This Thursday, Nov. 12, Gary Allan will headline the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for the first time in his career.

"The last time I played the Ryman, I opened for Mark Chesnutt and David Lee Murphy," Gary tells Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "It was a really long time ago. I am looking forward to playing it again."

Gary says he purposely doesn't do many shows in Nashville since there aren't many "cool rooms" to play, but the Ryman is certainly an exception to this rule!

"[Playing the Ryman is] one of those big ones to mark off your list," he says.

Chuck Wicks scored some serious boyfriend points this past weekend, coming to the rescue of his sweetheart, Julianne Hough, after she came down with the flu and couldn't perform at the 22nd annual Pineapple Festival in Jensen Beach, Fla.

Chuck played a concert in Alabama on Friday night, and the pair had planned to take a trip to the Florida Keys following the festival, which was supposed to be the last stop on Julianne's tour. Just after 6:00 PM on Friday, Julianne posted a tweet reading: "Hey everyone, whoever is going to the show tonight I want to apologize. I'm extremely sick and can't make it. But you won't be disappointed with who's filling in."

Earlier this year, country newcomer Jake Owen took home the trophy for the ACM's New Artist Award. Could he make it two for two in '09?

On Wednesday night (Nov. 11), Jake is also nominated for the CMA's Best New Artist honor, pitted against Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker and the Zac Brown Band. Jake hopes the earlier win might just bring him a bit of good luck.

"If I could pull off both of these, it would be an amazing feat, but just to be nominated at all is an awesome thing," Jake tells Nashville's Tennessean newspaper.

Move over, CMA Awards, here come the American Music Awards! Just 11 days after Wednesday night's CMA telecast, ABC will offer up another star-studded awards show featuring some of country music's finest mingling with artists from the worlds of pop, rock and hip/hop.

CMA co-host Carrie Underwood is among the acts scheduled to perform on the AMA's, with Keith Urban the only other country performer announced thus far. Taylor Swift leads the overall nominations, with mentions in six categories, including a nod for Artist of the Year. She's also in the running for Favorite Country Artist - Female, along with Reba McEntire and Carrie. Vying for Favorite Country Artist - Male are Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Keith. The Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group nominees are Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and the Zac Brown Band. In the Favorite Country Album category, Taylor's 'Fearless' goes up against 'Unstoppable' by Rascal Flatts and 'The Foundation' by the Zac Brown Band.

Taylor Swift's hosting/musical guest gig this past weekend on 'Saturday Night Live' contained but a few passing remarks about the Kanye West-MTV Video Music Awards incident in September. But the singer-songwriter has a few more awards shows to get through -- and more chances to be reminded of the whole thing. Still, she's got more pressing matters to deal with -- for instance, which song she'll perform on Wednesday night's CMA telecast.

"I've gotten to perform almost every track on my album 'Fearless' on award shows," Taylor tells the Boston Herald. "Getting to perform 'Fifteen' at the Grammys when it wasn't even a single was a great gift, so it's interesting to think about which song to do this time."

For more than 40 years, Dolly Parton has had a enthusiastic fan base all over the world. And her European fans are some of the most loyal and demonstrative, which is in part what led the superstar to record the new CD/DVD 'Live in London,' at the city's O2 Arena stop on her 2008 tour.

But even the unflappable entertainer, for whom pink is a signature color, was a bit taken aback by the sea of pink cowboy hats she witnessed from the stage of that massive venue.

"They sell all the merchandise out front," Dolly tells The 9513, "so [fans] usually buy it when they come to the show, during intermission or after the show. Those pink cowboy hats that you see all through the video ... they all want to feel like they're a part of Nashville and a part of that cowboy country-western kind of look. We sold a ton of those pink hats, and it was kind of funny looking out and seeing all that."

The latest summer blockbuster to hit movie screens in 3-D has been announced for 2010. Batman? Nope. Superman? Guess again. This superhero doesn't wear a cape, he sports a cowboy hat. He's the invincible Kenny Chesney. And for years, says the superstar (via USA Today), "I've been trying ... to have the audience closer to me and to have me be closer to them. With this production, they can't get any closer."

'Kenny Chesney Summer in 3-D' is the result of the more than 20 cameras which followed the entertainer's summer stadium concerts in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco and Foxborough, Mass. The film is expected to play on at least 750 screens in April, according to a Sony Pictures executive. With Kenny taking a break from touring in 2010, the film gives fans a chance to relive the stage show which has helped sell over one million tickets each summer for the past eight years, making him the decade's top concert draw. Other acts who've treated fans to the 3-D concert experience include rock titans U2 and the Rolling Stones.