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BIG MACHINE RECORDS - THE WEEKLY REPORT [Week 4/14-4/20/08]
THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS
ARTIST NEWSFLASH *Taylor Swift was the big winner at this week’s CMT Music Awards, walking away with the evening’s top honor, the Video of the Year Award, as well as the trophy for Female Video of the Year. No one was more surprised by the impressive honors than Taylor herself, who was sitting in the audience surrounded by fans when her name was called. Taylor’s awards were for the video of her 6-week #1 single “Our Song,” which she wrote by herself for her 9th grade talent show. "I never thought it would be on an album, never thought I'd record it, never thought it would be a single, never thought it would be No. 1 and certainly never thought it would win video and female video of the year,” raved Taylor backstage after her big wins. “Video of the Year! Female Video of the Year! For the first time in my life I’m speechless! I never expected any of this. To the fans, thank you from the bottom of my heart!” *“We thought it would be fun to have everything in one book,” explains multi-platinum country star Trisha Yearwood about why she got together with her mom Gwen and sister Beth to co-author her first cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. Both generations of Yearwood women share the stories behind their collaboration in the upcoming special Trisha Yearwood: From Our Kitchen to Yours, premiering Thursday, May 8, (9 pm ET) on Great American Country (GAC). The special was shot in Yearwood’s Brentwood, Tenn. “This show is about sharing our stories,” Trisha says. “We’re also going to show some videos and have picked our favorites.” Fans will find out how to make perfect deviled eggs (“You can’t grow up in the south and not eat deviled eggs as a child,” Yearwood says), cheese straws and of course, macaroni and cheese. “Macaroni and cheese is a meal in itself,” Trisha explains. “Our daddy always said we would eat anything if it was covered in cheese sauce which was true. Beth actually got engaged over cheese sauce!” The Yearwood sisters admit to a shared sweet tooth and are proud of their mom’s baking skills. “I taught school before they were born but then I stayed at home and to supplement my income, I baked cakes,” Gwen says. “I did layered cakes and pound cakes and because I baked wedding cakes 40 years ago Trisha assumed I could bake a wedding cake two years ago (for her marriage to Garth Brooks). “I said it will be small…how hard can it be?” Trisha remembers. “And it turned out to be a five-tier wedding cake. It was a small wedding but it was a big cake.” Having fun in the kitchen and sharing laughter is a constant theme throughout the special and Trisha is quick to acknowledge the real inspiration behind their playful approach. “I think it really comes from my dad Jack. He’s the missing piece today,” she says. “He was an amazing cook with an amazing sense of humor. But he’s here in spirit and we dedicated the cookbook to him.” *“I’m Taylor Swift and we’re about to shoot a video with lots of fire because today’s Pyro Day!” Those are the words Taylor Swift uses to welcome viewers to the set of her latest video and current single “Picture to Burn.” During the premiere of the half-hour Great American Country (GAC) special Taylor Swift: On The Set (Thursday, April 24 -9 pm ET), cameras catch the making of the hottest video made by an artist that some may call one of, if not the hottest country recording act in the nation. “We chose ‘Picture to Burn’ as my next single because it is insane in concert –it’s the song people were screaming at the top of their lungs...there’s just a different energy whenever I play it,” recalls the ACM-nominated Swift. Energy is just what Swift needs when choreographed pyrotechnic flames and sparks accompany her as she sings, plays and dances, all under the direction of Trey Fanjoy. Fanjoy is responsible for directing all four of the young artist’s videos so far in her career. “I connected with Trey after doing my first video and I haven’t been able to work with anyone else. I like working with her because she knows where we’ve been and how to get away from that,” says Swift.
*Jack Ingram’s current video for his single “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely” features live concert footage and behind-the-scenes clips from the road. Jack, who has shared the stage with everyone from Brad Paisley to Brooks & Dunn since his mainstream launch in 2005, is currently out on Martina McBride’s Waking Up Laughing Tour. Jack talked to us about the growth of his live show over the last two years. “Playing the circuit in Texas for years, we established a great fan base and really formed a set list that became a greatest hits of sorts, so when we began opening these big tours early on after the success of ‘Wherever You Are’, it was an adjustment since most people only knew one song we did,” notes the ACM Top New Male Vocalist nominee. “But I took that as a challenge and did all I knew to entertain the people, regardless if they knew our music or not. Now, two years later, it is so gratifying because we have five songs people know and while I am still a ways away from having a full set of hits, it does make it a lot more fun to have the crowds singing back. And I think we captured that in the new video. I hope people watching the clip can see that if you come to a Jack Ingram show, you better be ready to have a good time!” In related news, Jack will be hosting CMT Radio Network’s upcoming George Strait retrospective special airing in May. *RANDOM NOTES: Jack Ingram and Taylor Swift will be spotlighted in the GAC series ACM Showcase beginning April 25th on the network…Jack Ingram and Miranda Lambert join GAC’s Nan Kelly as hosts of the network’s ACM Preview special premiering May 5th…Taylor Swift will perform April 29 as part of Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series; the next morning, on April 30th, Taylor will appear on Regis & Kelly…Taylor Swift joins Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland and Rodney Atkins as the first-round of performers announced for the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards airing on CBS-TV May 18th from Las Vegas…Taylor Swift joins Mariah Carey, Chris Brown and Kanye West as the four artists chosen for an upcoming Yahoo! Music banner ad campaign. The four artists will each be spotlighted in unique banner ads across the Yahoo! Network promoting the online portal’s music video platform…Taylor Swift was featured last Sunday on the cover of USA Weekend magazine, reaching over 22 million homes via newspaper distribution nationwide.
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