GARY LEVOX does the same thing every Memorial Day. It has nothing to do with firing up the grill, but everything to do with what the holiday is all about. He says, “Memorial Day has always meant something special to me. My cousin and some of my really, really good friends fought in the first Desert Storm. I talk to them EVERY Memorial Day . . . and my grandfather was in the service and, you know, my wife’s grandfather, they all fought in World War II.” He says things changed even more for him when RASCAL FLATTS performed in Iraq back in 2005. “You never know the price of freedom until you stand in the middle of a combat zone in a foreign country with 18 and 19 year old kids that are absolute studs. They are the true [core] of what red, white and blue means. And that was something that I’ll never forget. And so from that day on Memorial Day even meant more to me.”
When you hear LEE GREENWOOD’s “God Bless the USA” this weekend – please wish it a happy birthday. Lee says, “It is with great pride that 35 years ago I decided to release the song, ‘God Bless the USA’. I wrote it to show my love for this country. That decision would prove to be the most important career choice of my life. Lee will be performing it this Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He’ll be part of the Military Appreciation Show that also features the 82nd Airborne Chorus.
When tickets went on sale last Friday, Garth Brooks’ July 20 concert in Boise sold out in less than an hour. Many fans complained that despite their best efforts, they were unable to secure seats for the show. On Wednesday, Idaho Gov. Brad Little made his case directly to Garth. “I got this new job as governor, and I didn’t think I’d get to do anything as fun as this.” Little said his office is getting a lot of requests for Brooks to schedule a second Boise show. Brooks didn’t make any commitments to a second show, but said it’s still a possibility.
Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany are renting while their dream home gets built, but he is looking forward to enjoying a few luxuries from his old house once again. He made sure one room in particular was a part of the design of the new property. “My old house had a bowling alley. I put a bowling alley in. It had a bar in it and it was just kind of like the man cave that I would go and watch football and stuff like that. That was something I used a ton.” So it only made sense for the Aldeans to build it again, as a matter of practicality! “And then the pool is pretty good, too. It’s kind of like the Sandals beach resort,” We got a little carried away, I’ll say that.”
KIP MOORE has finished recording his next album. He announced the news on Twitter, saying, “That’s a wrap. Record #4 is done.” No word yet on a title or release date.
JIMMIE ALLEN released his “Make Me Want To” video. He says he wanted to highlight his “quirky side.” “I’m a huge fan of Disney, Harry Potter, and ‘The Notebook’. I wanted to create a video that showcased my love for all three.” He also hangs out with a very lovely lady.
Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram to share a major behind-the-scenes story. He shared a photo of himself with turtles Cuff and Link and revealed they’ve been with him since his 1976 movie Rocky. Stallone wrote, “In Creed 2 with my original buddies from the first Rocky … Cuff and Link, now about 44 years old.” In the first movie, Stallone introduced them to Adrian as “the exotic animals I was telling you about. These are my friends, Cuff and Link.”
New in Theaters: “Aladdin”, “Brightburn” and “Booksmart”
Mark Ballas is 33.
Rosanne Cash is 64.
Priscilla Presley is 74.
Patti LaBelle is 75.
Gary Burghoff is 76
