The bar will be making a huge donation to Dolly’s Imagination Library. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Day: September 3, 2026
On Aug. 29, Dr. Serena Badgley (now Bailey) and Cameron Bailey were married. The bride’s parents are Al and Crystal Badgley. The groom’s parents are Matt and Nancy Bailey of Hopkinson, Wash. The bride’s brother, Hunter Davidson-Badgley, performed a beautiful wedding ceremony under the grand oak tree at Redlands Family Farm in Oregon City, Ore. He and Spencer Davidson-Badgley arranged the flowers for the event and Cedar Davidson-Badgleywas the flower girl. The bride had…
Luke Fickell has a chance to flip his fortunes in Madison, Wisconsin, quicker than LSU can say, Joey Freshwater was a mistake on Saturday. Fickell — who otherwise might be looking at his fourth and final season as head coach at Wisconsin — is just one win away from having the Badgers faithful chant his name in exuberance. To do that, though, he has to beat his mentee and one of the best programs in the sport — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and his No. 4 Fighting Irish. Perhaps, though, Fickell has done the work necessary to expect to win at Lambeau Field. He’d have you know he’s reached the fifth stage of grief: acceptance. “I’m not naive. I don’t want to be naive. I think for a couple years, at least for a year and a half, I was pretty naive,” he told me and other reporters at Big Ten media days. Wisconsin fans might think that’s an understatement, that they’re not even playing for anything this year, but that’s because they participated in the other four stages of grief too: denial, anger, bargaining and depression. They probably agree, too. Fickell was naive. He knows he was naive to believe he could continue to coach as he had before accepting the job in Madison. He knows he was late to adapt to NIL, to the volatility of the transfer portal, to how difficult it was and will be to return Wisconsin to the top of the Big Ten again. Naive about what it takes to return Wisconsin to respectability? Perhaps. The Badgers haven’t won more than 10 games since 2019, and Fickell has overseen two losing seasons since the Big Ten extended to 18 teams. And now, the Badgers are 20.5-point underdogs against Notre Dame on Sunday in their season opener and haven’t themselves been ranked in the preseason AP or final AP poll since 2019. It’s easy to forget Fickell was one of the best coaches in the country before accepting the job at Wisconsin. He’d won 53 games in five seasons at Cincinnati and is the first head coach to lead a Group of Six team to the College Football Playoff and the only head coach in the four-team CFP era. It’s also easy to forget that Wisconsin has won 99 games in the age of the CFP and has never received an invitation to participate. Only six teams have won more games and never made the playoff, and only three of them are Power Four programs (BYU, Utah and Iowa). But, to put it kindly, Wisconsin is slipping. It’s been slipping since former Badgers coach Paul Chryst was fired in the middle of the 2022 season, and that’s, in part, due to Fickell. In July, he admitted he missed the essential meaning behind a phrase former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer used to remind coaches just how important the task of staying locked into their jobs is for their futures. “If you sleep on the game, you’ll wake up one day, and you’ll be passed by,” Fickell said. “You’ll forget what to do. I always thought that was scheme to me. Like right, you are continuing to evolve in the scheme of things. The truth of the matter is it’s not recognizing what’s going on within the landscape of things.” Fickell is an old-school ball coach. He thinks of Wisconsin football like a family business that’s been around since 1889. Not like a startup — a project led by a visionary entrepreneur with a commitment to developing a scalable business model that makes the company grow at 10 times the valuation every five years out of necessity to feed profits and the hunger of investors. On Saturday, Fickell will shake hands with and coach against Freeman, a man he helped teach to become not just head coach but also one who has never slept on the game. Freeman’s team is one of the best in the game, and that’s because, along with being a great coach, he understands the importance the transfer portal, eligibility rules and name, image and likeness play in the Fighting Irish’s pursuit of their first national championship since 1988. Given the success Freeman has had since becoming head coach in South Bend, Indiana — notably reaching the CFP national championship game in 2025 and posting a 43-12 record since taking over as head coach — it’s no surprise that Fickell has forced himself and his staff to answer difficult questions about what’s stopping the Badgers from competing on the same plane as the Notre Dame team they’ll face in Week 1. Fickell is the first to admit there are no shortcuts to success on that level. It’s a slower process than fans, his investors, would like. And Fickell knows the absence of results this season could lead to him being out as head coach at Wisconsin. His seat is hot. “There are easy ways to go about it,” Fickell said. “And I think there are people out there that do take some easy ways. You sure as hell aren’t going to do that here. Whether that means you’re on a hotter seat than you were before, I don’t know if it can get much [hotter].” It could also get cool. Fickell is a win away from rewriting his and the Badgers’ future. A win against this Notre Dame team could do just that.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
‘It’s about celebration of all kinds of country music…new, old, traditional, current, however you wanna say it,’ Ballerini said. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Southern Italy’s cuisine is markedly different from the rest of the country, largely thanks to Arab colonization. Replicate its iced coffee with this syrup.
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If you think high-quality balsamic vinegar always costs exorbitant amounts of money, think again. Consumer Reports highlighted an affordable option.
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Last week, after the passing of beloved icon Dolly Parton, an intimate memorial service took place.
She was a philanthropist, a cultural institution, and a world-class entertainer who delighted generations.
Parton could have had a funeral with all of the bells and whistles. Instead, there was a small and intimate memorial.
Why?
Dolly Parton ‘wanted it very small’
On the Thursday, September 3 episode of Today, Dolly Parton’s cousin, Richie Owens, discussed laying her to rest.
“She wanted to keep it very quiet,” Owens emphasized.
“And,” he pointed out, “the word keeps getting brought up, ‘a funeral.’”
Owens suggested: “I don’t believe that is really the case in the situation.”
Not all memorials are funerals. These labels carry a lot of meaning for a lot of people, especially loved ones who are mourning a beloved family member.
Owens pointed out how his legendary cousin how shares a tombstone with her late husband, who passed away in early 2025.
“It was a burial to be buried beside her husband,” he detailed.
“And,” Owens emphasized, “she wanted it very small.”
By all accounts there were only 10 relatives there to lay her body to rest.
“A few family members were there,” Owens acknowledged. “Other people, I’m sure, would have liked to [have] been there, were either out doing other things and stuff.”
‘She wanted to keep it very, very private’
“It was very quiet,” Richie Owens said of Dolly Parton’s burial.
He described the affair as “very quickly done and not for any bad reasons whatsoever.”
Owens summarized: “It’s just what she wanted.”
Parton could have had an ostentatious funeral, with celebrities, massive crowds, and heads of state paying their respects. That was not her wish, however.
“She wanted to keep it very,” her cousin reiterated, “very private.”
Whatever other feelings she may have had about the end of her life, Parton also would not have wanted money to go to “waste” on a funeral when it could go towards helping more people.
“She really cared about her charities,” Owens described, referring to the Imagination Library among other projects.
“What you saw from Dolly is what she was in real life at home,” he confirmed. “[She was] personable, magical, just very giving.”
Owens added: “You got the same thing, she didn’t turn it on and off. Dolly was always Dolly. She had the greatest sense of humor.”
With the exception of perhaps a few disturbed individuals, the entire world continues to mourn Parton’s loss.
Dolly Parton Didn’t Want a Big Funeral: ‘She Wanted to Keep It Very … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
By: Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
The suicide-death rate for young Alaskans hit a 10-year high last year and the rate of suicide attempts has increased over the past decade, state health officials reported.
From 2016 to 2025, there were 174 suicide deaths among Alaska youths under the age of 18 and 4,101 documented suicide attempts, according to a bulletin released by the Alaska Department of Health’s epidemiology section. The median age of those who died was 16, the bulletin said. The fatality rate, 19.2 per 100,000 children aged 10 to 18, was the highest rate since 2016.
Overall, Alaska’s youth suicide rate is nearly six times the nation average, the bulletin said.
Boys were victims in the vast majority of youth suicides over the 10-year period, accounting for 81% of the deaths, and most used firearms. Girls accounted for about three-quarters of the documented suicide attempts, according to the bulletin.
Those statistics point to “the need to prioritize timely follow-up and intervention following attempts among females and efforts to reduce access to highly lethal means (particularly firearms) among males during periods of crisis,” the bulletin siad..
For Alaska Native youths, the statistics are especially grim. Over the decade-long period, the suicide fatality rate among Alaska Natives aged 10 to 18 was 47 per 100,000 children, more than twice the state rate. The rate of documented suicide attempts was 1,098 per 100,000 children, also more than twice the state rate, according to the bulletin.
Special care should be used to address the problem among Indigenous youth, the bulletin said.
“The disproportionate burden of suicide among Alaska Native youth underscores the need for prevention strategies that are culturally responsive and community informed,” the bulletin said.
Statistics cited in the bulletin come from the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System and the Alaska Health Facilities Data Reporting system. The bulletin noted that statistics on suicide attempts likely understate the numbers because some attempts do not result in encounters with the healthcare system and therefore probably go unreported.
Suicide is also a major threat for adults in Alaska, state records show.
It was the sixth leading cause of death in the state across all age groups, according to the most recent Department of Health status report in the Healthy Alaskans program. In comparison, suicide ranks 11th among causes of death nationally, according to the report.
There are some prevention programs in place in the state.
One is the national 988 crisis line, which in 2025 alone received nearly 44,000 calls from Alaskans.
Other programs are tailored to Alaska Native communities. One of those was designed for the rural Yukon-Kuskokwim region in Western Alaska by the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And the Indian Health Service has a national program called the Zero Suicide Initative.
While suicides have been inching up over time, that “doesn’t necessarily mean that prevention strategies haven’t been successful,” Ashley Hannigan, a state epidemiologist who helped write the bulletin, said by email.
“It’s difficult or impossible to pin down the number of suicide attempts prevented by programming like the careline/988 or the Zero Suicide initiative,” Hannigan said. “The peak we see in 2025 for youth and adolescent suicide does emphasize the need to focus on youth-specific, and culturally tailored suicide prevention strategies, however.”
One idea for preventing youth suicide emerged this year in the Alaska State Legislature, but it was rejected by the governor.
Lawmakers passed a measure, Senate Bill 41, that would have established mental health guidelines for public schools. Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, the bill’s prime sponsor, described youth suicide as “a crisis that impacts every community in our state,” and said the bill would expand mental health services to children who need them but might otherwise lack access.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the bill on June 18. In his veto message, he said student mental health was important but that the bill would place the state “in the role of imposing upon school districts to mandate the development of mental health education at a time when districts are already working to meet existing requirements.”
Lawmakers attempted the next day to override the veto but fell short of votes to do so.
Will LSU and Lane Kiffin shut out the noise and defeat Clemson? Will we see a Week 1 upset or a jaw-dropping performance that changes early perceptions of conference and national title projections? Boise State is one of the top Group of Six schools, but can it take down Oregon? Will UCLA or Cal prevail in an old-school “Pac-12 After Dark” rivalry? College football is officially back in full swing, and we’ve got some picks of the week, along with answers to those questions and more. We’re breaking down our straight-up picks for Week 1, from LSU-Clemson to Notre Dame-Wisconsin. Let’s get into it. When: Friday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CaliforniaLine: Miami -24.5 RJ Young: Miami Darian Mensah doesn’t just have Cooper Barkate to throw to any longer, but sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney should have an even bigger role for the Hurricanes this season. Michael Cohen: Miami There’s plenty of buzz around Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, but how about Hurricanes’ dynamo Malachi Toney? He should come out flying against Stanford after catching more than 100 passes as a true freshman last season. Laken Litman: Miami Darian Mensah starts his Heisman Trophy campaign off with a rout of Stanford. Ben Portnoy: Miami Not overthinking this one. The ‘Canes start off their campaign with a West Coast rout and Darian Mensah becomes an early Heisman darling. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaLine: Auburn -7.5 Young: Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 yards as the starter at South Florida last season. I expect his game to translate to SEC football. Cohen: Auburn Not enough credit is given to Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown, a USF transfer who followed head coach Alex Golesh, one of the most productive signal-callers in the country. In addition to his considerable arm talent, Brown could be a 1,000-yard rusher for the second straight year. Litman: Baylor Coach Dave Aranda enters his seventh season at Baylor with a strong non-conference win behind Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway looking sharp. Portnoy: BaylorGive me Baylor and the beginning of the DJ Lagway reclamation project. I like Dave Aranda to cool his seat a touch with a big non-conference victory. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OregonLine: Oregon -24.5 Young: OregonA statement needs to be made. The Ducks are a top-5 team in my top 25 as well as the AP Top 25. This is their first chance to act like it. Cohen: OregonThe Ducks’ offense will always be a high-flying attraction, but that defensive line might be the best in college football. It could be a long day for Broncos’ quarterback Maddux Madsen. Litman: OregonWhile Boise State looks like a College Football Playoff contender, Dante Moore and the Ducks have more talent. Portnoy: Oregon Oregon is going to win this game, but I like Boise to stay competitive. It’s only two years ago that the Broncos took the Ducks down to the wire. It might not be that close, but it’ll be competitive. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LouisianaLine: LSU -10.5 Young: LSUThe Bayou Bengals have the better roster — possibly with former NFL players! — and Tiger Stadium at night is one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the sport. Cohen: LSU The off-field storylines surrounding Lane Kiffin will always scream louder than the action between the hashes. This weekend will be no exception given the eligibility fiasco with the Tigers. But once the ball is actually kicked, people will see just how talented LSU’s roster really is. Litman: LSULane Kiffin’s tenure at LSU begins with a bang by taking down the other Tigers at home. Portnoy: LSU LSU gets the win in the fight over who plays at the real “Death Valley,” and Clemson’s consternation over the Dabo Swinney era only grows. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MichiganLine: Michigan -27.5 Young: Michigan Bryce Underwood is the starting quarterback at Michigan, he is the most talented player on the field and he is why the Wolverines win this one. Cohen: Michigan All eyes will be on quarterback Bryce Underwood, but expect the Michigan rushing attack to carry the Wolverines. By season’s end, there might not be a better one-two running back punch than Jordan Marshall and five-star freshman Savion Hiter. Litman: Michigan Kyle Whittingham gets his first win on the Michigan sideline, and quarterback Bryce Underwood looks more like we thought he would when he came out of high school. Portnoy: Michigan Kyle Wittingham gets his first victory in Ann Arbor, but don’t be surprised if returning MAC Offensive Player of the Year Broc Lowry makes a few plays for the Broncos. When: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CaliforniaLine: UCLA -1.5 Young: UCLA Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is my sleeper pick for ACC Offensive Player of the Year. But UCLA is a more complete football roster, and new head coach Bob Chesney has shown he can do more with less. Cohen: Cal A sneaky contender for best game of Week 1 between two programs on the upswing. The Bears have won the offseason, hiring new head coach Tosh Lupoi, and will ride that momentum to a win. Litman: UCLA New coach Bob Chesney starts off with a win as quarterback Nico Iamaleava seems to finally be hitting his stride this season. Portnoy: CalI’m incredibly high on what’s happening in Berkeley, and I like the Golden Bears to be a dark-horse ACC contender. Tosh Lupoi gets braggin’ rights in Year 1 over Bob Chesney. When: Sunday, 4 p.m. ET (NBC)Where: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WashingtonLine: Washington -23.5 Young: Washington Demond Williams Jr. is the closest quarterback to Kyler Murray the sport has seen since the 2018 Heisman winner’s exit. Cohen: Washington Head coach Jedd Fisch continues to build one of the more impressive programs in the country. The Huskies are recruiting at an exceptional level from the high school ranks and have an excellent coaching staff with a proven track record of developing players into pros. Litman: Washington Despite a tumultuous offseason when Demond Williams Jr. entered the transfer portal, the quarterback returns to lead the Huskies to a season-opening win over their in-state rival. Portnoy: Washington I’m bullish on Jedd Fisch and the Huskies. They get a nice Apple Cup victory to open the campaign and put a stormy offseason behind them. When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WisconsinLine: Notre Dame: -20.5 Young: Notre DameThe talent deficit looks too large for Wisconsin to overcome. Cohen: Notre Dame This one could get ugly in a hurry. The Fighting Irish have one of the most talented rosters in college football and are still fueled by last year’s perceived CFP snub. Litman: Notre Dame We know coach Marcus Freeman hates to lose, and this will begin the Fighting Irish revenge tour after missing the CFP last season. Portnoy: Notre Dame Marcus Freeman’s season starts off with a bang as the Fighting Irish march toward a CFP-or-bust season. I also like quarterback CJ Carr to get his Heisman campaign started early. When: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TennesseeLine: Ole Miss -6.5 Young: Ole Miss Trinidad Chambliss’ Heisman campaign began on Sunday with his helmet featured on the Vegas sphere. This season, 4,000/1,000/40/10 is within his reach. He should lead the Rebels past Louisville. Cohen: Ole Miss Even if the Rebels struggle to regain last season’s form, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ veteran presence should be enough to push Ole Miss to an opening win. He’s a Heisman Trophy candidate for a reason. Litman: Louisville The Cardinals pull out an upset with new Ohio State transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, giving Ole Miss and Pete Golding an early loss with Lane Kiffin and LSU looming in Week 3. Portnoy: Louisville I’m incredibly skeptical of Ole Miss returning to the form it showed under Lane Kiffin, while Jeff Brohm has been a model of consistency at his alma mater. I’m picking a big win for the ACC. When: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FloridaLine: SMU -3.5 Young: SMU The Mustangs are who Florida State used to be in the ACC. Cohen: SMUThis could be the beginning of the end for Florida State head coach Mike Norvell. Shocking to think that SMU has surpassed Florida State in the college football hierarchy, but here we are. Litman: SMUThe Mustangs begin their journey to the CFP by toppling Florida State as Mike Norvell’s tenure continues to go sideways. Portnoy: SMU Kevin Jennings eases into his third year as starting quarterback in Dallas, and the red flags we saw in Week 0 prove too much for Mike Norvell’s squad.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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Taylor Frankie Paul may never get her shot at a televised happily-ever-after, but apparently, she did get a proposal.
And, because this is Taylor we’re talking about, the romantic moment was followed by an extremely complicated trip home.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star reveals in an upcoming episode that she accepted a marriage proposal while filming her canceled season of The Bachelorette.
In a SLOMW promotional clip that aired on Hulu’s “Get Real” podcast, Taylor is asked by costar Jessi Draper whether she got engaged during her time on the ABC dating show.
“Yes. Yes, I did,” she answers.
So much for keeping those Bachelorette spoilers under wraps.
Taylor does not identify the man who proposed, but the women quickly make it pretty obvious who they believe he is.
The suitor is seemingly Doug Mason, who shares the same initials as Taylor’s on-again, off-again ex, Dakota Mortensen.
And the similarities don’t end there.
“They have the same initials. They’re both from Idaho. It’s so weird,” Jessi points out.
Taylor insists she didn’t initially notice just how much Doug and Dakota had in common.
“I didn’t start thinking that until people said it around me,” she explains.
But the proposal apparently wasn’t the end of Taylor’s romantic complications.
After accepting the ring, Taylor returned home — and, according to her own account, she was still communicating with Dakota.
“Then, I come home. Obviously [Dakota] were texting. ‘When are you going to be home?’ I don’t know how it led to it but he came over,” Taylor says.
Because apparently coming home from a dating show where you just accepted another man’s proposal and immediately reconnecting with your ex wasn’t complicated enough.
Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was filmed but ultimately never aired. ABC canceled the season in March, just days before its scheduled premiere, after video surfaced of a 2023 domestic altercation involving Taylor and Dakota.
The cancellation left Bachelor Nation with plenty of unanswered questions — including who Taylor chose, whether she actually got engaged and what happened after filming ended.
Now, viewers are finally getting at least one of those answers.
And considering Taylor’s relationship history with Dakota, it sounds like that engagement came with considerably more baggage than your average Bachelorette Neil Lane moment.
There were rumors that ABC would finally air Taylor’s season over the summer, but that obviously didn’t happen.
Fans will presumably learn even more about Taylor’s short-lived journey to the altar when The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 premieres on Hulu September 10.
Taylor Frankie Paul: I Got Engaged on ‘The Bachelorette’ … And Then … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip