Do you remember when Kelly Pickler was on American Idol? Do you remember when Simon Crowell put her down so many times? Look who’s getting the last laugh. Kelly has done very well as a recording artist and stage entertainer. Now she has been named celebrity spokesperson for “Sexy Hair”, a new line of ladies hair products. Kelly will appear in commercials and ads in the magazines Allure, Cosmopolitan, Launchpad, Modern Salon, American Salon and Canadian Hairdresser. How’s that for a country gal from the Carolinas that Simon used to make fun of? We congratulate her. This new opportunity should open a lot more doors for Kelly.

The economy is finally catching up with the music industry. Sony/Nashville laid off five staffers this week. We hope it doesn’t spread to other companies. The news early in the week of Clear Channel unloading hundreds of employees came as no shock, realizing that the large radio empire needs major sponsorship (that is based on listeners) to stay above water. Most of these people canned were music directors, promotion directors, etc. I think you’ll agree that most radio chains really suck. They have program directors that have no compassion for the local marketplace and rely too much on research. In many cases, research has really cost the listeners the music they want to hear, not the same 25 or 30 records that are chosen by someone who doesn’t know the likes of your part of the country. We hope the economy gets back to normal soon. The unemployment figures are rampant. We hope all is well with you and your family.