Hey Jonathan, funny you mention LeAnn and American Gladiators in the same breath, because I could actually picture her as a contender for a celebrity special at some point. Come to think of it, I skipped out on last night’s show (the old ones) to watch the red carpet.

Kev, I had a lot of fun last night interacting, thank you.

- I knew that Rascal Flatts were scheduled to open the show, so I figured that I had time to stop by the post office on my way home. And, in doing so, managed to miss Miranda Lambert’s performance, which was, honesty, the only performance that I was actively looking forward to. Super.

- I was surprised by the results in three of the four pre-show awards– I was sure that they’d give “Anyway” something and thought Video was its best bet, especially since Paisley’s “joke” videos usually don’t win. I was rooting for Eddie Bayers for Musician, since he’s never won, though you can’t really argue with the talent pool in that category. And I don’t think “Because of You” works as a duet at all, so I was glad that it lost Musical Event, even though I do like Kelly Clarkson a lot.

- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were all over the ABC promos for the show, but were either of them actually there?

- When she drops a detail from the working class vernacular into the middle of a literary device the way Miranda Lambert did on “Me & Charlie Talking” or deliberately varies her rhyme scheme to emphasize a point the way Miranda Lambert did on “Gunpowder and Lead,” then I’ll reconsider whether or not Taylor Swift is the best country songwriter to come along in years. Until then? She seems like a sweet kid, but her songs are insipid and poorly composed and she can’t sing. The glittery guitar and the hair can only distract from so much.

- Sara Evans’ new nose looks bad, and her comment about Alison Krauss “earning” her nominations seemed to me like a thinly-veiled and sour-grapesy dig at Carrie Underwood.

- I liked the “marching band at an awards show” stunt better when OutKast did it at the Grammys a couple of years ago. I’m still a fan of Brad Paisley’s, but “Online” already sounds badly dated, and I was actually glad to be wrong in predicting that 5th Gear would win Album of the Year. Song-for-song, it’s just diminished returns on Time Well Wasted, which fully deserved its win last year.

- That’s enough, John Rich. You too, Kid Rock.

- Considering how little attention they gave him when he was at his commercial peak, I can’t believe they asked Dwight Yoakam to be one of the revolving-door co-hosts. But I can believe that he’d be the one to give an actual tribute to Porter Wagoner. Dwight’s still one of my heroes, so it was great to see him.

- Sugarland deservedly wins Vocal Duo. And I can see them holding onto it until Jennifer Nettles’ eventual solo break. Really, the performance was a (phenomenal) showcase for her, but would it have killed them to let part of the spotlight hit Kristian Bush?

- I didn’t realize LeAnn Rimes was so broad-shouldered. Does she know that NBC is planning a revival of American Gladiators? Her voice blends well with Reba’s, though, and she’s at least two years’ overdue to re-gain the kind of industry recognition she received as a teenager.

- Kellie Pickler was born a generation too late to take her rightful place in the cast of Hee Haw. There’s laying it on thick, and then there’s Kellie. She sounds better than she did on American Idol, but the shtick remains the same.

- That’s the best performance I’ve heard Little Big Town give. Though Lord knows they’ve rehearsed the song enough that it ought to have been good. They still need to fire their stylist, though.

- I don’t much care for his new single, but Josh Turner sounded great, too, and it’s going to be sooner rather than later that he starts cleaning up at the awards shows.

- I ended up going 6 for 12 on predictions, which I don’t think is terrible, considering that there wasn’t much consensus as to who would win in most categories.

- I knew that Rascal Flatts were scheduled to open the show, so I figured that I had time to stop by the post office on my way home. And, in doing so, managed to miss Miranda Lambert’s performance, which was, honesty, the only performance that I was actively looking forward to. Super.

- I was surprised by the results in three of the four pre-show awards– I was sure that they’d give “Anyway” something and thought Video was its best bet, especially since Paisley’s “joke” videos usually don’t win. I was rooting for Eddie Bayers for Musician, since he’s never won, though you can’t really argue with the talent pool in that category. And I don’t think “Because of You” works as a duet at all, so I was glad that it lost Musical Event, even though I do like Kelly Clarkson a lot.

- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were all over the ABC promos for the show, but were either of them actually there?

- When she drops a detail from the working class vernacular into the middle of a literary device the way Miranda Lambert did on “Me & Charlie Talking” or deliberately varies her rhyme scheme to emphasize a point the way Miranda Lambert did on “Gunpowder and Lead,” then I’ll reconsider whether or not Taylor Swift is the best country songwriter to come along in years. Until then? She seems like a sweet kid, but her songs are insipid and poorly composed and she can’t sing. The glittery guitar and the hair can only distract from so much.

- Sara Evans’ new nose looks bad, and her comment about Alison Krauss “earning” her nominations seemed to me like a thinly-veiled and sour-grapesy dig at Carrie Underwood.

- I liked the “marching band at an awards show” stunt better when OutKast did it at the Grammys a couple of years ago. I’m still a fan of Brad Paisley’s, but “Online” already sounds badly dated, and I was actually glad to be wrong in predicting that 5th Gear would win Album of the Year. Song-for-song, it’s just diminished returns on Time Well Wasted, which fully deserved its win last year.

- That’s enough, John Rich. You too, Kid Rock.

- Considering how little attention they gave him when he was at his commercial peak, I can’t believe they asked Dwight Yoakam to be one of the revolving-door co-hosts. But I can believe that he’d be the one to give an actual tribute to Porter Wagoner. Dwight’s still one of my heroes, so it was great to see him.

- Sugarland deservedly wins Vocal Duo. And I can see them holding onto it until Jennifer Nettles’ eventual solo break. Really, the performance was a (phenomenal) showcase for her, but would it have killed them to let part of the spotlight hit Kristian Bush?

- I didn’t realize LeAnn Rimes was so broad-shouldered. Does she know that NBC is planning a revival of American Gladiators? Her voice blends well with Reba’s, though, and she’s at least two years’ overdue to re-gain the kind of industry recognition she received as a teenager.

- Kellie Pickler was born a generation too late to take her rightful place in the cast of Hee Haw. There’s laying it on thick, and then there’s Kellie. She sounds better than she did on American Idol, but the shtick remains the same.

- That’s the best performance I’ve heard Little Big Town give. Though Lord knows they’ve rehearsed the song enough that it ought to have been good. They still need to fire their stylist, though.

- I don’t much care for his new single, but Josh Turner sounded great, too, and it’s going to be sooner rather than later that he starts cleaning up at the awards shows.

- I ended up going 6 for 12 on predictions, which I don’t think is terrible, considering that there wasn’t much consensus as to who would win in most categories.

I was glad Sugarland finally knocked Brooks & Dunn out of the Vocal Duo slot. I think Rodney Atkins deserved the Horizon Award over Taylor Swift, but I’m not terribly disappointed. The main disappointments for me were George Strait’s win for Album and Kenny’s win for Entertainer. I would have liked to see Keith Urban or Dierks Bentley win for Album of the Year, and anyone other than Kenny would have been an improvement.

By and large, I though the show was a waste of time – I DVR’d it and fast forwarded through most of the performances. Whowever engineered the sound for the show should be hung, drawn and quartered (and then castrated)

The Eagles, Jamie Foxx, etc don’t have enough musical talent collectively to have fit into Hank Thompson’s pinkie