The Country Music Association Awards are being held tonight and Speakeasy is live-blogging the event. Tonight’s hosts are CMA vets (and nominees) Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, and other stars up for awards include Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean, Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, Kenny Chesney and married superstar singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Who will take home the top prizes and who will be named Entertainer of the Year
It's country music time! Not long after Taylor Swift scored another number one album and another million-seller, the CMA Awards 2012 have come back to TV. Who do you think will be the big winner?
5:33 am
And we're off with Jason Aldean, dedicating "The Only Way I Know" to New York and New Jersey. It won't be the last Sandy tribute of the night. He's joined by Luke Bryan and Eric Church.
5:35 am
Seems like Hurricane/Twister-types disasters are more associated with places that are associated with loving country music. Things are flipped tonight with New York--a place where it's hard to hear country on the radio--getting shout outs from country music land.
5:36 am
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley start off with a funny song parodying "Moves Like Jagger" with "Moves Like Haggard." They then move into making fun of Taylor Swift's reported romance with Conor Kennedy.
5:38 am
And now, as proof of the global, genre-rocking influence of "Gangnam Style," Underwood and Paisley go into the "Gangnam Style" dance.
5:39 am
Swift is sitting in the audience. Maybe I missed it, but it's interesting that they didn't show her face when they were talking about her ex.
5:40 am
"It appears there have been some doping charges," Underwood jokes about stripping Willie Nelson of past awards.
5:41 am
"Country music has alwasy lifted people up in tough times," Underwood says about the storms that have hit the east coast.
5:45 am
Single of the Year goes to Little Big Town for "Pontoon." It's their first win in the category, so it's nice to see new blood. The band still seems stunned by Paisley's graphic description of "motor boating." We won't get into it, but let's just say there's a reason why they followed it up with a mention of Dolly Parton.
5:47 am
Here's a very pregnant Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland at the CMAs. One of the coolest country interviews I've ever done.
5:50 am
Paisley and Underwood put on gloves and joke to the very pregnant Jennifer Nettles that they're going to induce. And Paisley gets in another motor boating joke. When will #motorboating start to trend?
5:51 am
Tim McGraw sings "One of Those Nights."
5:52 am
What do you think of the show so far? How are Brad and Carrie doing this year? Did motor boating go too far? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
5:54 am
Vocal Duo of the Year goes to Thompson Square. Too bad for Sugarland and The Civil Wars, who are both quite good and deserving.
5:55 am
Mirand Lambert sings "Festest Girl in Town."
6:02 am
Taylor Swift at the CMAs. You can see some of an interview I did with her recently here.
6:04 am
Zac Brown Band sings "Goodbye in Her Eyes."
6:06 am
Here's an interview I did awhile back with Underwood. She's just as fun and feisty as you might expect.
6:07 am
"What's more country than South Korea?" Paisley asks, as he jokes about singing "Gangnam Style."
6:09 am
Dierks Bentley sings "Tip It On Back." I hope you're watching this in a bar.
6:16 am
The Band Perry sing "Better Dig Two."
6:19 am
Underwood asks the audience to give to the Red Cross, and says she was inspired by a man from Jersey. She then introduces Eric Church who sings "Springsteen."
6:20 am
Hayden Panettiere, co-star of the excellent "Nashville," makes the scene at the CMAs.
6:23 am
Church throws in some lines from "Born to Run."
The song "Springsteen" always reminds me of Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw." Always a nice idea to name a good song after a great performer.
6:24 am
Eli Young Band plays "Even If It Breaks Your Heart."
6:27 am
Song of the Year goes to Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton for "Over You."
Blake talks about losing his brother to a car crash when he was 14 years old, and losing his dad in January. He says that his dad inspired him to write the song about his brother; Lambert cries as he talks.
6:31 am
Blake Shelton at the CMAs. He's great on "The Voice." His last album "Red River Blue" is one of his best.
6:34 am
Paisley offers a short acoustic guitar tribute to Andy Griffith, who died in June.
6:34 am
Taylor Swift comes out to sing "Begin Again."
6:38 am
Darius Rucker at the CMAs.
6:39 am
Little Big Town sing "Pontoon."
6:40 am
And of course Little Big Town sing that infamous line "MMM Motorboatin'."
6:45 am
Now for some of your comments...
6:46 am
@CS Wrote "That Pontoon song is really bad. All the others I love but that stupid boat song comes on i change the station."
6:47 am
@Agreed wrote "Civil Wars or Sugarland should’ve easily beaten Thompson Square. I’ve never even heard of them!" I agree that the Civil Wars or Sugarland would have been worthy winners.
6:48 am
Luke Bryan sings "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye."
6:50 am
@Real Country said "Thank god Willie Nelson is there, otherwise I would not know this was country music." I thought the Band Perry evoked some traditional country sounds. Am I wrong people?
6:51 am
@Sue wrote "Taylor Swift cannot sing!! she is awful!!" Come on, she's quite good! Have you heard all of "Red"?
6:54 am
The winner for Album of the Year is Eric Church for "Chief." It's his first win in the category. "I've been at this a long time," he says. He adds that he's spent a lot of his career wondering where he fits in--"Too country, too rock"--but now he has somewhere to hang his hat.
6:55 am
Hunter Hayes sings "Wanted."
6:56 am
What do you think of the show so far?
6:57 am
Taylor Swift closed out the MTV Video Music Awards. Interesting that her performance was so subdued at the CMAs and tucked into the middle of the show. Thoughts?
7:00 am
An ad for "Nashville." Surprised there haven't been more.
7:03 am
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood pay tribute to Connie Smith and her song "Once A Day." Smith is in the audience.
7:04 am
Faith Hill sings "American Heart."
7:08 am
Brantley Gilbert sings "Country Must Be Country Wide."
7:09 am
This show feels long. Shouldn't it end at 10pm and not 11pm?
7:15 am
Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band sing "Georgia Woods."
7:18 am
New Artist of the Year goes to Hunter Hayes.
7:22 am
Brad Paisley sings a brief post-Sandy tribute to New York and New Jersey, throws in a bit of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind," then goes into "Southern Comfort Zone."
7:23 am
And a chorus files in through the audience to give the song a big ending...
7:25 am
What do you think of the show so far? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
7:33 am
Carrie Underwood sings "Blown Away." An interesting choice after Sandy.
7:34 am
More than a few of Underwood's songs are infused with rage. That may be one of the best things about her music.
7:37 am
The Vocal Group of the Year is Little Big Town. Were they really better than The Band Perry and/or Zac Brown Band? Readers what do you think?
7:39 am
Little Big Town thanks Jesus repeatedly including "Capitol Records and Jesus." They keep talking even as the camera has moved on. "I'm sure it ends with Jesus," says Paisley.
7:40 am
Jason Aldean sings "Take a Little Ride."
7:49 am
Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill sing "Don't Rush." Nothing against the song, really, but this doesn't sound all that country to me even though Gill is on the track.
7:51 am
Male Vocalist of the Year goes to Blake Shelton. It's his third win in the category.
7:53 a
"I've had a few drinks since the song of the year announcement," Shelton says.
7:53 am
The women of ABC's "Nashville" are coming out soon. I should have figured ABC wouldn't miss this promotional opportunity.
7:57 am
I loved "Malibu Country" when it was called "The Beverly Hillbillies."
7:58 am
Faith Hill at the CMAs...
7:59 am
Kenny Chesney sings "Come Over."
8:04 am
The women of "Nashville" come out. Kimberly Williams-Paisley makes a motor boating joke.
8:05 am
Miranda Lambert wins female vocalist of the year. Good night for the Shelton-Lamberts. "I've been listening to 'Red' all week long," Lambert says to Swift, and points her out from the stage.
8:10 amAdd a Comment
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert dominate the CMAs...
8:13 am
Lady Antebellum kick off a tribute to Willie Nelson with "Always On My Mind."
8:26 am
Finally--time for Entertainer of the Year.
8:27 am
And the Entertainer of the Year is Blake Shelton.
8:29 am
Shelton says "I don't know how this happened. I freakin' love it."
8:30 am
What did you think of the CMAs? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Good night!
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