CMT is dipping its foot into the sitcom pool with the announcement of its first scripted comedy, Working Class. The show is due to premiere in January 2011 and will star actress and comedian Melissa Peterman.

The show is said to be a family-friendly affair centered on the life of a single mom with a blue collar background who moves her family to a rich neighborhood. Can she give them a better life but retain her country swagger? Only time will tell.

Peterman is best known for playing Barbra Jean on the TV show Reba (pictured), which ran from 2001-2007, and currently also works as the host of CMT's The Singing Bee. Earlier this year, she signed a deal with Big Machine Records to release her first comedy album.

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Looks like actress Gwyneth Paltrow may be getting more than she originally bargained for when she signed up to play a country singer in the upcoming movie Country Strong -- she may actually have a bonafide country hit on her hands.

The film isn't due out until December, so consider this your sneak preview that Paltrow's voice, previously heard singing alongside Huey Lewis on the 2000 cover of "Crusin'," can also handle country. The single sounds primed and ready to saddle up alongside the rest of the country pop on the radio today.

Take a listen to the movie's title track and see for yourself. The film also stars Tim McGraw as her manager husband.

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Responsible for penning hits for country stars like Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Burl Ives, and George Strait, songwriter Hank Cochran passed away at his home in Hendersonville, TN, near Nashville, on July 15.

He'd dealt with several health issues of late, including a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2008 and surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm earlier this year.

Cochran is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International Hall of Fame, Country Music Walkway of Stars and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. He is responsible for such classics as "I Fall to Pieces" and "Make the World Go Away."

Kicking off September 29 in New York City, Miranda Lambert will support her latest album, Revolution, on the road across 28 cities as the headliner for CMT on Tour. The bill will also feature Eric Church, who's supporting his album Carolina, and country newcomer (and husband to actress Katherine Heigl) Josh Kelley. After releasing six albums in the pop-rock world, Kelley is set to record his first country album later this year for MCA Nashville.

Though specific dates have not yet been disclosed, you can see if "CMT on Tour: Miranda Lambert Revolution" will be coming to your town by visiting the tour's website.

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