Carrie Underwood: Married life ‘a lot like dating life’

With all of 19 days of wedded bliss under her belt, country music queen Carrie Underwood says that being married to hockey player Mike Fisher isn’t much different from dating him: They’re both so busy that time together is a precious commodity.

Underwood, the 2005 “American Idol” winner who fulfilled judge Simon Cowell’s prophecy that she would become the biggest-selling artist ever produced by the reality competition, performed Friday on the Plaza for TODAY’s Toyota Concert Series. Meanwhile, her husband was a country away in Canada.

“[Married life] is a lot like dating life, actually,” Underwood, 27, told Matt Lauer during a pause in her performance Friday. “My husband’s working with kids at his hockey school, and I’m here!”

Busy, busy
And life for the couple, who married July 10 at the Greensboro Plantation resort in Greensboro, Ga., before 250 friends and family, isn’t likely to change soon. Underwood kicks off a 45-city concert tour Sept. 25 that will keep her on the road until Dec. 18. Meanwhile, Ottawa Senators forward Fisher soon begins training camp for the National Hockey League season, beginning the grueling 82-game schedule in October.

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While hubby Fisher has joked that “the airport will be the main residence” in his marriage to Underwood, Carrie told Lauer both stars went into matrimony with their eyes wide open.

“It’s good; we’re both very busy people and understand each other’s lives,” she said. “So we’re OK with it.”

Since becoming a breakout “American Idol” star in 2005, Underwood has been so busy it’s amazing she found time to get married at all. Her three albums have sold 12 million copies and she’s amassed 13 No. 1 country hits. She’s racked up numerous music awards and has become a headlining concert performer.

‘Idol’ speculation
One of her latest chart-toppers is “Undo It,” which she co-wrote with “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi. “Idol” fans are buzzing about the show’s major judge shakeup of late: Cowell has already left to start a new reality competition show; Ellen DeGeneres stepped down on Thursday, citing her workload and problems with “hurting people’s feelings” in judging the contestants, and DioGuardi is rumored to be the next to go.

More on ‘Idol’: Reports say DioGuardi is also out

Meanwhile, celebrity singer names such as Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler have been fueling the rumor mill as possible “Idol” judge replacements.

Underwood says she is as interested as anyone else in the comings and goings on the show that made her a star — but even with her connections, she’s out of the loop. “It’s all very interesting,” she told Lauer. “Everybody asks me, ‘You know anything?’ I know what you know. I have nothing!”

As far as potential new “Idol” judges, Underwood said, “The whole world of music is so vast and there are so many people that have been talked about. You never know what’s going to happen. It obviously keeps you guessing, because everybody’s buzzing about it. We’ll see.”

But one sure thing was Underwood’s powerhouse performance Friday. Her fans — many of them school-age girls — began lining up Thursday to get a prime viewing spot. Underwood delivered her hits in a sexy schoolgirl outfit, giving fans a preview of her fall tour.

And even though it means being apart from her new husband, Underwood is obviously excited about hitting the road again. “We’ll be everywhere — coming to a town near you!” she said.