Carrie Underwood chose not to make the National Anthem "her own" and stuck to a traditional rendition for the Super Bowl last night (Sunday, February 7th), which Entertainment Weekly called, "clear, powerful, and heartfelt." The superstar wore a white panstsuit for the occasion, which EW.com likened to the "scales of a silver reptile." Completing the outfit were a pair of "whoa, mama!" platform heels.

Carrie Underwood will be among the stars performing at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville this year, and she first shared the news with one of her biggest fans. Fifteen-year-old Nashvillian Riley Ahlstrand recently sent an email to the Country Music Association (CMA) telling them how much she wanted Carrie to perform at the Festival. They arranged for Riley to be interviewed by the local ABC-TV affiliate about her favorite singer when the reporter's cell phone rang. It was Carrie calling from her rehearsal at the Super Bowl in Miami to talk to Riley and tell her the good news. Riley began crying and shaking, saying "This is the best thing that has ever happened. I couldn't have dreamed anything cooler than this!"

In other Carrie news, the singer told Cosmopolitan magazine that she was nervous about her blind-date meeting with her soon-to-be-husband, Mike Fisher. Carrie arranged to meet him backstage after a concert in Toronto. She said, "I made sure he came in with some other people. I was like, 'what if he's weird?'"

Carrie also says that while her career is a priority, she didn't want to miss out on a personal life. She told the magazine, "I didn't want to be one of those people who has an amazing career but ends up alone and unhappy. I want to be happy. I want it all."

Carrie is on the cover of the March issue of Cosmopolitan, which is already on newsstands.

The 2010 CMA Music Festival will be held from June 10-13th.

Tickets are currently available online at CMAfest.com or ticketmaster.com.

Justin Moore found the inspiration for his latest hit, "Backwoods," while on a trip with one of his bandmembers. He tells us he discovered a whole new meaning of the word. "I went and played a gig with my guitar player, my lead guitar player, close to his hometown. He's from East Kentucky, and I thought I grew up in the country. I swear I'm not makin' this name up -- Greasy Creek is where he's from, and I mean it is up in a holler. There were cars stuck in the side of mountains. I've never seen anything like it! I got back to Nashville from that gig and me and my producer had a writin' appointment, and I was just explaining this to him. I was like, 'Dude, you would not even believe how backwoods this place is!'"

Justin is currently out on Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night tour.

The singer will welcome his first child, daughter Ella Kole, on Thursday (February 11th) in Nashville. Justin and his wife scheduled the C-section so that he wouldn't miss the baby's birth while on tour.

"Backwoods" is a Top 25 hit on the country charts.