BIG FROG 104'S HOT NEWZ FROM NASHVILLE

December 17, 2010 » Workin' In A Full House: "I've missed you guys so much," Garth Brooks said just three songs into the first of nine Nashville flood relief arena shows Thursday night (12/16). "You guys have done your job ... I appreciate what you've done. Now it's our turn." Brooks then ripped through a hit-heavy, two-hour set, which included special guests Steve Wariner ("Longneck Bottle," "Some Fool's Never Learn") and Trisha Yearwood ("In Another's Eyes," "She's In Love With The Boy," "More Than A Memory"). Halfway through Yearwood's appearance, Brooks observed that the spirited sold-out crowd sang along to every song and said to his wife, "I love you, and I love our life at home, but we've got to get us one of these." Other highlights included Brooks' acoustic version of "Unanswered Prayers" and a video montage of flood recovery photos during "We Shall Be Free." Film crews also taped the production, which will be broadcast to military bases worldwide at a later date. There was time for only one encore, which was "Ain't Goin' Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)," because roughly 17,000 more fans were packed around the outside of the Bridgestone Arena for the 10pm show. Brooks' The Rescue Party show is Nashville's fourth major charity concert of 2010 following Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's Nashville Rising, Brooks & Dunn's The Last Rodeo and Keith Urban's All For The Hall. When it all wraps, more than 140,000 fans will have seen Brooks perform. "Let's let people know that Nashville is up and running again," Brooks said during a press conference earlier Thursday (12/16). "Our goal is to see the economic impact that this will have on this city at Christmas ... This whole week nine shows is probably going to end up costing somewhere between $300,000-$400,000 and that's it. Any [other] place will tell you it will take $3 million-$4 million. Everyone you see is working for free." With all the proceeds benefiting The Community Foundation Of Middle Tennessee, the initial $3.5 million raised from ticket sales is expected to climb as merchandise sales and text-to-donate funds are accumulated. » Garth Quotebook: Here are some of the more interesting quotes Garth Brooks made before and during his opening show Thursday (12/16): "I think I'm going to take the warmest bath you could possibly take. And it's going to be fun. When this is what you do for a living, it sure beats working." — on his return to the arena stage "As a guy, there's always that girl who you can't wait to be with ... and when you get the chance to, it's like over in like two minutes. So, about three songs in, I'm going to be hoarse. It's going to be over. I think I'm going to be spent pretty early because I'm really excited." "I'm going to pacing around thinking, 'How am I going to get into those pants? How am I going to get in those pants? How am I going to get into those pants?'" "You live in one of the hardest cities to sell concert tickets in. So I was bracing myself [for], 'Garth, thanks for an offer...'" "I have no tolerance for it. Some people are mass murderers, but some of the people who are killed should be killed. There's a good to the bad side, kind of like Dexter." — on scalpers "I love you because you are my buddy, and I hate you because you look the same as you did in the '80s when I first heard your music." — to Steve Wariner » Strong Like Country: The Country Strong cast brought a taste of Music City to Hollywood during this week's Los Angeles premiere. According to the LA Times, Gwyneth Paltrow, Garett Hedlund, Leighton Meester, Tobey Maguire and couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were among the celebrities who turned out for the red carpet event. "The thing about Country Strong ... that I love is how [the title] relates to my character," Paltrow says of her role as "Kelly Canter." "She's like the salt of the earth ... You know that she's totally messed up, but she's very authentic, and she's the real deal. And so I think that the [title] really is perfect for her, but also, it's such a great sentiment." McGraw appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show Thursday (12/16) to plug the movie, which opens in Nashville Dec. 22 and nationwide Jan. 7. Meester recently told CNN how she channeled her inner Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift for the film. Follow the links for the footage. » Save The Date(s): The 46th Annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena April 3 at 8pm ET on CBS-TV. The all-star concert special Girl's Night Out: Superstar Women Of Country tapes the following night for a TBA airdate on the network. Tickets for both events will be available for ACM A-List members from Jan. 19 through Feb. 18 (free membership here), and then to the public beginning Feb. 19. Proceeds from Girl's Night Out benefit ACM Lifting Lives. Details here. » Ten What? The year-long celebration of Rascal Flatts' first decade concluded Tuesday night (12/14) with a Grand Ole Opry performance and a proclamation from Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. Recognizing the band's charitable works, many based in Nashville, Mayor Dean noted, "This is such a privilege to be here tonight to thank you in person for all that you do for the community and for the children in this city." The band's Jay DeMarcus replied, "Thank you so much, Mayor. We love calling Nashville home and thank everyone in this city who has helped us help the community and for being a part of our career." » Crazy Milestone: Lee Brice was the guest of honor at a Christmas-themed party Tuesday (12/14) celebrating his record-breaking hit "Love Like Crazy." "We were working so hard every week [to top the charts]," Brice said of the longest-running chart record in country music history. "It was tough, [but] I thought that if we held on to where enough people had heard it that they would grab onto it. And that's exactly what happened." The song charted for an impressive 56 weeks, beating Eddy Arnold's 1948 hit "Bouquet Of Roses." » Golden Girls: Carrie Underwood landed her first Golden Globe nomination this week for "There's A Place For Us." Featured in the current Chronicles Of Narnia film, the track is among the Best Original Song nominees. "I am absolutely thrilled by this wonderful honor," says Underwood. "It was such an exciting endeavor to have been asked to create music for the film. I grew up with the books and have been a fan of the earlier two movies. I can't wait for the Golden Globes!" "Coming Home" by Country Strong star Gwyneth Paltrow is also in the category. The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards air Jan. 16 at 8pm ET on NBC-TV. Full nominees list here. » Party People At The House: It was a low key 21st birthday for Taylor Swift, who prepared all the small bites and bought all the presents for her 70 guests at her Christmas-themed party at her parents' house. "Taylor was in high spirits and was sporting a cute tiara," one attendee told People magazine. "Everyone was saying how good the food was and wondering how in the world they had time to do it." Read the full article here. » Electric Adelaide-y Land: Keith Urban will return to his homeland in April with labelmates Lady Antebellum for the Australian leg of the Get Closer 2011 World Tour. The five-date stretch runs April 8-15 and kicks off in Adelaide. Full itinerary here. » Crib Note: Congrats to Josh Turner and wife Jennifer on the birth of their third son Crawford Marion. "Jennifer and I are overjoyed at Marion's arrival," Josh tells People. "He's a strong, handsome little boy with a resilient spirit. Thanks to all of our family, friends and fans for their thoughts and prayers." Marion joins older brothers Colby Lynch and Hampton Otis. »Hit List According to the Associated Press, Tim McGraw is among the celebrities tapped to trace their family trees on NBC-TV's Who Do You Think You Are? Read the full article here. Dierks Bentley will stage an Up On The Ridge pre-Grammy Awards revival Feb. 12 at Los Angeles' Troubadour. A limited number of fan tickets will be available beginning Friday (12/17) here. Steel Magnolia and CMT will celebrate the duo's self-titled debut at New York City's Bowery Ballroom Jan. 10, the eve of the album's release. A limited number of tickets are available at cmthookup.com through Saturday (12/18) and come with a complimentary copy of the record. Marty Stuart In Philadelphia, MS will premiere in early 2011. The documentary short traces Stuart's Mississippi roots and how they influenced his latest album Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions). View the trailer here. Point Of Grace host a holiday countdown widget for Christmas and New Year's Eve. The widget also includes access to a contest to win an autographed cookbook Cooking With Grace. Download here. Birthdays Tracy Byrd (12/17) Cowboy Troy (12/18) Cledus T. Judd (12/18) Little Jimmy Dickens (12/19) On TV Friday (12/17): Lyle Lovett with Kat Edmonson, Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC); Various Artists, American Country Awards (re-air) (SPEED Network); Trace Adkins, The Talk (CBS). Saturday (12/18): Jimmy Wayne, NASCAR's Greatest Finishes (re-air) (GAC); Trace Akins, WWE Tribute To The Troops (NBC). Sunday (12/19): Faith Hill, Joy To The World (re-air) (GAC). Monday (12/20): Various Artists, 44th Annual CMA Awards (re-air) (CMT). Upcoming Album Releases Steel Magnolia Steel Magnolia (1/11) Joe Nichols Greatest Hits (1/25) » Spent A Few Weeks In California: Faith Hill and Tim McGraw grab a quick photo during Gwyneth Paltrow's Hollywood Walk of Fame induction Monday (12/13). » Roots Are Showing: Keith Urban busks at Sydney's Pitt Street Mall to plug the Australian release of his current album Get Closer. » This One's For You: Jimmy Wayne croons "Belongs To You" during the Home For The Holidays taping, which will highlight celebrity testimonies about adoption. Wayne represents country in a lineup that also includes Melissa Etheridge, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin and Nelly. The show airs Wednesday (12/22) at 8pm ET on CBS-TV. © 2010 LH Publications, LLC