Friday news: fun in Flint, chartgazing and more...

Bucky Covington takes time out to sign an autograph for a very kind fan in Eldon, Iowa; click here to enjoy more great shots from that show, courtesy of Janie. (Thanks again, Janie!)

Bucky Covington takes a night off from Dierks Bentley's uber-hot Throttle Wide Open tour tonight to play The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan with his excellent band. He spoke to the Flint Journal's Christina Fuoco-Karasinski about two of the secrets of his success:

"Every place I go, I always keep in my mind, 'Be easy to work with,'" Covington said. "Every venue you go to, they work with all kinds of people. I just don't want to be that (unfriendly) guy. I've learned just to be nice to people. I definitely think that helps a lot," he said.

The second way? "The exposure from 'American Idol' -- I'm recognizable through that show," he said. "I'm sure that helps."

Check out the full article here at MLive--and if you're in the Flint area, check out Bucky live at the Machine Shop tonight! Last-minute tickets may be available online at www.etix.com, or locally at Busted Knuckle Underground Clothing (5880 State St. in Saginaw) or the venue box office. Even on the day of show, a ticket in hand is best. Calling the venue is a good idea before trying to get a ticket at the door--this is a limited capacity venue, and when it's full, it's full. We want you to be on the fun side of those doors!

In other happenings:

Chart news: "It's Good to Be Us" closes out the week at #17 on the Mediabase weighted chart and #16 on the Top 500 . We'd love to see those bullets grow a bit plumper, yes? Weekends are an excellent time to step up our calls and emails to our favorite country radio station--and those Saturday night syndicated shows are a must. Our "radio neighbors" deserve a bit of uptempo Bucky Covington goodness to rev up their weekends, so keep requesting...

By request, Bucky Covington and Rocky Covington on stage at the Big Spring Jam in Huntsville; photo by Susu, who shared the fun that evening with her good friend Happydays. Click the image to see many beautiful shots from that show. Thanks again to Susu and Happydays!

Upcoming shows: Last night, there was an update about tickets for the 2008 CMT Music Awards in Nashville on April 14th. (Relax, the nagging about votes happens farther down the page!) Seats, and those coveted mosh pit spots, go on sale tomorrow, 2/23 at Ticketmaster. Hope you can be there for Bucky's big night!

WKDF's Birthday Bash in Nashville happens on 3/30, and presale tickets are available now at Ticketmaster; WKDF and the Sommet Center's mailing lists could have that all important password for you...

We'll squeeze in yet another note for the Nashville fans--Bucky Covington will be part of RFD-TV's new edition of the Crook & Chase Show on March 4th, and you can be present for the taping. See the Opryland Hotel site for more information, and have fun!

Tickets for most of Dierks Bentley's Throttle Wide Open dates are available now at Ticketmaster. (Dierks' official website will have more details on non-Ticketmaster events.) Seats for the Jackson, TN Dierks Bentley concert on April 3rd are available at the City of Jackson site.

On the tube and around the net: Tomorrow's CMT Insider features a Bucky Covington bit--wonder what interesting news may be revealed? Tune in on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET to find out, or catch a repeat this weekend. GAC's proudly showing off Bucky's video for "It's Good to Be Us" at about 7: 50 p.m. ET, and you can also see it online any time at CMT.com.

Also online: The Covington Times features Bucky's wave from the award-nominated "A Different World" video, as well as a fun Rocky Covington concert image by Catbird and an update on the chat opportunies at Yes.com. Midask9 has a very sweet "big reveal" at It's Good to Be Us today. Stop in at her blog to find out about a truly huggable project that'll put a smile on your face--and on the faces of many little Bucky Covington fans, too.



Vote for Bucky: Not that I'm obsessed with this or anything (all right...maybe I am...) but here's yet another friendly but insistent reminder: the 2008 CMT Music Awards first-round voting ends on February 25. Register at CMT and ask a few thousand of your closest buddies and distant acquaintances to do the same, and vote for Bucky now in the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year category.

Gone Country Magazine's "favorite country Idol" poll has ended-- congrats to the talented Kellie Pickler and her devoted fans!

We'll close Friday morning's reminders with a bit of video voting fun--give Bucky's "It's Good to Be Us" some love and affection at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown, at CMT's Top 20 Countdown and CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack.

More soon--have a fantastic Friday!