Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” and Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” will be included on the 2011 Grammy Nominees album, due Jan. 25 on Jive Records. The 19-track album also features John Mayer’s “Half of My Heart” with Taylor Swift. A portion of the sales will benefit the MusiCares Foundation and the Grammy Foundation. Lady Antebellum landed six Grammy nominations stemming from their album and single, both titled “Need You Now.” Their nominations arrived in the all-genre album of the year, record of the year and song of the year categories, as well as country album, country song and country performance by a duo or group. Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” claimed multiple nominations, including the all-genre song of the year, country song of the year and the country female category. Her additional nominations include country album (Revolution) and country collaboration with vocals (for joining Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson on “Bad Angel”). The Grammys will air live from Los Angeles on Feb. 13 on CBS.

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Neal McCoy has revealed that he will be providing the entertainment for Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s upcoming wedding. During a recent interview with Country Weekly, the singer explains that he and Shelton are old friends.

“I don’t get to see other artists much except at festivals or fairs. But Blake is a good friend of mine and we played a show together in Oregon this year. Blake reminds me of myself, he’s a little goofy — he’s a lot goof — actually, and he’s really funny,” McCoy says.

According to the singer, Blake and Miranda asked him to perform at the event after catching a set of his over the summer.

“He and Miranda pulled up chairs to the side of the stage in Oregon, and I guess they were kind of blown away by the spontaneity and goofiness of my show, so they asked me to play their wedding reception.”

He adds: “They wanted to pay me, and I told them, of course you don’t have to pay me, that’ll be an honor to play it, and I’m sure it will be really fun and a who’s-who kind of thing with all the people attending.”

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“I’m a gambling girl; I like to take risks,” said Miranda Lambert, whose penchant for casting caution to the wind has paid rich dividends, artistically speaking, since her 2005 major-label debut album.

A Texas native who writes most of her own music, Lambert is noted for her take-no-prisoners approach on such defiantly in-your-face songs as “Kerosene,” “Gunpowder & Lead” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Her spunk and refusal to compromise earned her high praise last month from country-music icon Loretta Lynn, who on Nov. 10 told a national TV audience of millions: “Nobody in country music is more country than Miranda.”

That declaration came as Lynn presented Lambert with her Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. Lambert had received 10 CMA nominations, the most by a female artist in the event’s 44-year history. Her three wins also included Album of the Year (for her more rock-oriented “Revolution”) and Video of the Year (for the ballad “The House That Built Me”).

“I’m still floating a little, absolutely,” she said, speaking from a tour stop in Missouri.

“It was amazing. I’ve never won a CMA before … and it was my 27th birthday! It was kind of magical.”

But for Lambert, who turned professional in 2000 at the age of 17, the icing on the cake was sharing the stage with Lynn. Earlier this year, Lynn, Lambert and Sheryl Crow recorded a new version of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the autobiographical 1970 Lynn song that inspired the 1980 film with the same title (which earned Sissy Spacek a Best Actress Oscar for her spot-on portrayal of Lynn).

“To accept an award, especially from Loretta Lynn, was surreal,” said Lambert, who performs tonight and Friday at Pechanga Theater in Temecula, the same venue her fiancé, fellow country-music star Blake Shelton, played Oct. 16. (While both of Lambert’s shows sold out weeks ago, a Pechanga spokesman said a “limited number” of seats for both gigs will go on sale at the box office, shortly before each show begins.)

Lambert hopes to begin work on her new album in January. But she already has a musical role model in mind when it comes to longevity.

“Loretta Lynn, 100 percent,” she said. “She’s a living legend. One of the reasons any female artist has a career today in country music is because of her, and she’s still making great records. I’m having a blast. But I want to be like her and make records 50 years from now.”

As for her award-winning “Revolution,” Lambert had a strong feeling the album would break new ground for her, even before it was released.

“When I finished that record, I knew it was special and would change my life in some way,” she said. ” When I finally got the songs written that I felt were the (right) ones, we started laying down tracks for ‘Revolution’ and it was a new level for me. It was organic; I didn’t have a goal in mind, or a style, with ‘Revolution.’ I just went with my gut and it worked out great.”

The subsequent success of “Revolution” has helped Lambert reach a broader, more pop- and rock-oriented audience. She credits her first two albums with helping her gain the confidence to stretch her wings more, creatively speaking, when it came time to record her third.

“With success, you get a little relaxed,” she noted. “With ‘Revolution,’ I felt like I didn’t have to have a chip on my shoulder, like I did with the first two albums, when I was trying to prove myself with fans and with the country-music industry.”

In addition to her quest to emulate Lynn’s career longevity and high musical standards, Lambert believes that — ultimately — writing and recording songs that touch people is more important than scoring hit records or earning multiple awards.

“I want to be remembered for songs that make you feel something. Songwriting is the most important thing to me. When I feel a song that makes me feel happy, sad, angry or whatever, songs that bring out those emotions are the songs I like best. And those are the kind of songs I want to be remembered for.”

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Reba McEntire is hearing wedding bells. No, she’s not planning a recommitment ceremony to husband Narvel Blackstock, but she is watching several of her ‘adopted’ children tie the knot. Reba recently attended the nuptials between JoAnna Garcia, who played the superstar’s daughter Cheyenne on ‘Reba,’ to New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher.

“I loved that,” Reba tells The Boot. “I had a wonderful time. It was down in Florida, I wish we could have spent three or four more days down there.”

There’s another wedding on the ‘Turn on the Radio’ singer’s horizon as Blake Shelton, who is managed by Reba’s stepson Brandon Blackstock, and Miranda Lambert are ‘Makin’ Plans.’ “I’m excited,” Reba says. “I really do have a maternal relationship with Blake, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Reba’s feelings for her fellow Okie were more than obvious at this year’s CMA Awards as she was overcome by emotion when he was named Male Vocalist of the Year. “They are a company, but they’re a family,” Blake explained backstage at the CMA Awards. “When you’re brought into that, they treat you like family. When Reba was standing there emotional and was crying, and Narvel was crying … I’ve been with them for five years now, and it’s been a battle [for us]. I mean, every day has been a grind and it’s just not been easy. [It's] like when you’ve been pushing on a wall and pushing, and that moment when it finally hits the ground, that’s kind of what it felt like [to win the CMA award]. It’s awesome!”

While Reba shares the same relationship with each couple, she is prepared for the events to entirely dissimilar. “It’s going to be totally different from JoAnna and Nick’s wedding,” Reba adds. “That was in Florida, this is going to be, I’m sure, in Texas. I don’t know, though.”

She’s also ready for whatever Blake and Miranda come up with, venison-filled menu and all. “It’s going to be a very different wedding but I’m looking forward to it,” Reba assures. “Anything to do with Blake and Miranda is always a lot of fun.”

Reba just wrapped up filming of a guest appearance on CMT’s new sitcom ‘Working Class,’ starring another former ‘Reba’ castmate, Melissa Peterman. The series debuts January 28 at 8pm ET/PT.

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Avid hunters Blake Shelton and fiancée Miranda Lambert will no doubt get their share of toasters and George Foreman Grills as wedding presents, but there’s one gift that just may win their hearts, and it’s from an unusual suspect: the ‘Rather-Be-Hunting Guy comic book character.

Hunting comic character Dale Dunnerway, aka ‘Rather-Be-Hunting Guy,’ is an outdoorsman who works long hours at an office job, but due to his obsession with hunting and fishing, he has created a superhero alter-ego for his outdoors-themed comic books. In the spirit of giving this Christmas season, Dale has announced plans to send a Rather-Be-Hunting Guy bobblehead with audio to Miranda and Blake, according to gadgetoday.net.

“We had hoped to send them as a Christmas present, but the product will not be ready until after Christmas,” Dale said. “Miranda and Blake will get the very first Rather-Be-Hunting Guy bobblehead off the production line in the spring. While we know the couple will get a lot of great and expensive gifts, we doubt they will get anything quite like this.”

Knowing Blake, he’ll certainly love this gift, as he consistently defends his right to hunt — and not always in his usual joking manner. “Hunters are the best conservationists that exist. A lot of organizations talk a good game about saving animals, but when it comes down to it, we’re the only ones getting it done, spending millions of dollars every year on hunting and fishing licenses, constructing and preserving habitats.”

This unique wedding gift from Rather-Be-Hunting Guy will be perfect given their wedding theme, with a menu that includes venison. “We’re having deer meat served at our wedding — we’ve already got a pile of ‘em ready,” Blake said. “It was actually [Miranda's] idea. So when your girlfriend thinks like that, it makes it easy for me just to show up and have a good time!”

Dale wants to extend his best wishes to Blake and Miranda and a few more. “In honor of their upcoming wedding, Limit Out Productions, the parent company of Rather-Be-Hunting Guy, is donating 200 of each of the Rather-Be-Hunting Guy comics to the Hunt of a Lifetime organization, a nonprofit organization with the mission of granting hunting and fishing adventures and dreams to children age 21 and under, who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Limit Out Productions is also donating 500 of each comic to the Sportsman’s Foundation for Military Families. The foundation will donate books to combat veterans and those overseas.”

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Every year, the Academy of County Music honors country music’s top talent in addition to the industry’s hottest emerging talent. Las Vegas will again host country’s “Party of the Year,” on April 3, 2011, when the 46th Annual ACM Awards is broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on CBS.

Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum were the top two winners at the 2010 ACMs, each taking home three trophies, including an Album of the Year win for Miranda and Song of the Year for Lady A (‘Need You Now’). Luke Bryan took home the ACM’s Top New Artist and superstar Carrie Underwood walked away with the biggest honor of the evening, winning Entertainer of the Year.

CBS is proud to announce that this year they will tape an all-star concert special, ‘Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country,’ the night after the ACM Awards at the same location. It will air at a later date on the network.

Our CBS press contact assures The Boot that this will be a spectacular show including some of country’s biggest names. The talent will be announced early next year, and we’ll bring you the names as soon as they become available.

The 2011 ACM Awards will air April 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET (delayed PT) on CBS.

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Country star Miranda Lambert defends her rebel tendencies on the new song ‘Heart Like Mine,’ the fifth single from her award-winning ‘Revolution’ album.

“I ain’t the kind you take home to Mama,” Lambert warns right away on the mid-tempo track, which opens with gentle acoustic and slide guitars. Lambert doesn’t apologize for smoking cigarettes, even though “Christian folks” want her to quit:

“Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine / And I bet we’d get along just fine / He could calm a storm and heal the blind / And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine.”

The second half of the song takes on more of a rocking edge with a brief electric guitar solo. Lambert brags about drinking alcohol, getting tattoos and pursuing an artistic career instead of an intellectual one, while confidently asserting that Jesus wouldn’t judge her.

‘Revolution’ is the gift that keeps on giving for Lambert, having already captured Album of the Year honors at both the CMA Awards and the ACM Awards in 2010. Since its release in 2009, the record has produced hits ‘Dead Flowers, ‘White Liar,’ ‘The House That Built Me’ and ‘Only Prettier.’

The song hits radio January 10, 2011!!!!

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