Kids at the University of Texas at Austin can actually say Matthew McConaughey is one of their college teachers. Matthew has been co-teaching a class called Script to Screen since 2015. But this fall, he’s full-on instructor. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll be there for every class. The school says, “The frequency that he’ll attend the Script to Screen course this fall all still just depends on his schedule.”
Race car driver JESSI COMBS died on Tuesday, while trying to set a new land-speed record in Oregon. She was 39. (Some publications list her age as 36.) Jessi did 7 episodes of “MythBusters” 10 years ago . . . hosted the show “Overhaulin'” . . . and appeared on “Jay Leno’s Garage”. She was also the original co-host of Spike TV’s “Xtreme 4×4”. She was attempting to break her own land-speed record in a jet-powered vehicle, trying to go more than 500 miles-per-hour, but she crashed in a dry lake bed in the desert. The exact circumstances are still under investigation.
Remember when KELLY CLARKSON’s appendix burst on LIVE TV, while she was hosting the “Billboard Music Awards” in May? You didn’t know it at the time, because she sucked it up, finished the gig, and got her appendix out AFTER the show. A week later, she was doing a live episode of “The Voice”, when a cyst on her ovaries burst. And once again, she fought through it. She says, “I had to grab [Blake Shelton’s] arm and I was like, ‘Something is wrong.’ That was more painful than the appendicitis.” So, after her second trip to the hospital in a week, everything was patched up, and she’s totally fine now. But she says, “I was hysterically laughing and crying at one point in the E.R. like ‘What is happening?'”
A pair of Levi’s and work gloves HEATH LEDGER wore in “Brokeback Mountain” are hitting the auction block today. The starting bid is $15,000.
The nominations for this year’s CMAs were revealed on “Good Morning America” yesterday. MAREN MORRIS came out on top with 6. That includes nods for Single and Album of the Year, plus Female Vocalist of the Year, but she was snubbed in the Entertainer of the Year category. ARRIE UNDERWOOD was nominated. And it’s the first time in three years that a woman is up for the award, no woman has won it since TAYLOR SWIFT in 2011. Carrie is up against Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban, who won last year. CARLY PEARCE is nominated for Best New Artist. She’s up against Ashley McBryde, Midland, Morgan Wallen, and Cody Johnson. “Old Town Road” by LIL NAS X got a single nomination for Musical Event of the Year, but it was snubbed in the Single of the Year category. BROOKS & DUNN bis nominated in the Vocal Duo of the Year. 10 years ago, they were announcing their retirement, and now that they’re back. The awards will be Wednesday, November 13th. Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton are hosting.
DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER says he’ll never marry again, but he WILL date . . . because he needs companionship.
TRISHA YEARWOOD has a new song out called “Matador”. It’s off her album “Every Girl”, which will be out on Friday.
JASON ALDEAN’s family just got a bit bigger. While in St. Louis this past weekend, he and his wife adopted a rescue puppy, who’d been discovered in a drain pipe. They don’t have a name for him yet, and are taking suggestions.
LITTLE BIG TOWN and ALABAMA will be guests on the upcoming season of “The Big Interview”, which is hosted by DAN RATHER.
MIDLAND got a Best New Artist nomination from the CMAs yesterday . . . but more importantly, they discovered they’re JUSTIN BIEBER-approved! He Tweeted that he’s digging their new album “Let It Roll”.
The 22nd season premiere of “Thursday Night College Football” at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Cincinnati hosts UCLA.
