Carrie Underwood wrapped her 2012-2013 Blown Away tour last night (Thursday, May 23rd) in Abbottsford, BC with a one million dollar donation Red Cross for disaster relief. The charitable contribution to the Red Cross comes from the tour's proceeds and was established when it launched in spring 2012. A portion of each ticket sold was earmarked for the charity.

The donation comes just in time to help the victims of the tornados in Carrie's homestate of Oklahoma. She said, "I have watched the devastation . . . over the past several days with great sadness. With the help of my fans who attended my concerts over the past year, we can offer the Red Cross a little extra help in comforting those affected by the recent tornados."

Earlier in the tour, following a performance in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Carrie designated funds to support the response and relief efforts in New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

FAST FACTS

• Carrie has two more Festival performances on the books this year -- Dauphin's Countryfest in Dauphin, MB on June 30th and Willamette Country Music Festival in Brownsville, OR on August 16th.

Taylor Swift is among the top nominees at the Teen Choice Awards with three nods. Taylor is up for Choice Female Artist, Choice Female Country Artist and Choice Smile. She faces competition in the latter category from two of her famous ex-boyfriends, Harry Styles and Taylor Lautner.

Here are the country artist nominees at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards:

Choice Female Artist
Selena Gomez
Demi Lovato
Pink
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Choice Male Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Hunter Hayes
Blake Shelton

Choice Female Country Artist 
Jana Kramer
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Choice Country Group
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Thompson Square

Choice Smile
Selena Gomez
Taylor Lautner
Demi Lovato
Harry Styles
Taylor Swift

The Teen Choice Awards will air on August 11th on FOX.

The members of Little Big Town are counting down the days until they hit the road with their buddy Keith Urban on his Light the Fuse tour this summer. Karen Fairchild says it's been a few years since they shared the bill with him, and there is one thing in particular that she is looking forward to. 

["Oh, we're so looking forward to that tour! And the catering's going to be phenomenal. (laughter) (Kimberly)We're going to get fed well! (Karen) Keith, we haven't been with Keith . . . probably (the) last time we toured with Keith was a few years ago, and it was just for a few shows. And so, you know, we're anxious to get back on the road with him. And with Dustin (Lynch). (Jimi) Yeah. (Karen) We're super happy for him . . . crankin' out the hits. (Jimi laughs)"] 

Keith's Light the Fuse tour -- featuring Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch -- kicks off on July 18th in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In other Little Big Town news, the group will host the this summer's ABC prime time special, CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock, airing on Monday, August 12th at 8 p.m. ET. The special will be filmed during CMA Music Festival, which runs from June 6-9 in downtown Nashville.

Karen said, "It's an incredible honor to be hosting this year's CMA Fest. We could not be more excited about the party that's going to break out at LP Field every night!"

Little Big Town debuted the video for their latest single, "Your Side of the Bed," on Good Morning Americayesterday (Thursday, May 23rd).

CHECK IT OUT

Brantley Gilbert says that Memorial Day is a holiday that's taken very seriously by his family back home in Georgia. The singer tells us: 

["Yeah, Memorial Day's coming up. That day is definitely heavy on my heart. It's the day to remember those who laid down the ultimate sacrifice for us and for our country. Trying to embrace that concept is almost impossible but . . . My mom's side of the family is a military family. That was actually an option or an idea for me when I was kinda in limbo what I was gonna do with my life. But I've got some cousins that have been over in Iraq and Afghanistan. My cousin Josh actually lost his best friend in Kirkuk City, Iraq, so I know that day's heavy for him. And it is for all the members of my family that have been in the military. It definitely means a lot to me, not just because my family's involved in it, because of what our military stands for. I'm a huge supporter, to say the least. Definitely, support for the troops is definitely right up there on top of our priority list."] 

Brantley is busy out on the road this Memorial Day weekend as part of Tim McGraw's Two Lanes of Freedom tour. They play tonight (Friday, May 24th) in Tinley Park, Illinois.

QUESTIONS WE PONDER - AND HOPE YOU'LL ANSWER USING YOUR FACEBOOK LOGIN BELOW:

• Do you come from a military family?
• Do you do anything special to show your support to the military on Memorial Day weekend?

Rascal Flatts will kick off their brand new 35-city tour, called Farmers Insurance Presents Live & Loud, on May 31st in Jones Beach, New York. Special guests on the tour are The Band Perry and 2012's The Voice winner Cassadee Pope.

Rascal Flatts fans can begin their Live & Loud concert experience by tailgating before the show doors open in the @FarmersFans Zone where everything is free of charge. Concert-goers can see a fully customized Rascal Flatts off-road vehicle, complete with games that include some of the band's favorite hobbies like archery and golf. Fans can also have a photo opportunity in the backseat of the vehicle.

Dance Y'all will also participate in the tailgate experience by teaching fans dance moves and offering them the opportunity to enter a "dance off" for a chance to shake it on stage with the Farmers Insurance Dance Y'all Experience Featuring Laura Bell Bundy.

Traditional tailgate games like a basketball shootout, ladder golf or a bean bag battle are all part of the fun, as well as a Rascal Flatts Live & Loud tour trivia game.

Here are the dates on the Live & Loud tour:
5-31 Jones Beach, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
6-1 Harrington, DE Harrington Raceway & Casino
6-2 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
6-6 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
6-7 Tampa, FL MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
6-8 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
6-14 Boston, MA Comcast Center
6-15 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
6-16 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6-23 Grand Junction, CO Country Jam USA
6-27 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
6-28 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
6-29 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
7-18 Eau Claire, WI Country Jam USA
7-19 Stateline, NV Harvey's Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
7-23 Paso Robles, CA California Mid State Fair
7-25 Cheyenne, WY Cheyenne Frontier Days
8-2 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook **
8-3 Bomanville, ON Mosport ParkRaceway/Boots & Hearts Festival
8-9 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
8-10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
8-16 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8-17 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8-18 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center
9-5 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
9-6 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
9-7 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center
9-12 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
9-13 San Diego, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
9-14 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9-26 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
9-27 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
9-28 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
10-3 Las Cruces, NM Pan American Center/ New Mexico State University
10-4 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena
*dates are subject to change 
** The Band Perry will not appear on this date

FAST FACTS

• Rascal Flatts' latest album, Changed, was released in 2012.
• The trio is working on a new project, but no details have yet been released.

Supergroup Alabama are inviting fans to join them for their first Alabama & Friends Festival at Sea, a four-night cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl. The ship sets sail on October 24th and will travel from Miami to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. 

Alabama will be joined by Diamond Rio, Craig Morgan, Randy Travis andMeghan Linsey of Steel Magnolia, along with DJ DU, Joe Bachman, Scott Munns, Striking Matches, Hudson Moore, Natalie Stovall Band, Rockit City(with Teddy Gentry), and Jeff Cook and the AGB. For pricing and stateroom options, visit alabamafestivalatsea.com. 

In addition to the musical entertainment, fans will have the opportunity to meet members of Alabama and other celebrity guests, as well as taking home memorabilia from the experience, including an autographed cruise poster.

FAST FACTS

• Alabama is in the midst of their Back To The Bowery tour, which celebrates their 40th anniversary of making music together.
• The group has also been in the studio putting the finishing touches on their new album,Alabama and Friends, which is slated for release later this year.

Montgomery Gentry will spend the summer celebrating and recognizing our U.S. heroes. As long-time supporters of the military, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry are asking fans to submit stories and nominate their personal hero. Select stories will be featured on montgomerygentry.com, and American heroes will be chosen to receive concert tickets, meet & greet passes and to mingle with Montgomery Gentry at each of their concert stops this summer. 

Eddie said, "We've toured so much throughout our career and have been blessed to be able to meet so many great people and fans out there. Celebrating American Heroes is the least we can do to give back."

Eddie tells us that he will always feel a deep sense of respect and gratitude for those who are willing to lay down their lives for our country. 

["I grew up in the VFW clubs, man, and I reckon me and T-Roy's talked about that ever since the first album, and we've talked about it in the night clubs -- we used to have a bunch of military come see us in the night clubs -- and always, cause I mean they are, they're heroes. I mean, how many people do you know that are around right now that would stand up and say, 'Alright, I'll give my life for you'?"]

To nominate your hero, simply submit a letter explaining why your hero should be recognized and post your entry via montgomerygentry.com/heroes.

FAST FACTS

• Eddie and Troy are working on a new CD, the follow-up to their 2011 Rebels On The Runalbum.

On the heels of announcing his benefit concert, Oklahoma native Blake Sheltonurged Americans to help raise additional funds by sharing a link on Facebook yesterday (Thursday, May 23rd). For every share, jcpenney promised to donate $1 (up to $50,000) to the American Red Cross Disaster Giving Program. The mission was accomplished in under two hours, with $50,000 going to The Red Cross.

The official unveiling of the U.S. Postal Service's Johnny Cash stamp will happen on Wednesday, June 5th at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A special ceremony will recognize the Man in Black's contributions to music and pop culture, followed by a series of appearances from a few of Johnny Cash's closest friends and family including John Carter Cash, Carlene Carter, and other guests to be announced. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

Dierks Bentley is readying a new album for release, and he's about to give fans their first taste of what's to come with the release of his new single, called "Bourbon in Kentucky," which heads to radio next week.

Dierks tells us the overall sound of the new project, called Riser, won't necessarily be what fans are expecting. 

["Actually, there's certainly a new sound to the album. But I think 'new' is what is exciting about country music, you know? 'New' is what got me into country music. Hearing Hank Jr. sing when I was 17 years old was totally new to me. It might've been old to somebody else, but for me that was a brand new sound, and it just was . . . exciting. So, I think with all my records, I'm always searching for 'new'."] 

Riser will be in stores later this year.

FAST FACTS

• Dierks' Memorial Day weekend will include a performance at Riverfest in Little Rock, Arkansas on Sunday (May 26th).