Let me be very clear that this story is from the National Enquirer.  So I’m not saying it’s true, I’m just telling you what they’ve written about Tim McGraw, just in case you saw it on the newsstand at the grocery store, you saw the story, you thumbed through the magazine looking for the right page, but then you had to sheepishly put it back on the shelf because it was time for you to pay for your groceries.

ANYWAY, they say that the reason Tim fired a bunch of his band members (which is actually true) is that he is worried that they’ll “expose his darkest secrets.”  Supposedly, at some point in his recent tour, he “turned into a tyrant.”  But wait, there’s more:  ”He was short-tempered, and he demanded an impossible level of perfection.”  So then he supposedly started asking band members to sign agreements promising they’d never tell anyone about how he was acting, and that’s what led to the firings.

I’ll say it again…this is from the ENQUIRER.  So it’s probably made up.  But every once in a while they get it right, so I’m just letting you know in case this is one of those times.

On the other hand, Kellie Pickler, who eloped with her love on New Year’s Day to escape the hassles of a big wedding, says she feels sorry for the royal couple.  “I feel so sorry that on the most important, most beautiful day of their life, it has to be just an open book to the whole world. I mean, they deserve to have their intimate ceremony to their close ones and loved ones. It’s so sad that they get stalked by the paparazzi and the media the way they do. I couldn’t imagine. I know what it’s like on my end, and it’s not even in comparison to what they have to go through.”

Okay, maybe I do have a little more to say:  Kellie, who is famous in some circles for saying dumb things (though we know she’s actually quite clever and funny), said something pretty brilliant about weddings.  When she and her future-at-the-time husband Kyle sat down to plan what was going to be “the” wedding of the year in Nashville, they suddenly had an epiphany.  Says Kellie:  “When two people get married, it’s not about the glamour…It’s about the bride and groom and God.”   So they ditched the big wedding plans and eloped to an island in the Caribbean, just the two of them.    “I can’t think of a word that quite describes how perfect it was,” she says. 

I often wonder with these super-duper-glam-expensive celebrity weddings whether the people involved are even able to concentrate on each other and the committment they are making, or if they’re too busy worrying if their $300,000 flower order will arrive on time.  It also makes me wonder if they are getting married because they love each other or because they just want to have pretty pictures in People magazine.  So way to go, Kellie!

Kellie and Kyle!  Kellie Pickler eloped with her man of three years, songwriter Kyle Jacobs, to a remote island in the Caribbean where they married on the beach on 1/1/11.  So that’s two country stars tying the knot on a beach on the same day (see Shania below).  Kellie Tweeted twice:  “Yes, it’s true, @kylecjacobs and I said “I do!” Thank you Jesus.”  and then:  “Private Island. Caribbean. Cigar in one hand, Rum in the other. Someone just called me “Mrs. Jacobs.”….sounds nice!”  Congrats to Kellie, who we love so much.

Also this classic Kellie-ness:

Congrats to Kellie Pickler.  People magazine has just announced that she’s engaged to Kyle Jacobs, her boyfriend of more than 2 years.  Kyle popped the question on a Florida beach last week, but what made it extra special for Kellie was that he chose the anniversary of her beloved Grandmother’s death, a day that would normally be sad for her.  Kellie is thrilled, and says that she feels like they have her grandma’s blessing.