UNDATED (AP) – Lynn Anderson has a great excuse for missing the George Jones tribute concert last Friday: she was in a car accident. Anderson says on her Facebook page her SUV blew its front right tire as she was on her way to the show and she went off the road and into gravel. She says she got “a pretty good cut” on her head. A passer-by saw the accident and called an ambulance. She was released from a hospital after two days. Anderson says she doesn’t even know the man’s name but would like him to come forward so she can thank him in person.

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NEW YORK (AP) – Carrie Underwood says her experience as an “American Idol” winner will be a big help to her when she tackles a role in a live TV production of the “Sound of Music.” It’s her first major acting role – but she says being on Idol has made her comfortable with performing live on TV. She says at least with the musical, “there’s no chance of me being voted out.” Underwood made sure that she would be around for the show – she showed up two weeks before the six-week rehearsal period began – with all of her lines memorized. Co-producer Neil Meron says Underwood “is one of the bravest artists” he’s worked with. Underwood says she feels like she’s learning something every day in rehearsals. The show airs December 5.

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UNDATED (AP) – What got Miranda Lambert angry at the tabloids — rumors that she’s getting divorced? No. That she’s pregnant? No. It’s that they’re claiming she lost weight through surgery. Lambert writes on her Web site she never cares what tabloids report about her but she denies she had surgery to drop weight. She says she lost it “the healthy and good old-fashioned way” by watching what she ate and working out with a trainer. She says she doesn’t know how many pounds she lost. She says it’s not about a scale but how you feel and how your jeans fit. Lambert calls herself “a normal size girl” and she encourages people to be confident at any size.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Diamond Rio will perform at halftime of the Liberty Bowl. They will also be given an outstanding achievement award for excellence in music and entertainment and for service to the community. The Liberty Bowl will be played in Memphis on New Year’s Eve.

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One of Willie Nelson‘s tour buses hit an I-30 bridge pillar about 80 miles east of Dallas early Sunday morning (11/24). Drummer Paul English, multi-instrumentalist Billy English and guitar tech Tom Hawkins suffered minor injuries and are all expected to fully recover soon. November tour dates have been postponed and shows will resume as scheduled in December. More here.

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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama notes that after 50 years in the business, Loretta Lynn still reigns as “the rule-breaking, record-setting queen of country music.” Obama presented Lynn and 15 others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award the U.S. can bestow upon civilians. He pointed out that Lynn was just 19 when she first won big at the local fair — for her canned vegetables. He says she brought home 17 blue ribbons and was named “Canner of the Year.”

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The final concert of George Strait‘s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX June 7. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack are on the bill as guest artists, each performing three songs. Asleep At The Wheel will open. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6 here.

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Jason Aldean,Luke Bryan, Eli Young Band,Florida Georgia Line, Jamey Johnson and Trisha Yearwood will perform during Alabama & Friends Nov. 27 on GAC. The hour-long concert was filmed at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and features the artists covering their favorite Alabama tune, as well as a performance from the band.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – George Jones was a different kind of singer. And fans of the late country star will get a different kind of look when they go visit his memorial in Nashville, Tennessee. The monument features a large arch with the words “He Stopped Loving Her Today” inscribed under his name. That, of course, is the title of his best known hit. The monument also features images of Jones and his widow Nancy, a guitar and his nickname, “The Possum.” On either side of the grave there are benches for his fans to sit and look at the memorial. Jones died in April at the age of 81.

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Sara Evans brought HGTV into her house for an episode of Celebrities At Home. See her “fancy” cue cards, how many takes she gets to open the door, and watch her play drums in behind-the-scenes footage here.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill want people to accept that they have a solid marriage. Hill says she wishes people would stop buying tabloids that say their 17-year marriage is breaking up and she wishes tabloids would stop printing it. She says, “Happy is good. I don’t know why happy can’t be a story.” McGraw and Hill have launched a residency in Las Vegas that will run for 10 select weekends through April. The residency challenges even the best of marriages, because the couple flies from Nashville to Las Vegas when they have to perform. Hill says they probably won’t do any more Las Vegas shows because their oldest daughter is in high school and they want to be around for her.

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