That’s right, even George Jones gets star-struck

Hard to believe, isn’t it?

But when actor-turned-author Gene Hackman was in town earlier this week to sign his new Civil War book, the legendary George Jones couldn’t stay away.

George and Nancy went down to the Nashville downtown library just like the other fans.

And apparently the meet-and-greet didn’t last too long.

George got so nervous that his usual bottle-rattling deep voice escaped him, and he started practically squeaking.

Like a possum?

Gene Hackman is a little grumpy at the Nashville library

Gene Hackman (Hoosiers) has recently declared he is dropping the acting thing to be a full-time author. But it looks like he might enjoy writing the books better than pushing them.

Hackman was at the main downtown library this evening with Daniel Lenihan, his co-author on Civil War book Escape from Andersonville.

And dozens and dozens of fans showed, and many said they sensed Hackman was really ready to get out of there.

He seemed OK with autographing books, but Hackmans wasn’t thrilled about posing for pics. Hackman would keep his head down and say, “Count to three and then I’ll look up.”

Really?

To be fair, Hackman also had many charming moments as well.

But overall, he may have left some fans with a negative impression. Our photographer, Carlos, overheard one woman say to another, “He wasn’t very nice, was he?”

Gene Hackman to push his new book at Nashville library

Yes, that Gene Hackman, the actor dude from Hoosiers, Mississippi Burning, Uncommon Valor and more.

Seems he has written a Civil War novel called Escape from Andersonville with a dude named Daniel Lenihan, the other guy in the picture and a guy who has written two previous novels with Hackman.

Escape from Andersonville is about a Union officer who escaped from a Confederate prison and then returned to try to rescue his fellow Union soldiers. (Wonder how that’ll play in Nashville. I digress.)

Authors Gene and Daniel will be at the downtown main library, 615 Church St., at 6 p.m. June 25. The books will be sold there and autographed by the two, if you’d like.

Miley to write book; but is it really Miley in those pics?

The Miley Cyrus stories continue to fly today!

Several news outlets, including the AP, are now wondering if those pics of Miley showing her bra are really in fact Miley. I must admit that question crossed my mind briefly yesterday.

It’s odd to note that Miley’s publicists still haven’t weighed in on this burning question of the week.

But Miley IS talking about a new book she’s writing, due out next spring.

Disney said the book will be about guidance she has received from her mom, Leticia, or as we call her in Middle Tennessee, Tish.

Miley said in a statement:

“I am so excited to let fans in on how important my relationship with my family is to me. I hope to motivate mothers and daughters to build lifetimes of memories together and inspire kids around the world to live their dreams.”

How sweet. Hope those pictures will be, too.

‘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.”

Sweet Potato Queen rolls into town tonight

Traffic warning: You might see this bus at the Brentwood Border’s on the way home today.

This is the transportation mode these days for “Sweet Potato Queen” Jill Conner Browne, who managed to turn divorced Southern mom status into a New York Times best-seller empire.

Jill is in town to push her latest, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising children for Fun & Profit.

It offers such nuggets as: “Can we all agree that it is not ‘babysitting’ if the person doing the sitting is also the one who did the ‘fathering’?”

Jill will chat about her book and sign copies at 7 tonight at the Borders in Brentwood, 330 Franklin Road.

We’ll have a story on her on News 2 at 4.