“Blue Ain’t Your Color” winning the CMA Award for Single of the Year
debuting his new single, “Female,” at the CMA Awards
hearing “Female” for the first time on Oct. 11, one day after it was written by Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Nicolle Galyon
recording “Female” on Oct. 31
the importance of a song like “Female” in 2017
working on his upcoming 10th studio album, which will drop in 2018
the importance of taking his time while making new albums
bringing the album to life the way he hears it in his head: “audio-lize”
turning 50 years old in October
touring hard in 2018
celebrating Thanksgiving with his wife, daughters and mom
relaxing over the upcoming holidays
Quote Worthy:
“I had an immediate reaction to ‘Female’âas a father of two daughters, as a husband, as a son, it just resonated with me. I went and grabbed my acoustic guitar and started playing it right away.”
Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn have extended their Sin City residencyâReba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegasâwith 12 new dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2018.
Since premiering the residency in June 2015, the trio has played more than 40 shows over the course of the last three years.
2018 dates include March 14, 16, 17, 21, 23 and 24 and Aug. 15, 17, 18, 22, 24 and 25.
âWeâre having a great time on the Las Vegas residency with Reba,â said Ronnie Dunn to Nash Country Daily in 2016. âKix and I kid all the time that we ran up and down the road on buses for 20 years just to get a chance to do this. Itâs as fun and convenient as you can get in this business. Weâre having a great time.â
After taking a tumble outside her Nashville home on Nov. 10, Carrie Underwood underwent surgery on Nov. 14 to repair her broken wrist.
According to a post Carrie made on Twitter today (Nov. 15), the surgery went well and she’s thankful for her caregivers.
I just wanted let everyone know that Iâm doing great. Had surgery on my wrist yesterday & all went well…even though Iâll be setting off airport metal detectors from now on…Iâm so thankful for the doctors, nurses, family & friends whoâve been taking such great care of me.
I can’t believe I’m writing this article, but People magazine has named Blake Shelton the Sexiest Man Alive in 2017.
Past winners of the the annual award, which has been given out since 1985, include Mel Gibson (1985), Patrick Swayze (1991), Brad Pitt (1995, 2000), Matthew McConaughey (2005) and Dwayne Johnson (2016), among others.
Following Adam Levine’s win in 2013, Blake is only the second musical artist to win the award.
Let’s all take a moment and bask in Blake’s sexiness.
Carrie Underwood and John Legend will host the Grammys Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special that will be broadcast on Nov. 24.
The retrospective will be packed with standout moments from the past 59 years of Grammy history and will feature exclusive interviews and appearances by Carrie, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Dave Grohl, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Chris Martin, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, P!nk, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Justin Timberlake and U2.
The primetime special will highlight some of the most memorable Grammy moments from the past five decades, including behind-the-scenes footage from past shows and segments that feature Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney and more.
Grammyâs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special will be broadcast on Friday, Nov. 24, 9â11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Nominations for the 60th Grammy Awards will be announced on Nov. 28. The winners will be announced on Jan. 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After seven years with Jennifer Nettles as the emcee, CMA Country Christmas turned to Reba McEntire to host its eighth annual showcase last night (Nov. 14). The two-hour holiday music celebration, which was taped at Nashvilleâs Grand Ole Opry House, will air on ABC on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. CT.
âChristmas is such a special time,â said Reba. âIt reminds me of growing up in Oklahoma and singing carols with my family. Iâm just tickled to join a group of some of my best country buddies onstage to celebrate the holiday season. This is where my love of music began.â
The lineup of artists who performed at this yearâs shindig included Reba, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, CB30, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch, CeCe Winans, Trisha Yearwood and Chris Young.
Highlights included Reba’s “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Kelsea’s “White Christmas,” Luke’s “O Holy Night,” Dan + Shay’s “Do You Hear What I Hear,” Brett’s “Winter Wonderland,” Lady Antebellum’s “Silver Bells,” Trisha’s “Hard Candy Christmas” and more.
Check out the photo gallery courtesy of Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com, and be sure to catch the televised celebration on ABC on Nov. 27.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 13/18 Tennessee (1-0) is back at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday night, as James Madison (1-1) comes to town for a 7 p.m.contest. SECN+ will have the broadcast.
This will mark the second straight season these teams have played, with the Lady Vols winning, 81-69, in last year’s season opener in Harrisonburg, Va.
Wednesday night’s game marks the second of three straight contests at home to open the campaign for the Lady Vols. By the time Texas departs Knoxville on Dec. 10, Tennessee will have played seven of its first 10 games at on Rocky Top.
WHAT’S THE PROMOTION?
â˘Â Wednesday features the Second Harvest canned food drive at Thompson-Boling Arena.
⢠Fans providing two non-perishable food items will receive a complimentary ticket, with donations benefitting the Second Harvest Food Bank.
BROADCAST INFO.
⢠Mick Gillispie (PxP), Andraya Carter (Analyst) and Maddy Glab (Reporter) will describe the action for the Tennessee-JMU online broadcast on SEC Network+ (SECN+) and WatchESPN.
⢠Mickey Dearstone will handle the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th season.
A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS
⢠Tennessee returns two starters (Mercedes Russell, Jaime Nared) and another part-time starter (Meme Jackson) from last year’s squad, which wound up 20-12 after falling in the NCAA Second Round. The Big Orange women were 10-6 in league play a year ago and finished fifth in the SEC standings.
⢠Also back are 6-2 senior forward Kortney Dunbar and 6-3 sophomore center Kamera Harris.
⢠This year’s newcomers include the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class as well as a two-time JUCO All-American forward who redshirted last season due to a knee injury.
⢠UT’s consensus No. 1-ranked freshman class includes the No. 2 (6-0 guard Evina Westbrook), No. 7 (5-7 guard Anastasia Hayes), No. 12 (6-2 wing Rennia Davis) and No. 57 (6-4 center Kasiyahna Kushkituah) players in the nation, as ranked in the HoopGurlz espnW 100. All four players were McDonald’s All-Americans and are expected to see extensive playing time in their first collegiate season. Davis and Westbrook, as a matter of fact, earned starts in the Carson-Newman exhibition game.
⢠Redshirt junior Cheridene Green was a two-time All-American at ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y., averaging 20.5 points and 16.5 rebounds per contest as a sophomore before redshirting at Tennessee last season. The power forward should offer immediate help inside.
⢠The 2016-17 Lady Vols defeated three of the four teams in last year’s NCAA Final Four (Stanford, South Carolina, Mississippi State) and also toppled Elite Eight squad Notre Dame as well.
⢠The Big Orange women were 10-6 in league play a year ago and finished fifth in the SEC standings.
⢠UT lost starting guards Jordan Reynolds (WNBA 2nd Round) and Diamond DeShields (signed pro contract in June) as well as reserve forward Schaquilla Nunn (WNBA 3rd Round) to the professional ranks. Guard Alexa Middleton, a part-time starter, and redshirt sophomore guard Te’a Cooper are no longer with the program. Cooper missed all of last season with a knee injury.
LAST TIME OUT (UT 87, ETSU 49)
⢠Double-doubles from No. 14/18 Tennessee’s All-SEC senior leaders Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared helped the Lady Vols cruise to an 87-49 season-opening win over ETSU with 8,869 looking on Sunday afternoon in Thompson Boling Arena.
⢠Russell scored 20 points and corralled 10 rebounds, while Nared chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Anastasia Hayes came off the bench to contribute 17 points, the majority of which came from her impressive 12-for-13 shooting at the free-throw line.
⢠The Buccaneers got out to a 6-5 lead in the early portion of the first quarter, but the Lady Vols (1-0) played lock-down defense, forcing ETSU into 0-for-11 shooting from the field the final 7:28 of the period. A 17-0 run from Tennessee that spanned the end of the first period into the early second quarter provided the Lady Vols a lead they would not relinquish.
⢠The Lady Vols continued their imposing defensive play in the second quarter, as ETSU entered the break shooting just 15.4 percent (6-39) from the field and trailing, 37-16. The Bucs would finish the day at 24.7 percent on 19-of-77 shooting.
⢠Russell and Nared took over the game in the third quarter, combining to score 20 of the team’s 30 points in the period as the Lady Vols offense started clicking. With a sizeable lead, Tennessee was able to get all 10 players on the roster into the game. Every player scored at least one basket from the field and grabbed at least one board.
STATS BACK/STATS LOST
⢠Tennessee returns five players who contributed to last season’s statistics and lost four. Below is a breakdown of those numbers
⢠Pts. (2,346): Back (52%, 1,219) Lost (48%, 1,127)
⢠Reb. (1,317): Back (49%, 646) Lost (43%, 564), Team (8%, 107)
⢠Ast. (468): Back (32%, 149) Lost (68%, 319)
⢠Stl. (197): Back (41%, 81) Lost (59%, 117)
⢠Blk. (127): Back (52%, 66) Lost (48%, 61)
A LOOK AT THE DUKESÂ
⢠James Madison fields a very young team, featuring nine sophomores or freshmen on the team’s 13-player roster.
⢠Perhaps due to that youth, the squad is averaging 24.5 turnovers per game through two games.
⢠The Dukes opened with a home loss to Rutgers (76-63) before bouncing back to beat Wagner, 68-45.
⢠JMU is led in scoring by a trio of sophomores, including guards Lexie Barrier (14.0) and Kamiah Smalls (13.0) and forward Kelly Koshuta (12.0).
⢠Another sophomore, Kayla Cooper Williams heads the team’s rebounding charge, pulling down an impressive 15.0 per contest.
⢠Koshuta paced JMU in the win over Wagner, bagging 20 points and six rebounds.
⢠Freshman guard Tori Harris is the younger sister of former Tennessee star Tobias Harris (2010-11), who now plays for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
⢠Sean O’Regan is back for his second season as head coach of the Dukes after leading James Madison to a 26-9 record last year and a runner-up finish in the Colonial Athletic Association.
⢠JMU advanced to the WNIT third round before bowing out against Villanova, 69-67.
⢠O’Regan replaced Kenny Brooks, now at Virginia Tech, and made his JMU debut in last year’s season-opener vs. Tennessee.
THE SERIES VS. JAMES MADISON
⢠According to the UT record book, this marks the fourth meeting between these schools.
⢠Tennessee holds a 3-0 lead in the series after the Lady Vols won last season, 81-69, in Harrisonburg, Va., on Nov. 11.
⢠Prior to that, the #1/3 Lady Vols won by 20 over the #14/15 Dukes, 72-52, in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va., on March 24, 1988.
â˘Â Holly Warlick was an assistant on that Big Orange squad that finished third in the Final Four that season in Tacoma, Wash, with a 31-3 overall record.
⢠Tennessee is 5-0 all-time vs. schools from the Colonial Athletic Association, defeating both JMU and UNCW last season.
THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND JMU
⢠Redshirt junior Mercedes Russell recorded the 12th double-double of her career in No. 13/14 Tennessee’s 81-69 win over James Madison on Nov. 11, 2016, at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
⢠Russell finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the game en route to the Lady Vols’ 1,300th win in program history, which is the most in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history.
⢠With the win, Tennessee (1-0) snapped the Dukes’ 16-game homecourt winning streak.
⢠Juniors Jaime Nared and Alexa Middleton both enjoyed strong outings. Nared finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, including connecting on a career-high 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc. Middleton’s 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting was the most she has scored since her first game as a Lady Vol.
⢠James Madison’s Precious Hall dropped 39 points on 15-of-35 shooting from the field, including 7-of-14 on 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
⢠After a 3-pointer by James Madison gave the Dukes a 59-58 lead with 9:52remaining in the game, Tennessee would bounce back with a 16-4 run over the next four minutes of play. The Lady Vols shot 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field during the stretch. UT would never look back after run, cruising through the remainder of the quarter to win its season opener.
COMING UP FOR THE LADY VOLS
⢠Next up, the Lady Vols close out the early-season home stand with a Mondaymatch-up vs. Wichita State at 7 p.m. ET. SECN+ will have the broadcast.
⢠Tennessee will then wing its way to Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday, taking part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Puerto Aventuras.
⢠UT will face Marquette on Nov. 23 (6:30 p.m.), Oklahoma State on Nov. 24 (4 p.m.) and South Dakota on Nov. 25 (4 p.m.).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jordan Bone and Lamonte Turner each scored 16 points, and Tennessee took an 84-53 win over High Point on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols (2-0) enjoyed an efficient night of shooting, hitting at a 47.4-percent clip from the floor to go with a 44.4-percent effort from 3-point range and a 78.3-percent night from the free-throw line. High Point (1-1) shot just 33.3 percent for the game. UT also had a 47-31 rebounding edge in the win.
Bone scored his 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Turner was 6-of-11 for the night and 4-of-7 from long distance. Junior forward Admiral Schofield scored 14 points and collected six rebounds. Sophomore forward Grant Williams added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Jahaad Proctor paced the Panthers with 17 points and Andre Fox added 13 points.
With the game tied at 7-7 just over four minutes into the game, Williams made a layup that sparked a 32-0 run over the next 11 minutes and gave the Vols a 39-7 advantage. Tuesday’s first-half hot streak marked the second time this season Tennessee has seized control of the game with an early big run. The Vols went on a 28-0 run in the first half of their win over 88-53 win over Presbyterian on Nov. 10.
Tennessee took a 52-13 lead into halftime. UT shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the floor in the first half, including a 7-for-15 effort from beyond the arc. Schofield led the Vols with 14 first-half points and Bone had 13 points. UT limited High Point to just 20.8 percent (5-for-24) shooting over the first 20 minutes and out-rebounded the Panthers, 23-10.
High Point scored 40 points in the second half, but the Panthers could not climb out of the deep hole they found themselves in. Fox (11 points) and Proctor (10 points) combined for 21 of those 40 points.
FIRST-HALF OFFENSE:Â UT’s 52 points in first half were the most the Vols had scored in any half since they scored 54 in the second half of a 91-74 win over Mississippi State on Jan. 21, 2017. Tennessee’s 52 first-half points were also its most since UT had a 53-31 halftime lead over Florida on Jan. 6, 2015, en route to an 83-69 win.
LOCKDOWN FIRST HALF, AGAIN:Â After holding Presbyterian to 14 points in the first half of the season-opener on Nov. 10, the Tennessee defense was even stingier in the first 20 minutes versus High Point. The Vols held the Panthers to just 13 points â the fewest points allowed in an opening half since Dec. 18, 2012 â when Tennessee held Presbyterian to 13 points, as well, in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
DANIEL CAN DISH: Redshirt senior guard James Daniel III tallied a career-high 10 assists off the bench against High Point. The graduate transfer from Howard came to Rocky Top known for his scoring after leading the country in scoring (27.1) in 2015-16, but he made his mark on Tuesday by becoming the first Vol to record 10 assists in nearly six years â since Trae Golden had 11 versus ULM on Nov. 16, 2011. His previous career high in assists was six.
FOR THREE: Led by Lamonte Turner‘s four triples, the Vols drilled 12 3-pointers â their most treys since hitting 16 against Presbyterian on Dec. 6, 2016 (90-50 Vols win).
UP NEXT: The Vols head to Paradise Island in the Bahamas to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis from Nov. 22-24. UT will play Purdue on Nov. 22 at noon ET and then will face either Villanova or Western Kentucky the next day.