Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood were getting ready to step in as co-hosts for The Ellen DeGeneres Show when they got some unexpected news…which they shared on social media.
“Due to someone on their team testing positive for Covid-19 and out of an abundance of caution, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are canceling everything and testing and quarantining for two weeks.”
Garth explains how this positive test was caught, “Before you do any major television, they have you do pre-tests for COVID, then they have you do the final test. On the pre-test, our small little group all tested negative. On the final test, one of the people that were in our little group tested positive. And, so, they did a second test – that came back positive. So we decided just not to risk anything – we cancelled everything for the next two weeks. The Queen and I will be quarantining…living on love…and testing every 72 hours. And our thoughts and prayers are with the one person in this group that has already tested positive…and hope that’s as far as it goes, and hopefully we get past this thing.”
While their Friday appearance on The Ellen Show will not happen — tWitch stepped in as guest-host to welcome guests Ciara and Russell Wilson — you will still be able to check out Garth and Trisha on Sunday Night’s NBC special, Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music, as that was pre-recorded before this positive test. Garth’s weekly Facebook Live Studio G sessions will also be postponed due this this result.
We wish Garth and Trish well, and a speedy recovery to their team member that did have the positive test.
Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie are back in their American Idol judges chairs starting this Sunday, February 14th to find the next group of entertainers that will skyrocket to stardom!
Luke is very excited to be back, especially how last season ended due to social distancing, “To have the fourth season of American Idol and to certainly end the third season virtually, and now we can roll in and we’re back in front of the kids for live auditions, and being in the room with an extremely talented artist and singer is really, really powerful.”
Luke says there a different energy being there live as opposed to being just on a screen, “You don’t want those moments virtually. I was so thankful that the show with a way to get us in front of the kids, and certainly, we followed all the COVID protocols, and it was amazing watching everyone at American Idol come together, and it was really special watching the kids show up. The way we even did auditions, virtual auditions, made it easier for kids that may not have submitted their auditions. I feel like it helped us find new talent that we wouldn’t have found otherwise.”
And when it comes to someone having the “right stuff,” Luke shares some of the key ingredients needed to find success on the show, “To be an American Idol, you’ve got to have the star factor, the sparkle in your eye. You’ve got to control the room. Own the room. Own the moment. It’s got to be God given. It’s got to be God given talent. But you also have to work really, really hard for it and you have to learn how to fight. I’m yet to learn how to navigate this competition. But if you don’t come in there with that idol factor, that star quality that makes me and Lionel and Katy just light up. When you walk in the room, you’re gonna have. You’re gonna have a little bit of trouble being the next American Idol.”
There’s already someone who stands out in Luke’s eyes as having that “star factor” — it’s 17-year old Alex Miller.
Luke shared an early preview of Alex’s story and audition with the comment “I couldn’t help myself but sing with Alex Miller, and it sure was fun. Look out Grand Ole Opry! Watch us now before it airs on American Idol this Sunday night.”
A couple of months ago Carrie Underwood shared with fans the news that her new project would be a sequel of sorts to her Christmas album, My Gift.
The new collection of music, which is scheduled to be released on March 26th, is called My Savior.
Carrie says, “For as long as I can remember I have wanted to record an album of my favorite gospel hymns, and after My Gift felt like the perfect time to make it happen.”
Now she has shared the track list for My Savior.
The album will include…
01 “Jesus Loves Me” (instrumental)
02 “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus”
03 “Blessed Assurance”
04 “Just As I Am”
05 “Victory in Jesus”
06 “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (feat. Cece Winans)
07 “Oh How I Love Jesus”
08 “How Great Thou Art”
09 “Because He Lives”
10 “The Old Rugged Cross”
11 “I Surrender All”
12 “Softly and Tenderly”
13 “Amazing Grace”
Carrie shares, “For this album, I chose some of the familiar hymns I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. These songs set the foundation for me and I hope you love them as much as I do.”
Check out the trailer for the new project from Carrie Underwood right here…
So, since he can’t get out there in-person, he’s doing the next best thing…
Luke posted, “Sure I’m not the only one, but man, I miss live music. So I got to thinking – my team recorded the shows on my last tour. What would y’all think about me posting a full show to watch? All the camera angles and everything. Thought it may be pretty cool. Maybe the night of Feb. 18?”
Well, now it looks like we have plans set for next Thursday!
To hold you off until then, check out the video of Luke in the studio recoding “Forever After All.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 16/19 Tennessee outscored Kentucky 21-9 in the third quarter to erase an 11-point halftime deficit but couldn’t hold off a No. 20/18 UK team that went a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter, falling 71-56 in Rupp Arena on Thursday night.
Junior Rae Burrell was the high scorer for the Lady Vols (12-4, 6-2 SEC), turning in 22 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Horston pitched in 11 points and three assists, and redshirt-junior Jordan Walker led the team in rebounding with nine boards.
UT played without all-star senior forward Rennia Davis, who did not make the trip to Lexington due to medical reasons.
Chasity Patterson had the hot hand for the Wildcats (14-5, 7-4 SEC) with 21 points, and Jazmine Massengill turned in 11.
Burrell was the first to score, hitting a layup in the opening seconds to set off a back-and-forth affair that would feature three lead changes and a tie before the media timeout, at which point UT was up 6-5. The Wildcats took the lead off a trey by Blair Green following the break, and Olivia Owens stretched their lead to four with a jumper a minute later. Burrell ended the UK run with a layup, but the Wildcats were back up by five less than a minute later. Freshman Destiny Salary narrowed the gap by converting on a three-point play to end the quarter with UT within two at 13-11.
Kentucky opened the second period with a 7-2 run to lead by seven a minute in, but Horston and Burrell combined to cut it to back to two by the 7:36 mark. Tatyana Wyatt knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Tamari Key responded with a layup before UK embarked on a 12-0 spree spanning three and a half minutes to lead 35-20 with just under two and a half minutes left in the half. Burrell and Tess Darby accounted for six-straight points to cut the deficit to single digits, but Patterson knocked down a jumper for Kentucky to send the home team into the locker at halftime with a 37-26 lead.
Kasiyahna Kushkituah scored just 12 seconds into the second half, and Key followed it up less than a minute later to cut the Wildcats’ lead to seven. Rhyne Howard ended the UK drought with a fast-break layup, but Burrell answered with a trey on the other end to make the score 39-33 with 7:48 left in the quarter. Horston added a pair of free throws 30 seconds later, and Burrell and Key each hit layups to stretch UT’s run to 9-0 and tie the score at 39-all by the 5:54 mark. Following a Kentucky timeout, Kushkituah hit a pair of free throws to give UT its first lead since midway through the first quarter at 41-39, and on the next possession, Burrell nailed a trey to put UT up by six. Key knocked down the second of a pair of free throws to extend UT’s run to 15-0 before Massengill hit a three-pointer to end the UK slump and cut the gap to 45-42 with just under three minutes left in the quarter. Kentucky outscored UT by two in the final minutes of the period, narrowing the Lady Vols’ lead to one at 47-46.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead at the outset of the fourth off a Wyatt jumper, setting off a 7-0 run that spanned almost three minutes and put the Wildcats up 53-47 with 7:07 left in the game. Kushkituah ended the skid with a layup, and Horston added a jumper less than a minute later to cut it to two by the 5:51 mark. The teams traded buckets on the next two possessions, but Patterson and Massengill then combined for five-straight points that gave Kentucky a seven-point advantage with four minutes to go in the game. Horston hit one of a set of free throws to cut it down to six, but that’s as close as the Lady Vols would get. The Wildcats were hot from the floor, closing out the game with three-straight 3-pointers to take a 71-56 victory.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will play the second of three-straight road games on Sunday, traveling to No. 6/5 Texas A&M for a 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT matchup on ESPN.
Make It Rain, Rae: Junior Rae Burrell poured in a game-high 22 points against Kentucky, marking the fifth time this season she has scored 20+ points. She is averaging a team-leading 17.6 ppg. against SEC opponents this season.
TK Swatting: With six blocked shots vs. Kentucky, sophomore Tamari Key now has tallied 16 swats over the last two contests, moving her SEC average to 3.4 bpg, a number that ranks second in the SEC behind only South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston (4.0 bpg.).
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee infielder Max Ferguson has added to his impressive list of preseason accolades. The junior was tabbed a preseason All-SEC second-team selection at second base, the Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday.
Ferguson has also been named a preseason first-team All-American by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America, as well as a second-team All-American by Perfect Game.
The Florida native ranked second in the SEC with nine stolen bases while batting .333, scoring 12 runs and hitting two homers in 13 games played during the shortened 2020 season. Entering his third season with the Vols, Ferguson has been tabbed one of the top 2021 MLB Draft prospects by D1Baseball.com (No. 24) and Baseball America (No. 48).
The 2021 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll was also released on Thursday. Tennessee was picked to finish third in the eastern division, its highest ranking in the preseason poll since also being picked to finish third in 2007. Unanimous preseason No. 1 ranked Florida was picked to win the eastern division and the conference overall. The entire preseason poll and complete All-SEC teams can be seen HERE.
The Vols begin their 2021 campaign in eight days when they travel south to take on Georgia Southern in a weekend series starting on Friday, Feb. 19. All three games can be seen on ESPN+. UT’s full schedule can be found HERE.
For the most up-to-date news and information on Tennessee baseball, visit UTSports.com/sports/baseball and follow the team on social media (Twitter & Instagram: @Vol_Baseball | Facebook.com/VolBaseball).
Ryan Hurd‘s new song features a very special guest vocalist – his wife, Maren Morris.
While they have worked on many projects together since they first met, “Chasing After You” is the first official duet the couple has performed.
Ryan shares, “Maren and I met writing songs and we’ve sung on each other’s records and written together, but this is the first time we’ve gotten to do an actual duet together.”
Ryan adds, “It feels like the timing is really perfect and it’s a full circle moment to get to make music together in this way.”
Watch the music video for “Chasing After You” from Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris right here…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After nearly 330 days, Tennessee softball returns to action on Friday to open the 2021 season. The No. RV/23/24 Lady Vols head to Conway, S.C., for the Kickin’ Chicken Classic – a five-game slate hosted by Coastal Carolina.
In its 2021 lid-lifter, UT is pitted against Ohio at 9:30 a.m. ET, before finishing a double-header opening day against the host team at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday presents another doubleheader with the Bobcats again at 9:30 a.m., before the Lady Vols faceoff against the Zips of Akron for the first time in 25 years at 11:45 a.m.
The Orange and White conclude opening weekend with a first-ever meeting with UConn on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Broadcast Info
Due to pandemic-related health and safety standards no radio broadcast will be available for the weekend. The Lady Vols matchup with the Chants will be live streamed on ESPN+.
Quick Hits The Shipman is Sailing
Junior catcher Ally Shipman has garnered significant recognition during the preseason, collecting a pair of preseason All-America honors (D1Softball and Softball America – both second team) and also ranking 13th among juniors in the nation by Softball America. The outlet also pegged Shipman the No. 37 overall player in the country. Shipman was off to a momentous start in 2020, after coming off of a season-ending injury suffered midway through her 2019 campaign. The Valencia, Calif., native co-led the Lady Vols with a .403 batting average, seven doubles and a pair of triples alongside redshirt-senior Chelsea Seggern. Shipman also added 16 RBIs and a pair of home runs after starting all 23 games last season.
Rogers Return
After missing the shortened 2020 season due to a short-term injury, Ashley Rogers returns to the circle as the Lady Vols ace. The junior was scheduled to make her first appearance during UT’s SEC opener at Texas A&M last season, but moments before the team got on the plane on March 12 the season was postponed and then ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Rogers’ play in the circle during her freshman year (2019), which earned her first-team NFCA All-Region and All-SEC honors, made a lasting impression and the Athens, Tenn., native found herself among the members of this season’s Preseason All-SEC Team along with Chelsea Seggern. She recorded a 1.94 ERA in her first collegiate season, finishing with a 21-7 win-los record that included seven shutouts.
A Score of Success
The 2021 season marks the 20th season that co-head coaches Ralph Weekly and Karen Weekly have managed the Lady Vol ball club. The NFCA Hall of Famers (Ralph was inducted in 2011, Karen was inducted in 2018) boast an overall record of 1,408-466-2 at Tennessee. In their time on Rocky Top, the program transformed into a national powerhouse, with 18 consecutive seasons in the top 25 polls. Since 2001, the Weekly’s have guided players to 36 All-America selections, 64 NFCA All-Region nods, five SEC Player of the Year honors, three SEC Pitcher of the Year titles, 60 All-SEC selections and a deluge of distinguished recognitions. Some of the sports’ most respected names once sported the Orange and White, including Olympian Monica Abbott, considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time, India Chiles, Ivy Renfroe, Rainey Gaffin, Madison Shipman, Sarah Fekete, Raven Chavanne and Aubrey Leach, to name a few. The Weekly’s, who also were co-heads at Chattanooga, have led the Lady Vols to seven WCWS appearances and were SEC Co-Coaches of the Year in 2004 and 2007.
Rhodes Back in Rocky Top
Tennessee fans will see a familiar face around the dugout this season with the return of former Lady Vol pitcher Megan Rhodes Smith as an assistant. Rhodes-Smith will manage the bullpen. A standout pitcher for UT from 2005-08, she spent her previous year as the head coach at Belmont in her hometown of Nashville. Prior to her time with the Bruins, Smith spent six seasons focusing on the development of pitchers and catchers at Lipscomb University, and served as the program’s associate head coach from 2018-19. With the Lady Vols, Smith, now a mom of two young girls, leads a talented group with a diverse skillset including Ashley Rogers (1.94 ERA, 21-7 win-loss record in 2019), Callie Turner (2.67 ERA, 8-7 W/L in 2020), Samantha Bender (2.68 ERA, 5-1 W/L in 2020), Anna Hazlewood and newcomer Bailey McCachren.
Scouting Report Ohio 2020 record:11-15, 0-0 MAC Series record:Tennessee leads 5-0 Last outing: A 15th-ranked Tennessee downed Ohio 2-1 in Knoxville on March 2, 2017. Key player/stat: Last season the Bobcats recorded 204 hits and 38 doubles and eight triples, but only hit .287 collectively, but allowed opponents a .317 hitting average.
Coastal Carolina 2020 record: 13-8, 1-2 Sun Belt Series record: Tennessee leads 8-0 Last outing: The No. 8 Lady Vols outlasted the Chants 3-1 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Feb. 8, 2019 Key player/stat: Coastal Carolina returns its top offensive threats in infielder Makiya Thomas who batted a .463 in 2020 and outfielder Stavi Augur who batted a .328 clip. Thomas led the team with 25 hits, while Augur added 20 hits and topped the team’s ledger with 21 RBI.
Akron 2020 record: 6-9, 0-0 MAC Series record: UT leads 1-0 Last outing: The Lady Vols edged the Zips 7-6 in the program’s inaugural season on March 3, 1996 in Knoxville. Key player/stat: The Zips were outhit 187-162 last season and gave up 151 RBIs compared to recording 90 RBIs as a team. Their top hitter Bailey Drapola appears to be returning for her sophomore campaign after leading the team with a .347 batting average and 26 hits.
UConn 2020 record: 16-5, 0-0 Big East Series record: This will be the first-ever meeting Key player/stat: The Huskies finished the 2020 season on a three-game win streak, that included two run-rules over notable programs James Madison (12-2, five innings) and Cal (8-0, five innings). Redshirt senior infielder Olivia Sappington posted a team-best .350 batting average through 60 at-bats and led UConn with five homers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A season-high 30 points from freshman Jaden Springer and an efficient night from the field pushed the 16th-ranked Tennessee basketball team past Georgia, 89-81, on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Springer’s 30 points were the most by a Tennessee freshman since Grant Williams poured in 30 against Georgia on Feb. 11, 2017, and it was the first time a Tennessee player has scored 30-plus points since Williams scored 43 at Vanderbilt on Jan. 23, 2019.
Georgia (12-7, 5-7 SEC) was led in scoring by K.D. Johnson, who closed the night with 22 points and three rebounds.
Tennessee sophomore Josiah-Jordan James dropped in a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting and also added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a pair of steals.
Fellow sophomore Santiago Vescovi added 19 points and six rebounds of his own while converting on all eight of his attempts from the free-throw line—with multiple makes at the charity stripe in the game’s closing moments.
Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Keon Johnson contributed 11 points. His performance was highlighted by a Sportscenter-worthy poster dunk to help spark the Vols in the second half.
Tennessee (14-4, 7-4 SEC) controlled the game’s opening 15 minutes, holding Georgia to a 36 percent shooting mark from the field. The Vols, meanwhile, shot 58 percent en route to an early 31-21 lead.
The remainder of the half saw a flurry of baskets for UT, which outscored Georgia 13-5 over the final five minutes to take a 44-26 lead into the locker room.
The Vols’ eight first-half 3-pointers were the most attempts they had converted from 3-point range in a single half all season. Tennessee made 10 3-pointers on the night to tie its season-high.
The Volunteers continued to dictate the pace in the second half, stretching their lead to as many as 23 in the first 10 minutes after halftime.
UT withstood Georgia’s late push, remaining steady at the foul line to walk away with the eight-point victory.
Jaden’s Night: Along with his 30 points Wednesday, Jaden Springer pulled down four rebounds, nabbed a season-high-tying three steals, recorded a pair of assists and finished the night with a team-best +15 plus/minus rating. Paired with his 23-point outing during Saturday’s win at Kentucky, the two-time SEC Freshman of the Week has 53 points over his last two games.
Up Next: The Vols hit the road this weekend for a Saturday matinee at LSU. Tipoff from Baton Rouge is slated for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
