Category Archives: CMA Awards

WINNERS:

Entertainer: Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton

Vocal Duo: Sugarland

Album: Miranda Lambert, Revolution

Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum

New Artist: Zac Brown Band

Song: “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin

Single: Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”

Music Video: Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”

Musical Event: Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”

Musician: Mac McAnally

Correct Prediction Tally:

9: Dan,Tara

8: Leeann

7: Kevin

LIVE BLOG:

10:59 Brad deserved it last year, got it this year. Carrie deserved it this year, will hopefully get it next year. When the history list is written though, nobody’s gonna care which year they won in, just that they were acknowledged. So a good end to an okay night. – KC

10:58 Very, very pleased! And what a sweet, sincere moment. – TS

10:57 You know, I’m kind of relieved. Granted, Brad gave possibly the worst performance of the night and is generally not someone I like much, but I just didn’t feel like having to listen to a bunch of whining tomorrow about Miranda or Lady A or someone winning. – DM

10:57 Pretty much the best acceptance speech for this category since…Shania Twain in 1999? Or maybe Garth Brooks in 1991? – KC

10:53 Entertainer: Brad Paisley

10:49 Miranda’s inability to pretend to be enthusiastic about silly stuff cracks me up. – DM

10:48 Kind of falls somewhere in between all the performances tonight, I guess. Plus, Vince makes any song country stronger. Yeah. I said that. -TS

10:47 Gwenyth sounds great so far, but wtf with the creepy limp-fingers guitar-playing? Just grab the mic. – DM

10:46 So. Gwyneth Paltrow on the CMA Awards. Don’t know what to say about that. – KC

10:43 Man, weird how stuff shakes out, isn’t it? I remember seeing Miranda’s first video for the lame “Me and Charlie Talking,” knowing nothing about her, and thinking she’d be out of a record deal within a year. Who’d have thought? – DM

10:37 Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert

10:36 Loretta Lynn on Female Vocalist of the Year: “we’ve kept it with the girls, haven’t we?” – DM

10:36 Fun Fact: Loretta Lynn was the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year.  Sissy Spacek was the first woman to win Album of the Year. – KC

10:36 I don’t even particularly like this song, but it is such a breath of fresh air tonight. It’s just nice to hear some country phrasin’, ya know? -TS

10:35 Um, Loretta Lynn is holding up better than Sissy Spacek. – KC

10:35 Called it. – DM

10:34 We’re into the tribute version of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and Miranda’s come out sounding good. I didn’t see if they showed Loretta in the audience, but if they didn’t, betcha she comes out and sings a bit. – DM

10:33 Boo! Miranda sang “born”, not “borned.” – KC

10:32 Yeah, I kind of just feel nothing. – DM

10: 31 Meh. – KC

10:30 Thirty minutes left in the show, and I’m overall pretty unimpressed. How about the rest of y’all? – TS

10:26 Still, he could be doing almost any other song from this album and I would be enjoying it even more. – DM

10:24 …and possibly everything else. -TS

10: 24 OK, you can already tell Dierks Bentley is going to be the coolest performance of the night. At least in camera angles. – DM

10:23 With Dierks Bentley going home empty handed this year, and Jamey Johnson significantly under-performing last year, I’m wondering if the traditional voting bloc doesn’t have much pull anymore.  Or has label consolidation just made it harder for the bloc to have a large impact? – KC

10:21 Crazy perceptive Carrie fans, did she seem really nervous to you, too? -TS

10:21 I do love Mama Underwood in the video for this song. Soft spot. – DM

10:20 Not the best vocal performance I’ve heard from her. Not by a long shot. – KC

10:20 Can we get a shot of Mama Underwood, please? – TS

10:19 Carrie, I know I said I liked the “spirit”-y background vocals on “Mama’s Song,” but you didn’t have to go all The Shining with ‘em at the beginning. – DM

10:18 Not a big fan of the two performances per night thing, but can’t think of anybody who I’d particularly want to hear that would have a shot at a performance, so it’s hard to care. – KC

10:12 What’s up with all the blond curls these days? It looks like a Shirley Temple convention up in here.  – KC

10:12 Country music revelations: the boys Perry don’t sang that good. – DM

10:10 Somewhere, Collin Raye, Joe Diffie, Mark Chesnutt, Clay Walker, Tracy Byrd, and countless other platinum-selling male acts of days gone by are not pleased. – KC

10:09 WOW. And he’s the lowest-selling of the bunch! – DM

10:09 Wow. Shocked, really. -TS

10:08 Wow. First real surprise of the evening.

10:08 Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton

10:06 Oh, Lady A. Such a sincere attempt, but such a misguided attempt. -TS

10:05 This is like the soundtrack to a department store coma. – DM

10:04 I see…no reason to question my mediocre assessment of Lady Antebellum. – KC

9:58 “It’s been a wonderful few weeks for us of actually having music to promote. We’re proud to be your Vocal Duo of the Last Few Weeks.” – DM

9:57 So I’m getting left in the dust in the prediction derby, as Tara takes the lead! – KC

9:55 Vocal Duo: Sugarland

9:55 Cue the “WTF?” ABC presenters. But yay, JoAnna Garcia! – TS

9:54 I love Paisley for his wit and intelligence. This makes me sad. -TS

9:54 You know what was way, way better? Sugarland’s “Very Last Country Song.” But no, they’re prancing around in tutus. So we only have Brad’s take. Sigh. – KC

9:53 Ahhhh, so THAT’s what “Too Country” sounds like without Bill Anderson to make it good. – DM

9:51 SO SICK of the straw man. I’ve never met a person in my life who doesn’t have pride and respect for fallen soldiers. – KC

9:50 I think it’s a lovely jingle. – KC

9:49 Fighting the urge to instantly hate this song based on the fact that it falls under the “I’M COUNTRY!!!!” category. But…it’s Brad. What do I do? -TS

9:44 I can see that someone making you get out of the car and walk home. – KC

9:43 Ha! Much as I don’t think Kid Rock belongs on this show, I’m kind of weirdly enjoying this “Born Free” thing. I can see myself laying drunkenly in someone’s backseat singing this. – DM

9:42 Every year, there are more and more people on the CMA Awards that yell at me. Why have I angered y’all so much? – KC

9:40 See…this is where we insert Clay Walker. -TS

9:38 Perfect. -TS

9:38 YEAH BOYYY ALL CAPS FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT!!! – DM

9:37 Album: Miranda Lambert, Revolution

9:36 I WANT LITTLE BIG TOWN TO HARMONICALLY PRESENT ALL THE AWARDS NEXT YEAR AND I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK OF IT – DM

9:36 NEW RULE: Taylor Swift writes, Little Big Town sings.

9:35 I’m personally glad just because for a few years there it seemed like Kelly might have lost some of her voice. If she did, she’s hiding it well now. – DM

9:35 Dear God. THAT is what singing is, stupids. – DM

9:35 And Kelly outsings almost everyone so far. Take that, Borchetta. -TS

9:32 Although…I guess it’s not a terrible song by Jason’s standards. By KC’s is another story. -TS

9:32 Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean duet. Be still my heart. -TS

9:30 Having Jeff Gordon be Brad Paisley’s doppelganger would be funnier if Jeff hadn’t given the skit away on the Black Carpet. Fool. – DM

9:27 I heard a song off the new Reba album called “The Day She Got Divorced” on XM yesterday. It was goooood. – KC

9:26 That wasn’t a very good performance, but she did well on it in some CMT live performance earlier this year. And I’m sure the album performance will be better, too. – DM

9:25 How is it that Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Reba McEntire – in that order – and the age appropriateness is going in reverse? – KC

9:25 I don’t. I didn’t like that at all. I wanted to, though. -TS

9:24 I think I get what this song is fundamentally getting at, but I’ve always found the lyrics kind of muddled. I like Reba (bring “McEntire” back!) on it, though. – DM

9:22 Ok, “If I Were a Boy” always creeps me out. Anyone? -TS

9:21 Man, I don’t know. I still enjoy the Keith Urban ear candy, but I just feel like he’s been running on autopilot since the final catharsis that was Love, Pain and the whole crazy thing. – DM

9:19 Shout out to Leeann for making me appreciate this song! -TS

9:10 Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum

9:08 No reggae breakdown, no peace! Not that I have any reason to worry after that intro. – DM

9:07 Oh snap. This is ridiculous. But I freakin’ love this song. – TS

9:06 Sugarland done lost their minds. – KC

9:05 Anyone see her mouth “what” just before the curtain fell?! Ha! I want to know what that was! – DM

9:05 The thing that bugs me about Taylor is that she changes her singing accent so often, even if it’s subtle. Like…which one is it? – TS

9:05 Taylor S. doing her Taylor L. song. Somehow this performance is really “whatever,” and not just because the vocal is so weak. It’s like she’s already graduated from the CMAs and is just here as a formality. – DM

9:04 Fun Fact – The “snow” falling around Taylor Swift is actually Rascal Flatts on the rafters, shaking out their hair gel. – KC

9:02 Spotted: Blair Waldorf at the…CMA Awards? -TS

9:01 He did release it as a single. He confirmed on the red carpet. – TS

8:58 Since we’re talking about the upcoming Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson duet in the comments: if he does release that as a single, which it sounds like he will, it’ll instantly become my second-favorite Aldean single after “Amarillo Sky.” – DM

8:54 Man, I’m just saying: Kenny Chesney’s football thing is starting to weird me out. I’d feel the same If Laura Bell Bundy kept releasing songs that referred to how awesome and life-changing high school theatre was, and I actually DID that. – DM

8:51 Wow, that was a cool set! – KC

8:50 How can you not get warm fuzzies inside when Alan Jackson starts singing in this song? It’s like seeing an old friend. -TS

8:49 Dude, I’m actually for this Zac Brown Band/Alan Jackson performance. This song has really grown on me. – DM

8:46 Wouldn’t it be nice to see Clay Walker back at these shows? He put out two great singles and one decent album this year. Just sayin’. -TS

8:44 New Artist: Zac Brown Band

8:43 From the Comments: “Does Jimmy Dickens live in Brad Paisley’s dressing room?” – Canadian Boy

8:40 Except, he sounds kind of off tonight. Is it just me? – TS

8:40 George Strait, you sing too pretty for Hallmark. – DM

8:39 Don’t like the song, but amazed at the irony that he sounds out of breath.  – KC

8:38 Is Carrie wearing a wedding cake? -TS

8:38 Totally agree, Dan. (Shocker!) – TS

8:37 I wasn’t sure how “That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round” was gonna work out here, but I actually dug it. Makes more of an impression live than the sly “Only Prettier” would have. – DM

8:34 MIRANDA RAWK! MIRANDA SMASH! – DM

8:33 Agree with Ben from the comments: “All About Tonight” was a big hit, but a well-staged “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” tonight could have deepened his image some. – DM

8:29 I don’t like the song either, but Blake sounds terrific. I’ve always been on the verge of BS fandom, just waiting for some slightly better songs. – DM

8:28 Not that there’s anything too bad about Shelton or his music, but his Male Vocalist nomination reminds me of Terri Clark and Sara Evans being up for Female Vocalist in the mid-2000′s. They didn’t so much work up to it as back up into it. – KC

8:27 I swear “All About Tonight” is like air to me. I get absolutely nothing out of it. -TS

8:26 Maybe I’m a cornball, but I want full versions of these parody songs. Extraneous Paisley comments omitted plzthx. – DM

8:24 So deserved. And happy birthday to Miranda! – TS

8:22 Song: “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin

8:21 Man, Tara and I never agree on this stuff! – DM

8:20 Vintage Flatts: great song, mediocre performance. I’ll take it. -TS

8:19 Rascal Flatts sounding more controlled on “Why Wait” than they have in quite some time. If I liked the song, I’d be onboard. – DM

8:18 Rascal Flatts song isn’t as bad as they’ve been, but I still say Faith Hill did this better.

8:13 And Dan and Tara move ahead in the prediction count!  First time in CMA history that an artist wins Single of the Year twice in a row.

8:12  SINGLE: “Need You Now”, Lady Antebellum

8:11 A gay joke on the CMAs that isn’t completely offensive? Gotta be the Gwenyth. – DM

8:10 …OK, I’ll give him that one. That was pretty funny. – DM

8:10 I find this Lady A/Lady Gaga thing way too amusing. Maybe because I’ve had so many friends make the same mistake. Including my lovely mom. -TS

8:09 I would by a Brad Paisley Lady Gaga cover album. – KC

8:08 I say this as not a big fan of either of them: Carrie is way, way funnier than Brad. – DM

8:07 Disturbing and hilarious McGraw picture.-TS

8:06 Vince Gill ribbing Julia Roberts ’94 > Brad Paisley ribbing Gwyneth Paltrow ’10

8:05 he return of the Brad/Carrie musical parodies! Yessss. – DM

8:04 Never liked this song, but Carrie’s performances really have evolved. +10 for Keith Urban banjo breakdown. – DM

8:03 Cursing “Undo It” right now for stealing this song’s single spotlight. – TS

8:03 Nice to hear Urban rocking the banjo again. Well, it would be, if I could actually hear it. – KC

8:01 Underwood is rocking it out. Gonna be a loud night, I think. – KC

8:00 Crossing my fingers for the sweet “Single Ladies” ad lib that Carrie does when she sings this on tour. – TS

8:00 Ooo, Transformers-inspired new CMA logo. – DM

7:55 Let’s hope Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t as country as it gets tonight.  – KC

Winners

Musician of the Year – Mac McAnally

Musical Event of the Year – “Start A Band”, Brad Paisley & Keith Urban

Music Video of the Year – “Love Story”, Taylor Swift

Single of the Year – “I Run To You”, Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year – “In Color”, Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, James Otto

Vocal Group of the Year – Lady Antebellum

New Artist of the Year – Darius Rucker

Album of the Year – Fearless, Taylor Swift

Vocal Duo of the Year – Sugarland

Male Vocalist of the Year – Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist of the Year – Taylor Swift

Entertainer of the Year – Taylor Swift

- – -

11:05 DM: Final tally of CMA staff predictions: Leeann – 9, Dan – 7, Tara – 6, Kevin – 5 (not counting Video). Leeann triumphs again! Thanks for joining us, everyone!

11:04 KC: Artists who have won 4 CMA awards in one night: Johnny Cash. Merle Haggard. Vince Gill. Alison Krauss. Dixie Chicks. Taylor Swift.

11:00 DM: Well, this certainly feels like some kind of watershed moment for country music. I guess we’ll see what happens, huh?

10:59 KC: Though to get us back to reality: Female winners of the Entertainer of the Year award – Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift.

10:57 KC: And she brought out the band. And she thanked the fans. And she’s crying. Darn you, Taylor Swift. Making me be happy for you!

10:56 KC: And her parents just made me get misty.

10:55 KC: Okay, she deserved this one.

10:55 DM: A clean sweep.

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift

10:54 DM: After that, no Entertainer result could surprise me.

10:52 KC: Before the show, I told Dan that I hoped there would be some surprises tonight. God says “Ha!”

10:48 DM: Dave Matthews is pretty cool. It’s a shame he couldn’t be here for a more interesting song. Anybody remember his Crossroads with Emmylou Harris? That was cool.

10:46 KC: Pardon my absence. I had to put a “Kanye Was Right” sticker on my car.

10:42 DM: Well, the backlash should start pretty soon here. I don’t even wanna know what’s being said in the Carrie Underwood fan forums right now.

10:40 DM: Speechless.

10:40 KC: Oh dear.

Female Vocalist of the Year: Taylor Swift

10:37 KC: People are crazy. Crazy enough to give Lady Antebellum single of the year, but not quite crazy enough to give it to Billy Currington.

10:35 DM: Billy Currington. I feel a power-nap coming on!

10:34 KC: Also praying that Reba can drag George Strait up to the NYC metro area when they tour together.

10:33 KC: This decent Reba single reminded me of an interesting piece of trivia: All five female vocalist nominees are in the top 20 of the singles chart this week. See what’s possible when you don’t nominate Alison Krauss?

10:31 DM: Have you guys noticed how Reba is just going by the one name now? Not a fan. She still sounds good, but it’s time for some better singles.

10:26 KC: Now they brought the Hall of Fame CMA moment back? After the Emmylou Harris induction has already come and gone?

10:24 KC: Okay George Strait just saved it. Perhaps because he actually has been country all along?

10:24 KC: Let’s all pray that Martina isn’t previewing Timeless II.

10:24 KC: Even if Roy Clark was dead, it wouldn’t be excusable for Barbara Mandrell to get such a lopsided amount of attention.

10:21 DM: Well, I’m glad they’re doing something for the inductees. Even if it involves “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.”

10:21 KC: I have this fear that Taylor Swift is going to win Female Vocalist.

10:19 KC: That sounds like a dangerous thing to do on a tractor.

10:18 DM: Is Jason Aldean really at superstar status now? Bummer.

10:15 DM: Upsets at every turn.

Male Vocalist of the Year: Brad Paisley

10:11 KC: To answer LeAnn’s question, “By listening to their music.”

10:10 KC: I didn’t know who I was supposed to be at 19, either.

10:09 From the Comments, Diamond: Kanye. NOW. Please…

10:08 KC: I wonder how LeAnn Rimes feels about all of this.

10:07 DM: Gotta say, there are probably at least five girls in a ten-foot radius of Swift who could be up there singing this better.

10:04 DM: Wow, burn.

10:03 KC: Rascal Flatts commercial for Wendy’s. A celebrity endorsement that is completely believable.

10:02 KC: Why didn’t B&D get up and talk? Way to sink a classy moment.

10:01 KC: Sugarland: A standing O I can get behind.

10:00 DM: Don’t think we didn’t notice your complete lack of applause for Joey + Rory, CMA! For shame.

Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland

9:59 KC: B&D’s retirement announcement was timed so it could impact CMA voting. Let’s see if it did the trick.

9:58 KC: In terms of personal grooming, he’s somewhere between Jennings and Cousin It.

9:57 KC: Still don’t think Johnson’s schtick is particularly authentic.

9:56 DM: John Rich got a mention. Not going to do much to help that smugness thing.

9:54 DM: Jamey Johnson doing “Between Jennings and Jones” at the CMAs. If he doesn’t kick ass, he’s going to come off really smug.

9:54 KC: Dan, the time for steel-tipped intervention was when they were considering recording it in the first place.

9:52 DM: I remember Ronnie doing a good job on “It’s Getting Better All The Time” some number of years back.

9:52 KC: This final B&D CMA performance has me feeling sentimental for all of those amazing CMA performances from them over the past eighteen years, of which I can’t name one.

9:51 DM: Brooks & Dunn’s final CMA performance is “Honky Tonk Stomp.” I’d like to kick the balls of whoever made that call.

9:48 KC: KC: Shout-out to Cutting the Treacle, living up to the name and the comment thread’s MVP so far.

9:46 KC: Women who’ve won Album of the Year: Sissy Spacek, Anne Murray, Patty Loveless, Dixie Chicks, Lee Ann Womack, Taylor Swift. Rank them as you wish.

9:44 KC: Shocked that Jamey Johnson didn’t win.

9:45 DM: And the tweens have it.

Album of the Year: Fearless, Taylor Swift

9:42 DM: I think my dad may have had that ugly black Aloha-cowboy vest.

9:42 KC: My dad also went out with his Boots On.

9:41 KC: My dad had that POW MIA hat!

9:39 DM: Seriously, Nettles has better stage presence than just about anybody else we’ve seen tonight. Maybe Zac Brown Band could compete. Still not digging her head voice, though.

9:38 KC: KC: Love this song. Love this duo.

9:36 DM: Carrie has a lot more charisma this year. And speaking of charisma, here comes Jennifer Nettles!

9:30 DM: …So how about Tim’s jester pants?

9:27 DM: Tim forgot his first few words because he was looking around waiting for that “famous Southern people” montage Kevin promised to start up. Now that it has, he’s good.

9:25 DM: I really want to like this song – it’s certainly something new for Keith – but I just can’t get into it somehow. Doesn’t feel accessible.

9:23 DM: Keith Urban debuting his new single about how depressing empty carnivals are.

9:21 DM: I don’t know whether to smile that Little Jimmy got a spot at all or weep that it was just so he could deliver a limp Kanye joke.

9:15 KC: For me, the Tennessee line just meant that I had another three hours of driving until Nashville or another twelve until New York.

9:12 KC: Much like cheddar cheese and Grey Goose, Vince Gill makes everything a little bit better.

9:11 DM: Good thing Daughtry is here. I was worried they might mention the Country Music Hall of Fame inductees or something.

9:10 KC: Darius Rucker joins Shelby Lynne in possession of both a country new artist award and the Best New Artist Grammy.

New Artist of the Year: Darius Rucker

9:08 KC: Wynonna – you look great, but you won the HORIZON AWARD, not the New Artist award

9:07 KC: Songs that stink live and on record: “Alright”, whatever Taylor sang.

9:07 KC: Songs that haven’t: “White Liar”, “Welcome to the Future”

9:07 KC: Songs that have sounded better live tonight: “Need You Now”, “Cowboy Casanova”, “Twang”

9:06 KC: Also, very cool set piece

9:05 KC: Why is it that the whole “they sound bad because of the sound system” argument falls apart every time that Carrie Underwood opens her mouth and puts the rest of them to shame?

9:05 DM: I meant that positively. She looks hot.

9:03 DM: Oh man. This performance is going to inspire drag shows for years to come.

9:02 DM: Carrie launching into “Cowboy Casanova.”

9:00 KC: Dan, it’s taking all my strength to get through this show without medication, and I’m watching at home.

8:58 DM: Now the healing can begin.

8:57 KC: Rascal Flatts didn’t win, which is more satisfying than any winner could be.

Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum

8:56 DM: OH! VOCAL GROUP MOMENT OF TRUTH!

8:55 DM: Is it me, or do the TV star presenters always seem the most medicated?

8:54 KC: That’s Jamey Johnson and Kid Rock up on the rafters, shaking out their hair.

8:53 KC: I bet Miranda Lambert feels just like that string of Christmas lights.

8:50 KC: If Jason Aldean recorded this, it would sound like a Metallica record.

8:50 KC: Amazing how this man has managed to wade through at least three “Country Goes Crazy for Crossover” phases without even sullying his crisp white shirt.

8:48 KC: The CMA needs a little “Twang” too. Thanks George!

8:47 DM: Incidentally, the awards for Video and Musical Event were given out pre-show. The winners are “Love Story” and “Start A Band”, respectively.

8:45 KC: I cursed on the CMAs. That means I’m hard-core!

8:44 DM: But point taken – it was a breath of fresh air.

8:44 KC: Scratch that – AK&US  and Nickel Creek have been on the show since then.

8:43 KC: Though  to be fair, it’s the first time since the Dixie Chicks ruled the CMAs that a band has actually played well live on the stage.

8:42 KC: The devil went down to K-Mart, he was looking for some clothes to wear. He found a polo shirt and stone-washed jeans for his big awards show affair.

8:40 DM: Alright, this is the most interesting CMA performance I’ve seen in some time. They’re so un-glamorous compared to the rest of the crowd that it’s a little mesmerizing.

8:40 KC: Loving the tambourine guy.

8:39 KC: Halloween was eleven days ago and a lot less scary.

8:39 DM: Zac Brown Band doing “Devil Went Down To Georgia.” I’m sure they can play it, but seriously, WTF?

8:38 KC: The history geek in me wants to tell Brad that he just woke up the founder of the Lutherans, not the leader of the civil rights movement

8:36 KC: Apparently in the future, you don’t have to sing into the microphone.

8:35 DM: Seconded.

8:35 KC: Seriously, if Mario or Link show up, I’m switching my Entertainer vote to Brad

8:34 KC: Pac-Man!

8:33 KC: PONG!!!!

8:31 DM: I know what you mean, Kevin. I get to a point where I just have to stop reading reviews in order to enjoy music.

8:29 KC: This song’s grown on me a bit. Miranda’s talent and her hype keep switching leads in their ongoing race. Right now, it’s hype by a nose.

8:28 KC: Craig Wiseman won Song in 2004 and 2006. Bill Anderson in 2005 and 2007. Jamey Johnson in 2007 and 2009. Next year, Jennifer Nettles better prepare a speech!

8:27 DM: Wow, this mix is terrible. She’s singing well, but she and the drums are about all you can hear.

8:24 DM: Miranda Lambert doing “White Liar.” Interested to hear how it sounds live.

8:24 KC: Jamey’s comment about not thinking he’d ever be allowed to come to stuff like this would seem a bit more believable if he hadn’t already won in this category before.

8:22 Song of the Year: “In Color”

8:21 KC: Darius, we already knew white people don’t have any rhythm. You didn’t have to rub it in.

8:20 DM: This song does not deserve a giant light-up sign of its title.

8:20 KC: Way to set the bar at just “Alright” and still not even approach it.

8:18 KC: Nobody’s EVER made the leap from rock to country as gracefully as Darius Rucker? Somewhere, the family of Conway Twitty is screaming.

8:17 KC: I think Brad & Carrie just locked in hosting duties for the next five years.

8:16 DM: Why can’t Carrie Underwood record countrier music? She’s cleaning up on these song parodies.

8:16 KC: Check out our Country Universe spin-off site launching tomorrow: ladyantebellumsingleoftheyearseriously????.com

8:13 KC: Full disclosure. I purchased the cassingle of Victoria Shaw’s “Cry Wolf” back in ’94.

Single of the Year: Lady Antebellum, “I Run To You”

8:12 DM & KC: WHAT????

8:11 KC: Look! Skeeter Davis grew a beard!

8:11 KC: Kid Rock. Performing AND presenting. Of course.

8:09 DM: Gotta say I’m actually liking some of the opening monologue this time. The gags on Tim & Faith’s colognes and the Brooks & Dunn/Sugarland competition are pretty solid.

8:07 KC: Hope that’s the first and last Kanye joke.

8:06 DM: For a second I thought they were actually just going to stand there and sing old country songs. Bummer.

8:05 DM: Ditto, Kev.

8:04 KC: All of my objective, “She’s the top performer right now and should be acknowledged” comments are difficult to stand by when I hear her sing

8:03 DM: Dramatic moments in song = key time to start singing in fake British accent.

8:01 KC: It’s 8:01. Do you know where your Pro Tools are?

8:00 DM: Taylor performance. She’s doing that Joe Jonas harangue song.

7:59 DM: Show time’s almost here! Kevin and I will be doing double-duty throughout the night and highlighting some of your comments. Get pumped!

Given that CMA Live Blogging has become so widespread that even the super-cool Whitney Pastorek at Entertainment Weekly is doing it, our “update the post repeatedly while you add your comments” approach seems almost quaint.