Female artists dominated this year’s ACM Awards in a way that would have been unimaginable just five years earlier, with nearly all of the major winners of the evening coming from a female solo artist or a band that prominently features a female vocalist. More significantly, this year’s ACM dissented from the CMA this fall in the marquee categories of Entertainer and Female Vocalist, which makes this fall’s CMA Awards that much more unpredictable.
Here’s my spin on the show’s highlights:
Carrie Underwood wins Entertainer of the Year
Perhaps we should have known not to underestimate the fan base of Ms. Underwood, who helped deliver the singing siren her second consecutive win for Entertainer of the Year. With Taylor Swift dominating the Grammys and CMAs, it was easy to forget that Underwood has continued to do quite well in her own right. Her string of hits at radio – eleven consecutive top two hits, nine of which reached #1 – is unprecedented. She’s also had ten gold singles, three of which have sold platinum or better. Her third album, Play On, has moved her cumulative album sales past eleven million.
She’s consistently proven herself as a live vocalist and entertainer as well, with her once-awkward stage presence now a distant memory. She remains the genre’s most constant and dedicated ambassador, shown again with her heartfelt acceptance speech for the quite silly Triple Crown Award. So while I’m surprised by her win, I can’t say that I’m disappointed or that there’s another person who deserved it more.
Miranda Lambert wins Female Vocalist, Album, and Video
I suppose it shouldn’t be too shocking, since Lambert’s won Album at this show before and the ACM was the first to award Patty Loveless in the Female Vocalist category, proving that the CMA doesn’t always get it right before the ACM does. “The House That Built Me” is shaping up to be a career record for her, making Lambert the presumptive favorite at this year’s CMA Awards. Much can happen between now and then, but it’s not difficult to imagine her repeating in these categories and adding Single and Song to boot.
Lady Antebellum wins Single, Song, and Vocal Group
Rascal Flatts had quite the run, but it’s clear that Lady Antebellum is now the group to beat. “Need You Now” is arguably more deserving of the hardware it won than its predecessor “I Run to You”, which earned Lady Antebellum a CMA and a Grammy. This group is a force to be reckoned with, and has the potential to dominate its Vocal category for a long time.
Brooks & Dunn win Vocal Duo
I should’ve seen this coming, as all of my colleagues at CU were able to. The ACM has always loved these guys, giving them two Entertainer wins and sticking with them when the CMA switched over to Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland. It helped that Sugarland was completely off the radar this year, clearing the way for a sympathy vote. But as I watched them perform “My Maria”, the cover song picked by fans over two excellent originals, it felt like 1996 all over again. They’re good at what they do, but it’s hard not to notice that their music never evolved much over the twenty years they spent in the spotlight.
Brad Paisley wins his fourth Male Vocalist trophy
It’s funny that the guy who waited forever to finally win this race has now become so dominant in it that nobody’s been able to take it from him. I can’t picture somebody else getting this in the fall. Can you?
Taylor Swift shut out
Our predictions for Swift varied, with all of us expecting her to win both Entertainer and Video, and some of us expecting similar victories in her other categories. But the shut-out makes sense. “You Belong With Me” lost to “Need You Now” in the big races, and to belle of the ball Miranda Lambert in Video and Female Vocalist. Her speed dialers just couldn’t keep up with Underwood’s in the night’s biggest category, resulting in the first Swift-free country awards show since the 2008 CMA Awards, I believe. It felt rather abrupt after her CMA and Grammy sweeps, but it also felt good not having to wince at her being named a standard-bearer after yet another mediocre performance.
Laura Bell Bundy, Kenny Chesney, and live music
Though at least Swift sang live, and she wasn’t the only one to sound less than great while doing so. Chesney lip-synched his heart out without moving a step on stage, while Bundy did an amazing song-and-dance number with a live mic that recalled the very best of Reba McEntire’s showstoppers from the nineties. The Broadway background helped her command the stage in the way that our B-listers simply couldn’t, and let’s be honest: the genre is mostly B-listers these days.
There’s certainly more to talk about. Thoughts?
Well written post, Sir. Though I still believe it was part of the industry votes that helped Underwood win the Entertainer of the Year Award. Swift at her age has more fans who are younger either in pop or country than Underwood these days and of course more fans means more votes. If Swift’s fans can’t keep up with Underwood fans when it comes to speed dialing or voting, then why did Swift managed to win all CMT awards she was nominated last time? It was a fan-voted award show. So I believe, part of the industry vote put Underwood above Swift. And great reviews on her on-going tour might have been a factor. We just don’t know how much percentage is allotted to both the industry votes and the fan votes. Even as a Carrie fan I highly doubt Underwood can win over Swift if it was purely fan-voted…
Yep that’s us, always ready to see carrie though great success!
wow. it just proves that carrie doesn’t need to tweet or appear in a video to vote for her. she just got her fans uniting for her. carrie doesn’t need the media, etc. All she need to do is sing all those songs and inspire others. to the haters, did you even vote,? are your votes enough? or carrie has just more fans.? you know carrie doesn’t need a popular Bf, an appearance in the movie, tv shows, or some kanye moment. it just her talent that truly matters here in this well deserved win.
I’m intrigued by the possibility that Carrie actually did not receive as many fan votes as Taylor, and the industry votes lifted her to victory. Considering how the rest of the night played out, it wouldn’t be surprising – but it would be telling.
I re-watched Laura Bell Bundy’s performance last night and liked it even more the second time. If she can bring her vocals up to par on her live performances, she could deliver some show-stoppers in the coming year.
Miranda’s win for album was not bad, but there were stronger albums in the category..Lady A’s or Brad’s for example
I’m intrigued by the possibility that Carrie actually did not receive as many fan votes as Taylor, and the industry votes lifted her to victory. Considering how the rest of the night played out, it wouldn’t be surprising – but it would be telling.
Me too… but I also believe that part of Carrie’s win may have to do with the fact that Most of her fans are huge country fans, and most of Taylor’s fans are more into pop music and pop country, so I don’t think a lot of them would spend time watching a country music awards show, therefore, Taylor did not recieve as many votes as she probably would have.
More to say on the ACMs, that I will write later… But: I am so happy for Miranda Lambert, I actually cheered for her when she won album and Female Vocalist (though I was rooting for Reba..). I think the 2010 ACMs have shown more prestige for the genre compared to the 2009 CMA awards, I hope this trend will carry on over to the 2010 CMA awards! And I am so happy for Underwood’s entertainer win as well, I think she has been more prominant than Taylor at radio over the past few months; so I would say that may have had something to do with her win as well.
I think it’s interesting how many of the headlines today are about how Carrie won Entertainer of the Year. Because it is fan voted, it just really seems so much less newsworthy to me. It’s like that EOTY award is now a CMT music award. And the fact that they gave her an award for winning prior awards annoys me. I can see when they create an award for someone who is unrecognized, but Carrie is not underrated.
In addition, the story of the evening wasn’t Underwood, but Lambert and Lady A. I don’t say that only because I am a huge fan of Miranda. But last night, the big story wasn’t that Carrie Underwood won entertainer of the year. In years past, Carrie has been the story of the show. The focus and momentum of past awards shows have been thanks to her successful rise to the top of the heap. This year, it seems that the media (and the ACMs with that Triple Crown award) insists on making her the story of the night, when I don’t think she was.
I agree that Carrie wasn’t the biggest story of the night, but I think that the combination of an unexpected win and becoming the first woman to repeat in the category is significant enough to warrant media attention.
I’m not surprised to see that there has been coverage of the Swift shut-out, either. She’s been so dominant lately that to go home empty-handed was startling, even though this was the first awards show that didn’t have her album release in its eligibility period.
As much as we can say Carrie wasn’t the biggest story of the night, the Entertainer of The Year itself is still the major award therefore I can understand why they want to make it to the headline.
As Kevin said most of us were expecting Taylor Swift to win and if not her Carrie is the next one to get major attention…
So happy Carrie won Entertainer!!!!! GO CARRIE!!!!!!!!!!!
Taylor did deserve Entertainer of the year and were it not fan voted she would have won it. Really, Underwood was also shut out herself but the fan voted award gave her one so she isn’t doing too hot. At least Taylor has won many awards for Fearless, Carrie hasn’t won a darn thing for Playon yet she’s Entertainer of the year? She does have tons of internet fans but they should leave the computer and purchase her album and concert tickets. Though Taylor lost what’s interesting to me is that she continues to outsell her and have larger concert venues. So I think the award should no longer be fan voted, if so, it loses some of it’s “honor”. People cheat when they can text tons of times and vote on line for weeks. Oh well, At least Miranda did win, instead of Carrie and Vocalist and album. Carrie has a vocalist losing streak of 3 now. If they make it fan voted, she will not lose ever again.
Carrie had a female vocalist winning streak of 9!!! 3 ACM’s, 3 CMA’s and 3 Grammys! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! And now she has an Entertainer winning streak of 2!!!! GO CARRIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[quote]I’m intrigued by the possibility that Carrie actually did not receive as many fan votes as Taylor, and the industry votes lifted her to victory. Considering how the rest of the night played out, it wouldn’t be surprising – but it would be telling.[quote]
Carrie DID receive the most votes, she clearly has more ONLINE fans then Taylor, this is a FAN voted award. This isn’t the first time she’s won a fan voting award. In January (of this year right before Taylor’s country sweep at the grammy awards) she won Country Artist again over Taylor and some other country hitters. So Carrie does EXTREMELY well at fan voted awards. Plus, You could text all night long and Carrie started out the night in a very very short dress dancing and shaking everything possible, so I’m sure that helped her as well, especially with the boys texting (men also). I don’t think she’ll win the CMA Entertainer, she might not even be nominated unless they expand the field to 8. Taylor is likely a lock for a nod there since she won the 2009 award so this is probably it for her like it was last year after she won AMC Entertainer of the year.
Oh well, congratulations Carrie Fans. She should send you guys flowers or something for the hard tireless work.
*streak of 2 at ACM Awards…(the streak of 9 was ACM, CMA and Grammys combined)
Carrie will definitely be nominated for CMA Entertainer! She just extended her tour all the way to Dec 1st.
I feel Keith Urban should have gotten Entertainer, but knew he would not because of the fan voting, but I am so glad it wasn’t Taylor. She’s won enough awards without much talent backing it up. Very happy for Miranda and her performance was spot on and even the other females did good except Taylor’s spectacle. Her and that hair slinging and her dancing..ugggh!
Carrie started out the night in a very very short dress dancing and shaking everything possible, so I’m sure that helped her as well, especially with the boys texting (men also).
Uh huh, and Taylor’s hair flipping didn’t do anything to the boys, you say?
I’m not sure if I’m gonna agree with Tara that the industry vote swayed her into the win. It could be possible, but Carrie fans really buckled down to work after the CMA debacle. And this think is only PARTIALLY fan-voted. It’s funny Taylor fans don’t have problems with her CMT and AMA wins, which were 100% fan voted. *rolleyes* Plus Carrie was fairly active in the last quarter of 2009, even if not on the touring circuit.
I’ve always tended to go that these awards shows are more “what have you done for me lately?” types. While Carrie may have had a quiet 2009 to her standards, she started off 2010 with a bang. February was the ACM voting period, correct? Voters don’t always tend to go with specific criteria – they just vote on who they think should win regardless of time frames.
I agree with what Kevin said last night that Carrie is the perfect standard-bearer of the genre because she actually thinks of country music as a cultural commodity and not just a radio format (wise words from Kevin) that any artist could hop into or out of whenever the artist feels like it. So she apparently can’t write “better” than Taylor, or sell arenas or flip her hair better. I’d rather have someone who respects the genre with the respect it deserves.
I think the ACMs took advantage of the CMA humiliation last year by rewarding the “right” people mostly, starting off with Miranda Lambert.
And with the Taylor shut-out last night, doesn’t it feel more like that the CMA Sweep and Grammy wins were really more of the product of Kanyegate than what she actually did? I’m not belittling her album sales or her tours, but Kanyegate took her to a different “level” of public consciousness, and it’s been human nature to go with the flow, so to speak. I have been wondering if she can keep her “hot” streak going when Kanyegate dies down. The ACMs were the first one to answer no. It’s not like she was not nominated for anything last night that it was impossible for her to win anything. so the ACMs could have rewarded her if they wanted to.
Another interesting thing that I forgot, and it brought me back to Tara’s comments:
Gloriana didn’t win the New Artist Category despite facing “easier” competition here at the ACMs than at the AMAs versus Lady Gaga. It was so obvious that Taylor’s fans pulled Gloriana too. Is it possible that Gloriana actually won the fan votes but Luke Bryan’s industry vote was stronger it propelled him to the win? If the same people voting for Gloriana were voting for Taylor then it could be really possible that Taylor indeed won the fan votes but Carrie had the industry edge just enough to make her win.
Or is it just that Taylor (and Gloriana) has actually more pop fans than country and they couldn’t be bothered to watch 3 hours of twangy music and no Justin Bieber?
I’m not sure if I’m gonna agree with Tara that the industry vote swayed her into the win.
I don’t know or think that it did. I’m just, like I said, intrigued by the possibility.
I don’t know or think that it did. I’m just, like I said, intrigued by the possibility.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I surely didn’t mean that you said that it did, just that it was possible.
I find it absolutely hilarious that some of you think Carrie’s wearing a short skirt at the beginning of the show resulted in extra votes from men. And as for the online and text voting cheating allegation, if you’d taken the time to read the Terms and Conditions, you’d know that you could only vote 1x per method (online computer and via text during the show). So Carrie fans couldn’t ‘flood’ the votes. It’s obvious that people are realizing that Carrie IS country music, while Taylor is … well, I’m not quite sure what she is. I can tell you what she’s not – she’s NOT ACM EOTY or FVOTY – and for that I am eternally grateful.
Carrie is wonderfull women..! I’m agree if she is the winner.
No worries, Jon. Just wanted to clarify.
I don’t see why people always have to say it loses creditability cause it is fan voted, but yet they forget that only 50% is fan voted and the other is from the Acadamey. So Carrie had to have votes from both it wasn’t her fans alone, her peers think highly of her. She has become an amazing ambassador for country music, she always shows her appreciation, respect and love for the genre.
The whole night was lacking in the performace area, till Miranda’s, her vocals were good even though it is a rather bland song, good content, but bland intrumentally.
Then came Carrie’s and she just set the bar so high that it would not be matched. You could hear a pin drop in that place while she performed, and in the moments of silence you would her the cheers and whistles in the crowd. She recieved a standing ovation with tears in many of her peers eyes….you have to have some sort of talent to do that!
And why is this whole convo about CU, what about how great Miranda did, she got the recognition she deserved finally. I loved the commeradery between her and Carrie (who was elated for her), and they went on to celebrate the night together.
I think the TS shoutout was well ………..
Since we’re back into this whole “this artist honors country better than this one” thing, let me trot out my standard point that they could all do better when it comes to releasing music that actually sounds like a logical evolution of country music. Just because certain artists don’t actively court pop radio doesn’t mean much of their music couldn’t fit in there today (or twenty-five years ago, in many cases).
But it’s not 25 yrs ago, it is today and times and COUNTRY MUSIC have changed, and people likes for country have changed, some are still partial to the George’s, Alan’s and so forth but the majority right now enjoy the mainstream, so if its not your thing maybe you should only comment on the stuff you do like and appreciate!
Also I looked up this Triple Crown award, cause this is the only site saying it is a made up award to give Carrie attention. Well apparently it’s not cause very few have won it and it is considered a prestigous award, to have achieved all three accomplisments. Also Carrie is only the second female to win next Mandrel who won it in 2004 when she finally got her FVOTY. So it’s a very real award.
Since we’re back into this whole “this artist honors country better than this one” thing, let me trot out my standard point that they could all do better when it comes to releasing music that actually sounds like a logical evolution of country music. Just because certain artists don’t actively court pop radio doesn’t mean much of their music couldn’t fit in there today (or twenty-five years ago, in many cases).
Point well taken, and I do understand what you’re saying. But as a country fan, it makes it easier (at least for me) to cheer for someone who holds the format in high regard, and not as just some “easy” way to get fame and pop notoriety.
I mean, I don’t see pop stars bending backwards to get their songs played on the country format and court a “new” audience for them. I don’t see Beyonce putting in steel and drobo on Single Ladies so she could get a #1 country song. It’s easy to cheer for someone who takes pride in country music as a separate and distinctive format yet no lesser than pop and R&B, regardless of crossover success past and present. And I’m not just talking about Carrie. I’m also talking about someone like Miranda who has been an equally great ambassador as well, but doesn’t bend over backwards for a few more album sales or more #1 singles.
Why is the Triple Crown Award silly? This is not a rant by the way, just curious.
I think it was extremely refreshing to see so many great women rewarded last night, and the sense of pride and support these nominees had for each other was great.
Country music has been largely dominated by male artists/groups this decade, and I think this could signify a refreshing domination from the ladies for awhile.
Miranda had a banner year with her excellent album and first number one single. I haven’t been follwing her for very long, but I have noticed she is a versitile performer, has a great voice, and is a cut above any current women of Nashville in the writing department. It was great to see her be recognized, and appear so shocked and humbled with everything she has earned.
I think Carrie deserved her win as Entertainer as well. Although she was in hiding for much of 2009, I think it’s worth noting that she still managed to sell out the few concerts she played, still managed to be invited to sing at the MJ tribute and Superbowl, win another Grammy, get roles in a movie and TV show, host a TV special that attracted 8 million viewers, and have the best opening week by a female in country music in 2009.
Her tour is getting rave reviews, with several sold-out shows, and has recently been extended through December. That alone shows she is still in high demand, despite the fact that she had a quiet year in the media.
Taylor recieved several Grammy’s, but her historic wins seemed to be overshadowed by the even bigger (if somewhat ironic) backlash it created. After she won the Grammy’s, she spent much of the year touring and not much else. She had sold-out shows, but no new album, and even her label forced her to lay low for awhile via the media.
Personally, I’m glad Carrie won for reasons other than the fact that she’s a superb vocalist. We also see her taking gradual steps as a writer and performer, and it’s paying off very well. She is streching herself just enough to force herself to grow.
Compare that to someone like Swift- a medicore vocalist, awakward performer and decent writer who really has nowhere to go but down, judging by her shut out and enormous backlash.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the industry voters decided to give more support to Carrie because they couldn’t handle another huge wave of backlash. They though rewarded anyone BUT her would “restore credibility.”
I don’t agree with the pop/country argument, either. Carrie has always had her roots in pop country, and she has never claimed to be anything less. Taylor continues to lean towards heavy pop influences, which isn’t surprising since her hero is Shania. Taylor wants to become more pop with remixes; Carrie wants to stay in middle ground territory, by refusing to do so. Carrie hasn’t been shy about sharing her love for older country and exposing its artists to her younger audience (Performing with Dolly and Randy,singing older clasics like “Stand By Your Man,” “Make The World Go Away,” “Louisiana Woman, Missippi Man” and so on). I see Carrie’s passion for and respect for older country music, while not compromising the artist she wants to be. I don’t see similar intentions in Taylor.
I find it funny that someone said Carrie won’t be nominated for CMA Entertainer of the Year. I would say in the time frame that the award is for Carrie has done more than any other artist in Country Music. Yes Taylor put on a Tour but that is it. She had massive backlash from the Grammy’s. Carrie on the other hand released a new album, toured, had a tv special watched by 8 million people, sang at the superbowl, grammy win, ACM EOTY win, two more #1’s most likely 3 by the time the CMA’s role around and will be fresh in peoples mind at the time voting begins. Taylor’s tour wraps up soon and then for the most part she will be off the radar while Carrie’s tour is still in full swing. And my bet is that Carrie will win Entertainer of the Year at the CMA’s.
I completely agree with you Kayla. I think Carrie has the best shot at winning the CMA EOTY. She will without a doubt be nominated.
I’m just gonna leave this comment here since this is the more active blog noq but I just want to say congrats to the Country Universe writers for putting out an awesome live blog last night! It was so much fun to follow. Great job guys!
Carrie Underwood did not deserve that Entertainer of the Year award. She’s phenomenal, a true country artist and has done wonders for the genre. But compare her #1 singles and a few shows to this of Swift:
(these are her wins, by the way, not even counting her nominations)
Billboard Music Awards
Artist of the Year
Billboard 200 Artists of the Year
Billboard 200 Album of the Year
“Love Story” – Hot Radio Songs of the Year
Hot Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year
Top Country Artist of the Year
“Fearless” – Top Country Album of the Year
Grammy’s
“Fearless” – Album of the Year & Best Country Album
“White Horse” – Best Female Country Vocal Performance & Best Country Song
AMA’s
Artist of the Year
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist
Favorite Country Female Artist
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist
“Fearless” – Favorite Country Album
CMA’s
Entertainer of the Year
Female Vocalist of the Year
International Artist Achievement Award
“Fearless” – Album of the Year
“Love Story” – Music Video of the Year
BMI Awards
“Teardrops on my Guitar” –BMI Pop Award Winning Song & BMI President’s Award
“Love Story” – Country Song of the Year
“Picture to Burn” & “Should’ve Said No” – Winning Songs
CMT Music Awards
“Love Story” – Female Video of the Year & Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Awards
“You Belong With Me” – Best Female Video
NSAI Award for Songwriter/Artists of the Year
People’s Choice
Favorite Female Artist
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Female Artist
Choice Female Album
Nashville Music Awards
Artist of the Year
Songwriter – Artist of the Year
“Fearless” – Country Album
As well as two Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards and a Canadian Country Music award.
She had a guest appearance on CSI, was a Saturday Night Live host/musical performer. As well as many appearances on late-night and daytime shows.
She graced the cover of Rolling Stone and Vogue as well as many other teen and female-based magazines.
Her “Fearless Tour” sold out every single of its original 50 dates in the United States, then sold out every single tour date on its second leg, including dates in Japan, Australia and United Kingdom.
And you tell me Taylor Swift was not the ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR? Look at all the things she did, she was definitely more entertaining than Carrie Underwood, who has had better and more eventfully years.
So Taylor Swift should win Entertainer of the Year at the ACMs because she’s won so many other awards in the past year, even though the album she won them for was honored at LAST year’s ACMs? That makes about as much sense as a Crystal Milestone Award!
I just want to clarify that I don’t think Carrie’s music necessarily shows her commitment to the genre more than any other artist’s. She just seems to wave the flag for it and honor its history more than anybody else. What Carrie is doing used to be the norm, but it died down over the past decade.
Ok for people complaining that Taylor didn’t win EOTY well you should have done a better job voting. Don’t complain about losing an award that is partially fan voted because you had your chance to help her win by voting and you failed. I get so irritated when people on other sites say Carrie didn’t deserve it. She was nominated by her peers then had to have gotten a good size chunk of industry vote and then had to have won the fan vote as well. You win some and you lose some that is the way it goes in the Music business. Carrie isn’t always going to win awards and neither will Taylor. Hey you can say maybe Taylor would have gotten more industry support if she hadn’t completely made herself look like a fool on the grammy’s and her head of the record label hadn’t start taking swings at other artists for her own failures. AND a big part of heading into award shows is momentum and Taylor doesn’t have a lot right after the grammy’s and Carrie had a massive amount. It will most likely be the same into the CMA’s because when the ballots head out Carrie tour will be in full Swing while taylor will just be getting ready to release a new album in the fall so you would say the momentum will be in Carrie’s favor.
So Taylor Swift should win Entertainer of the Year at the ACMs because she’s won so many other awards in the past year, even though the album she won them for was honored at LAST year’s ACMs? That makes about as much sense as a Crystal Milestone Award!
I just want to clarify that I don’t think Carrie’s music necessarily shows her commitment to the genre more than any other artist’s. She just seems to wave the flag for it and honor its history more than anybody else. What Carrie is doing used to be the norm, but it died down over the past decade
Couldn’t have said it better, Kevin. Anyone who isn’t happy TS didn’t win should’ve voted more for her. Simple as that. I have a feeling if TS had won, everybody would be saying it’s because she’s “so talented,” and only “the best” get awards. The industry had a part in the voting, and they obviously thought she was deserving. It’s sad that the “Taylor vs Carrie” war has to overshadow the fact that Carrie made history last night.
“She just seems to wave the flag for it and honor its history more than anybody else. What Carrie is doing used to be the norm, but it died down over the past decade.”
This is true, and she’s never been anything but classy about the way she does all that. So in that respect, I think she makes a great Entertainer of the Year, and I’m especially glad about what her win means for women in general. I’m just wary of this whole black-and-white “he/she is great, he/she is a scheming pop-music-demon” mentality that some country fans seem to get into from time to time.
Jon,
Glad you enjoyed the live blog. Thanks for being a part of it!
For what it’s worth, I think Miranda and Carrie are locks for CMA EOTY nominations this fall. I am not saying either will or should win. There is plenty of time to let that play out. I just think we are entering a new era where some of the frankly tired male acts out there can no longer assume they will get nominated for EOTY.
I find it really disheartening how little reverence Carrie Underwood is recieving for winning the EOTY award last night. To say that the night wasn’t ‘her’s’, but rather that of other artists is extremely rude and works to disempower her stellar achievement of being the ONLY woman to win the award twice. That, to my standards, is history-making, and I think we can all agree that when history is made at an awards show, that artist “owned” the night in some capacity or another. How easy it is to overlook such facts when an agenda is present!
I also find it odd how Taylor Swift has become such a topic of conversation when she wasn’t awarded a thing last night, therefore deeming her less notable than artists such as Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, etc. Quite frankly, the fact that she was shut-out is NOT worthy of being talked about at length. Artists fail to win awards all the time, no matter how much success they’re experienced throughout the duration of their career. While Swift may be country’s current “it” girl, the fact that she walked away empty-handed last night isn’t an unfamiliar position for her; there WAS a time before ‘Fearless’ dominated the charts when she won nothing, and actually the notion of her being recognized is relatively new, as well as seems to be on its way out (for this record, anyway).
On a lighter note, I was extremely pleased to see Lambert FINALLY awarded for her efforts. She is definitely coming into her own and a shining representation of the country genre!
I am not really sure Miranda will get a nomination for EOTY just because you would think the Five will be Carrie, Brad, Keith, George and either taylor or kenny.
And the Miranda Lambert band wagon passes me by, and I remain confused.
The girl is ok, not the best singer, not the worst. Her songs are decent…..but to be sweeping categories like she did? And to win female vocalist? She joined the ranks of Reba,Patty,Trisha, and so many others and I just cant picture her there.How many top 5 singles does she have?
I, personally, am by no means a radical supporter of Lambert. I do believe that many critics and listeners alike who often reflect on what country music ‘used’ to be are too quick to praise her, often because they need someone to thrust a complimentary title upon. Lambert may be the closest thing to traditional country in the mainstream currently, and they’re not going to miss an opportunity to label her such.
However, I do like her because of a certain uniqueness and edge she brings to the group of Nashville women who are currently popular, diversifying the bunch. She has become the popular alternative to artists such as Underwood and Swift, who cater in part to different demographics.
Cory, female vocalists don’t need any top five singles to be memorable. Look at Martina’s Independence day. It only peaked at no. 12 but somehow the song itself became her signature song despite the fact that she had other songs peak at the top of the charts. Great songs live on and the artists who sing them will be remembered. Do you think Taylor Swift’s no. 1 songs will be remembered with more respect as with Tammy’s no. 1 songs? I doubt it. Its the songs that matter, not the numbers. But that is just my opinion, of course..
I don’t think it matters how many top 5 singles she has…or at least it shouldn’t, anyway. I think while numbers have to be factored in, it should not be the main criteria for awards such as these.
I was away for the show, but I’m really pleased by the results, especially for Lambert’s victories.
I’m just wary of this whole black-and-white “he/she is great, he/she is a scheming pop-music-demon” mentality that some country fans seem to get into from time to time.
You and me both, and I would argue that it’s just as prevalent among music critics as it is among fans.
I agree too. Then again, I just can’t be black and white about most things.
Oh Carson, you got it bad! Taylor was way over awarded in my book. She doesn’t have all the talent to back all those awards up. I saw her concert (my first and probably last). It was entertaining in a childish kind of way. I use to take my daughters to see the Muppets and Disney on Ice and Taylor’s show reminded me of that kind of entertainment. At me age, she is definitely not someone I would want to see or hear over and over like the majority of country artist. But when I think of Taylor Swift, country artist doesn’t enter my head. I think a lot of Taylor’s young fans have moved on to that Justin Beiber(ewwww). And real country fans voted for Carrie. Just my thoughts.
Going off topic I would like to know if anyone would be willing to predict who the next Grand Ole Opry invitee might be? Could Miranda Lambert be that person in the near future? She makes for a solid candidate. Interested in other peoples thoughts on the matter.
“You and me both, and I would argue that it’s just as prevalent among music critics as it is among fans.”
Probably even more so, especially when it comes to music critics who don’t really follow the genre.
Regarding the Opry, it’s a bit of a tough call, since they really seem to gravitate toward people who choose to perform there often. I don’t know who does and doesn’t.
It shouldnt matter on hits, but look at how many artists are passed over for even being nominated because they lack the top 10 or 5 hits.
Miranda Lambert has an acoustic sound and everyone jumps calling her traditional. Its much more than that.
So based off what is it viewed that Lambert deserved it? Or was it just time to pass it off to someone new for a change?
To all the people saying that Carrie’s fan vote couldnt have been enough to beat Swift, we have a radio vote in Pittsburgh, you vote for your favorite 6 songs and then they count them down each night. NOONE beats Carrie when she has a single on the radio here, plus Carrie has her fan base voting, plus the ones who just consider her a damn good singer.
I quit complaining about her over-exposure and pop style, who knows how long it is till we have another singer like her.She really impressed me with her rendition of Temporary Home
I don’t know. I think she deserved it, but I’m sure people who aren’t into her think otherwise. So far, in my opinion, her album is one of the strongest mainstream releases of the year and I’m a big fan of her voice. She’s one of the few current mainstream artists that I truly like. I certainly would not call her traditional though.
I dont dislike her, i really liked her performance. I did do some research into her album sales, and I was suprised. She has had a silent increasing grace with sales. I didnt realize how well they had done.
Id have to buy one of the ablums before i could judge on Album of the Year. May be worth looking into.
While Carrie and Miranda had great nights, the person who continues to amaze me is Reba. She continues to remain relevant into her 50s, and the diversity of her career (Broadway, the sitcom, concerts, hit songs) is so impressive. I can’t see her fading anytime soon, and that’s a good thing.
I so agree, Diamond. She’s incredible.
Reba is incomparable..
Love Reba! Some sites, however, are giving her a hard time for the Kirstie Alley joke
I hate that she does Hollywood jokes at all. Would that joke have been funny if an overweight country artist had been the punchline? Her jokes were mostly dumb, but the Alley one was just plain mean, and is especially jarring given Reba’s usual tone.
I agree that it was rather mean. Jokes about someone’s physical appearance are never funny. One excuse I could think of is that she did not write that stuff? However, I think they rehearse this beforehand so she should have requested to delete that stuff. Minus that joke, I think she did a great job.
I saw an interview prior to the broadcast and Reba was pretty emphatic that she does none of the joke-writing; she said, “I’m just the messenger.” That said, she is responsible for what comes out of her mouth, so she should have vetoed that joke. I rather enjoyed the short parodies that Brad and Carrie performed at the CMAs, and usually I enjoy Reba’s monologues. especially when they are about country music/musicians. But the “fat joke” made me wince when I heard it, and seemed totally out of place.
Ms Lambert’s performance of “The House That Built Me” was one of the most emotionally charged and moving performances I’ve ever seen. I loved it, and I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.
Ms Underwood is a singer of HISTORIC proportions. I hope we get to see a lot more of her. I feel blessed to be able to witness her live performances by video technology.
I watched the entire show paying close attention to all vocalists and their ability to hit the right notes. Most vocalists were flawless. NO ONE was as bad as Ms Swift, her live performances are consistently awful and have been for years now. 2009 will go down in history as the most embarrassing ever for the Music Awards institutions.
I found so funny the way Taylor fans pretend Entertainer of they Year was only fan vote. We will never know how much it was fan vote and how much it was industry votes. And I believe industry votes gave Carrie a chance to win this award.
Everyone knows and even you Taylor fans should know Taylor has more fans than Carrie, and mainly more teens fans who can spend a whole day voting. But as some said I believe Taylor has more pop fans who doesn’t care that much about country awards while Carrie has more country fans.
If you Taylor fans are so angry she didn’t won Entertainer of the Year then vote hard for next year. What is done is done!
You can argue as much as you want to but Carrie is the Entertainer of the Year, twice in a row for ACM and nothing will change that.
(quote) “Taylor did deserve Entertainer of the year and were it not fan voted she would have won it. Really, Underwood was also shut out herself but the fan voted award gave her one so she isn’t doing too hot.”
It really hurts to you as a TS fan that not only she was shut out but even her fans couldn’t give her an award right?
(quote) “Plus, You could text all night long and Carrie started out the night in a very very short dress dancing and shaking everything possible, so I’m sure that helped her as well, especially with the boys texting (men also).”
I guess it’s time for TS to shake her head harder and maybe let her hair grown even more so she can hit the audience? If shaking is what it makes a vote I’m sure TS will find a way ’cause every performance her voice shakes.
And as for Carrie… She was glad for Miranda and said many times she would lose any award to Miranda. I relly think Carrie didn’t need any award. Her performance of Temporary Home was the award itself.
To say that Carrie Underwood “isn’t doing to hot” in my opinion is an overstatement. 2009, save the latter part of the year, was a slower year for her because her tour ended around spring and she was preparing a new album for release. After a record company has choosen to stop releasing singles and begin preperation for a new set, it isn’t uncommon for the period of be relatively quiet for the artist, no matter how popular they are.
And once again, the discussion has been turned into a Carrie Vs Taylor debate….sigh…..
Enough of my posts Carrie x Taylor.
I just want to add I was really happy for Miranda and Lady Antebellum.
I’m a big Carrie fan and I didn’t even bother to a second Miranda won Female Vocalist because she deserves. I’m happy she’s getting some recognition because she’s always giving some good performances during country awards shows. More Like Her and White Liar at CMAs were superb and The House That Built Me was amazing. I hope Miranda can get some awards at CMA and Grammy even if that means Carrie will lose some.
As for Lady Antebellum I like them and it’s great to see another group instead of Rascal Flatts. I wish we could have Dixie Chicks back. I heard they are about to release a new CD but without Natalie as the main singer I’m not that much excited.
Reba’s joke was pretty mean, as was her joke back at the CMAs i believe it was about the Dixie Chicks?
But, Kirstie Alley is using her weight for exposure, so i guess now everyone else is.
Congrats to the ladies of country and thank you America for getting it right! I was quite pleasad to see Taylor not winning a singing award after the VMA, CMT, and lest we forget the Grammy’s. Her performance during the ACM’s was a typical off key performance and thank goodness she had a choir backing her up-at least they were on key.
the fact that they gave her an award for winning prior awards annoys me. I can see when they create an award for someone who is unrecognized, but Carrie is not underrated.
“the fact that they gave her an award for winning prior awards annoys me. I can see when they create an award for someone who is unrecognized, but Carrie is not underrated.”
The Triple Crown Award was not created just for this show, they’ve been giving that award for a long time. Google that award and you’ll find the list of past recipients.
Saying the ACM commitee invented an award to give Underwood is laughable. Doesn’t anyone fact-check anymore? I understand that bias clouds commeon sense and judgement, but it’s REALLY that hard to type ‘Triple Crown Award’ into a search engine? Wow.
I don’t think anyone was questioning the existence or history of the Triple Crown Award, but rather, the concept and need for it. Personally, I think the award has value. The pool of people who’ve won all three awards is relatively small (and pretty impressive).
Tara, you could be right. I may have misinterpreted humane mouse trap’s post and if that if the case, I do retract my statement.