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Country awards forget competition

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Also by Nicole Dorskind:

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Actors take center stage in SAGs (January 29, 2008)
Alicia Keys hip, soulful, just 'as' she is (November 20, 2007)
Country awards forget competition (November 9, 2007)
Jenny from the block loses quality to love on latest (October 11, 2007)

by Nicole Dorskind

Friday, November 9, 2007

Country music's biggest night of the year, also known as the Country Music Awards took place in Nashville, Tenn., for 41st time Wednesday night. It might as well have been the third, though, given the complete interchangeability of the competition.

ABC, taking full advantage of everyone's apathy for the actual awards, devoted almost as much time to plugging their hit shows by having hosts who have nothing to do with country music, such as Kate Walsh from "Private Practice" and James Denton from "Desperate Housewives," introduce performances and the winners of awards.

Award winners were entirely predictable, except for Sugarland’s win for Vocal Duo of the Year. Their toughest competitors, Brooks and Dunn, have won this category 14 times in the past 16 years. Rascal Flats won Best Vocal Group of the Year. For the third year in a row, Kenny Chesney won Best Entertainer of the Year. Despite the dubious merit of an award given out for having the most relentless publicists, this is somehow CMA's highest honor, as it appears last in the program. Carrie Underwood took home two awards, including Best Female Vocalist and Best Single of the Year. Brad Pasley also left with two trophies, winning Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year. "The king of country" George Strait won Best Album of the Year, as well as Best Song of the Year.

More than half of the show consisted of musical performances from top country music stars. Rascal Flats dominated the show, performing the opening and closing acts. To add a special twist and create a memorable finale, Jamie Foxx joined Rascal Flats in the conclusion of the performance. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift performed on a '70s-inspired stage with a flower power theme. She sang and played her glittered guitar while standing in the center of a giant pink daisy. Swift might still be a baby, but she is gorgeous and has amazing talent. She was even awarded the Horizon Award. Brad Praisley opened up his performance of "Online" with a local high school marching band performing in the aisles of the venue.

The CMAs were essentially a three hour-long concert encompassing many of the top country musicians. Not much competition seems to exist in the country music world; the same performers continuously take home the same awards, year after year. It might be time for some new performers to step up and challenge these old time classic country stars.

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