Dolly Parton’s new Hallmark movie, Christmas at Dollywood, debuted on Dec. 8 as part of Hallmark’s 10th Countdown to Christmas campaign. If you missed the debut, you still have five more opportunities to tune in this month.
The movie stars Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) as Rachel, a single mom and Broadway producer who returns to her hometown roots—after suffering financial difficulty—to co-helm a production at Dollywood with its entertainment director, Luke. It’s likely the duo will clash before discovering love. Dolly makes a special appearance in the film
“As the pair meets in the middle to please the boss, little do Rachel and Luke realize love lurks in all the unexpected places because this isn’t the Great White Way. Or Hollywood. This is Dollywood,” reads the official logline.
Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will return to the judging table for the third time during Season 18 of American Idol, which is slated to premiere on ABC on Feb. 16.
Over the last few months, the three judges have critiqued auditions by thousands of Idol hopefuls in more than 20 cities, including Nashville, New York, Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago and more. During a break from auditions in November, Luke chatted with Nash Country Daily about what he’s looking forward to this season.
“It’s exciting,” says Luke. “It’s always about watching amazingly talented kids walk in the door from all these different backgrounds and knowing you can help facilitate their rise to stardom and their ability to get their music out there.”
Tune in to ABC in February to see Luke, Katy, Lionel and host Ryan Seacrest in action on American Idol.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o and offensive lineman Wanya Morris were named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team on Monday.
To’o To’o and Morris have had standout freshman seasons for the Vols this season, helping lead one of the nation’s most impressive mid-season turnarounds as UT won its final five games to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
To’o To’o was a day-one starter at linebacker for the Big Orange and finished third on the team in tackles with 64. He also added five tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and a half a sack.
The Sacramento, Calif., native was on the FWAA Freshman All-America Midseason Watch List and The Athletic Midseason Freshman All-America Team. He was named to the PFF College National Team of the Week and PFF College SEC Team of the Week for his performance in a 30-7 win over UAB on Nov. 2.
In his collegiate debut, To’o To’o led the Vols with seven tackles to become the first UT freshman since 1996 to lead the team in tackles in a season opener. He played in all 12 games while making 11 starts and became the first Tennessee true freshman since 2011 to start at linebacker in a season opener.
On the offensive side of the ball, Morris was a staple on the Vols’ offensive line, making 11 starts and playing in all 12 games. He became the first Tennessee true freshman to start on the offensive line in a season opener since Trey Smith did so in 2017. They are the only two Vol freshmen to start at left tackle in the last 30 years. Smith was also the last UT player to earn True Freshman All-America status from 247Sports, doing so in 2017.
Like To’o To’o, Morris was also named to the 2019 FWAA Freshman All-America Midseason Watch List and The Athletic Midseason Freshman All-America Team.
The Savannah, Ga., native helped pave the way for a season-high 526 yards of total offense against Missouri, which entered the game with one of the nation’s top defensive lines and ranked 10th in the nation in total defense and had the SEC’s top pass defense.
Tennessee will take on Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
Fans interested in a premium travel package, including hotel stay, game ticket, reception, bowl souvenir and game day transportation can visit VolSportsTravel.com. Tickets can be purchased at the Gator Bowl website (TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com) by clicking HERE.
Gray & McCollough Earn PFF College All-Freshman Honors
Running back Eric Gray and safety Jaylen McCollough were recognized as honorable mention selections for the PFF College All-Freshman Team.
McCollough saw his role expand as the year went on, starting the final five games at safety. The Powder Springs, Ga., native racked up 26 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack on the season. He was named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week following his performance against UAB.
Gray displayed flashes of his potential throughout the season and had a breakout game in the regular season finale, rushing for 246 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in a 28-10 win over Vanderbilt.
The Memphis native captured SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance. His 246 rushing yards are the fifth-most ever by a Vol and the highest rushing total ever by a Tennessee true freshman.
Behind touchdown runs of 94 and 56 yards, Gray ran for 181 yards in the first half against the Commodores, marking the second-most rushing yards in a half by a UT player in program history. His 94-yard run was the second-longest in school history, tied for the 10th-longest rushing score in SEC history and is the longest touchdown run by a true freshman in SEC history.
For the year, Gray finished with 453 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 87 attempts and pulled in 11 receptions for 81 yards and a score.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior offensive lineman Trey Smith and senior defensive back Nigel Warrior were named to the Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference football first team for the 2019 season, the conference announced Monday.
Both Vols pick up their first honor of the postseason after leading their respective sides of the ball through an incredible back-half of the 2019 regular season that finished with five consecutive wins and a bid to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2.
A two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honoree, Smith started the last 11 games at left guard, appearing in all 12, and is tied for Tennessee’s highest-graded player on the o-line with 46 knockdowns. The Jackson, Tenn., native made way for one of the best passing performances in recent history as Jarrett Guarantano recorded 415 passing yards against the sixth-best passing defense in the nation at Missouri. Smith has also been selected as a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist and an Orange Bowl Courage Award nominee. Smith was named to All-SEC second team in 2017.
Tied for the SEC lead with four interceptions, Warrior has commanded UT’s secondary, adding 68 tackles to the ledger, the second-most on the team. The College Park, Ga., native was named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week on three occasions and was also a PFF College National Team of the Week honoree. Warrior, who was a Preseason All-SEC third team selection by the coaches, also recorded seven pass breakups this year.
Up-and-comers know they’re on the right track when they’re invited to play the New Faces of Country Music show at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. Only a handful of rising stars get the honor of performing before the industry crowd, which includes radio programmers, executives and members of the national media.
The 2020 New Faces class features Ingrid Andress, Morgan Evans, Riley Green, Runaway June and Mitchell Tenpenny. The new class will take the stage at the Omni Hotel for the 2020 New Faces show on Feb. 21.
This year’s class was narrowed down from a group of nominees that also included Hardy, Ryan Hurd, Tyler Rich and Matt Stell.
The New Faces of Country Music show can help artists reach the “next” level—just ask the 2014 class of Cam, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion and Chris Janson. The 2018 class featured Lauren Alaina, Luke Combs, Midland, Carly Pearce and Michael Ray. The 2019 class featured Dylan Scott, Jimmie Allen, Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell and LANCO.
Jason Aldean returned to Las Vegas for three shows on Dec. 6, 7 and 8 for his Ride All Night Vegas mini-residency at the 5,200-seat Park Theater in Park MGM.
The mini-residency marked Jason’s first headlining gigs in Vegas since the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting on Oct. 1, 2017, when a lone gunman opened fire on the crowd from an elevated position while Jason was performing onstage. The gunman’s assault killed 58 people and wounded more than 400.
One day after closing his residency, Jason called in to The Ty Bentili Show to talk with the titular host about the experience. The show’s co-host, Chuck Wicks, attended two of Jason’s shows in Vegas.
“We’ve had these [dates] earmarked on the calendar for a long time,” says Jason “It had been a couple of years, obliviously, since we’ve been out here to play a show. This just kinda seemed like the right time to come back and do a couple shows. It was a little bit smaller venue, so it was a little more intimate for fans. We knew there was gonna be a lot of people here from Route 91—and there was. It was a really cool few days, and I think it was something that was kind of a healing process for a lot of people, something that kinda closed the book for a lot of people, I think. It was really cool to come out here and experience it for the last few days.”
“It’s pretty wild when you see the video,” says Jason. “The thing that a lot of people don’t realize is the song that I was playing [when the shooting began] was ‘Any Ol’ Barstool’ . . . so that was the song we were playing [on Dec. 6]. All of the sudden, this guy’s in a wheelchair, and the crowd just kinda lifts him up . . . you have to see the video. I’ve played what seems like a million shows over the years, and that’ll be one of those things that I never forget was that moment, that night.”
Jake announced he will headline an acoustic tour—dubbed the Down to the Tiki Tonk Tour—that kicks off on Feb. 14 in Des Moines, Iowa. The eight-date tour will make additional stops in Green Bay, Mobile and more.
Jake will perform acoustic renditions of songs from his recent album, Greetings From…Jake, including “Homemade,” “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” and “Down To The Honkytonk.” Larry Fleet will serve as support. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 13.
“Sitting on a bar stool, just playing a guitar and singing songs is how I first started making music and is what first led me to fall in love with performing,” says Jake. “Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to have the venues get bigger, and to play for larger crowds on major headlining tours, but when I sat down to think about what was important to me this upcoming year, I really wanted the opportunity to go back to the beginning of it all. For me, it was that intimate connection with fans and the ability to really engage on a more personal level… it just takes me back to the real roots of where and why you started doing this in the first place. The strength of the songwriting and the magic of how that translates into a room with just a guitar and a song. I really can’t wait to play these rooms.”
Down to the Tiki Tonk Tour
Feb. 14 | Des Moines, IA | Hoyt Sherman Place
Feb. 15 | West Lafayette, IN | Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue University
Feb. 27 | Green Bay, WI | Meyer Theatre
Feb. 28 | Cedar Rapids, IA | Paramount Theatre
March 6 | Lancaster, PA | American Music Theater
March 7 | Wilkes|Barre, PA | The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
March 14 | Augusta, GA | Miller Theater | Brian J. Marks Hall
March 15 | Mobile, AL | Saenger Theater
Rennia Davis – Lady Vols / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 17/19 Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to Texas in Thompson-Boling Arena, 66-60.
Tennessee (7-1) was led by junior Rennia Davis who finished the day with 15 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Jazmine Massengill was also in double figures for the Lady Vols with 10. Junior Kasiyahna Kushkituah led the team in rebounding with nine. Overall, Tennessee won the rebounding battle at 54-42.
Seniors Sug Sutton and Lashann Higgs were the leading scorers for Texas (5-4), posting 19 each.
After back-to-back three pointers from Massengill and redshirt senior Lou Brown, the Vols jumped out to an early 6-4 lead over the Longhorns. Davis fought for an offensive rebound and was fouled going up, extending the Big Orange’s lead to 8-4 after both made free throws.
After being down 20-13 in the first, the Lady Vols went on a 6-0 run and came within one at 20-19 after four points from Kushkituah and a jumper from senior Kamera Harris.
At the end of the first 10 minutes, Tennessee was down 22-19 but was leading on the boards with a 15-9 advantage and had eight points contributed by its bench.
Sophomore Rae Burrell scored the first points for the Lady Vols in the second quarter, followed by a lay-up from freshman Tamari Key, pulling Tennessee within one point again at 24-23 with 8:39 left in the half.
Davis made a last-second three-point bucket to close out the first half, making it 42-36 Texas. The senior finished with a team-high eight points and two assists in her first 14 minutes of the game.
The Big Orange came out firing in the third quarter and scored a quick bucket from Massengill, followed by a lay-up from Davis to make it a two-point game at 42-40. The Longhorns, though, went on a 6-0 scoring burst and extended their lead to 48-40.
The Lady Vols kept fighting throughout the third quarter, however, going on their own 5-0 scoring run and pulling to within 48-45. The Big Orange didn’t allow another bucket from Texas in the last 2:24 of the quarter, as the Lady Vols went on another run to cut the deficit to 50-49 at the end of the third.
Tennessee held Texas to a 21.1 shooting percentage in the third, which marked the Longhorns’ lowest of the game. The Lady Vols also out-rebounded the Longhorns, 16-14, and forced three turnovers.
Davis gave Tennessee its first lead of the game since the first quarter with a bucket 18 seconds into the final stanza. Key followed it up with another bucket, giving the Lady Vols a 53-50 lead less than a minute into the fourth period. The Big Orange didn’t score again until the 4:48 mark, while the Longhorns scored eight points in the meantime to regain the lead, 58-55.
Massengill made the next bucket for Tennessee with 2:23 left in the game, cutting the deficit to 60-57. The Lady Vols scored three more free throws in the final quarter but could get no closer the rest of the way.
Up Next: UT closes out its six-game home stand, hosting Colorado State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on SECN+ and broadcast on Lady Vol Network radio stations.
Big-Time Post Play: The Texas duo of Charli Collier and Joyner Holmes had been combining for an average of 33.6 points per game. The Lady Vols held the pair to just eight total points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tamari Key and Kasiyahna Kushkituah combined for 16 points and 16 rebounds for Tennessee.
Winning The Board Battle: The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Longhorns, 54-42, marking the seventh time this season they’ve bested an opponent on the boards. Tennessee is averaging 51.4 rpg. while holding opposing teams to 36.3 rpg.
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer
On what Tennessee’s process of selecting a preference for its bowl game was:
“It’s kind of all of the above with what both of the coaches said. It (the Gator Bowl) has a great history, great tradition, and is in a great part of the country to come and play. I’ve experienced it as a player way back when, and as a head coach had a fantastic experience with the Gator Bowl. I’m looking forward to being back as the athletic director. It’s a great matchup with an outstanding school whose staff has done a super job, and I look forward to it.”
On coaching the 1994 Gator Bowl, which was played in Gainesville:
“This is really about these teams that are playing in this game. That was different, but it worked out fine. This is an exciting time, a great venue, a great city to come to and two really fine, improving football teams to play against each other.”
On how close Tennessee was to playing in Nashville for its bowl game:
“Nashville would have been a fantastic destination, they’ve done a great job with their bowl and again, it’s another great venue and a great place. Obviously, it’s in state as well. The conference commissioner in the end makes the decision and asks for our preferences and we’ve been back and forth a couple of times as to what was best, and I think at the end we landed in the right place for this football team at this particular time.”
On how the day played out:
“I think it played out very well. There is a process in place starting with the College Football Playoff. Things fell where they did and being in the group of six that we were in, I think the Gator Bowl got the hottest team going right now with wins in our last part of our season with our five-game winning streak. Coach Pruitt and the job that he’s done, I think it has played out kind of normal. We are happy to be going to Jacksonville.”
On Jauan Jennings suspension for the first half of the bowl game:
“I think coach Pruitt just answered that. We listened and we are going to support the conference and go about our business. That’s all I have to say about it.”
Tennessee Head Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt
Credit: Ut Athletics
On the turning point of Tennessee’s season:
“With the two off weeks this year, we were 1-3 heading into the first off week. We had a disappointing start early in the year, and I feel like our seniors and our coaching staff did a fantastic job keeping this group together. We have a very young and inexperienced team and they stayed together and showed a lot of resiliency and fight and hung in there and we found a way to win ball games down the stretch. I’m really proud of the opportunity this team has presented itself with and giving these senior the opportunity to play one more time.”
On Jauan Jennings’ suspension for the first half of the bowl game:
“Absolutely, we had a talk about it. It is something that has been addressed and moving forward, Jauan has been a great representative for the university and will continue to do that. I know he probably has some frustrations, but it is something we support and will continue to move forward with it.”
The value of playing a bowl game in Florida for recruiting:
“I have recruited Duval County for a long time, and we have had some success there over the years. Just an opportunity to play against a really good football program and a chance for our fans and everybody associated with our university to enjoy a bowl trip. Again, a fantastic venue against a great opponent.”
On bowl game personnel:
“We have been recruiting and our kids have been working on finals. We’ll start practice here shortly and probably have a little better gauge on that when we get everybody back together.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will be heading to Jacksonville, Florida for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which will be played at TIAA Bank Field on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. ET.
The Volunteers will take on Big Ten foe Indiana in the 75th edition of the Gator Bowl.
“I want to thank TaxSlayer Gator Bowl President and CEO Rick Catlett and chairman Rich Thompson, and the committee and volunteers that work so hard to make the Gator Bowl so special each year,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “The University of Tennessee is proud to be a part of its rich history, and we are very excited to bring this passionate fanbase and hungry football team to Jacksonville.”
The Volunteers will be making their 53rd bowl game appearance in program history, which ranks sixth among all college football programs. UT holds a 28-24 all-time record in bowl games.
The Big Orange enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in college football after winning six of their last seven games, including their final five games of the regular season.
“We are extremely excited to be headed to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “This is a credit to our players, our coaching staff, our support staff, our administration and our fans.
“The Gator Bowl has a rich history and we are honored to be a part of the 75th edition of the game. Jacksonville is a fantastic city and I know our fans will travel and support us. We’ve had a great second-half of the season, winning five straight, but we are not done yet.”
Tennessee’s most recent bowl appearance came in 2016 as the Vols defeated Nebraska, 38-24, in the Music City Bowl.
This will be UT’s seventh time playing in the Gator Bowl. The Vols are 4-2 in the previous six appearances, including a 45-28 victory over Iowa in 2015. That bowl appearance snapped a four-year postseason drought for the Vols and was the first of three straight bowl wins in consecutive seasons.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs earned MVP honors after passing for 129 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another 76 yards and two scores to help lead the Vols to their first postseason victory since the 2008 Outback Bowl.
Tennessee’s other Gator Bowl trips came in 1994 (win vs. Virginia Tech), 1973 (loss vs. Texas Tech), 1969 (loss vs. Florida), 1966 (win vs. Syracuse) and 1957 (win vs. Texas A&M).
Fans interested in a premium travel package, including hotel stay, game ticket, reception, bowl souvenir and game day transportation can visit VolSportsTravel.com.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets are encouraged to do so through the Gator Bowl website (TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com) by clicking HERE.
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