Carrie Adds New Accolades to the List

First up, plagiarizer? It seems Underwood’s new single, “Cowboy Casanova“, is being accused of sounding awfully familiar to a song by an unknown country lady, Brittany McDonald. Apparently “Casanova”‘s co-writer, Brett James, met with McDonald and heard her song, “Bang!”, and loved it. Months later the Carrie single hit the airwaves. I admit that they have similar takes on the upbeat country song, but it is certainly not like Carrie pulled a Beyonce on Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone”. Take a listen to “Bang!” and weigh in.

It’s unfortunate that they sound similar, but the controversy hasn’t stopped her fans. “Cowboy Casanova” is already the fastest selling single of Carrie’s career, making it her 11th consecutive #1 single, the first time an artist has ever achieved that feat. And not only is it the fastest selling single for Carrie, it’s also the fastest rising single of the year at country radio, jumping to #11 only a week after it’s impact date, on September 14th. Billboard reports that country radio Program Directors were dying to “get their hands on new Carrie Underwood music”. And they weren’t kidding, the single was reported to be spinning at 100% of country radio stations after its release date. Well done, lady!

Secondly, Underwood recently revealed her new wax figure (above) at the famed Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas. The similarities in these things are good enough for me. Two of Ms. Underwood in one small place?! Where was I when this went down?

Next, Carrie is set to receive this year’s Harmony Award on December 12th. The award is presented each year at Nashville’s Symphony Ball to artists who have shown continued support and interest in the music of Nashville. Other honorees include: LeeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Amy Grant, Trisha Yearwood, and Martina McBride, who accepted the award last year. Congrats Carrie! That trophy case must be getting quite full.

The country diva has also recently hit the scenes with her new sassy video for her controversial single, Cowboy Casanova, today. The video was leaked earlier this week and I couldn’t wait to get it out to all of you. This is the first time we see Carrie get in touch with her inner vixen – well, we saw her crashing windows and such in “Before He Cheats” and “Last Name”, but this is serious – she has choreography, costumes, and the whole nine yards! This is sure to be one of her best videos to date. Plus, the scene of her in the black number and hat, it’s very “Circus” ala Britney Spears, but we love it in ways we probably shouldn’t announce here. But, take a look for yourself at the premiere of “Cowboy Casanova”.

And lastly, Underwood is set to take the WalMart Soundcheck stage on October 15th, singing tracks from the new album Play On, as well as an exclusive interview. Idol Insider, of course, will have all the media for you then, but in the meantime, check out this preview.

So, there’s your latest dose of Carrie Underwood, but keep it here because with a hot new album ready to hit shelves there will be a lot more delicious Underwood news to come!