Kenny Chesney tops this year's Academy of Country Music Award nominations with 11, including Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist. Chesney has been named ACM's Entertainer of the Year for the last three years. Rodney Atkins nabbed six nominations, including Song of the Year for "Watching You" and Album of the Year for If You're Going Through Hell. Paisley received nominations in four categories, including Album of the Year for 5th Gear and Video of the Year for "Online."For the first time, the winner of Entertainer of the Year, the ACM's top award, will be determined by the fans. Voting begins on May 5; check out ACM's website for details on how you can vote. This year's nominees are Chesney, Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait and Keith Urban.The awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, May 18, from Las Vegas (8 pm/ET, CBS) with host Reba McEntire. — Mickey O'Connor
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For more CMA Awards coverage, see our list of predictions and our Q&A with nominee Jason Alexander. With his Van Halen-caliber guitar skills, Brad Paisley — up for five trophies at Wednesday's 41st Annual CMA Awards (airing at 8 pm/ET on ABC) — could easily have forged a career as a rock star. Fortunately for fans of his down-home, heartfelt and often humorous songs, the 35-year-old West Virginia native chose the country road. Or, as he admits, it chose him. "Country is a very big form of music where I'm from," he says. "If you want to play live music in that area, you play country." And Paisley really wanted to play.But now that he's a full-fledged cowboy-hatted star, does he ever
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"You mean you don't think of me synonymously with country music?" Jason Alexander laughs when asked how he came to be nominated for a trophy at Wednesday's CMA Awards (8 pm/ET, ABC). Best known, of course, for his iconic role as George Costanza on Seinfeld, Alexander has been branching out as a director, helming episodes of the CW's Everybody Hates Chris and Oxygen's Campus Ladies. But it's his work behind the camera on Brad Paisley's music video "Online" that scored him his first CMA nomination. The hilarious clip stars Alexander (who also appeared in Paisley's video for
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The annual CMA Awards is country music's big night, and this year's bash (airing Wednesday at 8 pm/ET, on ABC) includes performances by Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, the Eagles, Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood, among others. And, of course, there will be the trophies themselves, handed out in a dozen categories. Here's a guide to the major awards, along with our picks for the winners.
Male Vocalist of the YearNominees: Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Josh Turner, Keith UrbanWinner? It's nice to see Turner in this category, a sure sign of things to co
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Amanda Peet had planned to attend a Hollywood luncheon on Wednesday, but instead decided to order one baby girl, to go, the New York Post's Page Six reports. It's the first child for Peet and screenwriter hubby David Benioff. In related news, The Black Donnellys is now pregnant.... Father of the Bride's daughter is a mother. Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) welcomed her and husband Brad Paisley's first child, a son, on Thursday, says People.... Nick Cannon wedded on a whim Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks last weekend in Las Vegas, says Us.
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