Paul Kane, Getty Images

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Taylor Swift‘s ‘Mean’ performed from a male prospective? Thanks to a gender-bending performance of the No. 1 country song on last night’s (May 15) episode of ‘Glee,’ fans are now truly able to appreciate the tune from both sides of the spectrum.

McKinley High’s resident heartthrob Puck (Mark Salling) tackled an acoustic arrangement of Swift’s tune with a little help from Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) in the most recent episode, which also featured celebrity cameo appearances by actress Lindsay Lohan and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

‘Mean’ seems a likely candidate for recognizable cover tunes — and we’re surprised ‘Glee’ didn’t take it on earlier, considering the series recurring themes of self-acceptance and teenage angst in a high school setting. In the past, the show has tackled country covers in Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene‘ and Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup,’ among others.

How does the new version measure up to Swift’s original recording? Watch below and voice your opinions!

Watch Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’ as Performed on ‘Glee’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

Following a successful television run with her self-titled sitcom ‘Reba,’ Reba McEntire is getting another crack at the small screen. The singer-turned-actress’ new series, ‘Malibu Country,’ has been picked up by ABC, after a pilot episode was given the greenlight earlier this year. Now, the first official trailer for the series has been released.

In the clip below, McEntire tells the dramatic story of how she and her kids found their way out to Malibu. Following a divorce from her cheating husband, the fiery redhead packs up the car and heads west with her brood — mom (Lily Tomlin) included — in tow. But like any good comedy show, you know things aren’t going to be as smooth as the singer had originally planned.

ABC’s official synopsis of ‘Malibu Country’ reads:

When Reba Gallagher (Reba) discovers that her husband, Bobby, (Jeffrey Nordling) a country music legend, has a cheatin’ heart, her world is turned upside down. Reba dreamt of becoming a country star herself, but put her career on hold to raise a family. Now she’s questioning all of that, big-time. With the ink on her divorce barely dry, Reba packs up her sharp-tongued mother, Lillie May (Lily Tomlin), her two kids and the U-Haul and heads for sunny California to begin a new chapter. Leaving Nashville in the rear view, they start over at their Malibu residence — the last remaining asset they have. Reba gets to know her new open and loving neighbor Kim (Sara Rue) and her son, Sage, but also discovers that relocation to Southern California is going to be quite an adjustment for a traditional southern belle: the West Coast seems like the polar opposite of Music City, and Reba feels like an outsider. Still, with the support of her family she sets about finding her voice, jump-starting her music career with the help of her new music agent, Geoffrey (Jai Rodriguez), and embracing this chance to begin again.

‘Malibu Country’ will air Fridays starting this November on ABC.

Watch the ‘Malibu Country’ Trailer Starring Reba McEntire

Source: TasteofCountry.com

YouTube

Carrie Underwood has really been making her rounds to promote ‘Blown Away,’ her newest album release. And while the entire album has received critical acclaim from the media, ‘Good Girl’ — the first single from the record — is her most performed song nowadays. On Tuesday night (May 15), Underwood took the soulful anthem to the stage on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ where she was accompanied by four dancers who tore up the rug.

Underwood’s rocking performance took the ballroom stage by storm during the semi-final competition. With a full band including back-up singers, Underwood took her post by the microphone wearing a short and lacy purple and blue dress. If her vocals weren’t so powerful, her gorgeous getup and signature shoulder-length curly blonde hair would have stolen the show.

During the second verse, the ‘Good Girl’ hitmaker and her backup band were joined by four professional dancers, who twirled and displayed impressive footwork. The two duos flexed their dancing muscles by adding dips and swing moves into the mix.

After an intense round of dancing, one more contestant was eliminated from the 14th season of the show. Julianne Hough also performed with her ‘Rock of Ages’ co-stars.

Underwood has heard her smash hit single performed all over the country since its release in February. In April, the country superstar sang along with the 5th grade choir at PS22 in Staten Island, as they performed their own rendition of ‘Good Girl.’ Last week, a video surfaced of a toddler rocking out to the No. 1 single in her car seat.

Given the mega-popular status of ‘Good Girl,’ it’s not surprising that Underwood made history with her most recent album. ‘Blown Away’ landed Underwood in the books by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. This makes her only the second country artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at No. 1.

Currently, Underwood has five CMT award nominations under her belt, including Female Video of the Year, two for Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, and CMT Performance of the Year. Talk about being blown away!

Watch Underwood’s performance on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to catch a glimpse of why this lovely lady is getting so much critical acclaim.

Watch Carrie Underwood Perform ‘Good Girl’ on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Source: TasteofCountry.com

IKEA

IKEA specializes in affordable, streamlined and semi-stylish furniture that’s space-efficient, strangely named yet easy for just about anybody to put together. Oh, and their cafeteria has amazing Swedish meatballs. But the company is taking a bold step toward cornering the home-entertainment market with their latest “invention” – a combination TV stand and smart LED HDTV/Blu-ray player that reaches European markets this fall.

Named the UPPLEVA (of course), this device packages your home-entertainment needs into a relatively compact structure with a TV screen, built-in Blu-ray player, a cabinet, and a wireless subwoofer. Endgadget says the screens on the UPPLEVA will range from 24 to 46 inches, with prices for the unit starting around $960 overseas. After trial runs in Sweden, Italy, France, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Norway and Portugal, the UPPLEVA likely will expand to more markets – hopefully the U.S. – in the Spring of 2013.

That seems like a reasonable price for a smart TV with a Blu-ray player AND a storage unit. But will you buy this if it doesn’t fit the design of your place? IKEA furniture only fits certain styles, and the UPPLEVA matches that description. It won’t work for everybody, but for those who have limited space and a need for a combination unit, this could be ideal.

It also marks a step in the right direction for technology, as a whole. We just didn’t think IKEA would be one of those pioneers in the industry! So what do you think? Would you pick up this unit if it was available at your local IKEA?

Source: ScreenCrush.com

ABC

With so many amazing contenders in the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ semifinals, it was really anyone’s guess who’d leave after Tuesday night’s elimination show.

So which three couples will move on to next week’s big finale?

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was nice enough to introduce first-time viewers to her cleavage, kicked off the show by letting the judges choose an encore dance from performance night.

Len announced the honors would go to William and Cheryl’s samba, so the bronzed pair again took to the stage to showcase William’s bouncy backside to a grateful nation.

Then we got a backstage look at what exactly happened to Katherine after she flubbed the end of her second routine on Monday. Apparently a twinge in her back chose to make itself known at an inopportune time, and she was devastated — although it seemed she was more concerned about possibly costing Mark a spot in the finals than she was about herself.

Brooke’s cleavage called Katherine and Mark to the stage to learn their fate, and after they were told they were the first to make it to the finals, they jumped so high it honestly looked like they’d both been launched from ejector seats. Much rejoicing ensued, and we have to say we’re pleased we’ll get to see them next week.

Next up: Derek and Maria, who had a helluva night on Monday. But even though they were at the top of the judges’ leaderboard, they must have fallen short on audience votes because they were the first couple in jeopardy.

Then we got a peek at the upcoming ‘Rock of Ages‘ movie, only live on stage, featuring ‘DWTS’ vet Julianne Hough and the always-amazing Mary J. Blige. It was … well, see for yourself:

Donald and Peta were the next to be told they were in jeopardy, which course meant William and Cheryl moved on to the finals.

And in what many people will probably feel was a really shocking result, Maria and Derek were eliminated, even after getting one perfect score and one near-perfect score on Monday. Yeah, those audience votes do matter. (Is this a good time to say we predicted they’d come in fourth?)

But if Maria was surprised, she sure didn’t let it show. “I learned so many things,” she said about her time on the show. “I learned how strong I was. I learned to persevere.” Classy lady — and as we said, it really could’ve been anyone who went home.

See you next week, when we’ll finally find out who wins the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Columbia Pictures

The closer and closer we get to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ premiere, the more we want to see Andrew Garfield take his Spidey suit off. You know he’s completely naked underneath there, right?

More and more clips and photos keep churning out from Columbia Pictures, who can’t help but tease us to death with that one iconic shirtless image of Garfield going in for a make-out session with Emma Stone. But our favorite sneak peek we’ve gotten from the movie so far is the latest (count ‘em) four-minute trailer. Check it out.

While there aren’t any new shirtless moments for him yet, we’re hopeful that it’ll be worth the wait. But for now, we just have to imagine what’s waiting for us underneath all that spandex.

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

EpicMealTime, YouTube

We’ve watched the guys at Epic Meal Time make massive desserts. We’ve watched them make massive St. Patrick’s Day treats. And we’ve watched them make massive, yet amusing, fools out of themselves. Today, we watch them make the most massive bacon burger ever created by man. And we love them for it.

Because we weren’t at our computers playing ‘Diablo 3’ we decided to watch what Epic Meal Time had in store for us in this episode. What they had was a colossal sandwich with 500 (yes, two zeros after that 5) strips of bacon and likely more than 109,000 calories. We are just a little bit disappointed in ourselves to admit that it actually looks really freakin’ good. Of course, watching Muscles Glasses devour it sort of takes away from its original appeal, but still, we would have liked just one bite.

The good news for the EMT guys? We’re guessing they will be hired to cater the upcoming Susanne Eman wedding.

Source: TheFW.com

History Channel

Mitchell Guist, who starred on the History Channel reality show ‘Swamp People,’ passed away on Monday while loading a boat on Louisiana’s Belle River.

According to reports, Guist suffered a seizure and fell down. It is unclear if trauma from the fall killed him, or if his death was a result of a medical condition.

“We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the ‘Swamp People’ family, Mitchell Guist, has passed away earlier today,” The History Channel said in a statement Monday. “Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved. We appreciate your respect for the Guist family’s privacy and hope you join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his brother, Glenn, and the rest of the Guist family.”

Mitchell and Glenn Guist joined the cast of the hit reality show in its second season. They were known for their long white beards, good nature and their ability to live off the swamp land they’d called home for their entire lives. Mitchell Guist would have turned 48 on Friday. Learn more about the colorful character in the videos below.

Source: TheFW.com

Universal Pictures

While we’ve always wanted to play an unforgettable character in a legendary movie and get showered in adoration, we also realize there’s a downside to becoming a celebrity known for one role. As Dave Chappelle attested to with his bit about Mickey Mouse harrassing him at Disney World, it can drive you crazy. For Tom Wilson – aka Biff Tannen – it drove him to create an all-encompassing card that he can hand to fans when the questions come flying his way quicker than a DeLorean.

TwentyTwoWords.com

And for all those illiterate or blind people, there’s no need to worry, Tom’s produced the card in song form, which you can enjoy below.

So, basically, Michael J. Fox is a really nice guy.

Tom’s innovative approach could have other one-role wonders following suit. It could even turn into a craze where rabid fans strive to collect the most cards. Finally, the rolodex has a use again.

Source: TheFW.com

Columbia Pictures

The smartest thing about the new preview for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man‘ is that it doesn’t show too much of Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man. What it does offer is footage of Spidey acting heroic, saving children and fighting Rhys Ifans’s Curt Connor/The Lizard. It shows a size and scale that makes it look like a new take on the material, and makes us cautiously optimistic. Check it out…

It also looks like Garfield takes the mask off a lot in the film, which is smart as Sam Raimi’s first ‘Spider-Man’ had a wonky moment when two masked actors had a conversation and it looked like everything was recorded on a looping stage. They’ve at least learned from the earlier films.

For this thing to work – as a recent reboot – audiences need to know that they’re not being told the same story again, and this smartly plays up the ways Marc Webb’s film is different from Raimi’s Spider-trilogy. The film is a studio patient zero for reboots, and how audiences accept or reject it will change the way studios go about renewing their superheroes.

This is also the best trailer that they’ve put out, and that’s good as the film’s July 3 release date isn’t that far away. We know we’ll see it anyway, but we hope for the best.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

ABC

Last week saw two couples eliminated from the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ competition, leaving us with what may be the best semifinal group yet. And on Monday night, they all danced their perfectly-toned backsides off — so who’s got the best shot at moving on to next week’s finale extravaganza?

Let’s find out … LIIIIIIIVE!

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was clad in a life-sized Slinky, said everyone would be doing two dances for our entertainment. Oh, and it was also Sob Story Night, so we all learned a little more about the contestants’ hardships early in life. Good times.

And away we go.

William Levy and Cheryl Burke
First dance score: 28 out of 30 (9/9/10)
Second dance score: 30 out of 30 (10/10/10)

William also told us about his impoverished Cuban upbringing, saying when he was a kid, his dream was just to have a fridge with food in it. As he mentioned earlier in the season, his father was a political prisoner who brought the family to the US for asylum when William was 14. His modeling agents recalled seeing him for the first time and how he was gorgeous but had so few clothes that they actually had to go shopping for him. His modeling gigs led to acting gigs, and now he’s one of the biggest stars in Latin America.

On to the dancing … there’s a reason Cheryl’s won this thing twice, and getting fantastic partners is only part of it. She’s a terrific choreographer, and her first dance with William, a tango set to the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),’ was sexy and sharp and fit the music perfectly. Len said he hadn’t “been this excited since my mother put me in long trousers,” which we’re guessing is Brit-speak for “dude, awesome,” Bruno said it was “full of animal magnetism,” and Carrie Ann had only the tiniest of constructive criticisms.

His second dance, a samba, featured him in tight white pants shaking his ass a lot (see, we told you Cheryl knows what she’s doing). Bruno called the dance “the pleasure zone” and said he had “bum envy,” Carrie Ann called it “freaking amazing,” and Len dubbed William “the hunk with the junk in his trunk.”

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas
First dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)
Second dance score: 27 out of 30 (9/9/9)

Katherine was accepted to the Royal Academy of Music at 17, and rocketed to fame after being signed to a recording deal shortly thereafter. (It’s still so weird to see that booming operatic voice coming out of such a tiny chick.) Last December she apparently suffered an Adele-style breakup with her fiance and it left her in shreds. She credits ‘DWTS’ for helping to put a smile back on her face and for giving her something else to focus on.

Kind of surprised she didn’t mention her father’s death as she did earlier in the season when we got some contestant backstory, but maybe she felt it would’ve been exploitative. So props to her for that.

On to the dancing … Katherine said she’s come a long way in the competition — from demurely asking the costume designers to add more fabric to her dresses all the way to her currently provocative dance moves. Her quick-step looked like it had a few small errors to us, but if it did, most of the judges didn’t notice. Bruno called it “outstanding” with “amazing technique,” Carrie Ann said it may have been the best dance ever on ‘DWTS,’ and although Len did catch the mistakes, he deemed the performance “fabulous.”

Kat’s second dance, a salsa, was hawt and showed she’s clearly gotten more comfortable showing some skin. All was going swimmingly until the very last couple beats of the song when her back suddenly went out — she was horrified and in pain all at the same time, and she couldn’t stop apologizing to Mark. So awful. Regardless, Carrie Ann called the rest of the dance “fabulous,” Len called her “Katherine the Great,” and Bruno said she “unleashed the harlot” within.

At the end of the show, she was stoic but looked like she was in agonizing pain, and Tom said doctors were en route. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and she picks up some audience votes, because it would be an absolute shame for her to go out like that.

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatoyd
First dance score: 28 out of 30 (9/9/10)
Second dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)

Donald grew up in rough ‘hood in Houston, with a father in prison and a single mother raising five kids. The family wound up living under a bridge, and Donald’s mom eventually sent him and his brother to stay with their grandparents. Trouble — drugs, car thefts, etc — followed, even during his early athletic years. Meeting his wife in college was the turning point because she gave him an ultimatum: he could have her or the bad-boy lifestyle, but not both. He kept her and focused on football instead, eventually being drafted by the Green Bay Packers and going on to become a star wide-receiver with a Super Bowl championship under his belt.

On to the dancing … his first dance, a waltz, was simply gorgeous — fluid and lyrical and lovely. Carrie Ann complimented the emotion he displayed and called the performance “mesmerizing,” Len said Donald is a “big tough cream puff,” and Bruno loved his lines and arm extensions.

The samba he did next was sassy and fun (prediction: Peta has quite a future on this show). Len said it was “a bit careful” but he liked it, Bruno said it “worked beautifully,” and Carrie Ann said it was Donald’s “A+ game.”

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
First dance score: 30 out of 30 (10/10/10)
Second dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)

Maria’s parents were Greek immigrants (as she’s often reminded us) who worked as janitors, and she was moved by how much they wanted to give her family a better life. She put herself through college, got a journalism degree, and covered earthquakes and wars for Channel One news — she even interviewed President Bush when she was all of 20. Damned impressive. She credits her parents for her work ethic, and wants to succeed to make them proud.

On to the dancing … while it’s usually the celebs who buckle under the pressure, Derek’s rehearsal footage seemed to show him in the midst of a panic-attack — something that’s especially odd for the show’s only three-time champ. Regardless, he soldiered on, and Maria’s Argentine tango had some amazing moves, ending with a pretty emotional moment between her and Derek. Len said he was “completely caught up in it,” Bruno gave it his usual bombastic praise, and Carrie Ann was in the throes of complimental (it’s a word because I say it is) ecstasy.

Her second dance seemed a bit muted for a jive, and Derek looked like he was doing most of the tricks, but overall it was a fresh interpretation. Bruno liked its “quirkiness,” Carrie Ann said it was a “stunner,” and Len called out a tiny stumble but enjoyed the “rhythm” of the performance.

There you have it. Tuesday night’s elimination will reveal who’s in the finale — see you then.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Luke Bryan is half way to enshrinement in the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame with his new song ‘Drunk on You.’ The midtempo lover from the ‘Tailgates and Tanlines’ album made quick work of ‘No Hurry’ by the Zac Brown Band last week. He’ll need to keep the momentum going forward to do the same to this week’s challenger.

Chris Young just released the video for his new song ‘Neon’ last week. The honey-voiced Tennessee native sings of a different kind of love, that between a man and his bar. The song is the title track from his latest album, that earned him a Male Vocalist of the Year nomination at the ACM Awards.

Bryan’s song is quickly closing in Top 10 hit status, while it’s already become the third song from Tailgates and Tanlines’ to be certified Gold for over 500K singles sold. The video continues the story told in his previous song ‘I Don’t Want This Night to End.’ Listen to both of this week’s songs and decide which you like best. You can only vote once and voting ends on May 20, 2012 at 11:59PM ET.

Watch Luke Bryan’s ‘Drunk on You’ Video

Watch Chris Young’s ‘Neon’ Video

Showdown Rules: The artist and song with the most votes wins, and winner goes on to face next week’s challenger. If an artist wins four weeks in a row, he or she will be retired into the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame to allow for new songs to compete.

Source: TasteofCountry.com

YouTube

Lady Antebellum are a part of Lipton’s ‘Drink Positive‘ campaign, which includes TV commercials featuring the band. Lots of free iced tea — the quintessential drink of summer — is also a perk of the partnership! The trio refreshes with some tasty and good-for-you drinks backstage in this new TV spot.

In the clip, the band is backstage after having just played a show. Fans are screaming for them, clamoring for more, with Charles Kelley acknowledging that it’s hot. To beat the heat, the trio downs some cool and crisp 100 Percent Natural Lipton tea to refresh and replenish so they can return to the stage for the encore. But not before some nifty animation demonstrates that when you put good, healthy stuff in your body, you can’t help but shine on the outside.

Here, we see the members and the Lipton fueling their “insides,” which they’ve pumped with natural and delicious goodness. Their bodies are clear, with green leaves floating in them! It’s sort of sci-fi for a commercial, and it looks cool to see Lady A in that form.

The message is that Lipton is good for you, and if it’s good enough to propel a Lady A performance, it’s good enough to quench your thirst. The new Lady Antebellum commercial is even effective enough to make you want to grab some Lipton to whet your gullet next time you are parched.

Watch Lady Antebellum in New Lipton Iced Tea Commercial

Source: TasteofCountry.com

YouTube

Get your tissues out for this one. Although originally posted two months ago on GodTube, Lacey Buchanan’s video about her son Christian went viral over this past Mother’s Day weekend. Recorded on her iPhone, and with her baby boy in her arms, Buchanan uses note cards to tell her inspiring story.

With songs praising Jesus playing in the background, Buchanan begins her story of how she was excited on hearing of her pregnancy. But as months passed, doctors informed the parents there was something wrong with her baby. When Christian was born, things got worse. The boy was born with an extremely rare condition called Tessier clefts, which meant that Christian was unable to fully close his mouth — and even more saddening, his eyes never even formed.

Blind from birth, Buchanan was used to stares and whispers behind her back about her baby whenever they took Christian out. In one of the flashcards, Buchanan mentions one girl even told her to abort the baby. Buchanan refused. And now, a year later, Buchanan is only proud of her son, and despite his ‘condition,’ this mother is only happy to give him the unconditional love he deserves.

Watch the inspiring video below.

Source: TheFW.com

ITV

Every once in a while, someone comes along on one of those reality talent shows to showcase their truly impressive skills. But as far as we’re concerned, the shirtless and flexible Billy George is the best we’ve ever seen and proves that Britain really does have some talent.

It’s not that his acrobatic skills with that giant hoop aren’t enthralling, but we’re frankly more captivated by those abs of his. This guy may not have taken home the grand prize this time around, but he definitely has a future as a male model. Sorry, Susan Boyle, but we’d like to focus now on the hot guy with the big… hula hoop.

Follow Billy George on Twitter and Facebook.

ITV

ITV

ITV

Obama for America/Romney for President, YouTube

As the 2012 presidential race continues to heat up, voters are paying close attention to all the candidates (we’re hoping), even how they react to Mother’s Day. To celebrate moms everywhere (and in an effort to snag your future votes), President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney both released video tributes to honor the most important women in their lives.

For Obama, this meant highlighting everything his mom, grandmother and his wife Michelle Obama has done for him and his family. “Michelle is the best mom I know,” he says, before pulling at your heart strings with heartwarming photos of Michelle and his two daughters. “I’d like to say that I had something to do with [raising my girls], but I think in fairness I gotta give her most of the credit.”

Watch the Obama Campaign’s Mother’s Day Tribute Video

Mitt Romney’s took a different approach to Mother’s Day and decided to focus on one mom in particular — Mrs. Ann Romney. Each of the five Romney sons sat down in front of a camera to remember all the reasons why they love their mom. While the family stories of scarfing down marshmallow fluff and making pancakes will make you laugh, the admiration each of them have for their mom overcoming cancer and multiple sclerosis might make you tear up.

Watch the Romney Compaign’s Mother’s Day Tribute Video

So, which one made you cry the most?

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

Mother’s Day is a time to say thanks for everything your mom has done for you. Whether she bailed you out of jail, had your back when you started that forest fire or made you dance in front of all of her friends, she did it out of love.

Now it’s time to return the favor, and what better way to show your gratitude than with a simple, “Thank you”?

Director Michael Marantz proved that these two words can have the biggest impact. Along with his producer Barry Pousman, he gathered up a bunch of New Yorkers, ranging from crazy-haired hipsters to the most adorable kids, to create possibly the most touching Mother’s Day present anyone could give.

We dare you not to call your mom and tell her you love her after watching this video.

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

The other day we posted a homecoming video in which a soldier surprises his two young children, who were throwing out the first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game, by being the mystery catcher. We said it was the best homecoming video we’ve seen in some time.

Well, consider it topped.

In the video below, 6-year-old Michael Cooney is well aware that his father, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooney, is returning home after a seven month deployment in Afghanistan.  So it’s Michael, who suffers from cerebral palsy and couldn’t walk when he last saw his dad, who did the surprising.

‘We kept the fact that he could walk a secret the whole time his dad was gone,’ Jeremy’s wife Melissa Cooney explained.

According to Melissa, doctors had said Michael would never be able to walk or “do much of anything” — which surely made Michael’s careful steps especially sweet to his dad.

Part of what makes the video so touching is how long it takes for Michael to meet his father’s waiting embrace. If you didn’t well up as Michael bravely made his way across the gym, you should probably check yourself for a pulse.

Source: TheFW.com

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Saturday morning (May 12), country music fans were shaken by rumors that Aaron Tippin was involved in a fatal plane crash which occurred in Kansas, killing three individuals and sending the two survivors to the hospital. Tippin, well-known for his pilot skills and love for flying, was thought to be involved, as the plane that went down once belonged to him.

Tippin, however, is alive and well, and was home in Tennessee when the tragic accident took place on Friday afternoon, May 11. Reports say the aircraft landed in a field, skidded 200 feet and impacted a tree line, causing the small plane to spin 180 degrees, then catch on fire.

Tennessee dealer Bill Austin sold the aircraft a few of weeks ago and claims he knew of no prior problems with the plane that could’ve caused the wreck. Austin adds that the previous owner of the plane was a huge fan of Tippin and had the plane outfitted with the eagle and flag emblem after the singer’s hit, ‘Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly.’

Austin, who is a personal friend of Tippin’s, said the singer flew the plane to Tulsa, Okla. to Jones Riverside Airport just a few weeks ago, and met Luke Sheets, the man who was flying the plane at the time of the accident that ended his life.

Taste of Country sends our thoughts and prayers out to those who lost their loved ones in this heartbreaking accident.

Watch the Aaron Tippin ‘Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly’ Video

Source: TasteofCountry.com

Darryl Worley

The new video for Darryl Worley‘s latest single ‘You Still Got It’ tells the story of an adorable elderly couple. Of course they weren’t always pushing 80, and the clip shows the two growing up and growing old together. In a new behind the scenes video premiering exclusively at Taste of Country, Worley talks about how the vision came together. 

“You still see these guys walking through the mall, they’re like 75-years-old and they’re still holding hands and every now and then you’ll see grandpa give granny a smack on the butt,” Worley says in the video below. A series of different cameras and effects are used to age the footage. The singer admits the treatment is slightly left of the song’s story, but it was too clever for him to resist.

“Making the video was a lot of fun because the storyline moves through a few different stages of a couple’s relationship, so the wardrobe and sets really brought back a lot of memories,” he tells Taste of Country. “So far we are getting a lot of positive response on the video and song!”

The song is the first single from Worley’s upcoming ‘One Time Around’ album.”(It) has a cool Muscle Shoals’ swampy vibe to it that makes a great groove and the ladies love it!” the singer says. It’s clear Worley is having as much fun with this new song as he’s ever had. The finished video is available here.

Watch Darryl Worley’s ‘You Still Got It’ Behind the Scenes Video

Source: TasteofCountry.com