Feb 4, 2008

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Taylor Swift “Picture To Burn” Most Added Early; Impacting Now
• Jack Ingram Single Goes Top 30 & Posts 12 New Adds
• Trisha Yearwood Single Posts Over 50 Monitored Markets In Week #4
• Garth Brooks & Huey Lewis Single Enters Top 25; Album Sales Up 22% 

*Trisha Yearwood just filmed her new music video for “This Is Me You’re Talking To” this week in Nashville, and the superstar knew she wanted a well-known leading man for the clip.  “We were looking for a leading man who might be someone recognizable and John Corbett came to mind for me,” recalls Trisha.  “I was a big fan of his in ‘Sex In The City’ and in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’.  And I actually met him on the set of ‘Northern Exposure’ years back, so I knew he was taller than me, which is a plus for the role,” Trisha says smiling. “So, we just thought we’d ask him and he said yes.  Isn’t that cool?!  I’m so excited about this video.” 

*Last year Jack Ingram was on the road on Valentine’s Day, and we asked the hitmaker if he had plans to make the day extra special for his wife Amy this year.  “I don’t know what I’m doing on Valentine’s Day.  I’m praying to the gods of love that I’ll be home.  Given that I missed it last year, I guess it would be appropriate for me to get two dozen roses this year.  Or if I was planning on getting Amy a necklace, perhaps I should throw in some earrings too?  But, come on, we show our love to each other daily, so what’s another day?!!!” Jack notes grinning.  [Editor’s Note: Unfortunately it looks like Jack will be spending two years in the doghouse, as his calendar reports he will be performing in Portland, Maine on Valentine’s Day as part of Toby Keith’s Big Dog Daddy Tour.] 

*From The Tennessean’s Beverly Keel: “After a photo appeared of Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler together at a Nashville Predators game, some people told Taylor that they were surprised that the trio would be friends.  Taylor says there's a perception that women performers must be jealous of each other. "People were shocked when they saw three girls who do the same thing as a career and we are friends," she said.  Proving her point, a stranger stopped by our Bricktop's table at lunch on Wednesday and told her how Shania Twain is "coming back" and how it would make a certain other female superstar jealous — a ludicrous accusation that Taylor firmly dismissed.  The reality is, Taylor says, the other female stars have been generous and supportive. Faith Hill has wholeheartedly embraced Taylor, Reba McEntire has sent her encouraging notes and Kellie and Carrie offer the teen advice on all sorts of things.  "They try to provoke you with catfight questions," she said of the media. "You know, 'You're nipping at Carrie Underwood's heels.'  "Carrie is my role model," said Taylor, who is up for Best New Artist at the Feb. 10 Grammys, an award Carrie won last year. "That girl has done so much to prove what females in country music can do. Just from knowing her, she'll never say a bad thing about anybody ever, even if somebody has said something bad about her. She'll never say something catty, and it's really cool. It makes me want to be that way too." 

*RANDOM NOTES: Jack Ingram’s “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely” spends its 2nd week at #1 on the Texas Music Chart this week…Taylor Swift will perform live in front of 12 million television viewers Monday night February 4th when she appears on ABC’S top-rated Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann. The show airs live on Monday, February 4th from 8-9:30 p.m. ET on ABC…Fans call the shots on the Trisha Yearwood’s Heaven, Heartache, and The Power of Love Tour, which kicks off next weekend in Austin.  Trisha wants to know what song fans want to hear most on each night of her tour. Fans can request any song off any of Trisha’s albums and Trisha will perform the song that has the most requests each night…Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar” has entered the Top 10 on both the Billboard CHR/Pop airplay chart and the Mediabase CHR/Pop airplay chart.