My Favorite Quote Of Inauguration Day Thus Far

“Absolutely take a radio. Things are going to change and that’s how we’ll get the word to you." - - Washington D.C., police chief Cathy Lanier

Garth Shows He Knows How To Wow 'Em By The Million

Washington Times (click to read it) reviewer Scott Galupo: the stealer of the show turned out not to be Barack Obama or Joseph R. Biden Jr., but retired country singer Garth Brooks.

Departing from a carefully carpentered script that featured granite-like recitations of quotes from dead white guys and musical selections with some relevance to the day's theme -- unity, or love, or something -- the Large-Hatted One played to the lowest common denominator of wedding-reception rock with abridged covers of Don McLean's "American Pie" and the Isley Brothers' "Shout!"

The tens of thousands gathered around the frozen Reflecting Pool ate it up -- finally, if briefly, coming alive amid two hours of portentous speech-making that petrified (as in, turned to stone) even the comedians Jack Black, Steve Carrell and "Harold and Kumar" star Kal Penn.

Is this a great country or what?

Country Music News, Fun, Quotes & Gossip

Faith Hill joins Junnifer Nettles and Garth Brooks as featured artists helping to celebrate at the Inauguration in Washington.

And, as BHO departed Chicago for Washington, the chilly Windy City is hosting a lengthy lineup of new country artists over the weekend. Phil Vassar and LeAnn Rimes started the festival off.

"Macaroni and cheese is a vegetable here, by the way. I stay away from it, but it's really good." -- Canadian music producer Colin Linden who moved from Toronto to Nashville in 1988's takes on Music City

"The Gambler" writer Don Schlitz surprised the crowd at Nashville's Bluebird the other night:

"If you’re a club in Pittsburgh or Paducah or pretty much any other town, it’s a rough deal when the headliner cancels. If you’re the Bluebird in Nashville, you just go through the database until you find a Hall of Fame songwriter’s telephone number, and you make a call." -- The Tennessean's Peter Cooper

Like CMT says: that is today in country music!

Obamathon Includes Garth, Jennifer Nettles, The Lion King's "We Are One"

No smashing guitars this time, as
HBO will kick-off Inauguration week with an exclusive presentation of the star-studded opening ceremony on Sunday, January 18th. In the spirit of unity and inclusion, the show will be made available to all cable and satellite subscribers.

Don't expect a greatest-hits concert. The 90-minute show, which will begin at 2 p.m. and which will be shown that evening in a special free broadcast, will consist mainly of performers covering songs that have historical resonance or connect to the theme of the concert, dubbed "We Are One."

Jennifer Nettles and another yet-to-be-announced artist to sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee," which opera star Marian Anderson famously sang at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks -- and that's just toward the top of the alphabetical list released yesterday -- are scheduled to perform.

The event launches what promises to be a heavily covered several days of activities leading up to the January 20th swearing in.