The 11th Annual CMT Music Awards nominations were announced this morning, and Carrie Underwood must feel blown away — the former Idol winner scored the most nominations with five, including two noms for Video Of The Year (for her clip “Good Girl” and her appearance in Brad Paisley‘s “Remind Me” vid). Miranda Lambert nabbed four for her work in the Pistol Annies as well as her solo material, while her hubby, The Voice coach and country superstar in his own right, Blake Shelton, scored three noms. Check out all the nominations below, and watch country royalty walk the red carpet when the 2012 CMT Music Awards airs live from Nashville on June 6.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem” 
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila” 
Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” 
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned the Night” 
Miranda Lambert, “Over You” 
Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me” 
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Easy” 
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You” 
Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars, “Safe & Sound” 
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”  

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem” 
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End” 
Eric Church, “Drink in My Hand” 
Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” 
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You” 
Keith Urban, “Long Hot Summer” 
 
FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” 
Miranda Lambert, “Over You” 
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” 
Kellie Pickler, “Tough” 
Taylor Swift, “Ours” 
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl” 
 
GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Eli Young Band, “Crazy Girl” 
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night” 
Pistol Annies, “Hell on Heels” 
Rascal Flatts, “Banjo” 
The Band Perry, “All Your Life” 
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me in Mind” 
 
DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Love and Theft, “Angel Eyes” 
Montgomery Gentry, “Where I Come From” 
Sugarland, “Tonight” 
The Civil Wars, “Poison & Wine” 
Thompson Square, “Glass” 
Thompson Square, “I Got You” 
 
USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Lauren Alaina, “Georgia Peaches” 
Brantley Gilbert, “Country Must Be Country Wide” 
Hunter Hayes, “Storm Warning” 
Scotty McCreery, “The Trouble With Girls” 
Pistol Annies, “Hell on Heels” 
Thompson Square, “I Got You” 
 
COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila” 
Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me” 
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Easy” 
Lionel Richie with Shania Twain, “Endless Love” 
Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars, “Safe & Sound” 
Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett, “Knee Deep”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos on This Town”
Lady Antebellum, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”  
Little Big Town, “Fix You” 
Blake Shelton, “Footloose” 
Sting and Vince Gill, “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You”
Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood, “Just a Dream/Dream On”

carrie strikes a pose

5 Photos »

“Nervous. ACM day!” Miranda Lambert tweeted prior to her arrival at the 2012 Academy Of Country Music Awards Sunday night (Apr. 1). If she was nervous, the shotgun-wielding singer certainly didn’t show it. The Texan looked radiant in her gold gown as she walked the red carpet with her husband, The Voice coach and ACM’s co-host Blake Shelton, and her grandmother (her real date for the evening!). The Billboard cover gal and hubby swept the awards, with Miranda taking home Top Female Vocalist and Album Of The Year, and Blake winning Top Male Vocalist. (Talk about your power couple.) Check out the Four The Record artist as she poses on both the red carpet and in the ACM press room and let us know below — or on Facebook and Twitter — which award show ensemble you’re feeling more.

During last night’s Academy Of Country Music Awards, Taylor Swift beat out all the male nominees — that would be Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton — for the Entertainer Of The Year statue. It’s the second consecutive win in that category for Swift, who said the following during her acceptance speech at the Las Vegas event: “My date tonight was supposed to be a high school football player, Kevin McGuire, and he’s not here. But I promised him I’d give him a shout out.” Watch Taylor’s triumphant moment, and view all the ACM 2012 winners, below.

Carrie Underwood opens ACMs with “Good Girl”

McGuire is an 18-year-old New Jersey student battling leukemia. In February, he invited Swift to his prom. The “Safe & Sound” songstress was unable to attend, but made up for it by inviting Kevin to be her date to the ACMs at the MGM Grand in Vegas. Unfortunately, the student was hospitalized on Friday.

Taylor Swift wins Entertainer Of The Year

Kevin’s sister Victoria posted the following on Facebook on Saturday:

“I am so sorry to announce this devastating news, but Kevin was admitted to the hospital last night, and is unable to attend the Academy of Country Music Awards with Taylor Swift. As we should all live by the moto ‘live for today’ a cancer patient feels the impact of these words far too hard. We appreciate everything you have done for us, and we know you are all hurt from this too. … As for Taylor, she is just as depressed as all of us to miss out on this date, and we are so thankful for the opportunity she has given us.”

Married couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have a pair of his and hers trophies to display at home now, as they won Top Male Vocalist and Top Female Vocalist, respectively. Lambert also snagged the Album Of The Year award for Four The Record. Elsewhere, 2011 American Idol winner Scotty McCreery wound up being named Best New Artist.

Meanwhile, despite a loss in the Entertainer Of The Year category, Jason Alden and duet partner Kelly Clarkson scored trophies for Single Record Of The Year and Vocal Event Of The Year for their ballad “Don’t You Wanna Stay”.

On a final note, Kenny Chesney was left singing the blues after the awards shindig. He went into the ACMs with the most nominations (nine), but walked away empty-handed.

2012 ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

Entertainer Of The Year: Taylor Swift
Top Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton
Top Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Top Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum
Top New Artist: Scotty McCreery
Album Of The Year: Four The Record, Miranda Lambert
Single Record Of The Year: “Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson
Song Of The Year: “Crazy Girl” — Eli Young Band
Video Of The Year: “Red Solo Cup” — Toby Keith
Vocal Event Of The Year: “Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson

The battle rounds on The Voice raged on this week, as diva vocals (and some bad attitudes) dominated, while friendships were laid on the line. Advisers Babyface, Jewel, Alanis Morissette, Robin Thicke, Lionel Richie, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert and Ne-Yo were back to help out coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, as six more hopefuls were given the boot from the show. Head below to see who was paired up, and who got their walking papers.

Team Christina: Geoff McBride vs. Sera Hill
Xtina pits shades-loving Geoff against soulful hotel receptionist Sera by tasking them with Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools”. There’s no question that 51-year-old Geoff has a voice that could quite literally blow Sera out of the water. But dang — he needs to reel that instrument in now and then, otherwise it all just comes off like screaming. Geoff’s adviser Lionel Richie suggests that (gasp) the vocal powerhouse remove his shades for the battle so the audience can connect with him more. (He opts for clear frames instead). In the end, young Sera doesn’t quite have the chops to truly beat Geoff in a vocal battle. Yet she does, as Christina chooses to keep her.

Team Blake: Charlotte Sometimes vs. Lex Land
Wow. Charlotte Sometimes, named after a song by The Cure, is annoying, both vocally and personality-wise. The loud and proud Jersey girl is paired with introspective Lex from Texas. Adviser Kelly Clarkson twirls in just long enough to praise Charlotte’s voice (really?), but steers clear of her Jersey ‘tude (we keep mentioning Jersey because Charlotte keeps mentioning Jersey). Blake assigns wife Miranda Lambert to give some guidance the shy Lex. But this is TV, folks, and TV shows need a villain. “I want to win,” Charlotte proclaims. “I want her to lose.” And so Lex does. Hooray for the Jersey Devil.

Team Cee Lo: Sarah Golden vs. Juliet Simms
We love Cee Lo’s white cat! In fact, this whole paragraph would be about that kitty and Green’s affection for it if there wasn’t this business of discussing the singers to be done. Anyway, smoky-voiced (and overly confident) Juliet may have talent, but does she really need to state that she’s “prettier” than Sarah before they take to the stage? Can we please have the somehow-less-annoying Charlotte Sometimes come back, instead? Sigh. Folky yodeler Sarah doesn’t really seem to be a match for wild-haired, tattooed hater Juliet, especially when they’re given Rod Stewart’s old jam “Stay With Me” to belt out. And we’re right. It’s so-long time for Sarah. Key to staying in this competition: bitchy attitude.

Team Adam: Kim Yarbrough vs. Whitney Myers
Stop — diva time! Adam Levine cruelly puts 25-year-old Whitney up against the more experienced and mature and Chaka Khan-esque Kim. And they’re given Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” to sing, a tune that requires some life experience and a fair amount of acquired pain to truly connect with. No competition here, really. Adam and adviser Alanis Morissette can’t seem to get Whitney to focus on her own singing, rather than how much better a singer Kim is. Meanwhile, Kim is delighted to meet her own vocal guide, Robin Thicke (or, as she calls him “Thicket”). So, yeah, Kim eats Whitney alive on stage and wins.

Team Christina: Lindsey Pavao vs. Lee Koch
These two quirky singers on Xtina’s team are saddled with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”. Lindsey seems at ease to take the song and reinterpret it and make it her own, but Lee admits that he hasn’t heard the alt rock classic in at least a decade. (Translation: he’d doomed.) Adviser Jewel isn’t impressed with Lee, and tells him that he really needs to think about Kurt Cobain’s words and try to connect with them. And as for Lionel Richie, who is in the advice-giving chair for Lindsey, we’re just wondering if his ears have ever met with a Nirvana song. In fact, can we just have Lionel go up on stage and sing “Heart-Shaped Box”? While stroking Cee Lo’s cat? That would be sexy. Lee manages to pull it together, and Cee Lo tells him he felt like, with the lighting, he was watching Jesus a few times. Adam calls it a “delightfully creepy performance”. Blake admits he’s never heard the song before, causing Cee Lo to quip, “You’ve got to get out of Oklahoma every once in a while!” And Christina axes Lee and keeps Lindsey. Just call this Ladies’ Night.

Team Cee Lo: Jamar Rogers vs. Jamie Lono
Okay, don’t call this Ladies’ Night. Cee Lo’s cat whispers in the “F*** You” crooner’s ear and tells him to put these two besties together. Evil kitty! Even worse, they’re given Foreigner’s ’80s lighter-waving anthem “I Want To Know What Love Is”, a song clearly out of Jamie’s vocal range, to sing. The crazy-haired hopeful’s voice continues to crack during rehearsal, and Cee Lo and adviser Babyface seem to downplay the matter by telling him he’s too nervous. No, guys — he just can’t hit the notes. Jamar, on the other hand, tackles the song like a pro, and when it’s all over, Jamie is out the door and on the market for a new best friend.

Did you agree with the coaches’ choices during this battle round? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Well, here’s one song we doubt Chris Brown will be saying “Turn Up The Music” about — “Gunpowder And Lead.” Following the less-than-humble rapper’s Grammy win, Miranda Lambert has taken issue with the music industry’s apparent rush to forgive and forget his felony assault on Rihanna (even though he may or may not still have some serious anger management issues). At a University of Massachusetts concert on Thursday, Mrs. Blake Shelton held up a sign reading “Take Notes Chris Brown” before singing her song about a woman who does away with her no-good, wife-beating husband (as opposed to treating him to birthday cake). Watch below.

Following the Grammys, Lambert tweeted: “How dang long did they give Nicki Minaj to do whatever that was? Strange. And Chris Brown twice? I don’t get it. He beat on a girl… Not cool that we act like that didn’t happen. He needs to listen to Gunpowder and lead and be put back in his place. Not at the Grammys.”

At the Amherst concert, Lambert mentioned catching a lot of flack from Chris Brown fans before stating that she had to speak her mind: “Because where I come from, beating up on a woman is never okay. So that’s why my daddy taught me early on in life how to use a shotgun.” Yikes!

Miranda Lambert — “Gunpowder and Lead” (live)

Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Last night was the music industry’s biggest event, so naturally just about every artist out there had something to say about the Grammys on Twitter. Scores of celebrities had kind words for Adele’s big sweep — everyone from competitors Katy Perry and Rihanna to Oprah Winfrey (you know, Blue Ivy’s godmother). But there was plenty of tweet-love to spare for the performances of Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Jennifer Hudson, Nicki Minaj, and more. Find out who your faves’ faves were below.

Miranda Lambert: “Y’all. I have a new friend! @ladygaga from NYC and a Texas girl. Who new! She is really sweet! The odd couple… well not really!”

LaToya Jackson: “@LLCoolJ Thanks for the beautiful Prayer! @BrunoMars was incredible! I love that guy! Sooo talented!”

Pete Wentz: “bruno mars is real elvis gangster right now. I’m a fan.”

Ariana Grande: “Why am I screaming like a little girl watching Bruno’s performance? I can’t handle his old school swag. Makes me swoon. He’s fantastic..”

Blake Shelton: “So honored to have shared the stage of the Grammys with The Band Perry and the great Glen Campbell…” “Now off to drink my face completely off of my skull…”

Neon Hitch: “wiz khalifa is mad hot it aint even funny”

Jason Derulo: “BIG congrats to the Foo Fighters! LOOONG LIVE ROCK AND ROLL”

Skylar Grey: “YAY YAY YAY!!!!! @boniver won best new artist!!!!!! I’m kissing the sky!!!! #GRAMMYs”

Ricky Martin: “Baby @NICKIMINAJ Loved your performance @ #Grammys.The production #brave.Your attitude #BOLD! And you #beautiful. See u later this week! ;0)”

Ben Kweller: “Who the hell is Roman?”

Greyson Chance: “Alicia Keys + a Wurly = Perfection…wow. #GRAMMYS”

Hanson: “@IAMJHUD your performance of “I Will Always Love You” was a huge task to take on and it could not have been done better. PERFECT! -ISAAC”

Wynter Gordon: “@Rihanna did great tonight”

Pia Toscano: “Absolutely breath taking!!! What a beautiful woman & what a voice. Thank you Adele for an inspiring performance.”

Rye Rye: “Awww Adele this is inspiring!! I love that she appreciates it so much <3″

Christina Perri: “so happy to live in a world right now that awards adele 6 grammys. congrats to the queen! #goodrealmusicwins”

Katy Perry: “@OfficialAdele show em how its done, like a BOSS. #cutestsweetestmostdeservingest”

Oprah Winfrey: “Adele! Adele ! This her Year! YAAAY!”

Justin Bieber: “@OfficialAdele well done”

Rihanna: “Congratulations #RihannaNavy !!! Love u, Yall make me so proud, Every time!!! 2 more Grammys to add to our collection, Lol! Adele I love u!”

The Wanted: “David Guetta, Chris Brown, Foo Fighters, and Deadmau5. What an amazing line up #Grammys”

Taylor Swift: “My two new friends!!!!!! I had so much fun tonight!!”

Seems like everyone got a little love from their peers! Let us know who your faves were on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

(Image via Getty.)

Midwestern fans of both country music and The Voice were no doubt excited to see Blake Shelton live in concert this week, but they’ll have to be a bit more patient. The country singer has rescheduled a handful of tour dates after his father, Dick Shelton, passed away on Tuesday. “I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time and thank you for all your prayers,” Shelton said in a statement. “Your support means the world to me. I love you guys.”

Shelton’s father had been in declining health, though no official cause of death was given. At last month’s American Country Awards, the singer dedicated his win to his father, who was then hospitalized with pneumonia.

Shelton’s shows in South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana have been moved from January 19-22 to March 20-23. His wife, country star Miranda Lambert, has also rescheduled several of her own tour dates to support her husband during this time.

The above photo was posted on Blake’s official website in memory of his father.

[Via LA Times]

Kelly Clarkson isn’t the only artist planning to hit up The Voice‘s second season. A whole new batch of celebrity guest mentors will advise coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine as they help manage their team of singers. Find out who else will be doling out the advice on NBC’s hit singing competition when it returns in February. 

While sometimes-country-singer Clarkson will be saddling up next to Blake Shelton, his other mentor will be country superstar Miranda Lambert — also known as Mrs. Shelton, Blake’s wife.

Adam Levine’s mentors will be R&B crooner/oversharer Robin Thicke and Alanis Morissette, who is slowly but surely resurfacing back into the music scene after spending the last few years acting, writing, and starting a family.

Cee Lo Green’s mentors will be R&B fixures Ne-Yo and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

Christina Aguilera’s mentors will be pop/country singer-songwriter Jewel and Lionel Richie.

The Voice returns to NBC for its second season on Sunday February 5 following the Super Bowl, and in its normal time slot on Monday February 6 at 8 p.m.

At last night’s 45th Country Music Association Awards, the Band Perry — who snagged trophies for Song, Single and New Artist Of The Year — emerged as the big winners from the event, which was hosted for a fourth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Other noteworthy wins included Entertainer Of The Year, which went to Taylor Swift, and Musical Event Of The Year, which was lauded to Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay”.

Aldean also walked away with the Album Of The Year prize for his chart mainstay My Kinda Party. He and Clarkson first debuted “Don’t You Wanna Stay” live at last year’s CMA Awards.

During Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech, she rattled off all the other artists who’ve made surprise appearances during her Speak Now Tour, including Justin Bieber, Usher, Nelly and Nicki Minaj. “One of my favorite things about this year is the camaraderie between all these artists that, I’d just make a phone call and say, hey, do you wanna come sing with me,” Swift said. “There were a lot of artists who just showed up out of the goodness of their heart — came out and performed for the fans at my shows.”

Meanwhile, married country stars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert had much to celebrate — not only did Miranda’s latest LP Four The Record land a #3 debut on the Top 200 this week, they respectively won Male and Female Vocalist Of The Year at last night’s CMAs.

One particular highlight came when Lionel Richie (!) performed a medley with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker and Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox that included “Deep River Woman”, “Stuck on You” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”

Lionel Richie with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker & Gary LeVox — Medley at 2011 CMA Awards

Below is the full list of winners from the night, plus a few highlights from the telecast.

2011 CMA AWARDS: The Winners

Entertainer Of The Year: Taylor Swift
Song Of The Year: “If I Die Young” – The Band Perry (songwriter: Kimberly Perry)
Single Of The Year: “If I Die Young” – The Band Perry
Album Of The Year: My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
Male Vocalist Of The Year: Blake Shelton
Female Vocalist Of The Year: Miranda Lambert
Vocal Duo Of The Year: Sugarland
Vocal Group Of The Year: Lady Antebellum
Musician Of The Year: Mac McAnally
New Artist Of The Year: The Band Perry
Musical Event Of The Year: “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
Music Video Of The Year: “You And Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Taylor Swift — “Ours” at 2011 CMA Awards

Taylor Swift wins Entertainer Of The Year at 2011 CMA Awards

Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood — “Remind Me” at 2011 CMA Awards

Faith Hill — “Come Home” at 2011 CMA Awards

The Mariah Yeater baby scandal didn’t seem to affect Justin Bieber’s album sales during Under The Mistletoe‘s first week of release, as Billboard reports that Beliebers snatched up 210,000 copies of the holiday LP — enough for a #1 debut on the Top 200. This marks Justin’s second trip to the top of the album chart in 2011, following Never Say Never: The Remixes. Billboard also notes that Under The Mistletoe is the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at #1 on the Top 200 in the chart’s history.

Two other achievements by the Bieb: Under The Mistletoe is only the eighth holiday album to top the chart, and the singer is the first solo artist to rack up three #1 albums before their 18th birthday.

Elsewhere, given the #1 debuts of Susan Boyle’s first two albums, it’s somewhat surprising to see her latest effort, Someone To Watch Over Me, go in at #4. Then again, I Dreamed A Dream started off with 701,000 copies sold in 2009, while last year’s The Gift opened with 318,000 — a steep drop that seems to have indicated a trend. Someone To Watch Over Me moved 132,000 copies in its first week.

Sandwiched between Bieber and Boyle, at #2 and #3, respectively, are Wale’s Ambition (164,000) and Miranda Lambert’s aptly-titled fourth album Four The Record (133,000).

With four new releases stacked at the top of the chart, Adele’s 21 is bumped down to #5 — the lowest position the album has reached since being released in late February. This leaves Florence + The Machine’s second album Ceremonials to enter at #6 (105,000). The Top 10 debuts are rounded out by Tyrese’s Open Invitation (76,000) at #9.

It was a relatively busy week, though expect things to get shaken up again by the debuts of Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park and the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack in seven days.

The Top 10 Of Billboard’s Top 200 Chart

1. Justin Bieber, Under The Mistletoe *new* *1 week*
2. Wale, Ambition *new*
3. Miranda Lambert, Four The Record *new*
4. Susan Boyle, Someone To Watch Over Me *new*
5. Adele, 21
6. Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials *new*
7. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
8. Michael Buble, Christmas
9. Tyrese, Open Invitation *new*
10. Kelly Clarkson, Stronger

Country beauty Miranda Lambert is lending her long blonde locks and sultry pout to the cover of Billboard this month, in anticipation of the release of her LP Four The Record at the beginning of November. The Country Music Award nominee is readying to take the world by storm once again with the disc’s lead single “Baggage Claim,” (see the full lyrics over at DirectLyrics) a sassy, upbeat, and twangy (naturally!) tune that’s already performing well on the charts. Do you agree with the Billboard cover’s claim that Lambert is “the coolest girl in country”? After the jump, see the full cover and hear “Baggage Claim” to find out.

Will you be picking up For The Record on November 1?

Last year Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson performed their smash duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” for the first time at the Country Music Association Awards. Now the song has been recognized with two nominations for the upcoming 45th annual CMAs. In fact, Aldean himself received a total of five nods, tying him with Taylor Swift and fellow country crooners Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley. Other nominees include Shelton’s wife Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, who are up against Swift, Martina McBride and Sara Evans for Female Vocalist Of The Year. Catch the full list of 2011 nominees below.

Nominees Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are set to co-host the 45th CMA Awards, which will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 9 on ABC.

Entertainer Of The Year
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist Of The Year
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist Of The Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

New Artist
The Band Perry
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Thompson Square
Chris Young

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

Vocal Duo
The Civil Wars
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
Thompson Square

Album Of The Year
All About Tonight, Blake Shelton
My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Speak Now, Taylor Swift
This Is Country Music, Brad Paisley
You Get What You Give, Zac Brown Band

Single Of The Year
“A Little Bit Stronger” — Sara Evans
“Colder Weather” — Zac Brown Band
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
“Honey Bee” — Blake Shelton
“If I Die Young” — The Band Perry

Song Of The Year
“Colder Weather” — (songwriters: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey, and Coy Bowles)
“Dirt Road Anthem” — (songwriters: Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford)
“If I Die Young” — (songwriter: Kimberly Perry)
“Mean” — (songwriter: Taylor Swift)
“You and Tequila” — (songwriters: Matraca Berg and Deana Carter)

Musical Event Of The Year
“As She’s Walking Away” — Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
“Coal Miner’s Daughter” — Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, and Miranda Lambert
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
“Old Alabama” — Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
“You and Tequila” — Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Music Video
“Honey Bee” — Blake Shelton, Directed by Trey Fanjoy
“If I Die Young”— The Band Perry, Directed by David McClister
“Mean” — Taylor Swift, Directed by Declan Whitebloom
“Old Alabama” — Brad Paisley featuring Alabama, Directed by Jim Shea
“You and Tequila” — Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, Directed by Shaun Silva

Musician
Sam Bush – Mandolin
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar

The chart throne has been overtaken by Game, who bumps Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative LP Watch The Throne down to #2 with The R.E.D. Album this week. The record sold 98,000 copies in its first week, and overall it’s the third #1 for the Cali MC on Billboard‘s Top 200. Game leads a trio of high debuts, which include Barbra Streisand’s Whatever Matters Most (#4, 66,000) and Hell On Heels by Miranda Lambert’s side project Pistol Annies (#6, 42,000). Catch the full Top 10 below.

The Top 10 Of Billboard‘s Top 200 Chart:

1. Game, R.E.D. *new* *1 week*
2. Jay-Z & Kanye West (The Throne), Watch The Throne
3. Adele, 21
4. Barbra Streisand, Whatever Matters Most *new*
5. Various, NOW 39
6. Pistol Annies, Hell On Heels *new*
7. Luke Bryan, Tailgates & Tanlines
8. Various, Muppets: The Green Album *new*
9. Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
10. Eric Church, Chief

Miranda Lambert and her new hubby (and The Voice coach) Blake Shelton must’ve kept the honeymoon short and sweet, because the country songstress is about to release two new albums!

During her performance on Good Morning America‘s Summer Concert Series on Friday (July 8), the multiple Grammy winner announced that she’s working on her fourth studio album, Four The Record, for a November 1 release date. You say you want more Revolution? You might just get it. Details below.

Describing the album, she said, “It’s got a little of everything on it, but it’s still true to me.” But will it feature a duet with her man?

“We want to, actually, hopefully!” Lambert said of a possible husband-wife collaboration, before performing with her all-girl trio Pistol Annies.

The Annies, who rocked FIERCE footwear and who Lambert says are “this chick group that sings about things girls want to say but don’t,” will put out their own debut album Hell On Heels on August 23.

Watch Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies perform their first single “Hell On Heels”  below.

Beyonce’s video for “Best Thing I Never Had” received mixed reviews from fans and critics, but there was one thing everybody could agree on: Bey looked absolutely stunning in her bridal gown. Could Bey’s faux-wedding day duds be the most beautiful dress to grace the body of a pop star in her music video? She’s certainly got some heavy competition — jump below to take a look back at other wedding gowns in pop music videos and vote for the best-dressed bride.

Beyonce – “Best Thing I Never Had”. Classy, stylish, sexy and with razzle-dazzle. Would a true diva wear anything less?

Gwen Stefani – “Simple Kind Of Life”. This dress is perfectly suited for a runaway bride like Gwen, as it still manages to look quite elegant floating in the breeze as Gwen runs for her (single) life.

Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold”. This ridiculous wedding outfit – complete with lopsided bow and the front section cut out – matched the silly, over-the-top vibe of Katy’s video.

Mariah Carey – “We Belong Together”. A perfect dress for a fairy tale wedding. Though maybe a little too poofy for our tastes.

Britney Spears – “My Prerogative”. Black wedding dress?! Their marriage was doomed from the start.

Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”. Pretty, but a bit bland. Kind of like our feelings about Miranda Lambert.

Madonna – “Like A Virgin”. We only see wedding dress for a very brief moment in this classic video, but we can already tell it’s way too conservative, even for somebody named Madonna. The bridal outfit she wore to the VMAs, however, matched her personality much better.

When he’s not coaching the hopeful crooners who make up his team on NBC’s hit series The Voice, “Honey Bee” crooner Blake Shelton is busy romancing fellow country star Miranda Lambert — so much so that the pair got married over the weekend in front of guests like Kelly Clarkson and Rebe McEntire! Us Weekly‘s newest issue published exclusive pics from the pair’s nuptials. See what Kelly had to say about the pair’s wedding below.

Blake and Miranda got hitched in front of over 500 guests at the Don Strange Ranch, just outside of San Antonio, Texas. (Shelton, 34, was born just north of Texas, in Ada, Oklahoma, while Lambert, 27, was raised in Lindale, Texas.) “I couldn’t get over how beautiful she was,” Shelton told Us about his CMT Music Awards-nominated bride.

Lambert’s fellow Texan, “Don’t You Wanna Stay” songstress Kelly Clarkson, posted the following on her Facebook wall on Sunday evening:

“So I went to Miranda and Blake Shelton’s wedding last night and it was the greatest wedding/reception I’ve ever been to! I feel as though they should renew their vows every year and throw a party as well because everything about it was awesome! Cutest couple ever!”

What do you think of Blake and Miranda’s Us Weekly cover? Was Kelly right in branding the lovey-dovey songbirds the cutest couple ever?

Georgia crooner Jason Aldean leads this year’s just-announced CMT Music Awards with a total of four, including Video Of The Year and Collaborative Video Of The Year — the latter nod being for “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” Aldean’s duet with Kelly Clarkson. Another pairing that lands in the Collaborative category: Justin Bieber and Rascal Flatts, for “That Should Be Me.” Perhaps less surprising than the Bieb getting his country award recognition on is Taylor Swift’s “Mine” garnering three nominations. Head below to peek at the full list of who’s up for what.

2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES

Video of the Year
• Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party”
• Kenny Chesney – “The Boys of Fall”
• Lady Antebellum – “Hello World”
• Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
• Rascal Flatts – “Why Wait”
• Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
• Taylor Swift – “Mine”
• The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
• Carrie Underwood – “Undo It”
• Zac Brown Band – “Colder Weather”

Male Video of the Year
• Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party”
• Kenny Chesney – “The Boys of Fall”
• Toby Keith – “Bullets in the Gun”
• Blake Shelton – “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
• Keith Urban – “Without You”

Female Video of the Year
• Sara Evans – “A Little Bit Stronger”
• Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
• Reba McEntire – “Turn On the Radio”
• Taylor Swift – “Mine”
• Carrie Underwood – “Undo It”

Group Video of the Year
• Lady Antebellum – “Hello World”
• Little Big Town – “Little White Church”
• Rascal Flatts – “Why Wait”
• The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
• Zac Brown Band – “Colder Weather”

Duo Video of the Year
• Steel Magnolia – “Last Night Again”
• Sugarland – “Stuck Like Glue”
• The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
• The JaneDear Girls – “Wildflower”
• Thompson Square – “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”

USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year
• Lee Brice – “Love Like Crazy”
• Aaron Lewis – “Country Boy”
• Jerrod Niemann – “Lover, Lover”
• The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
• Thompson Square – “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”

Collaborative Video of the Year
• Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
• Justin Bieber featuring Rascal Flatts – “That Should Be Me”
• Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow – “Collide”
• Aaron Lewis featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels – “Country Boy”
• Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow – “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

CMT Performance of the Year
(musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT)
• Martina McBride and Train – “A Broken Wing” from CMT Crossroads: Train and Martina McBride
• Reba McEntire – “If I Were a Boy” from Unplugged: Reba
• Darius Rucker and Adele – “Need You Now” from 2010 CMT Artists of the Year
• Keith Urban and John Mayer – “Sweet Thing” from CMT Crossroads: John Mayer and Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett – “Margaritaville” from CMT Crossroads: Jimmy Buffett and Zac Brown Band

Best Web Video of the Year
(best video created primarily for Internet streaming)
• Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party” (live from the CMT.com webcast)
• Luke Bryan – “It’s a Shore Thing”
• Lady Antebellum – “Stars Tonight”
• Blake Shelton – “Kiss My Country Ass”
• Taylor Swift – “Mine” (live from the Speak Now album release party)

Video Director of the Year
• Deaton Flanigen (Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow’s “Collide”, JaneDear Girl’s “Wildflower”)
• Trey Fanjoy (Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me”, Blake Shelton’s “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”)
• Chris Hicky (Carrie Underwood’s “Undo It”, Keith Urban’s “Without You”)
• David McClister (The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young”, LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin’”)
• Roman White (Lady Antebellum’s “Hello World”, “Makin’ Me Fall in Love Again”)

The stars of country music came out to shine on in Vegas last night for the 46th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards. ACMA’s Entertainer Of The Year, Taylor Swift wore a long golden gown covered in sequins and feathers that looked as lovely and delicate as the pop star herself. While Soul Surfer star Carrie Underwood donned a shiny purple and rhinestone dress. And before Jennifer Nettles took the stage to duet with Rihanna, she first walked red carpet in a sexy black ensemble with a lace up back. Check out all the highlights from last night’s AMCA arrivals.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards aren’t just about who wins what or what everyone’s wearing — or incubating inside of — it’s about the performances. Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, and several other talented ladies kicked off the night with a diva-tastic tribute to Aretha Franklin, and no, no one rearranged the Queen of Soul’s lyrics… although they were mumbled beyond comprehension. Tap into our live blog commenting on the festivities, and check out all the performances after the jump! We’ll be updating throughout the night as they air.

Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera, Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride – Aretha Franklin medley

Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”

Muse – “Uprising”

Muse – Uprising: 2011 Grammy's
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Miranda Lambert – “House That Built Me”

Miranda Lambert – Grammy Awards 2011
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Janelle Monae, B.o.B, Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ On You”, “Grenade”, “Cold War”

Katy Perry – “Not Like The Movies”, “Teenage Dream”

Justin Bieber & Usher – “Baby”, “Never Say Never”, “OMG”

Eminem, Rihanna, Dr. Dre & Skylar Grey – “Love The Way You Lie”, “I Need A Doctor”

Rihanna and Drake – “What’s My Name”

Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and The Muppets – “Forget You”

Lady Antebellum – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”, “American Honey”, “Need You Now”

Arcade Fire – “Month Of May”

Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”/The Avett Brothers – “Head Full Of Doubt”/Bob Dylan – “Maggie’s Farm”

Mick Jagger & Raphael Saadiq – “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”

Barbra Streisand – “Evergreen”

Arcade Fire – “Ready To Start”

After pondering who we think will be hauling home Grammy gold for Best New Artist, Record Of The Year and all the Pop categories earlier this week, we now turn our starry-eyed gaze toward the nominees up for Song Of The Year. And it’s quite a mixed bag—we have tunes from two country juggernauts, a rap icon who’s partnered with one of pop’s reigning queens, a soul singer with a naughty mouth and a folk underdog. Let’s take a closer look below.

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Beg Steal Or Borrow” – Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs
“Forget You” (aka “Fuck You”) – Cee Lo Green
“The House That Built Me”- Miranda Lambert
“Love The Way You Lie” – Eminem feat. Rihanna
“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum

THOUGHTS ON THE NOMINEES: The year 2010 was a good one for Ray LaMontagne. The 37-year-old crooner’s album God Willin’ And The Creek Don’t Rise debuted at #3 on Billboard‘s Top 200 last summer and wound up being nominated for a Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy a few months later. Also up for an award is the LP’s tune “Beg Steal Or Borrow,” in the not-too-shabby category of Song Of The Year. And if it wins, expect seas to part, the earth to crack open and pigs to fly out.

And then there are country faves Lady Antebellum (who we predicted yesterday will win Record Of The Year with “Need You Now”) and Miranda Lambert, who each proved to have lasting crossover appeal last year while other acts from the genre made splashy mainstream debuts then disappeared quickly. But we’re willing to bet that Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” might not have the foundation to dissuade Grammy voters from loving the way a certain Detroit MC lies.

As for Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You,” we noted yesterday that we’d like it to win Record Of The Year, but it’s likely Lady Antebellum will be taking that award home for “Need You Now.” In the end, NARAS might feel that the Gnarls Barkley crooner’s envelope-pushing tune was lucky enough to be nominated in the top categories.

And so, that brings us to…

WHO WILL/SHOULD WIN: “Love The Way You Lie.” The song, which was co-written by Eminem, Alex Da Kid and Skylar Grey (real name: Holly Hafferman), defined a moment in time in a big way last summer when it spent a total of seven weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and basically dominated Top 40 radio to the point where it was inescapable.

“I always knew it could do well. When we were [recording] it, I always had a really good feeling about it,” Alex told us in December. “But you never know—you could have a good song and things could go wrong at the label, and then it could not see the light of day. So you never 100% know. But I knew that if it got the right attention—which an Eminem single pretty much does—I thought people would really embrace it.”

We were intrigued when Skylar’s original demo for “Love The Way You Lie” popped up earlier this month. So consider us excited over the possibility of the mysterious singer-songwriter making her big public debut, at last, by accepting a Grammy on Sunday.

Now let us know what you think!