CMA Awards: Who'll win entertainer of the year? [Poll]

Last year, Brad Paisley finally won a top prize that had been long denied him at the Country Music Assn. Awards: entertainer of the year. Paisley had won best album ("Time Well Wasted," 2006) and best male vocalist three times (2007-2009), but the entertainer trophy had been elusive. Now, can he repeat?

Sometimes winners take the prize for consecutive years like Kenny Chesney (2006-08) and Alan Jackson (2002-2003), but Paisley faces stiff competition from Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Paisley may have an edge. He's now such a CMA darling that he's back as cohost of the kudofest with Carrie Underwood Nov. 9 (8 p.m. CBS).

But beware of Swift, who has a strong advantage of her own: She's the only woman in the category. That could help. Plus, she pulled off a shocking upset to win this category in 2009 and she's also a CMA darling, having won best female vocalist (2009) and best album ("Fearless," 2009).

-- Tom O'Neil

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CMA Awards: Will Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood reign? [Poll]

CMA Awards: Will Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood reign? [Poll]

In the Country Music Assn. Award race for best female vocalist of the year, winners tend to reign for a while, holding on to the crown for a few consecutive years, then suddenly get dethroned.

For example, there were winning streaks by Reba McEntire (1984-86), Kathy Mattea (1989-90), Mary Chapin Carpenter (1992-93), Trisha Yearwood (1997-98) and Martina McBride (2003-04). Recently, Carrie Underwood won three in a row (2006-08), then got usurped by Taylor Swift, who couldn't hold on to the category when Miranda Lambert toppled her last year. So now what?

Below are the contenders. You predict. Winners will be unveiled on Nov. 9 (CBS, 8 p.m. Pacific/Eastern).

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: Female vocalist of the year candidates Taylor Swift, left, and Carrie Underwood. Credits: Big Machine Records; Sony Music

Teen Choice Awards 2011 winners

 
When the "Twilight" film franchise comes to a close next summer, the movie's stars might want to consider opening up a surf shop. Because for what seemed like the umpteenth year in a row, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and the rest of the "Twilight" crew swept the Teen Choice Awards -- where instead of walking off with glittering trophies, winners take home waxed-up surfboards.

Lautner took home the prize for choice movie actor in a sci/fi fantasy flick -- "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," of course -- while Pattinson was named choice movie actor and vampire. Meanwhile, the film's lesser-known stars, Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, were awarded the choice scene stealers prize.

All of the winners for the award show -- which were held at Universal City's Gibson Amphitheater on Sunday night and hosted by "The Big Bang Theory's" Kaley Cuoco -- were selected by the public via online voting in the weeks leading up to the telecast.

Some of the evening's other big winners? Taylor Swift, whose gal pal Emma Stone was on hand to honor her for scoring six different prizes.

Meanwhile, Swift's other BFF, Selena Gomez, performed with her band the Scene as her boyfriend, Justin Bieber, mouthed the lyrics to her new single and danced from the audience. Gomez took home five surfboards for choice TV comedy actress, music single, best love song, musical group -- and, most important -- female hottie.

Appropriately, her beau was named choice male hottie. How adorable. (He also won three other prizes, including choice twit -- whatever that means.)

Oh, but the adults weren't left empty-handed. Plenty of stars over the ripe age of 30, like Cameron Diaz, Ed Helms, Ellen DeGeneres and Ashton Kutcher all walked away with surfboards of their own.

Upon accepting the award for movie actor in a romantic comedy, Kutcher -- who seemed to have walked in straight off the set of "Two and a Half Men" -- took the opportunity to lecture the young'uns.

"Don't charge anything on a credit card if you don't already have money in the bank to pay for it," he cautioned. Then he broke into a rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." Enough said.

Keep reading for a full list of winners.

Grammy mystery: Can Beyonce finally win album of the year for '4'?

Beyonce's fourth studio album as a solo artist, appropriately titled "4," was released this week to generally strong reviews. According to Spin, "As a singer's showcase, '4' will probably end up bested this year only by Adele's '21.'" And the Los Angeles Times calls it "a surprising, confident turn."

But will it bring her more Grammy glory? Yes, if history is any indication.

Beyonce holds one Grammy record, and she's within striking distance of another. In 2010, the singer won six awards, more than any other female artist in a single year. Those prizes brought Beyonce's overall haul to 16, which places her third among women, trailing only Aretha Franklin, who has 18, and country veteran Alison Krauss, whose 26 career wins makes her Grammy's third-most-awarded artist overall.

Beyonce will probably overtake Franklin before long, but can she catch up to Krauss? Next year, the two could potentially go head to head in the album of the year race for the first time; Krauss also has a new album in the running, "Paper Airplane," recorded with her frequent collaborators, Union Station. It's a race in which Krauss has a decided edge. The country star has won the award twice already, first in 2002 as a contributor to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and then in 2009 for "Raising Sand," her collaboration with Robert Plant.

Beyonce received her first nomination for album of the year in 2010 for "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," but she lost to another country powerhouse, Taylor Swift ("Restless"). Beyonce has also never won record of the year, despite four nominations: "Halo" (2010), "Irreplaceable" (2008), and "Crazy in Love" (2004) as a solo artist, and for "Say My Name" (2001) with Destiny's Child.

Hip-hop and R&B artists have historically struggled in those two top races, which in recent years have been won by adult-contemporary and rock acts. (This year, for instance, record of the year went to Lady Antebellum's country crossover hit "Need You Now," while the album of the year was "The Suburbs" by indie rockers Arcade Fire.) To date, only two hip-hop albums have ever won: "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" by OutKast (2004) and "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1999).

Beyonce has won just one award in the general field: song of the year in 2010 for the ubiquitous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Will she finally win record and album of the year for "4," or continue to be relegated to the R&B categories?

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-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: The cover of "4." Credit: Sony

 

Polls: Who'll win the CMT Awards for best female and male videos?

Last year, Miranda Lambert usurped those dueling country divas Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood at the CMT Music Awards to win best female video for "White Liar." Previously, Swift and Underwood had traded off winning the prize over four years, each claiming it twice. Now the question looms: Can Lambert prevail again? Or can Swift or Underwood reclaim the crown?

Now Lambert is nominated for "The House That Built Me," which already has swept the CMA and Academy of Country Music Awards. Swift competes with "Mine," Underwood with "Undo It." All three also square off in the race for best video of the year.

-- Tom O'Neil

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Poll: Carrie Underwood will crush Taylor Swift at CMT Music Awards

Poll: Can Taylor Swift topple Carrie Underwood at CMT Music Awards?

Poll: Carrie Underwood will crush Taylor Swift at CMT Music Awards

Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" video scored a whopping 62% of the vote in our poll asking Awards Tracker readers to predict who'll win best video of the year at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night. Taylor Swift's "Mine" pulled a mere 22% of the tally as of this afternoon.

That's surprising considering the dueling country divas seemed to be on equal ground of late. Over the past four years, they have each won the CMT Award for best video of the year twice.  Underwood prevailed last year for "Casanova Cowboy" and, before that, for "Before He Cheats" (2007). Swift won for "Love Story" (2009) and ("Our Song" 2008).

We thought that Miranda Lambert might be in a position to topple both Underwood and Taylor, considering the recent sweep of the CMA Awards and ACM Awards by "The House That Built Me," but she's pulling less than 8% of the vote in our poll, which we reproduce below. If you disagree strongly about the early results, pipe in!

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: Carrie Underwood, left, and Taylor Swift. Credit: CMT Awards

Poll: Can Taylor Swift topple Carrie Underwood at CMT Music Awards?

When the CMT Music Awards air Wednesday night, the dueling divas of country tunes square off again in the battle for best video of the year: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" versus Taylor Swift's "Mine."

Over the last four years, each has seized the crown twice. Underwood won last year for "Cowboy Casanova" and in 2007 for "Before He Cheats." Swift won in 2009 for "Love Story" and in 2008 for "Our Song." With Underwood currently wearing the video-of-the-year crown, it's up to Swift to take it away.

But it may be time for a new queen to rule, and, if so, it will likely be Miranda Lambert, whose "The House That Built Me" won the awards for best song of the year from the Country Music Assn. and the Academy of Country Music.

Lady Antebellum ("Hello World") just swept the Grammys, so maybe they have a shot at an upset, but that would be a huge feat. Other contenders: Jason Aldean, "My Kinda Party"; Kenny Chesney, "The Boys of Fall"; Rascal Flatts, "Why Wait"; Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue"; The Band Perry, "If I Die Young"; and Zac Brown Band, "Colder Weather."

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: Carrie Underwood, left, and Taylor Swift. Credit: CMT Awards

Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift score CMT Music Awards nominations

Acts such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are virtual certainties when it comes to the 2011 CMT Music Awards, which announced its nominations Wednesday morning.

But Justin Bieber?

The pop phenomenon scored his first-ever country nod for his collaboration with Rascal Flatts on a reworked version of his track "That Should Be Me" for his EP, “Never Say Never –- The Remixes.”

Nominated in the collaborative video of the year category, Biebs is up against the Jason Aldean (who leads with four nominations) and Kelly Clarkson duet "Don't You Wanna Stay”; Kid Rock’s Sheryl Crow-assisted "Collide"; Aaron Lewis’ "Country Boy," which features George Jones and Charlie Daniels;  and the Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Crow team-up, "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Swift trailed behind Aldean with three nods. Her video for "Mine" is vying for best web video of the year, a new category going to online performances of songs, female video of the year and video of the year.

Underwood is up for two trophies, with her video for "Undo It" up for female video of the year and video of the year.

Winners are determined by fan votes. The show takes place June 8 in Nashville, Tenn.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

Photo: Justin Bieber performs at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Poll: What do you think of Taylor Swift winning the top ACM Award?

Something seems odd about Taylor Swift winning the Academy of Country Music Award for entertainer of the year.

Obviously, voting members of the academy weren't too wild about Swift this year. They snubbed her in all other ACM Award categories. In the race for best album, they preferred Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" to Swift's "Speak Now" and they gave the prize for best female vocalist to Miranda Lambert over Swift.

But academy members no longer decide who'll win the trophy as entertainer of the year, as they did a few years ago. Now voting is open to anyone who wants to click a button at the ACM website poll. Maybe that award shouldn't be given status equal to the ones chosen by ACM members? Maybe ACM should do what film festivals do and create a special "audience award" or "people's choice" prize that distinguishes it from the jury's accolades?

Carrie Underwood won the entertainer's laurel in 2009 and 2010, but ACM didn't put her on the ballot this year. Is that fair? Would she have beaten Swift as she has in the past?

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Poll: Best performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards?

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: Taylor Swift. Credit: Academy of Country Music

Poll: Best performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards?

This post has been corrected. Please see note at the bottom for details.

"Wonderful!" Nicole Kidman gasped as TV cameras spied her in the audience after Zac Brown and James Taylor teamed up at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Kidman and hubby Keith Urban were on their feet along with everyone else in the MGM Grand auditorium cheering the joint performance of Brown's "Colder Weather" and Taylor's "Sweet Baby James."

That was one of several performances that earned standing ovations at the ACM Awards, but was it the best?  The audience rose up again to salute Ronnie Dunn making his solo debut. His performance of "Bleed Red" was so amazing that TV cameras caught Taylor Swift gasping "Wow!" in the audience as she leapt to her feet in awe.

Another standing ovation greeted Darius Rucker leading a choir of disabled singers from the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp in the new tune "Music From the Heart."

Other knockout performance combos included Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles teaming up with Rihanna to sing "California King Bed." Brad Paisley wowed the crowd crooning "Old Alabama" with the music group Alabama, and Carrie Underwood rocked the joint singing "Undo It" and "Walk This Way" with Steven Tyler.

For the record, 11:32 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to the James Taylor song "Sweet Baby James" as "Sweet Baby Jane."

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: Taylor Swift at the ACM Awards. Credit: Julie Jacobson / Associated Press

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