Happy New Year!

 

A very Happy New Year to all the readers of Countrify! As I type this, fireworks are exploding outside my hotel window, illuminating the night sky with bursts of brilliant colours. Ah, the beauty of celebration! May the new year bring us even more great music in the country industry!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all the readers of Countrify! There will be much more in store for all of you next year so make sure you check back constantly for the latest updates on country music! Till then, have fun unwrapping presents under the Christmas tree!

Rascal Flatts Honored by Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

From the press release:

The Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt honored country music group Rascal Flatts in the naming of its Pediatric Surgery Center. The Rascal Flatts Surgery Center features a new specialized radiology suite, offering patients expanded services, and will house all of Children’s Hospital’s existing and new surgical programs, including more than 12,700 general and specialized pediatric surgeries performed each year at the hospital.

Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney were honored today during a ceremony at Children’s Hospital, commemorating the band’s sixth consecutive year in visiting the hospital. The superstar group also visited children room-to-room to deliver Halloween treats and hosted a Halloween party for patients and their families, including an intimate live performance. Additionally, a sign that bears the group’s name was unveiled, marking the entrance to the Rascal Flatts Surgery Center on the third floor of Children’s Hospital.

“We became involved with the work at Children’s Hospital so that children will continue to have a wonderful place to get better and to help their families move on with their lives,” said LeVox. “We have built some long-lasting relationships, not only with the staff, but with some of the kids and their parents as well.
“We are honored by the extraordinary philanthropic commitment of Rascal Flatts to our patients and families at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt,” said Jonathan Gitlin, M.D., James C. Overall Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “The clinical work done in this new radiology suite permits us for the first time through the generosity of Rascal Flatts to make discoveries in the science of patient care that will bring new hope to children in Nashville, Middle Tennessee and across America.”

Happy Halloween!

I would like to wish all the readers of Countrify a very Happy Halloween, with the very cute picture above of a puking pumpkin, courtesy of Montgomery Gentry's Troy Gentry. This is probably the most unique pumpkin design I've ever seen. So, enjoy yourselves, guys and girls, and don't forget to check back to Countrify for more updates on the latest news in country music after all the trick-and-treating is  over! :-)

Wear Purple on October 20 for Spirit Day

How can you help show your support for the teens who took their lives because of anti-LGBT bullying?
1. Wear purple on Wednesday, October 20!

2. Twitter pic: Click here to turn your Twitter profile pic purple now through October 20

3. Facebook pic: Click here to create a purple version of your Facebook profile pic - Then look for the purple photo in a new photo album called "Twibbons," click on the purple photo, and click "Make Profile Pic." Works best on square profile pics.
4. On Wednesday, post this tweet: I'm wearing purple to end anti-LGBT bullying - make your profile pic purple today #SpiritDay http://glaad.org/spiritday

5. On Wednesday, post this Facebook status: I'm wearing purple today to support LGBT youth - make your profile pic purple today for Spirit Day at http://glaad.org/spiritday

6. Help promote by downloading this graphic for your blog or website On Twitter? Use the hashtag #SpiritDay in your tweets - let's make #SpiritDay a trending topic!

What is Spirit Day?

The idea behind Spirit Day, first created by teenager Brittany McMillan earlier this month, is a simple one, not dissimilar to the idea of "Spirit Week" held in many high schools, and can be summed up in three words: Everyone Rally Together.
Spirit Day honors the teenagers who had taken their own lives in recent weeks. But just as importantly, it's also a way to show the hundreds of thousands of LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.
Purple symbolizes 'spirit' on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.
As one of the event's Facebook pages says: "This event is not a seminar nor is it a rally. There is NO meeting place. All you have to do is wear purple." 
Wearing purple on October 20 is a simple way to show the world that you stand by these courageous young people and a simple way to stand UP to the bullies. Remember those lives we've tragically lost, and show your solidarity with those who are still fighting. 'Go Purple' today!  
Please RSVP to these events on Facebook: "R.I.P. ;; In memory of the recent suicides due to gay abuse, wear purple" and Spirit Day, A GLOBAL Day of remembering.

Are You in Need of Immediate Help?

LGBT youth in need of immediate help should contact The Trevor Project 's 24/7 Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Media/Blogger ContAct

Read the press release.

Download a graphic for your website or blog.
Rich Ferraro
Director of Public Relations
[email protected]
(646) 871-8011

How Has GLAAD Been Involved in Spirit Day?

Read our blog post about GLAAD's work with Facebook on Spirit Day...

Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse Grand Opening

Lady Gaga Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Doraemon : The Final Chapter

I was surprised at how touching this video is. It almost made me cry. To all of you out there who have grown up with Doraemon and Nobita, this video is a must. It concludes the extremely long and complicated tale of Doraemon, after the original author had passed away before completing his work. Kudos to Tajimma T Yasue for creating such a brilliant plot to end the ever-loved series.

Rascal Flatts Releases iPhone and Android App

Rascal Flatts have released a free iPhone and Android application which will be updated throughout the new tour.

You can download the app here.

Zac Brown Band - For Those Who Serve

Watch the exclusive documentary film "For Those Who Serve" following Zac Brown Band on their April USO Tour in the Persian Gulf. The film features the band performing for the troops, meeting individually with our men and women in uniform stationed far from home and sharing their thoughts on the experience.

Rascal Flatts Named “Ambassadors” For The Jason Foundation

Rascal Flatts have been named as Ambassadors, or celebrity spokesmen, for The Jason Foundation (JFI) and in addition to their roles in public service announcements, public awareness programs and fundraising, they will also promote the foundation’s newly created “B1” Project. The “B1” Project is a nationwide effort specifically geared to educate youth and students on how to recognize when a friend might be struggling with thoughts of suicide or life in general, and how to help.  The theme is “Someone you know may need a friend – B 1”.  As a part of their ambassador role, Rascal Flatts will be directly involved in this project through a widespread media and social networking campaign.  The campaign will include public service announcements, poster distribution to schools and Facebook initiatives.  The band will also be showing their public service announcements during concerts throughout their “Nothing Like This Tour,” which launches June 25, 2010 in Raleigh,North Carolina.

 “Having been personally affected by suicide,” said Jay DeMarcus, “it’s important for me to do all that we can to create more awareness and prevention, particularly with teenagers.  We are proud to be partners with the Jason Foundation and we are looking forward to doing our part in trying to help them save even more lives.” “We look forward to helping give people the right tools to recognize the signs,” shared Gary LeVox.  “Our youth need to know they have options and there are people that want to help them.”

The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is an educational organization dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth suicide.  JFI believes that awareness and education are the first steps to prevention and focuses on establishing a Triangle of Prevention by providing students, parents and teachers/youth workers the tools and resources to help them identify and assist at-risk youth. This is accomplished through a series of programs and services that focus on information about the awareness and prevention of youth suicide. JFI is a national organization with a network of affiliate offices. Go to www.jasonfoundation.com  to learn more.

Rascal Flatts- Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney- have been involved in many charitable endeavors throughout their career and believe in the gift of giving back. Along the way they’ve become avid supporters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where they have donated nearly 3 million dollars, the American Red Cross, as celebrity cabinet members, and more

EW's 100 Greatest Characters!

The writers and editors of Entertainment Weekly have carefully curated a list of the 100 greatest characters in pop-culture over the last 20 years. However, I disagree with some of their decisions, regarding who should be on the list. Where's Benjamin Linus of Lost (he should be there right next to John Locke)? Or Breaking Bad's Walter White (amazingly played by Bryan Cranston)? Lastly, where's Sheldon Cooper (the very heart of The Big Bang Theory)? And some of those on the list don't deserve to be there. Think 30 Rock's Tracy Jordan (probably one of the most annoying characters ever) and vampire Edward Cullen of Twilight (teen girls love him, big deal).

Some of those I do agree with are in BOLD, as you can see below. Some of them should definitely be higher on the list (Locke, House, Salander), but I've no idea why they're so low down. Well, at least they're there...

100. Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights
99. The Bride from Kill Bill
98. Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels
97. Violet Weston from August: Osage County
96. Bernie Mac from The Bernie Mac Show
95. Wilhelmina from Ugly Betty
94. Truman from The Truman Show
93. Game Boys: Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series; Kratos from the God of War series; and Niko Bellic from Grand Theft Auto IV
92. Christopher Boone from The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time
91. Hancock from Hancock
90. Marge Gunderson from Fargo
89. Wikus van de Merwe from District 9
88. Napoleon Dynamite from Napoleon Dynamite
87. Tony Stark from the Iron Man series
86. Karen Walker and Jack McFarland from Will & Grace
85. Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood
84. Dr. Gregory House from House, M.D.
83. Jen Yu from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
82. Tracy Flick from Election
81. Amanda Woodward from Melrose Place
80. Gorillaz, the animated rock band
79. Elphaba from Wicked
78. Patty Hewes from Damages
77. Mimi Marquez from Rent
76. Tyler Durden from Fight Club
75. David Brent from The Office (original version)
74. Don Draper from Mad Men
73. Catherine Trammell from Basic Instinct
72. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace from Battlestar Galactica
71. Det. Alonzo Harris from Training Day
70. Mary Katherine Gallagher from Saturday Night Live
69. Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada
68. Effie White from Dreamgirls
67. Borat from Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
66. Allie and Noah from The Notebook
65. Lorelai and Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls
64. Maximus from Gladiator
63. John Locke from Lost
62. Jimmy Corrigan from Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
61. Vic Mackey from The Shield
60. Mary Jones from Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Saphhire
59. Master Chief from the Halo series
58. Thelma and Louise from Thelma & Louise
57. Clayton Bigsby from Chappelle’s Show
56. Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother
55. Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock
54. Juno from Juno
53. Edward Cullen from the Twilight saga
52. Annie Wilkes from Misery
51. Omar Little from The Wire
50. Pearl the Landlord from FunnyorDie.com
49. Vivian Ward from Pretty Woman
48. Red from The Shawshank Redemption
47. Corky St. Clair Waiting for Guffman
46. Jerry Maguire from Jerry Maguire
45. Stewie Griffin from Family Guy
44. Jack Bauer from 24
43. Cal Stephanides from Middlesex
42. Sydney Bristow from Alias
41. Harold and Kumar from the Harold & Kumar series
40. Ron Burgundy from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
39. Gob Bluth from Arrested Development
38. Elmo from Sesame Street
37. Keyser Söze from The Usual Suspects
36. Gollum from The Lord of the Rings
35. Dexter Morgan from Dexter
34. Cher from Clueless
33. Sarah Connor from Terminator 2: Judgment Day
32. Beavis and Butt-Head from Beavis and Butt-Head
31. Forrest Gump from Forrest Gump
30. “Stephen Colbert” from The Colbert Report
29. Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction
28. Madea from several Tyler Perry films and plays
27. Frasier from Frasier
26. Kavalier and Clay from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
25. Woody from the Toy Story series
24. Felicity Porter from Felicity
23. Austin Powers from the Austin Powers series
22. Eric Cartman from South Park
21. Roseanne Conner from Roseanne
20. Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal
19. Morpheus from The Matrix series
18. Sue Sylvester from Glee
17. Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise
16. Bridget Jones from the Bridget Jones series
15. Shrek from the Shrek series
14. Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski from The Big Lebowski
13. Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series
12. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files
11. Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld
10. SpongeBob SquarePants from SpongeBob SquarePants
9. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City
8. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs and its sequels
7. Edward Scissorhands from Edward Scissorhands
6. Rachel Green from Friends
5. The Joker from The Dark Knight
4. Tony Soprano from The Sopranos
3. Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series
1. Homer Simpson from The Simpsons

Happy Mother's Day!

I would just like to wish all my readers (and your mothers!) a very Happy Mother's Day! On this wonderful day, we should all grab the opportunity to celebrate our beloved mothers who have worked hard for us for so long. She deserves it, guys and gals, so make sure today is a memorable one for your mothers!

The 'Nancy' Comic Strip Featuring Montgomery Gentry

The 2010 TIME 100

Leaders

1. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
2. J.T. Wang
3. Admiral Mike Mullen
4. Barack Obama
5. Ron Bloom
6. Yukio Hatoyama
7. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
8. Nancy Pelosi
9. Sarah Palin
10. Salam Fayyad
11. Jon Kyl
12. Glenn Beck
13. Annise Parker
14. Tidjane Thiam
15. Jenny Beth Martin
16. Christine Lagarde
17. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
18. General Stanley McChrystal
19. Manmohan Singh
20. Bo Xilai
21. Mark Carney
22. Sister Carol Keehan
23. Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan
24. Robin Li
25. Scott Brown

Heroes

1. Bill Clinton
2. Kim Yu-Na
3. Mir-Hossein Mousavi
4. Ben Stiller
5. Temple Grandin
6. P. Namperumalsamy
7. Nay Phone Latt
8. Chen Shu-chu
9. Phil Mickelson
10. Didier Drogba
11. Graça Machel
12. Reem Al Numery
13. Sachin Tendulkar
14. Tristan Lecomte
15. Liya Kebede
16. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
17. Zahra Rahnavard
18. Jet Li
19. Serena Williams
20. Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis
21. Karls Paul-Noel
22. Rahul Singh
23. Valentin Abe
24. Malalai Joya
25. Will Allen

Artists

1. Lady Gaga
2. Conan O'Brien
3. Kathryn Bigelow
4. Oprah Winfrey
5. Valery Gergiev
6. Robert Pattinson
7. Ashton Kutcher
8. Suzanne Collins
9. Taylor Swift
10. Neil Patrick Harris
11. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof
12. Prince
13. Lea Michele
14. Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik
15. Simon Cowell
16. Neill Blomkamp
17. Elton John
18. Marc Jacobs
19. David Chang
20. Banksy
21. Chetan Bhagat
22. Sandra Bullock
23. Ricky Gervais
24. Han Han
25. James Cameron

Thinkers

1. Zaha Hadid
2. Elizabeth Warren
3. Douglas Schwartzentruber and Larry Kwak
4. Michael Pollan
5. Atul Gawande
6. Jaron Lanier
7. Victor Pinchuk
8. Lee Kuan Yew
9. Deborah Gist
10. Kathleen Merrigan
11. Steve Jobs
12. Tim White
13. Lisa Jackson
14. Elon Musk
15. Edna Foa
16. Jaime Lerner
17. Paul Volcker
18. Amy Smith
19. Matt Berg
20. Amartya Sen
21. Michael Sherraden
22. Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy
23. Tim Westergren
24. David Boies and Theodore Olson
25. Sonia Sotomayor

The 2010 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators and icons who you think merit spots on this year's list of the 100 most influential people in the world

 

2010 Candidates

1. Lady Gaga
2. Kim Yu-Na
3. Jeff Bridges
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Nicolas Sarkozy
6. James Cameron
7. Muammar Gaddafi
8. Sandra Bullock
9. Sarah Palin
10. Lindsey Vonn
11. Nancy Pelosi
12. Han Han
13. Paul Volcker
14. Michelle Obama
15. Scott Brown
16. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
17. Roger Ailes
18. Dave Eggers
19. Beyoncé
20. Conan O'Brien
21. David Chang
22. Dan Coudreaut
23. Catherine Ashton
24. Arne Duncan
25. Neil Patrick Harris
26. Barack Obama
27. T-Bone Burnett
28. Mo'Nique
29. Tiger Woods
30. Kathryn Bigelow
31. Oprah Winfrey
32. Taylor Swift
33. Rahm Emanuel
34. Alec Baldwin
35. Stephen Colbert
36. Ellen DeGeneres
37. Jay Leno
38. The Lost Creators
39. Seth MacFarlane
40. Jon Stewart
41. Matthew Weiner
42. Dennis Crowley
43. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, of Penny Arcade
44. Peter Molyneux
45. Bill Clinton
46. Neil Gaiman
47. Marissa Mayer
48. Rain
49. Pete Cashmore
50. Manmohan Singh
51. Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
52. Apolo Ohno
53. Michael Lewis
54. Grant Achatz
55. Billy Graham
56. David Boies and Theodore Olson
57. Banksy
58. Susan Boyle
59. Simon Cowell
60. Cheryl Cole
61. Vivienne Westwood
62. Ferran Adrià
63. Manny Pacquiao
64. Meghan McCain
65. Timothy Geithner
66. Stanley McChrystal
67. Annise Parker
68. Glenn Beck
69. Joe Lieberman
70. Bode Miller
71. Olympia Snowe
72. Eric Cantor
73. Mike Mullen
74. Ron Paul
75. Rahul Singh
76. Paul Farmer
77. Mitt Romney
78. Atul Gawande
79. Betty White
80. Jane Lynch
81. Jimmy Fallon
82. Lea Michele
83. Jeff Zucker
84. Bristol Palin
85. Emma Watson
86. Greg Mortenson
87. Meryl Streep
88. Drew Brees
89. Roger Federer
90. Adam Lambert
91. John Madden
92. Kaká
93. Elizabeth Warren
94. Harvey Weinstein
95. Kanye West
96. Dana White
97. Tim White
98. Kristen Wiig
99. Marc Jacobs
100. Johanna Sigurdardottir
101. Shah Rukh Khan
102. Tim Westergren
103. Elizabeth Gilbert
104. Temple Grandin
105. Gabourey Sidibe
106. Drew Pinsky
107. Prince
108. Rachael Ray
109. Jason Reitman
110. Clint Eastwood
111. Kim Clijsters
112. Rupert Murdoch
113. Rachel Maddow
114. Ricky Gervais
115. Jerry Seinfeld
116. Yukio Hatoyama
117. Robert Pattinson
118. Amy Poehler
119. Arnold Schwarzenegger
120. Carlos Slim Helú
121. Sonia Sotomayor
122. Anna Wintour
123. Mehmet Oz
124. Warren Buffett
125. Mark Carney
126. Bill and Melinda Gates
127. Michael Sherraden
128. Steve Jobs
129. J.T. Wang
130. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
131. Lawrence Summers
132. Kathleen Merrigan
133. Lisa Jackson
134. Michael Pollan
135. Christine Lagarde
136. Angela Merkel
137. Tidjane Thiam
138. Bo Xilai
139. Wang Qishan
140. Liu Xiaobo
141. Danica Patrick
142. Robin Li
143. Lee Kuan Yew
144. Preity Zinta
145. Shirin Ebadi
146. Serena Williams
147. Jimmy Kimmel
148. Zahra Rahnavard
149. Jean-Max Bellerive
150. Hugo Chávez
151. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
152. Samuel Alito, Jr.
153. Cory Booker
154. Ben Bernanke
155. Andrew Breitbart
156. Evan Bayh
157. Peter Orszag
158. Akio Toyoda
159. Lloyd Blankfein
160. Chetan Bhagat
161. Suzanne Collins
162. Andy Samberg
163. Elton John
164. Jaron Lanier
165. Patti Smith
166. Ben Stiller
167. Zaha Hadid
168. Chelsea Handler
169. Tim Gunn
170. Renzo Piano
171. Ashton Kutcher
172. Joannie Rochette
173. Jasper Schuringa
174. J.J. Abrams
175. Judd Apatow
176. Neill Blomkamp
177. Alex Rodriguez
178. Bradley Cooper
179. Sachin Tendulkar
180. George Clooney
181. Zach Galifianakis
182. Diane Nelson
183. Zoe Saldana
184. Quentin Tarantino
185. Richard Goldstone
186. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
187. Mary Karr
188. Salam Fayyad
189. Benjamin Netanyahu
190. Mir-Hossein Mousavi
191. Anwar al-Awlaki
192. Cristiano Ronaldo
193. Didier Drogba
194. Thierry Henry
195. Joseph (Sepp) Blatter
196. Tomoaki Kato
197. Edna Foa
198. Jenny McCarthy
199. Elon Musk
200. Saad Hariri

Vote now!

Useful Links for Current Events

Until the date of the JPA interview, I will be posting a llist of websites that you can visit to get yourselves updated on current events. Here they are:

Worldwide

Time Magazine

Newsweek Magazine

The Economist Magazine

CNN

MSNBC

World News Network

BBC

Yahoo! News
Associated Press

Local

Malaysia Today

The Star

New Straits Times

Utusan Malaysia

Berita Harian
Bernama 

For those interested in taking up accounting, visit this page:
ACCA Global