All-Access: February, 2007

Two More Articles: Desperado & Livin' On A Prayer

I ain't sayin' I'm a gold digger, but I dig the gold.

I'm happy to announce another two articles on the main DCX/MSN page:

* The Dixie Chicks Pay Tribute to Don Henley: But First They Blow A Fuse (Literal ly)

* Livin' On A Prayer: The Chicks Organize A Disco Party Jam Session on Tour

Those hoping for more scatological references or information about Martie's signature dance move won't be disappointed.

Leave comments below!

February 16 6:53 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (510) | Permalink | Blog it

Backstage at the Grammy Awards

The Dixie Chicks begin their new weight-lifting regimen

I'm happy to report that my essay, "The Chicks Have Arrived," an exclusive report from backstage, is up on the main Dixie Chicks MSN page:

Click here -- http://dixiechicks.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2990414 -- to read all the details.

I welcome your comments below!

"Not The Same Dixie Chicks We Used To Love To Hate"

Apparently, the Dixie Chicks didn't value these tickets because they kept leaving their seats.

I didn't fully absorb how big the news of the Chicks' victory was until Monday morning when I walked into my local coffee shop and peeped their mugs on the cover of all three newspapers.

Their impressive press coverage extended all the way to my personal idol and man-crush, Stephen Colbert, who said this about the Grammy Awards:

I really had to hand it to the [Recording] Academy for sticking it to Al Gore.
There's no better way to welcome a radical left-wing eco-nutjob than with a
forest worth of confetti. ...

But the big story of the night was, of course, the Dixie Chicks, who won five
awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

Now, at first, I thought that the Chicks were a little rude in their acceptance
speech. They forgot to thank all the terrorists who helped make their
artistic vision a reality.

But as the night wore on, it occurred to me these may not be the same
Dixie Chicks we used to love to hate.

Consider the name of the song that won. [Seal announces:] “Not Ready to
Make Nice.”

And when the Chicks were asked if they’d made any mistake they’d like to
apologize for? [Clip of Emily:] “We have no regrets.”

And how do they feel about their critics? [Clip of Natalie quoting Nelson:]
"Ha-Ha!"

"Not Ready to Make Nice," "No regrets," "Ha-ha"???

The Dixie Chicks aren’t criticizing the President anymore! They are
the President!

Thank you for supporting the troops, Surge Girls!

Oh, if only the Surge Girls would go on his show so he could "nail" them.

For a link to the video, click here. (Credit: Nathalie B.)

Five for Fiving

FIVE GRAMMY AWARDS!

As nearly everyone in the world knows by now, the Dixie Chicks brought home every Grammy Award for which they were nominated:

Album of the Year
Record of the Year
Song of the Year
Country Album of the Year
Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

The envelope you see above capped off an evening that was nothing short of amazing, on every level.

I cannot even begin to describe the complete and uncontained exhilaration that has infected the Chicks and everyone in the Dixie Chicks camp. It is 1:38 am on the West Coast and many of us, while totally exhausted, are still celebrating.

While everyone backstage in the Dixie Chicks camp were optimistic and hopeful about tonight, nobody imagined this sweep.

All the exclusive details will be forthcoming in two major articles, as well as blog entries throughout the week.

For all the loyal Dixie Chicks fans who have weathered the storm since 2003, this is your night, too.

The Grammy Awards are Tonight!

The Chicks have rehearsed (with some new and surprise additions to the band).

The tickets have been picked up. Their outfits have been chosen.

The red carpet has been rolled out. A music legend has scripted her introduction for the Chicks.

And I (think I) got my backstage pass!

Everyone is ready for the big night. Are you?

Tonight, February 11, 8 pm et/pt on CBS.
The Dixie Chicks take the stage soon after the show starts, so don't sleep on it!

You don't want to miss "Not Ready to Make Nice" just because you were not ready to make popcorn.

Four out of five categories in which the Chicks are nominated will be televised, so be sure to pay attention throughout the night.

February 10 11:12 PM | Add a comment | Read comments (242) | Permalink | Blog it

Down at the Sunset Grill

Emily did not steal the cookie from the cookie jar.

The Chicks are now in Southern California, days away from the Grammy Awards show on Sunday.

Are they packing in the time with spa dates and shopping excursions? Fat chance.

In addition to rehearsing, the Chicks will be performing Friday night at a MusiCares charity event honoring Don Henley, who is receiving an award as the 2007 MusiCares Person of the Year.

The ladies will be paying tribute to him by performing a Don Henley tune. They'll take the stage along with with a grip of other artists including John Mayer (who played lead guitar on "Baby Hold On"), Keb' Mo' (who helped write "I Hope"), Tony Bennett (who recorded "Lullaby of Broadway" with the Chicks), and Seal (who fathered Heidi Klum's baby).

As for getting an inside scoop, we'll see. The Chicks are working on sneaking me into the event, but the LA Convention Center may not be big enough for me, Garth Brooks, and our respective hats.

*

By the way, in case you don't subscribe to Canadian award show newsgroups like I do, the Chicks were nominated for International Album of the Year for the 2007 JUNO Awards.

The JUNO Awards are referred to as the Canadian Grammy Awards, even though I prefer to think of the Grammy as America's JUNO.

Anyway, the nominees for International Album of the Year are:

Dixie Chicks – Taking the Long Way
Justin Timberlake – Future Sex/LoveSounds
Il Divo – Ancara
Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium

The winner will be announced on April Fools Day, which guarantees that Crazy Frog will win the award.

And The Buckle Goes To ... The Dixie Chicks ?!?

Is the country music establishment ready to kiss and make up?

In the surest sign of an impending apocalypse since the Terminator was elected as my governor, the finalists for the 2007 Country Music Television Music Awards include the Dixie Chicks, who tied with Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney for the most nominations: three each.

Before you pick up your jaw from the floor, you might also want to know that the winners will be decided by "the people" via CMT.com, which has got to scare those in the country music establishment who still aren't ready to forgive the Chicks. Everyone on this website knows how devoted and online-savvy the DCX fans are. (Most of you have probably voted several times already.) Especially when considering one of the other nominees for Music Awards Video of the Year, I am looking forward to the outcome of this poll, to say the least.

The first round of voting runs from now until February 23.   Here are the categories in which the Chicks were nominated:

CMT MUSIC AWARDS VIDEO OF THE YEAR
·         Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
·         Dixie Chicks – “Not Ready to Make Nice”
·         George Strait – “The Seashores of Old Mexico”
·         Keith Urban – “Once In a Lifetime”
·         Kenny Chesney – “You Save Me”
·         Rascal Flatts – “What Hurts the Most”
·         Sugarland – “Want To”
·         Toby Keith – “A Little Too Late”

CMT MUSIC AWARDS GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
·         Alison Krauss and Union Station – “If I Didn’t Know Any Better”
·         Dixie Chicks – “Not Ready To Make Nice”
·         Emerson Drive – “Moments”
·         Little Big Town – “Good as Gone”
·         Lonestar – “Mountains”
·         Rascal Flatts – “Life is A Highway”
·         Rascal Flatts – “What Hurts the Most”
·         SHeDAISY – “In Terms of Love”

CMT MUSIC AWARDS VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
·         Charles Mehling / Dierks Bentley – “Long Trip Alone”
·         David McClister / LeAnn Rimes – “Some People”
·         Paul Boyd / Gary Allan – “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”
·         Roman White / Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
·         Shaun Silva / Kenny Chesney – “You Save Me”
·         Sophie Muller / Dixie Chicks – “Not Ready to Make Nice”
·         Sophie Muller / Faith Hill – “Stealing Kisses”
·         Wes Edwards / Jason Aldean – “Amarillo Sky”

Click here to watch the videos and vote.