Posted: September 18th, 2008 at 3:39 pm| By: Chris Parton
“Somebody Said a Prayer,” Billy Ray Cyrus‘ latest video, delivers a powerful spiritual message. The plot of the video centers around a family in turmoil after the loss of its father, but you may find yourself relating to it on other levels. Cyrus has said he wanted to remind people of “the power of prayer, and how important it is to have faith.” His son, Trace (from the band Metro Station), plays the teenager, and Roman White, who recently directed Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream,” brings the concept to life.
Posted: September 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm| By: Chet Flippo
Five — count ‘em — five new music videos were waiting for the CMT new music evaluation team as they huddled for this week’s screening session. And quite a variety it was, too. From the freshness of Taylor Swift to the wisdom of Dolly Parton, from the maturity of Bob Dylan to the youthful exuberance of Billy Currington. And we can’t forget the learned experience of Billy Ray Cyrus. Let’s take a look and a listen.
Artist: Taylor Swift
Video: “Love Story”
Director: Trey Fanjoy
At last, Billy Ray Cyrus has called upon some higher powers. Namely, songwriters Neil Thrasher and Craig Wiseman and video director Roman White. Together, this crew put together a song and video for Cyrus called “Somebody Said a Prayer.” It will be a hit, I’m sure of it. He just wrapped the filming in California, and the word is that Cyrus’ musician son Trace makes a little appearance in the video. I’m just glad he called in so many experts to help him nail the first single off his forthcoming album.
I love break-up songs. Even pop ones. But coming from a 15-year-old? I’m not so sure. MTV calls Miley Cyrus‘ new single, “7 Things,” one of hook-ups and heartbreak. Does Billy Ray, the good Christian that he is, know about this? I thought he wasn’t going to let her date just yet. Yet now she’s writing songs about falling in love and getting her heart broken. Please. Again, she’s 15. I don’t think that’s too young for a crush, but the real broken hearts come later.
And if you think I’m wrong, check out the video, where Cyrus’ peers are clutching teddy bears. I guess empty whiskey bottles would’ve really been inappropriate.
An hour into Monday night’s (June 16) Nashville Star, Trace Adkins performed “You’re Gonna Miss This.” It wasn’t perfect, but it still gave everyone something to shoot for. It was a pivotal point in the show. The one where all the mediocrity that came before Adkins disappeared to make room for all the brilliance that would come after. And her name is Melissa Lawson.
I usually feign complete boredom with these staged talent shows and bitch about artists needing to pay their dues the old fashioned way. But the minute someone like Lawson opens her mouth, I’m texting my vote like a teenage girl. Read more…
Usually I can persuade a few of my friends to join me for the nightly concerts at the CMA Music Festival, so I don’t have to sit there by myself all night, taking notes. This year, for the first time, I had several friends ask if they could tag along. Well, sure! Seeing the event through the eyes of a first-timer always makes it a lot more fun. When Rascal Flatts suddenly appeared as the surprise guest that first night, you could definitely sense the excitement in the crowd - stuff like this just doesn’t happen outside of Nashville.
When Billy Ray Cyrus calls, Bucky Covington picks up. So now Bucky’s got himself a part in the new Hannah Montana movie that the Cyrus’ are filming in Tennessee.
Posted: May 30th, 2008 at 1:32 pm| By: Chet Flippo
New videos from Billy Ray Cyrus, Cory Morrow, and Gary Allan went under the microscope at the latest CMT Music and Talent department’s weekly video meeting. The videos enjoyed varying degrees of success from the committee members.
The videos:
Artist: Billy Ray Cyrus
Video: “Real Gone”
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Comments: Billy Ray’s newest is a blistering, feel-good remake of the Sheryl Crow song with plenty of drag racing, beautiful babes and lots of action. A summing-up of viewers’ opinions: “I like it,” was an early comment. Read more…
I got a puppy about a month ago. So naturally, I became instantly obsessed with dogs as if I was the first person to actually own one. I have all the books, I watch Animal Planet non-stop and spend about $150 a week at PetSmart on toys this little guy has no interest in. I’ve done everything short of getting a my-dog-is-smarter-than-your-dog bumper sticker. But what I keep wondering is, why there are no good country songs about dogs?
Posted: April 30th, 2008 at 6:41 pm| By: Chet Flippo
Rampant reports around the Web indicate that Miley Cyrus has had a moratorium on public appearances and media utterances placed on her. Reports say that Disney has decided the Hannah Montana star has reached a no-win situation with the media frenzy surrounding her recent Vanity Fair magazine photo shoot and its somewhat revealing results.
So she seemingly will stay buttoned up and in the Disney cocoon for awhile, until the hubbub dies down. That’s probably the smartest thing she could do. The media monster is blaming her, blaming Billy Ray, blaming Vanity Fair, blaming the publicity machine. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but there’s still a valid argument to be made that this is a tempest in a teapot. Millions of words written and spoken over … what? Remember, despite all of her superstar success, Miley Cyrus is just a 15-year-old child.
At last, 
An hour into Monday night’s (June 16) 
New videos from 
I got a puppy about a month ago. So naturally, I became instantly obsessed with dogs as if I was the first person to actually own one. I have all the books, I watch 
Rampant reports around the Web indicate that 
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