The initial lineup of performers for 2008 CMA Music Festival is a potent mix of Festival faithful, cross-genre first-timers and returning superstars. The list of new and established Country headliners performing on the main stage during the nightly concerts at LP Field includes reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood, who has performed at the Festival every year since being crowned American Idol in 2005. Also announced: Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Jewel, Miranda Lambert, Josh Turner, Rodney Atkins, Kellie Pickler, and Lady Antebellum. CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 5-8, in Downtown Nashville.

Tickets for 2008 CMA Music Festival are available now. To order tickets call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378); visit www.CMAfest.com to download an order form to fax or mail; visit www.ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600. Prices do not include applicable handling fees.

The “Carnival Ride Tour” will continue into 2008 coinciding with Underwood’s co-headline dates with Keith Urban on the “Love, Pain & the whole crazy Carnival Ride Tour,” which kicked off January 31.

Between the Pittsburgh concert on February 22 and the Providence concert on February 24, Underwood and her band headed to New York City to perform on “Saturday Night Live” for their first live show since the writer’s strike. The show pulled in their best ratings of the past two years.
Underwood’s current album CARNIVAL RIDE, which contains the smash hits “So Small” and “All-American Girl,” was certified double-platinum within 2 months of its release. Underwood’s debut album, SOME HEARTS, was recently certified 7x-Platinum, becoming the best-selling solo female country debut in RIAA history. With this certification, SOME HEARTS now also surpasses all other releases as the all-time U.S. top-selling album by any American Idol contestant.

Check out Carrie’s new exclusive Fan Club Greeting on the Home page!

WHAT CAN I WIN?

The winner will have their wallpaper posted on the fan club website for everyone to download and receive full credit for their work of art!

HOW DO I ENTER?

Please send us your entry via email to carrieunderwoodcontest@cliqueinc.com and include your newly designed wallpaper as an attachment. Please put “Carrie Underwood Birthday Wallpaper Contest” in the subject line and be sure to include your first and last name in the body of the email. Most importantly, do not forget to attach your wallpaper! Please submit only one wallpaper per fan club membership. We will only be able to consider the first wallpaper received if multiple entries are submitted.

WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?

Please submit only one wallpaper per fan club membership. We will only be able to consider the first wallpaper received if multiple entries are submitted. Make sure your design file is no larger than 50KB. Unfortunately, files larger than 50KB will not be received by our email system. All eligible wallpapers will be reviewed and judged by management privately. Winners are chosen at the sole discretion of management. All submitted photos will become property of Carrie Underwood and can be used by Carrie Underwood for proprietary purposes. Timing and method for delivery of prizes will be determined at the sole discretion of management, as will the duration of the Grand Prize. The Carrie Underwood Fan Club reserves the right to publicly display all submitted photos at carrieunderwood.fm.

QUESTIONS?

All questions regarding this contest should be submitted to Carrie Underwood Customer Support at carrieunderwoodsupport@sparkart.com.

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

+VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE U.S. (EXCEPT PUERTO RICO) AND CANADA (EXCEPT QUEBEC) 13 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.+

+1) CONTEST: Carrie Underwood Birthday Wallpaper Contest+

+2) CONTEST SPONSOR: The Official Carrie Underwood Fan Club, Furball, Inc., Clique Inc., Sparkart Group, Inc., Sparkart LLC, and their respective affiliates and subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, suppliers of prizes, material and services related to this Contest (collectively, “Sponsor and its Agents”).+

+3) INTRODUCTION: For good and valuable consideration (including, without limitation, the possibility of publicity), the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, you are submitting certain design(s), illustrations, logos, artwork, photographs, videos, animation, writings, proposed product and/or brand names, idea(s), concept(s), communication(s), programming code, and/or other material(s) (the “Submission”) as part of your entry to the Contest upon the following express understandings and conditions.+

+4) ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of the U.S. (except Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec) 13 years of age or older. An entrant who is a minor in his/her state or province of residence must have the signed, written consent and all required paperwork completed by his/her parent or legal guardian in order to participate. Sponsor and its Agents and members of their immediate families and people living in the same household of each are not eligible. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Contest Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.+

+5) TO ENTER: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. NO ENTRY FEE, PAYMENT, OR PROOF-OF-PURCHASE IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST.+

+(a) Online Entries: Go to the “News” section of the fan club website, follow the “How do I Enter?” instructions, and click on the “Enter Contest” button.+

+(b) Email Entries: Go to the “News” section of the website, follow the “How do I Enter?” instructions, and send an email with all required information (and with the Submission attached) to CarrieUnderwoodcontest@sparkart.com. If email entry is not available, please enter via online entry, as described above.+

+All entries must be received by March 5, 2008. No facsimiles or mechanically reproduced entries (other than the electronic transmission of the online entry or entry via email) will be allowed. Limit one entry per person regardless of method of entry. In the event that there is more than one entry for the same person, Sponsor and its Agents may disqualify that person. Each entry must be mailed in a separate outer mailing envelope. Sponsor and its Agents are not responsible for incomplete, lost, late, stolen, damaged, illegible, misdirected or postage due entries. Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right to cancel, terminate, or modify any entry not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure, or technical failures of any sort. Upon submission, all entries and Submissions (if applicable) become the property of Sponsor and its Agents and will not be returned.+

+6) CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest commences on or about February 27, 2008 and continues through March 5, 2008 (the “Contest Period”).+

+7) SUBMISSION TERMS AND CONDITIONS; SPONSOR’S OWNERSHIP AND USE OF SUBMISSIONS; YOUR AGREEMENT TO UNRESTRICTED USE: By entering your Submission into this Contest, you hereby grant, transfer and convey to the Sponsor and its Agents all rights, title and interests in and to the Submission, including but not limited to the irrevocable, royalty-free right to trademark, copyright, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used) your Submission (as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Sponsor and its Agents, in the sole discretion of the Sponsor and its Agents) on the Official Carrie Underwood Fan Site website, in concerts, for television, motion pictures, in home video copies, and in other media, whether now known or hereafter invented, throughout the world for any purpose whatsoever, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from you or any other party.+

+a. You acknowledge and agree that you have no right of approval or consultation with respect to Sponsor and its Agent’s use of the Submission.+

+b. You agree to provide the Submission at no cost to Sponsor and its Agents or any other party.+

+c. You represent and warrant, and agree to further do so in writing, that you possess all necessary rights and authority to grant, transfer and convey to Sponsor and its Agents all the rights herein granted.+

+d. You represent and warrant, and agree to further do so in writing, that the Submission is wholly original with you and does not and will not violate the right of privacy or publicity of, or constitute a defamation against any person or entity and that it does not and will not infringe upon or violate the copyright, contract rights, proprietary rights, or common law rights or any other rights of any other person or entity.+

+e. You represent and warrant, and agree to further do so in writing, that the Submission has not been entered into a previous contest or has received any awards and has also not been published previously in any medium.+

+f. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and its Agents and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, parent companies, subsidiaries and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, demands and expenses (including, but not limited to, reasonable attorney’s fees) arising out of or resulting from possession or use in any manner of the Submission.+

+8) WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: One (1) winner will be chosen, at the sole discretion of Sponsor and its Agents, who will review and judge the Submissions privately. Winners will be notified by email and/or telephone on or about March 9, 2008 and potential winners may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Publicity/Liability Release (where lawful) within 7 days of the date of notification, in which the winner will acknowledge that the Submission is a “work for hire” and will irrevocably transfer to the Sponsor and its Agents any and all rights, title, goodwill and interest in and to the Submission, including without limitation, all copyrights, trademarks and waive all moral rights in such Submission. If the Affidavit of Eligibility and Publicity/Liability Release is not received within 7 days of the date of notification, the prize may be forfeited (at the sole discretion of Sponsor and its Agents) and an alternate winner selected. Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right to require a potential winner to submit to a confidential background check to confirm eligibility and help ensure that the use of any such person in advertising or publicity will not bring the Sponsor and its Agents into public disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule or reflect unfavorably as determined by the Sponsor and its Agents in their sole discretion. A winner who is a minor in his/her state or province of residence must have all required paperwork completed and signed by his/her parent or legal guardian within the time period specified above, or the prize may be forfeited (at the sole discretion of Sponsor and its Agents) and an alternate winner selected.+

+9) GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION: Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual deemed to be (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the contest or any website of the Sponsor and its Agents; (b) violating the Official Contest Rules; (c) violating the terms of use, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of any web site, fan club, or other service, or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another entrant, Sponsor and its Agents, or any other person. Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.+

+10) PRIZES: One (1) chosen winner will have their submitted wallpaper featured in the “Downloads” section of the CarrieUnderwood.fm website. There is no retail value associated with this prize. Sponsor and its Agents make no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the appearance, performance or safety of any prize awarded. Limit of one prize per person, household and address. Prizes will be delivered only to addresses in the United States or Canada. The timing and method of delivery of the prize will be determined at the sole discretion of Sponsor and its Agents. Return of any prize or prize notification as undeliverable may result in the prize being forfeited and an alternate winner selected. The winner shall bear all risks of loss or damage to prize after it has been delivered. No prize substitutions or cash equivalents are allowed, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor and its Agents. Prizes may not be transferred. All federal, state, and local taxes associated with the receipt of any prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner. If the prize includes the online posting of materials, including but not limited to photos, text, audio, video, animation, graphic art, illustration, etc., then the location and duration of such posting will be determined solely by Sponsor and its Agents. Prizes for which a minor has been selected may be awarded to his/her parent or legal guardian.+

+11) GENERAL: Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right to cancel or modify the Contest if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor impairs the integrity of the Contest, or for any other reason or for no reason, as determined by the Sponsor and its Agents in their sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right to (but are not required to) award the prizes at random from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment or cancellation. By entering, you: (a) agree to release the Sponsor and its Agents from all liability, injuries, loss and/or damage of any kind arising from your participation in the Contest and the acceptance, possession and use/misuse of any prize; (b) agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and its Agents; and (c) give your express permission to be contacted by Sponsor and its Agents by email, mail or phone. By submitting an entry, you further consent to the use of your name, address, image, voice, likeness, statements, biographical material, as well as any additional photographic images, video images, portraits, interviews or other materials relating to you and arising out of your participation in this Contest (with or without using your name) in any media, whether now known or hereafter invented, throughout the world for any purpose whatsoever, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from you or any other party (except if winner is a resident of Tennessee or where otherwise prohibited by law). If you are selected as a winner, prior to receiving the prize, you must agree to sign an affidavit to such effect, unless the winner is a resident of Tennessee or otherwise where prohibited by law. Each winner is responsible for all federal, state and local taxes applicable to the acceptance and use of his/her prize. All applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. The Contest is governed by laws of the United States and all claims must be resolved in the United States. You further agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prizes awarded shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California or the appropriate California State Court located in San Francisco County, California. Should any of the provisions of the Official Contest Rules be found to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, that portion shall be deemed severed or restricted and the remainder of the Contest Rules shall remain in full force and effect. The failure of Sponsor and its Agents to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.+

+12) RELEASE: You release, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless, Sponsor and its Agents, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against all claims (know and unknown), liabilities, injuries, death, loss and/or damages of any kind arising from your participation in the Contest or the acceptance, possession or use or misuse of the prize. You assume all risks associated with the Contest or use or misuse of the prize, and you agree that the Released Parties will not be responsible or liable for any injury, harm, death, damages, costs or expenses.+

+13) WINNERS LIST & OFFICIAL RULES: The names of the winners will be posted on the News section of Official Carrie Underwood Fan Club website after eligibility is confirmed. To obtain the name of a winner, send a request via email to CarrieUnderwoodFanClub@Sparkart.com Carrie Underwood Birthday Wallpaper Contest or mail a letter request and self-addressed stamped envelope to: The Official Carrie Underwood Fan Club, c/o Carrie Underwood Birthday Wallpaper Contest P.O. Box 8639, Emeryville, CA 94662.+

On Wednesday, June 4, 2008, country music stars will take the field at Greer Stadium in Nashville, TN, to participate in City of Hope’s18th Annual Nashville Celebrity Softball Challenge. Country music fans can come out and root for their favorite artists representing teams from The Grand Ole Opry and After Midnite with Blair Garner.

Admission is $18 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. Proceeds benefit City of Hope, an innovative biomedical research, treatment and educational institution dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In its 17 year history, the Nashville Celebrity Softball Challenge has raised over $1.5 million!

Country artists scheduled to take the field this year include Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Phil Vassar and Jake Owen.

The Academy of Country Music reigning Top Male Vocalist, Brad Paisley, and Top Female Vocalist, Carrie Underwood, will announce the nominees for the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, country music’s party of the year, Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Nominations to air live on CBS’ The Early Show from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.

The 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air LIVE on May 18th at 8:00pm on CBS.

New pre-sales for Carrie’s 2008 Carnival Ride Tour begin Tuesday, February, 26th. Pre-sale passwords, links and detailed information will be posted on the TOUR page of the CarrieUnderwood.fm website prior to pre-sale start times. You will need to login using your Official Carrie Underwood fan club account to see the pre-sale link and password.

The following fan club pre-sales will be held through Ticketmaster beginning Tuesday, February, 26th:

April 9 – Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena – Pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. EST

April 11 – Charleston, WVA – Charleston Civic Center – Pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. EST

April 22 – Peoria, IL- Peoria Civic Center – Pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. CST

-The Carrie Underwood Fan Club Team

Carrie’s 2nd appearance on Saturday Night Live is occurring tonight on NBC! Check your local listings for channels and show times.