Carrie Has Top Country Album of the Decade

Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts Scores Billboard’s Top Country Album of the Decade

Carrie’s TV Appearances This Week Include Encore Airing of
“Carrie Underwood: An All-American Holiday Special” (Fox, December 22) and
“A Home For The Holidays” (CBS, December 23)

Nashville, TN – Six weeks since the release of country superstar Carrie Underwood’s new album Play On, which has yielded the #1 hit, “Cowboy Casanova,” and brand-new heart-wrenching single, “Temporary Home,” the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year received an early holiday surprise. Billboard announces that Carrie’s Some Hearts is the Top Country Album of the Decade.

Also included in Billboard’s year-end special double issue is the acknowledgement that her feisty smash, “Before He Cheats” (#8), is the only female showing in the Top 20 Hot Country Songs of the Decade.

The 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville hit-maker’s TV appearances this week include an encore airing of, “Carrie Underwood: An All-American Holiday Special” on Fox, Tuesday, December 22, 8-10 pm/7-9 pm Central and “A Home For The Holidays” on CBS, Wednesday, December 23, 8-9 pm/7-9 pm Central. On both shows, she will perform her current single, “Temporary Home,” which she co-penned with Luke Laird and Zac Maloy.

A four-time GRAMMY Award winner, ACM Entertainer of the Year, and reigning, three-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist winner, Carrie’s Play On re-teams her with producer Mark Bright, who helmed her Carnival Ride collection as well as seven tracks from her 2005 album debut, Some Hearts. To date, Underwood has amassed more than 11 million in U.S. album sales with Some Hearts, 2007’s Carnival Ride and 2009’s Play On. Along the way, she has consistently broken new ground and earlier this year became the first country artist in history and the only American Idol winner ever to achieve ten #1 singles from their first two albums. When “Cowboy Casanova,” the debut single from Play On, recently achieved #1, Carrie’s string of uninterrupted #1s increased to 11.

Source: Sony Music Nashville

CN: WTG, Carrie!!!

Top 50 Videos of the Decade

Vote for Carrie in this voting opportunity offered by CMT...

We were curious which music videos were the most popular over the past decade. So, we took a survey of video viewing, including Top 20 Countdown airplay and viewer voting (including the show's years as the Top 12 Countdown), airplay during CMT music video hours and on CMT Pure, viewing of on-demand videos, streams and New Video Voting on CMT.com and views on CMT Mobile. The results surprised us a bit. Take a look at the 50 Most Popular Videos and vote for your five favorites. We'll announce the results in January. So,have fun!

>> Vote at CMT.com

Carrie Underwood Gets Engaged!

Carrie Underwood is getting married!

"I'm happy to confirm that Carrie Underwood is engaged to Mike Fisher, and the couple couldn't be happier," her rep tells PEOPLE. "No wedding date has been set at this time."

The Ottawa Senators player spoke about the happy event on Monday, according to the Toronto Sun.

"It's true," he is quoted as saying. "We're both obviously excited and very happy."

Fisher, 29, reportedly proposed at his home Sunday afternoon and then sent messages to his friends with the good news later that day.

>> Read more


CN: CarrieNEWS would like to wish Carrie and Mike best wishes on their pending nuptials!

Carrie Underwood Wants Kids, but 'Ain't Having Five!'

When it comes to having kids, four is more than enough for Carrie Underwood.

"Not that I have a husband to have one with yet, but someday I'd like a family – not a big one, but not a small one either," the singer, who is dating Ottawa Senator hockey player Mike Fisher, tells Self magazine in its January issue. "Two kids is good; three is fine. Four? Somebody's getting something done, because we ain't having five!"

>> Read more

Carrie Underwood Wants Kids, but 'Ain't Having Five!'

When it comes to having kids, four is more than enough for Carrie Underwood.

"Not that I have a husband to have one with yet, but someday I'd like a family – not a big one, but not a small one either," the singer, who is dating Ottawa Senator hockey player Mike Fisher, tells Self magazine in its January issue. "Two kids is good; three is fine. Four? Somebody's getting something done, because we ain't having five!"

>> Read more

Carrie Underwood to be honored for music promotion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer Carrie Underwood will be honored Saturday for supporting various kinds of music in Nashville.

She'll be given the Symphony Ball Harmony Award, and also perform during the ball at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Underwood, a former "American Idol" winner, is a three-time winner of the Country Music Association's female vocalist of the year award and has won four Grammy awards.

She's sold more than 10 million albums since her 2005 debut.

Source: Tulsa World

CN: Congratulations, Carrie!!!

Oklahoma-bred songwriter Brett James pens his Nashville success

Oklahoma-bred Brett James first set out to become a doctor, then a recording artist and now has forged a career as a hitmaking Nashville songwriter.





From left, songwriters Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson hold their 2007 Grammy Awards for penning the Carrie Underwood hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which was named best country song. James grew up in Oklahoma City and Cordell and still has family in Oklahoma.


Would-be physician finds healthy career as songwriter

Brett James initially set out to become a doctor like his dad, checking out patients, X rays and medical charts.

But these days, the 41-year-old Oklahoma-bred songwriter spends his days checking out the Billboard charts, watching his compositions climb into the hit range for stars like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts (which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher) and Jason Aldean.

“Like a lot of songwriters, I kind of fell backward into it by the failure of my artist career. I always planned on being the guy singing the songs, but of course, now that I’ve been doing it for 17 years, I realize that it’s fun to be the guy behind the scenes. In some ways it’s more fun because I don’t have to write songs just for me,” James said on a recent road trip with his wife and four children from his Nashville, Tenn., home to the Oklahoma City area, where he still has family.

Born Brett James Cornelius in Columbia, Mo., the Grammy winner grew up in Oklahoma City and Cordell. While he was in college at Baylor University, his parents gave him a $90 pawn shop guitar for a Christmas gift.

“As soon as I learned three chords, I just thought it’d be fun to write a song with ‘em,” he said. “It just kind of seemed like the natural thing to do. … I just kind of did it for fun and I certainly never dreamed it would be a job.”

>> Read more

Carrie Underwood Announces Dates for 2010 Play On Tour

Craig Morgan, Sons of Sylvia Are Her Special Guests in 45 Cities

Carrie Underwood has announced a 45-city tour in 2010 to support her latest album, Play On. With dates in the U.S. and Canada, the first leg of the itinerary begins March 11 in Reading, Pa., and concludes May 30 in Spokane, Wash. She will be joined by Craig Morgan as well as Sons of Sylvia, a band formerly known as the Clark Brothers, who also collaborated with Underwood on Play On.

During her Carnival Ride tour in 2008, the American Idol winner performed 137 shows for a total of 1.2 million fans.

"I am getting so excited about next year as we are currently working through all the big plans for the tour," she said. "I cannot wait to perform new music and see familiar faces across the U.S. and Canada!"

Here's a list of the tour dates:

March 11: Reading, Pa.
March 12: Albany, N.Y.
March 13: Providence, R.I.
March 15: Portland, Maine
March 16: Bridgeport, Conn.
March 19: Atlantic City, N.J.
March 20: Mashantucket, Conn.
March 21: Worcester, Mass.
March 23: Hamilton, Ontario
March 24: Kanata, Ontario
March 26: Trenton, N.J.
March 27: Amherst, Mass.
March 29: Wilkes Barre, Pa.
March 31: Rochester, N.Y.

April 1: Pittsburgh, Pa.
April 3: Pikeville, Ky.
April 6: Columbus, Ohio
April 7: Peoria, Ill.
April 9: Indianapolis
April 10: Rockford, Ill.
April 12: Fort Wayne, Ind.
April 13: Saginaw, Mich.
April 14: Lansing, Mich.
April 23: Grand Rapids, Mich.
April 24: Toledo, Ohio
April 25: Cincinnati
April 27: Richmond, Va.
April 28: Charleston, W.Va.
April 30: Fayetteville, N.C.

May 1: Columbia, S.C.
May 2: Augusta, Ga.
May 4: Tallahassee, Fla.
May 5: Pensacola, Fla.
May 7: New Orleans
May 8: Lafayette, La.
May 10: Beaumont, Texas
May 12: Austin, Texas
May 13: Corpus Christi, Texas
May 15: Tucson, Ariz.
May 18: Fresno, Calif.
May 20: Sacramento, Calif.
May 21: Reno, Nev.
May 22: Las Vegas
May 29: Everett, Wash.
May 30: Spokane, Wash.

Source: CMT.com

Carrie says: “I am getting so excited about next year as we are currently working through all the big plans for the tour,” says Carrie. “I cannot wait to perform new music and see familiar faces across the U.S. and Canada!”

New Carrie Underwood Interview

Carrie Underwood: What I've Learned



From Esquire.com...

The 26-year-old country star's lessons from Simon Cowell, Tony Romo, American Idol, and the dirty basements of stardom

I was so nervous when I was on my way to L. A. I'd never been on a plane, and I was going alone. I kind of got teary-eyed. My dad was driving, and he said, "If you want to go home, we can go home, and you never have to think about this again." And I thought, If I don't go, I'm choosing for this not to happen. It will be my choice. So I figured it would be easier for me to get kicked off American Idol than to have it be my own decision.

I've learned the most throughout my life from age twenty-two till now.

As you step off that stage, you're pretty much alone.

My cell phone is my best friend. It's my lifeline to the outside world.

There's no handbook.

People can take your words and make them into something awful and something you never meant it to be.

>> Read more

A picture worth a thousand words

Have Yourself a Very Carrie Christmas

CARRIE UNDERWOOD AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE THE SEASON

ON “CARRIE UNDERWOOD: AN ALL-STAR HOLIDAY SPECIAL”

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, ON FOX

Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, David Cook,
Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate, and Sons of Sylvia

Join Carrie on Her Holiday Special

Multi-platinum recording artist and Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood headlines a two-hour variety special in which she will perform new music from her upcoming album as well as previous hits and holiday classics. Underwood will be joined on stage by special musical guests and chart-topping artists, including Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, David Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate and Sons of Sylvia, on CARRIE UNDERWOOD: AN ALL-STAR HOLIDAY SPECIAL airing Monday, Dec. 7 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

From Zap2it...

Carrie Underwood may not have this holiday season covered as much as Santa, but she's close.

The award-winning singer and past "American Idol" is all over the home screen these days, partially in service of promoting her newest CD, "Play On." After co-hosting last month's CMA Awards on ABC with Brad Paisley and starring in a Country Music Television "Invitation Only" concert -- among other stops -- she headlines "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special" Monday, Dec. 7, on Fox.

Paisley, Dolly Parton, Kristin Chenoweth and fellow "Idol" David Cook are guests on the two-hour show, sure to feature Underwood's current hit "Casanova Cowboy" among more traditional sounds of December.

"It was good," Underwood says of recording the show. "We had to fit everything into a couple of days, so that all the performers could come together. Those were crazy days that meant getting up at 5, going to rehearsal, taping something, then changing my clothes and rehearsing and taping something else. It was nuts, but I think it ended up really good.

"It's almost like an award show," adds Underwood in citing prior experience she could draw upon. "There are lots of performances, I announce people and I talk to people ... but here, I'm doing everything. It was a little bit of overload for me, but it was also exciting and a lot of fun. If I could get through that, I could get through anything, so everything else seems easier now."

Having two hours made Underwood comfortable with showcasing her hits while also serving a Christmas motif.

"Everything has its place," she says, "so I don't think it was difficult to fit in everything I wanted. We ended up with something like six new songs from the album, a few favorites from my other two albums and other people performing some of their own stuff. It's a variety show, so people expect to tune in and see lots of different things."

CN: Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to catch this unique presentation. "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special" airs tonight (December 7) on FOX. 8pm ET/PT.

I've uploaded some promo photos which you can view at CarriePix.com.

Carrie Underwood performs in The Bahamas

Here are some really cool pics of Carrie's performance in The Bahamas on Saturday night.


This one's my favorite...

Paradise Island, Bahamas - American country singer and songwriter, Carrie Underwood performed in The Bahamas at Atlantis on December 5th in a sold out concert with an audience ranging from pre-teen to senior citizens.

Breaking away from her country roots during the last quarter of the show with an electrifying cover of 'Paradise City' by Guns 'n Roses at which point half the audience, already a little miffed by Atlantis' heavily enforced "you have to stay seated at all times" policy rushed to the front of the stage to let loose and finally really enjoy the rest of the performance.

Source: The Bahamas Weekly













Carrie also took some time out to catch some rays, as reported by USMagazine...

Carrie Underwood showed off her bikini body Monday during a vacation at the Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

"Just thought I'd write and make you all jealous by telling you about the wonderful time I'm having in the Bahamas!" she wrote on her official fan club site this weekend. "It was a breezy 80 something outside and the sun was shining bright...I managed to get a nice little bronzy color today. I'm actually a wee bit burned, but it doesn't hurt. I'll have to break out the SPF tomorrow ... This is the best vacation I have been on in a long time."

Carrie Underwood Was 'That Girl' Meeting Randy Travis

It's hard to imagine that Carrie Underwood, who's co-hosted the CMA Awards and has her own holiday TV special airing next week, would ever get tongue-tied when meeting a fellow country superstar. But she admits that's exactly what happened when she met the man who would be her future duet partner.

"When I first met Randy Travis, it was a definite moment," Carrie revealed to Jeff Foxworthy on his radio show. "I felt so bad because I went up, and I met him, and you know that's somebody I've known since birth, so to get to meet him and to get to hang out with him and stuff like that, I just started telling him how important he was -- as if he didn't know -- to so many people. And I got all teary-eyed, and [said], 'I'm so sorry I'm that girl now!' He was so good with me."

Carrie adds that having the opportunity to duet with Randy on a version of his hit, 'I Told You So; had its advantages.

"I definitely consider him a friend now. He really is everything I thought he would be, which is so awesome when you meet somebody that you've always looked up to and they're just as cool as you think they should be."

Carrie's All-Star Holiday Special airs Monday, Dec. 7 on FOX.

Source: The Boot

Cover girl Carrie

Who’s on the cover of the World Almanac and Book of Facts 2010 ($12.99) alongside President Barack and Michelle Obama? It’s Oklahoma native, “American Idol” winner and all-around country superstar Carrie Underwood.

Underwood, originally from Checotah, is joined on the cover by the Obamas in an inauguration day photo and Mark Buehrle, the White Sox baseball player who pitched a perfect game this past year, just the 18th in Major League Baseball history.

What makes this Oklahoman beauty worthy of such company? Well, the World Almanac picks the most memorable people and events from the previous year and as one of the most successful winners of one of the most watched shows on television—it is only fitting that Underwood graces the cover, according to a media release.

Source: Muskogee Phoenix

Get your copy of this Carrie keepsake for only $7.79 at Amazon.com!

Carrie Makes Big Donation To Humane Society

Pictured (l-r): Sony Music Nashville VP, Digital Business Heather McBee and Chairman Joe Galante; Underwood; Leighann McCollum, Tennessee State Director of The Humane Society of the United States; Sony Music Nashville Executive VP Butch Waugh; 19 Entertainment’s Ann Edelblute; and Sony Music Nashville Senior VP, Sales & Operations Paul Barnabee. Photo Credit: John Russell

Animals were the big winners as superstar Carrie Underwood, together with 19 Recordings and Sony Music Nashville, recently presented The Humane Society of the United States with a check for $200,000. The check reflected the charitable proceeds from sales of Carrie’s recording of “Home Sweet Home,” which served as the contestant farewell song on the past Season 8 of American Idol. The digital single for “Home Sweet Home” was available exclusively on iTunes during its first week of release.

Source: Music Row

CN: More awesomeness from Ms. Underwood!

Carrie Underwood nominated for Grammys

Tonight was another great night for Carrie as she was nominated for 2 (count 'em, 2!) Grammy Awards!

Here are the details for the categories and contenders...

BEST FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE

"Dead Flowers," Miranda Lambert

"I Just Call You Mine," Martina McBride

"White Horse," Taylor Swift

"Just A Dream," Carrie Underwood

"Solitary Thinkin'," Lee Ann Womack

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS

"Beautiful World," Dierks Bentley & Patty Griffin

"Down The Road," Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally

"Start A Band," Brad Paisley & Keith Urban

"I Told You So," Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis

"Everything But Quits," Lee Ann Womack & George Strait

Nominations were announced from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Awards will be announced Jan. 31 at Staples Center in a ceremony to be telecast on CBS. Awards are determined by more than 12,000 voting members of the Recording Academy from eligible recordings released between Oct. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009.

Source: LA Times

Congrats to Carrie and also to Randy Travis!

Carrie Underwood Celebrates Holidays on FOX