When the 2012 CMA Music Festival kicks off its four-day event on Thursday, June 7, in Nashville, Tenn., HGTV joins in the excitement of the ultimate Country Music fan experience by opening the doors to its star-studded venue, The Lodge. Along with GAC, DIY Network and Travel Channel, The Lodge offers fans a unique interactive experience, live musical performances and autograph signings with popular Country Music stars and lifestyle television personalities.

“The CMA Music Festival audience is as passionate about Country Music as HGTV’s audience is about their homes, making The Lodge an excellent way to engage our fans,” said Denise Conroy-Galley, HGTV’s senior vice president, marketing and creative services. “This event provides our viewers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with both our talent and some of today’s popular country artists.”

CMA Music Festival attendees and fans will have the opportunity to attend various autograph signings and acoustic performances from a host of Country artists and HGTV and DIY Network stars at The Lodge in Fan Alley. Fans can enter for the chance to attend by visiting GACTV.com/CMAFest and looking for the banner advertisement for the official sweeps entry page and rules beginning at approximately 5 p.m. ET on May 23rd. Entries must be received by noon ET on May 30th, 2012. The giveaway is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, 18 years of age or older. Fans will also have an opportunity to win access to these signings and performances at the event and details about these opportunities will be posted on the GAC Facebook or Twitter page during CMA Music Festival week. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Fans unable to visit The Lodge can keep tabs on all of the festivities through several interactive elements at GACTV.com/CMAFest. They can also follow event activities on Twitter at #TheLodge and on HGTV’s Facebook page with a special CMA Music Festival tab, which will feature daily posts of behind-the-scenes content, a rolling Twitter feed, time-lapsed videos that chronicle each White Room Challenge design from start-to-finish, and trivia questions about HGTV, DIY Network, GAC and Travel Channel.

Schedule of Events at The Lodge by HGTV (All times CT.):
Thursday, June 7:
11:00 AM Lauren Alaina & Rodney Atkins (signing)
1:00 PM Thompson Square & Jake Owen (signing)
2:00 PM: The Vanilla Ice Project’s Vanilla Ice (signing)
3:00 PM: Josh Thompson (performance and signing)
4:00 PM: HGTV Design Star’s “Sparkle” Josh Johnson (signing)
5:00 PM: Dierks Bentley (performance and signing)
7:30-9:30 PM: Gary Allan (private, invite-only event)
Friday, June 8:
9:00 AM: Going Yard’s Chris Lambton (signing)
11:00 AM: Little Big Town (signing)
1:00 PM: Easton Corbin (signing)
3:00 PM: Kellie Pickler (signing)
4:00 PM: Room Crashers’ Todd Davis (signing)
5:00 PM: Casey James (performance and signing)
Saturday, June 9:
9:00 AM: Property Brothers’ Drew and Jonathan Scott (signing)
11:00 AM: Bucky Covington (performance and signing)
1:00 PM: Love & Theft (performance and signing)
3:00 PM: Kip Moore (performance and signing)
4:00 PM: Secrets from a Stylists’ Emily Henderson (signing)
5:00 PM: Kix Brooks (performance)
Sunday, June 10:
11:00 AM: Sarah Darling (performance and signing)
12:00 noon: Katie Armiger (performance)
1:00 PM: Scotty McCreery (signing)
2:00 PM: The Antonio Treatment’s Antonio Ballatore (signing)
3:00 PM: Luke Bryan (signing)

Connect with CMA online at CMAFest.com, Facebook.com/CMA and Twitter.com/CountryMusic.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Dierks Bentley is an accomplished singer/songwriter accustomed to performing his unique blend of country meets bluegrass in packed houses across the country. The superstar recently stopped by CMT’s Nashville studio to film a new episode of UNPLUGGED, debuting exclusively on CMT.com on Tuesday, May 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Bentley’s set list includes his bluegrass spin on Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” along with hits from his critically-acclaimed album Home “5-1-5-0,” “Am I the Only One,” “Up on the Ridge” and “Home.”

“I love breaking my songs back down to their original acoustic foundation,” said Bentley about performing on the iconic series. “When I write these songs by myself or with friends, we just use acoustic guitars… so, it’s fun to sometimes go back to just the simple groove and idea you had to begin with.”

The episode will also air as a half-hour special on Palladia (Saturday, June 2nd at 9 p.m. ET), CMT (Monday, June 25th at 10 a.m. ET/PT) and CMT PURE (Monday, June 25th at 9 p.m. ET/PT). In addition, more than 700,000 fans on CMT’s Facebook page can view Bentley’s episode of UNPLUGGED in a dedicated tab available on Tuesday, May 29th.

State Farm is the exclusive digital sponsor of UNPLUGGED. MTV Music Group announced earlier this year that its Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning series, Unplugged would return for the 2012 season with eight episodes spanning across MTV Music Group’s multiple screens and platforms, including CMT, MTV and VH1.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

10. If there is one tour to be an opening act, it is for Brad Paisley. @KramerGirl found that out this weekend “@bradpaisley took us to go see the Avengers after the show tonight!! Thanks Brad!!”

9. Having seen @FrankieBallard’s live show, I don’t think he needs a gym membership – every night is a workout “Gotta new gym membership today…left with useless arms and a gladiator like appetite…let’s get ripped”

8. The tales of a teenager from @Lauren_Alaina “I don’t have Ex’s I have Y’s. Like Y the heck did I date you?!?! #truth”

7. Cupid aka @BrettEldredge set up a blind date last week. Here is his update on the couple “Just met the people I matchmakered & they have more chemistry then my high school Chem teacher! That guy really knew his protons & neutrons”

6. One year ago it all started for @ScottyMcCreery – tours, platinum albums, shows, etc. “Crazy to think that 1 year ago today was one of the best days of my life.”

Dierks Bentley on WhoSay
5. @DierksBentley has always supported the armed services. He did just that this week. “best way to get pumped up before a show??? hang out with some navy seals!!”

4. Having been performing for over a decade, @BradPaisley doesn’t have any ‘cobwebs’ in his show “As a crowd St. Louis, you were spot on. So great. We the band, on the other hand, we need to get the cobwebs out. Hope you loved it though!”

3. It is now time for an insight to pregnancy from @MartinaMcBride “This pressure to “take off the babyweight”so soon after birth is crazy.I say,all u should worry about is nurturing yourself and your baby.”

2. @BlakeShelton rarely opens up to the fans, but seeing this reminds us all what’s important “Strange how when you come to a sudden stop that long line of things you’ve been trying to out run slams right back into you.. I miss my dad.”

1. Starting as a prom contest, @LadyAntebellum had no idea that they would be changing a community forever. “What a great night with an incredible community. Over $285,000 raised. Thank you for #RebuildingHenryville with us!!”

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CMA Fest is just around the corner. From June 4th-10th, downtown Nashville will be taken over by fans and artists. We’re trying to keep you up-to-date with all the events going on. Here are the fanclub parties that are posted so far.

Monday, June 4, 2012

• 12:00 Noon – Rodney Atkins – tickets on sale in April

• 1:00 PM – Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann – 3rd and Lindsey – Joint Fan Club Party – $35 – Doors open at 1PM- Includes lunch, concert and M&G.  Visit www.leebrice.com  or www.dehydrationnation.net
• 6:00PM – 10:45PM – CMA Global Artist Showcases – The Stage on Broadway  Visit http://aristoworks.com/clients/global/ for details.

Tuesday, June 5th

• 11:00 AM – Darryl Worley – The Stage – Members $45, Non-Members $55 – Lunch, Performance, Meet and Greet

• 12:00 Noon – Gary Allan – Rocketown
• 12:30 PM – 3:45PM – CMA Global Artist Showcases – The Second Fiddle  Visit http://aristoworks.com/clients/global/ for details.

• 3:00 PM – Clay Walker – 3rd & Lindsley – $45 Members, $50 Non-Members

Wednesday, June 6th

• 9:00AM – Tracy Lawrence – Margaritaville

• 10:00AM – Montgomery Gentry – Third and Lindley – includes music from MG, brunch,  souvenir, M & G – $35 for fan club members and $45 for non-members and includes a one year membership to the Underground

• 9:00PM- Dierks Bentley- Cannery- $35 Members/$40 non-members.  Tix on Sale Friday, April 20th

Thursday, June 7th

• 8:00AM – Josh Thompson - Margaritaville - Breakfast will be served, Josh will perform at 9 with a meet & greet to follow. Tickets are $25 for fan club members and go on sale Monday March 19th at www.thechromebulletcrew.com

• 10:00AM – Cowboy Troy and Friends Fan Club Party – Just Kickin Saloon

• 10:00AM – Lonestar Fan Club Party – Ford Theater inside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – Ticket on sale now at www.lonestarnow.com

• Josh Thompson at Margaritaville 8am – 11am Doors open at 8, breakfast will be served, Josh will perform at 9 with a meet & greet to follow. Tickets are $25 for fan club members.
• 11:00AM – Miranda Lambert – Fontanel Mansion – One ticket per fan club member – $30 each

• 12:00 – George Jones – For Fan Club Members & Up to 3 guests • Includes Goody Bag, & Lunch with Drink and Dessert. – Nashville Palace – COST IS $35 PER PERSON. – Tickets at http://2012gjfc.eventbrite.com/

• 12:30PM – Chris Young – TX Troubadour Theater – One ticket per fan club memeber – $28.50
• 3:00 pm – Jana Kramer Album Release Party at aVenue -  120 3rd Avenue South  You can visit http://www.janakramer.com for details.

• Luke Bryan- TBA

Friday, June 8th

• 8:00AM – Buddy Jewell Fan Club Party – Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant – $15 Advance, $20 Door – www.buddyjewell.com/store

• 12:00 Noon – Ty Herndon- Rockettown

• 2:00pm- Joe Nichols Fan Club Party- Country Music Hall of Fame

Saturday, June 9th

• 1:00PM – Scotty McCreery – Rockettown -performance,Q&A, lunch, souvenir, door prizes, signed 8 x 10, meet and greet and more – each member can purchase 2 tickets, one fan club member and one guest - fan club member $35 – Guests $45 - tickets on sale now http://scottyfans.com/

• 3:00PM – Julie Roberts – The Rutledge.  Tickets range from $10-$45 and include meet & greet, performance& more.  JulieRoberts.com for tickets.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Dierks Bentley is enjoying a couple days off at home with the family. He celebrated his latest No. 1 single, “Home” over the weekend after cheering on his wife, Cassidy, at the Music City Marathon on Saturday. This week, Dierks will be cheering on one of two teams as the Stanley Cup play-offs head to Nashville.

“I’m a Preds fan, I go to a lot of games, but I’m from Phoenix, and I love the Coyotes too. I don’t want to be a politician, but I’m excited for both cities. I’m going to the game Wednesday night, hope no one sees what jersey I’m wearing, I love them both. Been to a lot of Preds game, excited for both cities.”

So, my challenge to you all is…GET A PICTURE OF DIERKS IN WHICHEVER JERSEY HE’S SPORTIN!!

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Yesterday, Dierks Bentley shut-down his favorite meat n’ three to celebrate his latest No. 1 song, “Home.” Dierks has always considered Arnold’s Country Kitchen a second home of sorts, so he thought it was the perfect place to celebrate the success of his single that represents homes of all kinds.

We try to have fun, make it unique, make it special. This place, you get a home cooked meal, for years it was my second home. I go here to eat a lot, it’s like my family, plus it’s easier to listen to speeches after people eat. Everyone was quiet, too tired because of the food.”

“Home” has hit a chord with just about everyone who hears it for different reasons.

“It’s one of those songs, you got a good one in your back pocket, walk on stage when you get to that one it’ll get the same reaction every night, a feeling of pride, unity, and the crowd goes crazy for it. It’s great to have it in the show, it goes to a third dimension we haven’t had before, I’m honored to be the guy singing it.”

You can read more here.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Dierks Bentley is gonna get dirty in his upcoming music video for his latest single, “5-1-5-0.” Folks of all ages flocked to The Big Nasty ATV/Motocross Park in Bloomingdale, GA over the weekend to play in the mud and help Bentley film.

The video will feature footage of people having a good ole time muddin’ and some footage of Bentley playing in the back of a pick-up truck.

It’s pretty sweet, man,” Josh Collins said, fresh out of a ride through the mud pit on his ATV. “It’s pretty cool to have Dierks Bentley in your truck.” Josh’s pick-up was selected as the “stage” for Dierks to perform on.

The video for “5-1-5-0″ will premier in about a month. You can see more photos at SavannahNow.com.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!