Oprah Winfrey with Carrie Underwood in Nashville, Tennessee © 2012 Harpo Inc./George Burns

Oprah Winfrey traveled to Nashville to sit down with Carrie Underwood for an in-depth interview that will air on Sunday’s episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter. For the first time, Carrie invited cameras into her and husband Mike Fisher’s Nashville-area cabin retreat. The interview will air May 20 at 9/8 PM CT on OWN.

During the interview, Carrie reflects on her rise to fame since winning American Idol in 2005, revealing she sometimes wonders what she’s doing. She also discussed her two-year marriage to Mike, a professional hockey player for the Nashville Predators, and how they maintain normalcy despite their  high-profile life.

Later in the interview, Mike joins Carrie for their first ever television interview together. Mike and Carrie share how they balance their careers and personal life and how their belief in God helps them navigate everyday life. They then take Oprah to new plot of land where they plan to build their dream home.

Carrie recently released her fourth studio album, Blown Away. She will hit the road on her Blown Away Tour with dates scheduled in the UK and Australia this summer. The North American leg of the tour kicks off this fall with Hunter Hayes along as a special guest.

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Julie Roberts photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Game manufacture McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds will host its first annual celebrity charity event during CMA Music Festival. Country stars will sit down to play You’ve been Sentenced! – Country Music Edition on June 7th from 2:00-4:30 PM at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Nashville. Stars will play the game to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and Success Won’t Wait.

Artists confirmed to play include Jeff Bates, Ty Brown, Burns & Poe, Jason Michael Carroll, Buddy Jewell, Matt Kennon, Danni Leigh, LoCash Cowboys, Justin McBride, Jaclyn North, Julie Roberts, Doug Stone, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills and more. The game will be followed by acoustic performances.

“We’ve always known that the country music industry has tremendous heart,” Don McNeill, McNeill Designs CEO, said. “The interest and support shared by the community as a whole for this charity event has been overwhelming and it’s even more moving in consideration of the number of appearances, concerts and events these artists are juggling as part of their hectic CMA Fest schedules.” Continue Reading

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Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

This week, GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown headed to Louisville, Kentucky for a very special Lady Antebellum concert. The trio’s Own The Night Tour became a charity ball for the Henryville, Indiana community which was ravaged by a tornado. Before their show, Lady A hosted a prom event for the juniors and seniors of Henryville High School.

Host Nan Kelley sat down with the band to talk about whose idea the fundraiser was and why it was so important to them to help. Nan got a behind the scenes look at the prom event. In total, Lady A helped raise $285,000 for Henryville. If you missed Friday night’s premiere, check the schedule for re-airs throughout the weekend! Full schedule »

On the chart this week, Carrie Underwood remains at No. 1 with “Good Girl” while Miranda Lambert moves into the No. 2 spot with “Over You.” Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes and Keith Urban round out the Top 5 and The Farm make their Top 20 debut with “Home Sweet Home” coming in at No. 15.

This Week’s Chart:

1. Carrie Underwood – “Good Girl”
2. Miranda Lambert – “Over You”
3. Luke Bryan – “Drunk On You
4. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
5. Keith Urban – “For You”
6. Lauren Alaina – “Georgia Peaches”
7. Lady Antebellum – “Dancing Away With My Heart”
8. Thompson Square – “Glass”
9. Josh Turner – “Time Is Love”
10. Kelly Clarkson – “Mr. Know It All”
11. Lionel Richie with Shania Twain – “Endless Love”
12. Eric Church – “Springsteen”
13. Rascal Flatts – “Banjo”
14. Jason Aldean – “Fly Over States”
15. The Farm – “Home Sweet Home”
16. Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars – “Safe & Sound”
17. Gloriana – “(Kissed You) Good Night”
18. Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw – “Feel Like A Rock Star”
19. Bucky Covington – “I Wanna Be That Feeling”
20. Kip Moore – “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck”

Vote for GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown now »

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.

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Photo courtesy of Trisha Yearwood.

Trisha Yearwood will teach her nephews how to make Brunswick stew on the latest episode of her cooking show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen. She’ll share her father’s famous stew recipe and also teach her nephews how to make drop biscuits, known as ‘Easiest Muffins.’ As a reward for their hard work, Trisha will make them Sweet and Saltines, an easy dessert loved by her family and friends. Trisha’s Southern Kitchen airs Saturdays at 10:30 AM/ET on Food Network

Each week, Trisha shares her favorite meals, nostalgic stories and welcomes visits from family and friends. The shows are themed and cover everything from preparing traditional dishes, planning a baby shower, a family reunion barbecue, and tips on how to lighten up Southern recipes.

Filmed in Nashville, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen features how-to tips and techniques dishes like Barbecued Chicken, Uncle Wilson’s Grilled Onions and Chick-less Pot Pies. Besides being a country music star, Trisha has released two cookbooks, both of which reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in the Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous category.

Naturally, Trisha’s kitchen is her her favorite room to spend time in. She welcomed GAC into her home to show us around her prized kitchen. Check out our At Home with GAC section for details including Trisha’s Italian tableware, knickknacks from her travels, and some of her favorite meals!

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, Lady Antebellum helps rebuild Henryville, Scotty McCreery reflects on an important anniversary and Oprah visits Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher in Nashville. Plus, Reba tweets from the set of her new sitcom and Wynonna gets her marriage license! Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Photo courtesy of Lady Antebellum.

Lady Antebellum – LadyAntebellum: What a great night with an incredible community. Over $285,000 raised. Thank you for #RebuildingHenryville with us!!

Blake Shelton – BlakeShelton: Strange how when you come to a sudden stop that long line of things you’ve been trying to out run slams right back into you.. I miss my dad.

Scotty McCreery – ScottyMcCreery: Crazy to think that 1 year ago today was one of the best days of my life.

Photo courtesy of Oprah.

Oprah – Oprah: Me at Mike and Carries cabin in Nashville Continue Reading

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Photo courtesy of Men's Health Magazine.

Kenny Chesney is known for his high energy shows and to pull them off, he pushes himself to stay in the best shape possible. As he prepares to kick off his Brothers of the Sun co-headlining tour with Tim McGraw, he’s been busy rehearsing and spending time in the gym. Kenny is on the cover of June’s Men’s Health and tells the magazine about his fitness routine.

When Kenny hits the gym, his goal isn’t to gain muscle. “I don’t go in here and try to bench-press 200 pounds,” he said. But he can do 300 pushups in 10 minutes. His overall goal is to maintain his energy level for his two-plus hour live show, many of which take place in soaring heat and high humidity.

“You think you’re sprinting on this treadmill,” he said. “When I’m up there it’s like I’m at a constant sprint at a 15 level. But the thing you have onstage that you don’t have in the gym is adrenaline.” Continue Reading

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Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Carrie Underwood will be among the artists performing live during Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards. Carrie was included in the first round of performers announced, a list that includes Justin Bieber, LMFAO and The Wanted. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell of ABC’s Modern Family will serve as hosts for the show.

Lady Antebellum leads the country finalists for this year’s Billboard Music Awards with four nominations. Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean follow them up with three award nominations each. Lady A, Taylor Swift and Scotty McCreery are also up for multi-genre awards. Continue Reading

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GAC host Nan Kelley with Lady Antebellum during their charity concert event in Henryville, KY on May 16,2012.

This week, GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown is taking a trip to Louisville, Kentucky for a special Lady Antebellum concert. The trio turned their high-energy show into a charity ball for the Henryville, Indiana community which was ravaged by a tornado. Before the show, Lady A hosted a prom event for the juniors and seniors of Henryville High School, complete with an acoustic performance.

Host Nan Kelley sits down with Charles, Hillary and Dave to talk about who came up with the idea and why it was so important to them to help these teenagers. Nan also goes behind the scenes of the prom event, complete with a look at who was dancing away with who’s heart. The event raised $285,000 for the Henryville community. Tune in tonight at 8/7 CT for all the details and to count down this week’s top 20 videos! Check the full schedule »

Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Six-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift has pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame^®and Museum.  The more than 7,500-square foot space, which will encompass parts of two floors and feature three classrooms and a state-of-the-art children’s exhibit gallery, is scheduled to open in early 2014.

Swift’s gift is the largest capital contribution by an individual artist in the museum’s 45-year history, prompting the museum to name the new space the Taylor Swift Education Center.  The gift was made in conjunction with Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here, the capital campaign that will finance the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s expansion from 140,000 square feet to more than 350,000 square feet.

Swift has for years been a generous supporter of the museum, performing for the institution’s 2007 All for the Hall New York, 2009 We’re All for the Hall and 2010 All for the Hall Los Angeles benefits.  She has also loaned the museum dresses, stage costumes and instruments for display; a free-standing, Taylor Swift multimedia exhibit has been one of the museum’s most popular attractions since its debut in May, 2010. Continue Reading

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Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore is a busy man, playing shows across the country, promoting his latest single, “‘Til My Last Day,” and being a husband and father, but on May 28, Memorial Day, he plans to take a special moment to honor our military. He hopes everyone else will do the same.

“You know, I can’t say enough about the level of sacrifice that the men and women in our military, and their families, give us every day,” Justin said. “It’s pretty amazing to say the least.”

Watch Justin’s “‘Til My Last Day” video! >>

While he’ll remember our military on Memorial Day, he believes it’s important to honor them year-round. “Regardless of Democrat, Republican, whatever you are, we should definitely all support our men and women in military,” he said. “They are true heroes.” Continue Reading

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