Tulsa World (Aug. 12th 2010)

Country and western and Twitter: Blake's a big fan

In a genre filled with tradition and sometimes stifling expectations for success, Blake Shelton has worn his own path.

His fans gladly follow -- they don't ever know exactly what to expect. And Shelton likes it that way.

Much like the "six-pak" format of his recent album release, he's all about embracing new technology and doing things his way. Case in point: Direct from his smart phone to his fans' eyes, he writes whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

He's won over more than 110,000 fans on the Twitter networking site, where he posts updates about his music, touring, friends, drinking, fans, drinking, idols, drinking and ... the manliness of former teen heartthrob Scott Baio.

And, the Oklahoma native admits, he's really pretty good online friends with Baio, they message each other "all the time." What's that saying about boys who tease the ones they love? With Shelton, it's sorta like that, except for the Converse shoes part. He really does "hate, hate, hate" the slacker wear, he said during a recent Tulsa World phone interview.

"Yeah, it's all really me," he said with a laugh. "I'm just goofing off and having a good time. I hope there's something good coming out of this, other than people reading about how drunk I am."

And there is.

There are the love messages to his fiancee, the birthday wishes to fans, the updates on exclusive releases, new videos and his tour.

And then there's that whole PETA thing. For months, he and the animal rights organization have had a war of words about many things -- his lifestyle, in particular.

"I've never made any apologies for being an outdoorsman and hunter," he said during the recent telephone interview. "I didn't get the memo that I had to be an animal lover or tree hugger to be on Twitter."