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Taylor Swift, the 19-year-old country singer who seems to be everywhere all of a sudden, literally could be everywhere in spring 2010.

She could be in your mailbox, on your birthday presents and anywhere else greeting cards are found. She has a deal with American Greetings Corp. to release a greeting card line that will feature the writing and positive ideas she puts into her song lyrics.

At first, creating your own greeting card line seemed odd to me, but then…why not? Jessica Simpson created edible makeup, but no one seemed to bat an eye when that happened.

I’m not a big fan of country music, so the only exposure I get to Swift is when she is in the media. With the MTV Video Music Awards controversy, her 2009 CMT Entertainer of the Year Award, and her recent appearance on Saturday Night Live, I haven’t been able to get away from her.

It’s not that I dislike her or mind seeing her in the media, I just feel like she’s become very visible lately.

With a quick Google search, I learned what many of you probably already know – her music has been at the top of the charts since 2008, and her crossover power has led her to a lot of firsts. For instance, she was the first country star to take home an MTV Music Video Award.

I can’t say anything about the quality or content of her actual music, but everything else about her seems to be impressive.

I was pleasantly surprised by her performance on SNL a few weeks ago (the acting, not the singing). I’m unsure if that will translate well when she appears in the 2010 romantic comedy, “Valentine’s Day,” but I’m willing to admit it’s possible.

I wonder if she’ll use her new greeting card line to promote the movie, or vice versa. Ingenious.

For anyone not ready for the holidays, I have a music video that might help you ease into them a little more smoothly.

Bob Dylan has released a music video for his single, “Must Be Santa” from his first Christmas album, “Christmas In The Heart.”

The video can be seen on RollingStone.com. And even if you’re not ready for Christmas music, you should watch it on mute.

It features Dylan at a rambunctious Christmas party donning a long wig and a Santa hat. He even does a little dancing.

How could anyone not enjoy a dancing Dylan in a Santa hat? Even the biggest Christmas grouches won’t be able to resist his gruff charm.

If you do decide to listen and you like what you hear, Dylan is donating all U.S. proceeds from the album to Feeding America. You can find more info on his Web site.

As far as I know, there’s no place to get Indian food in Decatur.

Well Friday, we all have the chance to give it a try.

The Decatur Area Arts Council is hosting a night of “Indian culture, cuisine and cocktails” at the Decatur Club, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, with dinner seating available 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The menu includes:

- Salad: Kheevaka Raita (Cucumber Salad in a Spice Yogurt)
- Murgh Tikki Malai (Chicken Tikka Masala)
- Rogan Josh (Kashimiri Lamb Curry)
- Tarka Dhal (Lentils with Cumin & Shallots) served with Lemon Laced Basmati and naan (Indian flatbread)
- Dessert: Ginger Ice Cream
- Midwestern Plate option (ribeye, potato, green beans and apple pie)

The meal is $35 and will be used as a fundraiser for the arts council. You don’t have to be a Decatur Club member to attend.

Also, Brian Byers and Shani Goss will serve as celebrity bartenders for the night. If that doesn’t entice you, there will also be Indian beer, music and raffles.

To make reservations, call 429-4200.

I might be a few months late, but I saw NBC’s sitcom “Community” for the first time this weekend. I instantly became a fan. I watched all eight episodes in a matter of days, and I’m anxious for the new one to play Thursday.

It stars Joel McHale as smooth-talking Jeff Winger, a successful lawyer who is forced to go back to school to finish a degree. He chooses to attend a community college where he hopes to slip by without actually doing any work.

But while trying to date his classmate, Britta (Gillian Jacobs), he winds up befriending a group of oddball students and becomes invested in them and his new environment.

The characters all meet in their Spanish class, taught by Senor Chang, an absurd character played by Ken Jeong from “The Hangover.”

The most noteworthy star in the show is probably Chevy Chase who plays Pierce, an old and inappropriate man who thinks he’s as young as his classmates. You’ll recognize some of the other actors, too.

If you like Joel McHale on his show, “The Soup,” I’d imagine you would enjoy “Community” as well. He uses the same sarcastic cool-guy persona, puts some softer edges on him, and gives him a storyline. He becomes the center of this jumble of students who are trying to figure out how community college fits into their lives.

It might help to understand the characters if you’re able to watch the pilot episode before sitting down with the new show on Thursday, but I don’t think it’s necessary to enjoy it.

Here’s the trailer.

Google took one more step toward taking over the world last week.

The search engine added new features for music searches that could change how we consume music online.

Now when you search for a song, artist or album, Google returns an album cover and full-length songs related to your search that can be streamed one time for free. After that, it will play samples of the songs.

It also offers links to music sites LaLa, iLike, Rhapsody and Pandora where you can purchase the music.

While the new feature is at its most basic, just another way to search for music, the change could mean a lot for the music industry.

Currently, iTunes is the most popular way to buy music online. But with the simplicity of Google’s new search and the popularity of the search engine, it could help these smaller music sites bite into some of the business that normally goes to iTunes.

Also, by easily providing links to songs that can be downloaded for less than $1, it could cut down on some illegal downloading.

I’ve been playing with the new tool this week to see how best to use it. If you’re searching for bio or tour information about a band, that information is still easy to find. It just shows up beneath the new streaming options.

The tool is also meant to recognize song lyrics and then bring back the song to which they belong. I tried it out a few times and only about half of my attempts came back with the new music feature.

The search seems to be more particular than the normal Web site search. I typed in “its blitz,” searching for the latest album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I got links to other Web sites related to the band and album, but the new music streaming option didn’t pop up until I added the punctuation, “It’s Blitz!”

A few of my searches with song titles brought back links to YouTube videos, but no song streaming options. When I was more specific and added the artist name, then the new feature was available.

And alas, searching for anything by The Beatles won’t show up because they haven’t made their music available online. I’m sure there are other artists in the same boat, but they’re the most recognizable.

Here’s how Google explained the new feature.

The fate of two Decatur residents will be determined by Judge Joe Brown Thursday (Nov. 5).

OK, maybe not their fate, but at least their dispute about bail money. Teresa Green, 31, is appearing before Brown with ex-boyfriend, Robert Ford, 34. She is suing him for the $4,500 she paid to bail him out of jail. He hasn’t paid her back because he said he helped Green financially in the past, and also babysat her children.

At least that’s what the press release says. I guess they don’t disclose any more detail to build suspense for the show.

Here’s a link to what info I could find about the case on the Web site. The video doesn’t identify the pair as Green and Ford, so I guess we’ll just have to tune in for more details.

The Judge Joe Brown show airs daily on Fox at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and this particular episode will be on at 3 p.m.

Most of you probably were unaware that Gallagher, the fruit smashing comedian, was scheduled to perform at the Civic Center this Friday.

The show was canceled because the public had only purchased about 50 tickets one week out from the show.

It was self-promoted, meaning Gallagher and his management rented the theater themselves because they thought he could draw a crowd here.

I’m not sure if the economy or the talent is to blame for the low level of interest. My guess is it’s a little of both.

Tickets were $20 to $25, and everyone’s discretionary spending is a little tight right now with the holidays around the corner.

Plus, Decatur is known to be a town of last-minute planners. Most local venue operators will tell you they never know what size of a crowd to expect because this community is notorious for purchasing tickets at the door instead of in advance.

If the promoters would have gone on with the performance, maybe Gallagher could have attracted more patrons the night of the show.

Or, maybe people just don’t care to see him. It’s been more than 20 years since he was in his prime. Anyone born after the ‘70s probably doesn’t have that sense of nostalgia that would motivate them to buy tickets.

I was born in the ‘80s and while I know who he is and could pick him out of a lineup, I’m not really interested in seeing his act. Especially since he was going to perform a ‘no smash show’ (I think) in Decatur.

I looked around to find some more recent clips of his act, and could only find a few snippets where he gives his opening comedian or announcer a hard time about their own performances. Maybe the rest of his act is better, but what I saw wasn’t very funny.

I know he is a comedy legend and I give him credit for the fact that everyone knows who he is no matter their age. But recognizing a pop culture reference and wanting to see that reference live, are two very different things.

Am I off base here? Would you have gone to see him?

If you like indie music but haven’t yet discovered this Web site, I highly recommend Indie Rock Café.

It’s a blog that streams music from independent artists in a really easy format. It uses Yahoo! Media Player, so all you do is click on a song, and the player continuously streams all the music on the blog.

The site puts together playlists of new music, adding a new compilation at least once a day. Mixed in with the music are short write ups with news and reviews about the artists and their work.

Recently, they’ve been posting playlists of Halloween music. I usually navigate to the “Bands to Watch” or “New Releases” posts as a way to find new music.

The site is great for me because I can find new artists I like without investing too much time. I use the site a lot when I’m writing or doing research on my computer. I click play, and if a new song comes on that I really like, I pull up the window and check it out.

I’ve tried to use sites like Pandora to find new music, but Indie Rock Café work better for me. Pandora replays a lot of artists, which defeats the purpose of finding new music.

I still like Pandora and I use it often if I’m in a mood to listen to a specific style or artist, but when I just need background noise or am fishing for a different sound, then I call up this site.

Where do you go to find new music?

Watch out TNT, TBS, and the like.

There’s a new channel jumping into the old movie rerun business.

The Weather Channel has announced it’s going to show “weather” movies at 8 p.m. on Friday nights.

The first film will be “The Perfect Storm” on Oct. 30, and the following weeks will feature “March of the Penguins,” “Misery,” and “Deep Blue Sea.”

Of course, my first thought was that “Twister” would kick off the series, or at least be in the lineup .

But no, I suppose “Misery” and “Deep Blue Sea” are more relevant…

My guess is the channel is doing this because more and more people get their weather updates from their phones and computers. They’re tuning into The Weather Channel less, and the network is likely looking for new ways to attract an audience. It also recently added a morning show with Al Roker.

I’m just as likely to stop on The Weather Channel to watch a movie as I am on any of the other channels when flipping through, so why not?

Although, I don’t think I’ll learn much about weather or science by watching “Deep Blue Sea.”

Meteorologist Jen Carfagno will host the movie nights and provide “relevant commentary.” The normal weather updates will still appear during the movie showings.

This is kind of like a fake blog post so I apologize in advance. I just need some help.

I am gathering a Masterlist of Halloween events in the area. I have a lot from the Herald & Review calendar already, but I don’t want to miss any.

Let me know about concerts and events you know about or are planning to attend. I’ll spread the word. Thanks.