“I think it’s a complete disrespect of the artist — what they’ve lowered us to, to get entertainer of the year. … Because of that, it really diminishes the integrity of the music that we’re making and how much work goes into it. That’s what really matters. That’s what entertainer of the year really is. It’s not about flying somebody to some shows and giving free songs away — and giving this and that — and seeing how hard you can push people’s buttons on the Internet. As much as I love the ACMs and what they’ve done for my life, that’s how I really feel about it.. And I can say that because I won tonight.”

Well said. And I agree. That one probably needs an asterik on it for the year. Sad to say. But I’m thinking the ACMs probably won’t be pulling that next year. I think if they wanted to get the fans involved like that, it should’ve been done on the Video of the Year category. Or maybe none at all. Isn’t that what the CMT Awards are all about?

That’s what I think. Tell me your thoughts.

In bold I have who will likely win, in italic, I have who I think should win.

Entertainer of the Yeaer
- Kenny Chesney
– Brad Paisley
– Rascal Flatts
– George Strait
– Keith Urban

Top Male Vocalist
– Rodney Atkins
– Kenny Chesney
– Brad Paisley
– George Strait
– Keith Urban

Top Female Vocalist
– Miranda Lambert
– Martina McBride
– LeAnn Rimes
– Taylor Swift
– Carrie Underwood

Top Vocal Group
– Diamond Rio
– Eagles
– Emerson Drive
– Little Big Town
– Rascal Flatts

Top Vocal Duo
– Big & Rich
– Brooks & Dunn
– Halfway To Hazard
– Montgomery Gentry
– Sugarland

Top New Male Vocalist
- Luke Bryan
– Jack Ingram
– Jake Owen

Top New Female Vocalist
- Sarah Buxton
– Kellie Pickler
– Taylor Swift

Top New Duo or Vocal Group
- Carolina Rain
– Lady Antebellum
– The Wreckers

Album of the Year
- 5th Gear – Brad Paisley
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Miranda Lambert
- Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
- If You’re Going Through Hell
- Taylor Swift -Taylor Swift

Single Record of the Year
- Don’t Blink, Kenny Chesney
- Famous In A Small Town, Miranda Lambert
- Lost In This Moment, Big & Rich
- Stay, Sugarland
- Watching Airplanes, Gary Allan

Song of the Year
- Don’t Blink, Kenny Chesney
- Lost In This Moment, Big & Rich
- Moments, Emerson Drive
- Watching You, Rodney Atkins
- Stay, Sugarland

Video of the Year
- Don’t Blink – Kenny Chesney
- Lost In This Moment – Big & Rich
- Online – Brad Paisley
- Stay – Sugarland
- Watching You – Rodney Atkins

Vocal Event of the Year

- Because Of You – Reba McEntire Duet With Kelly Clarkson
- Find Out Who Your Friends Are – Tracy Lawrence With Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
- Shiftwork – Kenny Chesney Duet With George Strait
- Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore – Bon Jovi Featuring LeAnn Rimes
- What You Give Away – Vince Gill With Sheryl Crow

Entertainer
Kenny Chesney

Male Vocalist
Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist
Carrie Underwood

Vocal Group
Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo
Sugarland

Vocal Collaboration
Tracy Lawrence with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”

Single of the Year (for artists and producers)
Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”

Song of the Year (for writers and publishers)
George Strait’s “Give it Away”

Album of the Year
George Strait, “It Just Comes Natural”

Horizon Award
Taylor Swift

Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas, Dobro

What a night of surprises! It was interesting to see the winners because many of you who went against some of my picks got them right! The George Strait fan got her wish. Taylor Swift’s win, Sugarland and George Strait’s both wins for album and song of the year caught me off guard. That shows the CMA shocks they provide every year. I didn’t agree with George winning song of the year — until I realized who wrote the song. That’s a great collaboration right there, which could be why he ultimately won that category. Album is more realistic. No one had a good hold on that one. And the more I thought about Sugarland’s possibilities the more I kicked myself for not picking them. They pulled a Montgomery Gentry (albeit, I favor Sugarland better) and bet out Brooks & Dunn, who have won the duo of the year award every year since 1992 except for MG’s win in 2000. With that, I expect them to repeat that win next year.

Here are my thoughts on the CMA awards:

Only in country music
The speech songwriter Jamey Johnson (George’s “Give it Away”) gave, thanking his ex-wife for being a great mother to his kid and, appropriately with the song’s theme, that she deserves half of the song and the award, too. Great! Now that’s a country moment right there! Even better, “Whisperin’” Bill Anderson in the background saying he should thank his two ex-wives, too. Only in country music, baby! Well, and likely the days of hair metal, also. But great!

Not in country music!
Jamie Foxx. What? I couldn’t find words to express how I feel about that whole moment. It was so awkward that I got up and finished emptying my dishwasher. I didn’t know how to react. There’s no place for that in country music. It was a far stretch. Foxx portrayed Ray Charles like four or five years ago. And then the Eagles? It was the CMAs saying, “We got the Eagles! Na-na Na-na Boo-boo!” Apparently they’ve never showed up for any other awards show. But now they have…on a genre they’ve never represented before. I love the Eagles, don’t get me wrong. But I love the old Eagles. The hit-making Eagles. Let me remember them that way.

Nashville? Or Hollywood?
I couldn’t tell where the awards show was being held. I could’ve sworn it was back in Las Vegas or in L.A. Actors galore! Jessica Simpson, Dr. Addison Montgomery from Grey’s Anatomy (I refuse to believe she’s got her own 40-year-old version of Thirty Something Meets ER.), that guy from that Desperate Housewives show, Kid Rock and…well, I can’t think of anymore.

Beat that Prom Queen!
Taylor Swift’s declaration after winning the horizon award that it was “definitely the highlight of my senior year.” I’d say! This girl has talent, and she’ll only mature with her songwriting, which is where I think her best talent is. A long road ahead of her, either path it takes.

Lifetime Movie Moment
I could barely keep myself together when Kellie Pickler tried to finish her autobiographical song about her mother abandoning her. Wow. In the end, when she said “I’m in Nashville,” all I could do was yell, “Hell Yeah!” That right there goes to show you that no matter what home-life card you’ve been dealt, you can always turn it into a full “house.” I hope she has a bright future in country music in whatever form it may be.

Son of a … moment
Realizing I should’ve taken more stock in the fact that Sugarland definitely deserved to beat Brooks & Dunn for that duo award. I was ecstatic, yet Jennifer Nettles’ hair made me a nervous wreck. And “her” song, “Stay,” yeah…that’s a great song. Empowerment! I thought that all the women in the audience should have stood up and cheered near the end where she tells the boy-toy to stay (away, essentially). No that would’ve been another great country moment, yet entirely inappropriate (but if I was writing a screenplay, I would’ve added that). But the duo still got a standing ovation. Notion that the two certainly deserved their praises that night. When they came on the scene, I called it that the third member (name fails me right now, Kathy?) would leave the group. Now I’m wondering how long Kristian Bush will be in the picture. It’s more like a Brooks & Dunn role. Ronnie’s got the better voice (and hair, I guess) and sings, while Kix plays guitar and sings backup, while occasionally taking lead. This could work for Sugarland, but Nettles is a one-woman show almost and that was proved last night. We’ll see.

Most overall talented women still overlooked
I still can’t understand why Alison Krauss has only been acknowledged by the CMAs once in 1995 (for something other than bluegrass) because her songs aren’t played on the radio. In 1995, she scored four awards for her smash remake of Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All,” which was released on a major label, therefore to radio. She’s won more Grammy’s than any other female in any other genre, people! Granted, Carrie deserved female vocalist, but there have been other nominations for the bluegrass queen and she still hasn’t won. There’s no other overall talented woman like her. Unbelievable. And Dierks Bentley’s confession of his crush on her — that was awesome! They would make a cute couple, wouldn’t they? She’s a firecracker though. Be on your toes, Dierks!

Alright, those are my thoughts on the awards show. I do wish they could’ve cut some stuff (notably the Eagles and Jamie Foxx) to hand out the award on the televised portion for vocal collaboration. Tracy Lawrence snagged his first ever CMA award for his comeback song, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” Obviously they’re not on the CMA board. But, congrats none-the-less. Well deserved! As was Brad Paisley’s male vocalist award, which I was shocked to learn it was his first! Seems like he’s always accepting some award, just didn’t realize it wasn’t that one. Also much deserved! Now that’s one man who has kept it country.

Speaking of keeping it country…I counted like six or seven cowboy hats that appeared on the stage last night. Since when did ratty baseball caps take the place of cowboy hats and ratty t-shirts replace button-up shirts? Strange. And the long hair…Jason “Michelle” Carroll. It worked for Willie and Waylon…not you. Cut it off. Only the little goatee (flavor-savor) kept me from thinking you were a woman. Please pass that memo along.

I’m still perturbed by the whole Eagles and Jamie Foxx performances tonight. Talk about anything for more viewership. Many country music artists and songs have already changed over to become more “pop” friendly, but this is just pushing it. Ok, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles who did some gospel/country stuff. But that was several years ago. Now what is he plugging? The Eagles just released an album, their first in like forever (too lazy to look up the correct years), but they’re not country either. Never have been. But I guess if you’re a Baby Boomer and you want to still record music, might as well do it in the country music industry. Look at Bon Jovi. Ok, ok. I should be fair. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss? Well, if you listen to that album, I don’t know how you would quite classify it. It’s not rock, or pop. Or country. It’s just a duet album with some country songs and some rock songs performed by two extremely talented artists produced by an extremely talented country/bluegrass producer. Plus, with Alison, you’re likely to get anything — even that funky Greek-sounding song. Opa!

John Heitke, we are totally on the same page with this one: “what is with kenny and entertainer of the year…I have seen him and I dont think he is the best entertainer out there…”

Aaron said: “First of all, i think someone needs to take Entertainer away from Kenny this year. So I just needed to get that out of the way.”

Totally agreed. I’m not that crazy about him. It’s something about him that makes me cringe. And can he sing about anything other than beer and Mexico? I don’t know what’s so great about Mexico or beer (ok, not all beer). But seriously, what is it about this guy that sells out venues and makes him the top (single) grossing act in country music? Isn’t he pushing 40? I don’t know. I liked him back when he first came out, wearing Wranglers, boots, cowboy hats and donning western apparel. He was country and he sang country (loved “Me and You”). But since then, only a few of his songs I’ve actually liked. So I guess I’m just not on the same level as thousands of other fans. But in essence, females want him and men want to be him. That’s his success. I would like to see a bit of a lineup change in the Entertainer category. My guess is if Kenny gets passed up, Rascal Flatts should snag it.

Song of the Year
There’s been some discussion about George Strait snagging Song for “Give it Away.” How long has it been since that song was released? I know he’s put up over 50 No. 1 songs, and I do love this song, but I just don’t think it has enough power to win Song of the year. That goes to the songwriter and publisher. And it’s definitely more of a singer song. He does great with it. That’s why I have to stick with Martina McBrides’ “Anyway.” That song screams an anthem to country music. Only Martina has been able to choose songs that can make an audience stand up and cheer after she’s done. I’ve seen it happen so many times with her choice of songs and also her vocal ability.

Single of the Year
Maureen posted: “Enough of Carrie, please. She’s got great vocals, but so does Martina. Getting the feeling that if Carrie can cross over (which is happening now), she’d be minus at these ACM and CMA awards in the future.” Well, yeah. Carrie is a Martina Jr. But right now it’s all about marketability. She can sell songs, not just with her artistry. And that’s what’s she’s been able to do with “Before He Cheats.” It was a huge hit, and still continues to be on the Billboard charts. This award goes to the artist and producer. As an artist, Carrie is doing everything right. If she doesn’t get this, then I’ll be surprised.

Album of the Year
There’s no one album this year that really stood out as a must win. Brad Paisley scored big with some singles off his album, but to me, George Strait just seemed to put together yet again a solid package that spawned some great singles. So, to me, that’s a good launching pad for the honors. But don’t be surprised if the CMA’s pull a Grammy moment and give it to Vince Gill. But likely, if it’s not George, it’s Brad.

Duo of the Year
Another interesting debated topic is the duo of the year award. Some say Brooks and Dunn’s reign could be over. With Sugarland being hot with their latest CD, it could be an upset (and it really would be in mind because Sugarland just isn’t there…yet). To my knowledge, the Brooks and Dunn have won 14 CMA Duo of the Year awards from 1992 on, except for one other upset to Montgomery Gentry in 2000. But, the more I think about it, the more I think this could be the year Sugarland steals it away. Brooks and Dunn has been quiet since 2005′s Hillbilly Deluxe album. For Sugarland, last year saw their first two No. 1 singles with “Want To” and “Settlin’.” I’m banking on Brooks and Dunn again, but only on a 51/49 scale. It could be Sugarland’s year.

Horizon Award
Aaron also made his stake for the Horizon winner: “Yes, Rodney is one of the frontrunners but I think Taylor Swift has a slight edge in that category.” That’s a close one. She is unbelievably talented for being near 17 (is she yet?), but Rodney has become popular with some good sing-songy tunes. “Buckaroo” was a huge success for him. Looking at that alone, it could separate him and Taylor. But I do agree that she has definitely made her case for the award. It should be only between them two. I’d like to see Taylor win it, but this may be a man’s year for it.

What I’ve learned so far:
1) Carrie is a belter. She can flat out belt notes. But there’s a fine line between belting and singing. She crosses that a bit, in my opinion, on “All-American Girl.” But on a song like “Get Out of this Town,” she takes it easy but still belts the song and it’s still up-tempo.
2) Belting aside, there’s no one who can carry a tune like Carrie. (**cough** Alison Krauss **cough**) Her ballads are perfect. Nothing sounds better than “I Told You So” (Vince Gill’s harmonies are perfect for this song). To me, my favorite track. I’m also liking “I Know You Won’t.” It’s a great song with great flow. Perfect for Carrie.
3) Carrie likes story songs. Whether she knows it or not. How can she not? Martina McBride is a storyteller, and so is Reba, the one of the most famous storytellers in country music. “All-American Girl” and “Just a Dream” are really the two only story songs on the album, but I can tell she likes those. She had them on her last album as well. Here’s hoping she sticks with the first-person songs. I like those soooo much better.
4) I hate when artists are compared to other artists, but there is a pinch of a Faith Hill sound that comes through. It’s hard to relate the two, except that Dann Huff co-produces Faith Hill’s albums, and he co-produced “Some Hearts” with Mark Bright, which is the sole producer of “Carnival Ride.” So, don’t know how to relate them.
5) Don’t know if this will outsell “Some Hearts,” but I think Carrie is ready for that. I do think it will be a hit. Definitely multi-platinum.

My first week predicions, considering “Some Hearts” sold about 366,000 its first week, will be 400,000. I may be off on that mark, but I think people are anticipating this one a bit more than her first album. We’ll see.

My overall grade: B+. I know Carrie will only get better with each album from here on out. The first one was rushed, so it shouldn’t count as much. However, I’d like to see her branch out with some other kind of writers next go around.

Wagoner, 80, recently celebrated 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He spent several months away from the stage after a July 2006 stomach aneurism hospitalized him for two weeks, the report states. He made his comeback in March at the Grand Ole Opry.

By ways of his televised show, Wagoner helped launch Dolly Parton in 1967 when he hired her as his duet partner. That relationship, Parton has explained, became strained when she left to pursue a solo career. But in 1973, she put her feelings to words, penning “I Will Always Love You.” That song hit No. 1 in 1974, then again in 1982 when she re-recorded it for the film “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” And of course the whole world knows Whitney Houston’s version, which was No. 1 on Billboard’s single charts for 14 weeks.

Here’s hoping to a speedy recovery and more flashy, rhinestone suits dazzling in the Opry spotlight.

Now, it’s not all fair as to who will end up No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart or even the all-genre chart. Alison’s album is actually a duet with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. The country/folk/bluesy album, “Raising Sand,” has received rave reviews and currently stands at No. 3 on Amazon.com’s bestseller music list and No. 1 for pre-order albums. Carrie’s sophomore effort, “Carnival Ride,” ranks No. 5 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list and No. 2, behind Alison, on pre-order albums.

I will be buying both and promise to give equal listening time to both. However, these are two very completely different albums. Carrie’s is definitely contemporary country, having very few ballads, while Alison, always known to sing very haunting songs, delivers a much different album with the duet. It’s slow, it’s bluesy, it’s folky and it’s really a night-time CD. Carrie’s is singing in your car, trying to hit those high notes while your voice cracks type of CD. You can listen to clips of both at Amazon.com.

So, we’ll wait to see who the winner is after next week. And although it’s really not about hitting No. 1 (ok, yeah it is), if Carrie doesn’t get there the first week, she will the second week. Seriously, this is a great week for great music. And beyond the status of taking the top spot, these are Grammy nominating albums for sure. Don’t be surprised if Alison’s shows up among Grammy’s all-genre best album category. They’re funny like that.

So reading this Entertainment Weekly questionnaire with Carrie, it was interesting to “read” what she has to say about personal life and what people say about her.

The girl is country. She’s country through and through. Come on, she grew up on a farm, likes animals almost as much as humans and idolizes Martina McBride. Now, Shania Twain? That’s reaching. Although her first big hit album was country, everything from there came straight out of L.A.

I’m excited to hear Carrie’s new album. Optimistically cautious. Even though I did like her debut album, I knew she could do so much better after she tested the waters. I’m expecting something along the lines of Garth Brooks journey through albums: It’s only going to get better and bigger. But please don’t retire early.