CMT Blog: CMT Music Awards

I know it was the fans who voted for Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova," but Snooki totally loves that video, too. She told me so on the blue carpet before the CMT Music Awards last night. I asked the petite star, also known as Nicole Polizzi, of MTV's wildly popular Jersey Shore what her favorite video of all-time was, and she said, "That newer one where Carrie Underwood's all sexy? 'Cowboy Casanova.' That's my favorite one ever." Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino of Jersey Shore said he liked anything from Taylor Swift, Underwood or Faith Hill. It's too hard to pick one because he likes them all, he said -- like ice cream. And women.

I actually asked the same question to all the stars who approached me on the blue carpet and here's what they had to say:

Luke Bryan: Brooks & Dunn's "Believe"

Miranda Lambert: Blake Shelton's "Ol' Red" because it's like a mini movie and she kind of digs the singer.

Little Big Town: The band came to a unanimous decision that their favorite is Johnny Cash's "Hurt."

Read more...

It remains to be seen whether actor David Spade had any real clue about Jamey Johnson and country music prior to his visit to Tennessee for Thursday night's (June 9) CMT Music Awards. However, Spade did manage to deliver a funny line when he introduced Johnson's performance of "Back to Macon." Arriving onstage at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville, he was immediately met by Kid Rock, who explained that he would be introducing Johnson's performance. Claiming he had been told he would be introducing someone else -- Carrie Underwood, to be exact, Spade said, "I didn't fly in a puddle-jumper from Little Rock to introduce the dude who looks like an extra on Ice Road Truckers." Much has been written about Johnson's rough-and-tumble approach to personal grooming, and let's hope he has a sense of humor about it. Of course, if anybody could thoroughly kick Joe Dirt's ass, Johnson is probably the guy.

Photo credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

This year's CMT Music Awards featured performances from all over the entertainment map -- among them a giant Kid Rock/Waylon Jennings medley, an uber-country debut for Jamey Johnson's "Back to Macon" and even a Reba McEntire showdown. OK, maybe the "I'm Reba" skit doesn't count as a musical performance, but it was funny/odd enough to be worth mentioning. In case anybody got lost, it was a play off of Kenan Thompson's not-so-flattering impersonation of the queen of country on Saturday Night Live. It certainly proves that Reba has an admirable sense of humor. But among all the comedy -- and there was plenty of that -- we were treated to some excellent music.

Read more...

Everybody's got their own ideas about who will walk away with the night's top honors, including CMT hosts Katie Cook, Cody Alan and Evan Farmer. Check it out as they weigh in on all of the big awards, including video of the year, male and female video of the year and group video of the year. Think you've got a better idea of who the fans are voting for? Leave your own predictions below. The CMT Music Awards will air live tonight (June 9) at 8 p.m. ET.

If I was Jamey Johnson, I'd be a little nervous right now. Maybe very nervous. I mean how can you live up to all the hype over one song? There's been so much buzz about his new song, "Macon," that he'll be premiering live tonight (June 9) on the CMT Music Awards that I am crossing my fingers that I'll love it as much as the rest of the world does. People have been all over Facebook and Twitter bragging about how they've heard it and are freaking out about its potential and how incredible it is and how it's a must-see. Then the Los Angeles Times called it "an atmospheric tale of a Georgia trucker on his way home." I am a fan of Johnson's music, and I dig songs about truckers, so really what's not to love?

The theme of this weekend was people pulling me onstage during their shows. It started at BamaJam this Thursday in Enterprise, Ala. The crowd was amazing and my band and I had a blast playing our show. Dierks Bentley closed that night, and right in the middle of his show he pulled me up onstage and we sang the George Strait classic, "All My Ex's Live in Texas." I have to say a huge "thank you" to Dierks for that one. He is an amazing artist and an amazing guy. Then on Friday we played in Augusta, Ga., with my labelmate, Jake Owen. During Jake's show, he pulled me onstage and we sang a John Anderson tune together (and I may have done the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, ha ha). Thanks for everything, Jake!

Read more...

The award-winning team of Ryan Bingham and producer T Bone Burnett are working together again, this time on a full length album titled Junky Star (scheduled for a Sept. 7 release). Since their last project resulted in Oscar and Golden Globe wins for "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)," you can bet this one will get plenty of attention. Judging from the two tracks streaming on Bingham's website, it will probably deserve it. "Depression" shows that he's not afraid to comment on current events, while the dark narrative, "Hallelujah," tells the story of a murdered man and his afterlife experience. With Burnett's sure hand leading mostly-acoustic instrumentation, Bingham's distinctive rasp is allowed to develop without being drowned out or left hanging. I, for one, really hope this is the beginning of a long-lasting musical partnership. (Grammy predictions, anyone?) Also, don't forget Bingham is up for the Nationwide On Your Side award at Wednesday's (June 9) CMT Music Awards, along with Randy Houser, Justin Moore and Chris Young.

Photo credit: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

You may not be able to get into the swanky Hutton Hotel in Nashville after Wednesday night's (June 9) CMT Music Awards. But you can drink what the stars are drinking, thanks to executive chef Charles Phillips. He's going to be making two special drinks for the official after party, and the June 7 issue of People magazine has the recipes. There is the Amplifier, which has sweet tea vodka, Grand Marnier, lemon and sugar. Phillips told me that was "just a local twist on the Arnold Palmer, because of the sweet tea." Then there's the non-alcoholic Guava Mango Shooter, which is pretty self-explanatory and sounds crazy healthy if you're into antioxidants. "It's summery and refreshing and part of this vertical buffet we're doing with all kinds of shots and sliders," Phillips said. And when he says sliders, he's not talking White Castle. Think more of a fresh lobster salad with fennel and tarragon and roasted garlic aioli on an all-butter mini brioche with specialty lettuce from a local farmer. Phillips is hoping Darius Rucker shows up, because he's a fan of his music and of the way he re-created himself after his Hootie & the Blowfish heyday. "Whenever he's around, he's kind and polite. He still seems humble, even after all his success," he said.

If Blake Shelton loves this many shows on CMT alone, imagine how much television this man must watch. He admitted to having six favorite shows on CMT in his most recent Take 6 Tuesday (May 25) video blog on his website. But actually, there was a tie for the number six slot between Gator 911 and Nanny 911. He thinks they should combine the two into one show. And he really does love Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, but only the Kellie Pickler episode. And My Big Redneck Wedding, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and Can You Duet? But his No. 1 show on CMT is the upcoming CMT Music Awards. "Not only am I up for an award, but so is Laura Bell Bundy," he says of his Twitter-banter pal.

She's narrowed it down to three. But apparently Julianne Hough is just like every other woman out there who needs to gather tons of opinions about which outfit is the cutest one to wear to the CMT Music Awards. So just go through the flipbook, and pick your favorite. Will it be the sunny yellow embellished strapless micro-mini? The luminescent one-shoulder dress? Or the classic LBD, dolled up with sequins, ruffles and sky-high silver pumps? Then watch for her on the red carpet on June 9 before the awards are broadcast on CMT. Last year, she rocked a very fun and frilly pink dress with champagne heels, and the year before that there was the silvery blue Roberto Cavalli ruffled party dress that was a little too summery for Nashville's chilly air that night. But this year, the choice is all yours.

Photo credit: Jason Merritt