With a unique mix of superstar poise and girl-next-door wholesomeness, Taylor Swift swept into Ford Field on Saturday for one of the biggest concerts she’s played yet.

It was just the second stadium headlining show of the 21-year-old star’s career, and she made the most of the occasion for a rosy cheeked, young crowd of 47,922 people, fitting two hours of sing-along, scream-along hits into a Broadway-inspired visual spectacle.

The late-evening sun was still seeping through Ford Field’s frosted panes when Swift took the stage at 8:45 p.m., greeted by a colorful array of flashing cell phones, glow-sticks and I-LUV-U-TAYLOR handmade signs.

She paused to take in the extended applause following her opening performance of “Sparks Fly,” her famously innocent demeanor accompanied by a new edge of sultriness.

Bonded with her audience like a best friend or big sister, Swift kept a sweetness in her confident performance, eyes sparkling as she addressed fans.

“You guys are just so nice,” she said.

Even at 5-foot-11-inches and in a glittering fringed dress, Swift often was a small presence in the cavernous Ford Field, and fans’ gazes were often locked onto the video screens flanking her massive stage.

“It’s still sinking in to me that this is a stadium,” she said early in the night.

Her set made room for a touch of country twang, the fetching pop melodies of songs like “You Belong with Me” and the grittier guitars of “Better Than Revenge.”

It was a night of quick costume changes and a show loosely structured in a series of acts, on a versatile stage that saw Swift and her cast of actor-dancers springing up from below.

Swift made her way up a golden gazebo for “The Story of Us,” and watched confetti snow drift across the front rows as she took to a white baby grand piano for a perfectly lovely “Back to December.” A wedding scene — complete with church pews — was rolled out for “Speak Now,” a front-porch hootenanny for “Our Song.”

She had a ukulele in hand for a mid-show spell at a satellite stage on the main floor, having been escorted through the shrieking crowd by a pair of guards.

The sound was often washed out in the reverb-drenched Ford Field, but that was OK for a crowd that knew all these songs inside out.

source:freep

We already knew that Taylor Swift draws a lot of inspiration (perhaps too much!) from her love life. But ever wonder which women in rock history have also made her tick?

In the clip above, the country superstar discusses how she was influenced by Melissa Etheridge and other female musicians in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Women Who Rock: Vison, Passion, Power exhibit (debuting at the Cleveland site May 13). Showcasing everyone from Billie Holiday to Swift and Lady Gaga, the exhibit will fill two floors of the museum with never-before-seen artifacts and stories from over 60 of music’s leading ladies.

Nicki Minaj reveals she chose to release Super Bass as her new single, because of Taylor Swift.

The country singer recently said she’s a fan of the song during a radio interview and played the track on air to a bunch of fans who didn’t necessarily listen to the rapper before.

Now the Roman’s Revenge star says it influenced her decision to make it the next Pink Friday single.

“Taylor Swift did her little interview about Super Bass and [it] took off in the states with the people sort of knowing it,” Nicki revealed during a Q&A with 102.7 KIIS FM last week.

“It’s just really uncanny how all that stuff happens,” she added. “We didn’t plan it like that.”

Taylor’s BFF Selena Gomez also posted this video of herself rapping along to Super Bass earlier this year.

LADY ANTEBELLUM and TAYLOR SWIFT are the most nominated Country artists for the BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS, which take place on MAY 22nd at the MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA in LAS VEGAS. SUGARLAND, JASON ALDEAN and the ZAC BROWN BAND also received multiple nominations each.

SWIFT is up for “Top Artist,” along with EMINEM, JUSTIN BEIBER, LADY GAGA and RIHANNA. She also is nominated for “Female Artist” and “BILLBOARD 200 Artist” for sales. In Country, she is nominated for “Top Country Artist,” “Album” and “Song” for her single “Mine.”

LADY A is also nominated for “Top Country Artist,” “Album” and “Song” for “Need You Now.” They received nominations for “Top Duo/Group” and “BILLBOARD 200 Artist” as well.

Check out a complete list of nominees here. The BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS will air live on ABC-TV at 8p (ET) on MAY 22nd.

source:allaccess

Taylor Swift‘s generosity is something that goes hand-in-hand with the country star’s reputation, and now she’s focusing her philanthropy towards her family, as Swift has reportedly bought her parents a $1.4 million Nashville estate. Talk about an early Mother’s Day / Father’s Day present!

Us Weekly is reporting that Swift plunked down some serious cash for the three-bedroom, 5,000 square-foot house that a source describes as “incredible.”

“Taylor’s been visiting her parents there and she’s so excited for them,” the source boasted.

Swift’s on-the-road lifestyle has her traveling the globe, but when she’s got some downtime, she tends to spend it either in Nashville or Los Angeles, where she recently bought a house for herself.

source:celebuzz

There were no surprises at the Academy of Country Music Awards until the last envelope of the night was opened. After she missed out on major awards for best album and female vocalist, Taylor Swift pulled off a stunning victory as the ACM’s entertainer of the year.

On hearing the news while she was seated in the audience, Swift dropped her head into her hands, gasped, “Oh, my God,” and hugged two stars she beat for the prize — Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert — then headed to the stage to claim the honor from Ryan Seacrest.

“This is the first time I ever won this and I’m just losing my mind!” she proclaimed while looking dazed at the podium. “We just got back from Asia and Europe on tour and thank you for this wonderful welcome-home gift and thanks for not forgetting about me. The fact that this is from the fans — you are the best thing that has ever happened to me! Ever!”

Perhaps the award’s outcome shouldn’t be considered too surprising for two reasons. It usually honors the country star who’s had the biggest music tour of the year and it has a different voting method than the other ACM Awards, which are chosen by members of the Academy of Country Music. The entertainer of the year award is decided by fans voting online and this year Taylor Swift was not nominated against her country nemesis who won the previous two years: Carrie Underwood.

Academy voters came up with predictable results in the other categories. One year after Lambert received a standing ovation performing “The House That Built Me” at the ACM Awards, the tune returned to win four laurels. Three were for best song, single and video of the year. Previously it won best song and music video of the year at the rival awards bestowed by the Country Music Assn. Lambert also won the prize for best female country vocalist over Swift and Underwood, the same prize she recently claimed at the Grammys for crooning “The House That Built Me.” It was the second year in a row that she snagged the ACM trophy.

Paisley won the male vocalist prize for a fifth straight year. He accepted it saying: “I am honestly shocked. This is way too many of these for me.”

Following up on their recent Grammy victories for best record and song for “Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum won best album of the year, as expected. Last year they won ACM Awards for best single and song for “Need You Now,” but the album wasn’t eligible until this year.

Below, ACM Award winners are marked with an asterisk.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Toby Keith
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
*Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
*Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
*Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack

TOP VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
The JaneDear girls
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
*Sugarland

TOP VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
*Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Randy Rogers Band
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO or GROUP OF THE YEAR
The JaneDear Girls
Steel Magnolia
*The Band Perry

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Hemingway’s Whiskey,” Kenny Chesney
*”Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“The Guitar Song,” Jamey Johnson (Mercury). Produced by: Arlis Albritton, Dave Cobb, the Kent Hardly Playboys
“Speak Now,” Taylor Swift
“Up On the Ridge,” Dierks Bentley
“You Get What You Give,” Zac Brown Band

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“As She’s Walking Away,” Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
“If I Die Young,”  the Band Perry
“Love Like Crazy,” Lee Brice
“The Boys of Fall,” Kenny Chesney
*”The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert

SONG OF THE YEAR
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin. Composers: Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress
“As She’s Walking Away,” Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson. Composers: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette
“If I Die Young,” the Band Perry. Composer: Kimberly Perry.
“Love Like Crazy,” Lee Brice. Composers: Tim James, Doug Johnson
*”The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert. Composers: Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin

source:latino

(CBS) The Academy of Country Music Awards will be handed out on Sunday, Miranda Lambert leads the way heading into the event with seven nominations, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year award.

The show, which airs live Sunday on CBS, will be co-hosted by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton (Lambert’s fiance).

The nominee list for the night’s top honor is an interesting mix of old and new. Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban are all vying with Lambert for the award.

Swift shocked fans in 2009 when she went home with the title, and may steal it again with the recent success of her newest album, “Speak Now.” Lambert is also having a great year with the debut of her new album “Revolution.” Lambert won Album of the Year in 2008 for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and Top New Female Vocalist in 2007.

The men outnumber the women in this category, but does their talent outweigh Swift’s and Lambert’s? Veteran Toby Keith is no stranger to the ACM stage – he won four awards in 2003 and has earned seven trophies in all (including Entertainer of the Year in 2002). Paisley has a nice collection of awards himself. He won Top Male Vocalist three times, as well as Album of the Year and Video of the Year in 2006. This is Aldean’s first nomination since he won Top New Male Vocalist in 2006. Urban won Top Male Vocalist in both 2005 and 2006.

Swift and Keith are the only nominees to have already won the Entertainer of the Year award. All the nominees will take the stage Sunday night to perform throughout the show.

Tell us: Who do you think is going to win Entertainer of the Year?

source: cbsnews

Ps: You can vote for Taylor Swift here!

Taylor Swift hit another milestone having now sold over 20 million albums. Here are the details Big Machine put out:

Taylor has sold 10 million albums in the last 18 months – she reached the 10 Million albums sold mark in September of 2009. Big Machine Records and Universal Music International executives presented Taylor with a plaque commemorating the achievement at a special backstage event at a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena this week.

The 20 million number represents actual full albums sold – in addition, Taylor has sold over 33 million paid song downloads, making her the top-selling digital artist in music history.

20 Million + is the worldwide combined sales total for her three Big Machine Records studio albums: Taylor Swift (released in 2006), Fearless (2008), and Speak Now (October, 2010), plus The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection and Beautiful Eyes (a Walmart-only release).Taylor has earned Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum album sales certifications in 18 countries spanning 5 continents.

Taylor’s 20 million + albums sold include the following:
Taylor Swift 5,534,805 units US & International
Fearless 8,681,753 units US & International
Speak Now 4,850,246 units US & International
The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection 788,353 units US
Beautiful Eyes 257,047 units US

source:antimusic

It’s kind of a love story, so Taylor Swift just said yes.

The Grammy winner will be lending her voice to the upcoming 3-D animated movie based on The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’ environmentally minded fable about a creature who speaks for the trees in a fantastical forest, Universal and Illumination Entertainment confirmed Thursday.

Swift, 21, will voice Audrey, a love interest for Zac Efron’s character, Ted, the boy who’s determined to reclaim the forest from the evil Once-ler and win the girl of his dreams. Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, Betty White and Danny DeVito—as the Lorax—are also onboard.

The singer made her feature-film debut in last year’s ensemble rom-com Valentine’s Day.