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Taylor Swift snub bad business for country music awards show
The Academy of Country Music Awards ended their three-year winning streak as Sunday’s telecast fell short of last year’s surprisingly strong haul. Maybe organizers should blame Taylor Swift.
The three-hour CBS ceremony averaged 13.1 million viewers, down from a nine-year high of 14.8 million in 2009, but up from 11.7 million in 2008 and a record low of 9.3 million in 2007. While Carrie Underwood made history at the Las Vegas bash by becoming the first woman to win the coveted entertainer of the year prize twice, it was perhaps more notable that Swift did not win a thing. The country-crossover star, who was nominated five times, has taken home hardware from every big awards show in the past year. And in each case, her victory coincided with a ratings boost.
The Grammys hit a six-year high of 25.9 million viewers in January after Swift became the youngest artist to win the key album of the year award. Last November, the American Music Awards soared to a seven-year high of 14.2 million viewers when Swift won five awards including artist of the year. And at the Country Music Association Awards earlier that month, viewership rose to a four-year high of 17.2 million viewers after Swift’s clean sweep included entertainer of the year.
In September the MTV Video Music Awards achieved a five-year high of almost 9 million viewers, but Kanye West can probably claim a lot of the credit thanks to his on-stage rant after Swift won a statuette he said should have gone to Beyonce. At last year’s ACM Awards Kenny Chesney was the big winner. But Swift was honored for best new female vocalist and stole the show with a water-drenched performance.
“Idol” turns to Kara for winner’s first single
Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will be getting all the attention on Tuesday when they sing for the “American Idol” title. But new judge Kara DioGuardi will also be sharing the limelight.
Songwriter DioGuardi, who has worked in the past with Kelly Clarkson and co-wrote Ashlee Simpson’s hit single “Pieces of Me”, is credited as co-writer of “No Boundaries” — the new song that will be released as a single by the winner of the TV talent show, music industry sources say.
“No Boundaries” will get its first airing on Tuesday’s show in (presumably very different) versions by Adam and Kris. Web site Popeater.com will premiere the winning “Idol”‘s recording of the song at 10 pm PT on Wednesday — moments after the 2009 “Idol” is crowned in the West Coast broadcast of the show on Fox.
Host Ryan Seacrest has revealed that Adam and Kris will also sing two other songs each on Tuesday — one must be a number they have done before on the show; the other is a song chosen by “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller (Fuller is also the man behind British girl group “The Spice Girls”).
Among confirmed stars performing on Wednesday night as America waits to find out who they chose as their 2009 “Idol” are David Cook, Carrie Underwood, Queen Latifah, Black Eyed Peas, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban and actor Steve Martin — on his banjo?.
Rumors are flying fast about a host of other possible perfomers. Take your pick from Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Kiss — and maybe even ”Bikini Girl??”.
That song was beautiful, true human triumph …. blah, I just vomited. I wish my wife would have let me watch the Red Wings.
Carrie Underwood’s big night
Its only been four years since Carrie Underwood won American Idol, but it felt like a long-overdue coronation when she was named entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
The 26-year-old superstar beati out Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and George Strait, four of country music’s top-selling male artists, all of them at least a decade older, to cement her place as the biggest star of country music’s next generation.
She was also chosen top female vocalist by the academy and became only the seventh woman in 39 years to win entertainer of the year, joining such country icons as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Barbara Mandrell.
“Its indescribable,” Underwood told reporters backstage after an emotional acceptance speech in which she thanked God and her fans.
“I don’t know what happened. I honestly don’t,” she said. “I blacked out from my chair to about now.”
Asked by reporters about winning the award as a woman, she pronounced herself honored and said: ”I can’t wait ’til the day where having females in this category is no big deal whatsoever.”
Underwood also recalled growing up in small-town Oklahoma, watching the Academy of Country Music Awards on television and waiting for the end of the broadcast to find out who won entertainer of the year.
Carrie Underwood is an amateur hack who is fulfilling a contract for “winning” a talent show on television and a low grade award show rival, both of which relatively few people watch. Her career is based on economics, because she’s a helluva lot cheaper than a seasoned professional talent, which she isn’t and will never be. When her contract runs out we won’t hear anything more of her and that’s already started. She better get used to janitorial duty or working in a restaurant, because that’s where she’s headed already. The music industry says… Good Riddance!!!!
Will Carrie Underwood steal Kenny Chesney’s crown?
Carrie Underwood has become country music’s biggest star since she exploded onto the scene after winning American Idol in 2005, but so far she’s been passed over as the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, which has gone to only six women in 39 years.
In fact in recent years, country superstar Kenny Chesney has had a lock on the Entertainer of the Year award, taking it home in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
But this could be the year for Carrie, who has achieved enormous crossover success, winning four Grammy awards already in her short career. She is the lone woman nominated in 2009, facing off against Brad Paisley, George Strait , Keith Urban and – of course – Chesney. (Updates to four Grammys).
And remember, Chesney touched off a country music furor last year when, after winning Entertainer of the Year for the fourth straight time, he criticized the Academy for allowing the award to be chosen by fans voting on the Internet.
“I don’t think its right that they picked the one award that means the most, that all the artists sacrificed the most for, and turned it into a … sweepstakes,” Chesney said at the time.
Those remarks prompted some wags to suggest that he should give the trophy back.
The suspense ends on Sunday night at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be handed out at a ceremony hosted by Reba McEntire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and broadcast live on CBS.
I’m just so glad Chesney did not win! He may sell more tickets but he also has more people touring with him and he parties to too many drunks! Not my idea of entertaining! Carrie is really good, but my vote was for Keith Urban. When Carrie toured with Keith, the reviewers all stated she needed to learn from Keith. That she should sit in the audience during his gig and take notes. Maybe after she has more experience at touring like the others, then she could have a chance of winning. But if the ACMs keep with the fan voting, my guess would be that Taylor Swift would win next year!! How pathetic will that be? And honestly, she is nowhere near being a country artist! She is all POP!
Carrie Underwood disses celeb political endorsements
Celebrities have come out in force during the long U.S. presidential race, hosting fundraisers, throwing concerts and performing at campaign rallies around the nation.
But not country star Carrie Underwood.
Unlike Barbra Streisand, who’s been doing a round of last minute radio station Q&As in support of Democrat Barack Obama, Underwood is staying mum.
“I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate,” the “All-American Girl” singer tells TV Guide in its November 10th issue.
“It’s saying that the American public isn’t smart enough to make their own decisions,” she said. “I would never want anybody to vote for anything or anybody just because I told them to.
“Music is where you go to get away from all the BS. Whether it’s from politics or just the world around you, music should be an escape,” the former “American Idol” winner said.
We’ve had a lot of competing views on celeb endorsements this election season, but this may be your last chance to speak up during this cycle. How much have celebrity endorsements affected your voting decisions in 2008?
and i guess Carrie wearing a t-shirt for any type of charity is ok? don’t get me wrong. i think any celebrity that uses their popularity for any good doing is great!!! but who does she think she is to make statements like that? she supports peta and nobody judges her for that! what is wrong w/ celebrities supporting the president that they feel will actually change this country around and get us back where we used to be?she she is a great singer and a really cute girl but i think she tries to play sweet country girl who can never say or do anything wrong and it’s getting old…
Carrie actually plays the guitar and piano is is quit good at both. All of her co-writing credits have produced better tunes than any of Swifts writes or co-writes so she’s learned well quickly. She was actually the force behind “Temporary Home”.
You can claim Carrie is just a voice all you want but the evidence doesn’t support your hypothesis.