Reba McEntire returns as the host of this year's Academy of Country Music Awards, and she is already planning her costume changes for the big show.

Not only does the hostess with the mostess have to sound good, but she has to look good, as well. "It takes a lot off hard work and preparation to be ready for a successful hosting job!" she says. So, the first thing Reba will do is prepare the outfits she'll wear during the three hour show. "[My stylist] Terry Gordon and I work together on designing my looks for the evening, which wind up to be five outfits we design," Reba reports. "I will probably only wear four, but that gives us a little wiggle room."

When Gary Allan first hit the country scene with his debut hit, 'Her Man,' he had the image of a clean-cut California cowboy. These days, Gary's true self has been coming out more and more, as he steps further from the "golden circle" of Nashville and more into who he is as an artist.

"Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved," Gary tells GAC. "I'm not a big high-fiver. That really gets to people around me when we have a No. 1 or something big happen. I'm not a big, 'Let's go have a party about it!' I'm always like, 'What's next?' That's just the way my mind works. I'm a musician and play my songs. That's all I need to do. If everybody else wants to go do the posters and the contests, I'm not coming. I'll be my own poster."

Lisa Stewart Seals -- wife of Brady Seals and former BNA recording artist -- has been added to the cast of 'Love Don't Let Me Down,' starring Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow. Lisa will play the role of the mother of a 7-year-old son, a leukemia patient who gets to meet Gwyneth's country-singer character through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Lisa's son in the movie is played by Gabe Sipos, a real-life cancer survivor.

"My role is a small one, but I'm so excited to have a few lines and to share a scene with an Academy Award winner, a country music icon and a brave soul like Gabe," Lisa tells Music Row.

Sarah Buxton is glowing ... and so is her left hand.

When The Boot caught up with the vivacious songbird last week at a Nashville recording studio, she was bubbling with excitement, celebrating the upcoming release of her long-awaited debut album, due Feb. 23, and also celebrating the brand-new sparkler on her ring finger. Sarah got engaged over the holidays to musician Tom Bukovac, who has played guitar for a who's-who list of country stars, including Faith Hill, Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and, of course, his future bride.

"It was a surprise," Sarah tells The Boot of the day Tom proposed. "I knew he'd gotten the ring, so I just knew if this guy is going to ask me to marry him, I'm going to know like a half hour before ... I'm just going to be able to tell, because he's so transparent. But he totally surprised me! He put it in an Advent calendar, where the candy goes, counting down to Christmas. I was so shocked when I found it, all I could do was just look at it and go, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' And then I started crying."

Everyone has heard that old expression "art imitates life," and with one listen to Josh Turner's new CD, 'Haywire,' it's easy to see the South Carolina-born hitmaker has found inspiration right under his own roof. The new project is a track-by-track reflection of the singer's happy marriage and the joy he finds in being a father to sons Hampton, 3, and Colby, 7 months.

"We ended up with a lot of love songs," Josh tells The Boot. "I guess it was just meant for me to record love songs and the funny thing is, it is coming out five days before Valentine's Day. Everything happens for a reason."

Sitting in the conference room at his manager's office, Josh is relaxed and happy, periodically glancing out the window at the Nashville skyline, remarking how much he enjoys the view. His long-awaited 'Haywire' releases on Feb. 9. The standard edition features 11 songs, among them the soulful, romantic 'Lovin' You on My Mind,' a sultry cover of the Don Williams classic 'I Wouldn't Be A Man' and the poignant 'I'll Be There,' a father's declaration of devotion to his children.

Naomi Judd is sick and tired of all the criticism directed at Taylor Swift. Taking a strong stance in response to poor reviews of the 20-year-old Taylor's performance with Stevie Nicks on the Grammy Awards broadcast, Naomi has written an open letter -- with no doubt an arched brow of maternal disapproval -- to the editor of Nashville's Tennessean newspaper.

"Remember the puzzles, 'What's wrong with this picture?' You search for faults, ignoring the overall larger picture," Naomi begins her letter. "Multi-talented, she not only sings well enough to strike a chord with a huge audience, Taylor single-handedly introduced country music to a much-welcomed younger demographic and generated international interest. She writes, dances, acts and is a dazzling performer."

There's no denying that country music veteran Carlene Carter comes from an impressive lineage. She's the daughter of June Carter Cash and country music pioneer Carl Smith, the granddaughter of the legendary 'Mother' Maybelle Carter and stepdaughter of the Man in Black, Johnny Cash. Given her most recent loss -- her dad passed away in January -- and having dealt with four marriages and a battle with substance abuse, Carlene is accustomed to pushing through pain.

Carlene's mother, stepfather, and 45-year-old sister all died in 2003, as did her longtime companion, musician Howie Epstein of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "Everyone deals with loss," the 55-year-old singer-songwriter tells CapeCodOnline. "I'm no different but we all find our ways of coming through things. Is it tough? Of course, but you find the strength to push on through."