Growing up in the home town of Buck Owens…Mr. Country Music…I knew LOTS of country songs, as of late I don’t frequent the country tracks although I hear little miss Taylor Swift is tearing it up. Anyway, the Country Music Awards recently had an awards show which means another great red carpet to judge. There is something about the CMA’s that is a little bit messier than other red carpets. I don’t know why, but its like the country music scene is the red headed step child of the fashion world…they just never get it. THIS is why I had so many BAD things to post. Not too many winners but I did have two standouts….away we go.

Jessica Harp

This girl is obviously thinking she is in the Miss America pageant with just bright colors and all that beading!! YIKES!! With all that going on, PLUS all that crazy hair she definitely could have toned it down…a LOT.

Diana Degarmo

Where to even begin with this one??? The gold lame trim, the awful shoe/sandal/booties?? How about the Peptol Bismo color of the dress? Then you add in the half up Bump-it style hair and you are on the road to disaster. I also have a serious problem with girls wearing hot pink on a red carpet….it just hurts my eyes.

Patricia Heaton

I know you have to hand it to Patricia Heaton for being so honest about getting work done in an industry that can turn against you so quickly, however, this all out slap in the face with a fake boob is outrageous!! This cleavage bearing, thigh-high mini screams I’M TRYING TOO HARD. She does look great for her age but you can still spot some signals that tell you shes too old for this outfit…not the wrinkly skin above the knees and veiny look of her legs. Oh sigh Patricia…quit being a cougar and clean up your act, at your age, skirts should NOT be thigh high!

Martina McBride

Big hair and even BIGGER dress. Although this is a nice attempt at pulling off the Grecian inspired look, the combination of the super tight top and elaborate draping over her thighs is really not flattering. Not to mention the shiny fabric and overwhelming volume in awful areas…yuk.

Awww poor Leann Rimes…you think your soo perfect because you left your husband for a hot lover…hmmm? Well let me tell you something you little sloot….your not perfect!! nice try. I see your devil in disguise turns up on the runway as well! Wearing a flowing white “virginal” dress paired with harsh black nails and vampy eyes. homewrecker.

Ok now on to the red-carpet super stars of this evening. First off is country musics favorite couple and mine as well… Time and Faith….they do no wrong.

Faith looks effortlessly chic. This steel gray Grecian dress combined with lots of layered necklaces is an easy go to and looks fabulous every time. Since her dress is so well fitted and very simple she really stepped it up with lots of jewels and huge statement earrings….not to mention a girls best accessory, her hot hubby. Tim is also effortlessly country-chic. Normally I would hate on a leather-esque cow-boy hat…but somehow he is pulling it off.

Dating is a wonderful romantic phenomenon which yields thrill and gigantic excitement. However, online dating is a different ball game than real life dating. Here you don’t meet or see this person but you first “know” him/her through any “dating site” or “friend finder type of mantra”. The great news is your end result after online dating may be living together happily; therefore, online dating is a serious interaction tool which needs to be dealt with proper attention and seriousness.

There are many do’s and don’ts which need to be checked before you fly in the sky on internet dating.

1. Make ensure that you are using an authentic dating site with favorable user reviews. Stay away from fraud sites.
2. Never give money leisurely and without any far sightedness. Always ask them before registration that when and how they will fulfill your requirements. For example, you spend 25 $ and get registered on a dating site who deals only in American daters and you belong to Europe, then, it’s simply a bad deal.
3. Never give out your credit card or any other financial secret on online dating to any one, even not to the person who you are dating with.
4. It is a cyber world of love, be aware and be careful and be cautious until you transform the cyber world in to real world. Many cases have been reported where online daters had to bear serious consequences because they thought they can get along with people as in real world.
5. Be very truthful about your profile as it maximizes your chance to make people attracted or curious about you while searching online. Always paste your picture the one which is most good looking and not the one which is the recent one and ugly.

Some special tips on online dating:

When dating with a woman:

• Do not ask about her weight and do not use words like “fat” “pig” etc.
• Do not persuade her like police does to thieves. Give her liberty and space to live. Frequent e-mails may end this soon.
• Never ask her about previous/other/available dates. It is a sin in online dating.
• Save your crude and obnoxious humor for your “to be wife” and never send your date nasty or naughty e-mails.
• Asking her about sex and demanding her phone number again and again is foolish and dumb. Be indifferent about sex and very careless about phone number. Sooner or later you will get both, just be patient.
• Do not stalk her. Do not talk to her when she says” buzz off”. And stop sending her forwards/cut-and-paste emails

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill recently moved into a new house that they had custom built and plan to stay in for a very long time. Faith explained to iVillage, “We’ve been waiting to move for three-and-a-half years. [We've been] building this house in the middle of tours and all that kind of stuff, so this is a very big thing for our family. Every home we’ve ever lived in has always been a place we knew we were going to move out of, so this is a special time for our family. After thirteen years of marriage! Now we’re really excited.” Faith tried to get off to a good start in the new house by going through everything before packing it up and moving it. She says, “I have unpacked boxes in [the old] house that I have not opened in ten years and I’m not over-exaggerating… I tried to promise ourselves that I was not taking one thing to the new house that I had not seen or cleaned out.”

Watch Ricky Martin Superhit Hollywood English Music Video Album Song – She Bangs

People

Lauren Conrad, Faith Hill, and Brooke Shields wore these camel colored tones.

E aew povo! O CMB Listas de hoje chega com a parte romantica da música country. Veja os 10 melhores duetos romanticos!

Clint e Lisa Black

10 – It´s Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

9 – To All The Girls I´ve Loved Before - Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias

8 – In Another Eyes – Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood

7 – Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man - Loretta Lynn & Conay Twitty

6 –  The Heart Won´t Lie – Reba McEntire & Vince Gill

5 – Love Can Build a Bridge - The Judds

4 – Golden Ring - George Jones & Tammy Wiynette

3 – Fron This Moment On - Shania Twain & Bryan White

2 – Islands in the Stream - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers

1 – When i Said i Do – Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black

Quando eles disseram “Aceito”, era 1991. Sete anos depois, Clint e Lisa levaram esse musical de namorados ao topo dos Charts. E não muito tempo depois, o casal deu as boas vindas a uma filha…Fica com eles, o casal Black, o topo dessa lista.

Lista Retirada do The Boot: http://www.theboot.com/2009/02/11/best-country-love-duets-no-10/

Why am I fuming about how UNPROFESSIONAL Warner Brothers is, and why they ruined my A-list movie premiere red carpet?

LONG STORY SHORT:  UNPROFESSIONAL AND RUDE.

Gladly e-mail:  john.lee@warnerbros.com to complain!

For More Pictures Click Above!

Click Picture Above for Video!

Well, for the new Sandra Bullock movie, “The Blind Side”, I had confirmed with them for PRESS PASSES for the night. I spoke to the publicity department and also the people in charge of the photography press.  I was so excited! I arrived with m good friend Elisa and we noticed the line for photography press was huge!  They had two separate lines depending on if you were there to video or photograph.

Looking so young, we were asked a few times if we were with press. I explained what website we were covering it for and we had spoken to people and we would be on the list.  After waiting outside for over an hour in the cold, finally they let the photographers start lining up and given out press credentials.  They could not find our names on the list and we were told we would get in.  Then I showed them an e-mail sent confirming we have a spot.  The lovely man (note “lovely” is sarcastic) John Lee, not only told us we were not approved to get in, but he let in FREELANCE photographers and then proceeded to tell us “there’s no more room”.  Clearly there was room.  He was snide and made sure he talked down to us.  He spent zero time trying to accommodate us.  He seemed like he LOVED the fact he got to turn away SOMEONE.

So…. to add insult to injury, we had to cross the street and wait there in hopes of grabbing a  picture of two.  I wasn’t very successful but I did put together a video and photographs (see above).
We made the best of the situation and we found a few events going on that night…. so we covered:

Enjoy the pictures and video…. totally e-mail john.lee@warnerbros.com!!!!!

November 17, 2009

The Blind Side Movie Premiere
- Sandra Bullock, Faith Hill

American Eagle Store Opening
- Adrian Grenier
- Christian Siriano

A Steady Rain on Broadway
- Hugh Jackman
- Daniel Craig

Photo Courtesy of: Fashionista.com

Sorry for the delay in posts lately.  College is getting very interesting in the last few weeks before winter break and I was having a hard time with time management.  And I know I have said this several times but feel free to still comment on my posts with ideas for heroes or email me @ gabbygatzke38@hotmail.com.  I am always open for suggestions! :>

So many of you might be wondering, ok really why is Tim McGraw a hero.  Although he has written some pretty amazing country songs and touched the hearts of many women across the country, Tim McGraw is giving a lot of his money and time to a specific cause.  Tim McGraw and his famous wife Faith Hill, created a charity called the Neighbor’s Keeper Fund.  According to neighborskeeper.org Tim and Faith created this foundation in 2004 out of their desire to help people in need and encourage the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, Neighbor’s Keeper seeks to strengthen communities by contributing to diverse projects with primary emphasis on children’s initiatives.

Between 2005-2007 Neighbor’s Keeper Fund raised more than $2.5 million, according to public charity tax records.

To read a full article done by MSNBC on the organization CLICK HERE

To check out Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation’s Website CLICK HERE

The international men’s magazine Maxim has come out with its list of the hottest women in country music, as voted on by the readers of Maxim and Maxim.com.  In no particular order, some of the women who made the list include Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Gretchen Wilson, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Karen and Kimberly of Little Big Town, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Miranda Lambert.  You can see the complete list by clicking here.  (This is not a nude publication, but it is risqué, so use caution if you decide to click the link.  Some of the photos on the site may be a little provocative if you’re at work or the kids are around.)

NBC Nightly News does a segment at the end of each newscast called “Making a Difference,” and recently Tim McGraw was featured for the difference he and Faith Hill are making with their Neighbor’s Keepers Foundation.  It was a nice expose on all the good work they’re doing.  Click here to watch the video.

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and their three beautiful girls were on the red carpet at the premiere of Tim’s latest movie “The Blind Side”. Tim stars alongside a great cast including Sandra Bullock & Kathy Bates. I am totally going to this movie…it opens this weekend..which means…I’ll be seeing it AFTER I see The Twilight Saga’s NEW MOON. hey! A girl’s gotta have priorities!

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and their three beautiful girls were on the red carpet at the premiere of Tim’s latest movie “The Blind Side”.  Tim stars alongside a great cast including Sandra Bullock & Kathy Bates.  I am totally going to this movie…it opens this weekend..which means…I’ll be seeing it AFTER I see The Twilight Saga’s NEW MOON. hey!  A girl’s gotta have priorities!

Ah, el premis, especial ocasió per posar-se les millors gales i impressionar el personal. Vestits llargs, corbates, talons d’escàndol… hi ha res millor?

Deixant el sarcasme a una banda, els CMA són presentats com “the country biggest night” i com a tal, la gent vol estar a l’altura perquè no se sap on pot acabar alguna de les mils fotos que es fan, no? Ho dic perquè divendres llegint l’ADN em vaig trobar una foto de la Taylor Swift als CMA. Gent, els CMA en un diari de metro? M’ho diuen i no m’ho crec, estem trancant barreres! El cas és que ja que estem, ens vestim guapos. Alguns ho van aconseguir i els felicito des de la distància, els meus favorits, sense cap mena de dubte, varen ser Jennifer Nettles (de Sugarland) i Tim McGraw. Després van un seguit de personatges que van cometre l’error de demanar consell a en LeVox (que no vaig veure a la gala, igual que els seus companys de grup –Rascal Flatts-, tot i que estiguessin nominats).

#5: LeAnn Rimes i el seu maquillatge de panda. Pel meu gust anava preciosa, un vestit molt maco que l’afavoria molt i molt ben combinat, blanc i negre és sempre una aposta segura. Ara bé, quan vaig veure la foto més propera d’ella, mare meva! Amb aquests ulls sembla que no hagi dormit en segles! LeAnn controla la quantitat de maquillatge el pròxim cop.

#4: Keith “pecho-lobo” Urban. El vestit estava encertat, les peces eren adequades peeeerò no d’aquesta manerea. Keith, ja sabem que ets sexy, no és moment d’ensenyar-nos pectoral i tatuatge… quan vulguis quedem i m’ensenyes el què vulguis. Però no als CMA.

#3: Love & Theft. No els conec, mai he escoltat res seu però la primera imatge que tinc d’ells és aquesta i bona no és. Semblen uns nens malcriats que tenen com a ídols a Rascal Flatts i s’han pres a consciència imitar el seu estil (de vestir com a mínim, ja he dit que no els conec musicalment parlant) i això és un error. Masses cadenes de platja al coll et fan semblar més un gos que un rebel; tela setinada + cuir és una mala combinació, et delata com a pijo que vol ser alternatiu… i si a més a més, et pentines simulant una jardinera, no ajuda. En serio, d’on han sortit?

#2: Joey de Joey&Rory. Aaah! El country quant mal fa a vegades… un peto és ideal per moltes coses, bàsicament perquè és tremendament pràctic perquè no necessites cinturó. Peto 1, Adela 0. Però que sigui pràctic no vol dir que s’ajusti a ocasions on el glamour és el tiquet d’entrada. Aquests dos són els RichiAmy del country, són tant pastelosos que perden tota credibilitat, i el peto no ajuda. A més més, camisa setinada? De debò? Combinació massa explosiva. Peto 1, Adela 3.

#1: Big Kenny i la seva dona, Christiev. I com no, a cada edició hi ha persones que decideixen ser característics i donar la nota de la pitjor manera. Que això és Nashville no Las Vegas… Tot i així, m’agradaria conèixer a aquests dos personatges, segur que és entretingut.

Feu el bé,

Adela*

Os colegas de country de Taylor Swift continuam a comentar a feito da cantora de ter ganho o maior premio do CMA Awards.

Wynonna Judd, cantora da famosa dupla The Judds, pegou a bola rolando mesmo antes da noite dos CMA’s. Wynona disse ao Jornal USA Today que ela sentia ser ”muito cedo e muito rapido” para Taylor receber tal indicação.
Porém, mais tarde, Wynonna postou em seu site: “Taylor é uma linda e jovem trabalhadora, que merece o sucesso que tem e possui todo meu apoio como artisna na indústria (country)”.

Outro “múltiplo-vencedor” de CMA Awards, Randy Travis, expressou sentimentos multiplos sobre o feito de Taylor. Disse a revista People: “Como compositora ela é fenomenal! Quando voce olha o trabalho que ela fez na idade em que ela entrou no ramo, é realmente notável. Mas se eu acho que Entertainer do Ano veio muito cedo? Sim, eu acho, independente de tudo que ela tem feito”.

“Eu acho que ela trabalhou pra caramba nos últimos dois anos, e ela merece ganhar“. Faith Hill na revista People.

“Eu estou nessa indústria há muito tempo, e ela tem uma cabeça melhor que a minha sobre seus ombros, então eu não sei como alguém pode reclamar sobre isso.” Tim McGraw.

Fonte:http://www.theboot.com/2009/11/13/taylor-swift-wynonna-cma-awards/

Opinião do CMB. O premio de Entertainer of the Year do CMA é o mais valorizado, e quando se fala de uma industria conservadora como a música Country Americana, o premio ir pra Taylor Swift pode causar muita polemica, tanto por ela não ser “muito country”, como por ela ser muito jovem, ou por ela ter desbancado nomes como George Strait e Brad Paisley. O premio talvez tenha vindo muito cedo? Sim! Taylor teria outras oportunidades de ganhar, ela tem apenas 2 albuns e uma turne, e um dos criterios é longevidade, e entreterimento (turne entra nisso), no quisito entreterimento Taylor ganha sim, mas e longevidade? Ela está a pouco tempo, como saber se não é mais uma modinha?

Outra coisa que deixou os americanos meio confusos, é como Taylor foi indicada, e nomes como Martina McBride, Leann Rimes e Trace Adkins, que são conhecidos por suas grandes turnes, talento e muito tempo no ramo, não tenham ganho ainda. Pareceu que o CMA Awards apelou para o lado comercial nessa parte…

Os comentarios da fonte dessa noticia, são meio que gerais em frases como : “Ela não consegue sustentar nenhuma nota”, ”Brad deveria ter ganho”, ”Taylor é cantora pop, e não country’” ou ”Ela é muito nova!”. Mas uma coisa é certa, os ganhadores do CMA Awards são decididos por profissionais, Taylor Swift deve ter acertado em algo pra ganhar tal prêmio, a comunidade country está meio que chocada, ela tinha candidados de estremo peso, mas ela acertou em algo para merecer isso.

Last night were the 43rd annual CMA awards. The CMA awards are one of the biggest night for country music! Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the show. Both of them were very funny as they made fun of Kanye West on multiple occasions. Taylor Swift started off the show with a performance of “Forever and Always”, which happens to be about Joe Jonas. She did good but she didn’t do her best. She also performed “Fifteen”. She probably had the best night out of all the artist. She took home Video of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR! Entertainer of the year is the highest award of the night. The other nominees were Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, George Strait, and Kenny Chesney. All of the nominees were great, and all could have won!

    The awards were great and there were many wonderful performance! Performers included: Carrie Underwood, Reba, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Brooks and Dunn who performed for the last time together, and more. All award winners deserved their awards! Over all it was a great show!

Comment back and tell me your favorite performance of the night!

<3alinicole

After a long rewarding week of CMA awards being hoped for and given, here is a little something I wrote (using The Night Before Christmas for inspiration).  Hope you enjoy!

Hosts of the evening: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

(Click “read more” to view the poem)

The 43rd annual CMA Awards came to town
The limos drove circles, the blocks they went round.
The dresses were picked for the evening with care
In hopes that paparazzi would do more than just stare.

The nominees were nestled all snug in theirs seats
While visions of thank yous danced in their speech.
With Carrie in dress number one and Brad in his hat
They all settled in for an evening of music and laughs.

When up on the stage there arose a young Taylor
Singing about hearts, dressed up in leather
Then away to the hosts the cameras did dash
While Carrie’s sequins and fringe were a smash.

The jokes and songs at the start of the show
Eased the nerves of the nominees waiting below.
When what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But Kid Rock to announce single of the year.

With Lady Antebellum running and Zac Brown feeling sick
Jamey wasn’t color blind and Billy could swallow a brick
More rapid than eagles the name quickly came
The crowd smiled then as they heard Lady’s name.

Now red dress, now new hair, Carrie’s makeup needs fixin
Darius sang alright and the fans gave a listen.
Kellie’s red hair matched Jake Owens’ jacket
But song of the year brought on quite a racket.

People are crazy and they like their chicken fried
Then I told you so made one woman cry
James thanked his wife and we heard from Lee Thomas Miller
Jamey was surprised he even got invited for singing In Color.

When Miranda sang, she called him White Liar,
Dave Matthews and Kenny sounded like a choir.
Tim was southern and Vince sang with Daughtry,
Reba sang out and showed us true country.

Carrie dressed in fishnet, from her head to her foot,
When she told Cowboy Casanova she’d give him the boot.
A bundle of awards flew out with a snap,
While Little Jimmy Dickens offered up a good laugh.

Darius won new artist, his dimples how merry!
While Zac comforted Jake, and Randy smiled to Jamey.
Rascall Flatts were ready to unwrap the bow
But Lady Antebellum got best group and stole the show.

Brooks waves farewell to Dunn and we hold tight our teeth
As Sugarland wins best duo and waved so long to defeat.
It wasn’t A Saturday Night that won on the telly,
Fearless won album since she is no nervous Nellie.

“I told you so,” said Lee Ann when the crowd went crazy,
Cowgirls do cry when they lose to Brad Paisley.
His fingers were crossed and his little boots were on
But Love Story won best video and Houser’s hopes of winning were gone.

Reba had won this before, so relaxed she was,
As Miranda crossed her fingers and sent prayers up above.
Female vocalist of the year was a tough category Lord knows,
But Carrie and Martina clapped loudly as Taylor arose.

It was time for best male vocalist and we cut to King George,
Kenny, Brad, Keith and Darius knew the verdict for sure.
Brad was all smiles with his humble cowboy hat hung low,
As he accepted his award it was on with the show.

Tim and Faith approached the mic, and Garth watched to see,
If Kenny would win entertainer, the new victor he would be.
Taylor’s heart raced, it couldn’t be true,
Just three years on the scene, Taylor… It’s YOU!

The night soon was over, and the crowd gave a whistle
And away they all flew to drink up, party and mingle.
But the winners exclaimed, as they drove out of site
“Thank you to all, and to all a good night!”

I can’t give any definitive reason for it, but this week has absolutely sucked.  It hasn’t been too bad at work (I’ve had much worse work weeks, but this certainly hasn’t been good either) and nothing especially horrible has happened.  But the week is crawling along as slowly as possible. 

I’m sure the weather isn’t helping things either.  Wasn’t everyone just saying, “Hey, we haven’t had a cold and rainy day in awhile.  I sure miss it!”  Well, we don’t have to miss it anymore, because this week has delivered not one, but two cold rainy days!  Mrs. Cutter says I always think it’s been raining a lot, but am I wrong in thinking that 2009 has had a lot of miserable, rainy days so far?  Usually, if it’s a lousy Spring (like this one was) we then get a pleasant Fall.  But no, this Fall has had crap weather too.

The plight of my sports teams probably isn’t helping things.  The fact that the Phillies are no longer the champions is sinking in, made worse by the disgusting joy of Yankees fans.  Hey, it’s fine to be happy for your team, but can we cut out the whole “Order is Restored” and “All is Right with the World” crap?  And any Yankees fan who talks about suffering should be kicked in the head.  Going nine years without a title is not suffering, especially when your team made the playoffs in eight of those nine years.  Suffering is being a Phillies fan from 1985-2006.  Suffering is being a Pittsbugh Pirates fan from 1993 through now.

It is somewhat interesting to note that while Philly fans and New York fans were busy arguing against each other about who had the more annoying, obnoxious fans, the rest of the nation pretty much decided that both fan bases were annoying assholes.  If the World Series received good ratings, I’m sure it’s because half the people watching were hoping for some sort of natural disaster to strike the stadium and wipe everyone out.

And when the week starts with the Eagles losing to the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, it’s almost guaranteed to be a bad week.  The Eagles are now 0-7 when playing on NBC’s Sunday Night broadcast.  And they’ve got a big game against the Bears on Sunday night in two weeks!  At least that’s Thanksgiving week, and I only have to work for two days. 

Anyway, as I sit here bored at work, in front of my space heater (my office is freezing for the majority of the year) I figured I might as well start typing a blog and see if anything remotely entertaining came of it.

Good news.  As I began typing, I went to MTV.com and decided to watch some music videos.  I remembered that there was one song that always brightened my spirits, and sure enough, after watching the video, I’m in a much more positive place!

Here it is, for anyone who’s curious: http://www.mtv.com/videos/faith-hill/26347/this-kiss.jhtml

And yes, I’m completely serious.  I really like that song.

So now that I’m feeling better, I’ll move on to some other topics.

I’ll probably be headed to Delaware this weekend to watch Temple play Delaware in basketball and then over to Delaware Park to make some parlay bets on football.  Yes, even though the courts ruled against Delaware’s single game betting system, they’re still allowed to run a parlay betting system.  We’ll see how well I do.

I’m seeing the movie 2012 tonight.  I think this movie is going to suck.  So why am I seeing it?  Because it’s free!

Thanksgiving is coming up, which means it’s almost time for my annual day before Thanksgiving trip to Atlantic City.  As I learned in New Orleans, I can apparently only win while gambling if I’m hammered.  So if I want any chance of winning, I guess I’m going to have to bring a flask or something on the bus with me.  Should make for a more interesting bus ride to say the least.  Either that, or I can search the streets of Atlantic City for some guys who are “cool.” 

Writing this has nicely passed some time.  And the day is almost over, which means that it will soon be Friday and this week will soon be over.  Hooray!

It was a big night in Country Music last night as Taylor Swift walked away with four Country Music Association Awards, including the top prize of Entertainer of the Year, over longtime favorites Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley.

Other CMA Award winners for 2009 included Best New Artist Darius Rucker, Best Duo Sugarland and Best Group Lady Antebellum. I thought that there were some great moments during the show including both Swift and Rucker’s wins but one performance that should not be overlooked was the Zac Brown Band’s rendition of The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels. It was my favorite moment of the night!

What was yours? Did you agree with Taylor Swift winning Entertainer of the Year? What about Sugarland taking Best Duo from Brooks & Dunn and how about Lady Antebellum dethroning Rascal Flatts? Great night!

From the Los Angeles Times:

Taylor Swift made history at Wednesday night’s Country Music Assn. Awards by becoming the youngest person, at only 19, to win the coveted entertainer of the year title. Only five women –  Loretta Lynn (1972), Dolly Parton (1978), Barbara Mandrell (1980, 1981), Reba McEntire (1986) and Shania Twain (1999) — as well as one female group, the Dixie Chicks (2000), have received this honor in the 43-year history of the CMAs.

Swift — who just two years ago was named best new artist by the CMA — also won album of the year for her top-selling disc “Fearless,” video of the year for “Love Story” and female vocalist. Among those she edged out for that last award was show co-host Carrie Underwood, who had taken this prize the last three years running.

Her co-host on the ABC kudocast, Brad Paisley — who led with half a dozen nominations — was just one of three of last year’s champs to repeat with his third-in-a-row male vocalist win. Paisley also shared the trophy for musical event with Keith Urban for their duet “Start a Band.”

Sugarland won its third consecutive duo award despite the impending breakup of sentimental favorites Brooks & Dunn, who dominated this category every year but one from 1992 to 2006 (Montgomery Gentry bested them in 2000). Musician of the year was once again all-rounder Mac McAnally.

From Newsday:

Darius Rucker became the first black singer to win new artist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards, joining Charley Pride as the only African-American to win a major individual award, while Taylor Swift won two awards, including album of the year.

“First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me,” the jubilant Rucker said. “And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”

Swift, who won the top prize of entertainer of the year, thanked the fans for their support of “Fearless,” the top-selling album of the year. She also won video of the year for “Love Story.”

“You guys, this album is my diary and so to all the people who voted for me for this, thank you for saying you love my diary because that’s the nicest compliment,” Swift told the audience.

The night has come and gone and the 43rd Annual CMA Awards went off without a hitch.  This week the readers of the Nashville Music Buzz have been voting all week and making their opinions known.  How did our votes compare to the actual?  (the bullet percentages show what we here at the blog thought)

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

• Taylor Swift 29%

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Brad Paisley

• Brad Paisley 29%

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

• Carrie Underwood 38%

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Fearless
Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Big Machine Records

• Fearless – Taylor Swift; Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift 43%

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Sugarland

• Sugarland 43%

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Darius Rucker

• Zac Brown Band 45%

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Lady Antebellum

• Lady Antebellum 57%

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

(award goes to artist and producer)
“I Run To You”
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley
Capitol Records Nashville

• “Chicken Fried” – Zac Brown Band; Keith Stegall 33%
• “People Are Crazy” – Billy Currington; Carson Chamberlin and Billy Currington 33%

SONG OF THE YEAR

(award goes to songwriter(s))
“In Color”
Jamey Johnson/Lee Thomas Miller/James Otto

• “In Color” Songwriters: Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto 24%
• “Then” Songwriters: Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley 24%

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

(award goes to each artist)
“Start A Band”
Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Arista Nashville

• “I Told You So” – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis 40%

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

(award goes to artist and director)
“Love Story”
Taylor Swift
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

• “Boots On” – Randy Houser; Director: Eric Welch 40%
• “Love Story” – Taylor Swift Director: Trey Fanjoy 40%

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Mac McAnally – Guitar

• Mac McAnally – guitar 39%

We predicted 6 accurately, 2 tied predictions, and 4 upsets (as far as our voters are concerned).  What are your friends saying today?  Are people being really for or against any winner?  Please leave your comments below.  The discussion that continues now in the fall out leads to greater discovery as to why people like certain kinds of music, performances, personalities, and actions.  Here are a few poles to make the discussion a little easier.

The 11th Annual A Home For The Holidays With Faith Hill television special will air Wednesday December 23rd on CBS.  Faith, who was adopted as a child, will host the show that aims to raise awareness of the importance of adoption, with many special guests joining her, including Carrie Underwood and Reba.

Hello All,

So I’m five days passed my deadline for writing this week’s e-mail blast for work.  The topic is Christmas, and the point of the blast is to kick off the holiday shopping season at my place of business.  I’ve been flipping through my brain files, and I’ve come up with absolutely nothing.  Last week’s little trip to NC is still fresh on my mind, and I can’t stop thinking about 75 degrees and blue skies.  Add to that the knowledge I have of potential future events involving my work that I can’t share, yet, and my firm belief that Christmas shouldn’t even be mentioned until Thanksgiving has had its due, and the result will be me sitting here without focus.  I’m a living, breathing, walking, talking failure (at least at this one task).  So I’m going to try to knock in a good thought or two, and I’m starting with my friends, The Lists.

So here goes . . .

My Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs

1. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year — Andy Williams
2. What Christmas Means to Me — Paul Young
3. This Christmas — Christina Aguilera
4. Step Into Christmas — Elton John
5. White Christmas — The Drifters (do do duh do. do do. do do dooo.)
6. Mele Kalikimaka — Bing Crosby
7. Please Come Home for Christmas — Don Henley
8. All I Want for Christmas Is You — Vince Vance & the Valients
9. Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) — U2 (do I sense a theme here?)
10. Christmas Wrapping — The Waitresses

More Christmas Songs I Like

1. Sleigh Ride (but only instrumental versions and they have to have the horse whinny near the end)
2. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree — Johnny Marks
3. I Saw Mommy Kissin’ Santa Claus — John Cougar Mellencamp or John Cougar or John Mellencamp
4. Here Comes Santa Claus — Gene Autry
5. Carol of the Bells — but only full orchestra/full choir versions
6. Holly Jolly Christmas — Burl Ives
7. O Holy Night — Josh Groban
8. Where Are You Christmas? – Faith Hill (I didn’t really “get” this song until I moved to Pittsburgh)
9. Believe — Josh Groban
10. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas — Perry Como
11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (it’s catchy)
12. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
13. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (I like snow)
14. The Chipmunk Song
15. The entire soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Songs I Can’t Stand to Hear at All (or Please Don’t Play These Near Me If You Want Me to Get You a Present)

1. Feliz Navidad — Anyone’s version
2. Christmas Shoes or whatever that song is
3. Dominic the Donkey (hee haw hee haw)
4. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
5. Same Old Lang Syne — Dan Fogelberg (gosh I really hate that song – it just goes on and on and on and on)
6. O Tannenbaum/O Christmas Tree
7. The Twelve Days of Christmas

I’m sure there are more, good and bad, but these are all I can remember right now.  Did it help with the writer’s block?  No, but I do think I have a good list started for my next Christmas party playlist.