Twang Town Lowdown: Thursday, December 31st

TAYLOR SWIFT: INSPIRATION FOR "TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR" ARRESTED

Andrew Hardwick -- who was the high school crush “Drew” Taylor Swift sang about in “Teardrops on My Guitar” -- was arrested Saturday in Hendersonville, Tennessee and charged with child abuse.

According to various reports, the 27-year-old, his 34-year-old half-brother Christopher Hardwick and 44-year-old Joni Hardwick were arrested after a three-year-old relative in their care had to be airlifted to a Nashville children’s hospital with severe bruising and swelling to her face. Doctors told police the child had a concussion.

A five-year-old girl who was with the three-year-old told a witness that Hardwick struck her in the face, too.

Christopher acknowledged that they'd been drinking.

After being charged with aggravated child abuse and child abuse, Hardwick was released from the Sumner County Jail on Monday on $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 10th.

Joni Hardwick was charged with assault on an officer and resisting arrest. She was released Sunday on $1,000 bond and is due back in court on February 8th. Christopher was cited for assault and disorderly conduct.

DAVID NAIL: NO SLEEP FOR THE NEW PARENTS

Sleep ain’t happenin’ right now for new parents David Nail and his wife Catherine in the weeks since she gave birth to their twins, Lawson and Lillian. But mom and dad don’t mind.

David tweeted, “Having to waking up so much to feed ain't fun, but it takes a second to realize how lucky I am to have these two gifts from God!”

The couple was open about their past struggles with infertility. When they announced the birth, Catherine said, “We just really had to stick together and fight through it.”

Lawson and Lillian made their world debut on December 12th.

JOEY AND RORY: A VERY GRUFFALO CHRISTMAS

Joey and Rory had a very Gruffalo Christmas this year.

The Gruffalo is their daughter Indiana’s favorite children’s book. It's about a mouse who ventures deep into the forest in search of a nut. Along the way, he encounters some scary predators and makes up a creature called a “Gruffalo” to keep going. At the end of the story, the very thing the mouse imagined turned out to be real.

Rory Feek writes, “Our Gruffalo was real, too. Christmas had come and Joey was not only here with us, but she was doing well, and we all had an amazing day together.”

Today's IDIOT: Thursday, Dec. 31st

GAME OVER FOR 911 DISPATCHER:

A 911 dispatcher in Florida is facing some serious fallout because of his fondness for video games. He put emergency calls on hold rather than stop playing.

Charles Morris was demoted and stripped of his title after an investigation uncovered a number of incidents where calls went unanswered because he was playing Call of Duty or some other game. The 52-year-old supervisor left a hit-and-run caller on hold for 40 minutes on one occasion, and delayed reporting a shooting for nine minutes on another.

Morris had previously ruffled the feathers of his superiors by misusing sick days. Sounds like he has to worry about dodging more than just Angry Birds. 

NO PANTS, NO SHOW...

A Massachusetts man was excused from appearing in court to answer charges of indecent exposure -- because a judge accepted his lawyer's explanation that he had no pants to wear to the hearing.

Dermont E. Weaver was collared last weekend after a woman called cops to complain that he repeatedly exposed himself to her, her husband and her two daughters on a sidewalk outside a neighborhood eatery. 

According to the arrest report, Weaver was "jumping around" and waving his junk in front of all four victims until officers arrived on the scene.

At the time of his arrest, Weaver was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, running shoes and no pants -- and he couldn't manage to rustle up a pair in time for his appointment before the judge. He remains jailed on $25,000 bond

The HOTLIST - Thursday, December 31st

JENNER SETTLES OUT OF COURT:

Caitlyn Jenner has settled with one of the drivers in that fatal crash from earlier this year.

TMZ says the reality star's insurance company paid a settlement to Jessica Steindorff, whose Prius was struck by Jenner in February, and that "Caitlyn didn't have to reach into her own pocket."

Jenner still faces two other lawsuits from the crash, one filed by the adult stepchildren of the deceased Lexus driver.

MIKE TYSON VS. HOVERBOARD = OUCH...

Long before he became a cult icon for his role in the Hangover films, Mike Tyson was the heavyweight champion of the world in professional boxing. He was known for his knock out power, his loss to Buster Douglas in 1990, biting Evander Holyfield's ear off in 1997 and today we have something else to remember Iron Mike for... His EPIC FALL off of a hoverboard.. It sounds extremely painful yet I can't quit laughing each time I watch it.

GEORGE LUCAS: HAS ISSUE WITH DIRECTION OF STAR WARS UNDER DISNEY

In an interview with Charlie Rose George Lucas gives details on why he had to cut ties with "Star Wars"  so that he and the film could both move on...he goes on to say "They wanted to do a retro movie, I don't like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different."

Today's IDIOT: Wednesday, December 30th

                             

An Indiana woman is in a bucket-load of trouble after carrying out a disgusting attack on her neighbor's house.

69-year-old Jackie VanTyle explained to cops that she didn't like her next door neighbor, Joseph Basler, so she doused his home with a bucket of urine.

Basler contacted the police two months ago because he suspected that VanTyle was pouring urine on his home. He set up a security camera and caught her in the act.

When officers paid VanTyle a visit, she admitted to collecting urine in a bucket over several months and dumping it on Basler's house because "he's a bad neighbor." She also admitted to doing it multiple times over the summer.

She was charged with criminal mischief and is due in court next month. 

                     

Florida cops smelled more than just booze when they ended a long high-speed chase by pulling over the drunk driver -- who'd pooped all over herself during the wild ride.

Stacy Scuderi was spotted driving erratically when pulling out of a Walmart parking lot, but when cops began a pursuit, she floored it and ended up reaching 110 miles per hour before making it inside her gated community, where she ran over a curb, crushed a sprinkler and took out several of her neighbors' mailboxes. The woman refused a Breathalyzer test but, according to the arrest report, she smelled strongly of alcohol -- as well as feces, which was splatted over the car's seat.

A neighbor, who noted that Scuderi had been busted before, said, "We wanted to see something happen, definitely. Because she's just a sociopath." 

                              

The Texas teen who was said to suffer from “affluenza” because he was family was so wealthy he didn’t know the difference between right and wrong has been taken into custody in Mexico, according to reports.

Ethan Couch, the 18-year-old who became a fugitive after skipping town while on probation for killing four in a drunk-driving accident, was serving sentence of 10-years of probation for the 2013 accident. After he and his 48-year-old mother Tonya Couch went missing, the teen earned a spot on the most-wanted list.

An official in Tarrant County confirmed that the teen has been taken into custody after he and his mother were found near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The HOTLIST: Wednesday, December 30th

A Pennsylvania district attorney has filed sexual assault charges against Bill Cosby, who has officially been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in that state a decade ago. The 78-year-old will be arraigned today in Montgomery County.

Former Temple University Andrea Cortland says Cosby gave her Quaaludes and wine before the attack at his mansion in January of 2004. Constand was initially deposed in 2005, but the charges didn't become public until last year, which caused the Montgomery County D.A. to reopen the case. The statute of limitations runs out in January.

Constand's lawyer tells People magazine "Obviously, we appreciate the expression of confidence. We'll have to see what happens. We hope justice will be done. We will cooperate fully."

More than 50 women have come forward so far to claim that Cosby sexually assaulted them in some way.

                               

Jennifer Lawrence says she "really hates" New Year's Eve. On The Graham Norton Show, she admitted, "I've never had a good one -- everyone's chasing a good time and it's always a disappointment. I plan on doing nothing and then if something lands in my lap...but I always end up drunk and disappointed. Drunk and Disappointed should be the title of my memoir!"

                                 

Jeremy Renner's divorce from Sonni Pacheco is final. According to TMZ, he'll will pay his ex $13,000 a month in child support for their two-year-old daughter Ava. Sonni, however, will get nothing in spousal support. They were married for only 10 months.

                                  

Game of Thrones was the most pirated TV shows for the fourth year in a row.

According to Torrentfreak, the season five finale was illegally downloaded 14.4 million times.

That's more than twice the number of people who regularly watch the show legally on HBO. The first four episodes of the season were leaked before they aired in April.

The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory were far behind on the list, with 6.6 million and 4.4 million downloads respectively.

Twang Town Lowdown: Tuesday, December 22nd

LEE BRICE: HOMETOWN HERO

Lee Brice came to the aid of families in his home state who were victims of recent flooding. 

He raised $10,000 at three shows in South Carolina in the fall and donated it to a family who was impacted in his hometown of Sumpter. An additional 10 grand was donated by the Red Cross for wider relief efforts. 

Lee says, "I'm grateful for the opportunity to step in and help, even in a small way. So many people were impacted and are still recovering from immense water damage to their homes and property."

Lee kicks off his Life Off My Years tour in February.

A KENNY CHESNEY SHOW COULD SAVE A LIFE?

A Kenny Chesney concert could save somebody's life -- literally.

25 fans who attended Kenny's tour last summer have been identified as positive bone marrow donors for patients suffering from blood cancers across the world. 

He teamed up with Love Hope Strength Foundation’s Get on the List campaign, which tested willing fans at shows by taking a swab sample from their mouths. Kenny says, “It seemed not only so simple, but the kind of thing the No Shoes Nation is all about. Give back to others, help where you can, live to the fullest and make a difference. I can’t believe they’ve found 25 matches, but I couldn’t be prouder for the fans who come out and live these songs with us.”

Kenny's next trek, the Spread the Love tour, kicks off on April 23rd in Auburn, Alabama. 

KENNY ROGERS: A BIG FAN OF "THE DONALD"

Kenny Rogers says he really likes Donald Trump.

In an interview with Britain's Guardian, the country-pop legend veered toward politics.

While not formally endorsing the outspoken Republican presidential contender, Rogers says, "I really like him. I think his problem is that he says what everyone wants to hear, but he doesn’t say it well. I love what he says, I have to admit... He can be president and not owe anybody anything; he’s one of the few people has the money to do it, and has the guts to do it... He believes everything he says: Whether he’s right or not, he says what everybody fears."

But Kenny adds that other family members don't share his opinion. His "older sons laugh at me when I tell them that. They are Democrats that live in California -- there’s no hope for them. They’ll vote for Hillary no matter what she does." But he doesn't want to burn bridges with the leading Democratic candidate. "She’s a friend of mine, I’m not trashing her."

BLAKE AND GWEN: KISSES AND CAMO

If you needed further proof that Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are crazy about each other, check out a photo that showed up on Gwen's Twitter feed. Both of them are dressed in camouflage, presumably on a hunting trip, when Blake covers her cheek with rapid-fire kisses. 

The new-ish couple took a big step in their relationship recently -- they met each other's parents. 

Today's IDIOT: Tuesday, December 22nd

UM.. YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG...

A man in China obviously doesn't travel very often and clearly has no idea what to do at airport security.

Security agents told the man to place his bags and the contents of his pockets onto the conveyor belt to go through the X-ray machine. Agents then watched stunned as the man placed his bag through the machine and then climbed up onto the belt and tried to squeeze himself through the X-ray machine. A staff member had to rush over to pull the man out.

The HOTLIST: Tuesday, December 22nd

BEN & JEN: TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS:

This is how all divorces should go. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck will spend the holidays together for the sake of their kids. 

Christmas morning they will all be together to open presents. Ben and Jen want every Christmas to be a time of joy and family. They want their kids’ childhood memories to still be good.

The couple have three children ranging in age from three to ten. They announced their split this summer amid rumors that Ben had slept with their nanny.

NICOLAS CAGE: SKULLDUGGERY

You can't make this stuff up. Nicolas Cage has agreed to give back a rare dinosaur skull after learning it was stolen.

According to TMZ, Nic won the Tyrannosaurus skull in an auction in 2007, outbidding Leonardo DiCaprio. But it turns out that it actually belongs to the Mongolian government. And after years of investigation, authorities connected the dots. Cage didn't put up any resistance once he got the bad news.

Nic isn't suspected of any wrongdoing -- he thought his purchase was legit. But law enforcement is still working to track down the person who smuggled the skull into the U.S. 

BLAKE & GWEN: MEET THE PARENTS

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have taken an important leap in their relationship -- they've met each others parents. 

Sources tell People that Blake brought Gwen to meet his mom Dorothy while they were at his home in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. And back in California, Blake helped Gwen's dad Dennis with some things around his house. 

By all reports, all the meetings went great. 

ORLANDO BLOOM: KICKED OUT OF INDIA

Orlando Bloom visited India over the weekend, but his stay was brief because the country kicked him out.

The actor traveled to India where he was supposed to promote tourism in the country, but upon arriving in Delhi on Saturday, he was told that he did not have valid visa and was deported. Bloom had applied for an e-visa last month and thought it had been approved, however his application was actually rejected and he was deported back to Britain just a few hours after arriving. But then the following day, India's External Affairs Minister intervened and granted Bloom a legal visa and Bloom got back on a flight to India and this time was allowed to stay. 

KIM KARDASHIAN: BREAKS THE INTERNET....AGAIN.

Kim Kardashian has broken the Internet for a second time.

During yesterday's launch of her Kimoji alphabet, Apple’s App Store could barely handle the traffic.

Kim tweeted "Apple, I'm so sorry I broke your App Store!” Followed by “I can't believe so many people downloaded my Kimoji app that it affected the entire App store!”

The Kimoji is a Kardashian spin on emojis that reflect the family’s signature style.

Naturally, Apple techs would never allow the company to crack under Kim’s big butt emoji. Yes, that one exists, as does the waist trainer emoji, and the selfie emoji. 

CHELSEA CLINTON: PREGNANT AGAIN:

Regardless of whether Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, she'll have something to celebrate this summer. Her daughter Chelsea Clinton is pregnant with her second child.

She made the announcement today (Monday) tweeting a photo of her 14-month-old daughter Charlotte reading a page from a book that said: "Big sisters are the best." Chelsea wrote, "Next summer, Charlotte is going to be a big sister! Feeling very blessed & grateful this holiday season." The Democratic National Convention takes place in late July.

After the big announcement, Hillary tweeted at her daughter: "Your dad and I could not be happier for you, Marc, and Charlotte. We’re so excited to meet our second grandchild!"

Twang Town Lowdown - Friday, December 18th

COLE SWINDELL GETS HUGE RESPONSE FROM NEW SINGLE

Cole Swindell's new single, "You Should Be Here," has gotten a tremendous response from fans and radio since it was released earlier this week. After being released on Monday morning (12/14), "You Should Be Here" became the #1 most added song on country radio the day it dropped and also topped the iTunes Country chart and was in the iTunes Top 10 All Genre. 

Immediately after hearing the song, thousands of Swindell's fans also responded to its heartfelt message by sharing their personal stories via Twitter and Facebook using the "#YouShouldBeHere" hashtag.

Cole told Rolling Stone on Monday about the response the song had already had, "It's only been a couple of hours and the stuff I'm already reading, it's unbelievable. This is a new experience for me. I've experienced four hit songs but nothing like this and it's only been since this morning." Swindell wrote "You Should Be Here" about his father who passed away in 2013, and the video for the song, which also debuted this week, documents his first visit to cemetery where his father is buried. That video can be seen here. The song is the lead single from Cole's forthcoming sophomore studio album.

RISING STAR AWARD - KELSEA BALLERINI

Kelsea Balleriniwas the recipient of the "Rising Star" award at Billboard's prestigious Women In Music event held at New York City's Cipriani last Friday (12/11). Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott joined Ballerini at the celebration to present her with the award alongside Billboard's Woman of the Year Lady Gaga and fellow honorees Loretta Lynn, Missy Elliott, Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, Tori Kelly, Demi Lovato and Lana Del Rey. 

Fans will have a chance to see Kelsea accept the "Rising Star" award as well as perform, when the event airs tonight (12/18) at 8 PM ET on Lifetime. Ballerini has had a big 2015, earning her first AMA, CMA and CMT award nominations this year and also topping the chart for the first time with her debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It." Kelsea will close out the year and ring in 2016 with a live performance in Nashville at the annual "Bash on Broadway: New Year's Eve in Music City." The celebration will also feature performances by Kings Of Leon and Chris Stapleton.

COAT OF MANY COLORS RE-AIRING - DOLLY PARTON

If you didn't have a chance to see Dolly Parton's faith-based original movie Coat of Many Colors when it aired on NBC last week, you'll have a second chance gather your family around to watch it. NBC will air an encore special presentation of the TV movie on Christmas Day (12/25) at 9 PM ET, and Dolly couldn't be more excited about it. Parton shares, "I hoped to bring some families together so they could sit and watch a move like this. I really wanted to celebrate the people, my whole family, who made me who and what I am today. I'm so blessed and thankful for everyone who watched and I hope this story reaches many, many more when NBC shows it Christmas night."

Coat of Many Colors got big ratings when it premiered last Thursday (12/10), with nearly 13 million viewers tuning into the initial broadcast. Variety also reported that Coat of Many Colors drew the largest audience for an original movie on the "Big Four" networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC and FOX -- since 2011. The film takes place in the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains in 1955 and is based on the incidents in Parton's life around the time she was nine years old. The film stars Jennifer Nettles as Dolly's mother and young actress Alyvia Lind as a nine-year-old version of the country star.

"HIGH CLASS" COLLEGE FOOTBALL - ERIC PASLAY

Eric Paslay's current single "High Class" will be featured in the upcoming ESPN/ABC College football postseason. The song can be heard during bumps, montages and promos of ESPN networks' college football bowl game coverage from now through the end of 2015. 

One of the games Paslay's single will be featured on is the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl that kicks off bowl season tomorrow (12/19) at 12:00 PM ET on ABC.

Eric said, "You have to be a high class player, with a high class team and especially high class fans to make it to the college football postseason. Congratulations to all of these guys on an incredible season and I know I'll be watching these games…with my shades on." 

"High Class" was the most added song on country radio when it debuted in October. Paslay co-wrote the tune with Corey Crowder and Jesse Frasure.

​

Today's IDIOT: Friday, December 18th

MAKING A LIST, BREAKING LAWS TWICE!

A California couple gave a whole new meaning to organized crime by getting arrested on theft charges -- while carrying a to-do list that included an entry reading "steal mail and shoplift."

Gary Withers and Kristina Green were pulled over by cops after an Amazon delivery driver phoned 911 to report that two people were tailing his truck and picking up the packages he'd been leaving along his route. Deputies searched their vehicle and found “a carful of stuff,” including five stolen packages and mail addressed to more than a dozen addresses.

Besides the pilfered packages, cops found a stash of meth, a loaded gun and the shopping list, which was hand-scrawled on a sheet of notebook paper.

REINDEER-DRAWN BEER SLEIGH...YES, PLEASE...

If you're in England and you see a reindeer-driven sleigh carrying packages, it's not Father Christmas delivering gifts for all you little boys and girls. It's better.

A local brewery is “lowering its carbon hoofprint” by delivering kegs of beer directly to pubs via reindeer. Box Steam Brewery has two reindeer named Comet and Cupid, and these beer-hauling animals started working earlier this week. Their first delivery was to a pub five miles away.

But they're looking to expand the service. The managing director of the brewery says, "We'd be delighted to export to the North Pole, and we can lend a helping hand if there happened to be any large-scale gift distribution businesses in that region experiencing a seasonal rush."

SHOP WITH A COP PROGRAM LANDS MAN IN JAIL

An annual Kentucky state police program invites kids to do some holiday shopping with troopers, but it landed one of the kids' fathers in jail for shoplifting.

The state police hold the Shop With a Trooper program to give back to the community and show kids that police officers aren't bad people. But while one kid walked around a Walmart store picking out toys with a trooper, his dad was walking out of the store with a drill he hadn't paid for. A store employee caught him leaving with the item and immediately notified the officers inside, who placed him under arrest.

The state police say they're appalled by what happened but will continue the Shop With a Trooper program.

The HOTLIST: Friday, December 18th

JOHN KRASINSKI: FROM JIM TO G.I. JOE

Dang!!! Jim from "The Office" got all buff. Actor John Krasinski is the cover boy this month
for Men's Health magazine. He's showing off his buff new physique after packing on a eye popping 25 pounds of muscle for his new film "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". In the interview he says that his training for the role was "brutal at times". The issue is available now.



COURTENEY COX: REBOUNDING TO THE BATCAVE? 

She just split from her rocker fiance, but it didn't take long for Courteney Cox to find someone else to make beautiful music with. She's reportedly back in the arms of ex-beau Michael Keaton.

The Friends star got dumped by Snow Patrol bassist Johnny McDaid back in September, but regrouped quickly, and has now rekindled her romance with Keaton, who she dated back in the '90s. One of the actress's pals says, “The spark between Courteney and Michael is still there. They’re very comfortable together. He’s making her feel good about herself again. They’re making up for lost time."

And it looks like an old Friend played matchmaker. "On Jennifer Aniston’s suggestion, Michael called her. Once Courteney got over the shock, it was like they’d never been apart.

Courteney has regretted walking out on Michael years ago, and she’s grateful he’s giving her a second chance."

BEN AFFLECK: HIS MOM JOINS TEAM JEN

Ben Affleck couldn't go running to his mom when he and Jennifer Garner called it quits -- because she's totally on Team Jennifer.

A source close to the couple says "[Ben's mom] Christine has always been close to Jennifer throughout her roller-coaster 10-year marriage to Ben, and the two women aren’t letting the possibility of divorce come between them.


Ben’s mother has chosen sides and she’s letting everyone know she’s with Team Jennifer. His mother chastised him about his behavior and told him if he loses Jennifer he’s making the biggest mistake of his life."

Ben and Jen split up earlier this year amid allegations that he was sleeping with their nanny.

KRIS JENNER: FIRES ENTIRE SECURITY TEAM

This is the way President Obama should have dealt with his Secret Service detail -- Kris Jenner has fired her entire security team.

According to TMZ, Kris is none too happy that a crazed Kardashian super-fan managed to get into her house this week, and so she's given everyone the heave-ho. And since North and Saint West were at home at the time, Kanye West is equally displeased. So until Kris is able to bring in new personnel, he's handling security. His team is made up of a legion of off-duty cops.

The West family has been staying with Kris since Saint came home from the hospital -- it's a temporary arrangement.

Twang Town Lowdown: Thursday, December 17th

KENNY CHESNEY MAKES BILLBOARD TOP 5 TOURS LIST:

Kenny Chesney is the only country act featured on Billboard's "Top 5 Touring Acts of 2015," making the list alongside Taylor Swift, One Direction, U2 and the Rolling Stones. Kenny played just 57 dates on his "Big Revival Tour" this year and rocked more than 1.3 million fans, putting him in third place behind British boy band One Direction, who finished second with more than 2.3 million tickets sold for 80 shows. 

Coming in at #1 was Swift, who played for over 1.9 million fans during her 71 shows. Chesney says, "Every year when we hit the road, I'm trying to figure out how to bring it harder, play more music and make it a night the people who live their lives in the songs will remember. We've been doing this enough years, that you know you have to really bring it to just compete with what you've already done."

 Kenny will hit the road again next year on his "Spread the Love Tour 2016," which kicks off April 23 at Auburn University's Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The tour will feature special guestsMiranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion.

2016 ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE FESTIVAL

The lineup for the 4th ACM Party For A Cause Festival in 2016 has been announced, and it's a big one! The 3-day festival leading up to next year's 51st Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas will be headlined by Carrie Underwood on Friday, April 1, Dierks Bentley on Saturday, April 2, and Kenny Chesney on Sunday, April 3 – the day of the annual award show. The festival will take place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, and will feature additional Main Stage performances byFrankie Ballard, Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice, Cam, Sam Hunt, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Kellie Pickler, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Maddie & Tae, and Old Dominion. Some of the other acts slated to take The Party Stage during the event include Lauren Alaina, Chase Bryant, Lindsay Ell, Jana Kramer, Chris Lane, Granger Smith, Brothers Osborne, Kelleigh Bannen, and Jackson Michelson. More acts will be announced for both stages in the coming months.

Ticket proceeds from the ACM Party For A Cause Festival benefit the Academy's charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives. The 51st Annual ACM Awards will take place on April 3, 2016, and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8:00 PM ET. Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will co-host the ceremony.

NEW KIDDOS – THE BAND PERRY

The Band Perry's Kimberly Perryand her husband, professional baseball player J. P. Arencibia, have welcomed new "kiddos" to their family. Just to be clear, the couple don't have any human children yet; the "kiddos" they welcomed are of the furry variety. 

Kimberly took to Instagram to share a picture of two adorable puppies -- which look a lot like Labrador Retrievers -- standing side by side on an armchair. In the picture, one puppy looks straight at the camera, while the other one sniffs the armchair. Perry said in the photo's caption, "@jparencibia44 and I would like to introduce u to our new kiddos. Ladies and Gents meet Moose and Bear." Kimberly also took to Twitter yesterday (12/16) to share a picture of Moose taking a nap. She said in the caption, "Everyone say hi to #MOOSE today! Zzzz."

In other TBP news, it was recently announced that the sibling trio will perform during the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, which airs live on Sunday (12/20) at 6 PM cst on FOX. The show will be hosted by Steve Harvey and will also feature performances by Seal and Charlie Puth.

PLENTY OF HOLIDAY TV OPTIONS FOR COUNTRY MUSIC FANS!

Country fans, pop some corn, fire up the tube and settle in on the couch -- there's plenty to watch the next week or so.

NBC’s Coat of Many Colors re-airs on Christmas Day at 9 p.m. CST. The December 10th premiere attracted 13 million viewers. The special stars Jennifer Nettles, Alyvia Alyn Lind and Rick Schroder.

Billboard’s Women in Music event airs Friday 7 p.m. cst on Lifetime with honorees Kelsea Ballerini, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga.

Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert airs tomorrow at 8 p.m. CST on AMC with performances by Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow,Steven Tyler, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, among many others.