Nashville Star News

We came across a couple of clips of Justin Gaston - the former Nashville Star aspirant and current (we think) Miley Cyrus boyfriend du jour.

Here's him singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Hey There Delilah" on the reality series. He's actually not all that super terrible ...

CONSOLATION PRIZE: Before he was on top of Miley Cyrus, Justin Gaston aspired to be on top of the country charts. Unfortch, it was not to be.

On Monday, Melissa Lawson, a 32-year-old mother of five from Arlington, Texas, triumphed over fellow Lone Star Stater Gabe Garcia to win NBC's country music talent competition Nashville Star.

Her first single, "What If It All Goes Right," is already at the top of the iTunes country chart; next, she'll record an album with judge John "Big &" Rich, head out on tour with her fellow Nashville Star finalists, and travel to Beijing, China, to sing at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Melissa Lawson recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about why she'll be the first Nashville Star to, like, succeed.

EW: Did you swallow enough confetti last night?

Melissa Lawson: [laughs] Yes, I did. I’ve had enough confetti for a lifetime.

EW: Let’s talk about the finale a little bit. Whose crazy idea was the “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” duet?

Melissa Lawson: [Laughs.] Well, the duet idea, I have to take credit for. I’d been asking the whole season if we could do a duet night, 'cause I think it would be really neat and kind of challenging. The actual song selection...the network was involved in that one.

EW: Ah, the network.

Melissa Lawson: Yeeees.

EW: Next burning question: Was the plan always to have those Jessica Simpson-lookin’ backup dancers out there for just Gabe’s part of “Achy Breaky Heart”—Continue Reading...

During the commercial break just before the winner of the sixth season of Nashville Star was announced Monday night, crew members pushed a big red Toyota Tundra pick-up truck onto the stage.

There stood the two remaining contestants, hoping to hear their name called by host Billy Ray Cyrus (father of Miley).

Would it go to Tex-Mex electrician-turned-musician Gabe Garcia or Melissa Lawson, a wife and mother of five boys?

As it turns out, Melissa Lawson, 32, got the keys to the truck and the ticket to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville.

Garcia was disappointed about the pick-up, telling reporters after the show, “I really wanted that truck. I was already thinking about how I was going to jack it up and trick it out.”

Still, Garcia was relatively satisfied with his second place finish and thrilled by the experience of competing on Nashville Star.

“It’s been a great ride, from beginning to end,” he said after the show, still picking strips of silver confetti out of his hair.

“But I’m looking forward to getting back to my own life for a few days. I haven’t made my own bed or driven myself in two months.”