NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jason Aldean thinks this year’s Country Music Association Awards could be the start of something new.

Country music is slow to change, and so are the 6,000 members who vote for the winners of Wednesday night’s show. So when they nominated Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton in the entertainer of the year category for the first time it meant something.

“Every few years you kind of start to see a changeover of everything,” Aldean said. “You start to see different people getting into categories they weren’t before. It’s like the changing of the guard a little bit.”

Original “Star Trek” captain William Shatner is sharing his thoughts on the “Trek” versus “Star Wars” feud, and he isn’t shy about telling it like it is. On video, even.

“First of all, ‘Star Wars’ is derivative of ‘Star Trek’ … by what, 10, 15, 20 years? DERIVATIVE!” declared the man who once played the dashing Captain Kirk. (It’s actually nearly 11 years. “Star Trek” debuted in September 1966, and “Star Wars” in May 1977.)

(EW.com) — Henry Winkler is often called the Nicest Man in Hollywood, but now he’s also known as an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).

He was awarded the honor from the Queen this week in recognition of his services to children with dyslexia and special educational needs.

According to the British Embassy in Washington, he’s spent much of the last two years touring the U.K. to educate about dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Winkler, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult, is also the author of 17 children’s books centered on Hank Zipzer, a boy with dyslexia who overcomes his struggles at school and with bullies.

NEW YORK — President John F. Kennedy had just one critique when he saw photos of the actor set to play him in a World War II drama.

The year was 1963 and actor Cliff Robertson looked convincing in his costume for “PT-109,” the first film to portray a sitting president. Kennedy had favored Robertson for the role, but one detail was off.

Robertson’s hair was parted on the wrong side.

The actor dutifully trained his locks to part on the left and won praise for a role he’d remain proud of throughout his life.

Thought Reese Witherspoon was America’s Sweetheart? Or maybe Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock?

Well, you’d be wrong, because Betty White can officially claim that title. It turns out that the angelic 89-year-old is now America’s most favorite and trusted celebrity, the Los Angeles Times reports.

White has come in first in a Reuters/Ipsos poll asking, “whose endorsement of a company would be most likely to drive business”?

Just over 2,000 Americans voted, and the former “Golden Girls” star beat out other famous faces like Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman (who tied for seventh place with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge), Will Smith and Johnny Depp.

NEW YORK (AP) — This year’s Fourth of July race to stuff your face with hot dogs has a new women-only pigout.

“Serena Williams didn’t have to beat Roger Federer to win the Wimbledon title, and we don’t think Sonya Thomas should have to beat Joey Chestnut,” said master of ceremonies George Shea.

Thomas, known as The Black Widow of competitive eating, set a women’s world record on July 4, 2009, by stuffing 41 hot dogs into her 105-pound (48-kilogram) frame in 10 minutes.

Piers Morgan is gearing up for the exciting Tuesday night return of his hit NBC show, “America’s Got Talent” (alongside judge Sharon Osbourne and co-host/new dad Nick Cannon), but the veteran host says there’s one person he’s not looking to sharing the screen with — fellow judge Howie Mandel.

(TODAY.com is powered by msnbc.com, which is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

Flowers, gift, lots of love for giving you life … check, check and check. Mother’s Day is May 8, people, so get that attitude of gratitude in order, quick! And just so you know what you’re up against, here we present five of the best — and five of the worst — TV moms currently running the show.

No slouching in your chair while you read this!

NEW YORK – Broadway stars Patti LuPone and Barbara Cook joined director Francis Ford Coppola and playwright John Guare on Sunday to present this year’s Opera News Awards.

Five artists were recognized for their international musical achievements: German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, American soprano Patricia Racette, New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and Italian conductor Riccardo Muti.

NEW YORK, April 7 (UPI) — Barbara Walters, Ben Stiller, Paul Reiser and Marlo Thomas are to be presenters at the 2011 TV Land Awards in New York, organizers said.

“Hot in Cleveland” stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, as well as the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City” — Cindy Barshop, Kelly Bensimon, LuAnn de Lesseps, Alex McCord, Sonja Morgan and Jill Zarin — are also confirmed to hand out prizes at Sunday’s festivities at the Jacob Javits Center.

The ceremony is to air on TV Land April 17.