Taylor Swift is a doctor now…sort of. The singer received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from New York University yesterday, and spoke to graduates at their commencement at Yankee Stadium.

“Hi, I’m Taylor,” she began. “Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard. This outfit is much more comfortable,” referring to her purple and black cap and gown. She also joked, “The main reason I’m here is because I have a song called ’22,'” a nod to her “Red” track.

“I’d like to thank NYU for making me, technically, on paper at least, a doctor,” she added, “Not the type of doctor you would want around in case of an emergency. Unless your specific emergency was that you desperately needed to hear a song with a catchy hook.”

• In her nearly 25-minute speech, she talked to graduates about it being okay to make mistakes, noting hers were some of the “best things” in her life. She also touched upon cancel culture, sharing, “getting canceled on the Internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine.”
• She also discussed the difficulties the students must have gone through thanks to COVID, advised them to get comfortable with “cringe” and urged them to set forth on their own path. “I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who to be and when, who you are now and how to act in order to get where you want to go,” she said. “I have some good news: It’s totally up to you. I have some terrifying news: It’s totally up to you.”
• Finally, Tay offered, “Hard things will happen to us, we will recover, we will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it,” adding, “As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, (and) breathe out — I’m a doctor now so I know how breathing works.”

Read the full transcript here.

Source: Variety

With Ellen DeGeneres set to wrap up her daytime talk show May 26^th, Keith Urban stopped by for his final appearance on the show and serenaded the host with his 2016 song “Blue Ain’t Your Color” at her request.

Keith, who has appeared on the talk show 20 times, also chatted with Ellen, who asked him how he felt about Dolly Parton’s recent admission that she wanted to sing a duet with him.

“It’s so sweet,” he shares. “I come from working-class parents and a rural kind of background in Australia, and the first time I met Dolly — she’s sung with me a few times — and the first time I met her it was surreal.”

He notes, “I grew up singing her songs. As a matter of fact, I sang her songs because I was nine years old, and my voice hadn’t broken yet, and I sounded like her — I could sing in her key.”

• ONE MORE THING! Keith also gifted Ellen with a guitar that included a special message to the host. “Dearest darling Ellen, you’ve been a believer in me and my music since 2004, when I first came on your show,” it read. “Today is the 20th time you’ve invited me to be here. I’m deeply grateful for all the years of laughs, conversations, weird a– cologne commercials and your passionate support,” noting, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish you the love and light on your journey ahead. Your friend, always, Keith Urban.”

Source: Ellen DeGeneres

Carrie Underwood is ready to launch a new tour this fall. The singer just announced dates for her new “Denim & Rhinestones Tour,” named after her upcoming album, which drops June 10^th.

The tour, featuring special guest Jimmie Allen, kicks off October 15^th in Greenville, South Carolina, and hits such big cities as Miami, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, DC as well as New York’s Madison Square Garden, with dates confirmed through May 17^th in Seattle, Washington.

“I’m thrilled to be hitting the road again with the Denim & Rhinestones tour,” Carrie shares. “I’m excited to bring the new music of Denim & Rhinestones to life on tour, as well as put new spins on familiar favorites. We’ve been working hard already preparing for an amazing show, and I can’t wait to see everyone on the road!”

Check out the first few dates below and click here for the complete schedule. Tickets go on sale Friday.

• October 15: Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
• October 17: Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• October 18: Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
• October 20: Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
• October 22: Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
• October 23: Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
• October 25: Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
• October 27: Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center
• October 31: Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
• November 2: Austin, TX – Moody Center

The life and music of Naomi Judd was celebrated at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last night, with the memorial airing live on CMT.

“Welcome to the mother church of country music, this is where mom wanted her public celebration to take place and thank you for being in community and in fellowship with us,” Naomi’s daughter Ashley said at the opening of the memorial. “Because we can pretend to care, but we cannot pretend to show up. Thank you for showing up for our mom.”

Ashley then went on to eulogize her mother, before introducing her sister Wynonna, who performed the first of several songs, “River of Time.” She later performed Bette Midler’s “The Rose” with Brandi Carlile, and The Judds’ classic “Love Can Build A Bridge,” with the help of the Christ Church Choir, and the audience of fans and celebrities.

Ashley, Wy and Naomi’s husband Larry Strickland also shared their thoughts with the crowd, with Larry talking about how Naomi never met a stranger,  and how she would talk to anyone. He also read a letter that was sent to him by a stranger who shared a plane ride with Naomi as she was flying back to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She died the day before the ceremony.

• Several artists paid tribute to Naomi in song, including:  Little Big Town, who sang “Grandpa (Tell Me About The Good Old Days),” Jamey Johnson, who performed “John Deere Tractor,” Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell performed “The Sweetest Gift,” The Gaithers performed “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be,” Ashley McBryde held back tears while performing “Love Is Alive,” Brad Paisley performed “Young Love,” and talked about getting to open for The Judds early in his career and Carly Pearce performed “Why Not Me.”

• In addition, Martina McBride read “When Great Tree Falls” by Maya Angelou and there were taped tributes from Bono, Bette Midler, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Reba McEntire, Salma Hayek and more.

• During the memorial, Wynonna confirmed that she plans to go ahead with what was supposed to be The Judds’ 10-date reunion tour. “I will continue to sing,” she said. “I made a decision, and I decided to share it on national television. After a lot of thought, I am gonna have to honor her and do this tour because that is what you would want.” While she added  “I didn’t know if I could go on without her,” she noted, “We will continue this spectacle – that is what she would want, right?”

Source: Dr. Dave’s Ultimate Prep

Ashley Judd has confirmed in a new interview that her mother, Country Music Hall of Famer Naomi Judd, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Naomi died April 30th at the age of 76.

“She used a weapon…my mother used a firearm,” Ashley told Diane Sawyer in an interview with “Good Morning America.” “So that’s the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we’re in a position that if we don’t say it someone else is going to.”

Ashley calls Naomi’s final day a “mixed day,” noting that she was over the house for a visit when it happened. “Mom said to me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course I will,’” Ashley shares. “I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her.”

Ashley shared that her family chose her to talk about her mother’s tragic death in order to get the information out before others reported it. They also chose to speak to help others who may be struggling with mental illness like her mother. Ashley pointed out that her mother’s condition was so bad she “couldn’t hang on” one day to see her Country Music Hall of Fame induction.

“That is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her,” she says, “because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn’t penetrate into her heart, and the lie the disease told her was so convincing.”

Source: Good Morning America