"NASHVILLE STAR" - ASHLEE HEWITT SAYS SHE LOST THE TITLE BUT WON A FRIEND
     NASHVILLE (AP) - She missed out on the title of "Nashville Star," but Ashlee Hewitt didn't walk away from the show empty-handed. She made a lifelong friend in fellow contestant Shawn Mayer. Hewitt says "we always jammed in the hotel and we always had a really cool connection." She says the two have big plans after the show to write together. Hewitt says she hasn't been approached about a record deal yet, but has gotten great encouragement from people like host Billy Ray Cyrus. She says he took her aside after the show and told her she was "awesome." Hewitt said Cyrus told her his manager had been her Number-1 fan and could open a lot of doors for her. The four remaining finalists on "Nashville Star" are Gabe Garcia, Melissa Lawson, Coffey and Shawn Mayer. On next week's show, the contestants go back to their home towns. Also, next week is the last time America will get to vote.
 
FANS SHOWER KEITH URBAN WITH BABY GIFTS
     PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Keith Urban told a Philadelphia crowd this past weekend that he has a whole new understanding of the term "Who's your daddy?" Now that he's a father, fans have been throwing him baby gifts onstage. At his first show as a dad in Philadelphia, fans tossed up gifts, including a large stuffed Winnie the Pooh. At one point he used his teeth to grab a pink baby gift from a fan because he was in the middle of a guitar solo.
 
KID ROCK, KEITH URBAN, WILL PERFORM ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF "FASHION ROCKS" IN SEPTEMBER
     NEW YORK (AP) - Keith Urban and Kid Rock will perform for the "Fashion Rocks" special on CBS. The concert honors the best in fashion and music. It airs September 9th on CBS.
 
KID ROCK GETS PROBATION IN WAFFLE HOUSE FIGHT
     DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - Kid Rock has been sentenced to a year's probation for fighting at an Atlanta Waffle House last fall. He was also fined $1,000 and sentenced to six hours of anger management counseling and 80 hours of community service. The singer pleaded no contest to one count of simple battery. Four counts of battery were dropped. A fight broke out after Rock and members of his entourage exchanged words with a customer. The fight spilled from the restaurant into the parking lot. Rock's attorney says the singer is "not terribly unhappy" with the outcome although he believed he was not at fault.
 
ALISON KRAUSS AND ROBERT PLANT NOMINATED FOR MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE
     LONDON (AP) - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant have been nominated for a coveted U.K. music award. Their album "Raising Sand" is among the albums up for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. The award is decided by a panel of music industry insiders, musicians and music journalists. It's given to artists deemed to have made the best album of the year. The prize is awarded solely on the merits of the music rather than on the number of commercial sales. The winner will be announced on September 9th.
 
MILEY CYRUS SAYS VANITY FAIR PHOTO WAS A YOUTHFUL MISTAKE
     NEW YORK (AP) - Miley Cyrus continues to try to explain that controversial Vanity Fair photo. During an appearance yesterday on "Good Morning America." she chalked it up to youth. People.com reports she said: "I think I was just in a stage where I was just trying to get things done, and maybe look for an older audience." She says people need to remember that she's young and she has feelings. She says "anyone who was 15 years old can't say they haven't made a mistake. So I think it's just normal."
 
BEER FOR MY HORSES SOUNDTRACK DROPS AUGUST 12
     NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The soundtrack for Toby Keith's upcoming film "Beer For My Horses" hits stores August 12th. A few days after the film's August 8th release. The CD features Keith and Willie Nelson sharing the mic on the song "Beer For My Horses," as well as two songs by Ted Nugent, who also co-stars in the film. A Mel Tillis tune is also on the CD. He makes a cameo in the film. The road trip comedy stars Keith and comedian Rodney Carrington as sheriff's deputies chasing a drug lord and kidnapper.
 
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS:
     Singer Tony Joe White is 65.
     Alison Krauss is 37.
     Singer Shannon Brown is 35.
     David Pichette of Emerson Drive is 31.
 
     By Myra Lopez