Though pop superstar Taylor Swift has chosen to largely remain silent on political issues throughout her career, Swift issued a statement via Instagram on Sunday (Oct. 8), pledging her support for Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate and Rep. Jim Cooper for the House during next month’s midterm elections.

City National Bank brought renowned cybersecurity and fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale to Nashville for an exclusive forum on October 3 in The Ford Theater at The Country Music Hall of Fame. Abagnale gained international notoriety from the depiction of his life in the Academy Award-nominated feature film, Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks and from his preceding best-selling book of the same name.

Before joining a panel of industry experts, Abagnale gave a keynote about his life’s incredible and riveting journey. For those not familiar with his story, he spent his early youth as a con man forging checks and quickly became one of the most infamous impostors of that time. He falsely assumed many identities including an airline pilot for Pan American, a physician, and a lawyer from age 15 to 21 years old. He fled from police custody on more than one occasion including from authorities on a moving commercial airliner that was turning onto a taxiway after landing at New York’s JFK International Airport.

He eventually succumbed to authorities in 1969 in Montrichard, France, when an airline attendant who he had once dated recognized him and turned him over to police. After serving time in France under horrific conditions and being extradited to the U.S., he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. After serving fewer than five years, the FBI offered him a job and release from prison in exchange for his expertise in helping federal authorities investigate and solve crimes related to fraud. He was obligated to spend the remaining time of his sentence working for the FBI. He continues to this day working for the FBI, some 45 years past his original obligation to the agency.

Abagnale shared intimate details of his personal life with the invited guests including details depicted in the Steven Spielberg produced movie.

When he was sentenced to the French prison, Abagnale weighed 198 lbs and left confinement at a staggering 109 lbs. His love for his father grew immensely during prison; however, he never saw his father again after running away from home and being imprisoned due to a freak slip-and-fall accident that caused his father’s death.

Spielberg took great strides in depicting the prison cell scene in the movie to make it as authentic as possible using old logs from the prison.

Abagnale doesn’t look back fondly during his infamous times of being the world’s most famous con man. He sees his actions as criminal, immoral and regrettable. He has passed on pardons offered from three sitting presidents citing he doesn’t think a piece of paper should erase the consequences of his bad decisions as a youth. Prior to the movie coming out, his neighbor of many years knew nothing of his past. It was a past life he seldom shared.

Crediting his wife for everything positive in his life, Abagnale took his expertise and became one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement and secure documents.

After his keynote, Abagnale joined a panel of experts to discuss cyber fraud and identity theft. Panelists included Briane M. Grey, City National Bank’s Senior VP and Director of Corporate Security; Loren Dealy Mahler, President and Founder of Dealy Mahler Strategies; attorney Billy Eiselstein, Partner of Miller & Martin and moderator Nate Wehunt, City National Bank’s Senior VP and Digital Channels Manager.

One of the most thought-provoking comments involved the use of passwords. “Passwords are for tree houses,” proclaimed Abagnale. He further explained that passwords were first used in the 1960s but yet remarkably, they still remain the main form of securing access, a technology that has long exceeded its useful life. He is currently working with Trusona, a company that will help eliminate the need for passwords.

When asked about identity theft, he confessed that social security numbers and personal information of a child is much more valuable on the dark web than that of an adult–due mainly to the longevity of being able to impersonate a child for many years and stealing their identity.

Looking into the future, Abagnale shared that hackers currently have the technology to stop, slow down, or speed up a person’s pacemaker if they are a few feet away from a person. Likewise, with automobiles being heavily ran by some 200+ internal computers, hackers have the ability to shut down an automobile and lock you in your car if in close proximity. But what happens when that technology allows hackers to do that from thousands of miles away? Those are the type of security concerns we should have in the future.

MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson spoke with Abagnale after the forum to ask a burning question about a particular scene in Catch Me If You Can. “Did you really escape out of a moving commercial airliner as depicted in the movie?’ asked Robertson. Abagale replied with a smile, “Yes, I did. But it wasn’t through the bathroom as shown in the movie. I escaped through the food service area of the plane.”

Dailey & Vincent will release their first-ever Christmas record, Dailey & Vincent: The Sounds of Christmas, on Oct. 12 with BMG. Additionally, the duo plans to release a nationally broadcast television Christmas concert special, four all-new Christmas episodes of The Dailey & Vincent Show on RFD-TV and a 15-city Christmas tour, which launches Nov. 24.

Dailey & Vincent: The Sounds of Christmas features Christmas classics like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain” as well as never-before-heard holiday tunes such as “Road To Bethlehem” featuring Dolly Parton, written by Country Music Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Jimmy Fortune and Jeff Bates. Ricky Skaggs also joins Dailey & Vincent on a cut of Alabama’s “Tonight It’s Christmas,” which is one of two bonus tracks available exclusively when fans purchase the Christmas record at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations.

“I’ve wanted to record a Christmas record my whole life, so to say I’m unhinged with excitement over the release of The Sounds of Christmas is an understatement!” expressed Jamie Dailey.

“It’s been a dream of ours the past 10 years. Timing is everything, and we’re very happy we waited. The song selection on this album takes you through a journey from childhood to adulthood, laughs, memories and the true meaning of Christmas,” added Darrin Vincent.

To coincide with the record’s release, the Grand Ole Opry stars recently taped The Sounds of Christmas, a broadcast television concert special, at The Franklin Theatre. During the sold-out special, which was produced by BMG Filmed Entertainment and directed by BMG’s Joe Thomas, Dailey & Vincent were joined by fellow entertainers, including CeCe Winans and Béla Fleck.

DAILEY & VINCENT: THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS TRACK LISTING
1. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Johnny Marks)
2. Mary Did You Know (Mark Lowry/ Rufus Green)
3. Road To Bethlehem feat. Dolly Parton (Jimmy Fortune/ Jeff Bates)
4. Go Thee Down (Judy Harris/ Pete McCann)
5. Let it Snow (Sammy Cahn/ Jule Styne)
6. The Spirit of Christmas (Parnell Davidson/ John Mabel/ Joel Webster)
7. Carol of the Bells (Mykola Leontovych/ Peter J. Wilhousky)
8. It’s a Very Merry Christmas (Jamie Dailey/ Karen Staley)
9. Mr. Grinch (Theo Geisel/ Albert Hague)
10. Silver Bells (Bonus Track) (Jay Livingston/ Ray Evans)
11. Frosty the Snowman (Steve Nelson/ Walter Rollins)
12. Tonight’s It’s Christmas featuring Ricky Skaggs (Bonus Track) (Steve Baccus/ Donnie Matthews/ Stanley Munsey/ Keith Worsham)
13. Christmas Medley (Charles Wesley/ George Whitefield) (Edmund Sears/ Richard Storrs Willis) (Isaac Watts)
14. Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpont)
15. Little Town of Bethlehem (Phillips Brooks/ Lewis Redner)
16. Go Tell It on The Mountain (John Wesley Work, Jr.)

Lauren Jenkins has released a new video for her new single, “Give Up The Ghost,” out now on Big Machine Records. Co-written alongside Emily Shackelton, co-produced with Julian Raymond, and executive produced by Scott Borchetta, the song focuses on the shadow of a former flame that lingers in the background and causes disruption in the next relationship.

Jenkins conceptualized the evocative video from a crazy idea she had. “Sometimes, I’ve found that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission, so I decided I would create my own music video on my own dime – the way I wanted,” explains Jenkins. “I had a vision and I contacted a filmmaker friend of mine from middle school, Cole Smith, to see if he would be down to make this with me. It was a gamble and involved some risk and creative thinking. I don’t think he hesitated for even a second.”

The video was shot in a deserted, dilapidated building in North Carolina, and she explains why she chose the location. “I’ve always loved exploring and discovering abandoned places. There’s a thrill in not knowing what you might uncover, and imagining the stories of people that were there before you. These places seem to hold secrets or memories that feel haunting. So in that sense, our location became a character – naturally decaying and broken, contrasting signs of life as the foliage and light coming through walls and broken windows seemed to grow. In those moments where the light shines through, it captures the sense of ‘maybe there’s hope’ that’s also in the lyrics.”