No Cowboy Hats ... It Can't Be Country

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville

Saw that stupid comment in a Milwaukee paper this week. They were talking about Rascal Flatts, I think. Well, they sure aren't the Earl Scruggs review, but they do have the hottest show out right now with opener Taylor Swift. Million a night? Dollars, that is ... and No CMA Entertainer of the Year. $40 million gross is 2007. Amazing politics. Toby Keith getting the Forbes exposure this week. He's the highest paid star in Country? $48 million in 2007. Wow. That Ford contract must be a whopper. As it should be. He IS the face of pickup trucks in general. If you can ever hook onto something like that, you are fixed. Seinfeld got $10 million for those recent ill-fated (no, cancelled) Microsoft commercials. Toby does two things very right: supports the military and sells trucks. And no Entertainer of the Year for him, either ...WEIRD...How credible is the CMA on this subject?

Keith Urban at the Opry this weekend. He should get praise for that. He's always managed to support the show and how important is that for all the stars to keep the mother church of Country music relevant and current.

The re-charting of the Faith Hill song, There You'll Be," is making people sit up. That dead and gone, not-so-Country format-friendly song is back on the charts in the U.K. A little girl sang it a capella on the British version of "American Idol," "X Factor." Great story setting it up and performance. You can see it and the top right of www.askjimmycarter.com.

The Bluegrass folks are coming in the week ahead. So are the Presidential debaters. Going to be a very crowded and busy time. At least we seem to be getting our gasoline back. Not so for Atlanta and Charlotte.

Jimmy Wayne got a ton of publicity for having TSA problems at the Oakland airport. They had him in his underwear and that caused a commotion. He got cuffed and held in the TSA. In his boxers. Folks were taking cell phone pictures of the man in his underwear criminal moment. Jimmy should do that at least once a month!

Disney is making another "Cars" film. Hope the Pixar people get Brad Paisley to do more this time and they have to bring back Larry the "Mater" Cable Guy. Rascal Flatts had a huge hit from that film, "Life is a Highway."

Fall is great ... the best ... Paisley, Flatts, Underwood, Toby and many more on the tour. Weather is cool and clean feeling. Movies are better and tons of football. Baseball playoffs ... College football ... new music ... Fall is the Best!