Even Kelli Finglass didn’t know about it… that’s impressive, to say the least. The hit Netflix show America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is airing the third season on Netflix right now, and the show takes viewers from the first audition all the way through the end of NFL football season for the Cowboys, giving fans an inside at how the DCC organization runs. I loved the original iteration on CMT Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, though it’s fun to watch the entire process in this new show as opposed to just seeing the ruthless audition process. They’ve definitely tampered down some of the wild commentary, but cheerleader director, the aforementioned Kelli Finglass and Head Choreographer Judy Trammell are tough critics, and those girls who do ultimately make the team certainly earn it. It’s incredible how demanding their job is, and most of them also juggle other full-time jobs to make ends meet, though I think the pay and things of that nature has gotten a lot better since the show has become much more popular. This season follows the 2025–26 DCC squad, starting with the high-pressure auditions, where 30 veterans fought it out for just six open spots, and the season takes viewers from that point, all the way through game-day performances during the NFL season, and it even features guest judge in country superstar and Texas native, Miss Kacey Musgraves, which was a fun addition. Around the shows release, Kelli, Judy and Charlotte Jones, who is the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer for the organization and is highly involved with the cheerleaders too, have been making their media rounds to promote the show. Of course, playing the Cowboys game at halftime has become an important tradition, and they always pull out all the stops to get a big star to put on a big show. Aside from the Super Bowl halftime show, it’s the biggest concert that happens during an NFL game all year. And of course, playing the Cowboys game at halftime has become an important tradition, and they always pull out all the stops to get a big star to put on a big show. Aside from the Super Bowl halftime show, it’s the biggest concert that happens during an NFL game all year, and the cheerleaders are always involved and make the show that much more exciting. During an interview for People, Kelli and Charlotte talked about their careers with the Cowboys and all the memories they’ve made with the cheerleading team, and Kelli’s favorite performer they’ve ever had the pleasure of working with for almost 30 years since they started doing the halftime show is of course the one and only Mrs. Dolly Parton. In 2023, Dolly put on a show-stopping performance that I don’t think anyone saw coming, as she trotted out onto the stage during halftime wearing the iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleading uniform that barely anyone can really pull off, much less a woman who is now 80-years-young… but most people aren’t Dolly Parton, obviously. Kelli explained that they had no clue she was wearing the cheerleading uniform until she stepped out to go onstage… she said they had sent Dolly’s designer, Steve Summers, some samples of fabrics and crystals, but there was no indication they were making Dolly her own DCC uniform. Of course, their jaws were on the floor just like everyone else in America: “Probably go Dolly Parton, because it’s Dolly Parton, and she came out in a cheerleader uniform, which was, as you know, kind of a surprise to all of us. We’d sent some crystals and some fabrics and some inspiration ideas to her designer, Steve Summers, but when she popped out with that uniform, I think all of us, our mouths dropped. And she rocked it.” The whole country felt the same way, I think… Charlotte added that Dolly did drop a few clues beforehand, but they had no clue she was going to go all out on that level dressed like a DCC, and of course, it’s become probably the most iconic Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show of all-time: “She rocked it… so they day before, this was our first clue. The day before, we were on the satellite media tour, and so she’s sitting and she’s all bedazzled in her cowboy silver outfit, blue stars and everything. And she’s doing her media thing, and someone asked her, ‘You look so cute today, what are you wearing tomorrow?’ And she goes, ‘Boy, when my husband sees what I have on tomorrow, he’s gonna fall out of that Lazy boy.’ I just died laughing. Because what she had on then was pretty spectacular, I was like, oh my gosh, what are you wearing? She goes, you’ll all find out. And she showed up unbeknownst to us in full-on Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader attire. Amazing. She broke the internet.” That’s putting it mildly… iconic doesn’t feel like a strong enough word for it, honestly. She’s one-of-a-kind and on one else comes remotely close: Dolly Parton FULL Thanksgiving Halftime Show#NFL #AmericanFootball pic.twitter.com/hC6v38fa2v — Crypto.Man (@hoangcrab_) November 24, 2023 Dolly’s manager, Danny Nozell, later told Billboard that the outfit was all Dolly’s idea, and no one else knew anything about it… and yes, they all “fainted” when she walked out of the dressing room and they saw her for the first time: “Dolly didn’t tell or show anyone that she was going to dress as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader until it was time to go to the stage. It was completely her idea. She waited until right before she went to stage and came out of the dressing room to show us all. When she came out, myself, the security and my staff fainted. I couldn’t tell the difference between Dolly and the cheerleaders. That is the genius of Dolly, and people are still talking about it.” In today’s world that is so social media-focused and out there in terms of what’s surprising anymore, Dolly created a moment here that had the entire world watching, which is hard enough to do, much less when you’re “passed the peak” of your career (I think she’s the exception because in so many ways, Dolly has never felt more relevant), which made this so much more impressive. The Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 45-10, but no one was talking about the game… they were all talking about Dolly, because she’s the queen of everything and she always will be. The full interview with Charlotte and Kelli is available below. The post “Our Mouths Dropped” — Kelli Finglass Confirms Nobody Knew Dolly Parton Was Gonna Wear A Cowboys Cheerleader Uniform For Iconic Halftime Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the members of the Righteous Brothers has finally caught wind of Paul Cauthen’s “Unrighteous Brothers” side project. Chances are you are familiar with both the Righteous Brothers and the Unrighteous Brothers if you clicked on this story. If you aren’t, the Righteous Brothers are a vocal duo that formed in the 1960s and brought the world all-time hits like “Unchained Melody” and “Soul and Inspiration.” The Unrighteous Brothers, on the other hand, consists of country music troubadour Paul Cauthen and Orville Peck. They got together back in 2020 to take a swing at a couple of the Righteous Brothers’ biggest hits: “Unchained Melody” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” For those that have wondered if anyone from the Righteous Brothers ever saw that collaboration, we finally have a clear cut answer thanks to a video posted by the official social media account of the Righteous Brothers. Bill Medley himself watched the video of Cauthen and Peck singing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and he was very impressed: “I kind of like the way they are doing it. A little like Hall and Oates. They’re not copying the Righteous Brothers. I love the one guy’s look. I wish I could wear that on stage.” Big Velvet does have some style. Medley was especially a fan of the name that Cauthen and Peck adopted for their 2020 collaboration: The Unrighteous Brothers. That being said, the legendary vocalist insisted that though they were known as the Righteous Brothers to the world… they actually held the “Unrighteous” title first: “These are the Unrighteous Brothers, right? Pretty amazing. It’s always amazing to hear somebody else do our stuff. They did a great job… We were the unrighteous brothers first.” View this post on Instagram And hey, if you are like Bill Medley and liked what you heard in that video from Paul Cauthen, you’ll be excited to know that “Big Velvet” is going on tour. If you’ve never seen him live, now is your chance. The “Texas Swagger” singer puts on one hell of a show, and he’s coming to a city near you. Check out the tour dates below and make sure to visit Paul Cauthen’s website to secure your tickets today. The Book Of Paul Tour Dates July 9 – Springfield, Missouri (Gillioz Theatre) * July 10 – West Peoria, Illinois (Crusens) * July 11 – Saint Paul, Minnesota (Minnesota Country Club) * July 14 – Billings, Montana (Pub Station) * July 16 – Jackson, Wyoming (Snow King Resort) * July 17 – Sandy, Utah (Sandy Amphitheater) * July 18 – Aspen, Colorado (Belly Up) * August 12 – Sturgis, South Dakota (Iron Horse Saloon) August 13 – Odessa, Texas (Dos Amigos) August 21 – Cincinnati, Ohio (Megacorp Pavilion) ^ August 22 – Chattanooga, Tennessee (The Signal) ^ August 23 – St. Louis, Missouri (The Hawthorn) ^ August 25 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Turner Hall Ballroom) ^ August 27 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota (The District) ^ August 28 – Des Moines, Iowa (Val Air Ballroom) ^ August 29 – Lincoln, Nebraska (Bourbon Theatre) ^ September 11 – Nashville, Tennessee (Ryman Auditorium) = September 12 – Columbus, Ohio (Kemba Live!) ^ September 14 – Madison, Wisconsin (Majestic Theatre)^ September 15 – Chicago, Illinois (Thalia Hall) ^ September 17 – Royal Oak, Michigan (Royal Oak Music Theatre) ^ September 18 – Indianapolis, Indiana (Hi-Fi Annex) ^ September 19 – Pryor, Oklahoma (Born & Raised Festival) September 22 – Cambridge, Massachusetts (The Sinclair) ^ September 23 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Ardmore Music Hall) ^ September 24 – New York, New York (The Bowery Ballroom) September 26 – Charleston, South Carolina (Hometeam BBQ) October 9 – Denver, Colorado (Mission Ballroom) ++ October 10 – Grand Junction, Colorado (Mesa Theater) # October 12 – Boise, Idaho (Knitting Factory) # October 13 – Spokane, Washington (Knitting Factory) # October 15 – Calgary, Alberta (The Palace Theatre) # October 16 – Edmonton, Alberta (Midway Music Hall) # October 17 – Red Deer, Alberta (Bo’s Bar & Grill) # October 20 – Kelowna, British Columbia (Kelowna Comm. Theatre) # October 21 – Vancouver, British Columbia (The Commodore Ballroom) # October 23 – Portland, Oregon (Roseland Theater) # October 24 – Seattle, Washington (Showbox SoDo) # October 25 – Eugene, Oregon (McDonald Theatre) # November 3 – Tucson, Arizona (Rialto Theatre) November 4 – Tempe, Arizona (Marquee Theatre) November 6 – Pioneertown, California (Pappy & Harriet’s) % November 7 – Santa Ana, California (The Observatory) % November 8 – Paso Robles, California (BarrelHouse) % November 10 – Monterey, California (Golden State Theatre) % November 13 – Sacramento, California (Ace of Spades) % November 14 – San Francisco, California (Castro Theatre) % November 19 – Houston, Texas (White Oak Music Hall) November 20 – Austin, Texas (Stubbs’s WC Amphitheater) November 21 – Dallas, Texas (The Bomb Factory) Support Acts * Alex Lambert ^ Ben Chapman = Chaparelle = Colton Bowlin ++ Rootbeer Richie ++ Tristan Trincado % The Wilder Blue # Leon MajcenThe post Righteous Brothers Singer, Bill Medley, Reacts To Paul Cauthen’s “Unrighteous Brothers” Side Project first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Don’t think that was supposed to be in there. There’s probably not a ton of overlap between the fan bases of pop star Taylor Swift and Aaron Lewis, the country star and lead singer of rock band Staind. But Lewis is now seeking answers after at least one Swiftie received part of his upcoming album – used as packing material. The whole thing started when a Taylor Swift fan named Christa Jo posted a video on her TikTok (@heartwasglassidroppedit) unboxing merch that she ordered directly from the singer’s website, including a CD of her new single “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack. While opening up the package, Christa Jo noticed what she thought were lyrics on a piece of shredded paper that was taped to cardboard. And when she pieced it together, she realized that while it did contain lyrics, it wasn’t from any Taylor Swift song: It was the CD insert from Lewis’ unreleased album Give My Country Back. She apparently wasn’t too familiar with Lewis, so like any good Swiftie she began researching to figure out who he was and whether the packaging could be some sort of Easter egg for an upcoming project. But after giving his music a listen and realizing that Lewis and Swift don’t exactly see eye-to-eye politically, Christa Jo quickly realized that it must have been some sort of mistake to use his album insert as packing material. @heartwasglassidroppedit I debated on posting this video cause I don’t want to draw attention towards music that I’m not sure deserves it, but this may be the weirdest find ever in a swiftie merch box!!!! #swiftie #umg #staind #musictok #leakedmusic ♬ Karma – Taylor Swift Well Lewis caught wind of the situation, and shared the video on his own social media: “Oh look, there’s my new album, that hasn’t even been released yet, shredded as packaging paper in Taylor Swift merch.” View this post on Instagram So how could this have happened? To come to a possible explanation, you have to look at the connections here: Lewis is currently signed to Big Machine Records, which is that label that Swift was signed to early in her career – sort of. If you’re familiar with Swift, you probably remember her feud with her former label back in 2019, when founder Scott Borchetta sold the label to Scooter Braun and his company Ithaca Holdings. The sale included the masters from Swift’s career while she was signed to the label, something that upset the pop superstar and created a ton of backlash for Braun and the label. Well back in 2021, Ithaca Holdings was acquired by Korean entertainment giant Hybe Corporation, with Borchetta remaining on as CEO of Big Machine. But earlier this year, Borchetta announced that he was exiting Hybe and would be taking the Big Machine name with him, relaunching the record label as an independent venture with a roster of artists including Riley Green, The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts, and of course Aaron Lewis. While it’s not technically the same label that Swift had as a new artist, Big Machine still shares one thing in common with Swift: The label has a distribution deal with UMG, the parent company of Swift’s current label, Republic Records. All that to say, UMG distributes both Lewis’ and Swift’s music – and therefore would be responsible for packing and shipping products from both artists. UMG has yet to comment on how the album insert ended up being used as packing material, something that Lewis said during an interview with USA Today he doesn’t understand either: “I haven’t even put the record out yet. It’s not like it’s old stuff that was just sitting around that they decided to make packing material out of. It’s my new record. I just don’t understand how something like that can happen.” Still, Lewis says he doesn’t have any animosity towards Swift and makes clear that he doesn’t believe she had anything to do with – or even knew about – the situation: “We live in two very, very different worlds. And she’s such a huge star that her world doesn’t intertwine with anyone’s worlds. I certainly wouldn’t be trying to bring her into this or blame her for anything. It just so happens that it was my record cover in her gift box for her fans.” In fact, Lewis had good things to say about the pop superstar from their one interaction with each other years ago, when Swift noticed that the Staind frontman had the number 13 – her lucky number – tattooed behind his ear: “There was some block party thing that was happening downtown and I played a set during it and she was there and we got pictures. We were cordial and friendly.” And in case anyone thought it was a publicity stunt, Lewis quickly shot down those rumors too: “I don’t want people to think that this was an opportunity to promote my new record. I don’t understand how a shredded-up copy of my new record’s art ended up in a Taylor Swift gift box for her fans.” I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Swifties probably aren’t the target audience for Lewis’ album anyway…The post Aaron Lewis Seeks Answers After His Shredded Album Booklet Was Used As Packing Material For Taylor Swift Merch first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Sad news if you were hoping for more leopard during Season 1 of 'Dutton Ranch.' Continue reading…

CoJo’s version of the Michael Jordan flu game. 2026 has been nothing short of a career year for Cody Johnson. Riding the highs of his first-ever Male Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs back in November, he would follow that up with even more hardware — an ACM Male Artist of the Year AND his first-ever Entertainer of the Year win earlier this month at the 61st annual ACM Awards. Couple that with a few successful, somewhat controversial hunting trips and the recent release of his tenth studio album, Banks of the Trinity, this past Friday, everything’s been coming up CoJo lately. Out of all the career accomplishments this year, however, arguably the most special for the “Dirt Cheap” singer was none other than his record-breaking night at Rodeo Houston on March 22nd. In case you missed it, Johnson set Rodeo Houston’s concert-only attendance record, performing to a crowd of over 80,000. This would subsequently break George Strait’s record of 80,020 at the event, which was set back on March 17, 2019. “HISTORY MADE! 80,203 guests showed out tonight at RODEOHOUSTON for an unforgettable performance by Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi and Randy Houser shattering the all-time concert-only attendance record.” View this post on Instagram Beyond being a Texas native, the accomplishment was particularly important for Johnson, given the fact that he passed one of his heroes, George Strait, in the process. In a powerful speech during the show, the 39-year-old singer/songwriter would invite the King back to the rodeo to reclaim the record. “Tonight is a very momentous occasion for me and you, every one of you. Tonight, we’re family. You buying a ticket to the rodeo tonight helped me accomplish a goal that I’ve been wanting to accomplish my entire life. You are sitting smack dab in the middle of the largest sell-out in Houston Rodeo in NRG Stadium history. Somebody, please tell George Strait that, so he’ll come back and try to break my record, ’cause I’m getting a front row seat, baby.” As it turns out, Johnson gritted out the record-breaking performance that night thanks to some help from the Houston Texans’ medical team. During a recent conversation with Spotify after the release of Banks of the Trinity, Johnson revealed that he woke up that morning without much of a voice. Thankfully for the “Blame Texas” singer, however, the Texans’ medical staff let him use the team’s facilities, allowing him to use their 200-degree sauna and their red-light therapy machine. “I felt fine until the morning I woke up, and my voice was absolutely horrible. The Houston Texans’ sports medicine team did a great job. They allowed me to go sit 15 minutes at 200 degrees in the sauna. I did red light therapy.” Luckily for Johnson, the Texans’ team did a hell of a job and got him back healthy throughout the day. Wrapping up, he’d note that he knew he was going to deliver a “performance of a lifetime,” remarking that it was “probably” the greatest one of his career. “By the time I walked out on stage, I knew I’m about to deliver the performance of a lifetime. And it seemed like it lasted five minutes. I wished I could have stayed up there three hours — probably the greatest day in my career as far as performance.” If there’s one thing about CoJo, it’s the fact that he’s not going to inflate anything, especially when it comes to his concert performances. Last year, he revealed that he watches his shows back, much in the vein of athletes watching film, to further perfect his live performances. In other words, he’s not going to sugarcoat a weak performance, and there’s no doubt that he left it all on stage that night in Houston, calling upon the likes of Carrie Underwood and Carin León, as well as performing smash hits like “‘Til You Can’t,” “The Fall,” “Dirt Cheap” and more. Watch here: Cody Johnson Tour Dates July 11 – Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – Cavendish Beach Music Festival July 17 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena July 18 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena July 25 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena August 8 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center August 22 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Food City Center August 29 – Saint Paul, Minnesota – Grand Casinoa Arena September 12 – Tacoma, Washington – Tacoma DomeThe post “I’m About To Deliver The Performance Of A Lifetime”: Cody Johnson Recalls Waking Up Horribly Sick The Day Of His Record-Breaking Rodeo Houston Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.