Taylor Swift joins a elite group of 2009 newsmakers, as one of NBC's 'People of the Year.' In a special to air Thanksgiving night, host Matt Lauer will spotlight the most fascinating, inspirational, heroic and notorious figures -- and the most-talked about stories of the year.

Also making the list are Nadya Suleman (the so-called 'Octo-mom'), 'Britain's Got Talent' sensation Susan Boyle, NBA star Kobe Bryant, Captain Chelsey ('Sully') Sullenberger, the commercial pilot who landed his jet in the Hudson River and Captain Richard Phillips, who fought off Somali pirates.

Harassment charges against John Rich were dismissed on Friday (Nov. 20).

Nashville television station WSMV reports the music mogul took the stand in a Nashville courtroom to testify against allegations brought by former 'Nashville Star' contestant Jared Ashley, who claimed John threatened and harassed him countless times over the past year.

Nine witnesses were sworn in to testify in the case, which also included assault charges against John -- those are still being addressed.

Want a Dolly for Christmas? How about a whole lot of Dolly? Dolly Parton and SHOP.COM have announced a unique partnership this holiday season, with the creation of the DollySHOP, a special online marketplace for fans of country music -- and of the iconic superstar.

"I'm a busy gal who loves to shop online, but it's not always easy to find what I'm looking for," says the tireless entertainer. "That's why I'm so happy to learn that SHOP.COM is a one-stop shop for virtually anything, which I'm proud to say now includes Dolly merchandise!"

Now through mid-January 2010, the DollySHOP will pay tribute to the singer through a special e-commerce site featuring a video greeting from Dolly, along with her music, merchandise and collectibles, including the new two-disc CD/DVD set 'Dolly: Live from London.

The Zac Brown Band are dipping their toes into the water and their ... butts ... on stage as they team up with the King Parrothead, Jimmy Buffett for an upcoming installment of 'CMT Crossroads.' They'll tape the show before an invitation-only audience next month in Nashville, and the episode will premiere in March.

The two acts will trade vocals on each other's songs, which could include some of Jimmy's sun-and-sand-inspired tunes such as 'Margaritaville,' 'Come Monday,' 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' and 'Fins,' as well as Zac's chart-topping hits, 'Toes,' 'Chicken Fried' and 'Whatever It Is.'

Miley Cyrus and her crew are mourning the loss of one of their own today. The driver of one of the teen pop and county singer's tour buses was killed this morning in an accident outside of Richmond, Va., when the bus ran off the road and overturned. Miley was not aboard the bus when it crashed.

"It was one of our tour buses, but not Miley's," Miley's manager tells TMZ. "It was one of our buses that transported our lighting crew."

The vehicle was part of a four-bus caravan, and had 14 passengers on board. Nine other people suffered minor injuries.

The neon lights of Sin City will soon burn brighter, thanks to a series of country music concerts scheduled in Las Vegas at the beginning of December.

Kicking off the shows, Randy Travis will perform at the Monte Carlo stage on Dec. 6. He'll be followed three days later by Trace Adkins, who is taking time out from his Shine All Night tour with Martina McBride to play at the Pearl.

And finally, on Dec. 11, Garth Brooks will debut his long-running show at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.

John Mayer thinks it's "totally sweet" that Taylor Swift is really in touch with who she is.

"It's almost like Taylor Swift is like a character in a movie about a small town girl who has her dreams come true, John tells Access Hollywood. "And what any small town girl would do when their dreams come true is to freak out."

After collaborating with Taylor on the song, 'Half of My Heart," for his latest album, 'Battle Studies,' John says he now considers Taylor a friend. And like any good friend, John wants to offer a piece of fully heartfelt advice.