What It’s Really Like in the CMA Press Room
I’ve been backstage working at the CMAs for the last five years, sitting in the press area, and sometimes we’re able to watch the show. When the winners come back for photos and interviews, we all perk up and do our job. Otherwise we all watch the closed-circuit TVs and make dumb jokes to entertain each other. For example, when Sara Evans introduced Big & Rich, somebody sarcastically muttered, “Two boobs introducing two boobs.” Of course, we have to imitate all the awkward introductions — “He’s been watching you, and now you can watch him! Here’s Rodney Atkins!” While the commercials say that Chevy Malibu is the official ride of country music, we bandied about a few other names, too, but I’m not about to incriminate all of us.
It’s not the most exciting place to be on awards night, and pretty much everybody in here will be up all night writing or sending out quotes to radio stations for the morning commutes. Tonight, only the songwriters of “Give It Away” have come backstage, and it’s an hour into the show, so I’m feeling a little bit frantic and closed-in. If I were to imitate Faith Hill — and do a big ol’ “WHAT?!!?” — I’d knock out the two people sitting beside me. They’re almost in my lap as it is. The only food we had when we got here was cold pizza (presumably left over from rehearsals), and apparently they have just run out of bottled water. I am looking at the bright side: At least I won’t miss anything on a bathroom break.
I’m also astonished how the CMA will bring in L.A. people, just because they’re stars, even if they don’t have any stage presence. That woman from Private Practice was talking about “country snacks.” I have no idea what those snacks are, but I wish we had some back here.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Scott says:
I can’t believe the EAGLES get one song in the middle of the show…and Rascal Flatts, sounding really lame, get to open and close the thing? Jeez….
raquel says:
why was chesney wearing my papaw’s outfit from JC Penny’s?
rose says:
Aren’t those people sick of singing the same 3 notes? EEE GAHDS…every song sounds the same!!!
Victor says:
I loved this year CMA… Rascal Flatts along with Gary LeVox and Jamie Foxx were great! I saw this great country music directory with lots of videos from people like Taylor Swift, Dierk Bentley and Tim McGrow: weshow.com/us/c/83/country_and_folk
Which one of those is your favorite singer?
J Johnson says:
Sorry, don’t get it. Female singers all look alike, male singers all look alike, songs all sound alike. Very formulaic.
Should be called Contrived Music Awards.
B.W. LaRoy says:
This was the best real Blog ever. Maybe they can get Meany Judge Guy Simon from American Idle to host the CMA next year and really drum up some ratings…in more ways than one. I’ll take the CMT awards any day over anything CMA can fudge through. B.W. LaRoy
C. Dufrene says:
I am tired of CMT showing all the same performers over and over. We all know that Katie Cook’s favorite is Taylor Swift. Are we to believe that none of the others nominated for the Horizon award were deserving? Rodney Atkins was just as deserving if not more than Taylor. Several comments were made on the show and after that receiving the Horizon award means you have finally made it in the Country Music scene. I find that very offensive to the others who were nominated. To be nominated was an honor and having 3 number ones on an albumn, along with selling 1,000,000 copies means you have made it as well. I was very unhappy with this years award show. GAC is definately my favorite country music station to watch.
Florent Dufour says:
Hello,
I received DVD of the CMA awards show. Someone send it to me from USA, but i don’t know who. I am FACM chairman (French Association of Country Music), so many people know our association in the USA (http://countrymusiccd.fr or http://facm.free.fr).
It’s an incredible night. All thoses stars during one night, a great show. It’s wonderful. Congratulations to CMA for this great night. We organize the French Country Music Awards in France (FCMA), but it’s very hard to promote country music in france. Many people think that country music is only for cowboy. A night like the CMA awards prouve that it’s not tru. Country music is modern, and my dream is to have CMT TV in france and the CMA awards show on national TV ! But it’s a dream . Thanks to CMT.com to give us possibility to discover country music from france.
All the best