Perhaps, the Southern background (or, in Bruce’s case, residence) of many of my gay friends makes Dolly Parton appear to rank with Judy, Barbra and Ethel in our diva pantheon. And it seems nearly all (yes, I said that right, nearly all) of my gay conservative friends love Dolly.

In sixteen days, she’s appearing for the first time ever at the Hollywood Bowl. And two films at Outfest (opening tonight) feature this country diva. On Saturday, July 16, you can catch Hollywood to Dollywood, a documentary about gay twins who, in an RV named Jolene, set out on a cross country trek to get their script to the buxom blond.

And on Wednesday, July 13, you can singalong with Dolly (et al.) in the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas on a very big screen at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater.

Click on the movie titles for ticket information; (more…)

I’m sorry to interrupt WeinerGate… but I wanted to say hello from I-40 West near Knoxville, TN. I’m on our 3rd annual Nashville road trip for the CMA MusicFest this week.

To keep track of my escapades, please follow me on Twitter!

The awesome week of Country Music starts tonight with the Grand Ole Opry show. The lineup is amazing: Darius Rucker, Martina McBride, Oak Ridge Boys, Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood. I know! Awesome, right.

You can listen to the show at 10:30 Eastern on Opry.com.

I’ll try to tweet or post some pics tonight.

More from Nashville later!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Good evening everyone from Music City, USA. If you follow me on Twitter you know that PatriotPartner and I are on vacation in Nashville, TN.

Our normal Nashville trip is in June for the CMA MusicFest. But we decided to come during Christmastime because of Garth Brooks. Garth is having a series of charity concerts to raise money for victims of the historic floods that hit Middle TN this past May.

Tonight is the concert for us, but Garth will have had about 20 shows over 10 days when it’s all done. News reports say the effort has raised over $3.5 million.

Thanks Garth. And Merry Christmas Nashville!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

It speaks for itself.  I’m honored that John Schwarzman, the artist, emailed me to make me aware of his work!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

What the hell am I talking about?  Go check it out at BigHollywood.com!

In the meantime, here’s a sample…

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Simple, yet effective country song about the state of our nation and how fed up most Americans are. (h/t – GP reader Spartann)

Unfortunately, standing up against the Obama Administration carries a heavy price. 

Bryan Glover, an assistant coach at Grassland Middle School near Nashville, co-wrote the country music song, “When You’re Holding a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail.”

It was co-written by a parent who has a child on the team. Glover, 26, said he emailed a copy of the song to friends, family members and player’s parents through his personal email account.

And that’s when all the trouble started for the self-described independent conservative.

“The coach called me and said parents were upset – that I was being politically incorrect and the song had racial overtones,” Glover told FOX News Radio. “An hour and a half later I was told I was being terminated.”

“I was informed that I was being let go because of the song,” he said, denying claims there were any racial overtones in the song.

Racial overtones?  Good lord.  Hasn’t the “race card” expired already for overuse?

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Hey y’all. Things are great in Nashville this week on our Country Music vacation. But you’d know that if you FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

Couple of quick notes – the CMA MusicFest will air (edited) on ABC on Sept. 1st.

And I’m keeping the photos I take this week up to date at my FLICKR site.

Here’s one from this morning’s Josh Turner fan club party.

More later….

Hey all. We are only a couple hours away from the CMT Music Awards here in Nashville. It is hard to see, but the attached photo is the “Blue Carpet” where Country Music’s stars are entering the Bridgestone Arena.

Last night’s Grand Ole Opry show was phenomenal. Carrie Underwood’s voice gave me goosebumps. Especially when she bridged “Jesus, Take The Wheel” into “How Great Thou Art.” Whoa!

Trisha Yearwood & Josh Turner were also fan-friggin-tastic.

Anyway, I’m trying to keep folks updated on the Nashville trip on Twitter. Follow Me!

Gentle readers, PatriotPartner & I are on vacation for the next week — bound for the CMA MusicFest in Nashville, TN.  We leave Monday afternoon, with a stopover in Knoxville.  Who knows, maybe we’ll run into Instapundit?

Anyway, my blogging will be very slow during the CMA MusicFest.  I’m not bringing a computer — but will put up an occasional post from Nashville via my iPhone.

However, if you really want to know how CMA MusicFest is going from our perspective — well, you should be following me on Twitter!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

UPDATE (from Dan):  Bruce, Nashville’s a great town.  Wish I could have stayed longer.   Should you get the chance, make sure to check out the Parthenon:

PatriotPartner and I are in Nashville for the annual CMA Country Music Festival. Last night was our first ever visit to Grand Ole Opry for a great show: Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Ricky Skaggs, Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels Band and a few others. Quite an event!

All week there are concerts and events, many free, in downtown Nashville.

I’ll be having more regular updates with photos at Twitter: GayPatriot on Twitter.

That’s all for now!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Today we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the nuptials of Ronald Reagan and his beloved Nancy. Her strength and affection helped him become the great man that he was. And his appreciation of this strong woman helped define his quality as a man.

Few presidents were as devoted to their wives as was the Gipper to his Nancy. So, in celebration of their romance, I post this touching tribute I found on youtube:

My apologies for a somewhat delayed posting.  On Friday Night PatriotPartner, PatriotMom and I trekked to the Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Ooops!  Now the TimeWarner Cable Arena!) to hear two of the titans of today’s country music:  Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood.

The concert was great although Carrie’s portion was a bit weaker due to what seemed to us to be a sound-mixer not doing his/her job; Carrie’s voice was drowned out by the very LOUD band supporting her.  It wasn’t her voice because when the slower songs came on (lower background music), that velvety voice of hers filled the Bobcats Arena.  She also came out later to duet with Keith Urban and they both sounded great.  I’m kinda ticked because while Partner & Mom are more Keith fans than I, I was REALLLLY looking forward to hearing Carrie.   I guess there will be a next time.

Here are some pics from the show.   I’ll upload a couple videos later.

By the way, there’s nothing much to say about Keith Urban’s performance.  He was flawless, a great performer, awesome voice, and nice T-shirt!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

This is somewhat of a delayed posting from our bankrupting vacation to Las Vegas in May.  As many of you know, two of my favorite country music artists are Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.  Both were honored at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas (with Patriot Family firmly embedded in their seats) as Female and Male Vocalists of the Year, respectively.

PatriotPartner and I had the pleasure of seeing Brad Paisley (plus Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift and Jack Ingram) play in Charlotte in late July.   Paisley throws an incredible concert which rivals anything I’ve seen recently from Bon Jovi to U2 to the big names in Vegas.  If Brad is coming your way, go to the show! 

So, if George Strait is the current reigning “King of Country Music”, then surely Brad is Country’s Prince.

As a bit of a departure from serious subjects, I draw your attention to this profile of Brad Paisley that was featured in today’s Charlotte Observer.

There’s plenty of humor on “5th Gear” — so much that Blender magazine wrote: “If Brad Paisley weren’t a country superstar, he could be a comedian …Nashville has always welcomed punchline-packed novelty tunes, and Paisley’s well-nigh-perfect new album will deepen his reputation as a master of the art.”

Besides the humor, what sets Paisley apart from most country stars is his guitar playing. Like Keith Urban and Vince Gill, Paisley could be a lead guitarist in any country or rock band.  His influences include Nashville pickers but also big names from the rock world.

When writing tunes for “5th Gear,” he found himself in a reflective mood about his teen years because he was about to become a father.

“It’s the closest I get to a second chance — this little boy,” the proud papa said.

William Huckleberry Paisley was born in February. Dad came up with the middle name, which is what the parents are calling him.

“I threw out the possibility of that name and Kim loved it instantly; I was instantly prepared for five more options,” he said. “We like the uniqueness of it. I love Mark Twain. I love what Huckleberry Finn as a character stood for — this free thinker, sort of outdoor adventurer.”

Long Live Prince Paisley!  (And his cute wife Kim and Baby Huck Paisley, too!)

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Hey everybody….. vacation is over (well, until Memorial Day weekend!) and I’m back on the road for work.  This week:  West Virginia & Atlanta.

As the week goes along, I’ll be doing some postings (with photos) about our trip to Vegas last week and more specifically about the Academy of Country Music Awards.  Cliffnotes Version:  Great Trip.  Expensive.  ACM Awards Show was incredible!  Lots of country music star sightings.

So just letting everyone know I’m alive and well… and I didn’t lose my house at the Poker Tournament!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Okay, so we’ve made the executive decision to leave the laptop at home and enjoy the trip, sans blogging.  I promise I’ll take photos of any County Music Stars we come in contact with this week at the MGM Grand.  And a full report on the Vegas trip and the Academy of Country Music Awards show when I return next weekend.

Don’t forget to tune into the ACM Awards Tuesday night on CBS-TV at 8pm Eastern/Pacific.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Just a couple more work days and I’ll be Vegas-bound for the Academy of Country Music Awards vacation.

Today, I continue the ACM Countdown with Top Female Vocalist.  Well, I’m in love with Carrie Underwood.  She has rocketed from American Idol winner to Grammy winner in just two years.  She is probably the most successful Idol contestant so far (including Kelly Clarkson). 

But I’m torn here because I also love Martina McBride and have seen her in concert and really love her music. 

And, I’ve also seen Sara Evans… think she has an amazing voice… and frankly, she is smoking hot. 

Next Tuesday, the Academy of Country Music will decide who the Top Female Vocalist is.  When it comes down to it, I think this is one of the strongest categories.  All of these women are outstanding. 

Today, you can pick your favorite.

This year we decided to combine two Patriot favorite past times into one vacation.  One week from tomorrow night, PatriotPartner, PatriotMom and I will be in the audience for the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards — live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas!

We leave this coming Saturday for a week’s vacation in Vegas including the ACM Awards on Tuesday May 15, and the “Music & Passion” Barry Manilow show at the Hilton a week from this Thursday.  Hopefully there will be some time where I can post photos of the festivities during our trip.

To start the countdown this week, I thought it would be fun to post a poll of the nominees to get your thoughts.  Of course, we start off with Top Male Vocalist.

My pick is Brad!

More countdown to the ACM Awards all week and this weekend…

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

If you are looking for a very good alternative to American Idol or Grease: You’re The One That I Want and if you think that E.R. jumped the shark a few years ago… tune into the USA Network on Thursday nights at 10PM Eastern for NASHVILLE STAR! 

The 5th season of Nashville Star began tonight with ten uber-talented country music singers.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Idol… but there is more natural singing and performing talent in the ten Nashville Star singers than most of the American Idol wannabees combined.

Two of my early favorites based on the first show…

Angela Hacker - a Mom chasing her life-long dream after working hard to support her young boy.  She has a great voice and reminds me of Bonnie Raitt but with a softer and more intense emotion.

David St. Romain – a fellow Louisanian!  I thought David was the best male performer tonight and had the most mature singing voice, despite his baby face.  Outstanding. 

An honorable mention for first impressions goes to Dustin Wilkes – former US Marine.  Think the looks of Keith Anderson combined with Billy Currington and the heart and soul of Darrell Worley.

A great first show this season.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

For the second time this year, PatriotPartner and I will be attending the awesome Brad Paisley concert.   Back in April we drove to Knoxville, but tonight Brad comes to us!

Sara Evans is opening….which has me almost excited as hearing Brad again.  Sara and Billy Currington opened for Brad in Knoxville.

It is nice to enjoy our new hometown of Charlotte in the ways that we have.  Maybe Washington, DC has more things to do…. but in Charlotte you can actually get there without sitting in traffic for an hour to go 5 miles.

Welcome Brad & Sara!  We will see you tonight!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The Brad Paisley concert on Thursday night in Knoxville was incredible. PatriotPartner and I recently bought a bunch of western wear duds, including my first pair of cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. So we got all dressed up for the part and headed to the Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee (home of the Instapundit!)

We found ourselves only about 5 rows from center stage on the floor. I have never been that close to the stage in any of my limited concert-going experiences. Brad was great and we and thousands of others wound up being part of a Country Music Association promo to air on CBS in the coming weeks. The CMA awards are on May 23rd from Las Vegas.

Plus, after the “official concert”, Brad shot a video for an upcoming new single: “The World“. There were giant beach balls that looked like Planet Earth being bounced around the audience during the song. Awesome. So look for us close to center stage in any of those video clips!

Also, Sara Evans did an incredible opening set for Brad. She sings so many songs that I know that it wasn’t hard to sing along to every one. She is a high energy performer, and quite a hot-looking woman I might add. She is a mom of three kids and has been married for 12 years! And the girl looks 24. Tammy Bruce would enjoy. Heh heh.

Sara’s newest song is a great country riff and she told the crowd it is one of her favorites now. “Cheatin’”

The night in Knoxville started off with smoking hottie country singer Billy Currington. Let me tell you folks, Ace from American Idol could learn a helluva lot about the “smoldering” look from Billy Currington. Whoa! He also sang some great songs like “Party for Two” (a duet with Shania Twain) that he sang with the ladies in the audience, and his very smoldering new hit “Must Be Doin’ Something Right.” If Billy comes to your town…. I suggest all the guys and girls check him out. Great performance, high energy, easy on the eyes.

These aren’t photos from our concert, because stupid GayPatriot forgot to bring his camera…. and we would have gotten awesome photos considering how close we were! But you get the idea.

********

Tonight, we are headed to the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena to see another one of our favorites. Martina McBride! I *will* be taking my camera… and hope to post some photos tomorrow. We are going to be going early as both of our local country stations are having tailgating parties before the show.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)