The Taylor Swift Express just keeps steaming right along. The Grammy nominations are in, and Taylor racked up eight, including nominations in the "Big Three" categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Taylor's unwitting partner in the Kanye West-MTV Awards fiasco, Beyonce, led the way with 10 nominations. She'll go head to head against Taylor in the Big Three, as will freaky enigmatic pop-sensation, Lady Gaga.

Of her eight nominations, Taylor said, "To be recognized by the Grammys is the ultimate honor. The last couple of months have been a nonstop dream come true."

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles said that Swift's remarkable success is a great thing because "she's brought a lot of young people into country music." This may be true, but judging from a number of comments from my recent blog on the blurring of the lines in country music , more than a few folks don't believe that Taylor's success is actually converting new fans to country. Time will tell.

I did see a couple of pleasant surprises in the Grammy nomination list. Kudos to Lee Ann Womack for her nomination in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song "Solitary Thinkin'." It's a wonderful song, and it would sure be nice if country radio gave it more of a chance. The same goes for Jamey Johnson and his well deserved nomination in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category for his song "High Cost of Living."

CBS will televise the 52nd Grammy Awards from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 8-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

And for those thinking about (or hoping for) any more drama between Kanye, Taylor and Beyonce, Kanye has been nominated for three awards, so chances are excellent he'll be in the house.

Can you say "steel-cage match?"

Photo © Big Machine

I always enjoy hearing about country stars who do well overseas, especially in non-English speaking countries. I was surprised to learn that Toby Keith, as huge as he is in the U.S., had never done a proper European tour until very recently. Of course, his USO touring schedule is legendary, and he's been to the Middle East and Africa many times, but the jury was still out on what kind of a reception he'd receive on a real European tour.

Well, the verdict is in, and by all accounts, Toby blew the roof off of all venues he played on his recent two-week sold out tour. All nine shows in six different countries were completely sold out before Toby ever set foot in Glasgow, Scotland for his first gig.

"The accents are a little different and the food sure isn't what you get in Oklahoma," Toby said shortly after playing his last concert in Oslo, Norway. "But they say music's a universal language, and the folks we saw sure seemed to be having a good time. And so did we."

After opening in Glasgow, Toby and his band moved on to London to play the famed Hammersmith Apollo. Next up was Dublin's Olympia Theater, then on to Denmark, Sweden and Finland before finishing up in Norway.

Country music has always had a surprisingly strong fan base overseas. The great Jim Reeves was one of country's earliest world-wide pioneers. Johnny Cash had a huge international following, as did the Gentle Giant, Don Williams, who was legendary in places like Brazil and Zimbabwe.

Quick question for you: Who was the first major country artist you ever saw in concert. My first big country show was Merle Haggard back in 1981 in Dallas. Feel free to share your story in the comment section below.

Photo © Getty Images - Frank Micelotta

I just returned from seeing the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side, co-starring Tim McGraw, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie is very much Bullock's film, and she is excellent - even Oscar-worthy according to some early pundits - but McGraw's portrayal has gained some very positive feedback, too. The LA Times reported that McGraw displayed "an easygoing charm," while Variety wrote that McGraw "again evidences quietly impressive thespian ability."

This got me to thinking about how country stars seem to be relatively successful at crossing-over into films and television. McGraw is currently carving out a nice career in Hollywood. Dwight Yoakam has appeared in numerous films to date and almost always to very positive reviews. His frightening portrayal of the evil Doyle Hargraves in the Billy Bob Thornton flick, Sling Blade, is quintessential creepy, and it really established him as an actor to be taken seriously. Dolly Parton has enjoyed success in a slew of big-budget films, including Steel Magnolias, Straight Talk, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and, of course, 9 to 5. Willie Nelson has appeared in over thirty films, including his first film, 1979's The Electric Horseman, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Dukes of Hazzard and Beer For My Horses, co-starring Toby Keith.

Of course, country music has a rich history in Hollywood. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were household names even to non-country music fans back in the '30s, '40s and '50s. Marty Robbins, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Don Williams and Faron Young all appeared in numerous major motion pictures. The list is long. I loved Reba McEntire's hilarious portrayal of an armed-to-the-teeth, NRA-loving monster killer in Tremors. Then she had her own televisions series. And what about Billy Ray Cyrus, who's had a couple of different television shows, including the mega-successful "Hannah Montana?"

Do you have a favorite film starring a country music star or a favorite movie or television role portrayed by a country singer? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Photo © Getty Images - Jim Spellman

The fallout from last week's CMA awards is very heated here in Music City, and people are taking sides! The debate really centers on the landside victory for Taylor Swift and her four major awards, including the big kahuna, Entertainer of the Year. My last blog post received a number of very heated comments, with the vast majority falling squarely in the "Taylor Swift isn't country!" camp.

So I ask you: Just what the heck is country music anyway?

There has been debate for many years about the blurring of the lines between country, pop and rock-and-roll. In the more modern country era, many point to Shania Twain's meteoric rise to superstardom as a moment when country music lost its identity (I say "a" moment instead of "the" moment because throughout the history of country music, there have been a number of "moments" where some believe country lost its identity. More on that in a bit.)

So, should we blame Shania? Virtually all of her music crossed-over onto the pop charts regularly. Perhaps more of the blame should be shouldered by her husband at the time, Mutt Lange, who was also her producer and co-songwriter. Mutt came to country music through Shania, but his credentials were pure rock-and-roll. He produced some of the biggest names in the business, including AC/DC, Foreigner, The Cars, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, who apparently are the new darlings of country thanks to Tim McGraw appearing on their latest album, as well as their highly-watched CMT Crossroads special with Taylor Swift.

Fast-forward to today, however, and Taylor Swift's cross-over appeal easily trumps Shania's. Every one of Taylor's eight country singles has crossed-over very high onto the pop charts. Her cross-over appeal is unmatched in the modern era.

So the debate rages on. Just what is country? Is Rascal Flatts country? What about Keith Urban or Faith Hill? And just who determines what the definition of country music is anyway?

Back when country legends like Eddy Arnold and Ray Price traded their blue jeans for tuxedos and started crooning like Frank Sinatra, people cried "foul!" To combat the smooth orchestrations of this new Nashville Sound, along came the hard-driving Bakersfield Sound with its loud drums and twin Fender Telecaster assault on the ears. People cried "foul!" then, too, saying it was too rock-and-roll to be country. And that was over 40 years ago!

So I ask you: Just what in the world is country music anyway? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Photo © Mercury Nashville