Thursday news: a rockin' Valentine, Power Picks tomorrow and more...

By request, Bucky Covington shares a joyful moment on stage at at the KNCI Country in the Park concert in Sacramento. Photo by our very talented friend Minnie, who's posted more of her excellent shots from the show in her Photobucket gallery. Thanks again, Minnie!

The long wait is finally over--Bucky Covington and his fantastic band are back on the road, and the excitement is rising! Tonight's concert in Gainesville marks the opening of Dierks Bentley's Throttle Wide Open tour, and Luke Bryan and Bucky Covington are set to join Dierks in making it a Valentine's night to remember. Those very, very last-minute tickets buyers who are reading this might want to hop over to Ticketmaster immediately--a quick check at 10 a.m. revealed some excellent "production hold" floor seats are popping up. Good luck!

There will be a conference call from this show tonight, courtesy of the very gracious Hildi and her helpers--more details later, or log in at Bucky's official fan club boards for info. Several of Bucky's devoted camera-toting fans will be on hand for this show, and we're looking forward to fresh new photos, recaps and memories. (If you'd like to make a concert memory or two of your own, tickets for most of Dierks' Throttle Wide Open shows are available at Ticketmaster now.)

Here's what else is happening:

Chart news: "It's Good to Be Us" is--you guessed it--#17 again on the Mediabase weighted and Top 500 today. Looks like there's been lots of Valentine's Day dedicating goin' on, because those bullets are decidedly plumper this morning, as well. We'll keep requesting! Tonight's syndicated shows should be especially eager for some cheerful love songs to spin--call up and help them out with a bit of Bucky...

Upcoming shows: A quick reminder about those non-Ticketmaster events--tickets for the Jackson, TN Dierks Bentley concert on April 3rd are offered at the City of Jackson site, and general admission tickets for Bucky's 2/22 headlining date at The Machine Shop in Flint, MI can be purchased at www.etix.com.

Rocky Covington, Ducky Medlock and Bucky Covington charm the crowd at the Fresno Fair in this exciting concert shot by the very kind Minnie. (Please click the image to view it full size.) You can enjoy more of her beautiful Fresno photos here. Thanks again, Minnie!

On the tube and around the net: Bucky's drummer Tom Hurst gets a shout out from home in today's online edition of the Gainesville Sun--he's from the area, and the excellent profile will help you get to know him a little better. (He's got quite an impressive resume!)

Sounds like the CMT Online Awards are best viewed online if you're a Bucky Covington fan--I haven't had a chance to see the televised, edited version, but several friends have mentioned that Bucky's acceptance speech for his "No. 1 Streamed Video by a New Artist" win wasn't on the broadcast. (His presenting gig did make it through.) The TV version, starring Taylor Swift and featuring Lady Antebellum as the house band, airs again on Friday morning at 1:30 a.m. ET and Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The Covington Times suffered a few technical difficulties today (we can relate!) but the dedicated journalists there are "spreading the Bucky love" this morning, despite the trouble--click here to see how. Midask9's new It's Good to Be Us blog features an absolutely stunning photo montage that words can't describe--go check it out, and enjoy some beautiful concert shots in her past entries, too. Nikki at Simply a Bucky Fan has a cool
"newspaper" graphic in today's post, along with her always-helpful request info.

And on YouTube today, there's a very silly--but fun!--new "It's Good to Be Us" montage made by a fan who prefers to remain anonymous. Ever wonder what Bucky Covington would look like as a custom Ken doll? Click here to find out, and enjoy an "alternative" encouragement for requests that'll leave you giggling. (Full disclosure--I was asked to write the description blurb for this one--not an easy task, believe me...)

Vote for Bucky: After a long dry spell, "It's Good to Be Us" returns to the CMT Power Picks head-to-head challenge show at noon tomorrow--we'll post a reminder in the morning. Get ready to mouse click Bucky to victory again! (Thanks to Laura for the kind heads-up.)

The 2008 CMT Music Awards are still looking for a few good voters for Bucky's "A Different World" as the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year. (For "a few", feel free to substitute "everyone in your county and surrounding areas"...) Register at CMT and vote today!

Gone Country Magazine's "favorite country Idol" poll is getting fierce--kudos to all who've put in a good word (or several good words) for Bucky here! This is an "unlimited affection" poll, so hop on in...

Country Weekly's "Country's Hottest Bachelor" survey is still up and running as of this morning--we're guessing most regular readers here have voted for Bucky there, but it's always fun to recruit a friend for some last minute help! The Idol Thoughts consolation round continues as well --the 9th and 10th spots will be up for grabs until 2/17.

And of course, what better way to wrap up the Valentine's Day voting links than with some love for "It's Good to Be Us"? Send Bucky's video some hearts and flowers at GAC Top 20 Country Countdown, at CMT's Top 20 Countdown and at CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack.

More very soon--happy Valentine's Day (or as it's known in some quarters, happy "Day Before a Lot of Execllent Chocolate goes on Sale at Half Price") to you!