The 44th Annual CMA Awards: Who Should Be Nominated

i agree with all of your predictions, except single of the year, consider me gone spent 4 weeks at #1, so instead of i keep of loving you that should be nominated.

And i can see this being reba’s first entertainer of the year in 20 years

she will easily nab a female vocalist nomination

Wow Blake, you really put a lot of thought and effort into concocting this feature! I didn’t know there were still people out there, apart from Alison Bonaguro, that were so into the Top 40 country scene and consider it significant, important, or musically relevant. Can’t really say I give a sh*t about any of the mainstream country awards shows (or the music they celebrate), but you have done a nice job here. Kudos!

yeah i agree with code, reba totally deserves !!!!!
i hope she wins *-* sick of carrie !!! AND BLAKE CONGRATS YOU ROCK !!!! love you both <3

Just keep Zac Brown Band out of the New Artist category. That would be utterly ridiculous, seeing as they’re already a 2-year country band that’s more than settled in. They’ve won the Best New Artist Grammy; they’re no longer NEW after that win.

As for the Entertainer of the Year Award, I don’t think this will be Brad’s year (again). Sorry, but he’s had a slump-ish year compared to Carrie and Lady Antebellum. If I had to make a prediction based on sales, certifications, touring, charts, and publicity, it would be Carrie Underwood by the largest landslide possible. Lady Antebellum would be her only threat.

Male Vocalist – yeah, definitely Brad. Female Vocalist – yeah, definitely Miranda. Carrie may pose a threat, but it’s about time Miranda gets recognized.

Single/Song – I’d bet on “The House That Built Me” and “Need You Now” as being the two winners (could care less which song took home which award). Album of the Year will go to either Lady A, Miranda, or Carrie, but probably Miranda.

Video may actually go to Carrie or Taylor. Sorry, but they will always try to throw Taylor a bone because she’s bought them out (*recalls last year’s outrageous four undeserved wins*), and “The House That Built Me” wasn’t as great a video to compete with “Temporary Home”. I’d bet on Carrie taking this award. Vocal Event? I can’t believe anyone even recognized the fabulous collaboration of Carrie and Sons of Sylvia, but I’d bet on “Seeing Stars”.

Alley, I so agree with you about Keith deserving Male Vocalist, but he’s won it 3 times before Brad started winning, so I doubt it will go to Keith. Kinda love to see Dierks get it. I much rather see Keith get Entertainer. He puts on a much better show than any of the ones listed here…IMO. I know Keith’s not a traditionalist, but I could care less. His shows are dynamite! Hope Miranda gets Female Vocalist. I just want to wipe the memory of the sickening show last year out of my mind. Everything about the annoying Taylor Swift just grates on me. I turn the radio off when she comes on and the TV when she’s on. It’s hard for me to think of her listed in the CMHF next to icons and legends of country. Man, I hope people wake up before that ever happens.

I agree with Omar about Carrie winning video for TH.
I think it is by far the best video of the year.

While Miranda has had a breakout year, her numbers pale compared to Carrie. Yes, “Revolution” is getting close to platinum as its approaching 900k. On the other hand, “Play On” has sold 1.7 million and is approaching 2x platinum. Wonder why that’s not mentioned. Cowboy Casanova has sold more than twice The House That Built Me. Undo It just surpassed 750k and is going Platinum. Temporary Home has gone Gold. And how are the other single(s) on Revolution doing??

13 #1 singles in a row for Carrie too! EOTY!!!

No Luke Bryan? You mean rhyming “whiskey” and “frisky” isn’t a shoo-in? No Jerrod Niemann?
And did Willie name his last “Country Music” for no purpose at all?

13 #1 songs in a row does not make the best entertainer, IMO. That’s just because radio DJs love him. Some of those songs of his were not #1 worthy songs too. Brad will probably get it, because so many say, it’s his time…whatever that means. I never leave his show wanting more like I do Keith’s. But that’s just me.

I have a difficult time believing that Rosanne Cash and Patty Loveless will be nominated. (As sad as that may be… I’m a realist.)

@Rick: I don’t know if I’ve just been praised or punted.

@Omar: The New Artist category is usually such a crapshoot, and while the criteria remains unchanged, the results from year to year are odd. To me, Zac Brown Band has had its one shot at the trophy, but how many new artists have a tremendous amount of success in their first year? It’s hard to limit the category to pure rookies.

@Pierce: Oh, there’s no way Cash and Loveless are nominated, but the female roster is so poor that they definitely deserve it. If Swift slides in, that’s fine, but what has any other woman done to be in the final five?

@All: If commercial stats are the only consideration, then why go through the trouble of nominations anyway, other than to support a three-hour advertisement for the industry on ABC? I do think, though, that sales and touring numbers should be a factor, but not the end-all, be-all.

If the performer can’t simply take the guitar, sit on a stool and enthrall an audience for 90 minutes, they aren’t entertainers, merely performers.

Now that’s “poorly defined” – i.e., it’s precise but utterly arbitrary. And ungrammatical, too.

Seven of the categories have been announced this morning in Nashville, and let’s just say that I won’t play the lottery any time soon.

Let me rephrase – if it takes smoke, videos, canned musical supplements and light shows for a performance to be successful and the crowd entertained then the real entertainers of the year are the technical support staffs – the sound engineers and special effects folks

Perhaps the “real entertainers of the year” be the “technical support staffs” if it takes “smoke, videos, canned musical supplement…” for “a performance to be successful.

Buf it so, why should not the “real entertainers of the year” be the company that made the guitar, the company that made the stool, the builder and architect of the venue in the case of the singer who entertains by merely sitting on a stool for 90 minutes and entertaining with guitar and voice?

In both cases, no one individual made the entertaining performance possible. Why should the entertainer who relies on the efforts of those who make smoke machines, videos, et cetera be disqualified while the entertainer who relies on chair and guitar makers be qualified?

And to go further – should one be qualified for entertainer of the year if one merely sits on a stool with a guitar and sings, but sings songs written by others? Co-written by others? If relying on smoke machines made by others disqualifies one, why should or should not relying on songs written by others disqualify one?

I’m doubtful as to the merits of this sort of approach to the question of who should be qualified for these awards.

“A Little More Country Than That”. Really?
“White Liar” in three different categories. Really?
“Toes”. Really?
Zac Brown Band in the Best New Artist category. REALLY?

I’m sorry, but the CMAs have done one heck of a half-crap job at this ballot. Yes, “The House That Built Me” and “Need You Now” deserve those nods, but where the heck is the love for BETTER songs, like “Hard Hat and a Hammer” by Alan Jackson, “Temporary Home” by Carrie Underwood (how did that not get a music video nod?), or “The Truth” by Jason Aldean?

There’s one good thing that came out of this partial list — there’s NO TAYLOR SWIFT! I can’t stomach another Taylor-sympathy-buttkissing-festival like last year. Goodness, that was a disaster. I’m sure she will receive nods tomorrow in the major categories, but she won’t win this year. It will be such a nice ceremony because of that.

As of this partial ballot, the CMAs could’ve done a LOT better, in my humble opinion. Unfortunately, it is what it is. I’m still glad to see the Miranda love!

“Temporary Home” by Carrie Underwood (how did that not get a music video nod?)

By being one sacchrine song past the point where all the lab rats got cancer. You will notice the category is pap free.

How did carrie Underwood not get a nomination for Entertainer of the Year??
By not being entertaining.

Wow, Up On The Ridge an Album of the Year nominee – how cool is that! Go, Dierks!

By the way, congrats to ALL the nominees!!!

Does Bob Cole not realize that awards shows don’t make nominations (trade associations composed of industry professionals do), or would that be Stormy making such an embarrassing mistake?

Um, those “embarrassed” Academy (and Academy and Association) members are the ones who keep nominating her for awards, and giving her a healthy number of them, too. I don’t see where they’re embarrassed at all. Heck, I’m one of them, and I’m not embarrassed in the least. On the other hand, if I were someone who liked to bleat that “technically good” singing doesn’t matter at all half the time, and blather that “technically good” singing matters a lot the other half of the time, I’d be embarrassed. YMMV, and obviously does.

4 Grammys, 6 CMA awards, 3 ACM awards, I’d say that’s a pretty healthy number.

Jon
September 1, 2010 at 11:16 am Permalink 4 Grammys, 6 CMA awards, 3 ACM awards, I’d say that’s a pretty healthy number.

That was back before she sang to terribly on those awards shows. She hasn’t been nominated for much since she gave such a disasterous showing that even Stevie Nicks couldn’t make her look good.

congrats to all the nominees.

although Miranda has had a good year, artistically, etc. i think the album of the year should go to George Strait for TWANG. HE’S STILL COUNTRY – HE’S STILL GREAT -HE CONSISTENTLY OUTDOES HIMSELF.

Once again, the CMAs snubbed Carrie from the EOTY category.

She had the biggest year, and even the idiot haters like Stormy on here can’t argue that. 3 #1s (going on 4 with Mama’s Song), Superbowl National Anthem performance, Christmas special, near-2x Platinum album, 2 Gold singles, a Platinum single, BHC went 3x Platinum (surpassing LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live”), a sold-out 106 date tour, her first-ever international appearance (Singapore), C.A.T.S. foundation, Pedigree Foundation, ACM Lifting Lives: the Temporary Home Foundation, became the first-ever 2x female EOTY for the ACMs (as well as first to win it consecutively), 2 ACMs, 1 PCA, 2 CMTs, her 5th Grammy, she was hand selected by the Jackson family themselves to pay tribute to Michael at the Grammys, “How I Met Your Mother” appearance, “Soul Surfer” filming, “Chronicles of Narnia” soundtrack cut (she also co-wrote it), numerous ASCAP and writing awards, sold out the Hollywood Bowl, her wedding, 4 critically-acclaimed music videos, etc.

I could go on, but I’d just be wasting even more time than I already have. She’s by far the biggest and best entertainer of the year. She’s had an astounding 2010, and if she can’t get an Entertainer of the Year nod after this ground-breaking year, I don’t know how she ever will.

Stormy: “I think ETOY should go to people, not robots.”

Me: Anti-robot rhetoric is hate speech. Why deny Rosie from the Jetsons or Robot from Lost in Space the opportunity?

My guess is that Blake/Dierks will rule each other out; Brad will win Eoty; Keith will not win male vocalist; that leaves the King himself, George Strait. It has been too long since he last won. He still has the best voice in country music.

Lady A will win group and single of the year.