C&I Blog

The Voice of America reports that the Autry National Center of the American West has unveiled an impressive exhibition of traditional and modern Native American basket weaving. The exhibit -- set to run through May 30, 2010 -- is drawn from nearly 14,000 baskets in the extensive collection of the Autry Center's Southwest Museum of the American Indian. More than 250 objects are  on view, ranging from small Pomo feather baskets made for sale to tourists to massive Apache olla baskets used for storing large quantities of seeds.

Platinum recording artist Lee Ann Womack has signed on to appear with King of Country George Strait and superstar Reba McEntire for a cross-country concert tour that kicks off Jan. 22 in Batltimore, MD, and continues through late spring. There's just one hang-up: "I'm trying to figure out what to wear," says Womack, "'cause you can't out-starch George, and you sure can't out-spangle Reba!"

On Thanksgiving Day, even before you start feasting on turkey, you can savor a heaping helping of spaghetti. Spaghetti Westerns, that is. MGM HD -- the high-definition, 24/7 movie channel available on cable and satellite systems nationwide --  will serve up a triple bill of Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly starting at  9 am EST -- and repeating at 6 pm EST, if you prefer to have your spaghetti after the turkey -- Nov. 26.  Known collectively -- if not accurately -- as the "Man with No Name Trilogy," the three films are justly famous for showcasing Clint Eastwood  as a sharp-shooting, cheroot-chewing bounty hunter who aims to please no one but himself. If you're a true-blue Western fan, this golden opportunity to watch all three movies back-to-back in high-def format is -- well, something to be thankful for.

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City has begun a $180,000 facelift of its Native American Gallery that will add even more artifacts to its collection. "We had the opportunity to capture the greater story of the American West," says museum director Chuck Schroeder.  "That really does have worldwide appeal."

Country megastar and C&I cover boy George Strait has been signed to play what's described as a "very limited role" in A Pure Country Gift -- a follow-up to his 1992 movie Pure Country. The new film is not a sequel, strictly speaking, but rather "a movie in the Pure Country genre." At least, that's the word from filmmaker Chris Cain, who directed the enduringly popular '92 original, and currently is filming Pure Country Gift on location in Nashville. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cain -- who also directed the 1988 Western Young Guns -- has cast Country artist Katrina Elam in Pure Country Gift as a singer who's blessed with a beautiful voice by three angels. Complications arise when she abuses that great gift.