Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley Got Huge Style Props From "GQ" Magazine!

Would you be surprised to hear that "GQ" magazine was paying attention to last week's CMAs?
They were AND they gave big time style props to Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, and Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley. Here's what they wrote, quote, "(These four) nail about every point we drive home here at 'GQ' when it comes to things like fit, proportion and keeping things minimal without being boring. "Musicians tend to be given more sartorial leeway than their artistic brethren in the acting field but these gents prove there's no need for it. Men of the Grammys take note and start booking time with your tailors."

CMA Awards Bring in Strong Ratings for ABC!

The CMA Awards brought in strong ratings for ABC Thursday night winning the night above all other networks. The three-hour broadcast also brought in the most Thursday night viewers ABC has had for a non-sports show in three years. The CMA Awards also garnered ABC's strongest audience among adults 18-to-49-year-olds so far this season. If you missed the CMA Awards broadcast, you have another chance coming up Wednesday, November 21. CMT will re-air the show that night at 9 ET.

CMA Winners List.

Here's a list of winners at the 46th Annual CMA Awards, held in Nashville Thursday night. How did you do?

Entertainer of the Year
Blake Shelton

Album of the Year
Eric Church, Chief

Male Vocalist
Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert

Vocal Group of the Year
Little Big Town

Single of the Year
"Pontoon," Little Big Town

Song of the Year (Award to Songwriter)
"Over You," Miranda Lambert (Artist), Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (Writers)

Musical Event
"Feel Like a Rock Star," Kenny Chesney duet with Tim McGraw

Vocal Duo
Thompson Square

New Artist
Hunter Hayes

Music Video
"Red Solo Cup," Toby Keith
Musician

Mac McAnally

CMA Awards to Feature Star-Studded Performances and Competitive Categories

Winning a CMA Award is a very prestigious honor, but most country stars will tell you they're more focused on their performance slot the night of the show. That's definitely true for Keith Urban, who says, "That is the absolute moment that matters most to me, is getting to play. 'Cause the other stuff is, I don't know about the other stuff.  I know about playing, that's the only thing I know about." Keith joins a star-studded lineup of performers at Thursday night's CMA Awards including the show's hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, who is expected to perform his latest hit "Southern Comfort Zone." Jason Aldean has a big surprise in store for fans with his performance slot while his former duet partner Kelly Clarkson is teaming up on the show with Vince Gill to sing their new collaboration, "Don't Rush." Other performers on the show include Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. Tim McGraw will debut his new song, "One of Those Nights," and his wife Faith Hill will deliver her single, "American Heart." They'll also take part in a tribute to Willie Nelson on the show. The Band Perry will sing their new single, "Better Dig Two," on the CMA Awards, and New Artist of the Year nominees Hunter Hayes and Brantley Gilbert have landed performance slots too. Darius Rucker, Reba, Jake Owen, Sugarland, Martina McBride, Lisa Marie Presley and Kellie Pickler are set to present trophies during the broadcast along with ABC stars Tim Allen from Last Man Standing and Nashville's Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
As for the nominees, Eric Church is the lead nominee with five nods including Album of the Year for Chief.  Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert each have four nods while Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Taylor Swift and Dierks Bentley each walked away with three nominations.

Here is the full list of CMA nominees:

Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

Album of the Year
Eric Church, Chief
Miranda Lambert, Four the Record
Dierks Bentley, Home
Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
Luke Bryan, tailgates & tanlines

Male Vocalist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist
Kelly Clarkson
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Vocal Group of the Year
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Single of the Year
"Dirt Road Anthem," Jason Aldean
"God Gave Me You," Blake Shelton
"Home," Dierks Bentley
"Pontoon," Little Big Town
"Springsteen," Eric Church

Song of the Year (Award to Songwriter)
"Even if It Breaks Your Heart," Eli Young Band (Artist), Will Hoge and Eric Paslay (Writers)
"God Gave Me You," Blake Shelton (Artist), Dave Barnes (Writer)
"Home," Dierks Bentley (Artist), Dierks Bentley and Dan Wilson (Writers)
"Over You," Miranda Lambert (Artist), Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (Writers)
"Springsteen," Eric Church (Artist), Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell (Writers)

Musical Event
"Dixie Highway," Alan Jackson with Zac Brown Band
"Feel Like a Rock Star," Kenny Chesney duet with Tim McGraw
"Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die," Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg (or Lion), Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson
"Safe and Sound," Taylor Swift with The Civil Wars
"Stuck on You," Lionel Richie and Darius Rucker

Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Love and Theft
Sugarland
The Civil Wars
Thompson Square

New Artist
Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
Hunter Hayes
Love and Theft
Thompson Square

Music Video
"Come Over," Kenny Chesney
"Over You," Miranda Lambert
"Pontoon," Little Big Town
"Red Solo Cup," Toby Keith
"Springsteen," Eric Church

Musician
Sam Bush
Paul Franklin
Dann Huff
Brent Mason
Mac McAnally

Lead Nominee Eric Church Will Feel at Home at This Thursday's CMA Awards.

Eric Church is the lead nominee going into Thursday night's CMA Awards with five nominations, including Album of the Year for Chief. That project spawned his first two #1 country hits with "Drink in My Hand" and "Springsteen," and these nods are further proof Eric has finally found a place the country genre.  Looking back a few years ago, Eric remembers playing clubs and not feeling like his music belonged anywhere. He tells ABC News Radio, "I felt at times like we were too rock for country and too country for rock, and we really just didn't have a home at times." Eric adds, "So, to go from there to having five nominations is really something that I had a hard time, and still do have a hard time, getting my head around. It's pretty incredible." Eric built his career playing countless shows and working tirelessly on his three albums. These CMA nods are a nice pat on the back for him, but Eric doesn't live or die by whether or not his name is called at awards shows. "I can't control how many nominations we get or how many we win," Eric says.  "I can only control the kind of record we make and the kind of show we put on. And I think if I keep it that simple, and I keep it that small of what I can control then the rest of the stuff will take care of itself." All that said, Eric is extremely proud to be recognized for his platinum album Chief in a time when the music industry is focused more and more on selling individual tracks. Of all his nominations, Eric has his eyes locked on the CMA Album of the Year category, saying, "If there's one that would mean the most to me, it's that." Eric is also slated to perform on the CMA Awards Thursday night, and he's been putting a lot of thought into how to use that three minutes of airtime. He and his band are on the road right now, so they're primed and ready to entertain. Says Eric of the performance, "It's also about maybe trying to do something a little bit different than what people see every night. Now, that's the challenge."  Eric is also nominated for Male Vocalist and Single, Song and Video of the Year for "Springsteen." The 46th Annual CMA Awards broadcast live from Nashville on ABC Thursday night at 8 ET.

(ABC Country)

The Band Perry and Thompson Square Had a Huge Increase in Record Sales After the CMAs!

Several artists enjoyed a nice bump in sales after the CMAs. THE BAND PERRY'S self-titled debut album saw an increase of 112%. They'd won the awards for New Artist of the Year, plus Song of the Year and Single of the Year for "If I Die Young". THOMPSON SQUARE enjoyed a 96% surge in sales of their self-titled debut CD, and sales of ERIC CHURCH'S album "Chief" were up 61%. They'd both lost out to the Band Perry for Best New Artist. JASON ALDEAN'S smash album "My Kinda Party" jumped 53% after he picked up the award for Album of the Year. And BLAKE SHELTON'S "Red River Blue" was right behind that with a 52% increase after winning Male Vocalist of the Year.

Last Night's CMA Gift Bags Were Worth $15,000!

One of the biggest perks of being a performer or presenter at an awards show, is all the free swag they throw at you. And it's always good stuff. For example, last night's gift bags at the CMAs were valued at $15,000. It was a wide range of stuff too. From custom jewelry, designer sunglasses and clothing to scarves, leather messenger bags and iPod accessories.

Side Note: If nobody wants theirs...I'll take it! Yeah Right! They're not giving those up! Nice to dream though.

Hammer's CMA Picks!

First, let me start by saying that I don't gamble...because I suck at it! Like I said earlier today, I couldn't pick the winner of a one horse race! With that being said, here are my CMA picks for tonight.
Entertainer Of The Year
Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist Of The Year
Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist Of The Year
Keith Urban

New Artist Of The Year
The Band Perry

Vocal Group or Duo
Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo Of The Year
Sugarland (This one was a tough decision. Thompson Square is really cool. But I think that they have a little way to go. Just sayin')

Single Of The Year
Honey Bee - Blake Shelton

Song Of The Year
Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean

Album Of The Year
Speak Now - Taylor Swift (This too was a tough decision. But according to the numbers, Taylor Swift out earned Brad Paisley by roughly 5 million dollars last year. I'm guessing that might be a factor here.)

Musical Event Of The Year
Old Alabama - Brad Paisley

Music Video Of The Year
Old Alabama - Brad Paisley

There ya go! Let's see how close I was. Feel free to play along!

Brad Paisley’s Son Tries to Impress Carrie Underwood With ‘Cave Man’ Moves!

Before Brad Paisley filmed the ‘Remind Me’ video, his son Huck (William Huckleberry) had a chance to meet Carrie Underwood for the first time. The 4-year-old has long had a crush on the blond singer, and Paisley says his boy made the most of his opportunity. “He got all excited. He had to pick out what he was gonna wear,” Paisley said during a CMA Awards press conference. “He picked out a Batman shirt.” Paisley and Underwood are once again hosting tonight’s ABC broadcast. "[He] bought me flowers, wrote me a note, showed me karate moves and stuff,” Underwood added, smiling. It’s clear she finds the adulation adorable. Paisley finds it hilarious, if not a little confusing. “And then I looked over,” Paisley continued, “and they had been talking for a little bit, and he’s standing beside the couch … and he’s got the pillow from the couch and he’s pushing it up as high as he can get it over his head and he goes, ‘Hey, Carrie. Look how strong I am.’” “I don’t know what kind of cave man these kids turn into, but it sort of starts really early,” Paisley said. He then went on to share that Huck has been checking out other women recently, specifically Kimberly Perry from the Band Perry, who’ll be touring with Paisley in 2012. “There’s still Jasper,” the shocked and heartbroken Underwood meekly whispered into her microphone. Jasper is Paisley’s youngest son, who has also shown interest in Underwood. When the two met, he stared up at the singer for an uncomfortable amount of time.

(Taste Of Country)

The Cops Pulled Brad Paisley Over for DUI . . . Even Though He Was Stone Cold Sober!

When was the last time you heard about a celebrity getting pulled over for DUI and then let go, because they were stone cold sober? Never? Well, here's your first. It happened to BRAD PAISLEY, whom, as you may know, doesn't drink or smoke. He told "Nightline", quote, "I got pulled over the other day for suspected DUI, which was funny because I'm never drunk.I hadn't had a drink at all. "I had two kids in the back seat. We had been to get ice cream. And to my kids, it was the greatest thing that's ever happened. They ran through the house when we got home telling everybody that Daddy got arrested." One more thing about Brad's interview with "Nightline". He was asked if there are any surprise headliners coming up at next week's CMAs, which Brad is co-hosting with CARRIE UNDERWOOD. There is. Brad said, quote, "HANK WILLIAMS JR. "I know Hank really well. He shouldn't have said what he said, but I know Hank, and I like Hank. (We thought), let's figure something out he can do to make up for it, if that fits, so he can start a comeback."

Here's Brad's full interview on "Nightline".

Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift & More to Perform at 2011 CMA Awards.

With less than two months until country music’s biggest night, the first round of 2011 CMA Awards performers were announced this morning. All five Entertainer of the Year nominees will take the stage during the 45th annual awards show. That means plenty of face-time from Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. “I look forward to being able to perform on awards shows,” Urban says in a sound clip provided by his record label. “That is absolute moment that matters most to me is getting to play, because the other stuff is — I don’t know about the other stuff. I know about playing, and that’s the only thing I know about.” Shelton, Aldean, Swift and Paisley lead the CMA nominations with five each. A win in the Entertainer category would be a first for Shelton and Aldean. Swift (2008), Paisley (2010) and Urban (2005) have previously won the award. This year’s CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 9 at 8PM on ABC. Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the show for the third straight year. More presenters and performers will be announced in the weeks leading up to the show.

(Taste Of Country)

Country Music is Hot!!! All Three Major Networks Are Battling For Rights to Air the "CMA Music Awards"!

Next time someone gives you a hard time about your love of country music, tell them to suck on this. All three major TV networks are negotiating their little Brooks Brothers suits off to win the rights to air the "CMA Music Awards"! The reasons are, as always, all about the numbers. The CMAs average around 17-million viewers. That's similar to the Golden Globes . . . but HIGHER than the "American Music Awards".
The CMAs also do well with the younger viewers, and that's the real prize. According to NewYorkMagazine.com, ABC, which has aired the show for the past five years, was all set to renew their commitment, but then CBS, who had the show for 34 years before that, decided they wanted it back. THEN both of them were blindsided when NBC came out of nowhere with an open checkbook. CMA officials are supposedly weighing all the offers and will sign a long-term deal, with someone, later this month. This year's CMAs are scheduled to air November 9th on ABC. I can't imagine the results of this deal will change that. BUT...I'll keep an eye on this one anyway! Lets see what goes down...

Carrie and Brad to host CMA Awards a 4th time!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will be back together again in November. They've been picked to host the Country Music Association Awards for a fourth straight year. The 45th annual awards will be aired live Nov. 9 from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on ABC. Paisley is the reigning CMA entertainer of the year. Paisley and Underwood have won 19 CMA awards between them. As Paisley notes in a news release announcing their return, they've achieved a comic chemistry over the years with Underwood's class balancing "my non-class act. I'll try my best to not mess it up." The CMA Awards are the most-watched country awards show. More than 16 million viewers tuned in last year.

Associated Press

"American Idol" Producers Are Doing a Country Singing Competition on CMT

CMT is doing another "American Idol"-type talent show . . . but this time it has some heavy hitters behind it. It's being produced by NIGEL LYTHGOE and his son SIMON. Nigel was an executive producer on "American Idol" and you may recognize him as one of the judges on "So You Think You Can Dance". He also co-created that show. The new show is called "CMT's Next Superstar" and it's supposed to debut sometime in April. They're doing 10 episodes and will announce the winner during the "CMT Music Awards". No word yet on who the judges will be. Here's Nigel explaining why this show will be so very different, quote, "Country music is all about storytelling, personalities and putting yourself into the songs. "This show is not about going to a set, it's about being in a location that has history to it. We're down and dirty in the heart of Nashville. "It's not just going to be another 'American Idol' production, why would I be involved in that? I've got the best. From my point of view, I want to change it up totally."

Catch the CMA's replay today at 4pm!

Once again, CMT offers music fans a chance to relive country music's biggest night when it telecasts the 44th annual CMA Awards from this past November. Enjoy all the glitz and glam as Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood co-host the show. And don't miss all-star performances from Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton and more. Catch it today, starting at 4pm.

CMA 2010 Award Winners!

Entertainer of the Year

Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
**Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band

Female Vocalist of the Year

**Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year

Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
**Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban

New Artist

Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
**Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group

**Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo

Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
**Sugarland

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST

CMA Awards are tonight! Here are my picks!

The 44th Annual CMA Awards are TONIGHT on ABC. Here are my picks to win!

SONG OF THE YEAR - Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Hillbilly Bone - Blake Shelton & Trace Atkins

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR - Brooks & Dunn

GROUP OF THE YEAR - Lady Antebellum

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR - Zac Brown Band

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - Brad Paisley

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - Miranda Lambert

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR - Brad Paisley

CMA'S ARE ALMOST HERE!

The CMA awards are almost here. Get the latest news, watch videos, check out the nominees and more!

CLICK HERE