injury. Almost got BOTH thumbs. Close call. Better yet… Don’t use straps!

Charlie Daniels - CharlieDaniels: Went back and snowmobiled the mountain where I had my stroke 2 years ago,had a ball,ain’t God good!

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/kelliepickler.

Kellie Pickler – KelliePickler: Found a picture of me & Kyle fishing’ at one of Saddam’s Palaces on a USO tour. #BringingTheRedneckToAPalaceNearYou

Taylor Swift – TaylorSwift13: Apparently my only way of dealing with a remote control that isn’t working right is to bang it on the table and scream ‘COME ON!’

Little Big Town – LBTMusic: I wish @mattnathanson would serenade me from the top of my stairs…. sexy devil. jimi

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/BradPaisley.

Brad Paisley - BradPaisley: I’ve never been cooler than this…

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 Top 20 Country Countdown is all new tonight as host Nan Kelley counts down the videos you chose from 20 all the way to 1! Last Week, Taylor Swift’s latest video, “Ours,” topped the charts, with videos from Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Chris Young and Luke Bryan and rounding out the Top 5. Does Taylor hang on to the top spot? Tune in tonight at 9/8 CT — the new Top 20 air time — to find out. Check the full schedule of all airtimes »

If you missed a few episodes of Top 20 or want to watch some of your favorite interviews again, head over to our Top 20 section for videos, photos and more! You can also catch a few Top 20 Extras, cast your votes, and take a look at the current Top 20 chart to see where your favorite videos land. Visit Top 20! >>

Remember, GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown is chosen by you, the viewers. Make sure to head over to our voting page and cast your votes daily for your favorite videos!

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Taylor Swift's Vogue Cover.

Taylor Swift can add another magazine cover to her resume. The superstar is Vogue’s February cover girl. The cover image was leaked by  The Fashion Spot over the weekend. In her in-depth interview with the magazine, Taylor discusses several topics, including when she stopped caring about being the cool kid.

“I think that happened as soon as I left school, when I was sixteen, because then all that mattered was music and this dream that I’d had my whole life,” she said. “It never mattered to me that people in school didn’t think that country music was cool, and they made fun of me for it—though it did matter to me that I was not wearing the clothes that everybody was wearing at that moment. But at some point, I was just like, ‘I like wearing sundresses and cowboy boots.’”

Taylor is frequently asked in interviews when she’s going to have a scandal or breakdown similar to other high-profile celebrities in her age group. She is known for having a cool head and being a positive role model. For her, there is simply too much to lose.

“I think, for me, the bigger pitfall is losing your self-awareness,” she said to the magazine. “Even though I am at a place where my dresses are really pretty and the red carpets have a lot of bright lights and I get to play to thousands of people, you have to take that with a grain of salt. The stakes are really high if you mess up, if you slack off and don’t make a good record, if you make mistakes based on the idea that you are larger than life and you can just coast.”

That’s not saying Taylor never loses her cool. She has had her self-proclaimed bratty moments, but they are short-lived. “If I do I usually spend the next four days apologizing,” she said. “I get post-conversation anxiety. ‘I am so sorry if I said something weird. Did I make that weird? I am sorry if I made that weird!’”

Taylor also talked to Vogue about her relationship with her parents, the heartbreak that is inspiring her fourth album, and what she’s learned are red flags in relationships. You can read the entire interview with Taylor HERE, andsee a full-size photo of the cover HERE.

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Kellie Pickler photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Kellie Pickler – with her quick wit and engaging personality – is the perfect star for live television.  In the first-ever LIVE episode of The Collection, Wednesday, January 18 at 8 p.m. Eastern, Kellie sits down with host Storme Warren to talk about the making of several of the music videos in her catalog.  The platinum singer/songwriter has made videos for many of her top hits including “Best Days of Your Life,” a song she co-wrote with Taylor Swift, “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” and “I Wonder.”

Throughout the telecast, members of the TV and viral audience will have the opportunity to submit questions to Kellie via GAC’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GAC (clicking on the ‘Kellie Pickler chat’ tab).  The questions chosen will be sent to Storme’s on-set iPad and he will share them with his guest.

Following the one-hour show, Kellie will continue engaging fans through an online chat on the GAC Facebook page.

“We loved the idea of doing something live and interactive with Kellie, an artist our fans have loved since she released “Red High Heels,” said GAC GM/SVP Sarah Trahern. “She is often at the top of our fan-voted chart and when Kellie and Storme get together for a live hour of television, who knows what will happen?”

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Rascal Flatts hangs with the quarterback of the moment, David Nail reflects on his first No. 1 single, John Rich shares the aftermath of his birthday bash, Jo Dee Messina tweets from labor and delivery and Jake Owen posts a hilarious video after his wisdom teeth extraction! Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/JayDeMarcus.

Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts – JayDemarcus: With our buddy Tebow yesterday… Great game!!

Taylor Swift – TaylorSwift13: Thank you so much for my People’s Choice Award! Favorite Country Artist! PARTY!!! Seriously- thank you for voting.

David Nail – DavidNail: Wife is in Vegas, so it’s me and the dogs tonight! Finally some time to myself to reflect just how amazing this week has been! Thank u!!!

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/DierksBentley.

Dierks Bentley – DierksBentley: somehow the #redsolocup disco ball from the video wound up on my table at the studio I work out of. suggestions??!

Martina McBride – MartinaMcBride: I must be hormonal….Tattoos On This Town almost made me cry. Great song.

Jake Owen – JakeOwen: Just got em out.. http://yfrog.com/2map2z

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/edensedge.

Edens Edge – EdensEdge: We were so thrilled to play on the @opry tonight. We got to sing “Christ Alone” around one mic

John Rich – JohnRich: There’s nothing like waking up to a Rooster crowing…IN YOUR HOUSE! Wow! What a throwdown!!!

Jo Dee Messina – JoDeeMessina: OMG! Ice chips never tasted so good. YUMMY

Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/thebandperry.

The Band Perry – TheBandPerry: Roll. Tide. (np)

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