2008 ACM Awards Live Blog
The ACM Awards are set to air tonight at 8PM ET/PT on CBS. We’ll find out who the fans voted for Entertainer of the Year, which is apparently still open for voting. I gotta question the legitimacy of this award because without requiring registration, there’s no way to limit online voting to one per person.
Word is that Kellie Pickler and Sugarland will be debuting new singles, Keith Urban is bringing along Sarah Buxton for his performance, and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be doing a tribute to Eddy Arnold. At the same time, I’m sure we’ll be getting an overdose of lackluster performances. Are “She’s A Hottie,” “Last Name,” “Every Day“, “Back When I Knew It All,” “Put A Girl In It,” and “Shiftwork” the best that country music can come up with for national TV?
We hope you’ll point your browser to www.The9513.com and join our live blog in a few hours for a head bobbin’ good time. — Brady
7:54 – Brody: We’re fixin’ to get this party started, but beforehand, check out the number of TV viewers for the ACM Awards every year since 1979.
8:01 – Brody: Carrie Underwood is kicking things off with “Last Name.”
8:02 – Matt C: If people heard more performances like this, I don’t think there would be so much clamoring for Carrie to perform “loud” songs. There’s more than a little strain in her voice. That last long note was very ugly.
8:03 – Matt C: I sincerely regret that Carrie chose to wear pants on the one night that I’m watching on a move theater screen.
8:07 – Matt C: Voting information…is entertainer of the year voting still open?
8:06 – Brody: Crowd doesn’t like the Roger Clemens joke that Reba just pulled, but she “Larry the Cable Guy-ed” them with a “I don’t care who you are, that’s funny.”
8:08 – Brody: Happy 56th Birthday George Strait. Coincidentally he just hit his 56th No. 1.
8:10 – Brody: Wooo! Toby Keith is performing everybody’s favorite song, “She’s a Hottie.” Unfortunately it’s off to a rough start.
8:10 – Matt C: The best thing about the ACMs is that they’ve stuck with Reba as host even now that she’s past her commercial peak. She just gave a stellar performance that doesn’t even compare to the Brooks and Dunn debacles at the CMAs.
8:11 – Brody: I don’t think the digital dancer has a bra on.
8:12 – Matt C: I don’t think the backup singer does either.
8:13 – Matt C: Is “Last Name” the show’s theme song this year?
8:14 – Brody: I thought this was a country music award show? Who are these announcers?
8:14 – Matt C: The Chris Angel guy just doesn’t look like a country fan.
8:15 – Brody: Sugarland takes the first award for “Single of the Year.” Well deserved.
8:15 – Matt C: And Kristian Bush is now officially the most-lauded guitar strummer in history.
8:17 – Matt C: I think that Sugarland’s win in single pretty much guarantees that “Stay” will win song; single was Kenny Chesney’s best chance of stealing one for “Don’t Blink.”
8:18 – Brody: By the way, if anyone wants to sponsor our next live blog, you can contact me at “brody [at] the9513.com.” Just sayin’.
8:21 – Matt C: Funny trumps moving as “Online” wins music video.
8:21 – Brody: At least Jason Alexander actually starred in a country video.
8:24 – Matt C: That’s the oldest and ugliest mosh pit that I have ever seen. Whatever happened to the year when the ACMs hired 100 bikini models to decorate Kenny Chesney’s outdoor performance?
8:24 – Brody: I’ll second the opinion left by KathyP in the comments, “there is such a lack of suspense in this year’s ACMs…” Everything is too scripted and mostly politically correct, we need more spontaneity.
8:25 – Matt C: “Copped a feel” got censored…
8:26 – Brody: Brad Paisley just wrapped up “I’m Still a Guy,” and in the process dissed half the audience with his line about facials and botox.
8:27 – Brody: Taylor Swift takes “Top New Female Vocalist.” Surprise.
8:27 – Matt C: In response to the comments: I don’t think the mixing is bad this year. It shouldn’t be, given that most of the instrumental tracks are recorded beforehand. For the most part, I think we’re just hearing what these guys sound like outside of the studio.
8:29 – Brody: Is it just me or are they flying through everything this year? I can barely catch my breath before they’re on to the next thing and what’s up with no previews for the nominated songs? Methinks that might keep some of the nominees from getting a bump in sales in the coming days.
8:32 – Matt C: A medley of Garth’s greatest hits is coming up. I remember being so excited for Garth’s NYC performance on the CMAs but after about two dozen “one night only” performances, it just doesn’t seem special anymore.
8:34 – Brody: Blake Shelton got a nice subliminal album name drop from Reba, Pure BS, before he introduced Miranda Lambert as Miranda Lamberrrrrta!
8:36 – Matt C: I’m a huge Miranda fan, but the way she’s performing “Gunpowder and Lead” makes me think that she hasn’t quite decided if this song is about abuse or kicking ass. Note the contrast between the (forced) and deliberate introduction and the rest of the song, complete with Kerosene-esque fireworks.
8:38 – Brody: Hey we finally get some song/video snippets for New Duo/Vocal Group, and the winner is Lady Antebellum.
8:43 – Brody: As it stands now Matt is 3/3 on predictions, leaving the rest of us at a still respectable 2 for 3…but the night is still young.
8:46 – Brody: Didn’t Rodney Atkins wear the same thing to the last awards show?
8:47 – Matt C: As I watch this, I can’t help but wonder in Rodney Atkins is going to be the next Gretchen Wilson/Clint Black one album smash, without, you know, the classic songs.
8:49 – Brody: New Male Vocalist goes to Jack Ingram.
8:51 – Matt C: This is not the acceptance speech of a “new” male vocalist. Ingram’s award is well deserved (at least among those nominated), even if almost all of his mainstream country material has been horrible.
8:58 – Brody: From the comments:
Brad: Jack winning is sweet vindication for 15 years of dues paying in Texas honky-tonks and a catalog better than just about everyone he’s sitting in that audience with. Classy speech too. Makes me proud to have supported him all this time…good job Jack.
9:00 – Brody: I’m almost ashamed to say that Kenny Chesney doesn’t sound half bad tonight.
9:00 – Matt C: I’ve more or less given up on Kenny Chesney’s singles, but this is his best one since “Who You’d be Today.” Still, it just doesn’t have the intangible quality that his earlier, country-sounding singles had.
9:03 – Brody: I like how George Strait hasn’t touched the strings on his guitar yet.
9:03 – Brody: Anybody else see the dude in the audience flub the lyrics when he had his chance to shine?
9:04 – Matt C: Seriously, how many crown royale shots did some of these forty-somethings have to take before they climbed into the mosh pit?
9:07 – Brody: Two of the “greatest” country music entertainers of all time deserve more entertaining song than “Shiftwork.”
9:08 – Matt C: This just isn’t fun. It should be this really groovy tune, but Chesney and Strait are good enough that if they have to work to make something fun, it’s not a fun song.
9:12 – Matt C: Kenny Chesney + Corona…a match made in heaven.
9:15 – Matt C: Jennifer Nettles’ legs have to be about eight feet tall.
9:17 – Matt C: This is really stupid. Sugarland deserves to flop on this one.
9:18 – Matt C: For all it’s stupidity, that performance was exceptionally well choreographed.
9:19 – Brody: John Rich and Jewel on stage together and they didn’t even pimp the upcoming Nashville Star.
9:20 – Matt C: Miranda’s win shocked me, but it made my night.
9:22 – Matt C: Gary LeVox has got a hitch in his swing.
9:21 – Brody: Miranda Lambert’s Crazy-Ex Girlfriend for album of the year. That’s really a shocker, but would have been my pick.
9:25 – Matt C: Reflections on Miranda’s win: I think it’s interesting that country and cross-genre critics agreed here. I was mildly disappointed by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and didn’t think that it deserved so much cross-genre praise, but it certainly deserved to win among this field. At this point, I think it’s fair to call Miranda an “album artist” who may never be an automatic radio add but will have a more substantial and memorable career than many artists who fall into that group.
9:30 – Matt C: Reba is the class among the trash.
9:31 – Matt C: I have to say that B&D’s performance was the best-sounding of the night, both from a vocal and instrumental standpoint. “Put a Girl in It” really sounds like a B&D record, but I just don’t think the theme and arrangement work well together.
9:32 – Brody: Song of the Year goes to “Stay.” I suspect Sugarland can expect a minor sales boost after the show.
9:33 – Matt C: Julianne Hough is so classy and beautiful, it makes me wish that her music was better.
9:34 – Matt C: Jennifer is onto something. I think that almost every country radio single would be improved without the percussion loop.
9:39 – Matt C: I can’t believe that Taylor’s label allowed her to put on the chastity garmet after pimping her out at the CMAs.
9:40 – Matt C: Should’ve known that wouldn’t last long.
9:40 – Brody: I blanked out for a second, what was the point of the hoodie again?
9:41 – Brody: The girlfriend says, “I think I know what Nicole Kidman looked like when she was 16.”
9:42 – Matt C: Ah, and now let’s get her soaking wet. After all, we have to make up for the 30 seconds where the 18 year old’s boobs weren’t visible.
9:43 – Matt C: Taylor’s performance was, as usual, just a disgrace. First, I think that Taylor was lip-synching, because she sounds much worse than that when I hear her on the Opry.
Second, did that look like anything better than a rap (or at best, a Beyonce) performance?
9:46 – Matt C: Is that Dr. Phil?
9:46 – Matt C: Say what you will about RF, but they deserve the humanitarian award. I’ve personally witnessed the good work they do at the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
9:47 – Brody: Top Vocal Duo goes to Suga…Brooks & Dunn?!?
9:47 – Matt C: THIS IS AN OUTRAGE.
9:48 – Matt C: I’m left pretty much speechless by the duo award. B&D have never ruled the ACMs like the CMAs, and once Sugarland won at the CMAs, I assumed that the B&D infatuation was over. It goes without saying that they didn’t deserve it, and I just can’t believe that it happened.
9:49 – Brody: Everybody’s favorite Celebrity Apprentice is performing his latest single, “You’re Gonna Miss This.”
9:55 – Brody: If my count is right Matt is leading the predictions so far with 6/8, I’m following with 5/8, Brady breaks even at 4/8, and Jim is currently under 500 at 3/8. Ouch.
9:57 – Matt C: Apparently Garth Brooks has 128 million hits.
9:58 – Matt C: Garth’s looking a little rusty.
9:59 – Matt C: This an exceptionally poorly constructed medley. It’s tough when you’re only allotting 15 seconds to each song.
9:58 – Brody: From the comments:
Chris N.: Good grief, a guy wants to say a couple of words about the fact that his hometown was just completely destroyed by a tornado and they still try to play him off. That ain’t right.
10:01 – Matt C: Maybe it’s just me, but the 10 year old daughter that Garth “retired” for must be feeling more and more betrayed with each day that goes by.
10:01 – Brody: I’m not a fan of these 15-second snippet medleys. I think it’s atrocious.
10:03 – Brody: That was nice of Trisha Yearwood to make an appearance.
10:04 – Brody: Did anyone get an official count of how many songs he just did?
10:09 – Brody: I wish there were better commercials.
10:11 – Brody: Top Vocal Group goes to Rascal Flatts.
10:11 – Matt C: What’s the over-under for percent of audience members who even know who Diamond Rio is?
10:13 – Matt C: Sarah Buxton has to be pleased with the way that her career has developed. Doesn’t every girl dream of doing the “chi-chi-chi-kakas?”
10:15 – Matt C: I wish that Keith would abandon country and just shoot for Top 40 radio. The guy’s crazy-talented, but his talents just don’t lie within the country genre.
10:16 – Brody: Comparing Keith Urban’s current performance to Kenny Chesney’s earlier performances answers any questions of who is the better entertainer.
10:18 – Matt C: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon ought to look something like that.
10:20 – Matt C: Yeah, I’d swallow my manhood for four minutes and sing “Everyday” if I could go home to Tiffany Fallon.
10:22 – Matt C: Compare this performance to “Last Name” and understand why I think it’s so criminal that Carrie is recording the kind of material she is. Her voice sounds absolutely gorgeous on this song.
10:23 – Brody: Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley singing Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away” is the performance of the night.
10:24 – Matt C: The first country performance of the night earns a standing ovation. That was brilliant. Country music is truly the best music on the face of the earth.
10:26 – Matt C: Carrie Underwood has blown me away with three live performances: “Stand By Your Man” on the Opry, “San Antonio Rose” on the Grammys, and now “Make the World Go Away” on the ACMs. Carrie is an outstanding country singer, and if she does ever decide to make a country (as opposed to pop-country) album, it has the potential to be a masterpiece.
Seriously Carrie, call me…I’d be happy to produce.
10:32 – Matt C: I’ll have to hear the studio version of Kellie’s new single before passing judgment. I did think that Pickler’s performance looked much more energetic thna it sounded.
10:34 – Matt C: Where’s Kimberely Williams-Paisley tonight?
10:32 – Brody: Man, it must be tough following the Eddy Arnold tribute, but Kellie Pickler is doing her best, even if it looks like she just came from a day by the pool…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
10:34 – Brody: This year’s Top Male vocalist is Brad Paisley.
10:34 – Matt C: I expect that Brad will go on a male vocalist run at both awards shows now that he’s deposed Kenny.
10:36 – Brody: Prediction update: Matt – 8/10, Me – 7/10, Brady – 6/10, Jim – 4/10.
10:39 – Brody: From the comments:
Chris N.: Fun fact: according to Billboard, Eddy Arnold remains the most successful country singles artist of all time.
Brady Vercher: He’s also the only artist to chart singles from the 40s through the double-aughts. Hank Thompson came close, but he missed the 90s and 2000s.
10:44 – Matt C: One thing that I don’t like about Rimes’ new musical direction is that her vocals are very hard to understand. I don’t think most people listening to that performance actually realized what she was singing about.
10:45 – Brody: Dwight Yoakam and a super model whose name escaped me are announcing Top Female Vocalist. And the winner is Carrie Underwood.
10:51 – Matt C: You think the producers knew that Yoakam was going to make a penis joke?
10:53 – Matt C: FYI, I’ve seen John Michael Montgomery live and he’s just as annoying with the microphone stand as brother Eddie is.
10:53 – Brody: Are all the gratuitous shots of Troy Gentry’s pooper really necessary?
10:55 – Brody: Entertainer of the Year goes to Kenny Chesney…again.
10:57 – Brody: He just thanked his mom and dad for having sex.
10:55 – Matt C: It’s hard to assess fan infrastructure when predicting a vote like this. I maintain the Rascal Flatts has a larger fan base than Kenny Chesney, but I imagine that RF has fans who only listen to their songs that make the Top 40 and aren’t really invested in country music awards shows. Kenny’s fanbase is still country-centric, and I suspect that explains this result (though I still expected it to turn out the other way).
11:04 – Brody: And that’s a wrap. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, read what we had to say and left a comment. It’s been real, it’s been fun, but it ain’t been real fun. Ok, that’s a lie, it was fun. If it strikes your fancy, let us know what the highlight was for you and please let us know what we can do to help make our next live blog a better experience for you, our loyal readers.
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May 18, 2008 at 2:58 pm Permalink
Hi Brady. I voted and tried again just to see if this would be just another skewed result because some crazies can sit at their computer all week and vote over and over. But it seems to only allow one vote by IP address, so maybe it will be a little more legit, although I think it was a bad idea to open it up to fans.
May 18, 2008 at 3:11 pm Permalink
Hey Courtney, if you clear your cookies, you can vote again. That being said, they can group the votes by IP address when counting them, but that will just discount anyone connecting via the same network. AOL randomly changes IP address as well, so their users could vote multiple times. Even changing or masking your IP is fairly trivial, so they really don’t have any good way to accurately or fairly count the votes.
It seems to me that someone could easily create a script that could automatically vote over and over again without them having any way to accurately weed out automatic submissions vs manual submissions.
May 18, 2008 at 3:14 pm Permalink
did i hear that the fan votes are only going to count for half of entertainer and the industry for the other half or am i wrong?
May 18, 2008 at 3:22 pm Permalink
bobby, I haven’t heard anything about the fan votes only counting for half of the Entertainer award, but who knows.
May 18, 2008 at 3:25 pm Permalink
Thanks Brady, I’m not very computer literate, but I have been on fan sites before and read posts about how fans clear their cookies to keep voting, so I’m sure many are doing that. Oh well, so much for any legitimacy.
May 18, 2008 at 3:29 pm Permalink
Sorry to say that I’m going to miss out on most of this live blog tonight, as I’m literally halfway around the world at the moment. Brady, Brody, Matt, and Ben are going to do a kick-ass job for y’all, though.
May 18, 2008 at 4:29 pm Permalink
We (and by “we” I really mean Brady) upgraded servers a couple of hours ago, so there should be some improvements in speed on the site as a whole and especially for the live blog.
May 18, 2008 at 5:18 pm Permalink
Orange Carpet on GAC. OMG, whatever is Nan Kelly wearing??!! What’s with all that netting? Good thing Joan Rivers and the fashion police are not around. On he other hand, Suzanne Alexander looks great, as did Miranda, Carrie and Kelli.
May 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm Permalink
Bobby, I think you might be right about fan votes only counting for half. On the website to vote it says that the winner is going to be “determined by a combination of votes from the membership of the ACM and viewer voting.” It’s probably good fan votes only count for part of it if people are voting more than once.
May 18, 2008 at 5:27 pm Permalink
I personally think that Nan Kelly is much hotter than Suzanne Alexander. Netting sounds good to me…
May 18, 2008 at 5:31 pm Permalink
Generally I would agree but, Matt, you’ve got to see this dress…..then again, a guy might think it’s hot.
May 18, 2008 at 5:56 pm Permalink
The Awards can’t start soon enough…currently, Andy Rooney is talking about the rubber bands on his desk and how he now uses soft tip pens instead of pencils.
May 18, 2008 at 6:01 pm Permalink
damn, Carrie’s in a jumpsuit. pants!
May 18, 2008 at 6:04 pm Permalink
Don’t worry Kathy, she’ll change after this performance. ;)
May 18, 2008 at 6:04 pm Permalink
Role call, who’s all here?
May 18, 2008 at 6:07 pm Permalink
OK, so who’s the blonde with Chesney?
May 18, 2008 at 6:09 pm Permalink
Matt, the site is still live for voting for Entertainer.
May 18, 2008 at 6:11 pm Permalink
Toby Keith is one of those artists who sounds worse when he performs live.
May 18, 2008 at 6:15 pm Permalink
completely agree Zach….
May 18, 2008 at 6:15 pm Permalink
Damn, I got that one wrong.
May 18, 2008 at 6:16 pm Permalink
Is Jennifer Nettles talking with extra twang tonight?
May 18, 2008 at 6:17 pm Permalink
They both seemed to pack on the twang to me.
May 18, 2008 at 6:20 pm Permalink
I agree that Sugarland’s win in the Single category pretty much guarantees a win in the Song category.
May 18, 2008 at 6:22 pm Permalink
There is such a lack of suspense in this year’s ACMs–more so than any country music awards shows in recent memory.
May 18, 2008 at 6:23 pm Permalink
Kathy, I think there are still some performances that will be worth catching. At least I’m hoping so.
May 18, 2008 at 6:25 pm Permalink
how can the sound always be so shi$$y on these award shows?……this sounds awful….
May 18, 2008 at 6:27 pm Permalink
Brady, Roger: ditto
May 18, 2008 at 6:28 pm Permalink
oh damn…Taylor as newbie.
May 18, 2008 at 6:31 pm Permalink
Taylor should not be looking remotely surprised. Sorry, I just don’t like this girl.
May 18, 2008 at 6:33 pm Permalink
I’m surprised Taylor wasn’t wearing some new jeans or something…
May 18, 2008 at 6:35 pm Permalink
Brady -watch for pics from the after parties.
May 18, 2008 at 6:39 pm Permalink
I wish Miranda would do one of the other songs from her album. We only get her crazy side.
May 18, 2008 at 6:40 pm Permalink
I would have voted for “Dry Town.”
May 18, 2008 at 6:41 pm Permalink
That would’ve been too country for a Country Music award show, Matt.
May 18, 2008 at 6:41 pm Permalink
Yea, “Dry Town” is one of my favorites of hers.
May 18, 2008 at 6:42 pm Permalink
Congrats to Lady Antebellum and for the singer making it up the steps in those high-assed heels.
May 18, 2008 at 6:43 pm Permalink
Are they the most unaccomplished award winners ever?
May 18, 2008 at 6:44 pm Permalink
Sounds like a question for Paul W. Dennis.
May 18, 2008 at 6:47 pm Permalink
Rodney Atkins sounds like he’s doing karaoke.
May 18, 2008 at 6:47 pm Permalink
Heck, I wear the same thing everytime I mow my grass.
May 18, 2008 at 6:47 pm Permalink
Yes, he’s the worst vocalist of the night so far.
May 18, 2008 at 6:48 pm Permalink
“8:08 – Brody: Happy 56th Birthday George Strait. Coincidentally he just hit his 56th No. 1.”
Billboard says 43rd, and that’s what I’m going with.
May 18, 2008 at 6:48 pm Permalink
Oh jeebus, a medley.
May 18, 2008 at 6:51 pm Permalink
Ouch, I think I’m too far behind to catch up now.
Heh, “It’s been a long road to winning New Male Vocalist.” How many others can say the same thing?
May 18, 2008 at 6:53 pm Permalink
Jack winning is sweet vindication for 15 years of dues paying in Texas honky-tonks and a catalog better than just about everyone he’s sitting in that audience with. Classy speech too. Makes me proud to have supported him all this time…good job Jack.
May 18, 2008 at 6:55 pm Permalink
Jack won, and I am glad for him. i’ll say that the speeches tonight arent annoying and a couple have even been sincere, heartfelt and even touching…..aaawwww
May 18, 2008 at 6:56 pm Permalink
that was an awful performance….if i was thinking about buying a Rodney Atkins record and i heard that performance i would no longer be thinking about it…
May 18, 2008 at 6:56 pm Permalink
Roger, I concur. It was terrible.
May 18, 2008 at 6:59 pm Permalink
It’s time for the lullaby.
May 18, 2008 at 7:01 pm Permalink
“I’m better as a memory, than your man.” Good line. I like it. Classic country lyric.
May 18, 2008 at 7:01 pm Permalink
like him or not (which i do *most* of the time) kenny’s the only one that’s given an on-key performance.
May 18, 2008 at 7:01 pm Permalink
Brody, I said Chesney sounded good in the single review and I like the performance, but the song sucks. Kathy, I even mentioned that that line was a good premise for a song.
May 18, 2008 at 7:02 pm Permalink
Kenny’s not a good vocalist, but he does sound the best of anybody tonight.
May 18, 2008 at 7:02 pm Permalink
kathy – since i first heard it i’ve thought that was a helluva hook. i dont think the song lived up to that killer hook as well as it could/should have though. still i like it better than most of what i’ve heard tonight.
May 18, 2008 at 7:04 pm Permalink
Paula – this is the first time I’ve heard Chesney’s song. But I caught right off the bat. I’ll have to get it a few more listens before I settle on the final verdict.
Talk about a hook, though. “I saw God today.” WOW X10.
May 18, 2008 at 7:04 pm Permalink
He’s still fingering those chords, though.
May 18, 2008 at 7:04 pm Permalink
Brody, I think he’s just trying to hide as much as he can while being in the spotlight. He did the same thing at the CMAs.
May 18, 2008 at 7:05 pm Permalink
so they must be flashing an applause sign to the people in the mosh pit…or maybe the floor has electric tiles and they just jolt them when they need applause???
May 18, 2008 at 7:06 pm Permalink
I saw God today. Yes. Good song. Good hook. Good singer.
May 18, 2008 at 7:10 pm Permalink
Amen to that Brody….i still cannot figure out how that song got cut…..
May 18, 2008 at 7:10 pm Permalink
I wonder why they smiled at each after the “pile of shiftwork” line? :P
May 18, 2008 at 7:10 pm Permalink
“Shift Work,” not a great song, but when you’re compressing on the days before vacation….It’s another good hook. I can hear it now being played in 6 weeks at the campground.
May 18, 2008 at 7:12 pm Permalink
“9:07 – Brody: Two of the “greatest” country music entertainers of all time deserve more entertaining song than “Shiftwork.”"
I agree. “Murder on Music Row” would have been a much better selection….
May 18, 2008 at 7:17 pm Permalink
I was hopin for something quite a bit better than this from Sugarland. What the hell?
May 18, 2008 at 7:18 pm Permalink
i want the Sugarland boy’s job……does he ever sing? iwould shake my butt and play guitar for half of the royalties Jennifer is bringing in!!!
May 18, 2008 at 7:18 pm Permalink
Yeah, I’ll relieve the suspense right now: this one’s going to be a thumbs down.
May 18, 2008 at 7:18 pm Permalink
When amateur songwriters and average joe radio listeners say things like “I could write a song better than _____ (fill in the latest Rascal Flatts hit)” it’s usually just sour grapes or talking noise. In the case of “Shiftwork” they’re telling the truth.
May 18, 2008 at 7:20 pm Permalink
Hey look! Jewel and a tool.
May 18, 2008 at 7:20 pm Permalink
Sugarland – OOOOHHH,,,,,,no comment. geesh…
May 18, 2008 at 7:21 pm Permalink
Miranda!!! Yes, yes, yes.
May 18, 2008 at 7:22 pm Permalink
Miranda’s win was shocking, but I thought it was the most deserving. Congrats to her.
May 18, 2008 at 7:27 pm Permalink
i have a 4:30 am alarm in the morning so i must turn this off…hate missing keith Urban but will sleep better without hearing Garth…..look forward to reading all of your comments in the morning!!!!!
May 18, 2008 at 7:28 pm Permalink
Big congrats to Miranda…huge shocker of a win…I remember first seeing her 8 years ago opening for Jack Ingram in a dive bar…We featured Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on our site last May when it was released and I couldn’t be more proud of Ran and Jack tonight…
May 18, 2008 at 7:33 pm Permalink
I went out on a limb and predicted Crazy Ex Girlfriend….Miranda so deserves it. there isn’t a mediocre track on the whole album.
May 18, 2008 at 7:37 pm Permalink
I’m no professional lip-reader, but I’m pretty sure that Miranda let loose a “Holy shit!” on her way to the stage.
May 18, 2008 at 7:38 pm Permalink
I think you’re right, Chris.
May 18, 2008 at 7:39 pm Permalink
“:34 – Matt C: Jennifer is onto something. I think that almost every country radio single would be improved without the percussion loop.”
Matt, I’d take it a step further and say most real country songs would sound better without a percussion track. I find the percussion on Aaron Watson’s latest album to really be annoying as its mixed at way too high of level on many of the cuts.
Sorry for the detour. Now back to the ACm’s…
May 18, 2008 at 7:40 pm Permalink
OMFG – Taylor as a gangsta in that hoodie! Suck a million lemons. I’ll be back later. Off to watch the Yankees/Mets.
May 18, 2008 at 7:40 pm Permalink
Hmmm, Wikipedia doesn’t allude to the multiple number one singles that Reba mentioned. That had wardrobe malfunction written all over it.
May 18, 2008 at 7:45 pm Permalink
I’ll second the percussion-loop antipathy. In particular that most insidious modern country cliche, the percussion-loop intro.
May 18, 2008 at 7:46 pm Permalink
Matt, my wife says she pulled both of her stunts from Britney.
May 18, 2008 at 7:48 pm Permalink
What did Brooks & Dunn do over the last year to deserve that award over Sugarland?
May 18, 2008 at 7:48 pm Permalink
Ooops, I was too stunned to get any pictures of Brooks & Dunn.
May 18, 2008 at 7:49 pm Permalink
I would imagine the last part was lip-synched, given the notorious unreliability of microphones when they’re pelted with water.
May 18, 2008 at 7:51 pm Permalink
Nice, Chris. I actually typed that before the water started falling, and then just had to comment on the water. Now, I’m sure that she was lip-synching the entire thing.
May 18, 2008 at 7:51 pm Permalink
Trace – “You’re gonna miss this.” One’s 42, one’s 28. Oh is he ever right.
May 18, 2008 at 7:52 pm Permalink
I think the Trace song and performance is the best of the night, so far.
May 18, 2008 at 7:52 pm Permalink
I still give best performance to B&D, no matter how much it hurts me.
May 18, 2008 at 7:53 pm Permalink
They’re making another Get Smart, this time with Steve Carrell? Really, one Get Smart remake wasn’t enough?
May 18, 2008 at 7:53 pm Permalink
Good grief, a guy wants to say a couple of words about the fact that his hometown was just completely destroyed by a tornado and they still try to play him off. That ain’t right.
May 18, 2008 at 7:57 pm Permalink
Taylor Swift represents everything I hate about mainstream country music.
I also cant believe Gary Allan and Dierks Bentley were not nominated for anything.
May 18, 2008 at 8:01 pm Permalink
Mike W, “Watching Airplanes” was nominated for Single.
May 18, 2008 at 8:02 pm Permalink
Do medleys ever work? Why do people do them?
May 18, 2008 at 8:03 pm Permalink
Cleavage alert!
May 18, 2008 at 8:03 pm Permalink
Chris, I missed the snapshot button again. Oops.
May 18, 2008 at 8:05 pm Permalink
Trisha seems to get fatter everytime that I see her. You think she’d learned a lesson (from Garth’s new physique, if nothing else) about the importance of fitness to career longevity.
May 18, 2008 at 8:05 pm Permalink
aw, no Chris Gaines medley?
May 18, 2008 at 8:05 pm Permalink
What’s with the medleys? I like Garth’s though. and Trisha….why, oh why, was she ignored for her latest CD? “This is me you’re talking to” has to be one of the best songs I’ve heard in years. It’s a crime. Is she eligible next year? She’s miles above most.
Re – Trisha’s dress. WOW, like I’ve never seen her in something like that before. Stunning.
May 18, 2008 at 8:05 pm Permalink
Have you seen the sample recipes from her recent cookbook?
May 18, 2008 at 8:06 pm Permalink
Matt, I think Garth packed on a few pounds himself.
May 18, 2008 at 8:07 pm Permalink
“10:01 – Matt C: Maybe it’s just me, but the 10 year old daughter that Garth ‘retired’ for must be feeling more and more betrayed with each day that goes by.”
That made me snort with laughter just a bit.
May 18, 2008 at 8:07 pm Permalink
Since his heyday? Oh yeah. Since when he was really retired? No, he looks much better now.
May 18, 2008 at 8:08 pm Permalink
Trisha has never been svelt. Ever. She still looks damn good.
May 18, 2008 at 8:08 pm Permalink
Since the “Better Than A Memory” video.
May 18, 2008 at 8:09 pm Permalink
I don’t mind a little meat on a woman’s bones.
May 18, 2008 at 8:10 pm Permalink
It’s possible. I think that Garth was in his peak recent shape at that press conference where he announced the hits package. It’s hard to tell with the videos, though. They have tricks in the video studio just like they have tricks in the recording studio.
May 18, 2008 at 8:10 pm Permalink
I just love the duo Garth and Trish did (CMT?) – “Honey can you sqeeze me in.” I would love to get a download of that for my ipod.
May 18, 2008 at 8:10 pm Permalink
I’m telling you, it’s that cookbook.
May 18, 2008 at 8:13 pm Permalink
My fiancee highly recommends Trisha’s cookbook.
May 18, 2008 at 8:14 pm Permalink
I saw that TV special with Trisha, her Mom and Sister. I almost lost it with the recipe for baked vidalia onions with butter and bacon. I don’t dare
May 18, 2008 at 8:18 pm Permalink
What a waste of a perfectly wonderful Sarah Buxton. Please go buy her EP on iTunes to make up for this slight.
May 18, 2008 at 8:19 pm Permalink
David Spade – MGM Grand hotel room directions. Spot on funny.
May 18, 2008 at 8:22 pm Permalink
Yeah, snagging Tiffany Fallon would pretty much make up for anything negative one might have to do in life.
May 18, 2008 at 8:22 pm Permalink
“Trisha seems to get fatter everytime that I see her.” Was that necessary!?!? Not everyone is Ms. Jennifer “8 foot long legs” Nettles and Miss Carrie “Too bad she wore pants” Underwood. Trisha is classy and gorgeous and a beautiful singer. I’d see her anytime, anywhere.
May 18, 2008 at 8:23 pm Permalink
I think that Eddy Arnold clip was the highlight of the night. This performance is excellent.
May 18, 2008 at 8:24 pm Permalink
Most tribues to dead stars are just words. Carrie and Brad’s tribute to Eddy Arnold – lovely.
May 18, 2008 at 8:26 pm Permalink
I frankly did not expect Eddy Arnold’s passing to be acknowledged at all, much less in such a lovely way.
May 18, 2008 at 8:29 pm Permalink
The Eddy Arnold tribute was the performance of the night thusfar.
May 18, 2008 at 8:31 pm Permalink
Why doesn’t Kellie record or sing any Dolly songs?
May 18, 2008 at 8:36 pm Permalink
“Everybody’s Mother and Father.” Gotta love Paisley’s sense of humor.
May 18, 2008 at 8:38 pm Permalink
Fun fact: according to Billboard, Eddy Arnold remains the most successful country singles artist of all time.
May 18, 2008 at 8:38 pm Permalink
Anyone know if Vocal Event has already been announced? It seems like that one would have been off-camera.
May 18, 2008 at 8:39 pm Permalink
Based on your Trisha comment, I can’t believe I’m even going to ask your opinion…but, since you seem to dislike most of the current top country songs…who do you guys think is actually making good music these days?
May 18, 2008 at 8:40 pm Permalink
Chris, he’s also the only artist to chart singles from the 40s through the double-aughts. Hank Thompson came close, but he missed the 90s and 2000s.
May 18, 2008 at 8:43 pm Permalink
Why have women everywhere suddenly decided that dresses that resemble designer potato sacks are flattering?
May 18, 2008 at 8:47 pm Permalink
Sarah Buxton ended up getting some face time after all.
May 18, 2008 at 8:49 pm Permalink
Chris – Carrie’s fuschia/purple dress was far from a potato sack, at least to this woman. Simlicity and beauty, it was. Looked great on her.
May 18, 2008 at 8:49 pm Permalink
Chris – Carrie’s fuschia/purple dress was far from a potato sack, at least to this woman. Simplicity and beauty, it was. Looked great on her.
May 18, 2008 at 8:50 pm Permalink
Maria: I think thata among the radio hitmakers, Josh Turner, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Ashton Shepherd, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Blake Shelton are currently making good music.
May 18, 2008 at 8:55 pm Permalink
@KathyP: I was specifically referring to LeAnn Rimes. Carrie looked like a million damn dollars, as always.
May 18, 2008 at 8:55 pm Permalink
entertainer of the year – anticlimatical after all this .
May 18, 2008 at 8:55 pm Permalink
Thanks for the return comment. I’ll definitely agree about Josh Turner, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. I also personally love Carrie Underwood and (almost) everything she does. I just had the impression that you didn’t think much of her, or a lot of the other pop-ish country stars.
May 18, 2008 at 8:57 pm Permalink
Hurry, voting is still open on the CBS website.
May 18, 2008 at 8:57 pm Permalink
OK, screw entertainer of the year, so WHO is that beautiful blonde sitting with Chesney?
May 18, 2008 at 8:57 pm Permalink
Once again, my vote doesn’t count. It’s just like the last two presidential elections.
May 18, 2008 at 8:59 pm Permalink
I think the world of Carrie Underwood. I just think that she has some very bad (artistic) management and is currently recording the wrong kind of material. Because I have such a high opinion of Underwood and think she could do much better, I’m a passionate opponent of what she’s doing now, which makes some people think that I don’t like her.
May 18, 2008 at 9:07 pm Permalink
Matt, Freudian slip at 10:55? :-)
May 18, 2008 at 9:16 pm Permalink
10:55 is now corrected. Joe Don Rooney wins the individual “asses” contest, but Gary might be bad enough to give Kenny Chesney the overall win. :)
May 18, 2008 at 9:16 pm Permalink
The highlight was being promoted from comments twice. I’m a star!
Page reloaded a little slowly, but it gave me time to think about life.
May 18, 2008 at 9:24 pm Permalink
Thanks for the great write-up guys. Now I have no real need to watch the show, so DVR’d Grey’s Anatomy here I come! It was a fun read and I only wish I had a better internet connection. Now that I know Matt C. is such a Carrie fan, I’ll curtail the flippant Carrie Underwear jive. I’ve learned its always best not to anger the management……..
May 18, 2008 at 9:25 pm Permalink
Rick, you should check out the Eddy Arnold tribute by Carrie and Paisley, it’s definitely worth watching.
May 18, 2008 at 9:32 pm Permalink
you guys make me laugh but i notice you spent heck of a lot of virtual ink in the comments section commenting on trisha’s appearance, and in fact on women in general, in your usual snarky manner. hey i enjoy your snarky commentary, which is why i read your blog but i also recall a pseudo-post-fem enlightened posturing in your review of carrie underwood’s all-american girl, calling it anti-feminist! at least own up to your hypocrisy
May 18, 2008 at 9:45 pm Permalink
Thanks for the feedback, Chris. We noticed the slow load times, too, so we’ll try and iron that out before next time.
May 18, 2008 at 9:53 pm Permalink
The author of that Carrie Underwood review, Jim Malec, did not participate in the live blog, so no one committed hypocrisy.
Like it or not, beauty is an important part of succeeding in contemporary country music. Thus, comments on an artist’s appearance are acceptable, even if they take the form of things that you wouldn’t say about ordinary people in polite conversation. I’m not passing judgment on thin vs. heavy women anymore than I’m passing judgment on women who are good singers vs. women who are bad singers, but both affect an artist’s future success and thus are legitimate topics of conversation.
May 18, 2008 at 10:12 pm Permalink
fair enough matt – not digging at the substance of the comments, it is however an insight into the greater scrutiny female country singers face vs their male counterparts as well. not just country but the music industry in general.
May 19, 2008 at 1:40 am Permalink
1) Good job, guys.
2) I got trounced on predictions. But there’s no logical way to predict these awards. Sugarland takes single and song, but then doesn’t win duo? That makes no sense whatsoever.
3) While I still think Lambert is overrated, and particularly that Crazy-Ex is not a fantastic record, I do think that it is equally deserving of a win as any of the albums nominated.
May 19, 2008 at 5:15 am Permalink
Aww, I missed this live blog? It’s the best thing about the ACM. Can someone tell me what how many awards Dale Watson got?
May 19, 2008 at 5:55 am Permalink
good job, i liked the pictures and that you wre all commenting, but Matt, were all the comments about how they look necessary?
May 19, 2008 at 7:19 am Permalink
I can’t believe no one commented (unless I missed it) that Garth screwed up the beginning of his own medley. Then he called Reba “Ms. Yearwood.” When Trisha came out to present my wife said, “she looks pissed.” Oh Garth.
May 19, 2008 at 7:57 am Permalink
I thought I saw him almost flub a line when he was singing with Trisha, too.
May 19, 2008 at 8:37 am Permalink
Jim, you know I love ya, but Miranda’s win really shoots the remaining legs off of your over-rated argument regarding this album. you questioned why she was getting so much “out of genre” attention, and now this disc has been recognized as the best “inside the genre”…Are you saying that the album is deserving of the win (despite it being over-rated and “not fantastic” in your words) because the other albums were only so-so, or at least “not great” in your opinion? it just seems like an odd position to take given your documented opinions on this particular disc.
May 19, 2008 at 9:02 am Permalink
Jim, disregard the above comment….i am working on little sleep and not enough coffee, forgive my attitude this morning….i should learn not to comment when in such a state, its similar to “drunk dialing” i think…..
May 19, 2008 at 9:02 am Permalink
My big question here is “where was Dierks Bentley?”. Did all of his material get nominated last year and is he just kind of in a drought?
He should have at least performed… “Tryin’ to Stop Your Leavin’” is awesome.
May 19, 2008 at 9:31 am Permalink
About that Taylor Swift fiasco – I was thinking her promoters are trying very hard to make her a crossover superstar. But when they put her on national TV (not even cable) and directly ripoff two (very famous) bits from Britney Spears, I have to believe they are smart enough to know that anyone who followed Britney would see it immediately and be turned off. Are the audiences really so separate that they can be sure nobody watching pop 10 years ago watches the ACMs today?
Is it really necessary to say it was horrible? For one thing, she just turned 18 years old fer Gourds sake. Ripping her clothes off and then sitting in a shower? Does anybody remember this first came from the movie Flashdance, set in a strip club? (Ok, a very fashionable, respectable strip club, but it was the 70s after all.) So Britney rips off Flashdance, and Taylor copies Britney – EXACTLY.
I really really hope she goes away quietly and quickly. What a whoreable waste of young girl. I am not looking forward to watching her go crazy in public like BS.
And then, to follow it with the Eddy Arnold tribute – wow, what a powerful comment. A beautiful simple song that showed how far music has sunk. I don’t mind the big productions, this isn’t about that. But the need to pump Taylor swift up so much to make her popular; compare that to the simple song of Eddy Arnold. That is music today. And that is what I saw most clearly at the awards.
May 19, 2008 at 9:32 am Permalink
PS – I got stuck behind an International Harvester on the road yesterday and it still pisses me off.
May 19, 2008 at 11:00 am Permalink
The girl with Kenny Chesney is his girlfriend
Allison Stwart.
May 19, 2008 at 11:02 am Permalink
Darn, Kelly! I really wanted to answer your question, too!
May 19, 2008 at 11:23 am Permalink
Well, I would’ve deserved any answer you would want to give that would’ve put me in my place (if you had actually wanted to of course)! Sometimes I dont even know what to expect from me!
May 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm Permalink
Those stats Brody linked to at the beginning of the show are interesting. It seems the fan voting was a way to get a bunch of marketing from the artists up for the Entertainer award while also attempting to get voters emotionally invested a la American Idol so that they’d be more likely to tune in and boost viewer numbes.
May 19, 2008 at 12:25 pm Permalink
Here’s a few more pictures for anyone interested.
Kenny Chesney and his mystery blonde.
Did somebody say country music?
I think Miranda Lambert is in there somewhere.
Miranda Lambert when she won Album of the Year.
May 19, 2008 at 12:30 pm Permalink
I’m with you Brady,I also would have liked to have seen Miranda do a another song. I think “Gunpowder” was a very bad choice because she’s already done it at the CMA’s and the video is concert footage as well, doing it last night seemed redundant.I would have loved to see her perform “More Like Her” accoustically like she does in her live shows. I have seen Miranda three times in concert and each time I was blown away with her beautiful vocals to that song.Also with “Crazy Ex” winning “Album of The Year”, it seemed like a perfect time to launch a new single from that album.
That being said I understand why she performed “Gunpowder”, no one wanted to pull the plug on this single when it is rising so quickly on the charts.
May 19, 2008 at 1:14 pm Permalink
“Whoreable?”
May 19, 2008 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Did anyone read the article about how Kenny Chesney doesn’t think fans should vote for entertainer of the year? I liked this quote from the article on cmt.com:
“I think the fans should be a part of it,” he said. “It could be video of the year or duo of the year — or both. I think the fans should be a part of it, but not the one award that every artist sacrifices the most to achieve.”
Does he think that duos don’t work as hard as solo artists? That comment just didn’t make sense to me. But overall, I thought he had a good point. The whole free rascal flatts mp3 for voting thing was very low of them and Kenny is making sense in this article, but why denounce duos?
May 19, 2008 at 2:55 pm Permalink
I broke down and took your advice to watch the Eddy Arnold tribute and I caught Keith Urban’s song with Sarah Buxton doing the silly sounds in the background as well, and they were both very entertaining. For the Eddy tribute I would have much preferred hearing Leann Rimes and Blake Shelton do the vocals, but that’s just me…
Keith Urban’s song reminded me of the great music he put out as a member of “The Ranch” back in the late 1990’s. I don’t care much for Keith the rocker, but his acoustic material is always top shelf.
PS – I agree with Jim Malec that Miranda Lambert and her music are over-rated by fawning critics. The fact so many rock and pop critics loved “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is a big red flag to me. Compared to contemporary female country artists with an edge she is at the top of her game, but for those of us mostly older folks who don’t like her style of music, she is just not all that great (and the tough chick female outlaw image seems like a shtick). I find much of Miranda’s music (the really edgy/rock-y stuff) unlistenable, so its hard for me to consider her a “great” country artist by any standard. While Sarah Buxton is not really a country artist I still love her music, so to each their own…..
May 19, 2008 at 3:06 pm Permalink
- Garth could be so morbidly obese that he needed a respirator and wheel chair, I honeslty wouldn’t care. He’s still the best. Which probably voids any opinion I have about him…
- I missed quite a bit of the show for a senior prank last night.
- CMT awards should be the only award show with fan voting. It gives the fans a chance and keeps the prestige of the ACMs and CMAs.
- I still have no clue how labels can feed me a bunch of lines about image and Kristian Bush gets to wear that hat and that suit.
- Dierks is good contemporary, so is Keith. But I wish Dierks would throw some of his earlier traditional style on his albums too.
- If my Behringer XM8500 can stand heavy rains during a thunderstorm (by the way I’d suggest it to anybody, great quality, great sound, comes with a case – definitely the best mic under 20 bucks) I’d think the one Taylor uses can withstand water just as well. I’m sorry, but the background dancers were just cheesy, this is country music. The mom story was sort of a cheap hard-luck story, if your mom doesn’t have to work – I assume you’re either on assistance or rich, Taylor’s family is the latter. Still a fan of Taylor, but that one should have been thought through a little better.
- Happy Dwight was a presenter.
- Randy Travis needs to perform at these shows and show the new generation what a voice is.
- Finally, I’d like to thank the Nashville industry for the constant cheesy pop singers you come out with instead of quality country singers. You truly are making the careers of my generation (artists, label owners, promoters, writers, managers, and publishers included!) much more successful without even knowing it. I salute you and may you continue on your endeavor to make today’s country radio the 1980’s one-hit-wonder radio of tomorrow.
May 19, 2008 at 3:10 pm Permalink
Chris, gosh sorry, must have been a slip of the pen. Just like the crowd in the courtroom of Animal House.
May 19, 2008 at 3:35 pm Permalink
I salute you and may you continue on your endeavor to make today’s country radio the 1980’s one-hit-wonder radio of tomorrow.
Speaking of – I saw a video with Little Big Town in it but they were not identified until the end. All the way through I thought it was ABBA. Seriously, check them out.
May 19, 2008 at 8:04 pm Permalink
Be sure to check out Jim Malec’s intelligent answers to silly ACM related questions posed by Alison Bonaguro over at the CMT blogs:
http://blog.cmt.com/2008-05-18/quite-a-few-questions-about-the-acm-awards/
I’m always amazed at how utterly insignificant and meaningless almost everything is that Alison writes on her CMT blogs. There is just no susbtance to her musings… I refer to much of today’s mainstream commercial country as “Airhead Music” and Alison speaks to that demographic in ways they can totally relate to. Thank goodness the CMT Blog put me onto meaningful country music blogs like The 9513 where almost everything that is written by the staff writers is worth reading….
May 19, 2008 at 8:11 pm Permalink
PS – A quick excerpt from Taylor Swift’s latest MySpace blog entry about her ACM Hoody / Wet Prom Dress performance:
“I’ve always wanted to perform an angry song and have water rain down from the ceiling and have a little freakout onstage. Always wanted to do that. So a few months ago, when I was offered a performance on the ACMs, I had this epiphone: I need to do that rain idea on the ACMs this year!!”
The use of the word epiphone (a brand of guitars that is part of the Gibson family of companies) rather than the intended “epiphany” may indicate Taylor should have paid more attention to her studies rather than boys in her sophomore year….(yes, I’m joking! Sheesh)
May 19, 2008 at 8:16 pm Permalink
I agree about Miranda. I’m happy that sales didn’t figure into voting this year, but I agree there are much better songs on that Album that makes it special. She can really sing the “Texas Swing” as well.
May 19, 2008 at 8:58 pm Permalink
Rick, are you lurking on Taylor’s myspace page? Are yu a secret fan?:)
May 19, 2008 at 9:08 pm Permalink
Ha, Jim! Your answers at cmt that Rick linked to were hillarious!
May 19, 2008 at 9:09 pm Permalink
That “epiphone” thing actually threw me for a loop. I went over it hundreds if not THOUSANDS of times, trying to decipher it. I read those blogs and really couldn’t figure out she meant epihpany, which makes me question myself… seriously, it’s a typo – big deal!
May 19, 2008 at 10:02 pm Permalink
No, it’s not a typo. “Epiphant” is a typo. “Epiphone” is trying to use vocabulary that’s over your head.
May 19, 2008 at 10:41 pm Permalink
I wouldn’t call it a typo either. If it was a typo, she’s really gotta work on those typing skills. I wouldn’t necessarily say that she didn’t know what the word meant, but rather that she didn’t know how to spell epiphany…or maybe guitars were on the brain? Maybe she confused the concept of the straightforward spelling of epiphany with the more confusing spelling of epitome?
May 20, 2008 at 12:51 am Permalink
Hey, I try to provide a little entertainment here and there. Please leave tips in the hat….
May 20, 2008 at 7:47 am Permalink
This was one of the worst country music awards shows ever. Whoever was running sound should be fired on the spot. Almost every performer struggled staying on pitch and sounded amateurish. There were virtually no effects on the lead vocals. The show featured a bunch of “pop” songs — making it look as if the County folks are trying to “cross over” again. It heralded a bubble-gum kid still in high school over established artists …. I could go on and on …
May 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm Permalink
Nobody cares about the awards anymore, we now care about the use of “epiphone” over “epiphany” hm… maybe somebody hacked into her MySpace account to change the word and throw us all for a loop.
Could this mean the apocalypse is upon us?
May 20, 2008 at 1:13 pm Permalink
Guy said: “The show featured a bunch of “pop” songs — making it look as if the County folks are trying to “cross over” again.”
Well, they are, aren’t they? I agree, it was a bad show. And Carrie Underwood’s performance of “Last Name” was a real low point.
May 20, 2008 at 3:06 pm Permalink
I know some of you may think Taylor Swift had a “whorable” performance, but it was actually the highlight of the show for me. Sure, it was pitchy, and maybe the rain wasn’t necessary, but I really loved that song, and at least she tried to entertain us, unlike some of the people that stood like statues to sing their songs. I’m not saying that it is always bad to hold a guitar and act like a statue for the whole performance, but I certainly don’t want watch concerts like that.
And I agree that Carrie Underwood gave a disappointing performance. I like that song too, but that performance did not give it justice.
May 20, 2008 at 3:17 pm Permalink
….i dunno dawg, it was a little pitchy for me…shouldve pulled that hood over her entire face maybe, I dunno dawg….
May 20, 2008 at 3:49 pm Permalink
the la times and entertainment weekly both ridiculed it and hated it. it backfired, she sounded awful, looked in appropriated, was not in tune, lip synced the last and hardest bit at the end. it was a train wreck.
Carries performance of last name was inspired, and her duet with Brad just accompanied with a simple guitar was more powerful and memorable than Taylor. She swept her under the rug. Taylor needs to stop using cheesy ideas and props stolen from other mainstream artists that everyone knows like Avril Lavine, Britney, and Kelly Clarkson. She is going to have to cross to pop soon. I hope so. She will be smothered there.
May 20, 2008 at 3:59 pm Permalink
This last diatribe sounds oddly familiar.
May 20, 2008 at 4:32 pm Permalink
Chris,
This is my first couple times posting on this site. I am a new fan of country and have been checking this site regularly and decided to comment finally today because I have gotten fed up with the often skewed commentary and often unfair comments posted against popular artists, as opposed to more old school country cronies.
May 20, 2008 at 5:29 pm Permalink
Sorry. There are a few commenters here who are always talking about “Carrie vs. Taylor” as if it’s a mortal blood feud. I don’t really see a direct competition between them, especially given how few women are on the radio right now in the first place.
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