ABC/Pawel Kaminski (LOS ANGELES) -- Rose McGowan has written a letter urging people not to blame her fellow #MeToo advocate, Asia [AH-see-ah] Argento for the suicide of Argento's boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain. "I write these truths because I have been as...
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Watch Now: Midland reacts to learning exactly why Little Big Town found touring with them so memorable
CMAMidland toured with Little Big Town earlier this year, and while you wouldn't think the two acts would necessarily mesh, they had a great time together. "They're like family to us...Thank God that Little Big Town gets our sense of humor!" Mark Wys...
Read More »Watch now: When you say Tim McGraw, Keith Urban remembers his first CMA Fest as a fan
CMAAs Keith Urban played CMA Fest’s main stage at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium over the weekend, he recalled his very first time attending country music’s biggest festival as a fan.
“I certainly remember the first one I went to,” he told ABC Radio backstage, “just to be on the side of the stage watching this thing called Fan Fair back in the day. Some friends of ours took us to see this 'new artist' called Tim McGraw.”
He laughs, “It was amazing!”
Not only do the biggest stars in country music turn out to play CMA Fest -- they do it for free. The Country Music Foundation, in return, donates all the money from ticket sales to music education. It’s a cause that’s very close to Keith’s heart.
“I was really fortunate to go to a public school that happened to have a music room and a music teacher,” he explains, “And I just thought that was a basic, standard, given in every situation. But you're seeing it more and more where they do away with that when they're cutting costs.”
He goes on, “It's a big problem because it's not some sort of fringe curriculum thing that you can just discard. You know, with so many kids who are musically gifted, that is the way in which they find their voice. And their self-esteem and identity and everything is in that.”
You can experience this year’s CMA Fest for yourself, as the annual three-hour music extravaganza airs Wednesday, August 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini return as hosts for the second year in a row.
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Country star trivia
Comstock/ThinkstockOn this day in 1949, this 25-year-old made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry performing "Lovesick Blues" and"Mind Your Own Business." He received an astounding six encores. Can you name him? ANSWER: Hank Williams Sr. Copyright &...
Read More »Kanye West and Kim Kardashian team up against Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian on Celebrity Family Feud
ABC/Byron Cohen(LOS ANGELES) -- Survey says...it was the West family against the Kardashian family on Sunday's episode of Celebrity Family Feud. On one side, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West teamed up with three of Kanye's cousins to play again...
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