Comanche Moon moves airdate

Looks like the folks at CBS have come to their senses: Rather than dump the epic Western miniseries Comanche Moon into an end-of-year graveyard slot, as originally planned, the network will air this Lonesome Dove prequel at 9 p.m. EST Jan. 13, 15 and 16. Why the change of heart? Well, the decision doubtless has a lot to do with the fact CBS, like all other networks impacted by the ongoing writers' strike, isn't in any position right now to waste new scripted programming.

In any event, here is an interview with actor Karl Urban (pictured above), who plays Woodrow F. Call (a character portrayed in previous miniseries by Tommy Lee Jones, Jon Voight and James Garner). And here is an interview with E.R. star Linda Cardellini, who co-stars as Clara, a character played in the original Lonesome Dove miniseries by Anjelica Huston.

It's good to be the king

Last week, George Strait -- a.k.a., The King of Country Music -- received two Grammy Award nominations, for Best Country Album (It Just Comes Natural, his 34th studio release) and Best Male Country Vocal Performance (for "Give It Away" from the Natural CD). This week, The King continues to rule: His compilation album 50 Number Ones has just been certified 7X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In other words, he's sold seven million copy of that best-selling CD.

BTW: Strait kicks off his nationwide arena tour Jan. 10 deep in the heart of Texas.

Western display in OK

The J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum in Claremore, OK., will be hosting an extensive display of Western movie posters and memorabilia, on loan from local collector Larry Larkin, through July 2008. “I’ve got just about everything here,” Larkin tells the Claremore Daily Progress. “I’ve got vintage movie posters from the '40s, '50s and '60s — 87 of them in all, here — as well as mugs, snow globes, action figures, puzzles, games, Western-styled trading cards, records, comic books, photographs and more.”

And the winner is.... Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift, the first Country music star of the MySpace generation, has scored another digital triumph: Her hit single "Teardrops on My Guitar" has been lauded by iTunes as the music- download service's top-selling Country single of 2007. But wait, there's more: iTunes also has released its Best of 2007 Editor's Choice lists, and Taylor has been named Best New Artist. Not bad for a young lady who celebrated her 18th birthday just last week.

Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer

Season's greetings from Gene Autry.

R.I.P.: Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936-2007)

Leukemia has claimed the life of Floyd Red Crow Westerman, the Native American activist, actor and country/folk singer best known for his roles in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves (as Sioux leader Ten Bears) and TV's Walker, Texas Ranger (as Uncle Ray Firewalker).

Westerman, who passed away Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was born on Aug. 17, 1936, on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota. A man of many impressive talents and passionate interests, he was a respected musician who worked with such artists as Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt, and toured the world with Sting during the 1990s to raise money to preserve rain forests. He remained active in show business until just a few months ago, when he completed work in another Kevin Costner film, the forthcoming Swing Vote.

Kevin Abourezk of Reznet describes Westerman as man who provided a "lyrical and plainspoken voice for the oppressed," and reports: "In his final years, [Westerman] had begun work on a six-part documentary called Exterminate Them: America's War on Indian Nations. With the help of his niece [Gwen Westerman Griffin], he had completed the first part, California Story, and had begun work on the second installment, Great Plains Story. Westerman Griffin said she doesn't plan to let her uncle's death end efforts to complete the documentary. Nor does she plan to let his relentless efforts to improve the lives of Native people die with him. 'It's going to take a lot of us to fill in the void that this one man is going to leave,' she said. 'It's going to take so many of us to carry on his work.'"

"The Western is definitely ours!"

While promoting We Own the Night overseas, Robert Duvall takes time to talk about his love of Westerns: "The English have Shakespeare, the French have Moliere and the Western is definitely ours. When I was a kid I went to my uncle's ranch in Montana for two summers -- he had a big cattle and sheep place out there. And you know when I first went to Hollywood I would take out a horse every day -- bareback, English saddle, western saddle -- and I learned to jump a horse, so I would have a seat on a horse, because most actors can draw a pistol but they can't ride a horse. So I wanted to do Westerns and it served me well. So I think Westerns are our thing. People say they don't sell but they do sell and as soon as you make them they say, "When are you going to do another one?"

"In England they love Westerns, wide-open spaces and all that, I just like doing them. At the end of my career I thought maybe I could do a gun fighter in a western who is mute, so I wouldn't have any lines..."

More accolades for Wounded Knee

Nominees for the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and C&I would like to congratulate Adam Beach (Actor, Miniseries or Movie) and Anna Paquin (Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie), co-stars of the epic HBO production Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (nominated in the Miniseries or Movie category). Winners will be named Jan. 13.

Hat trick

Sam Elliott tells the Kansas City Star that the "Tom Mix-style hat" he wears in The Golden Compass, which opens Friday at theaters and drive-ins everywhere, didn't come from the wardrobe department. Rather, it's his very own chapeau, a gift he received 35 years ago after making a series of beer commercials.

"I have never worn it since. But I took it with me when we started doing the wardrobe fitting for Golden Compass. We tried on several hats. I got the hat out of the car and everybody said that's the hat. With Western characters, it all starts with the hat," Elliott says.

A Grammy nod for Trisha Yearwood

Congratulations to Cowboys & Indians cover girl Trisha Yearwood for receiving a Grammy Award nomination today. Yearwood, a three-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum superstar, was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her current single, “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love,” from her debut Big Machine Records album of the same name.