Having sold more than 20 million albums and 34.3 million singles worldwide, Taylor Swift is one of the most popular singers at just 21. Ask the young lady who inspired her, and she names Faith Hill.

Country singer Hil, has sold more than 40 million records globally and has captivated the hearts of music lovers all over the world. Taylor swift named the 43-year-old singer as the best of all her Nashville favorites, in an interview with Nashville Lifestyles Magazine.
"My favorite person in Nashville is Faith Hill," she said. "She's been my idol since I saw her on both VH1 and CMT when I was about 10. I loved how she was taking country music to bigger audiences, and her grace in the spotlight. Since I put out my first album, Faith has been a welcoming and warm presence in my life, time after time. She sends flowers on my birthday and sent me cookies when I got sick."

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Who else is on her top favorite list? It's Kenny Chesney.
About him she says, "He's so supportive and always makes sure I know he's in my corner. He sends little notes of encouragement, and I know I can ask him for advice any time." She added that these two people have been her inspiration from her childhood for their accomplishments, and when she finally met them, they inspired her more for who they are as people.
Not to mention that her family is the biggest support to the singer, but she also appreciates the wisdom of the two people who've been singing from almost the time she was born.

Kickoff: 7:20 p.m., MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV, radio: NBC, WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350 (Spanish)
Line: Jets by 5 1/2, O/U 40 1/2
Series: Cowboys lead 7-2.
Last meeting: Cowboys won 34-3 on Nov. 22, 2007.
Notebook
9/11 tributes, memories: Several Cowboys will be using equipment tonight that honors the victims of the  9/11 terrorists attacks.
Running back Tashard Choice and receiver Miles Austin will wear Under Armour cleats that have "FDNY" and "NYPD" written in large print on the sides.
"To show my gratitude and respect, I'll be wearing special cleats for 9/11," Choice wrote on Twitter. "God bless America and our freedom."
Austin was a 17-year-old high school student in Garfield, N.J., when terrorists attacked the United States. His enduring memory: watching the smoke rise from ground zero.
"It was a shock to see something like that happen and so many people killed," Austin said. "You (could) see the smoke from my town, pretty close. I'm older, and I know friends who work in that financial district. I knew people who knew people who were affected by it. It was crazy."
Linebacker Bradie James will be one of three Reebok clients on the Cowboys who will wear special American-themed gloves and cleats.
James was at LSU coming out of biology lab class when he learned of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers.
"People were talking about, 'One of the towers went down,'" James said. "Being from Louisiana, we didn't know what they were talking about. Then they said, 'Another plane hit another tower,' and it was all over TV.
"Then there was like a panic, like a scare. I can't really explain it. It was almost like when you're parachuting or when you're hang-gliding or something like that. You get up there, you don't hear anything. It was an eerie feeling. You start praying and hoping everything is all right."
Extra points: A win would give the Cowboys their 35th opening-day victory and their 20th opening-day win on the road. The Cowboys are 34-16-1 in opening-day games. ... Dallas has lost its last three games on Sunday night. ... The Cowboys have played only four teams fewer times than the nine times they have faced the Jets: Buffalo (eight), Jacksonville (five), Houston and Baltimore (three each).

IRVING -- Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin said his hamstring is healthy and he should play with no issues in the Sunday night season opener at the New York Jets.

Austin missed the last three preseason games with a hamstring injury and the Cowboys have been cautious with him.

The lack of practice time with quarterback Tony Romo doesn't concern him because the two have played with each other the last six seasons.

Of Romo's 118 touchdowns, 16 have gone to Austin, tied for the third most on the team since he became starting quarterback in 2006.

"Yeah, I'm ready, as long as he says that I'm good," Austin said after Friday's practice. "Obviously we've been working with each other six years now [and] we have a good feel for each other. He knows how I run, I know how he throws the ball [and] we’re just trying to do things."

The Dallas Cowboys saw Dez Bryant leave the field on their latest drive, but that changed little for the Cowboys, who put a touchdown on the board. The Miles Austin touchdown grab has the Cowboys in the lead, 17-10.
Tony Romo relied on Felix Jones and Kevin Ogletree on the drive, but received some big help from DeMarco Murray on a 13-yard pass. That play set up Romo for a 36-yard pass to Miles Austin in the end zone. It was a touch catch for Miles as he tussled with a Jets defensive back for possession of the ball. The officials signaled a touchdown and stayed that way after a second look on replay.
The Jets tacked on a field goal during the next drive, bring the game to a touchdown (plus extra point) difference at 17-10.
For more on the Cowboys, check out the SB Nation blog Blogging the Boys. For more on Rex Ryan and the Jets be sure to head over to Gang Green Nation. Follow the rest of the Week 1 action at SB Nation NFL.

© Starz! / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Andy Whitfield in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.”

Andy Whitfield, who won over legions of fans in the lead role of Starz’s historical action series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand, ” died on Sunday from non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Sydney. He was 39 years old.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Whitfield’s wife Vashti said in a statement that her husband was a “beautiful young warrior” who died on a “sunny Sydney morning” in the “arms of his loving wife.”
“Spartacus” has proven to be a big hit for Starz. The show, which tells the story of Spartacus, a gladiator turned revolutionary, is no slow-moving historical epic–it’s packed with violence, sex, and well-toned male and female actors. Early on, the show’s comic-book style evoked the movie “300,” but as the series went on, the characters and storylines deepened. Whifield’s intense and physical performance helped to ground the show, giving the action drama intelligence and a beating heart.
Whitfield had been getting ready for the second season of “Spartacus” when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 18 months ago. “It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far,” Whitfield said at the time. He left the show and the franchise focused on other characters with a prequel series called “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”; actor Liam McIntyre will take over the Spartacus role in the coming season, “Spartacus: Vengeance,” which starts January 2012.
Whitfield was born and raised in Wales and studied at England’s Sheffield University. He spent a half decade working in London in the construction industry before relocating to Australia where he landed a number of film roles before getting his big break with “Spartacus.”
Whitfield’s death will no doubt shock fans of the series, who will remember him from the show as the very picture of health, bursting with vitality, and swinging his sword. “You are destined for great and unfortunate things,” the trailer for “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” announced. The clip was right on both counts.
You can leave your thoughts about Whitfield and “Spartacus” in the comments.

Starz released a statement Sunday reacting to the tragic news that former Spartacus star Andy Whitfield had succumbed to cancer. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” said Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht. “We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in Spartacus and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life. Andy was an inspiration to all of us as he faced this very personal battle with courage, strength and grace. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. He will live on in the hearts of his family, friends and fans.”
“No words to express the depth of such a loss. You will be deeply missed, my brother,” said Spartacus creator Steven DeKnight on Twitter.
The 39-year-old actor died of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Sydney, Australia. The Wales native was diagnosed 18 months ago while preparing for the second season of Spartacus. Though he was an relative unknown when the show started, Whitfield’s performance was so strong and iconic that production on season two was halted for about a year in an attempt to give Whitfield time to recover from the disease. During that time, producers shot a prequel series titled Gods of the Arena without the actor. Briefly it seemed Whitfield would make it — he was cleared to start work on season two and made a triumphant return appearance at Comic-Con. But Whitfield soon relapsed. Faced with the decision of either cancelling the series or recasting, Starz and producers opted to hire newcomer Liam McIntyre for the lead role, with Whitfield’s blessing.
Whitfield’s performance in the first season of Spartacus remains a testament to his talent. He was able to project such furious aggression and intense vulnerability, often at the same time. Though we’ll never get to see what other roles Whitfield might have taken, below is a YouTube viral hit that Whitfield shot after he was diagnosed that displays another side to the actor in a live action parody of the videogame Time Crisis:

Backstage at Comic-Con in 2010, Whitfield was preparing to greet Spartacus fans after spending a months out of the limelight to recover. He was so nervous because he didn’t want fans to somehow be disappointed. Yet when he walked out, Whitfield didn’t have to say a word — the crowd just roared. Here’s that interview: