| November 16th, 2005 07:53 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Tumbleweeds blow cold for CMA awards
November 16, 2005
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA Staff Reporter
Chicago Sun/Times
There have been many historic moments in Madison Square Garden, built in 1968 in New York City. Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali in "The Fight of the Century." Frank Sinatra recorded an album in the Garden. The 39th annual Country Music Association Awards will never be confused with any of these.
The CMA decided to bring its awards gala to the Big Apple as way to pump up the sagging country music industry. That's like having the Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies in Miami. New York City has little to offer country music fans. The city doesn't even have a country radio station, and the beloved Lone Star Cafe closed years earlier.
It wasn't so long ago that authentic Nashville characters like Little Jimmy Dickens and Minnie Pearl were seen in the awards ceremony audience. Tuesday's audience at the Garden included Billy Joel and Larry King (the talkmeister's latest wife is a country singer). Jon Bon Jovi sang with members of Sugarland. Dolly Parton and Elton John crawled through John Lennon's "Imagine."
CMA Awards winners
Entertainer of the Year: Keith Urban
Single: "I May Hate Myself in the Morning," Lee Ann Womack
Album: "There's More Where That Came From," Lee Ann Womack
Song: "Whiskey Lullaby," Bill Anderson/Jon Randall
Female Vocalist: Gretchen Wilson
Male Vocalist: Keith Urban
Vocal Group: Rascal Flatts
Vocal Duo: Brooks & Dunn
Musical Event: George Strait (duet with Lee Ann Womack); "Good News, Bad News"
Musician: Jerry Douglas, dobro
Music Video: Toby Keith, "As Good As I Once Was"
Horizon Award: Dierks Bentley
Yeah, that's country music!
Country rocker Keith Urban pulled an upset by beating Kenny Chesney for Entertainer of the Year. But when it came to dealing other awards, the CMA leaned toward Nashville tradition.
Illinois redneck Gretchen Wilson beat out more polished singers such as Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack for Female Vocalist of the Year. Womack, however, won three other awards: album (her acclaimed return to traditional country, "There's More Where That Came From"), single ("I May Hate Myself in the Morning") and musical event ("Good News, Bad News," her duet with George Strait). But I wondered where award presenters Wynonna Judd and Cowboy Troy came from.
Garth Brooks returned to live performance -- on a stage set up in Times Square. Good choice. Brooks has all the soul of a neon sign, and he did a bombastic version of "Good Ride, Cowboy" in honor of his late rodeo pal Chris LeDoux.
More intriguing live performances (there were 23 in all) included Sara Evans' foreboding "When You Were Cheating" and Brad Paisley's stark "When I Get Where I'm Going."
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn -- who also returned to host the telecast -- snagged vocal duo honors for the 12th time in the last 13 years, only missing in 2000 when Montgomery Gentry won.
Rascal Flatts were honored for selling gobs of records by winning vocal group.
Entertainer of the Year Urban also won for male vocalist -- his second time. This category historically pays homage to true American voices like Merle Haggard and George Jones. Now an Australian has won it two years in a row.
I missed Toby Keith at this year's ceremony. He continued his losing ways -- losing Entertainer, Single and Song of the Year -- but "As Good as I Once Was" did win for music video. Keith is now two for 27 at the CMA awards. His publicist said the singer's absence has nothing to do with his rejection; he's just too busy doing the Paramount Pictures film "Angel From Montgomery" in Atlanta.
Song of the Year went to "Whiskey Lullaby," written by old-schooler "Whisperin' " Bill Anderson and new-schooler Jon Randall. The award was presented by Paul Simon and Willie Nelson, who traded off on each other's hits, "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Crazy," respectively, accompanied by Norah Jones on piano.
The CMAs will return to Nashville next year, and the first step in the healing process would be to have the 40th annual ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium.
A 'Whiskey' river of woes
BY BOBBY REED
NEW YORK -- Some things overheard backstage and behind the scenes at the 39th annual Country Music Association awards ceremony on Tuesday night:
Art imitates life
Backstage, Bill Anderson remembered running into fellow songwriter Jon Randall a few days before they got together to write "Whiskey Lullaby," which won the Song of the Year Award on Tuesday night: "Randall said, 'On this very day, I've lost my recording deal and my publishing deal, and I've gotten a divorce.' So 'Whiskey Lullaby' was not something that was just totally written from the imagination. It was something he invested a big chunk of his life into. I am so proud for him because he went through hell to get right here."
Whoa!-mack
Not all the awards were given out during the telecast. Lee Ann Womack thought the pre-show was her only chance for glory. When the award was announced for Musical Event of the Year -- "Good News, Bad News," her duet with George Strait on his "Somewhere Down in Texas" album -- she was slow to reach the stage. Presenters assumed she wasn't there and started to leave. But Womack climbed up, crying, "Bring that back, I'm talkin'! I might not win another one tonight!"
But she did win another one, and another one. She took the first award of the telecast -- Single of the Year for "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" -- as well as Album of the Year.
Urban's legends
Rumors have been circulating about country hottie Keith Urban being secretly engaged to a fellow Aussie, actress Nicole Kidman. When asked backstage how he'd answer such speculation, he laughed and replied, "Well, I'd say that I'm very grateful for this award, and I'd hate to take up such valuable time discussing my personal life." That's a non-denial denial.
CMAs by the numbers
Hours the show lasted: 3
Musical performances in that time: 23
CMA awards given out: 12
Number of them presented during the telecast: 9
CMA awards Lee Ann Womack won prior to Tuesday night: 3
Number she won Tuesday night: 3 |
| November 16th, 2005 10:50 AM |
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| glencar |
Next week the Stones will be on the American Music Awards. |
| November 17th, 2005 06:36 AM |
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| corgi37 |
So if country music is dying, what left is there? Just rap, hip hop and "urban" music??
Glad to see once again an Aussie showed Yanks how to perform. Keith Urban is pretty bloody good.
For a Brisbane guy. |
| November 17th, 2005 07:15 AM |
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| Factory Girl |
Keith Urban is engaged to Nicole Kidman.
Word. |
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