MTV Video Music Awards once again turns to Russell Brand

The MTV Video Music Awards will head back to New York for its Sept. 13 telecast, once again tapping English comedian Russell Brand as host. Unknown at this point is whether or not he'll have the Jonas Brothers to push around again, but country superstar Taylor Swift and Brit rockers Muse are scheduled to appear. 

The MTV VMAs will air one week prior to the Emmys, which had to re-jigger its date so as to not conflict with MTV's mutli-hour pat-on-the-back (the latter, by the way, officially announced Neil Patrick Harris as host Monday). This year's VMAs will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York. Last year's telecast was staged on the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood. 

While Brand was far from truly controversial last year, MTV got plenty of mileage out of having him host the show. He poked fun at the Jonas Brothers for wearing purity rings,labeled President George W. Bush as a "retarded cowboy" and didn't shy away from mocking Bristol Palin. 

In her post-gala assessment, The Times' Ann Powers gave a more positive than not review of Brand. "Brand's focused transgressiveness was a relief amid this happily hedonistic, conformist bunch," Powers wrote. "Nobody seems to remember when rockers were supposed to rattle the jewelry of the folks who attend glittery galas. But then, MTV has long trafficked in turning rebelliousness into a commodity. Brand, saying uncontainable things, upset the apple cart."

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Getty Images

Brad Paisley’s won over a lot of fans during the 10 years since he put out his debut album, and one of the biggest also happens to be the biggest-selling act in pop music of the past year, Taylor Swift.

Paisley invited her to be his opening act for his 2007 tour, giving many of his fans their first chance to see the teenage phenom in person.

“I’ll never forget my first big tour,” Swift told The Times by e-mail this week. “I was 16 when I got the call that Brad Paisley was offering to take me out as one of his opening acts on his Bonfires and Amplifiers Tour.

“I immediately started screaming," she recalled. "I had no idea how much I would learn from him over the next 10 months."

Among the revelations: he’s no skinflint.

“One of the first things that really caught my attention about Brad’s character is that I found out that he had gone out and bought my album in order to decide whether or not to offer me the tour,” Swift wrote.

 “He could’ve gotten a free copy from anyone, or just made the decision based on my single doing well at radio. He’s very meticulous, and wanted to make sure he was investing in the right artist.”

Apparently he’s also a pretty easy-going boss too. When Swift came down with a cold, causing her to cut one performance short, Paisley didn’t bat an eye.

Carrie Underwood may have been the entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, but the baton was passed to Taylor Swift last night at Country Music Television Awards gala. The artist won video of the year for her "Love Story," and while the telecast is nothing but a mega-commercial for the video network, expect it to be the beginning of T-Swift's award show winnings over the course of the next year.

She won the top prize at the video ceremony last year, but now she's begining her victory lap for her sophmore effort "Fearless." Swift's Disney-esque "Love Story" clip also won female video of the year, and she closed the ceremony performing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" with Def Leppard. The appearance was to hype the DVD release of Swift and Leppard's "Crossroads" special, but it also felt like a nod to the arena-pop era of country that was ushered in by Leppard's producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain.

Other major winners included Brad Paisley, who took home best male video for "Waitin' on a Woman," and Rascal Flatts, which won group video of the year for "Every Day." Sugarland won duo of the year for "All I Want to Do," and the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" was named breakthrough video.

Spectacle reigned supreme tonight, with the B-52's joining Sugarland for a cover of "Love Shack," and Swift opening the show by donning Vulcan ears and playing "Star Trek." A few moments later, she joined T-Pain for a novelty rap titled "Thug Story" -- a certain iTunes hit if it gets released (it's embedded below, and we apologize for the ad in the clip). Playing the character of "T-Sweezy," Swift declares that she's never really been in a club, still lives with her parents, and charmed while delivering Weird Al-worthy lines. Rapped Swift, "What? What? I knit sweaters, yo!"

Indeed, the night was largely a showcase for the young star, who still seems to be on the rise despite already being the top-selling artist of 2008. Her 2008 album "Fearless" has already sold more than 3.3 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and with a sold-out tour, as well as the ability to not take herself too seriously, Swift further set herself up for a massive number of nominations come Grammy time at the end of this year.

Her "Fearless" was released too late to be considered for the Grammys that aired in February, but its momentum isn't slowing. Expect a sales bump going into next week, and expect her to score an album of the year nod. Can we she win? We're not putting it past her. As she rapped tonight, "You don't want to fight me / In my extra-small white T." Did you catch that, Kanye? 

First Miley Cyrus, then John Mayer and now T-Pain? Everyone seems to want to partner with country superstar princess Taylor Swift, and Swift seems happy to play along. 

When Swift teased via Twitter that she might be in the studio with T-Pain, which came a few months after Mayer teased he was in the studio with Swift, we were either being fed trinkets from what would surely be one of the oddest and warped mainstream duet albums in history, or simply watching a pair of young media masters do their work. The latter appears to be the case with the T-Pain announcement, as Swift will indeed be working with the Auto-Tone kingpin, but there may or may not be music involved, and if there is, it may or not be a novelty number for a sketch at the "Country Music Television Music Awards," which air Tuesday night.

The folks at CMT have shared a photo to generate some hype for the pairing. But this is well played, Mr. T-Pain, well played. While the CMT Music Awards aren't exactly the cream of the crop, they do kind of mark the unofficial start of the music award season. Yes, it's here. 

With the Grammys having shifted their eligibility period from the last day of September to the last day in August, now is the time to take part in a stunt to get your album back in the minds of Grammy voters, a notoriously unadventurous lot. Swift doesn't have anything to worry about, but T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz" drifted off the U.S. pop chart a few weeks ago, and the time is ripe for the artist to get back on the campaign trail. 

Additionally, let's not forget that there's precedent. Shoring up the country base worked well, come Grammy time, for Lil Wayne, who appeared with Kid Rock at the Country Music Assn. Awards in 2008.

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Country pop princess Taylor Swift came to Los Angeles this weekend, and brought with her a surprise guest in John Mayer. The clean-cut pop strummer joined Swift for a pair of tunes -- her own "White Horse" and his "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

The Times' August Brown was on the scene, and captured the pairing, noting that the country-meets-pop coupling didn't feel "particularly amiss," but quickly added that "Swift’s originals were much smarter" than the Mayer original.

He wasn't the only one who seemed less-than-wowed by the union. One commenter on our review raved about the show, but noted that it came with a slight downer. "The only criticism was John Mayer's intrusion," wrote a poster identified as Zim.

But Swift and Mayer may be a musical duo we'll be hearing more from.

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Taylor Swift's lessons learned from Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley’s won over a lot of fans during the 10 years since he put out his debut album, and one of the biggest also happens to be the biggest-selling act in pop music of the past year, Taylor Swift.

Paisley invited her to be his opening act for his 2007 tour, giving many of his fans their first chance to see the teenage phenom in person.

“I’ll never forget my first big tour,” Swift told The Times by e-mail this week. “I was 16 when I got the call that Brad Paisley was offering to take me out as one of his opening acts on his Bonfires and Amplifiers Tour.

“I immediately started screaming," she recalled. "I had no idea how much I would learn from him over the next 10 months."

Among the revelations: he’s no skinflint.

“One of the first things that really caught my attention about Brad’s character is that I found out that he had gone out and bought my album in order to decide whether or not to offer me the tour,” Swift wrote.

 “He could’ve gotten a free copy from anyone, or just made the decision based on my single doing well at radio. He’s very meticulous, and wanted to make sure he was investing in the right artist.”

Apparently he’s also a pretty easy-going boss too. When Swift came down with a cold, causing her to cut one performance short, Paisley didn’t bat an eye.

Carrie Underwood may have been the entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, but the baton was passed to Taylor Swift last night at Country Music Television Awards gala. The artist won video of the year for her "Love Story," and while the telecast is nothing but a mega-commercial for the video network, expect it to be the beginning of T-Swift's award show winnings over the course of the next year.

She won the top prize at the video ceremony last year, but now she's begining her victory lap for her sophmore effort "Fearless." Swift's Disney-esque "Love Story" clip also won female video of the year, and she closed the ceremony performing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" with Def Leppard. The appearance was to hype the DVD release of Swift and Leppard's "Crossroads" special, but it also felt like a nod to the arena-pop era of country that was ushered in by Leppard's producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain.

Other major winners included Brad Paisley, who took home best male video for "Waitin' on a Woman," and Rascal Flatts, which won group video of the year for "Every Day." Sugarland won duo of the year for "All I Want to Do," and the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" was named breakthrough video.

Spectacle reigned supreme tonight, with the B-52's joining Sugarland for a cover of "Love Shack," and Swift opening the show by donning Vulcan ears and playing "Star Trek." A few moments later, she joined T-Pain for a novelty rap titled "Thug Story" -- a certain iTunes hit if it gets released (it's embedded below, and we apologize for the ad in the clip). Playing the character of "T-Sweezy," Swift declares that she's never really been in a club, still lives with her parents, and charmed while delivering Weird Al-worthy lines. Rapped Swift, "What? What? I knit sweaters, yo!"

Indeed, the night was largely a showcase for the young star, who still seems to be on the rise despite already being the top-selling artist of 2008. Her 2008 album "Fearless" has already sold more than 3.3 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and with a sold-out tour, as well as the ability to not take herself too seriously, Swift further set herself up for a massive number of nominations come Grammy time at the end of this year.

Her "Fearless" was released too late to be considered for the Grammys that aired in February, but its momentum isn't slowing. Expect a sales bump going into next week, and expect her to score an album of the year nod. Can we she win? We're not putting it past her. As she rapped tonight, "You don't want to fight me / In my extra-small white T." Did you catch that, Kanye? 

First Miley Cyrus, then John Mayer and now T-Pain? Everyone seems to want to partner with country superstar princess Taylor Swift, and Swift seems happy to play along. 

When Swift teased via Twitter that she might be in the studio with T-Pain, which came a few months after Mayer teased he was in the studio with Swift, we were either being fed trinkets from what would surely be one of the oddest and warped mainstream duet albums in history, or simply watching a pair of young media masters do their work. The latter appears to be the case with the T-Pain announcement, as Swift will indeed be working with the Auto-Tone kingpin, but there may or may not be music involved, and if there is, it may or not be a novelty number for a sketch at the "Country Music Television Music Awards," which air Tuesday night.

The folks at CMT have shared a photo to generate some hype for the pairing. But this is well played, Mr. T-Pain, well played. While the CMT Music Awards aren't exactly the cream of the crop, they do kind of mark the unofficial start of the music award season. Yes, it's here. 

With the Grammys having shifted their eligibility period from the last day of September to the last day in August, now is the time to take part in a stunt to get your album back in the minds of Grammy voters, a notoriously unadventurous lot. Swift doesn't have anything to worry about, but T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz" drifted off the U.S. pop chart a few weeks ago, and the time is ripe for the artist to get back on the campaign trail. 

Additionally, let's not forget that there's precedent. Shoring up the country base worked well, come Grammy time, for Lil Wayne, who appeared with Kid Rock at the Country Music Assn. Awards in 2008.

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Country pop princess Taylor Swift came to Los Angeles this weekend, and brought with her a surprise guest in John Mayer. The clean-cut pop strummer joined Swift for a pair of tunes -- her own "White Horse" and his "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

The Times' August Brown was on the scene, and captured the pairing, noting that the country-meets-pop coupling didn't feel "particularly amiss," but quickly added that "Swift’s originals were much smarter" than the Mayer original.

He wasn't the only one who seemed less-than-wowed by the union. One commenter on our review raved about the show, but noted that it came with a slight downer. "The only criticism was John Mayer's intrusion," wrote a poster identified as Zim.

But Swift and Mayer may be a musical duo we'll be hearing more from.

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

'Thug Story' and beyond: The Taylor Swift award show reign begins

Carrie Underwood may have been the entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, but the baton was passed to Taylor Swift last night at Country Music Television Awards gala. The artist won video of the year for her "Love Story," and while the telecast is nothing but a mega-commercial for the video network, expect it to be the beginning of T-Swift's award show winnings over the course of the next year.

She won the top prize at the video ceremony last year, but now she's begining her victory lap for her sophmore effort "Fearless." Swift's Disney-esque "Love Story" clip also won female video of the year, and she closed the ceremony performing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" with Def Leppard. The appearance was to hype the DVD release of Swift and Leppard's "Crossroads" special, but it also felt like a nod to the arena-pop era of country that was ushered in by Leppard's producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain.

Other major winners included Brad Paisley, who took home best male video for "Waitin' on a Woman," and Rascal Flatts, which won group video of the year for "Every Day." Sugarland won duo of the year for "All I Want to Do," and the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" was named breakthrough video.

Spectacle reigned supreme tonight, with the B-52's joining Sugarland for a cover of "Love Shack," and Swift opening the show by donning Vulcan ears and playing "Star Trek." A few moments later, she joined T-Pain for a novelty rap titled "Thug Story" -- a certain iTunes hit if it gets released (it's embedded below, and we apologize for the ad in the clip). Playing the character of "T-Sweezy," Swift declares that she's never really been in a club, still lives with her parents, and charmed while delivering Weird Al-worthy lines. Rapped Swift, "What? What? I knit sweaters, yo!"

Indeed, the night was largely a showcase for the young star, who still seems to be on the rise despite already being the top-selling artist of 2008. Her 2008 album "Fearless" has already sold more than 3.3 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and with a sold-out tour, as well as the ability to not take herself too seriously, Swift further set herself up for a massive number of nominations come Grammy time at the end of this year.

Her "Fearless" was released too late to be considered for the Grammys that aired in February, but its momentum isn't slowing. Expect a sales bump going into next week, and expect her to score an album of the year nod. Can we she win? We're not putting it past her. As she rapped tonight, "You don't want to fight me / In my extra-small white T." Did you catch that, Kanye? 

First Miley Cyrus, then John Mayer and now T-Pain? Everyone seems to want to partner with country superstar princess Taylor Swift, and Swift seems happy to play along. 

When Swift teased via Twitter that she might be in the studio with T-Pain, which came a few months after Mayer teased he was in the studio with Swift, we were either being fed trinkets from what would surely be one of the oddest and warped mainstream duet albums in history, or simply watching a pair of young media masters do their work. The latter appears to be the case with the T-Pain announcement, as Swift will indeed be working with the Auto-Tone kingpin, but there may or may not be music involved, and if there is, it may or not be a novelty number for a sketch at the "Country Music Television Music Awards," which air Tuesday night.

The folks at CMT have shared a photo to generate some hype for the pairing. But this is well played, Mr. T-Pain, well played. While the CMT Music Awards aren't exactly the cream of the crop, they do kind of mark the unofficial start of the music award season. Yes, it's here. 

With the Grammys having shifted their eligibility period from the last day of September to the last day in August, now is the time to take part in a stunt to get your album back in the minds of Grammy voters, a notoriously unadventurous lot. Swift doesn't have anything to worry about, but T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz" drifted off the U.S. pop chart a few weeks ago, and the time is ripe for the artist to get back on the campaign trail. 

Additionally, let's not forget that there's precedent. Shoring up the country base worked well, come Grammy time, for Lil Wayne, who appeared with Kid Rock at the Country Music Assn. Awards in 2008.

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Country pop princess Taylor Swift came to Los Angeles this weekend, and brought with her a surprise guest in John Mayer. The clean-cut pop strummer joined Swift for a pair of tunes -- her own "White Horse" and his "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

The Times' August Brown was on the scene, and captured the pairing, noting that the country-meets-pop coupling didn't feel "particularly amiss," but quickly added that "Swift’s originals were much smarter" than the Mayer original.

He wasn't the only one who seemed less-than-wowed by the union. One commenter on our review raved about the show, but noted that it came with a slight downer. "The only criticism was John Mayer's intrusion," wrote a poster identified as Zim.

But Swift and Mayer may be a musical duo we'll be hearing more from.

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

First Miley, and now T-Pain: Taylor Swift to slowly take over all of pop music?

First Miley Cyrus, then John Mayer and now T-Pain? Everyone seems to want to partner with country superstar princess Taylor Swift, and Swift seems happy to play along. 

When Swift teased via Twitter that she might be in the studio with T-Pain, which came a few months after Mayer teased he was in the studio with Swift, we were either being fed trinkets from what would surely be one of the oddest and warped mainstream duet albums in history, or simply watching a pair of young media masters do their work. The latter appears to be the case with the T-Pain announcement, as Swift will indeed be working with the Auto-Tone kingpin, but there may or may not be music involved, and if there is, it may or not be a novelty number for a sketch at the "Country Music Television Music Awards," which air Tuesday night.

The folks at CMT have shared a photo to generate some hype for the pairing. But this is well played, Mr. T-Pain, well played. While the CMT Music Awards aren't exactly the cream of the crop, they do kind of mark the unofficial start of the music award season. Yes, it's here. 

With the Grammys having shifted their eligibility period from the last day of September to the last day in August, now is the time to take part in a stunt to get your album back in the minds of Grammy voters, a notoriously unadventurous lot. Swift doesn't have anything to worry about, but T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz" drifted off the U.S. pop chart a few weeks ago, and the time is ripe for the artist to get back on the campaign trail. 

Additionally, let's not forget that there's precedent. Shoring up the country base worked well, come Grammy time, for Lil Wayne, who appeared with Kid Rock at the Country Music Assn. Awards in 2008.

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Country pop princess Taylor Swift came to Los Angeles this weekend, and brought with her a surprise guest in John Mayer. The clean-cut pop strummer joined Swift for a pair of tunes -- her own "White Horse" and his "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

The Times' August Brown was on the scene, and captured the pairing, noting that the country-meets-pop coupling didn't feel "particularly amiss," but quickly added that "Swift’s originals were much smarter" than the Mayer original.

He wasn't the only one who seemed less-than-wowed by the union. One commenter on our review raved about the show, but noted that it came with a slight downer. "The only criticism was John Mayer's intrusion," wrote a poster identified as Zim.

But Swift and Mayer may be a musical duo we'll be hearing more from.

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Taylor Swift and John Mayer: Yay or nay?

Country pop princess Taylor Swift came to Los Angeles this weekend, and brought with her a surprise guest in John Mayer. The clean-cut pop strummer joined Swift for a pair of tunes -- her own "White Horse" and his "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

The Times' August Brown was on the scene, and captured the pairing, noting that the country-meets-pop coupling didn't feel "particularly amiss," but quickly added that "Swift’s originals were much smarter" than the Mayer original.

He wasn't the only one who seemed less-than-wowed by the union. One commenter on our review raved about the show, but noted that it came with a slight downer. "The only criticism was John Mayer's intrusion," wrote a poster identified as Zim.

But Swift and Mayer may be a musical duo we'll be hearing more from.

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Live: Taylor Swift at the Staples Center

About a third of the way through the young country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s Friday night set, she transformed the stage at a sold-out Staples Center into a high school library. While projections of bookshelves lighted up the two-tiered set, Swift sat at a table with a scruffy, square-jawed dreamboat and, in an endearing monologue, lamented his dudely inability to see the obvious.

“Every day, like clockwork, he would sit down and talk to me … about his girlfriend,” Swift said, to peals of commiseration from the heavily teenaged and female crowd. “But I wrote a song about him.”

The song was “Teardrops on My Guitar,” from her self-titled 2006 debut, and whoever this “Drew” was in the lyrics who didn’t return Swift’s affections then, it’s a safe bet he’s kicking himself now.

That kind of real and immediate identification with her audience’s specific travails is a big reason why Swift was the top selling artist of 2008, on the strength of her debut and its 2008 follow-up “Fearless.” Plenty of contemporary country singers mine high school memories for material, but the 19-year-old Swift is documenting them in something close to real time.

Her fans don’t just believe in her savvy songwriting and gracious, magnetic stage presence. They trust her as a peer. And if the unerring pleasures of her set -- and the crowd’s Beatles-sized reactions -- were any indication, they’ll be trusting her for a long time.

Unbelievably, the Staples show was part of her first headlining tour. She’s been pulling the rug out from under headliners like Rascal Flatts as an opening act for some time now, and sales like Swift’s affords a young singer an enviable production budget. There may never be another singer who can re-create an entire Edwardian castle scene (from her video for “Love Story”) for just one song on her debut top-billed tour.

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Chrisette Michele sets personal high, industry low

Perhaps everyone was saving their extra cash for new albums from Eminem and Green Day.  In a slow release week, R&B singer Chrisette Michele tops the U.S. pop chart, selling only 83,000 copies of her “Epiphany,” according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That’s the lowest-ever debut on the U.S. pop charts since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, according to Billboard’s Chart Alert. It’s also only the third newcomer to land atop the chart with less than 100,000 copies sold.

Def Jam's “Epiphany” joins the ranks of Johnny Cash’s “American V: A Hundred Highways,” which entered in 2006 with 88,000 copies sold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s “#1’s,” which bowed atop the chart in 2005 with 99,000 copies sold. Michele’s “Epiphany” isn’t the lowest No. 1 total, however. The soundtrack to“Dreamgirls” topped the chart in January 2007 with only 60,000 copies sold.

Yet even in the down market, Michele’s chart-topper is still a large achievement for the neo-soul artist. Her debut, “I Am,” never sold more than 27,000 copies in one week, and went on to scan a total of 431,000 copies. Sales of “Epiphany” were no doubt helped by the low-low-low price of $2.99 on Amazon.com, and 14,000 sales were from the digital sector.

Michele has a narrow lead at the top, as the Disney soundtrack to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is close behind at No. 2, having sold 82,000 copies. That pushes the soundtrack to a total of 826,000 copies, showing there’s plenty of life left in the Disney vehicle. “Hannah Montana” is on the verge of passing one of 2009’s earlier blockbusters, as U2’s “No Line on the Horizon” stands this week at 882,000 copies sold. 

New at No. 3 is the more pop-leaning R&B singer Ciara, who’s LaFace/Zomba release “Fantasy Ride” sold 81,000 copies in its first week. As Michele experiences a career high, Ciara falls victim to a career low. In 2006, her “Ciara: The Evolution” sold 338,000 copies when it debuted at No. 1. Her “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake is at No. 37 on the U.S. single’s chart, and seems to be treading down. But perhaps her upcoming tour with Jay-Z will put bring her numbers back up.

Other notes from this week’s chart:

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Stagecoach 2009: Brad Paisley's class in Geek History

Brad Paisley’s wrong — he’s not cooler online.

In fact, the coolest thing about the singer, songwriter and guitarist is that he’s become one of country music’s biggest stars by fully embracing his inner nerd.

It wasn’t even all that inner during his headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday night, the final stop — a belated hiccup, almost — on his Paisley Party Tour that formally ended in March.

His estimable string of hit singles encompasses a good percentage that reflect youthful awkwardness and the way that plays out for so many people in adulthood:  “I’m Just a Guy,” “Online” and “Letter to Me.” He writes and delivers them with such unforced wit and Everyman honesty, it’s understandable that he’s connected with a broad swath of country fans.

As it was stated so eloquently in the 1984 cinematic classic “Revenge of the Nerds,” when the head nerd went nose-to-nose with the top jock: “There are a lot more of us than there are of you.”

But what is still a bit surprising, in a good way, is that Paisley’s crafted hit after hit without sinking to lowest-common-denominator level of so much of what’s on country radio today. His lyrics are fresh, rife with brilliant twists (“I’m Gonna Miss Her [The Fishing Song]”), the occasional bawdy double-entendre (“Ticks”) and even profundity (“Whiskey Lullaby”). On top of that, he's one of the most dazzling guitarists ever to come down the pike, a worthy heir to the tradition of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

Country stars salute George Strait as ACM's 'Artist of the Decade'

George Strait sat by and watched a new generation of country musicians take top honors Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, but Monday night was all his as most of those performers tipped their hats to the veteran Texas troubadour, singled out as the ACM’s "Artist of the Decade."

Strait, his wife, Norma, and son George Jr. watched from a booth set up at the side of the stage for nearly three hours as a parade of stars including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and even Jamie Foxx expressed their admiration for Strait’s nearly three decades of country hits. The event was taped and will be edited down to two hours for airing May 27 as a CBS-TV special.

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.

ACM Awards: A big night for Carrie Underwood and Julianne Hough

Underwood takes entertainer of the year; Hough wins best new artist.

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.

"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."

The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.

But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.

It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.