Reba McEntire recruited veteran actor Ed Asner to play a co-starring role in her new music video, “Somebody’s Chelsea.” Asner plays a passenger McEntire meets on a plane, who shares with her his love story with his late wife, Chelsea. The story inspires McEntire’s character to want to be “somebody’s Chelsea” in her own romance.

 

The video was filmed in Los Angeles, and McEntire and director Trey Fanjoy collaborated on the concept. McEntire also wrote the song, along with songwriters Liz Hengber and Will Robinson. It was inspired by a line of dialog in the film “P.S. I Love You,” in which Harry Connick Jr.’s character tells Hillary Swank’s character, “I’m going to find somebody, because one of these days, I’m going to be somebody’s Frank,” a reference to Swank’s deceased partner she’s having a difficult time getting over.

 

“I gasped and got on the computer and e-mailed Liz saying, “‘This is a great idea for a song,’” McEntire says of the song’s origins. Watch the video here.

 

Justin Bieber has revealed that the The Band Perry has recorded a song with him for his forthcoming Christmas album, due out next month. No word on the title of the song, but the album is reportedly all original holiday material rather than Christmas standards.

 

Bieber is rumored to have also recently written a song with pal Taylor Swift, which may also be for the Christmas project.

 

Dierks Bentley will play an unlikely cover song on TV this week when he participates is “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s” week-long tribute to iconic rock band Pink Floyd. Bentley will perform his own version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” on Sept. 29.

 

He’s the only country artist booked to participate in the tribute, which will also include performances from rock bands Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, The Shins and MGMT.

 

The tribute celebrates the release of Pink Floyd’s two new box sets of re-mastered and previously unreleased material.

 

Reba McEntire may have been receiving a big award from the Academy of Country music Monday night in Nashville, but she was self-deprecating enough in her acceptance speech to share a story about once vomiting right there in the Ryman Auditorium, where the 5th annual ACM Honors show was being held.

 

McEntire told the story about getting sick on her first visit to the Grand Ole Opry—at age seven—during her acceptance speech for the ACM’s Career Achievement Award, which was presented to her by longtime friend Ronnie Dunn. She also thanked fans and the industry for “putting up with me all these years . . . When I got in this business, I had no clue,” she added. “I was scared to death.”

 

The night’s other big winners at the show, hosted by Joe Nichols, included International Award winner Taylor Swift, and Pioneer Award winners Garth Brooks and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers. In her acceptance speech, Swift (right) joked that on her world tour this year, “I’ve had my name pronounced in so many different ways I didn’t even know were possible.”

 

While Brooks sent a taped acceptance speech, citing his wife’s birthday as the reason he wasn’t present, the Gatlins were on hand to accept their award from past winners the Oak Ridge Boys. Oaks member Joe Bonsall spoke of the “brotherhood” between the two groups and how both “learned to apply their trademark harmonies in gospel” music. In accepting his award, Larry Gatlin remarked, “The man who loves his job is always on vacation.”

 

The Gatlins (left) also performed “All The Gold In California,” bringing out a young Jamaican reggae star with whom they had recently recorded, Romain Virgo, to perform with them in what became one the of the night’s surprising performance highlights. Larry Gatlin said that song, a No. 1 hit in 1979, bought him and his brothers “big houses with circle drives and color TVs.”

 

Rodney Atkins and Jerrod Niemann performed Brooks’ songs as part of the tribute to him. The Gatlins were celebrated with performances of their songs by Thompson Square with Randy Houser, as well as the Isaacs.

 

The ACM International Award is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world. The Pioneer Award honors individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre.

 

The Poet’s Award for songwriting went to Tom T. Hall and the late Hank Cochran. The film “Country Strong” also received special recognition.

 

Other performers included Brett Eldredge (honoring “Country Strong”), Buddy Miller, Jack Ingram and Lee Ann Womack (honoring Hall), Dean Dillon, Nichols (right) and Jamey Johnson (honoring Cochran), and the Whites, Montgomery Gentry and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers (honoring artist manager John Dorris, who also received a special award from the ACM).

 

(Photos: Getty Images/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music)

 

We couldn’t resists this great photo of the Oak Ridge Boys’ William Lee Golden, left, chatting with Jamey Johnson backstage at the 5th annual ACM Honors at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Monday night.

 

The Oaks were in attendance to present the ACM’s Pioneer Award to Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers. Johnson was there to perform as part of a tribute to the late songwriter Hank Cochran, who was posthumously given the ACM’s Poet’s Award. Johnson closed the show with a medley of three of Cochran’s hits, “I Fall To Pieces,” “Make The World Go Away” and “He’s Got You.”

 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music)

 

Taylor Swift is releasing a new DVD and Blu-ray chronicling her current, Broadway-inspired tour. “Speak Now World Tour —Live” will be available Nov. 21 bundled in with an enhanced version of her current album, also titled “Speak Now.” The tour wraps its U.S. leg the next day with the second of two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York.

 

By then, the tour will have played to capacity crowds in stadiums and arenas, with nearly 100 shows in 17 countries spanning three continents. The tour was also recently extended into next year, with shows scheduled in Australia and New Zealand.

The package marks the first release of live music from Swift. The DVD/Blu-ray includes performances of all 17 songs from the “Speak Now” show (“Sparks Fly,” “Mine,” “Story of Us,” “Our Song,” “Mean,” “Back To December,” “Better Than Revenge,” “Speak Now,” “Fearless,” “Last Kiss,” “You Belong With Me,” “Dear John,” Enchanted,” “Haunted, “Long Live,” “Fifteen,” and “Love Story”), plus additional bonus content. It showcases the theatrical elements of the tour, including dancers, aerialists, elaborate costumes, changing sets and choreography, plus Swift’s nine outfit changes.

The enhanced CD will contain more than 75 minutes of music, including live versions of songs from the “Speak Now” album.

 

Tony and Emmy Award winning performer Kristin Chenoweth, who released her first country album, “Some Lessons Learned” this month, made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville last Saturday night.

She got emotional on stage, calling an Opry performance “a lifelong dream.” She then performed two songs from the new album, “Fathers And Daughters” and the humorous “What Would Dolly Do?” (aka “WW Double D”).

She was introduced by Steve Wariner. View the performance here.

 

The Grand Ole Opry plans to honor Randy Travis as he celebrates 25 years in country music and as an Opry member on October 4.  Travis perform at the event, and will be honored with musical tributes by some of the fellow artists who appear with him on his newest CD, “Anniversary Celebration,” which was released in June. They will include Carrie Underwood, John Anderson, Josh Turner, Gene Watson, Connie Smith and Joe Stampley.

 

Several performances from the night’s show will be part of an episode of “Opry Live” scheduled to premiere on the cable network GAC: Great American Country on October 15 at 8 p.m. (CT).

  

“It is a great honor to join the Opry, GAC, and the many wonderful artists who have become friends in helping me celebrate 25 years of music,” said Travis in a press release statement. “I am thankful for [them] and all the fans of country music.”