Kristen Bell, Toby Keith: CMT Awards Are 'Wide Open'

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The CMT Music Awards are only hours away, but while many of the artists are undoubtedly battling a case of the nerves right now, the show's two co-hosts -- Toby Keith and Kristen Bell -- are cool as cucumbers.

"It's not as scripted," Toby explains. "You can just kind of hang out. We've got some guidelines to go by, but it's wide open."

"I am a country music fan," Kristen adds. "I've presented at a variety of country music awards shows in the past because I am a fan. I don't know how I got here. They invited me, and I squealed! I obviously said yes. I'd never been to Nashville before, so I'm very excited."

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Zac Brown Band, 'The Wind' -- Song Premiere

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The new Zac Brown Band album Uncaged will hit stores July 10, showing what frontman Zac calls "powerful chemistry that's developed by living, traveling and working as a band." It also showcases unparalleled musicianship, as heard in the toe-tapping, infectious first single from the project, "The Wind."

"'The Wind' is a barn-burnin', bluegrass tunContinue reading Zac Brown Band, 'The Wind' -- Song Premieree off this record," says Zac of the tune, which he and the band co-wrote with Wyatt Durrette and Levi Lowrey. "It's probably the most country song we've ever done."

Listen to the world premiere of "The Wind" below!

Listen to "The Wind"

The Band Perry, 'Postcard From Paris' Video

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Artist: The Band Perry

Video: "Postcard From Paris"

Why We Love It: The Perry siblings may not have been able to travel to Paris for their latest video, but New Orleans' French Quarter proved the next best thing. Lead singer Kimberly Perry looks to be the victim of a stalker in the clever clip, but there's an interesting twist toward the end.

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CMA Music Fest TV Special to Be Hosted by Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry

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ABC is once again giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at CMA Music Fest. This year, the network has recruited Luke Bryan and the Band Perry's Kimberly Perry to host its three-hour special, "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock," which will be filmed this Thursday through Sunday (June 7 - 10) in Nashville.

"We have so much fun playing at CMA Music Festival," says Luke. "The entire town of Nashville turns into one big party and performing at LP Field becomes one of the best shows we play all year."

"CMA Music Fest is special to The Band Perry because we love spending time with our fans," echoes Kimberly. "We are excited to be a part of ABC's coverage of the four-day event, co-hosting the television special."

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Toby Keith Golf Classic Raises $664,000

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Toby Keith's planned OK Kids Korral, benefitingOklahoma City's OU Medical Center Children's Hospital patients and their families, is $664,000 closer to completion, thanks to funds raised at the 9th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic.

The two-day golf event included the official ground-breaking for the center, which is expected to cost $8.5 million. Celebrities including Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift,Coldplay, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldeandonated memorabilia to be auctioned off, which helped boost the grand total to a new record -- beating last year's amount by $14,000.

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Jerrod Niemann, 'Shinin' On Me' Video

Jeremy Cowart

"And who knows what tomorrow is gonna bring / But today, the sun, shinin' on me"

Jerrod Niemann's infectious new single, "Shinin' On Me," is about living in the moment and concentrating on the positive, no matter how many negatives come your way. The song's video, making its world premiere right here on The Boot, brings to life the upbeat lyrics. Filmed at Family Wash, a restaurant and music venue in East Nashville, the clip shows two very different scenes but just a few feet apart: one stressed-out businessman sitting alone outside the restaurant, while Jerrod, his band and buddies are inside having a great time. When the rain starts to pour, will their two worlds collide? Watch below to find out.

"The video for 'Shinin' On Me' is meant to show you that you don't have to let the storms of life ruin your day," the country star tells The Boot.

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Toby Keith Golf Classic to Include OK Kids Korral Groundbreaking

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Toby Keith's annual Golf Classic in Oklahoma on May 18 and 19 promises to be one of the most memorable in the nine-year history of the event as the "Beers Ago" singer will also be breaking ground on his long-awaited OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma City as part of the two-day festivities.

"It's gonna be something that Oklahoma City can be really proud of when we're done with it," Toby says of the center, which will provide a home environment for pediatric cancer patients and their families while treatment takes place at Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center.

"Over the past few years, all these state-of-the-art cancer facilities have been coming to Oklahoma City," explains Juliet Nees-Bright, director of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. "More kids are coming for treatment than ever before. We realized we needed to create a place, one that specializes in helping kids. They have special needs -- they have immune systems that are very weak."

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Zac Brown Band, 'No Hurry' Video

Mark Humphrey, AP

Artist: Zac Brown Band

Video: "No Hurry"
(Watch below)

Why We Dig It: Caution: if you're watching this video at work, you might get a little green with envy. The ZBB guys combine three things we love in their brand-new video: music, vacation and family-bonding time. It's the perfect song to start to your summer!

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Zac Brown Band, 'Uncaged' Release Date Revealed

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Describing the new Zac Brown Band album is anything but simple.

"It's your basic country-Southern rock-bluegrass-reggae-jam record," Brown joked.

"Uncaged" is out July 10 and Brown says its 11 tracks further push the boundaries of what fans can expect from the Atlanta-based band.

Brown wanted to keep most of the surprises on the band's follow-up to 2010's "You Get What You Give" under wraps in a Tuesday afternoon phone interview.

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Zac Brown's Camp Southern Ground Meets Kids' Special Needs

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Zac Brown may be best known for his musical contributions, but he could add entrepreneur to his title. "There are 12 companies that I run, with a lot of help of other people," Zac tells The Boot.

Of the dozen different entities, the one foremost in Zac's mind is Camp Southern Ground, a non-profit camp south of Atlanta for, as Zac describes it, kids who are "mainstream, underprivileged and with developmental disorders."

"We'll have an organic farm there, straight farm-to-table," says the singer and band leader, who is also an accomplished chef. "The kids will be able to eat what they pull up from out the ground that day. It's a big project, a big undertaking."

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Thomas Rhett Tour Schedule Goes Into 'Overdrive'

Big Machine

Thomas Rhett has been putting in his time on the road opening for acts including Blake Shelton,Pat Green and Brantley Gilbert. This summer, he'll open for Toby Keith on the Live in Overdrive tour.

The 22-year old, whose first single, "Something to Do With My Hands" is climbing the charts, has already learned the three things never to leave home without: "Clean underwear, clean socks and Twizzlers," Thomas tells The Boot.

He also learned the hard way that he should always travel with something warm. "We were playing in Illinois one night and we had to stop at a gas station," he says. "All I had was a T-shirt, so I bought this disgusting hoodie and that saved me for like four days from freezing!"

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The Band Perry, Kimberly Williams-Paisley Help Kick Off Walmart Anti-Hunger Campaign

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The Band Perry and Kimberly Williams-Paisley visited a Nashville Walmart this week to announce their participation in a huge new initiative to help fight hunger in America. The sibling singers and actress are partnering with Walmart and four of the nation's largest food companies -- General Mills, ConAgra, Kraft, and Kellogg -- to launch the "Fighting Hunger Together" program, which encourages the purchase of products to help generate more than 42 million meals for the Feeding America and Action for Healthy Kids programs.

Millions of Americans can help support this worthy cause either by buying participating products or visiting Walmart's Facebook page through April 30. Fans can vote on the Facebook page for one of 200 American communities that has been hardest hit by unemployment, and the winning town will receive $1 million to help combat hunger in that area. The next 20 communities will each receive $50,000 to help aid hunger relief in their areas, as well, through the Facebook initiative. The campaign also provides information on how users can donate or join local efforts to fight hunger in their own communities.

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Luke Bryan, 'Tailgates and Tanlines' Is Platinum!

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Luke Bryan has his first platinum album! The Georgia native's Tailgates & Tanlineshas sold more than a million copies since its release eight months ago. The project, Luke's third studio album, has spawned the smash hits "Drunk on You," "I Don't Want This Night to End" and "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)," with the latter two songs each having sold more than a million downloads.

"The main thing is stay true to who you are," Luke tells The Boot, reflecting on what he believes to be the secret ofTaligates' success. "When it happens unnaturally and when it's forced, it gets a little weird. You just make sure you love it and that it's the music that you want to be represented by. The rest is out of your hands. It's up to the fans and the people who buy the album."

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The Band Perry Hometown Surprise: Trio Honors East Tenn. Elementary School

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The nearly 600 students of Greeneville, Tennesee's Doak Elementary School got quite the shock yesterday (April 6). Country Weekly reports that hometown sweethearts, the Band Perry, made a surprise visit to the school to congratulate the students on raising $40,000 for the American Cancer Society.

"It's in honor of a dear friend of ours, Miss Lisa White, who passed away from cancer," lead singer Kimberly Perry told local TV reporters (quote via Country Weekly). "So it was really amazing just to honor her life today and to raise money for such an amazing organization."

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Zac Brown Record Label Gains More Southern Ground

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Zac Brown isn't just the leader of the multi-platinum Zac Brown Band, he's also a top-flight chef, a double Grammy winner and the head of his very own record label. And it's his Southern Ground imprint that's about to pull double duty. On April 21, during which 350 independent record shops across the country will celebrate Record Store Day, Southern Ground will issue 'Southern Ground Artists Compilation, Vol. 2,' further spotlighting the acts on the eclectic indie label.

The eight-song collection features tracks from the Wood Brothers, Nic Cowan, Dugas,Levi Lowrey, Sonia Leigh, the Wheeler Boys and Blackberry Smoke. It closes with a live rendition of the Zac Brown Band's 'No Hurry,' which is the group's latest Top 20 hit on the country chart.

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Toby Keith Live in Overdrive: Singer Readies Ford-Sponsored Summer Tour

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What would the summer be without Toby Keith belting out his hits? Thankfully, we won't have to find out. The 'Red Solo Cup' singer has announced details of his Live in Overdrive Tour Presented by Ford F-Series, a three-month trek that will take him from coast to coast and into parts of Canada.

The tour starts off June 14 in Salt Lake City and concludes on Sept. 22 in Boston. Before rocking along to Toby's catalog of favorites, fans will get the chance to better acquaint themselves with opener Brantley Gilbert, the 27-year-old singer and songwriter who's penned the No. 1 country smashes 'My Kinda Party,' 'Dirt Road Anthem' and 'County Must Be County Wide.'

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Luke Bryan, 'Drunk on You' Video Premiere

Capitol Nashville

Luke Bryan proves his acting chops once again in his brand-new 'Drunk on You' video, which is the sequel to his 'I Don't Want This Night to End' video. "I pulled out some of the old theatre skills from back in my high school days!" says the country star.

In 'I Don't Want This Night to End,' Luke meets a gorgeous blonde and falls head over heels, but we don't know how their love story ends. She disappears, and he tells his manager (played by video director Shaun Silva) to leave a ticket for her at his next show. 'Drunk on You' picks up two months later, with Luke having left tickets for his mysterious lady at every single show he's done since meeting her ... to no avail. Will she finally show up? Watch the world premiere of Luke's 'Drunk on You' video (below) to find out.

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Luke Bryan Spring Break: Florida Welcomes 'Suntan City' Singer

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Luke Bryan is taking a couple days off from his role as opening act for Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party tour, to soak up the sunshine. The 'Drunk on You' singer is currently in Panama City, Fla. to perform two shows (on March 13 and 14) as part of his annual Spring Break tour, to coincide with the release of his latest EP, 'Spring Break 4 ... Suntan City.' But while he takes his role as an entertainer very seriously, the Georgia native admits he is ready to have a good time, too.

"It's the only show of the year that I drink while I perform," Luke tells the Huffington Post. "It seems like the thing to do."

The 35-year-old has returned to the same northern Florida town every year since he started doing the 'Spring Break' albums in 2009. "Growing up in South Georgia, Panama City was where we always went to," he explains. "That's where we always did spring break. Actually, my wife and I, we spent a spring break down there our first year we were dating. It's a fun area!"

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