I’ll be live blogging the CMT Music Awards right here. Carrie Underwood, Casey James, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Casey James are set to perform. Carrie, Jordan Sparks, Kellie Pickler, Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon are set to present. It’s a veritable country Idols fest!
Check out the list of Nominees!
Lady Antebellum opens the show! Hot Chelle Rae joins them for a duet of “Tonight”. What you say? That band is as pop as could be? Guitarist Nash Overstreet’s dad is Nashville songwriter Paul Overstreet! And of course his brother is Glee star Chord Overstreet.
Toby Keith and Kristen Bell are cohosts. Kathie Lee and Hoda introduce a video bit. Toby and Kristen don’t want to share the spotlight. Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bon Jovi, Steve Kroft, OH. President Obama and Mitt Romney! Here’s there little cameo. Now the duo go negative. Willie Nelson shows up. Eh. That skit was contrived.
Finally, Kristen and Toby enter the arena in a giant red solo cup. I see: Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler! Keith calls Kristen “Hollywood”. She thinks country music is all about partying. Kristen picks out some stars in the audience like Pistol Annies and Darius Rucker.
- Ashley Greene and Jake Owen take the stage to present Collaborative Video of the Year to Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood for “Remind Me”. WHOO HOO. Carrie’s husband hugged Brad first! Brad thanks his wife and assures her that nothing is going on between him and Mike. “Not yet!” quips Carrie.
Ronnie Dunn introduces Luke Bryon who sings “Drunk On You”.
Lauren Alaina takes the stage to perform “Georgia Peaches.” It’s just a minute long, playing us out to commercial. She’s playing a sidestage, along with Casey James and Scotty McCreery.
Kristen Bell announces the Video Of The Year, because ya’ll can still vote for your favorite at CMT.com.
Zach Brown Band take the stage to perform “The Wind.” Yee Haw!
- Last year’s winners, The Band Perry present Breakthrough Video of the Year to Scotty McCreery for The Trouble with Girls”! WHOO HOO! Lauren Alaina was also nominated for this award. “Good night!” says Scotty. “Thank Y’all!” Then he thanks Jesus. And he thanks his high school friends for taking part. Sniff! I’m so proud. Heh.
Casey James sings us out to commercial with “Crying on a Suitcase”.
Sara Evans on the anniversary of D Day salutes our troops, before she introduces Pistol Annies! They sing “Takin’ Pills.”
Lauren Alaina introduces the twitter tracker. Luke Bryan apparently generated a ton of tweets when he performed. She’ll be back later with more updates!
Kristen Bell is back dressed in dramatic makeup and feathers. She introduces Denise Richards who introduces The Band Perry who sing “Postcard from Paris.”
- Dario Franchetti and Jordan Sparks take the stage present CMT Performance of the Year to Jason Aldean for Tattoos On This Town” from 2011 CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR. Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler were nominated for their CMT Crossroads special
Brad Paisley and Hank Williams Jr. take the stage across the street to sing William’s “I’m Gonna Get Drunk And Play Hank Williams.” Whoa honky tonk!
Next, Kellie Pickler, as adorable as ever, introduce Little Big Town who sing “Motorboating.” They are literally performing on a big motorobat set in the middle of the stage with PARTY LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING. And bikini-clad dancers in inner tubes.
Scotty McCreery sings “Water Tower Town” on the Nationwide Insurance stage. And you know what that means. It’s time for another commercial.
GOOD NEWS! WINDMILLS WILL BE TAKING OVER THIS BLOG. REJOICE NOW!
Thanks MJ!! That’s right. Windmills is here. Be very, very afraid. So, judging from the show so far, THIS. IS. AMERICAN. IDOL!
OK, maybe not but I’m pretty sure I just saw a white guy with guitar win a fan-voted award. Jason something or the other ;)
Kristen Bell is acting not totally sober as she delivers her own verse of Pistol Annies’s “Hell On Heels” as her audition for the group. Miranda Lambert doesn’t look quite as amused as her bandmates Angeleena Presley and Ashley Monroe but she’s pretty game by the end of the verse. Not bad, not bad. Kristen introduces Carrie Underwood and Tony Hawk to present the CMT buckle for Duo Video Of The Year. The winner? Thompson Square, who reminisce about how they were selling belts and buckles down the street not too long.
Dax Shepard jokes that it wasn’t his fiancee Kristen who got him a presenter gig at the show, but his mistress Tom Arnold. OK? He introduces Toby Keith, Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, Jamey Johnson, and Willie Nelson performing the very aptly titled “Roll Me Up & Smoke Me When I Die.” You know how reality show judges always talk about the importance of representing yourself as an artist through the songs you pick to sing? Yeah. Big standing ovation from the crowd.
Toby Keith has the munchies after performing with Willie Nelson. Imagine that! Kristen Bell introduces Hayden Panettiere, star of the upcoming ABC drama Nashville. She introduces Kenny Chesney who is singing his new single Thank Jeebus It’s Not Feel Like A Rock Star “Come Over”. Not sounding that great but it’s a new song for him. We get a quick shot of a woman panting in the audience watching Kenny. It kind of looks like she’s next to her date? Awkward.
- Jason Aldean’s up to present Group Video Of The Year to Lady Antebellum for “We Owned The Night.” They thank the fans, CMT, and the director of their winning video Shaun Silva.
The Farm takes us to commercial with their current t20 single “Home Sweet Home.” A little more successful jamming than on vocals, but probably because of an awkward mix. Sounds like they’ve got themselves a hit.
- NASCAR’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. presents the branded Nationwide On Your Side Best Live Act award to Brantley Gilbert on a commercial.
Kristen Bell sandwiches herself in between Jake Owen and Luke Bryan, a place she calls Hunksville, Tennessee, population: 2. Give her credit, she’s game for this gig. She introduces Toby Keith to sing his current t10 hit “Beers Ago.” Toby Keith singing a song about beer. This is completely new & unexpected! Catchy tune though.
Speaking of gamely doing her job, here’s Lauren Alaina again with a Twitter Tracker update, talking about all the activity Carrie’s inspired with her upcoming performance and also her tweet thanking fans for voting the “Remind Me” video to a Collaborative Video win.
Big & Rich notes a possible theme to the night with all the drinking songs. And right on cue, it’s time for Blake Shelton’s biggest fan Eric Church to sing his #1 hit (but not his current, soon to be #1 single) “Drink In My Hand.” Yes, he always wears shades. It’s his thing now. The crowd is singing along loudly. Wait, when did Eric shave?
- Steve Austin and Tom Arnold cash in on their redneck cred, plugging their CMT shows. They rip off their sleeves so that they look more redneck. More of a struggle than it should’ve been? They’re going to present Male Video Of The Year to Luke Bryan for “I Don’t Want The Night To End.” He literally bounces to the stage. He seems genuinely thrilled. And he thanks his wife for not shooting him after watching the video. He also thanks director Shaun Silva, his label, his management, and of course the fans. He throws camouflage boxers into the crowd, and there’s quite the battle for it.
Now buzzy new act Kip Moore is singing us off to commercial with his recent #1 hit “Something Bout A Truck”.
Carrie Underwood will perform next! Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon will introduce her!
Sure enough, Skylar and Colton intro Carrie as an example of an Idol who can be loved by millions. Skylar seems especially excited! Carrie struts out in big hair, a metallic minidress and super high stilettos singing the #1 country song “Good Girl”. She’s definitely more than a little conscious of those heels and the imperative not to trip, but the vocals are very on point. Somehow she makes it down a set of stairs so she can surf sideways on a conveyor belt to the stage to join her band! She’s more comfortable when she joins them. There’s a new little breakdown in the song where the lights go out (leaving only little audience lights) and Carrie sings that huge bridge almost a cappella (there are some drums that come in). Neat! Vocals sound great, and we end with confetti.
- Luke Bryan presents Female Video Of The Year to Miranda Lambert for “Over You”. Tonight’s theme is spreading out the awards love ya’ll – that’s what the CMTs do. Miranda thanks Blake Shelton’s late brother Richie, who inspired the song, and also thanks video director Trey Fanjoy, her pals in Pistol Annies, and the fans.
- Alan Jackson, who’s going to have next week’s #1 country album with the excellent Thirty Miles West, gets a warm welcome when he comes out to present Video Of The Year. And the buckle goes to…the woman he’ll be succeeding at the #1 on the country albums chart, Carrie Underwood for “Good Girl”! Carrie is all class in her acceptance speech, thanking all the fans who voted for any of the videos, saying the artists all know how much they need the fans and love them for everything they do. She also says she knows the greatness of the company she’s in. She thanks video director Theresa Wingert, XIX, Arista Nashville, and tearfully dedicates this award to her aunt. She tells her hubby Mike she loves him, and thanks the fans again with a special shout out to the fan club.
Now to close the show, Rascal Flatts sings “Banjo” with a hot blonde banjo player, then they’re joined by Journey for a spirited version of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” That’s actually a pretty great representation of the country genre today: it’s banjo, and it’s 80s pop/rock!
