Taylor Updates Blog on MySpace Page

I'm sure a lot of you try to stay up to date on all things Taylor Swift, but her blog postings on MySpace are definitely worth keeping up on. She seems to write from the heart and also can drop some juicy details on things the mainstream media may have covered yet.

In her most recent entry, posted on December 23, she discusses her new album:

We've got six songs recorded already, and they sound amazing. I've been in the studio with Nathan (my producer. Same guy who produced my first record! But this time we're co-producing) all month and it's been so much fun. We used all the same players in the studio as we used on the first record. We're not going to drastically change something that worked out well for us the first time.

Make sure you check out the rest of her post for the entire post!

What are Others Saying About Taylor Swift

Every now and then I'll do a search on the web to see what other people may be writing about Taylor. It's surprising to see such a wide range of opinions being shared.

The Evil Beet has made a blog post about Taylor's hugging spree after she was nominated for a Grammy Award. In this day and age, when people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amy Winehouse are getting all the press for all the wrong reasons, The Evil Beet is suggesting that Taylor try walking a little bit more on the wild side and perhaps going on a drinking spree to generate some juicier tabloid news. While I'm sure the author was sarcasm in their comments, any kind of story like that would sky rocket Taylor to the upper echelons of gossip talk. Personally, I hope that doesn't happen and that she's talked about for all the right reasons.

In the "File Under Creepy" section, wikiHow has an entry called "How to Act Like Taylor Swift." The third step for "acting like Taylor is:

Taylor's Attitude: Don't let anyone bring you down! You rock! Boys..ph! Who needs em'? Be flirty, but if he doesn't like you, move on. You're too good for him anyway!

I'm guessing this is just a rough guide to acting like Taylor Swift. In any case people, just be yourselves.

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Kellie Pickler at a hockey game

One thing is for sure, anytime I see any combination of Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and/or Kellie Pickler, they certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. On Thursday night all three were in a private box watching the hometown Nashville Predators beat the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.

Taylor Swift Fan Arrest

Well, I'm not exactly sure when this video was taken, but regardless a fan gets a little too close for comfort when he jumps on stage. Taylor handles the situation like a pro, but it's still gotta be creepy when someone jumps onto the stage just so they can tell her "I love you." Scary stuff, but the video's below.

Taylor Swift - News and Notes for Dec 27

Taylor Recording a New Album!

In a very recent interview with AOL Music, Taylor talked about her sophomore album. Just like the first, Taylor said that all the songs on her new disc will be written by her, but she insists it will be better than the first.

As Taylor's song are generally very personal, the two years she's spent touring and becoming a star should certainly fuel her creativity. No word yet on the album name or when Taylor album will be released.

Another Week at #1

Yet another week and still another week spent at number 1 on the Billboard Country Charts. "Our Song" is still peaking, holding onto the number 1 spot by pushing away "Stay" by Sugarland and "What do you Think About That" by Montgomery Gentry at numbers 2 and 3 respectively.

Pictures of Taylor Swift's 18th Birthday Party

I finally managed to track down a picture of Taylor's party. The shot below is of her and Kelli Pickler blowing out the candles on her cake.

Taylor Swift - Silent Night at Rockefeller Center

In the spirit of the day is a video of Taylor performing her own special version of silent night at the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. The ceremony actually occurred a few weeks back, but it seems fitting to post this on Christmas Day. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Taylor Swift - Pre-Christmas Wrap

Well, Christmas isn't almost here and I'll be taking a few days hiatus, but before I call it a day I figured I'd leave you with some Taylor links.

Billboard

Congrats go out to Ms. Swift on holding down the top Billboard Country Song spot as "Our Song" is number one for the last reporting date before Christmas and for the second week in a row.

On the main album charts, Taylor debut album "Taylor Swift" has moved up from #9 to #8.

Feature on CNN

If you haven't had a chance to check out CNN's feature on our Taylor Swift, make sure you check it out here.

Taylor Swift Calendar

Taylor's official website is selling a 2008 calendar of all things Taylor. You can view and purchase the calendar from at RichardsandSouthern.com.

Happy Holidays to all of you and your families!

Grammy Preview - Feist

Seeing as how the days leading up to Christmas might be light on Taylor Swift news, I figured I would provided some insight on the artists Taylor will be competing against for Best New Artist at the Grammys. Today I will be focusing on Feist, but check back daily as I will be focusing on one artist daily.

Feist

Leslie Feist is a Canadian singer/song-writer who although is nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, has been on the indie scene for quite sometime. The 31 year old Nova Scotian native who performs using her last name as her stage name, also is a member of the indie rock supergroup Broken Social Scene.

While she has been performing professionally since 1991, it was only in 2007 that she achieved widespread commercial success. Her success could be traced in part to three separate occurrences. The first occurrence was when the Lacoste ad featuring her oh-so-catchy song "Mushaboom" went into rotation. It was a song that tended to stick with you and seek out who sung it.

The second was when Feist became the object of affection by Perez Hilton. As his influence (unfortunately) is felt throughout the industry, his endorsement sent her song "1234" soaring up the online download charts.

Finally what pushed her over the top and into the mainstream was having "1234" featured in the new Apple iPod commercials. The colorful video as well as other catchy singles off her "The Reminder" album has rocketed her to commercial success, but unfortunately, in my opinion, will leave her in third place for the Best New Artist award.

Taylor Swift - Our Song - Official Video

In case you've yet to see Taylor Swift's official video for her current single "Our Song" which is sitting atop the Billboard Country Music charts, I've included the official video below which has been posted on YouTube.

Taylor Swift - January Concert Schedule

Taylor Swift's live appearances have more or less finished for 2007, aside from her scheduled performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Eve special, but she appears to have a busy schedule criss-crossing the United States in January. Her scheduled performances are listed below.

Date	City, State	Venue
	appearing with "Sound & Speed"
01/12/2007	Nashville, TN	Sommet Center
	Taylor Swift
01/17/2007	Beverly Hills, CA	Wilshire Theatre
01/19/2007	Bakersfield, CA	Rabobank Arena
01/25/2007	New Orleans, LA	Family Gras
	appearing with "KISS Country Chili Cookoff"
01/27/2007	Pembroke Pines, FL	C.B. Smith Park
	Taylor Swift
01/31/2007	East Lansing, MI	Wharton Center for Performing Arts

Grammy Preview - Amy Winehouse

Seeing as how the days leading up to Christmas might be light on Taylor Swift news, I figured I would provided some insight on the artists Taylor will be competing against for Best New Artist at the Grammys. Today I will be focusing on Amy Winehouse, but check back daily as I will be focusing on one artist daily.

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse could be the best known artist of the five acts nominated, for both good and bad reasons. The talented 24 year old English singer/songwriter scored a top 40 hit in the US with her debut single "Rehab" off her sophmore album "Back to Black." Rehab hit #7 on the UK pop charts and her follow up single "You Know I'm No Good" also cracked the UK top 40.

Aside from being nominated for Best New Artist, Amy has also been nominated for 5 other Grammys this year. She has also garnered nomination for the World Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, Vibe Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards.

It should also be noted that both her debut album, "Frank" and her follow-up, "Back to Black" have both been nominated for the prestigious Mercury Award, which is given to the best album in the UK.

No discussion of Amy Winehouse would be complete, however, with mentioning her troubles away from the stage (and even some times on-stage). Her and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, have been the target of constant tabloid scrutiny both Stateside and in the UK due to their on-going drug, depression, and self-harm issues. She has been the focus of several front page stories in various tabloids as well as a constant source of news for gossip sites such as Perez Hilton.

Despite her personal issues, I still believe Winehouse is the front runner to take home Best New Artist this year.

News and Notes on Taylor

Taylor Performs on New Year's Eve

Taylor Swift is scheduled to perform on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008 along with a number of other stars. She is schedule to perform from a Hollywood stage along with Natasha Beddingfield, Akon, Black Eyed Peas, and more. Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers are slated to perform on the same special, but from stages in Times Square in New York.

More #1s

As Taylor is enjoying her week on top of the Billboard Country charts, she can also celebrate another number 1 ranking. This week Taylor's "Teardrops On My Guitar" is the number 1 country download on iTunes.

Taylor Confirms 2008 WE Fest Performance

For those of you living in the Detroit Lakes area, you can catch Taylor perform next summer as part of one of the biggest country music festivals. The event is scheduled to take place August 7-9 at the Soo Pass Ranch. Other acts scheduled to perform are Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, and more. Check the WE Fest website for more info.

Happy (Belated) 18th Birthday Taylor Swift

I can't believe I missed this last week, but Taylor celebrated her 18th birthday in style on December 13th, as she hosted a party at Nashville nightclub Lot 7. Among the many people in attendance was her tour partner in crime, Kellie Pickler and Jon Rich from Big and Rich.

Taylor decided on a pink theme for the event and as the highlight of the night, her record label, Big Machine Records, presented her with a custom pink Chevy pickup. Sounds like a great way to celebrate 18 years.

Taylor Swift Makes History!

After being nominated for a Grammy Award a few days, it'd be hard to imagine Taylor Swift's week getting any better. Well, that was until yesterday when it was confirmed that Taylor had the number one spot on the Billboard Country Singles Chart for "Our Song."

And to top that off, not only did she have the top spot, knocking off Carrie Underwood, but she is also the youngest person in history to write and sing the number one single at the age of 17.

"And the Grammy for Best New Artist goes to...TAYLOR SWIFT!" (Hopefully)

I've been on hiatus recently from maintaining this site, but I've still been keeping tabs on Taylor of course. And I figured today was as good a day as any to begin posting again.

What's so special about this day? Well Taylor was just nominated for a Grammy Award! She's up for Best New Artist against some fierce competition. She will be competing with Amy Winehouse, Ledisi, Paramore, and Feist (by the way, if you haven't caught on to Feist yet, go check her out...she's fantastic!).

As usual, Taylor was her typical cheerful self describing what she was feeling. "I decided to go into today knowing that I would have a good day, whether or not I was nominated," Swift said. "I was just really excited to be in the same room with Fergie and Akon, and then I looked around on that stage, and it looked like my iPod."

There was even more good news for Taylor. "Now this has officially been The Best Day Ever" Taylor said. "My label just told me this morning that my CD is certified double-platinum and I got a huge nomination I didn't even see coming."

The 50th Grammy Awards ceremony will take place from Los Angeles on February 10, 2008. Good luck Taylor!

Taylor Swift Info

So I figured I'd put together a general information page on Taylor Swift. I've been reviewing the search terms people use to reach this site and it's pretty funny some of the things you guys are searching for. Feel free to leave a comment about additional information that should be added or info that I may not have right. Without further ado, here we go:

Full Name: Taylor Alison Swift
Birthday: December 13, 1989
Born: Reading, Pennsylvania
Home: Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Height: 5'10"
Weight: ???

Influences:
- Her grandmother (an opera singer)
- Leanne Rimes

Record Label: Big Machine Record

Lyrics - Taylor Swift - Our Song

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car
He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel
The other on my heart
I look around, turn the radio down
He says baby is something wrong?
I say nothing I was just thinking how we don't have a song
And he says...

[Chorus:]

Our song is the slamming screen door,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
Cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

I was walking up the front porch steps after everything that day
Had gone all wrong and been trampled on
And lost and thrown away
Got to the hallway, well on my way to my lovin' bed
I almost didn't notice all the roses
And the note that said...

[Repeat Chorus]

I've heard every album, listened to the radio
Waited for something to come along
That was as good as our song...

Cause our song is the slamming screen door
Sneaking out late, tapping on his window
When we're on the phone and he talks real slow
Cause it's late and his mama don't know
Our song is the way he laughs
The first date "man, I didn't kiss him, and I should have"
And when I got home, before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin
And I wrote down our song

Bonfires and Amplifiers for the Troops

Taking a break from their normal constant stadium schedule, the Bonfires and Amplifiers tour played a different type of venue this past Monday night. Taylor and Kellie Pickler opened a show in Fort Campbell, Kentucky in front of a crowd of 35,000 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Brad Paisley as always was the main act and in his words, they wanted to "bring a little party to you before your next deployment".

Most of the soldiers at For Campbell will likely be deployed to Iraq within the next few months.

Paisley Picks on Pickler

*** THE VIDEO IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST ***

Well, if you play with fire, you're eventually going to get burned. A little while back Kellie Pickler, Taylor, and Jack Ingram played a little prank on the king of pranks himself Brad Paisley while touring on the Bonfires and Amplifiers tour.

Well, it looks like Paisley's got his revenge, taking a shot at a much discussed issue in the world of Pickler. Just before Pickler was to go on stage to open the show, Paisley had a different video swapped in on the big screen backing the stage and it was interesting to say the least.

The video was entitled "You be the Judge!". The footage was of Pickler during her American Idol days mixed with more recent footage that put an emphasis on some possible cosmetic surgery she may have had. And to make a long story short, Paisley made it quite obvious that Pickler's boobs have, um, grown...lol.

Pickler did get some revenge later in Paisley act during an accoustic number when she came on stage dressed only in a trench coat, stood back to the crowd and infront of Paisley and flashed Brad and said "You be the Judge."

No word yet on retaliation on Taylor.

The You Tube video of "You be the Judge" is below:

the9513.com's Review of "Our Song"

Wow, well I just came across this piece on the website www.the9513.com in which they do a review of Taylor's song "Our Song" (which she'll be shooting a video for VERY soon). The review worried me starting off, but eventually the author gave it a nod of approval with a "Thumb's Up!".

It really always scares me when the review calls someone's first two singles amateurish:

Taylor Swift’s first two releases were quite amateurish, and while it’s clear that Taylor isn’t going to deviate from the theme of teenage “love” anytime soon, this single is certainly her best to date.

But the author went on to be kinder from there and was quite complimentary of Our Song. What do you think of Our Song? What does it mean to you? Let me know in the comments! Come on Taylor fans, I'm still waiting on my first comment for this site!

Off Topic: Prisoners doing Thriller Dance

I'm sure you've all seen it by now, but if not, make sure you check out the video below. You know the video for Thriller for Michael Jackson, well, how and why it came to be I'll never now, but 1500 prisoners in one particular jail in Philippines break it down to give us there own version of Thriller. One interesting thing to note is that even with the population being all male, they managed to have someone play the role of the female...lol.

In any case, this video is incredible. Enjoy!

Now back to your regularly scheduled Taylor news!

Video: Teardrops on My Guitar (Acoustic)

Wow...I'm not sure how old this is, but this is a great look at Taylor away from the bright lights of the stage. Apparently the footage is of Taylor on her tour bus performing for a few lucky fans who won a chance to meet her through the radio station US 99.5.

I hope you all enjoy this! She's actually really funny and cute when she's talking about what the song "Teardrops on My Guitar" is about. After she's finished explaining it she plays an amazing accoustic version of it, just her and her guitar.

Tim McGraw's Ring Stolen Video

The video of the incident is below, but just to set the stage Tim McGraw was performing at the Lafayette Cajundome (fantastic name by the way), when he started shaking the hands of some fans during a set.

As Tim finishes and gets ready to start singing again, he notices his pinky ring (manly Tim!) was taken from his finger. Anyways, be sure to watch the video below, but the really funny part is that the girl he's chewing out is actually the wrong woman. A different woman later fessed up to having taken it!

Taylor Still #1 on Billboard

Congrats go out to Taylor as her debut self-titled album has spent its second consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music Albums chart. The album, "Taylor Swift" sold 35,525 copies this week. The album is continuing to soar despite it having been released over FORTY WEEKS AGO!!!

The album continues chug along due to strong single releases, including Teardrops on My Guitar, which is currently No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, as well as a couple of fantastic tours including the Amplifiers and Bonfires tour she's on now with Brad Paisley.

Taylor Pranks Paisley!

Continuing the tradition of pranks on the Brad Paisley tour, Taylor decided to have a bit over the weekend on their stop in Taylor's old hometown of Hershey, PA. Taylor's prank comes on the heels of American Idol alum, Kelly Pickler and Paisley's tourmate, Jack Ingram pranking Paisley, the ultimate prankster, by coming on stage dressed as ticks back in June. This is how it all went down according to the Dial-Globe:

Brad was midway through his encore, singing his fishing anthem, "I'm Gonna Miss Her," when to the delight of her hometown crowd, Taylor strolled onstage dressed in waders, a fishing hat adorned with lures, and carrying a fishing pole and a net full of stuffed animal trout. She also had a bait box full of rubber worms that she used to tease Brad before tossing them into the screaming crowd. She then picked up her fishing pole and proceeded to reel in what appeared to be at least a 40-pounder (of the stuffed variety).

I love reading about Taylor's funny side. It's good to know that even with her meteoric rise to fame that she's still down to earth.

EW Interviews Taylor

Entertainment Weekly did a great interview with Taylor in their most recent issue. It's a pretty in-depth article covering everything from if she views herself as a role model, whether or not she's going to wear heels to the awards shows (even though she's 5'11"), and if she would be worried if someone wrote a song about her (like she did with Tim McGraw).

She also shares who she'd like to appear with if CMT ever asked her to do Crossroads:

EW: I was reading that one of your faves is Def Leppard.
Taylor: I love Def Leppard so much. If I ever did [an episode of] Crossroads — like CMT does Crossroads with a rock band and a country singer — that would be my choice, probably. Don't ask. I just am a Def Leppard freak.

Taylor Swift's August Tour Schedule

Taylor Swift will be touring around the U.S. for the month of August on the Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour with Brad Paisley. She will also be playing various fairs around the country as well. Also posted as part of her appearances in August, is a video shoot on Aug 14-15 for her new single "Our Song". The locations and dates are listed below:

Aug 3 - Uncasville, CT
Aug 4 - Camden, NJ
Aug 9 - Orlando, FL
Aug 10 - Jacksonville, FL
Aug 11 - Orange Beach, AL
Aug 17 - Stockton, KS
Aug 18 - St. Joseph, MO
Aug 20 - Rapid City, SD
Aug 23 - St. Paul, MN
Aug 25 - Milwaukee, WI
Aug 26 - Tinley Park, IL
Aug 30 - Allentown, PA
Aug 31 - Essex Junction, VT

Please remember to check Taylor's official website to check to make sure the schedule here is correct.

Faith and Tim Surprise Taylor

According to Great American Country, at the end of the Soul2Soul tour that Taylor was on with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, a nice surprise was left in Taylor's dressing room. One box was filled with "unbelieveable" scented candles and the other contained a charm bracelet from Juicy Couture.

Faith and Time seem like genuinely great people!

Anyways, Taylor was overwhelmed at the gesture and said of the bracelet that she's "never taking it off for the rest of her life."

Teardrops on my Guitar (Video)

I'm spending way too much time on YouTube today, but here's Taylor's video for Teardrops on my Guitar.

ENJOY!!!

Taylor Swift - Tim McGraw (Video)

The video may be a little bit old, but I figured I'd put up a video in case you want to watch!

Taylor's Number 1!!!

Taylor posted an update on her Myspace blog last week that I missed, but she thanked everyone for getting her album to number 1 on the country charts. Make sure you all drop by and leave a comment for her!

And don't forget to tell all your friends to buy her album too! Keep Taylor in the number 1 spot!

Tim McGraw (Lyrics) - Taylor Swift

Far and away the runaway smash of her new album, here are the lyrics to Taylor's song inspired by one of country music's best. Feel free to leave a comment below. I'd love to hear which song means the most to you on Taylor's CD.

Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift (Lyrics)

You said the way my blue eyes shined,
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said: "That's a lie"
Just a boy in a Chevy truck,
That had a tendency of gettin' stuck,
On backroads at night
An' I was right there beside him all summer long
An' then the time we woke up to find that summer'd gone

But when you think: Tim McGraw,
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long:
The moon like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little black dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me

September saw a month of tears,
An' thankin' God that you weren't here,
To see me like that
But in a box beneath my bed,
Is a letter that you never read,
From three summers back
It's hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet,
An' lookin' back on all of that, it's nice to believe:

When you think: Tim McGraw,
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long:
The moon like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little black dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me

And I'm back for the first time since then:
I'm standin' on your street,
An' there's a letter left on your doorstep,
An' the first thing that you'll read:

Is: "When you think: Tim McGraw,
"I hope you think my favorite song"
Some day you'll turn your radio on,
I hope it takes you back to that place
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little black dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me
Oh, think of me,
Mmmm

You said the way my blue eyes shined,
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said: "That's a lie"