Venues and dates have been confirmed by Rascal Flatts for the last leg of the band’s “Bob That Head” long running tour. The outing is scheduled to kick off in the middle of January.

The tour will launch in Kansas City, MO on January 17. In total the band will be visiting 20 cities through early March. According to a recent press release, Jessica Simpson, actress and singer, will be opening all of their shows. This weekends tickets will start going on sale.

Rascal Flatts’ website contains pre-sale and on-sale information for specific dates.

Rascal Flatts has been touring for over a year in support of “Still Feels Good,” their platinum selling album that was released last September. Hit singles spawned from the set are “Winner at a Losing Game” and “Take Me There.” The latest single from the album, “Here,” peaked on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at No. 9 in September.

“Still Feels Good” follows “Me and My Gang” from 2006 and is the third album in a row for the group to debut in the No. 1 spot.

Since the group formed in 1999, Rascal Flatts has sold over 17 million albums and had nine No. 1 hit singles. Late last month they released their first collection of greatest hits. “Greatest Hits Volume 1” contains 13 of the biggest hits from the band, including “Mayberry,” “These Days,” and “Prayin’ for Daylight.”

Early album shipments will be have foil embossed packaging and contain 2 discs with three new bonus Christmas song tracks.

Katy Perry, riding high on the success of a third single off her album “One of the Boys,” is looking to capitalize on her fast rise up the charts through launching a long 2009 trek.

The California native and alternative pop sensation will be kicking off the outing’s first leg in Seattle on January 29 and finish the second half of tour in March-April following a round of shows in Europe.  Perry’s website has her overseas schedule posted.

“Katy Hudson,” the gospel oriented first album of Perry’s was released in 2001 before she professionally switched to using the maiden name of her mother’s.  On “One of the Boys” she worked with several top-name songwriters and producers.  The set was released in June to stores.  Collaborators on the album include Dave Stewart (former Eurythmic), Max Martin and Dr. Luke of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys fame and Glen Ballard who has also collaborated with Alanis Morissette.

The first two singles from the album “I Kissed a Girl” and “Ur So Gay” gave Perry her first experiences of breakthrough fame.  “I Kissed a Girl” hit the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s US Hot 100 chart in addition to 20 other country charts.

Earlier this year Perry said, it’s really weird.  It’s happening so fast.  I’m really happy and ready to go.  However, if people take time and look at my back story  they will see it’s a long one.  These days its true for many new artists.  Nothing is stable in the musical industry.

“Hot N Cold,” the third single from the set followed “I Kissed a Girl” success.  In September it hit the No. 4 spot on Billboard’s 100 chart.  Perry is hoping to keep up the momentum with the upcoming release of the set’s fourth single and title track.

Celine Dion’s North American leg of her “Taking Chances World Tour” will be getting back on track after three postponements tomorrow.

According to AEG Live, tour promoter, Dion had to cancel shows in Indianapolis, Chicago and Minneapolis over the past two weeks due to the singer suffering from a respiratory virus.

In a statement AEG said, despite taking mucolytic agents, bronchodilators, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, her doctor stated that her condition has continued to get worse.  He is insisting that she stop doing any singing for five days so that she can completely recover.

Her postponed shows are now set for the middle of December.  Tickets are being honored on the rescheduled dates.  The tour’s North American leg launched in the middle of August and will resume in St. Louis, MO tomorrow on November 11.  The trek includes coast to coast gigs across the US and is scheduled to conclude in the middle of February with a stand of three nights in Montreal.  Three December shows have been added for Mexico as well.

The songstress from Canada is touring in support of “Taking Chances,” her newest English language album that was released last November and made it to No. 3 on Billboard’s 200 chart.  It’s the first full length studio album from Dion since “One Heart,” her multi-platinum set released in 2003.

Dion’s “Taking Chances World Tour” will mark her return to touring after her five year Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum concluded.  According to a recent press release, over 3 million fans have seen Dion’s production “A New Day,” which last December wrapped up following 723 sold out shows being performed.

Last year a DVD version of Dion’s Vegas show “A New Day: Live in Last Vegas” was released..  It includes three documentaries as bonus material.

Two career retrospectives were also released recently: “My Love Essential Collection” as well as a two disc, expanded version “My Love Ultimate Essential Collection.”  Seventeen of the singer’s greatest hits are on the single disc.  The expanded version contains nine extra songs.  Both version include a live version of “My Love” and a cut of “There Comes A Time” that was previously unreleased.

According to a recent press release, since Dion’s 1990 American debut she has sold nearly 200 million records.  Two albums, “Let’s Talk About Love” and “Falling Into You” have both reached the status of RIAA Diamond for selling over 10 million US copies.

George Strait is being honored on April 6 by the Academy of Country Music as Artist of the Decade. According to a recent press release, the presentation will be held in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena. It will be the first time that the award for Artist of the Decade will be presented during a televised event.

The award presentation for Strait will follow the Academy of Country Music’s 44th Annual Awards ceremony held the day before and broadcast from MGM live. CBS will be broadcasting The Artist of the Decade ceremony later.

From November 6-20 tickets for the two events will be available for professional members of ACM as well as fans who have associate memberships. After that time period tickets can be purchased without a membership. More information is available on the ACM website for becoming an associate member of ACM as well as ticket purchase codes.

According to a report from HearldTribune.com, on Sunday November 12 in Tampa Jimmy Buffett will be performing a free concert to support the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

The concert will be held in the Ford Amphitheater at 3 pm. Tickets are available at the Early Vote information tables for Florida residents at the Obama Campaign for Change. Tickets will be issued on the basis of first come, first served.

Campaign tables will be at the 8th Street J&J Bar-B-Q as well as Main Street’s Buddha Belly Donuts in Bradenton, FL.

Yesterday Britney Spears avoided a charge for driving without her license. The case was dropped by the prosecutor after the jury wasn’t able to agree on the guilt or innocence of the pop singer’s.

After deliberating for three days, ten jurors favored acquitting Spears of a misdemeanor charge stemming from an accident on August 6, 2007 in Studio City where Spears’ car stuck another parked car. Two jurors voted to convict Spears.

The original charge of hit-and-run was dropped after a civil settlement between Spears and the other motorist was reached. The charge of driving without a license was filed when the discovery was made that Spears isn’t licensed in the state of California to drive.

Spears defense argued at the time the accident occurred she was carrying a drivers license from Louisiana, and that her real home is Louisiana.

During the trial Spears didn’t appear at Superior Court. Spear’s father testified for her.

Reportedly a trial for a charge of driving without having a license is rare. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, in most cases defendant pleads guilty to a traffic infraction or misdemeanor. Usually after a valid license is obtained by the defendant, the charge gets dropped.

Reportedly the prosecutor stated he didn’t know of any other defendants that had gone before a jury. The attorney for Spears agreed, stating that other defendants get a fine and traffic ticket, but not any misdemeanor charges.

The prosecutor denied allegations that this was related to him campaigning for city attorney. He did suggest that Spears was seeking special treatment. Initially he offered Spears a $150 fine and 12 months probation. After Spears’ attorney objected to probation, Michael Amerian, the prosecutor, stated she could pay a maximum $1,000 fine to avoid probation.

Reportedly the attorney for Spears rejectied the offer, stating that his client wasn’t trying to buy out of being on probation.

During the news conference after the mistrial, the prosecutor was questioned on whether this case would make it difficult for him to hear Spears’ music. According to the report in the Los Angeles Times Amerian’s response was, you mean tougher than before? Reportedly he apologized, saying he sympathized with all of what Spears has been going through.

According to a recent press release, the Eagles are one of the recently announced acts that will be performing at the CMA Awards 42nd Annual awards ceremony which will be airing live from Nashville’s Sommet Center on November 12. The Eagles have been nominated as CMA Vocal Group of the Year for the third time.

The Eagles will be joining a lineup of eclectic performers that include Kid Rock, Trace Adkins and Lady Antebellum. The Wailers will also be making their debut at the CMA Awards. They will join Kenny Chesney in a performance of “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,” their No. 1 ranked collaboration that will appear on “Lucky Old Sun,” Chesney’s upcoming album.

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, co-host of the CMAs this year, will also be performing along with Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Sugarland, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn.

Songwriter/singer James Taylor announced his plans to help drum support up for Barrack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate, during a set of shows that will be taking place this month in North Carolina.

Taylor will be on stage on October 19 in Charlotte, in Chapel Hill on October 20, and on October 21 will be in Wilmington and Raleigh. The purpose of the performances by Taylor are for encouraging Obama supporters in North Carolina to capitalize on early voting that begins on October 16 in North Carolina.

Taylor is a native of Massachusetts but was raised in Chapel Hill. Taylor’s father was the School of Medicine’s dean at University of North Carolina.

Alicia Keys, The Eagles and Coldplay were leading the pack of nominees when the American Music Awards for 2008 were announced on Tuesday October 14.

Keys received five nominations to lead the field. The Eagles and Coldplay were right behind Keys with four each. All three of the top nominees are in contention for Artist of the Year as well as Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.

There are several categories for award nominations, including Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop/Rap, Latin, Alternative, R&B/Soul, Adult Contemporary, Country and Contemporary Inspirational. This year’s nominations were announced by Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, during a Beverly Hills press conference. The awards will be handed out during a live broadcast on November 23 in Los Angeles at Nokia Theatre.

Nominations for the AMA awards are based on compiled sales data from Nielsen SoundScan and Radio & Records, a trade magazine of the music industry. This will be the second year in a row that an online vote from the general public will determine the winners. In years before that, the winners were selected on the basis of a national sampling consisting of approximately 20,000 people.

Votes for the awards are being collected until November 7.

Grammy award winner Chris Cornell who previously fronted Audioslave and iconic rock outfit Soundgarden, both of which are now disbanded, is taking his solo career to new heights, with an extended tour and an album that will knock the socks off his fans.

As reported earlier, Cornell’s third solo album “Scream” was produced by R&B giant Timbaland who turned the rocker’s album into a fusion of heavy metal with a funky and street attitude.  And to support the forthcoming record, Cornell will be going on a heavy-laden North American tour with Timbaland accompanying him for most of the early dates in the US.

The addition of 13 Canadian outings, this time without Timbaland, will have Cornell battling out the treacherous weather up north while blasting out with hits taken from his new album and some of his greatest hits in the past as well, as he hinted in his blog:

“Already working on some songs that I haven’t played in at least 10 years, one song that I haven’t played more than one time live in my life, and I have a short list that we will be able to get to over the next month of touring. I have to say, though, ‘Scream’ is what’s up for me. I have been rehearsing the whole album start to finish and it’s insanely fun.”

Meanwhile, release date for “Scream”  is still slated for November 4.  “Scream” Is Cornell’s follow-up to 2007’s “Carry On”.  Cornell released his solo debut effort in 1999 entitled “Euphoria Morning” while gearing up with the debut of his newly formed band back then –  Audioslave.

You can preview tracks from “Scream”  via streaming by visiting Cornell’s website.  You can also download three tracks from the album – “Ground Zero”, the title track “Scream” and “Watch Out” through Amazon.com and via the iTunes store.