Country 
Icon Dolly Parton Wants to Give One Lucky Winner a Better Day with All Things Dolly and Music City
The Grand Ole Opry, along with Country Legend Dolly Parton, want to make one lucky fan's day better with a fun-filled Music City prize package! The grand prize winner of "Better Day with Dolly" will receive Dolly's latest CD, BETTER DAY, a guitar autographed by Dolly, two tickets to the Opry, and tickets to "everything else Dolly" in Music City including a visit to historic RCA Studio B, where Dolly hits such as "I Will Always Love You" were recorded!
To enter, fans should visit the Grand Ole Opry on Facebook at www.facebook.com/grandoleopry and "Like" the Opry. Click on the "Better Day with Dolly" tab to enter the contest. All entries must be received by 4:00 p.m. CST on October 31, 2011 to be eligible.
Friday, October 07, 2011
GRAND OLE OPRY ANNOUNCES "BETTER DAY WITH DOLLY" CONTEST
Scotty McCreery Set to Become Third American Idol Champ to Debut at #1!
Reigning American Idol champ Scotty McCreery is on track to become the show's first winner in eight years to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his or her first album.
Industry insiders think Scotty's project, Clear as Day, will move between 160,000 and 170,000 copies this week to claim the top spot. Ruben Studdard was the last Idol champ to debut at #1 with his debut project Soulful, back in December 2003, while Kelly Clarkson was the first to do it with Thankful, in 2003. None of the subsequent Idol winners, from season four's Carrie Underwood to season nine's Lee DeWyze, have seen their debuts enter the chart at #1.
“Dark Girls” to Premiere at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville
One of the most talked about documentaries of the year, “Dark Girls,” produced and directed by actor/director Bill Duke and producer D. Channsin Berry has deservingly claimed the closing night film position at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville, Saturday, October 8, 7 p.m. at Fisk University.
“Dark Girls” explores the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color and hatreds of racism – particularly dark skinned women – outside of and within the Black American culture. Journeying back to the days of American slavery when dark-skinned Blacks were made to suffer even greater indignities than their lighter skinned counterparts, the documentary examines issues from historical, sociological, and psychological points of view along with perspectives on personal responsibility and healing.
“The issue of skin tone in the Black community has haunted our culture for many decades. As a festival hosted in a Southern state, a region where many of these biases were spread, the IBFFN is pleased to be an advocate in bringing this topic full circle. This film exposes a topic of discussion that all people of color need to have for once and so we can eradicate it,” said Hazel Joyner-Smith, founder and CEO of IBFFN.
Duke and Berry took their cameras into everyday America in search of pointed, unfiltered and penetrating interviews with Black women of the darkest hues to capture this emotional expose’. Dark-skinned Black American women from all walks of life will be covered with a tightly trained lens focused on women struggling for upward mobility in the workplace of Corporate America.
“This film will promote discussions as to how society treats women of a darker hue, how some women have been shunned, persecuted and mistreated throughout history in and outside of America. Our goal is to address this issues and help eliminate their pain and help build self esteem,” said producer D. Channsin Berry.
Duke adds, “In the late `60s a famous psychological study was done in which a young Black girl was presented with a set of dolls. Every time the she was asked to point to the one that wasn’t pretty, not smart, etc., she pointed to the Black doll that looked just like her. In her mind, she was already indoctrinated. To watch her do that was heartbreaking and infuriating. CNN did the test again recently – decades later – with little progress.”
Additional interviewees for “Dark Girls” include White men in loving intimate relationships with Black women that were passed over by “their own men,” as well as dark-skinned women of Latin and Panamanian background to bring a world perspective to the issue of dark vs. light.
Duke and Berry will be attending this year’s festival and will host a Q&A session immediately following the film. To purchase tickets for this screening during the 2011 International Black Film Festival of Nashville, visit www.ibffnashville.com.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Exclusive Biography of Steve Jobs
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.
Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.
Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.
Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic!
Join the celebration as 65 Disney characters from eighteen beloved stories come to life in Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! Characters include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and many Disney Princesses. Plus, exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, PERFORMANCE TIMES VARY
LOCATION: BRIDGESTONE ARENA $18 - $55
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Downtown Employee Appreciation Week: Party with the Preds!
Spend time in Smashville! Join the Nashville Predators and Fifth Third Bank for a party on Bridgestone Arena’s Plaza. Meet Nashville Predators personalities, including GNASH and the Dancers/Ice Girls while enjoying live music, ice cream provided by Purity Dairies, and games. Pick up some free Predators items and register to win exciting prizes (Disney on Ice tickets, Predators game tickets, autographed items, and more). Predators game tickets will also be available at a discounted rate for downtown employees! The Fifth Third Financial Empowerment eBus will be on-site offering free credit reports and mobile financial services.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2 PM - 4 PM
LOCATION: BRIDGESTONE ARENA FREE
Duff McKagan: "It's So Easy and other Lies"
A founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver shares the story of his rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his phoenix-like transformation via a unique path to sobriety.
In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.
In It's So Easy: and other lies, Duff recounts GN’R’s unlikely trajectory to a string of multiplatinum albums, sold-out stadium concerts, and global acclaim. But that kind of glory can take its toll, and it did—ultimately—on Duff, as well as on the band itself. As GN’R began to splinter, Duff felt that he himself was done, too. But his near death as a direct result of alcoholism proved to be his watershed, the turning point that led to his unique path to sobriety and the unexpected choices he has made for himself since. In a voice that is as honest as it is indelibly his own, Duff—one of rock’s smartest and most articulate personalities—takes readers on his harrowing journey through the dark heart of one of the most notorious bands in rock-and-roll history and out the other side.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Grand Ole Opry Returns to TV With New Theme
The Grand Ole Opry will be returning to the airwaves this fall with a new theme, developed by Megatrax Production Music’s custom scoring division, Aircast Custom Music. The themed broadcasts can be seen on Great American Country (GAC) on television and heard syndicated on the Westwood One Radio Network beginning this month.
Says Randy Hart, Creative Services Director for Aircast: “It is an honor to be asked to produce a theme package for an icon like the Grand Ole Opry. For their relaunch on television they wanted a high energy, contemporary-sounding piece, primarily guitar based, that had an identifiable sound or logo with which they could brand, and that’s what they got.”
Pete Fisher, the VP/GM of the Opry says, “Randy and his Aircast team gave us exactly what we were looking for – something exciting, powerful and attention getting to set the tone for our broadcasts.”
The Grand Ole Opry is known world-wide as the show that made country music famous.
Elvis Presley: Young Man with the Big Beat
Young Man With the Big Beat is testament to the phenomenon and cultural icon that is Elvis Presley.
THIS SUPER DELUXE EDITION CELEBRATES 1956 in style with this retro 12x12 format and offers;
- 2 CD's of original digitally remastered RCA master recordings
- 1 CD of live performances including a complete UNRELEASED concert from the Municipal Auditorium, Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas - March 18 and the New Frontier “Venus Room”, Las Vegas May 6
- 1 CD of insightful outtakes that offer a fly-on-the-wall experience of an Elvis recording session
- 1 CD of revealing and rare spoken word recordings including THE TRUTH ABOUT ME plus outtakes, the complete TV GUIDE PRESENTS ELVIS and Colonel Tom Parker interviews; the complete WARWICK HOTEL interview; the extremely rare Elvis RCA Victrola advertisements.
- Incredible 80-Page color 12x12 book with 12-month day-by-day chronology, rare photos and memorabilia; including original RCA and Elvis Presley Enterprises artifacts and documents.
Also included is a unique memorabilia envelope containing original size replicas of; RCA's first ever poster for Elvis YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT; Mosque Theater Poster, Venus Room Flyer for The New Frontier Hotel Appearance 1956; Original RCA Order Form for “Heartbreak Hotel”; unique Colonel Parker letter and Cotton Bowl Ticket Stub, plus five 8x10 photos suitable for framing!
Monday, October 03, 2011
Check out Kirby Kaiser
Up-and-coming artist, Kirby Kaiser has a great aesthetic and a strong soulful voice with a unique sound. Her EP was released with Groopease. Part of the proceeds from album sales are donated to charity. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, 19-year-old singer-songwriter Kirby Kaiser delivers the blue-eyed, airy melodies of a 60’s girl group combined with harmony-rich vocals, then dusted with dreamy reverb. Her songs are a melting pot of soul, jazz, du-wop, vintage pop, and bubblegum-sweet lyrics tinged with the melancholy of teenage romance. If you like The Cults, the Ronettes, or Best Coast you'll be into this unique genre-blending style Kirby creates. After first single “There’s a Boy” was released this summer she's been blogged about on sites like Fakeshore Drive and URB, and she is also being featured as Splashlife's "30 Under 30 Musicians" in their upcoming issue. Check out her Music Video for her single "There's a Boy".
Sunday, October 02, 2011
PHIL COLLINS: GOING BACK TO DETROIT
In 1959, a new record label changed the sound of pop music forever. Berry Gordy's Motown label brought the world the Jackson Five, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and more. The legendary artists' unique blend of soul and pop influenced future musical idols from all over the world, including a young Phil Collins, who 50 years later, is still a fan. Join him as he teams up with Detroit session guitarists the Funk Brothers to record a tribute to Motown and prepare for the accompanying tour.
On the Smithsonian Channel, Sunday, October 2nd at 7:00 Central Time.
DJDC ATTEMPTS WORLD RECORD LONGEST DJ SET
On October 2nd, 2011 DJ DC will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest club DJ set ever performed at Downtown Santa Ana’s historic Yost Theater. 
The current world record DJ set stands with DJ King at 120 hours and 19 minutes. At Yost Theater, DC plans to reset the world title and perform for over 150 hours with only a five-minute break per hour set.
Famed Austrian DJDC (Rene Brunner) performed a 121-hour set at Costa Mesa’s Sutra Lounge in September of 2010 but the time was not recorded by Guinness and therefore is not the current official world record. In earlier years DC set marathon performance records of 76 hours and 93 hours before his world record was beat by a rival Swiss DJ at 120 hours and 19 minutes. Other international DJs have attempted to out play the current record but have not succeeded. Now DJDC returns to Orange County to break the world record and outplay all competition by over 30 hours.
DJDC began spinning at age 11 in Austria. By age 16 he made his first appearance at a small nightclub in his hometown area. Only 3 years later at age 19 DJDC was spinning vocal and progressive house at top clubs in Austria including Empire Club, Austria's largest and most premier nightclub.
Presented by Pure Evolution http://pureevo.com and Yost Theater, the world record DJ set attempt will open doors in the upstairs Skybox on October 2nd at 7:30pm and the venue will remain open every day and evening with the exception of from 2-6 am through October 8th. The world can watch the record-breaking attempt live and more information about the record breaking set at http://worldrecorddj.com.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Jason D. Williams: Concert in the Courtyard:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 11:45 AM - 1 PM
LOCATION: NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FREE
The library's hit music series continues with concerts in the courtyard! Bring your lunch and enjoy free music by top acts in many genres every Tuesday through October 11. Jason D. Williams performs on Tuesday, October 4.
Mike Heimerdinger Loses His Battle with Cancer
Mike Heimerdinger, 
a former offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and New York Jets, died Friday night after a nearly year-long battle with a rare form of cancer. He was 58.
"It is with a heavy heart, but a trust in God, that we say goodbye to our beloved Dinger who lost his courageous battle with cancer," Heimerdinger's wife, Kathie, said in a statement Saturday. "Mike approached cancer with the same vigor and tenacity that he approached any football game -- to win. Even in the final minutes he never gave up -- that was our Dinger."
Heimerdinger had continued to coach through his cancer treatments but was let go by the Titans in February, along with two other assistant coaches, after offensive line coach Mike Munchak was promoted to head coach.
Former Titans coach Jeff Fisher had brought Heimerdinger back in 2008 after two seasons in Denver. "It was a tough deal and Dinger was a tough guy to the end, which is no surprise to those who knew what type of competitor he was," Fisher said in a news release. "He was a man's man. No matter how weak he looked, how weak he sounded, he never had a complaint and fought this cancer as you would only expect him to fight it."
Heimerdinger helped the late Steve McNair earn co-MVP of the NFL honors in 2003 and was part of three playoff teams in his first five seasons at Tennessee before leaving for the same job with the Jets in 2005.
"The coming days will be challenging for our family and we graciously and respectfully ask that you allow us to grieve privately," Kathie Heimerdinger said.
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