Joe Nichols has been tapped to play the lead role in the Broadway version of the 1992 George Strait film, Pure Country. There will be some changes from the original film, including George's character, Dusty Chandler, being renamed Rusty. The two biggest songs from the movie, "Heartland" and "I Cross My Heart," will still be featured in the play. According to producer Randall L. Wreghitt, the musical is in the process of securing the remainder of its financing and casting and plans to open in early 2010. Nichols is expected to head to New York at the end of October to begin preparations for the show.

Grammy Award winning country music star Pam Tillis will be touring throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom this month. With 14 dates scheduled throughout the region, Tillis began her tour in Ireland this weekend on April 11 and concludes her tour April 29 in the U.K.

"I've looked forward to this tour for such a long, long time. I'm happy to learn there's an awareness and interest in my music in Ireland and the United Kingdom." Tillis notes. "Everyone I know that has had the chance to tour there came back totally smitten with the people and the landscape. It's also a personal pilgrimage for me as I have Scotch Irish ancestry and feel very drawn to the music. Quite simply, I just can't wait!"

Tillis currently has a new project in the works in which she plans to release later this year.

Taylor Swift will begin her first headlining tour on April 23 in Evansville, Indiana. Friend and occasional songwriting partner, Kellie Pickler, will be the support act for the Fearless Tour 2009. Gloriana, a new group emphasizing four-part vocal harmonies, will also be performing on all tour dates. The Fearless tour will hit 52 cities in 38 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada over the span of six months.

Jessica Simpson is no longer on the Sony Music Nashville artist roster, and her plans for continuing her country music career are not immediately known. Her first country album, Do You Know, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's country chart when it was released in September. "Come On Over," her debut country single, peaked at #18 on Billboard's country songs chart in August. However the second single, "Remember That," only peaked at #42 in December.

In launching her country career, Simpson made appearances at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville last June and has been touring this year as the opening act on Rascal Flatts' tour.

Kenny Chesney, along with Carrie Underwood, Sugarland and Darius Rucker, will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, April 14. Chesney is putting the finishing touches on rehearsals for his Sun City Carnival Tour, which opens next weekend, and fans will get a brief look at the preparations on Oprah.

Buddy Strait, the older brother of George Strait, was found dead in a San Antonio hotel room on Friday, April 10. He was 58. According to a local TV station in San Antonio, his body was discovered by a cleaning crew at a La Quinta Inn on the far northwest side of the city. Deputies said Strait, whose real name was John Strait Jr., was in town on business. Investigators believe he died of natural causes, but an autopsy will be held to determine the exact cause of death. George Strait and his family live near San Antonio.

Our condolences to Alabama's Teddy Gentry on the loss of his mother, Bertha Jean Humphery. She died yesterday morning, April 7, 2009, of pneumonia at the age of 75. Her funeral will be held in Ft. Payne, Alabama on Thursday, April 9.

Jo Dee Messina has announced a new tour, billed as the Music Room Series, which will begin on April 16 in Verona, N.Y. and continue through May 4 in Milwaukee. The intimate concerts will include Messina's stories about her hit songs, as well as some of her own original music. The stage will resemble the music room at her home where many of her popular songs came to life. The acoustic performances will give concert goers a look the songs' selection process and songwriting. Messina will also be taking questions and requests from the audience.

"I wanted to use this tour to give folks the opportunity to get to know me on a more personal level," Messina said. "I'm leaving out the fancy production and using the show time to 'visit' with the audience for a while -- as if they were to come to the house and sit with me in my music room. I think it will be a lot of fun. Instead of going to see a show, the audience will be a part of a show." Messina is scheduled to release a new album, Unmistakable, later this year

Toby Keith and Hilary Duff are among the cast of a new movie, Provinces of Night, which is based on a novel published in 2000 by Tennessee author William Gay. It will be directed by Shane Taylor and produced by Jay McPhaul. The cast also includes Pell James (Zodiac) and Bruce McGill (National Lampoon's Animal House).

Rascal Flatts is making the television rounds to promote their sixth studio album, Unstoppable, released Tuesday, April 7, 2009. The group will perform on the Today Show on April 7, the Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 13 and the Late Show with David Letterman on April 16. The trio also recently attended the Hannah Montana The Movie world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. They make a cameo appearance in the movie, performing their songs "Bless The Broken Road" and "Backwards." Rascal Flatts also picked up their seventh consecutive win for vocal group of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5.