Jake Owen Has a Christmas T-Shirt Instead of an Ugly Sweater

Jake Owen Has a Christmas T-Shirt Instead of an Ugly Sweater

Posted on December 22, 2020

Christmas is always envisioned as a cold, snowy time of the year…but that’s not always the case.

There are parts of the U.S. where Christmas day could find you in a t-shirt instead of an ugly Christmas sweater.

Jake Owen says he grew up in that part of the country, where having a “White Christmas” meant a sandy beach, “Where I grew up in Florida, we didn’t have snowy white Christmases like you hear about. You know, it’s kind of weird. I never got that. I never saw that growing up. I had palm trees, and it was always 72 or 75 degrees and sunny on Christmas Day where we were from, and you didn’t get to wear the Christmas sweaters and stuff like that. It was like, we didn’t have that.”

Snow or not, you know Jake Owen is always going to have fun…check out his holiday song with Parmalee, “Christmas Spirits”

Photo Credit: Robby Klein

Three VFLs Selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl

Three VFLs Selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl

Posted on December 22, 2020
VFLs in NFL Pro Bowl / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee VFLs Morgan Cox, Alvin Kamara and Cordarrelle Patterson were selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl, the National Football League announced this week.

The 2021 Pro Bowl Game originally was scheduled to be played Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, but was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the NFL is working with EA Sports to create a week-long series of matchups featuring celebrities, NFL legends, current players and streamers playing the official Pro Bowl rosters on Madden NFL 21. The week culminates in a virtual Pro Bowl game with 2021 Pro Bowl players playing within Madden, which will be available for fans to watch across a variety of platforms.

The 2021 Pro Bowl selections mark the fourth for each of the three VFLs. Kamara has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons and is the first player in the New Orleans Saints’ franchise history to do so. Cox and Patterson have both made their second consecutive Pro Bowl roster.

Kamara, selected as a running back, has played in 14 games with 10 starts, leading the Saints in both rushing and receiving on the season. The VFL has amassed 777 yards on 165 carries and 10 touchdowns and ranks first in the league among running backs in catches and receiving yards with 80 catches for 739 yards and five touchdowns.

The fourth-year Saint ranks third in the NFL with 1,516 total yards from scrimmage, 83 first downs and is tied for third with 15 total scores.

Patterson, selected as a kick returner, has been named to the Pro Bowl in both of his seasons with the Chicago Bears. This season, Patterson leads the NFL with a 29.44-yard average on 32 returns. On Nov. 16 against the Vikings, Patterson scored on a 104-yard kickoff return to record the longest return in Bears’ franchise history. That enabled him to tie the NFL all-time record of eight career kickoff return touchdowns with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.

The eighth-year NFL veteran ranks second in the NFL record books with a 29.8-yard career kickoff return average, trailing only Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.

Cox, selected as a long snapper, was selected to his second-straight Pro Bowl by NFL players and coaches as long snappers were added to the player and coach voting system in 2019. The 11-year NFL veteran has appeared in 13 games this season and 163 games throughout his career.

2021 Pro Bowl Roster

-UT Athletics

Trey Smith Named to Coaches All-SEC First Team For Second Straight Season

Trey Smith Named to Coaches All-SEC First Team For Second Straight Season

Posted on December 22, 2020
Trey Smith – Vols OL / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second consecutive year, Tennessee senior offensive guard Trey Smith was tabbed to the SEC Coaches All-SEC First Team, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Smith was one of five SEC offensive linemen selected to the first team. He becomes the first Volunteer offensive lineman to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Arron Sears during the 2005-06 campaigns. Smith is one four UT offensive linemen to achieve that Coaches team feat in the last 32 years, joining Sears, Antone Davis (1989-90) and Eric Still (1988-89).

The 2020 season saw Smith start all 10 games at left guard. According to Pro Football Focus College, he logged 664 snaps and allowed only one sack. He paved the way for a Vol rushing attack that averaged 141.5 yards per game on the ground.

The Jackson, Tennessee, native concludes a brilliant career filled with accolades. Smith captured the 2020 Fritz Pollard Trophy and the 2019 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, while earning multiple All-SEC First-Team and SEC Community Service Team honors. Earlier this month, Smith completed his undergraduate degree in recreation and sports management and accepted an invitation to the 2021 Senior Bowl.

For his career, Smith started 41 of the 42 games he played in, including 22 consecutive starts. He logged over 2,500 offensive snaps in his four years and allowed only one sack in his final two seasons.

-UT Athletics

Kane Brown Goes with a Fake Christmas Tree for Safety

Kane Brown Goes with a Fake Christmas Tree for Safety

Posted on December 22, 2020

Are you are all set for Christmas?

It’s just a couple of days away now.

Do you have a tree set up? Did you go with a real or fake one?

Kane Brown explains that he goes with a fake tree for a couple of reasons, “You know, I’ve watched a lot of movies where they get a real Christmas tree and it lets like squirrels and birds and stuff into you house.”  Sounds like he’s watched Christmas Vacation a lot…

While you might laugh at that, Kane is also looking out for others with his fake tree, “Then it’s like, depending on who comes in your house with a real Christmas tree you know they could there allergies could mess up, it could mess with your allergies.”

But in the end Kane comes clean, and admits why the fake tree takes the lead over a real one, “A fake Christmas tree just pops out of the box and it’s just easy and simple. And I already, have hard times decorating Christmas trees as it is. So I like the ones that come out with the lights on ’em already.”

Well, we actually can’t argue with that.

Kane will be celebrating the holidays with his wife and daughter, and while he hasn’t recorded a Christmas song yet, we thought his “Worship You” track works real well this time of year…and it also features his wife and daughter in the video.

Photo Credit: Matthew Berinato

Vols won’t play in Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues, Pruitt and others tested positive

Vols won’t play in Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues, Pruitt and others tested positive

Posted on December 21, 2020

Statement From Tennessee Athletics and Head Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt

Statement From Tennessee Athletics

UT graphic / Credit: UT Athletics

“After receiving Sunday’s COVID-19 test results, the University of Tennessee football program has paused all team activities and will be unable to compete in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The test results revealed an increase in positive cases among student-athletes and staff and subsequent contact tracing. The decision was made in consultation with health officials, the Southeastern Conference and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The student-athletes and staff affected are taking the appropriate safety measures in accordance with University, CDC and local health department guidelines. The University of Tennessee extends its sincere appreciation to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the city of Memphis and is disappointed it will not be able to fulfill its commitment on New Year’s Eve.”

Statement From Tennessee Head Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt

“Earlier today, I was informed by our medical staff that I have tested positive for COVID-19, and I immediately began isolating at home. I am experiencing mild symptoms but doing fine. We are obviously disappointed that we will not be able to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, but the health and safety of our student-athletes will always remain our top priority. I am especially proud of our team and medical staff in safely navigating through a unique season where we played all 10 of our regular-season games.”

-UT Athletics

Singer & Songwriter K.T. Oslin Passes Away at Age 78

Singer & Songwriter K.T. Oslin Passes Away at Age 78

Posted on December 21, 2020

Singer & songwriter K.T. Oslin has died at the age of 78.

Born Kay Tionette Oslin, from Crossett Arkansas, and raised in Mobile Alabama, she was known for her number-one songs “Do Ya,” “I’ll Always Come Back,” “Hold Me,” and “Come Next Monday.”

But it was K.T.’s 1987 hit “80’s Ladies” that became an anthem for women, and garnered her CMA, ACM and Grammy Award wins.

K.T. made history by becoming the first female songwriter in CMA Awards history to win CMA Song of the Year for “80s Ladies” in 1988. At that same awards show K.T. would also take home Female Vocalist of the Year.

At the ACM Awards K.T. was named Top New Female Vocalist in 1987, the same year “80’s Ladies” won Country Music Video of the Year. In 1988, she also won ACM Top Female Vocalist, and Album of the Year for This Woman.

Her Grammy wins include 1987’s Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (“80’s Ladies”), and double honors in 1988 as she won Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance for “Hold Me” in 1988

K.T. Oslin is also a two-time Hall of Famer. In 2014, she was inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, and 2 years ago, she was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

K.T.’s health had been in decline over the last several years due to Parkinson’s disease, and she was living in an assisted-living facility since 2016. While she was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, right now, it is unclear if that contributed to her death.

Check out K.T. Oslin’s career hit, “80’s Ladies.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Reba McEntire Recalls a Christmas Memory With Her Brother

Reba McEntire Recalls a Christmas Memory With Her Brother

Posted on December 21, 2020

Reba McEntire has a lot of great Christmas memories, but one that always comes to mind when she thinks of her childhood, is of her older brother, Pake.

Reba recalls, “The funniest thing I can always remember about Christmastime is my older brother Pake, when we were kids at home, he’d always be the first one to jump out of bed and run down the hall, and he’d just run down the hall with his underwear on. And he’d say, ‘If y’all don’t hurry up and get up and get in here, I’m opening all the presents by myself’ But he knew it was a standing rule we all had to be in there before anybody could open up a present, but I can still see Pake running down the hall.”

Two legends, one song. Reba covered Dolly Parton‘s “Hard Candy Christmas” a couple of years ago on the CMA Country Christmas special–check out that awesome performance right here…

Photo Credit: Robby Klein

Parker McCollum Earns His First Number-One With “Pretty Heart”

Parker McCollum Earns His First Number-One With “Pretty Heart”

Posted on December 21, 2020

Congrats to Parker McCollum who ends 2020 with his debut single, “Pretty Heart,” hitting the number-one spot on the country airplay charts.

Parker announced the news on social media, “We did it y’all! Just a kid from Conroe, TX who dreamed about playing country music now has the #1 song in the country this week!”

Parker also added “To have this song really and truly succeed on big time radio is a dream come true, and for it to happen during such an insanely crazy year makes it just that much more special.”

Check out the music video for “Pretty Heart,” which is from his EP Hollywood Gold, right here…

Photo Credit: David McClister

Celebrate CMA Country Christmas Again!

Celebrate CMA Country Christmas Again!

Posted on December 21, 2020

If you missed the CMA Country Christmas TV special when it aired last month, you have another chance to rock around the Christmas tree tonight (December 21st) as ABC will be broadcasting an encore presentation. (10 ET/ 9CT)

Hosted by Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins, you can check out holiday performances from Thomas, Gabby Barrett, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker and Lady A, who performs this one…”Wonderful Christmastime”

 

Photo Credit – Katie Kauss

Tim McGraw Recalls a “Turning Point” Christmas in His Life

Tim McGraw Recalls a “Turning Point” Christmas in His Life

Posted on December 21, 2020

People remember Christmases in their life for various reasons, but if you ask Tim McGraw to tell you about his most memorable, he’ll probably share one from when he was around 11-years old.

It was that Christmas that Tim lists as a “turning point” in his life…it was the year his mom gave him a little more responsibility.

Tim explains, “I think one thing that I remember as a kid that was sort of a turning point for me growing up for me is, I grew up with my mom and my two sisters.  I remember being, I don’t know, probably 11 years old or so and my mom asking me to put together a doll house for my sisters.  And that was the first time that I actually got to participate and, like, be the man of the house with my mom and put together all the Christmas stuff for my sisters.  And that was sort of a big graduating to a  young man, in my eyes, thing for me.”

While he’s probably not going to build any doll houses this year, both Tim and Faith Hill are very happy to have their 3 daughters all under the same roof, as this year is Tim and Faith’s first as “empty nesters” since their youngest daughter is now in college.

To celebrate everyone being home, Tim got the biggest Christmas tree ever! He shared pictures of the decorating process on social media…

 

Rockefeller Center called and said they want their tree back.

Between welcoming daughters home and decorating the tree, Tim also had time to give his fans a little present, and a thank you for all they did for him in 2020, by releasing his version of “It Wasn’t His Child.”

Check out his performance of the song from this year’s CMA Country Christmas special.

Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records

Additional photos courtesy of Tim McGraw

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