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Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton lead ACM Awards nominations
Morris and Stapleton lead the nominations for this year's Academy of Country Music Awards. The academy announced on Friday that Morris and Stapleton both had six nominations ahead of the April 18 awards show, which will air on CBS from Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton are the leading nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards, but only Stapleton joined the all-male ballot for the top prize of entertainer of the year. The academy announced on Friday that Morris and Stapleton both had six nominations ahead of the April 18 awards show, which will air on CBS from Nashville, Tennessee. AdMiranda Lambert, who is already the most nominated artist in ACM history, stretched her streak with five nominations.
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ACM Awards show returns to Nashville venues in April
FILE - This April 7, 2019 file photo shows host Reba McEntire on stage at the 54th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. The Academy of Country Music Awards is coming back to Nashville in April for a second time to hold its awards show at three different venues. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Academy of Country Music Awards is coming back to Nashville for a second time to hold its awards show at three different venues. The awards show, which is normally held in Las Vegas in April, used the same Nashville locations when the coronavirus pandemic delayed their show to last September. The show was held in Nashville for the first time last year without a live audience.
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Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris to play CMAs
FILE - Eric Church performs at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. on March 28, 2017. Church will perform at this year's CMA Awards in Nashville. (Photo by Rick Scuteri/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Luke Combs and more are set to take the stage at the CMA Awards in November. The country music awards show promised that the genre’s biggest stars will be together in one room again for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak started. Lambert, the leading nominee with seven nods including entertainer of the year, will perform “Settling Down" from her album of the year nominated record ”Wildcard."
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Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs top CMT noms
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ashley McBryde, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett top the 2020 CMT Music Awards nominations with three each. In nominations announced Wednesday for the pandemic-delayed show, 14 videos are vying for the top prize of video of the year. The fan-voted show will air on CMT and other networks on Oct. 21 with outdoor performances. The Highwomen, a group made up of Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires, also got their first nomination for group video. Electronic producer and DJ Marshmello also earned a nomination in collaborative video for the crossover hit “One Thing Right" with Kane Brown.
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5 Things to Know for Today
FILE - In this Aug. 19, 2020, photo Attorney General William Barr participates in a roll call with police officers from the Kansas City Police Department in Kansas City, Mo. In a private conference call this week with his U.S. attorneys nationwide, Attorney General William Barr said he wanted prosecutors to be aggressive in charging demonstrators who cause violence. (AP Photo/Mike Balsamo, File)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. QUESTIONS RISE OVER INDIA’S DEATH TOLL Experts say its death toll of only 83,000 in a country of 1.3 billion people is likely an undercount, raising questions about the way it counts fatalities from COVID-19. ACM AWARDS TAKE SURPRISING TWIST Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett tie for entertainer of the year, the first time the top prize has been split between two artists.
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Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett tie for top prize at ACMs
Underwood and Rhett seemed equally taken aback after host Keith Urban announced the tie at the awards show held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. “Keith, what is happening right now?” Rhett asked, astounded, before thanking his family. There was a lot of anticipation for the show, which featured Taylor Swift making her first appearance at the ACMs in seven years. In awards announced before the show aired, Rhett also won music video of the year, while Townes won new female artist of the year. Underwood sang a tribute to iconic female Opry members, including Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Barbara Mandrell, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.
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ACM Awards brings live performances back to TV amid pandemic
This combination photo shows country singers, from left, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Mickey Guyton who will perform at this year's ACM Awards in Nashville. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At the Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday, there won’t be fake fans, canned applause or pre-taped acceptance speeches. After a five-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the awards show wants to bring the live television experience back again. The 55th annual ACM Awards, normally held in April in Las Vegas, were delayed this year and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for the first time. “I don’t know if it’s gonna look like an NFL Draft night when we hand out the awards,” Urban said laughing.

Kane Brown pays tribute to late drummer Kenny Dixon
Honoree Kane Brown accepts an award onstage during the 2019 CMT Artist of the Year at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Oct. 16, 2019 in Nashville. (CNN) - Country star Kane Brown choked back tears as he honored his late drummer, Kenny Dixon, as he accepted an award at the CMT Artists of the Year awards show just four days after Dixon's death. "I want to dedicate this to my drummer Kenny," Brown. Country singer Chris Young had presented Brown with the award and also had mentioned Dixon's tragic death. Brown also paid tribute to Dixon with an Instagram message on Sunday.

2019 CMT Artists of the Year: Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood & More Nominees Pose for Official
Honorees from the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year event are shining bright! Ahead of the awards ceremony on Wednesday, CMT released the official family portrait, which features Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and Dan + Shay. This year's ceremony will be a special one, as it will celebrate the decade-long anniversary of the live music franchise. The live, 90-minute soiree will pay tribute to McEntire, as well as the other aforementioned artists who ruled the last 12 months. The 2019 CMT Artists of the Year awards ceremony airs live from Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Thomas Rhett Shares Sweet 7th Wedding Anniversary Note to Pregnant Wife Lauren
In honor of the his seventh wedding anniversary on Saturday, Thomas Rhett looked back on his and wife Lauren Akins' marriage while also taking a hopeful glimpse into their future together. "I cant believe the Lord has blessed me with 7 amazing years of marriage with @laur_akins," Rhett, 29, wrote. We have changed and grown In so many ways and I literally find new ways to love you every single day." "Happy wedding anniversary 7 years ago tonight honey ," the 29-year-old philanthropist wrote. Rhett and Akins have known each other since high school but only dated for about six months before getting engaged in December 2011.

Thomas Rhett and Wife Lauren Expecting Their Third Child
Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins are expecting their third child, a baby girl. Excited to share that I will now be paying for 3 weddings, Rhett wrote on Instagram. I feel so blessed to say that our third child is on the way and its a girl!! The second pic revealed the babys gender, and despite the girls and Rhett wearing blue, it was pink smoke exploding into the air as they learned another daughter was on the way. RELATED NEWS:Thomas Rhett Shares Why He Clapped Back at Internet Trolls Making Fun of His Wife (Exclusive)Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett's Wife, Launches Jewelry Partnership to Support Communities in Uganda (Exclusive)