This was posted on Thursday, October 27, 2016 on Rodney Ho's AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

Season 5 "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks had a scary experience this week on a private plane.

According to TMZ, Hicks "was flying from Tennessee to Alabama Wednesday afternoon when one of the engines exploded, dousing the plane with oil."

He told TMZ that two pistons blew, oil went everywhere and the engine stopped. "Luckily I was on a twin-engine private aircraft," he said. He said his life flashed before his eyes. "We were thankful and very blessed that we had a wonderful, graceful amazing pilot who was able to handle the situation."

***

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 30: Recording artist Nick Fradiani performs during the 2016 Miss Teen USA Competition at The Venetian Las Vegas on July 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Credit: Rodney Ho

icon to expand image

Credit: Rodney Ho

Season 14's Nick Fradiani is in Atlanta today for the Q100 Moonshine Grind concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. He is one of the openers. Flo Rida and OneRepublic are the headliners.

**

Carrie Underwood is in amazing shape, as you can see here. CREDIT: Getty Images

Credit: Rodney Ho

icon to expand image

Credit: Rodney Ho

Carrie Underwood said she's in the best shape she has ever been while doing her "Storyteller' tour.

She travels with her own personal trainer and mobile gym.

"We usually work out for 1.5 to two hours a day," Underwood says to People magazine. "That's warm up and cool down. It really is time for me."

***

Scotty McCreery covered Jamie Johnson's 2009 hit "In Color" as part of CMT's 50th anniversary Forever Country cover series.

***

ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

icon to expand image

Credit: Rodney Ho

Kellie Pickler and CMT collaborated with Sonic on "I Love Kellie Pickler" to allow her to spend a day working there again. She had worked at the fast-food place in North Carolina before she took part in "American Idol" 11 years ago, a move that propelled her career forward.

Most of the time, integrations might be just for couple of seconds on-air or maybe one scene," says Adam Steingart, SVP of integrated marketing for CMT, to Mediapost.com. "But this is one of those opportunities where we could infuse her personality into a partner's business, make an entire episode around it."

The special airs tonight on CMT at 10 p.m.