Did you catch the Season 30 premiere of Dancing With the Stars this week?
Jimmie Allen is among the celebrities kicking up their heels trying to win the competition – with the help of his dancing partner Emma Slater.
Week 1 had Jimmie and Emma tackling the very tough tango…
The judges handed out their scores – Carrie Ann Inaba – 6 Len Goodman – 5 Derek Hough – 6 Bruno Tonioli – 5, leaving Jimmie and Emma with a total score of 22. But all the judges praised Jimmie’s moves, and acknowledged that the tango is a very difficult dance to accomplish well.
Jimmie and Emma didn’t have the lowest score, and with fan voting we’ll have to wait until next week to see if Jimmie survives on the dance floor.
Of course Jimmie gets nothing but high marks when he’s singing – like his Top-20 (and climbing) hit song “Freedom Was A Highway” which he’s partnering with Brad Paisley on…check out the music video for the track here….
Congrats to Lainey Wilson – she’s at number-1 this week with her song “Things A Man Oughta Know”
After landing in the top spot, Lainey posted this message, “Thank you to anybody and everybody who has given me a chance. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I was taught if you want something, you go get the dang thing. There were so many hands on deck to get this song to number one and a ‘thank you’ just don’t do it justice. But thank you to the folks who have given me a pat on the back, encouraged me, listened to my music, given me an opportunity, told me I could do it, and even the ones who told me I couldn’t do it because it made me want it that much more. This is just the beginning. And to anybody who has a dream so deep down in their heart that can’t stand it… put your blinders on, lean in, and go get it. CHEERS TO MY FIRST #1 ON COUNTRY RADIO”
Talking about “Things A Man Oughta Know,” Lainey says “This song is just about treating people the way you want to be treated…treating people right, being kind, having good character, having discernment, and that’s not something that just a man oughta know…that is something that every single one of us should know.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee has begun prep for its first road game this season as a trip to Gainesville for a showdown with No. 11 Florida awaits this Saturday night as the Vols open SEC play in the Swamp.
Head coach Josh Heupel took the podium on Monday afternoon to talk about this week’s challenge against a talented and physical Gators team coming off a close loss to top-ranked Alabama.
“I think they’re well coached in all three phases of the game. They make you beat them,” Heupel said when asked about Florida. “Obviously, their ability to run the football on offense is a huge part, top-five in the country in rush offense. Defensively, I thought they were physical, tied in all three levels together throughout the course of the day (vs. Alabama). Defensive line was very disruptive.
“They make you beat them, and just watching the game from the other day, obviously had an opportunity for a two-point play at the end to tie it up. It’s a really good football team. Our guys are excited about that challenge.”
For some of UT’s players, Saturday’s contest will mark their first SEC game and first road game. It will also be the Vols’ first road contest in front of a capacity crowd since the 2019 season. Senior defensive back Alontae Taylor talked about the importance of going into the game with the right mindset and playing consistently for four quarters.
“As far as going into this game, mindset wise just have to be consistent (and) play physical. It’s going to be a physical game all four quarters, so just to come out, be consistent, play physical, match their intensity (and) match the energy. It’s going to be a night game, ESPN, seven o’clock, the stadium’s going to be crazy, so just come in ready to play.”
Heupel also touched on the importance of communication in all three phases of the game as Tennessee prepares for its first game away from Neyland Stadium this year.
“Obviously, the week of preparation is going to be really important, paying attention to the details. You get on the road, communication is going to be critical in all three phases of the game, something that offensively is going to be critical in particular. Looking forward to the challenge.”
Saturday’s game will be played in prime time with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Joe Tessitore (PxP), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Katie George (sideline) will be on the call.
The full transcript from Heupel’s Monday press conference along with select player quotes can be found below.
Heupel Full Transcript
Opening statement…
“Obviously everybody in the building’s excited (for the) opportunity to start conference play. Obviously know the level of competition’s going to rise this week. Looking forward to the challenge going down there on the road, first road game for us as a program here. Obviously, the week of preparation is going to be really important, paying attention to the details. You get on the road, communication is going to be critical in all three phases of the game, something that offensively is going to be critical in particular. Looking forward to the challenge. Guys came into the building today, had an opportunity to watch the video with them, get some work on the grass, and (we’re) ready to get going here.”
On what stands out from the challenge presented by Florida…
“I think they’re well coached in all three phases of the game. They make you beat them. Obviously, their ability to run the football on offense is a huge part, top-5 in the country in rush offense. Defensively, I thought they were physical, tied in all three levels together throughout the course of the day (vs. Alabama). Defensive line was very disruptive. Special teams, they do a really good job as well. They make you beat them, and just watching the game from the other day, obviously had an opportunity for a two-point play at the end to tie it up. It’s a really good football team. Our guys are excited about that challenge.”
On the status of the quarterbacks…
“I never speak in hypotheticals. (Joe Milton III) got a little bit of work last week. We’ll find out where he is in particular Tuesday or Wednesday here, and see where we are at that point, as far as whether he’ll be able to play or not.”
On his assessment of sophomore DB Tamarion McDonald vs. Tennessee Tech…
“Big-time play that everybody could see with the interception. He did a great job on a pressure. I thought he was locked in to his assignments, played really well. That’s a young guy that played really well special teams wise. Given the opportunity the other day, got some more reps on the defensive side of the football. Love what he did.”
On the moving parts when it comes to sharpening the offense…
“When we’re playing with tempo, we want to be more efficient. That can be ball mechanics, it can be eyes, it can be alignment and assignment. All of those things can help us play quicker when we’re playing within our tempo. Even when we’re not playing in our tempo, the execution can be higher. You guys have seen opportunities that present themselves, in particular in the vertical pass game, that we have to start hitting. We’re capable of it. I’ve seen us do it. It’s time to go execute that on the field.”
On his impressions of Florida’s run defense…
“They’re big, long, athletic, violent. They disrupt the line of scrimmage, playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Structurally, I thought their second and third levels fit it extremely well. They tackled well for the most part, during the course of the other day (vs. Alabama). You do those things, it makes it tough to run the football.”
On what he’s been told about the importance of the Florida game…
“This is the biggest game on our schedule because it’s the next one. At the end of the day, we’re on a journey to become as good as we can as fast as we can. Love a lot of what we’ve done as a football team, how we’ve grown. This is the next challenge for us. We’ve got an opportunity to grow here during the week. Our process, our preparations got to be right. We’ve got to do the ordinary at a really high level in a big game like this against a really good football team.”
On senior DL Aubrey Solomon’s performance vs. Tennessee Tech…
“I thought Aubrey did some really good things. Obviously, the play behind the line of scrimmage, tackled, disruptive. He’s continued to get better as his investment inside of our building has become greater. Do things right outside the game, eventually good things happen if you keep competing. Thought he did a good job the other day.”
On what caused the run game to be not as successful…
“A little bit of everything. Offensive line needing to be cleaner, at times. At times it’s the running back, you know, could be pressing the line of scrimmage to help a double-team get to the second level. It could be recognizing, reading the right thing and getting to the space, a combination of all those things can help us be better.”
On the defense’s tackling through three games, particularly in the open field…
“It’s been solid over the course of the first three games. There’s times that the first guy hasn’t been clean and gotten a guy on the ground. I think relentless pursuit of the guy running the football is really important. It’s going to be important in this game that the first guy gets them down. If not, that effort and energy had got to be there, too.”
On Florida’s run-game success…
“I think they do a good job of spacing people out. The quarterback is a huge part of their run game too. The threat of it, and when he has the ball in his hands, he runs like a runner. He’s able to make the first guy miss and able to run through a tackle, too.”
On playing the first away game of the season…
“Fans have been awesome, three straight games, couple of noon kickoffs, I mentioned that after (the game). At the same time, as a competitor, it’s unique when you get an opportunity to go on the road. Great environment down there, night game, the guys are really excited and looking forward to it.”
On improving with vertical completions as the season progresses…
“As you get further in the number of times that we play, the more looks that you’ve seen, you continue to grow. Absolutely, I have seen that transpire in my career.”
On the performance of Velus Jones Jr….
“Thought he did a great job with the ball in his hands as a kick returner, punt returner and on the offensive side. Strong, competitive, made people miss, ran through tackles, executed at a pretty high level the other day. Excited about what we saw from him and expect that to continue moving forward.”
On the Tennessee-Florida rivalry…
“This is a big game. During the course of the summer I showed them highlights from these types of games, a couple of them were Florida games, highly competitive games. I think our kids understand and are excited about this game. It means something to them. The challenge for us is you don’t have to do something extraordinary, you’ve just got to do the ordinary at a really high level. You process and your preparation has got to get you to kickoff and that’s what we’ve been stressing to our bunch.”
On the challenges of preparing for playing two quarterbacks…
“What one of them may feel more comfortable with versus another. Overall schematically, there won’t be a ton of difference in what you do. You’re trying to design things that will be able to attack what you see structurally from them on the other side of the football.”
On the health status of offensive linemen Kingston Harris and Cade Mays…
“Nothing finalized on those guys. I believe that we’ll have an opportunity for those guys to be with us on Saturday, and a couple of the guys that didn’t play, we feel like they’ll have a chance to be ready to go for this one, too.”
On what he saw from Byron Young in his first game…
“Athletic speed rush off the edge. I thought at times he affected the quarterback inside the pocket. I liked a lot of what we saw from him Saturday.”
On young players that took advantage of opportunities against Tennessee Tech…
“Yeah, we talked about one in Tamarion McDonald, Christian Charles same thing in the secondary. Offensive line wise, I thought Jeremiah Crawford did a really good job when he got the opportunity to be in there and compete.”
On translating practice and watching film into better execution offensively…
“Your practice habits, your preparation habits are all a part of that. Also just learning how to play with the fundamentals and technique that you’re asking. Some of it is communication up front. It’s all those things together. You watch it, you learn from it, you move on and your practice habits have to be right, too.”
On what makes Dan Mullen’s offenses able to produce at a high level…
“His track record of quarterback play, some in the pass game, but their ability to run the football too, has been a big part of what he’s done everywhere that he’s been. They’re top-5 in the country in rush offense. It starts for us defensively right there. Then you have to get them in some tougher third-down situations. We have to create some third-and-longs too.”
On scoring his first touchdown…
“It was an amazing experience. With this being my first touchdown here at Tennessee, I just took it all in. This is actually my second touchdown in the SEC, so it was all just amazing. With it actually being here at home for my first one, it was just a great experience. All of my teammates there to meet me in the end zone and celebrate with me. It was a great experience.”
On his role within the wide receiver room…
“Coming in, I really wanted to be a big time leader for especially the young guys. For me and Velus being some of the older guys in the group, it’s just about trying to coach them up, trying to help them out. With me being in a lot of different game situations, just trying to help them and help them feel comfortable on the field, off the field. Being a big brother to them, a leader just trying to do everything I can to make sure that we all are on the same page and got things rolling.”
On how offensive quickness will help on the road…
“I honestly do think it’s going to help us on the road. In practice it’s always tempo, tempo, tempo. Us practicing on the field in practice and going out in the game and executing, that’s going to be a big part of it. With us constantly and consistently doing the same thing over and over again, it’s just a matter of time before everybody’s on the same page and we got things rolling the way it’s supposed to be.”
On what it takes to be successful against Florida…
“As far as going into this game, mindset-wise we just have to be consistent (and) play physical. It’s going to be a physical game all four quarters. So come out like I said, be consistent, play physical, match their intensity, match the energy. It’s going to be a night game, ESPN, seven o’clock. The stadium’s going to be crazy, so just come in ready to play, keep the main thing, the main thing.”
On the team’s early success defending the run…
“I feel like we kind of swarm to the ball. If you watch in games, there’s lots of orange jerseys around the football whenever it’s being ran. Continuing to do that, but making sure the first person who goes in there is wrapping them up, second person is coming there in and trying to get some takeaways—not just interception wise, but cause some fumbles.”
On seeing the younger safeties making plays and growing since camp…
“It’s awesome, because those guys make a lot of plays in practice. One thing I’ve kind of said as I’ve been doing this is, everybody is getting the exact same amount of reps, everybody is making big plays in practice, so whenever their time comes, they’re ready to play. That’s exactly what you all see. Saturday, those guys were ready to play when their numbers got called and they didn’t take a step back.”
On the four interceptions last week boosting the defense’s confidence…
“Getting our hands on the ball, getting those turnovers, kind of get a little more juice in yourself. You can kind of see those interceptions happening in practice come to play in games. So coming off of a game where we had four interceptions is something we’ll take into this week of practice, but also something we look forward to taking more, if possible, come Florida.”
On how the offensive lineman played this past weekend…
“We focused heavily on technique. There are definitely some things we need to work on, some things we need to fix leading up to this game against Florida. Overall, we played pretty well but overall, just need to (have) strain and effort more as well as work on technique. We need to make sure our eyes are good in pass (protection), in the slide, and make sure there’s no free hitters, free guys running through. Other than that, really big on working on technique this week, and continue do that next week and the weeks forward.”
On what he and the rest of the offensive line can expect from Florida…
“Florida, they play well. Up front, they definitely play well. They’ve got some big guys up front. Normally what you see from Florida, definitely from an SEC opponent. What we have to do (is) we have to execute. This is a big execution game. We have to execute well, play hard, play fast, and mentally be there. We’re going to be in The Swamp so it’s going to be loud, and we have to make sure we’re mentally locked in.”
On if this game is different compared to the others…
“There’s no difference in this game. All SEC games are physicality. It’s all physical. It’s going to be a tough game, especially on the road in the SEC, it’s a very tough environment. But you love those types of games. That’s what you come to the SEC to play, play in tough environments and go get a win on the road. This game is no different than any other SEC game. We have to go out there, be able to run the football, pass protect and make big plays on the edge.”
Mickey Guyton‘s album Remember My Name arrives this Friday, September 24th!
Talking about the project, Mickey says “I set out to create music that would make people feel self-empowered, loved, and comfortable with being themselves and this album holds true to all of that. I hope everyone who listens finds something that connects and speaks to them.”
Along with the new album, Mickey’s fans will have something else to look forward to next month as well…she will be voicing a character on then Disney show Mickey Mouse Funhouse.
Mickey announced, “I literally cannot. How incredible is this?! Being a part of Mickey Mouse Funhouse is a dream come true! I am so excited to be the voice of Wanda Warbler, a country western singer in a brand new episode of the show. Tune in Friday, October 15th on Disney Channel and DisneyNow.”
She also shared a photo of what her character will look like…
Mickey Guyton’s album, Remember Her Name, arrives this Friday, September 24th – check out the title track to the project.
‘Tis the season for holiday album announcements, and we all know the season just wouldn’t be the same without the smooth vocals of Mr. Christmas himself, Brett Eldredge. He solidified himself as an integral part of the holiday season with the release of his 2016 Christmas album, Glow, and is spreading more Christmas cheer this year with a brand new project, Mr. Christmas!
The album will include 2 never-before-heard originals, including the title track.
Brett says, “‘Mr. Christmas’ is something that I’ve been planning out for quite a while. This album is so much fun and full of joy and magic. From the album cover, you can find the magic of Mr. Christmas standing in the windowfront, looking out just like the old stores on the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and people passing by in the window. We captured that nostalgic, classic feel that Christmas brings and mixed it with the soulful side of my music influences. It’s got a lot of heart and magic – it’s a special one for people to hear.”
The album, Mr. Christmas is due out October 22, and is available for pre-order now.
Along with the new holiday album, Brett is hitting the road to spread holiday cheer on the Glow LIVE holiday tour.
Brett is very happy to get the holiday season going this year after missing it in 2020, “Getting to take ‘Glow LIVE’ on the road again after unfortunately having to miss it last year gives me so much joy, especially knowing that this tour and this music could bring a lot of joy to a lot of people that need it right now. My hope is that attending these shows with friends and family can be a tradition people look forward to every year for many years to come. I cannot wait to get back out there because performing these songs makes me so happy and I just hope to share that feeling with everyone in the audience as well.”
GLOW LIVE 2021 TOUR DATES:
Nov. 13 – Las Vegas, NV – Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas*
Tennessee interior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin spoke to the media to review the Tennessee Tech game and talk about the matchup with the Gators this Saturday.
Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel held his Florida week Monday press conference to review the Tennessee Tech game and talk about the matchup with the Gators this Saturday.
Carly Pearce‘s album 29: Written In Stone is available now!
Talking about her new album, Carly says, “This project means so much to me on so many different levels. Number one it’s the first time that I’ve written all of the songs and penned every single story myself. You know, losing busbee (producer) was such a career moment for me of trying to figure out what am I gonna do next. And I feel like what this first set of seven songs has done for me is really open the door to the kind of country music that I always wanted to make, the kind of country music that I grew up on in Kentucky and the kind of country music that I’ll make forever.”
That first set of 7 songs came out earlier this year, as a collection called 29 – which is now nominated for CMA Album Of The Year.
When she first started writing the songs for 29, Carly wasn’t sure what it would become – but after working through those first tracks, Carly knew she had more to share. “I don’t think I really knew even what I was writing when I started. I think that I knew I had to get some things off my chest, and never thought that people would connect with it as they did. But as they were connecting and as my career was kind of taking off, I felt so inspired to keep going, and I think they finish out this chapter of my life. I think they finish out what the year 29 was for me. It was a really defining year for not only myself personally, but also for my music. And I think that seeing the reaction of the first seven, I felt so inspired in the midst of that to keep going and to keep writing until I felt like it was finished, and now I feel like I can close that chapter.”
29: Written In Stone track list;
1. “Diamondback” | Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, Tofer Brown, Shane McAnally
2. “What He Didn’t Do” | Carly Pearce, Ashley Gorley, Emily Shackelton
3. “Easy Going” | Carly Pearce, Natalie Hemby, Josh Osborne
4. “Dear Miss Loretta” (featuring Patty Loveless) | Carly Pearce, Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally
5. “Next Girl” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
6. “Should’ve Known Better” | Carly Pearce, Jordan Reynolds, Emily Shackelton
7. “29” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
8. “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” (featuring Ashley McBryde) | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde
9. “Your Drinkin’, My Problem” | Carly Pearce, Nicolle Galyon, Sasha Sloan, Ben West
10. “Liability” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
11. “Messy” | Carly Pearce, Sarah Buxton, Jimmy Robbins
12. “Show Me Around” | Carly Pearce, Emily Shackelton, Ben West
13. “Day One” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey
14. “All The Whiskey In The World” | Carly Pearce, Jordan Terry Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Emily Shackelton
15. “Mean It This Time” | Carly Pearce, Jordan Terry Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Emily Shackelton
Carly says that as you listen to the 15-tracks on 29: Written In Stone, you can almost hear a musical roadmap of the direction her life has gone in, “As I look at these 15 songs that I wrote, I feel like you can very much hear the different stages of…kind of where I was at each moment, and ultimately seeing that I got out on the other side better.”
Carly knows that while this is her story, she couldn’t have completed this musical journey alone, “To the incredible songwriters, producers and musicians who helped bring this project to life… thank you for helping me find my way and make the album I moved to Nashville to make. It’s truly an honor and a dream come true to have had the chance to collaborate with y’all.”
29: Written in Stone from Carly Pearce is available now and it includes her duet with Ashley McBryde, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”
