There has been much speculation that Garth is hanging up his Stetson for good, but is this so? Has he said this? The answer is definitely no. Garth is merely taking a break from touring for a while. The question is how long? From a recent interview that Garth gave in Minneapolis, he said that everything would be shutting down for a year.

So, after Garth completes his tour in Ireland, what next? Well the first thing we can expect is the release of Garth Brooks: Double Live on November 16th in the UK, and November 17th in the US and Canada. Release dates for other countries haven't been announced yet.

Garth Brooks: Double Live while not in DVD format as Garth had once hoped will be something wonderful to look forward to. In the US and Canada, there will be specially marked first editions. These copies will have a foil stamp on them similar to what was on the Sevens CD's. In Canada, this foil stamp will be in the shape of a maple leaf. From what I understand, each million copies of the album will have a different cover and liner notes with remarks from Garth. Each of these covers will have artwork representing a different time in Garth's career, such as his Central Park concert, or his Ireland concert, etc. The cassette versions will also have different artwork on them. Sounds like collectors will have a fun time obtaining all the different versions of this release. Next month I will review the CD on the site.

Garth has been working with Babyface on producing a movie about a rockstar that has problems with an overzealeous female fan. It's unknown whether Garth will play this character, but he does have some interest in it. Along with the movie will be a soundtrack, so we have that to look forward to as well. There is no release date mentioned, but perhaps this is something we can look forward to in 1999.

We know how much Garth wants to record a duet album with Trisha Yearwood, and the duets that have been released, "In Another's Eyes," and "Where Your Road Leads," are proof that these two have an excellent sound together. I am speculating on this since last I heard, MCA had not given the ok to the project, but I am hoping, along with millions of other fans of Garth and Trisha, that they will agree, and we can look forward to this duet album next year.

Garth will be making several television appearances to promote his Garth Brooks: Double Live album this fall. The following are those that are scheduled at this time:

• November 16: Jay Leno (11:35 pm EDT - NBC)
• November 18: Garth Brooks: Double Live (8:00 pm * - NBC)
• November 24: Today Show (7:00 am EDT - NBC)
• November 24: Donny and Marie Syndicated
• November 24: Conan O'Brien (12:35 am EDT - NBC)
• November 25: CBS This Morning (7:00 am EDT - CBS)
• December 4: Late Show with Tom Snyder Syndicated
• December 7: Rosie O'Donnell Syndicated
• December 9: Crook & Chase (3:00 pm EDT - TNN)
• December 15: The View Syndicated

* NBC will broadcast the Garth Brooks: Double Live special at three times, one showing for Eastern/Central, and one for Mountain, and one for Pacific. Garth will be taking live phone calls as well as studio audience questions, so this will allow people in all these time zones to participate.

As of the writing of this article, the schedule for Rosie O'Donnell didn't include Garth, but he is supposed to be appearing on her show, so keep an eye on your local tv schedule.

Garth will also be taping a Christmas special, Christmas '99 which I would assume would be for next year, but you never can tell. It's supposed to be for CBS and will include an album of music.

So, while we may see less of Garth next year, you can bet he'll still be popping up at charity events, and on tv shows, not to mention the Opry. Knowing Garth, you can bet he won't be sitting at home all year, he'll be out there recording, producing, and singing here and there too.