John Rich has somehow figured out how to be a total public figure and still keep his private life totally private.  Example:  When he got married, everyone pretty much said, “What?  Who???”  No one knew he was even seeing anyone, and he’d been seeing his now-wife Joan for years when they tied the knot.  So then they had a kid, Cash Rich, and then he won on Celebrity Apprentice, and then Big & Rich got back together.  But somewhere in the middle of all of this, he managed to make another baby with his wife, and that baby was born over the weekend.  His name is Colt Daniel Rich, and he’s healthy and everyone’s happy.

Most country stars are super-low-key when they sell their big houses…they don’t want people getting all up in their business.  But not John Rich!  The Celeb Apprentice champ is pulling out all the stops to sell a house he owns that is right around the corner from his current house.  In fact, on the website, which is actually called johnrichsneighbor.com,  you can watch a video of John giving a tour of the place, talking about all the country stars that have hung out there and written songs there and such.  He even says that if you buy it, he’ll stop by and bring you a bottle of champagne!

Remember how it was Trace Adkins who told Donald Trump that John Rich should be the next country star on “The Celebrity Apprentice?” Well that turned out well, as Rich won and raised more money for his charity than anyone on that show, ever. So who did John Rich recommend for the show? Dierks Bentley. And The Donald took his advice. But The Dierks said no! He says that making music is his dream, but that “the dream takes a lot of time.” Between that and his wife and kids, Dierks says he just can’t swing it.

You might recall that back when Trace Adkins was on “Celebrity Apprentice” the producers asked him who should be the next country star on the show, and he said John Rich.  Well obviously that was a great choice, because JR just won the whole thing.  So now the producers have asked John Rich who HE thinks should be the next country contestant, and he says Dierks Bentley.  Why?  Well, obviously because Dierks is a super cool guy who could probably handle the pressure, but also, JR says, because Dierks isn’t what he calls a “hat act.”  He’s a little less traditional, and a little more rock & roll.  I sure wouldn’t mind watching him every week, but something tells me he wouldn’t do it.  You have to have just a little streak of crazy to want to be on that show, and I don’t think Dierks has one.  So how about a female country star?  Any ideas?  Gretchen Wilson would be great.

John Rich talks with Mike & Amy about his CELEBRITY APPRENTICE win:

John Rich 2011-06-01 edit

And listen to our earlier yappings with John.  Like Monday, May 16th:

John Rich 2011-05-16

And from Monday, May 9th:

John Rich, Celeb Apprentice 2011-05-09

Yep, he won Celeb Apprentice, just like we knew he would.  I will admit to a moment of doubt though, when he was standing up on that stage at his 7-UP event, introducing Def Leppard, and no band was showing up. OUCH! But in spite of the rocky live event, JR’s overall performance on the show, which was otherwise flawless, helped him win in the end. If you want to watch the whole shebang, just click here.

By the way (or BTW as my daughter would text), JR assures us that The Donald’s hair is real.  At one point, he says the Playboy lady, Hope, was teasing Trump and he insisted that she run her fingers through his hair to prove it was real.

It happened last night on “Celebrity Apprentice,” that train wreck of a show that I started watching again last night. I think it’s the craziest cast ever, and heaven help me I couldn’t turn away from it last night. Anyway, John Rich, who I think will win the whole thing, wrote a quick little jingle for “Camping World” as part of a challenge. But steroid hall of famer Jose Canseco tried to shoot it down, saying it sounded ingorant and  ”too hickish.”  In case no one knew what he meant, naked “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch clarified a bit, saying that using country music might make them seem “less educated” and “backward.”  Oooooooh!  That got John Rich going.  He basically offered to throw down with anyone who said those kinds of things about his audience.  Everyone backed down pretty quickly, probably not because JR is such a towering muscle man, but because they realized they’d just offended a huge chunk of America.  Anyway, with all of those crazy C list celebs like LaToya Jackson and Gary Busey on there, I’m afraid I’m now hooked for the season.  If you want to get regular updates and video blogs from John Rich, just click here.

Ahev you ever seen a Tweet or a Facebook update about a really cool sounding party, and then realized you weren’t invited? Well it happens to country stars, too. John Rich tweeted this earlier in the week: “(Financial Guru) Dave Ramsey speaking at my house tonight to the up and coming country artists! What a deal!” Fellow country artist Jake Owen happened to see this, and feeling like he was an up and coming country artist, tweeted back, “where’s my invite?” Turns out it was a CMA sponsored event and John Rich didn’t have anything to do with the guest list, and I guess the artists were less known than Jake, but still…

No, no, John Rich isn’t gay.  But Chely says it was a comment and question from John Rich that helped drive her to the brink of suicide before she came out and admitted she was gay.  Chely says “John finally asked me point plank:  ‘You’re not gay.  If you are, people won’t have it.  It’s sick, it’s deviant, it’s unacceptable to country music fans.  You’re not are you?’ And I lied.”  Chely says this shift from not talking about it to lying about it was what brought her to a point where she contemplated suicide.  The only thing that madeher feel better was when she decided that God would want her to tell the truth.

Meanwhile, John Rich has this to say about the encounter:  “I would never pass judgement on any friend of mine.  I feel awful that, at this time in Chely’s life, my decade olf comment, ‘Good, thank God”…was taken the wrong way.  I was clumsily trying to express my relief that even a country boy like me had a chance of having a beer with a woman as talented and attractive as Chely.  For years after that conversation, Chely invited me to perform at charity events.  In all that time, I wish she would have said something directly to me before the book’s publicity tour.  Especially since some of the commentsattributed to me are not mine.  I’m happy for her and only wish her the best in her personal and professional life.” 

Here’s Chely’s big interview with the Today Show:

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Most celebrity babies make their debut on the pages of a magazine, wrapped in some pretty little blanket with the proud and glowing parents holding them lovingly. And then there’s John Rich’s kid. The first public picture of him is out, and here it is:

So who’s the happy couple?  That’s two dudes:  Sebastian Bach, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Skid Row, and crazy rock legend Ted Nugent.  Little Cash was on the set of his dad’s music video when someone snapped this shot, and then Sebastian tweeted it.  I have to say Cash, 3 months,  is a pretty cute kid.  But this is one unique debut photo…there’s nothing at all like it in my daughter’s baby book.  Though come to think of it, the picture of her at age 3 with George Jones, where she’s looking over at him like, “who the heck is this dude?” is almost as unusual.