2012

Jacob and Sophia are not a couple in the latest movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, but they may be soon at this rate.

While the music industry is full of musicians who are still trying to 'make it,' Billboard has compiled a list of forty musicians who have been successful in 2012, at least according to their pocketbooks. Many fan-favorite country artists made the cut, an example of the popularity of country music today.

Fast-rising star Hunter Hayes threw an interesting twist on announcing the nominees for Pop Vocal Album at Wednesday night's (Dec. 5) Grammy Nominations Concert, which broadcast live from Nashville. Instead of reading them from a list, the enterprising singer-songwriter sang a snippet of each nominated song.

The Sedalia-Pettis County Emergency Management Agency recently released their severe weather review for 2012.  Although violent and damaging storms did occur, 2012 was a very calm year for Pettis County, with only one Severe Thunderstorm Warning, no more than five Severe Thunderstorm Watches.  Perhaps most notable is the fact that Pettis County was never placed under a Tornado Watch in 2012. Read

What dominated Keith Urban's iPod in 2012? Well, there was quite a bit of country music -- and even some pop -- on his personal playlist.

Newcomer Greg Bates made his debut on the country scene with his Top 5 single 'Did It for the Girl' in 2012. While he considers 2012 "the best year of my life," he is looking forward to bigger and better things in 2013. Why stop at a Top 5 song when he's got an album on the horizon and tons of new fans to convert?

When Taylor Swift isn't racking up hit singles or setting new attendance records on tour, she finds time to set records of another kind. A big believer in giving back, the young superstar tops this year's list of the most charitable celebrities.

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw were the top country touring attraction of the year with their Brothers of the Sun Tour, according to Billboard magazine, which has just published its 2012 Year in Music roundup. The massive road trek sold out nine of 23 shows and played to 1,085,382 total fans, raking in $96,458,890 to place seventh in all genres behind such huge mainstream artists as Madonna, Bruce S

To say that country newcomers Florida Georgia Line are a breakout group would be an understatement. This the popular duo's debut album, 'Here's to the Good Times,' clinched the Highest Album Sales of 2012 for a New Country Artist when they moved 63,000 units of the record following its Dec. 4 release.

The last two weeks before Christmas is always full of last minute shopping and getting things ready for Dec. 25. One of the great traditions that is done at about this point is the annual end of the year letter with a Christmas card, which is usually the end of the year family photo.