• Billy Joel Defends Taylor Swift as New York City's Tourism Ambassador: 'Piano Man' Says 'Let Her In'

    Hey, New York, Billy Joel wants you to be nice to Taylor Swift. The "Piano Man" is not happy with the way some of The Big Apple's press have been treating the "Shake It Off" singer after she became the city's tourism ambassador last month. Joel, a Long Island native, does not care that Swift is from Pennsylvania and spent the majority of her career in Nashville. He welcomes her with open arms."I see the New York press going, 'Taylor Swift is going to be the new New York representative?'" the singer told "USA Today." "You snoots. Let her in. That's what New York is all about. I say, 'Welcome.'"Swift made the announcement in October about her new position on "Good Morning America," "Rolling Stone" noted."I'm still learning, but I'm so enthusiastic about this city that when I love something, I'm very vocal about it," she said. "New York was a huge landscape for what became this album. It's affected my life in ways I'm not even aware of fully."
  • Taylor Swift Surprises Young Fan with Present in Connecticut

    Taylor Swift has been reaping the benefits of her near-record-setting first two-week album sales for "1989," and now right before the holiday season she has decided to give back to one lucky fan. The "Blank Space" singer paid a surprise visit to a fan in North Haven, Connecticut, with some gifts for her son. According to "Billboard," Stephanie Barnett and Swift met on social media years ago and stayed in touch. Now Taylor Swift decided to make the relationship more personal by paying a visit to the mom and her 2-year old son, Leyton.According to "NBC Connecticut," Taylor Swift came bearing gifts for Leyton, including a toddler-sized Mercedes.
  • 'The Hunger Games' Cast Sings Taylor Swift On 'Saturday Night Live' [WATCH]

    Woody Harrelson hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend and decided to give a national TV audience a 1989 education.Upset that Taylor Swift does not know anything about '89 — she named her newest album after her birth year — Harrelson attempted to provide some context but soon realized he had participated in too many ... er ... "recreational activities" to remember things clearly."It was 25 years almost to the day since the first time I hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1989," Harrelson said. "But with all due respect to Ms. Swift, I think I know a little bit more about 1989 than she does — even if the memories are a little fuzzy, because of the drugs."After someone handed him an acoustic guitar, Harrelson began a choppy parody of "Blank Space." Soon, he was joined onstage by fellow "Hunger Games" stars Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence.
  • Taylor Swift '1989' Aimed for Third Week at No.1, "Blank Space" Album to Outsell Foo Fighters' 'Sonic Highways', Garth Brooks' 'Man Against Machine'

    Taylor Swift is holding on strong to the No. 1 spot in the country with 1989, and it seems like nothing can "Shake It Off." In the two weeks since its release, Swift's new album has surpassed platinum status and topped the Billboard 200, and she's looking to come in first for a third week, beating out new releases like Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways and Garth Brooks' Man Against Machine.
  • Brantley Gilbert and Justin Moore Join Big Machine Label Mate in Leaving Spotify; Why Now?

    The anti-Spotify-cation of the country music genre continues this week as two more big names have opted to remove their wares from the music streaming site. Brantley Gilbert and Justin Moore both announced on Wednesday that they would be pulling their respective discographies from the service immediately. This follows in the wake of announcements over the last two weeks that Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean would be taking similar stands. Why, and why now?