Supermodel closing Cool Springs boutique

Supermodel/TV host Niki Taylor is staying in Middle Tennessee, but her high-end boutique is not.

Friday is the final day for Abbie & Jesse’s, 420 Cool Springs Blvd., a store named for the pooches of Niki (Jesse) and her longtime manager/friend, Lou Taylor (Abbie).

Niki just started a Bravo TV series with fellow model Tyson Beckford called Make Me a Supermodel.

Turns out it’s too tough to be a TV reality show host AND run a high-end Cool Springs boutique.

So the boutique is going.

But Niki’s management company assures us that the supermodel is staying here.

Super!

‘Hannah Montana’ movie will shoot here

So in case you haven’t heard, looks like Hannah Montana movie shooting in Tennessee is a definite go.

Movie scouts and pre-production folks are in Columbia, Tenn., right now.

At least some shooting will happen in downtown Columbia, the mayor has confirmed.

And the state film commissioner, Perry Gibson, also confirms that Disney will shoot in the Volunteer State.

“The Disney people are already here doing pre-production. They’ve hired a location scout, they’re looking for offices and are setting up telephones,” the commissioner said.

This has been an intense courtship. Tennessee and Louisiana have been in a battle royale to recruit Hannah Montana, and it looks like Tennessee won.

Details of shooting are gonna be top secret so there aren’t tons of screaming tweens following Miley Cyrus around.

Shooting starts May 1.

Nicole is looking Oscar-licious

It’s our first peek at Nicole Kidman since she and Keith Urban announced they would have a child soon.

Nicole’s black dress hid any baby bump that might be around, and she looked lovely. Balenciaga gown and Bottega Veneta clutch, for those of you keeping track at home. Thanks to People.com for the pic.

Former Nashvillian Miley Cyrus also looked lovely in red, the color of the night on the carpet.

Sad to say that the only Nashvillian up for an Oscar, Peter Kurland, for sound mixing for big Oscar winner No Country for Old Men, didn’t get a trophy.

But that movie proved to be a big winner, getting trophies for best picture, director, screenplay and of course, best supporting actor for Javier Bardem.

Best actress proved to be the big surprise: Marion Cotillard won for her portrayal of Edith Pilaf in La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink), beating out Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie and others.

Jon Stewart proved a capable and funny host, with one of the best lines coming after recognizing that Jessica Alba and Cate Blanchett were pregnant.

“Two pregnant women here tonight at the Oscars,” he mused.

“Then again, obviously the night is still young. And Jack (Nicholson) is here. So perhaps, sir, we will re-tally at the end of the night.”

Chieftains to play Schermerhorn March 4

Check it out — Irish ensemble The Chieftains are set the play the Schermerhorn March 4.

They’ve got lots of fans among the Music Row set, so some interesting guests might pop up at this show.

In fact, they’re announcing “surprise musical guests.”

And some Irish dancers will be prancing round the stage as well.

Tickets start at $37.50.

You can get them by going to the Symphony Web site.

Carrie had a sweet Valentine in Hershey?

Here’s some more fuel for the Carrie-Underwood’s-dating-a-TV-hunk rumors.

I saw a picture of Chace Crawford that was purportedly taken at the Carrie Underwood/Keith Urban concert Thursday (Valentine’s Day) at an arena in Hershey, Pa.

Chace, from the CW network hit show, Gossip Girl, has, gossip has it, been Carrie’s not-so-secret boyfriend for several months.

Brad spies said Carrie smiled at Chace once during her set.

Chace and his buddies were sitting near the sound board, and Chace left after Carrie sang Before He Cheats.

So what does Carrie’s publicist say about this Chace spotting??

Uh, nothin’.

‘Idol’ alum Scott Savol to do urban CD here

Do what? I am not kidding.

Scott Savol, that big ol’ Cleveland teddy bear from season four (when Carrie won), is here in town getting his R&B on.

Scott says he followed fellow contestant Jessica Sierra (yes, the one in rehab now) to Music City after Jessica signed with a Nashville managment company. Scott signed with the same company, but that didn’t work out.

However, Scott and his wife ending up staying in Nashville because they found a new management company, TalanBrowne Entertainment, which helped launch hip-hop Tag Team (Whoomp There It Is). (By the way, if you ever see my colleague Stephanie Langston around, she can sing the entire song. It’s a hit at parties.)

Plus, Scott and his wife really like it here.

“Even walking down the street and people you don’t know waving to you or honking, saying ‘Hi.’ I mean, if somebody honks at you in Cleveland, you know, you have to duck,” Scott told me.

If you’d like to catch up with Scott, he’ll be at the Border’s on West End Avenue at 2 p.m. Saturday signing copies of Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul. Scott has a story in there about his rather tough dad.

The story is about how he got his very first real emotion from his father when Scott came back to Cleveland after being voted off Idol in 2005.

“I mean, that was the big thing for me was actually hearing my father say that he was proud of me for doing something which honest to God I never heard those words.”

Casting Crowns lead Dove nominations

The Casting Crowns’ lead singer, Mark Hall, landed six Dove Awards nominations today and his band got four, the Gospel Music Association announced.

If you’re not hip to the Dove Awards, they’re like the CMA Awards for Christian music. And the times, they are a’ changin’ for the Doves.

In years past, the Gospel Music Association tried to get a bigger mainstream audience by getting high-profile mainstream hosts (like Super Bowl quarterbacks and big pop stars) and working out complicated TV syndication deals.

But this year, the GMA is gonna keep it simple: There will be no hosts, and the show will air on cable’s Gospel Music Channel. (Duh!!)

“Ya know, we’re just trying to be who we are. We’re not trying to be the Grammys, we’re not trying to be anything other than who we are,” said GMA President John Styll.

That doesn’t mean non-Christian fans won’t recognize some names.

Former American Idol finalist Mandisa, now a Christian artist, received a couple of nominations today, as did country group Alabama and cross-over star Amy Grant.

The awards show happen April 23 at the Grand Ole Opry House.

For a full list of nominees, check the Dove Awards Web site.

Vince’s Kanye crack: Not an ‘ounce of ill will’

Vince Gill tells me he didn’t mean anything by it when he zinged Kanye West at the Grammys.

See Vince’s crack and his reaction by clicking HERE.

If you missed it, Ringo Starr handed Vince a trophy, for best country album, and Vince said: “I just got an award given to me by a Beatle. Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?”

The crowd went bonkers, and Kanye smiled.

Vince said it was a response to something Kanye said earlier in the show when Kanye won best rap album.

Vince and Kanye were both up for the all-genre album of the year Grammy, as were Amy Winehouse, The Foo Fighters and Herbie Hancock.

When Kanye won for rap album, he said, in part: “For (Winehouse producer) Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, if I don’t get to get up here for album of the year, you deserve it just as much as me. I deserve it too.”

That didn’t sit too well with Vince.

“I felt like that kinda slammed me and Herbie and the Foo Fighters,” he said.

But Vince said he wasn’t stewing about it, and Vince’s retort was “off the cuff” and meant to be funny.

“I saw that he was laughing after I said it. So I was grateful I wasn’t gonna get my butt whupped,” he said, laughing.

Vince said he went to find Kanye at an after party to “hug his neck,” but they never found each other.

“There wasn’t an ounce of ill will,” Vince said.

Hollywood couple spotted twice at Loveless

Turns out Chris Klein (American Pie) and his new actress lady friend, Ginnifer Goodwin (HBO’s Big Love, Johnny Cash’s first wife, Vivian, in Walk the Line) are crazy for biscuits!

Then again, who’s not?

Chris and Ginnifer were at Loveless Cafe TWICE, once on Friday morning and again on Monday. Never found out why they were in Nashville. People.com has a picture of them landing at LAX Monday night, so they must’ve headed to the airport after the Loveless feast.

Word is that Chris in particular was very nice at the restaurant.

Here’s my theory: Ginnifer is from Memphis, so the couple flew in to Nashville because it’s a direct flight from L.A., and then they drove to Memphis — fueled by biscuits.

Yummy!

Emmylou, Tom T., Statlers to go in Hall

Congrats to Americana/folk hero Emmylou Harris, who is going into the Country Music Hall of Fame in the 1975 to present category.

She’ll be joined by singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall (perhaps most famous for the “I love little baby ducks” song).

Tom tied with the Statler Brothers for Hall entry in the WWII-to-1975 category.

Finally, the pre-WWII inductee will be Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman, a country and bluegrass pioneer who started his career in the 1920s.

You may not know him, but you might know one of his daughters, Roni Stoneman, from Hee-Haw.

The four inductees will officially become members of the Country Music Hall of Fame at a medallion ceremony in April, and they will be members 101-105.

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