ACE OF DIAMONDS MEETS JOKER

Capitol Nashville superstar Darius Rucker recently hit several major milestones. His mega-smash "Wagon Wheel" became just the fourth country song to earn a diamond certification from the RIAA. The three-time Grammy winner achieved his 10th #1 Country single with "Beers and Sunshine." And Rucker is celebrating 10 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. What's more, he's got a brand new album on the way, the intimate, soulful Carolyn's Boy, which he discussed in a revealing segment on the Today show. But there must be balance in the universe, so Rucker's joys were interrupted by this apparently unavoidable photo op with HITS COO Todd Hensley, whose droning tales of malfunctioning scuba gear drove the country luminary to the very brink of madness. Fortunately, Todd was subsequently mesmerized by one of those talking-fish toys that sings "Take Me to the River" and Rucker was able to slip away unnoticed.