Kraft Foods is starting  a campaign for its Singles cheese slices celebrating small-town America.

Kraft is launching the contest—which asks consumers to submit a photo and a short description of what they consider to be the “single best thing” in their hometowns—with a series of TV spots running on the Disney-owned ABC daytime soap channel. Ads, which begin this week, show the three members of the country music group Love and Theft—Brian Bandas, Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson—playfully bantering about whose hometown is best. The ads prompt consumers to submit entries by asking, “Is it your county fair? Or your annual parade? Maybe your local moment. What is it about your town?”

Contest participants who upload submissions to the Disney-owned FamilyFun.com site can share their photos and essays with Facebook friends, or ask them to “vote for my town,”. The food company is also reaching out to influential mommy bloggers, as well as running ads in the March publication of Family Fun, the print incarnation of the craft and recipe site, to attract more entries. Voting opens March 11 and runs through April 11, with the winner receiving a block party visit hosted by the members of Love and Theft, and appearances from his/her favorite ABC soap stars.

It’s official that Carrie Underwood will be singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl!  She’s the first country act since the Dixie Chicks in 2003 to be invited to sing at the event.  I’m sure she’ll be great.  Of course, nowadays, artists are pressured to pre-record their anthems whether they want to or not.  I think after the whole Janet Jackson thing  the networks are looking to minimize the surprises.  So rest assured, Carrie’s anthem will be great, and she will do country music proud as always. Here are a few other Carrie Anthems to get you excited:

All the way to Australia, apparently!  Rumor on the web yesterday was that a star-studded remake of the 80s anthem “We Are the World” would end up being the first reunion between Taylor Swift and Kanye West since he famously interrupted her VMA speech.  Well it turns out that while Kanye will participate in the song on Sunday after the Grammys, Taylor won’t.  She’s scheduled to head down to Australia for some tour dates down there, and has to leave LA right after the Grammys.  The proceeds from this new “We Are the World” song will go to Haiti, by the way.

I must say I got a little nervous when I saw that Reba McEntire and George Strait had postponed a few shows in their hotly anticipated tour.   Turns out it was just bad weather in the Midwest that caused the schedule change, no health or voice problems or anything like that.  So never fear, they’re still headed our way on March 26th.

Be sure and set your DVRs on Sunday to check out the Grammys since there will be more country music than usual.  In the general award categories, Zac Brown Band competes for Best New Artist, while Taylor Swift is up for the main awards of Record, Song and Album of the year.  As far as performers go, you’ll see Taylor, Zac, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum.  So tune in on Sunday night at 8pm, KOIN 6.

With all that extra country music in the Grammys this year, you’d think all the country nominees would be pretty excited about going.  But not Trace Adkins!  He says last year was a total bust, and here’s why: 

“Last year I got nominated for a Grammy and then I found out that they have two Grammy shows. I only thought they had one Grammy show, and then I went out there and found out that the B team don’t get to go to the big show. I had to go to the little show, which nobody was there, along with all the other polka bands and swing groups and jazz acts and us country guys, and then they called whoever won and nobody clapped.”

It is true that the Grammys sometimes treat country music like a red headed step-child.  But then again, we are the only format with TWO of our very own awards shows, so that could be part of it.   Should be interesting to see if more country awards get airtime this year.

We’ve known and loved the boys of Rascal Flatts since the beginning of their careers, but here’s a story I had never heard until today:  Lead singer Gary LeVox has always loved to sing, and growing up in Ohio he dreamed of making it big.  But practicality won out, and when it came time to choose his career he did the safe thing and got a job where his mom worked, at the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation (kind of an old school name but that’s what it was called). 

Gary’s job was to help ready people for their first jobs, and he LOVED it.  He says he would have stayed there forever if not for one encounter he had.  One of his clients was a guy who was very self-conscious and had trouble even doing basic things.  But he had put aside his fears and competed in the Special Olympics in front of a huge crowd, winning a medal in the process.  When Gary realized that this guy was brave enough to conquer his fears and take a chance, he suddenly knew he had to do the same thing.  So he called his cousin Joe Don Rooney in Nashville, headed down there, and the rest is history.

I absolutely love this group!  They are real, genuine and really fun!

Valentine & Lady Antebellum 1 of 4
Valentine & Lady Antebellum 2 of 4
Valentine & Lady Antebellum 3 of 4
Valentine & Lady Antebellum 4 of 4

Isn’t this a pretty mugshot?  What happened to cute little Arnold from Different Strokes?   Gary called us from jail using his one phone call, what a nice guy!
Gary Coleman Calls the Show!

Seven trucks, in fact!  When Project Haiti needed a way to get donated supplies across the country so that they could ship out to the island, Toby Keith didn’t even hesitate.  He let them know that they could use 7 of his semi-trucks for as long as they needed them.  These are the trucks he normally uses to tour, but for now they are being filled with medical supplies, non-perishable food and waterpurification equipment.  Thanks, Toby!