Rascal Flatts News: Tour, Forbes, Ambassadorships, Walk of Fame, Marriage & Even A Pregnancy
As we enter July, there's a bunch of Rascal Flatts' news...
Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison are expecting their first child in January. The other two members of the Flatts, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney, are already fathers.
About a week ago Rascal Flatts were named "Ambassadors" for the Jason Foundation, an organization dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide.
The Rascal will play a large role in promoting the charity's new project "B1." That's an effort to educate kids on how to recognize when one of their friends might be thinking of suicide.
Also in June, the band made Forbes'" Celebrity 100" list landing at the number 62 spot. They were Forbes' third highest ranked country music act. Taylor Swift was the highest coming in at number 12 and Kenny Chesney was next at 54.
The Rascal also appeared on Billboard's "Top 25 Artists of the Past 25 Years." The band came in at number 11. Topping the list were George Strait, Garth Brooks and Reba.
Expect less talk and more rock at upcoming
Rascal Flatts concerts. In order to pack a decade's worth of music into one night the band will need to streamline their shows.
"It's going to be four hours and 40 minutes when we're done, and Gary's not going to be able to breathe by the time we get to the last song," quipped DeMarcus to a Nashville newspaper in mid-June. "But we're really looking forward to it because it's going to be a lot of music and very little talking, and we're going to try and get to as many of their favorites as we can."
Just announced, Rascal Flatts will be getting their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. Also receiving stars next year are Oprah Winfrey, Buddy Holly, and the Muppets.
One of the Flatts opening acts, Kellie Pickler, is making headlines of her own. Pickler, the former American Idol contestant, has announced her engagement to songwriter Kyle Jacobs.
In a tweet, Pickler declared she's "the luckiest girl in the world." Jacobs apparently asked Pickler for her hand on some beach in Florida. Our guess is probably somewhere near
West Palm Beach.
Also opening for Rascal Flatts is Chris Young.
Of course the best news of all is Rascal Flatts is in the middle of a summer concert series. The "Nothing Like This Tour" kicked off June 25 and it will keep the boys on the road until late September.
After performing the tour's first three shows and then taking a couple of weeks off, Rascal Flatts returns to the stage July 16 and 17 for a two-night stand at Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheatre in
Stateline, Nevada.
That's it for the Rascal Flatts news. Stay tuned for sports and weather.
>>July 16 & 17 - Lake Tahoe, NV @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheatre
>>July 22 - Wichita, KA @ INTRUST Bank Arena
>>July 23 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
>>July 24 - Frisco, TX @ Pizza Hut Park
>>July 29 - White Sulphur Springs, WV @ The Greenbrier Classic
>>July 30 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
>>July 31 - Hartford, CN @ Comcast Center
>>August 6 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
>>August 7 - Indianapolis, IN @ Indiana State Fair
>>August 8 - Columbus, OH @ Crew Stadium
>>August 12 - Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park
>>August 13 - Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
>>August 14 - Bristow, VA @Jiffy Lube Live
>>August 27 - Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless
>>August 28 - Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
>>August 29 - Louisville, KY @ Kentucky State Fair
>>September 2 - Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
>>September 3 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien lake Performing Arts Center
>>September 4 - Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fair
>>September 5 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
>>September 16 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
>>September 17 - Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
>>September 18 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
>>September 19 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
>>September 24 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
>>September 25 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre