Country Music Cocktails.....

Mixing Country music with Hollywood is always an odd tasting concoction. Mixing Country music with gambling is downright historic.

Let's start with gambling ... riverboat gamblers and poker players in the West had what was to later become Country music. Gambling and the dancehall piano player go together like Forrest Gump and the movies. Watching the soap opera with gambling and Country music in Alabama is another thing.

An easy dozen well-known Country music names and faces are hooked into the Country Crossing entertainment complex near Dothan, AL. Simply put, it's Branson with a gambling component.

Country radio is all over it ... the ad money is flying out to Country radio to support it. George Jones, Darryl Worley, Lorrie Morgan, Randy Owen and Tracey Lawrence are among those supplying the star power to add glitz to the place -- much like Vegas did with Frank and others in its growing phase.

The Governor of Alabama is not on board. In fact, it's his calling to shut down the place. Governor Bob Riley has called the folks at Country Crossing lots of names and made some rather controversial comparisons. The words "thug" and "criminals" have been danced around in the same sentence.

Today at 4a, Country Crossing was raided for the second time. Last time it reopened within a day. This soap opera is fast moving. The Governor's illegal gambling task force says their bingo has got to go ... and fast!

We are talking millions of dollars in buildings and investments that hang in the balance. The law is, at best, muddy. The moral issue of gambling can't be ignored in the buckle of the Bible Belt.

The Nashville PR people -- producers, artists, managers and others involved with this -- have a problem. Gambling careers on this project seemed like the thing to do at the time. Maybe it still is. Either way, ad money has stopped, the gambling has stopped and jobs have stopped. People are talking. Politicians are beating on podiums, saying "Obey the law." And the band plays on.

If you want to follow this story on a close basis, the following sources are on it: WSFA-TV Montgomery, WTVY-TV Dothan and The Dothan Eagle.

Hollywood and Country. This most always is a train wreck. Like New York, Hollywood rarely gets it.

The Grammy's home base is L.A. and they reflect the town.

Nashville has a big voting base, but hardly runs the place. Taylor Swift plays the game in L.A. as good as anyone ever has. Hopefully, she will win the appropriate awards Sunday night. She has been a class act through the whole process.

Nashville still needs to never stop getting the word out that our music is some of the best. Our fans are not all cast members of "Deliverance" and "O Brother Where Art Thou."

The "Idol" train wreck audition shows have been hiding any potential "Carries." Mostly, we have seen a lot of "disturbed" people. Bad singers and worse singers. No wonder Simon is quitting.

Carrie is off to the Super Bowl ... Taylor to Australia ... Brad to Tupelo and Bama ... George and Reba to the West Coast ... Kenny Rogers to our symphony hall ... Super Bowl week ... Daytona 500 right around the corner.

Colts probably win, but would love to see the Saints go all the way! The World Champion New Orleans Saints ... impossible ... or is it?