CMT Blog: LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes cranked up the energy level at last week's CMT Music Awards when she previewed her new single, a cover of John Anderson's 1983 hit, "Swingin'." Her new album will be released later this year. Through her "Posted" page at CMT.com, Rimes took the time to answer questions fans submitted by voicemail and via Twitter.

Voicemail: Love the new single! When can we expect the video?

Rimes: The video will debut this weekend on CMT's New Music Weekend! Its super fun and campy. I love it!

Voicemail: What's your favorite summertime hit of all time?

Wow, that's hard. Maybe, Bryan Adams "Summer Of 69."

Read more...

When I was on the red (blue) carpet last week before the CMT Music Awards, this adorable Australian country singer Shea Fisher told me that her favorite video of all time was LeAnn Rimes' "Nothin' Better to Do." I agreed it was a great video because Rimes can be so entertaining when you stop paying attention to the gossip and just focus on her singing. So when Rimes came out during the awards show to perform her new single, a cover of John Anderson's 1983 "Swingin'," it all became perfectly clear again how fabulous she is onstage. She sang that song like it was her own, threw her rich vocals into it, gave it a saucy sexy spin AND did three cartwheels. Not that I was counting or anything. Her next album, Lady and Gentlemen, will be all covers. On her Twitter page, Rimes says she is "Super excited," so I can't wait to hear more of that. She also wrote that the album will be released on vinyl on Sept. 30 and all other outlets on Oct. 5, for those of you who haven't gone all retro and bought vintage record players.

This year's CMT Music Awards featured performances from all over the entertainment map -- among them a giant Kid Rock/Waylon Jennings medley, an uber-country debut for Jamey Johnson's "Back to Macon" and even a Reba McEntire showdown. OK, maybe the "I'm Reba" skit doesn't count as a musical performance, but it was funny/odd enough to be worth mentioning. In case anybody got lost, it was a play off of Kenan Thompson's not-so-flattering impersonation of the queen of country on Saturday Night Live. It certainly proves that Reba has an admirable sense of humor. But among all the comedy -- and there was plenty of that -- we were treated to some excellent music.

Read more...

Eddie Cibrian is a lucky man. He is "the outcome." That's how LeAnn Rimes referred to her relationship with him in a recent issue of People magazine. "I take responsibility for everything I've done. I hate that people got hurt. But I don't regret the outcome," she said. It's actually kind of romantic in a twisted sort of way. Because she's basically saying that where she ended up, in the arms of Jesse Cardoza from CSI: Miami, is where she ought to be. I'm not suggesting everyone run out and cheat on their spouses, but who knows what Rimes' first marriage was like. Maybe it was loveless. Maybe it wasn't as good in real life as it looked in red-carpet pictures. So now that she's with Cibrian, she's happy. She also says in the story that, "I never once thought what I was doing was OK" and that her marriage was "out of balance." Her ex, Dean Sheremet, seems pretty bitter, like he wants her to regret what she's done. After the story came out, he tweeted, "Don't apologies normally carry regret for your actions?"

Photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Seriously. Tonight on CBS, you can see Wynonna talking worn treads and wet traction and rotation and the fuel economy of radials as she gets down to business in the ordinary job of tire shop girl. It's for I Get That a Lot, a series airing at 8 p.m. ET. She'll be there to confuse anyone shopping for new tires, and we'll be there to watch them question whether or not she's a lookalike or the real Wynonna. With her distinctive twang and her long mane of auburn hair, I don't know how she will trick anybody. But it's worth watching to find out. I have loved this show since I saw LeAnn Rimes trying to convince people she was just a waitress at a diner. Tonight's episode will also feature gigs with fashion consultant Tim Gunn as a fast-food cashier, Wayne Brady working a hotel front desk, Nick Jonas as a girls clothing salesman, Jay Mohr making coffee and Martha Stewart as a craft store clerk.

To quote Martina McBride, this one's for the girls. I just realized that in the extremely likely event that Carrie Underwood wins entertainer of the year prize at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday (April 18), she will be the first woman to win that award twice. So, not Reba, not Faith Hill, not McBride, not LeAnn Rimes. Not Loretta, Dolly or Shania. It's shameful, I think, that since 1970, when Merle Haggard took home the first big award, so many men (Kenny, Toby, Garth, Hank Jr., Roy) have won that prize multiple times. It's a reflection of what happens in the rest of the world. Women have to work harder to get the recognition as their male counterparts. There's that glass ceiling over us that says "You can only go THIS high." So Underwood is on the verge of shattering that, and that is a record I think every woman would love to see her break.

Mishavonna Henson, a bubbly, free-spirited 19-year-old, has already been on American Idol twice and is looking for her next big break. From Southern California, she has a self-proclaimed "California country" musical style that's influenced by singers such as Bonnie Raitt and LeAnn Rimes. During an interview last month in Nashville, she said that her artistic inspiration comes from listening to all kinds of music, including alternative and indie music, which is a little surprising for a country singer, but allows for a creative variety among her songs.

Read more...

Oh, to be in Florida right now, where the temperature is not in the single digits and the country music is about to rock the dolphins right out of their pools. Starting next week, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens are playing host to a cool concert series called Bands, Brew and BBQ. So if you are at all in the area, mark your calendar for LeAnn Rimes (Feb. 6), Montgomery Gentry (Feb. 13), Willie Nelson (Feb. 14) and John Rich (Feb. 20). Even if you aren't near Orlando and Tampa Bay, it still might be worth the trip because the kids get things like flying roller coasters and orangutans, and you get country music. The concerts are free with park admission, but for $50 you can sit up close AND pig out at the All You Can Eat BBQ.

Sure, LeAnn Rimes was seen in Los Angeles with someone who wasn't her husband. And Kenny Chesney bragged to Playboy about all the women he'd slept with. And Mindy McCready proved how poorly Ambien and vodka mix.

The past decade may have been sprinkled with a few missteps that might land some country stars on Santa's naughty list. But Santa seems like a nice guy, and he probably overlooks things like that. Especially when there are so many country singers on the nice list.

Read more...

Remember Brandi Glanville? The one who was madly in love with Eddie Cibrian before he fell madly in love with LeAnn Rimes? Well, she is pissed. According to court documents, she slashed the tires of Cibrian's Harley Davidson motorcycle. And she told E! News, "And it felt awesome! He broke my heart, so I broke his Harleys." She added that she had Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" in her head at the time -- perhaps slightly changing the line about slashing a hole in all four tires -- and just went for it. Now that Glanville and Cibrian have officially called it quits, I'll bet she has a whole bunch of other country songs in her head. Gretchen Wilson's "Homewrecker" comes to mind. So does "Fist City" by Loretta Lynn.