Very quick Saturday news...

Bucky Covington enjoys a breezy soundcheck before the Coshocton County Fair last fall; photo by our very talented friend Trish. Thanks again, Trish!

Congratulations to Bucky Covington--"It's Good to Be Us" moves to the #15 spot on the Mediabase weighted chart this morning! The song also rose one notch on today's Top 500 listings, coming in at #16. Keep requesting, y'all! With a veteran hitmaker still too close for comfort, every request matters this weekend. Those hot Saturday night syndicated country radio shows and our friendly local DJs are all waiting to hear from us--and with Bucky's exciting music video popping up more often on TV these days, it's smart to build on what looks like a lot of sweet momentum. Time to make that move...

Where Bucky's video didn't pop up, oddly enough, was last night's CMT Pure Country Pure 12-Pack. Not sure why "It's Good to Be Us" went missing--the recent "blank screen after voting" tech glitches seemed to be solved for the most part--but we can be sure of the way to repair that "no Bucky" problem--vote here, early and often. (For those who've just tuned in, Pure 12-Pack is a weekly countdown on CMT's digital channel--the voting is unlimited and the results air on Friday nights. Look for Bucky's triumphant return next week!)

Here's a quick look at the rest of today's happenings:

Upcoming shows: Dierks Bentley brings his Throttle Wide Open tour to the Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, GA; Bucky and Luke Bryan will open, and the show begins at a special time--4:00 p.m. ET. Hildi is graciously sponsoring a conference call from the show, so if you're a member, check the message board at Bucky's official site for more info. And if you've got flexible plans on this Saturday morning, why not check it out? Tickets are available here (park entrance, which is a separate charge, is required) and the outdoor show promises to be a blast!

Last night's Pompano Beach concert was a "wild adventure" by all accounts--look for photos and more memories from the first two shows on this exciting tour all weekend long. (A kind commenter left word that the first photos from Friday's rave-up have already been posted at the message boards on Bucky's official site--thanks!)

We'll post the boilerplate reminder right about here: tickets for most stops on the Throttle Wide Open tour are available at Ticketmaster. (Check Dierks.com for more information.) Tickets for the Jackson, TN Dierks Bentley concert on April 3rd are offered at the City of Jackson site, and you'll find general admission tickets for Bucky's 2/22 headlining date at The Machine Shop in Flint, MI at www.etix.com.

Bucky Covington on stage at the Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville, 11/24; photo by the very kind Happydays, who shares more great concert shots in her Photobucket gallery. Thanks again!

On the tube and around the net: There's one last chance to catch the CMT Online Awards on TV--tune in at 10:00 a.m. ET., or watch any time at CMT.com. Today's edition of The Covington Times is graced with Mr. Diver's beautiful concert shot taken during the Idol tour, a great portrait of a smiling Rocky Covington by Kathy of Team Covington, and a link to a very cool "blast from the past" video shared by Lisa/Judge. Enjoy!


Vote for Bucky: The Country Weekly bachelor survey has ended--a hearty thanks to all who participated! There are still plenty of opportunities to make your vote count in a big way, and the biggest by far is the 2008 CMT Music Awards first round polling. Bucky's first major award nomination of the year is also a chance for all of us to give him a major thank you for the fun and music he's brought to us. Register and vote right away--and tell a few hundred friends!

Gone Country Magazine's "favorite country Idol" poll is quite a seesaw! (We'd say who's winning, but the totals really do add up fast and the answer's bound to change a few times today--hit that link, have fun and join the fray.) The Idol Thoughts consolation round is also running for a few days longer, so be sure to stop in and give Bucky a vote of confidence.

Finally, feel free to give "It's Good to Be Us" some voting-style affection at the new drag-and-drop GAC Top 20 Country Countdown, at CMT's Top 20 Countdown and (ahem!) at CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack.

More later--have a sweet Saturday!