Month: December 2023

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Go Country 105

Jon Pardi was adamant about not recording Elvis' “Blue Christmas”

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It’s no secret that Jon Pardi is a big Elvis Presley fan and loves “Blue Christmas.”

But, when it came to choosing songs for his debut holiday album, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi, Jon knew that “Blue Christmas” wasn’t going to be one of them.

“One of my favorite Christmas songs of all time is ‘Blue Christmas’ by Elvis, because Elvis’ Christmas record is one of my favorite Christmas records and ‘Blue Christmas’ has been recorded so much. That's why I didn't record it,” Jon shares.

“A lot of people were like, ‘Why didn't you record ‘Blue Christmas?’ You love ‘Blue Christmas.’ I was like, ‘Well, everybody records ‘Blue Christmas,'” he says. “I was trying to make a new Christmas record that's a little fresh, so that's why I didn't record ‘Blue Christmas.'”

“But it is literally one of my favorites,” adds Jon. “It reminds me of my grandmother around Christmastime.”

Jon recently performed “Beer for Santa” on ABC’s CMA Country Christmas. In case you missed it, you can watch the full performance now on YouTube.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Jelly Roll joins 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve' lineup

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Get ready to usher in 2024 with Jelly Roll.

Jelly is set to take the stage on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He’ll perform a medley of his hits and be joined by singer/songwriter, Jessie Murph, whom he recently teamed with on “Wild Ones.”

The star-studded lineup also includes rapper Megan Thee Stallion, pop singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter and Amapiano pop/R&B sensation Tyla.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest airs Sunday, December 31, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

An iPod was once on Bailey Zimmerman's Christmas wish list

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Looking back, Bailey Zimmerman says one of the most memorable Christmas gifts he got as a kid was an iPod.

“I would beg my mom for an iPod, and I begged her every single day. I begged her every single day before Christmas, she would just say, ‘I don't know, I don't know, you'll just have to wait,'” Bailey recalls. “When Christmas came around she said, ‘So, do you want to pick one early, or do you want me to pick it?'”

“I was so nervous. I was like, ‘Dude, I want to pick the iPod of course, it's two days before Christmas I want it now,'” he shares. “[But] I let her pick it, and she got me an iPod! It was the best day of my life. It was amazing.”

Bailey’s continuing his ascent on the country charts with “Where It Ends,” the latest single off Religiously. The Album.

For tickets to Bailey’s upcoming Religiously. The Tour. and a full list of dates, head over to his website.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

HARDY announces 'becoming THE CROW' short film

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HARDY is set to release his new short film, becoming THE CROW, on January 11.

Arriving on YouTube, the film will chronicle HARDY’s career, life on tour and the concept of his latest album, the mockingbird & THE CROW.

“I hope that in five years and I have three or four records out, that somebody will be like, ‘If you want to know who HARDY is, go listen to the mockingbird & THE CROW,'” HARDY shares in the trailer. “It’s an era of my life and artistry that has perfectly encapsulated who I am.”

HARDY’s also inviting fans to a private screening in Nashville on January 11, before becoming THE CROW drops on YouTube. For more details and to RSVP, head to HARDY’s website.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Scotty McCreery gets festive with “Feel Like the Holidays” on 'GMA'

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Scotty McCreery dropped by ABC’s Good Morning America on December 21 to perform “Feel Like the Holidays.”

Decked in a black turtleneck and brown outer shirt, Scotty delivered his new festive tune in his signature country baritone alongside his band members and a snowy background that mirrored the song’s cover art.

Before performing, Scotty also chatted with GMA‘s Robin Roberts about his recent Grand Ole Opry membership invitation and upcoming Cab in a Solo Tour.

The 16-date trek kicks off January 26 in Troy, Ohio, before concluding in Schenectady, New York, on March 16. For tickets and a full list of dates, head to scottymccreery.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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News Daypop

Justice Department sues Texas developer with accusations of preying on Latino homebuyers

United States Department of Justice sign in Washington^ DC on July 12^ 2017

Federal authorities sued Houston-area developer Colony Ridge on Wednesday, with accusations of them luring Latino home buyers into seller-financed mortgages and setting them up to default and face foreclosure.  The lawsuit comes one week after the Houston Landing published an investigation about Colony Ridge’s lending practices.

Colony Ridge entities developed a collection of subdivisions that cover about 33,000 acres of land 30 miles north of Houston. Federal authorities allege that Colony Ridge used Spanish videos to target prospective Latino buyers, and once a person visited the property, the developer allegedly used high-pressure sales tactics, required minimal down payments and extended loans without assessing a buyer’s ability to repay or verifying their gross income.

Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for area of Houston, said: “Colony Ridge set out to exploit something as old as America: An immigrant’s dream of owning a home. As alleged in the complaint, Colony Ridge’s exploitative practice began with misleading advertisements on platforms like TikTok and often ended with families facing economic ruin. No home – and shattered dreams.”

Federal authorities also said at a news conference on Wednesday that Colony Ridge also misrepresented facts — such as guarantees of water, electricity and sewer hook-ups — “causing borrowers to incur substantial unanticipated expenses after closing”, federal officials said. Once a buyer fell behind on payments, the company bought the land again and repeated the process — sometimes multiple times with the same piece of property.

Colony Ridge’s chief executive John Harris said Wednesday he was “blindsided” by the lawsuit, which he called “baseless and both outrageous and inflammatory. Our business thrives off customer referrals because landowners are happy and able to experience the American Dream of owning property. We loan to those who have no opportunity to get a loan from anyone else and we are proud of the relationship we have developed with customers. We look forward to telling the true story of Colony Ridge.”

Editorial credit: Paul Brady Photography / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

Xfinity urges users to change passwords after 36M customers are affected by hackers

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Xfinity has notified its customers that a hacker data breach obtained access to the personal information of 36 million customers — comprising nearly all of Xfinity’s customers. The data included passwords, user names and security-question answers.

An Xfinity notice to customers this week said that the hack was due to a vulnerability in Citrix software that was patched. Subsequently, Xfinity discovered that hackers had nonetheless gained access to customers’ personal data. The Xfinity notice said: “after additional review of the affected systems and data, Xfinity concluded on December 6, 2023, that the customer information in scope included usernames and hashed passwords; for some customers, other information may also have been included, such as names, contact information, last four digits of social security numbers, dates of birth and/or secret questions and answers.” 

According to Comcast, all Xfinity customers — even those whose accounts might not have been breached — must reset their usernames and passwords, and strongly recommended its customers enable two-factor authorization to secure accounts. It also warned customers to not re-use passwords across multiple platforms.

Comcast noted “while Xfinity advises customers not to re-use passwords across multiple accounts, the company is recommending that customers change passwords for other accounts for which they use the same username and password or security question.” 

Cloud computing company Citrix had announced a vulnerability in its software Oct. 10 and issued mitigation guidance Oct. 23; then on Oct. 25, Xfinity said, it discovered “suspicious activity and subsequently determined that between October 16 and October 19, 2023, there was unauthorized access to its internal systems that was concluded to be a result of this vulnerability.”

Customers with questions can contact Xfinity toll-free at (888) 799-2560 24 hours a day Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time. More information is available on Xfinity’s website at xfinity.com/dataincident.

Editorial credit: monticello / Shutterstock.com

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Go Country 105

Chayce Beckham's looking forward to his first Tennessee Christmas

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California native Chayce Beckham is gearing up for his first Christmas in Tennessee.

But don’t expect him to be partying on Nashville’s Broadway or going bar hopping. Instead, the “23” singer says he’s looking forward to staying home, and using the time to recharge and unwind.

“I’m going to hang out at home. I [usually] would go back to California [to] go see everybody. But I think this year I’m just going to stay in Tennessee and hang out with my girlfriend and my dog, and get some rest and get ready for next year,” Chayce tells ABC Audio.

“I’m happy with it, man. I’ve been looking forward to it. Hasn’t happened yet,” he adds. “This would be my first one here home in Tennessee.”

Chayce’s “23” is currently #15 on the country charts. His latest releases include “This Ol’ Rodeo” and “Whiskey on the Wall.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Country Daypop

Trisha Yearwood debuts ‘nearly unrecognizable’ new look and hairstyle with bangs

Trisha Yearwood at 2019 CMT Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on June 5^ 2019 in Nashville^ Tennessee.

Trisha Yearwood is showing off her recent hair transformation, looking nearly unrecognizable in a series of photos she posted to Instagram.

In Yearwood’s first two photos, she shows off her new honey blonde hairstyle -with the addition of bangs – as she dons leather leggings, a cherry red velvet blazer and black boots, finishing off with a bold red lip. Yearwood, 59, wrote in her caption: “Closing out Vegas ‘23 with a bang! Special thanks to n@goodwillglendastyle for the gorgeous blonde balayage, Ray @wynnlasvegas Salon for the bangin’ haircut, and @lypservice for the glam. Those red lips tho! Merry Christmas, and love one another! 🎄♥💚”

Yearwood tagged her post at The Colosseum at Cesar’s Palace, where her husband Garth Brooks’ performed his final Vegas residency show of 2023 over the weekend.   Brooks wrote in a tweet: “What an EPIC 2023 at [Cesar’s Palace]  Thank YOU for showing up BIG every single night and bringing the party to Vegas! Can’t wait to do this again in 2024!”

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson debut unreleased song in Las Vegas

Miranda Lambert at the Four Seasons Hotel on April 3^ 2016 in Las Vegas^ NV

Lainey Wilson surprised fans during her Las Vegas show on Dec 15, bringing Miranda Lambert on stage to join her for a live performance, including debuting a a new, unreleased song the duo co-wrote together. Wilson had posted on her Instagram some images of her and Lambert on stage rehearsing, along with the tagline: “Charlie’s angels but make it country 😇”

The collaboration kicked off with a rendition of Lambert’s hit “Kerosene,” before they transitioned into the debut of their mystery song. Lainey told the crowd: “This song is so, so special, and you can hear her all over it. She helped me write the song, and I’m so proud of the song, we hope you love it.”   Cowgirl Magazine posted a clip of the ladies performing on Instagram, writing, “@laineywilson and @mirandalambert surprised us with a new song tonight at @virginhotelslv! This duo is amazing.”

Lambert and Wilson teamed up with Luke Dick to write the track, titled “Good Horses.” Wilson said it was a “special” opportunity to perform the song for the first time during the third night of her Wildflowers and Wild Horses shows, explaining: “There were a lot of highs this past week in Vegas and this is definitely one of them,” Wilson said. “We wrote ‘Good Horses’ with [Luke Dick] and when my sister [Miranda Lambert] agreed to join me for the third night of my Wildflowers and Wild Horses shows, I knew we had to add it to the setlist.🐴 It was special gettin’ to perform it for the first time for a crowd of horse lovin’, rodeo-in’, country lovin’ people like us.”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com