Rays Of Hope In Unsettled Times

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

Music Row has to be pumped a little this week when the sales charts came out ... Lady A is smoking hot closing in on a million-and-a-half.

They are on a roll with tremendous genuine fan interest. Not a lot of hype with this group ... none needed. Tim McGraw's folks are real smart/real lucky getting them as an opening act!

Good things can happen to good people ... Danny Gokey coming strong out of the box is very promising. Gary Allan may have a 60,000 first week ... All good news...

The "American Idol" phenomenon is constantly amazing. Stars have often come from TV/radio talent shows, but look at the growing roster from this one! (How can it survive though without Simon? Several of the judges already look lost!)

Carrie's tour is underway and when all is said and done for the whole year, she should end up #1. This year she will burn up the road and get married. Her show features an aerial segment ... back-of-the-house performance and high-tech lights and sound. First-class and big-time.

Strait is off for a few days, but critics and fans are loving this tour with Reba. Brad P and Rascal Flatts are off-duty until the warmer months.

Back to "Idol again" ... see where '09 winner Kris Allen is opening for Keith Urban?

Winter was a rough one. Spring thaw is here and the axe has already been sharpened. Lots of good people in several lines of work have been fired. This economy continues to take its toll ... add the changing technology and the public taste ... evolution ... here and more on the way.

At NASCAR in Atlanta last weekend ... fired up my laptop with built-in camera ... got on Skype ... called home ... using my Verizon USB connection ... it was practice and walked around in the pits broadcasting LIVE ... pretty amazing!

Where is all this going?

On the subject of the Spring axe falling: Is there really a good way to fire someone? Yes, I think ... class ... doing the right thing ... paying the people what they are owed ...did I say having some class? Crazy world we live in today, isn't it?