TMSPN says Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce has boosted the NFL by nearly $1 billion. The surge in viewership, merchandise sales, and social media engagement has been dubbed the “Taylor Swift Effect.” 

The Hollywood Reporter says HBO has officially set a premiere date for the second season of “The Last Of Us.” New episodes will begin airing on April 13th. The seven-episode season is expected to cover the first half of the “Last Of Us Part II” Playstation game.

If you’re a fan of Reba McEntire, you’ll be HAPPY to know that you’ll be seeing a lot more of her.  That’s because her NBC sitcom “Happy’s Place” was renewed for a second season. Besides Reba, the show also stars her boyfriend Rex Linn, and Melissa Peterman. (You can watch the video of Reba giving everyone the good news, here.)

Country star Pam Tillis was onstage at a Grand Ole Opry event next to Tucker Wetmore, and going on and on about what a great talent he is.  The only problem was, she thought he was Riley Green. To be fair, they both have a mustache and are tall and handsome.  But the whole thing was awkward, and in front of a live audience too. Pam ended it with, “I told my management I should’ve worn my glasses.”

The Grand Ole Opry just announced the 2025 class for its Opry NextStage program, and the future’s looking bright.  The NextStage program “serves to spotlight country music’s next big up-and-coming artists.” This year’s class includes:  Avery Anna . . . Chayce Beckham . . . Dasha . . . Kashus Culpepper . . . Tigirlily Gold . . . and Tucker Wetmore. Previous members of the Opry NextStage program include:  Riley Green, Megan Moroney, Nate Smith, Parker McCollum, and Lainey Wilson.  And Lainey was the first alumni of the NextStage program to go on to become an Opry member. Congrats to the 2025 class!

Should Willie Nelson get the Nobel Peace Prize?  John Mellencamp thinks so.  He told “Texas Monthly” Willie deserves it for his work with Farm Aid. He launched it with John and Neil Young in 1985.  But John says “it all stems from Willie.”  Quote, “Neil and I just carry water.” No musician has ever won the Nobel Peace Prize, but they’ve been nominated before.  Bono made the shortlist in 2006 for his work to help end poverty around the world.

Scotty McCreery recently postponed two shows in Florida . . . scheduled for last night and tonight . . . because he came down with an illness. There aren’t any details on what kind of nastiness he’s dealing with, but his team says they’re working to reschedule the gigs.

Chappell Roan teased her first country song with a string of billboards in New York, L.A., and Nashville this week. It’s called “The Giver”, and “teasing” might be too strong a word.  She performed it on “SNL” back in November.  (Here’s the video.) She’s releasing it as a vinyl single in August, and the pre-sale launched this week.  Apparently the billboards worked, because it’s already sold out.  (She also posted about it on Instagram, so . . . that maybe helped.)

Blake Shelton tells Wide Open Spaces that he admires professional turkey hunters. “I get out there when I’m by myself and, if all the conditions are right, I can get one or two to come close. But those guys, they literally speak some other different language to turkeys. They just have all these things that they’ve learned over the years. It is not always just a call, sometimes it’s a different sound, it’s a movement you can make, it’s a timing issue. It’s all different factors that I would never think about.”

The NY Post says a Jersey City, New Jersey museum is showcasing a chandelier from the Titanic. The 20-pound chandelier sat at the bottom of the Atlantic for decades. It was located in the ship’s first-class smoking lounge. Visitors can also touch an iceberg to feel the cold of the tragic sinking.

George Clooney tells CBS that his seven-year-old son is already competing in chess tournaments. “He’s 7 years old, [and] playing a lot of older kids. He’s not winning all the time, as you can imagine. And he gets upset and I said, ‘Listen, you shake the guy’s hand and say good game, I’ll get you next time.’ And, that’s kind of how you got to live by those rules.” 

Millie Bobby Brown is celebrating her 21st birthday like a queen.

These are the daughters of wrestling legends Andre the Giant and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.  Can you guess which is which?  (Spoiler Alert:  It ain’t hard.)

Timothée Chalamet is in Italy for the release of “A Complete Unknown” . . . and he found some time to dance on a rooftop.

Tinsel Town Talk – Fri 02/21/2025