| December 7, 2010 | 
» Crazy Like Fox:  If there were questions about how FOX-TV planned to distinguish its Trace Adkins-hosted awards show, they were dispelled in the first minutes of Monday night's American Country Awards (12/6) as Blake Shelton opened with "Kiss My Country Ass." With an eye toward breaking with convention, the inaugural ACAs shined the spotlight on new artists (The Band Perry, Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia), coaxed crowd-pleasing medleys from superstars (Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson) and handed out custom Fender Strats in place of trophies. Lead winner Carrie Underwood took home six of 17 categories including Artist Of The Year, Album and Touring Headline Package, though most honors weren't telecast. "I would, first off, like to thank God for giving all the artists, all the people in this room, and all the fans watching back home and myself the biggest love for the best music in the world - country music," Underwood said during her acceptance speech. "We have had the most amazing year out on the road, and, of course, we wouldn't be doing anything if there weren't people sitting out there in that audience. So, to everybody who came out to see us ... you guys are awesome [for] supporting us like you do. God bless the fans." Following Underwood, Lady Antebellum earned four guitars ... or is it 12 for the trio? Show producers added to the fan-voted results with special honors for Alan Jackson (Greatest Hits Award), Rascal Flatts (Decade Award) and Toby Keith (Video Visionary). |
» ACA Quotebook: Seen and heard onstage and backstage at Monday night's show (12/6):  "You get me to a honky-tonk, I'll find you the badonkadonk." - Trace Adkins - "Clearly, I don't a problem with the use of the word 'ass.'" - Blake Shelton
- "It builds confidence getting to do something like this, whether you win an award or not. - Easton Corbin on performing on a network broadcast
- "It's a live show. What are they going to do? They can't fire me right in the middle of it, can they?" - Trace Adkins apparently deciding not to do the monologue on the TelePrompTer
- "Don't be surprised if we don't show up next year because we want to go out on top." - Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott on the band's big night
- "We're running over, shut up!" - Trace Adkins to the crowd
- "You ladies be thorough. I'm very patriotic." - Trace Adkins to the "TSA" models
- "I've never gotten to hold a guitar before." - Lady A's Hillary Scott on handling the Vocal Group guitar
- "Trace completely screwed me out of my acceptance speech." - Blake Shelton, backstage
- "I'm thinking of a number between one and 10. What is it?" - A press room smart-aleck to magician Criss Angel, to which he replied, "If I'm not getting paid, I'm not performing."
- "Believe it or not, Willie Nelson is a wonderful mentor." - Toby Keith backstage
- "I got up at rehearsal with Nancy [O'Dell], and they handed me the guitar, and I was like, 'Is this a prop?'" - Josh Turner on the ACA trophy
- "That's a Fender. That's not a bullcrap guitar. That's a pretty cool trophy." - Blake Shelton
- "That's a testament to how many people we paid off." - Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus on the band's longevity.
- "I love that a lot of the performances were younger artists who haven't had the chance to take the stage yet." - Lady A's Hillary Scott
- "We were that artist last week." - Lady A's Charles Kelley
- "I was really inspired and happy that Alan Jackson got up there and got to sing 53 songs. I was like, 'This is my first concert condensed into five minutes.'" - Carrie Underwood on what she liked about the show
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» Today Was A Cybertale:  A hearty congrats to Taylor Swift on the triple-platinum certification for Speak Now, which has sold more than three million copies since its Oct. 25 debut. The RIAA has also named Swift the top-certified artist of digital singles between 2000-2009, with "Love Story" her best-selling single at quintuple-platinum. In other Swift news, tickets to her first 10 North American Speak Now 2011 tour dates put on sale this week went almost instantly. Foxboro, MA's Gillette Stadium concert June 25 sold out in five minutes and the two-night stand at L.A.'s Staples Center Aug. 23-24 were gone in just two. Tickets for a just-added June 26 Gillette show and a two-night Staples Center run Aug. 27-28 go on sale Friday (12/10) and Saturday (12/11), respectively. Additionally, a Swift concert from New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater goes live tomorrow (12/8) through the CBS Interactive Music Group. The show was filmed after her October visit to the Late Show With David Letterman, and it will be available on-demand through CBS platforms and Vevo. Details here. |
» There Arose Such A Re-airing:  The all-star CMA Country Christmas will re-air Dec. 22 at 9:30pm ET on ABC-TV. The Jennifer Nettles-hosted special was taped the night after the CMAs (11/11) and is packed with performances by Sugarland ("Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland"), Little Big Town ("Go Tell It On The Mountain"), Martina McBride ("O Holy Night"), Kellie Pickler ("Santa Baby"), Rascal Flatts ("I'll Be Home For Christmas"), Reba ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"), LeAnn Rimes ("Jingle Bell Rock"), Darius Rucker ("Candy Cane Christmas") and Brad Paisley with Sheryl Crow ("Run, Run Rudolph"). "Viewers now have a second opportunity to experience the music, memories and stories of the season with some of our format's biggest stars and their families," CMA CEO Steve Moore says. "Fans have been calling since the original airing asking for more, and we are glad to give it to them." |
» Hats To The Hag:  2010 Kennedy Center Honors recipient Merle Haggard was celebrated in a three-song tribute during Sunday night's taping (12/5), which also recognized Broadway composer Jerry Herman, choreographer Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey. The AP reports that Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow performed "Today I Started Loving You Again," Jamey Johnson and Kid Rock sang "Ramblin' Fever," and Vince Gill and Brad Paisley played "Workin' Man Blues." According to the New York Times, a visibly emotional Kris Kristofferson also paid tribute to Haggard during Saturday's (12/4) State Department dinner, at which he said, "There is no one more deserving of this honor, or who came farther to get it, than Merle Haggard." The Kennedy Center Honors special airs Dec. 28 at 9pm ET on CBS-TV. Follow the links for the footage. |
» Like A Rolling Best Of:  Jamey Johnson's double-disc release The Guitar Song tops the country entries at No. 5 on Rolling Stone's all-genre Best Albums of 2010 list. Taylor Swift's Speak Now came in at her lucky number - No. 13. Kid Rock's Born Free (No. 16) and Elizabeth Cook's Welder (No. 23) also made the cut. Johnson's single "Macon" (No. 23), Kid Rock's "Born Free" (No. 47) and Cook's "El Camino" (No. 49) are among RS's Best Singles of 2010. Full lists here. |
» In Case You Missed It:  Today's Kathie Lee Gifford coyly name-dropped her son Cody Gifford as a prospective Taylor Swift suitor during Swift's interview on the show Tuesday (12/7). According to Kathie Lee, Cody would be a great subject for a song about the "perfect man." "I have this basic formula that if I continue to write songs about my life, and my life is always changing, then my music will always be changing," Swift deftly answered in response to Kathie Lee's hints. "That's the goal. You want to take musical risks, and you want to write about different things, and as I grow and experience different things in life, hopefully I'll be able to verbalize that and translate that through song." Sunday night's (12/5) VH1 Divas featured Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles performing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with Katy Perry and Keri Hilson. The duo also posted behind-the-scenes video from the military tribute special on their website. Follow the links for the footage. |
»Hit List  Keith Urban will be featured in the country version of the Facebook game "Nightclub City," which allows users to develop their own online nightclub. Download the app here. - "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys, "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson and "Steel Guitar Rag" by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys Featuring Leon McAuliffe represent the Country performances among the 30 2011 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. The works, chosen by the Recording Academy for their historical significance, will be displayed at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Complete list of honorees here.
Birthdays Marty Raybon (12/8)
Brenda Lee (12/11)
Hank Williams, III (12/12)
Taylor Swift (12/13)
John Anderson (12/13)
Randy Owen (12/13) On TV Wednesday (12/8): Cowboy Troy, The Mo'Nique Show (syndicated); Little Big Town, Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC); Joey+Rory, Outer Spaces For The Holidays (GAC); Wynonna, Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated); Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS). Thursday (12/9): Joey+Rory, Decorating Cents: Home For The Holidays (GAC); Keith Urban, Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated). Friday (12/10): Faith Hill, Joy To The World (re-air) (GAC). In Stores Tuesday (12/7) Christian Kane The House Rules
Leverage actor Kane co-wrote eight of the 11 tracks for his country debut, which features the lead title single. Tom Shapiro and co-producer Jimmy Lee Sloas (Keith Urban, Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood) are among the songwriters. Bob Ezrin (Aerosmith, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd) shares the producer credit. |
 » Two Of A Kind: Country couple Jewel and Ty Murray strike a pose on the American Country Awards red carpet. |
 » Never Stray Too Far From The Reba: Reba and Kelly Clarkson hang backstage at the American Country Awards. | |
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