Sugarland, Swift among big CMA winners
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sugarland won vocal duo of the year, breaking Brooks & Dunn's long-standing lock on the award, and 17-year-old Taylor Swift won the horizon award for newcomer at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday. Rascal Flatts won top vocal group, and George Strait took top album for "It Just Comes Natural."
"If we're standing up here, we have this lofty view because we're standing on the shoulders of giants who've come before us," said Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles.
Brooks & Dunn had won the duo category 14 of the last 15 years, including the last six in a row.
Swift gave a tearful speech in which she joked, "This is definitely the highlight of my senior year."
Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox thanked country radio for "being our mouthpiece."
"What we do means nothing if no one gets to hear it," he said.
Strait had said that of his five nominations, which tied him with Brad Paisley for the most of the night, he wanted to win the album trophy the most.
"When we made this album it was incredible," Strait said afterward. "We had great material and just kept knocking them out. We ended up with 15 songs and never intended to put 15 songs on the record, but when I started going through the songs there was none I could take off."
Strait's hit "Give It Away" won song of the year.
"You all been letting me do this for 50 years, and I love you," said Bill Anderson, who co-wrote "Give It Away" with Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson.
Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" won single of the year.
Other early winners included Tracy Lawrence, featuring Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, for musical event for "Find Out Who Your Friends Are"; dobro great Jerry Douglas of Union Station as musician of the year; and Paisley's "Online" for music video.
"This was something that we all wanted to sing," Lawrence said of the hit. "It was something that was in our wheelhouse. I think we all related to it."
Paisley performed "Online" with the Brentwood, Tenn., High School marching band. Other performers were Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Strait, Swift, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Big & Rich, Rodney Atkins, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Martina McBride, Keith Urban and the Eagles.
Vince Gill introduced the Eagles, who played their single "How Long" and received a standing ovation.
"For 35 years or more, these next guys have been writing songs like we wished we could write," Gill said.
Rascal Flatts opened the show with the title track to its latest album, "Still Feels Good," while a montage of country stars flashed on large screens behind them, including a photo of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner. Wagoner died last week of lung cancer.
Dwight Yoakam also paid tribute to Wagoner, calling him a pioneer and a groundbreaker to the end.
The show was broadcast live on ABC and was hosted by James Denton of "Desperate Houswives," Kate Walsh of "Private Practice" and Kimberly Williams-Paisley — Brad Paisley's wife — of "According to Jim."
"I'm like a kid in a candy store here. Lots of good country snacks. I'm all excited and giddy," Walsh cracked.
'24' takes a bullet
The clock has stopped on 24.
USA TODAY reports that Fox confirmed the real-time thriller's seventh season, which was to have run from January through May, will be delayed indefinitely.
It is the first major casualty of the writers' strike, in its third day Wednesday.
The series expects to complete just eight of its 24 episodes, and Fox opted to delay it rather than leave viewers hanging. "We made a pact with fans; this is a show best enjoyed in non-stop fashion," says Fox program planning chief Preston Beckman, adding the network could change its plans with a quick strike settlement.
In 24's place, new drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, spun off from the film franchise, will air Mondays at 9 ET/PT beginning Jan. 14. American Idol returns Jan. 15.
High five! Borat is back to amuse -- and offend
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borat, the fictional Kazakh reporter who caused a diplomatic stir with his movie adventures in the United States, is back -- with a guide book to "the glorious nation of Kazakhstan" and "minor nation of U.S. and A."
Borat Sagdiyev, a clueless and offensive journalist created by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, made television and movie audiences laugh and cringe but angered the government of Kazakhstan for portraying the former Soviet country as misogynistic, anti-Semitic and backward.
The character continued in the same vein in a question and answer interview with Reuters via e-mail as the book was released in the United States and Canada this week:
Q: Which country to do you prefer -- Kazakhstan or the USA?
A: "I very much preferring Kazakhstan - it nicest place in the world! Please, you must look on my guidings book and then come visit. Bring your whole family and stay at Astana Funworld Resort - it have beautiful beaches, almost totally free of landmines and the sea is guarantee to have no jellyfish, shark, or any other marine life."
Q: Which people are smarter?
A: "Kazakh peoples is definite has more powerful brains. Government scientist, Dr. Yamak have prove that our glorious leader, Premier Nazarbamshev have IQ of 412 and a brain that extend into most of his chest - it no surprise that he have never fail in complete any jigsaw puzzle. Since 93 percent of Kazakh people is direct relate to him within 3 generations, rest of population also shares this great intellects."
Q: What advice do you have for people traveling around the United States?
A: "My book contains many useful informations for Kazakh peoples traveling to US and A - for example, best places to photograph ladies without their knowledge, location of Grand Canyons if you need place to dispose of a wife and location of Kazakh Embassy and where to go if you want to shoot a Redindians."
Q: When can people expect to see you in Kazakhstan again?
A: "I already in Kazakhstan, living very happilys with my new wife. This morning, I was awoke by my clock-radio (electronic LED), after which I remove my wife from her cage and she make me delicious breakfast of western cereal 'Frosties', which I have with delicious fresh milk from her chests. I then attach her to her plough and send her into the fields before returning to my bed until she come back at luchtimes to feed me again. Life is very nice for us."
Q: Who do you favor for President in the United States?
A: "I cannot believe that it possible a woman can become Premier of US and A - in Kazakhstan, we say that to give a woman power, is like to give a monkey a gun - very dangerous. We do not give monkeys guns any more in Kazakhstan ever since the Astana Zoo massacre of 2003 when Torkin the orang-utan shoot 17 schoolchildrens. I personal would like the basketball player, Barak Obamas to be Premier."
Avril Lavigne set to embark on 2008 tour
Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne finally is hitting the road next spring to support for her April release, "Best Damn Thing."
The North American outing, which will feature dancers and a live band along with special guests Boys Like Girls, is set to shove off March 5 in Victoria, British Columbia. The initial schedule for her 2008 Best Damn Tour includes stops all over Canada and the US into May, and additional dates will be announced shortly, according to a press release. The current itinerary is listed below.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Nov. 17, and fans can gain access to pre-sale tickets by joining Lavigne's fan club at her website.
"I can't wait to get back out on the road!" Lavigne said in a statement. "I have the most fun when I am performing for the fans. I think that energy comes through in my live show."
The Canadian-born singer/songwriter gave an acoustic concert yesterday (11/6) at West Hollywood, CA's Whisky A Go-Go during a press conference to announce the tour.
Her remaining engagements for 2007 include the United Against AIDS Concert in Montreal this month as well as performances on the Nov. 18 American Music Awards and the Nov. 20 episode of ABC-TV's "Dancing with the Stars." A handful of US concerts are also on the books next month, including three radio-sponsored holiday festivals.
Lavigne is supporting her latest platinum-selling set, "Best Damn Thing," which topped the US album chart when it surfaced in April. The lead single, "Girlfriend," also shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album and song recently scored Lavigne two wins each at the World Music Awards and the MTV Europe Music Awards.
"Best Damn Thing" follows 2004's triple-platinum-selling "Under My Skin," which spawned the hits ""Don't Tell Me" and "My Happy Ending."
Lavigne burst onto the music scene five years ago, at age 17, with hit singles "Sk8r Boi" and "Complicated." Her debut album, "Let Go," snagged eight Grammy nominations and four Juno Awards. She has since sold close to 30 million albums worldwide, according to a press release.
Last year, Lavigne married Sum 41's Deryck Whibley and branched out into acting, appearing in Richard Linklater's "Fast Food Nation" and lending her voice to the Dreamworks animated film "Over the Hedge."
December 2007
7 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center (KDWB Jingle Ball)
9 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center (KRBE Jingle Jam)
10 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center
16 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront (Q102 Jingle Ball)
March 2008
5 - Victoria, British Columbia - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
7 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place
8 - Kamloops, British Columbia - Interior Savings Centre
9 - Kelowna, British Columbia - Prospera Place
11 - Prince George, British Columbia - CN Centre
12 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
13 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
15 - Regina, Saskatchewan - Brandt Centre
16 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
18 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
21 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
22 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
25 - Pittsburgh, PA - A.J. Palumbo Center
26 - Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University
29 - Buffalo, NY - HSBC Arena
April 2008
3 - Kanata, Ontario - Scotia Bank Place
7 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
9 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
12 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
13 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Arena
15 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
22 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
24 - Hidalgo, TX - Dodge Arena
26 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
27 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
30 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl
May 2008
2 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
3 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
4 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre
6 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
9 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
Reports: Strike May Rush 'Big Brother'
Are Julie Chen and her band of summer shut-ins ready for primetime in the regular TV season?
According to Variety and Entertainment Weekly, CBS has already begun casting on the sly for a new season of "Big Brother," which could be rushed to the air as soon as February.
With the Writers Guild strike threatening to impact scripted programs for the spring, "Big Brother" would be a major asset for CBS. The Chen-hosted voyeuristic favorite has traditionally occupied three primetime hours per week during CBS' summer months, bringing in a regular stream of young viewers. The show is filmed in a camera-studded box on the CBS lot, so it would require relatively little production prep (though a spring shoot could impact the show's bikini-filled hot tub scenes).
The Variety story mentions the possibility (buzzed in different online circles for years) that the new "Big Brother" season might be a celebrity edition, capitalizing on the number of TV stars left potentially unemployed by a strike.
The show's eighth installment wrapped in mid-September with Dick Donato topping daughter Daniele Donato for the crown.
CBS' already has episodes of "Jericho" in the can, plus additional installments of the game show "The Power of 10." It's unclear how many episodes of other midseason offerings, like the drama "Swingtown," are finished and available to be plugged into the network's schedule depending on how long a strike were to go.
Paul McCartney linked to NYC woman
NEW YORK - Paul McCartney, who is in the midst of a bitter divorce from his second wife, has been photographed kissing another woman in the Hamptons.
The encounter between McCartney, 65, and Nancy Shevell, 47, a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, was last weekend, according to The Sun of London, which published the pictures.
Shevell, estranged wife of prominent Nassau County lawyer Bruce A. Blakeman, has a home in the Long Island resort, as does the former Beatle.
She was appointed to the MTA board by then-Gov. George E. Pataki in 2001.
Shevell is also a vice president of New England Motor Freight Inc., a New Jersey firm run by her father, Mike Shevell. In 1988, federal officials charged in court papers that Shevell's company was linked to Genovese crime family soldier Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano.
Provenzano, a former Teamsters leader, has been identified as a prime suspect in the 1975 disappearance of ex-Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. The case against Shevell was settled with no admission of wrongdoing by Mike Shevell, according to a report in the Village Voice.
The Sun said McCartney and Shevell were spotted at a sushi restaurant in Amagansett and at an outdoor cafe.
In one photo published by the British tabloid, the couple are seen sitting in the front seat of a car, with McCartney embracing Shevell. In another, they are walking along a breezy shoreline, wearing jackets, their hands in their pockets and their heads lowered.
McCartney spokesman Paul Freundlich said the rock 'n' roll Hall of Famer would say nothing about the reports. "We don't comment, as a policy, on private or business affairs," Freundlich said.
A phone number listed for Shevell on Long Island was disconnected, and Blakeman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
McCartney is divorcing Heather Mills McCartney.
His first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer in 1998.