Darius Rucker may have a flourishing country career in front of him and a catalog of Hootie and the Blowfish hits behind him, but he’s also been part of the less fortunate crowd.
Posts Tagged ‘Darius Rucker’
Red Carpet Confidential: Why Darius Rucker Stays Frugal
August 4th, 2009 / Author: Valerie NomeBrad Paisley, Dierks Bentley Talk Fatherhood
June 19th, 2009 / Author: OK! Staff
Brad Paisley’s son William “Huck” Huckleberry, 2, is adjusting to life as a big brother now that Jasper, two months, has arrived.
“Most of the time, I think he loves his brother,” the Then singer, who has been married to wife Kimberly since 2003, says backstage during the CMA Music Festival held in Nashville. “It depends on the day. There are certain days when he is not so certain about us – that he’s got the right parents. No, he likes his brother a lot. It’s good. You know how it is. It’s a little bit of a shock for a little boy to share things, and one that I’m glad he has to experience and I never had to.”
Josh Turner and wife Jennifer, who have been married since 2003, are getting ready to welcome a new addition “very soon.” Their son Hampton, 3, loves to go fishing with dear old dad, and they recently “caught quite a few fish.”
“We’ve been trying to prepare Hampton for the new sibling,” he says backstage. “I don’t think he totally understands, but he’s ready. He’s ready for a partner in crime. We’re trying to prepare. We’re excited; we’re ready.”
Dierks Bentley is celebrating his first Father’s Day now that daughter Evalyn, eight months, is in his life. Mom is wife Cassidy, whom he wed in 2005.
“I’m definitely going to get an extra bus and take everyone out,” the Sideways singer says. “It takes on a whole new meaning. I was the type to make a phone call and kind of forget-to-send-a-card-on-time son, and I feel bad. Now that I’m a dad, it’s like I expect some things here. Cards? I mean, it’s my life’s mission. Really, in our house, it’s Mother’s Day that deserves all the major praise with what she went through this year.”
Twilight and Nurse Jackie star Peter Facinelli, who is dad to Luca, 12, Lola, 6, and Fiona, 2, with Jennie Garth, whom he married in 2001, doesn’t expect all the attention come Sunday.
“I make sure I send my dad a card,” he tells me.
Rodney Atkins will be on the road but hopes to carve out time with son Elijah, 7, whose mom is wife Tammy. “We’re gong to be in Minnesota by the lake. Hopefully we’re gonna go fishing.”
Trace Adkins has five daughters – twenty-somethings Tarah and Sarah, from his first marriage – and his younger children Mackenzie, Brianna and Trinity, by wife Rhonda, whom he wed in 1997.
“I am a hero to them now because I did the Opry a few weeks ago with Taylor [Swift], and my kids got to go in her dressing room and hang out with her, and it was a thrill for them. When Miley [Cyrus] played here last year, they got to go in her dressing room and meet her. They really think a lot of me for that.”
Darius Rucker agrees. While his youngest son Jack likes karate and superheroes, his oldest daughter Carol and middle daughter Danielle are all about Miley and the Jonas Brothers.
“The first thing that happened to me with fatherhood is I realized the whole world didn’t revolve around me,” he tells me with laugh. “That was a big thing.”
SEE MORE PHOTOS IN THE VALERIE GALLERY:
Stars Share New Year’s Resolutions
January 1st, 2009
A New Year is time for a new you, and stars are revamping their outlooks. What are their resolutions?
Julianne Hough says, “Keeping my skin fresh and not tanning so much. I won’t have to so much when I take the season off from Dancing With The Stars, so I can keep my face fresh.”
Emma Roberts is practical. “Probably just to eat healthier and get more sleep,” she tells me. “I have a problem where if I start thinking about something, I’m up all night just thinking and can’t go to sleep.”
“I’m always 15 minutes late, so I’m going to try and wake up 15 minutes earlier,” Natasha Bedingfield says.
Gabrielle Union is going to stop obsessing. “I think I worry too much, and put too much emphasis on ‘Oh my God, she’s an eight, or oh no, she’s a double-zero.’ You know what, do your thing. If you look like one of the 90210 girls, then God bless you. And if you are a 12, God forbid – that’s illegal in the county of Los Angeles – then go with that. Do you and keep it moving.”
Gossip Girl’s Lydia Hearst has her list ready. “Honestly, to remain happy and healthy and maintain good friendships and be able to be back in the City more and do more charity work with God’s Love We Deliver,” she tells me. “I work in the kitchen.”
Jesse McCartney says, “I always procrastinate and put things off to the last second. Maybe that should be my resolution. Stop procrastinating.”
Jake T. Austin is under the parental influence. “My mom really wants me to try not to argue with my sister,” the Wizards of Waverly Place star, who appears in January’s Hotel For Dogs, tells me. “I don’t know how long that’s going to last, but I’ll try as hard as I can.”
Darius Rucker is also thinking family. “I’m going to make the same one I make every year, that I’m going to get in much better shape and I’m going to start breaking that around January 2. I think next year I’m going to try to make a resolution to stay home a little more. I’m going to try and see the family more next year.”
Jake Owen seconds that notion. “I think it’s going to be to call home more just because I think everybody should do that. Time flies, and I seem to sometimes go a week or two without talking to my mom and dad. I want to make sure that I keep up with them.”
Lena Olin, who appears in The Reader with Kate Winslet, doesn’t think big just once a year. “I start every day with a resolution. I try to make the most of every day I wake up, so New Year’s – I start out fresh every day. I have a lot of ambition in my life. Personal. To make the most of every day.”
“We’re all going to try and sit back with our families and soak this up and reflect,” Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley tells me. “Be thankful.”
Lady’s Hillary Scott adds, “Keep dreaming big, too. I think always if you put it out there and you say it, it can happen. We just try to stay optimistic and make goals and I think this dreaming big.”
The Dish host Danielle Fishel uses a slogan for each year. “I tend to not make resolutions because I think you tend to set yourself up for failure, but what I do is I make a statement about whatever I want this year to be for me. Last year, my statement was ‘no fear’ so anything that scared me – such as going back to school – it scared me, and I did it anyway. This year I’m not exactly sure what my positive affirmation is going to be, but I think it’s going to be career-based.”
Some are not so serious.
“Always wear socks with boots,” Ashanti laughs.
And some are opting out. “I don’t make resolutions because I’m not good at keeping promises,” Damien Fahey tells me.
Be sure to make the most of your 2009.
Stars Remember Best Holiday Gifts
December 25th, 2008
With Christmas in full swing, everyone loves to show off their presents. So, what are the best gifts the stars have received? (Psst. They aren’t what you’d expect!)
“It probably was my bag,” Rihanna, who is dating Chris Brown, tells me. “I had a pink bag. The flap was a dog face with hair and stuff, but that always sticks out in my head. Maybe that’s the best one.”
Ne-Yo says, “An uncle of mine gave me a box with nothing in it one year. He really had me thinking for a good six hours that I didn’t get anything, and then later on that night, we went over to his house and he had a bicycle for me. He let me cry and everything. ‘Sorry – you shouldn’t have been bad this year.’ All right.”
Martina McBride says, “I got a puppy one year named Jingle Bells. I don’t think you can beat getting a puppy for Christmas when you’re six years old. That was my best.”
Reba McEntire tells me, “My little sister gave me a pair of my basketball shoes that I wore in high school that she found in our old closet at home. She wrapped them up and gave them to me, and I sat there and cried.”
Julianne Hough’s boyfriend Chuck Wicks says, “I got a nice letter from my dad one time. He described our relationship. Me and my dad are good friends, and anytime you get a letter from your mom or dad that says ‘hey, I love you and you’re my son,’ it was really in-detail things that we experienced growing up. Playing baseball with him in the backyard and football and sports. He’s such a big supporter of what I’m doing – and so is my mom – but I got a letter from him one Christmas, and I’ll never forget that.”
Cody Linley says, “Best Christmas gift was an Emmitt Smith jersey from 1997 because I wore it every single day after that. It was the first time I ever went to a Dallas Cowboys game, and my stepbrother Scott – who is 18 like me – got a Deion Sanders jersey that was just like it. I just have a lot of close memories and of my stepdad Brian. I actually still have that jersey, and the sad thing is, it still fits. It was so big on me at the time – it was.”
“Right after Idol, Ford gave me my mustang, which I got semilate, but it was for Christmas,” Diana DeGarmo tells me. “I have a black-and-pink mustang, and she’s my baby. I haven’t even had her hit 10,000 miles with her, so she’s actually here with me in Nashville. I towed her up from Atlanta. That was officially the best Christmas gift ever-ever.”
Why was it so important?
“Well, as a kid – my mom and I never drove new cars,” Diana continues. “We always drove beaters and things that had four hundred thousand miles on them and would fall apart. That was my very first new car I ever got to sit in and drive. At the time, to be 17 with a brand-new car, it was ridiculous.”
Jake Owen says, “It was a journal because it was one of the most thoughtful things I was ever given. Christmas seems to be – everybody tries to outdo and get big gifts. And I think the person that gave me the journal, it meant a lot, and me being a writer, they knew that. It was something that was really special. I was like ‘wow, this is something I can use every single day.’ And it’s all about giving.”
Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott tells me, “When I was little and I got a Barbie car for Christmas, that was my favorite thing ever. I used the fire out of it. I drove it till it wouldn’t go anymore. That’s probably my most memorable growing up. Lately, it’s just been clothes and a pair of Uggs.”
Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild says the best Christmas gift she’s ever received is her husband. “He’s the best gift in my life,” she tells me.
Darius Rucker tells me, “When I was nine or ten, I got my first acoustic guitar. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, and I just remember thinking how great it was that my mom had gotten me a guitar. That was pretty big.”
Jason Aldean seconds that one. “Best Christmas gift I ever received was probably a guitar,” he says. “I got a guitar when I was about 13 years old, and that started this whole craziness of me pursuing this career in music. I definitely think that that was probably the best gift I ever got, and definitely the one that helped me get to this point.”
Brody Jenner shares his biggest holiday blunder.
“Maybe not appreciating a gift when I should have when I was really little, maybe that was embarrassing. But I feel like Christmas is a time to be yourself no matter what happens. Your family and you – there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Perhaps he received a not-so-hot gift? Kelsey Grammer once gave his wife Camille 18 garbage cans – one for each room in their new home. “It was a special, extra-thoughtful gift. Practical, and also very artsy.” Camille adds, “They were attractive.” Kelsey says, “Some were, some weren’t.”
Happy holidays, everyone!
Julianne Hough Chows Down
December 16th, 2008
Julianne Hough doesn’t believe in worrying about weight during the holiday season.
“I don’t diet,” the Dancing With The Stars beauty, 20, tells me. “I eat!”
Julianne will perform tunes from her Christmas album Sounds of the Season: The Julianne Hough Collection on TNT’s Christmas In Washington, which airs Wednesday at 8pm ET.
She has already won the heart of fellow country singer Chuck Wicks. He agrees: She loves to eat.
“When I first met her, we sat down and talked over five different desserts in Las Vegas at the ACM Awards,” Chuck, 29, tells me. “We realized we had so much in common – you could see the sincerity in what she says, and she’s so genuine. She’s so beautiful inside that the outside’s just a bonus.”
Julianne has equal praise for her man.
“We complement each other well, and we really understand each other’s careers and passions,” she tells me. “He’s an amazing guy.”
Tune in Wednesday to catch Julianne – and Darius Rucker – perform.
And, pick up the OK! on stands everywhere Thursday to find out more about Julianne’s love life and how she slims down after eating whatever she wants during the holidays.
Stars Share Thanksgiving Memories, Traditions
November 27th, 2008
Beyonce’s mom Tina Knowles is in the kitchen cooking up a big meal this Thanksgiving. She tells me her specialty is Cajun turkey, and the “whole family will be eating dinner together.”
So, why is Beyonce a great daughter? “She’s a great person first. She’s kind and thoughtful.”
Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley will spend the day with brother Josh Kelley and his wife Katherine Heigl – in addition to about sixty members of his family and friends.
“We’ve got a lot of turkeys and hams, and I’m always the one out there playing basketball and baseball with all the little nephews and nieces and all the little kids,” Charles tells me.
What’s Katherine like as a sister-in-law? “She’s great! She’s awesome. It’ll be fun.”
Ne-Yo is another star heading back home. “My mom calls me and says ‘Ne-Yo, I know you’ve been busy doing this all year, but you are coming home for Thanksgiving, right?’” he says. “And there is no other answer but yes. Me and my mom are tight.”
And it’s all about family for Aubrey O’Day. “Spending time with my grandparents was the biggest tradition before I started working in the industry,” the Danity Kane singer tells me. “I rarely get to see them. Grandparents are so wise, and they have so many interesting things to instill in you. Most people go to Thanksgiving and they don’t really talk to their grandparents. They’re like ‘oh, yeah, they’re old, let them sit at the table, walk them over when food comes.’ But if you actually sit down and ask your grandparents about their life – I asked my grandma about being in love, the first time she kissed a guy – things that you don’t think to ask your grandparents. But the way that they see life and values and ideals and the things that they can instill in you are valuable.”
This year my sister Stephanie will be like Miley Cyrus, who often celebrates her birthday on Thanksgiving. Steph turns 23 on her Thanksgiving birthday today.
Miley says, “I love it because then you’re able to have dinner with your family on your birthday. When some people don’t get to come together for their birthday, I get the opportunity to never miss all the family being there, so it’s really great. And I get better food, better cake because we all have to share, so it’s good.”
Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles can’t wait to taste green bean casserole this holiday, but Kerry Washington is all about the turkey. “Turkey really does make you sleepy,” she tells me. “It has that chemical in it. What’s better than eating a big meal and then falling asleep on the couch? It’s fantastic. That’s the best thing about Thanksgiving – everybody’s dazed and confused after their meal.” But don’t expect Kerry to slave away in the kitchen. “When it comes to cooking, I make an excellent reservation.”
Milla Jovovich, however, will be working overtime.
“I cook turkey and stuffing, but I make these amazing candied yams and it really sucks because I’m training right now and trying to get back into shape,” Milla says. “My trainer’s like ‘OK, one day you can do Thanksgiving.’ I’m like ‘what about leftovers?’”
Marcia Gay Harden and family – who have become vegetarians – may enjoy an organic turkey. “I never want to be strict – I never want to be one of those people who go ‘oh my God, I’m eating a turkey.’ I don’t believe that. I’ve eaten it before. I wear leather shoes. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”
What is Rihanna most thankful for this year? “I’m thankful to be alive and have my family and my friends around me,” the Umbrella singer tells me. “Being able to do stuff that I love to do and live my dream, and live it in a way I didn’t expect.”
30 Rock star Katrina Bowden is traveling. “My family and I always go down to visit my cousins in Tennessee,” she tells me. “We always drive thirteen hours, and it’s quite long.”
Justine Bateman’s favorite part of Thanksgiving is eating dinner, but that’s not all. “I like the decorations for holidays as much as I like the holidays themselves,” she laughs.
Thanksgiving is on top of the list for Darius Rucker.
“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because the eating – I love everything about it,” the Hootie and the Blowfish singer tells me. “Down South, we have macaroni and cheese and the stuffing and turkey and collard greens, okra soup and all the stuff that I love. I love Thanksgiving. Then you get three football games. What a great day! Thanksgiving’s a great day.”
For Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany, it’s a time for pet peeves. “One that drives me crazy is that my brother seems to get all the leftovers. He grabs them first!”
Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks will take part in the typical tradition. “Every Thanksgiving Day my mother decorates the house for Christmas – ever since I was a little girl it was like ‘get ready for Christmas.’ Christmas is the important holiday.”
Who’s getting up early for the Black Friday sales? That’s always a big deal in our home, but I’m always the late sleeper.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Reese, Nicole, Shania Wow During CMAs
November 20th, 2008
I’m stationed near Maureen McCormick when I jet down to Nashville for the CMA Awards held at the Sommet Center. Woo-hoo!
Reese Witherspoon is radiant in red lipstick – shockingly gorgeous – but doesn’t answer when a reporter asks if she likes country music. Does she stay in a hotel when she’s in Nashville? Nah, she’s staying with her family. Nicole Kidman swans in with hubby Keith Urban, but steps back because she’s letting her hubby “enjoy his night.” Here’s Shania Twain, looking glam – and blonder – than I remember. Nice!
Energetic Miley Cyrus stops to chat, and her kind dad Billy Ray takes a photo of her limelight-loving boyfriend Justin Gaston with fawning female fans. Hahaha. And Taylor Swift is wearing 30-pound dress! “I cannot even believe I was able to walk to the red carpet,” she says. “Try to lift it up. It’s so heavy. It’s like wearing a bag of rocks, but I really like it, so I’m proud to wear this bag of rocks.”
Kellie Pickler has BFF Taylor’s back when it comes to boy troubles. “She’s like my little sister, so I’m very protective of her,” Kellie tells me. “She definitely comes first.” Now that Taylor is getting over the heartbreak of her relationship with Joe Jonas, Kellie is there as she finds a new man. “She just needs someone who is very respectful and understanding of her career,” Kel says. “You know, it’s very time-consuming what we do, so you need someone that’s confident and secure and just a good person. Just respectful.”
Dancing With The Stars performer Julianne Hough is out and about since her surgery for endometriosis. “Oh, I’m fine,” she tells me. “I’m honestly better than new. I feel great, and like I said, better than I felt before I even went in for surgery.” Her boyfriend, Chuck Wicks, was there through it all. “It was easy,” he tells me. “We rented a bunch of movies and we sat on the couch and ate popcorn. And we got a little puppy. Puppies can cure everything. Between the movies, popcorn and the puppy – and her mom was there as well –she recovered pretty quick. It was two weeks, and she was back on the dancefloor doing her thing.” (Bummer! She’s now off the show.)
What’s Reba McEntire’s pre-show ritual? “I just make sure my dress is correctly in place, I’ve got lipgloss on and I get onstage,” she says. “I am not that good at practical jokes, and they always think of better — or worse ones – than I can.”
Dancing With The Stars/Hannah Montana star Cody Linley is here to support Julianne and see Miley, but he’s also getting back to his roots. “I actually lived in Columbia from the ages of two to four. I don’t remember much of it, but to see autumn and see what Nashville is all about and remember again is cool.” Sadly, he’s off the show, too, which is unfortunate considering he had the will to win. “I was just going to say that my birthday’s November 20, and November 25 is the finale of Dancing With The Stars, so it would be the best 19th birthday present a boy could get to have a mirrorball trophy. Man! Winning right there. That’s my hope.” Aww!
American Idol finalist Diana DeGarmo is thinking of Paula Abdul in the wake of the tragic fan incident that occurred outside her home. “Paula’s a wonderful person and she deserves great things,” Diana tells me. “She’s got a great personality and that’s a horrible thing to have to deal with. She’s in my prayers — definitely.”
Miranda Lambert confesses she’s a big eBay shopper whose maximum bid is $100. “I’m cheap.” Does she get upset when she’s outbid? “Yes, I do. I take it personal.” Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles can’t wait to dress warmer. “I’m too excited about winter coming up,” Jennifer says. “I’m into the layered look.”
The Little Big Town girls are in awe of tourmate Carrie Underwood. “She has the best legs in the business,” Kimberly Roads says. Karen Fairchild adds, “She’s a super-disciplined person, so she eats well and she exercises every day. We’re like ‘oh Lord, we’ve gotta up our game. In the gym!’”
Here’s Hootie and The Blowfish singer Darius Rucker. What’s the best marriage advice he’s received? “My wife is always right,” he laughs.
Lady Antebellum take time to reveal their heights – Charles Kelley, 6’6,” Hillary Scott, 5’9,” and Dave Haywood, 6’1” – on the red carpet before they’re shocked by their big win for Best New Artist. They brought their moms as their dates.
“When I was younger, I didn’t attend the CMAs when [mom Linda Davis] won the CMA with Reba, but I was her date for a couple of different CMA Awards,” Hillary says. “For her to be here tonight as my date, and for her to have this crystal trophy on her shelf at home in the house I grew up in, and for me to be taking one home tonight is just crazy. She’s so proud. There’s nothing better than sitting there when the nominees were being read off and holding my mama’s hand. Knowing that she knew exactly what it felt like. We were so lucky to have our moms here. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
Charles adds, “They were crying their eyes out.”
PRESS ROOM: “I’ve never seen so much of Brad Paisley,” cohost Carrie Underwood gushes about his quick change backstage. The 45-second strip is also a highlight for Brad. “I was still getting dressed walking out,” he says. … Kenny Chesney, who has the hots for Shania, challenges Sugarland to take his Entertainer of the Year Award next year. … Rascal Flatts singer Joe Don Rooney calls fatherhood “amazing.” He says, “To be a father is just a big piece of that puzzle now that’s going to carry us on through the years.”
PARTY TIME: I catch Gretchen Wilson on her way inside the venue, Taylor Swift in the elevator at the Big Machine/Valory Records party and oh yes, there’s Jewel. The salmon and especially the mashed potatoes are amazing – so good! — at the official CMA Awards afterparty. Delish.
Darius Rucker’s Family Fun
November 12th, 2008
Darius Rucker is set to make his CMA debut performing during the CMA Awards, which air tonight from 8-11 p.m. ET on ABC.
I meet up with the Hootie and The Blowfish frontman at NYC’s Asiate restaurant located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He self-deprecatingly apologizes when I tell him his Hootie song Time played every hour when I worked on Cedar Point’s record-breaking stand-up roller coaster Mantis.
These days, Darius can be found crooning country hits now that he’s released his first country album, Learn To Live, which spawned the chart-topper Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It. The amiable Charleston, S.C., native opens up about his country connections and family life with his wife, Beth, and three kids, Carol, 13, Danielle, 7, and Jack, 3.
Tonight Darius will hang out with Brad Paisley, his forthcoming tourmate, who is cohosting the show with Carrie Underwood.
“Brad’s awesome,” Darius says. “He’s a great guy. He’s so down-to-earth and cool. He’s got this real dry sarcastic sense of humor that if you don’t know he’s being funny, that could be a bad thing.”
Perhaps he’ll get a chance to ask Carrie, who is co-hosting, for his dream duet.
“My new dream duet in country music would be Reba,” he says. “I really love the way she sings. Close second is Carrie Underwood though. She can sing! She’s great. I’m a big fan of hers. I really like that Last Name song. Great song. I’m a really big fan of hers.”
Regardless, his kids will certainly be pleased of their dad because Miley Cyrus will also be in the house for the CMAs.
“My daughters are both really big into Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers,” he admits. “Trust me, I’ve called in several favors to get Jonas Brothers tickets and passes to the Jonas Brothers show. That whole Disney thing right now is going crazy in my house.”
Lucky kids! But it isn’t all flash for the Ruckers.
“At home, our big game right now is Hide and Seek. The kids love to run around the house and hide and we find each other. It’s amazing to me how a simple game like that — in the world of technology today — we play hide and seek all the time.”
Catch Darius on the CMA Awards, which air live from Nashville’s Sommet Center tonight.
The Valerie Gallery
August 24th, 2007 / Author: matt
