As far as Blake is concerned, photo shoots are the worst part of his “job.” But as the Oklahoma crooner told Kix Brooks on American Country Countdown, he can be talked into it, unlike the King of Country, George Strait.
“Photo sessions, without question, are the [worst thing I have to do],” says Blake. “In fact, I did a magazine [shoot]—it’s been like three years ago now—and it was Men’s Journal. And it was a photo shoot and interview, and they did great, they didn’t do anything wrong, but that’s when it hit me, ‘I absolutely don’t care . . . I am not doing them anymore.’ And, I’ll be damned if they didn’t talk me into doing one about three weeks ago again.
“I’m in a bad mood the days I wake up and know there’s a photo shoot for an album or anything or for The Voice promo . . . it’s a waste of a day. To me, you outta be able to get away with a picture once every 10 years. George Strait—you can’t tell me George Strait doesn’t use the same pictures from album shoots since 1989. There is nobody talking George Strait into doing a photo shoot.”
Watch Blake and Kix talk about photo shoots, George Strait and much more.
Garth Brooks stopped by Ellen on Nov. 20 to chat with the hostess about a number of topics, including his recent CMA Entertainer of the Year win, lip-syncing at the CMA Awards, his new anthology and touring.
Ellen also tried to give Garth one of her personalized “scares,” but the G-man is so damn focused on entertaining that he refused to be affected by the attempt.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman Rennia Davis recorded the first double-double of her college career to lead No. 12/18 Tennessee to a 68-56 victory over Wichita State on Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Davis, a member of the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class, finished with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds as the Lady Vols (3-0, 0-0 SEC) pulled away in the second half. UT held the Shockers (0-4, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) to 36 percent shooting for the game.
After trailing by four at the end of the first quarter, Tennessee used a 12-0 run over the next six minutes to build an eight-point lead. Wichita State fought its way back in the final stages of the half, cutting the UT advantage to 29-28 going into the break. Jeliah Preston boosted the Shockers with nine first-half points.
Mercedes Russell recorded 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting to lead Tennessee offensively in the first half. With her 1,336th career point, the senior center moved past Lisa Harrison for 32nd place on the Lady Vols’ all-time scoring list. Russell finished with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Tennessee went on an 11-0 run in the third quarter, highlighted by two Davis baskets in 10 seconds, to put the Lady Vols ahead by double digits. UT’s defense remained aggressive as Wichita State was only able to hit three shots during the quarter. Led by the frontcourt duo of Russell and Davis, the Lady Vols dominated the inside, recording 38 points in the paint.
Jaime Nared added nine points and nine rebounds, including her 500th board in the orange and white midway through the first quarter. Tennessee’s guard play was strong all night, as Meme Jackson posted a career-high four steals and Evina Westbrook dished out a game-high six assists. Anastasia Hayesnetted 12 points, including eight free throws, in 27 minutes of play.
Diamond Lockhart led Wichita State with 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Angiee Tompkins added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Up Next: Tennessee heads to Cancun, Mexico, where it will face off against #20/19 Marquette Thursday in the first of three games at the Cancun Challenge. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m. ET and is available for viewing on CBS College Sports Live.
Freshmen Finding Their Rhythm: Lady Vol freshmen Rennia Davis, Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes combined for 36 of Tennessee’s 68 points while also adding 11 assists and five steals. The group averaged 34 minutes of action and committed only one foul each.
Davis Double-Double: In her third career start Rennia Davis posted her first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
A Quick Bunch: Tennessee has had 11 or more steals in all three games this season. Last season they only managed 11+ steals on two occasions.
Brady Hoke – Vols Interim HC / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football interim head coach Brady Hoke and student-athletes spoke to reporters on Monday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
At the start of the Tennessee football noon press conference, Hoke expressed his appreciation for the strong fan turnout for Saturday’s game against LSU despite rainy and windy conditions.
“I really want, on behalf of our football team and our staff, to thank those people and our fans that were at the game on Saturday night,” Hoke said. “From the Vol Walk to the energy they had for our football team, it really got our kids pumped up and it was really great to see. For those who weathered the weather, we give them a lot of credit. It was really a great turnout and we can’t thank the Volunteer fans enough for the enthusiasm and the passion they have.”
Tennessee-Vanderbilt Rivalry
The Vols (4-7, 0-7 SEC) will close out their 2017 home schedule on Saturdayagainst Vanderbilt (4-7, 0-7 SEC). The game will feature a 4 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network.
While the 2017 season has not gone the way either team has wanted it to, Hoke expects the intensity of this in-state SEC rivalry to be as high as it always has been.
“If you look at it and you are truly a competitor, you have another chance,” Hoke said of his team’s approach to this week’s game. “For some of the guys, it will be their last organized football game that they are going to play and the last game they are going to play at the college level. When those opportunities start to shrink down, I think they will be awfully competitive. I think this team will go out there and have a great week of practice and go out on Saturday and play for Tennessee and our seniors.”
Senior tight end Ethan Wolf, who ranks third on UT’s all-time tight end receiving list with 958 career yards, echoed those sentiments and said that motivation won’t be a problem for the Vols due to the tradition of the rivalry and the senior send-off.
“There is definitely going to be some fire,” Wolf said. “We are all competitors. We don’t want to lose, no matter who we are playing. We are going to come out and play as hard as we possibly can and try and end this season with a victory.”
Senior Reflect On Their Time On Rocky Top
Saturday will be Senior Day as 22 Vol seniors will make their final appearance in Neyland Stadium. On Monday, some of the seniors were asked to share some of their favorite memories from their Tennessee careers.
Senior defensive back Emmanuel Moseley said that VFL and current Pittsburgh Steeler Cameron Sutton was a mentor for him and he has tried to pass along some of the lessons he has learned to the younger defensive backs. As for his favorite memory, Moseley said that nothing tops Tennessee’s 38-28 comeback win over Florida in 2016.
“It was a great memory, just being around the team, seeing how happy everyone was,” Moseley said. “The fans were happy. It was just a good vibe.”
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Kendal Vickers said that he does not have one particular favorite memory. For Vickers, who has a team-high 37-game starting streak, the best moments are the ones he spends with his teammates.
“I just try to enjoy every day I’m with the guys in the locker room because I try not to take it for granted,” Vickers said. “This isn’t promised and it’s coming to an end, so I just try to value every moment I have with the guys from my freshman year to my fifth year. I can say that I have been doing that.”
Season 6, which will debut on Jan. 4 and feature 16 episodes, will be the show’s final season.
Since launching on ABC in May 2013, Nashville has produced 108 shows over five seasons and featured memorable characters such as Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton), Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) Scarlett O’Connor (Clare Bowen) and more.
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