Nashville, U.S.A. — Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton continued their reigns as Country Music’s Female and Male Vocalists of the Year at “The 46th Annual CMA Awards,” with Shelton also securing his first victory in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category.

“The 46th Annual CMA Awards” was hosted for the fifth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.

Lambert and Shelton made history by winning Female and Male Vocalist of the Year for the third consecutive year. Shelton and Lambert also won Song of the Year for “Over You.” Although three married couples have been previously nominated for CMA Song of the Year Awards honors – Ed and Patsy Brucefor “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” in 1978, Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer and Darlene Shafer for “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” in 1985, and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” written by Whitey Shafer and his fourth wife Lydia Shafer in 1987 – Lambert and Shelton are the first to take the prize.

First-time CMA Awards winners include Eric Church for Album of the Year Chief, Little Big Town for Vocal Group and Single of the Year (“Pontoon”), Hunter Hayes for New Artist of the Year, and Thompson Square for Vocal Duo of the Year. As producer of both Chief and “Pontoon,” Jay Joyce was awarded for Album and Single of the Year, also marking his debut as a CMA Award winner.

In presentations made before the broadcast, Mac McAnally earned his fifth Musician of the Year victory.

Earlier on Thursday, two CMA Awards were presented live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” from Times Square in New York. Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw won Musical Event of the Year for “Feel Like a Rock Star.” CMA Music Video of the Year honors went to Toby Keith and director Michael Salomon for “Red Solo Cup.”

In a special tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member Willie Nelson, Lady Antebellum performed “You Were Always on My Mind” and “Crazy,” then Shelton, Keith Urban, and Nelson’s longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael joined on “Whiskey River.” Faith Hill and McGraw followed in a duet appearance, singing “Good Hearted Woman.” Nelson joined them all, strapped on his trademark guitar “Trigger” and sang “On the Road Again.” Paisley then surprised Nelson with the first-ever CMA Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be renamed the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Full 2012 CMA Awards details, including nominations and performers are available at CMAawards.com, which also includes CMA Awards history, a searchable database of past CMA Awards nominees and winners, host information, merchandise and much more. The CMA Awards Store has T-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, tote bags and more official merchandise for fans to purchase online. Fans can connect with CMA online at Facebook.com/CMA, Twitter.com/CountryMusic (#CMAawards),YouTube.com/CountryMusicAssoc, Pinterest.com/CMAworld, and by downloading the free CMA Awards app available for iPhone and Android.

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 11,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was formed in 1958 as the first trade organization to promote an individual genre of music. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967.

The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC television for the first time – making it the longest-running annual music awards program on network television. The Awards aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005. The CMA Awards moved to ABC in 2006, where it will remain through 2021.

“The 46th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer.

The Winners of “The 46th Annual CMA Awards” are:

• Entertainer of the Year - Blake Shelton
• Female Vocalist of the Year - Miranda Lambert
• Male Vocalist of the Year - Blake Shelton
• New Artist of the Year - Hunter Hayes
• Vocal Group of the Year - Little Big Town
• Vocal Duo of the Year - Thompson Square

Album of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
Chief
Eric Church
Produced by Jay Joyce
EMI Records Nashville

Single of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
“Pontoon”
Little Big Town
Produced by Jay Joyce
Capitol Records Nashville

Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
“Over You”
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton

Musical Event of the Year (Award goes to each Artist)
“Feel Like a Rock Star”
Kenny Chesney (duet with Tim McGraw)
Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville

Music Video of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Director)
“Red Solo Cup”
Toby Keith
Directed by Michael Salomon

Musician of the Year - Mac McAnally – Guitar

Image Courtesy : S_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Universal City, CA, U.S.A. – Universal CityWalk‘s “5 Towers” state-of-the art concert venue welcomes the Final Four of NBC’s blockbuster vocal competition show, “The Voice,” for a live performance at 10:30am on Thursday, May 3, 2012. The special one-time concert in Los Angeles invites fans to Universal CityWalk to cheer on their favorite performer. “The Voice” winner will be announced next Tuesday, May 8.

CityWalk’s new interactive outdoor concert venue will serve as the energetic backdrop to showcase the leading vocal artists from celebrity musician coaches Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

The artist lineup set to command the stage at “5 Towers” include Kansas native Chris Mann for Team Christina, Florida native Juliet Simms for Team CeeLo, Connecticut native Tony Lucca for Team Adam, and New York native Jermaine Paul for Team Blake. Competing to be named “The Voice” in Season 2 of the hit show, each of the final four artists will perform one song on the “5 Towers” stage and the performances will be streamed live to Facebook, NBC.com and at the NBC Experience Store in New York.

First to christen the “5 Towers” stage in July 2011 was none other than CeeLo himself paving the way for the first-of-its kind outdoor concert venue with fan immersive features and next-generation technology.  The Music Spotlight Series held this spring at “5  Towers” featured Billboard chart-topping talent Carly Rae Jepsen, as well as an eclectic and impressive lineup of local homegrown favorites including The Thomas Nicholas Band, Midnight Red, and Cherri Bomb, to name a few.

“We are so excited to have the finalists from ‘The Voice’ here at the 5 Towers on CityWalk,” said Pat Donahue, Director of CityWalk Entertainment. “While we’ve hosted established recording artists like Flo Rida, Good Charlotte and Justin Bieber, we also have a strong commitment to supporting emerging artists.  It’s a great privilege to provide up-and-coming talent with an outstanding, state of the art venue to do what they love to do – which is to play great music and entertain the masses!”

Before the final four contestants were announced, the eight semi-finalists recently were treated to a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of Universal Studios Hollywood’s epic, new thrill ride, Transformers: The Ride-3D, set to open officially on May 25, 2012. Photos and video featuring the semi-finalists in the theme park are available upon request.

More information on Universal CityWalk’s upcoming events is available at www.CityWalkHollywood.com.  Artist announcements and “5 Towers” concert venue events can also be found on Twitter @CityWalkLA and Facebook-Universal CityWalk Hollywood.

“The Voice” Final Four Live Performances at Universal CityWalk “5 Towers” Concert Venue
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA  91608
Press Check-In: 8:30AM  /  Media Interviews: 9-11AM  /  Live Concert: 10:30AM-11AM

For artwork and a complete press kit from the show please visit the NBC Universal Media village website at HTTP://WWW.NBCUMV.COM. Follow on Facebook atHTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NBCTHEVOICE and on Twitter at @NBCTheVoice and #TheVoice.

Image Courtesy of    The Voice

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Nashville, U.S.A. - Live Nation Entertainment and ACM Promoter of the Year Brian O’Connell are leading the charge for a new country festival where the music and atmosphere will rival the serene, natural beauty of the landscape. Watershed Music Festival will take place August 3, 4 and 5 at the iconic Gorge Amphitheatre and is set to feature a versatile lineup of artists, camping, late night sets, impromptu jam sessions, collaborations and more.

Located east of Seattle, the Gorge Amphitheatre provides a picturesque backdrop for the laid back, country vibe O’Connell has envisioned for this truly unmatched festival. Three-day festival passes go on sale May 5th at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

“The Gorge provides a feeling that is impossible to recreate anywhere else,” said O’Connell.  ”It is truly a magical place and provides the perfect setting for a cool, eclectic country event.  We wanted to create something that didn’t exist, from the caliber of artists to the camping and the atmosphere.  I’m excited to be a part of it and see it all come together.”

“In the storied 25 year history of The Gorge, we’ve been fortunate to host many of the nation’s top country artists, but all have been single day concerts,” said Jeff Trisler, President of Live Nation Seattle. “For years, we’ve wanted to host a multiple day country festival that builds on the tremendous success for our annual Sasquatch Music Festival and Dave Matthews Band residency.  We believe this event will bring that same sort of excitement and energy to The Gorge for an entirely new group of music fans.”

Artists confirmed for the multi-day country fest include Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Sara Evans, Brantley Gilbert, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Thompson Square, Uncle Kracker, Dwight Yoakam, Tracy Lawrence, Reckless Kelly, The Lost Trailers, Steve Holy, Johnny Reid, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, Morgan Frazier, DeeJay Silver and a local stage will feature regional acts each night. More artists are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Gorge Amphitheatre, located in George, Wash., is undoubtedly one of the most scenic concert venues in the world and offers sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge. The area itself is a watershed for the Columbia River, thus inspiring the name of the event. The Watershed Music Festival will feature a limited capacity of 25,000 and will offer lawn terrace seating and premiere camping options.

The amphitheatre has been the home of many historic concerts from bands such as Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Van Halen, Rush, Radiohead, Tim McGraw, Aerosmith, Metallica, Rascal Flatts,John Mayer, The Police, Brad Paisley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the annual Sasquatch! Music Festival.

Three day festival passes will start at only $90 and go on sale May 5 at ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.WatershedFest.com, twitter @watershedfest, Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

Image Courtesy of   Watershed Festival

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When Taylor Swift made her grand appearance at the Country Music Awards Sunday night, she received the biggest award of the night, and took home her second consecutive “Entertainer of the Year” award. What Swift was not anticipating was the on-going  joke between hosts Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire about her dating Tim Tebow, leaving Swift shocked and baffled.

As the hosts mentioned the NFL quarterback they quickly brought up Swift, and McEntire said, “Well, how about the rumor that Tim Tebow went on a date with Taylor Swift?” Shelton added in, “Now we know what he has been praying for.” As the cameras zoomed in on Swift, she gave a startled reaction that practically confirmed the two were an item. Swift, with a shocked look on her face, merely shrugged her shoulders, and remarked, “What?” then put her head down as she attempted to laugh at the joke.

Rumors and gossip have been swirling about the two stars dating ever since they went on a date in February.

Viewers that tuned in to watch the Country Music Awards quickly turned to their Twitter accounts to remark on Swift’s reaction. One individual tweeted, “Taylor Swift looked extra salty after that Tim Tebow joke, ha,” while another Twitter fan wrote, “Oh T-Swift you’re just too cute.

And you so just confirmed that date with Tebow.” Another fan was not so fond of Shelton and McEntire’s wise-cracks stating, “He was making fun of Tim Tebow and Taylor Swift. It was just rude.”

Overall, Swift, a country music superstar, seemed to handle the situation as best to her ability and kept her head up. Later in the evening she presented Shelton with the award for ‘Male Vocalist of the Year.’

Yet the real question remains: are Tebow and Swift dating? Or is Hollywood sensationalizing a single date into a full-blown romance? Several relationship experts speak out about why the two young stars could be the next “it” couple. Experts tuned in to the two regarding several aspects including their levels of fame, personality, attractiveness and religion.

Cooper Lawrence, radio personality and author of “Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry,” believes that “Swift and Tebow have found untold amounts of fame at incredibly young ages.”

Which is a factor that could bring the two closer together. Andrea Syrtash, relationship expert and author of “He’s Just Not Your Type (And That’s a Good Thing)” says, ”Tebow and Swift were raised with Christian and strong family values. The fact that they are around the same age and both came into the public eye as teenagers also makes it more likely that they understand each other.”

As of now the two are not yet confirmed as a couple, and it seems that many fans of the beloved stars are rooting for them.

Image Courtesy of   Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

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Winners have been announced for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, a star-studded ceremony broadcast Live on the CBS Television Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Fans named Taylor Swift, Entertainer of the Year, the evening’s biggest honor.

This is the second consecutive year that Taylor Swift has been named Entertainer of the Year. This year marked a record breaking year with nearly one million fans casting their vote for Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year categories, combined.

Swift is the youngest and seventh solo female to take the award in the 40 year history of this category; previous winners include Loretta Lynn in 1975, Dolly Parton in 1977, Barbara Mandrell in 1980, Reba in 1994, Shania Twain in 1999, Dixie Chicks in 2000 and Carrie Underwood in 2008 and 2009.

Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year and Blake Shelton won Male Vocalist of the Year. This is Lambert’s third consecutive win as Female Vocalist of the Year and Shelton’s first win as Male Vocalist of the Year.

Lambert also took the prize for Album of the Year, making her the only female to have three consecutive albums win the category. Lambert previously won Album of the Year in 2007 for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and in 2009 for REVOLUTION.

For the third consecutive year, Lady Antebellum won Vocal Group of the Year. Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year, their first ACM Award win. Scotty McCreery was honored as New Artist of the Year in tonight’s broadcast, marking his first ACM win in the fan-voted category.

Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson won two awards tonight in the categories of Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for their song “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” This marks a first win in both categories for Aldean and Clarkson.

Artists Lee Brice, Kelly Clarkson, Eli Young Band, Scotty McCreery and Thompson Squarereceived their first time Academy of Country Music Awards.

Tonight, the Academy of Country Music sold-out two of the largest arenas in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards hosted by Reba and Blake Shelton , and the Mandalay Bay Events Center for the 2nd Annual ACM Fan Jam, hosted by the Zac Brown Band.

Following is the list of winners in the 11 categories voted on by the membership (excluding the Entertainer of the Year and New Artist categories, which were voted on by a combination of professional ACM members and fans):

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert

Vocal Duo of the Year *(Off Camera Award): Thompson Square

Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum

New Artist of the Year: Scotty McCreery

Album of the Year[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]: Four The Record – Miranda Lambert (RCA)

Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf

Single Record of the Year [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]: Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

Song of the Year [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]: Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band

Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose
Publishers: Cake Taker Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Sweet Hysteria Music (BMI)

Video of the Year [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award): Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith

Producer: Mark Kalbfeld
Director: Michael Salomon

Vocal Event of the Year [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] *(Off Camera Award): Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

For a complete list of past and present wins and nominations, please visit www.acmcountry.com and search the ACM Awards Database located on the Homepage.

Getty Images is the official photographer for the Annual Academy of Country Music Awards and photos can be accessed at www.gettyimages.com.

Image Courtesy of   Amy Nichole Harris / Shutterstock.com

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