Kid Rock's shows

Kid Rock sold out several shows on his recently-wrapped Born Free tour with his good friend Sheryl Crow, and now the Detroit native is planning on hitting the road bound for several smaller venues, with the proceeds benefiting local charities in each city he visits.
The idea for his charity tour came from the fifth single, 'Care,' off the musician's 2010 album, 'Born Free.' "The song says 'the least that I can do is care' -- and I want to put my money where my mouth is," Kid tells Billboard. "Everyone knows that Detroit is hurting. But I want to show that even though we don't have a lot on our own plate, it doesn't mean the people of my hometown don't have compassion to share with others all over the country. At the end of the day we're all Detroit, we're one country, one family."
The singer-songwriter will use his own charity, the Kid Rock Foundation, to support his endeavor. Radio stations in each city will help determine which charity will receive the funds.
Kid Rock's tour, which includes Ty Stone as the opening act, will kick off on Nov. 10 in Atlanta, Ga. See the latest list of cities and dates on the trek below.
Nov. 10, Atlanta, Ga., Center Stage*
Nov. 11, Orange Beach, Al., The Amphitheater at the Wharf*
Nov. 13, Orlando, Fla., Citrus Bowl, Orlando Calling Festival*
Nov. 16, Silver Spring, Md., Fillmore
Nov. 19, New York, N.Y., Beacon Theatre
Nov. 20, Buffalo, N.Y., Town Ballroom
Nov. 22, Indianapolis, Ind., Egyptian Room
Nov. 23, Nashville, Tenn., Ryman Theatre
Nov. 26, Chicago, Ill., House of Blues
Nov. 29, Kansas City, Mo., Midland Theatre
Dec. 01, Denver, Co., Fillmore Auditorium
Dec. 03, Magna, Utah, The Great Saltair
Dec. 04, Boise, Idaho, Knitting Factory
Dec. 09, Indio, CA, Fantasy Springs Special Events Center*

Hank Williams, Jr. on 'Monday Night Football'

Following ESPN's decision to fire (depending on who you believe) Hank Williams, Jr. over derogatory comments the singer made last week about President Obama on Fox News, 'Monday Night Football' fans have been wondering who might replace Bocephus as the broadcast's lead-in musical performer.
For this week, ESPN has revealed, the slot will belong to former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, Motor City soul singer Jimmy Scott and the Selected of God gospel choir.
According to CMT, Sanders will preface the Lions' game against the Chicago Bears by narrating a performance that will include Scott and Selected of God collaborating on 'Aint No Love in the Hart of the City,' a '70s soul hit for Bobby "Blue" Bland.
No word yet on who might open subsequent 'Monday Night Football' telecasts, but an ESPN rep told the Detroit Free Press that Barry and company will not become regulars.
"The spot will look different every week," the rep said.

Christian artist Matthew West

Christian artist Matthew West has recorded seven albums since he first hit the airwaves more than 14 years ago, but this week marked a first for the Illinois native as he released his first-ever holiday album, 'The Heart of Christmas.' 'The Heart of Christmas,' which hit stores this week, spotlights several voices alongside Matthew's that you'll probably recognize.
"Since the beginning of my career, I've dreamed of making a Christmas album," the singer explains. "I'm so excited to finally get that chance this year! 'The Heart of Christmas' is a collection of original songs I've written, and some of my favorite classics. I was honored to have iconic artists like Amy Grant, Vince Gill and Mandisa from 'American Idol' join me on a few of the songs, and those are personal highlights for me."
The 12-song CD coincides with a made-for-TV movie of the same name. The film details the poignant story of 2-year-old Dax Locke, whose brave battle with cancer inspired Matthew's emotionally-charged song, 'One Last Christmas.' The film, which stars Candace Cameron Bure, George Newbern and Jeanne Neilson, will premiere on gmc (Gospel Music Channel) on December 4 at 7:00 PM ET.
In addition to promoting his new Christmas album, the married father of two girls is also crossing the country on his Story of Your Life tour, which is named after his new book that shares fan stories, detailing everything from drug-addiction to divorce.
"Through all this I have learned to never underestimate your audience," Matthew tells The Boot. "You never know who you are singing to or what can happen from your music. These stories made me look at my audience in a different way, but they also told me I'm exactly where I need to be."

The CMT Artists of the Year special

For the second year in a row, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean will be honored during the CMT Artists of the Year special. Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley will also be spotlighted during this year's 90-minute show, airing on CMT Dec. 13.
The glamorous, invitation-only event will include dinner and a series of show-stopping live performances that will bring the honorees and their country music peers together for what promises to be a fun-filled evening.
The chosen artists of the year were selected based on sales, country radio airplay and concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner. According to CMT, the five artists have cumulatively sold over 20 million single downloads and have garnered over 10.2 million video streams on CMT.com.
The special is scheduled to tape in Nashville and will feature cuisine prepared by season four 'Top Chef' winner Stephanie Lizard.

Highest-earning women

Forbes has released its list of the Top 10 highest-earning women in the entertainment industry, with country superstar Taylor Swift caught in a four-way tie for fourth place, earning a cool $45 million between May 2010 and May 2011. Taylor has the distinction of being one of music's richest women, coming in second only to pop phenomenon Lady Gaga, who raked in a whopping $90 million during the same time period.
The 'Sparks Fly' singer's self-made millions were earned through her music endeavors, most notably her wildly successful Speak Now world tour and the 2010 multi-platinum album of the same name. Although the singer-songwriter co-penned many of her past hits with other Nashville tunesmiths, Taylor solely wrote every song that appears on the standard and deluxe versions of her latest album, 'Speak Now,' including the huge crossover hits 'Mean,' 'Back to December' and 'Mine.'
Once again, talk show pioneer Oprah Winfrey tops the list of leading ladies, earning $290 million. According to Forbes' estimation, the talk show host and OWN Network founder is worth $2.7 billion.
Top 10 Highest-Earning Women in Entertainment:
Oprah Winfrey -$290 million
Lady Gaga - $90 million
Bethenny Frankel - $55 million
Gisele Bundchen - $45 million
Ellen DeGeneres - $45 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin - $45 million
Taylor Swift - $45 million
Katy Perry - $44 million
Beyonce - $35 million
Danielle Steel - $35 million
The latest millionaire countdown comes on the heels of Forbes' list of highest-paid country singers, with Taylor placing second behind country heavyweight Toby Keith. Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood and Sugarland round out the list.