‘American Idol’ alum Caleb Flynn, who once praised his wife on TV, now faces murder charges in connection with her shooting death. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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‘American Idol’ alum Caleb Flynn, who once praised his wife on TV, now faces murder charges in connection with her shooting death. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
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When Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home on February 1, her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, stepped away from the Today show in order to be with her family in Tucson.
Now, as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its fourth week, sources close to the situation believe that Savannah will never return to Today.
One insider went so far as to say that “there’s no way” that Savannah will return to her seat at the anchor’s desk following the events of the past few weeks.
“There’s no way Savannah’s coming back,” one source told Status News this week. “I can’t imagine she would even want to.”
Another source, identified only as a TV executive, says that Savannah’s retirement from television would be a massive blow to Today.
“If you could pick one person across the span of morning TV that a show would not want to lose, it would be Savannah,” said the insider.
“Savannah was always the glue on that show, and without that, this whole paradigm of our morning anchor team as a family, that connective tissue has just been ripped out,” the source adds.
Speaking with Page Six, Today show sources would not speculate on Savannah’s future with the show.
“Everyone at Today is taking this day by day, and of course giving Savannah the grace, time and support she needs,” one source told the outlet.
“The entire show and network is rallying together in support of our beloved colleague and friend as we navigate this unimaginable time,” a second source told Page Six.
A third insider noted that Savannah is “devastated” by the disappearance of her mother.
“She looks devastated. She looks like she’s struggling. She can’t be doing well,” said the source, adding:
“Anyone who knows her is obviously so worried about her,” the source added.
We’re sure the future of her career is the furthest thing from Savannah’s mind at the moment.
But when she is ready to return to the spotlight, she might be more geared toward writing a memoir about her recent experiences or helping families who have been victimized via crime journalism.
As for Nancy, despite several promising leads, the 84-year-old remains missing, and police appear to be no closer to apprehending her kidnappers.
TMZ staff received yet another ransom note this week, but they are still unable to verify the authenticity of these emails.
With each passing day, the situation becomes more grim, but Savannah and her family say they are holding out hope that Nancy is still alive and will be returned to them.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Savannah Guthrie Will Likely Never Return to ‘Today’ Show Following … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Werder Bremen, a top German soccer team, is canceling its planned trip to Minnesota this summer, after violence and political chaos engulfed Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s major immigration enforcement push in January.
“Playing in a city where there’s unrest and people have been shot, that does not fit with our values here at Werder Bremen,” Christoph Pieper, the club’s head of communications, said in a statement. “Furthermore, it was unclear for us which players could be able to enter the United States due to the stricter entry requirements.”
The administration sent roughly 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minneapolis beginning in December, in a deportation effort dubbed Operation Metro Surge. Agents killed two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate incidents last month as demonstrations spread throughout the city.
And while White House border czar Tom Homan announced the White House was ending its surge in Minnesota last week, Werder Bremen’s cancellation is far from the only economic fallout of the surge. Minneapolis city leaders announced last Friday that the operation had resulted in a more than $200 million financial impact.
Werder Bremen, one of the founding members of the Bundesliga and a winner of four German championships, has a reputation as one of the most progressive clubs in Europe. The club left X for Bluesky in 2024 due to “hate speech, hatred towards minorities, right-wing extremist posts and conspiracy theories” that had “been allowed to spread on X at an incredible pace,” it said in a statement at the time.
“We as a club, we have clear values,“ Pieper said Friday. “Our club stands for an open, pluralistic and united society. We are committed to ensuring that all people — regardless of their origin, skin colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability — are naturally included and have a firm place in our community.”
The global soccer community has largely been kind to President Donald Trump since his return to the White House last year. The U.S. — alongside Canada and Mexico — is playing host to the quadrennial FIFA World Cup this summer. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has worked to court Trump’s favor, presenting him with a new FIFA Peace Prize in December and pledging millions for the White House’s Board of Peace initiative this week.
Werder Bremen is in the midst of a difficult season in the Bundesliga, languishing in 16th place in the league table with just four wins in the first 22 games of this year’s campaign. But just last year, the team finished in the league’s top 10 — with a 51-point effort keyed by 10 goals from Danish striker Jens Stage.
Politics
Season 4 of ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ is changing the format with three farmers, deeper connections and more on-screen romance. From dating in small towns to awkward on-camera kisses and whether the show actually worked, the farmers are spilling behind-the-scenes details ahead of the April 21 premiere. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Season 4 of ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ is changing the format with three farmers, deeper connections and more on-screen romance. From dating in small towns to awkward on-camera kisses and whether the show actually worked, the farmers are spilling behind-the-scenes details ahead of the April 21 premiere. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
As the 21st century churns on, many sit-down chains struggle to stay relevant. One company has big plans to restore its restaurants to their former glory.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
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Kelly Clarkson will soon be singing a different professional tune.
As previously reported, the beloved singer and celebrity confirmed a few weeks ago that she would be ending her popular talk show this fall after seven seasons on the air.
Not because it was faltering in the ratings.
But because Clarkson needed to shift her focus.
Said the original American Idol champion at the time:
“Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives. This isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on The Voice from time to time … you never know where I might show up next.
“But for now, I want to thank y’all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years.”
Appearing on the February 20 episode of Today, meanwhile, Clarkson elaborated on this decision — which she arrived at after her ex-husband (and the father of her two children) passed away last August after a battle with cancer.
“I think everybody probably gets the timing,” the 43-year old explained. “Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now, so I think … it’s one of those things when you kinda start seeing life with how it is precious, too.”
Clarkson shared kids River Rose, 11, and Remington, 9, with Brandon Blackstock, who passed in 2025 at age 48.
The beloved artist broadly addressed this tragedy in a social media message about a month later — and has been understandably devastated ever since, according to those close to her.
“I know everybody thinks, ‘Oh, she’s quitting,’ but I still have other jobs,” Clarkson emphasized to Today anchor Carson Daly. “I’m still doing stuff. There’s just too much on the plate. So I was like, you know what, it’s time to kinda pull back.”
If anyone is somehow blaming Kelly Clarkson for quitting, well… that person ought to take a long, deep look in the mirror.
Clarkson continued on Friday morning:
“It’s amazing, that’s what was really hard [because] the crew’s been incredible. … That was a really hard thing for me, but an easy decision there as a momma.”
While announcing that The Kelly Clarkson Show’s seventh season would be its last, Clarkson gushed over the community she built behind the scenes.
“I have been extremely fortunate to work with such an outstanding group of people at The Kelly Clarkson Show, both in Los Angeles and New York.
“There have been so many amazing moments and shows over these seven seasons. I am forever grateful and honored to have worked alongside the greatest band and crew you could hope for, all the talent and inspiring people who have shared their time and lives with us, all the fans who have supported our show and to NBC for always being such a supportive and incredible partner.”
Kelly Clarkson: This is Why I’m Ending My Talk Show… was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
![<a href="https://countrynow.com/get-to-know-brooke-lee-from-small-town-beginnings-to-sophomore-ep-and-big-2026-plans-exclusive/" target="_blank">Get to Know Brooke Lee: From Small-Town Beginnings to Sophomore EP and Big 2026 Plans [Exclusive]</a>](https://countrynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Untitled-design-13-683x1024.jpg)
Before Nashville became her home away from home, Brooke Lee had to earn her place in the city with late nights on Broadway, early mornings at day jobs, and a whole lot of networking in the community. That grind helped shape her into the artist she is today, as she prepares for a big year ahead, including a national campaign spot, a major tour opportunity, and the release of her sophomore EP.
Music has been a part of Lee’s life for as long as she can remember, but a concert at 13 with her dad showed her she was destined for the stage. Her dad continued to support her dreams from that moment forward, acting as her manager in the band she formed a few years later. This would eventually give her the boost to move to Nashville at 21 years old and launch the next phase of her career.
Now working alongside Spirit Music Publishing and signed with CAA, Lee is looking forward to dropping sophomore EP, Desert Darling, on April 17. Leading the six-song project is her newest single, “Burn To Black,” which offers a powerful, mid-tempo look at heartbreak and captures the kind of memories that are hard to escape when you fall too fast and too hard. Additionally, the songstress just dropped the title track to the forthcoming project, giving fans another look at what’s to come.
In between the new music releases, fans can catch Lee performing in support of NEEDTOBREATHE’S Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour and partnering with Chevrolet to put a country twist on the brand’s classic “See the USA in Your Chevrolet.” The reimagined track arrived February 5, alongside a national ad staring Lee that made its broadcast debut during the Olympic opening ceremony the following day.
Keep reading to discover how Brooke Lee turned early inspiration into a thriving music career and what’s next for her in 2026.
Can you take us back to that concert you experienced at 13 years old that changed everything for you?
My dad is a huge live music guy. Loves to go watch live music and there was a band Blue Monday and they were all classic rock back home and he got me in, they were having a party. I was in downtown Charlotte, I can see it still. But we walked in and they just had so much energy and the lead singer was a female and she was amazing, just really engaging with the crowd. And you could tell that she was performing, but she just really let herself go on stage and you could tell it was her safe place I guess. And so just feeling that energy and the energy that she could bring to a room and I was like, wow, is this something that I can do myself? I have always sang in church when I was little and stuff, but I think seeing that show really set the fire in me to figure out, how do I do this? Which ended up leading to me starting my first band when I was 15 and my guitar player at the time was 16 and we’re still playing together now. So it was a pretty epic experience to go see them.
How do you feel that having these musical influences around you throughout your upbringing has shaped who you are as an artist today?
My grandfather played piano and he sang, and so I feel like he influenced me a lot. But my parents, as much as my dad loves live music, definitely knows nothing about, I mean, he knows what he knows, but he’s not in music by any means. Both my parents are teachers, so for them I feel like they’ve just been learning as I’ve gone, but they’ve been so, so supportive. And my dad actually managed the band that I started, our guitar player’s Dad was our sound and light guy and from, I don’t know, 15, 16 until we were like 20 or so, they ran the show with us. And so it was just really cool I think having the support of them and our parents and they were at every single show and it’s carried into us moving to Nashville and continuing the journey out here. So I feel like music wise, they didn’t have too much of an influence. He was helpful, my dad would pick our set list out, we didn’t know a lot of classic rock songs. But the support that our parents gave in the house was so beneficial. It was huge.
What was the transition to Nashville like for you?
Oh, it was a crazy transition. For one, I hadn’t really lived too close to the city. I mean, I was like 20 minutes outside of it, but I wasn’t in the city. And when I moved to Nashville, I knew two or three people, I just didn’t really know that many people. And so I got here and I was working and we lived pretty close to the city and our first three months of living in town, our house got robbed and our cars and it was just like, Welcome to Nashville. But it definitely, I feel like made you look back and say, ‘okay, do I really want to do this? Is this worth me being here?’ But it was a grind. I was playing on Broadway five, six nights a week and doing closing shifts, so 10:00 PM to 2:45 AM and it was exhausting, nonstop.
How did you come to sign with Spirit Music Publishing amdist all that?
I worked at Free People at Greenhill’s Mall for maybe a month or so. I wanted a discount on an outfit for a show, so I worked there. But a writer, Jess Cayne came in and she’s with Spirit, who I’m currently signed with, and I just posted a cover on my Instagram and I had asked her to follow me. I was like, I don’t know anyone here and you’re going to the CMA’s so you must know somebody. And so she followed me and sent a cover to Spirit and they stayed in touch for a year and Derek Wells ended up coming to a show on Broadway at 11 o’clock at night to let me know that they were going to offer me. And it was just the sweetest experience, and they have been amazing and just really poured into me, but also they’ve given me the space to just roam and figure out what it is that I want to do without the pressure of needing to blow up or anything. And it’s neat to see all that paying off now.
For the past year, you’ve been steadily releasing music in preparation for your sophomore EP. What can you share about this next musical chapter?
Yeah, I feel like the last year has just been honing in on who I am, both as an artist, but just as a human being and the kind of person I want to be and represent with my music and digging in on the stories that I want to tell and keeping it very authentic. And we’ve been moving a lot of pieces around with production and the players on the music and all these different things and it’s been a really neat year because I feel like this is the year that I was able to really establish who I am and I got to a point where I was really confident with the music we were releasing and it helped us look into this next year and what we wanted to do. And I felt like it was really important to get a project together to really put a stamp on, This is Brooke Lee, and kick the year off with it. So we spent the back half of last year really digging in on a new project called Desert Darling, which releases April 17th and we’ve been starting to release the singles.
“Burn To Black” is the lead track to the upcoming collection. How does this song set the tone for what fans can expect from the project as a whole?
So this EP specifically for me is my 19 to 25 chapter. I just turned 26 a few weeks ago and I wanted to get that chapter and close it and part of that was I went through a breakup. My first serious breakup and heartbreak and the whole thing, and I got into a place where I was starting to date a little bit and getting open to that world and it was just so weird to me being back out and now having the boundaries and also the memories and being able to just love so freely and carefree. And I brought that idea to the room and the other writers, Jon Nite and Danielle Blakey. We related on the topic and we ran with it…I feel like this, like I said, just walks you through a timeline of my 19 to 25 and I always say, my thing is “stay wild, child.” Growing up, my mom always called me a wild child. And so I always have tried to keep that childlike spirit and I feel like this is going to really cater to other wild child’s who are 19 or who are 25 and different points in life. And so it’s very youthful and I feel like it’s feeling weightless with somebody and becoming someone in this chapter of feeling weightless on your own and just becoming who you are. And so I’m excited. I feel like people are going to get some insight on who I am as a person and also be able to see a good direction we’re going in musically.
What has it been like for you to dig deep into those personal experiences of heartbreak and share your stories and lessons with fans?
In a way, it’s a cool closure for me, but it’s also, I always say being on stage is my therapy and it’s my safe place and I feel most myself. And so I feel like every time I sing these songs it brings more healing to it or it becomes more of an anthem and being able to sing songs and record and release songs that come really from my stories, it makes it so easy to connect to. And I think that’s my favorite thing about music is when you can connect with other people through it. And so just keeping it as real as I can, sometimes it stings and opens new or old wounds and stuff, but I think it’s the best way to connect with people and I think people know when you’re being really truly authentic. And so just trying to dig deep and get all the emotion I can into it.
You recently partnered with Chevrolet to sing a modern version of its iconic “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” theme song in a national campaign. What was it like getting to your own country spin on the iconic track?
I have butterflies in my stomach when I get asked that question. It was very, very cool. I personally had never heard the song before, but I’ve always been, I love Chevy and I love what they represent and building the relationship with them and so when they brought up the idea, I was all in on it. When I realized the timeline on it, I was like, I wonder if my grandparents have ever heard this song before. So I called them and they knew every word of it. They were so excited. So I feel like it was already just the coolest partnership and opportunity and I’m still pinching myself over it, but to have the connection with my grandparents has been so special. And then to be able to put my own spin on it and bring it back to life, I guess just being able to carry that in the studio…it’s really neat seeing how chirped up people are getting and I just feel like it’s going to bring just a lot of light and smiles and it’s just a really feel good thing to be able to do.
Whas it like filming the commercial in the unique setting of Castle Rock in Utah?
I was so excited. I am an adrenaline junkie and I tell everyone this, but I am huge on wanting to have the best story at the dinner table and I was like, oh, this is going to win for a long time. It was epic. We got out there and it was in Moab, Utah and it was a 400 feet rock in Moab called Castle Rock and it was way up there, but they had helicopters out there. They took the truck up with the helicopter. I had never been in one before, so sitting up there and everything was safe. They brought myself and the director up there and it was wild. You couldn’t see the ground and you’re surrounded by mountains and snow caps and just red everywhere and it was so beautiful. I am still, I can’t believe it happened. It was just trying to stay in the moment… I always say with my music that I love feeling small and I love traveling because I love feeling small and so I felt tiny there and it was like everything, just the whole world surrounding you and it was really epic. It was a wild experience.
You are also serving as support for NEEDTOBREATHE’S Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour. How did you prepare for this run?
I am so excited, both my manager and I and my guitar player, we always listened to them growing up with our parents and it was just the kid and me was like, oh my gosh, this is a huge win. So I feel like it’s going to be a really good, fill your cup tour for them. So it’ll be very intimate, just a really sweet show, but we’ve just, honestly, this entire week has been just mentally preparing and trying to get rest when the weekend, because between the shows and Chevy, it’s going to be an epic one.
The post Get to Know Brooke Lee: From Small-Town Beginnings to Sophomore EP and Big 2026 Plans [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
In a world where music meets politics, Lee Brice’s new track is strumming some controversial chords, especially with a line that listeners can’t seem to agree on. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country