Cmt Award Nominations Are Out!

Vote 4 CMT Awards

Video of the Year

Video: "American Ride"
Artist: Toby Keith

Video: "Cowboy Casanova"
Artist: Carrie Underwood

Video: "Need You Now"
Artist: Lady Antebellum

Video: "Out Last Night"
Artist: Kenny Chesney

Video: "'Til Summer Comes Around"
Artist: Keith Urban

Video: "Toes"
Artist: Zac Brown Band

Video: "The Truth"
Artist: Jason Aldean

Video: "Welcome to the Future"
Artist: Brad Paisley

Video: "White Liar"
Artist: Miranda Lambert

Video: "You Belong With Me"
Artist: Taylor Swift


Male Video of the Year

Video: "Alright"
Artist: Darius Rucker

Video: "American Ride"
Artist: Toby Keith

Video: "Out Last Night"
Artist: Kenny Chesney

Video: "People Are Crazy"
Artist: Billy Currington

Video: "Southern Voice"
Artist: Tim McGraw

Video: "'Til Summer Comes Around"
Artist: Keith Urban

Video: "The Truth"
Artist: Jason Aldean

Video: "Welcome to the Future"
Artist: Brad Paisley


Female Video of the Year

Video: "Consider Me Gone"
Artist: Reba McEntire

Video: "Cowboy Casanova"
Artist: Carrie Underwood

Video: "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You"
Artist: Kellie Pickler

Video: "Giddy On Up"
Artist: Laura Bell Bundy

Video: "I Just Call You Mine"
Artist: Martina McBride

Video: "Solitary Thinkin'"
Artist: Lee Ann Womack

Video: "White Liar"
Artist: Miranda Lambert

Video: "You Belong With Me"
Artist: Taylor Swift


Group Video of the Year

Video: "American Honey"
Artist: Lady Antebellum

Video: "Here Comes Goodbye"
Artist: Rascal Flatts

Video: "Highway 20 Ride"
Artist: Zac Brown Band

Video: "How Far Do You Wanna Go?"
Artist: Gloriana

Video: "Need You Now"
Artist: Lady Antebellum

Video: "Rockin' the Beer Gut"
Artist: Trailer Choir

Video: "Summer Nights"
Artist: Rascal Flatts

Video: "Toes"
Artist: Zac Brown Band


Duo Video of the Year

Video: "Address in the Stars"
Artist: Caitlin & Will

Video: "Fight Like a Girl"
Artist: Bomshel

Video: "Indian Summer"
Artist: Brooks & Dunn

Video: "Keep On Lovin' You"
Artist: Steel Magnolia

Video: "Keep You"
Artist: Sugarland

Video: "My Maria (Invitation Only)"
Artist: Brooks & Dunn

Video: "Nightswimming/Joey"
Artist: Sugarland

Video: "Play the Song"
Artist: Joey & Rory


CMT Performance of the Year

Video: "Consider Me Gone (Invitation Only)"
Artist: Reba McEntire

Video: "Heaven (from CMT Crossroads)"
Artist: Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams

Video: "Lookin' for a Good Time (from the 2009 CMT Music Awards)"
Artist: Lady Antebellum

Video: "Love Shack (from the 2009 CMT Music Awards)"
Artist: Sugarland and The B-52s

Video: "Sideways (from the 2009 CMT Music Awards)"
Artist: Dierks Bentley

Video: "Southern Voice (from Invitation Only)"
Artist: Tim McGraw

Video: "Temporary Home (from Invitation Only)"
Artist: Carrie Underwood

Video: "Then (from the 2009 CMT Music Awards)"
Artist: Brad Paisley

Full List

If you are in town for the CMA Festival you might want to attend the awards;

CMT wants you to be part of the action at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Make plans to be in Nashville on June 9. Tickets go on sale Saturday (April 10), but look for a special pre-sale offer on Wednesday (April 7). The party can't start without the biggest country music fans.

Carrie Underwood Is Everywhere, CMA Fest & Other News

Carrie Underwood is off to a Super (Bowl) start for the New Year
It is possible that, the above title is an understatement! She really is everywhere and I think for her this year has been more then Super so far, and only look to get better (if possible).

After getting engaged in just before Christmas, Underwood went back to Nashville to do some work on her upcoming tour, then it was off to Hollywood to film her small screen debut for "How I Met Your Mother". After she went back for some time with her new fiance in Ottawa only to return to L.A. for the Grammys, where she took part in the highlight of the show the Micheal Jackson tribute, which she receive much praise for.

After the chaos of January she headed off to Miami, to have the prestigious privilege of sing the National Anthem. This portion of the Super Bowl had been pre-recorded since 1993, but Underwood being the artist that she is and would never lip sing, went live for the first time in 17 years. So the nerves must have been tremendous, but she handle it with nothing less then poise, and class. Although there was a faulty note at the end (awaiting the fly over) the performance was what is exactly what is expected when you have Underwood involved in anything, perfection.

Immediately after the game she was jet set for Hawaii, to start filming her big screen debut in the bio epic Soul Surfer. Underwood will play a church youth leader to Bethany, a 13 yr old who had her arm severed after a shark attack while surfing and is now a champion surfer. Underwood's character apparently played a big role in getting Bethany back on her feet, staying positive and to start surfing again. She is said to be filming for he week.

How could there possibly be more....well there is, she will have to return to Nashville to start rehearsing for her Play On tour which begins in less then a month. She just added an additional nine dates to her tour to bring he through the end of June, when presumably she will get hitched. After the wedding there is already talk about a fall leg of the tour she announced at the Super Bowl press conference. At the press conference she impressed the room full of male reporters with her whit, humor, class, and love for "Pants On The Ground". She went in depth to explain how "Pants On The Ground" is a song with a message, much to the crowd and Queen Latifah's delight. Here's the clip;



2010 CMA Fest
Underwood was the the first artist announced for the CMA Festival June 10 - 13, with a surprise phone call to one of her biggest fans who emailed the CMA requesting Underwood's appearance at the Festival this year.



Just announced today Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Reba McIntire, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band! Wow that is already more then worth the cost of a four day pass! Check out all your CMA Fest info here;CMA Fest

Also announced is Miranda Lambert setting out on her first headlining tour, so watch out for dates near you.

Are Artist's Ripping Off Their Fans?

Well these artist are not the first to do it and won't be the last but Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift are the most recent to re-release albums as a Deluxe, Limited, Special or Platinum Editions. What do those editions make that album which has already been released and bought up by their fans mean? It means "oh we thought we would add a few new tracks that couldn't fit on the first one, (but for some strange reason they fit on these). People actually fall for it and go out and buy them. I personally think it is ripping your fans off, especially "in these tough economic times".

Rascal Flatts will release their "Limited Edition" version of their Greatest Hits: Volume 1 CD, will hit stores on Oct. 6th. What is special about this "Volume" compared to their Greatest Hits: Volume 1 released less then a year ago on October 28, 2008? Well not much the main track list is exactly the same then the PR for it is as follows "The special holiday Limited Edition 2-cd package includes four new bonus tracks – live concert recordings of "Take Me There," "Winner At A Losing Game," "Me And My Gang" and "Summer Nights" - along with a bonus interview and foldout poster of the band from their Unstoppable tour. The limited edition release is packaged in a special silver foil-embossed keepsake box". So four live songs and a special packaged box makes it a good "holiday" gift worth buying, I think not (rip off)!

Taylor Swift is a multiple offender of this, she already used this form of marketing manipulation with her first album "Taylor Swift" when she released "Taylor Swift - Deluxe Limited Edition" on November 06, 2007, over a year after it's original. The "Deluxe Limited Edition" added three new songs and a DVD. I ask, why not save the new songs for her second album and just release a DVD? The answer is very simple by releasing these special editions, the sales are contributed to the original album, not as an album of it's own. So Swift was just started to get her crossover appeal, in comes the "Deluxe Limited Edition" and her sales more then doubled from the original but it makes the original be called a 3x Platinum selling album.

Now she's going to do it yet again, just one year after "Taylor Swift - Deluxe Limited Edition" she released "Fearless" to astounding sales, bringing it currently to 4x platinum. One would find that an amazing feat in the day of digital music and to be good enough, but not for Swift and (or) her label. Less then one year after it's release, on November 11, 2008, we will see "Fearless Platinum Edition" on October 27, 2009. The PR for this goes "Taylor’s fans have an incredible appetite for her new music and her ongoing life experiences," says Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group. "There are six new songs, over 50 new photographs from the Fearless Tour 2009, a beautiful new collector cover, all of the videos from all of the hit singles and tons of new Taylor video footage."

Six new songs that's half of an album so why not put them on to a new third album? My theory is her label knows the rivalry between Swift and Carrie Underwood fans and they are going to capitalize on it. The announcement of this edition came two weeks after the release date of Nov. 3rd for "Play On", Underwood's third album was announced, hmmm coincidence, mmmmm I think not! It sounds like they are a little threatened by the highly anticipated Underwood album, which has a lot more buzz then Swift's original "Fearless" and the young woman who paved the way for Swift.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with "Princess" battling it out on the charts with the "Queen of Country"!

Carrie Underwood's Star Shines Even Brighter Tonight

More Accolades for Underwood

There is no end in sight for this young starlet. How much more could she possibly achieve, right? Well it looks like a lot more with her recent CMA Award nominations, and with her new single "Cowboy Casanova" skyrocketing up the country charts, also a new album "Play On" due out Nov. 3rd.

Tonight she will be inducted into The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, which is considered a huge honor when so many great artists come out of that state, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill and Blake Shelton to name a few. She will be performing a full set which will most likely included some new material.

Underwood was quoted saying in a video to be shown tonight "Life is what you make of it.... And we're all dealt a different set of cards." I'm sure their are many people not only in her home state but around the globe that are very pleased with cards Carrie was dealt!

This honor will be added to her long list of acccomplishments which include over 50 industry awards, most recently she won ACM's Entertainer Of The Year, reigning 3x consecutive CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year, 4x Grammy winner, and becomming the youngest artist to be inducted into The Grand Ole Opry. We can't leave out the fact that she holds the record for having the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history, and "Some Hearts" is also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. Underwood is also the first artist to have 10 consecutive singles go #1 on the strength of her first two albums.

I'm sure this is most definitely not where here star is going to stop, it will only keep getting brighter!

Taylor Swift CMA Entertainer Nomination? Is It A Joke?

Entertainer of the Year

Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

Yes your eys are reading correctly and if they are like mine they are confused!! How I wish explanations came with all the nominations, cause there are a few that are questionalble.

I realize that her album has gone 4x platinum and that she is a teenage phenom but really Entertainer of the Year, that does not make her. Let's look at the criteria again;

This award is for the act displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field. Voter should give consideration not only to recorded performance, but also to the in-person performance, staging, public acceptance, attitude, leadership, and overall contribution to the Country Music image. Award to artist.

I'll give her the recorded part because computers help, I'll give her the staging cause she does use a lot of props and runs around head banging to her non-country music (if you like that sort of thing), she even has half of the public acceptance, the half being under the age of 21 (majority).

But she is not good for the Country Music image when she is prancing around putting out pop remixes of her songs, that also does not give any leadership to other artist.
Most of all she can't sing live at all.

Now she has only put on about 30 of her own headlining shows in the eligbility period, which is not a lot compared to others that should have been nominated, can you say Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, or Rascal Flatts!

The CMA members really screwed up the image of this award for this year.

*side note - George Strait should not have been nominated either, despite how good he is, it has become obligatory for him to get the nomination, in this and many categories

CMA Awards Predictions; Vocal Duo/Group of the Year

Vocal Duo of the Year
A duo is defined as an act composed of two people, both of whom normally perform together and neither of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This award is based on the musical performance of the duo as a unit, either on records or in person. Award to duo.



Sugarland - They stole the show from Brooks & Dunn, two years ago and it doesn't look like they will be letting up anytime soon. I think Sugarland is just hitting the top of there game and there is more to come from them.

But if there was anyone to put up a real fight it would have to be Montgomery Gentry. They are and have been for some time very consistant hit makers.

Possible Contenders - Joey + Rory, Brooks & Dunn,


Vocal Group of the Year
A group is defined as an act, composed of three (3) or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit, either on records or in person. Award to group.


Rascal Flatts - They have been an "Unstoppable" force for many years now. Many people have mix feelings with them, if they truly belong in country music. There music has really started to all sound the same, regardless they are hits.

Or


Lady Antebellum - Their single did take a while to climb the charts but they did, and they scored their first #1 with "I Run To You". They are very popular with the younger country crowd, and seem to be growing on everyone. They just might be able to take over the throne this year.

Potential Contenders - Zac Brown Band, Little Big Town, or Eli Young Band