Details are emerging about the new condo Taylor Swift recently purchased and plans to move into in 2010. According to The Realestalker, Taylor purchased a deluxe
penthouse in a new condo development near downtown Nashville. The 4,063 square-foot condo is said to have cost Taylor $1.99 million, and features 3 bedrooms and 4 ½ bathrooms. The penthouse features a freestanding fireplace, wrap-around balcony, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a gourmet kitchen. Ironically, the space is also said to feature an 80+ square foot wine storage room. Taylor’s new digs also feature a study, an entertainment room and a huge walk-in closet. Word has it Taylor’s new neighbors include Julianne Hough and Simon Fuller, one of the creators of American Idol, who is said to own one of the other penthouses in the building, which features a 3,000 square foot gym with a yoga/Pilates room, a sprawling rooftop deck with Olympic length lap pool and community barbecue grills, a private pool-side lounge with catering kitchen for private parties, a resident’s only dog park, and 24/7 concierge and security services.
Kenny Chesney is the proud new papa to two MaltiPoo puppies, which he and his girlfriend, former Miss Tennessee Amy Colley, purchased just before Christmas. Cathy Adamson, who sold Kenny and Amy the puppies told The Kentucky Standard she had no idea who Kenny was when she was selling him the puppies. She picked the couple up from their jet at the airport and took them to Puppies Plus where they spent about an hour and a half picking out the two puppies they bought and named Molly and Dolly. According to Cathy, Kenny was very down to earth and let the puppies crawl on him and lick his face. At one point he laughed and said the puppy
loved him and was cute. It wasn’t until Cathy took the couple back to their plane that she found out who she’d been dealing with all afternoon. One of the ground crew told her, “Hey, you sold puppies to Kenny Chesney.” Cathy was completely surprised and had to ask Kenny if it was true that he was Kenny Chesney. He told her, “Yeah, I am.” The puppies reportedly cost $2500 each.
US Magazine is reporting that Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner have decided to just be friends after reportedly dating for about three months. The magazine quotes a source as saying, “It wasn’t really developing into anything, and wasn’t going to, so they decided they were better as friends. There was no chemistry.” The two had been spotted on several innocent looking dates, at a hockey game, sharing frozen yogurt and enjoying a sushi dinner, but according to the source, Taylor L. liked Taylor S. more than she liked him and he was the one doing all the traveling to see her. They say the potential romance finally fizzled after Lautner traveled to Nashville for Swift’s 20th birthday party. Neither party nor their people are commenting, but the source says, “They plan to stay friends.”
The new season of American Idol will debut on FOX on January 12th, and Shania Twain will appear on the show as a celebrity guest judge on January 19th. Shania sat at
the judges table with Simon, Randy and Kara at the Chicago auditions. Other guest judges in the new season will include Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Neil Patrick Harris and Joe Jonas.
2009 was another successful year for Brad Paisley but there are still things he hopes to accomplish in his career, including collaborating with his dream partner, Eric Clapton. Brad tells CNN, “I’ve never even met him. If I say [I want to work with him] enough, maybe he’ll go, “All right, fine, shut up! I’ll do it!” As for the long-term future, Brad says his biggest hope is that people will still want to listen as long as he has things to say. He says, “There’s a time that comes when you don’t have their ear anymore. Eventually, that’s coming, where they’re going to be tired of me. A large fraction of people are probably saying, “Yeah I know, buddy. I’m already there right now.” But that’s coming, and I just hope that I can stretch this out for a long time. I’m 10 years into this, and I feel like people are just discovering me in a large way right now.”
We’re learning more about Carrie Underwood’s new engagement ring. The ring features a large, round center diamond with diamond sidestones. The center diamond is a flawless yellow diamond, said to be 5-plus carats, designed by jeweler Jonathan Arndt, who counts Celine Dion and director Stephen Spielberg among his fans of his jewelry. According to the Diamond
Information Center, the ring is estimated to be worth about $150,000. In the past Carrie has worn, but only on a loan, jewelry from Arndt’s collection for the 2009 CNN Heroes Awards, the 2009 GRAMMY Awards, and most recently when she hosted the 2009 CMA Awards.
Taylor Swift not only appears in the new movie Valentine’s Day, but she has also contributed two new songs to the movie’s soundtrack. Taylor’s songs “Today Was a Fairytale” and “Jump Then Fall” join songs by Steel Magnolia, Willie Nelson, Jewel, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse and others on the soundtrack, which will be released on February 9th, three days before the movie hits theaters.
Phil Vassar has been invited by Broadway producer Barry Weissler to try his hand at writing music for a new theatrical production based on the 2007 movie
Waitressthat starred Keri Russell as a small-town waitress who deals with her problems by baking pies. When Barry, who has won Tony Awards for his work on Annie Get Your Gun and Chicago, asked Phil to write the music for the new production he jumped at the chance. Phil tells the Lynchburg News & Advance, “It’s such a great story. We’re staying as close as we can to it.” So far Phil has written 10 or 12 songs and he expects to write anywhere from 18 to 25 before he’s done. There’s no word on when the musical will open.
Earlier this month Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland had an opportunity to perform as part of the Kennedy Center Honors, at a celebration attended by President and First Lady Obama. The special will air tonight on CBS, featuring Jennifer as part of a tribute to honoree Bruce Springsteen. She performs a medley with Ben Harper including “My Father’s House,” “Glory Days” and “I’m On Fire”. The show also includes tributes to Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry and Robert De Niro.
If you’re a fan of the video game Rock Band on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Wii game systems, you’ll be happy to know they’re releasing the Going Country Pack 02, featuring seven new country songs. Gamers will be able to rock out to Alan Jackson’s “Good Time,” Jason Aldean’s “She’s Country,” Keith Urban’s “I Told You So,” Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” Martina McBride’s “This One’s For the Girls,” Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine” and Cross Canadian Ragweed’s “Cry Lonely”.